Wow

Wow.  What else is there to say?  I certainly never expected it.

Kevin Durant announced on Monday that he would be playing for the Golden State Warriors.  In one fell swoop, the Warriors obtained one of the greatest players in the NBA, and defanged its conference rival, the Thunder.

Some other dominoes quickly fell.  Warriors Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes departed for Dallas, and the Dubs obtained from Dallas a year contract for big man Zaza Pahchulia, who with Curry, Thompson, Green and Durant, probably constitutes the 2016-17 starting five.

After their initial elation, Dubs fans at the Bleacher Report obsessed with financials, trying to figure out how the Warriors pay the rest of the team.  But another comment on that site says it all in one word: Surreal.

Yet it makes sense for Durant, and almost anybody.  Because every player envies the players on Golden State for the team culture and the Bay Area atmosphere.  Durant's one question in his meeting with the Warriors was, will I upset the team chemistry?  Everybody knows that's what's special about the Warriors.  Strength in Numbers is more than a slogan. (Rob Mahoney at SI makes this point at length.)  Curry texted Durant, reassuring him of the team ethic, and it's not a team of rivals.  Jerry West expounded on how Durant would fit in perfectly.  All this is at least equal to the prospects of championships to come.

The news of Durant's announcement came as the San Francisco Giants were finishing up their afternoon game at home--Duane Kiper related it during the radio broadcast-- riding homers by Posey and Pagan behind a strong start by Peavy (yeah, the killer P's, inevitably) to beat the Rockies 3-1.  Also notable: Sergio Romo returned to the bullpen, pitching in the eighth.  And for the first time in awhile, the Giants got through the eighth with their lead intact.

They leaned on their rookies again, though mostly for defense.  Parker and Williamson made nice outfield plays on a tricky sun-and-wind day, and Grant Green made an excellent play at second base.

The Dodgers also won so the Giants didn't get any additional space at the top of the division, but their victory did pull them to one-half game behind the Cubs for the best record in the league.  They've won 16 of their last 22 games, the best record in MLB for that period.

The Pirates beat the Cardinals 4-2 to go above .500 and gain a game on second place Cards--they're now just a game and a half behind them.

It's another year of feast and famine so far.  All the division leaders are near or above .600, with Cleveland, Texas and Chicago leading their divisions by at least 6 games (the Giants by 5.)  Most look to be two team races at best.  The American League East is the sole exception.

Revenge of the Rooks II

On Sunday the Pittsburgh Pirates completed a sweep of the A's in Oakland and after winning four straight are back at .500.  Notable in this streak is their bullpen, which hasn't given up a run in 32 innings.

That's in contrast to the San Francisco Giants bullpen, which blew late inning leads in their last two games in Arizona.  After leading 5-1 for much of the Saturday game, a 3-run homer in the eighth gave Arizona the lead and ultimately the win, 6-5.  Before that, the highlight was Mac Williamson's titanic home run that hit the scoreboard, which none of the Giants' announcers could remember seeing before.

On Sunday an even more makeshift lineup (Brandon Belt playing left field because of injuries to Span and Blanco, playing next to Jarrett Parker and Williamson) the Giants nevertheless had a 4-1 lead while starter Suarez was pitching, but blew it once again on a homer in the 8th, this time tying the game at 4.  It took eleven innings for the Giants to win it 5-4, with the bullpen holding the line in the extras.

Brandon Belt had two keys, one of them a 2 RBI double, as well as an important catch in the field, and Brandon Crawford had another stellar defensive game that saved some runs.  But again it was the rooks who were the story--both Parker and Williamson were in the thick of it, and the winning hit came from the hobbling Pena, not fit to field yet but who came off the bench to double in the 11th inning, bringing the speedy Parker around from first.

Williamson hit another boomer, but this time a line drive that was caught.  Announcer Jon Miller gets a lot of joshing from the rest of the crew for fixating on the new stat of bat speed.  But Dave Fleming had to admit that the ball traveling at an exceptionally fast 117 mph off Williamson's bat correlates with a hit 95% of the time.  

So the Giants limp home from a short road trip with, almost unaccountably, 3 out of 5 wins, and still 5 ahead of the streaking Dodgers.  They return with Denard Span awaiting results of an MRI on his neck that could lead to yet another player on the DL.  The good news: Kelby Tomlinson is doing his final rehab thing in triple-A and is close to returning, while Hunter Pence seems ahead of schedule on his possible return, taking batting practice.  Matt Cain is doing his triple-A starts.  And best of all for the beleaguered bullpen would be the return of Romo.

Revenge of the Rooks

When five of your eight starters in the field aren't playing, and a few of their backups can't either, a lot of teams wouldn't be expecting to win.  SF Giants manager Bruce Bochy had an ace in the hole, i.e. on the mound, in Johnny Cueto.  But he wasn't feeling all that great either, with a stomach virus.  He gave up four runs before settling into a quality start, seven innings with nine strikeouts.

You might look to Crawford, Belt and Pagan to get you going, but they all went hitless. Yet the Giants came back to win 6-4, and it was just about all because of the rooks (and the semi-rooks who had some playing time late last season.)  Conor Gillaspie had another fine day, going 3 for 4, a homer shy of a cycle.  The homer--a big fly to the opposite field--came from the powerful bat of Jarrett Parker.  Catcher Trevor Brown had a key hit, and so did the rookiest of the rooks, Grant Green, up from the minors and playing his second game as a Giant, subbing for DL Joe Panik at second.  Green had two hits Friday, including a key single with two outs in the fourth inning that drove in two runs. He also had two hits in his first game.

Even rookie Cody Gearrin pitched a hitless eighth, while Casilla's ninth was another adventure, aided by a tough Belt to Crawford to Belt double play.

The day before in Oakland, the Giants salvaged the last game of the home-and-home Bridge series behind Madison Bumgarner's pitching--and his double that got the hit parade started, 12-6.  Buster Posey had a three run homer.  As of Friday the Giants are again 20 games over .500, leading the Dodgers by 6 games.  LA got bad news when their ace Clayton Kershaw went on the 15 day DL.  My Pirates have been winning more lately and are now just three games under .500, creeping up on the slumping Cards for second place, and the first place Cubs have been slumping as well (though they still have the best record in baseball, along with the Texas Rangers.)

 

When the Wheels Came Off

What happened to the San Francisco Giants in their two games hosting the Oakland A's was shocking but perhaps not so surprising.  That Jeff Samardzjia was ineffective again on Monday is troubling enough, giving up 6 of the A's 8 runs.
But much worse on Tuesday, when Suarez started and pitched well, the bullpen fell apart completely. .  The bullpen gave up all but one of Oakland's 13 runs. They gave up multi-run leads three times. The Giants actually outhit the A's but what killed their chances was walks.  The failures included this year's two most reliable relievers, Cory Gearrin (who walked the first two batters in the eighth, when the Giants lost a 3 run lead) and closer Casilla (who let a one run lead for the As balloon to 4.)

No matter how carefully Bochy has managed this bullpen, it has been stretched, and so a total meltdown, while it wasn't inevitable (and certainly wasn't pretty), wasn't against the odds.

Then the series moved to Oakland and the Giants incredibly found another way to lose--with an epidemic of errors and bad plays.  The makeshift infield was probably due, but the outfield?  Matt Williamson had a terrible day in the field and at the plate, but he's a rook.  It was Angel Pagan in left, who had one of those games he used to have in center field.  Is there a more schzoid player on the Giants?  He's been the hero with timely hits and some dazzling catches.  But on Wednesday he was just plain sloppy.  He so clearly cost Jake Peavy the game that even Peavy was visibly and audibly angry.

As if all that wasn't bad enough, since the series started the Giants have lost two more players to injuries.  Another infield starter, Joe Panik, began experiencing concussion symptoms from a fastball to the head several games ago.  He's on the five day DL.  Now the promising infield replacement, rook Pena, got stomped on in a collision with Williamson in the field, and is out for an undetermined time.

The Giants already had to bring up Ruben Tejada, who they acquired and sent to the minors where he has been less than impressive, and his first day in the field was not good either.  Kelby Tomlinson is starting to play in his recovery regime in the minors but he's not yet available.

Is it surprising then that for the last game of this series in Oakland, the Giants aren't using a DH--Madison Bumgarner is pitching, and he's hitting.  He's one injured player away from being asked to play third base.

The sort of good news is that while the Giants have lost three straight, the Dodgers have lost two of three.  

