ST. LOUIS -- It was five years and 364 days ago that Anibal Sanchez sat in a dugout on a crisp October night, one day after dominating his opponent, and watched Max Scherzer do the very same thing. The two were teammates in a devastating Detroit Tigers starting rotation back in 2013, facing the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series, and they became the first duo in postseason history with back-to-back starts of at least five no-hit innings against the same team.

On Saturday, with the afternoon shadows creeping over Busch Stadium, Sanchez watched as Scherzer did it again -- taking the ball a day later, following in his footsteps, and achieving history once more, this time wearing a Washington Nationals uniform.

"I've always said that teams can create what is essentially a domino effect -- if one guy's going well, the other guy can come in and do well simply because he's motivated to do the same thing," Sanchez said in Spanish. "It's a competitive thing."

Less than 24 hours after Sanchez held the St. Louis Cardinals hitless through 7⅔ innings, Scherzer carried a no-hitter through six Saturday, leading the Nationals to a 3-1 victory and giving them a commanding 2-0 lead in this National League Championship Series. The Cardinals have combined for four hits in the 18 innings that have comprised this series, the fewest for any team in a two-game span within the postseason, according to research from the Elias Sports Bureau.

"They controlled the tempo of the game very well and they had a lot of poise out there," said Stephen Strasburg, who will start Monday's Game 3 in Washington, the first of as many as three consecutive games there. "It just seemed like they were just playing catch out there."

Sanchez kept the Cardinals off balance by effectively mixing a variety of pitches -- four-seam fastballs, two-seamers, cutters and changeups -- and generating a lot of soft contact. Scherzer masterfully played his changeup off his fastball and generated 19 swing-and-misses. Through six innings, he issued only two walks and struck out 10 -- but then Paul Goldschmidt led off the bottom of the seventh with a 108.1-mph line drive to left field.

Juan Soto, a 20-year-old in his second big league season, thought briefly about diving for it, but chose to stay back, playing the ball on a short hop after it landed only a few feet in front of him. The batted ball carried an expected batting average of .740, and Soto was worried that a diving attempt could put what was at that point the tying run in scoring position.

"We're in the playoffs," Soto said in Spanish. "Any error can hurt you."

Scherzer came back to strike out Marcell Ozuna, then got Yadier Molina to bounce into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. He was removed after 101 pitches, then watched Sean Doolittle, Patrick Corbin and Daniel Hudson -- back after attending the birth of his daughter -- record the final six outs.

Scherzer was back home in St. Louis, a topic he has shown no interest in discussing.

He was, like Sanchez, on the verge of joining Don Larsen and Roy Halladay as the only men to ever throw a postseason no-hitter -- and it was the furthest thing from his mind.

"I'm just in the moment," Scherzer said. "I'm not trying to do anything great."

Scherzer, Strasburg, Sanchez and Corbin have combined for a 1.81 ERA in their starts this postseason, striking out 64 and walking 17 in 49⅔ innings. They have the Nationals, a franchise that had never gotten out of the first round of the postseason before this month, on the verge of the World Series. Road teams that take 2-0 series leads in a best-of-seven series have advanced 22 out of 25 times.

That 2013 Tigers team, however, had a different story. Sanchez carried them to a 1-0 victory in Game 1, but the Red Sox recovered from a four-run deficit after Scherzer departed in Game 2, then won the series in six.

Baseball history is littered with similar examples.

"It's kind of nice going back up 2-0 in the series, but those guys are really good over there," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. "The series is far from over."

HOUSTON -- When the New York Yankees went back to the visiting clubhouse at Minute Maid Park after their 7-0 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday night, only one player would be deserving of the championship belt they have been giving out all season: Gleyber Torres.

"We give out that belt after every win and he came up to me before the game and said, 'I'm getting the belt tonight,'" outfielder Aaron Judge said after the Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. "I said, 'All right, we'll see about that. I know you're going to have a good game. But we'll see.' He proved it tonight. Just comes in every day, ready to work."

It was "Gleyber Day" on Saturday as the 22-year-old second baseman continued his postseason heroics in a game that shaped up to be a pitching duel between Masahiro Tanaka and Zack Greinke.

Torres' fourth-inning RBI double gave the Yankees a lead they would not surrender in their imposing win over the Astros. But he was just getting started.

The Venezuelan-born infielder made it a 2-0 game in the sixth inning with a solo home run to left field, also off Greinke, as he became only the third Yankee with multiple home runs in a single postseason before his 23rd birthday, joining Mickey Mantle (1952 and 1953) and Tony Kubek (1957).

Torres would finish out the evening with five RBIs after a bloop single in the seventh inning and an RBI groundout in the ninth, marking just the third time in postseason history -- and first time in the ALCS -- a player 22 years old or younger drove in five runs.

It was the second time this postseason Judge had to relinquish the championship belt to Torres, who was on the receiving end during the Yankees' American League Division Series sweep of the Minnesota Twins after going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two doubles and a home run in Game 3. Torres is now batting .400 (12-for-30) during an eight-game postseason hitting streak, which dates back to Game 1 of the 2018 ALDS in Boston.

Judge said: "Guy is a gamer. He comes ready to play. That's the thing I've noticed about him, even during the [regular] season. It could be April 1 or it could be Oct. 10, it doesn't matter. He's coming ready to play. He's going to give his all. That's what you want from your 22-year-old superstar."

"It was so important to come out of the gate and play the way we did today, especially because of the amount of success the Astros have had in this ballpark," said third baseman Gio Urshela, who hit one of the Yankees' three solo homers against Houston. "And to see Gleyber at only 22 doing what he's doing is not surprising, because it's what he has done all season for us. He works hard to accomplish what he has accomplished; acts and behaves like a winner."

"He's played great all year but this postseason, every time he's come up, it seems like he's done something well. Just all around really, really stepped it up," said first baseman DJ LeMahieu, who went 2-for-4 and had a stellar night on the defensive side of the ball. "That's hard to do, no matter what your age is. It just doesn't seem like any moment is too big for him."

