5-at-10: Cavs shine, MLB draft, thanks softball, Rushmore of Earls and Happy Birthday Dickie V


              Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, left, reacts as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, right, looks back during the first half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals in Cleveland, Wednesday, June 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, left, reacts as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, right, looks back during the first half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals in Cleveland, Wednesday, June 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

NBA Finals

That was impressive.

Will it matter in the long run? Most likely not since the Cavs would have to win at Golden State to pull off the rally, but Wednesday's 120-90 rout by Cleveland certainly was surprisingly one-sided.

Consider the following: Golden State had won seven straight against Cleveland, including five in a row in the NBA Finals, dating back to last year. The first two games in the series were decided by an average of 24 points, and we are talking about a Warriors team that is chasing history after winning a record 73 regular-season games.

And then a 30-point setback, without Kevin Love involved.

(Side point here: How bad does last night look for Love, who was not cleared to play after suffering a concussion in Game 2? And what headlines are you thinking for the follow-up stories? "What's Love got to do with it" is our starting point. Got a better one?)

Seriously, without Love, the Cavs inserted smaller - and quicker - Richard Jefferson into the starting lineup and it paid dividends quickly. A fast start - fueled by an electric first quarter from Kyrie Irving - was crucial for the Cavs, the crowd and now the series.

After Irving controlled the first 12 minutes, LeBron James answered the calls for one of this flashback dominating efforts. He was physically supreme, looking more 23 than 31 Wednesday, and his finish off a wayward Irving lob reminded everyone - from Phil Jackson to the most indifferent observer - how uniquely talented James is.

He finished with 32 points, 11 boards and six assists.

Was it enough to make any of us believe that the Cavs can win the series? Not overly.

photo Soddy-Daisy's Tre Carter is likely to be selected in the first five rounds of the pro baseball draft, which starts tonight. The well-rounded outfielder is considered a five-tool player who has drawn interest from multiple MLB teams.

Baseball draft day

We love the draft. You know this.

No draft is more unpredictable than the baseball draft, which starts today. That unpredictability is fueled by a variety of things.

The different levels from which teams are picking - high school, junior college, division I, international - creates a lot of unknowns. It also clouds signability. With that, and with the importance of this draft for your Atlanta Braves, here are a couple of names to keep an eye atop this draft.

Two of the better bats are Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel and Louisville outfielder Corey Ray. Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis also is a stud. The top pitching prospects are A.J. Puk, the tall, hard-throwing lefty at Florida and high school prospect Jason Groome from New Jersey.

Either option makes sense for Atlanta's rebuilding project. They need a power arm atop the rotation, and they are hungry for offense, too. (Heck, the Braves are hungry for a lot of things.)

Here's an pretty interesting look at one site's view on the best draft picks by each club.

photo Oklahoma pitcher Paige Parker (8) pumps her fist after closing out the top half of the third inning against Auburn in the deciding game of the championship series of the NCAA softball College World Series, Wednesday, June 8, 2016, in Oklahoma City.(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Softball finale

We watched more women's softball in the last week than we have in probably the last decade.

Yes, a big part of it was because the alma mater was playing in the NCAA title series, but Auburn's presence aside, there was something more to this.

It - not unlike a lot of the non-revenue NCAA sports - felt true and real and authentic.

It felt like what college sports is supposed to be.

You weren't wondering about rules infractions or which player hired an agent or who was going to turn pro and leave early at the end of the season.

It felt amateurish in all the great ways that we remember amateur sports, if that makes sense.

On the field, Auburn lost 2-1 to a dazzling pitching performance from Oklahoma left Paige Parker, who got both wins in the championship series as Oklahoma won its third NCAA title since 2000.

(Side note: Now that it's over, and as the NBA Finals start to wind down, we are reminded how slow the summer sports viewing can be. When does preseason football practice start again?)

This and that

- Thought this was kind of interesting, and yet another way the big-money teams will have an advantage in college football. In 2017, the rules committee is going to allow college teams to use video and technology equipment in the locker rooms and press boxes for adjustments during the game.

- Johnny Manziel's attorney says the maligned quarterback is planning on playing in the NFL in 2016. I wonder if anyone has informed the NFL.

- Not sure what to do with this other than pass it along. Allen Hurds got a $40 million contract from the Jacksonville Jaguars. Allen Hurds is allergic to grass. That is all.

- Don't hit send. Here's the latest reminder that social media tirades can be costly, as some dude in Cleveland lost his job for cussing to Steph Curry's sister and about Curry's daughter.

- Here's the Forbes ranking of the highest paid athletes, and it's little surprise the top two are soccer stars.

Today's questions

It's a nice Thursday, and here's hoping your day goes swimmingly.

According to The Twitter, it's national Earl day. So who besides Earl Campbell makes the Rushmore of Earl?

It also is Dick Vitale's 77th birthday, bay-BEEEEE.

He's a no-brainer for this one, but who are the faces on the Rushmore of former coaches who are way more famous as announcers.

Go, and there's still a spot open in the mailbag.

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