800=8

The SF Giants left Pittsburgh with a 6-1 road trip, looking forward to a couple of home series against non-contenders, beginning with one of the weakest teams in the majors, the Philadelphia Phillies.  Plus two of the three games would be pitched by their aces, Bumgarner and Cueto.

But it turned out to be not that easy.  All three games were decided by one run.  As happened in Pittsburgh, the Giants couldn't score for MadBum and he took the 3-2 loss.  The others were victories, and on Sunday, it came down to the last of the ninth--with an erratic Cueto long gone-- and consecutive doubles by the rooks Pena and Gillaspie to notch Bruce Bochy's 800th win as Giants manager, 8-7.

Meanwhile back in Pittsburgh where the Giants had taken 2 of 3, the Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers three games straight (with a fourth coming up Monday), and the Giants division lead is extended to 8 games.  Sunday's game saw yet another brand new pitcher on the mound for Pittsburgh, as the Pirates touched Clayton Kershaw for 4 runs and only his second loss of the season.

Sunday's game in San Francisco was out of kilter, with 4 hit batsmen, numerous lead changes and strange plays.  The root of it all may well have been the unpredictable calls behind the plate.  It unnerved everybody when balls were called strikes, and some highly obvious strikes were called balls.  There's nothing that can turn this game unstable more than an erratic plate umpire.

Besides Gillaspie's winning hit, the game featured four hits by Angel Pagan, who came very close to homering twice.  The first time it was barely foul, the second hit off the top of the wall, which scored a run but which ended up with Pagan called out trying to stretch it into a triple, although possibly trying to draw the throw to make sure the run got in.

The Giants' bullpen was tested in this series and seemed tired.  Denard Span seems to need a day off badly, judging from his plate appearances on Sunday.

Giants On Top

The Giants in Pittsburgh.  John Miller describing the evening sun lighting downtown, Dave Fleming describing the fans streaming over the Clemente bridge, and so on.  Heavy nostalgia for me, even if I've only been in that particular ballpark a couple of times.

After sweeping the Rays in Tampa, the Giants won three of four in Pittsburgh.  The one they lost--the first game--was the weirdest, as it was Madison Bumgarner pitching eight innings and giving up one run on a homer that just got over the outstretched glove of Angel Pagan in left.  But the Giants scored nada and lost.

The remaining games showcased the Pirates pitching woes and a suddenly unhittable Giants bullpen.  A 15-4 blowout, mostly against the Pirates relievers, followed by a come from behind 7-6 win, again mostly on the Pirates relievers, and in the second-weirdest game, the Giants rookies beat the Pirates 5-3.

 Mac Williamson had himself a couple of games after being called up to take Duffy's DL roster spot, including a titanic home run (460 feet or so), making it less likely that he'll be the guy sent back down next time a starter comes back on the roster. (Though Jarrett Parker is also playing well, and hitting.) Two rookies, Ramiro Pena and Conor Gillaspe, played short and third Thursday, and split third in other games, in the absence of injured Matt Duffy.  Both hit well, with Pena being the bigger surprise, showing RBI power.

Joe Panik has gotten hot finally, and was instrumental in all 3 wins in Pittsburgh.  Johnny Cueto won his 11th game, keeping pace with the league leaders, in that 15-4 bash.  Angel Pagan hit a grand slam, Gillaspe had four hits that included a homer, and Blanco was on base five times.

So while the Dodgers went on a six game win streak, the Giants won five out of six on their road trip, and the Dodgers picked up nada on them in the standings.  On Thursday the Giants went 20 games over .500, and are tied for the most wins in baseball with the Cubs and the Rangers (both of which have lost fewer games, however.)

Meanwhile the Pirates are in desperate shape.  They are still home run threats--as the Giants saw--and they have a great defensive outfield, and at times a terrific overall defense.  But key players are injured or are just coming back.  They're 14 games out of first, which doesn't bode well for contending this year.  The Cubs are running away with the division so far, 9 games ahead of St. Louis, so for a change the wild card might not come out of this division this year.

Now the Giants come home, and we'll see how resilient the rooks are.  To survive with starters Pence and Duffy, prime infield and even outfield backup Kelby Tomlinson, reliever Romo and starter Matt Cain all on the DL (with only Romo likely to be back before the All-Star break), the rooks are going to have to play above their pay grade.  And Bochy has to remain successful with his orchestration of the bullpen.

Next Year?

The stage was set, the score was tied.  Even after the debacles of games 5 and 6, the Warriors were poised to win the seventh game and the championship.  All they had to do in the final minutes was what they did so well and so often in a season without precedent: make shots.  A couple of 3s.  Or maybe just one.

And like some nightmare, the basketball version of the actor's nightmare maybe, they couldn't do it.  They could not sink even one.

For all the credit that LeBron James is getting, this was the Warriors' game and the Warriors' series to lose.  And they lost it.  Draymond Green's suspension and the back and forth between the teams and the NBA killed their game at home in the fifth game.  But all they had to do was win one more game.

They had beaten the Cavs in Cleveland just a week before, but they couldn't come all the way back from a devastating first quarter and they lost game 6, wire to wire.  Draymond was back but Andrew Bogut was down.  So the team that had beaten the Cavs three times in this series didn't take the floor.

It didn't for game 7 either--Bogut wasn't there to guard the basket. Iguodala was not himself. Draymond had an efficient game, his best since the first game.  But the Dubs needed the Splash Brothers to come up big, and they didn't.  But they've had poor shooting games and still come through at crunch time.  And they didn't.

In some weird way it may have been the price of their long winning season, and all the expectations every day.  I can't help thinking that Steph Curry trying to introduce a new product in his shoe line in the middle of the Finals was really dumb, and distracting.  But what do I know?  Nothing, really.

We'll remember the greatness of the season past, and the physical wounds hopefully will heal.  I'm still a fan, but I wonder if a team comes back from this next season, especially a team like this one that depends on confidence.

On a brighter note, Jake Peavy pitched a phenomenal game against Tampa Bay on Sunday, although the SF Giants didn't score for him, winning in the late innings with a four run outburst to take their eighth game in a row 5-1 and sweep the series.  They have a quick turnaround to Pittsburgh, though not as quick as the Pirates themselves have, after a night game in Chicago where they were swept by the Cubs.  Pirates pitching has been sagging and they are falling behind in their division.

The Pirates are hurt by injuries but the Giants so far seem to be surviving theirs remarkably well, though they are dangerously thin.  The Giants are doing it with relentless hitting but mostly with starting pitching, and they go into Pittsburgh with MadBum, Johnny Cueto and the Shark.  And an apparently rejuvenated Jake Peavy.
Brandon Belt had another homer on Sunday, he leads the team with 10--he's seems to be playing relaxed and professional since his contract.  Brandon Crawford responded that way, too--he's now the Giants' leading RBI guy.  Despite the frustrations--too many left on base, the adventuresome bullpen--it's once again a fun team to watch (even, as I do, on the radio.)  

10-1

On Wednesday, Johnny Cueto won his 10th game as a SF Giants starter this season, 10-1, which is also his won/loss record.  No pitcher in the major leagues has more wins, and only one has a better record.  With lots of run support for a change, the Giants swept the Brewers and ended their homestand on a five game winning streak.

The news is much more dire for the Golden State Warriors.  They left Cleveland with a 3-1 lead and the chance to grab the championship with a game 5 win at home.  But at LeBron's behest, the NBA suspended the Dubs' keystone player, Draymond Green.  Not only were the Warriors thoroughly beaten in the fifth game, they also lost Andrew Bogut to injury.  As I suggested, Klay Thompson did carry the Dubs early in the game, but Curry failed to close the gap at the end.

Without Bogut defending around the basket, the Cavs had a much too easy time scoring in game 6 in Cleveland, and the Warriors got blown out in the first quarter.  Still, they were coming back in the fourth when Stephen Curry was called for his sixth foul and when he objected, he was ejected.  Coach Kerr after the game called out the ref for three bad foul calls against Curry.  Both Curry and Kerr were fined.

Normally the return home for game 7 on Sunday would make the Warriors the favorites.  But while the odds aren't quite 10-1 against them, they are against them.  Not only is Bogut still out but Iguodala was hobbling, and the Warriors' defense looks fatally porous.  The Cavs have been beating up on Curry and the Warriors in general.  It will take all of Kerr's genius and an heroic team effort for the Warriors to come away as champions again.

