The Bum's 2018 NBA Trends/Stats/Best Bets Thru The Playoffs !

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Warriors know this is something special
May 24, 2019
By The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Stephen Curry hears the dynasty discussion about his Golden State Warriors during another postseason run.

Draymond Green realizes special teams only stay together for so long before something breaks them apart.

That's why the Warriors decided from Day 1 of training camp to cherish this season.

Golden State is a franchise in its prime - five straight trips to the NBA Finals and seeking a third consecutive title. But the clock is ticking and the Warriors are well aware of the possible ramifications of free agency and how things could change in a hurry this summer.

''Basketball careers aren't that long. If you can get 10 out of it, you're lucky,'' Green explained. ''To be to five straight finals, I don't even know what to say about it. This is what you play for. This is our goal every year and to get here five straight times is special.''

The Warriors started this run with three All-Stars in Curry, Green and Klay Thompson. They added two more in Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins. How many they'll have after free agency is any and everyone's guess.

Curry - with nearly 11-month-old son Canon regularly in his arms for the ride - is certainly relishing this stretch of his decorated career, appreciating how far the Warriors have come during the 10 years he has been in the league.

A third straight title is suddenly within reach, which would be Golden State's fourth championship in five years.

''We know what's at stake and what we're chasing this year, this series, this game, and that's the only way that you can really put your best foot forward in terms of trying to get back to the mountaintop,'' Curry said. ''We'll have plenty of time when we hang the sneakers up to really go back and think about all the different experiences and highs and lows, but right now, we're two games away from another finals appearance. It's pretty special.''

The Warriors are the first team to reach five straight finals since the Celtics advanced to 10 in a row from 1957-1966.

Another championship would cement this run of titles among the best ever.

The Los Angeles Lakers of 2000-02 - led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal - are the last team to capture three straight titles.

Golden State advanced without Durant, the reigning two-time finals MVP, and Cousins. Both were sidelined with injuries for the entire Western Conference finals. The finished off Portland without Andre Iguodala, another finals MVP who sat out Game 4 with an injury.

While the Bucks and Raptors are slugging it out in the East, the Warriors are rehabbing.

''I hope it doesn't go unnoticed or underrated. Five straight finals hasn't been done since the 60s, since Bill Russell's Celtics,'' fifth-year Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''Hasn't been done for a reason: It's really, really difficult. I just can't say enough about the competitive desire about the group of players that we have here and the culture that they have built together, playing together regardless of injury.''

Each Warriors run has been unique. When they won in 2015 it was the first title for the franchise in 40 years.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers derailed them in 2016, but the Warriors bounced back in 2017 with a dominant 16-1 record during the postseason.

Last year, Golden State joined Russell's Celtics, Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls and trio of Lakers teams - including George Mikan and company in the 1950s, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the `80s, and Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant nearly 20 years ago - as the only franchises in NBA history to capture three championships in four years.

''When I was here the first time, they rebuilt and retooled,'' said Andrew Bogut, a member of the 2015 title team before rejoining the Warriors in March.

''They didn't just sit on their hands thinking it was going to last forever. They freed up cap space, you have to give (general manager) Bob Myers, (owner) Joe Lacob and the coaching staff a lot of credit. There are a lot of teams that win a championship and kind of reward the whole roster, then they end up two-three years down the track and end up in a bit of a hole. Whereas this is a great run for a franchise that will end up as one of the all-time greats.''

The Warriors enjoy playing together and with so many selfless stars and a deep bench they are rarely out of any game.

That doesn't mean it has been easy, especially with the constant free agency chatter this season.

Durant is an impending free agent and the basketball world continues to speculate on his next move. Thompson's future with the Warriors is unclear as well, while Green is signed through next season.

''We know that these runs don't last forever, and obviously there are so many questions and things that could possibly happen with this team this summer,'' Green said. ''So want to try to take advantage of this opportunity and make the most of it, and deal with the things that come after whenever those things arrive, but right now we're focused on the task at hand and try to do something that hasn't been done in a long time, or many times.''

The Warriors are aware of the dynasty talk, but aren't labeling themselves. They have consistently said their focus is the task of raising another banner in the final season at Oracle Arena before the franchise moves into Chase Center in San Francisco to begin 2019-20.

''I don't think in those terms. It's just every opportunity we have to play, these are big moments, big games,'' Curry said, ''and the context of what this five-year run has been and all that stuff doesn't really dominate my mind when we're out there competing.''

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NBA Finals Odds
May 26, 2019
By VI News

Home Team listed first - Best of 7 Games (2-2-1-1-1)
(Opening Odds in parentheses)

NBA Finals

Toronto vs. Golden State
Warriors (-285)
Raptors (+230)

Exact Game Props - Prior to Series

Toronto vs. Golden State

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Trends to Watch - Game 1
May 26, 2019
By VI News

NBA Finals Betting Trends - Game 1

-- The home team has gone 19-3 straight up in Game 1 of the last 22 NBA Finals.

-- Twelve of the last 15 victories have come by double digits.

-- The ‘under’ has gone 10-4-1 in the last 15 openers and is 14-7-1 in the previous 22.

-- In the last 22 years, we've only seen both teams score triple digits three times in Game 1 and all of those games went to overtime.

-- Toronto has gone 1-2 both straight up and against the spread in Game 1 of this year's playoffs, with two of the games played at Scotiabank Arena.

-- The Raptors are 8-2 straight up and 7-3 against the spread at home in this year's playoffs.

-- Golden State is 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in series openers, all decisions coming at home. In the first road game of a series in this year's playoffs, it has gone 2-1 both SU and ATS.

-- Overall, the Warriors have gone 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS on the road in this year's postseason.

Listed below are the past 22 openers in the NBA Finals, with total results.

GAME 1 OF THE NBA FINALS (1997-2018)
Year Matchup Total
2018 Golden State 124 vs. Cleveland 114 (OT) Over (218)
2017 Golden State 113 vs. Cleveland 91 Under (225)
2016 Golden State 104 vs. Cleveland 89 Under (211)
2015 Golden State 108 vs. Cleveland 100 (OT) Over (203.5)
2014 San Antonio 110 vs. Miami 95 Over (198.5)
2013 Miami 88 vs. San Antonio 92 Under (190)
2012 Oklahoma City 105 vs. Miami 94 Over (195.5)
2011 Miami 92 vs. Dallas 84 Under (188)
2010 L.A. Lakers 102 vs. Boston 89 Push (191)
2009 L.A. Lakers 100 vs. Orlando 75 Under (205.5)
2008 Boston 98 vs. L.A. Lakers 88 Under (191.5)
2007 San Antonio 85 vs. Cleveland 76 Under (179.5)
2006 Dallas 90 vs. Miami 80 Under (194)
2005 San Antonio 84 vs. Detroit 69 Under (176)
2004 L.A. Lakers 75 vs. Detroit 87 Under (171)
2003 San Antonio 101 vs. New Jersey 89 Over (187)
2002 L.A. Lakers 99 vs. New Jersey 94 Over (191)
2001 L.A. Lakers 101 vs. Philadelphia 107 (OT) Over (191)
2000 L.A. Lakers 104 vs. Indiana 87 Under (194)
1999 San Antonio 89 vs. New York 77 Under (172)
1998 Utah 88 vs. Chicago 85 (OT) Under (186)
1997 Chicago 84 vs. Utah 82 Under (190.5)

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Raptors advance to first NBA Finals
May 25, 2019
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TORONTO (AP) Kyle Lowry stole the ball and pushed it ahead, then waited for Kawhi Leonard to arrive before feeding his All-Star teammate for a thunderous one-handed slam over Giannis Antetokounmpo .

