The Sportsletter - Trophy Prep Week

BY JEFF YODER

JUN. 13, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back,

As basketball and hockey playoffs near the finish line, the NBA Finals becomes a three-game series and the Stanley Cup Finals are officially set. We’ll be crowning champions in no time. Let’s get caught up on the weekend that was.

Letter Rip!

NBA FINALS

Game 4: The Curry Comeback

Photo: Elsa / Getty Images

Steph Curry’s 43-Point Outburst Fuels Warriors Comeback in Game 4 (107-97) to Even NBA Finals (2-2)

Never count out the Chef! Steph Curry fueled the Warriors with 43 points in Boston on Friday in Game 4. He hit seven 3s (7-for-14) in a vintage Curry night with the Dubs backed against the wall. Golden State outscored Boston by 15 in the second half,  including a 17-3 run to end the game. The Celtics scored just one field goal in the final 5:18. Andrew Wiggins also pitched in a 17-point, 16-rebound night while Draymond Green continued to struggle (2 points). He has just four points in the last two games. The NBA Finals are all even, and it’s now a three-game series to decide the 2022 NBA champion.

Watch: Curry’s 43 Fuels Warriors in Game 4 (107-97)

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 5: Celtics at Warriors (9:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

NBC Sports: Incredible Stats From Curry’s Monster 43-Point Performance

CBS Sports: Steph Curry, Warriors Played the Hits in Game 4 as Golden State Refuses to Die

NHL PLAYOFFS

Back Again: Bolts Return to Cup Finals

Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images

Steven Stamkos’ 2-Goal Night Powers Lightning Over Rangers in Game 6 (2-1), Back to Stanley Cup Finals

After two games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the two-time defending champs looked ready to see their NHL dynasty dwindle. Not so. The Lightning completed a four-game streak to take Game 6 on Saturday and advance back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the third straight year. Steven Stamkos scored both goals in the series-clincher, including the go-ahead strike in the third period just 21 seconds after the Rangers knotted things up. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves in Game 6, and he held the Rangers to just five goals in the last four games on the East Finals. The Bolts are heading back for a shot at the three-peat, but the red-hot Avalanche stand in the way. The Stanley Cup Finals are set.

Watch: Stamkos Powers Lightning to Cup Finals (2-1)

Stanley Cup Finals Schedule

Gm 1: Lightning at Avalanche (Wed. 8:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

NY Post: Rangers Eliminated by Lightning as Stanley Cup Dream Ends

ESPN: The 10 Most Pivotal Players in the Stanley Cup Finals

NBC Sports: Stunning Numbers From the Stanley Cup Playoffs

MLB

Braves Catching Fire 🔥

Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images

Defending Champs Win 11th Straight Game Behind Adam Duvall’s 2-HR Night

The World Series champs are finding their stride. The Braves won their 11th straight game on Sunday with a narrow escape against the Pirates (5-3) thanks to a pair of jacks from Adam Duvall. Atlanta also got a solo shot from William Contreras while Kyle Wright (6IP, 7Ks, 5H, 3R) got his seventh win of the year from the mound. After dipping below .500 in May, the Braves’ hot streak has them at 34-27, just 5.5 games back of the Mets for the NL East lead.

Watch: Braves Win 11th Straight Behind Duvall’s 2-HR Night

MLB Quick-Hitters

Yanks Hang 18: The league-leading Yankees (44-16) won their fourth straight on Sunday with a scoreboard barrage to sweep the Cubs (18-4). Matt Carpenter and Kyle Higashioka hit two home runs apiece.

Giants Sweep Dodgers: The Giants shut out the Dodgers (2-0) on Sunday to complete the weekend sweep of L.A. for the first time since 2016. In doing so, they tightened the gap in the NL West race.

D-Backs Snap Philly Streak: The Phillies were riding a nine-game heater alongside the Braves in the NL East, but the Diamondbacks put a halt to it with a resounding 13-1 blowout on Sunday thanks to seven different arms in a bullpen brigade.

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚾️ CWS: Notre Dame Stuns #1 Tennessee

Notre Dame delivered the biggest shock of the year in college baseball on Sunday. The Irish ousted #1 Tennessee  (7-3) in the Super Regionals with a pair of back-to-back home runs that sent Notre Dame to Omaha for next week’s College World Series.

🏇 HORSE: Mo Donegal Wins Belmont

The 154th Belmont Stakes took over Belmont Park on Saturday for the final race in the Triple Crown. The betting favorite Mo Donegal (5/2) won the race after pulling ahead down the stretch.

⛳️ PGA: Rory Captures RBC Canadian Open

In a weekend full of golf drama between the PGA and LIV, Rory McIlroy (-19) gave the PGA Tour a boost by winning the RBC Canadian Open with an 8-under Sunday. McIlroy got his second win of the season by beating out Tony Finau (-17) and Justin Thomas (-15).

🏀 WNBA: A’ja Wilson’s Cashes in 35 for Aces

A full weekend of WNBA action featured A’ja Wilson as the high-scorer with 35 points, 11 boards and four blocks in the Aces’ win over the Sparks (89-72). Las Vegas (11-2) is back on another win streak as they continue to sit alone atop the WNBA standings through the first month.

🏎️ F1: Verstappen Takes Azerbaijan GP

Max Verstappen won Sunday’s F1 showdown in Baku City to open a 21-point advantage in the F1 standings. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez finished second, and the pair are 1-2 in the standings after ten races (out of 24).