Another Challenge

Congrats to the Pittsburgh Penguins who won the Stanley Cup Sunday.  They missed the chance to win a championship at home, which no Pittsburgh team has done in awhile, but fans in Pittsburgh filled the area to watch them on TV, and to celebrate on Carson Street, not far from where I once lived and, for even longer, worked.

The Golden State Warriors took another strange hit on Sunday as Draymond Green was suspended for Monday's game because of accumulated flagrant fouls.  As a weird byproduct, the Warriors must place another player on the Inactive list, so they lose two players for the potential close-out game at home.

After Curry's injuries and all the rest, this is yet another challenge for the Warriors, this one a bit out of left field. Green's absence shakes everything up, including probably the Cavs lineup as well as the Dubs'. Green has played every game this year, so the Dubs have no recent experience with this, except in rotations.  It clearly provides new opportunities for the Cavs, and especially LeBron (who Dubs fans generally believe baited Draymond into the reaction that drew the flagrant on review.)  But it also energizes the Warriors.  Look for a big game from Klay Thompson, especially early, with Steph Curry taking over down the stretch.  But it will be a team effort, with maybe an unlikely hero or two. Concentration won't be a problem.  And Oracle will be rocking, mocking and angry.

Draymond is not even permitted in the arena during the game.  But I'll bet he'll be nearby, so he can get there for the championship celebration.  Apart from what this does to the Warriors, it also probably puts Draymond out of the running for series MVP, and he was a solid candidate.

Also on Sunday, the San Francisco Giants closed out their 3 game series with the Dodgers.  All 3 were one run games, and the Giants won two, and should have won the third. They go back up 5 in first place. Jake Peavy got the win.  Speaking of MVPs, for the Giants so far this season their MVP is the same player it was for most of last year: Brian Crawford, with timely hitting and spectacular fielding--his play to end the game being one of many fine examples.  Matt Williamson has been playing the rookie outfielder position and wowed fans with a spectacular catch.  He homered earlier in the series at a crucial time, so he's doing pretty well.  In a bullpen that continues to be an adventure, young Cory Gearrin is as close to money as there is.   Buster Posey keeps hitting the ball hard, and the ball keeps finding fielder's gloves.  The outfield play on both sides in this game was exciting and excellent.

The Pirates however are hurting.  The Cards swept their 3 game visit to the Burgh.

One More Time

No team has played a longer season than the Golden State Warriors, in the sense of expectations and concentration.  They started the season by breaking the record for consecutive wins, and ended it with a new record for wins in a season.
Every team played them every game to be the among the few that defeated them.

And the season has been longest for Steph Curry, the focus of so much attention.  In the playoffs Curry has been injured, worked his way back, then got injured again more seriously, and worked his way back from that.  The Warriors had to battle from a 3-1 deficit against the best team they've played this year, the Thunder at their peak.

So maybe Curry and his Splash Brother were a little numb for the first games of the Finals. They played well enough to win the first two at home, giving scoring opportunities to other players who made the best of them.  As I suggested last time, the Dubs would need a big game from at least one of them to win on the road in Cleveland.  In the third game of the series, neither had that game, and the Warriors got blown out.

In the days between games, most of the media focused on Curry--what's wrong with him?  Is this the MVP?  Is he done, is he going to be an epic fold?  No.  Actually, no.  On Friday Steph Curry scored 38, Klay Thompson scored 25, the Warriors broke the record for made threes in a finals game with 17--11 of which the Splash Brothers made.  The Warriors won their 88th game of the season--no NBA team has ever won more.  They return to Oracle Arena up 3-1 in the series, ready to close it out at home and repeat as NBA champions.

But it wasn't just the Splash Brothers--again it was Strength in Numbers, including one player (James McAdoo) who hadn't played in the previous finals games. With defense and their fast paced runs in the third and fourth quarters, they wore out the Cavs.  Credit Kerr again for game management.  ESPN tells the story.

Update: Check out this account of a single fourth quarter play that the writer says won the game and essentially the series, while showing the Warriors' strengths and the Cavs' dilemmas dealing with them.

More History? Warriors Win First Two Finals Games

Watching the Golden State Warriors this season, you think you've seen everything.  But the first two games of the Finals blew that out of the water.  In neither game did either of the Splash Brothers score 20 points.  The heroes of those victories over the Cleveland Cavs were other starters and especially players coming off the bench.  In both games, the Dubs went on their devastating runs with at least three bench players on the floor.

In the second game however it was Draymond Green who was the decisive difference.  I wish I could remember what commentator I read who noted before the series began that the Cavs have no answer for Green, and that's how it's turning out. To his playmaking, defense, passing and rebounding Green added high octane scoring.  His first four shots were 3 pointers, and he missed them all.  But due to Coach Kerr's encouragement, the often open Green kept shooting from distance--and the 5 threes he made shattered the Cavs.  He wound up with the game high, 28 points.

 Curry had timely threes, drives to the basket and at least one smart pull-up two pointer, but was hampered by foul trouble. He sat out much of the third quarter but came back early in the fourth to nail it down, which he did.  Klay Thompson also had timely 3s and drives.  LeBron didn't even play the fourth quarter, and several commentators at the game said that he and the Cavs looked defeated already in the third quarter.  The final score was the highest point differential in Dubs playoff history, and the second highest in NBA Finals history, at 110-77.

The Cavs shot 38% in the first game, which at the time seemed like it could be partly rust from their longer layoff.  But they came back in the second game--which LeBron teams have usually won, after losing the first--and shot 35%.  So it's way mostly the Dubs defense.  A healthy Bogut was blocking shots around the basket, Iguodala bedeviled James.  The Dubs still had too many turnovers and not enough foul shots--dangers on the road--but so far as a team they are playing at a higher level than the Cavs can reach.

On every seat at Oracle Arena for the first game was a Dubs t-shirt proclaiming the team motto: Strength in Numbers.  And that was the story of the first game, with the Warriors high scorer being Shaun Livingston, and big offensive moments belonging to Barbosa (who had some flashy defense in game 2 as well) and Harrison Barnes, etc.

The Cavs seemed to have worked hard to gang defend Curry in game one, and both Curry and Thompson in game 2.  The Splash Brothers didn't shoot well in game 1, came around in game 2, but meanwhile the Dubs exploited the mis-matches elsewhere.  The Warriors eventually won the first game by 15 points, and in that one the Cavs appeared to give up well before the fourth quarter was over.

Now the series moves to Cleveland.  Since bench players typically don't do as well in away games as at home, it would seem that either Curry or Thompson or both will have to have big offensive games.  But the Dubs are playing with assurance, and they've won big in Cleveland before---and they've got Green.  They are prepared to play the game they need to play to win, if shots aren't falling or the Cavs--as is likely--attempt to muscle them.  Game 3 may be quite ugly, but we are looking at a rare possibility to cap this incredible Warriors season: a sweep of the championship finals.

The temptation to catastrophize the Cavs is pretty large at the moment, and a NY Times writer places the blame on LeBron, not for his play but for his shaping of this team.  Interesting, but we'll see.  (Later: an analysis in detail that confirms my vague impressions of how the Warriors were dominating the Cavs defense.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants ran into the buzzsaw offense of the St. Louis Cardinals, and lost otherwise comfortable leads to lose their last  two games of their road trip to come home 5-5.  Actually, Sunday's loss wasn't from an offensive barrage as much as seeing-eye grounders and sloppy play at the end of this road show.

This was after learning that they've again lost Hunter Pence for a couple of months, and are again playing with only one starter in the outfield.  Gregor Blanco has played this role capably before, and Bochy has been playing Jarrett Parker, who parked one on Sunday but hasn't otherwise been hitting.  If he solves the low breaking ball he could be the next breakout rookie, but Mac Williamson is waiting on the bench for his shot.  Pence is their RBI leading and they'll miss his bat.  But their vulnerability remains the bullpen.

History, and More to Come

The Golden State Warriors made history all season but this was the most dramatic: becoming the third team ever to be down 3-1 in conference finals, to win three must-win games back to back to take the conference championship.

It was probably the broadest team effort of the playoffs for the Dubs, with significant contributions--and highlights--by players coming off the bench for a few minutes at a time.  Once again, Klay Thompson's 3s kept them in the game when OKC had its runs in the first half.  But as I suggested would happen, Steph Curry was dominant in the second half, and close-out time.  He was back to being himself, with confident drives to the basket and quick sidesteps to give himself just enough room for his 3s--he had 7, which is a new game 7 record, naturally.  Klay had 6, which also breaks the previous record.  It was Curry's 3 that sealed the deal with a half minute to go.  The final score was 96-88.  Curry had 36 points.

