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One of the most underrated reasons why the New York Knicks are up 2-0 in their second round series against the Boston Celtics is the impact that center Mitchell Robinson has brought. His defensive intensity and impact on the glass has been a huge difference maker for the Knicks.
Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson has had a great postseason
His impact is so great that the Celtics have been trying to get him off the floor by sending him to the free throw line. It has been hard for Tom Thibodeau to play him for long stretches due to their hack-a-Mitch method, and given that Robinson is a poor free throw shooter, that doesn’t bode well for New York.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazulla gave praise to Robinson and emphasized that they need to slow him down.
“He’s a huge factor to what they do and we’ve got to find ways to negate that,” Mazulla said via SNY.
Robinson was very impactful in Game 2 against Boston, as he was a +19 in 22 minutes off the bench. He also recorded six points and eight rebounds along with three steals, making a fantastic impact inside the paint.
Despite the free throw problems, Robinson is still highly impactful
The negative is the free throw misfortunes, as teams will just foul him intentionally if New York is in the penalty. However, he still makes a great impact rebounding and defending the rim, and he is very important in possessions where they need a defensive stop.
Having Robinson for this playoff run is a huge luxury given that they didn’t have him for most of last year’s run. They missed him dearly during the regular season when he sat out the first 58 games recovering from offseason ankle surgery, but now he is back and making a positive impact as the backup to Karl-Anthony Towns.
Robinson will hope to continue his strong postseason in Game 3 on Saturday, where the Knicks have a chance to grab a 3-0 series lead over Boston.
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TODAY'S BEST
Richard Jefferson criticises Anthony Davis’ fitness after latest injury setback
The Dallas Mavericks picked up a win over the Indiana Pacers, but it came with more injury concerns for Anthony Davis. Dallas managed to get past the Pacers, but any relief was overshadowed by fresh worries about Davis’s fitness after he left the game early. Davis, who had already been battling Achilles tendinopathy before tipoff, lasted just seven minutes before being ruled out with what the team called left lower leg soreness. And Dallas ended up having to play without their big man for nearly the entire game. Not that it made much of a difference on this occasion as Kyrie Irving scored 28 points, while Dereck Lively II added 24 points and 16 boards in a win over the Indiana Pacers. However, given how thin their roster is becoming with all these injuries, there may be trouble ahead for Jason Kidd and his players. The Dallas Mavericks have now won three games in a row after losing five straight before that run. Yet Davis’s status is once again uncertain for an important stretch of games coming up next week against Milwaukee and Boston. Richard Jefferson criticises Anthony Davis Losing Davis would make things even harder for the Mavericks, who are already having trouble getting into a rhythm without Kyrie Irving. And Richard Jefferson didn’t hold back. The former NBA player said that Davis has no one else to blame for the way things have gone this season. “It’s not Anthony Davis, it’s not him, we saw it with Zion [Williamson]. You’ve seen it with players if they don’t come in in elite shape, it’s calf injuries,” Jefferson said on the Road Trippin’ Show. He added: “it’s hamstring injuries, and that’s not the only way to get those injuries, but the probability of those go up. Not conditioned, those probabilities go up.” Since joining Dallas, Davis hasn’t looked like the player he once was. He even showed up to training camp overweight, which raised some eyebrows at the time. Richard Jefferson doubles down on Davis criticism For much of his career, Davis has been in the conversation as the best power forward in the league. But this season, the former top pick has looked like a shadow of that player. This year, he’s averaging 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game— all numbers below his career marks. Jefferson believes a lack of conditioning is to blame for Davis’ drop in production. “Not conditioned, and overweight, and you’re about to go play against the best, most elite athletes in the world, and you’re going to show up overweight or out of shape.” He added: “You are begging for something to not go the way you want.” The question now is whether Davis can turn things around before it’s too late. If he can’t, we may be seeing a decline from one of this era’s great power forwards.
