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New York Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
After six fiercely contested NBA Finals games, the truth remains: It's hard to win an NBA title
INDIANAPOLIS — Among the truest things ever said was spoken, one night, at a group dinner. Among the dinner guests was an NBA champion. His team won multiple titles, actually. And as he regaled his fellow diners with tales from his career, he said, declaratively, and from hard-earned experience. 'Going for that ring takes you to some dark places,' he said. Advertisement This s— is hard. It is hard as hell to win an NBA championship. No matter your pedigree, or your talent, or your will. Or the ability and dedication of your coaches. Or the amount of money your owner has at their disposal. Winning 16 games — four series, four games per series — against the best teams and players on Earth, is a crucible. A kiln of physical and mental fatigue. Not only are your hopes and dreams at stake; so are those of your teammates, your families, your city. You drag the ghosts of your franchise's previous failures on your back. You get the fiercest opponents, their own dreams front of mind and stirring their hearts. The Oklahoma City Thunder went 68-14 in the regular season. They were, and are, a devastating team, led by league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and a powerful supporting cast that bludgeoned opponents all year. They were 15-6 in the postseason coming into play Thursday, having taken out Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets, followed by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves during their postseason run. With one more win, they'd be anointed as one of the greatest single-season teams in history. That coronation got smacked in the mouth on Thursday by the Indiana Pacers, and their wounded star, Tyrese Haliburton, who Willis Reeded his way through 23 minutes on his strained calf, his example lifting the Pacers in a 108-91 rout that forced Game 7 in Oklahoma City Sunday. The Thunder may well win on their home court Sunday. They are ferocious there. But other than Alex Caruso, who won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Orlando Bubble in 2020, no one else on OKC's roster has been at this level before. You can't possibly know what this is like until you go through it, all the way. Oklahoma City, the overwhelming favorite coming into these finals, has been shoved up against a wall by the underdog Pacers. Advertisement 'It was hard tonight,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'Indiana was great and we were not. We have the same opportunity Indiana does on Sunday. Score will be 0-0 when the ball goes up in the air. It's a privilege to play in Game 7s. It's a privilege to play in the finals. As disappointing as tonight was, we're grateful for the opportunity.' I know that anything that happened more than 20 minutes ago is the province of the olds and the no-longer relevant. But most teams in the history of this league have been denied championships, year after year, career after career. Not because they weren't worthy. But because their opponents were. 'I have a new respect for the guys, the Steph Currys, the LeBrons, that do this year after year after year, and then go play USA Basketball, and do whatever they do,' said Pacers forward Myles Turner, a decade into his own career. 'It is the most mentally grueling, just like, mentally taxing, but most rewarding feeling, going through this grind,' he said. 'It's a 19-day process, is how we look at it. And there's nights you don't sleep. I've been trying to grow my hair out for the longest time, and it's started falling out a little bit from the stress. It's what it is. But again, it's the most rewarding thing, being able to play as long as possible, and get here.' It is hard to win 16 postseason games and carry the Larry O'Brien Trophy around for the next year. The Larry was in an undisclosed location somewhere in Gainbridge Fieldhouse Thursday, and would only come out after the Thunder finished off the Pacers in Game 6. They did not. In that futility, at least for now, they have company. The team with the greatest single-season record in NBA history, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, didn't do it either. They went 73-9 that season, a win percentage of .890. Their victory over the '16 Thunder, in an epic seven-game Western Conference finals, permanently shattered that Oklahoma City team. Kevin Durant left OKC after those playoffs … to join the Dubs! And yet, that Golden State team, the best in the history of the league, doesn't have a ring. LeBron James, at one end of the floor at Oracle Arena, followed by Kyrie Irving, at the other, didn't allow it, in the last two minutes of Game 7. Advertisement The pursuit of