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Winners and losers from LSU’s College World Series title

After winning a mesmerizing pitching duel in Saturday night’s College World Series opener, LSU took advantage of Coastal Carolina’s sloppy start and won, 5-3, on Sunday, June 22 to capture the eighth national championship in program history.

The two-game sweep solidifies the Tigers’ place among the very upper crust of college baseball. Only one program has won more: Southern California has won an even dozen, though none since 1998.

For Coastal Carolina, it’s a heartbreaking and disappointing end to what had been a dream run to the doorstep of the Chanticleers’ second championship, following the 2016 team that came out of relative anonymity and defeated Arizona in the finals.

Coastal Carolina head coach Kevin Schnall and first-base coach Matt Schilling were ejected in the first inning of Sunday’s clincher for “continued arguing about balls and strikes,” the NCAA said in a statement.

Given where they started the year, though, and the lower expectations after an offseason coaching change, the appearance in Omaha opposite LSU establishes Coastal as maybe the best program outside the non-major conferences.

Looking back at the entire tournament, here are the winners and losers from this year’s CWS:

WINNERS

LSU

Talent eventually won out. That was apparent on Saturday night, when LSU sophomore Kade Anderson put together the first complete-game shutout in the CWS finals since 2018 and just the third since the championship series was added into the tournament format in 2003. What the Tigers had was room for error — and more than enough athleticism and MLB-level ability to take advantage of any opportunity provided by the Chanticleers’ missteps. Handed that opportunity on Sunday afternoon, LSU plated a run in the third and four in the fourth on a pair of two-run singles.

Coastal Carolina

The Chanticleers will always have that 23-game winning streak heading into Omaha, Nebraska, which passed the previous record heading into the College World Series set by Oregon State in 2017. They added three more to push that run to 26 games before meeting LSU. That the magic ran out in the best-of-three finals is the biggest source of disappoint from Coastal, which felt like a team of destiny in overcoming several big-name programs in the regional and super regional rounds before breezing through the double-elimination section of the World Series.

The SEC

LSU gives the SEC five national championships in a row: Vanderbilt in 2019, Mississippi State in 2021, Mississippi in 2022, the Tigers in 2023 and Tennessee last season. It hadn’t been a picture-perfect tournament for the conference, which placed a record-setting 13 teams in the tournament but had just four reach the super regionals. The Tigers’ win this weekend erases the league’s inept run through the first two weekends and cements the SEC as the top baseball conference in the country.

Murray State

The Racers were the feel-good story of the tournament after making the program’s CWS debut. Beyond a distinct lack of national success, Murray State simply wasn’t expected to reach that stage even after booking a spot in the 64-team field: Underdogs in the Oxford regional against Mississippi, the Racers beat the Rebels to reach the program’s first super regional and then rallied out of another hole with a pair of wins against Duke to become just the fourth regional No. 4 seed to reach Omaha.

Gage Wood

While Arkansas was unable to mount a winning streak and reach the finals, Wood had the tournament’s defining moment with his epic 19-strikeout no-hitter against the Racers. The no-no was the first in Omaha since 1960 and his strikeout total set a new record for a nine-inning game. Before that performance, Wood had gone more than five innings in a start just once all season with just one start with double-digit strikeouts.

LOSERS

Arkansas

The long dry run continues for the Razorbacks. Arkansas has now made 12 CWS appearances with two trips to the finals, tying North Carolina and Clemson for the second-most trips to Omaha without a national championship. This most recent exit stands among the most painful in program history, bested by the 2018 loss to Oregon State defined by a misplayed fly ball in foul ground. After scoring two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 5-3 lead in a must-win game against LSU on Wednesday, June 18, the Razorbacks allowed a two-run double that tied the score and then a walk-off single to loss 6-5.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels suffered maybe the most brutal loss of the super regionals in giving away the elimination game against Arizona. Ahead 3-1 heading into the eighth inning thanks to a three-run homer from senior Jackson Van De Brake, UNC coughed away the lead with a pair of errors on the infield. The first, on a grounder booted by Van De Brake, cost the Tar Heels a possible double play. After a pitching change, UNC committed a throwing error on the Wildcats’ bunt attempt to move runners over, allowing a run to score. Another pitching change resulted in a two-run single that gave Arizona the lead and eventually the World Series berth.

