Braxton Miller was the first quarterback to speak at Ohio State's national championship celebration. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Braxton Miller stood behind the podium, chuckled a bit and lowered his head as 45,000 people anticipated some kind of answer about the quarterback's future at Ohio State.

Before Miller spoke Urban Meyer whispered something in his ear. Then Miller offered this:

"It's a privilege and an honor to be a part of this national championship team. Guess what? We've got another year to do it."

Was that it? Was that Miller definitively saying he would be returning to Ohio State for a fifth season after missing this entire year?

The setting would have been perfect. Ohio State was putting a bow on its national championship season during a celebration at Ohio Stadium, and Meyer gave Miller the honor of being the first quarterback to address the crowd. Before J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, the other two quarterbacks who make up the rest of "The Magnificent Three" as Meyer called them, Miller got to speak about what this championship meant to him.

Miller's brief remarks were surely encouraging to anyone who wants to see the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year come back for one more year. But is that what he was saying?

View full sizeOhio State quarterbacks (L-R) J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones, and Braxton Miller on stage at a celebration of their national championship at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.Thomas Ondrey, The Plain Dealer 

"I guess that's what he said," Meyer said after the celebration. "I don't know. We've been talking all along. It's a unique situation, which we'll cover that later."

That's a different answer than Meyer has offered at earlier points this year.

Jones announced he was coming back last week after leading Ohio State to its national championship win over Oregon. Barrett told his high school coach he expects all three quarterbacks to be back in 2015.

But Miller's future is still murky.

Jones was the last of the quarterbacks to speak, and as he stood there flanked on each side by Miller and Barrett, it was clear just how complex this situation is.

It would make sense that neither Miller nor Meyer are ready to definitively say Miller will be back this year. It's likely neither knows at this point.

It just so happened that Ohio Stadium was built on the banks of the Olentangy. Or, as Saturday's celebration of the national championship showed, maybe it was more than happenstance.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The river that runs by Ohio Stadium defines the championship Ohio State Buckeyes who play inside it, as much as the estimated 45,000 fans who gathered on the field and in the stands Saturday morning hailed them in 30-degree cold.

The scoreboard clock in the Horseshoe read "20:14," in tribute to the championship season, but the Buckeyes were spinning it forward as they spoke about repeating.

That included Braxton Miller, the injured and graduated quarterback. "We have another year to do it," he said.

Soon, the sing-song "Zeeeeeeeke" chant for running back Ezekiel Elliott, the Most Valuable Player in the national semifinal game and the title game, was as big a part of the morning as "Hang on, Sloopy."

"It was my idea to hold this at the Schott (Schottenstein Center, home of the basketball team) because it might be cold," said coach Urban Meyer. Athletic director Gene Smith said there wasn't enough room, Meyer related.

"These Buckeyes fans are nuts," Smith told him.

The field wasn't snow-covered; the wind chill wasn't three degrees below zero; and linebacker Cie Grant didn't sing "Carmen Ohio" a cappella, as in the celebration here after the 2002 national championship.

The whole team sang it this time, as part of their band of brothers mantra. But the joy was just as pronounced now as then, and the Horseshoe was clearly the only setting for the celebration.

How many times did you hear "Welcome to Ohio Stadium, on the banks of the Olen-TAN-gee" in the booming baritone cadences and southern accent of Keith Jackson? Many of us recall ABC's "voice of college football" saying that as much as anything except "Whoa, Nellie!", which Jackson actually didn't say anywhere near as often as you think.

It is a good thing Jackson never tried to call the Olentangy by its original Delaware Indian name of "Keenhongsheconsepung," or else his tongue might have needed paramedics to resuscitate it. Because of the prevalence of sharp-edged shale in the river, the name translates to "stone for your knife stream." Or, alternatively, "sharp, more and more, tool river."

(Give it up for the Delawares, those smooth phrase-makers.)

