This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, folks! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with me today. I appreciate you! I hope you’ve had a great week. Happy Friday.
Folks, after the Panthers’ 4-3 Game 3 win over the Oilers on Thursday night, we might be in for a little bit of history. Granted, it’s the wrong type of history you want to see this time of year. But it is a chance for history, nonetheless!
We’re staring down the barrel at two potential sweeps in both the NHL and the NBA.
RELATED: Here’s a recap of Game 3 from USA Today’s Mike Brehm
We’ve got a 3-0 Stanley Cup Finals and a 3-0 NBA Finals that could be settled tonight when the Mavericks see the Celtics on their home floor for Game 4.
This is the worst combination of Finals between these two leagues we’ve had in decades.
The last time there were sweeps in the NBA and NHL was in 1995 when the Devils beat the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final and the Rockets swept the Magic in the NBA Finals.
That’s how rare this is. Sweeps don’t happen in the Finals. The NHL hasn’t had one since 1998. The NBA’s last sweep was more recent (2018), but there have only been 10 sweeps in the NBA’s long history.
READ MORE: Don’t blame the officials for Luka Doncic’s fouls. Blame Luka.
Neither of these series are over at this point. While a 3-0 comeback has never happened in the NBA’s history, plenty of teams have come close. And 3-0 comebacks have happened a handful of times in the NHL, too, with the last time coming in 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings. It’s not likely it’ll happen here, but it’s not impossible either.
We need a miracle, folks. Maybe the sports gods will look out for us. If not? We’re in for one of the most boring combinations of Finals we’ve ever seen.
Well, unless you’re Celtics and Oilers fans. Then, you’re probably loving this.
What’s up with USWNT?
The US Women’s National Team has always been at the pinnacle of the sport. Since FIFA started ranking women’s soccer teams in 2003, the team had never been ranked lower than No. 2 in the world before 2024.
Today? USWNT ranks 5th in the world — its lowest ranking ever. The team continues its free fall after its disappointing World Cup loss to Sweden in 2023. Germany moved up a spot to eclipse the U.S. at No. 4. Ahead of it are Spain (No. 1), France (No. 2) and England (No. 3).
The team hasn’t done much losing since its loss to Chile in October at the Pan American games. Since then, USWNT has won the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the SheBelieves Cup under new manager, Emma Hayes. It hasn’t been enough to get back to No. 1 status, but it seems the turnaround is in progress.
USWNT will have another chance to prove itself on the world stage at the Olympics in July. Can’t wait.
Caitlin Clark speaks out
There are plenty of true fans of Caitlin Clark out there, but there are also plenty of people who have been using her name online to fight their problematic crusades all in the name of tearing down women’s sports.
While that’s been happening, Clark has largely remained silent on it — even as it’s impacted some of her peers and led to both online and in-person harassment on some occasions.
Clark was asked about it directly yesterday twice. First, by The Athletic’s Jim Trotter, who asked Clark how she feels about people using her name in their personal “culture wars.” She mostly brushed that question off, emphasizing her focus on basketball.
But then, she was asked again about this by The Athletic’s James Boyd. Except, this time, she was asked specifically about her name being used to push misogynistic and hateful views. Clark had much more to say this time:
“It’s disappointing,” Clark said. “Everybody in our world deserves the same amount of respect. The women in our league deserve the same amount of respect. So, people should not be using my name to push those agendas.”
Our Cory Woodroof shared his thoughts:
“Clark’s words will hopefully ring true throughout the wider discourse and show what side she’s on when her name gets dragged into larger conversations about pertinent issues of race and gender.
As WNBA player-turned-ESPN commentator Chiney Ogwumike mentioned this week, the weaponization of league narratives surrounding Clark and other players is taking away from ‘the beauty of the game,’.”
Couldn’t agree more. I didn’t expect Clark to speak on any of this, but it’s nice that she did. Hopefully, now that she has, some of the foolishness surrounding her will stop.
Photo Friday: Wemby in the wild
I JUST SAW WEMBY GROCERY SHOPPING 😭 pic.twitter.com/HJnmisvnvM
— 30🅿️roblemz (@30problemz) June 14, 2024
Seeing Victor Wembanyama out in the wild grocery shopping has to be bizarre. I feel like this would only happen in a fever dream.
Shoutout to Wemby, though. You’re a real one for picking up your own groceries. Get somebody to do that for you next time, though.
Quick hits: The Utah Hockey Club is here … The Chief’s ring ceremony … and more
— Mary Clarke has more on Utah’s new hockey team. Boy, these jerseys are awesome.
— Charles Curtis has 12 stunning photos from the Chiefs’ Super Bowl ring ceremony for you.
— Christian D’Andrea has more on Sean Payton’s impossible task with the Broncos.
— Here’s Mary again on the Twins’ awesome Prince-themed home run celebration.
— Cory ranked the Pixar movies and, wow, this is the content that I didn’t know I wanted to see today.
— Robert Zeglinski has more on Luka Doncic acknowledging the holes in his game after falling down 3-0 in the NBA Finals.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with us this week. We appreciate you. Tap in for more on Monday! Until then. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️
