June 2017 – Page 12 – Sports Radio Service

A’s behind terrific performance by Jesse Hahn, down the Blue Jays again 4-1

Published on June 6, 2017June 6, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Oakland Athletics pitcher Jesse Hahn works against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 6, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

by Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND- Jesse Hahn, making his first start since coming off the 10-day DL, was in top-notch form as he held the hard-hitting Blue Jays in check and the A’s went on to win 4-1. Hahn had it all going for him Wednesday night. He had his sinker working and had command of his fastball as he reached 95 miles per hour on the speed gun. Hahn went six innings and allowed just 7 hits, and the run the Jays scored was unearned.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Rajai Davis led off with a double. Jed Lowrie singled to advance Rajai to third. Khris Davis hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Rajai. The Jays tied the game in the top of the fourth, Joey Bautista aka Joey Bats reached on a Ryon Healy throwing error. Bautista made it to third on a very hard single off the bat of Kendrys Morales. Justin Smoak hit into what appeared to be a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. Smoak was called out at first but the Jays challenged the call, and it was overturned. Bautista scored on the play. The Jays loaded the bases, but Hahn got Ryan Goins to hit into a double play to end the threat.

The A’s regained the lead in the fifth. Stephen Vogt worked Marco Estrada for a walk. Estrada had retired the previous 12 A’s hitters in a row. Mark Canha doubled to left and went Carrera bobbled the ball, A’s third base coach, Chip Hale, sent Vogt home. Carrera hit the cutoff man, Troy Tulowitzki, and Tulo made a strong throw home to nail Vogt. Canha ended up on third and scored on a single by Adam Rosales. The A’s plated two more in the sixth. With one out, Jed Lowrie singled. Khris Davis hit a blast that went over Toronto’s center fielder Kevin Pillar for a double. Lowrie scored on the play. Ryon Healy hit a line shot to left that got by Ezequiel Carrera who lost the ball in the lights. Estrada’s night was over, and he left the game trailing 4-1.

The A’s bullpen allowed just one hit the rest of the way. Lefty Daniel Coulombe got the first two out in the seventh. Ryan Madson got the third out and then pitched a flawless eighth inning. A’s closer Santiago Casilla allowed a single to Troy Tulowitzki to start the ninth but retired Chris Coghlan on a grounder to Yonder Alonso at first and then struck out Goins and Maile to end the game to earn his tenth save of the year.

Game notes and stats- The A’s are now 26-32 for the season, and the Jays drop to 28-31. Jays pitcher Marco Estrada went 5 and 2/3rd innings and allowed four runs and 7 hits and saw his record drop to 4-4. The A’s Jesse Hahn improved to 2-4. A’s manager Bob Melvin had this to say about Hahn’s effort:” he gave us six innings. For a guy coming back from the DL and no rehab, he did very well.” Melvin remarked when he saw that Hahn was getting “balls on the ground, (he knew that Hahn) got the good sink.” Melvin also said he was pleased with the clutch hitting of his players:”(they) got some big hits when we needed to.”

The A’s conclude the three-game series with they Jays Wednesday afternoon at the Oakland Coliseum. Game time will be at 12:35 pm Jharel Cotton will go for Oakland while lefty Francisco Liriano handles the pitching chores for Toronto.

Time of game was two hours and forty-five minutes and 16,643 fans watched the A’s down the Jays.

Brewers Anderson extends scoreless streak in 5-3 win goes seven plus as Giants lose three of last five

Published on June 6, 2017June 6, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Chase Anderson acknowledges the crowd as he is taken out of the game during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants Tuesday, June 6, 2017, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

By Jeremy Kahn

Chris Anderson pitched another great game for the Milwaukee Brewers, as they took an early lead on the San Francisco Giants.

Anderson pitched 7.2 strong innings, not allowing a run, walking one and striking out four and the Brewers defeated the Giants 5-3 at Miller Park.

This was just the third win in 17 games for the Giants, as Anderson extended his scoreless inning streak up to 21.2.

