Jacob Melton's terrific diving catch
Why Flames Prospect Jacob Battaglia Looks Like What Calgary is Looking For
Calgary prospect Jacob Battaglia had a career-best junior season this past year in the OHL, scoring 40 goals and 90 points in 68 games games with a rating of plus-13. His points total was tied for the highest on the Kingston Frontenacs team and 11th-highest in the league.
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ESPN added logo to court after complaints about auraless NBA Finals broadcast
For the past few years, the NBA Finals broadcasts have turned almost indistinguishable from any other nationally televised game in the regular season. And that blame falls entirely on ESPN and the league itself. But hey, at least ESPN saw the complaints and attempted to do something about it for Game 2 — albeit as a cheap half measure. Advertisement One of the major critiques from fans has been how NBA Finals games no longer look like a major championship event just from an aesthetic standpoint. There used to be a massive Larry O'Brien Trophy at midcourt. That's all been scrapped in favor of superimposed ads for YouTube TV and Emirates. On Sunday, though, ESPN did bring back the Larry O'Brien Trophy with a digitally added image on the court. It looked, uh, not great. It was something, but the low-resolution trophy didn't exactly scream MAJOR EVENT either. Eventually, the trophy image was scrapped in favor of the cursive Finals logo (presented by YouTube TV, of course). These games used to have player introductions and national anthems included in the broadcast — along with the NBA Finals logo actually on the court. This was still a huge step back even if ESPN tried to address the visual issue on the fly. This article originally appeared on For The Win: ESPN added logo to court after complaints about auraless NBA Finals broadcast
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"Mark Daigneault fixed the garage door that wasn't broken" - Zach Lowe says Thunder coach overthought by changing the starting lineup for Game 1
"Mark Daigneault fixed the garage door that wasn't broken" - Zach Lowe says Thunder coach overthought by changing the starting lineup for Game 1 originally appeared on Basketball Network. As talking heads analyzed Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals, one thing that baffled them was Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault's change in his starting lineup. Advertisement Their issue was why Daigneault would change his lineup before Game 1 of the Finals when it has worked for them in the first three rounds of the playoffs. The Ringer's Zach Lowe believes that the Thunder's long break after the Western Conference Finals made the 2024 NBA Coach of the Year winner overthink about the Indiana Pacers' smaller starting lineup and that he wanted to fix something that wasn't broken in the first place. "It's like when my wife asked me to fix the garage door and I tried it, and made it worse. And I had to call the garage door company, 'Hey, my door's crooked and stuck now.' That's what Mark Daigneault did. Mark Daigneault tried to fix the garage door that was broken," said Lowe. The Pacers lorded over the boards and scored 32 second-chance points In Oklahoma City's first 16 games of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Daigneault started Isaiah Hartenstein alongside Chet Holmgren for a two-big frontcourt. Hartenstein has played well in the postseason, averaging 9.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the Thunder. Advertisement However, in Game 1, the Thunder head coach awarded Cason Wallace his first-ever playoff start because he wanted to match up with Indiana's smaller and perimeter-deadly first five. Wallace proved to be a reliable starter, making 43 starts this season while averaging 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game in those outings. But the Thunder ended up getting outrebounded 39-56, giving up 13 offensive boards and allowing the Pacers to score a total of 32 second-chance points in the game. Not only that, Daigneault's decision to go small backfired in their final possession when it was Aaron Nesmith who grabbed the rebound off a miss by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with both Holmgren and Hartenstein on the bench. Nesmith gave the ball to Pascal Siakam, who passed it to Obi Toppin, who was smart enough to hand it over to Tyrese Haliburton. We know what happened next. Related: Shaquille O'Neal reveals which two dunks in his NBA career are his favorite: "He was all over me, and I was like, 'Get the fu** off me'" Dray said it's wrong to make adjustments before the series has even started Like Lowe, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green also did not like the Thunder's starting lineup change. The 2017 NBA DPOY winner said a team should go to war with its tried and tested unit and that a coach should not make changes unless the strategy isn't working. Especially when it is a series opener. Advertisement "You made your adjustment before the series started," said Green. "You go to Game 1; you roll with what you know. You roll with what you do. You ride with that. You don't lay your trump card before the series starts. You go two games with your starting lineup before, like… you won 68 games." In Daigneault's defense, the starting unit he used in Game 1 was his most used and winningest opening five during the regular season, with a record of 18-4. Dray does have a point — the Thunder stuck with one starting lineup throughout the playoffs, and it carried them to the Finals without a hitch. So why switch it up for Game 1? Maybe, as Lowe suggested, Mark just overthought things during the extended break. Related: Nikola Vucevic on the defensive greatness of Alex Caruso: "It is a luxury to have that type of player" This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
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Sizzling Kiwi beats Burns in Canadian Open playoff
New Zealander Ryan Fox has won for the second time in five weeks on the PGA Tour with another memorable shot in a playoff to beat Sam Burns in the Canadian Open. Fox won the Myrtle Beach Classic last month by chipping in for birdie to win a three-man playoff. This one on the TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley on Sunday took a little longer. What turned out to be the winning shot this time on the fourth extra hole might be more memorable. Fox smoked a 3-wood that landed softly just left of the pin and settled seven feet away. Burns pulled his 3-wood some 55 feet left of the flag. He ran his eagle putt eight feet by and missed that one. Fox missed his eagle try before tapping in for birdie. "That shot I hit on 18 ... probably the best shot I've ever hit."@RyanFoxGolfer sealed the deal with this shot on the fourth playoff hole @RBCCanadianOpen. — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 8, 2025 "To be honest, Sam and I had a bit of a pillow fight for three holes," Fox said. "But that shot I hit on 18, that 3-wood, was probably the best shot I've ever hit. It would have been nice to make the putt. But hey, I'll take it." Fox holed a birdie putt from just inside 18 feet on the par-5 18th in regulation for a four-under 66 that allowed him to join Burns at 18-under 262. Burns (62) had finished some two hours earlier with a birdie on the final hole. They played the 18th four more times and there was nothing compelling about the extra holes. Fox finally delivered the goods and now has two wins in just over a month, propelling the 38-year-old from No.75 to 32 in the world and getting him into the US Open next week for being among the top 60. Taiwan's Kevin Yu (66) birdied the last to finish alone in third, one shot out of the playoff. He narrowly missed out on the top 60 to get to Oakmont next week, but joined American duo Cameron Young and Matt McCarty as earning the top three spots for the British Open next month for players not already eligible. Fox already was in the British Open from his victory in the BMW PGA Championship in 2023, the flagship event on the European tour. Fox now has eight wins worldwide — two on the PGA Tour, four on the European tour and two on the PGA Tour of Australasia. Burns was hopeful of ending more than two years without a victory, his last title coming in the final year of the World Golf Championships-Match Play in 2023. Young (65) tied for fourth. He made an incredible par on the 17th. But needing birdie on the par-5 18th to catch Burns, the clubhouse leader at the time, Young flushed a 3-wood into the breeze and into the trees. It took two to get on the green and he made bogey to finish two shots behind. "I thought in the air I was going to have about a 12-footer to win the tournament, and it ended up somewhere I was going to struggle to make par, let alone make a 4. Pretty upset," Young said.
