{"id":1980143,"date":"2026-06-09T10:20:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T07:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1980143"},"modified":"2026-06-09T10:20:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T07:20:51","slug":"spurs-survive-msg-plus-college-footballs-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1980143","title":{"rendered":"Spurs survive MSG, plus college football\u2019s crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p><strong><span>The Pulse Newsletter <\/span><\/strong>\ud83d\udce3<span> | This is <em>The Athletic\u2019<\/em>s daily sports newsletter. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/the-pulse\/\"><span>Sign up here<\/span><\/a><span> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><span>Good morning! Be professional today. Inside:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>\ud83e\udd20 Spurs <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7343693\/2026\/06\/08\/knicks-spurs-nba-finals-game-3-score-results-takeaways\/\"><span>survive<\/span><\/a><span> Knicks, MSG<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>\ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcab A CFB <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7325046\/2026\/06\/08\/brendan-sorsby-injunction-decision-texas-tech\/\"><span>breaking point?<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">\ud83c\udfc6 USMNT\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7339094\/2026\/06\/07\/usmnt-germany-world-cup-group-expectations\/\">pressure<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Survival: <strong>Spurs, Wemby come of age<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span>Games like last night\u2019s thriller trigger one of my favorite debates, which focuses on young teams playing in big moments: Are these players just impervious to pressure? Built different? Or are they too inexperienced to even understand the full stakes of what\u2019s going on?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>It doesn\u2019t matter, really, when the result is the same. The San Antonio Spurs occupied that liminal space with glee last night in a season-saving <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7343693\/2026\/06\/08\/knicks-spurs-nba-finals-game-3-score-results-takeaways\/\"><span>115-111 win<\/span><\/a><span> at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Instead of staring down an impossible 3-0 hole, this is a 2-1 series that can still go either way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Thoughts from me:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>The arena and atmosphere lived up to the hype, <\/b><span>which makes the Spurs\u2019 win even more impressive. Victor Wembanyama found himself on the biggest stage, scoring 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting. He was who the Spurs needed him to be: versatile, physical, aggressive. Each finals game for the young Wemby feels like a big moment in his career, but tonight\u2019s win will make his bio forever.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>The Knicks had every chance to win this game and essentially close out the series early. <\/b><span>Jalen Brunson also scored 32, but Karl-Anthony Towns sputtered to just 11 points after a strong start in this series. San Antonio\u2019s defense stifled in the second half, particularly during a brutish stretch in the middle of the fourth quarter.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>With it, the Spurs\u2019 season is saved for at least two more games. It\u2019s also the Knicks\u2019 first loss since April 23. Game 4 is tomorrow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>P.S. President Trump did show up to this one and got roundly booed. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7343354\/2026\/06\/08\/trump-nba-finals-knicks-spurs-game-3\/\"><span>See more on that here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Quandaries: <strong>Is college football cooked now?<\/strong><\/b><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_7343684\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7343684 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/06\/08225106\/USATSI_29094170_168395998_lowres.jpg\" alt width=\"1024\" height=\"781\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Nathan Giese \/ Avalanche-Journal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>The college football world is still ablaze this morning, with smoke coming from Lubbock, Texas, after the news that Brendan Sorsby \u2014 Texas Tech\u2019s new quarterback under scrutiny for betting on football \u2014 will be allowed to play next season, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7325046\/2026\/06\/08\/brendan-sorsby-injunction-decision-texas-tech\/\"><span>per a judge<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>To call it seismic is an undersell. In an era when players sue to play more years than the NCAA allows, this is new. But it is not merely an employment\/eligibility case; Sorsby, by his own admission, committed what most thought before yesterday was an unforgivable offense by betting on his own team.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Two quick notes before we get to a broader discussion:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>The NCAA, in defeat, filed for an \u201caccelerated appeal\u201d with the Court of Appeals in Amarillo, Texas. <\/span><b>All four judges who preside over said court are Texas Tech graduates. <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342388\/2026\/06\/08\/brendan-sorsby-court-case-ncaa-appeal-faq\/\"><span>More on that here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>Sorsby will miss the first two games of the season (against Abilene Christian and Oregon State), per the decision, but will be eligible for the rest of the year.