The Brewers came up with three double plays, with two of them started by hitting hero Hernan Perez. The third baseman hit a home run, helping the Brewers to a win over the Giants, who are now 2-3 on their current seven road trip.

Anderson came up his first RBI of the season and the fifth of his big-league career, as he doubled in the bottom of the third inning.

Matt Cain gave up 10 hits, walking two and striking out three in five innings of work. Cain last won on the road on August 6 in a 7-1 victory over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

Cain gave up four runs in the bottom of the second inning, that included Perez’s home run, a two-run double from former Oakland A’s second baseman Eric Sogard and Domingo Santana drove in a run with a single.

The Giants tried to make a game of it in the top of the ninth inning, as they scored three runs, two of them off of Carlos Torres, who allowed two runs on three consecutive singles. Buster Posey drove in a run with a single, and then Torres committed a throwing error that allowed another run to score.

Brewers manager Craig Counsell saw enough, as he went to his bullpen again and brought on Craig Knebel, who was able to retire the three batters he faced in a row to pick-up his sixth save of the season.

NOTES: Ty Blach makes his first ever start against the Brewers on Wednesday night, while the Brewers counter with Jimmy Nelson.

Hunter Pence started his second game in a row after being activated prior to the finale on Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Giants acquired reliever Sam Dyson and cash considerations from the Texas Rangers, while the Rangers will get a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Dyson was designated for assignment by the Rangers on Friday, as he is 1-6 with 10.80 earned run average in 17 games this season.

Oakland A’s Podcast with Charlie O: A’s at 25-32 can they ever see the likes of .500?

Published on June 6, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Oakland Athletics catcher Stephen Vogt, right, tags out Toronto Blue Jays’ Ryan Goins at home plate in the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 6, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

On the Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O:

1) Why is .500 a magic number for the A’s

2) Is the A’s MASH unit about to get another patient?

3) What’s up with Ryon Healy?

4) The A’s got off to the right start vs the Blue Jays did they?

5) Was that series with the Nats nuts or what?

6) What’s coming up on the schedule for the green & gold?

Charlie O does the Oakland A’s podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Podcast with Len Shapiro: Game five goes back to Pittsburgh can Pens get back on track?;Rinne stopping everything thrown at him for Preds

Published on June 6, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (35) makes a pad save on Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Conor Sheary (43) during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins, held on June 5, 2017, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Murphy/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

On the NHL Stanley Cup Finals podcast with Len:

1 Nashville Predators wasted no time jumping right back into the finals tying it up at two a piece with a convincing three goal victory on 4-1 victory in game four

2 The Preds Fredrick Gaudreau playing in only his sixth post season game career and who had signed with the Preds as a unrestricted free agent set a record being the second player in NHL history to score the first three career goals in a finals. Gaudreau joins former Chicago Blackhawk Johnny Harns who did it in 1944.

3. The Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne had a fine outing in game four stopping 23 goals and allowing one goal in each of games three and four

4. For the Pittsburgh Penguins what is it about them was it mental, was it fatigue, or was it getting on Nashville ice that slowed this team down?

5. The Preds also got goals from Calle Jarnkrok, Viktor Arvidsson, and Filip Forsberg in game foue there was nothing like seeing a team like Nashville really coming together as a solid hockey team unit

Len Shapiro does the NHL Stanley Cup Podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants rebound in Milwaukee, Samardzija picks up a rare win

Published on June 6, 2017June 6, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

AP17157094018428 — Brewers’ Domingo Santana and Brett Phillips nearly collide as Phillips can’t catch a ball hit by San Francisco Giants’ Eduardo Nunez during the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, June 5, 2017, in Milwaukee. The play was ruled an error. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

By Morris Phillips

This time Jeff Samardzija found gold at the end of his starting assignment.

The Giants’ pricey, free agent acquisition from 2016 actually began to turn around his 2017 season in May, a month in which the Shark struck out 49 batters, walked just one, but only won once in six starts. Samardzija got little offensive support in St. Louis, Chicago and Los Angeles, and at AT&T Park against the Nationals he got picked apart by the National League’s highest scoring offense. Throw in a lousy first two innings at Citi Field against the Mets, and Samardzija’s month could be characterized by quality opponents, mostly on the road, along with rough patches in games in which he pitched well when evaluated in their entirety.