The Warriors had to come back from a 13 point deficit, and their 3s were the difference.  The bench plus Klay brought them back in the 3rd quarter, and Curry took over the 4th.

The NBA championship series begins Thursday in Oakland. against the Cavs.  The conference championship means this historic season won't be forgotten.  Four more wins assures it.

Nice overnight piece on game 7 at espn.

Coming Back

When Cleveland was throttling them in the finals last year, the Golden State Warriors went small, and the Cavs didn't have an answer.  In the Western Finals this year, the Thunder were too long for the Dubs smalls.  So down 3-1, the Warriors went big.  And won game 5 at home.  In the sixth game in Oklahoma, they went big again (except when they didn't) and won their second elimination game in a row--this time in a hostile environment.

That sixth game played a few hours ago was the most important game of the season, and some are saying it was the best Warrior game of the season, and more. It will grow in glory if the Dubs win the series by winning the next game at home.

Klay Thompson was key to keeping it close for three quarters, though the Thunder were ahead, often by double digits, for most of the game.  The Dubs were still down with only a few minutes in the fourth between them and done.  But Thompson's 3s, Curry's 3s, the defense of Green and Iguodala, and the fourth quarter belonged to Golden State.  So did the game.  These last two games were also strategic victories for Steve Kerr's coaching.

Game 7 on Monday in Oakland.  Playoff experience as well as home court are big advantages for the Dubs. Klay Thompson broke the single game record for 3s in the playoffs with 11, scoring 41 points. Thompson has been the Dubs' MVP of the playoffs so far. Now it's about time for Steph Curry to have one of his shooting nights (though 31 points tonight was crucial.)  The table is set.

Can't say I'm a big fan of Fox Sports but this story on the 6th game is prime.  And a follow-up piece in USA Today on the place of this game in NBA history. Plus more on the crucial defensive contribution of Iguodala.

Earlier in Colorado, the San Francisco Giants were leading 4-1 on the strength of Madison Bumgarner's pitching and Buster Posey's 3-run homer in the first.  Plus some stellar defense.  But as much too usual the bullpen couldn't hold the lead, and the Rockies went ahead 5-4 in the 7th.  But the Rockies bullpen wasn't much good either, and Buster Posey's 3-run homer in the 8th was the big blow but not the last.  The Giants won 10-5.  Variables in the game: Coors Field, the weird wind changes and a strange strike zone. Good to see the Giants' bats wake up in this hitter friendly park.  Bumgarner didn't add to his 6 wins, but the Giants have now won 11 times when he starts.

On Friday, the Giants' first game in Colorado started very badly and got worse.  Matt Cain, finally back to form as a starting pitcher, left in the second with a hamstring strain, and on Saturday went on the DL. The Giants lost 5-2. What's with the Giants and their hammies?  At least they aren't in another concussion epidemic.

  Hunter Pence came back on Saturday, which might have meant that Buster saw better pitches.  Jarrett Parker played left again, and continues to show a strong arm.  He was also part of the 8th inning rally.  If he doesn't go yard on Sunday the trip will be a missed opportunity, but if he can hit breaking balls better he's got a future with SF, and a late season role.

It's been awhile since I've mentioned my Pirates.  They also have been hot, winning 10 out of their last 12.  Buster Olney at ESPN writes that they might just be getting started--they're strong and getting stronger-- and are real competition for the Cubs.  To read exactly why Buster believes this you have to pay your bucks to be an Insider, which I don't and ain't.

And speaking of Pittsburgh, congrats to the Penguins, who came back to win their series and will play in the finals for the Stanley Cup.

Giants Way Up, Dubs Way Down

Jake Peavy didn't get the win on Wednesday afternoon but he earned it.  He gave up one run in 6 2/3 and left leading 2-1.  The Giants added another before Osich gave up an unlikely homer for the tie.  So it took a solid smash to center by Brandon Crawford to finally win it in the 10th, another walk-off, 4-3, finishing a sweep of the Padres.  The Giants are now 9-0 against them this year.

Once again the Giants did this short-handed, but with a great defensive contribution from Kelby Tomlinson playing his second game in left, who threw out a runner at home (he also drove in the first run), and a nice throw from Jarrett Parker, starting in right (Parker is going to see a lot of big league breaking pitches until he shows he can hit them.)  The lineup may be even funkier at the beginning of the upcoming ten game road trip, as Brandon Belt has a mild ankle sprain and might be out for a game or two.

And a game earlier it was yet another 1-0 pitcher's gem--this time by Jeff Samardzija against James Shields--until the Giants erupted late and won 8-2, with a very efficient offensive attack.  Again it was Crawford leading the way.

So the Giants left for Colorado having quietly tied the Cubs for the most wins in the league at 30.  They've won an amazing 13 out of 14 games, and are sitting in first place by five games.

Not such great news for the Golden State Warriors, who lost the fourth game of the Western Conference Finals, once again by a lot, in Oklahoma.  It was the first time this year they lost two games in a row. They're down 3 games to one, and can't lose another.

It's not even improbable for the Dubs to win the next three, but this latest loss can't be entirely blamed on Steph Curry's slump.  Their real problem is that the Thunder now know how to beat them, and so far the Warriors haven't had an answer.  It's too reminiscent of last year's championship finals, when the Dubs figured out how to beat Cleveland in the third game, and never lost again.

 As I mentioned before, the Thunder suddenly became a killer team in the San Antonio series, better than all season. The Warriors are now going to have to prove they are the better team. So whether this is a coaching problem, personnel match-up problem, physical or psychic energy, or all of these, there's no more time for the Warriors to get it right.  Tonight's the night.

Giants Up, Dubs Down

The San Francisco Giants lost the battle of The Two Jakes as Arrieta was his usual invincible self this year and Peavy gave up another big inning against the Cubs.  But the Giants fared much better against the Cubs' second starter, and with their fifth starter, Matt Cain.  Jon Lester had an off game--giving up more runs than in any away game this year, and became the first Cubs pitcher this season to not make it through the fifth inning.

Meanwhile Matt Cain pitched an excellent game against this dangerous lineup, for his first victory this year.  His first hit this year--actually for several years--also was big, as his double drove in two runs.

Then the rotation rotated around to Madison Bumgarner, who pitched a shutout, and the Giants won their home series against the Cubs, 2-1.  Despite not scoring a lot of runs, and even with a jiggered lineup for Cain's game (hamstring strains to Pence and Pagan put Kelby Tomlinson in left field for the first time as a pro) the Giants have won 10 out of their last 11 games.  They've increased their division lead to 4.5 games over both the Dodgers and Rockies, both of them just under .500.

The Cubs still appear to be the most dangerous team in the league over a longer series.  Last year I couldn't figure out how they were winning.  This year it's easier: they have dangerous hitters for power and percentage, an excellent defense, excellent to good starting pitching, and a pretty good bullpen.  They're young and athletic.

For the Giants over the longer haul, the scoring is going to have to pick up.  In this streak they've been saved by one homer each game (except Sunday, when MadBum not only pitched a shutout, he drove in the only run.)  The Giants are learning they can rest and move around starting position players with little or no drop-off.  But their bullpen is still an adventure.  The return of Romo should help, but the jury is out on the rookies, and on Strickland as a potential closer.  Bochy said he's sticking with Peavy--he said the same about Cain, and that's paying off.

In Pittsburgh, beloved former Giants pitcher and current Pirates pitcher Ryan Vogelsong was hit by a pitch and seriously injured.  He was batting when a fastball hit him in the eye area, apparently impacting the orbital bone.

The NBA Western Conference Finals finds the Warriors down 2 games to 1.  So winning the fourth game in Oklahoma looks pretty essential.  The first game was close, the next two were blowouts, one for each team.  That's pretty normal for playoffs.  The historically likely scenario is for the remaining games to be close, and the series to go seven.  The Thunder's advantage is that they don't have to win two games in a row, though that would mean winning two on the road.  The Dubs advantage is home court for a 7th game, but they have to win one away to make that work.

P.S. Good news Monday night for the Western winner: the East Finals will go at least six, meaning that LeBron--who needs to be rested--won't get that extra rest. (Assuming that the Cavs eventually win it, that is.) And yeah, the Giants win 1-0.  No--again.  This time 1-0 behind Cueto's 2 hitter against the Padres at home.  So make it 11 out of the last 12.