''The building exploded after that dunk,'' Leonard said.

It sure did. Now imagine how it will sound when the NBA Finals come to Toronto for the first time next week.

Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors into the finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. His big dunk with 6:46 to go in the fourth quarter was the final basket in a game-changing 26-3 run that began late in the third.

''It was kind of a momentum capper,'' Lowry said. ''We were on a run, and why not feed the big dog? Let the big dog eat.''

The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

It will be the two-time defending champions against a Raptors team that will finally bring the NBA Finals outside the U.S. after entering the league in 1995.

''They're one of the greatest teams in history,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of the Warriors. ''It will be a tall task, but we'll try to figure it out.''

Pascal Siakam scored 18 points, Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors.

Lowry held the game ball and picked up his children after the game, finally getting to the championship round after the Raptors kept falling short against Cleveland.

''It's taken a long time to get here in my career,'' Lowry said. ''I've run into one guy for a while.''

Toronto was eliminated by LeBron James and the Cavaliers in three straight postseasons before shaking things up last summer with the acquisition of Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP who was acquired from San Antonio and has carried the Raptors in this postseason.

''He's the best player in the league and we're happy he's in Toronto,'' Raptors President Masai Ujiri said.

Asked about Ujiri's compliment, Leonard said he's focused on different goals.

''I just want to win,'' he said. ''I don't care about being the best player. I want to be the best team.''

Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, but the NBA's top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat.

''Man, obviously when you're up 2-0, that doesn't mean nothing,'' Antetokounmpo said. ''You've got to learn how to come out and close out games, especially after Game 3. We've got to get better as a team, and we've got to get better individually.''

Even Nurse found his team's turnaround hard to believe.

''Beating this team four times in a row is almost mind boggling,'' Nurse said.

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said it hurt to see a great season end.

''The roster that was put together for this season, as the season started going, you started feeling like it was special and could do special things, including advancing past tonight, but it didn't happen,'' Budenholzer said.

Down 76-71 to start the fourth, the Raptors tied it with an 8-2 run while Leonard and Antetokounmpo were both on the bench. Serge Ibaka's dunk with 10:32 to go tied it at 78.

Antetokounmpo returned after a timeout, but Leonard kept sitting. That didn't matter to Toronto, with Siakam's basket giving the Raptors an 80-78 lead, their first lead since it was 6-3.

Toronto made 12 of 27 3-point attempts, including four of eight in the fourth quarter.

Siakam, who missed a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter of Toronto's double-overtime win in Game 3, hit one to make it 98-94. Leonard grabbed the rebound on the second and was fouled. He made both, putting the Raptors up 100-94 with 3.9 seconds to go.

Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton each made a pair from long range as the Bucks shot 6 for 9 from 3-point range in the first and closed the quarter with 10 unanswered points to lead 31-18. Toronto shot 6 for 19 in the opening quarter, missing six straight twice in the first 12 minutes.

The Bucks extended their lead to 38-23 on a 3 by Ersan Ilyasova with 7:46 left until half. Toronto cut the gap to 46-43 on a 3 by VanVleet with 1:07 left in the second, but Eric Bledsoe answered with a 3 and Antetokounmpo split a pair at the line, giving the Bucks a 50-43 advantage at the intermission.

The lead went back to 15 in the third before Leonard finished the period with a flourish. He had eight points in the final 2:01 and Toronto closed with a 10-0 run, cutting a 15-point deficit to 76-71.

TIP-INS

Bucks: Milwaukee shot 4 for 16 in the second but three of its made baskets were 3-pointers. ... The Bucks had six points in the paint in the first half. They finished with 28. ... Budenholzer was called for a technical foul on Milwaukee's first possession of the second half. Leonard missed the free throw. ... Antetokounmpo shot 5 for 10 at the free throw line.

Raptors: Danny Green, who missed all three of his field goal attempts in 16 minutes in Game 5, had another rough night. Green shot 0 for 4 in 14 minutes. ... Leonard's 17 rebounds were his most in any game this postseason. ... Lowry had eight assists.

DRAKE WATCH

Raptors fan and `global ambassador' Drake sat in his regular seat adjacent to the Toronto bench. The rapper wore a black hoodie with `KAWHI ME A RIVER' printed on the back.

STREET PARTY

Outside the downtown arena, fans flooded streets, bringing traffic to a standstill. One video posted on social media showed a group of fans partying on the roof of a Toronto city bus. Fans surrounded Marc Gasol's car as he was driven out of the arena , and the center rolled down his window to trade high fives with the crowd.

BIRTHDAY BOY

Toronto' reserve Norman Powell scored nine points on his 26th birthday. Standing at the back of the room, Powell's mother wished him a happy birthday at the end of her son's press conference.

FAMILIAR POSITION

The last team to overcome an 0-2 deficit and win a conference finals was Oklahoma City, which beat San Antonio in six games in 2012 after losing the first two on the road. Ibaka played for that Thunder team, while Leonard was a Spurs rookie.

UP NEXT

The NBA Finals comes to Canada for the first time when the Raptors host the Warriors on Thursday night. Toronto swept Golden State in the regular season.

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Matchups for the NBA Finals set
May 26, 2019
By The Associated Press

The position matchup breakdown for the 2019 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors:

STARTING GUARDS

Golden State: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Toronto: Kyle Lowry and Danny Green.

Analysis: All respect to Lowry, whose toughness and leadership are both comically overlooked because people tend to see only scoring, but this matchup clearly tilts Golden State's way. Curry and Thompson have averaged 42.5 points combined in their first 22 finals games together and even on their bad days are two of the most feared shooters in the game. Toronto simply needs more from Green, who is shooting only 32 percent in the playoffs and 31 percent from 3-point range. Toronto won the last four games of the Eastern Conference finals even while Green went a staggering 1 for 15 from 3-point range. But he's had enormous moments in the finals before, and is a 52 percent shooter from 3-point land in 12 previous finals games.

Edge: Warriors.

STARTING FORWARDS

Golden State: Kevin Durant/Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green.

Toronto: Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam.