The Olentangy is seldom very deep or swift. It was a mud flat for much of 2013. But it's not the water, or its lack, that symbolized the national championship anyway.

It is the shale on the riverbed. Glacial ice crushed and cut the rocks. The processes of weight and pressure left sharp stones that would put an edge on any weapon.

The 2014 Buckeyes had to win 11 straight games just to squeeze into the inaugural College Football Playoff as the fourth and lowest seed. They were underdogs in each of their last three games. They were one-touchdown underdogs in the last two.

They won those three games with their third-string quarterback, Glenville's Cardale Jones, at the helm of the offense. They played nine sophomores in key roles, the equal of the famous "Super Sophomores" of 1968.

Despite the deep respect and near-man crush Meyer had on defensive lineman John Simon in 2012 and, to only a slightly lesser extent, safety Christian Bryant in 2013, senior leadership is no more important in Meyer's scheme than development of underclassmen.

Ohio State won with intangibles such as camaraderie and selflessness, as well as with the tangible of the most remarkable improvement in a single season that Meyer said he had ever seen a team make from first game to last.

This is where the river ran through it.

"You never know how competitive they are until you get in the grinder with them, and they are grinders and they are competitors," Meyer said of his resurgent, resilient team this season.

The Buckeyes won almost everything, except the Virginia Tech game, their first home game. Perhaps they hadn't quarried the Olentangy yet.

After Virginia Tech, they won in ice (or snow, anyway) at the bitterly cold Minnesota game, under pressure at Michigan State and in the three postseason games, and with the weight on their shoulder pads of their failure one step short of the national championship game last season.

We only see the result, not the process. Other than geologists, no one realizes the ice made the river rocks, and the rocks made the grindstones, and the "knives" made the chipper into which Ohio State fed Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, Alabama's Amari Cooper and Oregon's Marcus Mariota.

Those players finished second, third, and first, respectively, in the Heisman Trophy voting.

"I've always been very respectful of those guys who are grinders. I consider myself a grinder," Meyer once said.

Outside, only a couple of Cam Johnston punts away, the river rolled on, grinding toward next season and new weapons.

10 moments that stood out during Ohio State's national championship celebration at Ohio Stadium. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ten moments that stood out from Ohio State's National Championship celebration on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

1. The first player to address the crowd was receiver Evan Spencer, whom Urban Meyer officially named a team captain to the 45,000 fans in attendance on Saturday. Meyer has referred to Spencer as one of the most important players on the team throughout the season.

On Saturday, Meyer declared Spencer the team's MVP, pointing out a series of plays from the Sugar Bowl win over Alabama. Spencer threw a touchdown pass, threw a key block on Ezekiel Elliott's 85-yard touchdown and caught the Crimson Tide's onside kick attempt at the end of the game.

2. All three quarterbacks shared the podium, a telling sign of the Buckeyes' quarterback situation and what Meyer called "one of the most intriguing stories in the history of college football."

Braxton Miller was the first to speak.

"Guess what? We've got another year to do it," Miller said. Was that an indication that he'll be returning next year?

View full sizeOhio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer holds The Coaches' Trophy from the American Football Coaches Association.Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer

3. This may be the era of the College Football Playoff, but the crystal football isn't dead. Meyer and the Buckeyes were presented championship trophies from the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association.

The AFCA presented the Buckeyes with the Coaches' Trophy, the crystal football that was once awarded to the winner of the BCS National Championship and is now given to the team that finishes No. 1 in the final coaches' poll.

4. Not only was this a celebration of Ohio State's sixth national championship, it was also a big recruiting weekend. Members of the Class of 2015 on official visits, and prospects from 2016 were in attendance on Saturday.

5. The Florida boy in Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa came out. After offering a trademark shrug adjusting his hair to make sure it looked good, Bosa started his remarks with, "How are you guys out here right now? It's freezing."

Bosa and Elliott were introduced by Meyer as members of "The Super Sophomores," a throwback to the 1968 national title team that was powered by a strong sophomore class.

