This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Charles Curtis is filling in for Andy Nesbitt.
I’ve seen a stat floating around Twitter the last few days with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns getting ready to tip off on Tuesday night: that it will be the first NBA finals without LeBron James, Steph Curry or Kobe Bryant in 15 years.
If you throw Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan into the mix, you’d have to go back to 1998 (!!!) to see the last finals without all that 21st-century star power (Michael Jordan, as you might know, won in ’98).
The point here? Even if we’re missing watching LeBron and Steph once again on the NBA’s biggest stage, there are SO many storylines to follow:
1. Chris Paul could win his first ring. We’ve been over this a lot. It’s time for one of the all-time great point guards to win a title (at least that’s what I’m rooting for, sorry Milwaukee fans).
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo could win his first ring … but will he play? The injured Greek Freak is a big concern for the Bucks. But if he ends up playing during the series and makes the kind of impact we know he can make, it would mark the end of an incredible story — from 15th overall pick in 2013 to two-time MVP to NBA champion leading his team to a ring at age 26.
3. The Suns could go from zero to ring in just three years. Remember when they went 19-63 in 2018-19? What a comeback from the worst record in the Western Conference.
4. Khris Middleton could carry this team to an NBA finals win. We’ve always known the small forward was a terrific two-way player, but was he worth the commitment he received from the Bucks in 2019 (five years, $178 million)? Given what he’s done without Antetokounmpo around, I’d say any doubts have been erased.
5. Devin Booker could carry this team to an NBA finals win. We already know he’s one of the league’s most underrated scorers. Now, he could deliver a ring in his first postseason.
6. Monty Williams could end up coaching a champion. Given what he’s dealt with off the court, this would be really special.
7. These two teams might be pretty evenly matched. If the Greek Freak doesn’t play, the Bucks are still deep and tough, and the Suns’ inexperience might level the playing field.
Quick hits: The Candiens won a Stanley Cup game! … A weird Yankees pitcher windup … Get to know Hannah Roberts … and more.
— The Canadiens staved off elimination thanks to Josh Anderson in overtime.
— Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. delivered a delayed windup that made a Mets hitter laugh.
— Get to know Hannah Roberts, the Olympic BMX freestyler who could win gold.
— Andy Nesbitt and I ranked every I Think You Should Leave sketch from Season 1.