Music’s big night arrived Sunday and Drake stole the show at the Billboard Music Awards with a record 13 trophies and a memorable Bellagio performance. After 15 years and 33 seasons, we finally have the first African-American Bachelorette. Good luck Rachel Lindsay.

The warm feelings shifted to concern and anger after the attack at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

In sports, the NBA and NHL Finals are here…almost. The two leagues’ championship series are right around the corner but how we got here couldn’t be more different. Hockey has delivered an exciting playoff season while the basketball playoffs have been full of blowouts following the same script the last three years. European soccer fans are turning the page on the regular season and looking forward to championship competition as well.

National Basketball Association (NBA)

The NBA playoffs to date have been, in a word, boring. Or simply predictable. What everyone expected, a record-setting third-straight finals matchup between the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers and 2015 winners, the Golden State Warriors, seems inevitable.

In the East the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 21-point lead Sunday night and lost to the Boston Celtics but still lead the series 2-1. (The Cavs had won 10 straight games before the surprising loss.) Can the Celtics win? Don’t bet on it. They lost their best player, Isaiah Thomas, to injury and will likely succumb to the Cavs this week.

Source: Bleacher Report

The San Antonio Spurs lost any chance to defeat the NBA’s best team when the Spurs top player, Kawhi Leonard, re-injured his ankle in Game 1. The Warriors sent the Spurs off to their summer vacation Monday night, completing the West Finals sweep. The Warriors are 12-0 in this year’s playoffs becoming the first team in NBA history to be perfect through three series.

National Hockey League NHL

Music City is rocking as the Nashville Predators are off to their first-ever Stanley Cup Finals. Nashville overcame the loss of top scorer Ryan Johansen to a season-ending injury and beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 in the Western Conference finals.

The Preds are awaiting the winner of the East Finals between the Ottawa Senators and defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins lead 3-2 after crushing the Senators 7-0 Sunday night. Get your favorite Canadian beer ready, the series resumes Tuesday night in Ottawa.

Soccer

Drama or dramatismo? The top soccer leagues in England and Spain closed the door on their 2017 regular season over the weekend with positions finalized on the final day.

In England, Chelsea won on Sunday to take home the Premier League title. A short plane ride away in Spain, Real Madrid was victorious and secured the La Liga title over arch-rival Barcelona, ending a five-year drought. Superstar striker Christiano Ronaldo (left) was more than happy to smile for the cameras.

Source: UEFA.com

Horse Racing

The Dream is over…Always Dreaming had eyes on winning the Triple Crown (the big three horse races) after victory at the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. Instead, the Preakness Stakes turned into a nightmare as Cloud Computing won the race and Always Dreaming finished eighth in front of 140,000+ spectators.

Next up for horse racing fans (and picnic lovers), the Belmont Stakes in New York, Saturday, June 10th.

National Football League (NFL)

Looking for a new way to get out of a test? Tweet you favorite sports star.

 

Source: Def Pen

In an act of community service (sort of) Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers got a class out of their final exam with simple retweet.

Major League Baseball (MLB)

A quarter of the way through the grueling MLB season and the surprises continue.

Pizza and Walleye (the official fish of Minnesota)…In the American League, two of three division leaders are unexpected: the New York Yankees in the East and Minnesota Twins in the Central. The Houston Astros have the best record in baseball and were a preseason favorite in the West.

Miller or Coors? The National League has a similar feel with the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies the surprise leaders in the Central and West. The Washington Nationals lead the East as expected.

 

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