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

[StarDust Bum]

Lowry waited a long time for the Finals
May 31, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) Kyle Lowry had never been to an NBA Finals game.

This was the deal he made with himself: He wasn't going to see the NBA's biggest stage until he earned the right to be there as a player. So he never made a trip to see his peers play for the title that he has coveted for 13 years.��

That's why on Thursday night, the Toronto point guard took a little look around at what he's been missing.

''It was pretty cool,'' Lowry said. ''It was pretty good.''

And it was most definitely worth the wait.

Lowry has now been to the NBA Finals - and knows what winning a game in the title series is like, too. The longest-tenured Raptors player had a solid stat line - seven points, six rebounds and nine assists - as Toronto topped Golden State 118-109 in Game 1 of the title series, ending the Warriors' streak of 12 straight opening-game-of-a-series victories.

''I think that one of the best things about this team is that you don't have to put a burden of 20 to 25 points on him,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. ''Because he's going to defend, he's going to lead the team, he's going to make those tough plays. He just instinctually does that game after game after game.''

Often a lightning rod for criticism in Toronto's past playoff flameouts, Lowry has quarterbacked brilliantly in these playoffs.

He did it again Thursday.

He set the tempo in Game 1 by, time and again, utilizing long touch passes to start fast breaks. He also set the tone on defensive end, chasing Stephen Curry around and tirelessly battling much bigger players, as usual.

Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins is 6-foot-11 and perhaps generously listed at 270 pounds; Lowry is listed at 6-foot-1, 196 pounds.

So when Cousins came barreling at Lowry on a switch with about 8+ minutes left in the game, Lowry never moved. He took the charge. He took the hit. The Warriors came up empty on a possession with the outcome still very much in the balance.

''Just win,'' said Lowry, who took three charges in the finals opener. ''That's all I care about. The numbers, the stats, all that stuff, it doesn't matter to me. Team wins is all that really, really matters to me. Whatever it takes to win games.''

Getting to this stage probably seemed unlikely 10 months ago. Lowry was deeply stung by the Raptors' decision to trade his longtime backcourt partner in DeMar DeRozan and take the risk of acquiring Kawhi Leonard - someone who played in only nine games last season, and someone who at the time pretty clearly didn't want to be in Toronto.

Lowry was angry. It took months to mend the fences with Raptors' management. But everything to this point has worked perfectly, and he's now three wins away from a championship.

''We know we have our great fans, but at the end of the day, it's going to be about us in this locker room,'' Lowry said.

Lowry said he dreamed countless times of what the finals stage would be like, but as the 9 p.m. tip-off neared Thursday, he tried to keep some semblance of a regular routine.

He knew it wasn't going to be just another game, but also knew he couldn't psych himself out before it arrived.

''It was a normal day for me. I've got kids,'' Lowry said. ''... You go out there, the crowd was really antsy and loud and that's when you start to feel it. But throughout the day, you kind of keep yourself very calm and collected and understand that it's a big game - but you've got to be ready to go play.''

He was ready. All the Raptors were ready. They know they'll have to be better in Game 2, since adjustments by the two-time defending champion Warriors are inevitable. That's what Friday's task will be, what Saturday's task will be. After finally seeing what the finals are like, Lowry looked at a clock on the wall shortly after midnight and decided it was time to head home.

''I'm hungry as hell right now,'' Lowry said.

The quest for the other thing he's been hungry for - a championship ring - resumes Sunday in Game 2.

[StarDust Bum]

Saturday’s 6-pack

College football spreads, released by Golden Nugget Thursday:

— Florida (-7.5) vs Miami in Orlando, August 29

— Auburn (-3) vs Oregon in Arlington, TX, August 31

— Stanford at USC (-3) August 31

— Texas (-7) @ West Virginia October 5

— Florida @ LSU (-4.5) October 12

— LSU (-6.5) @ Mississippi State October 19

Quotes of the Day
“You’re out there playing basketball like you did your whole life and it’s the most fun. You lock in … You got to stay poised.”
Marc Gasol, on playing in the NBA Finals

Saturday’s quiz
Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League are the AA farm club of which major league team?

Friday’s quiz
Steve Kerr was born in Lebanon; his father was president of the American University in Beirut- he was assassinated there in 1984.

Thursday’s quiz
New Hampshire is known as the Granite State.

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Saturday’s List of 13: Clearing out a cluttered mind……

13) Dodgers’ pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers this year for $18M; he’s having a great season, will get a bigger one-year deal next season. Who knows, he may even get a 2-year deal.

Contrast that to Dallas Keuchel, who is sitting out right now because he couldn’t get a multi-year contract. Keuchel would make more than Ryu if he had agreed to a one-year deal, but right now he is making bupkis this season, zero.

Question is, was it Keuchel who didn’t listen to his agent, or the agent who didn’t listen to Keuchel? At some point, the player has to play in order to get paid, right? Either way, it has been an expensive year for the pitcher. He’ll probably sign somewhere fairly soon.

12) Batters are 2-42 with runners in scoring position against Ryu this season.

11) Mets’ TV guy Todd Zeile played 16 years in the major leagues; he grew up in the Los Angeles area, went to a lot of Dodger games as a kid. Zeile said on air the other night that his father told him that he didn’t believe Zeile was a major league player until he heard Vin Scully say his name on the air, thats how revered Scully is/was in Tinseltown.

10) New Packers’ coach Matt LaFleur tore his achilles tendon playing basketball this week; he is having it operated on Sunday.

