Knicks stay alive; Oilers set for Stanley Cup Final rematch with Panthers; previewing Champions League final

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🏀 Good morning to all but especially ...

THE NEW YORK KNICKS AND THE EDMONTON OILERS

They're still down, but they're certainly not out. And if they can reproduce their efforts in Game 5, they'll certainly have a chance to pull off a comeback for the ages. The Knicks beat the Pacers 111-94 to cut their series deficit to 3-2 and send it back to Indiana for Game 6.

After a quiet finish to Game 4, Jalen Brunson responded with a 32-point masterpiece, including 16 points in the third quarter. Brunson joined some exclusive company with his 10th 30-point, five-assist game of this postseason.
Karl-Anthony Towns, a game-time decision due to a balky knee, not only played but played phenomenally: 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Brunson and Towns are the first duo to score 20-plus in each of the first five games of a conference final since Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in 2002.

But the biggest difference, by far, was the defense. Tyrese Haliburton had just eight points and attempted just seven shots. Indiana had 20 turnovers and 94 points -- both its worst this postseason -- after scoring at least 100 in each of its first 14 games of these playoffs. New York extended its pressure, limited Haliburton's space and protected the paint with aplomb (60-34 paint points advantage).

The Knicks are the 298th team to go down 3-1 in a seven-game series. Only 13 have finished the comeback. But if Brunson can outplay Haliburton twice more, New York has a chance, Matt Norlander writes.

In the NHL, we do have our Final matchup, and it's a rematch at that. The Oilers finished off the Stars with a 6-3 Game 5 win and will face the Hurricanes with Lord Stanley's Cup on the line. Florida beat Edmonton in a seven-game thriller last year.

This one was over shortly after it started: Corey Perry scored just 2:31 in, and Mattias Janmark and Jeff Skinner tallied within the next six minutes. Peter DeBoer controversially pulled Jake Oettinger after the third goal.
The Stars would twice cut the deficit to one, but the Oilers had answers: Connor McDavid in the second period and Evander Kane in the third. Kasperi Kapanen's empty netter ended it.
The Oilers are looking to be the first Canadian team to lift the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens in 1993.

😊 Honorable mentions

CBS Sports announced its 2025 Big Ten football schedule. Here are five key early season games.
Here's how Paul Goldschmidt rediscovered his MVP form.
NBA trade rumors are heating up.
Patrick Mahomes says Travis Kelce isn't acting like this will be his last season.
Jayden Daniels' work ethic keeps fueling his improvement.
The Dolphins and the Steelers are discussing a trade involving a Pro Bowler.
Von Miller says he's not retiring. Where could he end up?
This new Texans wide receiver is drawing praise from Nico Collins.
Chip Kelly raved about Geno Smith.
The NFL preseason schedule has been finalized, and here are the top five matchups.
Labaron Philon's stunning return to Alabama boosted the Crimson Tide to No. 14 in Gary Parrish's Top 25 And 1.
Marcus Freeman says Notre Dame wants to play USC every year.
Robby Kalland got an early peek at "EA Sports Football 26."
The NCAA Baseball Tournament and the Women's College World Series are underway. We have best bets and Cinderella squads on the men's side.
The Kraken hired Lane Lambert.
Jonathan Toews plans to return to the NHL.

😐 Not so honorable mentions

The Fever have much to figure out without Caitlin Clark.
Mahomes doesn't sound like he wants to play flag football in the 2028 Olympics.
John Harbaugh addressed the Ravens releasing Justin Tucker, calling the decision "multi-layered" and "complicated."
Will Levis is not happy.
The Capitals accidentally sent out an email to season ticket holders mistakenly saying 2025-26 will be Alex Ovechkin's last season. They cleared the air -- no such decision has been made -- but still ... awkward!
AJ Smith-Shawver (elbow) landed on the IL.
Big changes are ahead for the Maple Leafs.
John Mellencamp called out Pat McAfee.
Billy Napier addressed Dijon Johnson's arrest.
SEC schools will be fined $500,000 for storming the field.
Mike Leach is finally eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame, but the selection criteria remains broken, Shehan Jeyarajah writes.

