Can June bring any more good news to Las Vegas as a professional sports town? The Strip has always been the king of legalized sports betting. But Vegas now has its sights shifting in many wonderful directions.

In just their sixth season, the Las Vegas Golden Knights captured the Stanley Cup. They engineered a 9-3 trouncing of the Florida Panthers Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena, which hosted a packed house of 19,058 and another few thousand outside in the desert heat, watching a big screen in the concourse.

Only five other teams won a Cup in its first six years, and most of them played in the old days.

Vegas Sports Betting on the Rise

While Las Vegas celebrated its first hockey crown, the Nevada sportsbooks took a bit of a bath Tuesday because of the furious betting for the hometown Golden Knights.

NHL betting has seen an uptick of about 20% in Vegas since the Knights arrived six years ago, most notably on games at T-Mobile, according to Jeff Sherman, spokesman for the Westgate Sports Book.

That’s good news, except for Tuesday, when the wagering was very heavily aimed at Las Vegas lifting the silver chalice and entering??Game 5 with a 3-1 lead.

Gametime Odds

The night began merrily, with captain Mark Stone scoring the first goal, racing in on a 2-on-1 break and putting on the brakes in front of the crease.

Stone’s wrister climbed into the net nine minutes into the game for the first of nine tallies on this championship night. Stone wound up with a hat trick.

“In Nevada, we are writing all Knights money for Game 5,’’ Sherman said before the faceoff.

The odds went from the Golden Knights being bet at -155 to -190, and then surged to -210 at the close when it was announced Florida star Matthew Tkachuk would miss the game with an injury.

Sherman said his other jurisdictions — Colorado, New Jersey, Arizona, Tennessee, Iowa, Ohio, and Maryland — were betting the Panthers.

The homer bets turned into winning bets. Though payouts were low in Vegas books (a $210 bet paid $100), the betting slip is a Stanley Cup-related souvenir.

Stone lifted Lord Stanley’s chalice first, skating it around the rink. The wild celebration ensued on the ice with beach balls and pink flamingos being kicked around.

It’s a moment I’ll never forget, and one I didn’t take lightly,” Stone said. “I wanted to soak it all in. That’s the one time you want to be selfish in this game, is you want to soak in that lap, so that’s what I did.”

The night occurred nine months after the Las Vegas Aces won the WNBA championship, setting the tone for good Vegas karma.

Though the Las Vegas Raiders (aka, the former Oakland Raiders), showed slippage and finished up at 6-11 in their third season, they are firmly entrenched on the landscape in the beautiful Allegiant Stadium close to The Strip.

What’s Next for Vegas Sports

It looks like the Raiders’ former Oakland housemates will join them soon in the desert.

The lone holdout in establishing a Vegas foothold is the NBA. An NBA franchise moving to town seemed like a dead deal after the violence, club-related deaths, and traffic issues during All-Star Weekend in the city in 2007.

Now it seems only a matter of time. Reports have Las Vegas and Seattle as the two favorites to land the next two NBA teams.

During the NBA Finals last week, Commissioner Adam Silver said expansion talks will pick up steam as soon as a new media rights deal is hammered out. That could occur as soon as April.

Already, the NBA has a strong foothold in town, with the Las Vegas Summer League staged in July.

All 30 teams now have entrants, and Sin City becomes an NBA convention for two weeks with all the general managers, coaches, and scouts milling about as the league’s hottest prospects compete in games from noon to midnight at UNLV’s Thomas Mack Center.

‘It’s been a long time since we’ve expanded,’’ Silver said on an ESPN show. “There are a bunch of great markets in the US, frankly, other markets in Canada have shown interest as well. Mexico City has shown interest. So I think it’s a natural part of any organization to grow over time. And clearly, this sport is growing in the United States, and it’s growing globally. So, not at this moment, but we will look to expansion in the future.’’

For now, the Cup is in the desert, and the golden jerseys will be sunlit at a parade down The Strip set for Saturday.

“We want to be a global franchise,’’ Golden Knights owner Bill Foley has said. “The visitors to Las Vegas can’t get a ticket because we’re sold out. But they’re going to buy gear. They’re going to be back in Shanghai wearing a Golden Knights hat.”

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As soon as Monday night in Denver, Jackson will complete in his 14^th?NBA Finals with sidekicks Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy.

Last month, Jackson interviewed for the Milwaukee Bucks job, falling short again with Toronto assistant, Adrian Griffin, getting hired.

