Golden Knights headed back to Stanley Cup Final
Vegas defeated Dallas, 6-0, in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final and now advances to play Florida in the Stanley Cup Final.
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1. Golden Knights headed back to Stanley Cup Final
Vegas defeated Dallas, 6-0, in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final and now advances to play Florida in the Stanley Cup Final, writes The Sporting Tribune’s W.G. Ramirez.
The Vegas Golden Knights are returning to the Stanley Cup Final.
After losing to the Washington Capitals in the 2018 Final, in their inaugural NHL season, the Golden Knights will play for Lord Stanley's Cup in their sixth season of existence.
William Karlsson scored twice, Adin Hill stopped 23 shots and the Golden Knights defeated the Dallas Stars, 6-0, Monday night.
Prior to entering the playoffs in place of injured Laurent Brossoit, Hill had zero shutouts as a Golden Knight. He now has two after shutting out the Stars in Game 3 with a 4-0 win. Both shutouts were in Dallas.
The victory keeps owner Bill Foley's original mantra alive, when he said "playoffs in three, Cup in six."
"Bill's a smart man, right?" Marchessault replied when asked if he knew about Foley's prediction before Vegas had ever played a game. "He's done a lot of good things right in his life, so we'll see how it turns out."
2. Why Lakers should value continuity over Kyrie Irving
The Sporting Tribune’s Mark Medina explains why the Lakers should continue to build on the core group they have and stay clear of signing Kyrie Irving.
As they labored through the final game of their season that featured both turbulence and rejuvenation, the Lakers could see two players enjoying their courtside view and teasing them with their presence.
Kyrie Irving and Trae Young attended the Lakers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Technically, they visited Crypto.com Arena to watch a playoff basketball game. Symbolically, though, they commanded attention as the Lakers’ possible off-season acquisitions.
A day later, the Lakers clearly outlined their priorities without needing to name those specific players or even come close toward breaking any tampering rules. Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, called it a “high priority” for the franchise to retain most of the team’s current roster.
“Keeping that continuity is going to be very important,” Pelinka said. “We ultimately got knocked out by a team that has great continuity. They’ve got a group of players that have been together for several seasons, and it shows with the way they play.”
3. Miller shines in Dodgers’ 6-1 win over Nationals
J.D. Martinez and Freddie Freeman power the Dodgers in their 6-1 win over the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Jake Dicker.
The Dodgers are no stranger to impact rookies. Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger won back-to-back NL Rookie of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017, and as of today, James Outman and Miguel Vargas have the second and fourth best odds to win the award this year. If Bobby Miller can keep this up, his name will be thrown right into that conversation.
Six days after winning his MLB debut on the road in Atlanta, Miller made his first career home start on Memorial Day. To say the young right-hander was outstanding would be selling him short. Miller allowed one run on a 2nd inning single by CJ Abrams. Outside of that, he threw like a seasoned veteran, not allowing a runner to pass second base throughout the final four innings of his start. Through two starts, Miller has recorded wins in both, gotten through at least the 5th inning in both, and has lived up to the hype that comes with being a top prospect.
It is no secret that the back end of the Dodgers' rotation is razor thin. With Julio Urias and Dustin May on the shelf, the team called on both Miller and Gavin Stone. The two rookies have had polar opposite starts to their career, but Miller's start has been much more surprising. This isn't to say Stone will not be a good MLB starter. I have complete confidence in him to turn things around. Rookie starters are never this sharp this early, yet Miller has done it twice. I can all but guarantee that nobody in the Dodgers' front office expected this level of dominance this early at a time when the Dodgers needed it most.
4. 2023 NBA Draft: What you need to know about the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have the No. 17 pick and No. 47 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and The Sporting Tribune’s Wilko Martínez-Cachero.
The Los Angeles Lakers have the No. 17 (a little after the end of the lottery) and No. 47 (mid-second round) picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Last year, the Lakers drafted Max Christie from Michigan State with the 35th pick. Christie appeared in 41 games this season and averaged three points in 12 minutes per game. His overall contribution was minimal, but that is to be expected for a developing rookie on a team with championship aspirations.
Interestingly, the Lakers traded for last year's no. 35 pick, sending cash and a 2nd round pick in 2028 to the Orlando Magic. The team previously had no picks of their own and, theoretically, the Lakers would not have to resort to this next month.
5. Hamby turns page, enters new chapter with Sparks
Dearica Hamby has turned the page and entered a new chapter in her life, now starring for the Los Angeles Sparks, writes The Sporting Tribune’s W.G. Ramirez.
Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby made her way to halfcourt Saturday night and was presented with her championship ring from Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis and received a warm ovation from the crowd.
Upon returning to her team, which promptly went to its locker room while the ring celebration continued, she had one message for Sparks coach Curt Miller.
"First thing she did when we got into the locker room was apologize to me because she was worried about how I was impacted by the ceremony," Miller said after the Aces' 93-65 destruction of the Sparks. "That just tells you what kind of character she has."
No surprise there, but it was unnecessary. She earned her moment, and not just after helping the Aces win the 2022 title, but as a once-staple for the franchise.
6. Wilson relishing role as the face of Aces and WNBA
While A'ja Wilson has lived up to her role for the Las Vegas Aces both on and off the court, she's also embraced becoming the face of the WNBA.
A'ja Wilson slowly panned the crowd and marked her target.
Wearing her trademark ear-to-ear grin, she autographed a balled-up T-shirt and hand-delivered it to an adoring little fan jumping gleefully while awaiting Wilson's arrival.
Who was more excited, the little one or the parents, is entirely another discussion.
Then again, it might have been Wilson.
"Oh man, I'm having tons of fun, honestly," said the two-time WNBA MVP on Sunday, after scoring 21 points in the Las Vegas Aces' 94-73 win over the Minnesota Lynx.
Through the Aces' 4-0 start, the reigning MVP is averaging 19 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and has Las Vegas looking every bit like the league favorite.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today.
7:00 p.m. – Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers – $30
9. On the Air presented by The D Las Vegas
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today.
5:00 p.m. – Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox – Bally Sports West
7:00 p.m. – Washington Nationals at Los Angeles Dodgers – SportsNet LA
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Tim Lee and Armani Buckets to discuss the Lakers' attempt to regroup and win a championship next season after losing in the Western Conference Finals and if the team will include LeBron James. Would James really walk away from the Lakers now that they have a championship contending team? Could he opt for being a "part-time" player next season?
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.
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