Good morning, everyone! SI’s Brigid Kennedy, back with another who’s who and what’s what of a Wemby-charged weekend in sports. Happy June 1st, and rabbit, rabbit, as they say.
Forward this to your friend who always believed in Julian Champagnie.
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Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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SPURS IN SEVEN: They did it. On Saturday, the San Antonio Spurs unseated the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. It was an unbelievable Game 7, featuring an all-team effort from San Antonio; star big man Victor Wembanyama had 22 points, but six other Spurs players put up double-digit scoring, too. Then, there was Luke Kornet’s wild chasedown block, which not only essentially clinched the win for San Antonio but will most certainly live on as franchise legend. … In the end, Wemby’s emotional reaction on the court really said it all. These guys were supposed to be too green, too young, too inexperienced to pull this off. And yet. And yet. … On the Oklahoma City side, things were much less happy. … Chet Holmgren fell flat when the lights were brightest, finishing with four points on 1-for-2 shooting, and later declined to make the game about him vs. his rival Wembanyama (wisely so, no doubt). … Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did not mince words while explaining that, WCF appearance or not, he believes he failed this season, point-blank. … Meanwhile, the OKC front office is about to get busy figuring out how to make a loaded roster work from a financial perspective. Thank god we’re not Sam Presti, whose offseason just got a lot busier. … Looking forward, the Finals start on Wednesday, June 3. The Larry O’Brien trophy will make an appearance at center court, thank God. … And looking back, Blake Silverman and Liam McKeone took a look at the winners and losers of the conference finals.
STICKS, RACKETS, BATS: Are you keeping up with the French Open? It’s chaos over at Roland Garros, where both sides of the tournament will crown first-time winners this year after Coco Gauff, the reigning women’s champ, exited in the third round. … In the men’s draw, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic are out, too, while Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t play due to injury. … Over on the links, Bryson DeChambeau sought advice from AI on the best way to improve his swing, which unfortunately sounds like something he’d do. … American Russell Henry won the Charles Schwab Challenge. … And Céline Boutier rallied for a victory at the Shoprite LPGA Classic. … In other news, the Women’s College World Series has made for some great television these last few days, though a scandal in the handshake line following Tennessee-Texas Tech seems to have overshadowed much of the action on the diamond. My explainer on the she-said, she-said drama between Taylor Pannell and Karen Weekly will tell you everything you need to know. … Finally, the Stanley Cup final begins this week! Huzzah! Bookmark this schedule of games between the Hurricanes and the Golden Knights.
Oh, and a few stray NFL links before moving on: in case you were wondering, both Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart took a few minutes before reporters on Friday to address Dart’s decision to introduce President Trump at a rally. … And the Vikings hired a new GM. Here’s the stuff to know about him.
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MLB insights and analysis delivered by Tom Verducci, offering a mix of expert commentary, inside angles and thoughtful perspectives on baseball’s biggest storylines.
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LOLs for your commute …
DOUBLE TROUBLE: First, consider the odds of catching even one stray ball at a baseball game. Pretty low, right? Now, consider the odds of catching two fouls and/or dingers during that same trip. Seems impossible, no? Well, my friend, it’s not. Because that’s what happened to this Orioles fan last week. Some people really do just walk in the light.
A GOOD WEMBY JOKE: I don’t have much to say about this tweet, only that it made me laugh and will hopefully make you laugh, too. So please click. I love Wemby in the city.
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📺 What we’re watching tonight ... |
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MLB:
Giants @ Brewers—7:40 p.m. ET; FS1, MLB.TV
The Brewers boast a comfortable four-game lead in the NL Central and are fresh off a visit to the Astros, where they prevailed two games to one. The Giants, meanwhile, sit in fourth in the NL West (15 games back from the first-place Dodgers), though they did finally snap a five-game losing streak with a 19–6 victory over the Rockies on Sunday. So. That’s something.
Women’s College World Series:
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Texas—12 p.m. ET; ESPN
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3 Texas Tech—7 p.m. ET; ESPN
More WCWS action! Tune! The Longhorns are the defending champions, and notably eliminated Tennessee in last year’s tournament, so we’ve got a revenge game going on there. Later, the Red Raiders (who have taken on the villain role this year) are up against No. 1 Alabama after surviving extra innings vs. UCLA on Sunday night.
WNBA:
Storm @ Wings—8 p.m. ET; USA Network
Lynx @ Mercury—10 p.m. ET; Peacock, NBC Sports
The Wings (5–3) will kick off Commissioner’s Cup play when they host the Storm (3–6) tonight—and if they win, it will mark the best start to a regular season since the franchise relocated to Texas in 2016. Later, the Mercury will also kick off the in-season tourney with a tilt against the Lynx (who are on a four-game win streak, mind you).
That’s all I’ve got for now. Since today is both a Monday and the first day of the month, I’d urge you to treat it as a fresh start, whatever that might mean to you. Best of luck, and I’ll see you again tomorrow morning.
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