The sporting week was an engrossing one as the Indiana Pacers finally returned to the pinnacle of their sport, the NBA Finals, for the first time in a generation. Meanwhile, their female counterparts, the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, are in crisis mode as they are running out of point guards from a rash of injuries in the backcourt.
Coco Gauff is fighting to not only win another Grand Slam tournament, but also to stave off the low rumblings that she is underachieving in the sport of tennis.
The Indiana Pacers look to win their first-ever NBA title
The Indiana Pacers advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, when Hall of Famer Reggie Miller was at the helm of the team.
The Pacers defeated the New York Knicks in dominating fashion, 125-108, to win in six games behind Pascal Siakam’s 31 points and 5 rebounds and Tyrese Haliburton’s 21 points, 13 assists and 6 rebounds. The Knicks were led by 24 points from OG Anunoby, while Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson, added 19 points and 7 assists.
The Pacers will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by the 2025 Most Valuable Player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They vanquished the Minnesota Timberwolves, 4-1, to claim the Western Conference crown earlier in the week.
Big WNBA stars sidelined
The WNBA had a setback this past week as two of its biggest draws have been sidelined temporarily.
Caitlin Clark, the sport’s most popular player, has been sidelined for two weeks after suffering a strained thigh muscle. The Fever have gone 0-2 since then, including a close 85-83 setback against the lowly Connecticut Sun, who got their first win in six tries.
To make matters worse, backup point guard Sydney Colson went down with a leg injury in the game and, not long after that, shooting guard Sophie Cunningham came up limping with her own leg injury.
CURSED!!! Sydney Colson injured and sent back to the the locker room. Oh my God. #IndianaFever #caitlinclark pic.twitter.com/ZpNcoyOtoa
— His Grace GOAT targaryen (@JasonJDaniel) May 31, 2025
The Fever still has a few more games to play before Clark’s projected return on June 9. Moreover, the Fever and other teams are facing slashed ticket prices and empty seats in the wake of Clark’s forced moratorium because she is the biggest draw, by far, in the W.
Another marquee star, rookie sensation Paige Bueckers, is fresh off a championship for the University of Connecticut in April. But the No. 1 draft pick for the Dallas Wings is out for at least another game due to concussion protocol. She collided heads with the Chicago Sky point guard Courtney Vandesloot during a scramble for the ball. Angel Reese and the Sky went on to get their first win of the season, 97-92, despite the Wings’ Arike Ogumbowale going off for 37 points. Both teams have won just one game after two weeks into the season.
Coco Gauff looks to end her Grand Slam drought
The world melted in Coco Gauff’s hands when she won her first title, the U.S. Open in August 2023. She has yet to return to the finals in any Grand Slam event since, which spans five major tournaments.
Gauff, who stormed into the tennis world when she defeated Venus Williams at Wimbledon at age 15, is now 21. She is looking to procure her second Grand Slam victory at the French Open, which is in its second week. The Atlanta-born, Florida-raised Gauff has advanced to at least the quarterfinals of the French Open four times and has lost to the eventual champion all four times. She is looking to finally break that streak this coming week.