a ring almost broke the late Jerry West, one of the greatest players of all time. He never got over losing six times in the finals to the Boston Celtics. Ever. Boston's Kevin McHale played on what became a ruined ankle, for two months, during the 1987 playoffs. Scottie Pippen's back tortured him during Game 6 of the 1998 finals, when he went back to the locker room, again and again, to be able to squeeze out four or five minutes on the court. Isiah Thomas turned his ankle gruesomely early in the third quarter of Game 6 of the '88 finals, went to the bench for a minute, came back out, and scored a finals single-quarter record 25 points in the period, gimping up the floor in pursuit of the play. The Pistons lost. After the game, Thomas was on crutches. Somebody asked him how his ankle was. 'It's pretty f—ed up, I can tell you that,' he said. The aforementioned Mr. Reed tore his thigh in Game 5 of the 1970 finals, against West, Wilt Chamberlain and the Lakers. He missed Game 6. But, of course, he played in Game 7. He scored exactly four points. It didn't matter. Walt Frazier had the greatest Game 7 in finals history that almost no one remembers because of Reed's example. The New York Knicks won their first championship that night. They won a second in 1973. Fifty-two years later, they're still seeking their third. 'Chuck Daly once said, if people had any idea how difficult it was to win one game in the NBA, in the regular season, one game, they would have — you know, they would be shocked,' Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. 'There's so many things coming at you, and you're swimming upstream, you're going against great coaching, you're going against high-, high-, high-level players, and guys that go hard and are super skilled and all that kind of stuff. This time of year, not everybody's been deep in the playoffs or to the finals, but I guarantee you that people have a very good idea what goes on and how difficult it is to get here and how challenging it is. I do believe that.' Advertisement Playing through a strained calf is no joke. It usually puts a player out a week or two, sometimes longer. Guys playing on strained calves can find themselves dealing with much more serious injuries soon after. Haliburton was a shell of himself in Game 5 Monday night. He didn't make a single field goal. He only scored four points. He dragged his leg around like it was packed with wet leaves and gravel from the driveway. That he would play Thursday was no secret. That he would play as well as he did — 14 points, five assists, one turnover, for a plus-25 — was, of course, inspiring. But what he had to do to get on the floor! 'After (Game 5) I went to sleep, woke up,' he began. 'Went to the hyperbaric chamber (Tuesday morning). Got an MRI. Had a meeting with a couple of specialists, and my agents, and the organization. And then, the next day, more treatment at the gym, more stuff at the gym. I tried to get some shots (up). And then, just round-the-clock (treatment). Hyperbaric again. Carl (Eaton, Indiana's associate head athletic trainer) and Justin (Tallard, one of the Pacers' physical therapists) have been at my house, came in, put H-Wave (electrical stimulation) on me, and doing a bunch of treatment that way. And then (Thursday) morning, hyperbaric again. I'm usually not a game-day hyperbaric person, but I was just trying to give myself the best shot that I could. … and then, more H-Wave, more treatment at the house.' Haliburton said he won't listen to the 'poison' narratives that will permeate the sports talkosphere between now and Game 7 Sunday night. He wouldn't be able to, anyway. He will spend much of the next 48 hours the same way he spent the previous 48 before Thursday. Trying to coax one more night, one more special moment, out of his barking calf. One more. Because winning this thing is hard. Really hard. (Photo of Tyrese Haliburton: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Prep hex strikes again: BC High lacrosse falls to St. John's Prep in OT in Div. 1 final
BOURNE -- Looks like the law of averages has been repealed. Or maybe it just feels that way for the BC High lacrosse team. You would think that if you keep running into the same opponent in a huge playoff spot year after year that eventually it would stop being their time all the time and it would, in fact, become your time at some point. Advertisement The odds would seem to favor a change in the power structure, but it hasn't happened yet. Matched up yet again with nemesis St. John's Prep in the Division 1 state championship game, BC High again came up agonizingly short on Saturday afternoon at Mass. Maritime Academy's Clean Harbor Stadium. Top-seeded BC High staged a brilliant comeback, forcing overtime by scoring a pair of goals (by Murphy Belvin and star attackman Nick Emsing) in