2026 World Cup Final

Spain 2-0 France

Spain dominated possession, got a PK, dominated possession some more, added another goal when the French defense fell asleep, dominated possession and then it was over. France had a coupla chances but never felt particularly dangerous, Spain just choked them out and when they got the first goal it was over, but when they got the second goal it was over. France had a great run in this Cup but Spain is their kryptonite, the only team really that could interrupt their attack and put them in a back sliding position. Disappointing for the French, seems like Coach Deschamps is on the way out (*), Mbappe is heading into wily veteran phase, but France still has a ton of young talent (Olise, Deue, Upmecano and Dembele should all be back for the next Cup) and Deschamps is as decorated a veteran in the history of French futbol, so no hard feelings. 

Argentina 2-1 England

I simply don't understand bunkering in soccer when you have the talent to possess and attack. Don't you see that the way to run out clock in soccer is to possess the ball rather than building a wall in front of your goal? If you suck at soccer and you're up against a vastly better opponent, well, then parking the bus is probably your best shot in such a low scoring game. But England is one of the finest squads in the world, plenty of ball handling talent in the midfield, plenty of dangerous attackers up front--so make the other team play defense! Make them nervous! Make them backpedal! Why are you just sitting back and letting Argentina take batting practice on you? I just...I don't....what.... 

Well, it happened again: Argentina plays like slop for 80 minutes, falls behind, then in desperation picks apart the other team's backward-facing defense to steal the game late. In the 1st half, the teams were both very chippy, a lot of aggressive fouls and passive-aggressive foul-baiting that was, at times, kind of embarrassing to watch. These are two top flight teams, they should be playing soccer instead of trying to play the referee. So by halftime, not much had happened and it was a scoreless draw. Then England were able to find the goal on a header off a lovely cross into the box that the defender just couldn't get to. Now up 1-0, it felt like it was time for England to play loose and push forward, there was still plenty of time left, hunkering back didn't seem necessary or appropriate (or feasible). But England didn't really get much going in this game with or without the lead. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham both disappeared and the English never got forward or possessed much. They played too emotional in the 1st half and without much thought in the 2nd. 

Well, after 40 solid minutes of Messi probing the English back line, the Argentines tied the game up. Then a few minutes later, Messi connected on a cross to steal the victory. Meanwhile, the English just sorta stood there. To be fair, England kinda sucked the whole time, its not like scoring the goal changed anything up for them. But they allowed Argentina to possess in front of them for so much of the game, it's kinda surprising England were able to steal the lead at all. But once they did, you can tell they just thought the game was over. Anyway, England has been in a nice place the last few years, it'd be easy to say they're moving in the right direction but will Germany, Italy and Netherlands suck forever? (spoiler alert: I doubt it) The English better get their shit together because this good run won't last forever. 

3rd Place Game

England 6-4 France

Whoa! What a game! Easily the funnest game of this Cup--I'd be shocked and amazed if the Final was half this good! That said, the 1st half was actually rather lackluster. Before England's first goal (in the 3rd minute), I already noted that the French just didn't look up for this match. England was playing loose and fun, the French looked like they all had hangovers (**); France was playing like a college football team that had been in the top 10 all season, fucked up late and found themselves in the Gator Bowl instead of the big game. England scored quickly (he had an opportunity, took a long rip, it was well placed, the keeper was cooked), then followed pretty soon after with another goal off a corner kick. I felt bad for the French goalie: he's had a pretty damn good tournament but his defenders on this day left him out to dry. The third goal was a bit of Keystone Kops stuff, but the initial outlet pass was a beauty and the way the English strikers stayed with the play was impressive, drawing the keeper out of position, then toying with the hapless defenders. A 4th goal before halftime was embarrassing but, if you were paying attention, those last two English goals came from France pushing too far ahead--so at least France woke up and was trying to get into the game. England was up 4-0 at the half but I had a feeling that France would be coming back. I envisioned a 4-3 scoreline in the 85th minute guaranteeing a furious finish. Well, I was sorta right: the 4-3 scoreline came in the 65th minute, which allowed for a lot more craziness. 