9) Since 2008, only two big leaguers have had an OB% of .340+ with 200+ PA in every season:
Joey Votto and……….Shin-Soo Choo

Funny thing about Choo is this; my fantasy team is having a dreadful season, so I’m looking to build for the future a little and Choo is 37- I’ve been looking to move him for prospects but with absolutely no luck, and he is really good. His OPS is .933, which is damn good.

One guy actually thought I was talking about Choi on Tampa Bay, and I’m laughing, thinking “My team is worse than this guy’s and he doesn’t know who the players are.” Oy.

8) Raptors’ coach Nick Nurse was head coach at Grandview College when he was 23 years old; he played at Northern Iowa. There’s a chance one or more of his players at Grandview was older than Nurse was when he was coaching them.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Colorado sent P Kyle Freeland down to AAA.
— Cardinals put C Yadier Molina (thumb) on IL.
— Marlins put 1B Neil Walker (quad) on IL.

6) Tampa Bay Rays have scored in first inning in 25 of their 54 games; they’re 20-5 when they score in the first inning.

Marlins have scored in only nine first innings, fewest in major leagues.

5) Arizona Diamondbacks have seven of the top 75 picks in next week’s baseball draft.

4) My favorite Al Pacino movies:
a) Any Given Sunday
b) Heat
c) Scent of a Woman

3) Cubs/Cardinals are going to play a two-game series next season at London’s West Ham Olympic Stadium on June 13-14, 2020. New York-Boston are heading to London this month.

2) There is a newscaster at WKRN in Nashville named Bob Mueller; you can imagine that the last couple of years have been very interesting for him.

The TV Bob Mueller pronounces his name differently than the lawyer Bob Mueller, but he gets hate mail from people and strange looks when he makes reservations in restaurants. Sometimes real life is stranger than fiction.

1) Los Angeles Angels are driving me nuts with the way they use the “opener”. Tampa Bay uses Ryan Stanek most every time they use an opener, which makes it easy to chart. Angels use just about all their pitchers- they’ve used nine different openers this season, in addition to their four normal starting pitchers.

Makes me wonder when you’re using minor league pitchers to start a game.

[StarDust Bum]

Warriors enter new territory: 1-0 deficit
May 31, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) Steve Kerr has seen a little of almost everything during his wildly successful five-year run as coach of the Golden State Warriors.

This, however, is something new.

For the first time, Kerr and the Warriors are staring at a 1-0 deficit in the NBA Finals. They've trailed in series before, faced plenty of adverse moments along the way, but this is the newest challenge for a franchise trying to join the short list of clubs that have won three consecutive championships.

''The experience helps,'' Kerr said Friday, a day after the Toronto Raptors struck first. ''Winning multiple championships helps because you have seen it all. There's also just the knowledge that you've been here before. You've been down. We have been up 3-1 and lost a series. We have been down 3-1 and won a series. Everything in between. So nothing is going to catch these guys off-guard.''

That's his hope, anyway.

There was a clear air of confidence from the Warriors even in the very first moments after the loss Thursday night. They knew they didn't play particularly well, and lost by only nine. They trailed most of the way, yet still were within striking distance plenty of times. They seemed far from rattled.

''No matter what, our sights were coming in that it's a long series,'' Warriors star Stephen Curry said. ''And Game 2 is an opportunity for us to right the wrongs and get a big win and go back home.''

No one needs to explain to the Warriors that a win on Sunday completely shifts the narrative.

And even though the axiom has always been that Game 1 winners usually go on to win the series - and that is still the case - it seems that a 1-0 deficit isn't as daunting to teams as it once might have been.

Since the league went to the 16-team format for the 1984 postseason, Game 1 winners have never been as vulnerable as they have seemed to be this year. In the 14 series this year that preceded the NBA Finals, six Game 1 winners wound up losing their series. That's never happened before in this format.

In the 2010s, Game 1 winners have gone on to lose a series 31% of the time. In the 2000s, it was 25%; in the 1990s, 15%.

''As soon as you lose a game, it will be on the crawl that now we only have a 19.7% chance of winning the series. Then if we win (Sunday) we'll have a 42.7% chance of not losing the series,'' said Kerr, tongue firmly planted in cheek. ''This stuff is what it is. You lose a game, you come back and you try to win.''

Kerr's stance is clear: A simpler approach - study film, find ways to get better, apply them Sunday - is best.

On the other hand, Golden State hadn't lost a Game 1 this season. Or the season before that. Or the season before that.

The last time the Warriors woke up and were down 1-0 in a series was the Western Conference finals in 2016 - against Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City. The Warriors responded with a blowout win in Game 2 and went on to prevail in seven games.

''You never lose that experience,'' Warriors forward Draymond Green said. ''You can always look back on it and it's more about how you felt, what was your mindset then. But it's impossible to be the same because it's completely different teams. And although some of us may have that experience, others on our team have not had that experience.''

It bears noting that the Raptors know a 1-0 series lead doesn't mean much.

Orlando had one of those against Toronto in the first round, and lost in five games.

Milwaukee had one of those against Toronto in the Eastern Conference finals - 2-0, actually - and lost in six games.

''We've tried to (have) a conscious thought process of not really caring what the score of the series is,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. ''I think we know that the games are really hard. We know that after a win, the team that gets beat gets really determined. They try to fix things. They mostly play a lot harder and more physical and all those kind of things.''

The challenge for his team is to do the same. That process started with a long film session Friday, and there was much to clean up.

''There was plenty on there that we need to do better if we want to win another game in this series,'' Nurse said.

[StarDust Bum]

Let's ignore Drake for the rest of Finals
May 31, 2019
By The Associated Press

Obnoxious sideline celebrities are as much a part of the NBA as slam dunks and getting away with an extra step or two.