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>It\u2019s everything else that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342333\/2026\/06\/08\/brendan-sorsby-reaction-college-coaches\/\"><span>has enraged<\/span><\/a><span> most of the sport. The Big Ten is even talking about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7343241\/2026\/06\/08\/brendan-sorsby-georgia-texas-tech\/\">banning its schools<\/a> from playing Tech <em>in all sports<\/em>. <\/span><b>Gambling on your own sport, your own team, has long been considered an original sin of sports in general. <\/b><span>Pro sports leagues have been particularly stringent, even as gambling sponsors have entered the industry in full force.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p><span>The NCAA appears feckless in comparison, thanks to the ruling. There will be plenty of levels to discuss in the coming days on this case, but I want to do a temperature check on how we\u2019re feeling. How do you feel about the NCAA and college football after this? <\/span><b>Comment to share your opinion.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>We\u2019ll discuss the results tomorrow. For now, read Matt Baker\u2019s full explanation of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342244\/2026\/06\/08\/brendan-sorsby-gambling-texas-tech-win-big-deal\/\"><span>why this is so important<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>News to Know<\/b><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_7342674\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7342674 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/06\/08151044\/GettyImages-1132861136-1024x683.jpg\" alt width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><b>Oilers want Babcock<\/b><\/strong><br \/>\n<span>Edmonton <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342664\/2026\/06\/08\/oilers-mike-babcock-nhlpa-objections\/\"><span>is interested<\/span><\/a><span> in hiring controversial coach Mike Babcock as the team\u2019s next head man, nearly three years after Babcock got the boot in Columbus before even coaching a game due to violations of privacy. The 63-year-old does have a Stanley Cup title and two other final appearances. This story <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5530122\/2024\/05\/31\/no-one-is-spared-tracing-mike-babcocks-imperious-nhl-coaching-career\/\"><span>from 2024<\/span><\/a><span> on his behavior is instructive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>In other NHL coaching news: The Kings are expected to hire Peter Laviolette to be <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342589\/2026\/06\/08\/kings-hire-peter-laviolette-head-coach-nhl\/\"><span>their new head coach<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><b>Iranian team wears #168 pin<\/b><\/strong><br \/>\n<span>The Iranian men\u2019s national soccer team wore pins that read \u201c#168,\u201d which commemorates the number of children killed in an attack on the first day of the Iran-U.S. conflict, while traveling to its hotel in Mexico last weekend. The New York Times reported that a military investigation determined the U.S. was responsible for the attack. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7341751\/2026\/06\/08\/iran-world-cup-168-pin-rules\/\"><span>It\u2019s unclear whether the team will be allowed to wear the pin during the World Cup<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>More news:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Cornerback L\u2019Jarius Sneed <\/b><span>is back with the <\/span><b>Chiefs<\/b><span> on a one-year deal. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342883\/2026\/06\/08\/chiefs-ljarius-sneed-signs-free-agent\/\"><span>More here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342594\/2026\/06\/08\/broncos-jonathon-cooper-pleads-not-guilty\/\"><span>pleaded not guilty<\/span><\/a><span> to a misdemeanor charge stemming from a domestic violence incident.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Norway men\u2019s soccer coach Stale Solbakken <\/b><span>called <\/span><b>Scotland\u2019s<\/b><span> national team \u201cunprofessional\u201d for canceling a pre-World Cup friendly. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342129\/2026\/06\/08\/scotland-norway-world-cup-friendly\/\"><span>Harsh words<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>David Sullivan<\/b><span>, the largest shareholder in <\/span><b>Premier League club West Ham<\/b><span>, has been accused of sexually predatory behavior by seven women. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342064\/2026\/06\/08\/david-sullivan-sex-predatory-claims\/\"><span>Read more<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Women\u2019s hockey star Hilary Knight<\/b><span> will play for the expansion <\/span><b>PWHL<\/b><span> team in <\/span><b>Detroit<\/b><span> as part of a sign-and-trade. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7342885\/2026\/06\/08\/hilary-knight-pwhl-detroit-las-vegas-trade\/\"><span>Read our full story<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Milan Lucic<\/b><span> announced his <\/span><b>retirement<\/b><span> from the <\/span><b>NHL<\/b><span> after 17 seasons. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7341978\/2026\/06\/08\/milan-lucic-retirement-bruins-nhl\/\"><span>I feel old<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman<\/b><span> took blame for the team\u2019s recent swoon, calling his play \u201cterrible.