[Posted Sun. PM prior to late sports action]
Note: StocksandNews has significant ongoing costs and your support is greatly appreciated. Please click on the GoFundMe link or send a check to PO Box 990, New Providence, NJ 07974.
And you can use ZELLE: use Zelle recipient briannovak24@gmail.com.
College World Series Quiz: Name the seven schools to win 4 or more titles. Answer below.
NBA Finals
First off, while volumes have already been written about Game 4 in New York last Wednesday night, just got to get some things down for the archives.
First off, I did stay up for the entire game and strangely wasn’t sleepy, even as the Knicks were still down 20 points to the Spurs with 9:33 to play. They cut it to 15 a number of times, but couldn’t seem to break through to get it below 10.
But backing up, the first half was an abomination for anybody not in the San Antonio universe. With another celeb-filled capacity crowd, the Spurs led 76-49 at the half. As The Athletic put it, however, “Then Wu-Tang Clan performed at halftime, and everything changed. Was it because of their medley of songs? Was it Taylor Swift deciding to endure the second half in her ‘Stevie Knicks’ T-shirt? Was it the sage that fans lit outside Madison Square Garden between Games 3 and 4 finally cleansing the deep fibers of the world’s most famous arena?”
Yes, all totally ridiculous, but such was the comeback…the biggest in Finals history.
With the Spurs up 29 early in the third period, New York just kept chipping away, but again, they were still down 20 at the 9:33 mark. From that moment on, the Knicks outscored the Spurs 32-11.
In the final sequence, Brunson missed a 3-pointer from deep (but a good shot), and OG Anunoby came skying into the paint for the tip-in with 1.2 seconds left. The Spurs then didn’t get a shot off on the other end. Game over, 107-106.
OG finished with 33 points on 10-of-15 from the field, 7-of-9 from three. Brunson had 36 on 12-of-25 from the field.
The Spurs shot 59.6% from the field and 14-of-26 from deep in the first half. And then in the second half, they went 8-of-39, 3-of-17 from deep, and scored just 30 points. [The 46-point decrease in output from the first to second half was the largest in postseason history.]
Wemby went 3-of-14 in the second half, and then those two missed free throws with 1:47 left and the Spurs up one.
In the end, though, one moment, one player, stands out…OG, with perhaps the most iconic shot in Knicks history.
“Right hand from God,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.
Yet it was a play with 16.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Knicks trailing by a point, that set up the ending.
Jalen Brunson missed a two-pointer before the ball got deflected into the backcourt, allowing the Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox to scoop up the ball for what seemed like an easy dunk or layup on the other end.
But Anunoby caught up to Fox and got a piece of the shot for a block.
It was one of many huge mistakes by the Spurs down the stretch. Fox could have held onto the ball and killed some of the clock to force the Knicks into a foul, but he instead went for the immediate shot that obviously didn’t work out.
The game was the most-watched Finals Game 4 since Bulls-Jazz in 1998 – up 123% from last year!
Knicks up 3-1 heading back to San Antonio for Game 5 and the potential title….
And it was another poor start for New York, the Knicks scoring just 13 points on 4-of-22 shooting from the field in the first quarter
But they only trailed 23-13 because the Spurs weren’t exactly worldbeaters themselves and the Knicks played solid defense.
To start the second quarter, San Antonio increased the lead to 31-15 at the 8:25 mark, but then Jalen Brunson took over and the Knicks trailed at the half only five, 42-37. It helped mightily that the Knicks had a 5-point play, courtesy of a flagrant foul committed against Hart who made a spectacular driving layup and with Brunson also scoring on the resultant inbounds play and it was 40-37.
But it was 68-53 San Antonio with 3:05 to play in the third, though with Brunson in control, the Knicks cut it to 72-65 at the end of the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, San Antonio led again by double-digits, 83-73 at the 8:21 mark, and then more Brunson.
And in the end, despite Hart, OG, Bridges and Brunson all missing 1-of-2 free throw attempts down the stretch, the Knicks won it 94-90, outscoring the Spurs 29-18 in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Brunson scored 45 points, 15 in the fourth quarter, and was your series MVP. He became one of four players, joining Michael Jordan, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bob Pettit, to score at least 45 points in a closeout game in the NBA Finals. Pure greatness.