Blue Jays' Trey Yesavage is already making the rest of MLB look foolish for passing on him
The Toronto Blue Jays and their fans witnessed something special on Wednesday night. It doesn’t get much better than a convincing 6-1 Game 5 win to take a 3-2 lead over the superteam Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Heading back home with the chance to win a championship at the Rogers Centre was what truly mattered for the Blue Jays; however, the way it all played out in such a pivotal game at Dodger Stadium will go down in history. Starting pitcher Trey Yesavage was untouchable, throwing seven dominant innings where he allowed just one run on three hits while striking out 12. Those 12 punchouts set the rookie record for the most ever in a World Series game. Seven of them came against the heart of the order in Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. His one-of-a-kind splitter had them fooled from start to finish. Yesavage’s ridiculous rise from starting the year in Class-A Dunedin to carving up the best lineups in baseball in the postseason is unheard of. It makes you wonder how he fell all the way to the Blue Jays at pick No. 20 in the 2024 MLB Draft to begin with. Trey Yesavage has 18 teams regretting their decision While it’s still extremely early to be looking back on his draft class, what Yesavage has done these last few months can’t be replicated. A 22-year-old jumping onto a moving train with just three career MLB starts under his belt goes on to start five playoff games, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.46 ERA and a whopping 39 strikeouts. Those are the kinds of numbers you expect to see from Tarik Skubal or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, not a rookie with almost no big league experience. Nineteen different organizations let Yesavage slide down the draft board last July. At this point, the Athletics are the only ones who should feel alright about their decision, given that first baseman Nick Kurtz already looks like one of the best hitters in baseball. The 18 others look silly. While some of these prospects will certainly turn out to be good players, it’s safe to say that none of them will make this type of impact on the world’s biggest stage. If the Blue Jays can pull this off and win their third World Series title in franchise history, Yesavage will never have to buy another meal in Toronto again. Quite frankly, he’s been so good that he may not have to even if they don’t find a way to finish the job. No matter how this all ends, Yesavage has not only turned himself into a Toronto sports legend, but a Canadian sports legend. The city and country can't wait to see what else he has in store because if this postseason was any indication, then they are in for many more historic performances in the years to come.
Logical trade targets if the Vikings decide to buy before the trade deadline
While a loss Sunday in Detroit could turn Minnesota into a seller before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline, a win would get them to 4-4 and perhaps entice them to be a buyer. If they do wind up acquiring help before the trade deadline, who are some logical targets? For that, we need to look at the teams most likely to be selling and find out which players at positions of need — cornerback and perhaps edge rusher — Minnesota could target. We also need to keep in mind that draft capital is a premium. Here's what the Vikings have in the 2026 draft cupboard: 1st round 2nd round 3rd round 5th fround (from Philadelphia via the Sam Howell trade) 6th round (from Indianapolis via the Mekhi Blackmon trade) 7th round 7th round (from Houston via the 2024 Cam Akers trade) 7th round (from Carolina via the Adam Thielen trade) What are the Vikings most likely to do before the deadline? It doesn't sound like much. Alec Lewis, of The Athletic, says to "expect some tires to be kicked, but don’t bank on an addition or subtraction, barring a serious injury." NFL Network's Tom Pelissero doesn't "see them going out and making a massive type of acquisition," but he says he could "see them having interest" in the edge rusher market. SI's Albert Breer says the Vikings are "among a list of teams looking for corners." So, let's see what the likely sellers might have available at cornerback and edge. Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett (not logical) All signs point to the Browns keeping Garrett, so this is probably a waste of time to even consider. If they did open the door for a trade, it would cost an ungodly amount, including multiple first-round picks and perhaps some talented players. Cleveland hasn't had any cornerbacks mentioned in the rumor mills. Las Vegas Raiders: Eric Stokes Stokes would be a massive upgrade at cornerback for the Vikings, who lack depth behind Byron Murphy Jr. and Isaiah Rodgers. Stokes shouldn't cost a ton because he's on a one-year, $3.5 million contract. There's no guarantee that he re-signs with the Raiders, so Vegas might be smart to trade him now, rather than losing him for nothing in free agency. Stokes ranked No. 38 in PFF coverage grades for cornerbacks, having allowed 10 receptions on 19 targets for 123 yards. Quarterbacks have a 72.9 passer rating when throwing