Porzingis out for Game 3 + US Open Preview?

Howdy!

It’s a week of championships this week. The Stanley Cup, the NBA Finals, and now we’ve got the US Championship. It feels like we have it all. Let’s dig in and see what’s cooking.

Before we get into any sports talk, we need to say RIP to the legend Jerry West. You might know him better as the dude from the NBA logo. He was nicknamed Mr. Clutch and had storied careers as a player and executive. He was 86 when he passed away this morning.

NBA Finals minus Porzingis

As long as you don’t live under a rock in bikini bottom, you probably know that the NBA Finals are going on right now.

If you don’t watch basketball, you probably have no idea who Kristaps Porzingis is.

If you DO watch basketball, then you probably know who TINGUS PINGUS is.

Well, it’s game 3 of the NBA Finals, and Kristaps Porzingis is questionable for tonight. He reportedly dislocated his posterior tibialis tendon in game 2. Porzingis had a considerable impact in game 1 of the Finals and a little less of an impact in game 2.

If Porzingis isn’t available tonight, this could be a big momentum shifter for the Mavericks as they try to take game three at home and will have the height advantage. The Mavericks are currently 2.5 point favorites and the over/under is 213.5. I hate both of these bets but I’m taking the Mavs and the under tonight.

Gametime is 8:30 pm on ABC.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals

The Florida Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals after the Panthers beat Edmonton by a 3-goal margin again.

Game 2 was much different than Game 1. The Panthers outshot the Oilers by 10 shots in this matchup, and Florida had the advantage in the faceoff circle. Edmonton wasn’t able to capitalize on any of their power play opportunities, and Sergei Bobrovsky continues to crush it for the Panthers in goal. Playoff Bob has only given up 1 goal so far in the playoffs.

The Panthers might be without their captain, Aleksander Barkov, after he took a high hit in game 2. This could be the edge the Oilers need as game 3 is in Canada tomorrow night at 8 p.m. on ABC. Barkov did practice on Wednesday morning so we’ll see what happens.

Dan Hurley Turns Down Los Angeles

Well, sort of. It was more like LA turning themselves down.

Dan Hurley gave his decision on Monday and his choice was to remain in Storrs, Connecticut and continue to lead the UConn Huskies.

I guess Storrs > Los Angeles.

Or….. just hear me out…

The Lakers organization is pretty dumb.

They only wanted to pay him $11 million over 6 years.

The Lakers offered Coach K $8 mil in 2004.

If they really wanted Hurley, then why not give him $100 million + ?

So now the Lakers still don’t have a coach, whoever the sign now is obviously not their first choice. Whatever they do they better do it fast because the draft is less than two weeks away.

And by the way, the Huskies are +1000 to 3-peat so get your bets in now.

The Biggest Snub of the Summer

Caitlin Clark not playing on the US Olympic Team is a pretty big snub. But you know what’s an even bigger snub than that?

JOEY CHESTNUT NOT COMPETEING IN THE NATHAN’S HOT DOG EATING CONTEST ON THE 4TH OF JULY.

This is not fake news. Joey Chestnut has signed an endorsement deal with Impossible Foods, which makes vegan hot dogs. This is in direct competition to Nathan’s brand, and Nathan’s has banned him from the deal.

Impossible hot dog sales are about to skyrocket!!

⛳️US Open

The 2024 US Open tees it up tomorrow at Pinehurst No.2 in North Carolina. We’ve got all the storylines

👉️ Rory isn’t getting divorced as his irreconcilable differences with his wife have been reconciled? Good for his wallet and his family.

👉️ Tiger Woods is back in action and looks like he’s having a good time. Hell yeah

👉️ Jon Rahm has withdrawn due to a foot injury. No one likes to see that.

👉️ Scottie Scheffler is not in jail? Watch out, everybody else.

In all seriousness, we've got 156 players teeing off tomorrow, including 19 amateurs. There’s a $20 million purse, and only the top 60 players (including ties) make the cut for the weekend. The action is taking place at the infamous Pinehurst No. 2, which reaches over 7,500 yards. The course has 117 sand bunkers, and there is only one water hazard.

We’re set up for one helluva week

Here’s how you can watch.

Round 1: 6:30 am on USA, 5 pm on Peacock

Round 2: 6:30 am on Peacock, 1 pm on NBC, 7 pm on Peacock

Round 3: 10 am on USA, Noon on NBC

Final Round: 9 am on USA, Noon on NBC

p.s. check out tee times for tomorrow morning. They’re pretty dope.

We’ll be back on Friday to look the championships again and maybe we’ll have some football talk too.

See you then!

-The DB