| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Apr 29, 2022 | | 🎉 Happy Friday! You made it. Today's word count: 1,835 words (7 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏀 Paul is perfect |  | | | Photo: Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | Chris Paul led the Suns past the Pelicans, 115-109, on Thursday with a historic 33-point performance that helped Phoenix advance. By the numbers: Paul became the first player to ever make 14-of-14 shots in the playoffs. Only Wilt Chamberlain has made more without a miss — 18-for-18 and 16-for-16 — both in regular-season games. "We have a phrase: We celebrate everything. And when a player like Chris who's given so much to the game and invested so much to be in positions like that has a night like this, you want to make sure you recognize it." — Suns coach Monty Williams The big picture: There have been tens of thousands of NBA games. Millions of minutes played. Only three times has a player been as perfect as Paul was on Thursday — and his efforts won a playoff series. Unreal. Elsewhere: - East: The 76ers demolished the Raptors, 132-97, to advance. Did you know this was the first Eastern Conference first-round series to go beyond five games in four years? Pretty wild.
- West: The Mavericks beat the Jazz, 98-96. For the second straight season, Utah blew a double-digit lead in an elimination game to end its season.
Where it stands: Seven of the final eight spots have been clinched. The eighth could be decided as early as tonight, with the Grizzlies (up 3-2) visiting the Timberwolves. |     | | | | | | 2. 🏈 NFL draft: Round 1 recap |  | | | Roger Goodell. Photo: David Becker/Getty Images | | | | The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft lived up to the hype, with plenty of surprises and lots of chaos. It was a big night for wide receivers, and a quiet night for quarterbacks. Notes: - Five straight: For just the second time ever, the first five picks — DE Travon Walker (Jaguars), DE Aidan Hutchinson (Lions), CB Derek Stingley Jr. (Texans), CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (Jets) and DE Kayvon Thibodeaux — were all defensive players.
- Receivers run the night: Six WRs were chosen (compared to zero RBs and one QB), all in the first 20 picks, which has never happened before. Plus, two teams traded first-rounders for fourth-year WRs: Marquise Brown (Ravens to Cardinals) and A.J. Brown (Titans to Eagles).
- Analysts ❤️ NY: The Giants (Thibodeaux, Evan Neal) and Jets (Gardner, Garrett Wilson, Jermaine Johnson) landed five of the top 11 players in this year's class, per a consensus big board of 80 analysts. After years of bad drafting, they both crushed it.
- Hometown heroes: Pitt's Kenny Pickett is a Steeler ("We're staying home!"). Michigan's Hutchinson is a Lion. NC State's Ikem Ekwonu, a Charlotte native, is a Panther. Texas A&M's Kenyon Green, a Houston native, is a Texan. Tulsa's Tyler Smith, a Fort Worth native, is a Cowboy.
- The Belichick Special: The Patriots took Chattanooga guard Cole Strange at No. 29, about 80 picks earlier than some thought he'd go. Out of the hundreds of mock drafts in the NFL Mock Draft Database, only one had Strange going in the first round. Classic Billy B!
- Year of the Dawgs: Georgia became the first school to have five defensive players drafted in the first round. The Packers took two of them, a first in the Common Draft era. Quite the year for Dawg Nation: National title, Super Bowl for Matt Stafford, now this.
Go deeper: | | | | | | | | 3. 🎓 Sign of the times: Better NIL deal or exit |  | | | Photo: Quinn Harris/Getty Images | | | | Miami's Isaiah Wong plans to enter the transfer portal this weekend if his NIL package isn't improved. What they're saying: "Isaiah would like to stay at Miami," his NIL agent Adam Papas of NEXT Sports Agency told ESPN. - "He has seen what incoming Miami Hurricane basketball players are getting in NIL and would like his NIL to reflect that he was a team leader of an Elite Eight team."
- "If Isaiah and his family don't feel that the NIL number meets their expectations they will be entering the transfer portal ... while maintaining his eligibility in the NBA draft."
