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🏀 Good morning to all, but especially to …
SABRINA IONESCU, BREANNA STEWART AND THE NEW YORK LIBERTY
It’s one of the greatest shots you’ll ever see, regardless of setting or stakes. But that it came in this setting with these stakes makes it even more legendary.
Sabrina Ionescu nailed a game-winning 3-pointer from just inside the halfcourt logo with one second left, propelling the Liberty to a 80-77 WNBA Finals Game 3 win and a 2-1 series lead over the Lynx.
It’s a borderline miracle the Liberty were even in position for Ionescu’s heroics. The Lynx led by 15 points early and were smothering New York’s high-powered attack. But the Liberty slowly chipped away thanks to an all-time Finals performance from Breanna Stewart (30 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks) that will be overshadowed but shouldn’t be, and Ionescu finally joined the party late.
She had an excellent assist to Jonquel Jones with 1:31 left that gave the Liberty their first lead since the first quarter. She buried a 3-pointer with 55.1 seconds left to stretch the lead to four. After four straight Minnesota points, Ionescu entered WNBA lore in unforgettable fashion. She scored seven points in the game’s first 38 minutes and then scored six in the final two.
Ionescu’s game-winner was one for the ages. In fact, our Jack Maloney has it as one of the biggest shots in WNBA Finals history. And, as you might have expected, the 28-foot sent a shockwave across the Internet.
For some more fun stats …
The 15-point comeback is the third-largest in WNBA Finals history. This was the Liberty’s first WNBA Finals road win since 1999. Stewart produced the second 30-point, 10-rebound, four-block game in WNBA Finals history. She also has the other one, from 2020. Stewart moved up to fourth on the all-time Finals scoring list.
What an all-time game, and what an all-time win for the Liberty. They’ll go for their first title tomorrow night.
👍 Honorable mentions
👎 Not so honorable mentions
⚾ Dodgers hammer Mets, take 2-1 NLCS lead
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Playoff Kiké. You cannot stop it. You cannot even contain it. Kiké Hernández mashed a massive two-run home run in the sixth inning, and the Dodgers piled on from there in an 8-0 win over the Mets that gives Los Angeles a 2-1 NLCS lead.
The Dodgers led 2-0 when Hernández doubled the lead, and the numbers behind his playoff prowess are incredible:
Every single expert has Boise State as their Group of Five playoff team, and Ashton Jeanty is the most popular pick for Heisman frontrunner. Chip Patterson explains his pick.
I won’t spoil champion picks, but our eight experts are spread across three different teams.
🏀 CBS Sports Preseason Freshman of the Year, freshman All-America team
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It’s the worst-kept secret in America. Cooper Flagg is the CBS Sports Preseason Freshman of the Year. It was unanimous. We aren’t the first publication to make that pick, and we won’t be the last. I mean, the 17-year-old was playing — and making highlights — against Team USA this summer. Per our scouting report, Flagg “can shoot, get to the rim, defend, facilitate and block shots” and “possesses a killer-like instinct that will allow him to thrive in a high-pressure environment at Duke.” Seems good to me!
But this class is absolutely loaded. And while Flagg practiced with an Olympic team, another preseason freshman All-America pick, Baylor’s VJ Edgecombe, played on one. Isaac Trotter has the insight:
⚾ ALCS Game 3: Yankees at Guardians, 5:08 p.m. on TBS/truTV🏈 Boston College at Virginia Tech, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN⚾ NLCS Game 4: Dodgers at Mets, 8:08 p.m. on FS1🏈 Broncos at Saints, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
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