Ways to Win

It's been a very good week for the San Francisco Giants.  They swept their seven game road trip, for the first time since 1913, ending it with an 8 game winning streak overall.  Meanwhile the Dodgers were losing, and the Giants go home in first place, 3.5 games ahead.

But the best news for the Giants continued to be starting pitching.  After Peavy and Cain had their best outings, the Big Three at the top of the rotation came within an inning of three complete game victories in a row over the Padres in San Diego.  Bumgarner and Cueto got them, and Samardzija got his victory with 8 strong innings pitched.  And again, the Giants scored just enough runs to win, usually on the back of a single home run: Crawford on Tuesday, Pence on Wednesday, Crawford again on Thursday.

Things may be a little different at home, though.  They host the extremely hot Cubs for three, and match up the end of their rotation with the top of Chicago's.  But Jake Peavy against one of the 2 or 3 best, if not the best pitchers this year--Jake Arieta--should provide some extra motivation for the Giants.

As suggested here last time, the Golden State Warriors went into the Western Conference Finals a little beat up, especially an ineffective Andrew Bogut, and lost a close one to the Oklahoma Thunder in the first game.  The Dubs righted the ship on Wednesday, however, with one of their patented third quarter blowouts that the bench maintained in the fourth.  Steph Curry found a new way to amaze by scoring 15 third quarter points in just over two minutes.

I don't know if it was by design, but that third quarter blitz--the great defense, the unstoppable Curry (who had an 8 point flurry late in the first half, but was relatively quiet the rest of the game)--not only added to their lead but took away the kind of run that Durant and Westbrook had in the first game's third quarter.

Bogut still looked hurt but Festus Ezeli had a very good game, and looks like a good match-up against the Thunder.  Best of all, the Warriors found ways to execute their ball movement offense despite the long-limbed defense of the Thunder.  They also found their own defense and rebounding, and the second unit played more and better--all good signs.  The series could still go 7 but the Warriors in 6 wouldn't surprise me.

Baseball Weekend, NBA Week Ahead

The San Francisco Giants went to Arizona for four games, scored a total of 14 runs including three games of four and under--- and swept the series.  That made five wins in a row, and put them in first place.

 They scattered a home run in each game (two by Panik, one by Pence and one by Trevor Brown) but the big story was starting pitching--not only excellent performances by Cueto and Samardzija but very good innings by Jake Peavy and Matt Cain, each of whom gave up only one run, though neither got a win.  They are beginning to justify Bochy's faith in them through the rough early season.

The Giants still weren't hitting much, and even less with runners on base.  Their defense improved, and despite giving up leads, the relief pitchers ultimately got wins and saves.  But the nature of these games--low-scoring, not many hits---in Arizona's hitter-friendly park was pretty strange.

Meanwhile the Pirates salvaged one game of their 3 game series with the Cubs, the hottest team in baseball.  They spoiled a no-hitter by Lester and won 2-1 behind Cole.

So the Western Conference NBA finals begin Monday, with a different matchup than expected: it's Golden State against the Oklahoma Thunder (and so San Antonio's stellar regular season, largely unnoticed anyway, goes into the forgotten bin.)  In some ways it's tougher for the Dubs, with two monsters to contend with, Westbrook and Durant, both playing at a high level in the playoffs.  The Warriors may also lack a key player, Andrew Bogut, at least for the first game.  With Draymond Green a bit banged up and Steph Curry not 100%, the start could be rocky.  This series could easily go six or seven.   But the Warriors have the upper hand.

Steph V P!

It looked bad.  With Steph Curry peddling a stationary bike on the sideline, the Portland Trailblazers ran out to a huge lead in the opening minutes.  Curry came off the bench and added some points, but the threes weren't falling and the Warriors were down 10 or more.  To make matters worse, Shaun Livingston--who started in Steph's spot--protested an uncalled foul, got a hairtrigger two technicals and was out of the game (his first ejection ever.)  Now there was no prime Steph substitute to spell him if, after two weeks of inaction, he got tired.

Instead Steph got stronger.  With Draymond Green leading a ferocious defense, the Dubs came back, and Steph dropped his first 3 late in the fourth--which became the first of many. The teams traded leads and ended tied.

Curry probably had played more than the coaches had planned for in regulation.  But he'd found his rhythm and took over overtime.  He scored 17 points in OT--the most points any player had ever scored in an overtime period, playoffs or regular season, in NBA history.  

The Dubs go home with a 3-1 series lead...and Curry's second MVP award ceremony in a row.  And it was revealed Tuesday--Curry is the first player in NBA history to be voted MVP unanimously.

Across the Bay the SF Giants managed only one run against Toronto, and spoiled a pretty good Jake Peavy start, to lose 3-1.

Shaky

Lots of MLB teams that ultimately make it to the playoffs and beyond have bad Aprils.  But while the Chicago Cubs are looking like the Golden State Warriors of baseball, the SF Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates aren't looking like playoff teams...yet.

I haven't followed the Pirates closely but their record is just 3 games above .500.  The Cubs are in first place by 7.5 games with the Pirates in second in the NL Central.  The only consolation is that the Cardinals are doing slightly worse, at .500 and in third place.  The Pirates were in good form Sunday, beating the Cards with their old formula of pitching and power, Andrew McCutchen is a notoriously slow starter and they've got key players returning from injuries, so they are still well positioned.

The Giants aren't in bad position either, in their familiar second spot just percentage points behind the Dodgers in the NL West.  But that's mostly because LA has started poorly, and the West is probably the weakest conference in the NL. The Giants too are barely above .500 and it's not because of overpowering competition.  They just aren't playing all that well.

The latest series is an example.  At home against Colorado, with the Rockies' main weapon of home park power hitters somewhat neutralized, they barely managed a split.  In the offseason they concentrated on bolstering their starting rotation, and their two big acquisitions are acquitting themselves well.  But after Bumgarner, Cueto and the Shark, the rotation falls apart.  And the relief corps remains unstable.

So the Giants tied a club record by giving up 12 runs in one inning, and about a weak later actually broke it by giving up 13 runs in one inning.  In their last two games with Colorado they scored a total of 2 runs, and it took until the 13th inning to get that second run.  They ran into some good starting pitching but they also did zilch against a statistically weak Rockies' bullpen.  In Sunday's game they also hobbled themselves by very questionable base-running.  Joe Panik saved the game with a lifetime-highlight play on Saturday, but the defense has been uncharacteristically uneven.  The team also paid for perhaps trying to be a little too smart in overshifts.

It's a long season but so far it's been annoying.  Losses are one thing, but even with flashes of brilliance, the team seems ragged, out of synch.  And, hey, it's May.

Meanwhile the Golden State Warriors won their first two second-round playoff games over Portland without Steph Curry.  Klay Thompson outscored the entire Blazers team in one quarter, very Stephlike.  But in the third game (in Portland) they lost the last three quarters and the game.

 Now fans wait with abated breath to see if Steph returns tonight in Portland, which seems likely, even though he's still listed as doubtful.  They could win the series just by winning at home, and there's a little less pressure now that the Spurs-Thunder series is tied 2-2.  But getting that third win tonight would make things so much easier.

Curry or Not, Here We Come (Continued)

The Warriors led from beginning to end and beat up on the Houston Rockets 114-81 with Steph Curry on the bench, to take the first round of the playoffs 4 games to sort of 1.

Now the Dubs wait for Portland, the likely winner of their series against the LA Clippers.  The Blazers won by ten on Wednesday and lead 3-2, despite the Clips being at home.  Losing their two stars was too much.

It's one thing to close out a first round series without the league's MVP.  To do it by more than 30 points--well, you have to like their chances in the next series, especially since they'll be starting at home in the games most likely to be without Steph.

There were lots of heroes in the Giants 13-9 victory over the Padres to sweep the series and salvage a .500 homestand.  Brandon Belt was a puff of wind short of being the first Giant to hit for the cycle at AT&T Park.  But my player is Gregor Blanco, who came off the bench to hit and especially make a play in the outfield--he actually launched himself horizontally to make the catch.  He's been the guy off the bench for years who saved the Giants time and time again, in the World Series and throughout the seasons.

Okay, Back to Fun, Baseball

Two kinds of fun in baseball: one kind, a tight but exciting 1-0 complete game, with clutch catches, close double-plays and a couple of stealers thrown out at second.  Second kind, a 9-4 blast and a three homer night for a great player.

