Hope you enjoyed the weekend. You know what time it is.
From the "Talks too much" studios, go ahead and believe the hype.
Weekend winners
Houston Rockets. The Rockets reached the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1997 by winnings games 5, 6 and 7 to complete. Kudos. The 1s and 2s from each conference found their way to finals. So much for upsets huh.
Rory McIlroy. This is from this article, but after dominating at Quail Hollow this weekend, here are the results from Rory McIlroy's last 52 weeks in professional golf (not so ironically, it's been 52 weeks since he broke off his engagement with Caroline Wozniacki): Starts: 23
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, raises the trophy after winning the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, May 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone) Wins: 7
Top 10s: 16
Top 25s: 21
Major wins: 2
WGC wins: 2
Ryder Cups: 1
Money: $12.9 million
Under par: 216
Horse racing. American Pharaoh won the Preakness on Saturday and has grabbed the first two pieces of the Triple Crown. So yes, Virginia, there is a Belmont.
Taylor Swift accepts the award for top artist at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, May 17, 2015, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Taylor Swift. Wow, winning eight Billboard Music Awards is one thing, but for Kanye West - who famously tried to take a stunned Swift's MTV award away a few years ago - to close the show with an absolute train wreck and get booed off the stage is the total icing on the Swift cake. Make no mistake, Swift is on the short list of A-listers in all genres.
---
Weekend losers
The L.A. Clippers. Wow, what a collapse. The Clippers became the ninth team in NBA history to lose a playoff series after leading 3-1. And that lead was as overwhelming as the collapse. The Clippers won those three games by 16, 25 and 33 points and were established as the betting favorites to win the whole thing for a short time last week. They also held a 19-point lead in the second half at home in Game 6 before crumbling. This one will leave a mark.
Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) brings the ball up court against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half of Game 6 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series in Chicago on Thursday, May 14, 2015. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Chicago Bulls fans. OK, the Bulls were bounced last Thursday, but through the weekend, you have to believe that Bulls fans routinely asked themselves, "If we can't beat LeBron this year, when will we ever?" Plus, the break-up with coach Tom Thibodeau seems almost a certainty, and that means major roster moves for a team that Thibs ran into the ground physically.
Indy car racing. OK, some sports have one moment in time when they catch the attention of the sporting world. This is one of those times as Indy car racing heads to Indianapolis later this month. And all anyone can speak of is the safety levels of the car. No es bueno.
Miami Marlins. After getting two-hit by Shelby Miller on Sunday, the Marlins announced general manager Dan Jennings as their manager. Huh? Maybe it's a money-saving move for the Marlins, who are always considering costs. Jennings has earned a lot of respect as a baseball man, but has next to no experience as a manager. Well, he reportedly did coach a high school team more than a decade ago. Hey, I pitched in high school almost three decades ago, can I get a chance to close for the Dodgers?
---
Shelby Miller
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Shelby Miller throws to the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Miami, Sunday, May 17, 2015. The Braves won 6-0. We heart Shelby Miller. The Braves ace for the foreseeable future was artistic and awesome in his awesomeness on Sunday. He did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the ninth before settling on a two-hit shutout in the Braves 6-0 win.
Dude is a stud and is going to be one for a long time.
Effortless motion. Check.
Mid-90s heater. Check.
A plus curveball. Check.
Efficient. Check, and triple check (Dude needed only 94 pitches Sunday, which made us remember the quick-work magic of Greg Maddux, who threw 14 big league shutouts needing 100 pitches or fewer, and yes, any Greg Maddux reference is high compliments).
So now we actually have something interesting to follow with this Braves team through the next two months.
Thank you Shelby Miller. You're the bee's knees.
---
This and that
Pat Summitt- Kudos to all those that organized and participated in the Pat Summitt Invitational at Lookout Mountain Golf Club. As TFP ace columnist Mark Wiedmer told us here a good time was had at the banquet.
- We have been speaking of this for a couple of weeks now, but the end is near for David Letterman's run. Here's a look at his relationship with arguably his best guest, Bill Murray, who will be on tomorrow night.
- Apparently Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots, is none too pleased with the NFL and his river of "no comments" this weekend in various interviews is actually trending on Twitter.
---
Today's question
Go with what you know. Who won the weekend and who lost it? Hey it's Monday.
Also, happy birthday to George Strait, our personal favorite musician of all-time. King George turns 63 today, so in his honor, what's our Rushmore of 'Kings' - be them actual royalty, given name or nickname.
Whatcha' got?