It's Monday. It's go time.
From the "Talks too much" studios, who won the weekend?
Winners
LeBron. Yes, dude only hit a third of his shots, but with a limited supporting cast now that Kyrie Irving has injured his foot, James drilled the game-winner from the corner as the Cavs stole Game 4 86-84 in Chicago to even the series at 2. Huge play in a huge game, and it came after James was called for a questionable offensive foul that led to Chicago tying the game and then was directly after James drove to the basket and there was no call on a very physical defensive play.
Clippers. With Chris Paul on the floor, the Clippers look like the most complete team still playing. And the best. Los Angeles crushed Houston 128-95 to take a 3-1 series lead.
Rickie Fowler. Dude was 8 under on the final 10 holes to get into a playoff and edged Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia and then celebrated with his model girlfriend Alexis Randock. So, in answer to that survey about Fowler being viewed as the most overrated player in the game, well, good luck with that.
UTC's Nicole Osterman bats during the Mocs' SoCon softball tournament championship game on May 9, 2015, at Frost Stadium in Chattanooga.UTC softball. As UTC softball ace Jim Tanner tells us here, the UTC softball team is headed to Auburn after winning the Southern Conference tournament over the weekend. OG has been blowing UTC's softball trumpet all season and the Mocs delivered. Kudos.
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Losers
Golf's sportsmanship. From the rude and ill-timed heckling that followed Sergio Garcia to Jonas Blixt throwing his driver into the lake on Friday, the Players was filled with a lot of emotion and a great deal of it was less than exciting.
Braves. Ouch. Go to Washington for three and come home with three losses. And who made Bryce Harper mad? Dude is swinging and crushing.
Warriors. Loved Steve Kerr's reaction after Memphis took a 2-1 lead, but it's a terrible catch-up for Warriors, who were the best team by far during the NBA's regular season. With Mike Conley chasing Steph Curry and Tony Allen hounding Klay Thompson, the Warriors are having a hard time scoring.
Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, hits Manny Pacquiao, from the Philippines, during their welterweight title fight in Las Vegas in this May 2, 2015 file photo, Floyd Mayweather. All of his post-fight antics have become quite tired, including this rant about how he gets more respect in other countries than here. Whatever Floyd. Maybe they like dudes that hit women better in foreign lands. Seriously, you made a nine-figure payday because everyone wanted to watch you fight. Is that not enough you jackwagon?
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NBA playoffs
While the NFL playoffs have happened in relative silence, the NBA playoffs are turning heads.
And not always in a good way.
The Hack-a-DeAndre tactic that sent poor-shooting DeAndre Jordan to the foul line 28 times in the first half Sunday in the Clippers' destruction of the Rockets was unwatchable.
We get it. It makes better sense to take your chances with Jordan - who finished a woeful 14-of-34 from the line - shooting free throws than against the Clippers overwhelming offense. Especially when Chris Paul is on the floor.
It's a good basketball decision that makes for bad TV. Sadly, they likely are going to change the rule, which in the end ultimately rewards Jordan and others who can't make free throws by covering up their inadequacies.
Add to that the run of injuries to name players and the free-for-all that could be a standout spring has become a survival of the healthiest.
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This and that
- If this report holds water, then Tom Brady's suspension could be much longer than four games.
- The two required sports moments or Mother's Day should be Dallas Braden's perfect game and Kevin Durant's perfect MVP acceptance speech.
- This is a terrible story about a flight attendant stopping a flight and having an Autistic child removed from the plane. While we were not there, it sounds like an awful situation that will lead to multiple lawsuits.
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Today's question
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton passes against the Cincinnati Bengals in the first half of an NFL football game against the , Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) We have a couple for you today.
One, Cam Newton turns 26 today. Did anyone have a better single season than Newton did for Auburn in 2010?
Secondly, on this day in 1981, Bob Marley died. What's our Rushmore of folks whose fame actually increased after their passing?
Go, and as always, we're taking suggestions on who won and lost the weekend.