The most compelling matchup of this year's NBA Finals beginning tonight isn't Kawhi Leonard trying to guard LeBron James or Tim Duncan matching up with Chris Bosh, or even to see who flops better between Manu Ginobili and Dwyane Wade... it's the most combative, entertaining, long-running battle in the Association.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich vs sideline reporters.

Pop's less-than-forthcoming interviews have evolved into one of the great struggles of sports television.  It's become something of a sport for Popovich as he has battled with numerous sideline reporters over the years.  They try to get information, quotes, or insights from the coach in league-mandated interviews between quarters and Pop does everything in his power NOT to give information, quotes, or insights.  Here's one of my favorites with one of his most frequent foils, David Aldridge, from the beginning of this season:

ESPN's Marc Stein has a fantatsic column before Game 1 speaking to a number of sideline reporters from a few of the men and women who have interviewed Pop over the years.  A brief selection:

Although it doesn't quite carry the same cache as past generations, there are still millions who tune in to the major networks' nightly newscasts.  NBC's Brian Williams anchors the most watched of those newscasts with NBC Nightly News.  While Williams is the straightest of straight news men, he's also a great target and participant in comedy bits.  If anything, Williams has distinguished himself from the competition because of his comedic aptitude.

We're just a couple months away from the launch of Fox Sports One in mid-August.  The network has been gobbling up personalities to fill out the 24/7 network like Charissa Thompson, Jay Onrait & Dan O'Toole, Regis Philbin, and others.  We're also starting to see advertising and promotional campaigns for Fox Sports One begin to roll out.  Here's a selection of spots focusing on the "One" in FS1 and what great fun the new network will be...

If just talking about sports ever gets boring, many of TSN's staffers might have a second career creating funny videos. The network's long been famed for knowing when to insert humour into sports (a big part of what led to the hilarious Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole being hired by Fox Sports One), and their NHL guys in particular have taken it to a new level this year. First, there was the impressive March video where NHL panel host James Duthie got Vancouver Canucks' goalies Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider to discuss their "rivalry" for the number-one job and pretend to inflict all sorts of harm on each other. TSN then followed that up with April's "Panel Hangover," which included a Duthie face tattoo, a Matthew Perry cameo, Darren Dreger wandering around dazed in sunglasses and Aaron Ward preparing for a spa day. For sheer originality and brilliance, though, the "Puck Over Glass" music video TSN aired during the first intermission of Monday night's L.A. Kings - Chicago Blackhawks game, the final NHL game on TSN this year, might just take the cake:

Tiger Woods is back at #1 in the World Golf Rankings, he's winning tournaments aplenty once again (although still nary a major in quite some time), even gotten his love life back on track with Lindsey Vonn, and is reportedly close to re-signing with Nike.  A few years ago, at the height of his scandal ridden downfall, you'd be hard pressed to envision one of those as being possible.

Even though Tiger's life and career are back on track, it still doesn't mean we can't have some fun at his expense with easy jokes involving Nike's famous slogan, right?  That's just what Jimmy Kimmel did this week with a spoof on a new, somewhat wordier, Nike ad for Tiger.  So far it's still way better than anything we've seen Nike produce for Rory McIlroy. 

H/T For the Win

Would Ian Darke have thought in 1994 when he was calling a USA-England friendly from Wembley Stadium in London that he would become the voice of American soccer nearly two decades later?  Here's a video from ESPN's coverage of the USA-England game after the '94 World Cup that features ESPN's future voice of soccer.  You can see and hear some of the qualities that have made Darke such a hit across the pond 20 years later in this classic clip.  Sadly, there was no "Go go USA" on that day as the Americans lost 2-0 thanks to 2 goals from Alan Shearer.

Thankfully, we kept Darke and left that wretched mid 90s fashion behind.

H/T mookiealexander

All Times Eastern

College Football
College Football Live -- ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

Golf
European PGA Tour
Lyoness Open, Atzenbrugg, Austria
First Round -- Golf Channel, 9 a.m.

LPGA Tour
LPGA Championship, Pittsford, NY
First Round -- Golf Channel, 12:30 p.m.

PGA Tour
St. Jude Classic, Memphis, TN
First Round -- Golf Channel, 3 p.m.

Champions Tour
Regions Tradition, Shoal Creek, AL
First Round -- Golf Channel, 6:30 p.m. (same day coverage)

19th Hole -- Golf Channel, midnight

The Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 7-5 in a wild 16-inning affair on Wednesday. The game would make history for a couple of reasons, but ultimately it might be remembered most for Hawk Harrelson's call (or lack thereof) on Kyle Seager's 14th-inning grand slam.

With the White Sox leading 5-1 in the bottom of the 14th, the Mariners' third baseman takes Chicago closer Addison Reed deep to tie the game at 5-5. The WGN play-by-play voice/unabashed homer, who just two weeks ago lost his composure on a blown call in extra innings, is his usual subjective self as he realizes what's unfolding.

Harrelson is rendered speechless for a full forty seconds as he watches Seager's blast land in the seats. Is he too shocked to describe the moment? Is there something medically wrong? Maybe he's taking his most recent blow-up to heart and deciding to show some restraint? Whatever the reason, it's a par for the course for Harrelson and his long track record of homerism in the booth. Harrelson has given the silent treatment before, and this one clocks in at 40 seconds of dead air.

After all of that, the White Sox actually won the game, thanks to a couple of runs in the top of the 16th. Hawk was a little more excited for that call. Just another day at the office for Harrelson and his broadcast partner, Steve Stone, who GQ once infamously dubbed the worst broadcast tandem in baseball.

Awful Announcing has learned that Mike Hill has been let go by ESPN. An official statement from ESPN says it was a "mutual decision with and by Mike and ESPN. We wish him the best in his next chapter."

The ESPN Radio show that he co-hosted with Mark Schlereth that was titled "Hill & Schlereth" will now be known as "Schlereth & Company."

Sources have informed Awful Announcing that Hill was called into ESPN offices and was told that he was being let go at the end of his contract which management had thought was in a month. However, Hill's contract was to expire in June 2014. 

In addition to the usual cast and crew 

2013 NBA Finals

Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs

ABC - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Doris Burke (Reporter), Steve Javie (Officiating Expert)

ESPN Radio - Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, Marc Stein (Reporter)

Studio - Michael Wilbon, Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose, Bill Simmons

Game 1 Thursday, June 6 @ American Airlines Arena, Miami (ABC 9PM)

Game 2 Sunday, June 9 @ American Airlines Arena, Miami (ABC 8PM)

Game 3 Tuesday, June 11 @ AT&T Center, San Antonio (ABC 9PM)

Game 4 Thursday, June 13 @ AT&T Center, San Antonio (ABC 9PM)

Game 5* Sunday, June 16 @ AT&T Center, San Antonio (ABC 8PM)

Game 6* Tuesday, June 18 @ American Airlines Arena, Miami (ABC 9PM)

Game 7* Thursday, June 20 @ American Airlines Arena, Miami (ABC 9PM)

*If Necessary

H/T Sammy!