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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.

Moore rocked for four home runs in four innings of work do in Giants 9-7;

Published on June 4, 2017June 4, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Moore (45) throws a pitch during the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Christopher Szagola/CSM(Credit Image: © Chris Szagola/CSM via ZUMA Wire) (Cal Sport Media via AP Images

By Jeremy Kahn

Just a few years ago, this matchup between the San Francisco Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies would have been a playoff preview and now it is just another matchup.

Maikel Franco broke a 7-7 tie with a in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Freddy Galvis hit his second home run of the game and the Phillies defeated the Giants 9-7 at Citizens Bank Park.

Galvis hit home runs from both sides of the plate, and Odubel Herrera hit a home run, as the Phillies won their first series since in six weeks.

The switch-hitting Galvis became the first Phillies player to hit home runs from both sides of the plate since Jimmy Rollins turned the trick on July 20, 2011 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

This is the first winning streak for the Phillies since they won six games in a row from April 20-27.

Brandon Crawford helped out on the offensive side, as he hit a home run and drove in four runs and Eduardo Nunez gave the Giants an early 1-0 lead, as he hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning.

It was a back and forth game all day, as the Phillies were unable to hold leads of 4-1 and 6-3 before the Giants took a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh inning on a Crawford two-run single.

Herrera hit a RBI double off of reliever Josh Osich in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie up the game.

Just one inning later, Franco led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a home run off of losing pitcher Derek Law, who fell to 3-1 on the season.

Pat Neshek pitched the eighth inning for his first win of the season. Closer Hector Neris came on to pick-up his fifth save in six opportunities this season.

Nunez gave the Giants an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as he connected for a solo home run off of Jeremy Hellickson.

The Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning, as Herrera and Howie Kendrick hit back-to-back doubles to give the Phillies their first lead of the game.

Galvis lengthened the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the second inning, as he hit a two-run home run off of Matt Moore. It was the first home run for Galvis since May 1.

Moore lasted four innings, giving up five runs (four earned), while Hellickson went 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (three earned).

NOTES: Jeff Samardzija looks to get the Giants back on the winning side on Monday night, as they open a four-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Hunter Pence was activated prior to the game and was a late inning replacement, as he came into the game in the bottom of the seventh inning.

To make room for Pence on the roster, the Giants optioned Christian Arroyo to Triple-A Sacramento.

San Francisco Giants Podcast with Morris Phillips: Bochy loses it during post game presser tells reporter team “knows where they’re at”

Published on June 4, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

AP Photo file: San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy (15) in the dugout during the Major League Baseball game between the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants on May 8, 2017, at Citi Field in Flushing, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)

On the Giants podcast with Morris:

#1 Giants drop their second straight game to the struggling Phillies 9-7 now the other shoe has dropped

#2 The Giants loss today marks two out three to the major’s worst the Philadelphia

#3 Giants manager Bruce Bochy went off on a reporter who asked what Bochy does to keep the team positive “what do you want me to convey? They’re men out there we have meetings. They know where they’re at.”

#4 Giants starter Matt Moore got racked up going 4 innings and giving up five Phillies runs

#5 The Giants who sent Christian Arroyo to Triple A activated Hunter Pence. Can Hunter Pence add some punch to this line up

Morris Phillips does the Giants podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL Stanley Cup Finals and NHL News Podcast with Daniel Dullum: Can Preds make this finals interesting they can even things up in game four

Published on June 4, 2017June 4, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Nashville TN, USA Nashville Predators center Frederick Gaudreau (32) scores the second goal during the second period of game three between the Pittsburg Penguins vs the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Finals at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts /Cal Sport Media (Credit Image: © Steve Roberts/Cal Sport Media/CSM via ZUMA Wire) (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

On the Stanley Cup Finals Podcast and NHL News with Daniel:

1 Stanley Cup Finals – Game 3 at Nashville, won by the Predators 5-1 in a noisy Bridgestone Arena

1a – In the closing minutes of the third period, Sidney Crosby accused P.K. Subban of having bad breath.

2 Randy Carlisle gets contract extension from Ducks

3 NHL announces key dates for expansion draft

4 Quebec City hosting exhibition game between Boston and Montreal at Videotron Center

5 Bettman rules out interrupting next NHL season for the Winter Olympics

6 Senators’ Brossard to undergo surgery, out 4, possibly 5 months

7 Carrie Underwood says her husband, Predators’ Mike Fisher, is the “best looking guy” in the NHL

Join Daniel during the NHL Finals for all the latest on the NHL podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Marlins’ Volquez fires first no-hitter of 2017; A 3-0 win over visiting Diamondbacks

Published on June 4, 2017June 4, 2017 by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Miami Marlins’ Edinson Volquez delivers a pitch during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Saturday, June 3, 2017, in Miami. The Marlins defeated the Diamondbacks 3-0 in a no-hitter. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, June 3, 2017

Miami’s Edinson Volquez didn’t just throw his first complete game of the season, he fired the first no-hitter of the 2017 MLB season on Saturday, blanking the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-0 at Miami.

