🎭 NBA Finals Lack The Drama We Crave

The playoffs have been marked by too many boring blowouts and not enough nailbiters. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The best NBA playoff games are the ones that come down to the wire, which really isn’t something we’re seeing this postseason ... Martin Truex Jr. faces the reality of possible retirement ... and more! It doesn’t have to be a buzzer-beater. There don’t need to be heroics. Nobody is standing up and demanding for "The Block" to be reincarnated, "The Shot" to be repeated, or for John Havlicek’s ghost to come back and help someone steal the ball (even though the Boston Celtics are involved). With the NBA playoffs nearing their conclusion and having been largely a drama-devoid slog to this point, we are already conditioned not to be greedy. Following the Golden State Warriors’ 107-88 cruise in Game 2 against the Celtics on Sunday night, we’d settle for anything but a blowout at this point. Just give us some competitive entertainment. When it’s an NBA Finals game featuring the Warriors, you’d like to see Steph Curry’s only appearances in the fourth quarter not limited to those made in commercials. But that’s what you get when one team cracks things open to such an extent – a 23-point buffer heading into the final 12 minutes – that the smart and sensible option is to pull your stars and rest their legs for future battles. It has been a remarkably familiar story this season. Sunday’s snoozer came within a point of being the 23rd game this postseason decided by a margin of 20 points or more. Only the 2016 playoffs - ironically capped off by a Game 7 for the ages - have had more (24). This time, there haven’t just been blowouts, but some notably huge margins. Golden State is once again narrowly installed as the betting favorite to be crowned champion (-118 with FOXBet), but is just over three weeks removed from losing a game by 39 points, to the Memphis Grizzlies. "We got our ass kicked," Draymond Green said at the time. "That's alright. It happens." Apparently so. The Miami Heat, en route to toppling the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semis, had a 35-point win. The Dallas Mavericks-Phoenix Suns series saw combined margins of 136 points. Even when things seem close, they’re not necessarily so. To read the full story, [click here.]( [STORY IMAGE 1] [IN OTHER WORDS] - NASCAR stalwart Martin Truex Jr. faces a difficult decision on whether to retire, and he's taking his time to decide, [Bob Pockrass writes.]( - The Warriors beat Boston in Game 2 using a familiar formula, sparked by Draymond Green's physicality and Steph Curry's flash. [Melissa Rohlin looks at Golden State's dominance.]( - It wasn't pretty, but the Tampa Bay Bandits were good enough to beat the Houston Gamblers and stay in the USFL playoff hunt, [Eric D. Williams writes.]( [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Monday Night Raw (USA, 8 p.m. ET) Former Divas champion Maryse makes her exciting return to the ring. Colorado Avalanche at Edmonton Oilers (TNT, 8 p.m. ET) Can the Oilers avoid an embarrassing sweep on their home ice? Colorado leads the series 3-0. New York Mets at San Diego Padres (MLBN, 9:40 p.m. ET) The Mets have won nine of their last 12 games and look to stay hot in San Diego. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Packers get over 11.5 wins (+105) From FOX NFL Analyst Geoff Schwartz: The Packers have won 13 games in each of the last three seasons, and I’m finding it difficult to make an argument they don’t get to 13 wins again. I imagine there are two assumptions at play here. The first is that the offense will struggle after the Packers traded star receiver Davante Adams to the Raiders this offseason. The other accounts for the natural regression that will come with an aging Aaron Rodgers. While the Packers' offense will need to figure out its rhythm without Adams, judging from the small sample size of the seven games Adams has missed in a Packers uniform, that might be easier than we thought. Without Adams in the lineup, Green Bay is 7-0 and there's no offensive drop-off when he doesn't suit up. This can be explained by the quarterback-friendly offensive structure that will allow this offense and Rodgers to still function well without an elite receiving option. The team's offensive line will also be healthier next season, and I expect the run game to be outstanding. 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