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Barrel-proof bourbon is whiskey turned up to 11 — hell, sometimes it’s turned up to 111. It’s not for the faint of heart, is my point. It can burn, be overly spicy or woody, and lose a lot of nuances thanks to the proof being overwhelming. It can also be deeply flavored, brilliantly balanced, and pack a punch that adds to the overall experience in new and fun ways. And that makes it pretty beloved, especially by long-time whiskey drinkers who are looking for a little somethin’ extra in their pours.

Naturally, any time a style grows expansive, a lot of mediocre crap ends up on the shelf. That could be a complete waste of your cash. Let me help you avoid that, today.

First and foremost, let’s get a little clarity on what “barrel proof” means in the American whiskey world (other regions often use “cask strength,” but there’s no hard and fast rule and a million examples that can go either way re: labeling). Essentially, we’re talking about a blend of barrels that are bottled without any proofing after aging (whiskey is often proofed before barreling to adjust barrel entry proof for a long list of reasons that we don’t have time to get into here). Once aged, barrel-proof barrels are blended and the label gets the mean barrel proof or ABV of those barrels.

(As aside about my last aside, when you see a label that says “full proof” or “barrel entry proof,” it means that the blend of whiskeys was created to match the proof that the whiskey went into the barrel — sometimes by proofing the whiskey with more water before bottling and sometimes not at all. When you see “barrel proof” or “cask strength,” that means that the blend of whiskeys was bottled at whatever proof the whiskey was out when it came out of the barrel — that’s always without any final proofing water before bottling.)

Below, I’ve conducted a blind taste test (shout out to my wife for the assist!) of new barrel-proof bourbon whiskeys and one “barrel entry proof” which was also bottled at barrel proof.

Our lineup today is:

• A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2
• Hirsch The Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished In Cognac Casks
• Larceny Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. B523
• Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey Small Batch No. 0001
• Maker’s Mark 2023 Limited Release BEP Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Finished With 10 Virgin Oak Staves
• Booker’s “Charlie’s Batch” 2023-01 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• New Riff Silver Grove Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof Aged 4 Years
• Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. B523

While I was simply looking for the best-tasting bourbon in this blind test, I also had to consider how those higher ABVs were used in the final blend. Was the high proof balanced with the rest of the flavor profile? Or did that barrel proof completely wash out the palate, leaving me with nothing but burn? These things matter when picking the right barrel-proof bourbon to enjoy, so let’s dive right on in!

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• The 100 Best Bourbon Whiskeys Of 2022, Ranked
• Our Head Drinks Critic Reveals The Expensive Bourbons He *Won’t* Pay Above Retail For
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• Every Single Buffalo Trace Whiskey & Spirits Brand, Ranked

Part 1 — The Barrel Proof Bourbon Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a leathery nature on the nose with classic bourbon deep flourishes of very black cherry, salted caramel, cinnamon toast with cream butter and old vanilla pods, a touch of orange oil, and woody spice berries and barks.

Palate: Apple orchards and cherry pies open the sweet palate toward a massive heat from the ABVs that eventually fades towards creamy Nutella and maybe some cherry tobacco.

Finish: The heat comes roaring back on the finish with brash woody winter spice and burnt orange with a touch of vanilla trying to find a counterbalance to all the heat.

Initial Thoughts:

Wow. Right out of the gate and my palate is blown the f*ck up by this pour. There was so much going on that tasted great and then it was completely muted by the ABVs. Shame.

I had to reset my palate after this taste with celery and fizzy water. It was that much of a proof bomb.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose feels lush and oaky with a sense of Christmas cookies, mincemeat pies, and sticky toffee pudding next to stewed plums over fresh scones with a hint of brandy butter.

Palate: Old leather boots filled with cinnamon bark and a medley of dates, figs, and prunes lead to chocolate cut with red chili and vanilla and kissed with salt and dry cedar.

Finish: That cinnamon bark intensifies with dark red fruit, light chili pepperiness, and a sense of old malted cookies dipped in vanilla toffee on the very end.

Initial Thoughts:

This is balanced and lush. The ABVs are there but it’s nuanced and adds a nice buzzing rather than a slashing burn. It’s nice.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose runs deep with dark chili pepper spice next to salted caramel, cherry cake, and rich vanilla with a hint of nuttiness.

Palate: The taste is lush with a deep sense of creamy winter spices mixed into mincemeat pies and eggnog next to malted buckwheat pancakes drizzled in toffee syrup and sprinkled with roasted walnuts, pecans, and almonds with a whisper of wild sage.

