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Good morning! Welcome to Pulse edition No. 1,500. Thanks for reading. We didn’t tank to get here. Coming up: 

Gifts: On this day, generosity

Today is a momentous day, as is every milestone we hit here at The Pulse. We sent the first edition of this newsletter in September 2021. The first section of that covered something Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said after a game. A lot has happened in the 1,500 newsletters since then, which I assume Kelly can talk to an AI agent about. 

Momentous days, in my mind, call for gifts. So I’m giving presents to yesterday’s big newsmakers: 

To the Knicks: A broom 🧹
New York is back in the Eastern Conference finals for a second straight year after walloping the 76ers, 144-114, on the road to complete a series sweep. It is a remarkable feat for a team that sputtered at points this year under a first-year coach who entered with a title-ready roster and the pressure that comes along with it. Choosing Mike Brown looks pretty good right now. 

But I am most taken with the rise of Jalen Brunson, king of New York, whose legacy is already being written, as James L. Edwards penned beautifully yesterday. His column is worth a read. 

To the Canadiens, Ducks and Timberwolves: Boxing gloves 🥊
A lot of fight between these teams across sport lines. I feel like I could hear them all growling while playing yesterday: 

On the ice, Montreal is in control of its series, up 2-1 after going down 1-0, against favored Buffalo after a stunning 6-2 comeback win, which was somehow the first time the Canadiens won two straight games in these playoffs. It’s easy to imagine them winning a third now. 
The same goes for Anaheim, which led wire-to-wire despite a late Vegas charge, topping the Golden Knights 4-3 and tying that series at 2-2. This has been an elite matchup, and last night got chippy, too.
In the NBA, Minnesota cannot be quelled quietly. A 114-109 win tied its series yesterday against the vaunted Spurs, who were without superstar Victor Wembanyama for 2 1/2 quarters after the Frenchman elbowed Naz Reid in the neck. This series clearly goes as Wemby goes, but I still come away wholly impressed with the Wolves’ mettle.

Brad Penner / Imagn Images

To the Giants and Yankees: A stress ball đź«©
Our next gift lands on the baseball diamond, where two teams in opposite positions — New York is 26-15, San Francisco is 16-24 — have similar verves to their seasons: 

In the Bronx, Chris Kirschner smartly pointed out that while Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says he’s not operating with urgency, his actions show otherwise. Demoting Anthony Volpe early in the season? Benching other veterans with little warning? It’s always Series-or-bust with this team, but it still feels different.
In the Bay, Giants president Buster Posey has been bold since the jump. He hired a college coach as manager, traded for Rafael Devers last season and traded away a solid defensive catcher in Patrick Bailey. The first two haven’t worked out yet. As Ken Rosenthal wondered, will any of these swings connect? I find this entire thing endlessly fascinating. 

To the Wizards: A charm 🍀
Washington won the NBA lottery yesterday, a final reward for one of this season’s biggest tankers before the rules change next year. The draft class is loaded, too, and the Wizards can add AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson to a core that already has Anthony Davis and Trae Young. Solid. 

Two resources for you: 

If Pacers president Kevin Pritchard has any charms in his office, consider them confiscated after his gamble left Indy without a first-round pick following a lost season.

Alex Slitz / Getty Images

To you: The 🤝 emoji
On Friday, we asked you if you supported the expanded NCAA Tournament plan. I admit I may have poisoned the proverbial well there by trashing the choice before asking, but the results were loud anyway: 

Yes, I’m for more games: 12%
No, we’ve jumped the shark: 88%

Thank you voting and reading. Quick news break before we wrap this up:

News to Know

Win McNamee / Getty Images

Trump criticizes NFL
President Donald Trump bemoaned the state of the NFL’s media deal in an interview yesterday, indicating the cost of watching games could spell doom for the league. This comes after reports of the Department of Justice investigating the NFL over possible anticompetitive tactics in regard to its TV contracts. Read more here.

More news:

Alabama is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA softball tournament bracket. See every matchup here.
The Aces rebounded with a blowout win yesterday over the Sparks after a season-opening loss. They’re fifth in our first WNBA power rankings of the season.
The Ottawa Charge are heading to their second straight PWHL Walter Cup Final after beating the Boston Fleet yesterday. Read our full story.
Kristoffer Reitan, who barely made the field at the Truist Championship this weekend, went out and won the tournament.

📰 Find more news here 24/7.

Watch Guide

đź“ş EPL: Leeds at Tottenham Hotspur
3 p.m. ET on USA Network
We have arrived at the other best part of the Premier League season, when relegation worries deepen, particularly when cash-rich clubs like Spurs are on the cusp of a shocking demotion. Leeds has already escaped the worst fate, and Tottenham needs three points more than ever, sitting just one point ahead of West Ham — victims of a cruel twist yesterday — in that final relegation spot. 

đź“ş NBA: Conference semifinals
8 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock and Prime Video
Pistons-Cavaliers starts us off on NBC/Peacock and is probably your best bet for a good game this evening, with Detroit leading that series 2-1. Lakers-Thunder follows at 10:30 p.m. on Prime Video, and I suspect the defending champs will close out a sweep here. The only thing piquing my interest there: Is this the last time we see LeBron James play? I don’t know if I’m ready for that. 

đź“ş NHL: Avalanche at Wild
8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Just one hockey game tonight, and it’s a good one. Colorado is still a favorite to win the Stanley Cup, but this series is 2-1, and Minnesota may have found a blueprint for beating the mighty Avs.

Get tickets to games like these here.

Pulse Picks

Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Photo: Joel Saget / AFP via Getty Images

Even if I didn’t know and love Tina Sturdevant as a coworker, her intensely personal story about American track legend Allyson Felix and preeclampsia — a life-threatening condition for pregnant and postpartum women — would’ve brought me to tears. If you read anything today, make it this. 

To counterbalance the NBA mock draft above, we also have a new NHL mock draft out today. See who your team picked. 

I loved this story on Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson and NBA referee Curtis Blair, who were college basketball teammates at Richmond. They’re trying to keep it professional. 

The first of two picks from Spain: FC Barcelona are La Liga champions for the second straight year. It all started with Hansi Flick. 

Conversely, Real Madrid’s season fell apart. How did things get so bad? 

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Jayson Stark’s Weird and Wild. Catch up if you missed it. 

Most-read on the website yesterday: Our story on the NBA Draft Lottery.

📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, check out our other newsletters and connect with me on Instagram for more.