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Rockets’ wild trade with Nets is all about trying to get Kevin Durant or Devin Booker rockets,wild,trade,with,nets,is,all,about,trying,to,get,kevin,durant,or,devin,booker,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-trade-rumors,nba-draft,draftkings

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The Houston Rockets want Kevin Durant or Devin Booker. In an effort to get one of them, Houston made a fascinating trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night to acquire future draft picks originally belonging to the Phoenix Suns. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke a convoluted trade that returns the Nets their own 2026 pick (originally sent to Houston in the James Harden trade) and extinguishes swap rights Houston had on Brooklyn’s 2025 pick in exchange for a package headlined by the Suns’ 2027 pick, which was originally acquired by the Nets in the Kevin Durant trade.

This trade comes on the heels of the Nets trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in a package headlined by five first round draft picks. It’s all happening the night before the 2024 NBA Draft.

Does all of that make sense? Probably not. Here’s how Woj explained it:

Let’s do our best to sum this up:

Nets get: Brooklyn 2026 first round pick, extinguished swap rights on 2025 Brooklyn first round pick

Rockets get: 2027 Suns first round pick, 2025 Suns first round swap rights, 2029 first round pick from Dallas or Phoenix (more favorable), swap rights on 2029 first round pick with Dallas or Phoenix (less favorable)

The Nets’ motivation for doing this deal is obvious: Brooklyn is going all-in on rebuilding, and now has control of its own picks. The Nets are going to tank hard ahead of a loaded 2025 NBA Draft class, and then they’re going to tank again in 2026. Brooklyn is loaded with draft picks.

What’s the Rockets’ motivation for doing this deal? They want Durant or Booker, according to Woj, and believe they can get Phoenix to bite by returning their own draft picks. The Suns are determined to keep Durant and Booker for now and try to win next season, according to Woj. The Rockets are betting they will move off that position eventually. Here are tweets from Woj:

The Rockets also hold the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Is Durant getting traded during the draft on Wednesday night? It seems like a distinct possibility.

This scans as an incredibly bold, borderline reckless trade by Houston. The swap rights for the Nets’ 2025 pick and unprotected ownership of their 2026 pick were incredibly valuable assets. Houston gave those up to fade the Suns. The Rockets are going to be aggressive in trying to trade for an established veteran talent — whether it’s Durant or Booker or someone else.

The NBA is on fire, and the Nets are at the center of it all. Brooklyn’s big swing for Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden blew up into an epic disaster, but the team recovered so well by dealing them all (and the returning assets like Bridges) for future draft picks. The Nets are flushed with draft capital in stronger classes the next few years.

Durant, by the way, turns 36 years old before next season. What a way to start the 24 hours before the draft.

Jason Kelce making a young fan’s life with a selfie is the most wholesome ‘Eras Tour’ content jason,kelce,making,a,young,fan,s,life,with,a,selfie,is,the,most,wholesome,eras,tour,content,sbnation,com,front-page,nfl

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Travis Kelce joining Taylor Swift on stage during her run of London shows for The Eras Tour made for an incredible NFL-related moment this week.

But it is not the only NFL-related moment the London portion of The Eras Tour has provided.

Joining Travis in London for these run of shows is his brother Jason, and Jason’s partner Kylie. The recently-retired NFL center has been spotted showing off his own armful of friendship bracelets, and waving to fans while walking back to their spot for the show while holding some … we’ll go with refreshments.

But this moment making the rounds on social media Tuesday certainly tops those. Watch as Jason comes across a young fan wearing one of the center’s throwback Philadelphia Eagles’ jerseys. Jason introduces himself to the young fan, leaving them bewildered and almost overwhelmed:

The young fan is left speechless as Jason surprises him.

Shortly thereafter, the photographs made it to social media as well:

The perfect NFL-related content to get us through to training camp.

