👋 C Ya!

Good Morning! Two teams dialed up an evening blitz on the hardwood yesterday, as the C’s bombarded Miami with a Boston three-party to turn off the Heat, while the road Mavs had the Clips looking lost in a pivotal Game 5. Dallas’ hockey team also shined in a tiebreaking Game 5, and the Kings bent the knee for McJesus — again. On the diamond, the Twins’ tally touched 10, and the Phils can’t find a way to fall. Finally, the folks across the pond are partaking in a cheeky little football tournament to determine the best club in Europe. It's called the Champions League, and things are getting bloody dodgy for the favorites. Let’s go!

WTF Stat: When a best-of-seven series is tied 2-2 in the NBA playoffs, the team that wins Game 5 has gone on to win the series 81.7% of the time (188-42).

👋 A Note From Our Writer

Dear Blitzers,

Today marks my last time writing the Morning Blitz. But do not fear; our beloved co-founder Danny Healey will be handling responsibilities moving forward, and the newsletter will remain in good hands. As for myself, I simply want to say thank you!

My deepest gratitude goes out to Danny, the Blitz's other, more attractive co-founder, Noah Cartwright, and everyone at TorchPro for giving me this incredible opportunity in July 2022 and providing me full license to write and develop the newsletter. Additionally, a shoutout to my team of unpaid analysts for their tireless number-crunching and the patent-pending Blitz computer model for its sure-fire predictions.

Last but not least, I would like to thank you, the readers. As I reflect on the countless hours crafting terrible puns, answering emails about my glaring typos, and sharing endless sports memories with you, I am overwhelmed by the sense of community we've built. Your support, feedback, and enthusiasm have been the driving force behind every word.

Danny gives me unnecessary credit for staying up to cover the late-night West Coast games, but I considered it a responsibility and privilege to deliver you the latest news in its entirety. If Wazzou hits a ridiculous buzzer-beater to beat Gonzaga at 1:00am ET, the people need to know! And, besides waking up in the middle of the night to cover the Australian Open, I honestly enjoyed it — because I love sports, and I know you do, too!

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives, if only for a few minutes every morning. Your readership, engagement, and unwavering support have been the greatest gifts a writer could ask for. I hope you enjoyed reading my editions of the Blitz as much as I enjoyed writing them. And I look forward to joining your ranks as a reader!

Sincerely,

Ian Dardani

🏀 North Carolina senior G RJ Davis announced he is returning to Chapel Hill for his fifth and final college season - Davis was named the ACC Player of the Year and a first-team All-American last season

⚾️ MLB handed out four multigame suspensions to those involved in Wednesday’s bench-clearing brawl between the Brewers and Rays, with Milwaukee RP Abner Uribe receiving the longest ban of six games - Brewers SP Freddy Peralta (five games), Brewers manager Pat Murphy (two games), and Rays CF Jose Siri (three games) were the other three suspended offenders

🥊 Star boxer Ryan Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Ostarine the day before and the day of his upset win over Devin Haney on April 20 - the news was reported yesterday, and Garcia has since denied taking any PEDs

NBA Playoffs - First Round (Game 5s)

• East | #1 Boston Celtics 118, #8 Miami Heat 84 (BOS Wins series 4-1): There will be no Miami miracle this time around. With a chance to close out the series at home against a depleted Heat team, the Celtics didn’t play with their food, as Jaylen Brown (25 PTS, 11-19 FG, 6 REB) and Derrick White (25 PTS, 5-10 3PT, 5 REB) feasted for 50 combined points, Sam Hauser (17 PTS, 5-8 3PT) sprinkled on five treys, and Jayson Tatum (16 PTS, 4-9 FG, 12 REB) hit some timely shots to oust Bam Adebayo (25 PTS, 17 REB) and Miami in a rout that was over by halftime - Boston trailed for 56 total seconds in their four wins and will play the winner of Cleveland and Orlando in the second round

• West | #5 Dallas Mavericks 123, #4 LA Clippers 93 (DAL leads series 3-2): In a massive swing game, Luka Doncic (35 PTS, 14-26 FG, 7 REB, 10 AST) was dominant and dropped 20 points in the second half to turn a 56-46 lead at recess into a Dallas field day, where Maxi Kleber (15 PTS, 5-7 3PT) joined the fun from downtown, and Kyrie Irving (14 PTS, 6-14 FG, 6 AST) wowed the youngsters with some jaw-dropping buckets, while the Mavs clamped down on Paul George (15 PTS, 4-13 FG, 11 REB) and James Harden (7 PTS, 2-12 FG, 7 AST) defensively to 30-piece the Clips at Crypto.com Arena - Dallas will look to close out the series at home on Friday

See the full box scores here.

Tonight’s Schedule - First Round (East, Game 6s)

• #3 Milwaukee Bucks @ #6 Indiana Pacers 6:30pm ET, TNT - (IND leads series 3-2)

• #2 New York Knicks @ #7 Philadelphia 76ers 9:00pm ET, TNT - (NYK lead series 3-2)

See the entire NBA playoffs bracket here.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round (West, Game 5s)

• Edmonton Oilers 4, Los Angeles Kings 3 (EDM Wins series 4-1): For the third year in a row, the Oilers have eliminated the Kings in the first round! Blake Lizotte (1 G) put Los Angeles up 2-1 early in the 2nd period, but then Connor McDavid (2 A) found Leon Draisaitl (2 G) for two quick scores, and Zach Hyman (1 G) added another to give the Oils a 4-2 lead entering the 3rd, which was just enough cushion for Stuart Skinner (21 SV) to seal the deal, as Edmonton handed the Kings a gentleman’s sweep with three consecutive wins - the Oilers will face the winner of Vancouver and Nashville in the second round

• Dallas Stars 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 (DAL leads series 3-2): Make that three straight dubs for Dallas! After trading a pair of goals in the 1st period, Jason Robertson (1 G) roofed a power-play bingo to give the Stars a 3-2 lead in the 2nd, and Jake Oettinger (25 SV) made some massive stops down the stretch to stave off Mark Stone (1 G) and the Knights at American Airlines Center, making Dallas the first team to hold serve at home this series - Wyatt Johnston (2 A) continued his heater, and the series will return to Vegas for Game 6 on Friday

See the full box scores here.