France came out balling after halftime and just ran the English out of the stadium for 20 minutes. My god, if Olise could shoot worth a shit, man, France might've scored 10 goals! Just as France were back in it, they gave up a penalty (right call, defender really shouldn't have gone down like that) and the score was 5-3. But France kept attacking, made it 5-4 and it felt like the furious finish was gonna come after all. But Bellingham finished the scoring with a nasty piece of bag work and finished the game off. It was kinda fun watching the English take it to the French, just as fun watching the France take it back at 'em. (If England had played half this frisky against Argentina, they'd be playing today instead of yesterday!) Fun match. 

Final

Spain v Argentina

This is reminding me of the Ladies' French Open Final we just had: Chwalinska was a qualifier that made her way to the Final, not so much by outplaying her opponents as simply mesmerizing them; Andreeva, a top ten talent on the way up, failed to be mesmerized and just smooshed her like a bug, even though Chwalisnka had been on an amazing heater. Yeah...yeah: Argentina hasn't been beating teams, they've been mesmerizing them, the other team get the goal they need, then they're star struck by Messi, they're ball watching rather than playing and before they know it, their lunch money is gone and they don't even know what happened. Messi inspires the best out of people, then forces them to play different once they've taken the lead. Can he do it against Spain?

In a word: no. They are not going to be mesmerized or put off their game plan. Spain only plays one way. Whether they're ahead or behind, they only play one way. Whether its the opening bell or time is running out, they only play one way. Whether Messi is on the other team or not, they only play one way. I have no doubt Spain will dominate the time of possession. The question is can Spain score? If they can steal the lead, it'll be tough for Argentina to get it back. As we're seen, it takes Messi really until the very end of the match to put his observations into action and only then after a prolonged period of probing the defense. But Spain won't give him that time to probe or experiment. Argentina needs to get a penalty or close direct kick or create chaos out of corner kicks; in short, Argentina's best chance to score is on set plays rather than the run of play. Also, I think the longer game goes, I think that just gives Argentina more opportunities to steal a goal and/or more time to probe for the Spanish defense weaknesses 

I worried Spain wouldn't score against France but they got a penalty and a rebound goal (***) and they were in control throughout. If they can do that against Argentina, then I think this game is over quick and possibly even rather dull (depending on how furious the Argentines can make it down the stretch). Spain (like Andreeva in the French Open example) just plays their game, the opponent's highs and lows don't much matter. If Argentina scores, Spain will just keep plugging along, maybe they regain the lead, maybe they don't, but either way they're not going to panic, they're not going to fall apart. That cohesive style is Spain's greatest strength and I think it will carry them to trophy presentation. As for Argentina, they've played with moxy and Messi is still an all-timer, but I think they're out of gas and unless they come up with a shocker of a goal (preferably as early in the match as possible), then I just don't think they outscore Spain. 

I've been picking against Argentina the whole way and I've been getting wrong the whole time. But this pick isn't about Argentina, it's about Spain. And, yeah, that's the point. 

(*) I recommended years ago that USA soccer go get Deschamps. I think I still think that. I don't dislike Coach Pochittino, but I suspect that the problems behind the scenes of Team USA are not talent or tactics but personalities (re: it seems like they all hate each other). Personality clashes aren't a killer to a team, they just require a certain finesse. Deschamps has spent a lifetime dealing with bigger-than-life personalities (I remember when Eric Cantona called Deschamps "the water boy" back in the day, but Deschamps went on to a lot more glory than Cantona ever got!), is he the right guy to knock some heads together in the USA locker room? I dunno, but I suspect he might have a better shot at it than Coach Poch. And why hasn't Pochettino made his decision yet on whether to to return? He's probably waiting for other jobs to come open--and Team USA is probably waiting for other coaches to come available. Well....here he is.

(**) The beer sweats. Well, they're French, so...the wine sweats?

(***) Hmmm....have you noticed that a lot of Spain's goals come from rebounds? 'Sup wit dat?

2026 World Cup (Semifinals)

France 2-0 Morocco

Morocco blocked up France pretty well, but once Mbappe found the goal (sweet rip!) and then Dembele followed soon after (sneaky touch!), that was it for Morocco. They had the right idea and both of the goals were really nice, so they held on as best they could, but it never felt like they were going to score, so they had to get to PK's to make it work. Outside of that 8-or-so minute stretch, Morocco was hanging.

