The Senators' core has been locked up to long-term contracts, but some decisions are looming after another first-round exit. The time to contend is now, even if general manager Steve Staios won’t say that publicly.
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Thursday, 30 April 2026
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Tuesday, 28 April 2026
Raptors’ Jamal Shead impacting playoff basketball beyond the box score
In an ugly game, Jamal Shead made an ugly play and got the Raptors an ugly win. But that's what it takes to win playoff basketball, and the sophomore guard was built for just that.
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Report: MLS eyes Las Vegas if Whitecaps are relocated
The Athletic published a story Monday saying MLS has told owners around the league that it is exploring relocating the team, with Las Vegas being the top candidate for the new market.
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Monday, 27 April 2026
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Saturday, 25 April 2026
Flyers’ Dan Vladar, Penguins’ Arturs Silovs to start in net for Game 4
Philadelphia will have its No. 1 between the pipes as it goes for the sweep.
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Friday, 24 April 2026
Dahlin, Allen finally sharing in Buffalo’s success
Rasmus Dahlin and Josh Allen arrived in Buffalo mere months apart in 2018 as foundational pieces for two franchises looking ahead to more prosperous futures.
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Thursday, 23 April 2026
Wednesday, 22 April 2026
Experienced depth players loom large in Oilers’ push for Cup
Players not named Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl led the Oilers to victory in Game 1 against the Ducks. If that continues, and the stars heat up, the Oilers may just find that extra punch they’ve been looking for.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2026
Dodgers’ Edwin Diaz expected to miss about three months after elbow surgery
Edwin Diaz's rough start to his Dodgers career is now landing him on the injured list.
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Monday, 20 April 2026
‘You’re not going to back down’: Penguins’ Kindel unfazed by playoff chaos
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Penn. — In the days leading up to this first-round bout, Sidney Crosby had tried to put it into words. The mercurial, indescribable feeling that comes with first stepping into the chaos of playoff hockey.
“You’ve got to prepare as best you can, but until you’ve actually experienced it, there’s only so much you can do to try to prepare,” the Pittsburgh Penguins captain had said. “Anybody who’s played in the playoffs, you remember that first game, that’s for sure. You remember that first shift, that first period — those tend to stick out.”
Amid all the weathered experience and trophy-laden resumés housed in the Penguins’ locker room, for one member of the squad in particular, it’s felt especially novel.
Rookie Ben Kindel wasn’t even alive the first time Crosby played in a playoff game. The young Penguin was in fact born on the same day his captain was eliminated from his first post-season series — 19 years ago today — a Game 5 loss to Ottawa in April 2007.
On Saturday, the teenager got his first taste of the chaos himself, as the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers waded through a hard-fought Game 1 to open their first-round series. He got his first experience of the frenzy around the playoffs, too — the raucous crowd filling the PPG Paints Arena stands, the 18,000 golden towels waving in unison, the larger-than-life cut-outs of his own face plastered against the glass as he skated out for warmups.
“It was a great experience,” the birthday boy said Sunday, fresh off a skate at the Penguins’ practice facility. “I mean, it was very intense. Very fun to play in that game. The crowd was great, brought a lot of energy to the building. Just looking forward to the next one.”
For a series so steeped in history, so deeply intertwined with the decades-long rivalry between these two cities and their fanbases, Game 1 was all about the fresh-faced newcomers. On the other side of the sheet, Philadelphia’s own teenage phenom, Porter Martone, wound up the story of the night, the 19-year-old wiring home the eventual game-winner in the dying minutes.
Much has been made of Martone’s immediate impact on the Flyers since joining their group three weeks ago — the Peterborough, Ont., product put up four goals and 10 points in his first nine NHL games to close out the regular season, before coming up with Saturday’s heroics. And while the Penguins’ own teenager impacts the game in a quieter, more nuanced fashion, Kindel has been no less critical to his club’s efforts this season.
Originally not expected to crack the big club at all this year after being tabbed with the 11th-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Kindel has been a revelation for the Penguins since Day 1 in Pittsburgh. The Coquitlam, B.C., native didn’t necessarily tear up the score sheet in Year 1 as an NHLer, but what he did accomplish in a Penguins sweater was no less impressive, establishing himself as a reliable, everyday centreman in the big leagues and allowing the Penguins to roll out a dangerous third line that played a key role in booking this team’s playoff ticket.
