Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images Toronto Raptors fans celebrate following their team's Game 4 win over the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.
Welcome to Saturday’s roundup of must-see sports headlines.
Today we look at Raptors fans taking over Oracle Arena after their team’s stunning win, France kicking off the Women’s FIFA World Cup with a must-see goal, and the incredible comeback story of the Auburn gymnast who was able to walk down the aisle at her wedding a couple months after suffering a devastating injury during a competition.
Let’s get started!
TOP STORY: Raptors Fans Sing ‘O Canada’ at Oracle Following Team’s Stunning Game 4 Win
Raptors fans break out “O Canada” at Oracle
(via @SI_MarkBechtel)
The Toronto Raptors are just one win away from capturing their first NBA Championship and their fans could not be more excited. Following the Raptors stunning 105-92 win in Game 4 on Friday night, fans took over Oracle Arena, singing the Canadian national anthem ‘O Canada’ and chanting “Let’s Go Raptors” and “One More Win” in full voice.
If the Raptors are able to win the title on their home court on Monday night, tonight’s game will turn out to be the final one played in the 47-year history of Oracle Arena, with the Warriors set to move into their new home, The Chase Center, next season. And what a way to close down what used to be one of the toughest places to come into and pick up a road win – especially in the postseason.
The Raptors have made it look easy, showing poise and persistence and outlasting the defending champions in back-to-back games on the road. Kawhi Leonard added to his legendary postseason run with a game-high 36 points and was able to overcome the return of Klay Thompson and his team-high 28 points. The Raptors rallied from a halftime deficit, outscoring the Warriors 37-21 in the third quarter.
Game 5 is scheduled for Monday night at 9pm ET. It could be the crowning moment for the Toronto franchise and their passionate fan base or it could be the start of a historic comeback for the champs. Either way, it’ll be another must-watch affair.
Read the full recap here.
MUST-WATCH PLAY OF THE DAY: France Opens the Women’s FIFA World Cup in Style
Playing on home soil, the French national team kicked off the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup with a dominating 4-0 win over South Korea. With the game already in the bag, Amandine Henry delighted the home fans and delivered the exclamation point with an incredible strike to the corner of the net, delighting the sellout crowd of over 45,000.
France is one of the favorites at this year’s World Cup, alongside the United States who will begin their campaign on Tuesday, June 11th vs. Thailand at 3pm ET on FOX.
SOCIAL RUNDOWN: Auburn Gymnast Walks Down Aisle Two Months After Gruesome Injury
Auburn Tigers gymnast Samantha Cerio made national headlines on April 5th when she suffered a devastating injury after she landed awkwardly at the NCAA Regional Semifinals. After dislocating both knees and tearing multiple ligaments, the gymnast had one goal in mind – to be able to walk down the aisle at her wedding.
Two months later, Cerio is making more headlines, but this time for accomplishing her goal as she made it down the aisle unassisted. She told USA TODAY Sports that knowing that she “was able to stand up on my own feet and able to walk around and walk down the aisle” made the day feel “a whole lot sweeter.”
THE LIGHTER SIDE: Jimmy Kimmel Asks Toronto Fans to Trash Talk the Warriors
It’s a general known stereotype that Canadians are some of the most polite people put on this Earth. A producer puts that to the test in a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! when he asks Raptors fans to talk trash to the Warriors. Come on Canadians, this is your chance to show us the best of your worst!
“Why would I trash talk them, they haven’t done nothing wrong to me or my team,” said a Toronto fan in the video. “All I’m saying is everybody’s playing right, so if they want to win they better play better than us.”
The results are in – Canadians are really bad at trash talking, but their basketball team is really good and that’s all that matters this month.
DON’T MISS THESE STORIES: Rounding Up the Top Sports Headlines
- The ‘King of Clay’ Nadal dominates Federer en route to French Open Final
- Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger placed on IL with horrific-sounding injury
- Check out the Belmont Stakes betting odds and trends
- Texans fire GM less than 18 months after he took the job
- Undertaker, Goldberg finally face off at WWE Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia
WHAT’S ON TAP FOR SATURDAY
Al Bello/Getty Images)Tacitus is the favorite for the 151st running of the Belmont Stakes, which goes off today at 6:48pm ET.
BELMONT STAKES
Tacitus is the favorite for the 151st running of the Belmont Stakes
Post Time: 6:48pm ET
TV: NBC
FRENCH OPEN TENNIS: WOMEN’S FINAL
#8 Australian Ashleigh Barty vs. 19-year-old Czech Marketa Vondrousova
Time: 9am ET
TV: NBC
UFC 238
Main Event: Henry Cejudo (14-2) vs. Marlon Moraes (22-5-1)
Time: 10pm ET
Broadcast: ESPN+ PPV