As the Heat mounted an incredible comeback to force overtime in Game 6, many of those in attendance weren’t there to see it, because they had already made their way to the exits. Miami radio host and columnist Dan LeBatard noted the crowd’s lack of fandom in a series of tweets just before Ray Allen‘s 3-pointer sent the game into overtime.

Mass exodus. Gotta beat traffic, you know?

—
Dan Le Batard Show (@LeBatardShow) June 19, 2013

So many people have left that I'm honestly embarrassed for this city.

—
Dan Le Batard Show (@LeBatardShow) June 19, 2013

Check out a photo of the fans headed for the exit below.

Photo via Instagram/bomani_jones

Andrew Bailey owes Jonny Gomes a steak dinner. Or something.

After Bailey blew yet another save to fire up the closer controversy machine for another go, Gomes sent the fans hope happy after all with a two-run walk-off home run. The blast over the Monster capped off a doubleheader sweep for the Sox, who outlasted the Rays in Game 1 and outpitched them in Game 2.

Felix Doubront had the best game of his big-league career on Tuesday night, but he won’t have the win to go with it. That’s probably OK in the end, because his team won, and the players will tell you that’s what really matters.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is naming Gomes our “Closing Argument” player of the game. Who’s yours?

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Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler cut his chin open in the third inning of Tuesday’s game, but he didn’t let that slow him down. After cutting his chin on A’s catcher John Jaso‘s mask and spraying blood on the front of his jersey, Kinsler needed three stitches to close the wound.

He got those stitches in between innings, as the start of the fourth inning was delayed until he was ready. As Kinsler headed back to the Texas dugout, teammate Jurickson Profar was a little grossed out by Kinsler’s injury. Check out the rookie’s reaction in the GIF below.

GIF via Twitter/@GoldAndOrSmith

Daniel Nava isn’t on the All-Star ballot this year, but that’s nothing new. After all, the outfielder has been under-appreciated and overlooked his entire career — until now.

Nava’s breakout campaign has forced the world to see him for the success story that he is, and that story will hopefully include a new chapter from Citi Field this summer. While Red Sox fans are writing in Nava for the Midsummer Classic, there’s no guarantee that will be enough to sneak him into the big game. If he keeps hitting like he has been, however, it just might be.

Check out the above video, where NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more.

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Thank goodness the Bruins took care of business in regulation in Game 3. Otherwise, Boston fans would likely be dealing with a serious sleep debt after enduring two extra-inning games and two overtime games in the last few days.

The bad news is that true fans will likely be dealing with some late-night sports once again on Tuesday, with the Sox playing their doubleheader against the Rays around a three-hour rain delay. The good news is that they’ve gotten at least one win out of the day.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is curious how the Sox will respond in Game 2. See more in the above video.

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Speaking at a charity golf tournament, the legendary player held court with the press on a variety of subjects, his rooting interest between the Bruins and Blackhawks among them.

Gretzky said he's cheering for the Bruins cause his bro works for team. Asked if he'll go to any games - joked he can't get tickets.

—
Caroline Cameron (@SNCaroline) June 18, 2013

Wayne’s brother, Keith Gretzky, serves as an amateur scout for the B’s. According to the Bruins website, he is responsible for scouting amateur prospects in North America and Europe who are eligible for the NHL draft.

In his comments with reporters, Wayne also downplayed the recent buzz that he was interested in coaching the Rangers. Gretzky said that he never spoke with the team before they hired Alain Vigneault as their new head coach.

Jaromir Jagr has done everything except score for the Bruins this postseason, and that’s OK. While the 41-year-old forward is still searching for his first goal of the playoffs, the Bruins have kept on giving him chances — because they keep winning.

Now, in the final round of the postseason, Jagr is still leading the way even without breaking through. In Game 3, he helped the B’s to victory not with a tally but with a picture-perfect assist to Patrice Bergeron to pad a lead. For that and for more, he’s our “Veteran Presents” player of the game. Who’s yours?

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In Game 2, the Blackhawks were clearly the better team for the first 20 minutes of gameplay. In Game 3, the B’s came out hot. However, in both cases, the teams failed to build commanding leads — a fact they may both come to regret.

Despite Marian Hossa‘s conspicuous absence for the Hawks, the Bruins couldn’t sneak one past Corey Crawford to ensure they’d have some momentum from Chicago’s misfortune. Now, with the game in full swing and both teams getting chances, the B’s will have to make sure they don’t suffer the same fate as the Blackhawks and squander a golden opportunity.

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They call the Blackhawks’ home arena the Madhouse on Madison, but now it’s time for the TD Garden to show Chicago what it’s like to play in a really crazy environment.

The Stanley Cup Final shifts to Boston for Game 3 of what has been an overtime-filled affair so far, and the fans of Beantown will be licking their chops at the chance to have another taste of playoff hockey at its finest. Considering the emotional nature of the Bruins’ Game 2 victory, the boys in black and gold should be amped to be back in front of their home crowd with a chance to grab a series lead — no matter how many overtimes await.

