LeBRON JAMES VS. DRAYMOND GREEN WILL BE CLASSIC
Many NBA fans have June 1 circled on their calendars. That’s the night the NBA Finals will begin.
So we know the date and we’re pretty sure we know the matchup – the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Golden State Warriors.
Those two teams are so far better than any of the other 28 teams in the league that it is bordering on ridiculous and games against inferior opponents can be unwatchable.
Golden State on Tuesday night became the fifth team in NBA history to start the playoffs 10-0.
Cleveland can join the Warriors in the 10-0 Start Club with a victory Friday night in Boston.
Both teams are big favorites on the road in their next games – Cleveland by 6 ½ point Friday night in Boston and Golden State by 6 points Saturday night in San Antonio.
Of the 58 games in these NBA playoffs to date, 29 were decided by 10-or-fewer points and 29 were decided by 11-or-more points (including 15 by at least 21 points). Quite a contrast to the well-balanced, hotly-contested NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.
Margins of victory by the 10-0 Warriors – 2, 6, 11, 11, 12, 12, 25, 26, 29, 36.
Margins of victory by the 9-0 Cavaliers – 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 13, 21, 22.
The Eastern Conference Finals could end as early as May 23 and as late as May 29. The Western Conference Finals could end as early as May 22 and as late as May 28.
They both figure to end much sooner than later. That will mean a lot of the down time to stay charged up for the Finals. We’re anxious to know:
Can any team – even Golden State – beat LeBron James in a best-of-seven series? James at age 32 and headed for his seventh straight Finals has never been better of more committed.
Can Golden State earn status as one of the NBA’s great three-year dynasties?
Can Warriors defender-supreme Draymond Green keep King James from dominating the series?
We’ve been waiting too long to find out.
The NBA needs a huge dose of parity. But – for now – Golden State vs. Cleveland will be a must-see showdown.
ARE THE YANKEES FOR REAL?
The New York Yankees hit a bump in a possible trip to the postseason Thursday night with a 5-1 loss in Kansas City, but they have an excellent opportunity to pad their 24-14 record and first-place standing in the American League East with a three-game series at Tampa Bay this weekend.
On paper, the Yankees are considerably better than the Rays. And they could continue to roll in the ensuing seven-game homestand against Kansas City (4 games) and Oakland (3 games).
Next will be a fun stretch of the season – a seven-game trip to Baltimore (3) and Toronto (4), followed by a six-game homestand vs. Boston (3) and Baltimore (3).
We’ll soon have a better idea if the Yankees have arrived a year or two ahead of schedule or have been playing above their heads.
BOB’S PREAKNESS PICK: EMPIRE CLASSIC TO UPSET ALWAYS DREAMING
The weather forecast for Saturday in Baltimore is clear and no threat of rain.
That means the track for the 142nd Preakness Stakes will be dry and fast.
I don’t expect Kentucky Derby champion Always Dreaming to dislike the racing surface. But I expect Empire Classic to like the dry track much more than the sloppy strip at the Derby.
On the morning of the Derby, two-year-old champion Empire Classic was the betting favorite. As the rain continued and the track got wetter, the savvy bettors poured their money on Always Dreaming, who had the established speed to be up front early and avoid traffic jams and mud in his face.
Empire Classic had a horror trip in the Derby. He was slammed at the start by McCracken and was bothered throughout a wide trip considerably farther off the pace than expected. He finished a game fourth, beaten by almost nine lengths. He came out of the race in good shape.
Empire Classic will break just to the right of Always Dreaming in the Preakness. He figures to be much closer to the pace throughout and might have enough closing kick to prevail.
Always Dreaming will be the post-time favorite, probably around even-money or 6-to-5. Classic Empire will get enough support to go off at odds around 5-to-2 or 3-to-1.
It looks like a two-horse race to me. At the odds, I’m taking Empire Classic.
Bob’s “Worst-to-First” Preakness picks:
10th – Term of Art. Warning to hunch bettors who like the arts – this horse is 0-for-4 this year and doesn’t belong in this race.
9th – Multiplier. This winner of the Illinois Derby will be with the leaders early but is likely to fade when it counts.
8th – Conquest Mo Money. Could set the pace but isn’t likely to be close to Always Dreaming or Classic Empire at the finish line. The only New York-bred in this race. The rest were bred in Kentucky.
7th –Senior Investment. Won the Lexington in his last start April 15 but is at a class disadvantage against many of the horses in this field.
6th—Cloud Computing. Has some speed but hasn’t won beyond six furlongs. Might have a future but this Preakness is an ambitious assignment.
5th -- Gunnevera. Disappointed with a very wide trip in the Kentucky Derby. Would be a surprise but not a shock if he’s a major player in the Preakness.