Here’s a wild stat courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau.

Since Jackson got fired by the Warriors in May 2014, 84 different coaches have been hired for vacancies, including interims. If you count Jacques Vaughn’s two stints, The Knicks and Nets have had six head coaches in that span.

Whatever Jackson is doing to make his resume more impressive, it isn’t working.

Jackson’s three-year Warriors stint ended badly with many petty and legitimate accusations.

Reports were that Jackson was too stubborn, didn’t say hello in the hallway to the owner’s son, mismanaged a dysfunctional assistant-coaching staff, and, most damaging, impressed his religious beliefs on Golden State players. One NBA coaching source told me that Jackson came across as “too argumentative’’ in Oakland this week.

Bad Rep

One NBA GM who thinks Jackson deserves another chance suggested the NBA’s fourth-leading assists leader return to the league next season as an associate head coach, imploring either Memphis or New Orleans to make a pitch.

The 58-year-old Jackson was regarded as one of the NBA’s most cerebral point guards and always found himself on the list of active players most likely to become the head coach.

His critics say Jackson’s unwillingness to be anything less than a head coach hasn’t served the Queens native well.

He needs to be open to be an associate head coach,’’ the GM said. “If he was on the bench in Memphis or New Orleans, he’d be perfect for Ja Morant or Zion Willliamson.’’

The executive was referring to two troubled young stars who represent the NBA’s future.

“Someone who has that experience would be great for them, to have an example like that,’’ the GM added.

Jackson, who weaved a 121-109 record at Golden State, is credited in some circles for getting the Warriors onto a dynasty track under his successor, Steve Kerr, specifically helping point guard Stephen Curry reach superstardom.

But the other “narrative’’ has Jackson, in his view, blackballed.

In a 2021 appearance on “The Board Room,” Jackson admitted the distorted rumors out of Oakland still damage him.

“When you make a statement and say I force folks to come to church — are you kidding me? What sense does that make?” Jackson said. “Never in my life have I forced people to go to church.”

Why Didn’t the Knicks Bring Jackson Home

When Jackson interviewed for the Knicks job that went to David Fizdale in 2018, sources told me Jackson wasn’t fully prepared in the interview to discuss what kind of assistant coaching staff he’d assemble.

Considering the fracturing of his Golden State staff, that element was deemed by then-president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry as a dealbreaker. Mills and Perry would have been saluted as heroes in the New York media had they brought Jackson home.

Jackson Passed Over Again

Six more openings were to be had this offseason. The Bucks hired Griffin with no head-coaching experience. The Rockets gave Ime Udoka a second crack despite tawdry issues in Boston.

The Sixers went with Nick Nurse, the Pistons took Monty Williams, and the Suns recycled Frank Vogel, now with his fourth team since Jackson’s 2014 firing. The Toronto Raptors nearly give a second chance to Steve Nash, who flopped with three future Hall of Famers in Brooklyn.

Maybe they like to hire younger now,’’ the GM said. “But people are afraid of Mark. He’s a very opinionated guy. But he’s also a??guy who commands respect and would be good for a young team.”

Another league source says owners are leery of dealing with any controversy with their head coaches in the relentless digital age where the news cycles update by the minute.

Van Gundy: ‘Jackson Should Coach Again’

Van Gundy, who coached Jackson in his second stint with the Knicks, remains perplexed.

In 2020, Knicks president Leon Rose interviewed a dozen candidates but not Jackson, even as ESPN’s Jalen Rose told the New York Post he’d be his top choice. Tom Thibodeau nailed down the job.

I asked Van Gundy on an NBA Finals conference call a couple of years ago about Jackson’s continued snubbing.

What I saw in Golden State was truly a remarkable job of reconstructing a fragile confidence,” Van Gundy said. “Because over the years of a lot of losing, the demands defensive previously had not been asked of those past players. If he wants to do it again, in today’s game, I don’t see another guy who is better equipped than him of taking players who may not have achieved yet, but have hopes of becoming a winning player.

“If I was the GM right now, I would be really smart if I hired Mark,’’ Van Gundy added.

The Van Gundy, Jackson, Breen trifecta still makes for a wildly entertaining broadcast trio. Jackson’s catchphrases “Hand down, man down’’ and “Mama, there goes that man!” never get old.

But it’s time for Jackson to leave the broadcasting booth for a coaching seat, perhaps on the same bench as Morant or Williamson. The NBA might be better served.

