Good morning, Team SQ! Let’s start today off with this spectacular goal by Argentina’s Lionel Messi… can you say WOW?!

 

QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK

NBA

The San Antonio Spurs are your 2014 NBA Champions. After a heart-breaking loss in last year’s finals against the two-time defending champions the Miami Heat, the Spurs fought through adversity and used that loss to bring them back to the NBA Finals to face the Heat again this year. And in 5 games, the Spurs defeated the Heat to win this year’s title. It’s the 5th title for Tim Duncan and Coach Popovich, and the icing on the cake for an era of excellence. Young rising star Kawhi Leonard of the Spurs is your MVP. Congrats, San Antonio!

So what does this mean for the Heat? Now that the season is over, there are quite a few players that have a decision to make about where they will play next season. LeBron James is one of those players. The Heat’s big 3 (including LeBron) have the option to opt out, play one more year, or renegotiate their contracts now. This will be a big storyline for the off-season. Let’s just say that all fans will be eager to see what happens– especially fans in LA, Cleveland, and Miami.

Speaking of free agents… other off-season storylines headed your way: Where will Carmelo Anthony go? Will he stay in New York or go somewhere else? Who will be the Number 1 pick in the NBA Draft? Will the Spurs’ older stars retire? And, what coaching changes will be in play as we get closer to next season? See, even post-season can be fun!

NHL

The LA Kings are the 2014 Stanley Cup Champs! Wait, so there was more than one professional sports championship this weekend? You know that’s right! The LA Kings defeated the New York Rangers in five games, capping off a double overtime performance on Saturday night to win professional hockey’s greatest honor. Justin Williams of the Kings was named the MVP. Congrats to hockey’s new KINGS!

It may not have been the ending they wanted, but the New York Rangers had a great year. Needless to say, they probably don’t feel that way right now. The heartbreak in sports is real.

World Cup

World Cup Recap: Brazil beat Croatia 3-1 on Thursday, The last World Cup’s winning team, Spain, lost badly to the Netherlands last week 5-1 on Friday, England lost a heartbreaker to Italy 2-1 on Saturday, France put on a show in a big 3-1 win against Honduras on Sunday, Argentina beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 on Sunday, and Switzerland won 2-1 against Ecuador as well.

Cristiano Ronaldo has been struggling on and off with a knee injury. Should fans of team Portugal (and really, the World Cup in general) be concerned? Don’t fret, the futbol star claims he will be good to go when his team faces a talented Germany squad on Monday.

What else is happening this week? Team USA faces Team Ghana on Monday. Do the Americans have a chance? Coach Klinsman was rather quiet on that front. Other great games to keep an eye out for include: Brazil vs. Mexico on June 17 and Chile vs. Spain on June 18. There are also plenty of other games to watch as pool play continues this week! See the schedule here.

Other

Martin Kaymer put on quite a performance and dominated the field to win this year’s U.S. Open down in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The golfer led the way most of the weekend and capped off his victory with a excellent final round.

The Atlanta Falcons are the new stars of Hard Knocks. The HBO drama, which features one NFL team per year, will show a behind the scenes look at the Falcons as they prepare for the season during training camp.

Jimmie Johnson got a big win in NASCAR. For the first time in his career, the driver won a race at the Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.

 

JUST FOR FUN

Harriet the Spy
The French World Cup Coach alleges that a drone was used to spy on his team

 

STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE

In light of Father’s Day…
Toughing it out with dad by your side
No matter how you spent time with your father figure this weekend, we hope you enjoyed yourselves!

Kind of a Big Deal
The US has finally started to catch the World Cup bug
As ESPN improved marketing and production of game coverage, American excitement grew

Pilgrimage
How the sports page began covering soccer
A brave newspaper reporter made the first trek to the World Cup 32 years ago

Shared Territory
The ladies are practicing alongside the men
For the first time, the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens are being played back-to-back at the same venue. Sounds like there’s a lot of excitement and collaboration going on!

Captain(s)
Spreading the leadership around
Everyone is a leader on the US World Cup Team