But on Monday in Milwaukee, Samardzija pitched well throughout, and the San Francisco offense finally checked in during the eighth and ninth innings, allowing the Giants to register a rare road win, 7-2 over the Brewers.

“He had good command, good velocity,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “Great changeup, cutter too. He had it all going on in a place he hasn’t had much success.”

Samardzija was winless across the more than 45 innings he had thrown at Miller Park in his career, and the Giants had dropped six of eight on the road. Moreover, their sobering weekend in Philadelphia was another reminder that their season is rapidly slipping away.

But unlike the team’s season, Samardzija’s has life, thanks to some adjustments suggested by pitching coach Dave Righetti that have the pitcher displaying greater command of all his pitches.

“I’ve just been staying back real well and haven’t been drifting down off the rubber until it’s time,” Samardzija said. “That’s been the big adjustment me and (Righetti) made: just letting everything happen on the rubber. After that, it’s just executing the pitch.”

Samardzija coughed up two runs early, but then retired 19 batters in a row at one point, against a surprising Milwaukee team that has a winning record after 58 games, and probably expected to be more scathing than the two extra base hits they managed off Samardzija.

After trailing 2-0 after one inning, Samardzija was still around when the Giants came up with a pair of runs in the eighth, breaking a 2-2 tie. The righthander escaped trouble in the seventh by striking out Nick Franklin and Jonathan Villar who came to the plate with two runners aboard. Throughout, the Brewers had trouble squaring up Samardzija’s cut fastball.

In the eighth, pinch hitter Aaron Hill doubled home a pair of runs. Then in the ninth, Brandon Belt singled home Kelby Tomlinson, and Buster Posey and Hunter Pence came up with run-scoring ground outs. Milwaukee’s Brett Phillips, in his major league debut, dropped a fly ball in right field, extending the inning for the Giants.

Pence rejoined the lineup after a month-long absence due to injury, giving the Giants familiarity in their starting nine that had been long missing. Eduardo Nunez, along with Belt and Posey, contributed a pair of hits each to an 11-hit attack.

On Tuesday, the Giants look to string together wins behind Matt Cain, who will be opposed by the Brewers Matt Anderson.

Healy hits two homers drives in all five runs powers A’s to victory over the Blue Jays 5-3

Published on June 5, 2017June 5, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The A’s won the first game of the three-game series with the Blue JaysMonday night by a score of 5-3. The A’s Sean Manaea continued to pitch well. Manaea won his fourth consecutive game, and he went six innings and allowed just four hits and two runs. The offense was supplied by Ryon Healy. Healy drove in all five runs on the strength of a three-run homer in the second and a two-run blast in the fourth. The A’s bullpen did the job although Toronto did score a run in the eighThe visiting Toronto Blue Jays plated a run in the very first inning. Sean Manaea walked leadoff hitter Kevin Pillar. The next hitter, former A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson, rifled the first pitch from Manaea into the left field for a double. Pillar, who has a lot of speed, was able to score all the way from first. Toronto leads 1-0 with the A’s coming up to hit in the bottom of the first.

The A’s took the lead in the bottom of the second inning. Khris Davis walked to start the rally going. Yonder Alonso followed with a sharp single to right to put men on at first and second with no out. The designated hitter Ryon Healy hit a 0-1 pitch deep into the left-center field bleachers for his 12th dinger of the year. Oakland leads 3-1 after two complete.

In the bottom of the fourth, Ryon Healy did it again. With a man on first, Healy sent J.A. Happ’s 2-2 pitch into the exact same spot as his first homer. For Healy, it was his second multi-homer game of his career. His first came against Washington this past weekend. The five RBIs in a game is a career-high for Healy. The A’s lead 5-1.

The Blue Jays scored their second run of the game in the fifth. A walk to Carrera was followed by a Kevin Pillar double that allowed Carrera to score from first. Manaea retired the side with no further damage.