For Tanaka, it was his first taste of success at Minute Maid Park, where he has a record of 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA in four regular-season starts. Including the postseason, he was 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA in five starts at Houston.

Tanaka set the tone against the powerful Astros lineup by pitching six scoreless innings, lowering his career postseason ERA to 1.32 over 41 innings pitched. Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera holds the team and MLB records for career postseason ERA at 0.70, with Tanaka now in second place on the Yankees' list (minimum 40 innings pitched).

The 30-year-old right-hander's ERA now ranks third in postseason history among pitchers with at least 40 postseason innings (since earned runs became official in 1913), behind only Rivera and fellow Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax (0.95 ERA).

"Masahiro set the tone; he was pretty unhittable," said outfielder Brett Gardner, who had a solid night on defense but went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. "It was a lot of fun to sit back there behind him on defense, and in the outfield we didn't have a whole lot to do. You could tell early on, [Tanaka] was locked in, when he's able to throw his off-speed stuff for strikes and get ahead and keep guys off balance, so he's as good as it gets."

Gardner added: "It took us a little while to get going, but some guys came through in some big spots, a couple of homers. And obviously Gleyber doing a great job, just continues to have great at-bat after great at-bat. It's just great to come in here and get the first game and come back here tomorrow and then try and do the same thing."

From Eliud Kipchoge’s oatmeal breakfast to spectators stealing banners after the event to take as souvenirs, AW’s editor looks back on a monumental morning in Vienna

Moments after Eliud Kipchoge smashed the two-hour barrier for the marathon, spectators helped dismantle the course by snaffling the ‘INEOS 1:59 Challenge’ banners that lined the route in Vienna. They realised they had been part of history and wanted a bit of it to keep.

Starting on the Reichsbrücke bridge before passing through the Hauptallee road that cuts through the Prater park on the banks of the Danube, the organisers INEOS spent close to $20 million on the infrastructure and road improvements. Kipchoge arrived in the Austrian capital with raw talent and years of hard work in the bank, whereas INEOS built the stage for him to perform – and it proved a winning combination.

The crowds played their part as well and no one will begrudge them taking home a few keepsakes. Certainly around the finish area the spectators were several rows deep and cheered and roared and thumped the fabric on the course fencing every time Kipchoge and his peloton of pacemakers sped past.

Not only did it result in a stunning time of 1:59:40, but it looked beautiful with the lead car shining a green laser on the ground in front of a group who were working in synchrony to form an aerodynamically efficient V-shape ahead of the zen-like Kipchoge. This was athletics at its aesthetic best as they glided at metronomic pace through an avenue of trees glistening with autumn leaves.

Even the weather gods smiled, with temperatures of 9C at the start rising to 11C mid-race and barely any wind. Indeed, as Kipchoge rose at just before 5am to tuck into his oatmeal breakfast, the park was covered in mist with a crisp chill in the air, although by the time the race started at 8.15am this cleared to reveal grey leaden skies.

The first kilometre was slightly inside the necessary 2:50 pace needed for a sub-two-hour marathon. But this was due to the slightly downhill section of the bridge before the runners approached the large roundabout by the Praterstern railway station and the entrance to the park itself.

Covering the race was different to a standard marathon. Usually there are changes of position or splits to note, but in Vienna on Saturday the pace barely changed due to the pacer car setting a precise sub-two-hour pace of 4:34 per mile. Many regular running reporters were also at the Bank of American Chicago Marathon to watch Mo Farah defend his title, although the INEOS 1:59 Challenge’s temporary yet sizeable media centre just metres from the finish line in Vienna was still full – and there is no doubt the event in Vienna will dominate the world’s news this weekend.

Kipchoge did not look troubled either during his run and post-event speculation has included the question of just how much faster can he go? About one hour after Kipchoge finished Jos Hermens, the Kenyan’s manager, told AW that the target was to break two hours, though. Attempting to run any quicker, he explained, would have been risky.

A former world record-holder himself in the 1970s, Hermens says a sub-two-hour marathon would have been considered impossible when he was an athlete. “No, not ever, not at all. It would have even been unimaginable 20 years ago,” he added.

Hermens says the impossible dream began to become a reality in 2008, however, when Haile Gebrselassie took the official record down to 2:03:59 in Berlin. “Then in 2014 we launched the Sub-2hr Project with Yannis Pitsiladis in Newcastle,” Hermens remembers.

With bigger funds, Nike took over the race for the sub-two-hour marathon and staged the Breaking2 attempt in Monza in 2017. There, Kipchoge ran 2:00:25 – a performance that gave him the belief he could break the barrier at a future date. Naturally, improving the official world record to 2:01:39 in Berlin last year did not hurt his confidence either.

In April this year Sir Dave Brailsford was taken on board to help coordinate the sports science and environmental factors surrounding Kipchoge’s run in Vienna. The man who has made a name for himself by creating world-beating cyclists by using a ‘marginal gains’ theory, has been employed by INEOS to help bring Kipchoge’s sub-two bid over the line.

Much has been said about Kipchoge’s shoes. The Nike Vaporfly models appear to have revolutionised marathon running performances and the Kenyan was wearing a new version in Vienna which does not go on sale until next year. Not much is yet known about them but they are believed to contain several carbon plates which help propel a runner down the road and aid their efficiency.

The the main reason Kipchoge’s run will not count as an official record, however, is due to the phalanx of pacemakers who dropped in and out of the action to help him reach his goal. From the police cars that sped through to make sure the road was clear seconds before Kipchoge and his pacers appeared, right through to the rotating pacemakers, this marathon at times resembled the Tour de France in its style and execution.

One of the best-known pacemakers, Bernard Lagat, told AW that “it could not have happened to a nicer and more hard working guy”. The former world 1500m and 5000m champion added that he grew up in a nearby village to Kipchoge in Kenya, attended the same church and was taught by the marathoner’s mother at school before he moved to study in the United States. “We were not so much his pacemakers today as his friends,” he explained. “So this is an extra special moment for us.”

Patrick Sang, Kipchoge’s long-time coach, added: “He has inspired all of us to stretch out limits and to do more than we think we can do. I said to him, ‘Congrats, you have done it, you have made history’.”

Just as proud was Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the INEOS founder, who must have had sleepless nights given all the expense and preparation with worries over whether Kipchoge would succumb to illness or injury close to the event. Yet not only did he turn up healthy, but in what Ratcliffe called “superhuman” form.

“Yes I’m quite happy,” Ratcliffe smiled with deliberate understatement. “I could see that Eliud believed that he could do it. I’m an amateur runner and sometimes I have a good run and sometimes I have a bad one and you don’t really know why it is. There are no guarantees in sport. He could have had a bad day but he just happened to have a good day!”

Ratcliffe added: “I will never forget that last 30 seconds. He broke free from the group and the car and then accelerated and didn’t look like his feet were touching the ground and his face was so calm and tranquil but my face would have been tortured.”

Not everyone was enamoured by Kipchoge’s exploits. Critics have described it as a ‘pantomime’ and ‘not real athletics’. They have poured scorn on the use of rotating pacemakers, the solo time trial element and shoes that offer a distinct advantage. Some have suggested they would rather have seen him slugging it out in the heat of Doha for a world title this month instead, or racing in a big city marathon in Berlin, Chicago or New York City.

It is a contentious issue and boils down to personal taste and matters of opinion. One thing that should be remembered, though, is that the use of pacemakers was equally controversial when Sir Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile 65 years ago. He was famously helped by Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher at Oxford’s Iffley Road on May 6 in 1954 – a strategy that was very much frowned upon at the time.

Shoes and pacers aside, Kipchoge still had to run 26.2 miles considerably faster than any man who has ever lived. Just as Bannister still had to clock inside 4:00 for the mile – a feat that was considered ‘impossible’ at the time.

A remarkable athlete, Kipchoge has only lost one of his 12 marathons – in Berlin in 2013 when he was beaten by Wilson Kipsang in a world record time – and his victories include the Olympic marathon title in 2016 and the Virgin Money London Marathon four times in the last five years. A rare talent, in 2003 he won the world cross-country junior men’s race before out-sprinting world mile record-holder Hicham El Guerrouj and world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder Kenenisa Bekele to the world 5000m gold in Paris in the same year while still aged only 18.

As he reaches the twilight of his brilliant career, Kipchoge says nothing tops breaking two hours, though. “It was the best moment in my life with 500m to go and it was the time to break history,” he said after his Viennese whirl through the city on Saturday morning. “I had a lot of pressure before the event. I had calls from people like the president of Kenya. When you get a lot of calls from high-profile people like that, it’s a lot of pressure!”

Kipchoge added: “I was really calm and followed the instructions and what the pacemakers were doing. All throughout my mind I was thinking of running under two hours. It was not 50/50. It was 90%.

“Everyone was glued to the TV today, to YouTube, Facebook pages and Twitter. Sport is the way we can unify people and sell a positive message to the world.”

Now the two-hour barrier has been breached, will others follow? “For sure, I believe so,” Kipchoge smiled.

Read our post-event report here.

Post-event press conference with the Kenyan running great after his time of 1:59:40.2 for 26.2 miles in Vienna

REPORT: Eliud Kipchoge runs sub-two-hour marathon

BLOG: Sub-two spectacular

British Athletics Cross Challenge series starts in the Welsh capital

Charlotte Arter and Marc Scott proved unstoppable in Cardiff as the British Athletics Cross Challenge series got underway on Saturday.

Rain early on race morning cleared to leave ideal racing conditions and local athlete Arter was an emphatic winner of the women’s race, timing her move perfectly and decisively pulling clear halfway through the final lap.

Her winning time of 21:31 for the 6400m course saw her beat the time recorded by 2018 winner Anna Moller, who went on to take the European U23 title in December.

Arter had begun as a favourite following a fastest leg run at the ERRA National Road Relays last weekend to lead her Cardiff team to victory. She had been looking for a strong start to the cross country season and will now hope to emulate her 2018 win at the European Trials in Liverpool.

Cardiff club-mate Jenny Nesbitt is the current Inter-Counties cross country champion and similarly timed her move well to finish clear in second.

Norwich AC’s Iona Lake was third with Jessica Gibbons of Reading AC just outside the podium places.

“I’m really happy with how today went,” said Arter. “It’s always fun to start the cross country season here in Cardiff and it was great that Jenny and I could get first and second.”

The men’s race saw Scott and Mahamed Mahamed surge clear along with Cardiff man Mike Ward.

Scott had showed his cross country pedigree last December with a ninth place finish at the Spar European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg.

The trio shared the lead for much for the race but Scott, who raced the 5000m at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, used his track speed to go clear of Mahamed, meaning the Southampton man recorded a third consecutive second place finish in Cardiff.

Ward did indeed finish third, making a welcome return to racing in the capital following an athletics scholarship at Bradley University in Illinois.

Jonathan Glen of Inverclyde AC was next to finish with Cardiff man Ciaran Lewis closing out the top five.

Saskia Millard of Herne Hill Harriers took under-20 women’s honours ahead of club-mate Charlotte Alexander and Cera Gemmell of Team East Lothian.

Four of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team from the World Cross in Aarhus contested the U20 men’s race but it was Inter-Counties champion Matt Willis of Wrexham AAC who soared clear for victory to announce himself as the man to beat this season.

Last season’s Cross Challenge series champion Zakariya Mahamed was next to finish followed by English National champion, Rory Leonard.

Beatrice Wood of City of Salisbury AC was the U17 women’s winner, with Flynn Jenkins winning a hotly contested U17 men’s race.

Kiya Dee of Highworth RC won the U15 girls’ title with Lewis Sullivan of Saint Edmund Pacers some way clear in the U15 boys’ race.