Finish: Sharp cinnamon bark and cherry vanilla tobacco round out the finish with a nice balance of creaminess and sharp woody spice leading to a warm and long Kentucky hug (ABV warmth).

Initial Thoughts:

This is pretty classic with a nice and gentle burn that leaves you buzzing (around your mouth).

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a nice sense of orchard fruits and barks that leads to a dry grassy graininess (hello, craft whiskey) with a soft apple pie and peach cobbler vibe that leads to a floral honey cut with clear Caro corn syrup sweetness.

Palate: That sweetness attaches to the dry grains on the palate with a sense of white cornmeal over smudging sage with a hint of orchard and winter spice bark rounding out the palate before the ABVs start to rise.

Finish: The rise of the ABVs peak pretty quickly with a pleasant buzzing, more honeyed sweetness, and dry prairie grasses on a summer’s day.

Initial Thoughts:

I like this as a crafty. It’s kind of fun. The ABVs aren’t overpowering but they’re there. It’s about a million miles away from a classic bourbon though (but maybe that’s the point).

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Roasted vanilla beans and pan-toasted winter spices (nutmeg, clove, allspice, and cinnamon) mingle with lush and butter caramel sauce, brown-sugar rock candy, and a whisper of old wicker furniture with a hint of pipe tobacco.

Palate: That brown-sugar sweetness drives the palate toward woody and warm winter spices that create a nice buzz alongside a creamy eggnog edge next to vanilla sheet cake sprinkled with toffee chards and dried orchard fruits.

Finish: The end dries out a tad as the warm spices ramp up toward a holiday cake made with plenty of vanilla, brown sugar, buttercream, and toasted woody spices before being kissed with fresh pipe tobacco that was left in a cedar box for a spell.

Initial Thoughts:

This is damn fine. It has a really good balance of ABV heat with a deep flavor profile.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Toasted almonds and walnuts lead the way on the nose with a deep and rich vanilla cake lightly dusted with cacao, dry cherry, and cinnamon with a touch of old oak cellars and black-mold-encrusted old deck furniture.

Palate: The soft caramel and vanilla open the palate before a rush of woody and sharp spices — clove, anise, allspice, red chili pepper — arrive with a sense of old wood chips on a workshop floor leads to salted toffee dipped in roasted almonds and dark salted chocolate with a whisper of cherry cordial backing it all up.

Finish: That soft sweetness counters the hot spices for a while on the slow finish as the spices take on an orange/cherry/vanilla Christmas cake vibe with plenty of nuts and ABV heat.

Initial Thoughts:

Goddamn, this is delicious. It’s hot but it makes sense that it is with all that’s going on in that it is kind of like climbing a set of stairs into ever more intense and deep flavors and sensations. This is a winner, folks.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Sweet salted caramel and dusty old cinnamon sticks lead to oily vanilla pods, red chili spiced cherry syrup, and a sense of cedar planks soaked in red fruit and maple syrup.

Palate: Dried blueberries and woody huckleberries combine with rich salted caramel and ground almond with a sense of classic cherry vanilla bourbon notes adhering to a light sense of chewy tobacco.

Finish: That tobacco really leans into the caramel/cherry/vanilla on the finish as the bourbon-iness of everything peaks with a soft Kentucky hug and subtly sweet end.

Initial Thoughts:

This is very nice but a little on the thinner side. The ABVs were there but this felt more like a standard bourbon — in the best way — than anything else on this list.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is full of classic bourbon notes of spiced cherry cake, vanilla pods, soft oak, and a touch of leather and nuttiness.

Palate: The taste delivers stewed peaches next to peppery spice, a hint of Christmas spices, and rich vanilla caramel cake with a twinge of cherry/ginger.

Finish: The stone fruit, cherry, woody spices, and vanilla all come together on a lush and warming end.

Initial Thoughts:

This was very thin comparatively. I wouldn’t even have guessed it was barrel proof to be completely frank. It had a nice flavor profile, very classic in fact, but it just didn’t sing on the palate.

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a nice sense of funk and fruit on the nose — think standing by a barn in an apple orchard — that leads to salted caramel, cherry tobacco, and rich dark chocolate cut with red chili pepper flakes with a lush vanilla foundation of almond cakes and powdered sugar icing.

Palate: Rich winter spice cakes with a hint of rum raisin drive the taste toward dark cherry spiced tobacco with a rush of ABVs that cause a deep buzz before old cellar dirt floors and oak arrives with a dark sense of chocolate and espresso all kissed with salt.