the final 69 seconds. But St. John's Prep senior midfielder Luke Kelly capped off the first possession of OT with a goal that gave Prep an 8-7 win and a fifth straight state crown. "My oldest brother Michael was a senior when we won the first one," Kelly said. "It means everything to keep the tradition alive and try to finish what those guys started in 2021 and before that." More: With another state title, rugby took BC High senior Mikey Smith to places he never imagined Advertisement Prep had beaten BC High in the Div. 1 final in 2021 (by an 11-7 score), 2022 (11-5) and 2023 (16-14) before switching things up a little by eliminating the Eagles in the semis last spring before topping Needham in the final. Prep also won both regular-season meetings with BC High this spring and last spring. "It's always a dogfight with these guys," Kelly said. "They know what we're doing offensively, we know what they're doing offensively. It's just a battle of attrition, who's going to grind it out." More: Scituate boys lacrosse's long journey ends with a Div. 3 state title Suffice to say, BC High has built up a deep reserve of motivation for next year, when the Catholic Conference foes collide again. Advertisement "We all sign up for it by playing sports, right?" BC High coach Marcus Craigwell said of the Prep hex. "There's gotta be a winner and a loser. It's all about preparation. It should set the next year up in terms of what (the returning players) expect. It might be Prep again (in the final). It might be Prep the next 10 years. We just don't know. Unfortunately, we came up on the short end (again). But they shouldn't hang their heads." Luke Kelly of St. John's Prep scored the winning goal in overtime as Prep defeated BC High, 8-7, in overtime in the MIAA Division 1 state championship on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Mass Maritime Academy BC High (19-4) came out flying, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first four minutes as Emsing sandwiched a pair of goals around one by sophomore FOGO Jackson Ketchen. Ketchen's goal came straight off a faceoff win just 4 seconds after Emsing's opening tally. Was No. 2 Prep (22-1) surprised by the early flurry? Advertisement "Little bit," Kelly said. "They were getting some groundballs, winning some faceoffs. It's a state championship, two best teams in the state. They're going to score some goals. We gotta get it back." Prep certainly did that, roaring back to score six straight goals to take a 6-3 lead into halftime. Cam McCarthy got Prep on the board midway through the first quarter, and the champs outscored BC High 5-0 in the second quarter on goals from Ryan McCarthy, Madden McGowan, Bo Minogue, Josh Haarmann and Mac Crawford. BC High slowly turned the tide in the second half, outscoring Prep 4-1. Emsing completed his hat trick midway through the third quarter to halt Prep's scoring binge. Beckett Lee put Prep ahead 7-4, but Jacob Adams struck to get BC High within 7-5 heading into the fourth quarter. "Hot start," Craigwell said. "We gave them a different look, and then they settled into it. We had to battle. We won the first (quarter), they won the second, we won the third and fourth." Advertisement Belvin made it 7-6 with 1:09 left, and Emsing netted his fourth of the day with just 28 seconds left to tie it up. "With 2 minutes left we could have bagged it in, down two," Craigwell said. "But we plugged away and stayed consistent. Couldn't have asked for a better effort." BC High appeared to have all the momentum heading into the extra period, but they never touched the ball. "We were just staying calm," Kelly said of Prep's mental approach to OT. "We've been working on relaxation for the past 45 days, I think. So just staying calm and keep playing (assuming) it's going to come. We've worked too hard to lose it. We knew we were going to win." Advertisement That they did, as Kelly fired a bullet just over the right shoulder of BC High junior goalie TJ Emsing (Nick's brother), who had made a pair of saves just before Kelly's final statement. Could he have written a better ending to his Prep career? "No, I don't think so," Kelly said. "I started out as a water boy in the program seven years ago. I love this team. Coach (John) Pynchon has made me the man I am today. I love St. John's so much. To end it like this is magical." This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: BC High lacrosse rallies late but falls in OT in Div. 1 state final
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'We rose to the occasion': Norwell boys lacrosse rallies past Cohasset to win state title
