Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: World Cup opens, Knicks in command, NHL, Serena and more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JUNE 7): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Opening week for World Cup, plus Knicks in charge, Vegas back up, Serena returns, wild French Open, Korda on top, Belmont Stakes and more. Welcome to 152nd edition of HB10, bringing you what’s on our minds through a Miami lens and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or worth needling as the sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. SOCCER: It’s 38 days of unparalleled global rapture. Let the World Cup begin!: First two of 104 matches are this coming Thursday as 12 four-team groups begin the whittling process from 48 nations to a round-of-32. Key early dates: 1st U.S. game is this Friday-12th vs. Paraguay in L.A.; 1st game in Miami is next Monday-15th with Saudi Arabia-Uruguay; and 1st Messi/Argentina game is next Tuesday-16th vs. Algeria in K.C. Spain (+450) and France (+475) are no co-betting faves per DraftKings followed by England, Portugal, reigning champ Argentina and Brazil. Notable from past few days: Ivory Coast (I prefer formal name Cote d’Ivore) with a shocking tuneup shocker over mighty France, and exuberant pro-Haiti crowds for two sold-out friendlies in South Florida.
2. NBA: Up 2-0, Knicks in historic command in NBA Finals: Victor Wembanyama’s late turnover led to Jalen Brunson’s winning free throw and New York’s 105-104 win in San Antonio Friday -- forging a 2-0 Knicks lead in NBA Finals. Series heads to Madison Square Garden Monday night for NY’s first Finals home game since June 26, 1999. Knicks seek their first NBA crown since 1973 and history now loves their chances. Teams up 2-0 have won 92.6 percent of all NBA best-of-sevens and 86 percent when it’s in Finals, though the five exceptions have been as recent as 2021 with Milwaukee and include Miami in 2006. The president is expected to attend Game 3 Monday. The good news? The excitement and raucous din may lessen Trump’s propensity to nod off in public.
3. NHL: Vegas up 2-1 in a wild Stanley Cup Final: Insane series, this. In Game 1 Carolina becomes first team ever to blow a multiple-goal lead in a Stanley Cup opener; Vegas wins. Game 2, Vegas returns the favor, blows a multiple goal-lead; Carolina wins in overtime. Then in Game 3 Saturday night, host Vegas storms to 4-0 lead, Carolina scores three gals in 39 seconds en route to 4-4 knot; Vegas wins in double-OT. Weird, wild. Game 4 back in Sin City Tuesday night.
4. TENNIS: Serena Williams begins comeback after four years away: The G.O.A.T. of women’s tennis returns at age 44 this week in her first WTA event since the 2022 U.S. Open. Her comeback is in doubles with partner Victoria Mboko, 19, a rising star from Canada, with their first match early this week in the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London. Williams plans to then play the Berlin Open in preparation for an expected splash of a major return at Wimbledon beginning June 29.
5. HORSE RACING: Golden Tempo (and Panthers’ Viola) win Belmont Stakes: The 158th running of the Triple Crown’s final leg was a memorable swansong for Saratoga Race Course on Saturday when Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo roared from the back to become the first horse ever to win the Kentucky Derby and then the Belmont without having run the Preakness in between. What might have been? It was another big win for Golden Tempo owner Vinnie Viola, who also dabbles as owner of the NHL’s two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
6. TENNIS: One of the strangest, most surprising French Opens ever wraps up Sunday: The French Open is one of four tennis majors. But this one hardly seemed it. With star players eliminated one after another, the four finalists for the women’s and men’s titles had a combined zero career Grand Slam wins entering the weekend. Mirra Andreeva of Russia, 19 and No. 8-ranked, changed that with Saturday’s 6-3, 6-2 final over No. 114-ranked qualifier Maja Chwalinska of Poland. Today’s men’s final pits No. 3-ranked Alexander Zverez of Germany vs. No. 14 Flavio Cobolli of Italy.