Finish: Cherry Coke and gingerbread drive the finish with a lush and vibrant sense of red chili pepper spice, black pepper woodiness, and cinnamon bark softness before stewed apple and buttery pie crust lead back toward a vanilla almond cake vibe with a lingering warming sensation.

Initial Thoughts:

Again, this is damn fine whiskey! This is a winning pour that’s wonderfully balanced between ABV warmth and deep and darkly classic Kentucky bourbon notes.

Part 2 — The Barrel Proof Bourbon Ranking

9. A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #2 — Taste 1

ABV: 72.25%

Average Price: $2,999

The Whiskey:

This new batch (late 2022) from Sazerac’s Virginia distillery is all about upping the ante on the last bold ABV release. Batch #2 takes the ABVs even higher in this cask-strength bourbon bomb thanks to the careful selection of old barrels that are batched and left completely uncut and non-chill-filtered.

Bottom Line:

I’ve liked this in the past but this time it was just too unbalanced toward the ABVs. It wasn’t a Kentucky hug at all. It was a Virginia kick in the face. It’s a real shame too, as there is some great nuance going on in this whiskeys profile. You’ll just need a big rock or a tablespoon of mineral water to find it.

8. Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 8

ABV: 59.5%

Average Price: $92

The Whiskey:

The sourced bourbon is small-batched from hand-selected barrels and bottled at Diageo’s new Bulleit Kentucky facility without any filtration or cutting down to proof. Basically, we’re talking about Bulleit dialed in to as close to bourbon excellence as it can get.

Bottom Line:

This is good bourbon but didn’t feel like barrel proof at all, hence it’s low ranking. Still, this 100% felt like a crowd-pleasing bourbon that’ll work wonders in a cocktail.

7. Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey Small Batch No. 0001 — Taste 4

ABV: 58%

Average Price: $39

The Whiskey:

This Iowa whiskey is all about the Iowa corn. The mash is 74% corn, 14% malted rye, and 12% malted barley that is rested in oak for a few years. Since the temperature in Iowa swings by 100 degrees through a single year, aging doesn’t need to last forever. When the barrels are just right, they’re batched and bottled completely as-is.

Bottom Line:

This was a nice crafty bourbon. If you’re looking for a classic bourbon, this ain’t it. If you’re looking for something different to break up the static of Kentucky bourbon, this is the bottle to snag. It’s tasty and well-balanced.

6. New Riff Silver Grove Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Proof Aged 4 Years — Taste 7

ABV: 56.8%

Average Price: $55

The Whiskey:

This new and very limited release from New Riff (it’s a distillery-only release for now) is an hommage to Cincinnati’s Carthage neighborhood and the Edward Brinkmann Distillery’s 1933 bottling of “Silver Grove.” The actual whiskey in the bottle is made from a mash of 65% corn, 30% malted rye, and 5% malted barley. That whiskey was left alone for four years before batching and bottling as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is damn fine bourbon from one of the best “craft” distilleries working today. If you’re anywhere near Northern Kentucky, or Cincinnati, Ohio, get yourself over to the distillery for a bottle ASAP. That all said, this was on the lighter side. You feel the ABVs but they take a back seat to the rest of the profile. So when ranking barrel-proof bourbons, this takes a knock on that front.

Still tasty AF though.

5. Larceny Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. B523 — Taste 3

ABV: 62.2%

Average Price: $59

The Whiskey:

The spring edition of Larceny is here. The whiskey is a barrel-proof version of Larceny wheated bourbon (68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley) created from a small batch of six to eight-year-old barrels. Those barrels come together and go into the bottle 100% as-is.

Bottom Line:

This is a nice Larceny release (there are three of these every year). It’s balanced and classic but doesn’t quite pop. I’ll probably use this more for killer old fashioneds than sipping.

4. Maker’s Mark 2023 Limited Release BEP Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Finished With 10 Virgin Oak Staves — Taste 5

ABV: 55.35%

Average Price: $69

The Whisky:

This is the final chapter of Maker’s Mark “Wood Finish Series” before the next set starts dropping. The whiskey in the bottle is made from classic Maker’s that’s batched at barrel entry proof (BEP), which is 110-proof. Next, the whiskey is finished with ten bespoke wooden staves inside the barrel, all made from new (or “virgin”) oak. Those barrels are then batched and bottled without any proofing water.

Bottom Line:

This is excellent whiskey. It’s on the woodier side, yes, but it all makes sense to the senses as you slowly sip it. This is the bottle you get when you want a slow and delightful sipping experience with a well-made bourbon that has a nice bite to it.