Analysis: Durant isn't expected to be available for Game 1 because of his calf strain, and it remains unclear if he'll play at any point in the finals. Iguodala is a past Finals MVP and Green may be playing the best basketball of his life right now, with keeping his emotions in check yet another bonus for the Warriors. Siakam has had great moments in these playoffs and is likely the most improved player in the NBA this season. But this matchup comes down to Leonard, who has willed the Raptors through every tough moment they've faced in the postseason and has put himself in the best-player-in-the-world-right-now conversation. The Leonard vs. Green (or Iguodala) matchup when the Raptors have the ball will be fascinating.

Edge: Even, based on the plan that Durant is missing some of the series.

STARTING CENTER

Golden State: Jordan Bell (presumably).

Toronto: Marc Gasol.

Analysis: Gasol has waited a long time for this first taste of the finals, and Bell - if he does actually start, which is in some doubt - has 35 points in 11 games this postseason. And don't be surprised if DeMarcus Cousins, who has never played in a finals game and missed most of these playoffs with a quad injury, is back on the floor early in the series for the Warriors and back as a starter not long after that. So far in the playoffs, Gasol has made more 3s (28) than 2s (27) and 55% of his points have come from beyond the 3-point line.

Edge: Raptors, largely because of the uncertainty surrounding Cousins' availability.

BENCH

Golden State: Kevon Looney, Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook, Andrew Bogut.

Toronto: Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, Serge Ibaka.

Analysis: The Warriors' bench rotation will change if Cousins and/or Durant return. Golden State has averaged 24.6 points off the bench in the playoffs, which doesn't look so hot, but a deeper dive shows how effective certain things have been for the Warriors. Looney has been fantastic, shooting 72% (50 for 69) in 329 minutes off the bench, and Livingston is looking for his fourth ring as a key reserve. Ibaka, assuming he doesn't start at center, will get big minutes for Toronto and plays the two-man game with Leonard like they've been together for seven years instead of seven months. And VanVleet came up big time and time again toward the end of the East finals, his emotions bolstered by the birth of his son midway through that matchup.

Edge: Raptors, slightly.

COACHING

Golden State: Steve Kerr.

Toronto: Nick Nurse.

Analysis: Kerr won five rings as a player, has three already as a coach and somehow seems to always push the right buttons. Nurse has dealt incredibly well with the pressure that accompanied being a first-year coach who just happened to be replacing the reigning NBA coach of the year in Dwane Casey and had to lead a win-now-or-else team that went all in on moves to get players like Leonard and Gasol.

Edge: Warriors.

INTANGIBLES

The Warriors have 10 players with a combined 140 games of finals experience; the Raptors have four players who have been in a combined 38 finals games. And the Warriors' total doesn't even count 49 finals games for Kerr (27 as a player, 22 as a coach). ... First time in the finals for Toronto, last time in the finals for Oakland - the Warriors are leaving Oracle Arena for the new Chase Center in San Francisco after this season. ... By the time the finals start, the Warriors will have gone 24 days since losing a game (May 6, Game 4 of the West semis against Houston) and by the time the series shifts to Oakland on June 5 they will have gone 20 days without a home game. ... Toronto won the regular-season series 2-0. Before that, the Warriors had won 16 of the last 18 games between the teams.

Edge: Warriors, because of the experience factor.

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Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

NBA Finals odds:

Warriors in 4: 5-1

Warriors in 5: 7-2

Warriors in 6: +275

Warriors in 7: 5-1

Raptors in 4: 25-1

Raptors in 5: 10-1

Raptors in 6: 12-1

Raptors in 7: 6-1


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Armadillo: Monday's List of 13: Wrapping up a sports weekend…….

13) We need to recognize more people who do good stuff in their free time. Toronto Raptors’ Marc Gasol spent his offseason last year volunteering on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea with a mission to rescue and assist migrants and recover the bodies of those lost at sea.

12) Twins 7, White Sox 0— In their last 20 games, Minnesota has scored 149 runs, an average of 7.45 runs per game. Over is 7-4 in their last 11 games.

11) Braves 4, Cardinals 3 (10)— St Louis led 3-0 in 9th inning, blew the lead and lost for the 16th time in their last 22 games. Atlanta scored the winning run on a bases loaded walk.

Coming into the game, major league teams were 423-2 this season when leading by 3+ runs after eight innings. Now they’re 423-3.

10) Bullpens have become so hit/miss lately; lot of bettors are leaning towards betting on first five inning results, rather than nine-inning results. Keeps the starting pitcher as the essential piece of the equation.

9) Mets 4, Tigers 3— Mets split their last dozen games; this was their only win by a starting pitcher in that span. Hechevarria homered to the opposite field for the winning homer.

8) Baltimore Ravens will be using a completely new offense in 2019, but no one told the team’s QB, Lamar Jackson. Odd way to do business.

7) College basketball transfer portal:
— Joel Ntambwe bolts from UNLV to Texas Tech.

Texas Tech is coached by Chris Beard, who was UNLV’s coach for three weeks in March 2016, before jumping to the Red Raiders. This should make him even more popular in Las Vegas.

6) NBA Finals start Thursday in Toronto:
— Home team has gone 19-3 SU in Game 1 of the last 22 NBA Finals.
— Last 22 years, under is 14-7-1 in Game 1 of the Finals.
— Raptors are 8-2 SU, 7-3 ATS at home in this year’s playoffs.
— Warriors are 6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS on the road in the playoffs.

Golden State is -$285 to win the series.

5) Since 2000, most games a major league team has won without making the playoffs is 93:
— 2002 Mariners
— 2002 Red Sox
— 2003 Mariners

— 2005 Indians

4) One thing you hear baseball people say a lot: You have to have good up-the-middle defense. Apparently, baseball people in Detroit don’t say that a lot.

Detroit Tigers are playing JaCoby Jones in CF; he’s not good. He went 6-13 this weekend to get his batting average over .200. He looks very shaky in the outfield; not really sure what Detroit sees in him.

Niko Goodrum started all three games of the Tigers’ series at Citi Field this weekend, but he started at three different positions. Detroit has sketchy defense in part because they jerk around their players around so much, and in part because their players just aren’t very good.

3) Baseball stuff:
— Pirates put D Francisco Cervelli on the 7-day concussion IL.
— Padres scratched Chris Paddack from his start Sunday (stiff neck)
— Astros’ 2B Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) left Sunday’s game early.
— Tampa Bay moved P Tyler Glasnow to the 60-day IL.
— Orioles put 1B Chris Davis (hip) on the IL.

2) Get well soon to Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner Dan Gilbert, who was hospitalized Sunday after experiencing stroke-like symptoms.

1) RIP Bart Starr, 85, who passed away this weekend; Starr led the Packers to five NFL titles, including wins in the first two Super Bowls.

