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Welcome to the latest episode of Hot Takedown, FiveThirtyEight’s sports podcast. On this week’s show (June 21, 2016), we talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ victory in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and wonder how much championships matter when we talk about history’s greatest players and teams. Then, we welcome ESPN FC’s Mike Goodman to chat about the USMNT’s run to the semifinal of the Copa America. Finally, Mike stays around to break down the opening games of the 2016 Euros, and we ask him what’s going on with Cristiano Ronaldo. Plus, a significant digit on the matchup between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA.
Links to what we discuss are here:
- Ben Morris wonders if the Steph Curry revolution is over already.
- Ben Morris’s original piece on why Steph Curry is revolutionizing basketball.
- Reuben Fischer-Baum writes the Warriors aren’t even the second-best team ever.
- Neil Paine says LeBron led the Cavs on one of the greatest playoff runs in NBA history.
- ESPN Stats & Information Group breaks down how LeBron carried the Cavs to the title.
- LeBron is so great, says Bryan Armen Graham in The Guardian, he should now be considered the greatest of all time.
- Mike Goodman asks whether the USMNT has finally turned the corner under Jurgen Klinsmann.
- The Guardian wonders why casual fans have stayed away from this year’s Copa America.
- Over at the Euros, The Upshot breaks down how teams can qualify for the next round.
- And, Sam Borden looks at what the new tournament structure has meant for fans from smaller countries.
- Borden also delves into Cristiano Ronaldo’s frustrations after Portugal’s tie with Austria.
- You can find Mike Goodman’s new soccer podcast, The Double Pivot, here.
- Significant Digit: 23. That’s the combined number of games the Los Angeles Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx had played in this season’s WNBA without losing. The Sparks lost 72-69 to the Lynx on Tuesday evening.
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