Zoe Gilbody of Chiltern Harriers and Henry Sheffield of Cirencester AC took U13 titles.

Despite saying last month that he wouldn't play in the NFL anymore, wide receiver Antonio Brown wants to resolve his off-field issues so he can get back on the field soon, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Sources said Brown hopes to have his playing status cleared up in the next few weeks before signing with an NFL team.

Brown is being investigated by the NFL under its personal conduct policy following a lawsuit filed by his former trainer alleging she was sexually assaulted on multiple occasions. He was also accused of sexual misconduct at his home by an artist who was working there in 2017.

The NFL has yet to interview Brown as part of its wide-ranging investigation, and a source said the league expects Brown to talk to them, even as a free agent.

On Sept. 20, the NFL released a statement that said Brown would not be placed on the commissioner's exempt list while he is a free agent but warned, "If he is signed by a club, such placement may become appropriate at any time depending on the status of the investigation."

Sources told Fowler that Brown would wait to sign with a team until it is clear he would be allowed to play. He's also been training rigorously and would welcome a return to the New England Patriots, even if that's unlikely, but most of all just wants to play.

Brown has played in only one game this season -- Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins. He was released by the Oakland Raiders before the season and by the Patriots before Week 3 after it came out that he sent text messages to the artist accusing him of misconduct.

Last week, Brown filed a total of eight grievances against the Raiders and Patriots, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano. The grievances are seeking a total of $39.775 million in lost salary, bonuses and guaranteed money.

Brown tweeted Sept. 22 that he "will not playing in the NFL anymore," saying the decision was in part due to the withheld money. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said a few days later that he thought Brown still wanted to keep playing.

SHENZHEN, China -- Anthony Davis sprained his right thumb in the first half of the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday and will not return, according to the team.

Davis suffered the injury swatting at the ball midway through the first quarter. He started at center as the Lakers employed a small-ball lineup, surrounding him with LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley and Danny Green.

Davis initially stayed in the game, getting the thumb taped during a break in the action, but then retreated to the locker room between the first and second quarters, and an ice pack was taped to his right hand.

He finished with six points on 2-for-7 shooting, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 12 minutes. Both of his baskets came off assists by James.

In two preseason games, Davis was averaging 19 points on 50% shooting, six rebounds, 3.5 assists and a block in 22 minutes per game.

The Lakers will fly back to the United States after Saturday's game. Their next preseason game is Monday against the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center.

Here we go: the top 15 in my NBA League Pass Rankings for 2019-20.

You can find Part 1 and all of the rules here. These are not power rankings.

15. BOSTON CELTICS (31)

Boston drops 13 spots despite replacing a frowny-faced philosopher-point guard (Kyrie Irving) with a rough stylistic equivalent in Kemba Walker -- owner of the league's nastiest in-and-out dribble. The combined departures -- Al Horford's subtle brilliance, Marcus Morris' toughness, Terry Rozier's long 2s, Guerschon Yabusele's ass -- cannot inflict this much damage on Boston's watchability.

But last season's Celtics were never as watchable as the algorithm predicted. Their heralded starting five, brimming with ballhandling and creativity, added up to less than the sum of its parts. Their offense became stilted and arrhythmic. Players oscillated between extremes of deference and greed, never finding the happy middle ground. Now the one hub who might have been able to connect the others -- Horford -- serves that role for a rival.

There is hope Boston can settle into a watchability zone between this ranking and last season's. The chemistry presumably isn't toxic now. Gordon Hayward should be closer to Utah form. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are hungry. One or both could make All-Star pushes; Tatum looks to be attacking the rim more already. His reclining, willowy midrangers are basketball grace notes, analytics be damned.

The Timelord -- Robert Williams III -- adds a vertical athleticism Boston has not had in a while. Tacko Fall looms. The trimmings are as good as it gets: the green uniforms (perhaps the best in U.S. sports history), the parquet, the sonorous Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn's hoarse homerism in the Johnny Most tradition.

14. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (32)

The Blazers are the quality control dividing line -- a comfort-food movie. They have more star power than the teams beneath them, though most of it is of the below-the-rim-variety. The teams above them bring more juicy unknowns.

Damian Lillard is a stone-faced destroyer of franchises. CJ McCollum is the league's preeminent midrange artist -- a leaning, bobbing, weaving, stop-on-a-dime phantom. Fans in Denver are still traumatized by what McCollum unleashed in Game 7 of last season's second round.

Zach Collins swats at enemy shots with sneering violence. If he hones his 3-pointer, he might become Portland's third franchise tentpole. Everyone is dying to see Anfernee Simons. Hassan Whiteside supplies dunks, and he has a knack for catching shots -- swallowing them whole -- instead of blocking them. That's cool.

God bless Mario Hezonja, always in pursuit of a wild highlight when a much simpler play is staring him in the face:

The art and broadcast are top-notch. I dig the Blazers returning to a white painted area for their 50th anniversary season:

Maybe we will get a few classic Pau Gasol Statue of Liberty dunks.

13. HOUSTON ROCKETS (33)

The Rockets are the league's most polarizing watch. I can't quibble with fans tired of the James Harden Dribble-And-Step-Back Jamboree, even if the degree of difficulty and stutter-step artistry involved are almost unprecedented. But I like the slowed-down chess match of each opponent trying newfangled ways to defend Harden.

Milwaukee pioneered a "force him right" variant that built on San Antonio's gambit from the 2017 playoffs, when Harden melted into a puddle. Utah abandoned its entire base defense last postseason in favor of something even more gimmicky; Harden digested it like a basketball Terminator, and eviscerated the Jazz until they reverted to something approaching normalcy.

Russell Westbrook is a welcome chaos agent. When he snares a defensive rebound, he will kick one of the league's slowest teams back into gear. Assuming Harden cedes some ballhandling duty -- he has to -- Westbrook can run pick-and-roll in wide-open space. The Thunder rarely offered that, but when they did -- particularly in 2016, with lineups featuring Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Dion Waiters and Steven Adams -- Westbrook was unstoppable.

