NBA moves
OK, without Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs were absolutely massacred, 136-100. And it was not that close.
That means in the less than six quarters that Leonard has not been on the floor after turning his ankle, the Warriors have outscored the Spurs by 59 points.
Yep, sweep.
That was not the only NBA activity on Tuesday however.
There was this little thing called the draft lottery, and as expected the Celtics got the No. 1 overall pick. Yes, the same Celtics who are in the Eastern Conference Finals.
How you ask? Well, they dealt Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets a few years ago for a couple of No. 1s, and eventually those picks were not protected, so as the Nets finished with the worst record in the NBA, and the Celtics finished with the best record in the East, New Jersey's No. 1 pick in 2017 and2018 will go to Boston.
Yes, the Celtics have a very real chance in the next year or two to actually stop LeBron's dominance in the East.
Getting the No. 2 pick was the L.A. Lakers, and to make anyone who fell asleep in 1982 and just came out of a coma completely lose it, the Sixers will pick third. Yes, Boston, L.A. and Philly, the only teams to win it all from 1980-88 will go 1-2-3 in the draft.
Take that Huey Lewis.
That said, anyone who thinks there was a conspiracy in this, please stop.
Yes, it likely appears that Lonzo Ball - the potential star point guard son of certifiable publicity hound LaVar Ball - will play for his hometown Lakers. Heck, there's even talk that Lonzo will only work out for the Lakers, so there's that.
But, c'mon. Rigging the draft?
Yes, the league is better when the Lakers are relevant. But the commissioner works for the entire league - all of the owners and LeBron James, mind you - and anything like that would surely cost him his job and could be illegal.
No chance.
Just good fortune for the three teams that used good breaks in the late 70s and early 80s to build dynasties.
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UT mens basketball coach Rick Barnes is interviewed for a radio show. The University of Tennessee Big Orange Caravan rolled into town at the Chattanoogan on Thursday May 5, 2016.Nice call
We had every intention to write about the return of the Big Orange Caravan, which appeared to be in jeopardy before being publicly announced for a June return to Chattanooga.
We were going to detail all of the good and the bad, the mixed signals from some of John Currie's early comments about getting around to the fans and then the reported demise of the UT athletic department's goodwill tour.
There was a lot to discuss, but TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer pretty much covered all of it in today's TFP. Here's his column and let's use that as a starting point.
We will add two more things:
First, if you are a Johnny Vols Fan who has made a habit of attending events like this and enjoy the chance to press the flesh with the coaches and administrators of your favorite college team, you are likely happy with this decision. And with the changes. And to be fair about this, you owe Weeds a thank you. His column when the whispers were out there that the caravan was going the way of the dodo bird resonated across the state.
Maybe they were late planning it. Maybe they were floating those rumors to see if anyone would miss it. Maybe they had no intuition of ever doing it again.
Regardless of the reasoning, the outcry after columns like Weeds obviously created enough traction and momentum to get the Caravan rolling.
Secondly, and we are going to try to do this more often, good for Currie. As we mentioned, whatever the original reasons, Currie and his staff heard the outcry and reversed field. We criticize our leaders - often rightly, occasionally too harshly - for a lot of decisions. And that's part of having a near-seven-figure job.
But, and we can only speak for this media member, we as a profession must do a better job of offering the "Good Job" opinion when it's warranted. Does that sell as many papers or generate as many clicks? Nope.
What it does offer is fairness and balance, and more importantly in the long run for the media, it adds merit and credence to the negative views.
So, well-played UT. You heard from your fans and you answered their request.
Well-played indeed. (You too Weeds.)
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Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59), of Switzerland, is congratulated after scoring the go-ahead goal during the third period in Game 3 of the Western Conference final in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Tuesday, May 16, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. The Predators won 2-1. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) Hockey town
OK, we're on the bandwagon and looking for a Predators T-shirt.