Odell Beckham Jr. is exactly what Tua Tagovailoa needed for Dolphins’ offense odell,beckham,jr,is,exactly,what,tua,tagovailoa,needed,for,dolphins,offense,sbnation,com,front-page,nfl,dot-com-grid-coverage

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Now in the twilight of his career, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. joins the Miami Dolphins, a franchise desperate to win their first playoff game since 2000. Is Beckham the missing piece for Miami’s offense? Probably not, but he can still be very good for them.

Beckham is no longer an offense’s North Star, one to shoulder the load of an offense. He hasn’t been for some time now. That’s not to say he won’t help a Dolphins offense brimming with talent, that finished second in the NFL in points in 2023. His skillset fits their high-flying attack, and he proved last season with the Baltimore Ravens he can contribute.

The ability to create separation is still Beckham’s hallmark. His agility remains a staple of his game, complementing his route running. He brings dynamic cuts in his breaks that still shake defenders and find him in the open field. His one-step slant continues to gash cornerbacks and the speed to take it the distance.

Beckham finished 2023 with 35 receptions for 565 yards and three touchdowns. He also drew repeated defensive pass interference flags due to outmaneuvering defensive backs, forcing them to clutch his jersey and impede him with the ball in the air. He remains an artisan in route-running.

Beckham won’t be the figurehead of the Dolphins’ offense. That goes to wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who is shattering defenses in ways no other can. But as a complementary piece beside Hill and Jaylen Waddle, he’ll bust single-coverage cornerbacks.

In space or in the red zone, Beckham’s lethal in single coverage. Against the Seahawks in November, Beckham carved up Tariq Woolen with ease and gifted Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley an easy floater to the back corner.

Defenses will struggle to contain the trio of Hill, Waddle and Beckham. And that’s not including tight end Durham Smythe, or the Dolphins’ one-two punch running back tandem Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane.

And, as always, Beckham brings pizazz. He brings arguably the widest catch radius in the NFL. He brings highlights and wizardry.

Beckham has playmaking left in the tank. His “drop off” — if you want to call it that — still has him as a viable receiving threat. In an offense where Beckham is given easier matchups due to the outstanding playmakers surrounding him, there’s a high likelihood he’ll flourish.

The third receiver for Miami last season was Braxton Berrios, who went for 27 receptions, 238 yards, and a single touchdown. It’s not hard to imagine OBJ eclipsing those numbers in 2024, even with Berrios still on Miami’s roster in 2024.

Joe Mazzulla jumping off a duck boat roof on a torn meniscus is most unhinged moment of Celtics’ parade joe,mazzulla,jumping,off,a,duck,boat,roof,on,a,torn,meniscus,is,most,unhinged,moment,of,celtics,parade,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-playoffs,nba-playoffs-powerhouse-2024,dot-com-grid-coverage

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Anyone unfamiliar with Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has certainly become more aware of one of the NBA’s strangest characters in the wake of Boston’s championship celebrations.

Mazzulla, likely the only head coach in the league who had to be told by his bosses to stop trying to block opposing player’s shots this year, has taken over the internet in the wake of the Celtics’ title celebrations. In addition to carrying the championship trophy around the city to various restaurants, Mazzulla went on an absolutely bonkers celebratory podcast tour that included him breaking down how he would plan to rob a bank, among other wild anecdotes.

Mazzulla has done it all, including coaching the Celtics to banner No. 18, on a meniscus he has apparently needed surgery on since tearing it in March during a loss to the Hawks, because of course he did. After all, this is a man who once tried to turn down health insurance while working in the G League because he “didn’t have time to get hurt.”

Well, he certainly put that mindset to the test during the Celtics’ championship parade, jumping both off the roof and out the window of the duck boat carrying him multiple times — again, on A TORN MENISCUS THAT WILL REQUIRE SURGERY — to celebrate with fans:

Mazzulla’s son even got in on the fun, showing he’s well on track to matching his father’s delightfully chaotic energy:

Perhaps fittingly, all this comes on a day the governor of Mazzulla’s native Rhode Island has officially dubbed “Joe Mazzulla Day.” That was obviously in the works before Friday, but after watching Joe Mazz at the parade, it would be hard to call the day anything else.