3. Hirsch The Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished In Cognac Casks — Taste 2

ABV: 63.5%

Average Price: $210

The Whiskey:

This cask-strength version of Hirsch is made from a classic bourbon mash of 72% corn, 13% rye, and 15% malted barley. That hot juice then rests for six years in new American oak. Those barrels are batched and then re-filled into 30-year-old Hine XO fine cognac casks for another year-and-a-half of resting. Finally, the whiskey is batched and bottled as-is.

Bottom Line:

This might be my favorite Hirsch release. It has a serious depth that’s perfectly accented by the subtle cognac notes. If you’re looking for a great food pairing whiskey, this is a must-have as the tasting profile feels very culinarily focused.

2. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch No. B523 — Taste 9

ABV: 62.1%

Average Price: $69

The Whiskey:

The latest Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is here (number two of three for 2023). This edition is a batch of bourbons that are a minimum of 11.5 years old (down from the usual 12-year age statements). The batch is bottled completely as is without cutting with water or chill filtration.

Bottom Line:

This is an excellent Elijah Craig release. It’s deeply classic while going to new and funky places that 100% elevate this pour. The ABVs are balanced and nuanced and add to the overall profile.

This might as well be tied for first place but the next pour was just that little bit extra so here we are.

1. Booker’s “Charlie’s Batch” 2023-01 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey — Taste 6

ABV: 63.3%

Average Price: $97

The Whiskey:

This first Booker’s Small Batch of 2023 has arrived! This release is an hommage to Charlie Hutchens — the woodworker who makes Booker’s boxes the whiskey comes in and a long-time family friend to the Noe family who makes Beam whiskeys. The whiskey is a blend of mid to high-floor barrels from five warehouses. Those whiskeys were batched and bottled 100% as-is at cask strength after just north of seven years of aging.

Bottom Line:

This is a warm whiskey — the quintessential Kentucky hug bourbon if you will. That said, there’s just so much going on in the flavor profile with beautifully layered heat, smells, and tastes that it transcends. My advice is to pour this over a single large rock and slowly let it wash over you one slow sip at a time.

Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the Barrel Proof Bourbon

There are some great whiskeys on this list. You really cannot go wrong with anything from the top five. The Hirsch and Maker’s are going to be the most easy to find while the Booker’s should be widely available… for the moment. Then it’s likely to hit the aftermarket. The Larceny and Elijah Craig are a bit more allocated (only sent out to special accounts) so they will be a little more fleeting, but they’re worth tracking down — both are great editions.

At the end of the day, if you’re just grabbing one, the Booker’s is what you want.

Ever since Tucker Carlson was abruptly and mysteriously canned from Fox News, people have wondered where he’d wind up next? (Provided his old employer didn’t use his contract to keep him off-air for nearly two years.) Would he wind up at one of those low-rent Fox copycats like Newsmax or OANN? Would he start his own rival rightwing company? Would he go the way of other Fox alumni, like Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Megyn Kelly — i.e., become mostly irrelevant? Two weeks later we have an answer, and it’s none of the above.

As per Mediaite, Carlson is heading to…Twitter? On Tuesday, the guy whose voice was recently used to dupe Alex Jones into agreeing to some mutual nipple-licking (seriously!) dropped a new video on Twitter. Its caption read “We’re back.”

Unlike the video Tucker posted a couple days after his firing, this wasn’t cryptic and dog-whistle-y. It began with him accusing the mainstream media of misleading the masses, who are then left “manipulated” — a pretty rich charge from the guy who edited Jan. 6 Capitol riot footage to make it look peaceful. He also subtweeted his old employers, saying that if one “bumps up” against certain limits of free speech enough times, “you will be fired for it.”

He eventually gets to the big announcement. “Starting soon, we’ll be bringing a new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter,” Carlson revealed. He called the social media giant, at least under current owner Elon Musk, the “last big” platform for unfettered free speech “remaining in the world.” (Note: In the early days, Musk vindictively and pettily suspended the accounts of journalists he didn’t like.)

The news comes after reports that surfaced over the weekend that Carlson had had a secret meeting with Musk.

What does this mean for Tucker’s Fox News contract? Puck’s Dylan Byers said that by moving to Twitter, he’ll “forgo at least $25 million owed to him by Fox Corp. in order to break non-compete clause.”