They both happened with my teams on Tuesday.  The San Francisco Giants won 1-0 behind a masterful complete game by Johnny Cueto, for his 100th career win and a 4-1 record this season.  He's been the Giants' best pitcher.

But it also took a couple of great throws by Buster Posey to cut down base stealers in dangerous situations, and a Crawford-to-Panik-to-Belt double play that was so close it needed a replay. If it had gone against them, the Padres would have scored a run with a chance for more.  Everything really counts in a one run game.  And maybe the best thing--the complete game.  No bullpen needed.

Out in Colorado, Andrew McCutchen hit three homers, two boomers to left center and a line drive to right, to lead the 9-4 attack for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  It was his second career three-homer game, only the fourth Pirates player to do that (and I've seen two of these hit): Ralph Kiner, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell.

Two kinds of fun.  Baseball.

Basketball: The other shoe dropped on the Clippers when it was announced that Blake Griffith is out for the playoffs, as is Chris Paul.  The Clips are at home for their next game with Portland, with that series at 2-2.  If the Warriors advance by beating the Rockets one more time, they'll play the winner of this series next.

Meanwhile, the Warriors' Steve Kerr won Coach of the Year, and his coaching will be tested Wednesday when the Dubs host Houston.  It's the Warriors best chance to win this playoff series, and then also get everybody some rest.  Houston players are sounding desperately confident (or confidently desperate) but the Warriors have plenty of ways to win.

Curry or Not, Here We Come

Officially now, Steph Curry is out and his injury will be evaluated in two weeks.  He slipped on a wet court near halftime of the fourth game in Houston of the first round of playoffs.  He'd already missed two games with an ankle injury, with the Warriors winning one and losing the third game by a single point, on a shot that the NBA later said shouldn't have counted.

 But in that 4th game, the Warriors played an impassioned third quarter and were deadly accurate from threeville. They blew out Houston to come home leading 3 games to 1.

It wasn't only that they pulled together and knew what to do without Curry.  It's also that they saw his tears when he couldn't play.

Now the Warriors face at least another game against Houston and an unknown number of games against their next opponents without their MVP.  About the injury, the two weeks is not definitive, one way or the other.  It's probable some sort of evaluation will be ongoing, and taken seriously in one week.

The Warriors are unlikely to blow through opponents, but they are capable of winning this and the next series without Steph if necessary.  That became really evident Monday night when Portland tied their series with the favored Clippers.  And after some Clippers seemed to greet Curry's injury with glee, they lost their own star--Chris Paul--for an even longer time, with a broken hand. Blake Griffith also left the game injured.

Klay Thompson will have to step up and nobody else can be injured. Now the depth of this team, and especially the things they do in practice that they don't get to do in games, will be front and center. The Warriors are coming, and other teams should beware.  Steph Curry's tears may not be as strong as his court presence, but they are going to make a difference.

It depends on how the conversation starts.  How about those Giants? means the SF club is playing well and winning.  What about those Giants? means something else.

The Miami Marlins came to town just in the nick of time, after the Giants were swept at home in a four game series with Arizona.  But their inability to score a tying run with the bases loaded and no outs spoiled what should have been a sweep against a much weaker team.  (Though the Marlins beat LA the next night.)

Still, that series exposed the main weak point of the Giants now.  The Marlins, the Padres are relatively weak teams especially in the bullpen stocked with rookies coming and going through the swinging door.  Unfortunately though, so are the Giants.

Some of these kids are stars of the future, but it's not the future yet.  In the present the Giants are depending on them, and so the late innings of every game are suddenly up for grabs. The remaining (uninjured) veterans are not so dependable either. And third year Hunter Strickland is so far not turning out to be the closer in waiting he was hoped to be.  The starting rotation is getting into a groove, and the young arms in the bullpen are showing flashes of brilliance, but things still are askew.

It's certainly not all bad.  Casilla got his 100th save, Angel Pagan is having a career month, and Gregor Blanco continues to be excellent whenever called upon. And maybe it's that I'm getting too used to the brilliance of Duffy, Panik, Pence etc. but somehow, so far this year, this team still seems out of synch.  Maybe it's just April.

Stephless in Houston?

After outscoring Houston in the first quarter all by himself in the first game of the playoffs, Steph Curry left the action later in the game with an ankle injury that also kept him out of the second.  Golden State won both.  The difference was that they blew out Houston early in the first, but pulled significantly ahead late in the second.

Without Steph, they need tighter ball control and defense, and they need Klay Thompson and at least one other shooter to get hot.  They got all of that in the second game, and more.

Now the series moves to Houston, and Steph wants to play in the third game.  Will he?  Nobody associated with Golden State, including fans, would be upset if he didn't.  The ankle has to be strong, not just playable, because further injury might be disastrous.  Steph wants to stay sharp, and the team would probably like to sweep.  But a return for the fourth game on Sunday wouldn't bother anyone, regardless of what happens in the third game.

Whether Houston even wants to play is an open question.  Harden and Howard are not destined to be teammates much longer.

In baseball, both the Pirates and Giants have significantly cooled off since their fast starts.  Right now if the Giants didn't have bad luck, they wouldn't have any luck at all.  They held veterans back in spring training to prevent injuries, which seemed to work--for a week or so.  Now they are hit hard by injuries, particularly among relief pitchers, and their veterans show some signs of rust, with less than stellar fielding and pitching.

But two games lost on double play balls that were instead errors, and then a game that was won with the closer on the mound and just one strike to go but eventually lost in 11 innings?  That's just weird.

Romo and Kontos are on the DL.  Chris Heston was apparently so ineffective in short relief that he was sent down.  The bullpen is getting younger fast.  So far the new starting pitching acquisitions are doing well.  The lowly flu is hampering Bumgarner still, and the veteran back end of the rotation is having a rough time, as was feared.  But Matt Cain giving up three runs really doesn't matter if the Giants can't score at all.

#24 and #73

What an amazing night for basketball fans.

It was the wonder of the past and of the future, both dazzling in the present moment.

After 20 years, Kobe Bryant played his last NBA game Wednesday night. Older and coming off injuries, his farewell tour performances were often cameos, in the worst Lakers season in their history, breaking last year's record.  But in several games late in the season, there were flashes of the old Kobe.  He scored in the 30 point range a few times.

Wednesday the Lakers were playing Utah, a team that until game time was hoping for a playoff berth, but Houston had nabbed it.  The Lakers players fed Kobe the ball and urged him to shoot just about every time down the court.  But these advantages mean nothing unless you make the baskets.  And Kobe did.  Drives to the hoop, steals and one-man fast breaks, and three pointers.  He hit two three pointers in the last minute and a half of the game, to give the Lakers their first lead.  And improbably, they won.

Even more improbably, Kobe Bryant had scored 60 points in his last NBA game, 23 in the fourth quarter alone.  Nobody his age had ever scored even 40 in their last NBA game.  Kobe, who once scored 81 and had a string of 50 plus nights, hasn't scored 60 since 2009.  He retires as the NBA's third leading scorer.  He was praised before the game by Magic Johnson.  He even hugged Shaq, who was one of Kobe's former teammates on hand for the occasion.

Now Kobe is past.  But the future is at Golden State.

The Golden State Warriors won their 73rd game, breaking the single season record for victories nobody thought would ever be broken.  They had to win their last four games to do it, including two against another team having a remarkable year, the San Antonio Spurs.

Steph Curry scored 46 points, including 10 three pointers.  The record for 3 pointers in a season was set last year (by Curry) at 289.  Earlier this season Curry became the first NBA player to hit 300.  And Wednesday, he became the first to hit more than 400.  He finished the regular season with 402.

This storybook season ended where it should have, at home at Oracle Arena.

Next weekend the Warriors begin the playoffs as the top seed, beginning their quest for a second championship in a row.   That's their immediate future, with a pretty bright future as a team.

What a night for basketball.

#72

It had to be the most important regular season win in Golden State Warriors history that didn't have direct playoff implications.  Their victory over the Spurs in San Antonio meant they tied for the single season victory record of 72 wins.  They cinched the first time in NBA history that a team did not lose two games in a row, and/or without losing twice to the same team.

Their victory in San Antonio was Golden State's first since 1997, and it ended the Spurs' bid to become the first team to win out at home (though they could still tie the record for the most home wins in a season.)  The Warriors also set an NBA record with 34 road wins in a season.