Spain 2-1 Belgium

Worth noting that both of Spain's goals were off sloppy rebounds, as dominant as their possession is and as much as we want to anoint Yamal as the next super stud, their goal scoring is shaky at best. Belgium was savvy enough to keep it close, get the first goal back, perhaps if their goalkeeper hadn't gone out for injury, maybe they survive into overtime. But it wasn't to be, Spain was too good at keeping Belgium out of any offensive rhythm and got enough luck to move on.

England 2-1 (OT) Norway

Strange game. Neither Harry Kane (England) nor Erleng Haaland (Norway), two of the bust out stars of this Cup, did much of anything in this match. Norway took the lead on a sweet sneaky strike--Norway's achilles' heel in this match was using Haaland as a decoy rather than a for-real target and though it got the their first goal, it didn't get them any more than that. But Jude Bellingham had a moment of brilliance to bring the score back level. Norway's lethargic offense was on display for the first 20 minutes or so, but after the hydration break, they went balls to the wall for about the next 60 minutes. But the Miami heat just kinda wore them down and when Bellingham stuck in a rebound in the extra frame, it felt like the dagger. Both teams were dragging hard by the end. Norway had a good run, Haaland was definitely one of this year's stand-outs, but their offense was just too creaky to get any further than this. 

Argentina 3-1 (OT) Switzerland

Argentina stole the lead early on a header in the first 10 minutes, my immediate thought was "okay, this game ends one nothing." And it felt like that for the rest of the 1st half. But Switzerland equalized after halftime, pretty quickly followed by a screwy red card: Swiss had the ball, appeared to be fouled by the Argentine defender, ref gives Argentine a yellow card, replay shows that Swiss guy flopped, so the ref--because he gave out an initial yellow--felt the need to give the flopper a yellow, which was the dude's second and he got tossed. So, look, it was a pretty ordinary looking foul, I didn't think it warranted a yellow card, but when he flipped his call, now he had to give the other guy, which was even less warranted. This basically forced the Swiss to bunker and counter, which they otherwise probably wouldn't have done. Argentina was totally uninspiring for 90 minutes but when Alvarez had an opening, he drilled it (*). They added another as the Swiss went into sell out mode. Argentina is just lolling along, I don't understand how they've been able to get this far, even Messi is starting to slow down and this team just isn't that impressive.

Semifinals

Spain - France

Okay, Spain, it's Yamal time! I have no doubt that Spain can hang with France, but if they're gonna beat France they're going to have to score--probably more than once! And Yamal is the only one with that level of danger. Spain can stifle the French, they can make the French work, they can dodge and parry and counter, but to win they're gonna need goals, because France just needs a minute to light up the scoreboard. If this gets to OT, I think that favors France; if it gets to PKs, that probably still favors France. Spain needs to win it in regulation and that requires keeping France at bey (which they can do) and putting the ball in the net (which....I don't know if they can do that). I can totally see a game where Spain dominates possession for 85 minutes and loses 2-0. Again, France has too many advantages for Spain to keep up with. Gotta go with France. 

Argentina - England

Argentina has been the most frustrating side to watch in this Cup. Outside of Messi being Messi, this team is so unimpressive, they're so not particularly good at anything, they're so lucky in the front and the back. I know they have pedigree, they're loaded with int'l talent and yet, outside of Messi, they're not interesting to watch and they don't seem reliable in any way. England is dangerous up front, just good enough in the back, but can they control the midfield against Argentina? I think they can and I think they have more all-round scoring punch than Argentina. Gotta go with England.

(*) I knew it was in before he took the shot. Needed the right touch but he had the opening and he nailed it. Hell of a shot. 

2026 World Cup (Quarterfinals)

Round of 16

France 1-0 Paraguay

Paraguay played good defense, sludged the game up and hung as best as they could, but France got their PK (meh, felt harmless live but on replay there was contact, so I understand the call) and that was all it took. The danger of bunkering is the penalty and Paraguay wasn't able to avoid it. France played their least inspiring game of the tourney so far but they did what they needed to do and got the W. 

Morocco 3-0 Canada

Canada kinda dominated the attack for about 20 minutes, then Morocco got going and Canada never really got back into the game. Canada is not particularly good at soccer (sorry, its just true) and making the round of 16 is a great result for them. They played hard, had some moments and built up something like a resume going forward. But Morocco was the better team, deeper and more talented, and once the scoring came, they were by far the better team. 

Norway 2-1 Brazil

Kinda weird game: I thought Norway's offense was the most boring I've seen in years, dudes just standing around--this is what people who hate soccer think that soccer is! But they were able to connect to Haaland in the box (*) for a classic Haaland goal and then added another blistering rip from Haaland after that (**) to rub it in. Throw in that Brazil's defense was not aggressive and their ball control never appeared, that their one goal was a late PK that was a bit of a fluke and its another disappointing Brazil performance. Look, Brazil still has--and always has!--the most on-ball talent, but they don't play as a team, they don't have any cohesiveness and we are past the point where just being casually talented translates to easy W's. Imagine an orchestra with 15 really great violinists and no conductor: talent alone doesn't equal fidelity to the composition. Norway plays weird but they keep getting it done because Haaland is just that good. 

England 3-2 Mexico

England's first goal was a good finish off a lovely pass from a build up that perfectly stretched the defense to its limit; the keeper was cooked, nobody did anything wrong, the attack was letter perfect. But then the Mexicans clearly broke down because England was able to come right back down and add another--that was the defense collapsing, presumably from arguing with each other. The first goal was unfortunate but the second goal was unforgivable and a killer for Mexico. Honestly other than those few minutes Mexico was at least equal to England and probably better. But....that's all it took to knock them out. Also, for all the talk of the heat and the altitude, it was the Mexicans that looked gassed by the end of the match. England got their lead and weathered the storm and they're moving on.  

Spain 1-0 Portugal

On the one hand: crushingly dull game; on the other hand: classic Spain. Spain maintained possession but never looked dangerous around the goal, until that one moment when Portugal took their eye off the ball (probably preparing for overtime) and that was that. Spain at their peak in the Iniesta years possessed and possessed and possessed and were good enough goal scorers to make the possession stand up; now they've still got the possession offense but there's even less goal scoring than the great years, so Spain is good enough to hang with most anyone, but I don't have nearly the faith that they can/will win games. Portugal is finally ready to move on to the next chapter of their development and it is probably for the best.

Belgium 4-1 USA

Well....that sucked. US looked tentative, the passes were soft, there was no aggression on defense, no plan on offense, and just in general nobody showed up (Berhalter off the bench at least played with some energy). Some of the commentary post-game suggested that Belgium was more talented or had a better plan, but I didn't really think so. Belgium's up-the-middle defense was quite good, kept USA from moving forward at all. Other than that, nah, dude USA just sucked. First goal was bad defense, second goal was weakness on the wing, third goal was straight up giveaway by the keeper (wtf was he doing?), fourth goal was bad giveaway in the back (wtf was he doing?). Don't want to diss Belgium, they did what they needed to do and were clearly in control throughout and are moving on. But, nah, dude, USA sucked. Embarrassing performance and I saw that it was the highest rated non-NFL sports event in decades, so....everyone got to see USA play their worst game in years. Not good, USA, you had everything working in your favor and you didn't show up. As for Belgium, again, hats off but I'm still not sold on this squad. 

Argentina 3-2 Egypt

Boo! I'd love to hail Argentina's superior athleticism on their comeback but, frankly, they mostly sucked for 80 minutes and then got lucky down the stretch. I was so much more excited about Egypt advancing than I was about an Argentina comeback that even when the comeback came, I was bummed by the result. As for Argentina, Messi is still balling (though he missed another PK) but I still don't see it with the rest of the team. 

Switzerland 0-0 (PKs) Colombia

Evenly matched, back and forth, but neither side took any control at all, so a rather dull game. Hard to say which team was better, Colombia might've had some more spicy individual talent but Switzerland had a clearer team concept and they struggled their way through. I dunno, I guess that sorta works. 

Quarterfinals

France - Morocco

France feels like the best team, the deepest team, but so far they've played rather casually and it has worked. Not sure that is gonna work any more, they're gonna need to step up. Morocco is one of those rugged sides that doesn't look dangerous but they work hard, they don't slough off, they're gonna be a pain in the ass for 90 (or 120) minutes. I think this will be an exciting match and I think it goes to PKs, which probably benefits the French. I'll take France. 