An NFL ‘QB salary cap’ is the owners’ dumbest idea yet an,nfl,qb,salary,cap,is,the,owners,dumbest,idea,yet,sbnation,com,front-page,nfl,nfl-free-agency,draftkings

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NFL owners are growing increasingly concerned about mammoth quarterback salaries, and reports indicate there have been some exploratory discussions on how to manage the spending.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network said on The Rich Eisen Show Wednesday that some owners have met about the possibility of installing a QB salary cap, which would limit the percentage of the cap which would be spent on a signal caller. Pelissero went on to say that the conversation right now is a non-starter, because so many teams have already paid their passers and don’t want to be hemmed in, but the fact this topic is being broached shows there could be some discussion on it in the future.

It’s a tricky subject to really address properly. On the one hand every player should be allowed to get whatever the free market allows them to, but there is a football reality to this as well. With such a mammoth chunk of a team’s cap being allocated to the QB position, it’s resulted in salaries plummeting at a variety of other positions, most notably at running back and safety, where players haven’t seen remotely the same raises in their compensation as other positions.

As it stands there are 11 quarterbacks in the NFL who account for over 20 percent of their respective team’s cap space this season. Meanwhile the highest-paid defensive player (T.J. Watt) accounts for 15 percent of the Steelers cap, with the vast majority of top-tier players falling in the 8-12 percent range. The owners would hold that if quarterback salaries were capped, let’s say for argument at 17.5 percent of the cap — that every other position would see more pay as a result. In addition, it would incentivize teams to pay better money for backup quarterbacks, which would ensure a more competitive team, should the starter be injured.

There is one huge problem with trying to initiate this kind of position-specific cap: It’s not in the CBA.

The NFL and NFLPA signed their most recent CBA in 2020, and it runs through the 2030 season. If owners wanted to change QB compensation to be a percentage of the total cap it would require an amendment to the collective bargaining agreement, which is something the NFLPA simply wouldn’t allow. Traditionally the union has pushed back on any and all cap-based compensation. The concern is that this would become a slippery slope for the league to implement cap-based spending for every position.

This is something nobody should want, because it would lead to league-wide homogenization. To keep football interesting we have to have some teams willing to overspend on offense vs. defense, and vice versa. If every team spent the same way then it would simply become a battle of the best markets and who drafted better, with little strategic wiggle room.

However, there exists a wrinkle to all this which Pro Football Talk is reporting on. Their sources say that NFL owners wouldn’t seek to codify percentage-based QB spending in the CBA, but rather make it an “unwritten rule” among teams.

“As we’ve heard it, it wouldn’t be an official, separate cap. It would be an unofficial, off-the-books (and, more importantly, off the CBA) arrangement pursuant to which teams would refuse to go above a certain level. All teams. Which would make it pointless for, say, Dak Prescott to force his way to the open market. The best deal he’d get from the Cowboys would be the same as the best deal he’d get from someone else. (It would be like a max contract in the NBA.)”

IT’S COLLUSION!

I’d refuse to believe NFL owners were this dumb, except that time and time again they’ve shown us that they are this dumb. If any conversations have taken place about how to pay quarterbacks amongst owners, and there’s a tacit agreement to keep pay down — then they are colluding against players, and the NFLPA by extension.

This isn’t some cute little idea to fool around with. It’s a blatant breach of the 2020-2030 CBA that could have profound implications. Not only would it be a breach of contract, but if there’s collusion on player compensation the NFLPA has the right to terminate the agreement immediately, which could lead to a prolonged lockout.

Section 2. Termination Due To Collusion:
(a) If at any time the conditions of Article 17, Section 16(a), (b), or (c) are satisfied, the NFLPA shall have the right to terminate this Agreement. To execute such termination, the NFLPA shall serve upon the NFL written notice of termination within thirty days after the System Arbitrator’s decision finding the requisite conditions becomes final. The parties agree, however, that such termination shall be stayed if any party appeals such finding to the Appeals Panel, and to seek expedited review from the Appeals Panel.

