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🏒 Good morning to everybody, however particularly to …

THE EDMONTON OILERS

The Oilers are again within the convention finals, they usually held on by the pores and skin of their tooth to get there. Edmonton took a 3-0 lead into the third interval of Recreation 7 earlier than in the end holding off the hard-charging Canucks, 3-2, and can face the Stars within the Western Convention Ultimate.

• Cody Ceci, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all tallied within the second interval, and the once-raucous Rogers Enviornment was practically silent with 20 minutes left.
• However Conor Garland and Filip Hronek scored inside 4 minutes of one another to present the hosts an opportunity. Finally, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and Dylan Holloway made some huge defensive performs late to assist Edmonton maintain on.
• In Connor McDavid, Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton has the highest 4 assists leaders this postseason.

Austin Nivison has takeaways from a thriller, and this is our up to date bracket.

😁 Honorable mentions

😕 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 NBA convention finals previews, professional picks

After which there have been 4. The Celtics, Pacers, Timberwolves and Mavericks are into the convention finals, with Boston and Indiana getting issues going tonight. Jasmyn Wimbish has Recreation 1 storylines and picks as Boston will hope to proceed its profitable methods whereas Kristaps Porzingis (calf) stays out.

In their picks, all of our specialists are seeing the Celtics advance. Each groups boast terrific offenses, however Boston’s protection makes for the most important distinction, particularly in opposition to Indiana’s finest participant, Brad Botkin writes in his daring predictions.

• Botkin: “Tyrese Haliburton averages lower than 20 PPG — The Celtics are loaded with elite perimeter defenders in place to make his life a residing hell within the half-court, the place the Pacers can be working greater than they’d desire as a result of they will not have the ability to get constant stops in opposition to Boston’s protection. Considered one of Jrue Vacation, Derrick White, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can be proper there ready.”

Wanting on the Western Convention, our specialists are break up of their picks. Sam Quinn says …

• Quinn: “Timberwolves in 7. This one’s going to be a nail-biter. Oklahoma Metropolis threw doubles at Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to attempt to pressure their teammates to beat them. Minnesota will most likely attempt to defend them straight up at the very least earlier on, they usually have defenders who could make them work. Dallas owned the paint final spherical. Minnesota is far, a lot larger than Oklahoma Metropolis was. Derrick Jones Jr. will trouble Anthony Edwards. Can Mike Conley tackle added creation duties as he performs by way of an damage? Ultimately, I am defaulting to home-court benefit. This one may go both manner.”

🏈 NFL OTAs open, assessing crew identities

NFL offseasons generally really feel limitless, however every day brings us nearer to the season, and a few days even carry one thing particular. Monday was a kind of days: 21 groups opened organized crew actions, and we have now highlights. And similar to on the primary day of college, who was there and who wasn’t there was as a lot a storyline as something.

The Jets additionally opened OTAs, and one yr after making the transfer of the offseason in Aaron Rodgers, they doubled down on their dedication to him, Eric Galko writes.

• Galko: “It was no shock that the Jets used their first-round decide to bolster their offense to assist Rodgers. But it surely was a shock that the Jets used not one, however 4 of their first 5 draft picks on the offensive facet of the ball. … It is clear the Jets each belief their protection and know that every one their out there property want to verify Rodgers stays wholesome and is ready to get them to the promised land this season.”

This is extra:

✈️ WNBA goals to have league-wide constitution flights in place, plus new Energy Rankings

The WNBA incorporating constitution flights was an enormous, big growth in concept.

In observe, there’s been loads of turbulence upon takeoff, however probably clearer skies forward. The league plans to have all groups chartering flights by at present, precisely one week after solely two of the 5 away groups on opening evening flew constitution.

Erica Ayala has extra:

• Ayala: “On Might 14, CBS Sports activities heard from a supply that groups had been requested to finish a constitution request through the remaining week of the WNBA preseason. Groups had been knowledgeable the weekend main into opening evening whether or not they had been granted charters for his or her first street recreation of the season. The identical crew consultant said they submitted journey requests for your entire season, although it was unclear after they would get phrase about their full constitution schedule.”

The disparity in constitution availability has led to some irritating inconsistencies. Mystics guard Brittney Sykes, for instance, famous that Washington could not fly constitution throughout the nation to Los Angeles for its recreation in opposition to the Sparks tonight, however the Fever flew constitution from Indiana to Connecticut to face the Solar final week.

Erica has a terrific have a look at why the rollout has been so rocky, how gamers have reacted, and what may very well be subsequent within the coming days, weeks and years.

Jack Maloney, in the meantime, has up to date WNBA Energy Rankings coming into the week.

💰 How a lot NIL cash do soccer gamers truly make?

Identify, picture and likeness has taken on many varieties and lots of descriptions. The Wild West. Free company. One very, very notable former coach known as it “dishonest.”

One big query stays, although: How a lot do these athletes truly make?

John Talty took an enchanting have a look at the going price for each soccer place at Energy 4 colleges after speaking to …

• NIL brokers
• collective operators
• faculty coaches
• personnel staffers
• gamers and their mother and father
• others with data of the area

As John writes, “These numbers additionally have in mind what we imagine to be the retention price to maintain a participant from hitting the switch portal.”

Quarterbacks, unsurprisingly, are on the prime. Simply how a lot?

• Talty: “QB market vary: $500,000 to $800,000 — Auburn coach Hugh Freeze mentioned he could not carry himself to spend $1 million on a switch quarterback, particularly with Payton Thorne already on the roster. … Freeze’s feedback invoked ire from collective operators pissed off with coaches complaining in regards to the prices of doing enterprise. … The high-end value for a Energy 4 beginning quarterback is within the $2 million vary, in response to a number of folks with deep data of the market. ‘There is a couple folks north of $2 million, however you are largely in that $600,000-$800,000,’ the NIL professional mentioned.”

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚾ Braves at Cubs, 7:40 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Recreation 1: Pacers at Celtics, 8 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2