🏀 Y! Sports AM: The decision

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🏀 LEBRON'S UNCERTAIN FUTURE

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Thunder beat the Lakers, 115-110, on Monday to complete the series sweep and win their ninth straight playoff game dating back to their championship last season.

• For Oklahoma City, the wait begins. Will they be playing Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in the West Finals? Or will it be Anthony Edwards and the Wolves?
• For Los Angeles, the wait also begins. Will LeBron James, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, be on the roster next season? Will he be in the NBA at all?

What he's saying: "What my future holds, I don't know," said James, who had 24 points and 12 rebounds on the night. "Obviously, we're still fresh from losing. I got a lot of time, I'll sit back and recalibrate with my family. Talk with them. And when the time comes, you guys will know."

Kelly Iko, Yahoo Sports:

Nothing suggested that this would be the last time that James took an NBA floor. He spoke at length about the "process" of basketball and shuddered at the mention of him falling out of love with the game. His Game 4 performance didn't resemble a player that suddenly wants to call it quits.

The real question, the one that will dominate airwaves, water cooler talk and group chats within the basketball world for the next few weeks, is whether or not James' next steps will be with the Lakers.

Los Angeles' brass will be tasked with presenting a plan for James to still remain a viable contender. Is such a plan more advantageous than a homecoming to Cleveland, landing in New York or finally syncing up with Steph Curry?

Should the Lakers be so willing to pony up millions of dollars for James, who will be 42 by year's end, as opposed to fully committing to a heliocentric system tailored to Luke Dončić's skill set?

Keep reading.

🏀🏒 MORE PLAYOFFS: CAVS, AVS WIN

What a performance from Spida. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Cleveland, Ohio — The Cavaliers beat the Pistons, 112-103, to even the series thanks to a 23-0 second-half run that completely flipped the game. The star of the night was Donovan Mitchell, who dropped 43 points despite going into halftime with just four.

Into the record books: Mitchell's 39 second-half points are tied for the most in a half in NBA playoff history (Sleepy Floyd, 1987). Mitchell also had his fifth career playoff quarter with 20+ points, tied with Stephen Curry and Jamal Murray for the most ever.

(David Berding/Getty Images)

St. Paul, Minnesota — The Avalanche beat the Wild, 5-2, to take a 3-1 series lead and inch closer to reaching their first conference final since 2022. This game was tied 1-1 entering the final period.

Sharing the puck: Five Avs lit the lamp on Monday, giving Colorado 15 different goal-scorers in the series. That ties the NHL record for the most through four games of a playoff series, and is one shy of matching the record for the most in an entire series.

💯 BIG NUMBERS

(Indrawan Kumala/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

⚽️ 100 goal contributions

Lionel Messi had a goal and two assists in Miami's win over Toronto on Saturday, giving him 100 goal contributions (59 goals, 41 assists) in 64 regular-season matches since joining the Herons in 2023. That shatters the record for the fastest in MLS history to the century mark, with no other player getting there in fewer than 95 games.

All-time leaderboard: Messi (64 games), Sebastian Giovinco (95), Robbie Keane (96) Carlos Vela (98), Josef Martínez (105), Denis Bouanga (108).

⛳️ 14 straight majors

Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite to win this week's PGA Championship (+400 at BetMGM), marking the 14th consecutive major in which he's opened as the favorite or co-favorite.

How he's fared: In those 13 previous majors, Scheffler has posted more victories (three) than finishes outside the top 10 (two). This week at Aronimink, he'll look to join Tiger Woods (2006-07) and Brooks Koepka (2018-19) as the only back-to-back PGA Championship winners this century.

Brind'Amour celebrates after leading the Hurricanes to their second straight sweep. (Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images)

🏒 97.9% of wins

Rod Brind'Amour is the most important person in the history of the Carolina Hurricanes, and there is no close second. Consider this: Since moving from Hartford in 1997, the Canes have won 96 playoff games, and Brind'Amour was either a player or coach in 94 of those wins (97.9%).

The Brind'Amour effect: The former first-round pick spent the second half of his 20-year playing career in Carolina (2000-10) and was on the ice for 39 of those postseason wins. The Canes hired him as head coach in 2018 and they've proceeded to reach the playoffs every year since, posting 55 wins and counting.

🥎 38 home runs

UCLA slugger Megan Grant blasted a record-setting 38th home run on Saturday, breaking a 31-year-old mark for the most ever in a single season. Arizona's Laura Espinoza previously held the NCAA Division I record, hitting 37 homers in 1995.