Starr played college ball at Alabama; he was drafted by Green Bay in the 17th round of the 1956 draft. He also coached the Packers from 1975-83.

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Analysis: NBA Finals will decide a champion, and much more
May 27, 2019
By The Associated Press

It all comes down to this.

No, really.

It ALL comes down to this.

The next four, five, six or seven games of the NBA Finals between Golden State and Toronto will not only decide the 2019 championship, but how this series plays out is inevitably going to affect how free agency unfolds starting in a month or so.

It'll affect Warriors star Kevin Durant and his annual stay-or-go decision. It'll affect Raptors star Kawhi Leonard as he ponders his next move, or if he'll be moving at all. Klay Thompson will be a free agent this summer. DeMarcus Cousins will be free this summer. Their thinking will inevitably be moved one way or another by this series; the decisions they'll all make in the coming weeks will have a ripple effect on the rest of the NBA.

Durant made clear over the weekend that he's tired of the incessant talk about his future.

''I know what I bring to the team,'' Durant said, ''but I also know that a lot of people on the outside don't like to see us together.''

New York will be paying intense attention to everything that gets said, tweeted, Instagrammed and intimated. Brooklyn will be in the same boat. So will the Los Angeles Clippers, who think they're on the cusp of building something really good, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who made the biggest signing of last summer by getting LeBron James and have done very little right since.

They will all be waiting to hear what Durant, Thompson, Leonard and Cousins decide.

And those are just the biggest fish - the whales, to use a term Miami President Pat Riley likes.

After that, there's an additional 60 or so players who could be free agents this summer - some have opt-ins and might not be relocating - and who are coming off seasons when they averaged at least 10 points per game. Their teams next season will be affected on some level by who gets whom in the draft. How some teams pick in the draft will be influenced by what they're hearing about free agency. And that hinges on this series.

So it's not just a ripple effect.

The finals may create a tsunami.

''The latest I've heard from our basketball operations group is that, I believe, 40% of our players are going to be free agents this summer,'' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at All-Star weekend in February. ''So it's two sides of the coin. Some people could say, `Oh my God, look at all that player movement.' On the other hand, that player movement could be very positive for a lot of teams.''

Maybe, maybe not.

If the Warriors win this series, as the oddsmakers in Las Vegas expect, it'll be a third consecutive championship for Golden State - and some history. The Celtics, Lakers and Bulls are the only franchises to win three or more in a row. And out of that group, only the Celtics have won four in a row (eight, actually). Michael Jordan never did. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant never did.

That would be the obvious recruiting pitch the Warriors would make to Durant and Thompson: ''Come back and try to win No. 4. Come back and try to do something that very few players have done and something no one has done in a half-century.'' That lure would undoubtedly be strong. But if they lose this series, it would seem much easier for either player to say it's been a great run and it's time to go play somewhere else.

If Durant stays, then the Knicks, Nets and Clippers would have to move on to Plan B for free agency.

Therefore, they probably should be rooting for the Raptors.

Durant is difficult to read because he uses social media to give cryptic hints that usually aren't hints at all. Leonard is impossible to read. For all anyone knows, he already has decided to stay in Toronto or sign elsewhere. Or maybe he hasn't even thought about the summer. Maybe he is as robotic as he tries to convey.

But the same theory applies: If Toronto wins this series, it'll be harder for Leonard to leave. So for the teams that want him, they might want to root for the Warriors.

Let's use the Knicks solely for example purposes. If they don't get Durant or Leonard, then maybe Kyrie Irving crosses them off his list. Maybe that would mean Kemba Walker climbs up their charts. Maybe that means Jordan decides to offer Walker the super-max of $221 million or so to stay in Charlotte.

And the ripples go on and on.

They won't be little waves gently rolling onto the shores, either.

This will be a summer of change and a summer of major spending in the NBA. This series is going to decide much more than who gets rings. This series will likely decide who plays where for many years to come.

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NBA Finals Predictions
May 27, 2019
By VI News

The 2019 NBA Finals begins on Thursday May 30 from Scotiabank Arena as Toronto and Golden State will square off for the championship. The Warriors have won three of the last four titles and the oddsmakers have installed them as series favorites over the Raptors despite not having homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven battle.

Toronto finished the regular season at 58-24 and was the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference while Golden State earned the top spot in the Western Conference with a 57-25 mark.

The best-of-seven series will be played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format with a possible Game 7 taking place on Sunday June 16 from Canada.

In this year's regular season, Toronto and Golden State played each other within a two-week span in late November and early December. The Raptors earned a 131-128 victory at home on Nov. 29 and completed the sweep with a 113-93 win at Oracle Arena on Dec. 12. In the wild shootout from Canada, Warriors All-Star Stephen Curry sat out due to a groin injury. He was available in the second encounter and the Raptors still earned the win and they did so without their best player Kawhi Leonard, who was nursing a hip injury.

Throughout the 2019 playoffs our trio of NBA experts listed below have offered up their fearless predictions on every series and their records are listed below (Exact Games).

Kevin Rogers: 10-4 (3)
Chris David: 10-4 (4)
Tony Mejia: 11-3 (3)


2019 NBA FINALS

Matchup Kevin Rogers Chris David Tony Mejia

E2 Toronto vs. W1 Golden State

4-3
4-2
4-2

Analysis - Kevin Rogers

In a strange twist, the Raptors go from not owning home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals to now possessing it in the NBA Finals against the Warriors. Golden State is in familiar territory by making its fifth consecutive NBA Finals, but two things are different this time around. The Warriors don’t have to worry about containing LeBron James and Golden State will be on the road for the first two games and a potential Game 7.


Two games into the Eastern Conference Finals, it looked like Milwaukee would be heading to the NBA Finals, but four straight victories by Toronto has the Raptors vying for their first ever championship. No LeBron this time around, but Kawhi Leonard has put together a fantastic postseason by averaging 31.2 ppg, which is nearly five points higher than his regular season average.

Kevin Durant’s status is up in the air for Golden State after missing the Western Conference Finals with a calf injury. The big question heading into this series for the Warriors (besides the availability of KD) is if all those holes Portland dug for Golden State to climb out of was a sign to things to come or just poor starts for the Warriors.

Toronto swept the season series, including a blowout win at Oracle Arena without Leonard. Stephen Curry didn’t suit up in an overtime loss at Toronto, as Durant lit up the Raptors for 51 points. If Durant doesn’t play and the Warriors owned home-court advantage, then Golden State should be alright. But with Durant out to start the series and the Warriors have to travel early, that could spell problems for the champs.

Analysis - Chris David

In the 2008 NBA Finals, the L.A. Lakers (-180) met the Celtics (+160) in the finals without homecourt advantage and that was the last time we saw a club with the venue disadvantage listed as favorites in the series. Boston won the matchup in six games and while the extra home matches played a factor in that series, it’s not always the telling factor. Since that best-of-seven battle, we’ve seen three teams in the Mavericks (2011), Heat (2012) and Cavaliers (2016) win the finals without homecourt advantage.

