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Good morning! Are any major sports events happening? Coming up:
- A 29-point turnaround
- 🏆 Hello, World Cup
- 💰 Mahomes’ millions
Instant Classics: That’s history right there, you understand?
For two hours, the Madison Square Garden magic was dead.
The Knicks, whose owner had been bickering with city officials over the previous two days, were down by 29 points, facing two straight finals losses amid what was supposed to be the best home-court advantage in the NBA. The Spurs hit every shot in sight. A 2-2 series heading back to San Antonio felt inevitable.
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The magic was not actually dead, though. Just dormant. Very dormant, until there were about 10 minutes left in the game.
- The Spurs led this game by 27 points at the half and as many as 29 in the third quarter. New York chipped away, which wasn’t a surprise, but the lead was still 20 with 9:33 to play. What ensued was a 32-11 run that will be remembered forever in Knicks — and even NBA — lore.
- Jalen Brunson was, of course, steely down the stretch. He scored 36 points in 44 minutes of play and seemed to be the only player on the entire floor in control of his emotions late in this one. But OG Anunoby, already a champion with the Raptors in 2019, will make the poster because of this game-winning tip-in:
A PLAY NEW YORKERS WILL REMEMBER FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES ‼️ pic.twitter.com/sPi2pjO7IE
— ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2026
Unreal stuff. Knicks 107, Spurs 106. In a series John Hollinger thought might be the best in NBA Finals history before Game 4, the largest comeback in finals history might seal it. New York is up 3-1 with a chance to clinch in San Antonio on Saturday.
I feel like I just watched “Uncut Gems” again after that game, which is fitting, as Adam Sandler was in the building last night.
Anyway, there’s some worldwide phenomenon starting today, too:
More Big Stuff? Oh yeah, the world’s biggest sporting event
Let’s start this preview with a fact/admission: The World Cup is, at this point, quite overwhelming. Political stories are still at the forefront. There are 50 percent more teams in this tournament than in previous editions. Where do you even start?
It’s a mess, in the best way, and it starts today at 3 p.m. ET. Here goes my best attempt at organizing our brains around the on-field action:
Bucket 1: The teams
Yes, there are 48 now, the first time the World Cup has expanded in 28 years. On one hand, we get more games than we’ve ever seen, and we’ll watch some countries compete for the first time. That’s cool.
On the other hand, it might cheapen the product. That remains to be seen. I asked Chris Sprow, co-author of our new World Cup newsletter, about how to frame this. He had a good answer:
💬 “March Madness just hit soccer. The expanded field almost guarantees us wildly fun storylines. Reminder: 32 teams advance from the group stage! Previously, the idea of Curaçao advancing (much less being here) was absurd. Right now, they are at 22 percent to advance in our model. One upset is all it takes.”
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Sold. Then I wonder who we’ll fall in love with, a hallmark of each tournament. Chris picked Norway, a team that hasn’t been to the World Cup since 1998 and features some guy named Erling Haaland on the roster. Hannah Vanbiber, also an author on the newsletter, picked Curaçao, a fun first-timer, and Japan. Choose your new alternate favorite wisely.
But who’s going to win? France is the easy pick, having appeared in the last two World Cup finals. I went to Phil Hay, author of our excellent The Athletic FC newsletter, for a check on my bias:
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💬 “This could be a tournament of unexpected results, owing to the heat, altitude and fatigue at the end of a long European season. So while France’s attacking resources should do the business, I’ll stick my neck out and pick a longer shot in Portugal, provided Roberto Martinez makes the most of their exceptional, Paris Saint-Germain-flavored midfield. And doesn’t indulge an aging Cristiano Ronaldo too much.”
Bucket 2: The players
Another favorite World Cup pastime of mine is falling in sports love with a player I didn’t know existed before the tournament began. The first example that comes to mind is James Rodríguez, the Colombian who took our collective breath away in 2014.
I went back to Phil for this year’s pick:
💬 “Mexico’s Gilberto Mora is primed to break out at these finals. He’s 17, and he loves to play. I’m also hoping Nico Paz gets game time for Argentina. But look out for Ivory Coast forward Yan Diomande. If he comes good, he’ll show why clubs are clamouring to sign him from RB Leipzig.”
Three names to watch: ✅. If you want more, we have a whole beautiful interactive piece featuring 200 players at this World Cup.
Bucket 3: USMNT
We’ll talk more about the U.S. tomorrow, when the Americans make their debut against Paraguay. For now, read Henry Bushnell’s guide to everything you need to know about the team.
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P.S. If you have time for just one off-the-field item today, make it this collaboration between the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast and reporter Adam Crafton, who unpacked the hidden costs of this tournament for U.S. taxpayers. Watch/listen here.
News to Know
Mahomes breaks $ record
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to a contract extension yesterday that keeps him with the team through 2033, his agency announced. The added years bring the total value of the 30-year-old’s deal to a staggering $504.75 million, the first NFL contract to cross the $500 million mark. The details of the deal are intriguing, too.
American teen beats Olympic champ
Cooper Lutkenhaus, a 17-year-old American burgeoning track star, won the 800-meter race at the Oslo Diamond League yesterday, beating Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi in the process. Lutkenhaus’ time of 1:42.08 is the fastest of anyone this year. Read more on his feat.
More news:
- The Brazilian women’s national team is still really mad after earning eight red cards in the friendly loss to the USWNT on Tuesday.
- Texas and Texas Tech set a viewership record at the Women’s College World Series. See the numbers.
- USC elevated Conor McQuiston, formerly director of football analytics, to the new role of director of artificial intelligence. Sure.
- The NHL agreed to investigate prospective Oilers coach Mike Babcock at the request of the NHLPA. Read our full story.
- An audit at Colorado found the university paid coach Deion Sanders too much for the team’s Alamo Bowl appearance. Whoops.
Watch Guide
📺 World Cup: Mexico vs. South Africa
3 p.m. ET on Fox
Game 1 of the World Cup in Mexico City, featuring the Mexican national team, should be perfect. Fox’s new TV crew will be interesting to watch, too.
📺 NHL: Golden Knights at Hurricanes
8 p.m. ET on ABC
Don’t get too distracted with soccer. Game 5 of what has been an incredible Stanley Cup Final is on tonight. Find a seat and maybe something to calm your nerves, seeing how this series has gone.
📺 World Cup: South Korea vs. Czech Republic
10 p.m. ET on Fox
Remember Son Heung-min? He’s been brilliant in his MLS stint thus far. Keep track of him tonight.
Pulse Picks
Matthew Futterman explored a topic that stopped me in my tracks: Serena Williams’ comeback also brings a reckoning around GLP-1s and whether they should count as a performance-enhancer. Read this story today.
Keith Law is back with a 2.0 version of his 2026 MLB mock draft. There’s a new No. 1 pick.
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A lingering question in the Brendan Sorsby situation at Texas Tech: Can the NCAA enforce anything anymore?
Former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III could be paroled soon. Vic Tafur has a useful explainer on what his options are if that happens.
Premier League club Everton must pay Burnley $47 million for breaching profitability rules. It could be a watershed moment for the sport.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on that wild USWNT-Brazil match that featured multiple red cards.
Most-read on the website yesterday: NBA Finals Game 4 live blog.
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, check out our other newsletters and connect with me on Instagram for more.