This could lead to a messy legal battle — which Carlson reportedly may want to happen anyway. Given that all the revelations that have been made about him — including that he hated Donald Trump’s guts, at least during the aftermath of the 2020 election — haven’t appeared to make him less popular with his base, maybe he’s not worried about all that dirt Fox News honchos allegedly have on him. Like Trump, embarrassing/bone-chilling revelations only seem to make him stronger.

(Via Mediaite)

Protests in NYC over the murder of Jordan Neely got tense last night after a 150 people march was broken up by the NYPD outside of the Broadway-Lafayette subway station in Manhattan. According to ABC7NY, a handful of protestors and journalists were arrested for “unspecified offenses” and left bruised and bloody in the process, with police later reporting that a protestor brought a suspected Molotov cocktail to the march.

In a statement shared by ABC7NY, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said, “We don’t know what the liquid is as of yet. It has not been tested. You can see the ripped-up rag down there that will facilitate the flame…”

Now, the NYPD News Twitter account has produced a photo of the alleged Molotov cocktail and it looks like the internet — especially Twitter, where the conversation is concentrated — isn’t entirely convinced. The account tweeted a photo of a Topo Chico bottle with a damp… something inside and wrote:

“This is a Molotov cocktail that was found at tonight’s protest.”

Keep in mind it still hasn’t been tested, so this is off to a hell of a start, the tweet continues, “We are committed to ensuring everyone’s right to protest. Violence has no place in civic demonstration. These actions will never be tolerated and anyone bringing weapons on dangerous substances will be arrested.”

Obviously, the NYPD is correct in stating that violence has no place in civic demonstration but the photo is a strange one and Twitter users have added additional context to the post writing, “While these materials could technically be used in the making of a Molotov cocktail, the picture does not show a Molotov cocktail, or provide evidence that one was made.”

A typical Molotov cocktail is made using a glass bottle filled with flammable substances like kerosene, gasoline, alcohol, or potassium chlorate, and uses a cloth wick to ignite the substance, but what the NYPD News account posted raises a lot of questions.

Mainly, why, if someone were to make a Molotov cocktail, why would they use a bottle of Topo Chico? But beyond that, if the NYPD does have this alleged Molotov in its possession, why are they just letting it chill out on a table? Why so close to the bottle of Poland Spring? Why leave a potentially dangerous weapon out in the open at all?

Many on Twitter are reacting to the NYPDNews account for this post with some people suggesting the photo is not of a Molotov cocktail at all but of just some random trash the NYPD stumbled upon.

I think we can conclude two things: 1. The NYPD, the same police department that once claimed Shake Shack employees were poisoning them because they got a tummy ache from a milkshake is goofy AF. And 2. Topo Chico is the greatest carbonated water ever.

How long will the Writers Guild of America strike last? According to insiders, it could be a long, long time. Already dozens of high-profile shows and movies have gone dark, including Stranger Things and Marvel’s long-in-the-works reboot of Blade. But so far that hasn’t convinced the Hollywood studios and streamers that comprise the Alliance of Motion Picture Television Producers of kowtowing to the WGA’s demands. Now another big show is going on hiatus, though the strike may only be one of the reasons why.

As per Deadline, Severance — Apple TV+’s sci-fi whatzit, whose first season captivated viewers last year — is temporarily throwing in the towel due to the strike. On its eighth day, WGA members had been picketing their studio in central Brooklyn, and did so so well that that members of IATSE and the Teamsters up and refused to cross picket lines.

But other factors may have contributed to its shuttering. The AV Club points to a Puck report from last month that all was not going so well with the show’s second season. That report claimed that the show had been “plagued for months by pricey problems, including scrapped scripts and the dreaded showrunners who don’t speak to each other.” Sources close to the production denied those rumors — to The AV Club, as it were — saying that show-runners Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman were collaborating just fine.

After the report surfaced, Ben Stiller, who helmed seven of the first season’s nine episodes, took to Twitter to deny any mishegoss. “No one’s going to the break room,” he wrote. “We’re on the same really slow schedule we’ve always been on. Same target air date we’ve always had. Love our fans and each other and we all are just working to make the show as good as possible.”

Whatever the case, it may be a good while until Hollywood brass lets them return to the inhumane world of Lumon Industries. On the other hand, that could also mean striking writers could get more pizza from Pete Davidson.

(Via Deadline, The AV Club, and Puck)

You know the old myth that if you say a certain name three times, then said person will show up and week havoc? People tend to think it’s about Beetlejuice when in reality it’s about Justin Theroux, who will appear whenever somebody summons him. He’s got nothing else to do.

In this case, Theroux has been summoned to the set of Beetlejuice 2, the upcoming sequel to the cult classic comedy-horror movie that made you afraid of Michael Keaton as a child (meanwhile Morbius made you afraid of him as an adult).

