Champions, Europa League Finals, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Final and More to Watch

It's finals week, and what a week it will be.

The UEFA Champions and Europa Leagues will be decided this week, and the NBA and NHL both stage the first games of their final series of the season. Play also begins in the second Grand Slam on the tennis calendar.

Here's how it all breaks down:

Must Watch: Champions League Final

The 2019 UEFA Champions League final will be played Saturday between English Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. ET from the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.

Runner-up last season, Liverpool has won the competition five times in club history, while Tottenham is set to play in its first Champions League final.

The match will broadcast on TNT, and you can stream it here on B/R Live. Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. live from Madrid with B/R Football Matchday.

For key players to watch, Spurs have relied heavily on forward Heung-Min Son throughout the campaign.

The South Korean forward has four goals in the competition, including two in an epic quarterfinal, second leg at Manchester City that saw Spurs advance on away goals despite a 4-3 loss.

Fellow Spurs attacker, Harry Kane, who has been injured since the quarterfinals, says he's "fit to play."

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has become one of the best central defenders in the world this season and will be tasked with keeping Son and potentially Kane at bay. 

Tottenham left-back Danny Rose loves to push up the left side, often providing lots of value to their buildup and attack. But with Mohamed Salah likely occupying that same flank, the England international may have to be more careful moving forward and leaving space for the Egyptian to attack.

Like Son, Salah has four goals in the Champions League, though he has hit the net just once in the knockout rounds. The forward also missed his side's stunning 4-0 second-leg win over Barcelona in the semifinals, but his joint-highest 22 goals (the same amount scored by teammate Sadio Mane) in the Premier League show just how dangerous he and Liverpool can be in attack.

For more on the Champions League final between Tottenham and Liverpool, including a full match preview, scores and highlights from their paths to the final, referee information, which kits the teams will wear, and each club's history in the competition, find everything you need to know here.

Watch This: NBA Finals

The NBA Finals are finally here, with a familiar face representing the Western Conference and a brand-new one holding court in the East.

The Golden State Warriors pursue their third NBA championship in a row and fourth in five seasons, and they'll face off against the Toronto Raptors, making their first NBA Finals appearance.

The Raptors won the Eastern Conference Finals at the weekend in six games over the Milwaukee Bucks, thanks in large part to a phenomenal performance from Kawhi Leonard, who averaged 29.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1 block per game for the series.

Remember, Leonard won Finals MVP in 2014 when the San Antonio Spurs denied the Miami Heat its three-peat.

The NBA Finals begin Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, with every game of the series airing on ABC (full schedule here).

By virtue of its better regular-season record, Toronto will have home-court advantage in the series, which will follow the 2-2-1-1-1 format, meaning the Raptors will host Games 1 and the potentially crucial 5 and 7. The Warriors will be at home for the pivotal Game 3.

Golden State will begin the series without star Kevin Durant, who will miss at least Game 1 as he recovers from a right calf strain. Caesars Palace has the Warriors as the favorites, and you can find exact series results odds here.

What's on B/R Live This Week

1. Europa League Final

The 2019 UEFA Europa League final will be played on Wednesday between English Premier League rivals Chelsea and Arsenal. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. ET from Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Both clubs are playing in their second Europa League final, with Chelsea having won the competition in 2013 and Arsenal finishing as runner-up in 2000.

The Gunners can qualify for next season's Champions League with a win, though the Stamford Bridge side has already qualified through a Premier League third-place finish.

The final will broadcast on TNT, and you can stream it here on B/R Live, beginning with the B/R Football Matchday show at 2 p.m.

On the pitch, keep your eyes glued to a pair of high-scoring duos that have had dominant runs in the Europa League this season.

The competition's leading scorer Olivier Giroud (10 goals) heads Chelsea's attack, and he will be joined by Eden Hazard—whose winning penalty sent the Blues to the final—in what could be the electric midfielder's last match with the club.

With different lineups from manager Maurizio Sarri, Giroud and Hazard have not been on the field together all that much in the Europa League, but together they form a significant danger to the Arsenal back line. 

At the other end, David Luiz and Chelsea's defense will have to figure out what no one else in the competition has been able to: how to cool off Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette.

That combo scored all seven of the Gunners' goals over both legs of the semifinals against Valencia, including an Aubamayeng hat trick in Leg 2. In Europa League play, they have combined for 13 goals and seven assists. The 2019 Europa League final could turn into a track meet.

For more on the Europa League final between Chelsea and Arsenal, including a full match preview, scores and highlights from their paths to the final, referee information for the final, which kits the teams will wear, and each club's history in the competition, find out everything you need to know here.