Spain - Belgium

This best Belgium has played so far was against USA, where they successfully kept the Americans from holding possession or pushing forward particularly up the middle. Spain ain't gonna be bothered by that. So Belgium's momentum won't last long. But, can Spain score goals? Yeah, this match could go late, but I don't think it gets to PKs: if Spain doesn't figure out how to finish, then Belgium probably will. I'll take Spain. 

Norway - England

Both teams are playing really well right now, this'll be a classic. Norway plays a dull brand of offense but if they can find Haaland in the middle often enough, they can get the goals they need, and then sag the defense. England has big play possibility, they can meander for a while then break a big play. This is good match, this is gonna be a fun one. If this gets to PKs, then it could be one of the all-timers. I think the English have a wider palette of offensive options. I'll go with England. 

Argentina - Switzerland

Two teams that have bored me for completely opposite reasons: I'm just tired of watching the Argentines get lucky and I'm tired of watching the Swiss just hang around. Framing these teams in this context suggests that this will go late, doesn't it? I can definitely over time here, maybe PKs, as well, which would favor Argentina, right? I'll take Argentina. 

(*) The first goal reminded me of Anthony Davis back in his Kentucky days: throw the ball toward the basket and this kid'll just dunk it.

(**) The second goal was classic Nolan Ryan heat: here's a fast ball right down the middle, good luck.

(***) Last night as I went to bed, I felt a bit of a headache, bit of upset in the stomach, like a cold coming on. Woke up this morning feeling just fine and outside of the weird headache before bed, I couldn't think of anything else out of the ordinary that happened the day before. Dude...did I have physical withdrawal from not watching soccer yesterday? Been a great Cup, but I'd hate to think its affecting my well-being.

2026 World Cup (Round of 16)

Canada - Morocco

Canada so far has tied Bosnia, destroyed Qatar, lost to Switzerland and beat South Africa; Morocco has tied Brazil, beat Scotland, Haiti and Netherlands.  Canada is a so-so squad--which is better than they've ever been! So far they've had two uninspiring W's, an uninspiring draw and a deflating L. Morocco, on the other hand, stared down the Netherlands, went toe-to-toe with Brazil and breezed through the teams they should've beaten. Canada is another team that Morocco should beat. I got Morocco. 

Paraguay - France

Paraguay got whipped by USA, beat Turkey, tied Australia and survived Germany; France destroyed Senegal, Iraq, Norway and Sweden. Paraguay bounced back well from an opening shellacking by the host country and everyone is duly impressed that they survived a knockout stage match up with mighty Germany (who hasn't looked mighty for a while now). But France is dusting people off without much effort and frankly hasn't come close to playing their best soccer yet. Paraguay beating France would be a much bigger upset then beating Germany (*) and I just don't think they have it in them. I got France. 

Brazil - Norway

Brazil tied Morocco, breezed through Scotland and Haiti and bested Japan; Norway destroyed Iraq, beat Senegal, got pummeled by France, then beat Ivory Coast. Norway is led by Erling Haaland, a young scorer in his prime, that has been finishing like a champ at this tourney. I thought Senegal and Ivory Coast were pretty good teams and I value Norway's wins in both, and as for stumbling to France, well, sometimes you get so used to fearing someone that you just roll over. Does Norway fear Brazil? They shouldn't. Brazil has had a rather easy run so far and I think Norway can sting them. We'll see but I think this one goes to over time and if it goes to PKs, anything can happen. I'll take Norway.

Mexico - England

Mexico has beat South Africa, South Korea, Czechia and Ecuador; England beat Croatia, tied Ghana, then beat Panama and Congo. Mexico's offense is really good right now, they are all on the same page and they are gonna be a tough out. As for England, I dunno, man, outside of Harry Kane (the man), I haven't been overwhelmed by the English so far. They're supposed to be a top tier squad but outside of Kane, I haven't felt that at all. Mexico is the home country and they are hot as a urinary infection right now. I'm going Mexico.