Volquez dedicated the effort to his late friends and former teammates Jose Fernandez and Yordano Ventura. It would have been Ventura’s 26th birthday.

It had been a while since we’ve seen a no-hitter in the bigs. You have to go back to April 21, 2016, when the Cubs’ Jake Arietta no-hit Cincinnati. Volquez’s masterpiece

Volquez issued only two walks while no-hitting a Diamondbacks team that has been hitting well in the first two months of the season while ascending in the National League West standings. He closed out the D-Backs by striking out the side in the top of the ninth, ringing up Chris Owings for the final out.

The right-hander threw 98 pitches, struck out 10 and faced the minimum 27 hitters. The Marlins’ defense turned a pair of double plays. Volquez hit 95 MPH on the radar gun in the eighth inning, notable since he’d yet to work past the sixth inning in any of his 10 previous starts this season.

It was the sixth no-hitter in Marlins history. Volquez joins Henderson Alvarez, Anibal Sanchez, A.J. Burnett, Kevin Brown and Al Leiter on that list. The Marlins, a 1993 NL expansion team, have more no-hitters than the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres have combined.

NBA Finals: More from Durant and the defense will go a long way for Warriors’ title hopes

Published on June 3, 2017June 4, 2017 by jhawkes51Leave a comment

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) in Game 1 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, June 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND, Calif — The basketball world was on pins and needles for the start of Round Three between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, and both teams lived up to the hype for the majority of Game 1 Thursday night before Kevin Durant and the Warriors took control and ran away with the victory, 113-91.

Durant, who many pundits questioned his decision to join a high-powered Warriors team that had already played in two Finals prior to his arrival, showed out in his first Finals game since 2012 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder; pouring in a game-high 38 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists to go along with zero turnovers on 14-for-26 shooting from the floor.

Not since the great Michael Jordan during the 1998 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz that a player had at least 30 points, five assists, and zero turnovers in a game before Durant’s acts in Game 1 according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

But an epic performance on the NBA’s biggest stage is what we expect from Durant, a former league MVP, is it not?

Golden State already has a two-time league MVP (and the only unanimous MVP in league history) in Stephen Curry, who looks healthier as ever at this time this year than he did in last year’s Finals after adding 28 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds in Game 1, including 6-for-11 on 3s.

Add in Draymond Green (nine points and 11 rebounds), an odds on favorite to take home the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award this season after leading the NBA in steals per game (2.03), to go along with Klay Thompson, who despite shooting under 40-percent from both the floor (36-percent) and from beyond the three-point line (34-percent) during the postseason, was Golden State’s best defender in Game 1 holding would-be scorers to 1-for-12 shooting from the floor as the primary defender.

With all due respect to Harrison Barnes, who had a breakout season in Year 1 for the Mavericks averaging a career-high 19.2 points per game and was a fan favorite for all of Dub Nation, but his no-show during last year’s Finals (most notably in Games 5-7 where he scored just 15 points on 5-for-32 shooting (3-for-15 on 3s) after Golden State had a commanding 3-1 lead in the series still stings Warriors’ fans.

But Durant is clearly the difference-maker and much better upgrade from Barnes this year for the Warriors and will continue to be a huge match-up problem for Cleveland with Game 2 Sunday night at Oracle Arena at 5:00 p.m. PDT on the horizon.

And that’s even with first-ballot hall of famer LeBron James on the other side.

Circle back to Game 1: When Durant was on the floor, the Warriors out-scored Cleveland by 18, and in the 40 minutes that James was on the floor, the Warriors out-scored Cleveland by 22, with much of the damage coming in the second half for Golden State.

I counted at least six times in the first half of Game 1 where Cleveland’s defense just allowed Durant to cruise through the lane like he had a FasTrak embedded in his jersey for easy dunks.

At times in the game, it almost appeared that Cleveland were content on allowing Durant score at will and didn’t want to be burned by Golden State’s shooting.

Golden State shot 45-for-106 (42-percent) from the floor.

Making his NBA record seventh-consecutive Finals appearance, James was Cleveland’s most effective player, finishing with a team-high 28 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists, but made just 9-for-20 from the floor.