4th -- Lookin At Lee. Finished second at odds of 33.20-to-1 with a ground-saving rail trip in the Kentucky Derby. Always tries but probably won’t be so fortunate in this race.
SHOW – Hence. Couldn’t overcome a tough trip in the Kentucky Derby. Likely to go better in this test and should be closing late.
PLACE – Always Dreaming. The obvious horse to beat. Won the Kentucky Derby with a perfect trip, Broke alertly, stalked the pace. Avoided traffic problems. Pulled away late.
WIN – Classic Empire. Can win on his best effort at a more generous odds than Always Dreaming.
Worth noting – 42 of the winning horses in the Preakness were post-time favorites (50.7 percent; by far the best showing by the favorites in the Triple Crown races (Kentucky Derby 35.7 percent, 51-for-1430 and Belmont Stakes 42.1 percent, 56-for-133)...The longest-priced Triple Crown winners: Donerail 91-to-1 in the 1913 Kentucky Derby; Sarava 70-to-1 in the 2002 Belmont Stakes; Master Derby 23-to-1 in the 1975 Preakness)...47 of the last 54 winners of the Preakness ran in the Kentucky Derby, including 9 of the last 10).
McGREGOR IS IN...WILL MAYWEATHER BE NEXT?
UFC stat Conor McGregor on Thursday announced he has signed a “record-breaking deal” to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. and challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr. to do the same.
UFC president Dana White said he is “starting to work” with Mayweather’s camp.
The proposed fight – still considered a pipedream by many observers – could be as early as this fall. Mayweather scoffed at White’s original offer of $25 million to each fighter.
Bovada posted updated odds Thursday: Mayweather -750 (bet $750 to win $100)...McGregor +475 (bet $100 to win $475).
Those odds are a big shift from the last line posted before McGregor’s announcement Thursday: Mayweather -2250 (bet $2,250 to win $100) and McGregor +950 (bet $100 to win $950). I don’t understand the improved support for McRegor.
My opinion remains the same: White reiterated that it would be a “straight-up boxing match” – inside a ring. So I wonder how McGregor could hit Mayweather often enough to hurt him. Mayweather is 49-0 against professional boxers who couldn’t lay leather on him.
I’d be interested enough in seeing this fight live if I got a free ticket. But I don’t think I’d paid the pay-per-view to watch it.
SHORT SHOTS
The updated probabilities of winning the NBA championship from the trusty FiveThirtyEight sports computer: Golden State 88 percent...Cleveland 6 percent...San Antonio 3 percent...Boston 2 percent...Suggestion to the computer: Stay out of LeBron James’ kicking distance.
Freddie Freeman was enjoying a National League MVP-type season before a pitch from Toronto’s Aaron Loup fractured his wrist Wednesday night. He was batting .341 (46-for-135), with 14 HRs, 25 RBI, and a major-league best 1.209 OPS (.461 on-base percentage + .748 slugging percentage).
Thumbs up to Yankees GM Brain Cashman for this trade December 2015: Pitcher Adam Warren and a player to be named (light-hitting infielder Brendan Ryan) to the Chicago Cubs for infielder Starlin Castro, who was available because the Cubs signed free agent Ben Zobrist to play second base. Castro has emerged as an unsung hero for the 2017 Yankees: .348 batting average, 30 runs, 7 HRs, 26 RBI and a .928 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage). And he’s only 27. The Cubs miss him more than he misses them.
Yvon Lambert turns 67 years old on Saturday. He concluded his excellent NHL/AHL career with the Rochester Americans as a player/assistant coach. He still was a productive player and served as a buffer between the sometimes abrasive task-master coach Mike Keenan and the rest of the Amerks. The 1982-83 team won the Calder Cup and the 1983-82 team lost in the Finals. I believe he is a worthy Amerks Hall of Famer.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Friday, May 19, 2017 – Marshon Lattimore (21)...Mario Chalmers (31)...Brandon Carr (31)...Marcedes Lewis (33)...Georges St-Pierre (36)...Brandon Inge (40)...Kevin Garnett (41)...London Fletvcher (42)...Ken Gerhart (56)...Bill Laimbeer (60)...Rick Cerone (63)..Archie Manning (68).
Saturday, May 20 – Enes Kanter (25)...Justin Hunter (26)...Jayson Werth (38)...Jason Botterill (41)...Tony Stewart (46)...Phil Hansen (49)....Lawyer Tillman (51)...Liselotte Neumann (51)...David Wells (54)...Rick Upchurch (65)....Stan Mikita (77)...Bud Grant (90). Cher (71) is invited to the party to sing Happy Birthday.
Sunday, May 21 – Eddie Royal (31)...Matt Wieters (31)...Andrew Miller (32)...Josh Hamilton (36)...Ricky Williams (40)...Dorsey Levens (47)...Kent Hrbek (57)...Bobby Cox (76).