Kevin Schnall

The former Coastal assistant pushed all the right buttons in piloting the Chanticleers to a record-setting win streak and to the doorstep of another national championship. But his ejection on Sunday threatens to overwrite his deft touch in reaching that point. Was he trying to motivate his team and raise the Chanticleers’ energy after a tough-to-swallow defeat in the opener? While that might have been his intent, Coastal continued to play listlessly the rest of the way, especially at the plate.

The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports’ newsletter.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Thick zones of HM mineralisation observed across Douala HM Project

DY6 Metals Ltd (ASX: DY6, “DY6” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the initial visual estimations from the reconnaissance exploration program at the Douala Basin HMS Project, Cameroon. Desktop studies incorporating detailed geological mapping, geophysics, and known mineral occurrences, were used to define initial, high priority targets for ground- truthing. The reconnaissance programme, which consisted of hand auger and channel sampling, was successful in identifying high estimated concentrations of heavy mineral (HM) mineralisation across all the six tenements that make up the project. Additionally, the Company’s consultants have observed the presence of natural rutile grains within panned concentrates.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Company’s reconnaissance auger and channel sampling programme has been completed at the Douala Basin HMS Project
  • Reconnaissance sampling undertaken across the 6 Douala Basin tenements has identified thick zones of high estimated concentrations of heavy minerals (HM) as well as natural rutile
  • Work at the Douala Basin Project followed up on historical HM occurrences identified by previous Eramet drilling, as well as priority areas identified through the Company’s internal reviews
  • Samples collected from the reconnaissance program are due to be submitted for laboratory analysis in the coming weeks, with results expected in the September quarter
  • At Douala Basin, exploration will transition to a detailed campaign of auger drilling

Samples collected from this initial exploration programme are currently being prepped for dispatch to the Company’s laboratory for analysis in South Africa, with results expected in the September quarter.

Technical Consultant, Cliff Fitzhenry, commented:“While the Company’s primary focus is on the Central Rutile Project, where we have recently reported the presence of wide-spread residual natural rutile mineralisation, we believe that the Douala Basin HMS project has significant potential. The reconnaissance programme has over the last few weeks demonstrated the potential of the area, with the identification of high concentrations of visible heavy mineral sands across the project tenements through a mixture of auger, channel, and soil sampling work. Pleasingly, we have also observed natural rutile grains at Douala Basin.

We look forward to the assay results of the reconnaissance programme in the coming months.”

Reconnaissance exploration at the Douala Basin HMS Project

As announced on 5 June 2025, the Company commenced reconnaissance auger and grab sampling programmes at the Central Rutile and Douala Basin HMS projects, Cameroon. At the Douala Basin project, the Company has completed 12 hand auger drill holes (refer Figure 1), collecting 53 samples in the process, as well as collected 38 channel samples from 11 surfaces for analysis (refer Tables 1 & 2).

Cautionary Statement:

The Company cautions that, with respect to any visual mineralisation indicators, visual observations and estimates of mineral abundance are uncertain in nature and should not be taken as a substitute or proxy for appropriate laboratory analysis. Visual estimates also potentially provide no information regarding impurities or deleterious physical properties relevant to valuations. Assay results from the drilling and sampling programmes will be required to understand the grade and extent of mineralisation. Initial assay results are expected in August 2025.

Click here for the full ASX Release

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Canada Makes Tech Leadership Moves: Axl Launches, Carney Shares Priorities at G7 Summit

Canada’s tech sector saw momentum this week, with announcements spanning venture capital and quantum computing, as well as global policy leadership news out of the G7 summit.

Axl on a mission to retain Canadian innovation

On Tuesday (June 17), Axl, a newly founded Canadian venture studio, announced plans to help launch 50 artificial intelligence (AI) companies in Canada over the next five years, supported by a C$15 million fund led by co-founder Daniel Wigdor, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto.