If conversations took place about circumventing the CBA to install a “QB cap,” then it’s created a mammoth problem for the NFL. Especially with Dak Prescott’s extension on the horizon, with a team that is in salary cap hell, it will warrant a massive investigation into the negotiations process by the NFLPA if it drags out. There were already rumors of collusion taking place in 2023 with Lamar Jackson, but if sources are telling Pro Football Talk that there could be work to suppress salaries then it opens up an entirely new can of worms.

Keep an eye on this story as it evolves, because there are some mammoth implications that take this well beyond simple talks of putting in a QB pay scale.

NBA players joining Kendrick Lamar to dance to Drake diss track is probably the worst moment of Aubrey’s life nba,players,joining,kendrick,lamar,to,dance,to,drake,diss,track,is,probably,the,worst,moment,of,aubrey,s,life,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,draftkings

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Drake may never recover from this.

Kendrick Lamar through one of the greatest televised concerts of all-time on Wednesday night during Juneteenth in a show that featured so many West Coast icons. Los Angeles natives Russell Westbrook and DeMar Derozan came out on stage singing and dancing to all FIVE renditions of Lamar’s lyrical Kamehameha diss track ‘Not Like Us,’ directed at Drake.

‘The Pop Out’, hosted by Kendrick Lamar and every West Coast rapper seemingly on Earth, was less a concert and more a victory lap, putting people on to West Coast rappers while giving Lamar the time to go through his entire setlist of songs that include direct or shaded shots at Drake. It was a moment, an event that put the West Coast right in front of everyone in the world.

It was also a chance for West Coast icons such as Westbrook and Derozan to show up and show out in their home. Getting DeRozan there felt like a given, because of Lamar’s line in ‘Not Like Us’: “I’m glad DeRoz came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither, from Alondra down to Central n**** better not speak on Serena.” DeRoz is obviously DeRozan, who was traded out of Toronto in the Kawhi Leonard deal, but is known as an icon with the Raptors. However, he’s even more known for being from Compton, a West Coast dude at heart. Getting him up on the stage when Lamar called all of the West Coast icons and rappers up to the stage was an awesome moment, as well as getting Westbrook up there.

Russ looked like he was having the time of his life. He looked like he was having more fun up on stage than he was at any time with the Clippers this season.

While Westbrook and DeRozan are obviously big hits to Drake’s rep in the NBA (which he very deeply cares about), neither of them will equal the final NBA player spotted at The Pop Out on Wednesday.

Take the L out of Certified Lover Boy, it’s Certified OVER Boy.

This is the greatest victory lap of all time, and getting all the NBA players out there was just another chance to dance on the grave.

Bronny James is rejecting NBA Draft workouts, and it makes sense bronny,james,is,rejecting,nba,draft,workouts,and,it,makes,sense,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-draft

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The 2024 NBA Draft’s lack of superstar talent has helped make the biggest name in the class a player who might not even be selected. Bronny James, the oldest son of LeBron James, entered the draft after one season at USC. James’ freshman year started with a terrifying heart scare when he collapsed at practice in July, and he never really found his footing after returning to the lineup.

USC was disappointing, finishing under .500 and missing the NCAA tournament despite having another top freshman guard in Isaiah Collier. James made his debut in Dec., mostly coming off the bench to space the floor and defend. He ended up averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game on 36.6 percent shooting from the floor and 26.7 percent shooting from three-point range.

It’s rare that a freshman who scores less than five points per game gets drafted into the NBA, but of course James isn’t a normal freshman. With NBA Draft approaching on June 26-27, James and his agency Klutch Sports appear to be keeping teams away from James so they can steer him to a particular destination.

NBA teams have been unable to bring James in for workouts, according to ESPN’s Jon Givony, with two big exceptions. James had a workout for his father’s team, the Los Angeles Lakers (who own the No. 17 and No. 55 pick), and is scheduled to have a second workout with the Phoenix Suns (who own the No. 22 pick). Here’s Givony’s latest reporting:

“NBA teams that I talk to say they cannot get Bronny James into the building,” Givony said. “The sense among teams is that his agent, Rich Paul, does not want him on a two-way contract. […] It’s looking like Bronny James is going to slide to No. 55. I don’t think any NBA team wants to pick him and deal with the repercussions of that.”