6. Those weren't boos you were hearing. When Meyer introduced co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, the crowd broke into "Luuuuke" chants.

"In my 19 years at Ohio State, I never went through a season quite like this," Fickell said. "It's been an unbelievable run."

7. The first player introduced by Meyer was St. Ignatius grad and former Ohio State walk-on Nick Sarac. Sarac, a future doctor, didn't speak but was recognized for giving up his scholarship for another player who needed it.

View full sizeRunning back Ezekiel Elliott screams with fans during the national championship celebration.Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer 

8. During Elliott's time at the podium, the stadium's video board crew imposed Elliott's crop top jersey over his body. Elliott raised both hands in the air and screamed when he saw the screen.

9. In a videotaped message, Columbus mayor Michael B. Coleman announced that the intersection of Lane Avenue and High Street in Columbus will be re-named "The Undisputed Way."

"Every time someone sees that sign, they'll know the Ohio State Buckeyes are the undisputed national champions," Coleman said.

10. As players left the stage at the conclusion of the ceremony, left tackle Taylor Decker grabbed the microphone and announced to the crowd for everyone to follow him on Twitter.

His handle is @TDeck68, for what it's worth.

Check out the video highlighting Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes at their final ceremony for their College Football Playoff success. Watch video

COLUMBUS -- Columbus will help people remember Ohio State's 2014 football season with a sign at the corner of High Street and Lane Avenue that dubs the street "Undisputed Way."

That's for the Buckeyes undisputed College Football Playoff National Championship locked down with a 42-20 win over Oregon on Jan. 12.

If you weren't among the 45,000 fans estimated by Ohio State to have shown up at Ohio Stadium on Saturday for the celebration of this 14-1 season, catch up on all the highlights here.

Receiver Evan Spencer, quarterbacks Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, tight end Jeff Heuerman, defensive end Joey Bosa, running back Ezekiel Elliott, head coach Urban Meyer, co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner and athletic director Gene Smith all spoke to the crowd. So did several politicians.

Check out the highlight video from Saturday. And realize that Ohio State's spring football game is less than three months away.

 

Follow live coverage of Saturday's action at Dunk 4 Diabetes boys basketball showcase.

Follow live coverage of Saturday's action at Dunk 4 Diabetes boys basketball showcase.

Watch interviews with some of your favorite Indians from today and yesterday at Tribe Fest this weekend.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Northeast Ohio Media Group's Zack Meisel and Chris Fedor hosted a live broadcast from Tribe Fest at Progressive Field on Saturday morning.

Watch the program in two parts, below.

Part 2: Interviews with Goodyear, AZ Mayor Georgia Lord, Tribe beat writer Paul Hoynes, Indians GM Chris Antonetti, manager Terry Francona and pitcher Trevor Bauer.

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

Part 1: Interviews with Indians senior director of communications Curtis Danburg and former pitchers Dennis Martinez and Charles Nagy

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

There are two remaining sessions of Tribe Fest, featuring autograph sessions, clubhouse tours and more, this weekend: today from 4-8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Vote for your favorite moment from Saturday in our poll and see Ari, Bill and Doug talk the 2014 football season for the last time. Watch video

COLUMBUS -- You won't be getting rid of us.

It's time to really dive into Ohio State's basketball season, with Indiana visiting Columbus on Sunday.

Football's National Signing Day is just around the corner on Feb. 4 and the Buckeyes might have another recruit or two to bag.

We'll start breaking down next season's roster with a series starting Monday, as we assesses the potential 2015 two-deep position group by position group.

And though Bill and Ari are back from their Excellent Adventure through Texas and the South, they have a couple more stories you won't want to miss next week about a college team that, despite the Buckeyes' National Championship, is still making life difficult for the rest of the Big Ten.

But Saturday really wrapped up the 2014 football season, with 45,000 fans in Ohio Stadium celebrating the Buckeyes National Championship.