This could all go haywire. Mike D'Antoni is already making jokes about Tilman Fertitta -- the Rockets' hard-chargin', hard-tweetin', allegedly apolitical owner -- firing him. The two stars might fight over the ball. Westbrook might chill beyond the arc as Harden dances, a passive-aggressive saboteur of spacing.

He might also screen for Harden, dash in for high-wire offensive rebounds, and cut in random directions. No matter what, it's going to be must-watch.

Characters lurk on the fringes: Gerald Green, indiscriminate chucker and permanent Vincent Vega-looking-around GIF on defense; and maybe Ben McLemore. I hope McLemore makes the team, because I need an oral history of this two-possession sequence.

12. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (33.5)

This is Golden State's lowest finish ever. It feels icky.

Stephen Curry is still the league's most telegenic player. His 30-whatever-footer to beat Oklahoma City three years ago is one of the brightest flashbulb moments in league history. Everyone who watched on that Saturday night remembers exactly where they were.

But running pick-and-roll on this shallow roster, Curry will often resemble a quarterback fleeing a jailbreak blitz toward half court. That's still fun: Curry threading passes to Draymond Green, who will shift into 4-on-3 mode from there. No big man has ever played that role quite like him.

D'Angelo Russell should fit Steve Kerr's read-and-react offense, and bring a new dynamic.

The art is first rate; blue and yellow go well. The crowing homerism of the broadcast might be more palatable now that the Warriors aren't invincible, but it could also grow defensive and hostile. Their comedy score fell off a cliff after years of dominating with Nick Young, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, and other performers.

Two very different rookies -- Jordan Poole and Eric Paschall -- should get a chance to play.

I'm mildly intrigued by Omari Spellman.

11. BROOKLYN NETS (34)

A league-high 9.5 in the minutia category propels Brooklyn one or two spots too high. (We once adjusted by reducing their score under the Ian Eagle Corollary, but that didn't feel appropriate here. These guys are entertaining. We docked that half-point to protest the YES Network ditching "Who Am I?")

The gray court is a risk worth taking, and the accompanying jerseys -- with graffiti-style wordmark -- look great. Their home whites are underrated. The white shines against black lettering.

The Nets play fast and shoot 3s, and the combination of DeAndre Jordan and Jarrett Allen should boost their dunk totals. Allen is fearless on defense. He has gone chin-to-chin with Giannis Antetokounmpo above the rim so many times -- some wins, some losses -- that they have a little rivalry brewing.

All three lead ball handlers offer something different. Irving brings shoulder-shaking flash, and ambidextrous spinny finishes at the rim. Caris LeVert's herky-jerky rhythm wrong-foots defenders. (In a nice twist, LeVert told me last season he tried to improve his finishing by watching YouTube videos of Irving demonstrating how to use spin off the backboard.) Spencer Dinwiddie likes to pull the ball way out against switches, put his head down, and zoom in straight lines.

When David Nwaba played in Chicago, Stacey King, the Bulls' analyst, nicknamed him "Demolition Man." Perfect. Nwaba plays every second at full tilt. He sprints and dives and leaps from somewhere off your TV screen to try and block shots. You worry Nwaba is a risk to himself and others, but you can't look away.

10. SACRAMENTO KINGS (34.5)

Whoa! A 20-spot jump for the Kings!

Leap onto the De'Aaron Fox bandwagon before it speeds away. Fox had the Kings living in transition last season -- after turnovers, misses, makes, even free throws. Luke Walton might try to play even faster.

Buddy Hield put together one of the 10 or so greatest shooting seasons ever -- 43% from deep on eight tries per game. Hield needs only a sliver of space to let fly, and he pries it open with cagey pump fakes, sidesteps, and moonwalks.

Marvin Bagley III is going to be a monster scorer from all over the floor. Dewayne Dedmon is enough of a threat spotting up for 3s that Bagley should spend at least some of his time with the starters screening for Fox and jaunting down the lane for ferocious dunks. Bogdan Bogdanovic is a trickster with and without the ball.

The deep purple of the courts and uniforms is soothing. Grant Napear strikes the right balance between cutting honesty and caught-in-the-moment enthusiasm on commentary.

I actually thought the Kings would rank higher. This feels right, though. Fox's breakneck style won't catch teams by surprise anymore. Sacramento fueled its transition game with a league-best turnover ratio, and a youngish team might have a hard time duplicating that.

Their half-court offense was clunky -- 22nd in points per possession, per Cleaning The Glass -- and the Kings will suffer hiccups sorting an ultra-deep rotation that might force some guys to play a bit out of position. Richaun Holmes is one of the league's angriest dunkers, but his presence could rob us of some Bagley-Harry Giles III minutes.

9. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (34.5)

Zion Williamson is prime Lawrence Taylor playing basketball. In his one summer league game, Williamson tossed Kevin Knox aside like a frail quarterback, took the ball (and Knox's soul), and dunked. In a preseason game Friday, he went right at Rudy Gobert -- and finished through him. Wow.

Zion is going to break a backboard. Someone is going to make the mistake of stepping into his path as he sprints the ball up the floor, and that person is going to fly 20 feet backward and have his chest cavity caved in.

The Pelicans ranked second in pace last season, and they are going to absolutely fly with Lonzo Ball heaving hit-aheads to Williamson as everyone else runs the wing. Williamson can function as a rim-running center when he plays without Derrick Favors -- perhaps with Nicolo Melli spacing the floor.

We will learn a lot about the respective ceilings of Ball and Brandon Ingram. Frank Jackson hurls himself at the rim. Kenrich Williams deserves the nickname "Kenny Hustle." E'Twaun Moore has one of the softest floaters in the league.

