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As if today wasn't already a huge day for the NBA, ESPN reported overnight that
the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing a "massive" offer to lure UConn's Dan
Hurley, the coach who helmed back-to-back NCAA championships, to be their next
coach. Expect more on this story from our college basketball and NBA teams
throughout the day.
And as for that other big NBA story ...
🏀 Good morning to everyone, but especially to ...
THE BOSTON CELTICS AND THE DALLAS MAVERICKS
Welcome to the NBA Finals, friends. It's been a long time since we had the NBA
on our screens, but the Celtics facing the Mavericks figures to be very much
worth the wait.
We've seen a historic postseason from Luka Doncic already, and in his bold
predictions, Brad Botkin says even more history is on the way.
 * Botkin: "1. Luka averages 35 points per game -- Only nine players have
   averaged at least 35 points for a single Finals: Michael Jordan (twice),
   Shaquille O'Neal (twice), Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, LeBron James, Giannis
   Antetokounmpo, Jerry West, Allen Iverson and Kevin Durant. ... Doncic has
   averaged north of 35 PPG for a single playoff series just once in his career
   (35.7 vs. the Clippers in 2021). It's a huge number. But Dallas is going to
   have to score big in this series, and any idea that Boston is uniquely
   equipped to defend Luka largely went out the window with what he did to
   Minnesota ..."

Doncic, of course, isn't Dallas' only star who can score big. Considering Jrue
Holiday's hilarious (and honest) one-word answer about defending Kyrie Irving,
Boston has plenty of respect for Dallas' "other" star, too.
The Mavericks are every bit a championship-level team. But there's a reason the
Celtics are considerable favorites. They went an NBA-best 64-18 in the regular
season, had the best offensive rating in NBA history and had the fifth-best
average margin of victory in NBA history. They are a superteam, Sam Quinn
writes, and they represent the future of superteams as well.
 * Quinn: "The Celtics don't have three great players. They have six very good
   ones. Three of them, Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, made
   All-Star teams playing for someone other than the Celtics. A fourth, Derrick
   White, was acquired before his prime and may yet get there wearing green and
   white. ... Jaylen Brown has already signed a supermax extension that hasn't
   kicked in yet. Jayson Tatum became eligible for one by earning All-NBA honors
   this season. But Boston built while they were reasonably cheap and before the
   CBA harshly limited their maneuverability. They added players who were
   expensive, but not prohibitively so, and they timed the moves brilliantly."

Here's more:
 * Game 1 preview
 * There's no bad blood between Doncic and Porzingis.
 * What other teams can learn from Boston and Dallas.
 * ICYMI: Expert picks

😊 Honorable mentions
 * It's Coco Gauff vs. Iga Swiatek and Mirra Andreeva vs. Jasmine Paolini in the
   French Open women's semifinals. We're following both matches live.
 * Here's the 12-team CFP schedule.
 * Paul Skenes vs. Shohei Ohtani did not disappoint. Skenes got a strikeout to
   start, but Ohtani responded with a home run and a single in the next two
   at-bats.
 * Micah Parsons is willing to wait for a new contract from the Cowboys and
   doesn't envision leaving them. If he did leave, here's who he'd play for.
 * The Browns extended Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry.
 * Five-star 2025 linebacker Zayden Walker committed to Georgia.
 * Cameron Brink, Rhyne Howard, Hailey Van Lith and Cierra Burdick form  Team
   USA's 3x3 Women's Basketball team.
 * Former NBA player Chase Budinger is heading to the Olympics for beach
   volleyball.
 * Here's how London Stadium transformed to host Phillies vs. Mets.
 * Speaking of transforming stadiums, Lucas Oil Stadium -- home of the Colts --
   is hosting Team USA Olympic swim trials.



😓 Not so honorable mentions

 * CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk are losing money by skipping mandatory
   minicamp.
 * Wes Welker was "disappointed" by the Tom Brady roast.
 * The WNBA rescinded Angel Reese's second technical foul ... proving it was a
   bad ejection in the first place.
 * Corey Seager (hamstring) left Wednesday's game early.
   
 * José Urquidy  will have Tommy John surgery. Here's where the Astros could
   look for pitching help.
 * Nikola Topić -- a projected top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft -- has a
   partially torn ACL.
 * Chennedy Carter, who committed that hard foul on Caitlin Clark, was harassed
   outside the team's hotel.
 * Novak Djokovic will have surgery on his injured knee.
 * Elmarko Jackson (torn patellar tendon) will miss the 2024-25 season.