On Saturday night came the next step, the next test, as the Penguins battled through an exceptionally physical opening bout against the Flyers. The five-foot-11, 182-pound Kindel didn’t back down from any of it.
“Obviously it’s a physical game. That’s just how it’s going to be in the playoffs,” he said from the Penguins’ locker room Sunday. “You’ve got to be physical yourself. And I don’t think our team, or myself personally, shied away from that. I think we were on the attack all night as well. So we’ve just got to continue to do that. It’s a long series. We’re going to wear them down.”
If there was any question of whether the youngster would be able to cut it in the grind of the post-season, Kindel put those doubts to bed early in Game 1, roughing it up with Rasmus Ristolainen — who clocks in at six-foot-four, 208 pounds — in the opening minutes of the tilt, after the Flyers defender took down Kindel’s teammate Elmer Soderblom.
“You know, when it comes to the stuff that happens in between whistles, the physicality part, he’s done a pretty good job this year,” Penguins head coach Dan Muse said Sunday. “One, protecting himself, but also being engaged in battles. I mean, he’s going to back up a teammate when the time is necessary. I don’t think he’s going to shy away from that stuff.
“He’s got a full season in the NHL now under his belt, too. I think he’s starting to figure those things out.”
For Kindel, it wasn’t only about defending Soderblom — who’s got four inches and 40 pounds on Ristolainen, and likely would’ve been just fine — it was about sending a message to Pittsburgh’s opponent.
“It doesn’t really matter your size, or the size difference — I think no matter what, you’ve just got to play bigger than you are, and engage physically, and not back down,” Kindel said. “I think that’s important. To show that you’re strong, show the other team that you’re not going to back down. It’s a mental game as well.”
For Pittsburgh, part of that mental game is the question of how much to engage with that physicality against a Flyers team that did well in goading the Penguins into a scrappy Game 1 — a style that benefited the visitors more than the hosts. Then there are the other wrinkles to iron out: how to quell a Flyers team that used its elite transition game to stack breakaways on Stuart Skinner, how to get the Pens’ usually elite power play humming once more, how to generate more offensively in general.
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It could be an overwhelming slate for a teenager to keep at the top of his mind heading into Game 2. But Kindel has the advantage of playing alongside some of the game’s most seasoned vets — playoff regulars and Stanley Cup champions.
Kris Letang has played in nearly 30 Game 1’s over the course of his two decades in Pittsburgh, some won, some lost. Regardless, every time, the approach heading into Game 2 has been the same.
“That’s the playoffs. You have to be able to turn the page quick,” the veteran defender said Sunday. “You forget about Game 1. It’s just one game. You have to focus on the aspects you didn’t do well, and build your game from there.”
In his view, that means ramping things up come Monday night.
“I think it’s just to go quick,” he said. “I think we slowed the pace down a little bit in the neutral zone. As defencemen, we can get the red line quicker, transition quicker. … We just have to focus on what we do well. And what worked all year long for us. Which is having a great forecheck, playing with a lot of speed. I think we have to focus on that.”
For Muse, who himself is navigating his first playoff series as an NHL head coach, that even-keeled approach from his veterans has been crucial. So has his group’s short memory.
“The emotions of the playoffs are different, but at the same time, I think throughout the course of the regular season, we moved from one day to the next fairly well. Actually, we did it very well — and we kept getting better at it as the year went on,” Muse said Sunday. “I think in the playoffs, it becomes especially important that you’re ready to turn the page quickly. And that can be coming off a game that you really like, or that can be coming off a game that you don’t like, like last night.
“So, that’s what we had to do. Guys came in, they came ready to work, they had good energy. I thought we got something out of our day today. Now, we move on to tomorrow.”
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Senators look forward after Game 1 loss while Zub’s status remains unclear
Thomas Chabot felt his team handled things fairly well.
The Ottawa Senators expected an early surge from the Hurricanes to open their first-round playoff series.
And after captain Brady Tkachuk and Carolina opposite Jordan Staal dropped the gloves three seconds into proceedings at a pulsating Lenovo Center, the Eastern Conference’s top seed tried to impose its physical will Saturday.
One of the Senators’ key drivers from defence, Chabot was clearly targeted in a move to soften the blue-line corps.