From Jack Nicholson to Spike Lee to Jimmy Buffett, we've grown accustomed to boorish, entitled superstars doing their best to make themselves part of the game.

Welcome to the club, Drake.

The Toronto rapper-slash-superfan has gotten as much air time as anyone on the court with his antics during the playoffs. He mocked Philadelphia's Joel Embiid. He rubbed the shoulders of Raptors coach Nick Nurse during a game. And, after the opener of the NBA Finals, he exchanged some heated words with Golden State's Draymond Green.

Here's an idea: Let's ignore Drake for the rest of what could be a memorable series between the Raptors and Warriors.

That goes for the TV cameras that can't seem to turn away from him. That goes for those of us in the media who can't seem to quit writing about him (I promise, this will be my one and only Drake column). And it most certainly goes for the Warriors, who need to stay focused on the important task at hand - trying to win their fourth championship in five years - when Drake starts hurling his childish taunts.

Green insisted the incident in Game 1 was no big deal.

''You got a question about basketball?'' he shot back when a reporter brought it up afterward. ''It wasn't really a scuffle because I didn't hit him and he didn't hit me, and I didn't push him and he didn't push me. We talked. We barked a little bit, but I wouldn't necessarily consider that a scuffle.''

No doubt looking to move records and build his brand, Drake was in his full troll mode for the start of the first Finals held outside the United States, turning up at his familiar courtside seat in a replica of the Raptors jersey worn by Dell Curry at the end of his career - a jab, of course, at Dell's son, Warriors star Steph Curry.

After Toronto secured its 118-109 victory, Drake confronted Green on his way off the court. It's not clear all that was said between the two, but Drake could be seen mouthing ''trash'' as a smiling Curry stepped in to make sure Green went on to the locker room.

With a night to sleep on things, Green was downright diplomatic during the off day Friday. He knows the best way to answer Drake's insults is to play better than he did in Game 1, when he contributed a mere 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting and struggled to contain the Raptors' emerging star, Pascal Siakam.

''He talks and it gets more attention because he's Drake,'' Green said.

While the NBA certainly loves the off-the-court attention that it celebrity fans generate, Commissioner Adam Silver made it clear that there's a line Drake should not cross - which he clearly did in the Eastern Conference finals by briefly grabbing Nurse's shoulders as the oblivious coach looked up at the scoreboard during Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks.

''We certainly appreciate his superfan status, and I know he's beloved in the community of Toronto,'' Silver said. But, the commish quickly added, ''Certainly we don't want fans, friend or foe, contacting an NBA coach during a game. I think that even as Nick Nurse later said, `I didn't even realize it was Drake or hardly was aware that I was being touched,' and I think those can lead to dangerous situations. You're in the middle of coaching a game and you're completely focused, you obviously don't want somebody who is not on your team touching you.''

Better than any other league, the NBA knows how to nurture and protect its superstars - a philosophy that has extended to its most famous fans at least as far back as the days when Nicholson was razzing Los Angeles Lakers' opponents during the Showtime era, or Lee was getting away with far more than most fans while taunting Reggie Miller during playoff games at Madison Square Garden (yes, kids, the New York Knicks were once a competitive NBA franchise that made the postseason on a regular basis).

Silver said the league spoke with Drake and his management team about avoiding contact with players and coaches, apparently coming to an understanding that he wouldn't do it again.

''Given Drake's relationship to the team, it's not the same as just any fan who happened to be courtside touching a coach,'' the commissioner said. ''But I think that's an absolute bright line that we have to draw. So that's one example and I would also say that I think the issue for the league is that he has this ambassador-type role with the team. So he is viewed a little differently than any fan sitting there. But at the same time, I think there are appropriate lines that shouldn't be cross in terms of how a competing team is addressed or the officials for that matter.''

While a case could certainly be made that Drake should be banished to a less-prominent seat during the remaining games in Toronto (as Buffett once was during a Miami Heat contest for cursing at the officials), even Green said that wasn't necessary.

''So many people are complaining about it, like, `You don't let any other fan do that,''' the Warriors star said. ''Yeah, any other fan is just not Drake, so they probably shouldn't be able to do that. That's just kind of how the cookie crumbles. He's worked his (butt) off to be who he is. I think we all know when you do that, you get more leash than others. I think there's so much talk and the NBA needs to ... no, they don't. He worked to be who he is, (so) you should get more leash. I don't mind it. It's fun for me.''

The best way for Green and the Warriors to shut Drake up is to win another title.

As for the rest of us, let's just ignore him.

[StarDust Bum]

Siakam comes from small settings to star
May 31, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) The path to the best NBA Finals debut in seven years began in Cameroon and has stretched from New Mexico to the suburbs of Toronto.

Pascal Siakam had to emerge from some small settings before he could reach the big time.

That made Siakam's 32-point performance in Game 1 even more impressive. The players who often stand out this time of year are the can't-miss prospects who seemed destined for greatness from the time they were kids.

Siakam hadn't even started playing basketball by then.

But there he was Thursday night, shooting 14 of 17 from the field to spark Toronto's 118-109 victory over Golden State.

''I've never seen anything like that before,'' Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. ''That's a pretty big stage for a guy to put that kind of performance on, almost with any background.''

It was the most points in an NBA Finals debut since Kevin Durant had 36 for Oklahoma City in 2012, and it made Siakam the first player to score 30 or more on at least 80 percent shooting in a finals game since Shaquille O'Neal did it in 2004.

Those players were top-two picks, as were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan, the other players since 1970 with 30 points in an NBA Finals Game 1 within their first three pro seasons.

Siakam was way down at No. 27 in the 2016 draft. Golden State's Draymond Green - a second-round pick - said there's a different level of admiration for players who have played themselves into starring roles from what are considered supporting spots.

''You come into this league and there's really no space for you,'' Green said. ''You're essentially someone who kind of comes in - I mean, you can be out in a year, you can be out in two years, you can be out in four years. And to gain that respect and to, as I said before, become one of those guys, I think it's special. Siakam has done that.''

The 6-foot-9 Siakam was already a good athlete, having played soccer as a boy in Cameroon. But it was his desire to become a good basketball player that's kept him in the gym long hours to make up for his late start in the game.

He took part in a Basketball without Borders camp in South Africa in 2012 at 18 and was soon on the way to the U.S. to embark on a basketball career. He ended up at New Mexico State for two seasons, winning Western Athletic Conference player of the year in his second one, before the Raptors drafted him.

Siakam was MVP of the 2017 NBA G League Finals after helping Raptors 905 win the title, but success with the big club would have to wait. He didn't have a reliable shot yet, certainly not reliable enough to be a regular contributor on a 50-win team. But he's developed one over the summers and unleashed it on opponents during this season, when he averaged 16.9 points and played well enough to be a finalist for Most Improved Player.

''He works, works, works,'' Nurse said. ''He takes care of himself. He's really got a burning desire to be a very, very good player in this league.''

But the biggest change for Siakam came off the court.

He was in college when his father, Tchamo, died. Siakam, who still writes ''RIP Dad'' on his sneakers, called it the hardest moment of his life but said it was a turning point into making him into the person he has become.

''Thank God I had the support of my teammates and coaches in college that helped me go through it. But it was definitely one of the toughest moments in my life, and not being able to go home for the funeral and all that,'' Siakam said.

''So it was definitely a moment where it kind of tested me as a man. Just being able to go through that and for me using that as a motivation and something that's going to push me to do better things for my family and for myself, for my dad.''

Green, a former Defensive Player of the Year, blamed himself for the poor defense on Siakam and vowed to be better Sunday in Game 2. Siakam knows there will be adjustments, but he might make some, too.

''I think I always say, I learned a lot and I know I have a lot to learn,'' Siakam said. ''I think that's one of the advantages for me. I know I have so much to learn. I have to grow. It allows me to look at my mistakes and evaluate them and try to see how I can do better.''

[StarDust Bum]

Durant out for Game 2 of NBA Finals
May 31, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) Golden State star Kevin Durant is going to miss Game 2 of the NBA Finals, and Andre Iguodala's health is of at least mild concern to the two-time defending champion Warriors as well.

Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, had an MRI on Friday on his left leg after he was hurt late in Game 1 of the title-series opener against the Toronto Raptors. Durant, the finals MVP in 2017 and 2018 who has been dealing with a strained calf, was ruled out by Warriors coach Steve Kerr in an expected move.

''Kevin's not going to play Sunday,'' Kerr said. ''I guess we've been holding out hope, but might as well say it now. ... It's near-impossible for him to play on Sunday.''

Toronto took Game 1 and will host Game 2 on Sunday night. Iguodala expects to play, and the Warriors said his MRI came back clean.

''He seems to be doing well. ... I talked to him and he said he felt pretty good,'' Kerr said.

Iguodala scored with just under two minutes left in Game 1, his left leg flaring out a bit as he leaped to take that shot from the middle of the lane. He immediately grabbed the back of the leg in the hamstring area after landing, clapped his hands while grimacing and hobbled down to the other end.

The Warriors subbed him out not long afterward, and he didn't return.

Iguodala started and played 29 minutes in Game 1, finishing with six points, six rebounds and seven assists. He was slowed in the Western Conference finals by a problem with his left calf, and he missed the clinching Game 4 of that series.

Kerr said the team isn't going to rush Durant's return. The fear is that if he comes back before the calf is sound even the slightest tweak would mean his season is over.

Durant hasn't played since he was hurt in Game 5 of the West semifinals against Houston.

''The thinking is when he's ready to play, he'll play,'' Kerr said.

Durant traveled with the team to Toronto, wanting to be with his teammates for the start of the finals and needing to work with the Warriors' medical staff.

''He's still progressing,'' Kerr said.

[StarDust Bum]

Sunday’s 6-pack

Six players taken ahead of Pascal Siakam in the 2016 NBA Draft:

21. Atlanta – DeAndre Bembry

22. Charlotte – Malachi Richardson

23. Boston – Ante Zizic

24. Philadelphia – Timothe Luwawu

25. LA Clippers – Brice Johnson

26. Philadelphia – Furkan Korkmaz

27. Toronto – Pascal Siakam

Quotes of the Day
“It’s hard to get minutes at Kentucky — EVEN IF YOU’RE MY SON.”
John Calipari, whose son Brad entered the transfer portal this week

Sunday’s quiz
Which two rivers meet at Pittsburgh’s Point State Park to form the Ohio River?

Saturday’s quiz
Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League are the AA farm club of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Friday’s quiz
Steve Kerr was born in Lebanon; his father was president of the American University in Beirut- he was assassinated there in 1984.

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Sunday’s List of 13: Wrapping up a sports Saturday……

13) New sports book opened in Las Vegas Saturday, at the Golden Gate Casino downtown. Circa Sports is running this book; there will be a new Circa hotel/casino being built downtown soon, which looks like it will be really nice.

12) Friday, someone bid more than $4.5M in a charity auction for the opportunity to have dinner with famed investor Warren Buffett. Wonder what was on the menu?

