TERRY MOSHER
You can thank the NBA for the 2016 championship series heading toward seven games. This series might have been over last night if the NBA had in its infinite wisdom not suspended Draymond Green for the game because of his physical contact with superstar LeBron James in game four.
Draymond Green would have slowed James, who poured in 41 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers escaped elimination with a 112-97 victory over Golden State in Oakland.
I don’t care what Steve Kerr and the Warriors say, and they say the lost of Green was not the reason they lost, I think they lost because Green wasn’t there to lend his toughness and, yes, his sometimes dirty play.
If you think Green is the only one who is playing dirty, you are not paying close attention. Steph Curry is getting hammered every time down the court. They double team him, and when they do they are not politely asking if they can touch him, and they bounce him around as he runs through the lane and to the corner, and it’s not pretty when they bounce him. Count the elbows and the hips and the legs that seem to get stuck on Curry as he speeds past defenders and you will need more than two hands to count the times he is brutalized.
I will give James credit, though. I have been hammering on him for not playing tough, for backing away when he drives the lane, and often passing off when he should just use his brute strength and power to make defenders pay and continue on with his shot instead of making the pass.
Last night, James, without Mean Green hounding him, drove to the basket unmercifully and with a lot of success. And when he did stop and pulled up for a 15-foot jumper, he was money.
And what can you say about Kyrie Irving without crowning him the Pope? Man, he was unbelievable as he also poured in 41 points, often on drives and then turnaround short bank shots that always seemed to softly swirl into the net. But he also was money on threes.
I don’t think you can expect James to go off again on Thursday when game six is played in Cleveland. Green will be there to put his angry tension and extreme competitive nature up against the Great One, and I would be shocked to see Irvin look again like the great pool hustler Willie Mosconi running the pool table again and again and again. There has to be a drop-off for both of them.
But I do expect the Cavaliers to win and force game seven back in Oakland on Sunday, just in time for Father’s Day. I’m sure the NBA’s bean counters are going to be happy with that. It’s what the NBA wanted, and they got it with the Green suspension.
As for the Mariners, they appear to have come back to reality. They hit their zenith on May 25 with a 13-3 win over Oakland that pulled their record to 28-18… Since then, the Mariners have lost 11 of 17 and are threatening to fall into third place in the American League West behind the surging Houston Astros who have won 13 of their last 20.
The so-called experts, who said the Mariners would finish even this baseball season with an 81-81 record, are probably going to be close. Baseball is a long season and it is not wise to predict greatness when a team is in the first year of almost a total remake, and not just on the baseball diamond but in the front office.
But it’s fun to watch this team. There are a couple heroes emerging in Dae-Ho Lee, the Korean with the big leg kick and the big belly that hits them high and long, and Leonys Martin, who covers centerfield almost as well as Ken Griffey Jr. did. Maybe as well.
Of course, Robinson Cano is having the year many thought he should have when he signed that huge 240-million contract three years ago. He has 18 home runs, which is 15 shy of his career high he hit in 2012 in his next-to-last year with the Yankees. Maybe he will hit 45 this year, and if he stays hot and the pitching staff gets back together with the King leading it, it’s possible that there may be more than 81 wins with this club.
I wouldn’t count on it, though. As I said, it’s extremely rare for a team to flourish the first year of a new regime.
A lot of people are already beginning to predict great things for the Seahawks this NFL season. I would be careful with that. Football is a very violent sport and with that much violence injuries can happen quickly and if I was a handicapper I wouldn’t touch a prediction of a football team with a ten-foot pole.
Instead, just cross your fingers and say a prayer that the motor that drives the Seahawks – little Russell Wilson ‑survives the season without injury. If he can stay healthy, anything could happen.
But I’m not going to bet on it.
Hey, it’s time for me to take a rest. I get whacked out with our divisive politics this presidential campaign season and if a certain crooked businessman wins in November I need to be ready to find a home in Canada.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day
You are loved.