So we wrapped it up, too.

Check out our final video of the football season at the top of the most, catch all the stories we wrote from Saturday and vote for your favorite moment from Saturday in our poll.

And get ready for a new wave of Ohio State coverage next week. 

• 10 most memorable moments from Saturday

• Magnificent Three QBs defined the day

• Buckeyes were recruiting for the future while celebrating the past

• Did Braxton Miller offer a peek at his intentions when speaking to crowd?

• A great five-minute video of the day's highlights

• Along the Olentangy

 

The Indians released their promotional schedule on Saturday and the giveaways include four bobbleheads: three players and a guy on a scooter.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians released their promotional schedule on Saturday and the giveaways include four bobbleheads: three players and a guy on a scooter.

On June 6, 17,500 fans will receive a bobblehead featuring Corey Kluber and his Cy Young Award. On July 8, 10,000 fans will receive a Carlos Santana bobblehead. On Aug. 8, 15,000 fans will receive a Michael Brantley bobblehead. On Sept. 12, 10,000 fans will receive a bobblehead of manager Terry Francona and his red scooter.

The team will also hand out a series of replica jerseys this season: 1975 red Tribe jersey (May 23), Mike Hargrove (June 22), 1995 Sandy Alomar (July 11), 1948 Bob Feller (Aug. 11) and Yan Gomes (Aug. 29).

The club will also honor the 20th anniversary of the 1995 team that reached the World Series. Members of that team will be at Progressive Field on June 19-20 and fans will receive a 1995 American League Champions T-shirt. On May 9, fans will receive a commemorative AL Champion pennant.

On July 25, the Indians will unveil a statue of Larry Doby, who broke the AL color barrier in 1947. Doby spent 10 seasons with the Tribe and was named to seven All-Star teams. Fans will receive a replica statue.

There will be 15 Dollar Dog nights, 11 fireworks nights and 10 Kids Fun Days.

The Indians commence their home slate on April 10 against the Detroit Tigers.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The NHL isn't saying if it is getting out of the Olympic hockey business, but it is diving back into international hockey in a very big way. The league announced Saturday the return of its World Cup of Hockey in Toronto in Sept. 2016. The eight-team format of all NHL players will have a couple twists. There...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The NHL isn't saying if it is getting out of the Olympic hockey business, but it is diving back into international hockey in a very big way. The league announced Saturday the return of its World Cup of Hockey in Toronto in Sept. 2016.

The eight-team format of all NHL players will have a couple twists. There will be two "teams of rivals'' – an under-23 United States and Canadian team, and a European all-star team from the continent's lesser hockey nations such as Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and Norway.

The six national teams are the United States, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the World Cup is to return every four years while the league continues to look for other international exhibition and regular-season events.

"This is the first step for our vision for international hockey,'' he said.

Does that vision include the Olympics?

"This decision has no bearing on whether we will return to the next Olympics. It's something we still have to discuss,'' Bettman said.

USA Hockey assistant executive director Jim Johannson attended the announcement in Nationwide Arena and said he warmed to the format because the players wanted it. He said he understood the World Cup is an NHL-NHLPA event, and he hoped the NHL would continue to provide players for the Olympics.

"This can't replace the Olympics, but it can be something really special for the players,'' said Canadian two-time Olympian Patrice Bergeron.

What about Eichel? Some hockey fans might see the exclusion of young North American stars from the national teams as a drawback that also could hurt the U.S. more than the traditionally deeper Canadian team. Among them is 18-year-old Boston University star Jack Eichel, the projected No. 1 overall draft pick this year who some regard as the best U.S. talent in generation.

"It's more about Jack Eichel performing and playing,'' Johannson said. "He's going to have the USA jersey on a lot in his career.''

Chicago forward Patrick Kane said he's excited to watch the under-23 team.