The venture’s other founders are Tovi Grossman, another University of Toronto professor, entrepreneur Ray Sharma and former Telus (TSX:T,NYSE:TU) executive David Sharma. Mining magnate Rob McEwen of McEwen Mining (TSX:MUX,NYSE:MUX) and Smart Technologies co-founder David Martin are also investors.

According to Wigdor, Axl will tackle practical business problems and connect them with promising academic research in a bid to keep Canadian innovation at home. “The social contract academics believe we have with society is that we invent these technologies and inspire people,” he told the Globe and Mail on Tuesday. “The tragedy is that the foundational technologies we’re inventing in Canada are not accruing capital for Canada.’

Wigdor pointed to his own career as a cautionary tale, explaining that the iPhone’s multi-touch interface was presaged by research he conducted in the early 2000s for his University of Toronto thesis, which itself built on concepts pioneered by University of Toronto professor Bill Buxton in the 1980s.

Other University of Toronto AI breakthroughs fueled the international rise of figures like Geoffrey Hinton, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and xAI’s Jimmy Ba, all of whom took their expertise to US-based companies.

Carney talks tech leadership at G7 summit

Initiatives like Axl’s signal a proactive approach to Canada’s challenge of retaining tech talent and capitalizing on its world-class research; however, its success will hinge on broader public support.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has signaled that fostering tech innovation at home is a priority. He told G7 leaders that driving the digital transition, led by AI and quantum computing, would be one of his top goals at the summit.

Quantum technology was reportedly discussed at length during the two day meeting, which took place in Kananaskis, Alberta. In addition, a joint statement from members released by the prime minister’s office indicates that Canada will launch the G7 GovAI Grand Challenge and host a series of Rapid Solution Labs “to develop innovative and scalable solutions to the barriers we face in adopting AI in the public sector.”

That emphasis echoes longstanding concerns from the research community.

A 2024 letter acquired by the Logic and sent to then-innovation minister François-Philippe Champagne by the Quantum Advisory Council cites the significant sums that other countries have invested in quantum technology.

“The cost of inaction is tremendous,” the group wrote at the time, pointing to Canada’s history of “inventing core technologies,” but letting other countries “grow industries around our inventions.”

The council proposed a C$1 billion program that would mirror the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), which fosters domestic quantum computing in the US. The QBI has selected 18 companies for its first phase, including three from Canada; firms that demonstrate the ability to build a functional quantum computer by 2033 will be eligible to receive up to US$316 million, making it a potential “kingmaker” program.

The second phase of the program is set to launch in August 2025. While no relocation demands have been made, concerns exist that later-stage QBI terms could force Canadian winners to the US.

The Quantum Advisory Council said its proposed program would be run by the National Research Council, which would independently assess firms to accelerate the development of competitive domestic quantum companies.

It would build on a C$360 million national quantum strategy announced in April 2021.

The council’s recommendations include increased grants for scientific and social science research into quantum technologies, and a new federal clusters program to foster regional quantum ecosystems encompassing research, development and training, alongside ethical and secure use. It also calls for significant investment in quantum-safe software certification and the development of other security systems.

In a speech at the Quantum Now conference in Montreal on Thursday (June 19), Canada’s AI minister, Evan Solomon, emphasized the need to protect Canada’s talent pipeline. “We cannot allow short-term funding opportunities to hollow out our domestic capabilities or transfer generations of Canadian innovation outside our borders,” he said.