Tonight’s Schedule - First Round (East, Game 6)

• (A2) Boston Bruins @ (A3) Toronto Maple Leafs 8:00pm ET, TBS - (BOS leads series 3-2)

See the entire Stanley Cup playoffs bracket here.

MLB - Top Games

• Minnesota Twins 10, Chicago White Sox 5: That’s 10 in a row for the Twinnies! Korey Lee (1-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI) ordered a solo jack in the 7th to put Chicago up 6-5, but Max Kepler (1-4, 1 RBI) and Jose Miranda (3-4, 2 RBIs) knocked in RBI doubles a half-inning later to give Minnesota the lead for good, as the Twins rallied on the road to rake in their 10th straight W - it’s Minnesota’s longest winning streak since 2008 and the longest in the bigs this season

• Philadelphia Phillies 2, Los Angeles Angels 1: Who has the most wins in baseball, you ask? That would be the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite striking out 18 times, the Phils notched their 21st win of the year, as Kyle Schwarber’s (2-4, 2 RBIs) two-run single in the 2nd was enough insurance for Zack Wheeler (5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 Ks) and the bullpen to close things out, giving Philly the rubber match in LA - Patrick Sandavol (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 10 Ks) was dealing but fell to 1-5 on the year

• New York Yankees 2, Baltimore Orioles 0: After dropping the first two outings of a four-game set at Camden Yards, the Yanks got back on track as Oswaldo Cabrera (2-3, 1 HR, 2 RBIs) sent a two-run, 5th-inning shot into the foul pole (and I mean, literally into the foul pole), while Luis Gil (6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 Ks) and New York’s bullpen tossed a three-hitter to blank the O’s, marking the Pinstripes’ 20th win

• Atlanta Braves 5, Seattle Mariners 2: The NL-best Braves avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of Jorge Polanco (2-5, 2 RBIs) and the M’s, as Chris Sale (5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 9 Ks) fanned nine batters, and Ronald Acuna Jr. (2-5, 2 R, 1 RBI) sparked a four-run 4th inning to salvage a win in Hotlanta - despite having one less win, Atlanta (20-9) leads Philadelphia (21-11) by a half-game atop the NL East

See the full MLB scoreboard here and the current standings here.

UEFA Champions League - Semifinals (First Leg)

• Borussia Dortmund 1, Paris Saint-Germain 0: In the second opening leg of the semifinals, Dortmund’s Niclas Fullkrug (36’) capitalized on a magnificent ball from Nico Schlotterbeck to put the hosts on top in the first half, and although PSG threatened multiple times after intermission, Kylian Mbappe and Archraf Hakimi hit the woodwork on their two best opportunities, and the Bundesliga side survived to take a 1-0 advantage into the final leg - PSG will host the second leg on Tuesday, May 7

See the full international scoreboard here and the UCL bracket here.

On May 2, 2015, Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Manny Pacquiao in the “Fight of the Century.” The long-awaited bout shattered all financial and viewership records for a boxing match, including roughly $600 million in gross revenue (which surpassed that year’s Super Bowl) and over 4.6 million purchases on pay-per-view. However, the matchup was long overdue. Despite fans craving for the fight since the early 2000s, disagreements between the two boxers' camps on terms for the fight prevented it from coming to fruition until 2015. By then, both Mayweather and Pacquiao — the consensus top two boxers of their generation — were past their prime at 38 and 36 years old, respectively. Regardless, the opportunity to see them finally meet in a ring was tantalizing. Mayweather was a perfect 47-0 and a five-division world champion, while Pacquaio was 57-5-2 and an eight-division world champion. The match was held at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, NV, and Mayweather used his methodical defensive style to win by unanimous decision (116-112, 116-112, 118-110). The fight itself left many fans disappointed due to the lack of action, but its intrigue set up an epic payday for both fighters. Pacquiao earned around $125 million, while “Money” Mayweather walked away with a cool $300 million - this was one of my favorite sections to write, sorry for making them so long!

NBA Playoffs - First Round (Game 6s)

• Milwaukee Bucks @ Indiana Pacers 6:30pm ET, TNT

• New York Knicks @ Philadelphia 76ers 9:00pm ET, TNT

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round (Game 6)

• Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs 8:00pm ET, TBS

MLB

• Colorado Rockies @ Miami Marlins 12:10pm ET, ESPN+

• New York Yankees @ Baltimore Orioles 1:05pm ET, Local

• Chicago Cubs @ New York Mets 1:10pm ET, Local

• Cleveland Guardians @ Houston Astros 8:10pm ET, Local

• Full Schedule

PGA Tour - The CJ Cup Byron Nelson

• Round 1 4:00-7:00pm ET, Golf Channel

Trivia Time Answer

A. Titans. I guess the gig is up! Unfortunately, I’m a die-hard Titans fan. Hopefully, you were never able to tell! It’s been a rocky partnership, but my fandom will never waver. Will Levis is the guy, and the 2029 Super Bowl is ours!

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One last goodbye, and in the words of the great Jim Nantz, “Thank you for being my friend.”