This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Thanks so much for rocking with the Morning Win today! We appreciate you giving us a bit of your time here.
It’s an especially good morning for all the Celtics fans out there.
Banner number 18, huh? What a special accomplishment the Celtics pulled off against the Mavericks. Boston sealed the deal with a 106-88 drubbing of Luka Doncic and company in TD Garden, etching their place in the history of the NBA yet again.
You can say what you want about this team. Maybe their path to a championship was a bit of a cakewalk because of injuries throughout the rest of the conference. Maybe this team was a bit unserious at times this season like they were in Game 4. Maybe Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown haven’t always been a perfect duo.
RELATED: Watch Jaylen Brown celebrate winning Finals MVP with his mom
Guess what? None of that matters now. They’re champions. They don’t have to apologize for anything. Nothing else matters anymore. All the noise is just that — noise.
The scary part about this is there’s a solid chance that this isn’t it for these Celtics.
Yes, we’re living in an age of parity in the NBA. We’ve had six different NBA champions in six years, which hasn’t happened since 1975 to 1980 when the NBA and ABA first merged. It’s been incredible to watch and has truly felt like multiple teams have had a chance to win big.
But if there were ever a team that could buck this new trend, it’s these Boston Celtics. As long as everyone stays healthy, this team will be together for the foreseeable future.
- Derrick White and Al Horford are the only members of this Celtics core who don’t have deals stretching beyond next season, per Hoopshype’s salary data.
- White’s extension and Jayson Tatum’s extension are Boston’s biggest priorities this offseason and will likely get done.
Unless the Celtics’ ownership group isn’t comfortable with spending as a “second apron” luxury tax team, this squad’s core should remain intact for years to come. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have barely reached their careers’ prime.
This team has been around for a while, yes. But what we just witnessed should be the beginning for these Boston Celtics.
All the parity and different champions have been fun. But the Larry O’Brien runs through Boston until further notice.
That was a close call
For a second, what looked like it could’ve been a potentially awful situation turned out to be pretty manageable for France.
Kylian Mbappe broke his nose on a header in a 1-0 win over Austria on Monday, according to Fabrizio Romano. Broken noses are never a good thing. But, honestly, after seeing it, it seemed things could’ve been much worse for a second.
The situation still isn’t perfect with France being the favorite in the 2024 Euro Cup. Our Robert Zeglinski says the situation is still pretty tender.
“The bad news is that France still has to determine how it will appropriately manage Mbappe’s injury while ensuring that he can be as dynamic as possible. Because, you know, he’s a human being who has to breathe through his nose while also striking the balance of not letting it get hit again.
Mbappe seems to otherwise be OK, but this is not an insignificant development. At all.”
The obvious solution here is to get Mbappe the same Batman Mask LeBron James had back in his Miami Heat days. We’ll see what France elects to do. In the meantime, plenty of people had suggestions for him.
READ MORE: Mbappe got so many hilarious mask ideas from fans after breaking his nose
WNBA valuations are here
Sportico has delivered the first public WNBA valuations, folks. We now get a quick glimpse at where these franchises are from a fiscal standpoint.
Here are the numbers for all 12 teams, including the Las Vegas Aces at the top ($140 million). The Seattle Storm ($135 million) and New York Liberty ($130 million) aren’t far behind.
The first-ever @WNBA valuations:
The 12 WNBA teams are collectively worth $1.16 billion and range from $140 million (@LVAces) to $55 million (@AtlantaDream). https://t.co/PanfHz1yVg pic.twitter.com/iR87NCyYdF
— Sportico (@Sportico) June 18, 2024
This is a big deal because it gives us a benchmark for where the league is at as it moves forward. That’s especially important to keep track of as more opportunities come to the league, including the new television deal it’s currently negotiating.
These numbers will continue to grow moving forward. Keep an eye on this.
Quick hits: Jayson Tatum’s moment … WNBA power rankings … and more
— Jayson Tatum shared this awesome moment with his son after winning a championship. Here’s Cory Woodroof with more.
— Here’s Meghan Hall with her latest WNBA Power Rankings. The New York Liberty are having a moment right now.
— Charles Curtis gives Danny Ainge some love for this Celtics’ championship, too.
— Prince Grimes says the only team that can stop the Celtics’ dynasty from happening is the Celtics
— Here’s Christian D’Andrea on the Ravens’ concerning holes that no one is talking about
— The Celtics winning another title ruined Magic Johnson’s summer. Cory Woodroof has more.
That’s a wrap, folks! Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you for taking the time!
TMW is out for Juneteenth tomorrow! We’ll see you Thursday. Until then, peace!
-Sykes ✌️