Though the game had no direct playoff implications--it didn't change the seeding etc.--it sent a powerful message to the Spurs.  The Spurs lost three times to the Dubs this season, including twice in three games. The Warriors beat them despite playing a tough game less than 24 hours earlier, in Memphis.  The Spurs can no longer count on beating them at home.  And it told the Warriors that with Bogut in the lineup, they can be competitive with the Spurs even in San Antonio.

Bogut's presence was crucial, but it was Green's defense and a return to shooting form and audacity by Steph Curry that made the difference in today's game.  Other players like Thompson and Barnes made key shots--and generally it was the kind of team effort that is the Warriors at their best.

One victory like this changes the story.  Recent struggles can be seen as learning experiences, partly due to reintegrating players back from injuries.  A victory like today's reignites the confidence that can buoy them through the playoffs.

Especially if they come out with crispness and confidence to defeat Memphis when they go for the record 73rd win at their home arena on Wednesday.  As unlikely as that possibility may have sounded at the beginning of the season, or a few days ago.  Just think what it must be like to have tickets to that game!

And if you are counting, Steph Curry made 4 3s today, for a season total of 389. [Update: My math seems to be off here.  It was more like 392.] Reaching 400 is an unlikely but possible feat still, though the least meaningful of these records and benchmarks.  After all, nobody has even hit 300 before.

In San Francisco, Johnny Cueto learned some of the major advantages of becoming a Giant.  He had a terrible first inning against the Dodgers, giving up 5 runs.  But Bruce Bochy did not take him out.  Even in the fifth, with two men on and two out, Bochy did not pinch-hit for him, and his at-bat ended the inning in what had become a tight game.

After the first, Cueto settled down and pitched well for the next six innings but he had given up six runs.  Still, he left the field to a standing ovation.  It was his first game in San Francisco as a Giant, and how could he not feel welcomed by that?

The Giants came back fairly quickly in the game courtesy of homers by Buster Posey and Brandon Belt, then again on a homer by Angel Pagan, before Joe Panik broke it open with a double.  The Giants won 9-6, to take 3 out of 4 from the Dodgers.

A word about Pagan.  Some commentators watching him last season came to the opinion that he's washed up.  But as I noted here, he was playing hurt, and it hurt his play.  But he did it to help the team.  This year he was asked to play left field instead of center, and he has done that without complaint and so far with success.  His speed and power are back.  He's been instrumental in several wins so far.  Angel Pagan is a true Giant and a tremendous asset to this team.

The Great Escape

The Golden State Warriors won their 71st of the season with a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, and escaped Memphis with a one point win, 100-99.

It was another horrible shooting night for Steph Curry, and by now this repetition might be concerning for the playoffs.  He was especially off on 3s, going into the locker room at half time with five misses and no made 3.  He made a crucial one in the fourth quarter, but in the last seconds he had two opportunities to seal the win and missed them both.  He ended up with 3, barely continuing his streak of games with made 3s, and making the mark of 400 in a season less likely.  (He's at 385, so it's not impossible.)

But he contributed in other ways, with assists, and in the final seconds, on defense. It looked as though he blocked or altered what could have been the winning shot.

Steve Kerr held Andrew Bogut out, and that makes the victory more impressive because Bogut has become so essential on both ends.  So Bogut will be fresh for San Antonio, where he did not play last time because of injury, and his absence was crucial in that loss.

So Golden State can still make history, and they will need to make a bunch of it on Sunday, handing the Spurs their first home loss of the season, and breaking their own decades-long losing streak in San Antonio.  If they do, they will tie the single season record for wins, with a chance to break it at home, against that Memphis team they barely beat today.

The San Francisco Giants almost escaped with another win over the Dodgers--they were leading 2-1 in the ninth with one out and a double-play ball on its way to the day's second baseman Kelby Tomlinson.  But it was starting to rain again in a rain-delayed game, and the ball was doing funny things in the wet infield.  It took just one weird bounce to tie the game, and the Dodgers--who had left runners in scoring position all day--finally cashed one in, and eventually won 3-2.

Neither Bumgarner nor Kershaw got a decision.  Kershaw pitched the more efficient game but Bumgarner showed flashes of his typical dominance, and left with the lead.  Part of that lead came from what everybody will talk about from this game--Bumgarner's laser shot home run off Kershaw, the only pitcher to ever ding him more than once.

The 4-0 Pittsburgh Pirates lost their first game of the season, with ace Gerritt Cole again failing to beat Cinncy.

Wild MLB Night, Unfair NBA sked

Think you've seen it all?  On Friday the San Francisco Giants played 10 innings, got not a single, not a double, not a triple, and won the game against the LA Dodgers 3-2.  They were no-hit for 7 plus innings.  They got just two hits in total, but they both happened to be home runs.

Ross Stripling, the Dodgers afterthought of a fifth starter, starting his first MLB game, dazzled the Giants.  He had a no-hitter going in the 8th.  But he was showing signs of wildness and after he walked Pagan on his 100th pitch, new Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took him out, reportedly on front office instruction.

The next batter was second string catcher Trevor Brown, brought up in late summer for a look last year, and who won the backup job in spring training.  He had never hit a major league home run.

But if you've noticed, the 8th inning is home run inning for the Giants this year. And Brown lofted one off reliever Chris Hatcher.  When you're being no-hit, a 2-0 score against you looks huge.  One swing and the game was tied.

Shortly afterwards Roberts went nuts and got thrown out of the game.  The Dodgers had chances but couldn't score.  First batter in the bottom of the 10th was Brian Crawford, who smoked an opposite field line drive over the left field fence.  Game over.

Roberts' decision was the butt of jokes on the Internet even before then.  In baseball terms he was trying to save the arm of a young pitcher who had never even approached 100 pitches before.  But imagine the noise in LA this weekend.

Lost in the fireworks (and there were scheduled fireworks at the Giants yard) was a strong start by Matt Cain.  He kept the Giants in the game through 6.

This game was played in the mist and rain.  The Pirates played in frigid Cinncy.  They fell behind but were powered to the win by Sterling Marte's first grand slam. His swing on this was beautiful.  Wearing a black face mask against the cold, he looked like Batman or maybe the Lone Ranger rounding the bases.

Tomorrow the Giants go for the sweep with Madison Bumgarner against Kershaw. More good news for the Giants--agreement on a long-term contract for first baseman Brandon Belt.

In the NBA, the SA Spurs played their subs in Denver and almost but not quite pulled off the win.  But the loss coupled with the loss at Golden State in their previous game means that the Warriors are the only team not to lose two in a row so far this year.

The Warriors play in Memphis Saturday and in San Antonio Sunday.  This is their second game in San Antonio this year, and the second time it is the second of road back-to-back games.  When the Spurs went to Golden State in January, they had two days off after their game a few hundred miles away in LA.  They had a day off before the Warriors came to San Antonio--the Warriors played in Dallas the night before.  They had a day off between road games when they came to Golden State on April 7.  And they will have a day off between a road game and their home game against the Warriors on Sunday.  Don't seem fair, do it?

#70 and #1

Golden State Warriors with a "convincing" win over the Spurs became the second team in NBA history to record their 70th victory in a season.  Perhaps more importantly, they secured the #1 seed and home court throughout the playoffs.

They also avoided back to back losses, and Steph Curry's shooting recovered. They took advantage of a Spurs injury to run a big lead.

These teams each have a game with another opponent before they meet again in San Antonio.  The Warriors visit S.A. again one day after a game in another city.  According to their coaches, the Spurs will rest their starters for the next game (in Denver) before returning them against the Warriors at home.  Popovich says this strategy has nothing to do with the opponent, nor the home winning streak.  Sure.  Right.

However, with the #1 seed accomplished, the Warriors will meet as a team Friday to decide if any of the starters will be held back from the next three games.  If it is up to the players (and it seems to be at the moment) then it's not likely.

So Golden State has to beat Memphis twice, a dangerous team and the kind that the Warriors have fallen to this season.  In between, a day after their game in Memphis Saturday, they go to San Antonio.  They must win out to break the record. Smart money is on them losing in San Antonio (although if they run out to a big lead, those Spurs starters might get another rest.)  But if the Warriors win in San Antonio Sunday it could well be the biggest regular season victory in their history.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Giants took their home opener against the Dodgers.  The Dodgers had shut out the Padres for their first three games, and in this game were an inning shy of the record for consecutive shutout innings to open the season.  But once the Giants scored, they kept on going, and won 12-6.  Hunter Pence hit a grand slam in the eighth (their big homer inning so far this year), Joe Panik tripled, Kelby Tomlinson had a pinch hit single, and the Giants had 17 hits. Jake Peavy started, had 5 labored innings, and Chris Heston won in relief.

