This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.
THE INDIANA PACERS
The NBA goes back a long way. One would think we’ve seen just about every single type of great performance there is.
Tyrese Haliburton proved us wrong. In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers star turned in 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, zero turnovers and five 3s to lead Indiana to a 130-121 win over the Knicks and a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Since turnovers started being tracked in 1977-78, it’s the only 30/15/10/0 playoff game. It’s also the first 30/15/10 playoff game with at least five 3-pointers EVER.
Oh yeah, did I mention he had four steals, too?
This was modern guard play at its finest. Haliburton set the tone early with a 15-point, six-assist, five-rebound first quarter. All night, he orchestrated beautiful fast breaks, an area in which Indiana had a 22-9 points advantage. His 12 rebounds were seven more than any other Pacer. In an All-NBA point guard battle against Jalen Brunson, Haliburton has stolen the spotlight, Brad Botkin writes.
- Botkin: “If we’re talking pure basketball? Haliburton is rapidly and irrefutably shooting up the ranks of not just the best point guards in the league, but the best players period.”
Of course, 15 assists spread among seven different teammates show he was far from alone.
- Five assists went to Aaron Nesmith, who scored 16 points and was a team-best +20 despite being a game-time decision with an ankle injury.
- Four assists went to Pascal Siakam, who continued his monster series with 30 points.
- One assist even went to Bennedict Mathurin, who, after a brutal first three games of the series, exploded for 20 points in 12 minutes.
What a fun team. What a good team. This is no fluke.
😃 Honorable mentions
🏀 And not such a good morning for …
Imagn Images
THE NEW YORK KNICKS
Which do you want to hear first, Knicks fans? The bad news, or the bad news?
The immediate bad news is Karl-Anthony Towns is dealing with a bothersome left knee, which he gutted through in Game 4 but is definitely favoring.
The worse news is that the Knicks simply don’t have an identity like the fast-paced, hard-pressing, explosive Pacers do. New York is being outscored by 24 when Brunson and Towns share the floor this series. Last-ditch lineup changes saved New York in Game 3, but the starting lineup crafted around Brunson and Towns was supposed to be the team’s identity and elevate it in the postseason. It’s done anything but, Sam Quinn writes.
- Quinn: “What can the Knicks, as a team, really rely on at this point? Do they have a single unequivocally elite trait? For all of the whistles Brunson draws individually, the Knicks ranked 24th in free-throw rate during the regular season. They ranked 28th in 3-point rate. They’re obviously not a ball-movement-heavy offense, and their paint offense has dipped noticeably in the postseason. Their defense only works when either Towns or Brunson is off of the floor.”
😕 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 One thing to watch for every NFL team at OTAs
Getty Images
NFL organized team activities are underway, and like every year, the players not participating drew more headlines than the players who are.
Remember, these are voluntary. The players who didn’t show up aren’t holding out … yet. But we’re also going to learn a lot. We’ve already learned a little bit about the Jaguars‘ two-way plans for Travis Hunter, and Jared Dubin has one thing to watch for every AFC OTA.
Garrett Podell, meanwhile, has NFC OTA storylines. Though the Cowboys‘ offensive additions have garnered the headlines, a healthy defense will be key.
- Podell: “How will Dallas’ secondary look? — All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs‘ availability is up in the air after he underwent a second significant knee surgery in as many years. … The Cowboys’ expectation for Diggs is that he will begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Shavon Revel Jr., Dallas’ third-round pick out of East Carolina, will most likely also start training camp on the PUP list after tearing his ACL in practice last fall. He was viewed as a potential first-round talent, if not for that injury.”
🏀 No. 1 transfer Yaxel Lendeborg spurns NBA Draft, transfers to Michigan
Getty Images
Today marks the deadline for college players to announce whether they’re staying in the NBA Draft or returning to school, but Tuesday may have held the biggest decision: Former UAB star Yaxel Lendeborg, a potential first-round pick, will return to school and transfer to Michigan.
- Lendeborg, the No. 1 player in our transfer rankings, committed to the Wolverines in April while keeping his NBA options open, and despite a strong pre-draft process that vaulted him to 24th in Kyle Boone’s latest mock draft, he decided to return.
- An NIL package of roughly $3 million certainly didn’t hurt.
- Lendeborg measured at 6’8.5″ at the NBA Combine with a 7’4″ wingspan and 9’0.5″ standing reach. He was the AAC Defensive Player of the Year each of the last two seasons and averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season.
Cameron Salerno says Lendeborg made the right choice.
- Salerno: “Lendeborg can improve his draft stock by having another standout season at Michigan. He will be the face of one of the top Big Ten contenders who can make another leap toward national title contention. … In the short term, Lendeborg’s addition gives Michigan a true identity and direction heading into next season.”
Dusty May has added an impressive transfer group — Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and Aday Mara (UCLA) — and the Wolverines are No. 8 in Gary Parrish’s Top 25 And 1.
Here’s more:
- Alex Condon returned to Florida as the Gators load up for a repeat bid.
- With Milos Uzan returning to Houston, Pop Isaacs flipped his transfer from Houston to Texas A&M.
- Kansas State has had plenty of flashy offseasons. This one might just work, Isaac Trotter writes.
⚾ Early MLB trade deadline primer: Buyers, sellers, 10 candidates to move
Getty Images
The MLB trade deadline is just over two months away, but with June nearly here, R.J. Anderson weighed buyers, sellers, teams that could go either way and 10 candidates to switch teams. Among the buyers are the two top teams in the standings.
- Anderson: “Tigers — As things stand, I would expect them to maintain an open mind about offensive upgrades. … What’s more certain is that the Tigers have some interesting prospects to build trades around if they want to make a splash. … Phillies — Let’s be serious: the die was cast long ago on the Phillies being in the market for relief help ahead of the deadline. Closer José Alvarado‘s 80-game suspension over a failed performance-enhancing drug test just added extra motivation to make some additions.”
Good thing for both, there appears to be plenty of offensive and relief upgrades potentially available.
📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
⚽ Europa Conference League final: Chelsea vs. Real Betis, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Fever at Mystics, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Panthers at Hurricanes (Panthers lead 3-1), 8 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Timberwolves at Thunder (Thunder lead 3-1), 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