7. GOLF: Whoa Nelly! Korda storms into tie at top in Women’s U.S. Open: The LPGA’s 81st Women’s U.S. Open wraps today in Pacific Palisades, Cal., with world No. 1 Nelly Korda tied for the lead at 6-under. South Korea’s Sei Yong Kim shares the lead. Korda, from Bradenton on Florida’s Gulf Coast, rode three straight birdies to a 67 and share of the lead. She has won three women’s majors but never the U.S. Open.
8. MLB: Sanchez’s scoreless-innings streak ends 3rd best all-time: Philadelphia lefty Cristopher Sánchez saw his scoreless innings streak end at 50 2/3 Wednesday night -- the best in MLB in nearly 40 seasons. Sanchez had thrown 663 pitches and faced 190 batters without allowing a run. The only two streaks longer are both held by Dodgers pitchers: Orel Hershiser’s record 59 straight innings in 1988 and 58 by Don Drysdale in 1968.
9. MARLINS: It’s a rubber game Sunday in Florida-Tampa Bay rivalry series: Fish eked a 4-3 home win over Rays Saturday to even their rivalry sereis entering today’s rubber game. Marlins at 30-35 are now lurking four games back in NL wild-card playoff hunt. Three home games vs. Arizona follow. With all-star fan voting underway, top Fish candidates should be starter Max Meyer (6-0, 2.81) along with catcher Liam Hicks and middle infielders Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez.
10. COLLEGE HOOPS: Looks like Duke vs. Michigan at Marlins Park. (You read that right): A much-anticipated Duke-Michigan men’s basketball game is expected to be played in Miami this coming Dec. 26 at Marlins Park, which likes to host anything that might draw a big crowd since the baseball team doesn’t. The game was originally scheduled at Madison Square Garden but is being relocated after broadcast rights dispute between the Big Ten and Fox. The move is not yet official but is seen as near-certain.
THE LIST: MOST MEN’S WORLD CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS: Upon us is the 23rd FIFA men’s World Cup since the first in 1930. Only these eight nations have won the first 22:
No. Country (Years won)
5 Brazil (1958, ‘62, ’70, ‘94, 2002)
4 Germany (1954, ‘74, ‘90, 2014)
4 Italy (1934, ‘38, ‘82, 2006)
3 Argentina (1978, ‘86, 2022)
2 France (1998, 2018)
2 Uruguay (1930, ‘50)
1 England (1966)
1 Spain (2010)
Notes: Most championship-games losses are four by Germany and three each by Argentina and Netherlands, which has the most finals appearances without winning. All previous championship nations qualified for 2026 World Cup except Italy.
Other select most recent stuff from me: Poll Dance: World Cup interest level // World Cup is upon us and here are top 6 storylines // Serena, Jen Pawol and continuing fight for women’s equality in sports // Podcast: Izzy Gutierrez, NBA Finals and more // Previous HB10 // As we lose ‘72 Perfect Season Dolphins 1 by 1, time to cherish Miami’s family heirloom // Heat needs Giannis to reverse slide to irrelevance // Dolphins will be better than you think in ‘26. Here’s why // Perfect? No. But Messi is godsend who has exceeded all hopes // Florida’s escalated fight with NFL mirrors larger war on DEI // One month out, tickets are pricey. No duh. Savor World Cup anyway // Stephen Ross takes last big swing to rescue legacy as Dolphins owner // Heat’s Pat Riley still fighting for career finish Shula never got // Dolphins’ new GM earns trust on Proctor, draft. But he better be right // Power of Lionel Messi shows in Inter Miami’s latest coaching change // Heat end season valiantly, but effort and almost are not enough // State of Miami Sports; Grading Fins, Heat, Cats, Fish, Inter Miami & more // U.S. team struggles, doubts grow as men’s World Cup nears // Sandy shines, Marlins win to launch latest season of budget-ball // Baseball, politics, emotion lift Venezuela past U.S. to WBC championship // Dolphins’ major rebuild is on -- and it’s about damned time // Dolphins’ new coach, GM take on 25 years of franchise torpor and a QB mess // Canes title-game loss does not erase success of watershed season // Step aside, other cities: Why 2026 in sports belongs to Miami // And my latest podcast:
