The Sportsletter - A Golden Knight ⚔️

BY JEFF YODER

JUNE 14, 2023 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

The gold rush continues. Hardware week has seen the NBA and NHL crown both first-time champions — teams from the West with a touch of gold — on back-to-back nights. Vegas, you’re up.

Letter Rip!

  STANLEY CUP FINALS   🏆 

A Golden Night ⚔️

Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Vegas Win 1st Stanley Cup in Year 6 After Demolishing Florida in Game 5 (9-3)

There are championship victories, and then there are purely devastating routs that leave zero doubt which team is the best. The Vegas Golden Knights were the latter. Tuesday night’s Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals was one for the record books as Vegas gave Florida a nine-goal thrashing (9-3). That’s tied for the most goals in Stanley Cup Finals history (113 years). Vegas was unblemished in Game 5 en route to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since the team was founded in 2017.

How Game 5 Was Won: The Golden Knights led the Panthers 2-1 midway through the second period in what looked like a pretty even game that could go either way. In a flash, the Vegas onslaught began and ripped any remaining heart from the chest of Florida. Vegas scored four goals in less than 10 minutes. It was 6-1 entering the third, and the celebration had already started. Vegas captain Mark Stone (3 goals) and Jack Eichel (3 assists) were the key performers in the final game of the year, but it was Jonathan Marchessault — the original Golden Knight — who won the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Fun Fact: Stone’s hat trick in a Stanley Cup-clinching win is the first since 1922 (Babe Dye, Maple Leafs) — 101 years.

Game 5 Top Performers

M. Stone (VGK): 3 goals

J. Eichel (VGK): 3 assists

A. Hill (VGK): 32 saves

Watch: Golden Knights Light Up Panthers With 9 Goals to Win Franchise’s 1st Stanley Cup

Marchessault Wins Conn Smythe: In a twist of fate, Johnathan Marchessault was one of the original expansion selections for Vegas in 2017. He came over from (you guessed it) the Florida Panthers. Marchessault was one of a handful of Vegas players who could’ve claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy, but his numbers were eye-popping. He finished with 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists).

What Happens in Vegas: The Knights have been competitive in five of their first six seasons as an NHL expansion franchise. They reached the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons before finally capturing the Cup. They had the talent, but the team made the move to hire head coach Bruce Cassidy last year, and he delivered in Year 1. The Cup ceremony happened in Vegas. Now the real question: Does it stay in Vegas?

Vegas Playoff Run (By the Numbers)

The Golden Knights went 16-6 in the postseason while no opponent so much as forced a Game 7. They scored 88 goals in those 22 contests (4 goals per game). Marchessault led the postseason in goals scored (13). Eichel led the postseason in assists (17). Adin Hill led the postseason in save percentage (.934).

Congrats to the Golden Knights on as dominant of a postseason run as there’s ever been. Vegas, your 2022-23 Stanley Cup champs!

Read More

ESPN: How Golden Knights Disrupted the NHL & Won the Stanley Cup

B/R: 6 Reasons the Vegas Golden Knights Won the Stanley Cup

Watch: Golden Knights Celebration After Winning Stanley Cup

  MLB   

MLB Power Rankings

Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images

Latest MLB Power Rankings — Approaching 1/2-Season Mark

With the NBA and NHL seasons behind us, baseball takes center stage for the summer stretch. We’re nearing the halfway mark of the 2023 season and the eye-test is telling us who is legitimate in the race for the postseason. The Rays have retaken the top spot from the Rangers in our latest rankings, but four surprise teams still make up the top-10. Let’s lay the foundation for the summer hierarchy on the diamond.

MLB Power Rankings

1. Rays (48-22) | ↑1

2. Rangers (41-25) | ↓1

3. Orioles (42-24) | ↑4

4. Braves (40-26) | ↑2

5. Yankees (39-29) | ↓2

6. Dodgers (38-29) | ↓2

7. Astros (38-29) | ↓2

8. Diamondbacks (41-26) | —

9. Blue Jays (37-31) | ↑1

10. Marlins (37-31) | ↑8

Analysis (1-10): Rays Retake No. 1

Our latest power rankings swap the two teams at the top. After a brief stay at No. 1, the Rays have retaken their place as the MLB’s dominant team. The Orioles are real. The big four juggernauts sit 4-7 — Braves, Yanks, Dodgers and ‘Stros — and they’re all still lurking and playing the long game. At the bottom of the top-10, the Diamondbacks, Blue Jays and Marlins are all proving they belong in the league’s top tier. All four teams have won at least seven of their last 10 games in June.

