The Sportsletter - Road Thieves & Pulling the Lever

BY JEFF YODER

MAY 23, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

Road thieves stole Game 1s in last night's NBA/NHL playoff doubleheader. Luka Doncic in the 4th? Cold-blooded. Sergei Bobrovsky in the net? Put a lid on it.

Plus, a 51-match unbeaten streak ended in heartbreaking fashion across the pond, and we're entering the NCAA's revenue-sharing era. Amateurism, be gone.

Letter Rip!

  NBA PLAYOFFS  

WCF Game 1: Kyrie Early, Luka Late

Photo: David Berding / Getty Images

Kyrie Irving Has Huge 1st Half, Luka Doncic Scores 15 in the 4th as Mavs Rally to Take Game 1 From T-Wolves (108-105)

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals was another nail-biter, but this time the road team pulled one out. Usually, it’s Luka Doncic who starts hot before Kyrie Irving takes over late, but the two Dallas stars flip-flopped on Wednesday in Minneapolis. Irving (30 pts) and Doncic (33 pts) combined for 63 in a game where Luka had 15 in the fourth quarter. Dallas went on a 13-0 run in the middle of the fourth to flip the script and steal Game 1 on the road. The Wolves struggled offensively. Jaden McDaniels (24 pts) was the only Minnesota scorer to crack 20 points.

Mavericks Top Scorers

L. Doncic: 33 pts, 6 rebs, 8 asts, 3 stls

K. Irving: 30 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts

T-Wolves Top Scorers

J. McDaniels: 24 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts

A. Edwards: 19 pts, 11 rebs, 8 asts

Watch: Doncic & Irving Each Go for 30+ as Mavs Take Game 1 (108-105)

Tonight’s Schedule (ECF)
Gm 2: Pacers at Celtics (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)

BOS Leads Series (1-0)

Read More

Yahoo! Sports: Doncic Does It All Down the Stretch as Mavericks Win Game 1 Thriller

Athlon Sports: T-Wolves Fans Outraged by Controversial Call in Final Minutes of Game 1

  STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS  

ECF Game 1: Big-Stop Bob!

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Panthers’ Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (23 Saves) Preserves Shutout in Game 1 Against Rangers (3-0)

The Presidents’ Trophy winners have overcome everyone’s best shot so far in this year’s postseason. But if Sergei Bobrovsky plays like this? The Rangers might be in trouble. The Panthers took Game 1 on the road in New York last night (3-0) thanks to Bob’s brilliant 23-save shutout. The Russian veteran made 11 saves in the third period when the Rangers were frantically scrambling to get on the scoreboard. Carter Verhaeghe (1G, 1A) and Matthew Tkachuk (1G, 1A) tallied two points each for the Panthers. Tkachuk struck in the first period before Verhaeghe was credited on an own goal in the third, and Sam Bennett buried an empty-netter.

Some of that New York magic seems to have evaporated from Madison Square Garden in the last few days. The Knicks and Rangers have lost back-to-back blowouts at home.

Watch: Bobrovsky (23 Saves), Panthers Shut Out Rangers in Game 1 (3-0)

Tonight’s Schedule (WCF)
Gm 1: Oilers at Stars (8:30 pm ET, TNT)

Read More

ESPN: Matthew Tkachuk Says ‘Bob Was Awesome’ in Game 1 (SportsCenter)

B/R: Rangers Ripped by Fans After Getting Shut Out in Game 1 Loss of ECF

  SOCCER  

Pulling the Lever 👀

Photo: Name / Getty Images

Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-Match Unbeaten Streak Ends in Europa League Final at the Hands of Atalanta (3-0) & Ademola Lookman’s Hat Trick

For nearly a year, they couldn’t be beaten. The Bundesliga darlings from Bayer Leverkusen stole the hearts of soccer fans across the globe this season. They went 51 matches over 361 days without suffering a loss. Their 28-6-0 record in Bundesliga play made them the first club in German soccer history to go undefeated, but the treble was waiting. With the Europa Cup and the German Cup finals on deck this week, there was more to be done. Undefeated league season? That’s great. But immortality (a perfect treble) was beckoning. I’ll admit, I was excited to see Leverkusen complete the feat. Then this happened.