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Before the Nuggets’ burly center, Nikola Jokic, emerged in his “15” jersey to become arguably the league’s best player, odd were if Anthony were to see his “15” jersey rise to the rafters, it would be the Nuggets doing the honors.

Not so anymore, with Jokic now laying claim to 15, and finally landing on the massive national stage of the NBA Finals, displaying his all-court greatness on ABC.

If Anthony gets feted, the Knicks are likelier to play hosts.

The always-polarizing Anthony officially retired on May 23. ?A league source told me the Knicks have discussed the matter internally, despite longtime strict requirements for such a distinguished achievement.

That it’s been talked about is unsurprising, since the Knicks president is now Leon Rose, and the second-in-command is William Wesley. Rose and Wesley were Anthony’s CAA agents when they forced the Nuggets to trade him to the Knicks during the 2010-11 season. SNY-TV also reported a groundswell of support to hang Anthony’s jersey in Madison Square Garden’s revered rafters.

Where Did Anthony Shine Brighter?

Anthony wore 15 in Denver, but had to change to 7 when he became a Knick. The franchise had already twice retired 15 after it was worn by Earl Monroe and by point-guard pioneer Dick McGuire.

Carmelo did his time in Denver, but he had a truer impact on New York,’’ one NBA personnel director said. “Maybe didn’t win as much, but if any of the two teams retire his jersey, the Knicks are first.”

With Jokic three victories away from Denver’s first NBA title in its first Finals appearance, it’s become problematic for Anthony and Jokic to celebrate a special night together.

Anthony enjoyed a longer and more successful tenure in Denver than in New York.

Anthony, who didn’t attend either of the first two Finals games in Denver’s history at Ball Arena, played 10.5 seasons in Denver (2003-2011), making the playoffs every season, but only once reaching the Western Conference finals.

He forced his controversial trade to the Knicks during the 2010-11 campaign. Raised in Brooklyn, Anthony wanted to play for the Knicks when it was no longer chic to be part of owner James Dolan’s dysfunctional gang.

“Carmelo Anthony is a champion of New York just by wanting to come here when a lot of people were afraid,’’ the league executive said. “Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving did not want to deal with New York media and scrutiny of being in New York as a Knick.’’

Melo’s Knicks Bust

In seven Knicks seasons, Anthony never led the Knicks out of the second round. Anthony’s Knicks failed to make the playoffs during his final four seasons there.

Anthony’s tenure was a mixed bag, and I covered almost every one of his games live as a Knicks beat writer for the New York Post. Anthony’s clutch shooting percentage (shots in the final five minutes of a 5-point game) was substandard. He lost his Denver tag as the game’s best closer.

Anthony did set the Knicks/Garden scoring record with a 62-point night vs. Charlotte in 2014, but that’s the issue. It was more about points than playoffs and leadership. Anthony, too, forced a trade out of New York in 2017.

Why Aren’t More Knicks Numbers Retired?

The unofficial Knicks policy is that only champions have their numbers raised to the rafters, save for Patrick Ewing (33), the greatest Knick of all-time, and McGuire.

Others who had their numbers raised were part of the 1970 and 1973 championship teams: Walt Frazier (10), Willis Reed (19), Dave DeBusschere (22), Bill Bradley (24), and Dick Barnett (12).

Carmelo proved to be one of the most devastating offensive weapons in Knicks history but the honor of having a jersey number retired has traditionally been reserved for NBA champions, tremendous longevity, and the absolute elite,’’ former longtime Knicks Publicity Director Jonathan Supranowitz said.

Bernard King (30) and 1950’s/60’s star Richie Guerin (9) long campaigned to have their Knicks jerseys retired, as both are in the Hall of Fame.

Anthony, who won an NCAA title with Syracuse, is certain to be named to the Hall of Fame, too, when eligible in two years, as he’s ranked ninth in points. That might be where the honors stop.

But the varying opinions on Anthony will never stop.

Earlier this week, knick-killer Reggie Miller was a guest on the “Dan Patrick Show” on FoxSports radio. Miller said Anthony’s number should be retired in New York, to which Patrick scoffed: “You had more impact on the Knicks than Carmelo did.’’

And then there’s this rosy perspective.

“If he waited as a free agent, the Knicks would’ve won the championship,’ the NBA executive said. “They gave up a lot to get him. He was the lone soldier. He came here and carried them. But he needed help.’’

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