Teams 11-20

11. Angels (38-31) | ↑3

12. Pirates (34-31) | ↑7

13. Brewers (34-33) | ↓2

14. Giants (35-32) | ↓5

15. Twins (34-33) | ↓3

16. Red Sox (33-35) | —

17. Padres (32-34) | —

18. Phillies (33-34) | ↑2

19. Mariners (33-33) | ↓4

20. Mets (31-36) | ↓7

Analysis (11-20): Pirates Climb, Mets Tumble

The Angels and Pirates lead off our second tier with winning records in the month of June. A lot of the middle-tier clubs are spinning their wheels in the .500 range while still presenting a threat. Looking at you, Red Sox, Phillies and Padres. The Mets have hit a snag and lost eight of their last 10.

Teams 21-30

21. Reds (33-35) | —

22. Guardians (31-35) | ↑1

23. White Sox (29-39) | ↑3

24. Nationals (26-39) | ↑4

25. Rockies (29-40) | ↑2

26. Cubs (29-37) | ↓2

27. Cardinals (27-41) | ↓2

28. Tigers (27-37) | ↓6

29. Athletics (19-50) | ↑1

30. Royals (18-49) | ↓1

Analysis (21-30): Reds Ready to Rock

We contemplated putting Cincinnati up into Tier 2, but we’re giving it time. The Reds called up some prospect in June. Namely, Elly De La Cruz has given Cincy a spark. They could be in the postseason picture and the top dozen in the next month. The A’s are reeling off a current seven-game win streak, and they just jumped the Royals to get out of the bottom spot for the first time all season.

Hottest Teams (Win Streaks)

Athletics (Won 7)

Orioles (Won 5)

Reds (Won 4)

Angels (Won 3)

MLB Quick-Hitters

Carlos Correa Notches Twins’ Comeback With Walk-Off HR

Gunnar Henderson Mashes Grand Slam in Orioles’ Win

Yankees Edge Mets in Subway Series Opener (7-6)

  STORYLINES   

🏀 2023-24 NBA Title Odds

While the Nuggets are basking in the glow of claiming the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, NBA teams are already thinking ahead to the 2023-24 season. Here’s a look at the early title odds for the 2023-24 season. (FOX Sports)

🏈 2023 Fantasy Football Rankings

As the NBA and NHL seasons wrap up, NFL fans are starting to look ahead to their fantasy football strategies for 2023. The season is just 80-some days away. Here’s a look at projections and player rankings with summer minicamps in full swing. (The Ringer)

⛳️ How the PGA-LIV Golf Deal Went Down

The PGA Tour's stunning partnership last week with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund started with a WhatsApp message. The fact the sender was a Wall Street dealmaker makes the alliance even more improbable. (ESPN)

  NEWS   📰 

• New York Rangers Tab Peter Laviolette as Next Head Coach (B/R)
• Bills Coach Sean McDermott ‘Concerned’ WR Stefon Diggs Not at Camp (ESPN)
• Bitter Rivals Rory McIlroy & Brooks Koepka Paired Together at U.S. Open (USA Today)
• 10 People Injured in Mass Shooting Following Nuggets’ NBA Championship (SI)
• Toronto Billionaire Michael Andlauer Reaches Deal to Purchase Ottawa Senators (CBS Sports)
• Shannon Sharpe Gives Tearfully Goodbye on Final Appearance of ‘Undisputed’ (Yahoo! Sports)

• PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan Not at U.S. Open After Recovering from ‘Medical Situation’ (CBS Sports)

• Drew Smith Becomes 2nd Mets Pitcher Ejected for Substance Check (ESPN)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️ 

Today's Must-Watch List

MLB

Brewers at Twins (1:10 pm ET)

Yankees at Mets (7:00 pm ET)

White Sox at Dodgers (10:00 pm ET)

Download The Sportsletter's Must-Watch Calendar

  THE UNDERDOG   

Joker's Wild 🃏

Photo: Aaron Ontiveroz / Getty Images

From Bombing Blackouts & Horse Racing to a Taco Bell Commercial on Draft Night, Nikola Jokic Has Had a Wild Path to the NBA Championship

