Celtics Toughness, Warriors Experience/Curry's Legacy Headline NBA Finals. Rangers Roll Into Conf. Finals. Mets Tough Trip, Soto's Future In

Published: June 2, 2022, 4:18 p.m.

b'There will be no June swoon when it comes to me delivering my thoughts, opinions and analysis on the entire sports landscape as the mid-week podcast has lots to indulge in. On deck:

(4:52) Game 1 of the NBA Finals commences this evening. I\'ll have all of the juicy storylines, Stephen Curry\'s legacy if he wins, key matchups and prediction of who\'ll be the last team standing in capturing the Lawrence O\'Brien Trophy, crowning an NBA champion in 2022.

(24:25) The upstart Rangers have had a phenomenal week. First up, winning a Game 7 on the road in Carolina where they tempered the Hurricanes to a soft breeze. Then, in Game 1 of the Conference Final, they put the hammer down on the Lightning to a 6-2 win in their best of seven series. Do the Rangers have what it takes to dethrone the two time champs? Or will the Lightning bounce back with all of their experience and know how to get back to a third straight Stanley Cup? Out West, it was a wild shootout in Denver as the Avalanche prevailed 8-6 in Game 1 vs. the Oilers. Can we expect to see this type of offensive output throughout the series? Also, what matchup would the NHL really want for a Stanley Cup Final showdown in two weeks?

(37:56) Baseball turns the calendar into June as I briefly highlight Lou Gehrig Day, as we remember his life and address ALS, the condition that the Iron Horse succumbed to many years ago. As for the game itself, the next eleven days will be an interesting stretch for a Met team that is 35-17 and have beaten the pulp out of their division foes (i.e. Phillies, Nationals) over the past week. Now, they head West to Southern California for games in Los Angeles, San Diego and Anaheim as this will be their toughest stretch to date. How will they fare? What could we possibly expect? The Nationals GM, Mike Rizzo, has declared that his star player, Juan Soto, will not be traded as he\'s looking to build around his only asset. Is that a bluff? Are they going to fork over a potential $400-$500 million dollar contract? And Josh Donaldson is unhappy as he did not get the support of his team following his comments toward White Sox SS Tim Anderson. Could this be the beginning of chemistry issues in the clubhouse?

(47:32) Coco Gauff has made it to the semifinal of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career. There is a possibility that she may face the #1 women\'s player in the world in Iga Swiatek. What could this opportunity mean for the 18 year old, not just in tennis, but as a household name State-side if she goes on to win the French Open? Also, Rafael Nadal had an epic win vs. his longtime rival, Novak Djokovic. The stage is set for him to win his 14th French Open. Can he do it?

(52:17) Is Rams DT Aaron Donald flirting with the idea of retiring, as he mentioned in a recent podcast that he would be "at peace" if he wasn\'t offered a contract extension. Could he step down? Will he play this year? Sadly, there were a couple of untimely deaths in the league this week. One with a current player (CB Jeff Gladney) and a former player (RB Marion Barber) as I discuss in detail.

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