While you were sleeping: Conor McGregor out of UFC 200, possibly retiring, NBA and NHL Playoffs recaps

Good morning! A lot happens in sports, even when you’re busy doing other non-sports-y stuff. So here are the top headlines and moments from yesterday, in case you missed anything while you were watching Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Conor McGregor out of UFC 200

The Notorious one has struck again. Just days before the highly-anticipated return of Jon Jones, Conor McGregor took to Twitter to announce his retirement and with one press of the “send” button he set the MMA world ablaze.

I have decided to retire young.
Thanks for the cheese.
Catch ya’s later.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 19, 2016

It is being reported that McGregor refused to attend a pre-fight press conference and other media obligations this weekend as part of the promotion for UFC 200. According to UFC president Dana White, McGregor had been in Iceland training for his scheduled rematch against Nate Diaz, who handed “The Notorious” his first UFC loss in March, and planned on skipping the promotional activities scheduled for this week. The UFC announced that McGregor has been pulled from the UFC 200 card, but it’s still unclear if this retirement true or not. It seems like a situation where the company tried to force McGregor to fulfill his media obligation, but the Irishman wouldn’t budge and decided to take his ball and go home.

It’s also possible that McGregor made this decision after being cageside for an MMA fight in Ireland in which a fighter, Joao Carvalho, passed away on April 11 after injuries sustained from the fight.

McGregor, 27, is the UFC featherweight champion and has yet to defend that title. His bout against Diaz would have taken place at welterweight (170 pounds).

NBA Playoffs: lower seeds fall flat

The NBA Playoffs have not been as exciting as we’d hoped, considering most of the lower seeds have failed to be competitive. Tuesday’s matchups saw a pair of blowouts as the Hawks beat the Celtics, 89-72, and the Spurs absolutely dismantled the Grizzlies, 94-68. Both the Spurs and the Hawks hold 2-0 series leads, and so far only two lower seeds have won a game in the playoffs.

The Hawks held the Celtics to just seven (!) first-quarter points, the fewest points scored in an opening quarter in NBA playoff-history, and finished the game with a franchise-record 15 blocks. The Spurs held the Grizzlies to their lowest point-total in franchise playoff-history. Credit the Atlanta and San Antonio defense, but seriously, watching those games was like sipping NyQuil while listening to a lullaby playlist. With the parity we saw all season, it’s not wrong for us to have expected more competitive games in the postseason.

NHL Playoffs: Blackhawks on verge of elimination

In Tuesday’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Blues defeated the Blackhawks, 4-3, to take a 3-1 series lead over the defending champions. The Lightning won a tight one against the Red Wings, 2-1, for a 3-1 lead. The Penguins took a 2-1 lead by beating the Rangers, 3-1, and the Ducks got their first win against the Predators, 3-0, but Nashville leads the series, 2-1.

Remember, you can catch each puck drop on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (Ch. 91).

Look cool every morning. Find out what you missed in the sports world while you were sleeping, and impress your friends and co-workers. We won’t tell them you were actually watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine.