🇷🇸 From Serbia With Love
Novak Djokovic and Nikola Jokic are no joke.
Hello, Friday. It's Eric.
🍿 Smells like victory: "Apocalypse Now," Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore (Robert Duvall)
This newsletter is 1,521 words — a 7-minute read.
💪 QUICK HITS
🎾 Novak Djokovic plans to keep winning Grand Slams until people like him.
🏆 The Nuggets want more. NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic wants to get better.
🏀 Don't bet the house on NBA superprospect Victor Wembanyama.
⚾ MLB loves Cincinnati Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz. And it could cost him.
⛰️ Novak and Nikola Reach Nirvana
Serbia is on top of the world thanks to Novak Djokovic and Nikola Jokic.
🎞️ Highlight reel: Novak Djokovic won the French Open and collected his 23rd Grand Slam. The 36-year-old now has more major wins than any other man in tennis history.
✅ Djokovic is three major wins ahead of Roger Federer and one ahead of Rafael Nadal's 22 titles as the career Grand Slams leader.
✅ Djokovic is still on track for a calendar Grand Slam. In the history of tennis, only five players have won the calendar Grand Slam. Two men: Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969). Three women: Maureen Connolly Brinker (1953), Margaret Court (1970), and Steffi Graf (1988).
The next major is Wimbledon. Then, the U.S. Open at the end of the summer. Sportsbooks like Djokovic's chances. From FanDuel:
Men's Wimbledon 2023
Novak Djokovic -155
Carlos Alcaraz +500
Daniil Medvedev +700
Jannik Sinner +1300
Nick Kyrgios +2600
Men's U.S. Open 2023
Novak Djokovic +105
Carlos Alcaraz +195
Daniil Medvedev +380
Jannik Sinner +1000
Stefanos Tsitsipas +1400
💵 Money time: If you're thinking about betting against Djokovic, consider these numbers from Joe Posnanski. Novak Djokovic played in six tiebreakers during this year’s French Open, won all six, and made zero unforced errors in those tiebreaks. In 58 tiebreak points at the French Open, he had 19 winners and no unforced errors.
🎯 Must read: Posnanski hit it out of the park with his essay "Novak and Number 23!" It will be the best thing you read all day. Maybe all year.
😂 Laughable: Ben Bramble had an awful take on Djokovic in The Guardian, "Please don’t call him the GOAT."
A sample: Djokovic isn’t 10 feet tall, but he is extremely fast and flexible. He is, as they say, “the rubber man.” This is an immense physical advantage. It allows him to extend points and grind his opponents down. His abilities as a returner and defender, and indeed a strategist who runs his opponents around, are part of his greatness. But his physical advantages, at the same time, reduce the greatness of his achievements.
Bramble, a philosophy lecturer at Australian National University, is no Aristotle.
MORE NOVAK DJOKOVIC STORIES FROM STADIUM TALK
👑 The Benevolent King
Nikola Jokic might be the humblest superstar athlete who ever lived. A day after Novak Djokovic made tennis history, Jokic led the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA championship in franchise history and was named the 2023 NBA Finals MVP.
Then, he lost his trophy. But he found it just in time for the championship parade and to bring home to Serbia for some horse racing with his horses.
Jokic, 28, really doesn't care about stats or individual accolades, so he piles them up. The more you give, the more you get. Funny how that works. In 20 postseason games, he averaged 30.0 points (600 total), 13.5 rebounds (269), and 9.5 assists (190). He scored 151 points with 70 rebounds and 36 assists in five games alone to beat the Miami Heat.
"It’s good, it’s good," Jokic said about being an NBA champion. "The job is done. We can go home now."
The 6-foot-11, 284-pound center from Sombor, Serbia, has come a long way from being a second-round pick (41st overall) in the 2014 NBA draft.
"That first Summer League in Vegas, 300 pounds, out of shape, hey, he's a nice player,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone recalled during the playoffs. “No one, and if anybody tells you different, they're full of shit, no one could have seen that he'd be a two-time MVP passing Wilt Chamberlain every other night."
👀 HOW WE GOT HERE: Malone’s whole take on Jokic sums up what greatness is.
🥇 Gold standard: The Nuggets are early favorites to win the 2024 NBA title and repeat. Nikola Jokic is the early favorite to be league MVP.
Denver Nuggets +460
Milwaukee Bucks +490
Boston Celtics +500
Phoenix Suns +700
Golden State Warriors +1200
Philadelphia 76ers +1400
NBA Regular-Season MVP 2023-24
Nikola Jokic +440
Giannis Antetokounmpo +500
Luka Doncic +700
Joel Embiid +700
Jayson Tatum +850
Kevin Durant +1300
It took 47 years for the Nuggets to win their first NBA championship. It shouldn't take them that long to win a second. They aren't satisfied, and neither is Jokic. When the best player in the world is still hungry, that's bad news for the rest of the NBA.
🏡 Quote du Jour: Anti-Bulletin Board Material
"Basketball is not the main thing in my life. It’s something that I’m good at."
—Nikola Jokic on being named NBA Finals MVP
🔥 Victor the Great?
The NBA draft is June 22. The San Antonio Spurs are on the clock, with Victor Wembanyama expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. There's no doubt the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama has big-time talent and huge potential. But has he been overhyped? A big question mark is whether his body can handle the NBA grind. Time will tell whether Wembanyama has a career like Tim Duncan or Ralph Sampson.
🎧 Listen Up
⛳️ Open sesame: Betting Predators podcast host SleepyJ and Uncle Dave Essler talk U.S. Open and give their picks. Lotta fun props and wagers to keep everyone locked in through Sunday. Great week for them last week, +15 units. We are ready.
🧐 Division of labor: Betting Predators MLB analyst Dalton Brown looks at every division and shares his picks to win them all, some future odds, and where there could be some value.
📈 Number of the Day: 13%
This was Scottie Sheffler's implied win probability for the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club before the tournament started, according to DataGolf. Sheffler shot a 67 and was tied for seventh at -3 after the first round. Betting Predators lead golfing analyst Chris Dell breaks down his best bets and top golfers to buy and fade.
🧠 Sports Betting Tip
Take advantage of MMA transparency.
While most major leagues suppress access and information surrounding their teams, coaches, and players on social media, the MMA is the complete opposite. There is so much to gain from following fighters on social media that can help you to make profitable bets. —Gene Lesser, MMA, Betting Predators
💰 Risk vs. Reward
Cincinnati Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz has been electric since making his major league debut on June 6. The switch-hitting shortstop is a true five-tool stud and has been above-average at the plate, with a 104 wRC+. His talent could lead to a big payday, but according to Outkick, an outside investment firm also might benefit from De La Cruz's success.
Big League Advantage (BLA) "invests" in potential prospects by giving them upfront payments for future earnings. Fernando Tatis reportedly agreed to 8 percent of all payouts for pre-MLB money. With his 14-year, $340 million contract, BLA gets about $27 million. De La Cruz signed a similar deal with BLA and could owe them some future earnings.
While some critics say BLA is taking advantage of young players who need money, BLA defends its practice. They say it's not a loan, and they lose the whole investment if a player doesn't have a long, successful career.
🚨 Sports Bettors 🚨
The NBA season is over, but there are still many ways to make money before the NFL begins. Follow the Betting Predators team on Twitter for some of the best picks in the biz.
Steve Rieder: @AvoidtheVig
Dalton Brown: @DaltonOnSports
Chris Dell: @MaddJournalist
Fred Faour: @FredFaour
Greg Frank: @g_frank6
Gene Lesser: @MeanGene0022
SleepyJ: @SleepyJ_Pregame
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