How Atalanta Stunned Leverkusen (3-0)

Yesterday's Europa Cup finale delivered a shocking twist. Leverkusen out-possessed Atalanta 2-to-1 (67%-33%), fired 10 shots, and earned five corners, outplaying their opponents in every measure on the scoresheet except one — goals. Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman scored a hat trick (12’, 26’, 75’) — the first in a Europa League final — and removed the wheels from this unstoppable German machine. Simply devastating for Leverkusen, and also remarkable for the Italian side. Right on the doorstep of immortality… So close.

Watch: Lookman, Atalanta Halt Leverkusen’s Unbeaten Season in Europa League Final (3-0)

Read More

ESPN: Atalanta Show Bayer Leverkusen That Nobody’s Perfect

CBS Sports: Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-Match Unbeaten Streak Snapped in Europa League Final

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

Yankees’ Juan Soto Hits 2 HRs

Phillies Stay Hot, Smash Rangers With 3 HRs

Braves’ Max Fried Throws CG (9IP, 9Ks, 3H, 2R)

Cardinals Hand O’s 1st Sweep in 107 Series

🏀 WNBA

Storm def. Fever (85-83)

Jewell Loyd (32 pts) Outplays Caitlin Clark (21 pts)

  STORYLINES   

🏛️ NCAA Revenue Sharing Incoming

College athletes are on the brink of getting $2.8 billion in revenue-sharing following the House v. NCAA settlement this week. Amateurism, be gone. (CBS Sports)

🏀 All-NBA 1st, 2nd & 3rd Teams

The votes are in for All-NBA selections. Giannis, Luka, SGA, Jokic, and Tatum took 1st-Team honors, but LeBron James and a few others made history. (B/R)

🏈 Upcoming Quarterback Paydays

Three NFL quarterbacks are now eligible for new contracts. Who will get the most money: Trevor Lawrence, Jordan Love, or Tua Tagovailoa? (Sports Illustrated)

  NEWS   📰 

🏈 Pittsburgh Awarded NFL Draft Host Duties in 2026 (B/R)

🏁 NASCAR Hits Ricky Stenhouse Jr. With Historic Fine for Post-Race Fight (Yahoo! Sports)

🏛️ ACC Joins Big 12, Votes to Settle House vs. NCAA & Other Antitrust Cases (ESPN)

🏀 NC State Tournament Star DJ Burns Dropped 45 Pounds in 6 Weeks Before NBA Combine (CBS Sports)

🏀 Mother Claims Hornets’ LaMelo Ball Ran Over Son’s Foot Driving Away After Game (Sporting News)

🏒 Devils Hire Sheldon Keefe as New Head Coach (TSN)

⚾️ Padres’ Xander Bogaerts Out Indefinitely With Fractured Shoulder (FOX Sports)

🏒 Canucks Coach Rick Tocchet Wins Jack Adams Award for NHL Coach of the Year (Athletic)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Today's Must-Watch List

🏀 NBA Playoffs

Gm 2: Pacers at Celtics (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)

🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Gm 1: Oilers at Stars (8:30 pm ET, TNT)

⚾️ MLB

Giants at Pirates (12:35 pm ET, MLBTV)

Padres at Reds (1:10 pm ET, ESPN+)

Blue Jays at Tigers (6:40 pm ET, MLBTV)

🏀 WNBA

Sky at Liberty (7:00 pm ET, PRIME)

⚽️ NWSL

Angel City FC vs. San Diego Wave (10:00 pm ET, CBS)

  POLL RESULTS   📊

Speed Weekend Viewers 🏁

Yesterday, we asked: Which iconic Memorial Day Weekend race are you most likely to watch this Sunday? The Indy 500 took the prize (no surprise there), but our Formula 1 fans are alive and well. Almost 1/3 of the audience won’t be watching a race this weekend (that’s cool, too), and about 1/6 plan to watch all three. Vroom vroom…

1. Indy 500 (23%)

2. Monaco Grand Prix (18%)

3. Coca-Cola 600 (13%)

All of the Races (15%)

-----------------------------------

None of the Races (31%)

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

Please consider supporting The Sportsletter, an independently operated and bootstrapped publication, and you'll receive our exclusive Sunday edition. Many thanks to everyone who already supports us!

Did Someone Forward You This Email? Subscribe Here
Feedback? Contact Our Editor: Jeff@TheSportsletter.com

*Sponsorship Has No Influence on Editorial Content*

Not Loving The Letter? Unsubscribe

Copyright © 2024 The Sportsletter
717 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103