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The Blackhawks were by far the superior team through the first two periods of Game 2 — everywhere except on the scoreboard.

There, the Bruins were equal because of an improbable Chris Kelly goal that breathed life back into a Boston team that looked to be on its last legs. Instead, they’ll have another 20 minutes to fight for a win, something that seemed would be all but impossible until moments before Kelly’s tally.

See more in the above video.

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The Blackhawks wasted little time putting the pressure on the Bruins in Game 2, but the B’s are hanging around.

Boston is probably lucky to only be trailing by one goal after a frantic first period, in which Tuukka Rask made more saves than Corey Crawford might have to all game. NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is a little worried about the B’s, but he knows this could have gotten out of hand a lot more easily.

See why there’s no reason to despair in the above video.

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The Bruins have been in a 0-2 deficit before in the Stanley Cup Final and lived to tell about it, so playing two games’ worth of hockey on Wednesday night and only ending up down by one game isn’t the end of the world. Still, you can bet that this edition of the B’s would like to avoid digging out of that big hole once again, so they’ll be coming out firing on Saturday for Game 2.

With an extra day of rest to shake off the sorrows that might accompany a triple-overtime loss, the Bruins should be rarin’ to drop the puck once more against the Blackhawks. Throw in the fact that they’ve been getting quite a bit of rest over the last two rounds of the postseason, well, and you might just have yourself a recipe for a comeback.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more in the above video.

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The last two nights have not been fun ones for fans of Boston sports and sleep.

A night after the Bruins dropped a triple-overtime thriller to the Blackhawks, the Red Sox came out on the wrong end of a 13-inning nail-biter against the Orioles. Considering Boston’s history against the O’s in extras, we might have been able to see this one coming, but that doesn’t make it any less painful.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is still giving Andrew Miller some props as our player of the game. Who’s yours?

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The Yankees and Athletics battled into the 18th inning on Thursday night, but that’s probably not something the Red Sox should have much interest in doing themselves.

After all, the last time the Sox had to play the Orioles in that long of a game, it didn’t end too well for them. Besides, Chris Davis is enough to handle at the plate right now without needing to worry about him taking the mound again.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more in the above video.

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The American League East is once again staking its claim as the toughest division in baseball.

With the Red Sox back in the hunt for 2013, the East is shaping up to be a grind all season long — and one that has no shortage of teams willing to participate. The Yankees are still the Yankees, the Orioles are out to prove they belong and the Rays are lurking like they always do.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is excited to see how everything plays out, but also excited to see the variety of ways the teams are trying to climb their way to the top. See more in the above video.

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The versatile outfielder has been a revelation for Boston all season long, doing a little bit of everything and succeeding at it all. He’s a big reason why the Red Sox have enjoyed so much success to start this season — and is slowly but surely garnering himself some recognition for his stellar efforts.

While Nava isn’t listed on the All-Star ballot this season, his candidacy is slowly gaining steam around Red Sox Nation and the rest of the league. While it might be a long shot for Nava to get the call to Citi Field, that’s nothing that has ever stopped him before — so don’t expect it to slow him down this time, either.

NESN.com’s Ricky Doyle and Dan Duquette hopped on the podcast Thursday to break down Nava’s All-Star chances as the Sox head to Baltimore. They also touched on Jose Iglesias‘ success this year, the role John Farrell can play in helping Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz and much more.

Listen to the latest episode in the player below, or subscribe on iTunes to download it there.

How do you follow up one of the greatest games of all time? Well, we’re about to find out.

After a triple-overtime thriller in which both teams squandered chance after chance and toyed with the emotions of their fans, the Blackhawks emerged victorious after a doubly deflected goal somehow found its way past Tuukka Rask and the Bruins.

This thrilling Game 1 certainly sets the stage for the rest of the series to be downright epic, but the B’s will have to work their rear ends off to make it so. Despite a losing effort, Milan Lucic is our player of the game after this one … who’s yours?

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The Bruins haven’t always had the greatest power play, but the Blackhawks haven’t done much to make them jealous of theirs at the start of the Cup Final.

Chicago has looked punchless with the man advantage, so considering Boston’s similar luck in recent history, it looks safe to think this series is going to be decided playing 5-on-5. NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more in the above video.

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The Bruins and Blackhawks are the first and only teams who will be playing an opponent from the opposite conference this NHL season, so many onlookers expected things to start slowly in the Cup Final. That wasn’t the case.

The big hits in the first period of Game 1 are a testament to that, and a likely indicator of the kind of series we’re in for between these two teams. While the Bruins are known for their grit, the Hawks are no slouches either — and they seem eager to prove it.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is excited to see what else this series has in store.

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Nothing ever comes easy in the NHL, but the Blackhawks have certainly made things look easy at times this year. The Bruins, on the other hand, have had quite the wild ride to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

While Chicago has been the cream of the Western crop all season long, the B’s have had to overcome obstacle after obstacle on their way to the top of the heap out East. Now, the two squads will finally meet to determine one final winner, and it should be a lot of fun.

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