Shai and the Thunder Win Game Two, Portugal and the USA Play Soccer and Lord Stanley Heads to Florida

Hi, I’m back. I got Chili’s this weekend so I’m in a pretty good mood. Let’s talk about the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals heading to Florida and how my international soccer teams stressed me out, but also brought me joy (at least one of them). 

The Thunder Rebound to Even the NBA Finals:

The NBA’s best team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, got their revenge vs the Pacers on Sunday night and took game two of the Finals. The result on Thursday was shocking for the Thunder, there’s no doubt about that. So, everyone knew that they would get their get back in front of their home crowd.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again proved why he was the MVP this season by dropping 34 points after scoring 38 in game one. But what propelled OKC to their 123-107 victory was their 19-2 run in the second quarter. Time and time again this season, when opposing teams let the Thunder go on runs like this, it’s virtually over. 

I will say this as well, OKC’s defense continues to be one of my favorite things about this squad. You can talk about their chemistry, their youth and anything else positive about this team. But, watching their great defense play the way they do is something to marvel at. 

For the Pacers, while taking a 2-0 lead would have been something interesting to digest, they can retake the series lead at home Wednesday. Additionally, the Indiana faithful will finally experience Finals basketball in their home venue for the first time since 2000. 

The Pacers are considerably in a better spot than their last Finals appearance where they were 0-2 heading into game three vs the Lakers. Twenty-five years later, the Pacers could potentially grab game three like they did at the beginning of the millennium. 

Through the first two games of this series, it has been delightful to experience this Midwest battle. Also, it’s worth noting the television side of things with game two.

Bad weather, especially that of tornadoes because Oklahoma is in Tornado Alley, has been affecting the state during the series. I read that the production crew faced a lot of challenges for game two of the series. 

During the broadcast as well, ESPN decided to place digital Larry O’Brien trophies on the court because of the criticism the NBA has received. Essentially, player safety or some bad explanation led to the removal of the courts that were synonymous with the Finals.

Look, I didn’t like how they looked or how cheaply designed they were to be honest. However, I’m just glad they added something to make it feel like the Finals and not just have YouTube TV advertising everywhere. But yeah, we need the old design for the courts back. 

Glorious Sunday, Disastrous Saturday in Soccer:

It was a weekend full of mixed emotions for me as a fan of the “beautiful game.” The sport I’m referring to here is soccer. International competition was the main attraction for me this weekend and well, I felt a wide variety of emotions. 

First, let me start off with Sunday’s UEFA Nations League Final between Spain and Portugal. As someone who is Portuguese, I felt the highest of highs seeing my team win a championship. 

Being Portuguese has always felt strange to me because I was never like everyone else growing up. I wasn’t Irish or Italian or whatever generic background people were when I was growing up. Heck, I’m farther from my heritage than anyone in my family (I’ve tried to explain college football’s greatness to my relatives from Portugal).

However, whenever Portugal’s national team is competing for anything in international competition, I root hard for them. Watching the Nations League Final Sunday brought me back to the summer before eighth grade when Portugal won the Euros. Seeing Cristiano Ronaldo score, even at the age of 40 was incredible.

Seriously, it was a great match vs arguably the best team in the world right now in Spain. Lamine Yamal was contained well thanks in large part to Nuno Mendes. However, Yamal is only 17 years old and there is no doubt he’ll learn from this experience.

With so much star power, storylines, and enthusiasm (especially from the Portuguese faithful), it was a wonderful match. From great goals to great saves, I am being biased when I say that was an awesome match. 

However, while I was watching FOX’s postgame coverage, I noticed some portion of it was dedicated to another national team. The good ol’ United States men’s national team. They played in a friendly on Saturday vs Turkey so, how did they do?

Uh… what do you mean they lost to Turkey? The USA lost their third consecutive match and are now 5-4 under Mauricio Pochettino.

Now, I’ve heard compliments and complaints from so many fans and analysts about this squad. I’m really tired of hearing how polarizing this team is and how they’re supposed to be the “golden generation.”  

Does the team deserve criticism for not living up to the hype, yes. But I still believe in this squad, even through their faults. If they perform well or maybe win the upcoming Gold Cup, the doubters will be silenced. 

But that’s only if.

Stanley Cup Game 3 - The Heat is On:

The first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals have been legendary all things considered. After the Oilers won game one in overtime last Wednesday, game two needed more time as well. Except this time, it went to double OT. 

Are the hockey gods blessing us with this tremendous series? Perhaps. Except the Panthers’ Brad Marchand (still weird to say) scored the game-winning goal and tied the series at one on Friday.

Just like last year, both Edmonton and Florida will take the long flight down to Sunrise. Most of the points from this travel narrative have been rehashed this year, with some minor changes. Obviously, it’s not ideal to make these trips, especially multiple times in a series. 

However, the series is tied at one and playing in front of their home crowd could be beneficial for the Panthers. Yet, when you look at the away record for the Oilers, their 6-3 in these playoffs only behind Florida. Basically, it wouldn’t be surprising if both teams take one game in the Sunshine state. 

Now, let me talk about the potential Conn Smythe winner for a second year in a row in Connor McDavid. While he hasn’t scored a goal yet in this year’s Cup Finals, he has been instrumental in orchestrating his teammates’ goal opportunities. Five assists with three coming in game two is amazing.

Diehard hockey fans know that McDavid possesses incredible stick stills, lightning-fast speed and terrific hockey IQ. He will get a goal in this series and it could be Monday. Right now, the goal for him is to win Edmonton’s first Cup since 1990 and if he plays the way he has been, it will be Edmonton’s. 

Game three will no doubt be another great game in what has been one of the best starts to a Cup Final in recent memory. Both teams want it badly and it would also be hilarious if game three goes to triple overtime. But that would be too much from the scriptwriters and the hockey gods alike. 

Finals Thoughts: 

Friday night, it was announced that the House v. NCAA settlement was approved by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. This means that $20.5 million will be shared between universities and their athletes, essentially putting an end to the NCAA’s amateurism model.

Some will view this as a dark day, others will view this as a monumental day in the history of college athletics. But what is more important is that it is a new era of college sports. 

The big question here is what will the ramifications of this approval be say in the next year or decade? Time will tell but the 2020s in college athletics have truly been bonkers.