The Jays cut the deficit to two in the top of the eighth. With two out, Jays’ first baseman Justin Smoak took Liam Hendriks deep to make it a 5-3 game. Hendriks closed out the inning with no further damage.

Santiago Casilla closed out the ninth for Oakland to preserve the win for Oakland. The A’s win 5-3.

Game Notes- Sean Manaea improved his record to 5-3 and Toronto starter J.A. Happ dropped to 0-4. Happ had never lost to the A’s in seven previous starts and never allowed more than 3 earned runs in any including five quality starts. Santiago Casilla recorded his ninth save of the year. The A’s did not commit an error and Trevor Plouffe made three outstanding fielding plays at third base.

The A’s are now 25-32 for the year, and Toronto drops to 28-30. Game Two of the series will be Tuesday night at the Oakland Coliseum. Jesse Hahn returns from the 10-day DL to pitch for Oakland. Marco Estrada will go for Toronto. Game time is at 7:05 pm

Time of game was three hours and five minutes and 12,890 fans were on hand to see the A’s win.

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: Warriors can very well take this in a four game sweep

Published on June 5, 2017June 5, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after scoring next to Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James during the second half of Game 2 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, June 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

On That’s Amaury’s Podcast:

OAKLAND–Last time we recorded our podcast I said that Golden State would take these finals in five games but after watching the first two blow outs of this series of scores of 113-91 and 132-113 I have second thoughts and that starts with the performance of Kevin Durant the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to figure out how to win at least one game from the Warriors.

The way the Cavaliers have looked thus far they look little tired, I can see a sweep very easy. For the Cavs LeBron makes everybody better and is still the best but I heard on the NBA Network on Sunday night that Kevin Durant is a better player than LeBron. That kind of thinking is controversial because LeBron is number one in playoff history he passed Michael Jordan and he’s a great player and he’s gone to the championship six years in row.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish TV voice for the Angels, the Spanish radio voice for the A’s and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s 9th-inning comeback ends up one run short; Nats win series final 11-10

Published on June 4, 2017 by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

By Charlie O. Mallonee

MLB: Washington Nationals at Oakland Athletics — Sonny Gray did not earn his third win of the year on Sunday versus the Nationals Photo Neville E Guard USA Today Sports

“That’s American League baseball. A lead is never safe because they’re used to coming back and having big innings because the offensive clubs hit the ball out of the ballpark. We didn’t walk guys to get to that situation, they hit us,” opined Nationals manager Dusty Baker after the game.

I have the greatest of respect for Dusty Baker who I have covered as a manager since he was the skipper of the San Francisco Giants, but I have to disagree with him on his analysis of the game in Oakland on Sunday.

What the Nationals saw as they escaped with an 11-10 win in the third and final game of this interleague series match up was not American League baseball, it was Oakland Athletics’ baseball at home on Rickey Henderson Field. This 2017 A’s team loves to play at home in Oakland. At home they are tenacious, fierce and tough to beat which is why they are 16-12 in Oakland (on the road they are a different team, 8-20).

The second thing that Dusty Baker saw was a Nationals team that is now 35-20 on the season that had an 11-4 lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning against the last place team in the American League West lose its focus as they were looking ahead to a series with the Dodgers that begins in L.A. on Monday. Not to take anything away from the A’s, but that comeback should have never happened.

This was really a tale of two different games:

The Pitching Duel

Both starting pitchers were strong in this game. Which may surprise you when you look at the score.

Sonny Gray worked seven strong innings. He finished giving up three runs (all earned) on four hits. He walked three while striking out six National hitters. Gray threw 103 pitches (63 strikes). Sonny Gray wound up with a no-decision despite the fact that he pitched well enough to get a win.

Washington starter Tanner Roark looked like he might wind up with a “CG” (complete game) with the way he was pitching. Roark was strong through seven innings but ran into trouble in the eighth. He finished going 7.2 innings giving up 4 runs (all earned) on five hits. He walked just one and struck out four A’s. Roark also pitched well enough to win but his bullpen really let him down, but he still wound up with his sixth win of the season.

