Highs, Lows, and Hold-On-Tight Moments š¢
From buzzer beaters to draft dreams coming true, sports reminded us yesterday: anything can happenā¦Buckle up Smallball-ers and letās ride the roller coaster!
š NBA: From Blowouts to Buzzer Beaters
Remember, the experts expected the Cavaliers to beat the Heat, Thunder to beat the Grizzlies, Warriors to beat the Rockets, and Clippers to beat the Nuggets.
You voted and said you thought Warriors-Rockets and Clippers-Nuggets would be the closest game. What actually happened?
Cavaliers Crush Heat: Cleveland delivered another blowout, winning 124ā87 and taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.
Warriors Top Rockets: Golden State pulled out a 104ā93 win to take a 2-1 series lead. Steph Curry scored 36 points to lead the Warriors with Jimmy Butler injured.
Thunder Sweep Grizzlies: Oklahoma City finished the 4-0 sweep with a nail-biting 117ā115 win. They now wait to play the winner of Clippers-Nuggets.
Nuggets Beat the Buzzer: Aaron Gordon caught a rebound and dunked it home at the buzzer and the Nuggets beat the Clippers 101-99 to tie the series at 2-2.
Both Clippers-Nuggets and Thunder-Grizzlies were decided by just 2 points! Look at the NBA lead tracker chart for Clippers-Nuggets and see how the Nuggets almost blew a 22 point 4th-quarter lead before the buzzer beater.
Hereās Gordonās shot and his explanation for how it played out:
š¤ Would you rather make a game-winning shot or stop your opponent at the buzzer? (Tough call!)
The NBA has a long history of amazing endings and famous buzzer beaters. Want to see a few of them?
In a Game 7 in 2019 against the Philadelphia 76ers, Kawhi Leonard hit a shot that bounced four times on the rim before dropping to send the Toronto Raptors to the Eastern Conference Finals. (Remember, Kawhi plays for the Clippers now and could only watch as Gordon beat the buzzer.)
In 2004, Los Angeles Laker Derek Fisher caught an inbound pass and hit a turnaround jumper with just 0.4 seconds left to lift the Lakers over the Spurs in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Sports = heartbreak, hope, and history...sometimes all in a single moment.
Will we have more magic in the NBA today?
š½ New York Knicks @ š Detroit Pistons (Knicks lead 2ā1); experts say: Coin flip! 50% chance for both teams to win
āļø Los Angeles Lakers @ šŗ Minnesota Timberwolves (Wolves lead 2-1); experts say: Coin flip! 50% chance for both teams to win
āļø Boston Celtics @ šŖ Orlando Magic (Celtics leads 2-1); experts say: 64% chance the Celtics win
šļø Indiana Pacers @ š¦ Milwaukee Bucks (Pacers lead 2-1); experts say: 55% chance the Bucks win
š NFL Draft: Dream Delivered After a Detour
After days of waiting, former Colorado Buffaloes QB Shedeur Sanders finally heard his name called when he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in round 5.
Weāll see if heās able to use his surprising slide as motivation for his rookie season. In case he needs inspiration, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady was picked in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He went on to win 7 Super Bowls, 3 Most Value Player Awards (MVPs), and recognition as perhaps the greatest football player of all time. GOAT status. šš
Some nights you win with a buzzer-beater dunk. Some nights you wait five rounds to hear your name. Some nights you just have to hang on and hope. Thatās sports. And that's why we love the ride.
Thanks for reading, Smallballers!