Earlier this month, the minister said he would move away from “over-indexing on warnings and regulation” and instead focus on finding ways to unleash the economic potential of AI. The ongoing collaboration between government initiatives and private ventures will be key to unlocking Canada’s full potential in the new digital era.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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The NASDAQ 100, On The Brink Of A Breakout, Needs Help From This Group

U.S. stocks are on the cusp of a very impressive breakout to all-time highs, but are still missing one key ingredient. They need help in the form of a semiconductors ($DJUSSC) breakout of its own. When the DJUSSC reached its all-time high on June 20, 2024, one year ago, a nasty bearish engulfing candle printed on extremely heavy volume, I wrote an article, “The Semiconductors Have Topped; Look Elsewhere for Opportunities”. Simply put, it was buyers’ exhaustion”. I looked for a 20% drop in the index, providing this chart at the time:

There’s now been a lengthy period of sideways consolidation on the semiconductors as you can see from this updated chart as that 20% drop immediately occurred:

Semiconductor leadership has been held firmly in check by the overhead price resistance just below 22000. Until that resistance is cleared, the QQQ has a lid on it.

Let’s keep in mind that the QQQ, an ETF that tracks the NASDAQ 100 index, can be broken down into its top 2 industry groups, as follows:

  • Semiconductors ($DJUSSC): 21.65%
  • Software ($DJUSSW): 19.11%

More than 40% of the QQQ is comprised of semiconductors and software. Here’s what the longer-term, 5-year software chart looks like:

Software’s relative strength is powerful and we’ve recently seen an absolute price breakout – an awesome combo. On a 5-year weekly chart of semis, it’s quite apparent that when the semiconductors break out, they carry the NASDAQ 100 on their shoulders higher and we’re close to a breakout now:

We just saw a relative strength breakout on the DJUSSC, there’s only one thing missing – that absolute breakout and it’s coming fairly soon, in my opinion.

Market Outlook

A big part of what happens over the next 6-12 months will be highly dependent on the two industry groups above. There are over 100 industry groups and this may be oversimplifying stocks a bit, but make no mistake about it. Higher growth prospects and lower interest rates can result in flying PE ratios and these two groups are home to companies that can expand their businesses very rapidly.

Market Manipulation

I’ve discussed the role of market makers and their manipulation of the stock market many times over the past several years and there’s no doubt in my mind we were just exposed to another massive dose of it in the first half of 2025. At EarningsBeats.com, however, we’ve become experts at spotting it and pointing it out. I discussed the importance of being in cash back in late January and in February before the massive Wall Street ripoff started and I also wrote about the importance of getting back in early. Remember my article in the second week of April, “The Bottom is Here or Rapidly Approaching”? These are real-time articles, folks. You need to see the tops and bottoms before they occur. It does little good to talk about it now. We don’t get a “do over.”

Or do we?

What do I mean by that? Well, we’ll have plenty more chances to spot tops and bottoms in the future, but you need to learn from this year’s mistakes RIGHT NOW. Don’t let these big-money, Wall Street crooks do it to you again. We have one MASSIVE advantage on our side vs. these big Wall Street firms. We can enter and exit stocks in seconds. It takes them days and weeks.

If you want to be better-positioned to see this nonsense AHEAD OF TIME the next time it comes around, I’d suggest that you join me on Saturday, June 28th at 10:00am ET for a 100% free event, “Trading The Truth: How Market Manipulation Creates Opportunity”. CLICK HERE to register and learn more about the event! This is a MUST-ATTEND event and seating is limited. Be sure to save your seat and learn how to protect your hard-earned money for the rest of your financial future!

Happy trading!

Tom

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Kade Anderson stats vs Coastal Carolina: LSU baseball ace tosses shutout

The left-handed pitcher, expected to be a top five pick in the upcoming MLB draft, was completely dominant against Coastal Carolina in Game 1 of the national championship series, tossing a complete-game shutout to end the Chanticleers’ 26-game win streak in the 1-0 win. The complete-game shutout was the first in the College World Series national championship series since 2018.

The draft-eligible sophomore is almost assuredly done for the season, as he threw 130 pitches on Saturday night. LSU can clinch the national title with a win on June 22, with Coastal Carolina hoping to force an if-necessary Game 3 on June 23.

Anderson extended his nation-leading strikeout total to 180 on the season. He entered the game with an 11-1 record and a 3.44 ERA in 110 innings.

Anderson walked five batters and hit two others, but his performance was still more-than good enough to take Game 1.