Ottawa survived and pushed back before ultimately being undone by two strange goals — one on a fanned five-hole effort and another where the puck bounced around Linus Ullmark’s crease — on the way to a 2-0 setback against the stingy Hurricanes in a contest where the home side held a 57-39 edge in hits.
“You play in Carolina, that’s what they do,” Chabot said Sunday. “Probably until the first TV timeout, they try to create some momentum in hitting and throwing every puck at the net. We knew that was coming.”
The Senators can expect the same when the teams meet Monday for Game 2.
“They (played) hard,” Ottawa centre Tim Stutzle said of Carolina’s forecheck. “We gotta find a way to chip them a little better, give our (defencemen) more time without taking penalties.”
Chabot, who logged close to 27 minutes after shutdown defender Artem Zub left in the first period with an undisclosed injury, said the significant uptick in physicality was expected.
“It’s that time of the year,” he said. “That’s what makes playoff hockey so fun to be part of. It’s the energy, it’s the shenanigans post-whistles, it’s everything that goes into it.”
Zub’s status remains unclear for a club that survived having to use 12 defencemen for various ailments across 82 regular-season games.
“Big loss when he goes out,” said Senators head coach Travis Green, who didn’t have an update on Jake Sanderson’s usual partner on the back end. “Someone’s gotta step up and play those minutes against top lines … I thought they did do a pretty good job.”
But there’s a clear trickle-down effect when a player like Zub is absent.
“His presence in our own zone, the way he wins his battles, the way he shuts the top guys down,” Chabot of the Russian’s attributes. “Huge piece of this team.”
Apart from dealing with Carolina’s pressure, Ottawa needs to do a better job of creating its own.
The Senators were held in check for 40 minutes with just nine shots before coming on in the third period, including a power-play goal from Drake Batherson that was called back on video review after Hurricanes netminder Frederik Anderson held the line with a terrific glove stop.
“This is going to be a series where I don’t know if either team, every game, is going to love their game,” Green said. “One team is going to love the outcome … going to be a series of singles, not a lot of home-run plays.
“I thought they played their game a little better than we played ours.”
Trailing the best-of-seven series is hardly the first time the Senators have dealt with adversity in a season that included lots of injuries, outside noise and a second-half charge to make the playoffs.
“We hold each other accountable and we know there’s a lot of guys in this room that want to do better and play better,” Chabot said. “We’re going to bring it. It’s a hell of a hockey team that we play. They finished first for a reason.”
Green and Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour — both former NHL centres — have similar philosophies in a matchup of teams with plenty in common despite the Hurricanes, who are competing in their ninth playoff series over the last four springs, finishing 14 points clear in the standings.
“Not gonna be lots of opportunities, not a lot of fancy plays,” said Stutzle, whose group exited last year’s post-season in the first round after the franchise failed to make the Stanley Cup tournament seven years running. “Gotta find a way to get more in front of their goalie and make it harder on him. Experience always helps, and they’ve been there a lot.
“We gotta find a way to just play our game.”
Along with being ready for another early volley of shoulder pads.
“They’re going to try and do the same thing,” Chabot said. “And we’re going to be ready for it once again.”
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Raptors’ Immanuel Quickley questionable for Game 2 vs. Cavaliers
The Toronto Raptors will hope to have some backcourt reinforcement when they take the court for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Immanuel Quickley was listed as questionable for Monday’s contest after missing Toronto’s Game 1 loss with a hamstring strain.
Quickley suffered the injury in the Raptors’ regular-season finale. He played 16 minutes in the first half, putting up four points, two rebounds and five assists.
The 26-year-old averaged 16.4 points, a career-high 5.9 assists, four rebounds and 31.9 minutes over 70 games this season.
Quickley’s standout skill is his three-point shooting, and after struggling over the first half of the season at 34.7 per cent from deep, he shot 41.5 per cent over the second half to bring his season mark to 37.4 per cent.
The Havre de Grace, Md., native battled plantar fasciitis through the final portion of the season, missing eight consecutive games from late March through early April, and was frequently seen in a walking boot.
Game 2 goes Monday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT in Cleveland.
— with files from the Canadian Press
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Blue Jays tie franchise record with eight runs in first inning
Boy, did the Toronto Blue Jays need that.
Coming into Sunday’s contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks amidst a major slump, the Blue Jays’ bats woke up in a big way.