Sonny Gray left the game with score tied 3-3 after seven complete innings.

Tanner Roark exited the game with two out in the bottom of the eighth with a 6-4 lead.

The relief pitching was a little scary

The A’s brought in Ryan Madson for the top of the eighth inning. Madson gave up three runs on just two hits including a three-run home run to Ryan Zimmerman (16). After the Zimmerman round-tripper, Madson induced Daniel Murphy to ground out. He was then replaced by Frankie Montas who caused Anthony Rendon to pop out to end the inning. Madson would take the loss in the game.

The 100+ mph throwing Montas came back for the ninth inning and got shelled by the Nats. Montas gave up five runs (all earned) on five hits including back-to-back home runs to Matt Wieters and Michael Taylor. Josh Smith had to be brought in to close out the ninth for Montas.

Koda Glover who was able to get Tanner Roark out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth inning returned in the bottom of the ninth. Glover gave up five runs (all earned) on four hits. Shawn Kelley was brought to replace Glover and he gave up a grand slam home run to Matt Joyce while also earning his fourth save of the season.

Yes, it was a weird game.

Stars on offense

Both teams had stars on offense. The A’s scored 10 runs on 10 hits while leaving two runners on base. The Nationals scored 11 runs on 11 hits leaving four runners on base. There were a total of five home runs hit in the game. There were also three doubles and one triple hit in the contest.

The Nationals were led on offense by designated hitter Ryan Zimmerman who went 3-for-5 on Sunday with three RBI and scoring two runs to go with his 16th home run of the season.

Washington shortstop Trea Turner had a 2-for-4 day with two runs scored and two RBI. Turner hit his third triple of the year off Sonny Gray.

Catcher Matt Wieters went 2-for-3 scoring two runs and posting two RBI. Wieters hit his fifth homer of the year off Montas in the ninth inning.

The Nats number nine hitter – Michael Taylor – had a day every number nine batter would like to have any day. Taylor recorded a 2-for-4 day with two runs scored and one RBI. Taylor also hit his sixth home run of the season off Montas in the ninth inning of the game.

The Athletics Khris Davis had a day he would have liked to have had on Saturday – his bobblehead day. Davis went 3-for-4 scoring three runs with two RBI that included his 17th home run of the year and his sixth double.

Outfielder Matt Joyce posted four RBI and scored two runs while going 2-for-4 against the Nationals on Sunday. Joyce hit his seventh home run of the season in the A’s six-run ninth inning.

Up next

The A’s have three more games at home this week with the Toronto Blue Jays. The series begins on Monday night. The Blue Jays will send J.A. Happ to the hill in the first game of the series. He is 0-3 on the year with 4.50 ERA. The A’s will counter with lefty Sean Manaea who is 4-3 with a 3.91 ERA. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Warriors do it again beat the Cavs 132-113 to take 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals

Published on June 4, 2017June 4, 2017 by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, left, is fouled by Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson during the first half of Game 2 of basketball’s NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, June 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors downed the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-113 in Game Two of the NBA Finals. The Warriors set an NBA record as they won their 14th consecutive game in a row without a loss in the playoffs. The final score was 132-113 for Golden State. No team in NBA history has ever achieved that feat. In addition, the Warriors are now 29-1 in their last 30 games.

The Dubs, buoyed by the presence of head coach Steve Kerr’s presence on the bench played like a team on a mission to regain the championship they lost last year. The Cavaliers, to their credit, put up quite a fight for two and one-half periods of play but the Dubs were too much offensively and defensively for the Cavs. Steph Curry had his first triple-double of the playoffs, and Kevin Durant pitched in with a double-double. Add to the mix, the return to form by Klay Thompson and the Dubs had the recipe to win the game. The Cavs’ star LeBron James also had a triple-double, but the Cavs were minus 11 when he was on the floor. The Warriors defense clamped down on Kyrie Irving as they held him to just 19 points. Kevin Love had 27. Tristan Thompson had 8, and the rest of the Cavs added just 30.