This may feel like James is getting special treatment as the son of an all-time legend, but it’s really not. Players and their agencies try to push their way to a certain destination all the time, especially those projected to go in the second round. One recent example is Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who bypassed a chance to go No. 42 to the Pistons so he could be undrafted and sign with LA.

Fred VanVleet is another example of a player who turned down second round opportunities to go undrafted so he could choose his team.

ESPN’s latest mock draft has Bronny James going to the Lakers at No. 55. The Suns don’t currently have a second round pick, though they could acquire one on draft night. Playing with a veteran Phoenix team led by Kevin Durant would be a nice outcome for James, but it sure feels like he’s destined to fulfill his father’s dream by being drafted by the Lakers.

SB Nation’s latest mock draft had the Lakers taking G League Ignite forward Tyler Smith at No. 17.

The real question is what does Bronny want? He shouldn’t be a pawn in his father’s legacy dreams. His career deserves to be taken seriously on its terms. Playing with his famous dad will only bring more pressure, and it’s fair to wonder what happens once LeBron Sr. finally retires.

Everything that’s happened to Bronny over the last year has been kind of sad. We scouted him extensively in high school and believed he was good enough to NBA consideration without his father’s help. The heart issue and the pressure put on by his father have made Bronny’s career seem like a sideshow. Pretty soon, it will be time to sink or swim.

U.S. women’s coach Emma Hayes is saying all the right things. Here’s a few of the best so far u,s,women,s,coach,emma,hayes,is,saying,all,the,right,things,here,s,a,few,of,the,best,so,far,sbnation,com,front-page,soccer,united-states-womens-national-team,soccer-sg,all-womens-sports,womens-soccer,usmnt-coverage

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Many believe Emma Hayes has what it takes to return the U.S. women’s national team to the No. 1 status in the world it coveted for decades.

Over the last few years, the prominence of the U.S. women’s team has dropped considerably as key players have retired from the world stage and young newcomers are asked to hold the line.

Despite wins in a pair of recent matches, the U.S. dropped to No. 5 in the latest FIFA women’s world rankings. And while it may not appear as though being the fifth best team in the world is that big of a scare, anyone who knows the dominance of the States for the last 40 years as the preeminent team to beat knows that the latest designation certainly came as a surprise.

For the first time, fans got an insider’s look at the philosophy of Hayes through the latest version of Inside the Crest, U.S. Soccer’s mini-documentary series which chronicles the exploits of both the men’s and women’s programs.

Usually, these are not much more than fluff for the program, but the latest offered a direct look at Hayes and a player pool eager to make her roster in advance of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

Hayes had several poignant comments to the group but these were the Top 5 quotables from Hayes to the team ahead of their back-to-back tune-up games against Korea Republic.

After the Olympic squad is selected, the group will have two tune up games in July. The first against rival Mexico on July 13 (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT, NBC Universo) and Costa Rica on July 16 (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT, NBC Universo).

— Emma Hayes to the group ahead of their first game, a 4-0 win against Korea Republic. This is now a group that is 7-1-2 overall in 2024, scoring 26 goals and allowing just seven.

Hayes was adamant in a team meeting that she’s not looking to change much but elevate with the group she’s got. And, right now even with the loss of players like Megan Rapinoe, Julie Ertz and others due to retiring from international duty, Hayes feels she can work what she’s got into one of the world’s best.

This was great as it added a bit of her philosophy on coaching and style and what she expects out of every player. There’s also an acknowledgment off the bat that she and her staff know that it comes down to their preparation as much as the execution. No scapegoating here.

Took this to mean she doesn’t really care about the pressures from the federation. They hired her to do a job and gave her some pretty moldable tools to do it, so what is there to complain about? Results are all that matter and so far, she’s off to a good start.

