Happy Friday
The Golden State Warriors have done it again. Steph Curry, the greatest shooter to walk the Earth, just added to his trophy collection. Let the celebration begin in the Bay.
Letter Rip!
NBA FINALS
A Dynasty Renewed
Warriors Capture 4th NBA Title in 8 Years With Game 6 Win (103-90) as Steph Curry Further Cements Legacy
Dubs do it again! After a historic stretch as the NBA’s reigning dynasty, the Golden State Warriors battled through two years of missed playoffs, injuries and setbacks to win their fourth NBA title in eight seasons. The Warriors went 16-6 in the postseason as the Western Conference 3-seed, concluding with three straight wins after trailing the Celtics in the Finals (2-1). It culminated with a Game 6 victory in Boston on Thursday night, and another ring — the most unlikely — for the core group of the Golden State dynasty.
How Game 6 Was Won
The Celtics jumped out to a 12-2 lead early on in Game 6, but the Warriors and Steph Curry (34 points) took the air out of TD Garden in a hurry. Golden State went on a 21-0 run in the second quarter — most of which came with Curry on the bench — before extending the lead to as many as 22. Boston battled back with a 15-2 run in the third, but the Dubs never the lead dwindle below 9 points. Golden State hit 19 threes, including a flurry down the stretch that sealed the deal with a few minutes to go, and the waterworks for Curry and company began.
Steph Curry in Game 6
34 points (12-for-21, FG / 6-for-11, 3pt), 7 rebounds, 7 assists
2022 NBA Finals MVP: Steph Curry
Curry averaged 28.5 points per game in the Finals while shooting a ridiculous 31-for-71 (43.7%) from deep, and that’s including the 0-for-9 outage in Game 5. Believe it or not, it’s Curry’s first NBA Finals MVP award, and his fourth ring ties him with LeBron James for the most among active players.
Draymond’s Takeover Mentality
The disappearance of Draymond Green early in the series saw the Celtics stifle the Warriors’ glue guy, but he erupted with a high-energy performance in Game 6 that made all the difference — 12 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks. He guarded Jayson Tatum for most of the game and held Boston’s superstar to just 13 points.
Dub Dynasty, Renewed
The Warriors are the standard of excellence in the NBA over the last decade. For those who don’t recall, Golden State appeared in five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015-2019, winning three titles before two seasons plagued by injury. They entered the 2021-22 regular season with +1100 odds to win the title. Eight seasons, six Finals trips, four rings.
Watch: Warriors Win 4th Title in 8 Seasons
Congratulations to the Golden State Warriors, your 2022 NBA champs!
Additional Storylines
SI: 1 Of 1: Stephen Curry, Warriors Are Champions Again
B/R: No, The Golden State Warriors’ 2022 NBA Finals Run Was Not Unfair
FOX Sports: Every Team’s 2022-2023 NBA Championship Odds
ESPN+: How the Boston Celtics Should Approach the Offseason
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PGA
U.S. Open: Round 1 Recap
Adam Hadwin (-4) Holds Outright Lead After Round 1; McIlroy (-3), Johnson (-2) Rahm (-1) and Thomas (-1) Under Par
Round 1 from Brookline is in the books, and some big names carded red numbers right out of the gate. The 122nd U.S. Open saw a surprise name atop the leaderboard after Thursday. Adam Hadwin (-4) holds the outright lead thanks to a string of five birdies in six holes. Five players are one stroke back at 3-under, including Rory McIlory — who won last weekend’s RBC Canadian Open — and four dark horses you may not have heard of. Hadwin’s birdie streak may have been the difference, but a dozen-or-so superstars are lurking in red numbers. Round 2 tees off this morning…
U.S. Open Leaderboard (Round 1)
A. Hadwin (-4)
R. McIlroy (-3)
C. Tarren (-3)
D. Lingmerth (-3)
J. Dahmen (-3)
M. Daffue (-3)