Toronto tied a franchise record with eight first-inning runs, sending 12 batters to the plate, collecting eight hits and walking once.
The Blue Jays had previously scored eight runs in the first inning twice.
They reached the mark against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 26, 2007, and against the New York Yankees on July 14, 2011.
The Blue Jays opened the game with seven straight hits off Arizona starter Ryne Nelson, with the big blow coming off the bat of Kazuma Okamoto.
Coming to the plate with the bases loaded, Okamoto lined a double off the left-field wall, plating two runs. It marked the first Blue Jays extra-base hit of the season and snapped a 1-for-20 stretch with the bases juiced.
The seven straight hits before recording an out also tied Toronto’s franchise record to begin a game.
While Okamoto’s double put the Blue Jays up five, the lineup kept working against Nelson.
After the Diamondbacks righty finally struck out nine-hole hitter Brandon Valenzuela for his first out, Nathan Lukes followed Okamoto’s big swing with a bases-loaded double of his own. It was Lukes’s second knock of the inning and marked the end of Nelson’s afternoon.
Arizona turned to reliever Andrew Hoffmann, who was able to stop the bleeding by getting Ernie Clement to pop out and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to strike out.
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Sunday, 19 April 2026
Jenner, Larocque propel Charge to key win over Sirens
OTTAWA — Brianne Jenner and Jocelyne Larocque led the way for their younger counterparts Saturday afternoon in the Ottawa Charge’s 5-1 win over the New York Sirens.
Jenner, 34, had a goal and two assists, while Larocque, 37, chipped in a goal and an assist. Ronja Savolainen, Peyton Hemp and Rebecca Leslie also scored.
Gwyneth Phillips stopped 23 shots.
Paetyn Levis scored the lone goal for the Sirens (9-2-3-1) and Kayle Osborne made 24 saves.
The win gave the Charge (8-7-1-12) a five-point lead on the Sirens and Toronto Sceptres for the fourth and final playoff spot with two games remaining.
The Sirens are winless (0-0-1-7) in their last eight road games.
New York opened the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period when Levis took a pass in the slot and beat Philips on the stick side.
With 61 seconds remaining in the period, Jenner attempted to find Leslie in front, but the puck was redirected and went in off Leslie’s shoulder. The play underwent a lengthy review before the call on the ice was upheld.
The Charge took the lead at 7:54 of the second period.
Larocque blocked a shot to spark a short-handed rush as Jenner picked up the puck and broke in on Osborne. She gave up a big rebound that Larocque buried for her first of the season.
Just over six minutes later, Hemp won a race for the puck and knocked it free. That allowed Alexa Vasko to take possession and she sent it back to Hemp, who gave the Charge a 3-1 lead.
Ottawa scored a pair of goals in the third to put the game out of reach.
Savolainen made it 4-1 by scoring from just inside the blue line through traffic. Larocque had a shot ring off the crossbar and Jenner buried the rebound with just over seven minutes remaining.
Takeaways
Charge: Penalties were an issue again for the Charge.
Sirens: New York had a solid first period and struggled to match Ottawa’s pace through the final 40 minutes.
Key moment
Larocque blocking a shot on the power play was key to setting up Ottawa’s first short-handed goal.
Key stat
Gwyneth Philips played her league-leading 16th consecutive game.
Up next
Charge: Ottawa visits Boston on Wednesday.
Sirens: New York plays Toronto on Tuesday.
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Kevin Gausman looks to help Blue Jays avoid sweep against Diamondbacks
The Toronto Blue Jays are sending out their ace in hopes of stopping the bleeding.
Kevin Gausman will start Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks as the Blue Jays look to avoid a sweep and end a four-game losing skid (4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT, Sportsnet, Sportsnet+).
It’s been a frustrating series for Toronto, with its offence once again struggling to generate timely hits, putting pressure on the starters to keep the score close.
Gausman (0-1, 2.82 ERA) has been one of the few steady presences early in the season, pairing a strong WHIP (0.90) with 31 strikeouts. The 35-year-old has dominated the Diamondbacks over his career with a 6-2 record, 3.23 ERA and 64 strikeouts over 53 innings across 10 appearances.
For the season, Toronto (7-13) has struggled to find consistency, especially on the road, where it has dropped seven of eight. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has a home run, 12 walks and eight RBIs while hitting .315 this season, has lacked the power that dotted his epic post-season run last year.
Another question mark surrounds Daulton Varsho, who did not play Saturday due to left knee discomfort. The 29-year-old is 12-for-36 with three doubles, three home runs and six RBIs over his last 10 games.
The Blue Jays will also need to think about their high-leverage situations after Jeff Hoffman surrendered a go-ahead grand slam to Corbin Carroll in Saturday’s 6-2 loss, renewing questions about the bullpen hierarchy even as manager John Schneider publicly backs his closer.
“I know that’s a that’s a hot topic, or if you’re moving a batting order or you’re taking a guy out of a role, man. Again, I have a lot of confidence in Jeff Hoffman,” Schneider told reporters after Saturday’s loss. “I feel for him right now because he’s going through it and I get it. When you’re in that spot, it gets magnified. And that’s part of it. He’s man enough to handle it. So, yeah, if there’s a situation to close out a game, I’ll take Jeff Hoffman.”
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Opposing Gausman is Ryne Nelson (1-1, 3.54 ERA), who has put together solid outings to begin the year. For his career, the 28-year-old has a 1-0 record with a 2.45 ERA, 12 strikeouts and two walks over 18.1 innings and three appearances against the Blue Jays in his career.
Arizona (13-8) enters the series finale with momentum, going 8-2 over its last 10 games while outscoring opponents by 21 runs. The Diamondbacks been particularly strong at home (7-2), backed by a pitching staff that ranks among the National League’s best with a 3.72 ERA.
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Saturday, 18 April 2026
Raptors’ Immanuel Quickley out Game 1 vs. Cavaliers
The Toronto Raptors will be without their starting point guard to begin the playoffs.
Immanuel Quickley has been ruled out for Game 1 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, per Sportsnet’s Michael Grange.
Quickley suffered a mild hamstring strain in the Raptors’ regular-season finale. He played 16 minutes in the first half, putting up four points, two rebounds and five assists.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic says that Quickley is making progress in his recovery but is not yet ready to play.
The 26-year-old averaged 16.4 points, a career-high 5.9 assists, four rebounds and 31.9 minutes over 70 games this season.
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Quickley’s standout skill is his three-point shooting, and after struggling over the first half of the season at 34.7 per cent from deep, he shot 41.5 per cent over the second half to bring his season mark to 37.4 per cent.
The Havre de Grace, M.D., native battled plantar fasciitis through the final portion of the season, missing eight consecutive games from late March through early April, and was frequently seen in a walking boot.
Quickley’s next chance at getting into playoff action will be Game 2 on Monday.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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Senators defenceman Tyler Kleven ruled out for Game 1
The Ottawa Senators won’t get Tyler Kleven back in the lineup for Game 1.
After practising in a non-contact jersey on Friday, the Senators determined that Kleven won’t be ready for the team’s series opener against the Carolina Hurricanes (Saturday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ – Coverage starts at 2:30).
Head coach Travis Green was optimistic that he was close to returning.
“He’s closer to playing, obviously, he’s out with the group,” Green said.
The 24-year-old has been out since April 2 after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Buffalo Sabres. He was injured in the first period when a hard slapshot careened up and appeared to hit him in the head.
The left-shot blue-liner has three goals and 18 points while appearing in 69 games this season and leads all Ottawa defencemen with 126 hits.
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Victor Hedman’s availability for Lightning vs. Canadiens unclear
The Tampa Bay Lightning could be without their captain for Round 1 against the Montreal Canadiens.
Victor Hedman has begun skating and is around the team, but he’s not available to play at the moment, per Lightning coach Jon Cooper.
The defenceman hasn’t played since March 19 due to an illness, and he then took a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons.
In 33 regular-season games — shortened by injuries — the Swede had one goal and 17 points.
The Lightning begin their first-round series with the Canadiens on Sunday (5:45 p.m. ET / 2:45 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+).
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Sportsnet NBA picks and predictions: Playoffs set for heavyweight clashes
The 2026 NBA Playoffs are locked in. Between the Toronto Raptors returning to the post-season, some heavyweight match-ups worth watching in Round 1 and Oklahoma City’s quest for a repeat having to go through the gauntlet that is the Western Conference, there’s plenty of intrigue ahead of this weekend’s tip-off.