Game On

It's game on at Oracle tonight.  Both the Warriors and Spurs have big stakes to play for, and the word is that the Spurs will not rest its starters.  The Warriors must win out to get the single season record, but the higher stakes are the top seed in the playoffs.  The Spurs can help their cause by beating the Warriors twice, starting tonight.

Also on the line: the Warriors have not lost two games in a row this season, though now they've lost two out of their last three.  The Spurs also haven't lost back to back (though they also have lost two out of three during the season, but not recently.)

Everyone will be watching Steph Curry.  Was his horrendous shooting night against Minnesota a fluke, or is he facing shooting woes the equivalent of his miraculous shooting for most of the season?

Fascinating that while the Warriors broke several regular season records already, the Spurs may quietly break some significant ones that the Warriors couldn't.  They still can win out at home for the entire season (while the Warriors have recently lost twice), and tonight the no back-to-back losses record is in play for the Warriors.

Baseball: The Giants sent their first off-season pitching acquisition to the mound yesterday.  Jeff S. pitched smart and even without his best stuff managed a 3 run no-decision (the Giants ultimately lost 4-3.)  But that was better than the pitcher he essentially replaced, Mike Leake.  Leake (who got a humugous contract) started for the Cardinals for the first time, in Pittsburgh, and had a terrible game.  He walked in a run and was otherwise ineffective as the Pirates swept their central division rivals (one of them anyway).

Train Wreck at Oracle; Giants, Pirates Looking Good

It had to be one of the worst shooting nights of Steph Curry's life, as he not only had a horrendous first quarter but blew shot after shot in the fourth quarter and in overtime, and the Warriors suffered a stunning defeat vs. Minnesota.  It was the first time this season that they've been ahead by 15 points at any time of the game, and lost.

Now the 73 win season looks much farther away--they have to win out, which means winning two games against the Spurs, one of them in San Antonio.  And two games over Memphis, a depleted team which nevertheless shocked the Bulls who are (or were) fighting for a playoff spot.

Thanks the gods for baseball starting.  The San Francisco Giants are undefeated!  They won their first game on hitting and the second on impressive pitching.  The front office look like geniuses since a lot of the hitting was done by acquisition Denard Span, and the pitching by acquisition Johnny Queto.  The whole team looks good--but they are playing Milwaukee, expected to have a terrible season.

The Pirates are also undefeated but their record is even more impressive because they've won their first two games against division rival St. Louis, the second in 11 innings.  And in the unusual cold at PNC Park.

In Sight

The Warriors scored 136--their highest point total of the season--to beat Portland for their 69th victory. Though it was close most of the way, the Warriors pulled ahead in the fourth with a tremendous burst that it seems only they are capable of. In the course of the game, Steph Curry hit the 1,000 3 pointer for the team this season, another record.  And they keep another record possibility in hand--no back to back losses.

Their next victory will be the one the Bulls chased 20 years ago: 70.  Only that Bulls team ever had more.

The interesting factor in this game was the return of Ezeli, who started in place of injured Bogut.  He did enough for them to win.  That's a good sign.

San Antonio won at home Saturday, and set a franchise record with their 64th win.
The Spurs also have not lost two games in a row this year, so it's entirely possible that this record will be broken by both teams.

The Spurs have but two remaining home games.  If they win them, they will be the first team to win out at home for an entire season.  One of those two is the Warriors, the other is Oklahoma.  Both teams have beaten them on their home courts.  For all the buzz about the Spurs resting players, can they pass up the opportunity to complete this record in the 3rd and second-to the last games of the year?  I'd be surprised if they did.  Their last game is at Dallas, and they can rest their starters then.  The Warriors on the other hand may well be playing for their 73rd win on the last day of the season, at home.

But the more intriguing possibility is this: if the Warriors win their home games against Minn. and the Spurs at home, and then their away game in Memphis, they will be playing for their 73rd win...in San Antonio.

And as the NBA season nears its end, it's time to play ball! on the MLB diamonds.  The traditional opener featuring St. Louis was on Sunday in Pittsburgh, won by their rival--and another of the elder franchises--the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1, on the dominant arm of Francisco Liriano.

The San Francisco Giants open in Milwaukee on Monday.  The team's biggest boast of the spring is that they emerged healthy.  It appears that some players--notably Denard Span--were brought along so slowly that they may need real games to get up to speed.  But the waiting is over.  Now it begins.

Wrinkles in Time for the Warriors-- and the Spurs

Golden State's loss to the Celtics on Friday night shakes up the rest of the regular season schedule, possibly for the Spurs as well as the Warriors.

The loss meant that the Warriors will not be the first team to win out at home for an entire season.  But the Spurs still can be.

The loss also means the Warriors must win one of its two remaining meetings with the Spurs to surpass the Bulls' season record by one game.

It also means that the Warriors will have to win one of its remaining two road games, either at San Antonio (where this Warriors team, like many before it, has not won) or in Memphis.  And of course, win out at home against Portland, Minnesota--and the Spurs.

What both the Warriors and to a lesser extent the Spurs do about resting their starters will likely be determined game-by-game by outcomes.  If the Warriors lose more than one game, Steve Kerr may well opt for rest.That will also depend on when the Warriors clinch the best overall record, giving them home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Which will also factor in whether or when the Spurs rest their vets.

Now the Warriors cannot tie the record by winning their home game against the Spurs.  That might lessen the pressure on the Spurs, and they might rest their veterans for that game.

But the game in San Antonio might be different.  If the Spurs haven't lost at home at that point, they would be highly motivated to go all out to win over the Warriors, so they can be the first team to win out for an entire season.  If the Warriors still have the 73 win possibility, they too will send out their starters.  But if either or both conditions don't pertain, this game may well be played by backups.

As for the Celtics game, the Warriors most prominent vulnerability was in evidence: turnovers.   Also the loss of Andrew Bogut in the second half allowed Boston to keep pace offensively.  Steph Curry and the team made adjustments to free Curry in the second half, but Klay Thompson was stifled--that's a problem.  Still, the tying shot rattled off the rim at the end of the gain, and there wasn't enough time for Curry to reload.  

In the end, of course, it's one game at a time.  And Sunday's game against Portland is no gimme, especially with Bogut listed as questionable, and neither Iguodala or Ezeili apparently ready to play.

Tonight's Challenge (Update: Met!)

As the season record gets closer, Golden State Warriors are doing what is expected of a great team--winning against inferior opponents at home.  (Although as more teams adopt their style of play, no game is safe.)  In a few hours they face one of the remaining obvious tests: less than 24 hours after their home victory Tuesday, they are playing in a different time zone and altitude, in Utah.  If they win this game, the record comes more than a game nearer.

After the game....

The Warriors victory over the Jazz in overtime may be their most significant win in months.  This was not only one of their biggest remaining tests of the regular season run at the record (and possibly their biggest), it may be their last playoff preview.

This is especially true if--as Tony Parker is saying--coach Popovich rests his starters in the remaining two Spurs games with the Warriors.  (Cautioning that such player statements have been tactical misdirections before. If the Spurs are still undefeated at home when the Warriors arrive, I don't see them giving that game away.)

This game showed two things.  The first is the basis of everything: the Warriors as a team have no significant weaknesses in their game. (Of course this game was not the first time this was exhibited.)  They can play defense, they can score in every way, they rebound, they steal, they block shots and they make their foul shots. They can protect the ball (though there have been more games lately when turnovers were higher than they should be.) And they are, as Steve Kerr likes to say, very competitive.  They will exploit any weakness of the other team.

The second is that even though they were playing at Utah altitude after getting there at 4 a.m. from a tough game at home, and were probably physically as well as mentally weary, they pulled up from their reserves the skills and effort to win.  The game in regulation was uneven, but they ran away with overtime--especially Steph Curry.  He wore the Utah defenses down.

 It all bodes well for the playoffs, and, oh yeah, the Record. It was their 68th win, the most in franchise history, one game shy of the Lakers record that the Bulls broke.  They can tie that one on Friday when the Boston Celtics come to Oracle Arena--a streaky team that's got a pretty good record, coming in for their second of a road back to back.