11) Alex, I’d like Bad Baseball for $500:

Bottom of 3rd inning in Chicago, White Sox have runners on 1st and 2nd, one out, with Yoan Moncada up, the #2 hitter in order. TV analyst Steve Stone predicts a pickoff attempt at 2B, because the shortstop took his glove off. Sure enough, they pick the guy off second, but not only that, they throw to first and pick that genius off, too.

Pitcher is dying on the mound and he gets a double play without throwing a pitch.

Stone is one of the best TV analysts; very smart.

10) Jacob deGrom’s last three starts were against Scherzer, Kershaw, Greinke. Lot of high profile pitching matchups.

9) Baseball stuff:
— Milwaukee put P Gio Gonzalez (arm) on IL.
— Red Sox put 1B Steve Pearce (back) on IL.
— Texas OF Joey Gallo (oblique) left Saturday’s game early

8) Twins 6, Rays 2— Minnesota is now 39-18; last year, they got their 39th win on July 8.

7) College basketball transfer portal:
— Texas A&M–Corpus Christi G Kareem South bolted to California.
— American F Sam Iorio bolts to South Alabama.
— Tennessee Tech grad transfer G Chris McNeal is poached by Cincinnati.

6) Toronto Raptors’ big man Pascal Siakam didn’t start playing basketball until he was 17; imagine that?

5) In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Golden State was +2 in the 14:52 when Steph Curry was on the floor and Fred VanVleet wasn’t; they were -11 in the 25:24 with Curry/VanVleet both on floor. VanVleet has done a better job of defending Curry than anyone else in the NBA.

4) Murray State G Ja Morant, who is expected to be the #2 pick in the NBA Draft, is having minor surgery on his right knee, which should sideline him 3-4 weeks and likely means he won’t play in the Las Vegas Summer League in July.

3) Kid on Baylor hit three homers, knocked in 11 runs in a 24-6 rout of Omaha Saturday in the NCAA baseball tournament. 11 RBI in one game doesn’t happen much, at any level.

2) Brewers 12, Pirates 10 (13)— Both closers blew their first save of the year in this 5-hour game; Arcia homered in the 13th for the game-winning runs.

1) There were 1,135 home runs hit in May, breaking the all-time record for a month by 16.

[StarDust Bum]

For Raptors, a bad 6-minute stretch proved very costly
June 2, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) It all came apart in about six minutes for the Toronto Raptors.

They went scoreless over their first 12 possessions of the second half, a stretch during which what had been a double-digit lead late in the second quarter became a double-digit deficit to the Golden State Warriors.

With that, the lead was gone for good.

And so, too, is the Raptors' home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. The Warriors never gave up the lead again, going on to beat the Raptors 109-104 in Game 2 to even the title series.

Game 3 is Wednesday night on the Warriors' home floor, Oracle Arena.

The costly six minutes included: Eight missed shots by Toronto, five turnovers and 18 consecutive points given up to the Warriors. Throw in the last two points of the half for Golden State, and it was a 20-0 run in all.

Pascal Siakam was 0 for 3 in that bad stretch. Kawhi Leonard was 0 for 2, as was Marc Gasol - who had two of the turnovers on offensive fouls. Fred VanVleet missed a 3-point try.

They led 47-35 in the second quarter, 58-48 late in the half - and the Warriors, in a flash, turned that around and went up 72-59. Add it all up, and it was a 24-1 run for the two-time defending champions.

Even after all that sputtering, the Raptors still had chances.

Leonard made three free throws - two for a foul, one more for a technical on Stephen Curry - with 1:08 left to get the Raptors within 106-101. The Raptors forced a turnover on the next possession, and then got a 3-pointer from Danny Green with 27 seconds left to close the deficit to two.

Then they needed to get as defensive stop.

They didn't get it. A helter-skelter possession for Golden State was capped by Andre Iguodala's 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left, allowing the Warriors to escape Toronto with a series split.

There will be more than the bad stretch for the Raptors to lament before Game 3 rolls around. The Raptors shot only 37 percent. They were 11 for 38 from 3-point range. They couldn't take advantage of the Warriors again being without Kevin Durant, losing Klay Thompson in the fourth quarter with hamstring tightness and seeing key reserve big-man Kevon Looney leave with a chest contusion.

Now they'll need to win at least once on the Warriors' home floor to win a title.

[StarDust Bum]

Warriors beat Raptors 109-104 to even NBA Finals
June 2, 2019
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TORONTO (AP) The Golden State Warriors relied on a champion's heart to overcome their weary bodies.

Klay Thompson scored 25 points before leaving with a hamstring injury, Stephen Curry had 23 and the Warriors ran off the first 18 points of the second half on the way to a 109-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night that tied the NBA Finals at one game apiece.

With Kevin Durant already out and Thompson eventually joining him in the fourth quarter, the Warriors don't feel great - but they would've felt a whole lot worse flying home in a 2-0 hole.

''It was a great win. We got to go home and protect our home floor and we'll see about all the injuries,'' coach Steve Kerr said. ''But I'm very proud of our team and in particular all the guys off the bench.''

Andre Iguodala, himself slow to get up after a hard fall in the first half, made the clinching 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left after the Raptors scored 10 straight points to cut it to 106-104.

Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors. They had won five straight since falling behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.

Curry appeared to be laboring as well in the first half, returning to the locker room in the midst of six straight misses to start the game.

But the Warriors cobbled together a good enough finish to the second quarter to keep it close, then stormed out of the locker room with one of their vintage third-quarter charges that have been so frequent during their run to five straight NBA Finals.

DeMarcus Cousins was inserted into the starting lineup and delivered 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Draymond Green had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists - missing by one assist a fourth straight triple-double.

The series moves to their Oracle Arena for Games 3 and 4, with the first NBA Finals to be played outside the U.S. assured of returning to Canada for Game 5.