Fifty-three years us Knicks fans waited for another magical moment.
But kudos to team president Leon Rose, who bit-by-bit put this roster together…Brunson, Hart, Bridges, OG, Karl-Anthony Towns, and pieces like mid-season acquisition Jose Alvarado.
And it was Rose who let go of successful coach Tom Thibodeau last year and brought in Mike Brown, because Rose didn’t believe Thibodeau could get the team to the next level.
For those of you not from the New York area, understand this. We have a lot of sports teams, but our loyalties are divided between the Mets and Yankees, the Giants and Jets, and three hockey teams (though it’s a New York Rangers city on that front). No one ever talks about the Brooklyn Nets, by the way.
Instead, it’s the Knicks who are the heart of Gotham. We’ve all known if they ever rose to the top again, they would own the place…and boy, they do now.
It’s also just a fact that basketball, especially in New York, is the “city game,” with a very rich history on the blacktop in the parks, like Harlem’s Rucker League.
After I wrote the above up, the New York Mets announcers were discussing much of the same. The thing is, basketball, among the Big 3 (or 4) sports, is the easiest one to practice. Just find a hoop. Everyone, at one point in their life, has played basketball.
And Mark R., you’ll be pleased to know the Mets’ Gary Cohen made a special point to praise former Villanova coach Jay Wright and his recruiting acumen, for bringing in not just talented players, but quality individuals, like Brunson, Hart and Bridges.
—As for the young Spurs, they blew double-digit leads in each of the fourth quarters this series. Inside two minutes of play, in each game, they either held a lead at some point or were at least tied. Wemby sucked in crunch time…and he was still cocky after the game last night…plus he’s a flat-out dirty player.
And coach Mitch Johnson didn’t play Dylan Harper enough in the fourth quarter of each contest.
Lastly, do Knicks fans ‘travel’ or what?!
World Cup
—Team USA played a ‘perfect’ game, essentially, in winning its opener Friday night at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, beating Paraguay 4-1, the four goals the most the USMNT ever scored in a World Cup contest.
Christian Pulisic set the tone for Team USA, setting up the first two goals (including the opening ‘own goal’ at the 7’ mark), while Folarin Balogun was incredible, scoring the next two, while Gio Reyna wrapped things up with a spectacular late goal for the 4-1 triumph.
But Pulisic was kicked in the left calf and left at halftime. He said after that he took a “Bit of a kick in the first half, so I’m really hoping that its nothing,” but with a 3-0 lead at the intermission, it was easy to let him sit and now he has a week for treatment before the next match against Australia.
Back to Balogun…he could have played for England or Nigeria.
Australia won its group opener yesterday, 2-0 over Turkey.
[I’m not really following the other games, yet.]
MLB
–The legend of Jacob Misiorowski, the Milwaukee fireballer, grew further Friday night, as he threw a complete-game one-hitter, no walks, striking out 15 in a 6-0 win over the Phillies at American Family Field. Miz needed just 95 pitches, only a Kyle Schwarber single in the fourth separating him from perfection.
Misiorowski is now 8-2 on the season with a 1.34 ERA, but in his last eight starts, his ERA is 0.17!
And one of his fastballs went 104.5 mph!
But back to needing just 95 pitches, his 15 strikeouts was the most in a game known as a “Maddux,” breaking Tarik Skubal’s previous record of 13. Named for Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, a “Maddux” is a complete-game shutout with under 100 pitches thrown.
—Braden Montgomery hit a walk-off home run in his major-league debut, a feat only four other players in MLB history had accomplished before, as the shocking White Sox defeated the mighty Braves 6-5 last Tuesday in Chicago.
The White Sox then hosted the Dodgers this weekend, and won it Friday, 8-2, before a solid crowd of 37,882 at Rate Field.
But Saturday, Yoshinobu Yamamoto had a no-hitter heading to the ninth, when Tristan Peters hit a leadoff homer for the White Sox, L.A. (45-26) going on to win 7-1, Yamamoto (7-4, 2.52) going 8 1/3, Alex Vesia closing it out. Chicago is 37-32.