This quote says it all. Pressure’s off when it comes to worrying about playing for your country. You’re already here. Do your job and enjoy the ride.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s rivalry is a good thing for the WNBA, and they know it caitlin,clark,and,angel,reese,s,rivalry,is,a,good,thing,for,the,wnba,and,they,know,it,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,wnba,womens-sports,all-womens-sports,wnba-content,dot-com-grid-coverage

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reeses rivalry is a good thing
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INDIANAPOLIS — It may still be very early in their respective journeys, but Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark will be tied to one another no matter what happens over the rest of their careers.

Even before simultaneously entering the WNBA as part of one of the most heralded rookie classes ever, Clark and Reese — and especially the competitive college clashes between their Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU Tigers, respectively — played a huge role in bringing the women’s game to a national audience.

Sunday offered the latest chapter in their rapidly growing rivalry. For the second time in as many meetings against the Chicago Sky, Clark was hit with a hard foul. This time, it was Reese who caught Clark in the head on a block attempt, a play that was eventually deemed a Flagrant-1 foul.

While it likely won’t create the national firestorm the last flagrant foul against Clark in a game against the Sky did, it was a watershed moment between the two in another game that came down to the wire, a recurring theme in matchups between the pair.

Clark had arguably her best game in the WNBA, flirting with a triple-double while finishing with 23 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds, as well as a couple of late clutch plays — including an assist to NaLyssa Smith and a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds — that helped seal a fifth win of the season for the Fever (5-10) and fourth in the last six games.

Reese left her mark as well, scoring 11 points to go with 13 rebounds (5 of them were offensive), and 5 assists.

After the game, though, there was only one topic to discuss. After cursory first questions to open their pressers, the second question for both Clark and Reese postgame was about the flagrant foul.

“What’s going through my mind is I need to make these two free throws,” Clark said when asked about Reese’s flagrant foul. “That’s all I’m thinking about. It’s just part of basketball. It is what it is. She’s trying to make a play on the ball and get the block but, yeah, it happens.”

Reese, meanwhile, was far shorter with her response, calling the foul a “basketball play” and stating that she was going for the ball. Neither wanted to make a big deal about it, but that won’t stop the take train from going down the tracks — and potentially derailing women’s basketball discourse for a few days once again.

Clark and Reese are no strangers to being in this spotlight, nor is it new for them to do it together. Sunday was the eighth time the pair have faced off, including in college. Reese won the first four meetings, culminating in the national title game in 2023 in which the first viral moment between the two came when Reese taunted Clark in the waning seconds of the game.

Clark, though, has won the three most recent meetings. That includes the Elite Eight contest earlier this year and the two WNBA meetings between the pair so far.

While their duels in the Big Ten when Reese was at Maryland in her freshman and sophomore seasons before transferring to LSU didn’t capture the national audience, their tournament showdowns certainly did. The pair helped set the record for the most-watched women’s college basketball game of all time in 2023 at 9.9 million viewers.

This spring in a rematch with a Final Four berth on the line, they obliterated that record, with 12 million fans tuning into the game. In their first WNBA meeting this season, 1.5 million fans tuned in, the fourth-largest audience to watch a WNBA game in the last two decades at the time.

After years of commanding enormous audiences on the collegiate level, Clark and Reese are now bringing a whole new set of eyes to the professional ranks.

“They love to watch us,” Reese said of her and Clark before Sunday’s meeting. “I think we’ve done a great job bringing a lot of fans to the league from college. I think we both have done that from our respective schools and [having] our championship runs and going to the Final Four. I think we did a great job bringing fans from college to the league and…we’ll continue to help [the league] grow.”

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Given the events and controversy that took place in the first meeting between the Fever and Sky in their first meeting, the TV audience for Sunday’s game will almost certainly be another large one. Gainbridge Fieldhouse was sold out for the fourth time this season, and the fans were as loud as they’ve been all year.

It’s inarguable that Reese and Clark are compelling television: two of the best young players in the world squaring off with one another time and time again as they help grow the game along the way.