Portugal - Spain

Portugal tied Congo, blistered Uzbekistan, had a scoreless draw with Colombia, and snuck by Croatia (probably should've gone to PKs, which is a coin flip); Spain opened with a scoreless draw with Cape Verde (everyone's 2nd favorite team at the 2026 World Cup!), pummeled Saudi Arabia, beat Uruguay and easily handled Austria in the knockout. Every Cup features a team that was really good last time around that returns intact and shows the fact that they're too old now...Portugal is this year's version of that. Yeah, they're okay, they've got veteran savvy and Ronaldo is still a great (eh, pretty good) player. But I just don't have any faith in this squad at all. Spain has a lot of nice young talent that hasn't really done anything yet. That said, I still think Spain is the much better, deeper squad. Gotta go with Spain. 

USA - Belgium

USA thrashed Paraguay, easily handled Australia, had a tricky time with Turkey (half fun/half frustrating match), but pretty easily handled Bosnia and Herzegovina in the knockout; Belgium tied with the surprisingly frisky Egypt, tied with the unsurprisingly not frisky Iran, laid a smackdown on New Zealand, then got astoundingly lucky against Senegal (a fluky late goal, then a questionable (**) penalty in OT). Remember how I just said that Portugal was the past-their-prime squad? Its also Belgium. This team never reached its full potential and I think the "full" potential is actually already out of reach. Can they beat the upstart Americans? Yeah, they've got veteran moxy, but this is the best American team of all time (***) and they're the host country. In short: I ain't afraid of no fuckin' Belgium! USA, USA, USA!

Argentina - Egypt

Argentina stomped Algeria, easily handled Austria and Jordan, then hung on for dear life against Cape Verde (everyone's 2nd favorite team!) in a classic; Egypt tied Belgium, thrashed New Zealand, tied Iran and got past Australia on PKs. Egypt is a serviceable batch of professionals with a bit of scoring potential up front but nothing really scary otherwise; in short, a run to the Sweet 16 in a nice tourney for them, from here it would require an all time upset. Can they do it? Well, Messi has been amazing (tied for the Golden Boot with Mbappe right now), but to be honest, I have not been overwhelmed by the rest of the squad. Messi is a weird player in that he adds so little on defense and yet is still putting points on the board, you have to defer to him even if he's being a drag (or maybe the other way around: this whole team is a drag and Messi is the lipstick on this pig). And that's where we are: this ought to be an easy Argentina victory, right? A walkover? And yet, I think Egypt can totally hang, would not be shocked if they scored early and took this to the wire. But at the end of the day, Argentina has guaranteed firepower, gotta go with Messi to figure it out. I got Argentina.

Switzerland - Colombia

Switzerland opened with a draw of Qatar, laid the smackdown on Bosnia and Herzegovina, outlasted Canada, then breezed past Algeria in the knockout; Colombia beat Uzbekistan, Congo, had a scoreless draw with Portugal, then sneaked past Ghana in the knockout. Tough one. On the hand, Switzerland has some nice confident wins while Colombia looks shakier; and yet I think I'm more impressed with Colombia's opponents rather than Switzerland's. Switzerland seems younger and more athletic, but Colombia has wily veterans. My gut feeling is Colombia but I'm not sure why I think that. So, I dunno, I'm going with Colombia. 

I've already made deeper predictions, but I'll wait til the next round to update them here. (Spoiler alert: I like Mexico a lot, we'll see if I still do in the next post)

(*) Not only did Paraguay beat Germany, they actually let Germany back into the game and then beat them again. That was pretty cold blooded.  

(**) Yeah I said it. Look, the soccer world is still relatively new to video replay, as an American (that has long detested replay across virtually all sports) I've watched it for a while now and I'm telling ya: video is not same all-knowing perfection device. Okay, here's a homemade analysis video (that I don't really much agree with):

Neither player possesses the ball, why do we automatically favor the offensive player over the defensive player? The video suggests that Belgium was nearest the ball, that Senegal kicked his foot, but what if Senegal is actually there first and Belgium is stepping on his foot? We're reflexively blaming the defender when he has just as much right to reach for the ball as the attacker. Why isn't the defender allowed to reach for possession just like the attacker? Their feet both meet at the same time in the same place, why should we favor either player? I would've called it even and let it play. (And perhaps that's why I'm a blogger instead of a guy with a real life)

(***) Best American team of all time? Oh yeah! Quite easily! Even if Pulisic isn't playing, this is still the best team USA has ever fielded by a long shot. The 2006 team was special but not as good as this squad. 

