Axios Sports: NBA Finals — MLB bracket — Jackson vs. Mahomes

1 big thing: 🏀 Lakers vs. Heat for the bubble title | Monday, September 28, 2020

View in browser   Presented By DEMETER FRAGRANCE LIBRARY®   Axios Sports By Kendall Baker ·Sep 28, 2020 👋 Happy Monday! Let's sports. Today's word count: 1,949 words (7 minutes).     1 big thing: 🏀 Lakers vs. Heat for the bubble title Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios   Six years after the "Big Three" broke up, the Heat are back in the NBA Finals, where they will face the man who brought them to four straight last decade. The state of play: For the first time in NBA history, both finalists didn't make the playoffs in the prior season. The Heat are just the third team seeded No. 5 or lower to make the NBA Finals since the 16-team format was introduced, joining the 1995 Rockets (beat Magic) and 1999 Knicks (lost to Spurs). The Lakers will compete in their record 32nd NBA Finals (16-15 record) and first since 2010, when Kobe Bryant led them past the Celtics for a second straight title. Matchups: LeBron James vs. Jimmy Butler: They've squared off 34 times in their careers (including playoffs). Their head-to-head record? 17-17. Frank Vogel vs. Erik Spoelstra: They've met 50 times as head coaches, with Spoelstra owning a 26-24 advantage. Anthony Davis vs. Bam Adebayo: The two Kentucky products will go to battle, both inside and outside the paint. Adebayo was dominant in Game 6 against the Celtics (32-14-5), while Davis put up 31.2 ppg against the Nuggets. Series schedule: (All games on ABC) Game 1: Wednesday, 9pm ET Game 2: Oct. 2 Game 3: Oct. 4 Game 4: Oct. 6 Game 5: Oct. 9 Game 6: Oct. 11 Game 7: Oct. 13 The droughts are over: Syracuse: Lakers reserve Dion Waiters is the first former Syracuse player to reach the Finals in 40 years, snapping a four-decade drought for a school with a record 49 straight winning seasons. Calipari: In his 11 years at Kentucky, John Calipari has coached 29 first-round picks — but not a single NBA champion. That ends this year, with either Davis (2011-12) or Tyler Herro (2018-19) and Adebayo (2016-17) raising the trophy. Familiar faces: Andre Iguodala will play in his sixth straight NBA Finals. James has played in nine of the last 10 NBA Finals and 10 overall, which is more than every franchise except for three (Lakers, Celtics and Warriors). Lakers veterans: With James, Rajon Rondo, Dwight Howard, and Danny Green, the Lakers have at least one player from every NBA Finals since 2008.     2. ⚾️ By the numbers: MLB season in review Note: Through Sept. 26. Data: Baseball Reference; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios MLB's 60-game regular season has come to an end, and while there were slight dips in home run and strikeout average, major statistical trends mostly continued, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Trends Hitting: Teams hit 1.28 HRs and struck out 8.67 times per game, both down from last season (1.39 HRs and 8.81 strikeouts) but still the second-highest marks in history. Meanwhile, batting average (.245) was the lowest it's been since 1972 (.244). Pitching: Thanks to deeper bullpens and more pitcher injuries, starters averaged fewer than five innings (4.8) for the first time ever. Less experienced arms meant less control, with pitchers hitting more batters (0.46 per game) than any year since 1900. Debuts: Opt outs, new roster rules and missed games due to positive tests led to 208 players making their MLB debuts — a staggering number in 60 games, given there were just 261 all of last year. NL leaders Hitters Average: Juan Soto, WSH (.351); Freddie Freeman, ATL (.341); Marcell Ozuna, ATL (.338) HR: Ozuna (18); Fernando Tatís Jr., SD (17); six tied with 16 RBI: Ozuna (56); Freeman (53); Manny Machado (47) Pitchers ERA: Trevor Bauer, CIN (1.73); Yu Darvish, CHC (2.01); Dinelson Lamet, SD (2.09) Wins: Darvish (8); Zach Davies, SD (7); Max Fried, ATL (7) Strikeouts: Jacob deGrom, NYM (104); Bauer (100); Aaron Nola, PHI (96) AL leaders Hitters Average: D.J. LeMahieu, NYY (.364); Tim Anderson, CWS (.322); David Fletcher, LAA (.319) HR: Luke Voit, NYY (22); José Abreu, CWS (19); Mike Trout, LAA (17); José Ramírez, CLE (17) RBI: Abreu (60); Voit (52); Trout and Ramírez (46) Pitchers ERA: Shane Bieber, CLE (1.63); Dallas Keuchel, CWS (1.99); Chris Bassitt, OAK (2.29) Wins: Bieber (8), Cole (7); Marco Gonzales, SEA (7) Strikeouts: Bieber (122); Lucas Giolito, CWS (97); Gerrit Cole, NYY (94) Of note: Bieber is the first pitcher to complete the triple crown (ERA, wins, strikeouts) since Johan Santana in 2006.     