COHEN'S CORNER SPORTS

KNICKS 97 - SIXERS 92 -- NYK leads Series 3-1  Jalen Brunson is a beast! The Knicks point guard put up a performance for the ages when he broke the Knicks franchise record for points in a playoff game, scoring 47 in the Knicks 97-92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly.   The Knicks lead the best of seven series 3-1. New York can finish it off on Tuesday night in Game 5 at the Garden.  "We just kept fighting and found a way to win," Brunson said immediately afterwards on ESPN. "I'll look back when I retire. Seriously this is great right now, it helped us get a win, but it won't do anything for us going forward," he added in the postgame .  Brunson willed the Knicks all day. His floater with 6:40 to go in the second quarter, tied the game at 29. He later gave the Knicks a 34-32 lead on a 15-foot jumper with 5:31 to go before halftime.  Still the game was a struggle for the Knicks, who found themselves down 10 points, 61-51 ...

 You see the headline. Did the Jets land a successor in Florida State's Jordan Travis?  It's a very unfair question, but it is one that has taken hold Jets Twitter since the Jets selected the former Seminole in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.   Travis's selection was one of many jaw-dropping moves by Jets GM Joe Douglas and crew over the weekend, but this is a move for Travis that is a total 'wait-and-see.' Certainly Travis -- who is only six-feet tall -- had a tremendous career at FSU, especially his final two years on campus.  In 2022 and 2023 combined, Travis threw for nearly 6,000 yards, 44 touchdowns and just seven picks. Last season he had 20 TDs and two interceptions, before suffering a brutal lower leg injury that he is still rehabbing from.   Some say that had Travis not gotten hurt, he would have been a second or third round selection. Who knows really. The Jets got him in the fifth round. Certainly he is talented, but to expec...

 Many thought that the New York Giants would be a team to watch in the NFL Draft this weekend. Many were speculating the team would draft a quarterback early, with the aim at replacing incumbent Daniel Jones, despite the fact he has three years left on his contract.  Instead, the Giants played it close to the vest. They went with the safe picks, addressing various needs across the broad spectrum of the football team. Kudos to Joe Schoen and company for doing the right thing. The Giants have a lot of issues. Sure Daniel Jones didn't play well in 2023, but he was also injured most of the time. The Giants added a capable back-up in Drew Lock, and everyone's favorite Jersey guy, Tommy DeVito is still on the roster too.  The Giants didn't need to add another quarterback to the mix to muddy the waters of what had been a muddy off-season after Saquon Barkley joined the Eagles.   Taking Malik Nabers with the sixth overall pick was smart. It gives Daniel Jones a weapon...

  The New York Giants and Jets played it safe on the first night of the NFL Draft, filling in needs, while not rocking the boat and creating drama. In short, the two New York City-based teams were the anti-Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.  The Falcons created plenty of drama when they decided to use the eighth overall pick to take Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., despite the fact they had just signed Kirk Cousins to a five-year $180 million deal. A deal both sides can get out of after year two. Still the move sent shockwaves through the NFL.  There were a lot of Giants fans who apparently wanted the Giants to create the kind of drama Atlanta did.  Many were all aboard the train to get a new quarterback in town to compete with Daniel Jones. Obviously, the Giants opted not to stir the pot. They are paying Jones upwards of $160 million over four years. So instead, Big Blue gave Jones a present in speedy LSU receiver Malik Nabbers. Nabers is explo...

 KNICKS 111 - SIXERS 104  The Knicks were all about "HART" on Saturday night as shooting guard Josh Hart lit a charge into Madison Square Garden that could be heard all the way down I-95 as he powered New York to a thrilling 111-104 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Worlds Most Famous Arena.  The Knicks lead the best-of-seven opening round series 1-0.  Josh Hart. Getty Images   Hart dropped down 22-points, tied for the game's lead with Jalen Brunson, but it was the way in which Hart did it that stood out. Hart was 4-of-8 from downtown; three of those shots came in the fourth quarter as New York pulled away with the victory.  His final three-ball with 1:55 to go, which was quickly followed up by a three from OG Anunoby had the Garden crowd on its feet, as they chanted, "Go New York, Go New York, Go!"  It wasn't a one-man show, of course. No sir. Because for a large portion of the night, Miles McBridge was great too for the Knicks.  His 21-poin...