While I believe Toronto will be much more competitive than last year’s LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the finals, I can’t see the Raptors sustaining their defense against this well-tuned Warriors squad. Holding the Bucks to 102, 99 and 94 points in the last three games of the East Finals was very impressive but Milwaukee helped that cause by only hitting 31 percent from 3-point land in the series. Outside of the Game 4 win at home, every contest was tight and they’re now facing a group that is better than anybody in finishing games.

The Raptors have a slight edge in the frontcourt due to the uncertain status of Golden State forward Kevin Durant. If he was healthy, the Warriors would likely be -500 favorites knowing how much success he’s had against Toronto. He averaged 40.5 points per game in the two losses to the Raptors this season and his career numbers (27.7 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 4.2 APG) versus the Canadian club are off the charts as well. Without KD, the Warriors are 5-0 in the postseason and his absence has helped give minutes and confidence to Steve Kerr’s reserves. If Durant returns and possibly DeMarcus Cousins too, the added talent should only create more issues for the Raptors.

I expect Toronto to win at least one, possibly two games at home in this series and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a blowout as well since we’ve seen this Golden State team get run plenty of times this season. However, the Warriors have been very solid off losses and their playoff record at home is ridiculous. Golden State in six games (9/4) is the top choice for Exact Game Odds and that’s my lean in the finals.

Analysis - Tony Mejia

It's difficult to look ahead in this series since we don't know when Kevin Durant will return to alter the dynamic, but I'm of the belief we'll see him by the time the series returns to Oakland. The Warriors can theoretically win this series without him but will certainly be able to use his services to help make life more difficult for Kawhi Leonard. It's hard to imagine Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet staying as hot as they were late in the Eastern Conference finals, which means it's going to be tough to hang with the Splash Brothers, especially since Danny Green is mired in such an awful slump. Golden State will need Draymond Green to stay out of foul trouble and Andre Iguodala's calf to hold up but should win a third straight title, breaking Canadian hearts in spoiling Toronto's first Finals.

[StarDust Bum]

Tuesday’s 6-pack

Updated odds for US Open golf tournament:

6-1- Brooks Koepka

7-1- Dustin Johnson

12-1- Eldrick Woods

14-1- Rory McIlroy

16-1- Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth

20-1- Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler

Tweet of the Day
“It would be nice to have another starter that we can run out there. Not to say that [Steven] Brault and Rookie [Davis] — I heard [Mitch] Keller’s coming up — can’t do it. But if you look at the staffs around the league and the division we’re in, it’s tough. We have to be running out the best thing we have every night. That’s what we’re trying to do right now.”
Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove

Tuesday’s quiz
Jacob deGrom is a really good pitcher; what is the Mets’ record in his last 40 starts?

Monday’s quiz
Steve Kerr played his college basketball at Arizona.

Sunday’s quiz
Michael Jordan was the 3rd pick in the 1984 NBA Draft; Hakeem Olajuwon was the first pick. Sam Bowie was the second pick.

****************************

Tuesday’s List of 13: Nobody asked me, but……

13) General observation from watching hours and hours of baseball; older umpires call more strikes than younger umps. No data to support this, but just get the feeling from watching so many games than older guys give more corners.

12) It still baffles me why major league baseball blacks out games; do they want the game to get more exposure, so younger people will like it the way we do?

Dodger games are blacked out in Las Vegas, which is three hours from Los Angeles. To paraphrase my high school chemistry teacher, “……this is nonsensical.”

You could have hundreds of people in casinos all over Las Vegas watching baseball, rooting for baseball players, talking/caring about baseball, but they black out the games. Why?!?!?!?!?

11) Baseball is hard; long season, 162 games in 182 days.
— Sunday, Trevor Story was 0-5 with five strikeouts.
— Monday, Javier Baez was 0-5 with five strikeouts.

Both these guys are really good players. Thats why you hear people say that you have to keep an even keel over the course of a long season. There will be bad days.

10) Rays 8, Blue Jays 3— Tampa Bay starter Yonny Chirinos didn’t allow a hit for five innings, but was taken out after throwing 69 pitches, with a 4-0 lead. Interesting decision.

9) Brewers 5, Twins 4— Twins scored first in 36 of their 53 games; they’re 30-6 in the games where they scored first. Minnesota still leads the AL Central by 10.5 games.

8) WHIP is a pitcher’s stat; walks and hits allowed divided by innings pitched- it measures how many baserunners a pitcher allows. Seems strange to me that if a pitcher hits a batter with a pitch, it doesn’t count against his WHIP. Shouldn’t it count the same as a walk?

7) Baseball stuff:
— Colorado put OF Charlie Blackmon (calf) on IL.
— Astros put 2B Aledmys Diaz (hamstring) on IL.
— Arizona put P Luke Weaver (forearm) on IL.

6) David Price will start Tuesday’s game vs Cleveland; he left his last start in Houston after 15 pitches because of flu-like symptoms.

5) World Series of Poker starts this week in Las Vegas; this is the 50th WSOP. Would be nice if they made online poker legal again, so ESPN would show more of the WSOP replays and less of their hideous talkshows that pollute the airways on weekdays.

I enjoyed watching poker re-runs; seeing the hole card cam and watching how people reacted to bad beats. Was unscripted and fun to watch, unless the horrendous talk TV they have on now.

4) College basketball transfer portal:
— TCU poaches George Mason grad transfer Jaire Grayer
— Arkansas poaches SMU grad transfer Jimmy Whitt.

3) A’s 8, Angels 5— Oakland won its 10th game in a row, their longest win streak in 13 years.

2) Monday’s game between the White Sox and Royals was suspended with two outs in the bottom of the 5th inning, tied 1-1. The game will be resumed before tomorrow’s regularly-scheduled game.

1) RIP to Bill Buckner, who passed away at age 69; he hit .289 over a 22-year career that saw him get 2,715 hits. Twice led the league in doubles; won NL batting title in 1980.

[StarDust Bum]

Finals will decide a champ, and much more
May 27, 2019
By The Associated Press

It all comes down to this.

No, really.

It ALL comes down to this.

The next four, five, six or seven games of the NBA Finals between Golden State and Toronto will not only decide the 2019 championship, but how this series plays out is inevitably going to affect how free agency unfolds starting in a month or so.

It'll affect Warriors star Kevin Durant and his annual stay-or-go decision. It'll affect Raptors star Kawhi Leonard as he ponders his next move, or if he'll be moving at all. Klay Thompson will be a free agent this summer. DeMarcus Cousins will be free this summer. Their thinking will inevitably be moved one way or another by this series; the decisions they'll all make in the coming weeks will have a ripple effect on the rest of the NBA.

Durant made clear over the weekend that he's tired of the incessant talk about his future.