Not only will Keaton be returning as the titular beetle, but Wednesday star Jenna Ortega will also star in the flick as Lydia Deetz’s daughter, while Theroux will star as a currently unannounced character. Winona Ryder is also expected to reprise her role as Deetz.

Tim Burton is reportedly set to direct the film, which will take place years after the events of the first movie, where a seemingly innocent family was haunted by numerous demonic beings just because they wanted to live in a nice home. That’s unfortunately what you are risking when you move to the state of Connecticut.

The Beetlejuice sequel is set to begin filming this summer, with an expected release date of September 6th, 2024. Fans of dates might notice that it’s right after Labor Day, so it looks like a certain green-haired freak might need a new costume.

Via Variety

The Miami Heat are up 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, bearing in on a second straight appearance in the penultimate postseason series. There has not been a more demoralizing, one-sided set of games in the second round of the playoffs this year than what the Knicks have experienced.

In the past two games, the Heat have taken everything that the Knicks thrived on this season and done it better, nullifying their strengths, and adding in wrinkles the Knicks feel incapable of ironing out.

First and foremost, the Heat dominated the Knicks on the glass in Games 3 and 4. The box score only shows a minor discrepancy, but when factoring in offensive efficiency and total rebounds available, the pressure Miami has put on with second chances is astounding considering how much smaller the Heat frontcourt is. Per Cleaning the Glass, Miami has corralled 37 percent of their own misses while playing at home (The Knicks have grabbed 26.8 percent of their offensive rebounding opportunities compared to 34.9 percent last series against the Cavs).

Miami’s wings have been adept crashing the glass, with Caleb Martin and Jimmy Butler leading the charge. Effort is a cliche term, but the attention to detail from the Heat’s off-ball players has been noticeably better than New York’s. When the ball goes up, the Knicks operate like they’re taking a breather or are in between possessions. Miami, on the other hand, is treating the ball going up as just a continuation of the possession, or even as a boost to spark their offense.

So many of Miami’s offensive boards have been the agonizing variety where there’s three players in the vicinity, all waiting for the ball to fall, and a Heat player comes flying from across the court to corral it.

The Knicks have felt as though they’re on their back foot the entire time, trying to ward off every jab and hook from Miami. The Heat have ramped up the pace sensationally. That sounds ridiculous looking at the actual pace metrics — per Basketball-Reference, both teams are playing at a 92.8 possessions per 48 pace, well below where both teams played in the regular season (both teams were bottom 5 in pace).

But Miami has picked its spots well, taking particular advantage of kick-aheads off of live rebounds, something that’s been a staple of Kevin Love’s arsenal for years which the Heat have weaponized in this series in particular.

Yet, it’s the pace in the halfcourt that stands out. This team does not stand still. There’s constant motion, consistent cutting, and Miami has run every player in New York’s rotation through a gauntlet of screens. Even if they’re using much of the shot clock, or going through multiple possessions in a set, Miami is so busy in the halfcourt and always finding small ways to push the ball down quickly that the Knicks are often playing catch up once a possession starts.

Already off kilter, the Heat have put even more strain on New York’s frontcourt through their blend of movement shooting and screening. So often when talking about the Heat, everything comes back to Bam Adebayo’s screening, and rightfully so. He’s one of the best! But, especially in Game 4, it was the screening from off-ball players that opened up cleanest looks Bam has had all postseason en route to a playoff high 23 points.

While Bam misses the jumper in this clip, there’s so much you can parse through in the process of this play.

Note how far out Mitchell Robinson is playing on Bam, a necessity given how dynamic he and Miami’s shooters have been in tandem with him as a hand-off and screening hub. Miami is shooting the lights out in the playoffs after a lethargic regular season, with every player in the top eight of the rotation shooting 36 percent or better from beyond the arc. That’s meant there hasn’t been a cold stretch that’s allowed the Knicks to really gamble with playing potential shooting luck.

Bam screens for Max Strus, who wheels right back to screen for him. Jalen Brunson shows before recovering back out to Strus, and Robinson dips under the screen, taking a long path back after the awkward screening angle. Even without the ball being in play, there’s an advantage/gap created in the defense borne out of Strus’ shooting gravity.

To Adebayo’s credit as well, he’s taken it to Robinson with his superior mobility. He’s continually shifting around and has enough touch to make Robinson tentative, and on top of all of the off-ball actions that have already got the 7-footer cautious, Bam has been adept at getting underneath Robinson’s center of gravity to finish, draw fouls, and boxout.