⚽ UEFA Champions League final: Picks, preview for PSG vs. Inter Milan

The largest UEFA Champions League field ever has been winnowed down to two: PSG faces Inter Milan in the Champions League final tomorrow at 3 p.m., airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. It'll be the first time since 2010 that a team outside Spain, England or Germany lifts this hallowed trophy, and Francesco Porzio says that's good for the sport.

Though PSG is a considerable favorite, Inter has shown remarkable spirit and has a trophy-collecting striker in top form, Francesco writes.

Porzio: "Lautaro Martinez showed to be one of the best strikers around the world this season and drastically improved since the 2023 final, becoming a much more central figure of the team, where he's now the captain. The Argentinian player, the heartbeat of the Nerazzurri, made an incredible comeback after a muscular injury sustained in Barcelona to return for the crucial second leg ... Having already won the 2022 World Cup and the 2021 and 2024 Copa America with Argentina, the Champions League remains Lautaro's latest ambition."

But PSG ... my goodness. Les Parisiens boast a tremendous attack, led by the headliners of James Benge's five players who could define the final.

Benge: "One of the three or four best players in the world this season, Ousmane Dembele has been the star who best defines PSG's remarkable season. ... In 19 games leading the PSG line since the turn of the year, Dembele has 18 goals and four assists ... Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a one-man defense buster, the sort who can drive defenders into paroxysms of frustration ... There is magic in the Georgian's boots."

Chuck Booth has a bevy of best bets, and our experts have made their picks. Here's more:

🏀 NCAA to discuss expanding NCAA Tournament

The NCAA is discussing expanding the NCAA Tournament as early as the upcoming season, according to president Charlie Baker.

Baker says expansion for the 2026 Tournament is indeed the goal, and the preliminary discussions have been around 72 or 76 teams. Currently, the men's and women's fields include 68 teams.
This comes just months after NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt told CBS Sports that expansion likely wasn't coming in the near term and might not happen at all.

I'm not a fan. At all. The "First Four" is a perfect way to tide us over between Selection Sunday and that frantic, beautiful opening Thursday of the first round. Expansion is an unpopular idea among fans (though the NCAA has shown over and over it's not particularly concerned about fans' wants), and the financial gain isn't actually that large.

Matt Norlander used those reasons and more last summer to explain why March Madness should stay at 68 teams.

⚾ Should Pirates trade Paul Skenes?

Paul Skenes is absolutely dominant. One year after winning NL Rookie of the Year and coming in third in the Cy Young Award race (despite not being called up until May!), he's in the midst of another excellent year.

He also just turned 23 on Thursday. A bonafide ace at an extraordinarily young age, under control until 2029? Who wouldn't want that?

The problem is the Pirates stink. In fact, they have a 5-7 record in his starts this season, even though he has a 2.15 ERA. The Internet has conjured up the theory that they should consider trading Skenes to receive what would surely be a historic windfall.

So we asked our baseball experts that exact question: Should the Pirates trade Paul Skenes? The answer, unanimously and resoundingly, was "no." Matt Snyder doesn't mince words.

Snyder: "Absolutely not. He's under team control through the 2029 season. If the Pirates traded him, it would be a signal to the fans that they definitely don't think they can contend through 2029 or, really, even 2030 or 2031. If you're doing that, you should be contracted. It's pathetic the Pirates didn't try to do more this past offseason to surround Skenes while he's cheap, but even thinking about trading him would be malpractice to previously unseen levels."

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

⚾ Reds at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Red Sox at Braves, 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV+
⚾ Yankees at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on Apple TV+

Saturday

⚾ Reds at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ UEFA Champions League final: PSG vs. Inter Milan, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚾ Brewers at Phillies, 4:05 p.m. on FS1
⚽ USWNT vs. China, 5:30 p.m. on TBS
⚾ Yankees at Dodgers OR Twins at Mariners, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Knicks at Pacers (Pacers lead 3-2), 8 p.m. on TNT/truTV
⚾ Nationals at Diamondbacks, 10:10 p.m. on FS1