Happy Warriors

Game 6 of the NBA finals went pretty much as I expected, at least in general.  There were the coaching chess games, as Cleveland went big again and tried to deny Steph Curry his outside shot, but Curry is also a court general and when the time came he hit the dagger 3s.  Golden State seized the initiative early, weathered some LeBron runs and hit the fourth quarter shots that put it away.  Golden State Warriors are NBA champs, not even thinkable for a long time but this was their year.

Andre Igudala who started the last three games won the MVP, but though he played big and was a catalyst, his insertion was only part of the Warriors figuring out how to beat Cleveland.  Once they figured it out in game 4 and executed in 5 and 6, they could win just about every game against the injury-depleted Cavs, and I'll bet James knew it.

The Warriors like the Giants are a likable team with personable and generous players, and so are a great fit for the Bay Area.  They've got a future as contenders for a nice long stretch.  Nothing will make me like Cleveland, but they are likely to be back in the hunt next year.

Meanwhile the Giants had a day game and won it, breaking their losing and home losing streaks.  Matt Duffy homered with authority, and a couple of Giants who needed hits and RBIs got them (McGehee and Pagan), though the woeful Mariners outfield helped more than a little.  Now the series moves to Seattle.  The Giants really should win both of the remaining games--their slump made Arizona and Seattle much better than they are.  Then they get the Dodgers in LA, though neither team is throwing their best pitchers at each other, and then to another woeful team in San Diego.

The Pirates followed their 1-0 extra innings gem with an 11-0 rout and a 3-0 shutout (that's 3 shutouts in a row if you're counting) against the White Sox.