🏀🏒 NBA & NHL Finals Set + Champions League & French Open Highlights!

Happy Monday  🙌

The matchups for the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals are officially set. And now, we wait… For a whole week? Game 1s are 3-5 days away (sigh). It's a good thing our friends across the pond are staying busy. We’ll catch up on how we got to the finals matchups we have, as well as take a Euro Trip in today’s edition as we unpack the Champions League legacy of Real Madrid and check on the favorites to begin Week 2 at the French Open. Let’s go get it.

WTF Stat of the Day: The distance between Miami and Edmonton (2,541 miles) will be the furthest between two cities in Stanley Cup Finals history.

⛳️   Robert MacIntyre (-16) wins RBC Canadian Open, holding off Sunday Surge from Griffin (-15) & Perez (-14), and a Fan Gets to Caddie for C.T. Pan After Regular Caddie’s Injury. In the LPGA, Yuka Saso (-4) won her second U.S. Women’s Open as one of only 2 players under par for the Tournament.

UFC 302 & 🥊  Islam Makhachev Retains Lightweight Belt - with a 5th-Round Submission of Octagon Legend Dustin Poirier and Mike Tyson’s Fight With Jake Paul Postponed After Health Scare on Flight (FOX Sports)

🏈 Deion Sanders’ Son Files for Bankruptcy For $11 Million in Debt Stemming From 2015 (CBS Sports)

🥇 Simone Biles Wins Record 9th All-Around Title at U.S. Championships Ahead of Paris Olympics (B/R)

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS - Cup Clash Ready

Panthers & Oilers Close Out Conference Finals (4-2 Each) to Meet in Stanley Cup Finals

The Stanley Cup Finals are set, but it'll be five days until we drop the puck. After a pair of Game 6s on Saturday and Sunday — both decided by 2-1 score lines — the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers are into the finals. The Panthers closed out the East on Saturday night thanks to Vladimir Tarasenko’s third-period insurance goal and another stellar one-goal-allowed performance from Sergei Bobrovsky in net (23 saves). On Sunday, the Oilers finished off the Stars out West with a Connor McDavid special (1G, 1A) and a celebration in front of the home crowd. Edmonton will attempt to be the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Fun times are ahead, but we’ll have to wait until Saturday for Game 1.

 Eastern Conference Finals

Gm 6: Panthers def. Rangers (2-1)

FLA Wins Series (4-2)

 Western Conference Finals

Gm 6: Oilers def. Stars (2-1)

EDM Wins Series (4-2)

 Stanley Cup Finals

Gm 1: Oilers at Panthers (Sat. 8:00 pm ET)

🎾 TENNIS - Paris Quarters Loading - Weekend Action Trimmed the Competition at the French Open, But Most (Or All) of the Big Stars Remain

 It’s Week 2 in Paris, and the biggest stars in tennis are still swinging. An action-packed weekend at the French Open saw the fields dwindle from about 64-plus competitors to just eight by the end of tonight. Half of the quarterfinals are set with top players like Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Carlos Alcaraz. Novak Djokovic looks to add his name to the quarterfinal bracket this morning after a long night on Saturday. He needed five sets to finish off Lorenzo Musetti somewhere after 3:00 am local time. Only a handful of top-10 players have been eliminated, so Week 2 promises to bring some must-see matchups. Here’s the latest:

 Notable Top-10 Knockouts

W: #7 Qinwen Zheng

M: #6 Andrey Rublev / #8 Hubert Hurkacz

 Women’s Singles (4th Round)

#1 I. Swiatek def. A. Potapova (6-0, 6-0)

#3 C. Gauff def. E. Cocciaretto (6-1, 6-2)

 Men’s Singles (4th Round)

#3 C. Alcaraz def. #21 F. Auger-A (6-3, 6-3, 6-1)

#9 S. Tsitsipas def. M. Arnaldi (3-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2)

 Today’s Schedule (Notable Matches)

W: #4 E. Rybakina vs. #15 E. Svitolina (5:00 am ET)

W: #2 A. Sabalenka vs. #22 E. Navarro (6:15 am ET)

M: #1 N. Djokovic vs. #23 F. Cerundolo (10:00 am ET)

M: #4 A. Zverev vs. #13 H. Rune (2:15 pm ET)

⚽️ CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - Real Real Special 🏆️ 

Real Madrid Come Alive Late to Beat Borussia Dortmund (2-0) & Win 15th Champions League Crown (Sign Kylian Mbappe 1 Day Later)

 Real Madrid, the all-time winningest team in UEFA Champions League history, added to their legacy on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. But it wasn't without a fight; for the better part of one hour, the underdogs from Germany gave the titans from Spain everything they could handle in the UCL Final. Borussia Dortmund kept firing, swinging for the upset. One shot off the post, three one-on-ones parried away, and numerous chances left open. Real Madrid kept flinching but clinging to life in a nil-nil game thanks to keeper Thibaut Courtois. Then the dam broke.