2026 NBA Final

Knicks over Spurs in 5

Been a while but just wanted to remind myself how f'n amazing Jalen Brunson was all through the playoffs this season. OG Anunoby, too, was letter perfect, did everything asked of him and made the tip in basket in Game Four that will cement his legend status in Manhattan for the rest of his days. Karl-Anthony Towns was really great in the first two games, then reverted back to dipshit Towns for the rest of the series but was still good enough/not damaging enough to make a worthy contribution. Mikael Bridges and Josh Hart were both up and down throughout the playoffs but were great teammates and made the plays needed of them. Landry Shamet and Mitchell Robinson were useful off the bench (Deuce McBride, not so much) and both (have already gotten) new contracts for next year.

As for the Spurs, I thought Coach Mitch Johnson did not have a good series, PG De'Aaron Fox struggled through injuries and just never found his game, 6th Man of the Year Keldon Johnson did not much in the series either, Julian Champagnie was up and down, thought he was better throughout the Western run but spotty at best in the Final. Wembenyama was good but not quite spectacular, Stephon Castle was pretty great except for his bouts of foul trouble, Dylan Harper shined out (though I think the perception that he was ready to take over the team was greatly exaggerated!), Devin Vassell was good but wasn't able to stop Brunson.

Basically all 5 games were the same: the Spurs would jump out to an early lead, Knicks would get it close by halftime; Spurs would jump back early in the 3rd and then the Knicks would dominate the 4th quarter. Only in Game Three (what Knicks fans will simply remember as "The Trump Game") were the Spurs able to score enough in the 4th to hold off the late Knicks charge. In the other four games, they weren't and Brunson owned them.

Where do they go from here? The Spurs are fine, they don't need to change anything. Another year of maturation (*) and a rematch with OKC are what they need to do next year. Everyone wants to trade Fox, and while that contract is daunting (and will have to be traded eventually), I think Fox is still in his prime and had a high ankle sprain in the playoffs, I think he's fine and can lead them deep into the playoffs again. Keldon Johnson was disappointing in the Finals but he's kinda perfect for this team, so I don't see a better replacement out there. This team is fine, no bold moves are necessary.

The Knicks had a uniquely soft run through the playoffs.  I'm not saying they suck, I'm not saying they didn't deserve their championship--I'm just saying they got to run through the Sixers and the Cavs instead of grinding through the Celtics and Pistons. I think they would've beaten the Celtics and the Pistons but they would've had to work a lot harder. Making it to the Final in complete health is the main reason they won, I would say, and it's almost unimaginable that that could happen again next year. Will the Knicks repeat in the East? Not impossible, they are a hell of a squad, they will surely be in the mix, but I doubt it because the run, the health, they had this year was just too perfect to recreate. 

But one last capper on the season: Jalen Brunson is the mother'f'n man and don't forget it.

(*) All year long the Spurs kept Wemby on a minutes limit and, well, they made the Finals. Personally, I'd keep his minutes low for another year, ramping up his minutes starting in March. Why not? No need to burn him out. The challenge in the west is the Thunder and staying healthy and....not much else. The plan worked better than expected this year, I'd give it another year before really throwing Wemby into the deep end.

2026 French Open

Chwalinska 3/2 - 6/6 (8) Andreeva 

Chwalinska was the talk of the tourney, a qualifier who managed to fustigate everyone she played all the way to the Final. Her gimmick is that she's really good at taking the speed out of the ball, controlling the pace to give herself the best opportunities to find winners. But I had a feeling this strategy wasn't gonna work against Andreeva (indeed, this is one of most predictable matches I've seen in ages). Why? Because well....(to say this about a boy is pure compliment, but about a girl, it feels kinda icky, but)...Andreeva's young and dumb. She didn't realize she was supposed to be hypnotized by Chwalinska's magic, so she just pummeled her instead. Along the way everyone was treating Chwalinksa like a puzzle to be solved, but I figured Andreeva was only going to see her as a less talented competitor (which she is) and would steamroll over her (which she pretty much did). It did take Andreeva a coupla games early on to get the feel of the match but once she found her legs, it was over, Chwalinska had no answer for Andreeva's control and power.

