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With the Finals on the horizon for both the NBA & NHL, I’m just getting started to discuss that and ALL that’s happening in sports in a jam packed podcast. On deck:

(4:15) The NBA Finals commences tonight. Boston is looking for Banner 18, after coming up short two years ago. While Dallas and their two headed monster of a backcourt (Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving) are chomping at the bit to bring a title back to Dallas. I’ll have a complete breakdown and predict who’ll hoist the Lawrence O’Brien Trophy when it’s all said and done. Some breaking news coming out of LA has the Lakers making a massive push to lure UConn coach Danny Hurley to Hollywood. Could he possibly take the leap from college to the pros?

(30:54) On Saturday night, hockey will have the sports stage as the Stanley Cup Finals will drop the puck in Game 1 between the Edmonton Oilers-Florida Panthers. I’ll tap in with analysis on what the Panthers will do to slow down Connor McDavid & co. And what will the Oilers deploy to attack the defensive schemes of the Panthers? Could this be a long series? Short series?

(41:27) MLB has had an interesting week with some solid matchups that have been anything but (MIL-PHI, KC-CLE) but I and a bunch of baseball/sports fans are looking forward to the heavyweight matchup in the Bronx this weekend between the LA Dodgers-NY Yankees. I’ll go through the history of this rivalry dating back to the days where the Dodgers played in Brooklyn. There’s also a London Series taking place on Saturday & Sunday as the NY Mets-Philadelphia will face off against one another.

(55:47) Novak Djokovic had to withdraw from the French Open due to a knee injury. Is it set for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to secure their first ever French title? On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek is seeking her third straight and four out of five after disposing of Coco Gauff in the semifinals in straight sets.

(1:00:13) Some sad news in the world of the NFL as all time great, Hall of Fame guard Larry Allen passed away on Monday at the age of 52. Christian McCaffrey gets a two year extension through 2027. What about CeeDee Lamb? He’s searching a big payday, but stayed away from OTA’s this week. Will they meet eye to eye before kickoff in September?

(1:06:22) The Belmont Stakes will conclude the horse racing season this Saturday as Derby winner Mystik Dan and Preakness champ Seize the Gray will go up against favorite Sierra Leone up in Saratoga, NY and not Belmont Park.

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Many thanks for all of your love and support.  

Intro/outro music by Cyklonus.

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A rather slow sports week will not stop yours truly from keeping you abreast on everything that's happening on the sports scene. On deck:

(3:53) After a few words on the state of sports currently, staying present and touching on a couple of things to expect next week, the NBA kicks off the podcast as I get into how Russell Westbrook will fit in with a Clippers team with championship aspirations. What will we see from Russ as he continues to adjust to not being the same MVP caliber player of the past? What kind of contribution will coach Ty Lue expect as he blends in with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George? How will this all play out? Patrick Beverley is back home where it all started in Chicago with the Bulls. He's got some things to say about knocking his former team out of the playoff chase. Is it warranted? A coaching change down in Atlanta, an extension for coach Jacque Vaughn and the Nets. Giannis's wrist injury and Lonzo Ball is done for the season as the schedule kicks off tonight after the lengthy All-Star break.

(21:28) Houston has become the #1 team in the nation for the third time this year as they look primed to not only run the table in their conference, but to have the #1 seed overall in the upcoming March Madness tournament. Can they do it? I'll also backtrack to my NBA over/under win totals to date as I'll share those for the first time since the start of the season.

(27:05) Calling on all of my sports fans! By all means, this isn't a secret! We have to recognize the greatness of Edmonton Oilers center, Connor McDavid who became the fifth fastest player to reach 800 points in his career. Is he the best player in his sport compared to the other three majors? Is he underappreciated? The Capitals welcome back Alex Ovechkin with open arms as he could be in the lineup tonight or Saturday vs. the Rangers. How much was he missed? They were 0-4 in his absence. The Islanders have been hit hard with the injury bug. Are reinforcements in the works as the trade deadline is a week from tomorrow (Friday). The Ryan O'Reilly trade is paying dividends for Toronto as he scored a couple of goals vs. Buffalo the other night. I'll see what else is percolating on the ice as teams are past the two-thirds games played mark of the season.

(41:14) Yankees slugger Aaron Judge stated that he wouldn't mind playing left field as the team mulls over the possibility. Is that a good thing? What does this say about the AL MVP? Fernando Tatis has been in the news as the Padres will 'ease him' back into the lineup as the Spring Training schedule begins tomorrow (Friday). Is that the right thing to do? Could this blow up in the Padres faces?

Please subscribe, leave a rating and post a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher, Spotify, Luminary, Amazon Music and iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you'd like to contribute to the production of the podcast, please visit my Patreon page at: www.patreon.com/TheJAYREELZPodcast

Many thanks for all of your love and support.

Intro/outro music by Cyklonus.

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Listen to "Westbrook's New Lease With Clips. Can It Work? Houston's Path To Madness #1 Seed. Oilers McDavid: Invisible Superstar? Aaron Judge: Captain" on Spreaker.

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