What's next: Grant, who already won a national championship this year as a reserve on UCLA's basketball team, will try to lead her team to yet another title. The Bruins earned the No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament, meaning they'll host one of the 16 regionals when play begins on Friday.

⚾️ BIG DUMPER'S EPIC SLUMP

(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Cal Raleigh enjoyed a historic season last year, mashing 60 home runs and finishing second for the AL MVP. So far this season, that magic is nowhere to be found.

By the numbers: Raleigh remains stuck in the worst slump of his career, going 0-4 on Monday to fall to a stunning 0 for his last 36. The Mariners catcher, whose last hit came on April 27, is now batting a putrid .157, which ranks second-worst among 177 qualified MLB hitters. Baseball is hard.

The good news for Seattle? Raleigh has still been an excellent defensive backstop, catching one of the best pitching staffs in the AL (3.71 ERA) for a Mariners squad that, while just 20-22, is only two games out of first place. Plus, fellow star Julio Rodríguez, who normally takes a while to get going, is off to the hottest start of his career.

📚 GOOD READS

Maikel Garcia of the Royals signals for an ABS challenge. (Mikayla Schlosser/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

⚾️ Jake Mintz: Will MLB's ABS challenge signal evolve? Here's why the head tap gesture can cause confusion

Amid the overwhelming success of the ABS challenge system's first season, a minor flaw has emerged. Umpires, it appears, are not always sure whether a player actually intended to challenge. And players, forced to make a complex decision within a two-second window, are not always clear in signaling for one.

Spieth smiles during Monday's practice round at Aronimink Golf Club. (Maddie Meyer/PGA of America via Getty Images)

⛳️ Jay Busbee: Jordan Spieth on still chasing the career grand slam: 'This tournament's always highlighted'

He knows the questions are coming. They always do when the season's second major rolls around, the major that's bedeviled him for a decade, the major that stands between him and immortality. That's the burden of being Jordan Spieth, being reminded every year of just how close you once were to being a legend — and just how much work remains for you to close the deal.

Miles McBride and Mikal Bridges celebrate during Game 4 on Sunday. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

🏀 Dan Devine: 'It's a chemistry thing': Behind the Knicks' staggering playoff stretch that has New York dreaming big

The Knicks are back on the precipice — four wins away from the Finals, eight wins away from the title — and they've arrived playing the best basketball this franchise has seen in more than half a century. "I think the longer we've played together as a team, the more we've grown," Jalen Brunson said Sunday. "It's a chemistry thing. It's a feel thing. Things get better over time."

📺 WATCHLIST: TUESDAY, MAY 12

(Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

🏀 NBA Playoffs

The Spurs host the Timberwolves in Game 5 tonight (8pm ET, NBC) as their matchup, tied 2-2, has become a best-of-three series.

Back-to-back? Minnesota faces a tall task if it wants to take a 3-2 lead, considering San Antonio hasn't lost back-to-back games since early January. That's a span of 51 games without dropping two straight.

🏒 NHL Playoffs

The Canadiens (up 2-1) host the Sabres in Game 4 (7pm, ESPN). Then it's off to Las Vegas for Game 5 between the Golden Knights and Ducks (9:30pm, ESPN), who are tied at two games apiece.

Sin City stars: Vegas' Mitch Marner leads all players with 16 playoff points (6 goals, 10 assists), and teammate Jack Eichel is fourth with 13 (1 goal, 12 assists).

More to watch:

• ⚾️ MLB: Cubs at Braves (7:15pm, TBS) … Atlanta (28-13) and Chicago (27-14) have the two best records in the NL.
• 🎾 Tennis: Italian Open (5am, Tennis) … Men's Round of 16 and women's quarterfinals.

Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now!

🌍 TAP THE MAP

GeoSports is a new daily game that combines sports with geography. We wrote today's questions, which are all connected to current events. Tap where it happened! The closer you are, the more points you get.

Today's round:

1. The Braves, owners of MLB's best record (28-13), played in this Midwest city before moving to Atlanta in 1966.
2. The Canadiens (up 2-1) host the Sabres tonight in this French-speaking city.
3. Scottie Scheffler, who will look to defend his title at this week's PGA Championship, went to college at this university.
4. The World Cup kicks off in 30 days at this storied stadium in the capital city of one of the three host countries.
5. Curt Cignetti, who visited the White House with Indiana on Monday, coached at this school before joining the Hoosiers.

Play today's round.

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