–The Mets took on the Braves for the first time this season at Citi Field, and they held on for a 7-5 win Friday as much-maligned (for good reason) Bo Bichette had two home runs, including a grand slam, 6 RBIs for the Metropolitans (31-38), Atlanta 45-24.
Saturday, the Mets lost 3-1. But today, they had a nice 8-1 victory.
–The Yankees (41-27) lost to the Blue Jays Friday in Toronto, 8-5. Saturday, however, it was 38-year-old veteran Paul Goldschmidt with a 2-run ninth-inning home run to give the Yanks a 3-1 victory.
Goldschmidt was brought back this season on a $4 million, one-year deal and he has been critical to the Yanks’ (42-27) success, with the likes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list… ‘Goldie’ batting .285 with nine homers and 31 RBIs. He’s now started 20 games in a row after starting the season firmly on the bench.
And today, the Yanks and Blue Jays were tied at 3-3, heading to the top of the ninth, when Ben Rice and Jose Caballero went deep for five runs, and New York wins it 8-3.
—Friday night in Kansas City, the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez hit a grand slam and two-run homer in the first inning against the Royals.
The left-handed slugger thus became only the second player in MLB history (along with David Ortiz in 2008) to have two homers and six RBIs in a first inning.
Houston won the game 10-8, Alvarez finishing with 3 hits and those six ribbies, giving him 24 homers and 54 RBIs on the season, to go along with a 1.092 OPS.
–The Marlins (36-36) beat the Pirates (also 36-36) 4-2 in Pittsburgh today, which I mention because Paul Skenes took the loss, despite a fine outing, six innings, 2 earned, 10 strikeouts. Skenes, after a terrific start to the season, is now 6-6, 2.85. Livvy Dunne can’t be happy. Not good for the brand.
College World Series
In action in Omaha, on Friday, 16 West Virginia beat Troy 7-5, while 5 North Carolina defeated Ole Miss 6-2.
Saturday, Oklahoma whipped 7 Alabama 9-0, and 3 Georgia beat 6 Texas 7-1.
Sunday, we had the first elimination game, Troy vs. Ole Miss, and Troy survives, 12-8.
Golf Balls
–They held the RBC Canadian Open this week at TPC Toronto and after 36 holes….
Ben James -10
Sam Burns among a big group at -9….
Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood among those at -8. Yet another huge opportunity for Koepka to regain elite, and Signature Event, tour status.
But wait a second…Ben James?
Get this. The 23-year-old just completed his senior season at Virginia, qualified for his third U.S. Open on Monday and came to the Canadian Open to make his professional debut after earning status via his standing as the top-ranked player in the PGA Tour University Ranking.
Well, James stumbled badly Saturday, shooting a 78, 8-over, and was suddenly T59.
Brooks Koepka was 2-over and sat at -6.
Instead, after 54….
Jackson Suber -13
Bud Cauley -12
Wyndham Clark and Tommy Fleetwood among those at -11.
I then saw this morning that Koepka had withdrawn after revealing he could hardly grip a club.
“I don’t know what it is,” Koepka said after Saturday’s round. “I’m struggling to grip the club with my ring finger and pinkie finger, so can’t grip it. So the club is kind of just, my fingers would come loose, it was kind of numb. I don’t know what the deal was but hopefully we’ll figure it out.”
His plans to return to Shinnecock, site of his second U.S. Open victory in 2018, are up in the air.
And in the end, it was 36-year-old Bud Cauley with his first win. Good for him.
Matt Fitzpatrick finished solo second to move to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings over Scottie Scheffler.
–As rumored, The Rocket Classic will be held for the eighth and final time later this summer.
With the imminent changes to the PGA Tour schedule, sagging attendance and the struggle to draw marquee players in recent years, Rocket has declined to exercise its option for 2027.
The decision severs Rocket founder and Detroit billionaire booster Dan Gilbert’s decade-plus sponsorship of the PGA Tour. Rocket, and previously under the Quicken Loans banner, has been a title sponsor on the PGA Tour 13 years, including five years outside Washington, D.C.