Context: Earlier this week, Kansas State transfer Nijel Pack signed with Miami and received an NIL deal worth $800,000 over two years. That deal was with LifeWallet, a company with ties to billionaire John Ruiz, who has over 100 deals with Miami athletes. - Wong, a two-time ACC All-Conference player, already has a deal with LifeWallet but clearly feels he deserves more money given what Pack is getting.
- The deadline to enter the transfer portal and still be eligible to play next season is this Sunday, May 1.
What to watch: Expect to see more college athletes threaten to transfer or go pro if they don't get better endorsement deals — at least until the NCAA guidelines are clearer. Crazy times... | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Share Axios Sports and earn rewards | | |  | | | | Get free Axios merchandise when you refer your friends to Axios. The more subscribers you refer, the bigger the rewards! Start sharing. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Welcome back, Ronnie. Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images | | | | ⚾️ Ronald's return: The defending champion Braves welcomed back Ronald Acuña Jr. on Thursday. The superstar went 1-for-5 in his first action since tearing his ACL last July. 🏒 Panthers break through: The Panthers have locked up the Presidents' Trophy (best regular-season record) for the first time in franchise history. 💉 Steele suit: ESPN anchor Sage Steele has sued ESPN and Disney, claiming they violated her right to free speech over vaccine remarks she made on Jay Cutler's podcast last year. ⚽️ Raiola is alive: Soccer super-agent Mino Raiola, who represents many of the world's best players, has tweeted to say he's alive amid reports that he had died. | | | | | | | | 5. 🥊 Women's boxing takes center stage |  | | | Katie Taylor (L) and Amando Serrano. Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images | | | | Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, the two best pound-for-pound female boxers in the world, face off Saturday night at the Mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. Why it matters: This is the first women's boxing match to headline MSG in its 140-year history, and both fighters are expected to take home record seven-figure paydays. "Never in a million years did I think we'd make this kind of money, on this kind of platform. It wasn't even in my imagination ... We've been fighting and clawing for recognition." Let's meet the fighters... In one corner: Taylor, 35, hails from Ireland, but she's lived and trained in Connecticut since 2016 — a quiet existence that suits her simple lifestyle. - She won gold when women's boxing debuted at the 2012 Olympics, and until 2016 she was trained by her father, Peter, a former light heavyweight champion in Ireland.
- Her professional record is a perfect 20-0 (6 KOs), and on Saturday she'll try to defend her four belts as the undisputed lightweight champion of the world.
In the other corner: Serrano, 33, was born in Puerto Rico but has lived in New York most of her life, compiling a 42-1-1 record (30 KOs) that includes titles in a record seven weight classes. - Saturday's career-defining opportunity may never have come along if the noted introvert hadn't fired off a rare tweet last April to Jake Paul, asking to fight on his undercard.
- She did, twice, and the YouTuber-turned-boxer is now her promoter. "All I do is sense people who deserve more and help them," says Paul.
The last word: "This is the Mayweather-Pacquiao of women's boxing," says Taylor's promoter Eddie Hearn. "Undisputed champion against seven-division world champion, it can only be a thriller." Go deeper: The perfect storm for women's boxing (The Ringer) | | | | | | | | 6. ⚾️ ESPN leans into mic'd up moments | | Screenshot: YouTube Some of the best moments on baseball broadcasts come from mic'd up players, and ESPN is making sure those gems become a regular occurrence, Jeff writes. State of play: Every ESPN broadcast this season, largely comprising its 25 Sunday Night Baseball Games, will feature one player wearing an earbud and microphone during game action. - So far, that list has included Joey Votto, Kiké Hernández, Ozzie Albies and Bryce Harper, with Francisco Lindor getting the honors this Sunday.
- The minimum requirement is a half-inning of conversation with the booth, but Lindor can keep the earbud in all game if he wants, which produced great results last Sunday with Harper.
What they're saying: "Most of the time Bryce wasn't talking, but then we'd get into how the ball was flying, the strike zone, just getting his perspective," Phil Orlins, ESPN's VP of production, tells Axios. - "He became like a part-time analyst, and having access to Bryce Harper's opinion in the moment is pretty rare."
- "If there's one headline that comes out of this, [it's] the willingness of baseball to be more fan-friendly and progressive and take chances."
The backdrop: ESPN began experimenting with mic'd up players during 2018 spring training, increased the trial in 2019 and brought it to the regular season and playoffs in a limited capacity in 2020. - Last year it took a step back with the labor standoff brewing — "let's just say we were not allowed the access," says Orlins — but with the new CBA it's back and bigger than ever.
- "Huge credit to MLB and the teams and the players' association for agreeing that a modest risk is worth the advancement in how their sport is perceived."
| | | | | | | | 7. ⚽️ New stadium: Geodis Park |  | | | Photo courtesy of Geodis Park | | | | Nashville SC will play its first home game on Sunday at 30,000-seat Geodis Park, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. 🎥 Watch: Aerial tour (MLS) | | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: NWSL kickoff |  | | | Photo: Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images | | | | The NWSL's 10th season kicks off this weekend, with all 12 clubs in action. More to watch: - 🏀 NBA playoffs: Grizzlies (up 3-2) at Wolves (Fri. 9pm, ESPN); Bucks at Celtics (Sun. 1pm, ABC); Wolves (if necessary) at Grizzlies (Sun. 3:30pm, ABC)
- 🏈 NFL draft: Rounds 2-7 (Fri.-Sat., ESPN/ABC/NFL)
- 🏒 NHL: Final regular season weekend (Fri.-Sun.)
- 🥊 Boxing: Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano (Sat. 10:30pm, DAZN)
- 🏄 Surfing: "Make or Break" (Fri., Apple TV+) ... World Surf League docuseries premiere.
- ⚾️ MLB: Yankees at Royals (Fri. 8:10pm, Apple TV+); Nationals at Giants (Fri. 10:15pm, Apple TV+); Angels at White Sox (Sat. 4pm, FS1); Phillies at Mets (Sat. 7:10pm, FS1; Sun. 7pm, ESPN)
- ⚽️ MLS: Nashville vs. Philadelphia (Sun. 4pm, ESPN); LAFC vs. Minnesota (Sun. 10pm, FS1)
- ⚽️ Women's Champions League semifinals: Wolfsburg (down 5-1) vs. Barcelona (Sat. 12pm, YouTube); PSG (down 3-2) vs. Lyon (Sat. 3pm, YouTube)
- ⚽️ European soccer: Milan vs. Fiorentina (Sun. 9am, CBSSN); West Ham vs. Arsenal (Sun. 11:30am, USA)
- ⛳️ PGA: Mexico Open (Fri.-Sun.; Golf, CBS, ESPN+)
- 🏈 USFL: Week 3 (Fox/USA/Peacock)
- 🏁 NASCAR: Drydene 400 at Dover (Sun. 3pm, FS1)
- 🎾 Tennis: BMW Open, Estoril Open (Fri.-Sun., Tennis)
| | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 NFL draft trivia |  | | | Photo: Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images | | | | 29 of 32 NFL teams have drafted a QB in the first round this century. - Question: Which three have not?
- Hint: All NFC.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🇧🇸 1 Caribbean thing: Bahamian history |  | | | Fox (L) and Chisholm. Photo courtesy of Washington Nationals | | | | Bahamas natives Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Lucius Fox went head-to-head in this week's Marlins-Nationals series, Jeff writes. Why it matters: The lifelong friends are just the second pair of Bahamians to play against each other in an MLB game, and two of nine Bahamian big leaguers all-time. "To do it with Jazz, it means a lot. We spoke about this moment when we were kids ... We both wanted to make it so bad." — Fox | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Share Axios Sports and earn rewards | | |  | | | | Get free Axios merchandise when you refer your friends to Axios. The more subscribers you refer, the bigger the rewards! Start sharing. | | | | Enjoy the weekend, Kendall "What the heck" Baker Trivia answer: Seahawks, Saints, Cowboys 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us on Twitter: @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy. Tell your friends to sign up. |  | It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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