The Boston Celtics did not let the 122-84 blow- o ut loss to the Dallas Mavericks i n National Basket- ball Association Fi- nals Game 4 on June 1 4 deter them one bit.
The Celtics came back June 17 to win Game 5 by about as much of a blowout win — 106-88 — as their Game 4 blowout loss.
It marked the Celtics’ NBA leading 18th championship, and they did win it in front of their fans. So, I guess they do have to thank the Mavericks in some part for that, since a NBA Finals sweep would have meant the celebration happening in Dallas and not Boston.
••• When you all woke up Tuesday morning, you found out who won the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals as Game 7 was Monday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. — the home of the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers led the series 3-0 before the Edmonton Oilers came back to win the next three games to force the all-exciting, winner-take-all Game 7.
So, one of two things happened Monday night. Either the Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in the 30-year history of the franchise and didn’t blow a 3-0 series lead like the New York Yankees did to the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series, or the Oilers won their sixth Stanley Cup — and their first since 1990.
••• This past month has been a somber one for professional sports legends. Last month, we saw Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton. Then on June 2, National Football Hall of Famer and former Dallas Cowboys lineman Larry Allen passed in Mexico. During the National Basketball Association Finals, Hall of Famer Jerry West passed.
Now, we lost “The Say Hey Kid,” Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays at age 93 on June 18. Besides his career offensive statistics, Mays, then playing for the New York Giants (before the franchise moved to San Francisco in 1958), is going to be forever remembered for his over-the-shoulder catch of a fly ball hit by Cleveland’s Vic Wertz in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, in which the Giants swept the Indians in four games — which gave Mays his only World Series victory.
All I can say is God was needing some past sports legends in heaven. Well, He has received four within about a month.
Thanks for all the memories “Say Hey Kid.” R.I.P., Willie.
••• Staying with baseball, when you all awoke Tuesday morning, you also found out who won the 2024 College World Series, as the decisive Game 3 of the best-of-3 championship series took place Monday night in Omaha, Neb. — Peyton Manning’s favorite city.
It was an all-Southeastern Conference final between Texas A&M, which won Game 1 Saturday night, and Tennessee, which took Game 2 Sunday afternoon to force Monday night’s Game 3.
As I mentioned last week, the 2024 CWS was filled with four teams from the SEC — Texas A&M, Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky — and four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference — Florida State, North Carolina, North Carolina State and Virginia.
As the 2024 CWS progressed, it was clear that the SEC was the overall better baseball league. Entering Monday night’s winner-take-all national championship game, the SEC has a 10-4 record, while the ACC went 2-7.
No matter who won Monday night, it was going to be that school’s firstever national collegiate baseball championship.
••• If there are any sports camps taking place this summer, please let me know.
We will run the briefs about them in our editions, then I will come out for action shots for later publications.
Also, this is just a reminder to you coaches about letting me know if any of your senior athletes will be signing letters of intent in the near future.
I would prefer to have two-day notice, but one-day notice is sufficient, to let me know where and when the signing will take place because if I’m notified, I will be there to catch the moment.
My contact information is at the end of this column.
••• Also, just to let you readers know, I will be out today and Thursday on vacation and return Friday. If there’s anything I need to know, reach out to me at my contact information at the end of this column.
If you need immediate assistance, call the number below and ask for either newsroom intern Jade Phillips or Jaci Walker, or e-mail them at haley@ cookson.news or jaci@cookson.news, respectively.
••• Seeley is the sports editor of The Vian Tenkiller News. He can be reached by telephone at (918) 775-4433, Ext. 139 or by e-mail at davids@cookson.news.