If James could’ve recorded two more assists, he would’ve tied Lakers’ legend and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson for the most triple-doubles in Finals history with eight, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Johnson led Los Angeles to nine Finals appearances and won five championships as the leader of the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s. Johnson’s teams were 5-4 in the Finals while James’s teams are just 3-4.

Outside of Kyrie Irving’s 24 points on 10-for-22 shooting from the floor, the defending NBA Champions’ supporting cast came up empty in Game 1.

Kevin Love did have 15 points and a game-high 21 rebounds, but shot just 4-for-13 from the floor.

The Warriors’ bench barely out-scored the Cavaliers’ bench 24-21.

Cleveland can’t let Golden State have their way with them in Game 2 as they did in Game 1 if they have any chance of gaining a split in Oakland before the series shifts to Northeast Ohio for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Friday.

Golden State held the advantage in points-in-the-paint, out-scoring the Cavaliers 56-30 and dominating the fast-break, out-scoring Cleveland 27-9.

As a team, Cleveland shot 30-for-86 (34-percent) from the floor.

The 20 turnovers the Cavaliers committed that led to 21 points for Golden State was a testament to their superb defense they’ve collectively played all season long, forcing teams to shoot a league-low 43-percent from the field and finished tops in turnovers forced per game with 14.8 during the regular season.

In the postseason, Golden State is ratcheting up the defense intensity allowing just 41-percent from the floor through 13 games.

Not surprisingly, Golden State is 13-0 in the postseason this year, three wins from securing their second championship in three years.

Durant will have his fingerprints on the outcome of the Finals, believe that.

Win or lose.

A’s muscle up, club four home runs in a rout of the Nationals

Published on June 3, 2017June 4, 2017 by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Mired in a funk, stuck in last place, and headed nowhere fast, the A’s came out swinging on Saturday.

And this time, all that swinging had the desired effect on the outcome of the game, as the A’s rolled to a 10-4 win over the Nationals that ended a rough week of six losses in seven games.

With one-third of the season in the books, the A’s have firmly established themselves among the AL’s best home run hitting clubs with 82 homers in 55 games. But hitting home runs has not translated into winning games: after Saturday’s victory, the A’s are just 23-21 when they hit at least one home run.

In fact, not hitting home runs is a truer indicator for these A’s: only once in 55 games have they won without a home run. Oakland’s 1-10 when hitting no home runs.

When you don’t catch the ball, pitch consistently, or hit for average, yeah, even the game’s most powerful act can get obscured. That just wasn’t the case on Saturday: Ryon Healy and Jed Lowrie homered in the first inning off former Athletic Tyson Ross’ younger brother, Joe Ross, and the A’s cruised past the NL East leaders.

Healy would go on to homer a second time in the seventh, and smash a pair of doubles, all part of the best all-around day of his career. Afterwards, manager Bob Melvin said the performance shows why he so bullish on his young infielder: Healy’s passionate, plenty emotional, but resilient and a authentic student of the game.

“It’s been a little bit of a tough time for him, especially defensively,” Melvin said. “But then (Healy) ends up making a great tag on what ends up being a big out at third on the replay. He’s a tough-minded kid, got a lot of ability, but still kind of new at the big league level, still developing, but boy, he can really hit.”

Healy’s feat of four extra bases in one game hadn’t been accomplished by an Oakland player since July 2009 by Matt Holliday. And he was on everything: he took advantage of hitters’ counts on three of his hits, but he also rapped reliever Jacob Turner’s 0-2, 96 mph fastball for a double in the fifth. In the seventh, with Turner laboring through a fourth inning of relief, Healy sent his batting practice fastball careening off the center field camera platform.

“You can’t miss good pitches to hit,” Healy said.

In the seventh, Daniel Murphy doubled off Daniel Coulombe, and was initially ruled safe at third, ahead of a bang-bang tag by Healy. But the review revealed the opposite, and Murphy was ruled out, short circuiting a Nats’ rally, with them trailing by three runs at that point.

The A’s registered a season-high ten runs, one day after losing by ten to red-hot Washington. Starter Daniel Mengden benefited by Bryce Harper’s final game of suspension, and a day off for hard-hitting Anthony Rendon, which weakened the lineup of baseball’s highest-scoring team. Still, Mengden ran into trouble in the fifth, when he was lifted with a pair of runners aboard, and Adam Lind–who had connected for a three-run homer earlier–coming up.

With reliever Liam Hendricks on the mound, Lind walked to load the bases, but Michael Taylor struck out to end the inning. Hendricks pitched the sixth as well, and picked up the win.

On Sunday, the A’s have Sonny Gray on the mound in a matchup with the Nats’ Tanner Roark at 1:05pm.