into Stokes' coverage, which puts him among the top 30 in the NFL this season. Maimi Dolphins: Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, Matthew Judon Chubb, Phillips and Judon would could be upgrades over Dallas Turner on the edge. But does Minnesota really want to trade for an edge rusher when Andrew Van Ginkel is about to return to the lineup? It's only a need if Van Ginkel is expected to miss more time. Phillips: 3 sacks, 32 pressures, PFF's 15th-ranked pass rusher at EDGE Chubb: 3 sacks, 21 pressures, PFF's 101st-ranked pass rusher at EDGE Judon: 0 sacks, 5 pressures, PFF's 116th-ranked pass rusher at EDGE Breer is hearing that it could take a third-round pick to get Phillips. New Orleans Saints: Alontae Taylor Taylor would be an upgrade in the cornerback room, but Breer says the Saints are asking for a second or third-round pick for him. The 2022 second-round pick is due to become a free agent, so it would only make sense for Minnesota to give up a quality draft pick for him if they can sign him to an extension. According to PFF, Taylor has the 31st-best coverage grade among cornerbacks, putting him just ahead of Jets star Sauce Gardner. New York Giants: Kayvon Thibodeaux Mike Garafolo reported this week that the Giants are telling interested teams no, but Thibodeaux appears to be the odd man out in New York with Brian Burns and Abdul Carter starting on the edges. He's under contract through 2026, so it might take a Day 2 pick to get him. Should the Vikings offer a third-rounder next year to shore up the edge? Thibodeaux has 2.5 sacks and 25 pressures this season, while ranking 49th among edge rushers via PFF's grades. He had just 5.5 sacks last year, but he posted an 11.5-sack season in 2023, which is what the Giants thought they were getting when they drafted him fifth overall in 2022. Washington Commanders: Noah Igbinoghene Igbinoghene might be the player that makes the most sense for Minnesota because he'd only cost them a late-round draft pick. He's a player who was on the field for 75% of Washington's snaps last season, but roster changes have led to him spending most of this season on the bench, having played a total of 40 defense snaps in 2025. The issue here is that he's best-suited for the slot, and the Vikings need someone who can fill the void of Jeff Okudah (concussions) on the outside. More from Vikings On SI
Mariners Report Is Great News For Josh Naylor Pursuit
The Seattle Mariners have arguably the most important offseason in recent memory coming up over the next few months. Seattle has been right on the doorstep. The Mariners have won 88 or more games in three of the last four seasons, including 90 wins in both 2025 and 2022. The only season the Mariners won fewer than 88 games over the last four season was in 2024 when they won 85 games. The Mariners had a phenomenal 2025 season and just won the American League West for the first time since 2001. Seattle obviously came within one win of the World Series as well in the American League Championship Series, as well. All of this is to say that the Mariners' window for contention is open, but does hinge on this offseason. The Mariners brought guys to town, like Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez, who proved to be critical to he team's success down the stretch. Now, the Mariners need to figure out who to bring back -- and who to add -- and fortunately, they reportedly will have some money to spend, per MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. "(Josh Naylor) is ineligible for the $22.025 million qualifying offer -- which is a one-year deal calculated by averaging MLB’s 125 highest salaries -- because he was traded midseason," Kramer said. "The same can be said for Suárez, while Ferguson and Jackson won’t be considered, either. "The Mariners will have more money to spend than in any recent offseason -- in the $30 million to $35 million range for 2026 -- which should give them ample room to bring back Naylor and still address their other needs." There will be options for Seattle this offseason It would obviously make sense for the Mariners to bring back Naylor. This has been a popular talking point since before the Mariners were even knocked out of the playoffs. He played in 54 games and slashed .299/.341/.490 with nine home runs, 33 RBIs, 19 stolen bases, and 10 doubles in the regular season for Seattle. He clubbed three homers and batted .340 for the Mariners in the playoffs as well in 12 games. Even if Naylor isn't the guy, the fact that the Mariners reportedly have a little extra wiggle room for the payroll is a great sign. The Mariners' starting rotation is in good shape. They need to continue working on the offense around Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez. Outside of Naylor and Suárez, some of the top sluggers heading to the open market are Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, Cody Bellinger, Marcell Ozuna, and Gleyber Torres, among others. It sounds like the Mariners could afford to bring back Naylor, but regardless, there will be talent out there for the taking and Seattle needs to stay aggressive. More MLB: Mariners Can Afford To Cut Ties With 5-Year Veteran
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