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🏀 Five things to know Thursday
- Knicks steal Game 1 of NBA Finals from Spurs. It was not a pretty game, but Knicks fans will say it was a thing of beauty given that it was New York's first NBA Finals win in 32 years. Down 95-94, the Knicks closed the game on an 11-0 run with Jalen Brunson scoring five of his game-high 30 points in that span. Victor Wembanyama, on the other hand, was 6 of 21, so you can probably guess who's leading our winners and losers. With a game-high 15 rebounds, Josh Hart was a star for the Knicks, who have now strung together 12 straight wins this postseason and quieted a lot of the 'weak East' talk surrounding their win streak.
- Caleb Williams lands 'Madden 27' cover. Williams is the first Bears player to land on the cover of the iconic video game franchise. Now, the question is whether Williams will fall victim to the infamous "Madden Curse."
- Aryna Sabalenka stunned in French Open collapse. World No. 1 Sabalenka seemed to be cruising against No. 25 seed Diana Shnaider before a meltdown allowed Shnaider to come back to win the second set and roll 6-0 in the decisive third set.
- The Mariners may have too many good starting pitchers. That "problem" is one of the current MLB trends identified by Mike Axisa. Unfortunately for the Phillies, they're on the other side of the trend equation, with a disastrous outfield at current.
- Get ready for the U.S. Women's Open. Check out a full breakdown of what to expect, the odds and how to watch all the action in one of the biggest LPGA events of the year.
⚾ Do not miss this: Looking ahead to MLB trade deadline
Getty Images We are still two months away from the MLB trade deadline, but that doesn't mean we can't look at what big names could be on the move by Aug. 3. With the Tigers holding one of the five worst records in all of baseball, there has been plenty of speculation that superstar starting pitcher Tarik Skubal could be on the move to allow Detroit to get some return without Skubal walking as a free agent.
As Mike Axisa wrote, the second biggest trade candidate is another starting pitcher, Freddy Peralta of the Mets.
- Axisa: "Similar to the Tigers with Skubal, a colossally disappointing season will force the Mets to entertain trading their rental ace. Freddy Peralta is not Skubal, but he is a reliably above-average starter who is not out of place near the front of a contender's postseason rotation. He never misses a start, either, even if he will frustrate you with high pitch counts and five-and-fly starts. The fact that Peralta will be owed less than $3 million at the deadline will make him an appealing, more cost-efficient alternative to Skubal. "The Mets have several others they could shop at the deadline, including Clay Holmes. Holmes is not expected back from his broken leg until mid-August, which complicates things, but he was so good before the injury that I bet there will be interest. Injured pitchers get traded all the time. Shane Bieber did not throw a pitch last year before going to the Blue Jays at the deadline, for example. Holmes has a $12 million player option for 2027 that he seems likely to decline barring something unforeseen, so he's essentially a rental."
🏈 What can we expect from the NFL's rookie quarterbacks?
Getty Images We know a handful of rookies will see some starts under center in the upcoming NFL season. From No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza in Las Vegas, to Carson Beck in Arizona, to Drew Allar in Pittsburgh, and more, there will be chances for young quarterbacks to prove they're ready to be true NFL starters.
Of course, every quarterback's situation is different. Mendoza was taken No. 1 overall for a reason, but he also will be taking snaps behind a poor offensive line, which could hamper his success as a rookie. Meanwhile, a player like Allar has plenty of tools around him, should he need to be a starter rather than have time on the bench to develop.
With all that in mind, Ryan Wilson took a look at each rookie quarterback and how their environment can set them up for success or failure.
- Wilson: "And that's really the lesson of this class. Quarterback development isn't linear. The strongest profile doesn't always produce the best rookie season. The most talented player doesn't always become the best pro. Sometimes the difference between success and failure is as simple as an extra half-second of protection, a veteran mentor in the QB room, or a coach willing to build around what a young passer already does well. "Talent gets quarterbacks drafted. What happens next is usually about everything else."