''I know what I bring to the team,'' Durant said, ''but I also know that a lot of people on the outside don't like to see us together.''

New York will be paying intense attention to everything that gets said, tweeted, Instagrammed and intimated. Brooklyn will be in the same boat. So will the Los Angeles Clippers, who think they're on the cusp of building something really good, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who made the biggest signing of last summer by getting LeBron James and have done very little right since.

They will all be waiting to hear what Durant, Thompson, Leonard and Cousins decide.

And those are just the biggest fish - the whales, to use a term Miami President Pat Riley likes.

After that, there's an additional 60 or so players who could be free agents this summer - some have opt-ins and might not be relocating - and who are coming off seasons when they averaged at least 10 points per game. Their teams next season will be affected on some level by who gets whom in the draft. How some teams pick in the draft will be influenced by what they're hearing about free agency. And that hinges on this series.

So it's not just a ripple effect.

The finals may create a tsunami.

''The latest I've heard from our basketball operations group is that, I believe, 40% of our players are going to be free agents this summer,'' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at All-Star weekend in February. ''So it's two sides of the coin. Some people could say, `Oh my God, look at all that player movement.' On the other hand, that player movement could be very positive for a lot of teams.''

Maybe, maybe not.

If the Warriors win this series, as the oddsmakers in Las Vegas expect, it'll be a third consecutive championship for Golden State - and some history. The Celtics, Lakers and Bulls are the only franchises to win three or more in a row. And out of that group, only the Celtics have won four in a row (eight, actually). Michael Jordan never did. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant never did.

That would be the obvious recruiting pitch the Warriors would make to Durant and Thompson: ''Come back and try to win No. 4. Come back and try to do something that very few players have done and something no one has done in a half-century.'' That lure would undoubtedly be strong. But if they lose this series, it would seem much easier for either player to say it's been a great run and it's time to go play somewhere else.

If Durant stays, then the Knicks, Nets and Clippers would have to move on to Plan B for free agency.

Therefore, they probably should be rooting for the Raptors.

Durant is difficult to read because he uses social media to give cryptic hints that usually aren't hints at all. Leonard is impossible to read. For all anyone knows, he already has decided to stay in Toronto or sign elsewhere. Or maybe he hasn't even thought about the summer. Maybe he is as robotic as he tries to convey.

But the same theory applies: If Toronto wins this series, it'll be harder for Leonard to leave. So for the teams that want him, they might want to root for the Warriors.

Let's use the Knicks solely for example purposes. If they don't get Durant or Leonard, then maybe Kyrie Irving crosses them off his list. Maybe that would mean Kemba Walker climbs up their charts. Maybe that means Jordan decides to offer Walker the super-max of $221 million or so to stay in Charlotte.

And the ripples go on and on.

They won't be little waves gently rolling onto the shores, either.

This will be a summer of change and a summer of major spending in the NBA. This series is going to decide much more than who gets rings. This series will likely decide who plays where for many years to come.

[StarDust Bum]

Warriors embrace new Finals challenge
May 27, 2019
By The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) After four straight years of facing LeBron James and Cleveland in the NBA Finals, this feels refreshing for the two-time defending champion Warriors.

''For sure,'' Shaun Livingston said with a smile of taking on the upstart Raptors, ''for sure, we'll leave it right there.''

Off to Toronto, finally a fresh team that's tops from the East. Golden State is embracing every part of this new-look - well, the other half of it, at least - finals.

''I love it,'' Stephen Curry said Monday following Golden State's first game-planning practice ahead of the series opener Thursday night in Toronto.

The Warriors coaches gathered Sunday to prep once they had an opponent, with the players taking a day off. Golden State is well-rested after wrapping up its Western Conference finals sweep of Portland on May 20 - giving the Warriors nine full days off between games.

Toronto won the Eastern Conference finals with a Game 6 victory against Milwaukee on Saturday.

This certainly isn't the familiar Cavaliers.

''That was the exception. This is more the rule,'' coach Steve Kerr said. ''You're not supposed to play the same team every year. So that was a special era, a special rivalry and we're thrilled to be back. Cleveland has moved on and their team has broken up and with LeBron leaving the East, things were wide open.

''It was a hell of a ride through that East playoffs for Philly, Boston, Milwaukee, Toronto, all great teams, quality of play was something to watch. Toronto obviously emerged as the best team of the East and well deserved. The scene the other night was amazing to watch, too. The fans in Toronto have been amazing over the years. I've compared that arena to Oracle many times. When I was in broadcasting both the Raptors and the Warriors were really bad and yet every time I went to either arena there was this organic energy that felt so much alike, so similar. And there's just a genuine love for the game in both regions.''

No chance of Golden State getting complacent preparing for the same opponent again in its quest for a three-peat.

This is the last hurrah for Oracle Arena, too, before the Warriors move across the bay to new Chase Center for next season.

''Everybody talks about it's hard to find that edge and get up for, (you) find some sort of monotony - I don't know if you find that in the finals - that's part of human nature that you fight,'' Curry said.

''So us getting on a plane tomorrow to go to Toronto, different energy, different city, different views, everything, should prepare us to lock understanding we have a prime opportunity to start off this finals series on the road and get a win and set the tone for how it's going to be.

''So I like the challenge and the unfamiliarity of this kind of schedule and flow. We've been there before, we've experienced a lot and this is I think something we're capable of doing.''

The Warriors are motivated by everything that will be new for these finals.

''You get to go to a different city,'' Livingston said. ''It was similar to what we did last year with Houston, starting on the road, just that sense of urgency, it's something different we haven't done in the last four or five years being the top seed. Now starting the finals it's something new for us. It's a challenge that we haven't had to face yet, so this is good for us.''

While center DeMarcus Cousins scrimmaged Monday for the second time since going down with a torn left quadriceps muscle in Game 2 of the first round against the Clippers, he is listed as questionable for the series opener. Cousins had returned Jan. 18 from a nearly yearlong absence following surgery for a torn left Achilles tendon only to get hurt again - a tough blow in his first career playoffs.

Now, jumping right back in on the finals stage will be tough.

''It's a lot to ask,'' Kerr said, without completely ruling out the chance Cousins could be cleared to return by Thursday. Two-time reigning Finals MVP Kevin Durant won't play Game 1 as he continues to recover from a strained right calf.

Curry has a special affinity for Toronto, where he spent two years in middle school when his dad, Dell, played for the Raptors from 2000-02. Curry's wife, Ayesha, grew up outside Toronto.

''I still don't think it's sunk in this is for the finals, so pretty special,'' Curry said.

He will be focused on bringing home Golden State's third straight title and fourth in five years - an NBA Finals MVP would mean so much - yet can still appreciate what Toronto is experiencing at last.

''In what 24 years of their existence and for them to finally get over the hump, you could tell how much it meant. The city was going crazy,'' Curry said.