(Yes, most of you know our stance on adult men wearing a jersey that is not handed to you by someone who you call coach. Just don't do it. That said, if we somehow got hit in the head and suffered short-term memory loss, the one jersey we think you could pull off would be the hockey sweater. In fact, the very fact that they call them sweaters may offer a loophole there in certain jurisdictions. Thoughts?)
Anyhoo, the Preds rallied to a 2-1 win Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead over Anaheim in the Western Conference Finals.
(Side note: Yes, the fact that Nashville is in the Western Conference is a bit strange, but hey, who's to judge. Nebraska is in the Big Ten and West Virginia is in the Big 12. In today's realm in which conference is way more a designation than a geography lesson - Missouri is neither South or Eastern friends - the only truly legit conference title is Conference USA. Well, until they expand and add the University of Toronto, that is.)
Anyhoohoo, as for the Preds, we're in.
No this does not mean we are going to start watching a lot of hockey or breakdown the intricacies of the icing call.
It simply means watching the Preds, especially when they play before the most raucous home crowd in sports right now, is fun.
What a novel concept, right? Sports being fun. And entertaining. And not life or death, as it can be every Saturday from the start of September to the weekend after Thanksgiving across the South and East, and all parts in between.
When the Preds win, it's great. If they don't, well, go get 'em next time.
In a lot of ways, this casual fandom is way better than being all-in with anything.
Think of it this way, when your one team - and even the most laissez faire sports fan has one team he or she cares about more than all the rest - is in action the stress is more palatable than the pleasure.
And then when it's over, the relief of not losing is way stronger than the joy of winning.
That's sad.
And that's why watching the Preds please their fans - including a collection of Tennessee Titans players, including Marcus Mariota and several offensive linemen who chugged tall Bud Lights in full blown Preds sweaters - and play with the passion and precision of warrior poets was so entertaining.
Good times.
And go Preds.
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Atlanta Braves' Freddie Freeman, right, celebrates his three-run home run with teammates Ender Inciarte (11) and Dansby Swanson during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Monday May 15, 2017. (Mark Blinch/The Canadian Press via AP)This and that
* Speaking of the Preds, here's a pretty good story about how they have not lost at home in the playoffs.
* Freddie Freeman homer in the Braves' 9-5 win over Toronto on Tuesday afternoon. Here's a pretty eye-popping position form ESPN baseball ace David Schoenfield that Freeman - not Trout or Harper or Altuve - is the best hitter in the game.
* Good story here on the sad turn of events for Arkansas running back Rawleigh Williams by TFP SEC ace and Press Row co-host David Paschall. Side note: Press Row will be back in its regular slot today starting at 3 p.m. on ESPN 105.1 the Zone.
* TFP North Georgia preps ace Lindsey Young has the skinny on Northwest Whitfield quarterback Luke Shiflett picking MTSU. Interesting tidbit that Shiflett says he a) would be signing in December in the newly crafted early period, and b) he's "100 percent committed. I won't be one of those guys who goes back on his commitment." Wonder what would happen if, say, Georgia offered?
* Good on you J.R. Smith. The Cavs guard, whose daughter Dakota was born five months before her due date and has been in NICU since January, sent flowers and cards to every mother of every child in the Cleveland NICU. That's exceedingly well-played sir.
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FILE - In this July 13, 2016, file photo, former NFL football player Peyton Manning accepts the icon award at the ESPY Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Peyton Manning will take the stage to host the ESPY Awards. The retired two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback will preside over the July 12 show honoring the past year's best athletes and sports moments. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File) Today's question
We'll go a little one-word Wednesday for everyone. (And hey, gang, nice job with the T or F Tuesday. That was well done.)
Peyton Manning will be ________ hosting the ESPYs.
The NBA draft lottery was ____________.
The Big Orange Caravan returning is _________.
Forty-four years ago today, the Senate began its Watergate hearings.
Cool Papa Bell, the former Negro League star was born on this day in 1903. That's a cool nickname, Cool Papa, who was born James Bell and was believed to be one of the fastest base-runners ever.
Let's go there, and have a Rushmore of Cool. And be creative folks - and remember the mailbag.