Gary Washburn

4 days ago | bostonglobe.com | Gary Washburn

1) Dallas — Cooper Flagg, F (Duke). This is a slam-dunk pick. Flagg is a generational talent and the Mavericks need some good PR after that disastrous Luka Doncic trade. Flagg fits right into the Mavericks frontcourt and immediately becomes a cornerstone. Flagg has no weaknesses in his game as led Duke to the Final Four as an 18-year-old. Not too many sure things in this draft, but this one of them. 2) San Antonio — Dylan Harper, SG (Rutgers).

6 days ago | bostonglobe.com | Gary Washburn

“Boston is in an interesting position because of Jayson Tatum’s injury and that is likely to put him out for the entire year next year, and even if you were to make the speediest of recoveries, you’re talking about bumping up on the playoffs in a best-case scenario,” said Jay Bilas, former Duke standout and college basketball analyst.

1 week ago | bostonglobe.com | Gary Washburn

What we’ve learned in watching the NBA Finals the past two weeks is that the 68-win Thunder and 50-win Pacers are closer in talent than was projected. The series shifts to Indianapolis for a pivotal Game 6 with the Pacers down 3-2 — quite similar to the 2022 Celtics, who blew a golden opportunity to seize a 3-1 lead by melting down in the final minutes of Game 4. The Pacers were outdueled by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the final minutes as the Thunder evened the series.

1 week ago | bostonglobe.com | Gary Washburn

The Suns’ top priority is trying to find a new locale for Kevin Durant, with the future Hall of Famer entering the final year of his contract at $54 million. Durant, a two-time NBA champion, turns 37 in September and is still one of the league’s prolific scorers. But he needs to be on a team with championship aspirations, and his stint in Phoenix has been an abject failure after the Suns gave the Nets Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson, and five first-round picks to acquire his services.

1 week ago | bostonglobe.com | Gary Washburn

While a fifth consecutive victory over the rival Yankees is sweet for the Red Sox, especially a three-game sweep completed Sunday at Fenway Park, this extraordinary and fierce rivalry lacks the emotion of the past. Two decades ago, the Yankees lineup were mostly all villains. They were despised Boston for unique reasons. Alex Rodriguez was considered a phony; Derek Jeter was too damn perfect; Mariano Rivera was impeccable and emotionless; Johnny Damon bolted Boston to sign with the enemy.