The Warriors will hope to have enough healthy bodies to get through it. Thompson landed awkwardly after a 3-point attempt early in the fourth quarter and limped off soon after, with backup center Kevon Looney already missing the second half with a chest injury.

And Golden State is still without Durant, who missed his seventh straight game with a strained right calf but hopes to return during the series.

For now, they got key contributions from Quinn Cook, who hit three 3-pointers, and veteran center Andrew Bogut, who wasn't even part of the roster most of the season but came off the bench for three baskets.

Fred VanVleet scored 17 points for the Raptors, who had red T-shirts with their slogan ''We The North'' hanging on seats around the arena.

The Warriors sure were seeing red, especially Curry, during a mostly miserable first half when they missed 20 of their first 28 shots.

He hung his head and didn't even attempt to run back when VanVleet stole the ball from him and made a layup to give Toronto an 11-point lead with a little more than 2 minutes remaining in the half.

But Curry made two free throws for the final points of the half to cut it to 59-54, then the Warriors came back and pitched a shutout until nearly the midpoint of the third quarter during a series-changing - perhaps season-changing - swing.

Iguodala had five quick points including a 3-pointer that moved Golden State into the lead at 61-59. The surge continued with three straight baskets from Thompson and three more from Green, whose last one capped it and made it 72-59 before Toronto finally got on the board with a 3-pointer with VanVleet with 6:20 remaining in the period.

The Warriors had won 12 straight Game 1s and this was their first time playing from behind in the finals since they were down 2-1 to Cleveland in 2015. They showed no signs of concern during the off days, and Thompson suggested part of the problem during their 118-109 loss Thursday was rust after they had nine days off in between series.

Their bigger problem early in Game 2 was the defense of the Raptors. But Toronto missed a chance to take a comfortable lead into the half and couldn't overcome its 37 percent shooting, with Pascal Siakam going 5 for 18 for 12 points after scoring 32 in the opener.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Curry had his streak of 30-point games snapped at six. Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry share the Warriors' postseason record with seven straight. ... Kerr earned his 76th postseason victory, moving past Chuck Daly and Don Nelson.

Raptors: Siakam missed his first three shots, as many as he missed in Game 1 while going 14 for 17. ... OG Anunoby was active for the first time in the playoffs after having an emergency appendectomy April 11, but didn't play.

UP NEXT

Golden State hosts Game 3 on Wednesday night.

[StarDust Bum]

SUNDAY, JUNE 2
GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

GS at TOR 08:00 PM

GS +2.0

O 213.0

[StarDust Bum]

SIZE=1]For Raptors, a bad 6-minute stretch proved very costly
June 2, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) It all came apart in about six minutes for the Toronto Raptors.

They went scoreless over their first 12 possessions of the second half, a stretch during which what had been a double-digit lead late in the second quarter became a double-digit deficit to the Golden State Warriors.

With that, the lead was gone for good.

And so, too, is the Raptors' home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. The Warriors never gave up the lead again, going on to beat the Raptors 109-104 in Game 2 to even the title series.

Game 3 is Wednesday night on the Warriors' home floor, Oracle Arena.

The costly six minutes included: Eight missed shots by Toronto, five turnovers and 18 consecutive points given up to the Warriors. Throw in the last two points of the half for Golden State, and it was a 20-0 run in all.

Pascal Siakam was 0 for 3 in that bad stretch. Kawhi Leonard was 0 for 2, as was Marc Gasol - who had two of the turnovers on offensive fouls. Fred VanVleet missed a 3-point try.

They led 47-35 in the second quarter, 58-48 late in the half - and the Warriors, in a flash, turned that around and went up 72-59. Add it all up, and it was a 24-1 run for the two-time defending champions.

Even after all that sputtering, the Raptors still had chances.

Leonard made three free throws - two for a foul, one more for a technical on Stephen Curry - with 1:08 left to get the Raptors within 106-101. The Raptors forced a turnover on the next possession, and then got a 3-pointer from Danny Green with 27 seconds left to close the deficit to two.

Then they needed to get as defensive stop.

They didn't get it. A helter-skelter possession for Golden State was capped by Andre Iguodala's 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left, allowing the Warriors to escape Toronto with a series split.

There will be more than the bad stretch for the Raptors to lament before Game 3 rolls around. The Raptors shot only 37 percent. They were 11 for 38 from 3-point range. They couldn't take advantage of the Warriors again being without Kevin Durant, losing Klay Thompson in the fourth quarter with hamstring tightness and seeing key reserve big-man Kevon Looney leave with a chest contusion.

Now they'll need to win at least once on the Warriors' home floor to win a title.[/SIZE]

[StarDust Bum]

Warriors beat Raptors 109-104 to even NBA Finals
June 2, 2019
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TORONTO (AP) The Golden State Warriors relied on a champion's heart to overcome their weary bodies.

Klay Thompson scored 25 points before leaving with a hamstring injury, Stephen Curry had 23 and the Warriors ran off the first 18 points of the second half on the way to a 109-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night that tied the NBA Finals at one game apiece.

With Kevin Durant already out and Thompson eventually joining him in the fourth quarter, the Warriors don't feel great - but they would've felt a whole lot worse flying home in a 2-0 hole.

''It was a great win. We got to go home and protect our home floor and we'll see about all the injuries,'' coach Steve Kerr said. ''But I'm very proud of our team and in particular all the guys off the bench.''

Andre Iguodala, himself slow to get up after a hard fall in the first half, made the clinching 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left after the Raptors scored 10 straight points to cut it to 106-104.

Kawhi Leonard had 34 points and 14 rebounds for the Raptors. They had won five straight since falling behind 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals.

Curry appeared to be laboring as well in the first half, returning to the locker room in the midst of six straight misses to start the game.

But the Warriors cobbled together a good enough finish to the second quarter to keep it close, then stormed out of the locker room with one of their vintage third-quarter charges that have been so frequent during their run to five straight NBA Finals.

DeMarcus Cousins was inserted into the starting lineup and delivered 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, and Draymond Green had 17 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists - missing by one assist a fourth straight triple-double.

The series moves to their Oracle Arena for Games 3 and 4, with the first NBA Finals to be played outside the U.S. assured of returning to Canada for Game 5.

The Warriors will hope to have enough healthy bodies to get through it. Thompson landed awkwardly after a 3-point attempt early in the fourth quarter and limped off soon after, with backup center Kevon Looney already missing the second half with a chest injury.

And Golden State is still without Durant, who missed his seventh straight game with a strained right calf but hopes to return during the series.

For now, they got key contributions from Quinn Cook, who hit three 3-pointers, and veteran center Andrew Bogut, who wasn't even part of the roster most of the season but came off the bench for three baskets.

Fred VanVleet scored 17 points for the Raptors, who had red T-shirts with their slogan ''We The North'' hanging on seats around the arena.

The Warriors sure were seeing red, especially Curry, during a mostly miserable first half when they missed 20 of their first 28 shots.

He hung his head and didn't even attempt to run back when VanVleet stole the ball from him and made a layup to give Toronto an 11-point lead with a little more than 2 minutes remaining in the half.

But Curry made two free throws for the final points of the half to cut it to 59-54, then the Warriors came back and pitched a shutout until nearly the midpoint of the third quarter during a series-changing - perhaps season-changing - swing.

Iguodala had five quick points including a 3-pointer that moved Golden State into the lead at 61-59. The surge continued with three straight baskets from Thompson and three more from Green, whose last one capped it and made it 72-59 before Toronto finally got on the board with a 3-pointer with VanVleet with 6:20 remaining in the period.

The Warriors had won 12 straight Game 1s and this was their first time playing from behind in the finals since they were down 2-1 to Cleveland in 2015. They showed no signs of concern during the off days, and Thompson suggested part of the problem during their 118-109 loss Thursday was rust after they had nine days off in between series.

Their bigger problem early in Game 2 was the defense of the Raptors. But Toronto missed a chance to take a comfortable lead into the half and couldn't overcome its 37 percent shooting, with Pascal Siakam going 5 for 18 for 12 points after scoring 32 in the opener.

TIP-INS

Warriors: Curry had his streak of 30-point games snapped at six. Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry share the Warriors' postseason record with seven straight. ... Kerr earned his 76th postseason victory, moving past Chuck Daly and Don Nelson.

Raptors: Siakam missed his first three shots, as many as he missed in Game 1 while going 14 for 17. ... OG Anunoby was active for the first time in the playoffs after having an emergency appendectomy April 11, but didn't play.

UP NEXT

Golden State hosts Game 3 on Wednesday night.

[StarDust Bum]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY JUNE 5, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:07 PM Toronto Raptors Golden State Warriors ORACLE Arena

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY JUNE 7, 2019
Time (ET) Away Home Site
9:07 PM Toronto Raptors Golden State Warriors ORACLE Arena


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

nba championship picks and best bets!

06/02/2019 1-0-1 100.00% +5.00
05/30/2019 1-1-0 50.00% -0.50


total.............. 2-1-1 66.66% +4.50


best bets

date.................ats.................units.... ..................o/u...................units...............total

06/02/2019........1 - 0..............+5.00......................0-0-1.................+0.00..............+5.00
05/30/2019........1 - 0..............+5.00......................0 - 1...................-5.50...............-0.50


total..................2 - 0.............+10.00......................0 - 2...................-5.50...............+4.50

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Monday's six-pack

Some college football spreads for this fall:

Sept 21— Notre Dame @ Georgia (-9.5)

Sept 28— USC @ Washington (-9.5)

Oct 5— Michigan State @ Ohio State (-15.5)

Oct 12— Texas vs Oklahoma (-6.5)

Oct 19— Michigan (-4.5) @ Penn State

Nov 9— LSU @ Alabama (-16)


**********

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

13) Warriors 109, Raptors 104— Golden State opened second half on an 18-0 run; they even series 1-1, with Game 3 in Oakland Wednesday. Klay Thompson tweaked a hamstring in the 4th quarter and is questionable for Game 3.

12) Chicago Bears’ coach Matt Nagy gave the commencement address at his alma mater, the U of Delaware this weekend; they showed a 2:30 clip on Twitter and it was sound advice for all of us. Basically, the theme of the talk was:

“Be You = Believing in yourself more than anyone else.”

11) Dwyane Wade was a surprise speaker at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS’s graduation ceremonies Sunday in Parkland, FL; that is the school where a mass shooting took place last year. The now-retired Wade has been a regular supporter of the school ever since the shooting.

We hear a lot about famous people doing cruddy things; Wade does a lot of good things.

10) Hasheem Thabeet was the No. 2 overall draft pick in the 2009 NBA Draft; he scored only 2.2 ppg in his five-year NBA career- he last played for the Thunder in 2014. Thabeet has played overseas since then.

He is 32 now, and is trying to make a comeback in the NBA. Am guessing someone gives him a shot in the Las Vegas Summer League. He is 7-foot-3, after all.

9) Had lot of thunderstorms in the Albany area Sunday, and thunderstorms knock out my satellite signal, so I can’t watch baseball. I don’t like thunderstorms.