BOURNE — No person in Massachusetts has ever made snow angels in June. Well, actually, scratch that. The Norwell High boys lacrosse team knows a guy. Matt Panttila was knocked down upon firing in his third goal late in the Division 4 state championship game against Cohasset when the junior attack landed on his back and performed a new celebration. Advertisement 'I saw it on Instagram, so I might as well do it," Panttila said with a laugh. "After, the ref came up to me and said, 'Don't do any more of that.' … But it felt amazing.' The rally continued as Panttila later scored for a fourth time to seal the Clippers' 11-6 victory at Mass. Maritime Academy in Bourne on Saturday. The win stamps Norwell's third title in the last four years. The Clippers won Division 3 crowns in 2022 and 2023 before dropping down to Division 4 last year. Norwell, the bracket's third seed, knocked off the rival Skippers (No. 1 seed; 21-3) to top last springs finish in the semifinals and send its seven seniors off with a third state title in their careers. 'It's an amazing experience for all of those kids," head coach Josh Stolp said. "I think they come to practice wanting to win another state title. Maybe it's a little greedy, but that's just how it is.' Advertisement For Panttila, Saturday's four-goal burst was fueled by a little friendly trash talk at home. His older sister, Holly, a future Vanderbilt University student, powered the Norwell girls lacrosse team to a state championship win over Cohasset two days ago. 'We were talking about who was going to do better," said Panttila. "We both thought we were going to win; we 're confident and we love our teams.' More: Silver Lake softball wins first ever Division 2 state championship Panttila and a majority of his teammates were in attendance at Babson College in Wellesley that day to witness the girls team get the job done, and perhaps to also see an early example of how to outlast nemesis Cohasset. Advertisement 'We saw them win and said, 'Now, we have to win,'" said senior attack Oliver Rice, who graduates as the Clippers' all-time leading points scorer. "It definitely put the pressure on, but we rose to the occasion. We got it done.' 'We were actually nervous because it's so hard to do that," Stolp said of the two programs winning in the same year. "We made sure that (our players) understood that was (the girls') moment (on Thursday), and we had to focus on our moment. Now, they can both celebrate that together.' Players lift the state championship trophy for the fans to see. Norwell boys lacrosse beat rival Cohasset at Mass Maritime Academy in the MIAA Div. 4 championship on Saturday June 14, 2025. On Saturday, sophomore FOGO Wyatt Franssen starred in the circle to hand possession to the Clippers' attack unit of Panttila (4 goals), junior Jake McGuirk (2), senior Joey McCarthy (2), Rice (1), junior Teddy Glynn (1) and freshman Drew Vroman (1). Advertisement 'He was unreal all year," Stolp said of Franssen. "He's been a huge force for us.' More: Scituate boys lacrosse's long journey ends with a Div. 3 state title Vroman struck with 7:01 remaining to build the Clippers' largest lead of the day, 10-5. On the possession prior, a goal by Cohasset's Gus Greene (7:34) was wiped away by an offensive penalty. Vroman's score continued a run of four straight Norwell goals from the 4:05 mark of the third quarter to the 7:01 mark of the fourth, when Panttila put the finishing touches on the win with a goal in the crease after the Skippers' scrambling defense momentarily left an unoccupied cage. Advertisement 'He's one of those players that sometimes gets overlooked," Stolp said of Panttila. "But when he's on, he can be very dangerous turning the corner. He's got a great shot when he's pulling it right. Today, he had no fear.' 'It was definitely hard," Panttila said of his four-goal performance. "I was getting beat. My arms are all swollen, but I just decided I was confident in myself and I thought I could beat the guy in front of me. I guess it worked out.' Norwell finishes the season with a 17-6 record. The team endured two rough spots this spring -- a skid of three losses in four games in mid-April, and then a three-game week of setbacks from May 19-26 which was started by a dramatic defeat at Cohasset in OT. In total, those regular-season losses came to Falmouth (6-5), Westford Academy (14-9 final), Westwood (11-5 final), Scituate (14-13 final), Newburyport (10-7 final) and these Skippers (12-11 final). Advertisement All of those opponents, aside from the Skippers, are in higher divisions. Norwell's South Shore neighbor, Scituate, won the Division 3 championship on Saturday. 'They braced playing these harder teams all year long," Stolp said. "We have a very difficult schedule and we lose a lot of games because of it. We get beat up a little bit, but they've learned a lot from it. I think they embrace that challenge.' The Clippers graduate seven seniors from this year's championship team -- Rice, McCarthy, midfielder Andrew Lazcano, defender Matt Cerrutti, attack Nolen Lestage, midfielder Thomas Scully and defender Ryan Daly. A class of 16 juniors is poised to defend the hardware come next spring. Advertisement 'It's an unbelievable feeling," Rice said. "Couldn't do it with a better group of guys. ... At Norwell, we're a bunch of dogs. That's all we got.' This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Norwell boys lacrosse defeats Cohasset to win state championship
