8 can’t-miss sports events to watch this weekend

What is it about those four-day weeks after a holiday that always feel like the longest weeks of the year? It’s the cruelest prank the universe pulls on us. In any event, we are being rewarded this weekend with one heck of a sports slate.

The great thing about this weekend is that you probably got your family duties out of the way on Memorial Day. Maybe you traveled out of town — so this is the perfect weekend to stay around home in sweats, barely leave the house, and order pizza.

All times Eastern

The Predators and Penguins face off in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday night at 8 p.m. on NBCSN. The Predators might be down 2-0, but this series is in Nashville for the first time and things are going to go absolutely bananas. Nashville has its back against the wall, and rowdy fans will be bringing catfish as far as the eye can see.

The biggest story of Game 1 of the NBA Finals might have been beef between Rihanna and Kevin Durant, but hopefully Game 2 will give us a lot more. Cavaliers vs. Warriors is on Sunday night at 8 p.m. on ABC, and if last year taught us anything, it’s that an early series lead means NOTHING between these teams.

Soon everything will fall away and leave baseball alone to have its time in the sun. But even with NBA and NHL in their finals there’s a dang good game this weekend. Cardinals vs. Cubs is on Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN starting at 7:38 p.m. Both teams have struggled more than expected, and now they’re fighting to stay close to the first-place Brewers (surprise).

Everything is at stake on Saturday afternoon when the UEFA Champions League final sees Juventus take on Real Madrid, 2:45 p.m. on FOX. Juventus is chasing their first European title since 1996, while Real Madrid is looking for their second in a row. To add to the drama, this is probably the last chance for Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon to become a champion, while Cristiano Ronaldo will equal Lionel Messi’s four Champions League titles if Real Madrid wins.

NASCAR heads north from its longest race of the year at Charlotte to attack the Monster Mile in Dover, Del. Coverage of the fun but demanding one-mile race begins Sunday, 1 p.m. ET on FOX.

There’s one must-watch game this week — Lynx vs. Storm, Saturday 9 p.m. on WNBA league pass. Jewell Loyd is on a mission, leading the league with 21 points per game on 57 percent three-point shooting. Her 4-1 Storm team will take on the Lynx, who behind Sylvia Fowles’ 20 points and six rebounds, are undefeated at 6-0 a month into the season.

If the second game of the NBA Finals goes like the first or you need a little change of pace, then wrestling’s got you covered. Sunday night is Extreme Rules on the WWE Network starting at 8 p.m. The first challenger for Brock Lesnar’s WWE Universal Championship will be decided as Roman Reigns, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, Samoa Joe, and Seth Rollins face off in a Fatal 5Way.

The North America “League of Legends” season kicks off Saturday at 6 p.m. ET with TSM vs. Cloud9 on Twitch.tv. These teams have clashed in multiple title games, but the stakes have never been higher than this split.

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