We called them “unicorns” over a decade ago. It was a reference to the rarity of the (mostly European) 7-footers who did a little bit of everything. For most of basketball history, big men parked it in the post. They couldn’t shoot and pass like point guards. But that’s not reality in today’s game. The last five five NBA MVP awards have gone to foreign 7-footers — Nikola Jokic (Serbia, 2), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece, 2) and Joel Embiid (Cameroon, 1). It’s the era of the unicorn. And in the case of the Joker, it’s been a wild ride from small-town Serbian underdog to basketball’s mountain top.

Jokic’s Early Life

After two MVPs and a staggering run of record-breaking triple-doubles, the Jokic backstory has been widely reported. And it paints a picture of a family-first guy with little desire to bask in the spotlight. He’s a star of few words, and he’ll always be that way.

Jokic grew up in with two older brothers — Strahinja and Nemanja — in Sombor, Serbia. His two brothers can be found in the stands and virtually every game, often celebrating with the team and tossing head coach Michael Malone on their shoulders. And it’s no surprise their brotherly influence helped make Jokic the tough and talented player he is today.

When the Jokic brothers were younger, the nearby was in Kosovo led to bombings to blackouts that left the family without electricity for months. It was in those dark nights where Jokic and his brothers resorted to basketball. But he had another love.

Basketball vs. Horses

That’s right. Nikola would’ve been the biggest jockey you’ve ever seen, but that didn’t stop him from falling in love with horses at a young age. Jokic raced horses as a teenager, but he couldn’t help that his body was made for the basketball court. He was offered a professional contract with Mega Basketball at 17 years old, and his game developed quickly. A proficient passer and shooter with the size to dominate the competition, Jokic quickly drew the attention of NBA scouts. Two years later, he was preparing for the NBA Draft.

Draft Night (& Taco Bell)

We sportswriters often talk about the “underdogs” in terms of draft projections. The players who fly under the radar and grow into superstars are typically the easiest to define because there’s a trail of projection that failed to measure a player’s greatness. Jokic was one of those European prospects few had heard of in 2014. But in the middle of the second round, the Denver Nuggets took a flyer on the 19-year-old sluggish kid from Serbia. The pick was so late in the night and disrespected by the broadcast that it was announced during a Taco Bell commercial.

With the 41st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets selected a future Hall of Famer and the guy who would deliver the franchise’s first championship. And Taco Bell’s new Quesarito was all the rage.

The Mountain Top

Jokic took a few years to grow into his 7-foot frame, but the Serbian sniper still trots up and down the court like the old guy at your local YMCA. He earned five all-star nods, back-to-back MVPs (2021 & 2022) and continues to shatter triple-double stat records en route to the Nuggets’ first title and a Finals MVP award. Jokic could’ve been a three-time MVP this year had Joel Embiid not had a spectacular season. Regardless, the Joker is on track to be the NBA’s all-time triple-double king when it’s all said and done. He’s only 28 years old and just got a taste of his first title.

NBA All-Time Triple-Double Leaders

1. Russell Westbrook (198)

2. Oscar Robertson (181)

3. Magic Johnson (138)

T4. Jason Kidd (107)

T4. LeBron James (107)

6. Nikola Jokic (105)

7. Wilt Chamberlain (78)

The Jokic Fam

One of the most refreshing aspects of the NBA’s latest spotlight star is his humble approach to the game, and life. While the Jokic brothers give a glimpse into the tight-knit family vibes, Nikola’s wife, Natalija, and daughter, Ognjena, are clearly head and shoulders more important than his basketball career.

There were no tears by the big man after his first NBA championship. Only one clear message that gives insight into his priorities: “The job is done. We can go home now.” Jokic even made a retirement joke in the post-game press conference after Game 5. Jokes aside, he certainly gives off the early-retirement vibes as a guy who puts way more focus on family than a game. And I admire that.

Go home, Nikola. Enjoy your family time.

  POLL   📊

Poll Results

Yesterday, we asked: Will the Denver Nuggets repeat as NBA champions in 2024? We expected the majority to pick the field over the Nuggets, but it was suprisingly close. Nearly half of The Team thinks the Nuggets will repeat.

Yes — 47%

No — 53%

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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