⚽ USMNT is embracing Mauricio Pochettino's fluid attacking style ahead of the World Cup
Getty Images In a 3-2 friendly win against Senegal, the United States Men's National Team showed an attacking mindset that could make them one of the more entertaining teams to watch at the World Cup. That may not mean massive success for the United States, mind you, the country is still lagging behind many longtime elite nations in pure talent.
But the team has learned to embrace coach Mauricio Pochettino's forward-thinking mindset, as seen with an aggressive attack in the win over Senegal. The path to get to this spot tactically was bumpy and goes against the grain of how many international teams approach the attack, as Pardeep Cattry wrote.
- Cattry: "It was an ambitious plan from Pochettino, considering the cadence of international soccer - teams often meet for 10 days at a time weeks or months apart, doing what they can not to waste valuable time. Many of Pochettino's counterparts defer to a more pragmatic approach - ex-Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp once said France's 2018 World Cup-winning team defended like Burnley, the English side with a reputation for playing ultra defensively. It is the only way Pochettino has coached a team, though, and makes the U.S. team an intriguing stylistic competitor at a World Cup that may not have as many teams that plan to entertain like this one."
Also read: USMNT's Chris Richards training individually, injury status still unclear for World Cup opener
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
Getty Images - Aaron Donald said that coming out of retirement and joining the newly acquired Rams' Myles Garrett is "a possibility."
- Speaking of Garrett, JP Acosta wrote that the Rams have now acquired the NFL's biggest defensive cheat code.
- Brandon Aiyuk's future with the 49ers remains murky, now with an arrest warrant issued by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for a misdemeanor speeding charge.
- How does Jo Adell allowing a ball to bounce off his head for a home run stack up against Jose Canseco's similarly classic moment? That's a question Dayn Perry set out to answer.
- Trade rumors continue to fly surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Heat appear to be the frontrunners should the Bucks move on from their longtime superstar.
- Virginia will now host NC State in Week 0 of the college football season after logistics for holding the game in Brazil fell through.
- Duke is the clear ACC favorite in our way-too-early look at the next college basketball season for the conference.
- Bettors are backing Scottie Scheffler for the first three-peat on the PGA Tour in 15 years, with Scheffler +310 to win the Memorial Tournament.
- Pete Golding reloaded Ole Miss in the transfer portal and has the team looking at a second straight run at the College Football Playoff.
- With the All-Star ballot for position players and designated hitters dropping on Wednesday, we took a look at the early favorites at each position.
- The NWSL Championship will return to Audi Field in Washington, D.C., in 2026.
- Russell Henley talked to CBS Sports about how falling short at The Masters and Ryder Cup fueled an emotional win at Colonial Country Club.
- Former Heat guard Terry Rozier is looking for a judge to modify the conditions of his bail as related to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and sports bribery in hopes of a return to the NBA.
- Duke and Michigan were supposed to play a huge basketball game in Madison Square Garden, but now appear destined to play at the Marlins' stadium in Miami.
- Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez gave up a run on Wednesday. That wouldn't usually be noteworthy, except it was the first time Sánchez gave up a run in more than 50 innings.
📺 What we're watching Thursday
🎾 French Open: No. 15 Marta Kostyuk vs. No. 8 Miira Andreeva, 9 a.m. on HBO Max 🎾 French Open: No. 25 Diana Shnaider vs. Maja Chwalinska, 10:30 a.m. on HBO Max ⚾ Padres at Phillies, 1:05 p.m. on MLB.tv ⚾ Giants at Brewers, 2:10 p.m. on MLB.tv 🏀 Dream at Fever, 7 p.m. on Prime Video ⚾ Blue Jays at Braves, 7:40 p.m. on MLB.tv 🏒 Stanley Cup Final: Golden Knights at Hurricanes, Game 2, 8 p.m. on ABC 🏀 Valkyries at Lynx, 9 p.m. on Prime Video ⚾ Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m. on MLB.tv
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