⚾ MLB All-Star Game: Early expert ballot, under-the-radar names
MLB All-Star voting is officially open, and Matt Snyder has his early
ballot with the game still over a month away.
Plenty of Matt's picks are the ones you'd guess: Aaron Judge. Juan Soto. Shohei
Ohtani. Mookie Betts. Guys atop the MVP conversation. But there are plenty of
tough calls. In the AL, one of those is shortstop.
 * Snyder: "Gunnar Henderson, Orioles. The veteran, established stars are Corey
   Seager, Carlos Correa and Bo Bichette. This is a two-man position right now,
   though, between up-and-coming superstars Bobby Witt Jr. and Henderson.
   Neither has gotten anywhere close to oversaturated in terms of public
   attention and neither has even been an All-Star yet. Thus, I'm going to go
   with one on each ballot and send apologies to Anthony Volpe."

Matt also has under-the-radar picks for every position -- man, Matt really does
it all! -- and let's give some love to the NL Central leaders.
 * Snyder: "Second baseman -- Brice Turang, Brewers. Luis Arraez got a ton of
   run for his batting average last season and it's bound to happen again. Ketel
   Marte is an established star and played in the World Series last year, so
   I'll knock those two off. I'd entertain a vote for either if there wasn't a
   viable alternative, but Turang is hitting .291 with a .356 OBP and 21 stolen
   bases for a first-place team. He deserves a look."



⚽ Golazo 100: Why Christian Pulisic cracks list as we unveil 100-81
We started our Golazo 100 reveal with players No. 100-81, and topping that
portion is a familiar name for USMNT fans. Christian Pulisic, fresh off his best
season, comes in at No. 81. While it's a remarkable achievement for Pulisic to
be among the world's best, it also shows the lack of top players among the USMNT
ranks, Chuck Booth writes.
 * Booth: "His 12 league goals are the first time he's broken double digits in
   league play over the course of his career. His eight league assists are also
   a career high. But just as importantly as those stats, for the first time in
   his career, Pulisic showed an ability to regularly get on the pitch, and stay
   there. He played 36 out of 38 league games for Milan, a career best, and only
   the second time he's ever cracked the 30 game barrier ...  When other nations
   that the USMNT will face have multiple top 100 players, it shows that despite
   America rising up the FIFA rankings, America is still playing catch-up when
   it comes to their talent level."

If we had done this exercise a few years ago, Neymar would have been a top-10
player. I was shocked to see him all the way down at 89th. Jonathan Johnson
explains.
 * Johnson: " ... does not even have a goal to his name with Al Hilal yet ... A
   brilliant player on his day but not consistent nor motivated enough over the
   final meaningful years of his career means that this feels like things ending
   in ignominy unless Neymar can summon huge inner strength and belief to get
   back to something close to his best one final time."

We're unveiling 80-61 this morning on the CBS Sports Golazo Network.



⚽ Examining Emma Hayes' strong start with USWNT
Exactly nine months ago, the USWNT finished its worst World Cup ever. Maybe the
veterans were too old. Maybe the youngsters were too young. Whatever the case
the U.S. needed a new voice with the world clearly catching up.
Emma Hayes is that new voice. After an incredible run with Chelsea, Hayes made
her USWNT managerial debut in a 4-0 win over South Korea on Saturday, and she
followed that up with a 3-0 win in the rematch Tuesday.
There was lots to be encouraged by. Crystal Dunn, normally a defender, played in
attack and scored. Lily Yohannes, all of 16 years old, scored. And Hayes got
valuable time with the team ahead of naming the Olympic roster.
She's impressed so far, but she'll also face huge expectations, Sandra Herrera
writes.
 * Herrera: "With Hayes, she's already checking off items on USWNT fans'
   wishlists. Integrate new players with less experience and play them? Done and
   still happening. Formational changes? Done and were shifted in the game.
   Rotate players? Used every substitution available and only two players
   weren't utilized this window. ... Ready or not, Hayes is here to help push
   U.S. Soccer into the global game in ways it's not used to and that's a good
   thing."

📺 What we're watching Thursday
⚾ Cubs at Reds, 7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 NBA Finals -- Game 1: Mavericks at Celtics, 8:30 p.m. on ABC

‌

 
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