Also:

? MAKIN' MY WAY DOWNTOWN ?@TheReal_NAW1 sings his way into the crowd's heart ?? pic.twitter.com/eiOEiPEkaF

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 6, 2019

You know you love that song. You sing along to it in the car. What is the best part of that video? Nickeil Alexander-Walker deciding to just go for it? (Alexander-Walker looks gooooooood.) David Griffin, the Pelicans' personnel chief, grinning like a proud father after years of looking miserable amid Cavs melodrama (none of his making)? Jrue Holiday wearing the "Karate Kid" headband he can't wear in games anymore for reasons that remain unclear? (I am still mad.) Swin Cash's "really?" face?

There is a plausible scenario in which New Orleans coalesces around a contagious youthful joy, exceeds expectations, and cracks the postseason as a lower seed with a roaring homecourt advantage -- the kind that rattles nervy favorites. I am rooting for that scenario.

8. CHICAGO BULLS (34.5)

I've compressed comedy/curiosity scores, but it's hard with the Bulls. Zach LaVine takes some of the, umm, strangest routes on defense you will see in the NBA. Jim Boylen sweats and yells and crouches, hands on knees, like a basketball Matt Foley (motivational speaker). I am a sucker for Stacey King's catchphrases and cornball jokes.

(Unpopular Boylen opinion: He's a smart coach. Just talk to him, and that shines through. There is even some logic in how he stripped the Bulls down to the basics of physicality and effort upon taking over. I kinda wish he would just coach instead of thinking he needs to play a cartoon capital-C Coach.)

LaVine is the best dunker since prime Vince Carter, with the craziest shot selection this side of JR Smith. My man will take half-turnaround 3s. But his jumper is pretty, and he can go on extended hot streaks.

There is a ton of smart give-and-go improvisation -- the winks and nods in tight spaces that make basketball sing -- between Otto Porter Jr., Tomas Satoransky and Thaddeus Young. We need a full season of the Lauri Markkanen-Wendell Carter Jr. duo. They could develop into the rare frontcourt pairing in which both members can play inside or outside -- allowing them to shift almost randomly and keep defenses guessing:

The Michael Jordan-era pinstriped black throwbacks are tasty:

7. UTAH JAZZ (35)

Utah brings intricacy for the nerds and loud highlights for when you just want to see supernova athletes do cool stuff. The Jazz tried more dunks than anyone last season, per Second Spectrum; Gobert trailed only Antetokounmpo in made dunks (according to Second Spectrum tracking data). Gobert is the rare star who can look awkward and then transcendent within the same move -- a mortal who suddenly explodes into the sky.

Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley can break ankles. Joe Ingles is a classic irritant -- a scathing trash-talker who goads you into retaliating, and laughs in your face when the referees catch you. He uses the most convincing pass fake since Manu Ginobili to get defenders lurching in the wrong direction. Royce O'Neale gives no quarter.

Utah amped up the pace last season after playing at a crawl in previous seasons. Little known fact: Quin Snyder was the runner-up to Joaquin Phoenix for the title role in "Joker." Dante Exum carries the lure of unfulfilled promise.

The commentary is solid but veers into saccharine territory when the broadcast talks about How Special Utah Fans Are and What It Means To Be A Jazz Man. Utah wisely kept its rippling orange alternate court for another season, and boy am I happy to see the 1990s-era purple "mountain" throwbacks again -- complete with this accompanying court:

6. DALLAS MAVERICKS (36)

You could say I am excited for the Luka Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis pairing -- and for Porzingis to play his first real game in 19 months. They should complement each other on both ends, with minimal overlap on offense. Both can work mismatches from the block and space the floor.

Doncic is already one of the league's dozen best passers, and that might be conservative. At 6-7, he can see over defenses and whip LeBronian crosscourt lasers:

He slings those bad boys when defenders are leaning the wrong way, and if they're not, Doncic will trick them off-balance with lookaway fakes:

He relishes crunch time. Doncic hit 48% of his shots in the last three minutes of games with the score within three points, eighth best among 40 guys who compiled at least 25 such attempts.

Seth Curry has hit 45% from deep in two of the past three seasons, and he's a manipulative little thief on defense -- baiting rubes into passes he can swipe:

Jalen Brunson is built like a fire hydrant and tucks the ball in traffic like a running back. You cannot take your eyes off of Hollywood's Boban Marjanovic.

Rick Carlisle teams always run pleasing half-court offenses. Now the Mavs need to squeeze more from fast breaks. They were basically the inverse Kings last season: efficient in the half court, bricktastic in transition.

At long last, the Mavericks are beginning to overhaul their milquetoast art -- starting with those one-legged fading Dirks shaded into the opposite corners of their court:

I mean, come on. That's amazing. Stay tuned for more.

By the way: Can we get Dirk as an occasional guest on the broadcast? He kills it on the mic every time.

5. DENVER NUGGETS (38)

This is the line of demarcation: five teams way more watchable than the rest.

You could pull the names of four non-All-Stars out of a hat, put them on the floor with Nikola Jokic, and have a borderline top-five-watchability team. Some passes exist only because Jokic envisions them, and dares to throw them. There is no passing lane. No one is open. Only Jokic sees that if he dribbles over there, Gary Harris or Jamal Murray will slide two steps that way, and a void of 3-D space just larger than a basketball might open somewhere between the floor and a defender's outstretched arm.

Denver's longest-tenured players have gotten used to Jokic's imagination, and in that way, something of a compound effect builds: They see pieces of Jokic's vision, cut and shift accordingly, and together with Jokic open a few more of those basketball-sized voids.

Murray headhunts at the rim. Harris is a sneaky explosive baseline dunker. Will Barton injects end-to-end chaos for a slowpoke team, and Paul Millsap does the little things that make nerds squeal. Jerami Grant might be the league's most violent dunker. People are drooling in anticipation of Michael Porter Jr.'s debut.

I'm hoping we see some version of a rainbow skyline jersey this season. The courts are all decent, though I will never understand Denver's excising powder blue.

But Jokic is the star attraction, and it goes beyond his passing. He's a post-up brute with classic footwork -- counters upon counters. He is the king of the long-distance tip-in, even if he has to tip the ball to himself first:

Denver quietly led the league in offensive rebounding rate last season. The Nuggets play a relatively clean game, and they might well finish with the top seed in the West.

4. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (38.5)

There is a delightful contrast between the polish of LA's new stars -- the liquidy grace of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard's stoic brutishness -- and the frenzied, wild, trash-talking, balls-to-the-wall nature of several support players: Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.

Those last two formed the single most captivating pick-and-roll combination in the league last season. Williams turns elite defenders into bumbling idiots with eye fakes, shoulder shimmies, choppy dribbles, and impossible fades to his left. Harrell is a straight-line battering ram who does pullups on the rim and brings more passing and post-up skill than he lets on at first glance.

Leonard's one-on-one game is more watchable than it has any right to be. He meanders with his dribble and bores into his defender's chest -- they almost combine into one blur of limbs -- only to suddenly rise straight up, as if on a pogo stick, for an implausibly clean look as that defender falls backward. I'm not sure anyone puts tighter spin on jumpers. That four-bounce all-timer to knock out Philly was the product of both luck and years of work.

Leonard isn't the sharktopus he once was on defense -- he saves that energy for when it really matters now -- but when he dials it up, he produces the most audacious one-man end-to-end sequences outside Milwaukee:

Can you imagine trying to dribble when the Clips have Leonard, George and Beverley barricading the perimeter? I'm sweating just typing that.

Paul George: still a boss. I would watch a Ballmer Cam. Thumbs up to the new black court with an LA street grid shaded into the boundaries.

The Clippers are treading a fine line rebranding themselves LA's "gritty" team, but they are getting it right so far.

Chauncey Billups is going to teach a master class on commentary.

3. MILWAUKEE BUCKS (39)

Antetokounmpo dunked 319 times last season, most in the league, and every one felt like a mini-earthquake. I can't decide which species of Giannis dunk is more impressive: when he goes coast-to-coast in four dribbles and flies in for a one-handed thunder job; or when he backs his man underneath the rim, jumps from a flat-footed position, and crams in the poor guy's face.

The latter type is certainly ruder. Antetokounmpo seems to know; he makes his stankiest stink faces after those dunks. He got Ben Simmons with one, and proceeded to call Simmons a "f---ing baby" on live television.

That dunk type is perhaps the rawest distillation of Antetokounmpo's physical gifts. He has minimal territorial advantage. His defender jumps right along with him. Antetokounmpo just jumps higher and extends the ball beyond anyone's reach.

Antetokounmpo crafts highlights from positions of extreme vulnerability. He can walk the baseline tightrope, pick up his dribble under the backboard, stick the ball way out of bounds, and slingshot passes at almost any angle -- including to shooters stationed diagonally behind him.

Mike Budenholzer made Antetokounmpo's life easier by plopping shooters all around him. Brook Lopez became Splash Mountain. On some trail 3s, Lopez waits for retreating defenders to skid by like waves crashing at his knees:

Having the Lopez twins on the same team will bring hilarity. Robin is good for one crazy-eyed ejection per season. Budenholzer has the league's best anguished coach face and postgame goodbye wave.

He also installed an innovative, almost counterintuitive defense that invited average shooters to launch above-the-break 3s. The league will be ready for it this season.

Marques Johnson is becoming a star on commentary.

2. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (41)

LeBron and Anthony Davis play for the freaking Los Angeles Lakers -- the team with the gold jerseys, the league's snazziest court, and Lawrence Tanter's Hollywood cool narration. The two stars have shooting around them. Davis is ready to show off a more well-rounded game on offense. LeBron is hinting at an "Oh, you forgot about me?" revenge tour.

Frank Vogel has some thorny lineup questions to sort out. Alex Caruso can play, and draws the kind of fan support usually reserved for lovable end-of-the-benchers. Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee combine for an unfair comedy score. Please, basketball gods, give us one stretch in which Howard hijacks the offense for a series of terrible post-ups as LeBron shoots Vogel dirty looks.

The Lakers also have the funniest "bro" fans in the league. Remember these guys?

When this team is on, it will be lethal. If the Lakers slump, it will be instant soap opera. Either scenario makes for must-watch TV.

1. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (42)

The Sixers are so weird, big, goofy and loaded with personality -- well, one mega-personality -- they repeat as League Pass champions despite losing the high-wattage curiosity factor of Markelle Fultz. I didn't think it was possible.

I have so many questions. How will their Gigantor starting five of Josh Richardson, Simmons, Tobias Harris, Horford and Joel Embiid play on each end? Can Simmons and Embiid find a pace that suits each of them? Where is Simmons standing and moving when he doesn't have the ball -- especially when Embiid is posting up? Will we see more Simmons-Embiid pick-and-rolls?

Where are opponents hiding their smallest defenders? Richardson supplies the most obvious place, but he's good, and the Sixers can use him on either end of screening actions with literally every other member of that lineup to force uncomfortable choices. Some opponents stashed undersized defenders on Harris last season and got away with it. Can Harris punish them?

How do the Sixers deploy Simmons on defense? They have the goods to be impenetrable. Could they place three guys on the two All-Defensive teams?

And these are just the wonky basketball questions! Simmons might shoot jumpers! Embiid demands your attention every second. When he's not tired, he can obliterate dudes in the post with an ease and brutality that give off the whiff of prime Shaq. (No one will ever be as devastating as prime Shaq.) But Shaq couldn't pump-and-drive from the 3-point arc and uncork flying windmill dunks in playoff games..

Embiid is the best trash-talker in the league, and I don't believe for one second he will follow through on his vow to stop. That would be a travesty. He actually hurts people's feelings. The Pistons should contemplate just benching Andre Drummond against Philadelphia -- that's how badly Embiid owns him. Karl-Anthony Towns started trying on defense because Embiid humiliated him on Instagram. Hassan Whiteside is probably glad to be in the opposite conference.

Marcus Smart shoved Embiid to the floor and wanted to fight him. Eric Bledsoe got ejected after chucking the ball at him. Embiid waves goodbye to guys after fouling them out. What a legend.

