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Sports

How these surprisingly likable Knicks have mastered the art of the buddy comedy

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2 hours ago

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Before the Western Conference Finals were settled, the Knicks had a long layoff. While they were sitting around, Mike Brown was asked the usual question about which team he’d rather face, and he gave the usual answer about how it didn’t matter — with one important personal caveat.

“If we played San Antonio, it would save me some money because my family lives in San Antonio,” Brown said. “I don’t have to buy airline tickets.”

It was a good line, and he got some laughs. Like the team he coaches, Brown seems to be enjoying himself since the Knicks dispatched the Cavaliers and won the Eastern Conference Finals well over a week ago. It’s been an epic run for New York thus far. The Knicks are on an 11-game winning streak during which they have posted the biggest point differential in NBA history (regular season or playoffs). On Wednesday, they’ll make their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1999, and when they do they’ll enter the series boasting the best offensive and defensive rating of any team this postseason. No wonder they’ve spent much of the playoffs cracking jokes and smiles and having a good time.

To hear Josh Hart tell it, “building championship habits, it’s very boring and it’s very meticulous.” Which might be why Hart in particular likes to keep it light. The Knicks’ Swiss Army Knife on the floor is usually the jester off it. After their Game 2 win in the Eastern Conference Finals, Hart decided to multitask by bringing his postgame pizza to the press conference.  

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That particular media availability was amusing for several reasons, not limited to Karl Anthony-Towns reacting to Hart pretty much the way everyone else does. Just look how KAT responds when Hart gives what we’ll call a unique answer when asked about the virtues of analytics.

The Big Bodega (first team All-NBA nickname) essentially doing a spit take and then pulling off his shades while Hart doubles down is first-rate material. The entire Knicks team is basically doing one big buddy cop comedy routine that we never knew we needed. They’re crushing it on the court and killing it when it comes to content. They’re not just good at basketball, they’re likable and easy to root for. It’s infuriating. For everyone who’s always rooted against the Knicks, the least they could do is have the decency to act like villains. 

Knicks vs. Spurs predictions: NBA Finals expert picks as Victor Wembanyama leads the favorites

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Brad Botkin

Knicks vs. Spurs predictions: NBA Finals expert picks as Victor Wembanyama leads the favorites

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Alas, the ‘Nova Knicks core at the heart of this team has been winning people over for too long to change now. As Jalen Brunson said after advancing to the NBA Finals, Mikal Bridges, Hart and he “share a bond and a brotherhood.” Three kids who became friends in college are now adults, just four wins away from an NBA championship. It’s the stuff they make Disney sports movies about that makes kids (and their parents) cry. Which does not mean that brotherhood is always earnest. The interaction between Hart and his podcast partner Brunson highlights one of the great two-man standup acts in recent sports memory. They bust each other’s chops reflexively. When Brunson isn’t hugging Mariska Hargity courtside or teasing reporters about their group chats, he’s usually messing with Hart the way only brothers can. When Hart rolled his ankle in the Cavs series, Brunson responded with that special brand of tough love and told him to walk it off. And after Hart went for 26 points and made five 3-pointers in a win over Cleveland, Brunson couldn’t help but tease him.

Full marks for the deadpan delivery. Timing is everything. Hart would no doubt agree, though how, when and where he executes his gags is decidedly different in style from Brunson. Some guys prefer dry humor, others are into more physical comedy. 

Who’s having more fun than the Knicks right now? KAT reminisced about Jeremy Lin’s run back in the day and how he ran off to Model’s sporting goods store as a kid to track down his jersey. Brown revealed how he’s gotten tight with Fat Joe and that his wife “freaked out” about seeing Ben Stiller. Even OG Anunoby, in his own laid back manner, rolling his eyes when Charles Barkley asked him what his real name is. Every media appearance seems designed to further endear them to the basketball-watching public (or at least the non-auto-haters).

Adam Silver and the league office have to be ecstatic about this Finals matchup. It has all the makings of a potential classic from an on-court standpoint, not to mention the storylines and stars. Wembanyama and the young, upstart Spurs jumping to the front of the line to battle one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports, a team that happens to have a roster full of charming media darlings. It should be a fantastic series, and regardless of who hoists the Larry O’Brien trophy in the end, the inherent entertainment figures to be massive. As Anunoby put it the way only he can when asked about the Knicks being back in the Finals for the first time in more than a quarter century, that should have everyone feeling a certain way.  

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Sports

Yankees shift flamethrowing prospect Carlos Lagrange to bullpen with eyes on MLB role

Published

11 minutes ago

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2 June 2026

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The New York Yankees are preparing one of their top prospects for a possible bullpen role. The Yankees are moving hard-throwing righty Carlos Lagrange to the bullpen in Triple-A, reports the YES Network, and will see whether he can contribute to the big-league team ahead of the trade deadline.

“He’s definitely got everyone’s attention,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said about Lagrange in spring training (via MLB.com). “I love where he’s at. I would not be surprised if he is impacting us early, middle, later part of the season. I can just tell you, we’re all very excited about his continued development and what we think he could mean to our team at some point.”

Lagrange, 23, entered the season as the 49th-best prospect in baseball. He’s an extremely hard thrower, averaging 99.1 mph with his fastball in Triple-A this year and topping out at 103.1 mph. Per Statcast, Lagrange has thrown the 29 fastest pitches by a starting pitcher in Triple-A this season, and 44 of the 50 fastest. He also works with a slider and changeup.

New York’s bullpen has been effective overall this season, pitching to a 3.59 ERA (tenth in MLB) and 3.44 expected ERA (sixth), which is based on the quality of contact allowed. There have been several late-inning midadventures though. Yankees relievers rank 26th in win probability added, which reflects some blown saves and messy setup situations.

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If Lagrange does make it to the Bronx as a reliever this season, he will bring needed velocity to a bullpen that ranks near the bottom of the league in average fastball velocity. Not coincidentally, Yankees relievers also rank at the bottom of the league in fastball swing-and-miss rate. Here are the numbers entering play Tuesday:

Bullpen average fastball velocity

93.2 mph

27th

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Bullpen 90th percentile velocity

96.8 mph

24th

Bullpen swing-and-miss rate

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15.8%

30th

New York’s bullpen badly needs a reliever who can simply throw a fastball by hitters. Their relief crew largely relies on ground balls and getting hitters to chase breaking balls and changeups out of the zone, not being overpowering. Lagrange could, potentially, be that power reliever. If nothing else, it’s worth trying it in Triple-A and seeing what it looks like.

Even if the Lagrange move works out, it’s unlikely the Yankees would pass on the reliever market at the trade deadline. It could lessen their urgency to add a reliever, but it’s doubtful they would consider a young and inexperienced (inexperienced both in MLB and working as a reliever) pitcher the solution to their problem. A solution? Yes. The solution? Unlikely.

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Lagrange has pitched to a 4.41 ERA in 11 starts and 49 innings in Triple-A this season. He’s struck out 29.0% of the batters he’s faced, comfortably above the 21.1% Triple-A average for starting pitchers. Lagrange has also walked 11.5% of the batters he’s faced. That’s above the 10.3% average. Control remains the biggest question.

The Yankees are 36-23 and one game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. Their plus-98 run differential is the best in the American League by 67 runs.

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Sports

What time will NTE 1.1 maintenance start and end?

Published

25 minutes ago

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2 June 2026

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The NTE 1.1 maintenance will start on June 3, 2026, at 6 am (UTC+8) and will last about 5 hours. You will be unable to access the game during this period, as the servers will undergo maintenance to prepare for new content, including two new characters in version 1.1 of Neverness to Everness.

This article covers the start and end times for the NTE 1.1 maintenance.

When does the NTE 1.1 maintenance start?

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The NTE 1.1 maintenance is set to go live on June 3, 2026, at 6 am (UTC+8). It is expected to last about 5 hours, and once it is over, you will be able to enjoy new content such as the Porsche x NTE collab.

Here is a list of the major time zones, indicating when the servers will be shut down for maintenance:

America (June 2, 2026)

  • Pacific Daylight Time (PDT): 3 pm
  • Mountain Daylight Time (MDT): 4 pm
  • Central Daylight Time (CDT): 5 pm
  • Eastern Daylight Time (EDT): 6 pm

Europe (June 2, 2026)

  • Western European Summer Time (WEST): 10 pm
  • Central European Summer Time (CEST): 11 pm
  • Eastern European Summer Time (EEST): 12 am (June 1, 2026)

Asia (June 3, 2026)

  • India Standard Time (IST): 3:30 am
  • China Standard Time (CST): 6 am
  • Philippine Standard Time (PHT): 6 am
  • Japanese Standard Time (JST): 7 am
  • Korea Standard Time (KST): 7 am

Here is a timer till the NTE 1.1 maintenance goes live:

When will the NTE 1.1 maintenance end?

The maintenance will end on June 3, 2026, at 11 am (UTC+8). You will be able to log in then, as the servers will reopen, allowing you to enjoy the new content that version 1.1 of Neverness to Everness holds.

Here are the major time zones, indicating the end time for the maintenance:

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America (June 2, 2026)

  • Pacific Daylight Time (PDT): 8 pm
  • Mountain Daylight Time (MDT): 9 pm
  • Central Daylight Time (CDT): 10 pm
  • Eastern Daylight Time (EDT): 11 pm

Europe (June 3, 2026)

  • Western European Summer Time (WEST): 3 am
  • Central European Summer Time (CEST): 4 am
  • Eastern European Summer Time (EEST): 5 am

Asia (June 3, 2026)

  • India Standard Time (IST): 8:30 am
  • China Standard Time (CST): 11 am
  • Philippine Standard Time (PHT): 11 am
  • Japanese Standard Time (JST): 12 pm
  • Korea Standard Time (KST): 12 pm

Here is a countdown indicating when the maintenance will be over:

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