This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Gooood morning, Winners! Happy Friday! Thanks so much for rocking with the Morning Win today. We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time today.
That was an anticlimactic start to the NBA Finals, huh? The Dallas Mavericks got drubbed, 107-89. I can’t say I didn’t expect it — I picked the Celtics in 5. Boston was supposed to win as the higher seed at home.
But I’d hoped it’d be a bit more competitive than we got. Kristaps Porzingis came out firing on all cylinders and the rest of the Celtics followed his lead on both ends of the floor. The Celtics led by as much as 29 at one point in the game.
This win was for everyone questioning the quality of the Celtics coming into the Finals. Sure, Boston plays in the weaker conference. And, yes, the Celtics had a cakewalk to the NBA Finals. But don’t get it twisted — this team is that good. It’s legitimately one of the best we’ve ever seen.
On the Mavericks side, Dallas has so many issues to work around. It’ll need a Jason Kidd masterclass to have a shot in this series. I don’t know if we’ll get it with the talent gap between these two teams being so wide.
RELATED: Three reasons why the Mavs will (and won’t!) win the NBA Finals
But if Dallas is going to have a shot, the team will need a better effort out of Luka Doncic moving forward.
I know the numbers are gaudy — 30 points and 10 rebounds are usually a solid stat line for most players. But it felt like Doncic left so much on the table.
He only had one assist on the night. The Mavericks had nine assists in total, too, against 11 turnovers. That’s on Luka. The team’s ball movement starts with him beating his matchup and creating advantages instead of constantly shooting stepbacks over the defense. That unlocks everything for Dallas, from corner threes to Dereck Lively lobs.
There was none of that last night. It was just…Luka. He had a 37.6 percent usage rate while playing 38 minutes. To possess the ball that much while only having one assist is simply not going to cut it against this Celtics defense. It completely zaps the Mavericks’ offense of any rhythm.
If Doncic is going to play this way for the rest of the series, this one is already over. And it won’t be done in five games like I predicted.
We might be pulling the brooms out. 🧹
The champs are here
It doesn’t even feel respectful to call Oklahoma softball a dynasty. At this point, “empire” might be a better descriptor.
Patty Gasso’s Oklahoma Sooners just won a fourth straight World Series by completing a 2-0 series sweep against Texas with an 8-4 win in Game 2.
Texas was the No. 1 team in the country this season, but Oklahoma outclassed the Longhorns at every juncture in this one. Texas also just made some weird mistakes, like this base-running error from Mia Scott in the top of the 6th inning.
Texas what in the world are you doing pic.twitter.com/1tytn9Fkm9
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 7, 2024
The Longhorns were still in the game before Oklahoma’s 3-run explosion in the bottom of the 6th. This mistake from Scott was such a huge swing. She attributed it to her base running aggression, which is how she plays. But this wasn’t the time.
Now, here we are. Oklahoma has four in a row. Gasso has her eighth with Oklahoma in total. The Sooners are on a run, man.
Better luck next year to the field.
Come to your oval and take over your oval
I ain’t going to sit here and lie to y’all like I know anything about cricket. In the immortal words of Sergeant Schultz, I know nothing.
That’s why I’m so thankful for Andrew Joseph. Here’s what he had to say about the biggest win in the U.S. Cricket team’s history over Pakistan at the ICC T20 World Cup:
“Cricket has long seemed like a sport designed specifically so Americans would never learn the rules. There are countless variations that can last anywhere from a few days to a few hours. It’s similar to baseball but different enough to scare away the casual American sports fan. And yet, that’s all about to change because the U.S. just defeated one of the sport’s global giants (rahhh 🦅🇺🇸).
In one of the biggest upsets in men’s cricket history, Team USA defeated Pakistan on Thursday at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup. The match — which took place in Texas — ended in a five-run U.S. win and the biggest victory in the program’s history.”
I was jaw-to-the-floor stunned when I saw this. Folks. This is not supposed to happen. Saurabh Netravalkar is one of the best players on Team USA. He also works a day job at Oracle as a Principle Engineer
The U.S. just stunned Pakistan at the Men's T20 Cricket World Cup in one of the biggest upsets in the sport's history.
Saurabh Netravalkar is one of Team USA's top players, but his full-time job: Principle Engineer at Oracle. pic.twitter.com/DXNVzRGAzs
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 6, 2024
This is why you play the games, folks. You never know what might happen.
Photo Friday: Now THAT’S a real fan
I hit the Mystics game on Thursday to see Angel Reese’s return to the DMV. She was very well received — Capital One Arena was packed with thousands of fans, mostly in the building, to cheer for her.
You know who wasn’t, though? This guy with the Aaliyah Edwards Kobe braids attached to his hat. Not going to lie, folks. I want one.
I dont know who this man is but:
1. I SO appreciate the commitment
2. Where do I get one?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/6ltQf8GbA9
— Michael Sykes, II (@MikeDSykes) June 6, 2024
I love fandom so much. It’s ridiculous.
Quick hits: Adam Silver says sorry … Geno Auriemma on Caitlin Clark … and more
— Adam Silver is apologizing to Inside the NBA for the league’s very public TV negotiations. Here’s Blake with more.
— Geno Auriemma doesn’t think Caitlin Clark is built for the WNBA’s physicality. Meg Hall has more.
— Colorado bettors are hammering the team’s over and Blake says that’s a mistake. I tend to agree with him.
— Jayson Tatum paid homage to Kobe Bryant during his warmups at the Finals. Here’s Cory Woodroof with more.
— Mary Clarke ranks the teams with the most Stanley Cups in NHL history ahead of the Finals.
— Vanna White gave Pat Sajack a sweet tribute ahead of his final episode of Wheel of Fortune. End of an era, man.
That’s a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading. Tap in for more next week! Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