Last night was the first “star” box score of the series for Bam, but make no mistake, he’s been a star and the second best player in the series by a longshot through owning the little things.

Defensively, the Knicks have been stretched to the max, highlighting the lack of versatility on the roster. Brunson, as fantastic as he’s been offensively, has struggled to contain drives. With how well the Heat have used off-ball actions to offset some of New York’s stellar rim protection from Robinson, they’ve been carved up out of ball screens, and even blown by in isolation. Miami has shot too well to routinely use ICE coverage and be effective. That led to the Knicks trying to employ a hard hedge and recover scheme with Julius Randle at the four, in an attempt to halt interior drives.

This play is so indicative of how that went even with the shot not falling. Randle had real moments of freneticism and movement, and then large swaths of possessions where he jogs back after the shot. I don’t know if the ankle is bothering him. I don’t know if he’s just tired. I do know that it didn’t work because Miami moved the ball so quickly and moves their bodies quickly as well.

Everything Miami’s done has been faster, with more intention, and with the efficiency to make it matter and force defensive shift.

Obi Toppin has struggled to find an impact on the court, as he’s been too slow defensively and hasn’t found an effective role within the offense. Randle hasn’t shot well and his decision-making has been rough repeatedly, but the Heat have packed the paint incredibly well. They’ve pin-pointed and found the shooters they’re most comfortable sagging off of on the Knicks’ roster and it’s been abundantly clear.

Josh Hart is a fantastic cutter and driver, but the Heat have abandoned guarding him, mucking up the lane by cheating off of him.

While New York has shooters, they don’t have movement shooting in the same way Miami does. Quentin Grimes is the only player in the main rotation who is taking shots off screens at a high level, and he’s been muted this series. Immanuel Quickley is a phenomenal off the dribble shooter, but isn’t quite the same type of player who can fly off a pin-down and set his feet quickly (yet), and even then, he’s out with injury and has struggled in the playoffs.

The Knicks and Tom Thibodeau have made adjustments, they’ve tried different schemes and coverages, but at the end of the day, Miami has exploited some of the biggest holes in their roster. With the Heat owning the series by taking over the offensive glass, neutralizing size in the frontcourt, and essentially playing New York’s style better, the season looks just about over for the Knicks with many things that need to be addressed in the coming offseason.

Donald Trump has been found liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll. The former president had been accused of sexually assaulting Carroll, and it did not take long for a jury to deliberate after Trump delivered a jarring deposition where he doubled down on his infamous Access Hollywood remarks about grabbing women “by the p*ssy.” Trump also repeatedly attacked the judge and Carroll on social media, which clearly did not help his case.

According to The New York Times, a jury found that Trump sexually abused Carroll, but did not rape her because the assault allegedly did not involve intercourse. The jury also found that Trump defamed her by calling her accusations false. Predictably the former president has already lashed out on Truth Social.

“I have absolutely no idea who this woman is,” Trump wrote. “This verdict is a disgrace — a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time!”

Trump’s campaign was also quick to put out a statement.

“In jurisdictions wholly controlled by the Democratic Party our nation’s justice system is now compromised by extremist left-wing politics. We have allowed false and totally made-up claims from troubled individuals to interfere with our elections, doing great damage.”

The campaign added: “This case will be appealed, and we will ultimately win.”

Speaking of Trump’s campaign, his 2024 presidential aspirations are now further staining the Republican Party. As Twitter users reacted to the verdict, there was widespread disgust at the fact that Trump still remains the frontrunner to secure the GOP nomination. Granted, it’s too early to tell whether the verdict will boost potential challenger Ron DeSantis, but at the moment, Trump is still the head of the party.

You can see some of the reactions below:

(Via The New York Times)

When Aminé announced his joint project with Kaytranada last month, it sounded like a match made in heaven. The two genre-forward artists named their upcoming album Kaytraminé in honor of the combination of their respective styles. After releasing the Pharrell-featuring single “4Eva” and sharing the summery tracklist, they’ve got fans clamoring for an official release. Fortunately, those fans won’t have long to wait; Kaytraminé has a release date of May 19, just ten days away — and more than enough time for them to drop at least one more teaser.

Kaytraminé will be Aminé’s first album since 2020’s Limbo, his second studio album, and his first full-length project since his 2021 mixtape TwoPointFive, which was meant to split the wait until his next album. Meanwhile, Kaytranada previously proved his ability to produce a full project alongside another multifaceted rap talent with last year’s Simple, a joint project with DMV rapper IDK.

