Legal Online Sports Betting in the US – 2025 Guide

Group A winners Clement “Clem” Desplanches and Cho “Maru” Sung-joo took their time to triumph on the biggest stage of StarCraft II. Clem stormed through his group like a man possessed. His signature tempo play, crisp micro, and confident engagements were on full display as he dismantled opponent after opponent.

While Clem brought the fireworks, Maru delivered a quieter but equally impressive run. The four-time GSL champion leaned into his trademark style – tight, defensive setups into late-game control – and it worked wonders. Doubts were coming into the tournament about whether Maru was still at peak form. He hadn’t looked quite as dominant earlier this year, and some fans wondered if motivation or fatigue might be catching up with him.

Both players remain on the wait for their next opponents as of the time of writing. But considering how fast-paced this StarCraft II campaign has been so far, it is only a matter of time before we get to see the impressive performances of these stars once more.

French Phenom in Full Force

Clem came into this tournament with high expectations, and he delivered. In Group A, he faced a gauntlet of top-tier Zergs and Protoss players – but never looked rattled. His 2-0 win over Solar was particularly impressive, featuring textbook Widow Mine drops and perfect defensive setups that shut down every attempt at counter-aggression.

One of his most talked-about games came against Solar, where Clem deflected a tricky proxy Oracle opening and turned it into a 15-minute slugfest that showcased his stamina and control. His micro was razor-sharp, even by Clem's standards; splitting Marines like a machine and stutter-stepping through Banelings without missing a beat.

He finished top of his group without dropping a map in several matches. Right now, Clem isn’t just playing to advance – he’s playing like someone who knows this could be his year.

Maru on the Rise

Where Clem brought raw energy, Maru reminded us what experience looks like under pressure. Placed in a tough Group A with the likes of Reynor, and trigger, Maru had to bring out all the tools in his arsenal.

His most memorable series came against trigger, where he fell behind early in Game 2 after losing his third base to a well-timed Blink Stalker push. But Maru, being Maru, held firm with impeccable tank positioning and a bunker line that looked like something out of a Brood War playbook. He clawed his way back into the game with small, efficient trades and closed it out with a clinical 3-base push.

He also faced Reynor in a rematch of past GSL showdowns. While many expected Maru to struggle with Reynor’s unpredictable style, he turned the tables with a timing attack featuring fast Ghosts and Liberators, catching Dark’s Swarm Hosts out of position. The result? A classic 3-2 finish and another playoff ticket punched.

Clem is proving he's not just the future of Terran – he might already be the present. Maru, meanwhile, continues to defy age, expectations, and the meta itself. With both players peaking at just the right time, and a loaded playoff bracket ahead, the 2025 Esports World Cup is shaping up to be an instant classic.

As the playoff stage looms, all eyes will be on Clem and Maru to see if they can carry their momentum into the final rounds. With rivals like Serral, Reynor, and herO still in the mix, the road to the trophy is anything but guaranteed.

Over the past few weeks, multiple reunions have been made in the NBA. First it was Damian Lillard eventually signing a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. Then it was later Chris Paul signing with the Los Angeles Clippers in the final year of his career. These point guard reunions with their former teams have ignited some interest from fans as they now hope to see Russell Westbrook return to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It can be remembered that Westbrook played against the Thunder last playoffs in their Western Conference Semifinals clash, with the guard helping the Denver Nuggets push the said series to a seven-game epic. But with the former not signing him to a new contract, it seems that Westbrook would be in for a new team moving forward. With the recent reunion trend between veteran guards, the former Denver playmaker is now linked to Oklahoma City.

OKC is fresh off its first championship in the Thunder era. The team has notably not made any moves to acquire anyone in the market. They only handed extensions to key stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren, as well as a few role players. But no signing has yet been made on their end.

The Reunion Hype

Paul is entering the final year of his NBA career, and so it was obvious that he would be playing for a winner with the hopes of landing one last chance to win an NBA title, with his last run ending in a futile finish in 2021 against the Milwaukee Bucks, losing the series in six games. With the San Antonio Spurs entering full-youth status, it made sense to let go of Paul, and the latter found his way to a contending Clippers side.

