Anthony Edwards becomes a real NBA superstar, plus Rory McIlroy's karaoke performance

The Pulse newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic's daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse straight to your inbox.

Good morning! Show Candace Parker some love today.

While you were sleeping: An emphatic, game-changing sweep

I hate the overuse of the term “passing the torch,” but what happened last night in Phoenix felt worthy of that label. The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by rising megastar Anthony Edwards completed a sweep of his childhood hero Kevin Durant's Suns with a 122-116 win.

When you zoom out, there are two options:

1. Remember when we were worried about how the Timberwolves were doingComing off a magical regular season, would they survive as a core group in their first real playoff action? These are not the wolves of the past. They are talented, fearsome and ready for the moment, None more so than 22-year-old Edwardswho does something like this in the final minutes of a playoff game:

ANTHONY EDWARDS, ARE YOU SERIOUS 🤯🤯🤯

WOLVES UP 4, 2 MINUTES LEFT ON TNT pic.twitter.com/P1DX4w8Cj4

– NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2024

Compassion. This is the first series win for the Timberwolves since then 2004, and they could be Denver's biggest threat at this point. (Also, I hope Minnesota coach Chris Finch is doing well after his ordeal that minor collision with Mike Conleywhat the coach gave a torn patellar tendon.)

2. Kevin Durant's late career is so fascinating now. The man has two Finals MVPs, but since leaving Golden State in 2019 he has only had two playoff series wins, both in the first round. NBA playoff success is fleeting and it feels like the last four seasons have been wasted opportunities for the 35-year-old.

And what about the future of the Suns? Shams Charania and Doug Haller I've gathered some interesting details about the turmoil on this team throughout the season, which is worth a read this morning. It sounds to me like Frank Vogel is toast, even though he says he disagrees.

I loved it too Durant's comments after the game about Edwards, whom he described as his “favorite player.” A real passing of the torchif you want.

Let's get in touch with everyone else:

• After tough wins yesterday, both the Knicks and Pacers (!) are just one game away from advancing. Jalen Brunson scored a heroic 47 points in Philadelphia, while Indiana took advantage of the absences of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard to push a preseason favorite to the sidelines.
  
• The Clippers and Mavericks are currently hosting our most interesting NBA series. LA won 2-2 yesterday. Since the wins are by superstars (Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving vs. Paul George, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard), I have no idea who has the upper hand. Check out all of yesterday's NBA action here.
  
• The Rangers also ended their series against the Capitals on the ice with a 4-2 win. Heady stuff, especially on the street. They wait for the Canes-Islanders winner, which could end with a Carolina victory tomorrow.
  
• The Canucks, Avalanche and Oilers are also up 3-1 after massive wins yesterday, and few were more impressive than Vancouver's 4-3 overtime win in Nashville. The Canucks shocked the world, including our authors. Colorado's stunning victory ended with, er, punches. Later more.

Angry. By the end of the week we will have fewer teams.

Overdue: Ding dong, the jerseys are gone

I admit that I thought no matter how bad the MLB jersey fiasco got, the anger would subside and we would all accept our lowercase, see-through-pants future. I was wrong:

• A memo from the MLB Players Association – received from The athlete – points out that Nike will largely restore the look and feel of last year's jerseysincluding the larger lettering, thicker pants and even the better zipper used in previous years.
  
• That comes after Months of testing. No one ever seemed particularly happy about the new clothes, and we've seen several pants rips since the start of the season, not to mention the obvious change in appearance. The criticism was loud and lengthy.

Just don't expect the jerseys to change this year – We’ll get the old look back by opening day in 2025. It can't come soon enough.

useful information

Parker is retiring
There has never been a basketball player like Candace Parker, who announced her retirement yesterday after 16 years in the WNBA. But her fame began before that, when she became a superstar at Tennessee, where she won two national championships and became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game. She is a three-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA MVP and also one of the best basketball analysts on television. Sabreena Merchant I really captured the moment here.

Dell was injured in the shootout
Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was filmed in Florida this weekend, the team confirmed, adding that he only suffered minor injuries in the incident. There are no further public details about the shooting at this time. Dell became a star for the surprising Texans last season, catching 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in just 11 games.

More news

Things you must see: Rory Karaoke in New Orleans

I may be biased, but there is no city more fun than New Orleans. And Rory McIlroy clearly needed a fun weekend.

He and Shane Lowry won the Zurich Classic yesterday in New Orleans about a dramatic playoff finish, then immediately went to the bar on the 19th hole and started singing “Journey” with the house band:

This is not an exercise. Rory McIlroy sings “Don’t Stop Believing.” pic.twitter.com/y5PkEDoqo4

– Brody Miller (@BrodyAMiller) April 28, 2024

I urge you to click through the video to hear Rory completely drown out any attempt Lowry makes to sing.

It was a cathartic weekend for McIlroy, as Brody Miller wrote, a place where he could recover from the stressful two years he had endured. There were no LIV conversations or awkward interactions with gaming partners this week. Simply one of the best golfers in the world, playing with one of his best friends, winning a golf tournament, and rocking Mardi Gras beads. Perfect.

Watch this game

NBA: Celtics at Heat
7:30 p.m. on TNT
Miami doesn't have the same caliber as last year, but I still need to see Boston fully embrace their role as the Alpha of the East and defeat the Heat, who have been a nightmare matchup in recent seasons.

NHL: Stars at the Golden Knights
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
This series is fun again thanks to Wyatt Johnson, the 20-year-old star of Dallas. He helped the Stars partially get out of a 0-2 hole.

Get tickets for games like these Here.

Pulse picks

Last year, Deion Sanders 20 cut Colorado players in one day, something unheard of in modern college football. Where are his outcasts now? Max Olson has a great story about the experiences these players had and how they feel now about the whole ordeal.

Adam Jahns has a great, long-lasting feature Caleb Williams, who has been a superstar since high school. Great time to be a Bears fan.

A worthy review: this Angel call Zac Kristofak, the prospect whose father murdered his mother. Sam Blum wrote a wonderful piece about how Kristofak has tried to find the light ever since.

Why are they? Maple leaves Lose another playoff series? This time the one Bruins are simply betteras Sean McIndoe writes.

Most clicked on in the newsletter yesterday: Winners and losers of the NFL draft. Still relevant.

Most read on the site yesterday: Eric Duhatschek's review of the wild Jets-Avalanche Game 3 that ended with blood everywhere. Literally.

Sign up for our other newsletters:

The jump 🏀 | The Windup ⚾ | Full time ⚽ | Athletic FC ⚽| Prime Tire 🏁 | Until Saturday 🏈 | Scoop City 🏈

(Photo: Kate Frese/Getty Images)