Here’s a look at Kade Anderson’s highlights and final line from his powerful final collegiate start against Coastal Carolina in the national championship series:

Kade Anderson stats vs Coastal Carolina

  • Kade Anderson stats vs. Coastal Carolina: No runs on three hits, five walks and two hit by pitches with 10 strikeouts across nine innings.

Kade Anderson highlights vs Coastal Carolina

Here’s a look at Anderson’s top highlights against the Chanticleers on Saturday:

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Mariners slugger launches 30th homer to break another MLB record

The Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh did it again.

On Saturday, Raleigh hit his 30th home run of the season, giving him the most homers by a switch hitter before MLB’s All-Star break.

Raleigh’s blast came off Chicago Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia to start the ninth inning. This came after he hit two homers Friday against the Cubs to break the previous record for the most home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, which was set by Hall of Famer Johnny Bench in 1970.

Raleigh’s journey to greatness is not over yet. He now stands alongside Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. as the second Mariners player to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break. With his fantastic season, the potential for Raleigh to surpass Mickey Mantle’s record of 54 home runs by a switch hitter, set in 1961, is definitely within reach.

Cal Raleigh stats

  • Batting average: .272
  • On-base percentage: .377
  • Slugging percentage: .649
  • Home runs: 30
  • RBI: 64
  • OPS: 1.026

MLB home run leaders

  1. Cal Raleigh, Mariners – 30
  2. Aaron Judge, Yankees – 27
  3. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers – 25
  4. Eugenio Suarez, Diamondbacks – 24
  5. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies – 23
  6. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs – 21

When do Mariners play next?

The Mariners will face the Cubs again at Wrigley Field on Sunday, June 22 at 2:20 p.m. ET.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Wife accuses Giants reliever of abuse; team in contact with MLB

A day after San Francisco Giants’ reliever Sean Hjelle’s wife, Caroline, accused him of infidelity, family abandonment, and abuse in a viral TikTok, posted Friday, June 20, the team released a statement on the matter.

‘We are aware of these serious allegations,’ the statement read. ‘We have been in contact with MLB. These type of allegations fall under their jurisdiction and we won’t be commenting further.’

The TikTok, which has garnered more than 3.5 million views and over 230,000 likes in less than 24 hours since it was posted, includes a caption that says, ‘When my MLB husband abandons us on Mothers Day a week after this (video was taken) once I finally found about his affairs and stopped putting up with his abuse, so I’ve been raising two boys alone.’

Before the game, Giants manager Bob Melvin said Hjelle was available to pitch on Saturday. Melvin acknowledged he was aware of the accusations.

‘He told me about it last night,’ Melvin told reporters. ‘We’ve talked to MLB and at this point, it’s in their jurisdiction so we can’t comment on it any further.’

What else has Caroline Hjelle said on the matter?

The San Jose Mercury News cited a Giants spokesperson, who said the couple is divorced.

It is unclear when the couple officially ended their marriage, but Caroline has several posts on her TikTok alluding to her struggles as a solo parent, dating back to October 2024, when she posted this video for the ’17 Diapers’ trend, meant to detail the struggles of early parenthood.

On April 8 of this year, Hjelle posted another TikTok with the hashtag ‘divorce’, claiming she was ‘devastated’ after ‘finding out all the lies.’

Has Hjelle been important to the Giants’ success?

The Giants have been one of the surprise teams of 2025 with a 42-34 record while sitting in second-place in the NL West. A large reason for that success has been their bullpen, which has posted an MLB-best 2.60 ERA.

Hjelle played a sizable role in the Giants’ bullpen in 2024, when he recorded a 3.90 ERA across 80⅔ innings. However, he’s taken a large step back in 2025, with his ERA ballooning to 4.66, while his BB/9 has increased massively from 1.6 in 2024 to 6.5 this year. Hjelle has pitched only 9⅔ innings this season.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Key information for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Pocono

NASCAR’s first international race in decades proved to be a dominant afternoon for Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen.