2. Team USA

Coming off its first regulation win in FIH Women's Pro League play, Team USA can make it two in a row Saturday night when the Americans host New Zealand.

These squads already met in March in Auckland, a 3-1 New Zealand win. Team USA looks to flip the script and move up the standings.

The match begins at 7 p.m. ET and you can stream it live here on B/R Live.

More To Watch This Week

1. Stanley Cup Final

The chase for the greatest trophy in sports has reached its final round, as the Stanley Cup Final began Monday night in Boston with a 4-2 win for the Bruins.

St. Louis is the oldest NHL team to have never lifted the cup, having entered the league in the 1967-68 season. The Blues reached the final in 1968, 1969 and 1970—when they also played the Bruins—but lost each series and have not been back since.

The Bruins, on the other hand, have won the Stanley Cup six times, most recently in 2011.

A player to watch for each team in the series is Brad Marchand for Boston and Jordan Binnington for St. Louis.

Marchand is the Bruins playoff leader in points and a guy you love if he's on your team and hate if he's lined up across the ice, where he's seemingly involved in every play either making an impact on the ice or getting under the skin of the opponent.

The Blues lean heavily on 25-year-old goaltender Binnington, whose stellar play in 2019 inspired the team and brought them out of last place in January all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

With all the weapons and experience Boston has, it'll be the young kid between the pipes counted on to lead St. Louis to glory.

The Bruins have home-ice advantage, with the format 2-2-1-1-1. Game 2 is Wednesday in Boston, airing at 8 p.m. on NBCSN. View the full series schedule here.

       

2. French Open

The second Grand Slam major of the tennis season began over the weekend, with all of the top contenders advancing through their opening matches.

Live coverage from Roland-Garros in Paris can be watched on the Tennis Channel from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET every day during the week, with weekend coverage going from 5 a.m. to noon then moving to NBC until 3 p.m.

On the men's side, Rafael Nadal is seeking his record-extending 12th French Open title, while Roger Federer is playing in the tournament for the first time since 2015. 

At No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, both are seeded behind Novak Djokovic, who as the top seed could face No. 4 Dominic Thiem, likely the best clay-court player in the world not named Nadal, in one semifinal. Nadal and Federer could meet in the other semi. All four won their first matches.

For the women, all eyes are on No. 10 Serena Williams, who opened with a three-set win over Vitalia Diatchenko in her first match.

After losing the first set 6-2, Williams found her rhythm and only lost one game the rest of the match.

Serena's sister, Venus, lost her first-round match, but American Sloane Stephens, the No. 7 seed, advanced in straight sets.

Williams and Stephens are chasing Naomi Osaka, who is looking for her third Grand Slam tournament win in a row.

You can view the French Open draw and real-time bracket here and full schedule of play here.

            

3. Women's College World Series

The Women's College World Series begins this Thursday from Oklahoma City, Okla., where the final eight teams standing in the NCAA Softball Tournament will become one champion.

All eight teams are in action on the first day from OKC, with every game on either ESPN or ESPN2 (all times eastern). The tournament is double elimination.

No. 3 Washington vs. No 6. Arizona, 12 p.m., ESPN

No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 7 Minnesota, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

No. 5 Florida vs. No. 13 Oklahoma State, 7 p.m., ESPN2

No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 8 Alabama, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2

The Sooners are looking for their third championship in four seasons. Check out the complete Women's College World Series schedule and bracket here.

Quick Catch Up

1. AEW on B/R Live

All Elite Wrestling made its debut Saturday night on B/R Live, and the results were as advertised and then some. Miss it live? You can watch the full pay-per-view replay here on B/R Live. Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes stole the show and is a match-of-the year candidate.

2. NLL Champs

Also on Saturday night, the National Lacrosse League crowned its champion. After a back-and-forth, intense, high-level game that went into overtime, the Calgary Roughnecks scored in sudden death to win the NLL Cup in front of their home fans. Watch a full replay of the thrilling match on B/R Live.

3. Got that promotion

The beautiful side of the promotion/relegation model of many football leagues around the world is when clubs reach the top flight for the first time or fight to get back there after falling out previously. In Germany, Union Berlin secured promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time, while Aston Villa booked its return to the Premier League in England.

4. If you ain't first, you're last

Sunday was also a giant day in auto racing, with three big-time races crowning champions. Lewis Hamilton won his third Monaco Grand Prix, Simon Pagenaud won the Indianapolis 500, and Martin Truex Jr. won the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.

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