Bonus: ⚾️ MLB playoff bracket Courtesy: MLB The field is set for a strange postseason featuring 16 teams, neutral-sites after the first round and a World Series played in a ballpark that most players have never seen — hosted by a franchise that has never won a championship. Coming up: The inaugural Wild Card Series begin in the AL tomorrow, and in the NL on Wednesday. Tomorrow: Rays vs. Blue Jays (in Tampa Bay); A's vs. White Sox (in Oakland); Twins vs. Astros (in Houston); Indians vs. Yankees (in Cleveland). Wednesday: Dodgers vs. Brewers (in L.A.); Braves vs. Reds (in Atlanta); Cubs vs. Marlins (in Chicago); Padres vs. Cardinals (in San Diego)     A message from DEMETER FRAGRANCE LIBRARY® What an 80% ethyl alcohol spray hand sanitizer can do for you     Demeter's unscented sanitizing spray uses a formula approved by the FDA with 80% ethyl alcohol, the active ingredient that kills germs on contact. Get your bottle.     3. 🏈 Tonight: Jackson vs. Mahomes Data: Pro Football Reference; Photos: Getty; Graphic: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios The most anticipated game of the young NFL season takes place tonight in Baltimore (8:15pm ET, ESPN), as the undefeated Ravens host the undefeated Chiefs in an empty M&T Bank Stadium, Jeff writes. The QB battle: Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes — the last two MVPs — are the league's most exciting QBs and enter tonight with a combined nine TDs and zero picks. Historic matchup: This is the NFL's first-ever game between two former MVPs aged 25 and under. Head-to-head: Mahomes holds a 2-0 advantage over Jackson, but those games were decided by just eight combined points. The big picture: Jackson and Mahomes lead a new wave of young signal callers poised to dominate the 2020s and beyond — and the AFC is home to the vast majority of them. Just four QBs under age 26 started for NFC teams this week: Kyler Murray (23), Jared Goff (25), Dwayne Haskins (23) and Daniel Jones (23). In the AFC, nine such QBs started (or will start): Mahomes (25), Jackson (23), Deshaun Watson (25), Josh Allen (24), Joe Burrow (23), Gardner Minshew (24), Baker Mayfield (25), Justin Herbert (22) and Sam Darnold (23). ICYMI: Some notes from Sunday's Week 3 action... The Falcons blew a seemingly unblowable lead for the second week in a row, falling 30-26 to Nick Foles and the Bears. Russell Wilson tossed 5 TDs in the Seahawks' 38-31 win over the Cowboys, breaking Mahomes' record for most TDs through three games (14). The Packers improved to 3-0 after a 37-30 win over the Saints. Green Bay has scored 122 points this season, the sixth-most ever for a 3-0 team. Josh Allen is good, there's no debating it anymore. The Bills are now 3-0 after surviving the Rams' rally thanks to a questionable PI call. The Jets are the only team that has not held a lead this season, and reports indicate Adam Gase could be fired in the coming weeks. Go deeper: Read: Week 3 winners and losers (USA Today) Watch: The 15 best Jackson and Mahomes highlights, ranked (The Ringer)     4. 🏒 Also tonight: Lightning vs. Stars Photo: Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images   Without fans, there will be no one to uphold the tradition of booing NHL commissioner Gary Bettman when he hands off the Stanley Cup — either to the Lightning tonight, or to the winner of Game 7 on Wednesday. What they're saying: I asked the commissioner if there are plans to ensure the tradition stays alive. Me, a very serious reporter: "Have you considered playing a recording of jeering fans as you come out on the ice?" Bettman, a true professional: "You'll have to tune in and find out." Honestly, an amazing answer. Coming up: Tonight: Game 6, 8pm ET (NBC) Later this week: More from my conversation with the commissioner.     5. 🏈 Big Ten, Pac-12 return to bizarre AP poll Data: AP; Table: Axios Visuals The Big Ten and Pac-12 returned to the AP poll, with No. 6 Ohio State, No. 10 Penn State and No. 14 Oregon joining the top 25 weeks before they start playing. Wild Saturday: Mississippi State 44, LSU 34: The Tigers are the first reigning national champions to lose their home opener since Notre Dame in 1978. As for the Bulldogs, Mike Leach-coached teams have now thrown for 600+ yards 11 times since 2000. The rest of the FBS has reached that mark nine times. Texas 63, Texas Tech 56 (OT): The Longhorns trailed by 15 with just over three minutes to play before mounting an epic comeback. As for the Red Raiders, this is the fifth time in the past six years that they scored 50+ points and lost. No other FBS team has lost more than three such games in history. Kansas State 38, Oklahoma 35: The Wildcats shook off a bad season-opening loss to Arkansas State and stunned the Sooners, who led 35-14 late in the third quarter. Miami 52, FSU 10: The surging Hurricanes won their fourth straight over the struggling Seminoles, who were without coach Mike Norvell (positive test). Go deeper: What's next for each ranked team (ESPN)     6. 