8) Some SEC football teams are upgrading their non-conference schedules; Florida didn’t sell out recent home games with Charleston Southern, Colorado State and Idaho, plus they got hurt by strength of schedule, when you think about the college football playoff selection process, so they’ve added home/home series with Colorado/Texas.

7) Baseball stuff:
— Milwaukee put P Jhoulys Chacin (back) on the IL.
— Seattle traded Jay Bruce to the Phillies, for a minor league 3B.
— Rangers put OF Joey Gallo (oblique) on the IL.

6) Despite Bruce getting traded from Seattle to Philly, the Mets remain responsible for a $1.5M installment of his signing bonus, a payment due Jan. 31, 2020.

5) Stan Wawrinka beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets at the French Open tennis tournament; match took five hours, nine minutes. Next round will be a tough one for him.

4) College basketball transfer portal:
— Former Valparaiso C Jaume Sorolla bolted to Cincinnati.
— UMass transfer Unique McLean bolted to St Francis NY.

3) Since 2016, Khris Davis has the most multi-HR games (19), followed by Giancarlo Stanton (16), Manny Machado (15) and Trevor Story (13).

2) If the baseball playoffs started today:
NL: New York-Twins-Astros. Wild Card: Rays-Rangers
AL: Phillies-Brewers-Dodgers. Wild Card: Braves-Cubs

1) Baseball draft starts at 6pm Monday; the weirdest of the drafts, since kids get picked and then disappear into the minor leagues for a few years. Hopefully this year, the A’s won’t pick any football players.

Because of the draft, it is a very slow day for games; only four games scheduled, one a makeup; the three regularly-scheduled games are all on the west coast.

[StarDust Bum]

'Strength in Numbers' pays off for Warriors
June 3, 2019
By The Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) The mantra for Golden State during Steve Kerr's five seasons with the Warriors has been ''Strength in Numbers.''

It's more than a marketing slogan.

It's a catchy phrase on shirts, for sure, and it's emblazoned plenty of places for all to see - even on one shoulder of Stephen Curry's gray sweat suit, with the NBA Finals logo on the other side. But it's hard to imagine a time where it means more to the Warriors than right now, when the only thing being tested more than their mettle is their depth.

The champions are heading home off a win ailing, but not trailing. Whether it was DeMarcus Cousins playing 28 minutes, or Quinn Cook tying a playoff career-high with three 3-pointers, or all 13 Warriors getting into the game - some of them for only four seconds, but in nonetheless - the two-time defending NBA champions found a way.

Game 2 is in the books. Golden State 109, Toronto 104. Series tied at 1-1.

Off to Oracle Arena in Oakland, California for Game 3 on Wednesday night.

''When you get to this stage, our DNA shows up,'' Curry said. ''It's not just something you just throw out there to have nice shirts and give out to the crowd at Oracle and have all this marketing stuff. It's literally how we approach every day from training camp to June. How we support each other, how guys stay ready throughout the year ... it shows itself over the course of a season.''

Examples of how they support each other can be found everywhere.

Kevin Durant - who missed his seventh consecutive game with a calf strain - was in the tunnel connecting the court and the visiting locker room as time expired, absolutely giddy to greet his teammates and repeatedly clapping his hands. Klay Thompson, who left early in the fourth quarter with a hamstring pull, gingerly walked out with just his uniform and socks on, icepack strapped to his leg, to give some hugs.

Much was said this year about strife and discord in the Warriors' locker room.

Durant and Draymond Green had a particularly high-profile argument earlier in the year. Seems like a lifetime ago now. The Warriors know what's at stake, and they're clearly united.

''I'm very proud of our team - and in particular all the guys off the bench,'' Kerr said.

For the record, the Raptors weren't particularly impressed with themselves after winning Game 1 and weren't particularly down about losing Game 2.

The Raptors knew this wasn't going to be easy. They also know an opportunity was missed Sunday night, but they weren't sounding gloom-and-doom alarms.

''You guys didn't think this was going to be a sweep? I don't know what you guys thought this series was going to look like, but we went into it expecting a dogfight,'' Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said. ''And, yes, we won Game 1. I think everybody else outside of our locker room was a lot more excited than we were. We understand what this team brings and what type of effort it's going to take to beat these guys.''

Kerr came up with the ''Strength in Numbers'' idea himself. It didn't originate in some white-board session among marketing people; it started in the Warriors' locker room and then worked its way throughout the organization. By now, clearly, the Warriors believe in its meaning.

Durant got hurt late in Game 5 of the second round against Houston, in a close game at the time that could have gone either way. The Warriors won that night, then went to Houston and clinched the series in Game 6, then swept Portland in the Western Conference final - and head home after a split in Toronto.

There's no guarantee that Durant comes back for Game 3.

Thompson told Kerr that he'd be ready to play, but that's hardly assured either.

Cousins just played 28 minutes after playing eight minutes, total, in seven weeks while recovering from a quad tear. Kevon Looney, who's been mostly excellent for Golden State in these playoffs, might be out with the chest or shoulder issue that sidelined him during Game 2 - the Warriors said it was a chest contusion, while Looney was clearly grabbing at his shoulder in pain.

''We've got to go home and protect our home floor,'' Kerr said. ''And we'll see about all the injuries.''

Game 2 was the fifth consecutive game where the Warriors got down by at least 10 points at some time in the game. It was the fourth time they recovered and won. They keep getting themselves into messes, and they usually get out of them.

It's not ideal.

But if they must do this the hard way, that seems to be just fine with them. Kerr's mantra is getting heeded.

''We need three more wins and we need it to keep going,'' Curry said. ''But that's a part of who we are in our DNA. It's not just what we say.''

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