Kaytranada also raised his profile this spring with his appearances at Coachella during which he played eclectic sets of his iconic collaborations. While weekend one saw him bring out Aminé and Kali Uchis, for weekend two, he introduced the crowd to his work with Anderson Paak, HER, and Tinashe.

Kaytraminé is out 5/19 via Club Banana / Kaytranada Music & Publishing and Venice Music distribution.

Manifest isn’t a show that has to make sense, and that’s a good thing because when a character touches an airplane part and instantaneously ages several years, logic isn’t part of the equation. Still, there’s a method to creator Jeff Rake’s madness, and he’s got two fewer seasons than he’d hoped to bring Flight 828 in for a final landing. This development followed an NBC cancellation before Netflix picked up the streaming ball and ran with it.

That led to Netflix renewing the semi-sci-fi series for a (final) fourth, supersized season, and Part 1 ended with Zeke’s death, so expect Michaela Stone to be reeling with the story picks up. At the same time, the series will continue parcelling out information about callings and shadowy government forces, all while the show’s Death Date (in the story, at least) remains June 2, 2024. Part 2 will arrive a year before that date, on June 2, 2023, and to get the audience primed, Rake told Entertainment Weekly that the series finale is complete, and it is an ambitious doozy:

“That finale that’s coming up, [episode] 420, that’s hands down the most ambitious episode we have ever shot,” Rake tells EW in April with the entire finale already shot and edited. “I don’t want to oversell, but I think you’ll agree when you see it that that even surpasses what you saw in 410 — and you’ll probably say ‘by a long shot.’”

EW also reminds viewers of how Rake previously confirmed that Zeke is definitely dead despite previously surviving his own death-date odds, but Rake did not close the door on some sort of face time from actor Matt Long. In dropping this hint, Rake seems to suggest flashbacks or maybe something ghostly, but actress Melissa Roxburgh recently told EW that Michaela “kind of shuts down,” and “[s]he’s fried” while also distracting herself with solving the whole mystery of Flight 828.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)

A basic rule throughout nature is that larger animals tend to live longer than smaller ones. Elephants saunter into their sixties and whales can cruise the ocean for centuries, whereas mice live about a year or two and the common house fly won’t make it past a month.

The major reasons for the discrepancy are slower metabolisms and reduced risks from predators. However, there is a disconnect when it comes to man’s best friend. On average, smaller dogs tend to outlive larger ones.

For instance, petite Chihuahuas can live up to 15 years, outliving their significantly larger counterparts, Great Danes, by a solid 8 years. What’s to account for the huge difference in lifespan?

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Dogs diverge from the rest of the animal kingdom regarding longevity primarily because of how they mature as puppies.

According to Discover Magazine, larger breeds suffer from more physical ailments when they age because they expend more of their early resources for growth instead of maintaining their bodies. This can lead to more damage on the cellular level that doesn’t manifest until the dog has reached adulthood. This lowers a larger dog’s defenses against cancer while also raising the possibility of DNA replication damage that can lead to cancer at a later age.

To put it simply: Larger dogs grow up fast, which leads to a faster decline.

“There’s a body of robust theory in evolutionary biology—what we call ‘life history theory’ – about the way animals allocate their resources to different functions,” evolutionary biologist Professor Mark Elgar of the University of Melbourne’s School of Biosciences told Phys.org. “The bottom line is, there is no free lunch.”

“We conclude that large dogs die young mainly because they age quickly,” Elgar says.

It appears that all that wear and tear on a large breed dog’s body as they rapidly grow can harm its health in the long run. A group of undergraduate students from Colgate University in New York found that as puppies, large breed dogs have significantly more free radicals in their cells, which can lead to damage that has long-lasting effects.

Free radicals steal parts from other molecules, which causes damage and can lead to aging and disease.

Being a dog lover is bittersweet because you know that you and your furry friend will have to say goodbye one day. I guess that’s what makes the time together so special. Your time together is finite, so it’s best to enjoy it together while you can.

The good news is that, as pet owners, if we take good care of our dogs, they can have the best chance of living a long and happy life. The American Kennel Club offers this list of tips to promote your dog’s longevity and quality of life:

• Feeding a healthy diet
• Helping maintain a healthy weight
• Encouraging breed- and age-appropriate physical and mental exercise
• Taking our dogs for annual veterinary checkups and vaccinations
• Providing preventive dental care
• Administering heartworm, flea and tick preventatives
• Keeping them safe from accidents
• Giving love and affection