THE STORYLINES

🏈 What We’ve Learned About Every NFL Team in 2022

An NFL team's journey can vary. One may be short and sweet. Another may be a direct line to its preferred destination. Others may be forced to take a Lord of the Rings-like fellowship toward Mordor before it finally wins the one ring. (Bleacher Report)

⛳️ LIV Golf Payouts in London

The breakaway league officially got underway this week in London at the Centurion Club. Charl Schwartzel won the opening event and a whopping $4 million. Here are the payouts from golf’s new high-stakes league. (USA Today)

⚽️ 2022 FIFA World Cup Predictions

The biggest tournament in football is in sight. There are still two more spots at the World Cup to be decided, but it's time to unleash the wall charts and pencil in what we're expecting to happen in Qatar. (CBS Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Warriors Assistant Kenny Atkinson Agrees to 4-Year Deal as Hornets Head Coach (NBC Sports)
• Liverpool Agree With Benfica Forward Darwin Nunez for €100 Million Deal (ESPN)
• Jiri Prochazka Beats Glover Texeira via Submission to Win UFC275 (B/R)
• NFL Officials Believe Baker Mayfield & Jimmy Garoppolo Will Be Released (Yahoo! Sports)
• Dodgers Ace Walker Buehler Shut Down 6-8 Weeks With Elbow Injury (CBS Sports)

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

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Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

Positivity, Pedigree & the Pride of Poland

Photo: Frey/TPN / Getty Images

Iga Swiatek is the Rising Star of Women’s Tennis (By Marissa Kasch)

Tennis stars really are like us. In a recent BBC interview, Iga Swiatek describes her ideal night: “Doing my laundry, cleaning my room, sleeping in my own bed, chatting with my family during breakfast or dinner and meeting with my friends.” 

Swiatek has earned a stunningly quick rise to the top at a very young age, and her recent French Open victory is just the beginning for the 21-year-old. She has a plethora of awards and accolades to her name and has pioneered many “firsts”. In a shock to tennis fans around the world, Swiatek has eclipsed Serena Williams’s record for most consecutive matches won (35) and has tied Venus Williams. She also became the youngest player to be ranked in the top 10 and the first Polish individual to win a Grand Slam.

Despite these spectacular accomplishments, she acknowledges she has been living a very fast life and plans to ease into a slower pace temporarily. In her BBC interview, she told the public that she had a quiet night in following her French Open victory over competitor Coco Gauff. She did not go out and celebrate, but said, “I didn’t need a lot to be happy after this final.”

Iga’s rise to stardom has been nothing short of sensational and deliberate, with no stone left unturned. Her training, rest, stress-level, and positive outlook are all accounted for and monitored by herself and her mental health coach, Daria Abramowicz, whom she has attributed much her success to.

Many athletes tend to focus solely on physical training and practice, but if Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles have taught us anything this past year, it’s that the mental aspect of the game and mental training are equally as important. Part of Swiatek’s immense success can be attributed to her calm and collected attitude as well as her unwavering optimism. In sessions with her mental health coach, there is an emphasis on maintaining composure both on and off of the court.

Daria Abramowicz says she takes an unconventional approach to sports psychology and mental health coaching in an interview with The New York Times. Abramowicz emphasizes the importance of fostering relationships with friends and family, making time for hobbies, and focusing on personal growth. These may seem unorthodox for a sports psychologist to be telling her athlete, but Abramowicz says, “It is impossible to become a champion when you don’t have a fundamental joy and your needs fulfilled and satisfied as a human being.”

Clearly, this approach is working like a well-oiled machine for Swiatek, as she continues to be trailblazer in women’s tennis and in the sports world in its entirety. Abramowicz does not allow Swiatek to participate in anything that has the potential to shake her emotional stability. She even went as far as to prevent Swiatek from reading the end of “Gone With the Wind” on the day of a match to preserve her emotional state. Swiatek’s emotional stability both on and off the court help her to train physically and mentally to the best of her ability, which is undeniably reflected through her many victories.

Iga’s athletic pedigree has also bolstered her success and her passion for tennis. Rowing, swimming, paddleboarding, tennis, you name it, the Swiatek family has done it. Iga’s sister started as a swimmer but transitioned to tennis and made a name for herself early in her career. Unfortunately, she sustained multiple injuries and gave up tennis. Nevertheless, Iga was inspired by her sister and her father to play tennis.

Iga’s father was an Olympic rower, competing in the men’s quadruple sculls event in the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. He constantly encouraged Iga and her sister, Agata, to play a competitive sport in which they could succeed. To this day, Iga thanks her father for her success. After winning the French Open, Swiatek said about her father, “He taught me how to be a professional in sports. He also taught me how to be confident on the court.”

Iga’s sister and father were among her biggest influences, along with her favorite player, Rafael Nadal — the men’s winner of the French Open. Swiatek has modeled her playing style after that of Nadal, staying aggressive on the court. She takes control of each match aggressively with a serve averaging 103 mph and her drop shot which won the 2019 WTA shot of the year.

Two years ago, she was the runner-up for the “Athlete of the Year” award in her home country of Poland, behind popular Polish soccer player Robert Lewandowski. Swiatek was both surprised and honored to see Lewandowski at a match in Paris, which showed her the extent of her own fame.

With all eyes on Swiatek as Wimbledon approaches next month, few skeptics remain. She has proven her talent and character through her quick rise to greatness. Will she shatter Venus’s record at Wimbledon? Will she find a new record to break? With Iga Swiatek, anything is possible. The rising star of women’s tennis is here to stay.

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