''It looked like they had won the championship already the way that they were celebrating. It's the first time there, so the fans really got into it. It looked like a crazy atmosphere. In that short 24 years there's a lot of history and there were some great teams. I think it was 2002 the team my dad was on with Vince (Carter), Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams. ... They've gotten close and obviously the last couple years they've been struggling with Cleveland. There's a lot of passion up there for the game of basketball, for the Raptors. You could tell how much it meant.''

[StarDust Bum]

Giannis: 'successful' despite falling short
May 27, 2019
By The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) Giannis Antetokounmpo said on Monday that he hadn't slept in the two days since the Milwaukee Bucks' season came to an end.

But the NBA MVP finalist said his team still had a successful season despite falling short of its goal of winning the second NBA championship in franchise history.

''It's just fun to walk out in Milwaukee and see people in Bucks stuff,'' Antetokounmpo said. ''We were able to bring people out of their houses to come and enjoy games and just be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks, be happy about something in this city, be excited about something. It was an amazing, amazing season, and hopefully we can carry on from where we left off and come back and be better.''

The Bucks had the best record in the NBA during the regular season and were two wins shy of reaching the NBA Finals. Now, the franchise and its fans must face the reality that the roster - outside of Eric Bledsoe and Antetokounmpo - could look a lot different next season.

Teams can officially begin negotiating with free agents at 6 p.m. EDT on June 30. Bucks General Manager Jon Horst's top priorities at that point will be unrestricted free agent Khris Middleton and restricted free agent Malcolm Brogdon.

Middleton averaged 18.3 points, six assists and 4.3 rebounds this season en route to earning his first career All-Star selection. Middleton has a $13 million player option next season, but will likely opt out and test free agency. Middleton said he first will consider what's best for himself and his family and then consider which team he fits with best.

''It's going to be fun and a new position,'' Middleton said of being an unrestricted free agent. ''I'm excited about the opportunity.''

Brogdon, who missed eight weeks over the course of the end of the regular season and the beginning of the postseason with a right foot injury, averaged 13.5 points on 44% shooting, 3.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds in the Eastern Conference finals. Brogdon said he learned more about himself than anything else during his time recovering.

''I showed myself I could really come back and play at a high level right back off of injury,'' he said. ''Because it's challenging, playing against the caliber of teams you're playing in the playoffs.''

The Bucks became just the sixth team in NBA history to win the first two games in either the conference finals or NBA Finals and then drop four straight to lose the series. But Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, who led Milwaukee to a league-best 60-22 record during the regular season, made quite an impression in his first season.

Budenholzer is a finalist for NBA coach of the year. Budenholzer said he's ''disappointed and frustrated'' by the loss in the Eastern Conference finals, but wants to channel that energy in a positive way.

''I'm going to get better as a coach,'' he said. ''Or at least I certainly hope to and plan to and need to work to, and have that as my mindset. We're going to be going into our second year together. How can I get better? How can they get better? It gives you a lot of optimism about the future.''

NBA MVP FINALIST

The NBA will unveil its award winners for the 2018-19 season, including the league's Most Valuable Player, on June 24.

Antetokounmpo is a finalist for the league's top individual honor, along with reining MVP, Houston Rockets guard James Harden, and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George.

''Obviously I'm happy to be one of the three finalists,'' he said. ''Hopefully I get it. If not, I have many more years to be able to help my teammates be successful and put me in a situation that we can get it. But to be honest, I'm not even thinking about it. I didn't think about it the whole year, I'm not going to think about it now. The only thing I'm thinking about is that we're not going to be playing (on Thursday).''

KAREEM ON THE BUCKS

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA's all-time scoring leader and the top scorer in Bucks franchise history, said he was proud of the team's accomplishments this season.

''The Bucks were easily the best defensive team in the league this year,'' he said. ''Over and over again they demonstrated a relentless ability to shut teams down. This is why they had so few back-to-back losses. Coach Budenholzer figured out to use Giannis Antetokounmpo to not only elevate his individual play but to raise the whole team's level of play.''

Abdul-Jabbar led Milwaukee to the NBA championship in 1971, the franchise's only title.

DOWN THE ROAD

Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign the largest contract in NBA history in the summer of 2020 after earning All-NBA honors for the second consecutive season. A five-year extension with the Bucks starting in 2021-22 would be worth $247.3 million.

[StarDust Bum]

Wednesday’s 6-pack

— Jose Altuve had a setback in his injury rehab, now has problems in both legs.

— Byron Buxton (knee) left the Twins’ game after crashing into the OF fence.

— Nationals’ OF Victor Robles has been hit by a pitch four games in a row.

— Legalized sports betting was voted down in Louisiana Tuesday.

— Reds 11, Pirates 6— Derek Dietrich hit three home runs.

— Crowd in Tampa Bay Tuesday: 5,786. Don’t bitch when they move to Montreal.

Tweet of the Day
“I get booed everywhere I go. Great players get booed.”
Manny Machado, always very modest

Wednesday’s quiz
What three QB’s won Super Bowls playing for Joe Gibbs?

Tuesday’s quiz
Jacob deGrom is a really good pitcher, but the Mets are 16-25 in his last 41 starts.

Monday’s quiz
Steve Kerr played his college basketball at Arizona.

****************************

Wednesday’s List of 13: Mid-week musings……

13) 5-star Class of 2019 basketball recruit RJ Hampton announced Tuesday that he will skip college and will play professionally in Australia/New Zealand this season to prep for the 2020 NBA Draft. He reclassified from the ’20 class to 2019 earlier this spring with an eye on becoming eligible for the 2020 draft.

So this is a 6-5 guard who is supposed to be in a senior in high school, but who will travel all the way to Australia and play pro ball this season, then go to the NBA Draft when he could’ve been a freshman in college, in the 2020-21 season.

It is a free country, but sometimes you wish parents would let their kids be kids. It’ll be interesting to see how this works out, and if others follow his path.

12) Here are some guys who shunned college for playing overseas:

— Brandon Jennings has scored 7,801 points in nine seasons (14.1 ppg); he was a double-figure scorer and starter for the first six years of his career, and has earned around $41M total.

— Emmanuel Mudiay has scored 2,901 points in four NBA seasons, including 14.8 points per game for the Knicks; he’s earned around $14M so far.

— Three years ago, Terrance Ferguson skipped college to play pro ball in Australia; he’s played the last couple years for Oklahoma City, scoring 5.2 ppg in 20 mpg over 135 games, earning $3.9M for those two seasons.

— Jeremy Tyler played overseas in 2010, then scored 3.6 ppg in 9.9 mpg in 103 NBA games in three seasons. He still plays ball overseas; he made $2,396,488 in the NBA.

11) Yesterday, on the same day Bill Buckner passed away, the Twins called up a rookie pitcher named Devin Smeltzer, who then called one of his old coaches, former big league pitcher Woody Williams, to tell him the good news.

