The WNBA playoffs are here

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🏀 Bring on the WNBA playoffs

The WNBA regular season came to an end on Thursday, setting the stage for eight teams to begin their championship quest.

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Who’s in? The field was already set, but the seeds and matchups were determined after last night’s finale.

1. Lynx (34-10): Minnesota responded to its heartbreaking Game 5 finals loss last season by mowing down the rest of the league and clinching the 1-seed with two weeks to spare. They do look vulnerable entering the playoffs, though, having lost five of their final 11 games.

2. Aces (30-14): Vegas ended the season on a 16-game winning streak, the second-longest ever. They’re the fourth team in league history to win 15 straight games, and the previous three all went on to win the title.

3. Dream (30-14): Atlanta’s first season under head coach Karl Smesko went gangbusters, as they won a franchise-record 30 games behind an MVP-caliber season from nine-year vet Allisha Gray, who averaged career-highs in points (18.4), rebounds (5.3) and assists (3.5).

4. Mercury (27-17): How did Phoenix respond in its first season without Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner? By finishing over .500 for the first time since 2021. Credit triple-double queen Alyssa Thomas, who should score her fourth straight top-five MVP finish.

5. Liberty (27-17): The defending champs had an up-and-down season due to a laundry list of injuries to their star players. But now that everyone’s healthy, would it really surprise you if Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and company ran it back?

6. Fever (24-20): On the one hand, Indiana’s season hardly went as planned considering Caitlin Clark (groin) played just 13 games and will miss the playoffs. On the other, they still set a franchise record with 24 wins and finished over .500 for the first time in a decade.

7. Storm (23-21): Which Seattle squad will we see next week? The one that started 14-9, the one that lost nine of 12 coming out of the All-Star break, or the one that finished 6-3 to clinch the final playoff spot in their last game of the season?

8. Valkyries (23-21): It’s going to be hard to deny Natalie Nakase the Coach of the Year award after Golden State became the first WNBA expansion team ever to make the playoffs in their debut season.

Who’s out? The Sparks (21-23) have missed the playoffs five years in a row after missing them in just four of their first 24 seasons. The Mystics (16-28), Sun (11-33), Sky (10-34) and Wings (10-34) are also out.

What to watch: The first round tips off on Sunday, with the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 3 (if necessary): No. 1 Lynx vs. No. 8 Valkyries, No. 2 Aces vs. No. 7 Storm, No. 3 Dream vs. No. 6 Fever, No. 4 Mercury vs. No. 5 Liberty. Then comes the best-of-five semifinals followed by the WNBA Finals, which for the first time ever will be a seven-game series.

📸 Through the lens

Green Bay — The Packers turned in their second straight dominant defensive performance in a 27-18 win over the Commanders. After the game, Micah Parsons egged on fans as they chanted, “Thank you, Jerry!”

Seattle — Rookie Harry Ford came through with a pinch-hit, walk-off sacrifice fly in the 12th inning to lift the Mariners over the Angels, 7-6, and tie the Astros atop the AL West.

Tokyo — Officials and workers prepare the National Stadium ahead of the World Athletics Championships.

🥊 The main event: Canelo vs. Crawford

When Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence “Bud” Crawford step through the ropes on Saturday in the Netflix main event, the weight of U.S. boxing rests firmly on their shoulders.

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From Uncrowned’s Darian Desai:

Boxing in the U.S. is arguably at its lowest point since its first golden age began in the early 20th century. Long gone are the days when the sport thrived on major networks like CBS, NBC, ABC, HBO, Showtime and ESPN.

Today, HBO and Showtime have exited the sport, and ESPN has cut ties with Top Rank, leaving the broadcasters’ future in the sport unclear. No major television network is truly invested in boxing.

On Saturday, however, boxing could get the shot in the arm it desperately needs.

Two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, including the biggest star of the past decade in Alvarez, collide in front of 60,000 fans at Allegiant Stadium and what will surely be a multi-million audience on Netflix.

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The last superfight in U.S. boxing was Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia in April 2023. Alvarez-Crawford, unlike Davis-Garcia, features two of the best fighters in the world — Davis and Garcia were the two biggest stars in the division rather than pound-for-pound top fighters — and it’s not behind an $80 paywall.

Boxing is in the shop window this week. Millions of potential casual fans will have the chance to stumble upon the event, making it a rare mainstream showcase for the sport. And boxing desperately needs to show out for the folks passing by.

Read the full story.

📺 Weekend Watchlist

🏈 NFL, Week 2 | Sunday

A Super Bowl rematch headlines this weekend’s slate, as the Chiefs seek revenge for the shellacking they suffered at the hands of the Eagles back in February.

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Best games: In addition to the Super Bowl rematch, other games to watch include a pair of NFC North teams looking to avoid an 0-2 start, DK Metcalf’s reunion with Seattle and Joe Flacco’s return to Baltimore.

• Bears at Lions (1pm ET, Fox)

• Seahawks at Steelers (1pm, Fox)

• Browns at Ravens (1pm, CBS)

• Broncos at Colts (4:05pm, CBS)

• Eagles at Chiefs (4:25pm, Fox)

• Falcons at Vikings (8:20pm, NBC)

Week 2 lines: Against-the-spread picks for every game (Frank Schwab, Yahoo Sports)

🏈 NCAAF, Week 3 | Saturday

Saturday’s slate features three games between ranked teams and plenty more worth watching, including the 108th Backyard Brawl in Morgantown and Florida vs. LSU in Death Valley.

• Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama (12pm, ABC)

• No. 6 Georgia at No. 15 Tennessee (3:30pm, ABC)

• Pitt at West Virginia (3:30pm, ESPN)

• No. 18 USF at No. 5 Miami (4:30pm, The CW)

• Arkansas at No. 17 Ole Miss (7pm, ESPN)

• Florida at No. 3 LSU (7:30pm, ABC)

• No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 8 Notre Dame (7:30pm, NBC)

🥊 Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford | Sat. 9pm, Netflix

One of the biggest bouts in recent memory takes center stage on Saturday in Las Vegas, where Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) hopes to defend his undisputed super middleweight belts against Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), who’s jumping up a few weight classes and putting his perfect record on the line. The main card begins at 9pm, followed by the main-event at 11pm.

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👟 World Athletics Championships | Sat-Sun, CNBC/Peacock

The 20th edition of worlds begins in Tokyo, where 2,000+ athletes will compete in 49 events across nine days. The headliner this weekend comes on Sunday morning with the 100m finals, featuring Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce for the women (9:13am) and Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson for the men (9:20am).

⚾️ Yankees at Red Sox | Fri-Sun

Boston (81-66) has owned New York (81-65) this year, leading the season series 8-2 entering their final meeting this weekend at Fenway Park (Fri. 7:10pm, Apple; Sat. 4:10pm, MLB; Sun. 7pm, ESPN). The stakes couldn’t be higher, as they’re separated by just a half-game in the standings.

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🥍 PLL Championship | Sun. 12:30pm, ABC

The seventh Premier Lacrosse League season comes to an end in New Jersey, where the New York Atlas and Denver Outlaws are both seeking their first championship.

🏀 EuroBasket, Final Four | Friday and Sunday, DAZN

Lauri Markannen’s Finland takes on Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner’s Germany in today’s first semifinal (10am), while Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece faces Alperen Şengün’s Turkey in the second (2pm). The winners meet in the final on Sunday (2pm).

More to watch:

• 🏀 WNBA Playoffs: Valkyries at Lynx (1pm, ESPN); Fever at Dream (3pm, ABC); Liberty at Mercury (5pm, ESPN); Storm at Aces (10pm, ESPN) … Round 1 tips off.

• ⚽️ EPL: Manchester City vs. Manchester United (Sun. 11:30am, Peacock) … The 197th Manchester Derby.

• ⚽️ MLS: San Diego vs. Minnesota (Sat. 10:30pm, Apple) … The top two teams in the West square off in SoCal.

• ⚽️ NWSL: KC Current vs. Washington Spirit (Sat. 7:30pm, ION) … The league’s top two teams meet in Kansas City.

• 🍌 Banana Ball: Savannah Bananas vs. The Firefighters (Sat. 7pm & Sun. 3:30pm, truTV) … At Yankee Stadium.

• ⛳️ Golf: PGA’s Procore Championship (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf); DP World Tour’s BMW PGA Championship (Fri-Sun, Peacock/Golf) … Mackenzie Hughes (-9) leads in California; Ludvig Åberg and Tom Vaillant (-8) lead in England.

• 🏁 NASCAR: Bristol Motor Speedway (Sat. 7:30pm, USA) … The playoff field will be cut from 16 to 12.

• 🚴 Vuelta a España: Stages 19-21 (Fri-Sun, Peacock) … The season’s third and final Grand Tour comes to an end on Sunday in Madrid.

Full weekend slate.

📚 Good reads

🏈 Jeff Eisenberg: How Derrick Henry is defying Father Time

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NFL running backs excelling into their 30s are rare. Derrick Henry’s discipline is why he’s the exception.

⚾️ Jake Mintz: The Mets are reeling and running out of time: ‘Nobody’s happy’

After three straight losses to the Phillies, the division is out of reach, and the Mets’ hold on a wild card is in danger.

🏀 Dan Wolken: Should players be allowed to bet on pro sports?

After two days of college hoops betting scandals, it’s clear the sport has a gambling issue. But allowing athletes to bet on other sports may make matters only worse

♟️ Jack Baer: Why the world’s No. 2 chess player is gaming the system with ‘Mickey Mouse’ tournaments

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Hikaru Nakamura has competed in the Louisiana State Championship and Iowa Open this month. He won the latter by beating a 13-year-old.

🏆 WNBA trivia

Question: Four of the eight teams in this year’s WNBA Playoffs have won multiple championships. Can you name them all?

Answer at the bottom.

⚾️ Backstops hitting bombs

Cal Raleigh (MLB-leading 53 HR) isn’t the only catcher hitting bombs this year. He’s joined by the A’s Shea Langeliers (30 HR) and Colorado’s Hunter Goodman (30 HR), making this the first season since 1999 in which at least three catchers hit 30 homers.

The three catchers in 1999? Mike Piazza (40), Iván Rodríguez (35) and Mike Lieberthal (31).

Trivia answer: Lynx (4 titles), Storm (4), Mercury (3), Aces (2)

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