Matisse Thybulle and Zhaire Smith are exciting prospects who should crack the rotation. I could listen to Brett Brown read the phone book. Philly has surpassed Boston, Portland and the Lakers as owners of the best top-to-bottom art in the league.

The Sixers are deserving champions. Now, on to the games!

Go to Part 1

With the National League Championship Series already underway and the Washington Nationals riding high with a 1-0 series lead over the St. Louis Cardinals after a remarkable night from Anibal Sanchez on the mound, it's the American League's turn to swing into action Saturday in a clash between the league's superteams -- the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. Can Houston's Zack Greinke match fellow finesse righty Sanchez's first-game feat? And can the Cardinals tie up their series before having to head to D.C.?

What's on tap

Saturday's schedule

4:08 p.m. ET: Nationals at Cardinals, Game 2

8:08 p.m. ET: Yankees at Astros, Game 1

The most important thing of the day: The Yankees face the same challenge the Cardinals did in their Game 1 -- they're not facing the Astros' best or second-best starter, but if they lose, things could get ugly with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole lined up next. That's the Cards' situation, going up against Max Scherzer in Game 2 and already down a game.

The view from inside the ballpark

HOUSTON -- When the Astros and Yankees last met in the ALCS, in 2017, the series went seven games -- and the home team won each time. If the Yankees don't want history to repeat itself -- once again, Houston has home-field advantage -- their best bet might be to steal Game 1 against Zack Greinke on Saturday night. After that, they face Justin Verlander, and then Gerrit Cole back in the Bronx. Good luck. -- Matt Marrone

ST. LOUIS -- Think the Cardinals' offense is done after getting shut down in the series opener? Manager Mike Shildt disagrees. After the Game 1 loss, he said: "There's nothing but optimism about our players and our offense." The only problem is that they'll have to turn that optimism into production against a run of aces that starts with a Game 2 matchup with St. Louis native Max Scherzer, though Mad Max went out of his way to downplay the hometown theme when he spoke Friday afternoon. -- Dan Mullen

A stat to impress your friends: No player in St. Louis' starting lineup recorded a hit in Game 1, the first time that has happened in franchise postseason history in 244 games across 29 different years that the Cardinals played in the postseason since the start of MLB's modern era in 1903.

Predictions

Nationals-Cardinals

You'd have to be crazy to pick a team that just got one-hit and is now up against Scherzer, right? Probably, but I still don't see the Cardinals leaving St. Louis in an 0-2 NLCS hole. Adam Wainwright has been so good at home this season; he should keep things close, and the Cards' bats are going to get going at some point. Cardinals 3, Nationals 2. -- Mullen

You get one-hit in the series opener and now you get to face the Nationals' ace instead of their No. 4 starter. Good luck, Cardinals. Their best hope is that Scherzer runs up his pitch count and maybe you get to that soft underbelly of the Washington bullpen. I think Scherzer lasts long enough to get the ball to Daniel Hudson and Sean Doolittle, and Washington scratches out some insurance runs against St. Louis' own so-so relief corps. -- Nationals 5, Cardinals 3 -- David Schoenfield

Yankees-Astros

It's just hard to trust Greinke in the postseason, especially against a lineup like the Yankees will roll out. Yankees 8, Astros 3. -- Bradford Doolittle

Greinke said it best about the Bronx Bombers at his Friday news conference: "It's tougher to get good hitters out than not-as-good hitters." Masahiro Tanaka faces a similar problem, but he and his bullpen will have better luck solving it. Yankees 5, Astros 4. -- Marrone

About last night

Stud of the night: Anibal Sanchez, of course. A 35-year-old veteran with a 108-108 record across 14 major league seasons again flirted with a no-hit bid in the LCS round -- having done so with the Tigers in the 2013 ALCS -- this time getting into the eighth inning? It doesn't get much better -- or more improbable, in the best possible "you can't predict baseball" way -- than that.

Dud of the night: It might seem harsh to single out any one Cardinals hitter, so best to credit the entire starting lineup with a dud for its combined 0-for-27 effort with lone walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Highlight of the night:

Off the diamond

Social media says:

13 years after he used this ball to pitch a no-hitter - in just his 13th big league start! - Aníbal Sánchez nearly did it again tonight. He's now the first player to pitch 6+ innings of no-hit ball twice in the postseason. (Milo Stewart Jr.) https://t.co/DWz4mlRO5Q pic.twitter.com/5jdHGJWoZS

— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) October 12, 2019

Quote of note: "It's almost like one of those things where you get kind of a chuckle out of [the hitters]. He throws his mariposa (butterfly) up there, thing's like 60 mph and he ... when a guy like that can manipulate his speeds, it's pretty amazing." -- Nationals catcher Yan Gomes, describing Cardinals hitters' reactions to Sanchez's fluttering flirtation with postseason history at their expense.

Best of the playoffs so far ...

Our running postseason MVP: There are a lot of ways to break down the dominance of Astros starter Gerrit Cole so far -- a 0.57 ERA and 0.57 WHIP, 25 strikeouts, 3 walks, 6 hits allowed over 15⅔ innings, including eight stifling innings in Game 5 against the Rays. Then there's this: Cole joins Mike Mussina in the 1997 ALCS as the only pitchers with at least 25 strikeouts and one or fewer runs allowed in a single series in postseason history.

The play of this October: We're going to cheat and make this "plays": the back-to-back home runs by the Nationals' Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto off the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Kershaw in the wake of Soto's tying bomb could end up as the lasting image of these playoffs.

Game of the postseason so far: Nationals-Dodgers, Game 5 of the NLDS. The Dodgers ambushing Stephen Strasburg, Strasburg settling down and keeping the Nats in it, Walker Buehler's mastery, Kershaw's big strikeout before his eighth-inning implosion, Howie Kendrick's 10th-inning slam, questions for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. There's a lot to unpack here, and this was a true postseason classic.