 METS 6 - DODGERS 4   The New York Mets remain red hot, and continue to build on one of the best stories in the early going of the 2024 season. New York survived a slog of a ball-game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning 6-4 to extend their winning streak to six games, and assure a fifth consecutive series victory.  Starling Marte who has been on fire since the Cincinnati Red series more than two weeks ago, had himself quiet a day on Saturday. Marte had two hits, and drove in four, including launching a mammoth three-run homer to dead center that proved to be the difference.   Marte was batting only .192 on April 5, is now batting at .275 with four homers and 12 RBI on the year. It's no coincidence that the Mets recent success has been tied to the right fielder.  Two seasons ago Marte was the key to the Mets success in that team winning 101 games in 2022. When he went down with an injury at the end of that season, the Mets limped to the finish line, and...

 John Sterling called New York Yankees baseball for over 36 years. But, on April 20, 2024, he hung up his microphone for the final time.  Sterling officially retired as lead voice of the New York Yankees, ending one of the great careers in broadcasting history.  From his unique home run calls to his catchphrase, "Yankees Win, DAAAAAAAAAAA Yankees WIN!!" everything Sterling did in the broadcast booth became synonymous with the Bronx Bombers unparalleled success of the late 90s'/early 00's, and inspired a generation of Yankees' fans to boot.  On Saturday, the Yankees honored Sterling with a live press conference followed by an emotional on-field presentation.  Even at 85-years old, Sterling still has the pipes of a master. He will be missed.    On Friday, I spoke with The Athletic's Brendan Kuty, who has known Sterling for 11-years for this week's Fox Sports on the Road.  Take a listen to the interview here !

It was not a easy road to immortality, but Doc Gooden is finally there in the pantheon of Mets legends. His number 16 was officially retired Sunday prior to New York's 1:40 first pitch against the Kansas City Royals.   The Doctor joins the likes of Keith Hernandez, Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver to have his number retired by the organization. Darryl Strawberry will join Gooden in having his number 18 retired later this summer.  Gooden's up and down career with the Mets and Major League Baseball is well documented.  When he came up in 1984, Gooden was must see TV. In his first two years, Gooden was easily the best, and most dynamic pitcher in baseball.  Gooden racked up strikeouts with alacrity. In 1985, the best year of his career, Gooden struck out 276 batters and won 24 games with the Mets. His ERA in '85, a microscopic 1.85. He was by all definitions: electric.  Still, as we all know, drugs, alcohol and legal trouble consumed Gooden's life. It was well docum...

 The New York Mets remain red hot on Friday, toppling the Kansas City Royals 6-1 at Citi Field to open a six-game home stand. The victory cements the Mets sixth victory in its last eight games, and comes a day after the Amazin's plated 16 runs against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday.  Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil continue to rake for the Mets. Baty had two hits, including a two-run double in the fifth inning that extended the Mets lead to 5-1.  Baty is now riding a seven game hitting streak.  McNeil slapped three hits on Friday, showing more signs that his early season slump is a thing of the past.  McNeil drove in the go-ahead run in the fourth inning.  Meanwhile, Pete Alonso laced his sixth home run of the year, when he smacked a laser that just got over the left-center field wall for a solo homer in the eighth inning.  Luis Severino struggled with his command, but found a way to tough out five innings, allowing only one run - a solo blast by Salvador P...

 The New York Mets appear to be finding a groove offensively. And what better way to do so then in a series against their arch rivals, the Atlanta Braves. The Mets rolled past Atlanta to the tune of 16-4 on Thursday, taking two-of-three in the mid-week series. Suddenly the Mets have won five of seven after an horrific 0-5 start, and are just 2.5 back of Atlanta in the NL East. Yes, it's only April, but as much as people wanted to bury the Mets after their opening series against Milwaukee, they have shown some life ever since. Maybe they can make something of this season after all. In the three games against Atlanta the Mets scored 29 runs, that after struggling to score 25 runs over their previous nine games heading into the series. More importantly the contributions are coming from all over. Stars of the Game: J.D. Stewart's two run bomb gave the Mets a 7-0 lead. He has now homered in two of the last three games for the Amazin's. Brandon Nimmo stays red hot at the plate. A...