NFL

Jon Rahm joins the greats with comeback at Masters, plus the Timberwolves, in shambles, make the playoffs

by
SaC Bot
April 10, 2023

Good morning to everyone but especially to…

JON RAHM, MASTERS CHAMPION

There was a time — not that long ago, in fact — that a four-putt double-bogey on the opening hole could have sent Jon Rahm‘s entire tournament off the rails.

This week, it led him to his first green jacket.

The Spanish star powered through a loaded leaderboard and adverse conditions to cruise to a four-stroke win over Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson.

Koepka led by four shots entering the day — which began with the end of the third round after weather postponements — and led by two entering the fourth round. But Rahm caught him by the fourth hole of the final round and moved into the solo lead after the sixth hole — a lead he would not relinquish.
It’s already Rahm’s fourth win this calendar year. Since 1960, the only other players to get their fourth win of a calendar year at the Masters are Arnold Palmer (1960) and Scottie Scheffler (2022). Rahm also joins Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia as the only Spaniards to win the Masters.
Rahm and Ballesteros — one of Rahm’s heroes — are also the only Spaniards to win two different majors. Sunday would have been Ballesteros’ 66th birthday.
Rahm joined Sam Snead (1952) as the only players to win the Masters after making double-bogey or worse on the first hole.

Rahm rarely made mistakes, and when he did, he recovered in solid — and sometimes spectacular — fashion. That was especially true on 14, when Rahm faded his approach shot around a tree to just four feet and made birdie. Koepka three-putted for bogey, and Rahm cruised from there.

Rahm, quite simply, is an all-time great, writes our Kyle Porter from Augusta.

Honorable mentions

And not such a good morning for…

USATSI

THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES…

The Timberwolves spent the final day of the regular season throwing punches, and now it seems like they hardly have a puncher’s chance. Shortly before Jaden McDaniels fractured his hand punching a wall in frustration, Rudy Gobert punched teammate Kyle Anderson during a timeout and got sent home.

The Timberwolves actually won the game, 113-108, over the Pelicans to secure the 8 seed in the West and set up a play-in game with the Lakers, but Minnesota seems to be in shambles both physically and mentally. McDaniels, who earned third-team honors on Colin Ward-Henninger’s “All-Breakout Teams,” is a key defender who will be sorely missed.

But the Gobert incident, as explained below, is more concerning:

After Anderson reportedly told Gobert “shut the f— up bitch,” Gobert took a jab at Anderson. It did not land with much force, and teammates quickly intervened.
Timberwolves president Tim Connelly said in a statement, “His behavior on the bench was unacceptable and we will handle the situation internally.”
It’s unclear if/when Gobert will be back.

It’s been a rough first year in Minnesota on and off the court for Gobert, who arrived via a blockbuster trade with the Jazz. What would the Timberwolves get if they move on? The answer is… not much, according to our Sam Quinn.

If you just looked at the box score, it was a huge win. When you look at the whole picture, though, the Timberwolves look close to a breaking point, one way or another.

… AND ALSO NOT SUCH A GOOD MORNING FOR THE DALLAS MAVERICKS

If you’re a Timberwolves fan, at least your favorite team is in the play-in tournament — much more than what the Mavericks can say. Months after acquiring Kyrie Irving in an attempt to surround Luka Doncic with more star power, Dallas went quietly into the offseason, resting most of their top players in a must-win game they lost against the Bulls.

Here’s why they did it.

The Mavericks were still mathematically in the play-in race. However, they owe the Knicks a top-10 protected pick from the Kristaps Porzingis trade. By losing and, therefore, being eliminated from the play-in tournament, their odds of getting a top-10 pick (and, therefore, keeping it) rose substantially.
The Mavericks, fittingly, failed to hit the rim on any of their three final shots.
The NBA is investigating the Mavericks’ roster decisions and game conduct. Irving, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood did not play, and Doncic played only the first quarter.

Now the Mavericks are reportedly worried Doncic could demand a trade next summer, and Sam has already ranked all of the possible destinations — even though Doncic said he’s happy in Dallas. Before we go down that road, though, this is a brutal way for the Mavericks to end their season. Since Feb. 8 — Irving’s debut — they went 9-18 and then purposely played their way out of the postseason.

It’s all a shameful look, writes our Brad Botkin. I absolutely agree.

Not so honorable mentions

NBA Play-In Tournament, top six playoff seeds are set after a truly wild final weekend 🏀

Believe it or not, there was more than punching walls, punching teammates and punting on seasons during the final weekend of the NBA regular season

We got some crazy stat lines from little-known players, the Warriors making history and even more ridiculous moments. But most importantly, the play-in tournament and the top six playoff seeds are set!

Here’s what we’re looking at for the play-in:

Tuesday

Play-In Game 1: (8) Hawks at (7) Heat
Play-In Game 2: (8) Timberwolves at (7) Lakers

Wednesday

Play-In Game 3: (10) Bulls at (9) Raptors
Play-In Game 4: (10) Thunder at (9) Pelicans

Thursday

Play-In Game 5: Game 3 winner at Game 1 loser
Play-In Game 6: Game 4 winner at Game 2 loser

Here’s how the play-in works, by the way. If your favorite team was lucky enough to make the playoffs without relying on the play-in, here’s the playoff schedule.

Odell Beckham Jr. lands with Ravens 🏈

USATSI

The Ravens have spent much of their offseason dealing with the Lamar Jackson saga, but he wasn’t the only big-name free agent on their mind.

Baltimore and Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $18 million.

Beckham Jr., 30, hasn’t played since Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, when he helped the Rams beat the Bengals. He tore the ACL in his left knee during the game, his second such injury in two seasons.
Including playoffs, Beckham appeared in 12 games with Los Angeles, racking up 48 catches for 593 yards and seven touchdowns, including one in the Super Bowl.
The huge payment is almost as surprising as the timing: Beckham was expected to visit the Jets today, and they appeared to be the favorite.

It remains to be determined how much Beckham can help not only on the field, but also in keeping Jackson in Baltimore after the star quarterback requested a trade.

USWNT star Mallory Swanson’s World Cup status in doubt after tearing patellar tendon ⚽

United States women’s national team star Mallory Swanson tore the patellar tendon in her left knee in the USWNT’s 2-0 friendly win over Ireland, a massive blow just three months ahead of the World Cup.

Swanson was carted off after being tackled in the first half.
Swanson had been in great form. She scored in the NWSL season opener for the Red Stars and has scored eight goals in six USWNT games this year.
Alyssa Thompson, an 18-year-old and the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, replaced Swanson on the UWSNT’s roster for tomorrow night’s friendly against Ireland.

Just how big of a loss is this? Our Sandra Herrera calls it “near-catastrophic.”

WNBA mock draft: Aliyah Boston first, but who’s next? 🏀

The WNBA Draft is tonight, and we have Jack Maloney’s mock draft to get you ready.

It’s a no-brainer at No. 1 for the Fever:

Maloney: “1. Fever: Aliyah Boston — The Fever… finally had their lottery luck turn, and won the No. 1 pick this year for the first time in franchise history. It came at a perfect time, as they’ll be able to select Boston, one of the best prospects to enter the league in years. The 6-foot-5 center is a dominant defensive force around the basket, an elite rebounder and an efficient scorer in the paint.”

Here’s Jack’s top five: