Morning Line Archives: April 16-April 22

Monday April 16 thru Sunday April 22

The NHL playoffs have settled in, the NBA is careening to the finish line of the regular season in just ten days, and major league baseball moves forward. Here’s what’s on tap at TheSportsNotebook for the coming week. Unless otherwise noted, columns post by 3 PM ET each day. And be sure to tune into The Morning Line, a daily podcast of 5-10 minutes where we take a closer look at one the night’s top games. In true Damon Runyon-style, The Morning Line examines the game from the perspective of both entertainment value and betting value. The live show runs at 11 AM ET on Prime Sports Network, with the archived version posted on this page shortly thereafter…

MONDAY, APRIL 16: NHL playoff update, plus a close look at the Indiana Pacers. Amidst all the talk in the NBA’s Eastern Conference about the Miami-Chicago power structure or the surge of the veteran Celtics, have we lost sight of the fact that the Pacers have solidified their hold on the #3 seed for the playoffs? The Morning Line is off today, with the editor on the road.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17: More NHL playoff reports, and our baseball focus will go to the Washington Nationals, off to a nice start in the competitive NL East. The Morning Line focuses on the NBA doubleheader of Boston-New York and San Antonio-LA Lakers.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18: NHL playoff report, and we look at another under-the-radar NBA squad, as the Memphis Grizzlies are looking like a threat in the Western Conference. The Morning Line shifts to baseball for a look at the Rangers-Red Sox.

THURSDAY, APRIL 19: NHL playoff report, and our prep for the NBA postseason continues with an up-close examination of the Los Angeles Clippers. And for The Morning Line, we examine Bulls-Heat in their TNT showdown, mixed with some Suns-Clippers, the nightcap of the doubleheader.

FRIDAY, APRIL 20: We’ll start with the usual NHL playoff update, mix in a preview of the last two prep races for the Kentucky Derby that run Saturday, and also preview Sunday’s NASCAR action from Kansas. Then it’s time to get down to the business of pandering to my own favorite teams and overdone storylines. It’s Yankees-Red Sox this weekend in the Fens, and all week long the Celtics and Lakers will be opposition each other on national TV, including tonight. We’ll take a look at all four teams.

SATURDAY, APRIL  21 & SUNDAY APRIL 22: NHL playoff reports will be up on Saturday and Sunday, and over the course of the weekend, two new articles will be added to the Historical Museum. We’re going to celebrate the year the state of Utah had in basketball in 1998, when the Jazz made the NBA Finals and the Utes made the NCAA final. And for 1999 we pay tribute to football in Tennessee, as the Vols started the year by winning the national title (officially the ’98 crown), and the Titans nearly won the Super Bowl.