Worth mentioning: (1) Sabalenka is still the best...until she flames out. Here she flamed out in the quarters to (25) Shnaider, who is a nice player, but there's no reason that she should bagel Sabalenka in the 3rd set, except that Sabalenka bageled herself. Shnaider then went on to get hypnotized by Chwalinska in the semis. (*) Would Sabalenka have beaten Chwalinska and then Andreeva? Well, as long as she didn't flame out, I think she would have. Point being: only Sabalenka can beat Sabalenka right now (she dispatched (16) Osaka in the 4th round without much effort), so she's gotta be the fave for Wimbledon. But I was impressed with Andreeva and I think she went up a level, so I'll be keeping an eye on her. 

(10) Cobolli 1/6/4/7/1 - 6/4/6/6/6 (2) Zverev

I thought Cobolli and Zverev were the two best players throughout the tourney, thought Zverev was the only one that could beat Cobolli after watching Cobolli destroy the American (18) Tien, who just couldn't do anything against him. To be fair, it did feel like Cobolli was playing the best tennis of his life, but he looked quite comfortable on the red clay and even got a freebie in the semis when Arnaldi retired without firing a shot. The story of the tourney besides the finalists was the wrist injury that forced Alcaraz to withdraw before the tourney began and the early upsets that knocked out (1) Sinner and (3) Djokovic, who must've thought they'd be seeing each other after Alcaraz disappeared, but neither of them made it too far.

As for the Final itself, Cobolli started slow, then recovered nicely in the 2nd set. I thought Cobolli would take the 3rd, too, but Zverev got the break and made it stick. Cobolli was up a break through most of the 4th set, but couldn't hold it, then went down early in the tiebreak, but rallied and finished it out (after a heartbreaking whiff on Set Point #1). Felt like Cobolli was on a roll, but not so much. He failed to ride the momentum and Zverev finished off the 5th set rather easily. Cobolli made a game of it and had a hell of a tourney, but Zverev's length and power were too much to overcome and it led to his first Grand Slam. Good run for Cobolli, great win for Zverev. (**)

(*) In the quarters, Chwalinska beat (22) Kalinskaya and I swear you could see the wheels turning in Kalinskaya's head: you could tell she was saying to herself 'I'm better than this chick, why can't I beat her!' Shnaider, too, in the semis was a ball of frustration. Chwalinska's mesmerism was on point but I think it was uniquely suited to Roland Garros, I don't see her being a factor in Wimbledon or the US.  

(**) I believe Alcaraz has already withdrawn from Wimbledon, too, so Zverev might be coming in as the popular favorite. Curious to see if Cobolli can keep it going on grass.  Keep an eye on (26) Mensik, who lost to Zverev in the semis, and (28) Fonseca, who looks ready to make a leap. And will Sinner, Shelton and Djokovic be ready after bowing out early in Roland Garros?

2025-26 NBA Finals (after 1 game)

Knicks 105-95 Spurs

Just wanted to record my wild overaction to this result: the Knicks can sweep! (*) Everything that just happened in Game One can happen again and again and again.

I thought the key for the Spurs was Fox, but now I think it's Castle. If Bridges, Hart and Anunoby lock down Castle then that puts too much on Fox, Harper and Vassell to keep up with. If I were the Knicks, I'd let Wemby do whatever he wants--he can't carry the team. The Knicks supporting cast is better and they've been on a roll for a while now. The Spurs don't match up well with the Knicks (as opposed to the Thunder, with whom the Spurs match up well), the Knicks have hungry veterans to smother the Spurs' youth. Towns can score on Wemby and the Spurs have nothing to stop or counter Brunson's magic. I thought it would be a competitive series but after one game, I no longer think that. 

Am I being crazy? We'll see after Game Two tonight.

(*) If the Knicks finish on a 15 game winning streak, with a playoff record of 16-2 (two fluky buzzer beater losses), then the Knick-heads would be right: that'd be one of the great squads of the 21st century!