The New York Knicks beat the 76ers last week to advance to the second round against the Indiana Pacers. I think the Knicks will play the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the West, I think the winner in the current series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the defending champion Denver Nuggets will represent the West in the NBA Finals. The winner of these two will be a huge favorite against the Dallas Mavericks or Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference. I will definitely be rooting for the Boston Celtics to beat the New York Knicks if they reach the conference final because the 76ers should have beatdn the Knicks in the first round.
The Phillies have continued to play great baseball. Until Wednesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Phillies had won 11 straight games at home at Citizen's Bank Park. This next road trip is an important one since they are playing the two worst teams in their division – the Miami Marlins first and then the Washington Nationals. It will be a successful trip if they can go 5-1 in these two series.
The Phillies offense has continued to be very productive. In most of their games, they have been able to score five or more runs. That is almost always going to be enough to win baseball games. This will be a fun summer just watching the Phillies and Atlanta Braves in their fight for the division crown.
The PGA Championship is next week in men’s golf. This year, it is being contested at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. The last time it was there was in 2014, when Rory McElroy won his last major virtually in the dark over Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler by one shot. In 2000, Tiger Woods had his famous duel with Bob May where he won a four-hole aggregate playoff to win his third major of the year. Woods is expected to play in this tournament next week, but I have no expectations for him to contend. His goal should be to make the cut.
Another trivia fact is that Justin Thomas gets to play a major in his hometown. Maybe he will finally play up to his potential.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