The Warriors tallied 40 points in the first period. The Cavs replied with 34, but it looked like the Dubs were in control. The Cavs outscored the Dubs 30-27 in the second quarter but never led. The Dubs led 67-64 at the end of the first half, and the Cavs had to believe they had a chance to win as the headed to the locker room for the intermission. The Warriors and Cavs went at it tooth and nail in the second quarter until the Dubs decided to win the game. Steph made LeBron look silly on a play that was on everyone’s highlight reel. Steph, with Lebron guarding him, drove to his right. Steph stopped and made a slight turn driving to his left. LeBron was still guarding him closely. Steph drove right again, then left again, and Lebron had to watch as Steph blew by him and put a layup in with his right hand. Fantastic ball control by Steph Curry. The Dubs finished the quarter leading by 14 and increased the advantage to 22 about halfway through the fourth period. With less than three minutes left in the game, Kerr removed his starters and the second unit finished the game. The Dubs win 132-113.

Game notes and stats- Kevin Durant, who scored 38 points in Game One, finished the night with 33 points, six assists, 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. He was plus 21 when he was on the floor. Klay Thompson played a great game on both ends of the court. He scored 22 points and made 4-3point shots. He was excellent on the defensive end and led the Dubs on defense and was plus 24. Draymond Green was saddled with five fouls but still managed to tally 12 points, 6 assists, and six boards. Steph Curry scored 32, had 10 assists, and 11 rebounds to lead the team to victory. Bench players Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingstone, and Ian Clark all made significant contributions to the Subs’ win.

After the game, KD had this to say:”We turned the ball over too much in the first half. But the second half, I think we settled in, tried to play simple and defensively just tried to contest their shots,”

Steph Curry was obviously elated by the return of Steve Kerr, and he said this about Steve:”He’s been around, the last couple weeks especially, giving us input and giving us what he’s got,” “But having him back on the bench means a lot. We love his presence. We love his voice. And we’re a full group when he’s out here. So that means a lot.”

Kerr made some comments about his return: “I’m going to pull out the `Win one for the Gipper’ speech,” Kerr joked. “`… Maybe get a little teary-eyed. Implore them to win it for me because it’s not important for them to win it for themselves.”

Many people are speculating the Dubs might sweep the series because they played so well the first two games. However, Kerr has to remind them that it’s not over until they win four games and the Warriors all know what happened last year when the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the crown.

“Well, it’s been a great run, but none of that matters unless we can finish the job with this series,” Kerr said. “Trust me, we know. It was 2-0 last year, we lost.”-

Game three will be played Wednesday night in Cleveland at 6 pm. Game Four will be Friday night also at 6 pm.

Curry and Durant sizzle in Game two to put Warriors up 2-0 in Kerr’s return

Published on June 4, 2017June 4, 2017 by jhawkes51Leave a comment

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, center, celebrates with Draymond Green, left, and Klay Thompson during the second half of Game 2 of basketball’s NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, June 4, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — Kevin Durant followed up his 38-point, eight-assist and eight-rebound performance from Game 1 with 33 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and Stephen Curry recorded his first career postseason triple-double to help the Golden State Warriors take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals with a 132-113 win in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night in front of another sold out, energetic crowd at Oracle Arena in head coach Steve Kerr’s return to the bench.

Kerr missed the last 11 games of the playoffs dating back to Game 2 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Portland Trailblazers with complications from back surgery nearly two years ago.

“Well, it’s been a great run but none of that matters unless we can finish the job with this series,” Kerr said postgame. “Trust me, we know. It was 2-0 last year, we lost.”

Golden State was in the same position last year, up 2-0, the going up 3-1, before the roof collapsed in on the Warriors’ season and the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history was authored by the Cavaliers, who stole the title in seven games costing the Warriors a chance for the repeat after winning the title in 2015.

In Games 1 and 2 of last year’s Finals, Golden State won both games by a combined 48 points. In the first two games of the Finals this year, the Warriors have defeated Cleveland by a combined 41 points this season according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

But this year is different.