But what Clark thinks draws audiences most, though, is the “emotion and passion” the two play those showdowns with.

“I think people love to see that,” Clark said. “I think that’s maybe not something that was always appreciated in women’s sports and it should be. That’s what makes it fun. We’re competitors. That’s the way the game should be. It’s going to get a little feisty, it’s going to get a little physical but at the end of the day, both teams are just trying to win.

“I think what she’s done with her platform is incredible. She has an entire fanbase that has supported her [with] what she did at Maryland and then LSU. Obviously, I’ve played her for a very long time and she’s been a tremendous player. It’s been fun to get to compete against. I think it’s been really good for the game. People just love seeing great matchups. But also, at the same time, people tune in for these matchups but then they get to see how amazing these teams are and then they find new players to support and continue to come back for them, too. So, I think that’s another benefit of it, honestly.”

Sunday was another noteworthy moment in the rivalry. Even if both downplayed it, the headlines from the game won’t be about Clark’s near-triple-double or Reese’s double-double. It will bring attention to the league, but not in the way either desire.

The pair, though, is bringing lots of the wanted attention to the league as well. And Reese and Clark will have plenty of opportunities to provide more memorable moments against one another.

The WNBA is not chock full of rivalries that resonate on a national scale the way Clark’s and Reese’s do. The Liberty and Aces are a clear one as the league’s two superteams, but outside of that, there aren’t many other nationally-known rivalries.

Pregame, Fever head coach Christie Sides was asked if their matchups against the Sky feel like rivalry games. Sides, who served as an assistant in Chicago from 2011 through 2016, said it was a “huge” rivalry and has been for many years. But even if that’s how it felt to those on the inside already, the addition of Reese and Clark was always going to bring it up a couple of notches now.

They’re two of the bright young stars in this game and have already defined an era of the college game. They look to be on the path to doing the same in the WNBA as well.

And if they do, it could help elevate the league to its highest levels yet.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.

Golf Talk Today: Look Bryson DeChambeau is great for professional golf golf,talk,today,look,bryson,dechambeau,is,great,for,professional,golf,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions,golf-news

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Welcome to Playing Through’s new morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

It’s Championship Sunday at the 124th U.S. Open.

Bryson DeChambeau leads by three shots ahead of the final 18 holes. His 3-under 67 was impressive to watch on Saturday. However, it was not his physical golf game that was the most intriguing; it was how he ultimately won over the crowd. They chanted USA-USA-USA like it was the Ryder Cup throughout his round on Saturday.

He may play for LIV Golf, but the fans love DeChambeau.

So brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we discuss why DeChambeau is excellent for the game of golf.

Bryson DeChambeau’s U.S. Open performance is good for golf

People will likely always love or hate DeChambeau. Many still feel he is the same guy from a few years ago when he won his first U.S. Open in 2020. However, he is not the same guy — physically or mentally.

He brings such excitement to the event. DeChambeau interacts with the crowd. The 30-year-old stopped mid-round and signed a kid’s flag for wearing a flat cap.

DeChambeau has changed his outlook on the fans, and it has shown.

Golf needs a big personality like DeChambeau. His quirky, nerdy, and scientific approach to the game is who he is— it is not a front. Maybe since the casual golf fan only sees him four times a year, it is not as off-putting as it used to be.

Those who follow him know his social media content is personable and fun to watch. He shares his personality and who he is.

DeChambeau has blossomed into this guy that so many want to watch at the majors.

Growing the game is what so many in professional golf want to achieve, and DeChambeau does that.

The USA-USA-USA chants turned off some people on Saturday, but it felt like such a Ryder Cup atmosphere at a major championship. It is special. Love or hate him, the exposure DeChambeau brings to golf is far more important than who he plays for.

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U.S. Open Day 3 Winners, Losers: Bryson DeChambeau dominates, can Rory McIlroy win?

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Rory McIlroy feeling confident despite Bryson DeChambeau’s sizable U.S. Open lead

Scottie Scheffler’s putter abandons him, goes wrong way on U.S. Open leaderboard

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Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.