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Silver Lake softball wins first ever Division 2 state championship
WORCESTER -- Just when it seemed like Delaney Moquin's softball career at Silver Lake couldn't have gotten any better, it did. Her 12-strikeout shutout and first-inning two-run home run powered No. 1 Silver Lake to a 4-0 win over No. 3 Bedford in the MIAA Division 2 state championship at Worcester State University on Saturday, June 14. It was the program's first-ever state title in its second ever appearance. Advertisement Fittingly, Moquin recorded the final out of her career after getting a ground ball hit back to her, throwing to first to seal the victory. More: FOLLOW LIVE: Dighton-Rehoboth vs. Greater New Bedford in Division 3 softball championship "She is the greatest. She is the greatest," Silver Lake coach Tony Pina said after being asked where Moquin ranks amongst players he's coached. Silver Lake softball hoists its championship trophy after beating Bedford 4-0 in the Div. 2 state title game. Moquin became the 40th player in state championship game history to record 10 strikeouts. The 39th was also playing in Saturday's title game: Alyx Rossi. The Bedford pitcher was named the Massachusetts Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for the 2025 season. Entering the postseason, Rossi had recorded 917 career strikeouts. Advertisement The Boston College commit struck out 14 Silver Lake batters, but Moquin got the better of her. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Anna Craft hit a ball up the middle for a single. That allowed Moquin, hitting clean up, to get up to bat. Wasting no time, Moquin crushed the first pitch she saw from Rossi over the left field fence to put Silver Lake up 2-0. "I just went in there and was like, 'First pitch I see, if it's good I'm swinging,'" Moquin said. "I play her in club. I know how good she is. I know how hard she spins it. So, I just needed to make sure that if it was in my lane I'm taking it for a ride." More: Scituate boys lacrosse's long journey ends with a Div. 3 state title Advertisement Moquin was intentionally walked on her next two plate appearances. "I know I'm going to bet on Delaney ever single time," Pina said. "We kind of joked around and said 'Congratulations, you won that trophy, we're going to win this one.' That was Delaney's motivation as well." The Silver Lake softball team celebrates its MIAA Division 2 state championship win over Bedford on Saturday at Worcester State University. Moquin, a Fairfield University commit, ends her high school career as the program's all-time strikeouts leader, home run leader, and now, a state champion. "It definitely hasn't set in yet," Moquin said after the game. "The whole game I had a stomach ache, but afterwards it was like a relief." As expected, the rest of the game was a pitcher's duel, with Moquin's first-inning home run being the only runs scored until the bottom of the sixth inning. Madyson Bryan put the ball in play and drove in two runs on a Bedford error to put the Lakers up 4-0 heading to the final inning. Advertisement In the top of the seventh, Bedford put runners on first and second with two outs, but Moquin sealed the deal with the throw out to first. Silver Lake finally finished the job after some disappointing exits in the state tournament over the last few years. Last spring, the Lakers were also the No. 1 seed, and were upset by No. 9 Marblehead in the Elite Eight. In 2022, Silver Lake made the Elite Eight as the No. 9 seed, but fell to Westfield. So Saturday's storybook ending was three years in the making, and according to Pina, it made it all worth it. "The seniors this year made it a point to get to that next level," Pina said. "To see them, grow and evolve and culminate into something like this. If Lifetime is looking for a movie idea, tell them to give me a call." This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Silver Lake softball beats Bedford in Division 2 state championship
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Shane Walsh on coming back from injury: ‘It can knock you, you can go into your shell a bit. I definitely felt that'