On the other hand, Lillard got his Achilles torn in the previous playoffs, and while he was still on contract with the Bucks, only to have it waived by Milwaukee to make way for the signing of Myles Turner. He eventually agreed to a three-year deal with his former team in the Trail Blazers, who now looked like a legitimate contender heading into the season.

So with Westbrook, the rumors seem to be gaining traction at this point. OKC has enough cap space to sign him to a minimum, and it definitely fits the bill for the former Thunder guard to be a solid force off the bench for OKC. That is, if Oklahoma City actually considers bringing in the guard for one last shot at a title of his own.

Can Westbrook Fit with the Thunder?

Not long ago, Westbrook was at the helm for the Thunder in its early era. He was the face of the franchise for years and led them to multiple playoff runs, even becoming the triple-double king with multiple seasons of the said feat, which proved to be the biggest achievement of his career.

But with his current level of play, it is a bit rough to say if he's going to fit with the Thunder's play style. OKC runs a dynamic offense that relies on energy and hustle plays. That definitely puts Westbrook at an advantage as he plays with explosiveness and brute force.

Despite his so-called decline since moving on from the Washington Wizards, Westbrook still proved to be a solid performer for the Nuggets at times. Last season, he averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds in 27.9 minutes per game, which is quite satisfactory with him coming off the bench for Denver.

The Nashville Predators sure do love to boost their chances whenever possible. So when the chance came to bring in extra defenders in Nicolas Hague and Nick Perbix, the Preds didn't waste time in making the deal and now hope to ensure that they would get help on the defensive end – something that they lacked in the previous season. Now it seems that they would remedy that problem with these new additions.

Both players are known to be “defense-first” defensemen, which means that the Predators would benefit from their hustle on the defensive end, all while not risking losing offensive efficiency as well. That says a lot about the two-way prioritization for the team, and how they would shape up their chances of winning in their games moving forward. After all, the saying does say; “defense wins championships”.

Finishing with a 30-44-8 record, the Predators failed to reach the playoffs last season despite fielding a highly competitive roster that includes Jonathan Marchessault, Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, and Brady Skjei. Now that they have some improvements on the defensive end, it seems that their chances of winning are definitely on the rise once more.

Shoring Up the Defense

Initially, the Predators had a strong defense, but injuries ravaged that side of the team last season. In fact, they lost Roman Josi, Jeremy Lauzon, and Adam Wilsby to season-ending injuries along with a trade for Luke Schenn to the Pittsburgh Penguins. For most of the season, their lineup was shored up by unproven AHL defensemen and waiver wire pickups, which did not do well for their campaign.

For Predators General Manager Barry Trotz, those are the same mistakes that the team would not want to repeat now more than ever.

"Last year, we got pushed into our own net a few times as a group," Trotz said on July 1. "I always tell our defensemen to 'sweep the porch.' But you've got to have the defensemen to be able to do that."

So that's why they signed 27-year-old Perbix to a two-year, $5.5 million deal after he spent three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hague, on the other hand, is entering his prime at the age of 26 and has inked a five-year, $22 million deal after six seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights.

If anything, this proves that the Predators are committed to showing their worth on the big stage, and now defense comes as a massive priority.

How Do the Predators Shape Up?

At this point, it is expected that Josi will still be the main leader on the defensive end. The team trusts him to do everything in his power to continue serving as the “do-it-all” defenseman for Nashville even with his POTS diagnosis. Hague is expected to pair with him at the top, despite the latter being only on the second and third pairing in his time with the Golden Knights.

While Skjei doesn't really fit the bill of going big on defense, pairing him with a younger, bulkier yet faster Perbix is going to solve that problem. Deploying the two defensemen in the second line means that the first line of Hague and Josi will be more efficient to handle offensive zone work at the same time.

At this point, it is expected that Nashville will continue to make some changes to its strategic defensive lineup. That will definitely shape their chances for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they haven't had a decent result in the last seven years.