It feels different, especially with Durant, a near-seven-foot scoring machine that has vastly improved defensively in Year 1 with the Warriors.

Durant shot 13-for-22 from the floor and was nearly unstoppable for most of the 41 minutes he was on the court tonight, while Curry scored 32 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds pulling Golden State within two wins of their second championship in three years.

Durant had five of Golden State’s seven blocks, and three of the team’s five steals.

At 14-0, Golden State is trying to become the first team in league history to go unbeaten on the way to the title. The Warriors currently have the longest postseason win streak in NBA history.

Curry made 7-for-17 from the floor, while connecting on 4-for-11 on 3s, but did most of his damage from the free throw line converting 14-for-14 from the charity stripe in 36 minutes.

The two-time league MVP put on a dribbling display on LeBron James in the third quarter where he drove past the three-time NBA Champion and scored as part of a 16-6 run to close out the quarter and the Warriors never looked back, carrying a 102-88 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Klay Thompson, who had been struggling shooting the ball throughout the postseason but has played superb defense in the previous 13 games, added 22 points on 8-for-12 from the floor to go along with 4-for-7 from behind the three-point line. Thompson added seven rebounds for Golden State, who also shot 18-for-43 on 3s.

Draymond Green had 12 points, six assists and six rebounds, but picked up three personal fouls within the first 11 minutes of the game and only played 25 minutes.

As a team, Golden State shot a blistering 51-percent (46-for-89) from the floor and shot 22-for-24 from the free throw line, while out-rebounding Cleveland 53-41 in the game.

The Cavaliers can hang their hat on the fact that they did force 20 turnovers after only forcing four in Game 1. For a team that didn’t record a single steal in Game 1, Cleveland had four within the game’s first seven minutes before finishing with a 15-5 edge.

“We turned the ball over too much in the first half. But the second half, I think we settled in, tried to play simple and defensively just tried to contest their shots,” Durant said after the game.

Curry had eight of those turnovers and was two away from having a dubious quadruple-double. His 10 first-quarter free throws matched a playoff record for made shots from the stripe in one period shared with Sarunas Marciulionis done on April 28, 1992, at Seattle. It also matched Paul Pierce for most in a Finals quarter according to ESPN Stats and Information.

LeBron James was Cleveland’s best player once again, matching Curry’s triple-double with one of his own, scoring 29 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes. James played spectacular, but appeared gassed in the fourth quarter with fatigue etched on his face.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, James and Curry became just the second opposing players in NBA postseason history to record a triple-double in the same game, joining Lew Alcindor (38 points/23 rebounds/11 assists) and Walt “Clyde” Frazier (10 points/12 rebounds/14 assists), who recorded their performances in Game 2 of the 1970 Eastern Division Finals won by Frazier’s Knicks, 112-111.

Frazier’s Knicks would win that series, 4-1, and go on and win the title defeating, Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.

James was 12-for-18 from the floor, while Kevin Love added 27 points and seven rebounds on 12-for-23 shooting.

After 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting for Kyrie Irving in Game 1, Irving managed just 19 points and struggled to find the basket shooting just eight-for-23. Irving was defended aggressively by the Warriors, forcing Irving into taking tough layups and jumpers.

Cleveland shot 45-for-100 (45-percent) from the field for the game, but struggled from 3, shooting just 8-for-29 (27-percent) from deep. The Cavaliers shot 3-for-20 from the three-point line in the first half.

With the series now shifting to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4, the Cavaliers will have to regroup if they want to get any momentum because the Warriors are firmly in the series’ driver seat.

J.R. Smith had zero points as the starting shooting guard, and Kyle Korver led Cleveland’s bench with just eight points, which equaled starting center Tristan Thompson’s offensive output on the night.

Lineup changes for Cleveland could be a possibility, or better yet, should be made. If you’re Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue, you need to do something to shake up the players.

Cleveland already knows the production that they will get from James, Love and Irving on most nights, but the Cavaliers need to get other players involved or this series could become too much of a mountain to climb.