 A mistake by Dortmund’s defense granted a corner-kick in the 74th minute — a header off the noggin of Dani Carvajal (74’) that propelled Los Blancos to a 1-0 lead and brought refuge to the favorites that had been outplayed. Dortmund spirits were palpably crushed as Madrid turned the pressure up. Just nine minutes later, another mistake in the backend allowed Vinicius Junior (83’) to capitalize. It was a death blow if there ever was. This magic Cinderella run by Dortmund was special to watch but not to be. Real Madrid remains a club of champions, and once more, for the 15th time, Europe’s ultimate juggernaut.

 The Greatness is Real: Real Madrid's 15th Champions League title was also their sixth in the past 10 years. No European club has won more than seven (AC Milan). 

Kylian Mbappe → Real Madrid

As has long been expected, Kylian Mbappe reportedly signed his new contract with Real Madrid on Sunday. The former PSG star was linked to Madrid for over a year, and the club is expected to make a formal announcement this week. The French striker has 256 goals and 108 assists in 308 Ligue 1 matches. Pairing him with Vini Jr. and Jude Bellingham could be one of the greatest triple threats ever seen on the pitch. The rich get richer…

Other Weekend Results and Highlights:

⚾️ MLB

Yankees Sweep Giants With Juan Soto’s 2 HRs

Rangers’ Corey Seager Extends Hit Streak (14 Gms)

D-Backs’ Ketel Marte Has Huge Day (3-for-3, 2 HRs)

⚽️ Soccer

Pachuca Thrash Columbus Crew (3-0) - Surprise Result in Concacaf Champions Cup Final

USWNT Shut Out South Korea (4-0) - Emma Hayes Era Starts With a Bang

🥎 Softball World Series

#1 Texas def. #4 Florida (10-0)

#2 Oklahoma def. #6 UCLA (1-0)

#8 Stanford def. #6 UCLA (3-1)

#4 Florida def. #14 Alabama (6-4)

#1 Texas & #2 Oklahoma (0 Losses)

#4 Florida & #8 Stanford Still Remain

🏀 WNBA

Sun def. Dream (69-50)

Connecticut Still Perfect (8-0)

Lynx def. Wings (87-76)

Napheesa Collier Has Huge Night (24 pts, 14 rebs)

Fever def. Sky (71-70)

Chennedy Carter’s Off-Ball Foul on Caitlin Clark Goes Viral

On June 3rd, 2018 Golden State guard Stephen Curry breaks Ray Allen's NBA Finals record for most 3-pointers with 9 in the Warriors 122-103 Game 2 win over Cleveland Cavaliers.

🎾 French Open (4th Round)

W: #4 E. Rybakina vs. #15 E. Svitolina (5:00 am ET)

W: #2 A. Sabalenka vs. #22 E. Navarro (6:15 am ET)

M: #1 N. Djokovic vs. #23 F. Cerundolo (10:00 am ET)

M: #4 A. Zverev vs. #13 H. Rune (2:15 pm ET)

🥎 Softball World Series (Semifinals)

#2 Oklahoma vs. #4 Florida (Noon ET, ESPN)

#1 Texas vs. #8 Stanford (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2) 

⚾️ MLB

Brewers at Phillies (6:40 pm ET, MLBTV)

Orioles at Blue Jays (7:07 pm ET, ESPN+)

Giants at D-Backs (9:40 pm ET, FS1)

Trivia Time Answer

B.  Elgin Baylor.

Elgin Baylor set the record for the most points scored in a single NBA Finals game on April 14, 1962. Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Baylor scored 61 points in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics. This incredible performance remains the highest-scoring game in NBA Finals history. Despite Baylor's historic game, the Celtics ultimately won the series in seven games.