🌍 Photos 'round the world Photo: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images PALMETTO, Florida — Breanna Stewart (career-playoff-high 31 points) and Sue Bird (16 pts, 9 ast) led the Storm past the Lynx, 92-71, to complete the sweep and send Seattle to the WNBA Finals for the second time in three years. Meanwhile: The Aces beat the Sun, 84-75, to force a decisive Game 5 tomorrow. Youri Tielemans after scoring Leicester City's fifth goal. Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images MANCHESTER, England — Jamie Vardy scored a hat trick and Leicester City stunned Manchester City, 5-2, snapping City's 11-match unbeaten streak in league play and putting Leicester atop the standings. Look: Standings (Premier League) Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images PARIS — Playing on a court shrouded in mist, 16-year-old Coco Gauff upset No. 9 seed Johanna Konta, 6-3, 6-3, in the opening round of a rainy French Open. Read: At the French Open, cold weather and a ball that will not behave (NYT) Photo: Peter Fox/Getty Images SOCHI, Russia — Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas scored his second win of 2020 at the Russian Grand Prix, with Red Bull's Max Verstappen finishing second and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton coming in third thanks to a 10-second penalty. Look: Driver standings (F1)     7. 📊 By the numbers Giphy 🏈 2-9-1: The NFC East is 2-9-1 (.208 win percentage), the second-worst win percentage through three weeks for a division since the NFL went to eight divisions in 2002. Only the 2002 AFC North (.200) was worse. ⚾️ 5 teams: Dusty Baker is the first manager in MLB history to lead five different teams to the postseason, taking the Giants (1997, 2000, 2002), Cubs (2003), Reds (2010, 2012, 2013), Nationals (2016, 2017) and now the Astros (2020). 🏒 61 goals: Stars veteran Joe Pavelski scored his 61st career playoff goal on Saturday, passing Joe Mullen for most by a U.S.-born player. 🏁 1-for-22: Kurt Busch took the checkered flag in Las Vegas, winning at his hometown track for the first time in 22 Cup series starts and becoming the first driver to advance to the Round of 8 in the NASCAR playoffs. 🥊 20-0: Nigeria's Israel Adesanya dominated Brazil's Paulo Costa to improve to 20-0 and notch his second successful UFC middleweight title defense. The UFC might have its next big breakout star. Israel Adesanya kicks Paulo Costa. Photo: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC     8. Sept. 28, 1941: ⚾️ Teddy Ballgame hits .406 Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images   79 years ago today, 22-year-old Ted Williams ended his season with a .406 batting average. No one has broken .400 since. The backdrop: Prior to 1941, 25 batters hit .400 in a season (34 times combined), but just 12 of those seasons came after 1900. 3x club: Ed Delahanty, Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby are the only players to do so three times. The final day: Williams famously woke up the morning of Sept. 28 batting .39955, which would have been rounded up to .400 in the record books. Despite the risk of losing his claim to .400, Williams suited up and went 6-for-8 in Boston's doubleheader, raising his average to .406 in the process. Final numbers: 37 HR, 120 RBI, .406/.553/.735, 147 walks against just 27 strikeouts (LOL) and 10.4 WAR. Williams led baseball in runs, HR and every batting rate stat, but he finished second in the AL MVP race to Joe DiMaggio and his 56-game hit streak. Wild. Go deeper: Ted Williams' 1941 season is MLB's most underrated (B/R)     9. 🏀 NBA trivia Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images LeBron James is the fourth player in NBA history to reach the Finals 10 times. Question: Who are the other three? Hint: Two were teammates. Answer at the bottom.     10. 🎥 Weekend's top catches Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images The weekend was full of spectacular catches, on both the gridiron and the diamond. 🏈 Kyle Rudolph 🏈 Khaleb Hood ⚾️ Jackie Bradley Jr. 🏈 T.J. Vasher 🏈 D.J. Stubbs 🏈 Kareem Hunt 🏈 Brandon Johnson ⚾️ Jonathan Davis 🏈 O.J. Howard 🏈 Terrace Marshall Jr. Watch all 10.     A message from DEMETER FRAGRANCE LIBRARY® What an 80% ethyl alcohol spray hand sanitizer can do for you     Demeter's unscented sanitizing spray uses a formula approved by the FDA with 80% ethyl alcohol, the active ingredient that kills germs on contact. Get your bottle.   Talk tomorrow, Kendall "More like NFC Least, amirite?" 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