Sportsnet’s NBA experts break down a few of the bigger talking points heading into the post-season and lock in their picks for every Round 1 series as well as the NBA Finals, including which team will lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
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What’s a head-to-head match-up in the first round (teams or players) that you are most looking forward to and why?
Michael Grange: The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves as the 3-6 matchup in the West promises to be the most compelling first-round series league-wide. The Nuggets beat an emerging Minnesota team in the first round of the playoffs in 2022-23 the year Denver won the title, while the T-Wolves ruined Denver’s hopes of defending their championship when they took down Denver in seven games in 2023-24. After a year pause, the rivalry renews and we get to watch one of Anthony Edwards or Nikola Jokic’s hopes of a title run end early. This could be a conference final in many years and we get it in April … lucky us.
Eric Smith: Minnesota vs Denver. The T-Wolves have been knocking on the door the last couple of years but haven’t been able to bust through. Now they get a first-round match-up against one of the all-time greats? Ouch. However, Denver’s ‘D’ is not great and Anthony Edwards has all the tools to pull off an ‘upset’.
Kai Gammage: Storyline-wise, I think it’s hard to look past LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant one last time. Who knows how many more opportunities we’ll have to watch the old guard square off. Given the Lakers’ current lack of Luka and the Rockets’ own instabilities, it’s essentially a showdown between the two generation-defining superstars. Can we get one more all-time series, for old time’s sake?
Zulfi Shiekh: I’ll go with the Nuggets-Timberwolves series. This will be the third playoff matchup in four years between the division rivals, and the rubber match could go either way after splitting the first two. The Nuggets boast the league’s No. 1 offence and enter the post-season riding a red-hot 12-game win streak. The Timberwolves feature a top-10 defence and appear to have a healthy Anthony Edwards back — Minnesota was 37-24 with the star guard and 12-9 without him.
Ian Finlayson: Between Ant’ Edwards’ pull-up three-point prowess, Nikola Jokić’s unassuming wizardry and Jamal Murray having a career year defined by out-of-this-world shot making, the Timberwolves-Nuggets 3-6 matchup is the first-round series to watch for me. The two teams already have a budding rivalry fueled by their classic 2024 Western Conference semifinal that saw Minnesota complete a 20-point comeback in the deciding contest — the largest in Game 7 history. Their Christmas Day overtime thriller this season was also sensational.
With the Raptors back in the NBA Playoffs, what does success look like for them this spring?
Grange: Having exceeded expectations to make it to this point, the Raptors are playing with house money for the most part. The only thing that could derail the feel-good vibes would be if they get mercilessly trounced by the Cavs in the first round, which would amplify the doubts about the ceiling of this team that have been floating around them for much of the year. A competitive six-game series would let everyone involved go into the summer with their head held high. Even a strong showing in five games would avoid some awkward questions.
Smith: It’s already a success. Hopefully, this is the first year of a long run of post-season appearances. It should be! And as the team builds towards another championship, there’ll certainly be highs and lows on the playoff path. Simply making it this year is good enough (they were the No. 5 seed, after all), but anything that involves Round 2 or further is gravy.
Gammage: It looks like battle scars. This is a team without much playoff experience, particularly in the roles each of these players is currently in, and the last time Scottie was under the bright lights, he was a rookie learning what it meant from Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby. This time around, he’s the face of the franchise — it’s time for him to write his own story. Fight and fight hard, shed blood, sweat and tears, and learn what it takes to not just be here, but excel on the biggest stage.
Sheikh: Success for the Raptors will look like establishing faith, win or lose. The team’s leaders need to perform to a requisite degree to instill belief. This season was undoubtedly a step forward, but the ceiling appears short of title contention as presently constructed, so I expect a summer of change and then some. Before that, however, it’ll be vital to see how Darko Rajakovic’s first post-season run at the helm goes. Was the defensively minded identity he established playoff-ready, and how does he adjust to adversity? Lots of focus will also be on Barnes and Ingram to perform like the top-paid all-stars they are. Success in the NBA is player-driven above all else, and the playoffs are the grandest stage to prove it.
Finlayson: Entering the season, a reasonable goal for the Raptors would’ve been a proper playoff spot, which is exactly where they find themselves now. They also took a 16-win jump, had developmental wins, and discovered plenty about the team’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s fair to say they’re playing with house money — although, they’ll undoubtedly learn plenty more about the team’s makeup to assist with off-season decisions.
