It's happening!!!

This is For The Win's daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Do you have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns in this short reader survey! This is Mike Sykes.

Good morning, winners! Welcome back to TMW. Thank you for rocking with us today. We appreciate your time.

Folks, I'm thrilled to announce that the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty will indeed be playing the WNBA Finals rematch we've all been dying to see. This series is going to really feed families.

It also pains me to tell you that the basketball gods blessed us with this matchup too soon. Putting these two teams against each other in a non-final feels like a crime against humanity.

Imagine if the Celtics and the Lakers had played each other in the conference finals in the 1980s. Exactly! That's not possible. People would riot. And right now I feel like rioting.

There is an incredible amount at stake.

On one hand, you have the undisputed MVP of the WNBA, A'ja Wilson, alongside her star-studded group of supergirlfriends who have seemingly played their way out of their slumps all season. They've had a major breakout in this series, with Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum in particular finding their way back to form.

Conversely, we have a Liberty team that is out for revenge after its 3-1 loss in last season's finals. Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and their great supporting cast have been a well-oiled machine this season. His team hasn't been heard from all year. They haven't cared about awards or the spotlight. The most boastful member of their team is Ellie the Elephant. It's clear that this team just wants to get back to the finals. They have to face the team that won it all last season in front of their home fans in Brooklyn at the expense of the Liberty.

It's poetic, really – a masterful stroke of irony from the basketball gods. Sure, the Liberty and the Aces will face each other again. But only ONE of them will play for the championship this season. I'm not sure anyone saw that coming at the start of the season.

This is going to be a tough series. The Liberty are by far the best team in the W. The Aces have the best players in the league and a championship-worthy roster. This is a best-of-five playoff series – we have no idea how this will turn out.

The only thing we can be sure of is that the basketball will be of the highest quality. And we can't ask for more than that.

Show him the money

Why does it feel like the center of the college football universe suddenly revolves around UNLV?

The future of the Mountain West Conference essentially depends on the decision of this school. Then, suddenly, the school's quarterback benches himself for reasons unknown to us but clearly known to the school's administration.

Matt Sluka announced that he is opting out of the remainder of the season and is ineligible to play after contributing to the Rebels' 3-0 start, the best in school history.

He says he chose UNLV because of “certain assurances” that were made to me and that were not kept after he enrolled. What were those assurances? We have no idea.

Our Charles Curtis speculates it has something to do with the NIL money. It's been reported that he may have been offered more money to send him to another school. We can't say for sure. But the bottom line is that Sluka obviously won't play another down for UNLV this season.

Some criticize his decision and call him a slacker. And I understand that. He quits in the middle of the season. That certainly doesn't make a good impression.

But even though the circumstances are a little different, we see this kind of thing quite often in college football. Players who are drafted into the NFL forego playoff games and bowl eligibility to preserve their health and get a bigger payday on draft night. Coaches pack up and leave as soon as the next best opportunity presents itself.

If Sluka is chasing a bigger payday elsewhere, this move is no different, especially when UNLV broke some promises in the process.

I'm sure more will come out about this as time goes on. Until then, I would hesitate to jump to conclusions about Sluka or his character.

UPDATE: Well, we now have a bit of context. ESPN's Pete Thamel reports that a UNLV coach promised Sluka at least $100,000 from the school's NIL collective, of which he reportedly received only $3,000.

Yes, I would stop too.

Is it time for Kawhi to retire?

When Kawhi Leonard was cut from the U.S. Olympic basketball team this summer, we were all trying to figure out why.

Well, now we know.

Leonard reportedly had knee surgery this summer and will have to focus on strengthening his knee during this year's training camp. The athlete reported. It is unclear when exactly he will play again. Lawrence Frank would not commit to whether Leonard will be fit again by the start of the year.

“Nobody has a crystal ball,” he told reporters when asked if his star player would be ready to start the season. “I think you just have to react to how he reacts.”

This is Leonard's third knee surgery in four seasons with the Clippers. He already had one when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in 2021 and another after tearing his meniscus in 2023. And we can't ignore everything he went through with the Spurs, either.

Leonard's knee problems aren't going away. He's still an excellent player and one of the best in the NBA when he's healthy. But he's also never healthy when the Clippers need him most.

You have to wonder how close we are to the end of Leonard's NBA career. He is already 33 years old and has had multiple knee surgeries. At some point, something has to happen.

I hope he can play. Leonard is one of my favorite players. But more importantly, I wish him the best in his health. Get well soon, Kawhi.

Short Hits: Please be normal about Caitlin Clark… A triple play for the playoffs… and more

— Caitlin Clark doesn't care that Dijonai Carrington catches her eye. And you shouldn't, either.

— This Padres triple play against the Dodgers is even more awesome considering it clinched their playoff spot. Here's Charles with more info.

It's happening!!!

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