Other Notable Scorecards: D. Johnson (-2), J. Rose (-2), C. Morikawa (-1), J. Rahm (-1), A. Scott (-1), J. Thomas (-1), X. Schauffele (E), S. Scheffler (E), B. DeChambeau (+1), J. Spieth (+2), P. Cantlay (+2), B. Koepka (+3), P. Mickelson (+8) | Full Leaderboard
Today’s Tee Times (Featured Groups)
7:29 AM: J. Thomas, V. Hovland, T. Finau
7:40 AM: B. Koepka, C. Smith, S. Scheffler
7:51 AM: D. Johnson, M. Fitzpatrick, W. Simpson
1:03 PM: C. Morikawa, J. Piot, J. Rahm
1:14 PM: J. Spieth, A. Scott, M. Homa
1:25 PM: R. McIlroy, H. Matsuyama, X. Schauffele
Additional Storylines
PGA: Four Relative Unknowns Shined in U.S. Open’s First Round
Golf Digest: Jon Rahm Has Golf Ball Stolen on 18th Hole, Still Birdies
CBS Sports: Rory McIlroy May Be Shouldering a Sport, But He Wants This Major for Himself
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SOCCER
The 2026 World Cup Sites
FIFA Announces Host Cities for 2026 World Cup in North America
The 2022 FiFA World Cup will take center stage in Qatar just a few months from now, but soccer fans in North America are already looking forward to 2026. FIFA announced the host cities and sites for 2026 on Thursday in Manhattan. Here’s where matches will be played when the World Cup comes west:
2026 FIFA World Cup Sites
New York (MetLife Stadium)
Dallas (AT&T Stadium)
Atlanta (Mercedez-Benz Stadium)
Los Angeles (SoFi Stadium)
Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
San Francisco (Levi’s Stadium)
Houston (NRG Stadium)
Seattle (Lumen Field)
Miami (Hard Rock Stadium)
Kansas City (Arrowhead Stadium)
Boston (Gillette Stadium)
Toronto (BMO Field)
Vancouver (BC Place)
Mexico City (Estadio Azteca)
Guadalajara (Estadio Akron)
Monterrey (Estadio BBVA)
Additional Storylines
MLS: Your Guide to 2026 FIFA World Cup Stadiums & Locations
Yahoo! Sports: FIFA Snubs Washington D.C. in Host City Selections for 2026 World Cup
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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
MLB: Rizzo’s Walk-Off Gives Yanks 7th Straight
The Yankees and Rays were tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 9th before Anthony Rizzo smacked a solo-shot walk-off (2-1) for New York’s seventh straight win.
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THE STORYLINES
It has been a wild few weeks full of high drama and unbelievable upsets in the Division I baseball postseason, and the field has narrowed to eight teams that will compete for a national championship at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska. (FOX Sports)
The Mount Rushmore of Playoff Goalies
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final marked the first time Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy had given up three goals in the first period of a playoff game. But being the best in the world comes with an unparalleled confidence in one’s abilities. (ESPN+)
Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and their disciples dominated the playoffs. Now the stakes of their schematic influence have changed. Their coaching pipeline has split into different factions—and who succeeds will dictate the future of the league. (The Ringer)
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THE HEADLINES
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WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The Must-Watch List |
U.S. Open Rounds 2-4 (All Weekend)
Stanley Cup Finals Game 2: Lightning at Avalanche (Sat. 8:00 pm)
College Baseball World Series Oklahoma vs. #5 Texas A&M (Fri. 2:00 pm) Notre Dame vs. #9 Texas (Fri. 7:00 pm) Arkansas vs. #2 Stanford (Sat. 2:00 pm) Ole Miss vs. #14 Auburn (Sat. 7:00 pm)
MLB Yankees-Blue Jays Series Cardinals-Red Sox Series White Sox-Astros Series
MLS Seattle Sounders vs. LAFC (Sat. 3:00 pm) NY Red Bulls vs. Toronto FC (Sat. 7:00 pm)
WNBA Storm at Sun (Fri. 7:00 pm) Sun at Mystics (Sun. 2:00 pm)
*All Times ET |
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