Ranking the top 10 sports events May 15-21 you won’t want to miss:
NO. 1: NBA: DRAFT LOTTERY
Details/TV: At the New York Hilton Midtown, Tuesday, 5 p.m., ESPN
Welcome back to our citywide Ping-Pong tournament/nightmare. Get a paddle ready and start paddling.
The “most important NBA Draft lottery since LeBron entered the NBA” in 2003, according to a headline in TheBigLead.com, focuses again on what will become of the Lakers. With the third-worst record in the past regular season, they’re only guaranteed a 46.9 percent chance of keeping any top-three pick. If they fall below that threshold, Philadelphia scoops up their choices and then we’re done playing games about it.
Conversely, the Lakers’ 15.6 percent odds of having the No. 1 overall choice makes things intriguing. Boston, because of a trade with Brooklyn, retains the best odds for No. 1 at 25 percent, with Phoenix second at 19.9 percent. What we also realize is Philadelphia could get the No. 1 pick (with its own fourth-place 11.9 percent shot) and the No. 4 choice if the Lakers don’t get the right bounce.
And somehow, through all this, the Clippers sit off to the side, with everything in their offices all figured out.
The actual NBA Draft takes place June 22 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
NO. 2: NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:
DUCKS vs. PREDATORS
Details/TV: Game 3 at Nashville, Tuesday, 5 p.m., NBCSN
Something to mull over: Before the conference finals started, the Ducks and Predators were given the same 11/4 odds by Bovada.lv to win the Stanley Cup, behind the Penguins (8/5). Yet the Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf was given equal 5/1 odds of winning the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP as was Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin.
Also this week in the series: Game 4 at Nashville, Thursday at 5 p.m., NBCSN; Game 5 at Anaheim, Saturday at 4:15 p.m., Channel 4
In the Eastern Conference finals: Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa, Games 3 and 4 at Ottawa, Wednesday and Friday at 5 p.m., NBCSN; Game 5 at Pittsburgh, Sunday at noon, Channel 4.
NO. 3: MLB: DODGERS vs. MARLINS
Details/TV: At Dodger Stadium, Thursday-Saturday at 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA; Sunday at 1:10 p.m., SNLA and Ch. 5
Derek Jeter and Jeb Bush apparently want to invest heavily in this team near the bottom of the NL East, the one with Don Mattingly still managing to stay employed, having Dee Gordon and A.J. Ellis in tow. This is also the first of 10 home games for the Dodgers in 11 days.
Also this week for the Dodgers: At San Francisco, Monday-Tuesday at 7:15 p.m., Wednesday at 12:45 p.m.
NO. 4: HORSE RACING: 142nd PREAKNESS STAKES
Details/TV: At Pimlico Race Track in Baltimore, Saturday at approx. 4:35 p.m., Ch. 4
One may always be dreaming of having a Triple Crown thoroughbred, like Todd Pletcher is right now with Always Dreaming. After the Kentucky Derby win, Always Dreaming becomes the focal point in this estimated 10-horse field that is expected to also have Classic Empire and Gunnevera. More info: www.preakness.com
NO. 5: WNBA: SPARKS vs. MYSTICS
Details/TV: Staples Center, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Spectrum SN
Apparently, you didn’t miss any big ring ceremony at the Sparks’ 2017 regular-season opener Saturday on national TV. Since a few key Sparks members — Candace Parker, Jantel Lavender and Essence Carson — were still off playing in the Turkish League, they’ve pushed it back to this game. It also allows the Sparks to give a ring to Kristi Toliver, who played for them last year but went the free-agent route to D.C.
NO. 6: NBA PLAYOFFS:
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: WARRIORS VS. SPURS
Details/TV: Game 2 at Oakland, Tuesday at 6 p.m., ESPN
Until Warriors-Cavs III reveals itself, this is all window dressing. Hit us up on our pager when that happens. Otherwise …
Also this week in the Western Conference finals: Game 3 at San Antonio, Saturday at 6 p.m., ESPN
Also this week in the Eastern Conference semifinals: Washington at Boston Game 7, Monday at 5 p.m., TNT, with the winner moving on to Game 1 against Cleveland, Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., TNT
NO. 7: MLB: ANGELS vs. WHITE SOX
Details/TV: At Angel Stadium, Monday-Wednesday at 7:07 p.m., FSW
White Sox sluggers Avisail Garcia and Jose Abreu should make the Angels’ pitchers nervous. But now there’s DH/third baseman Matt Davidson, out of Yucaipa, to keep an eye on. Then it’s a trip to New York to start an 11-game road trip becoming part of the Mets’ daily drama (Friday at 4:10 p.m., FSW; Saturday at 4:15 p.m., Channel 11; Sunday at 10:10 a.m., FSW)
NO. 8: MLS: GALAXY at MINNESOTA
Details/TV: Sunday, 2 p.m., ESPN
In the middle of a four-game road stretch — they aren’t home again until June 17 — the injury-racked Galaxy need to track down this new expansion team based in the Twin Cities, playing games in the football campus stadium of the University of Minnesota, and going by the nickname “Loons.”
NO. 9: BEACH VOLLEYBALL: AVP AUSTIN OPEN
Details/TV: At Austin, Texas, men’s or women’s final, Sunday at 2 p.m., NBCSN
Following up on the Huntington Beach Open, the second of eight tour stops goes to Texas at a place called Kreig Fields, just south of downtown and next to the Colorado River. Austin hasn’t been in the AVP rotation since 2005.
NO. 10: NASCAR: MONSTER ENERGY OPEN/ALL-STAR RACE
Details/TV: At Charlotte Motor Speedway, N.C., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., FS1
Heading into the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte Speedway also stages these events. The fan-voted All Star race (polls close Friday) will have three 20-lap breakout races with the top finishers making the final 10-lap, 10-car sprint, under the lights for the first time. Winner gets $1 million.
