What to watch in sports this week: NBA Finals, Stanley Cup, international soccer, college baseball

New York Times

6 hours ago

Another week and its attendant worries. At least we have a full, diverse slate of sports to lock in on.
Choose your distraction: the championship stage in pro basketball and hockey, tournament play across golf and international soccer, college baseball's World Series or the feverish return of Caitlin Clark. There's no wrong answer here. This is your guide to the forthcoming national TV schedule.
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ABC is available over the air with a broadcast antenna and can be streamed on ESPN+, along with other ESPN programming.
When: Monday, Thursday, Sunday (if necessary)
The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are knotted at 2-2 thus far, with each side stealing a win on the road. Indiana's Game 1 comeback set the series off right, but OKC got off the ropes late in Friday's Game 4. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging more than 32 points on a heroic usage rate, living up to his MVP coronation. Eight Pacers are scoring at least 9.5 points per game, which is mad scientist stuff at this stage of the Finals. No matter the ending, these playoffs should be celebrated for affirming vibes and endless improbabilities. Who doesn't dig 20-point comebacks and extra-saucy buzzer-beaters? A Pacers title would mint the most unlikely NBA champion of all time. A Thunder title would seal a folkloric rebuild project in the league's third-smallest market.
When: Tuesday, Friday (if necessary)
The Florida Panthers snatched a 3-2 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers with Saturday's convincing win. Still, the hockey deities scoff at any and all premature declarations, even with the Panthers dominating play in Games 3 and 5. The Oilers have disrupted Florida with two comeback wins in overtime — In Game 1, sealed by Leon Draisaitl's power play goal, after trailing 3-1, and again in Game 4, after overcoming a 3-0 hole (once again, won by Draisaitl). And the Panthers have had their close wins, too. After Edmonton forced extra time in Game 2 with 18 seconds to go, Florida won what became a modern masterpiece in double OT. Now, the Panthers are 60 minutes shy of back-to-back championships. The Oilers must dig deep into the permafrost for Canada to lift its first trophy in three-plus decades.
When: Tuesday
Some folks return to the party, shuffling their feet with discretion. Caitlin Clark, meanwhile, kicks down the door and blows out the subwoofer. Clark was a supernova in her return from injury Saturday, finishing with a 32/8/9 line on explosive long-range shooting. Her Indiana Fever tied a franchise record with 17 made 3s and dominated the previously undefeated New York Liberty. Indiana is now 3-1 in Commissioner's Cup action, tied with the Atlanta Dream atop the East standings. Out in the West, Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx lead the pack at 4-1. The team with the best tourney record in each conference advances to the July 1 final. They'll compete for a $500,000 prize pool, plus a boost of mid-year momentum and a quantifiable community impact. The Lynx can punch their ticket with a home win versus the Las Vegas Aces. The Fever face the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, while keeping an eye on Atlanta's outcome in New York.
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When: Monday-Thursday for bracket rounds, championship starts Saturday
For casuals, the Men's College World Series is a smooth and agreeable broadcast, from the pastoral Omaha outlay to the chimes and dings of aluminum bats. For true loyalists, this year's wide-open eight-team field covers six different conferences (plus independent Oregon State). Coastal Carolina clinched the first semifinal spot, headlined by 12-0 ace Jacob Morrison. He retired 16 straight batters in Sunday's second-round win against Oregon State. Looking forward, national No. 3 seed Arkansas fights to save its season Monday afternoon, drawing insurgent Murray State in the double-elimination game. The Razorbacks fell to sophomore southpaw Kade Anderson and sixth-ranked LSU on Saturday. Elsewhere, UCLA has won its first six NCAA tournament games, as star shortstop Roch Cholowsky rises on MLB draft boards.
When: Thursday-Sunday
The PGA Tour continues in Connecticut, after J. J. Spaun churned out his surprise U.S. Open win over the weekend. The Top 12 Official World Golf Ranking players are slated to tee off at TPC River Highlands, including incumbent champ Scottie Scheffler, who won with a 22-under-par one year ago. The No. 1 golfer tied for seventh place on Sunday, and No. 2 Rory McIlroy came in at an underwhelming 19th. Keegan Bradley set the tournament record at the Travelers Championship in 2023. The venue's sixth hole is a demanding 574 yards, though the back nine eases up with two par-3 offerings.
When: Thursday and Sunday
The Americans snapped their international losing streak and got busy in the first match of group play, posting a spirited 5-0 win against Trinidad and Tobago. Malik Tillman netted two goals in the opening half, and the U.S. 4-2-3-1 formation ran its opponent off the pitch Sunday. Patrick Agyemang, who has ascended from Division III collegiate soccer to MLS recognition to USMNT prominence in the attack, added the third goal of the first 45 minutes. Up next is Saudi Arabia, the sudden new entrant to this North American continental bout, followed by a match with Haiti to wrap up the group stage. The U.S. and Mexico have combined to win 16 of 17 Concacaf Gold Cups.
When: Friday-Sunday
Friends of 'Seinfeld' versus the legends of 'Always Sunny' lore. The New York Mets enter Monday with the National League's winningest record, and that's on the heels of three straight losses to Tampa Bay. Philadelphia is second in the NL East and feeling itself after a weekend sweep of Toronto. The Mets have the best collective ERA in the big leagues, and they should be slight favorites in this three-game swing. But the Phillies can microwave runs with the front of their lineup: Trea Turner leads the NL in hits. Kyle Schwarber is second in homers. And Nick Castellanos just served up fresh grand salami on Father's Day. That core is matched by NL pace-setters Juan Soto (walks) and Pete Alonso (RBIs).
NYM-PHI from the New York Times archive — 2007:
'New York lost a seven-game lead in the National League East with 17 to play. 'It's embarrassing,' closer Billy Wagner said. 'That's the big thing.'
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The Mets went 5-12 to close out the season; the Phillies, a beleaguered franchise that had its own historic collapse in 1964, went 13-4. They capitalized as the Mets' pitching crumbled, their defense disintegrated and their offense, potent at times, fell silent at inopportune moments…' (Ben Shpigel)
2015: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and the Warriors win their first of four NBA titles together. From Scott Cacciola in the New York Times:
'No champion in the league's history so effectively, and so frequently, used the 3-point shot. The Warriors attempted 2,217 of them during the regular season, the fourth-most in the NBA. But their approach was far from pure gluttony from beyond the arc. They blended quality with quantity, making a league-leading 39.8 percent of their 3-pointers. Still, Kerr said it always bothered him that people paid so much attention to his team's gaudy numbers on offense. The Warriors also had the league's top-ranked defense.
'When you get that combination, then you're going to be pretty good,' Kerr said. 'Whether you're shooting 2s or 3s, it's about the balance.''
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