The Cup Series rookie led 60 of the 100 laps, including the final 32 on the road course in Mexico City, to take his first win of the 2025 season. That victory, in the Cup Series’ first ever race in Mexico, ensures the New Zealander will be in the playoffs this year. It also marked his second career Cup Series win. His first came in a similarly historic setting in 2023 when he won the series’ first street race in the streets of Chicago.

The first points-paying international Cup Series race since 1958 was a commercial success. With 2.1 million viewers on Amazon Prime Video, the Viva Mexico 250 had the youngest audience for any Cup Series race since 2017.

This week the grid returns to U.S. soil for a race at an iconic track on the calendar: Pocono Raceway. It’s the only track on the Cup Series schedule with just three turns, and it’s been a staple on the schedule since 1971.

This week’s race is the final one to set seeding for NASCAR’s inaugural in-season challenge. Denny Hamlin secured a top seed in the tournament thanks to his win in Michigan two weeks ago. Van Gisbergen did not qualify for the tournament – which features the top 32 drivers in the points standings prior to Michigan – so his win did not earn him a top seed.

NASCAR IN-SEASON CHALLENGE: What you need to know about the new tournament

There’s still one more chance for the 32-driver field to solidify their seeding in the tournament. Here’s everything you need to get ready for the Cup Series race in Pocono on June 22:

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono start?

The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono on?

The Great American Getaway 400 is the final race of the year to be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video. That means there is no national TV broadcast for the race. Pre-race coverage will start at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?

Yes, the Great American Getaway 400 will be streamed on Prime Video.

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono?

The Great American Getaway 400 is 160 laps around the 2.5-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 30 laps; Stage 2: 65 laps; Stage 3: 65 laps.

Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono last year?

What is the lineup for the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono?

(Car number in parentheses)

  1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
  2. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
  3. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
  4. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
  5. (41) Cole Custer, Ford
  6. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
  7. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
  8. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
  9. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
  10. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
  11. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
  12. (22) Joey Logano, Ford
  13. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
  14. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
  15. (38) Zane Smith, Ford
  16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
  17. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
  18. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
  19. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
  20. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
  21. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
  22. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
  23. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
  24. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
  25. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
  26. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
  27. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
  28. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
  29. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
  30. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
  31. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
  32. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
  33. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
  34. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
  35. (21) Josh Berry, Ford
  36. (51) Cody Ware, Ford
  37. (44) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet

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What Thunder, Pacers need to do to win NBA Finals Game 7

The 2024-25 NBA season – through the promise of a fresh start in October to the dog days of late January to the late-season push for the postseason in late March, early April to the two-month playoffs schedule to determine a champion – comes down to one more game.

Game 7 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals on Sunday, June 22 (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Forty-eight minutes – possibly more – between two talented, deep, well-coached and exhausted teams.

‘One game for everything you ever dreamed of,’ Thunder star and this season’s MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. ‘If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It’s that simple.’

Simple in theory. Difficult in practice.

Because winning a championship isn’t easy. It shouldn’t be.

One more game. The 20th Game 7 in NBA Finals history. Pacers-Thunder.

Indiana has never won an NBA title; since relocating to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008, the Thunder have never won a title.

‘Just really focused on Game 7 and trying to take it just a moment at a time,’ Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said. ‘Really enjoying what we’re doing. Understanding this is going to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, game most of us ever play in in our lives, and for our organization from a historical standpoint, as well. That’s something that you don’t take for granted and you enjoy as a competitor.’

Here’s how each team can win Game 7:

How Thunder can win NBA Finals Game 7

It starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The MVP needs to play like the MVP, and he can’t have more turnovers than made shots as he did in Indiana’s Game 6 victory. Making mid-range shots, getting to the rim and free throw line, knocking down the occasional 3-pointers and making sure his teammates are involved. The Thunder are at their best when Gilgeous-Alexander scores around 30 points, five assists, two steals and attempts 10 free throws and has no more than three turnovers.

Limit turnovers

In Indiana’s Game 3 victory, the Thunder committed 19 turnovers, and in Indiana’s Game 6 victory, the Thunder turned the ball over 21 times. It’s one thing if shots are falling, it’s another to have that many possessions with a field goal attempt.

Offense from Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren

The Thunder don’t need 40 points from Williams like they got from him in Game 5. However, an efficient Jalen Williams who is attacking the basket off the dribble and in transition and scoring 20-plus points while rebounding and collecting assists gives the Thunder a much better chance of winning.

It’s clear Holmgren needs to be involved offensively. He had just six points in the Game 1 loss and four points in the Game 6 loss and was 4-for-18 from the field in those two games. He’s averaging 12.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in Finals victories and 10 points and 7.3 rebounds in Finals losses.

Bench contributions

The Thunder have used depth to their advantage all season. Getting 3s from Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins is important. Caruso has scored just two points in the past two games and was scoreless in Game 6. Wallace, Caruso and Wiggins were 1-for-6 on 3s in Game 6 and 7-for-14 in Game 5 and 14-for-26 in Game 2.

Home-court advantage

The Thunder are not immune to home losses – they lost Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to Denver and Game 1 of the NBA Finals to Indiana at home. However, they were 35-6 at home during the regular season and 10-2 during the playoffs. Oklahoma City provides one of the best home crowds in the league, and the Thunder can use that energy. LeBron James often said home-court advantage doesn’t mean anything until a Game 7.

How the Pacers can win Game 7

Tyrese Haliburton’s ability to play through injury

Haliburton has a strained calf, and if this were the regular season and even earlier in the playoffs, he might not be playing. But in Game 6 and Game 7 of the Finals, he is. He only played 23 minutes in the Pacers’ Game 6 blowout victory and had 14 points, five assists and two steals. That kind of per-minute production should keep the Pacers in the game with a chance to win.

Feisty, unpredictable defense

The Pacers’ improved defense is a major reason they are in this position. They like to pressure the basketball, sometimes full court, and that kind of intensity for four quarters wears down an opponent. Indiana wants to force turnovers, limit Oklahoma City’s offensive opportunities and keep Gilgeous-Alexander from dominating with his scoring. In Game 6, the Pacers held the Thunder to 91 points, which is the Thunder’s lowest-scoring game of the playoffs and just the second time they didn’t reach 100 this postseason.

3-point shooting

The Pacers have been the best 3-point shooting team percentage-wise in the playoffs (.390) and have made 36.4% against the Thunder in the Finals. In their three Finals victories, they have outscored the Thunder 126-87 on 3-pointers. Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Obi Toppin and Haliburton need to combine for about 15 3-pointers. The Pacers average 14 made 3s in their Finals victories and 12 in their Finals losses.

Bench play

When T.J. McConnell, Bennedict Mathurin and Toppin are providing quality minutes, the Pacers are tough to beat. McConnell’s bulldog mentality is an important part of Indiana’s success.

Pascal Siakam’s experience

Siakam is the only Pacers player with championship experience (Toronto Raptors, 2019), and he has been a fantastic two-player in this series. If the Pacers win the title, he just might be Finals MVP. He’s averaging 19.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks and shooting 46.4% from the field and 82.5% on free throws.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle’s strategy

Carlisle has extracted the maximum from this roster. Can he yield another victory? He has a great coaching staff, and Carlisle and his assistants have assembled outstanding game plans for this series. He has found ways to get points against Oklahoma City’s top-rated defense and slow down the Thunder’s No. 3 offense. It’s no secret he’s one of the league’s best coaches over the past two decades, and he has been at the top of his game during the past two seasons with Indiana.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Tech 5: OpenAI/Microsoft Talks Get Tense, SoftBank Floats Arizona Robotics Hub

This week, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and OpenAI’s once tight alliance showed signs of strain, while Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) continued to source artificial intelligence (AI) talent from rival companies.

Meanwhile, SoftBank’s (TSE:9434) CEO is considering a new chip and robotics venture in Arizona, and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is looking to bring AI solutions to American cities.

Read on to dive deeper into this week’s top tech stories.

1. OpenAI and Microsoft partnership faces tension

Microsoft and OpenAI’s once-close partnership is reportedly entering a tense period of renegotiation as OpenAI restructures into a public-benefit company and seeks more autonomy.

According to sources for The Information, recent negotiations have centered on reducing Microsoft’s long-term revenue share in exchange for a 33 percent stake in the newly formed entity. Additionally, OpenAI would like to limit Microsoft’s access to future models such as Windsurf, which OpenAI acquired in May.

The company has competitive concerns with Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, according to the people.

Tensions have risen enough that some OpenAI executives are even weighing antitrust action against Microsoft, according to sources for the Wall Street Journal. In a joint statement, both companies maintained they want to continue working together; however, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday (June 18) that if they can’t reach an agreement, Microsoft is prepared to walk away and rely on its existing contract with the startup, which extends until 2030.

2. SoftBank floats trillion-dollar robotics hub in Arizona

SoftBank is reportedly interested in a trillion-dollar infrastructure project and has reached out to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) as a potential collaborative partner.

Sources for Bloomberg revealed on Friday (June 20) that SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has approached the Taiwanese chipmaker to play a “prominent role” in a manufacturing park in Arizona codenamed “Project Crystal Land,” which may serve as a major production facility for AI-powered industrial robots.

The sources said SoftBank has also approached Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930) and other companies with the idea. SoftBank officials have reportedly engaged in discussions with federal and state government officials, including US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, to explore potential tax incentives for companies onshoring high-tech manufacturing.

In other semiconductor news, Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) said on Wednesday that it will spend more than US$60 billion building seven new semiconductor facilities across the US. Meanwhile, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced over the weekend that it will invest AU$20 billion to expand data center infrastructure in Australia by 2029.

3. Intel reportedly planning sizeable layoffs

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) is reportedly set to implement substantial layoffs, impacting 15 to 20 percent of its factory workforce, according to an internal memo distributed on Saturday (June 14) and obtained by the Oregonian.

This move comes amidst continuing efforts to overhaul a company lagging behind its peers.

For some time, Intel’s offerings have struggled to compete effectively against those of key rivals in the highly competitive market of AI products and chip divisions. In a concerted effort to address this gap and reinvigorate its innovation pipeline, Intel has also been actively recruiting top-tier engineering talent.

On Wednesday, Intel expanded its sales and engineering leadership team to include experienced professionals from Cadence Design Systems (NASDAQ:CDNS), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google.

These strategic hires are intended to inject fresh perspectives and expertise into crucial engineering departments, directly contributing to the company’s ambitious plans to develop more competitive and advanced AI solutions.

4. Google partners with Conference of Mayors for city AI strategies

On Friday, Google announced that it has partnered with the US Conference of Mayors to help speed the adoption of city-wide AI strategies. With the announcement, the company released a playbook titled A Roadmap for America’s Mayor that provides a framework for city leaders to develop and host an “AI Adoption Workshop,’ which would be structured to help cities identify and explore how AI can support specific needs, drawing on experiences from other communities.

The roadmap suggests cities conduct a general survey to tailor workshop content by gathering information on current AI usage, as well as concerns and ideas for AI applications. Various approaches are suggested for drafting the strategy document, including a dedicated working group, an appointed lead drafter, a hybrid model or engaging external expertise, with a recommended deadline of four to six weeks post-workshop for the first draft.

5. Meta hires top AI talent

Sources for the Information indicated on Wednesday that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is bringing Daniel Gross, CEO of Ilya Sutskever’s startup Safe Superintelligence, and former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman onboard.

According to the report, Gross and Friedman will both join Meta, with Gross leaving his startup to focus on AI products at Meta and Friedman taking on a broader role. Both are expected to work directly with Zuckerberg and Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, who signed a US$14.3 billion deal to join Meta last week.

In exchange, Meta will get a stake in NFDG, the venture capital firm co-owned by Gross and Friedman that has backed companies such as Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN), Figma, CoreWeave (NASDAQ:CRWV), Perplexity and Character.ai.

On the most recent episode of his brother’s “Uncapped” podcast, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that Meta has also offered signing bonuses as high as US$100 million and large compensation packages to OpenAI employees.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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