Back in 1993, when Williams got called up to the majors for the first time by Toronto. he was told by an instructor in the Blue Jays’ organization. A guy named Bill Buckner.

10) Hitters who have come up with most men on base this season:
— Marcell Ozuna, StL- 173
— Xander Bogaerts, Bos- 171
— Rhys Hoskins, Phil- 161

9) Hitters who have knocked in highest %age of runners from 3rd base (minimum of 10 runners on 3rd base):
— Gio Urschela, NYY- 10-14 (71.4%)
— Eric Hosmer, SD— 8-12 (66.7%)
— Max Kepler, Minn- 10-16 (62.5%)

8) Hitters who have knocked in lowest %age of runners from 3rd base (minimum of 10 runners on 3rd base):
— John Hicks/Francisco Cervelli- 1-16 (6.25%)
— Martin Maldonado, KC- 1-14 (7.1%)
— Randal Grichuk, Tor- 2-19 (10.5%)

7) College basketball transfer portal:
— Joey Hauser jumps from Marquette to Michigan State.
— Sam Hauser jumps from Marquette to Virginia.

6) Baseball stuff:
— Tigers put 2B Josh Harrison (hamstring) on IL.
— Angels put 3B Zach Cosart (shoulder) on IL.
— Twins put P Michael Pineda (knee) on IL.

5) Phillies’ OF Odubel Herrera was placed on administrative leave by MLB after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge in Atlantic City Monday.

Very unusual for teams not to play on Memorial Day; I’m guessing Herrera wishes the Phillies had a game yesterday. This will wind up as a very expensive visit to Atlantic City.

4) When major league teams come to New York City, they get to explore a little, whether it be at MLB Network, or the Topps baseball card HQ, or other media outlets.

Bob Scanlan, a Padres broadcaster, posted a baseball card of a young Tony Gwynn playing for San Diego, but wearing number 53, not number 19. Looked like a spring training game.

3) Joe Gibbs got elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame last week; he is already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so that puts him in a unique place in sports history.

Gibbs won three Super Bowl titles with the Redskins, with three different QB’s.

2) Two TV series I wish hadn’t ended:
— Without a Trace was a show about finding missing people; Anthony LaPaglia played Jack Malone, a sarcastic FBI agent who led the unit, but who also had problems of his own. Just an excellent show; it still re-runs late night on cable.

— In Plain Sight used to be on USA Network; this show was about people re-located in the Witness Protection Program. They had some really good stories, there was a good mix of drama with some humor added in, but the show’s star got a better offer to be in a show on network TV, so she quit and the show ended. Too bad.

1) Speaking of late night TV, I see those Peloton exercise bike commercials and I want to trade my exercise bike in for one of those, since everyone on their commercials looks like an Olympic athlete. No overweight, bald people ride a Peloton; you think it would help? Nah, me either.

[StarDust Bum]

Referees picked for NBA Finals
May 28, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) Eric Lewis and Kane Fitzgerald are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time, as they were among the 12 referees picked to work the Toronto-Golden State title series.

Lewis and Fitzgerald are the two rookies on this year's finals officiating roster. Mike Callahan was picked to work the finals for the 16th time, and Scott Foster for the 12th time.

Other referees selected in the 12-man pool are Tony Brothers, James Capers, Marc Davis, John Goble, David Guthrie, Ed Malloy, Jason Phillips and Zach Zarba.

Finals officials are chosen based on evaluations made of their performance during the first three rounds of the playoffs. All 12 referees are slated to work at least once in the series.

[StarDust Bum]

Raptors reset, as NBA Finals loom
May 28, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) The parade that the Toronto Raptors enjoyed last week was an impromptu and quick one.

A chance at the real parade awaits.

There is a clear back-to-work vibe coming from the Raptors as they get ready for Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday night in Toronto. There was some reveling late last week for an hour or two after winning the Eastern Conference title, but that feeling is nowhere to be found anymore.

''We know that we accomplished some great things,'' Raptors guard Danny Green said. ''But the job's not done.''

When the Raptors won the East, after the on-court celebrations and a few moments back in the locker room, someone got the brilliant notion to take the silver conference-championship trophy to what's known as ''Jurassic Park'' - the outdoor area usually called Maple Leaf Square, unless the Raptors are playing.

So, with players flanked by security and Drake - of course - Kyle Lowry carried the trophy out through an arena concourse long after the game was over on Saturday night, past hundreds of lingering fans who tried to get hugs and photos, and the group eventually made their way toward the outdoor stage. Most fans were gone by then, and the party didn't last long.

By Sunday, Lowry had shifted his focus to the finals anyway.

''Pretty much,'' Lowry said. ''It's a big task at hand. We know we've got a good team, and we've got to be focused every single possession. They're all going to be massive in this series.''

Handling this moment is sure to be a challenge for the Raptors, since most of the players on Toronto's roster haven't been to the finals before.

If there is a silver lining there, it's that Toronto has already dealt with the mood-swing pendulum in these playoffs.

The most worried Raptors coach Nick Nurse has been about a game so far this postseason was Game 1 of the East finals at Milwaukee - a game that came a couple days after Kawhi Leonard's buzzer-beating jumper hit the rim four times before dropping in and giving Toronto a win in Game 7 of the East semifinals against Philadelphia.

''If there was ever a time I thought maybe a disastrous moment could happen, it was then,'' Nurse said. ''But man, we played great. Totally outplayed them. We played tough. We didn't win the game but I thought we outplayed them almost all the way through. We just didn't get the ball to bounce our way. We might have used a couple bounces a couple days earlier. But again, that just showed me our team was capable of kind of keeping their emotions in check.''

They'll need to be that way again Thursday night.

Fred VanVleet doesn't think it'll be a problem.

''None of us in October and July and June of last year were working out thinking about the conference finals,'' the Raptors' backup guard said Tuesday. ''Obviously, it's a great accomplishment, and we're happy to be taking that next step. But you want to win a championship. You want to win the whole thing. It's not about just making it to the finals.''

The arena will be electric for Game 1. Jurassic Park will be rocking yet again. But the quick little trophy parade through the halls and stairwells of Scotiabank Arena - one where Green revealed on his podcast earlier this week that reserve OG Anunoby was inadvertently decked in the eye by a celebrating fan, and where Leonard needed two security staffers to clear his path - will be long forgotten by the Raptors when Game 1 rolls around.

''I think everybody understands that,'' Raptors center Marc Gasol said. ''You get to kind of soak it in and enjoy that moment and after that night, the next morning, it's on to the next challenge.''

Everyone knows what that challenge is, too.

The Warriors are coming.

''I think along this little playoff run there's been some critical, critical games,'' Nurse said. ''There's been some ups and downs, and again, I know I keep (sounding like a) broken record, but we're just trying to take what's in front of us. And right now, it's Game 1.''