\u201d <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7341466\/2026\/06\/08\/alex-bregman-cubs-downturn\/\"><span>Read his full comments<\/span><\/a><span>. <\/span><span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span>A record five <b>SEC<\/b> teams are going to <b>Omaha<\/b> for the <b>Men\u2019s College World Series<\/b><strong>.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7341159\/2026\/06\/08\/college-world-series-omaha-bracket-field-3\/\">See the full lineup<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: 400\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/news\/\">Find more news here 24\/7<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Watch Guide<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa WNBA: Dream at Sky<br \/>\n<\/b><b>7 p.m. ET on ESPN<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span>Angel Reese returns to the Windy City to play the team that traded her this offseason. Atlanta is in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7341354\/2026\/06\/08\/wnba-power-rankings-sparks-defense\/\"><span>much better shape<\/span><\/a><span> than Chicago right now. Good game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa NHL: Hurricanes at Golden Knights<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><b>8 p.m. ET on ABC<br \/>\n<\/b><span>I\u2019m just hoping for more bedlam. Vegas is up 2-1. Put it on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>\ud83d\udcfa Women\u2019s soccer: USWNT vs. Brazil<br \/>\n<\/b><b>8:30 p.m. ET on TNT and HBO Max<br \/>\n<\/b><span>Your warmup for the men\u2019s World Cup is a glance at two of the top teams to play in next year\u2019s women\u2019s World Cup. The Americans will try to avenge Saturday\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7338978\/2026\/06\/06\/uswnt-brazil-world-cup-warm-up-sophia-wilson\/\"><span>2-1 loss<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3>Pulse Picks<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<div class=\"wp-caption-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/athletic\/uploads\/wp\/2026\/06\/06211209\/USATSI_29137768-scaled.jpg?width=1920&amp;quality=70&amp;auto=webp\" alt width=\"1920\" height=\"1294\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-credits\">\n<div class=\"inline-credits-container\">\n      <span class=\"credits-text\">Talia Sprague \/ Imagn Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Speaking of the <\/span><b>World Cup:<\/b><span> Despite some negative headlines, don\u2019t be mistaken \u2014 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7339094\/2026\/06\/07\/usmnt-germany-world-cup-group-expectations\/\"><span>the USMNT should absolutely win its group<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel<\/b><span> said no to FIFA and the <\/span><b>World Cup <\/b><span>during the planning stages. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7318897\/2026\/06\/08\/world-cup-chicago-mayor-rahm-emanuel-2026\/\"><span>He doesn\u2019t regret it, apparently<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The <\/span><b>NHL trade market<\/b><span> got turned over by Red Wings captain <\/span><b>Dylan Larkin\u2019s <\/b><span>request to play elsewhere. It means there\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7313162\/2026\/06\/08\/nhl-offseason-trade-board-dylan-larkin\/\"><span>a new No. 1 in our trade board<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Why don\u2019t more<\/span><b> NCAA hockey coaches<\/b><span> jump to the <\/span><b>NHL?<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7330964\/2026\/06\/09\/nhl-ncaa-hockey-coaches-david-carle\/\"><span>Fascinating<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Also relevant outside of New York is our latest <\/span><b>NBA mock draft<\/b><span>, with new intel pointing to <\/span><b>AJ Dybantsa<\/b><span> going No. 1. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7337276\/2026\/06\/08\/nba-mock-draft-dybantsa-boozer-intel\/\"><span>See the picks<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday:<\/b><span> Our investigative piece on Brandon Clarke\u2019s death and its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7336190\/2026\/06\/08\/brandon-clarke-death-kratom-scrutiny\/\"><span>possible connection to kratom<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Most-read on the website yesterday<\/b><span><strong>:<\/strong> Our writers\u2019 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nytimes.com\/athletic\/7339419\/2026\/06\/08\/world-cup-2026-usa-canada-mexico-predictions\/\"><span>World Cup predictions<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at <a href=\"mailto:thepulse@theathletic.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">thepulse@theathletic.com<\/a>, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5803046\/2025\/12\/31\/the-athletic-newsletters-sign-up\/\">our other newsletters<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/realchrisbranch\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">connect with me on Instagram<\/a> for more.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Be professional today. Inside:\u00a0 \ud83e\udd20 Spurs survive Knicks, MSG \ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcab A CFB breaking point? \ud83c\udfc6 USMNT\u2019s pressure Survival: Spurs, Wemby come of age Games like last night\u2019s thriller trigger one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1980143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1980143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1980143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1980143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1980143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1980143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}