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🏀 5 things you need to know on Wednesday
- The Thunder are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals. After Oklahoma City took control of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, it was a do-or-die moment for San Antonio. The Thunder exploded for the most points in the series with a 127-114 victory in Game 5, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 32 points and Alex Caruso off the bench scoring 22 points. Not only did the Spurs defense fail; On the offensive side, we didn’t get enough points from Victor Wembaneyama.. If San Antonio is to stop the Thunder from winning back-to-back titles, they will need to bounce back from their performance in four of 15 games. Meanwhile, the Knicks will rest the next day. NBA Finals doesn’t start until June 3rd.
- The Golden Knights won all of the Western Conference Finals. For the third time in the franchise’s nine-year history, Las Vegas advances to the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights added an insurance goal late in the third period in Game 4, but it was a credit to them as the Avalanche found the back of the net shortly after and created some late drama. But in the end, it was the fourth win in as many games for one of the most successful NHL teams of the past decade. The Eastern Conference battle between the Hurricanes and Canadiens continues until at least Friday, so it will be a few days before the Golden Knights find out their opponent.
- Manager Mauricio Pochettino has announced the USMNT’s World Cup squad. The United States is the latest country to announce its World Cup squad ahead of next month’s kickoff. Pochettino revealed his 26-man squad in a televised event on Tuesday and explained some of his more surprising choices, including his decision to name Gio Reyna in his squad. Without further ado, here are the 26 players who will represent the red, white, and blue this summer when the United States serves as one of three hosts. The damage was severe. Manager Pochettino has been criticized for the way he communicated his squad decisions to his players, and there are big questions about the depth of his team, especially in the midfield.
- Josh Jacobs was arrested on domestic violence charges. The Packers running back and former NFL rushing champion denies the charges that led to his arrest and incarceration in the Brown County (Wis.) Jail. Police responded to a disturbance complaint against Jacobs on May 23, and Jacobs reportedly turned himself in on Tuesday and faces five charges. The NFL said it is aware of the report and has been in contact with the Packers.
- Joe Mazzula was named NBA Coach of the Year. The league presented its final award of the season, recognizing Mazzula for helping the Celtics defy expectations en route to the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. They entered the year with a projected total of 41.5 wins, but were reeling after 56 games and looked like an unlikely championship threat before being eliminated midway through the postseason. Mazzula is the first Boston coach to win NBA Coach of the Year since 1980.
🏈 Don’t miss: College Football Coach Rankings (68th to 26th)
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This is an annual event around here. Every summer, college football experts fill out a ballot to rank all Power 4 coaches. Before we reveal the top 25, we’ll start a little further down the list. Or even further down. look at you bill belichick.
Belichick is a polarizing figure among our writers. Three of them placed him at the bottom of the ballot, sparking a lively debate behind the scenes. of north carolina The only person whose name was not mentioned was the coach who checks in at number 63. Tabitha Pritchard To receive the lowest vote. Our own Tom Fornelli is scratching his head.
- range: “The six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, who had never been a head coach at any level, finished second to a coach who was just 13 years old when Belichick won his first Super Bowl. patriots. I don’t really question other voters’ rankings, but I have a hard time understanding the logic behind their decisions. ”
Both coaches fell outside the top 25 after posting sub-.500 seasons.
- Lance Leipold, Kansas (2026: 34 | 2025: 15)
- Mike Norvell, Florida (2026: 42 | 2025: 25)
This is a significant negative for Nobel. He was up to 8th place just two years ago. Just six wins removed from a perfect 2024 regular season, the Seminoles have a deep hole to climb out of this year. Norvell made some key changes this offseason, but will it be enough to save his job?
📈📉 Latest MLB, WNBA, Boxing Power Rankings
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Ranking, ranking, ranking. I hope you like the ranking as well. Regular rankings for the MLB, WNBA, and boxing worlds were updated this week, and unfortunately, for some organizations, those that fell far down the ladder were the biggest stories in their respective ranking updates.
Starting with baseball, cubs They are officially the best team in the majors. Earlier this year, they had two 10-game winning streaks. This is my 10th consecutive loss. It has dropped a whopping 11 places since last week. The new hierarchy is:
14. white socks (↓3)
15. cubs (↓11)
16. nationals (↑3)
In the WNBA, freedom They’re on a scary slide as well. Three losses in five days saw them fall from first place to eighth. Sato Sabally and Sabrina Ionescu It may be possible to prevent a fight at the beginning of the year. The scenery around them is as follows:
7. fire (↑6)
8. freedom (↓7)
9. sparks (↑3)
And last but not least, Oleksandr Usyk won a heavyweight match against Rico Verhoeven (As expected), the way he went about his work raised more questions than it provided answers. He narrowly avoided a major upset and the first loss of his career. Here’s where he ranks in the latest boxing pound-for-pound rankings.
3. david benavides (↑1)
4. Oleksandr Usyk (↓2)
5. Shakur Stevenson (–)
👍👎 The best (and not the best) of the rest
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📺 What I’m Watching on Wednesday
🎾French Open 2nd round5 a.m. on TNT
⚾ Marlins vs. Blue Jays1:07 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Nationals at Guardianson MLB Network from 1:10 p.m.
⚾ Cardinals vs. BrewersPeacock 1:40 p.m.
⚽ UEFA Conference League Final: Crystal Palace vs. Rayo Vallecano3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network/Paramount+
⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Giants3:45 p.m., on MLB Network.
⚾ Orioles Rays6:35 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Mercury at Liberty7 p.m. on USA Network
🏒 Hurricanes vs. Canadiens, Game 48 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Dream on the Lynx9 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Rockies vs. Dodgers10:10 p.m., on MLB Network.