—This was not a good week for LIV Golf, and CEO Scott O’Neil, whose appearance Tuesday on CNBC to court investors must have left even his league’s few supporters reconsidering their position.
O’Neil was asked about rampant speculation that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund might soon pull LIV’s financing, despite stating in April that it would be funded through the end of the season, which has four tournaments remaining. ‘You have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word,” he replied.
“Can you guarantee today that the four remaining tournaments on your schedule will actually take place?” CNBC host Scott Wapner asked.
“What I can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business,” O’Neil responded. As Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch put it, O’Neil “(sounded) rather like an insolvent lothario promising Chanel purses to supermodels if only they can front him the cost. Somewhere, a PR consultant’s blood ran cold with the realization that their invoice had just shuffled closer to the growing pile of the unpaid.”
And then the PGA Tour announced a three-year deal with the DP World Tour and Golf Australia to elevate the Australian Open, promising the tournament will “receive a significant boost in prize money, a distinct window in the global golf calendar and optimize the opportunity to attract the world’s best players.”
Lynch: “The boilerplate language of the announcement belied its significance, since it suggests the PGA Tour has finally grasped the advantages of being less insular and myopic, like creating growth opportunities, being a responsible global partner, and closing off avenues by which challengers might undermine its business.
“The latter is what matters here.”
The Financial Times then reported Thursday that the PIF has only funded a third of what the league needs to cover for the rest of this season.
The report says that LIV Golf needs $600 million to make it through the end of the schedule, but the PIF has only delivered just short of $200 million – $66 million in early May, $130 million in early June – since news broke in April that it would stop funding the tour after this year.
The next LIV event is July 23-26 in the UK. A report from Front Office Sports earlier in the week quoted a high-ranking LIV Golf executive who said, “every remaining tournament is on the fence.”
Stuff
–The Carolina Hurricanes took Games 4 and 5 in the Stanley Cup Finals against the Golden Knights, 5-3 and 4-2, to take a 3-2 series lead…Game 6 Sunday night in Las Vegas.
—The fallout from the injunction that granted Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby eligibility from 2026 is immense. The athletic departments at Georgia and Nebraska issued memos to their teams instructing coaches not to schedule games against the Red Raiders in response to the ruling, marking a potentially pivotal moment in college athletics all the more momentous.
In an era when players sue to play more years than the NCAA allows, this is not merely an employment/eligibility case; Sorsby, by his own admission, committed what most thought before the ruling was an unforgivable offense by betting on his own team.
Gambling on your own sport, your own team, has long been considered an original sin of sports in general. Pro sports leagues have been particularly stringent, even as gambling sponsors have entered the industry in full force.
The Big Ten will reportedly discuss a league-wide mandate against scheduling Texas Tech, and multiple schools from within the Red Raiders’ own conference, the Big 12, are informally
–We note the passing of Gene Shalit, the legendary film critic best known for his long run on NBC’s “Today” show. He was 100.
Shalit was a truly beloved figure in American media thanks to his distinctive, pun-filled takes on American film – and also his on-air persona, including his handle-bar mustache, glasses and bow ties.
Top 3 songs for the week 6/12/76: #1 “Silly Love Songs” (Wings) #2 “Get Up And Boogie (That’s Right)” (Silver Convention) #3 “Misty Blue” (Dorothy Moore)…and…#4 “Love Hangover” (Diana Ross) #5 “Happy Days” (Pratt & McClain) #6 “Shannon” (Henry Gross) #7 “Sara Smile” (Daryl Hall & John Oates) #8 “Shop Around” (Captain & Tennille) #9 “More, More, More” (Andrea True Connection) #10 “Fool To Cry” (The Rolling Stones…#7 can’t salvage the week…it’s a ‘C’…)
College World Series Quiz Answer: Seven schools to win 4 or more titles.
USC 12
LSU 8
Texas 6
Arizona State 5
Arizona 4
Miami (FL) 4
Cal State Fullerton 4
Minnesota 3
Oregon State 3
Brief Add-on up top Tues. AM.
*I need your support, guys.