At some point in Galway's frantic endgame against Armagh last Saturday, Shane Walsh shouted over at the sideline, asking what the score was up the road in Newry. There, the result of the Dublin-Derry game might help salvage Galway's summer. 'Never mind,' Walsh was promptly told, 'just win the game'. It was good advice. Despite trailing Armagh by eight points at the break, Galway's rousing second-half performance, inspired by Walsh's best championship display this summer, saw them win by a point – enough to set up an away preliminary quarter-final. When they drew Down on Monday morning, that refocused Galway minds again. It's their first championship meeting since 1971, which Galway won. But Down were the form team in the round-robin stages, top scorers of all 16 teams with their 4-78. Galway had the highest goal tally of eight, including two against Armagh. READ MORE 'It's game by game at this stage,' Walsh says in advance of Sunday's showdown in Newry. 'Obviously we just want to bring our best every day we go out. Have we brought our best so far? I don't believe so. 'But it's been hard, I suppose. We've had a bit of a broken spell with players missing, and that obviously affects the rhythm of the group too. I think we are getting there.' Walsh is talking about himself in terms of broken spells. He missed most of the Connacht championship with injury, and appeared well off his best against Dublin and Derry . Regaining full confidence against Armagh, where he finished with 0-9, including the match-winning free just after the hooter, was in part about his team-mates expressing their belief in him. 'I think that mattered a lot, and obviously having Pádraic [Joyce] there as well. Definitely as a forward, especially when you come back from an injury in the middle of the year. The lads are moving at a certain level and there's a certain synchronisation that they have out on the pitch,' Walsh says. [ Can Galway squeeze more from Shane Walsh and Damien Comer? Now is the time to find out Opens in new window ] 'You're trying to get to that pitch then as well. It's tough going and you're probably taking shots that you normally would score. But they're not coming off for you, maybe because you haven't had that repetition or you haven't had that time that the rest of them have. 'Then it can knock you, you can go into your shell a bit. I definitely felt that probably in the Dublin game, the Derry game a bit. But at the same time, Pádraic kind of passed on a couple of things to me. It stood to me going into the weekend, trained well for the two weeks, and it kind of followed into last Saturday.' Shane Walsh missed most of the Connacht championship with injury. Photograph: Sports File Under manager Conor Laverty, Down's confidence has been soaring. Despite losing to Donegal in the Ulster semi-final, they certainly won't fear Galway. 'We all know about going up to Newry, you never get it easy up there,' says Walsh. 'Conor Laverty always has his team well drilled. I know him, he's a lovely fellah off the field, but when it comes to his football, he's very serious about winning as well, and he'll do whatever it takes. 'Like Michael Murphy's a nice fellah, gentle off the field, and then when he goes on the field, he's just a possessed animal, really. It's great to be able to have that mindset, that you're able to switch between two. It can be hard at times to take yourself out of it and put yourself into it, but they seem to do it pretty well. 'It's another great challenge, if you get through it to build your confidence, build the belief in the team and build a bit of momentum.' Walsh required all his old confidence when standing over the free-kick, just outside the 40-metre line, to win the match last Saturday. He looks back on that process in three different steps. [ Conor McManus: Here's my ranking of the top 12 counties going into the knockouts Opens in new window ] 'Firstly, when you're walking over, you're just saying 'calm, this is my job now'. The rest of them have done their work to win the free. Then there's a few words coming your way from opposition and then the heart rate starts to go up a bit. 'Then you're coming back in saying, 'you've dreamt of this as a young lad'. This is what you grew up dreaming about, saying you want to be in these situations and just commit to the kick, be yourself. That's all I could do, thankfully it went over.' While Joyce has sometimes been critical of his team's performance, admitting he'll have a hard time picking his best 15 players for Sunday, Walsh believes it's all part of his plan to get the best out of them. 'We'd nearly be laughing and joking about some things. He could be saying things about us to the media. And sure, we know where he's coming from. It's not as if we'd be saying that's a personal attack or anything like that. 'You build confidence through yourself, but you also build it through your team-mates, your manager and the people around you as well. If people are knocking you, it obviously doesn't encourage you to do the things you're doing.'