Round 1 picks: Eastern Conference
(1) Pistons vs. (8) Magic
Grange: Pistons in 5
Smith: Pistons in 5
Gammage: Pistons in 4
Sheikh: Pistons in 4
Finlayson: Pistons in 5
(2) Celtics vs. (7) Sixers
Grange: Celtics in 5
Smith: Celtics in 4
Gammage: Celtics in 5
Sheikh: Celtics in 6
Finlayson: Celtics in 5
(3) Knicks vs. (6) Hawks
Grange: Knicks in 6
Smith: Knicks in 6
Gammage: Knicks in 6
Sheikh: Knicks in 6
Finlayson: Knicks in 5
(4) Cavaliers vs. (5) Raptors
Grange: Cavaliers in 6
Smith: Raptors in 7
Gammage: Cavaliers in 7
Sheikh: Cavaliers in 6
Finlayson: Cavaliers in 6
Round 1 picks: Western Conference
(1) Thunder vs. (8) Suns
Grange: Thunder in 4
Smith: Thunder in 5
Gammage: Thunder in 5
Sheikh: Thunder in 4
Finlayson: Thunder in 4
(2) Spurs vs. (7) Trail Blazers
Grange: Spurs in 5
Smith: Spurs in 4
Gammage: Spurs in 4
Sheikh: Spurs in 4
Finlayson: Spurs in 4
(3) Nuggets vs. (6) Timberwolves
Grange: Nuggets in 6
Smith: Timberwolves in 7
Gammage: Nuggets in 6
Sheikh: Nuggets in 6
Finlayson: Nuggets in 7
(4) Lakers vs. (5) Rockets
Grange: Rockets in 5
Smith: Rockets in 6
Gammage: Rockets in 6
Sheikh: Rockets in 5 … or 7 if Luka Doncic and Auston Reaves play
Finlayson: Rockets in 5
One player you expect to have a breakout in the NBA Playoffs?
Grange: Does Jayson Tatum count? Sure, he’s a been first team all-NBA four times, but he wasn’t this season because he missed 66 games recovering from a torn Achilles tendon injury suffered in the playoffs last season. The longer the Celtics last in the post-season, the longer he’ll have a chance to return to his all-NBA form.
Smith: This may be ‘cheating’ a bit but I’m going with Wembanyama. It’s easy to forget he’s completing only his third season in the NBA and this will be his first appearance in the playoffs! I think he’s going to put on a show.
Gammage: Considering it’s his first dance, it’s hard not to pick Victor Wembanyama here. Even though he has already asserted himself as a superstar, a run to the Finals will officially make him the face of the NBA. But that’s too easy, right? So let’s go with Stephon Castle, who absolutely deserves credit as the Robin to Victor’s Batman and will be the player to shut down SGA in the Western Conference Finals.
Sheikh: It may just be the Canadian in me thinking with my maple-leaf-shaped heart, but Nickeil Alexander-Walker appears primed to break out even further in the playoffs. The Toronto native is the front-runner for Most Improved Player after helping the Hawks fly up the standings with a 16-5 record — and fourth-best net rating — since the start of March. In that same span, Alexander-Walker was top 25 in scoring (23.7) and steals (1.6) and was one of the most efficient high-volume three-point shooters in the NBA, making nearly four triples per game at a 48 per cent clip. The Hawks will need plenty more of that to upset the Knicks.
Finlayson: Taking into account it’s his first-ever appearance in the NBA Playoffs, the pick here has to be Victor Wembanyama. It’s not just that he intelligently uses his functional, seven-foot-four frame to erase opponent’s rim attempts and post a 62.6 true shooting percentage, it’s also that he’s surrounded by a stable of guards who can create with a live dribble. The Spurs are scary.
Eastern Conference champion
Grange: Celtics
Smith: Celtics
Gammage: Knicks
Sheikh: Celtics
Finlayson: Celtics
Western Conference champion
Grange: Thunder
Smith: Thunder
Gammage: Spurs
Sheikh: Nuggets
Finlayson: Thunder
NBA champion
Grange: Thunder
Smith: Thunder
Gammage: Spurs
Sheikh: Nuggets
Finlayson: Thunder
NBA Finals MVP
Grange: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Smith: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gammage: Victor Wembanyama
Sheikh: Nikola Jokic
Finlayson: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
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