"Hockey is a young man's game,'' Kane said. "More than ever now, teenagers are coming into the league and playing right away, and you can see the talent and skill level getting better and better.''

Ryder Cup on ice: The Euro all-star team could include the likes of Anze Kopitar (Slovenia), Zdeno Chara (Slovakia), Roman Josi (Switzerland), Frans Nielsen (Denmark) and Christian Ehrhoff (Germany).

Kopitar, a Los Angeles Kings All-Star center, said he hoped players and fans embrace the Euro team the way they do golf's Ryder Cup.

"To start, it might feel a little bit weird, but I think we can draw on the Ryder Cup maybe,'' he said.

World Cup format: The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four, and each will compete in three round-robin games within their group. The top two advance to a single-game semifinal. The finals will be best-of-three. All games will be played in Air Canada Centre in Toronto Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, 2016.

Winter Classic back in Boston: Bettman also announced the Winter Classic on New Year's Day 2016 will be back in Greater Boston, but not Fenway Park as it was in 2010. The Bruins will play host to Montreal at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., home of the New England Patriots.

The NHL Stadium Series will feature two games in 2016: Chicago vs. Minnesota at the University of Minnesota on Feb. 21, and Detroit vs. Colorado at Coors Field in Denver on Feb. 27.

Bettman said a hoped-for game in Winnipeg could not be scheduled and likely will be the following year. He told the Columbus Dispatch a game in Ohio Stadium has been discussed "internally'' but nothing is in the offing. It might be too soon to speculate on the heels of Columbus hosting All-Star Weekend.

Bettman bristled at criticism the stadium series is taking away from the popular Winter Classic.

"It doesn't get old. Our fans and teams can't get enough of them,'' he said.

Expansion update: Bettman said he will watch Las Vegas' upcoming season-ticket sales campaign to gauge whether or not it is a viable expansion market. He said he also has met with Seattle Mayor Ed Murray about that city's interest in a franchise.

"We're getting interest from Seattle, but the building status at least in downtown Seattle is uncertain at best,'' Bettman said.

Players, pucks chipped: Pucks and players' jerseys in the All-Star Game on Sunday will be equipped with microchips to generate real-time data on stats such as hits, shots and takeaways.

"While we're excited about doing this test, we're not exactly sure where this will take us,'' Bettman said.

Projected Young Stars team: USA Today's Kevin Allen projected this as the potential North American Young Stars lineup, minus current college and Junior players.

Centers: Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Ryan Strome (New York Islanders), Sean Monahan (Calgary Flames), Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Edmonton Oilers), Alex Galchenyuk (Montreal Canadiens) and Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers).

Left wings: Brandon Saad (Chicago Blackhawks), Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida Panthers), Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames) and Matt Nieto (San Jose Sharks).

Right wing: Mark Scheifele (Winnipeg Jets), Curtis Lazar (Ottawa Senators), Tom Wilson (Washington) , Jonathan Drouin (Tampa Bay Lightning).

Defensemen: Aaron Ekblad (Florida Panthers), Seth Jones (Nashville Predators), Jacob Trouba (Winnipeg Jets), Dougie Hamilton (Boston Bruins), Morgan Reilly (Toronto Maple Leafs), Connor Murphy (Arizona Coyotes), Cody Ceci (Ottawa Senators) and Ryan Murray (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Goalies: John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks), Malcom Subban (Boston Bruins) and Zachary Fucale (Montreal Canadiens).

Sarac, a St. Ignatius grad, was the first Ohio State player mentioned by Meyer at Saturday's National Championship celebration. Watch video

COLUMBUS -- The issue, slightly confusing, wasn't something the Saracs wanted to dwell on.

When writing about Nik Sarac, the walkon senior cornerback from St. Ignatius, in September, the question was whether he was on scholarship now or he wasn't.

The answer was both.

• Spread thin: Nik Sarac finds Buckeye football perfect prep for med school

Sarac had earned a scholarship for his work as a walkon and had been called to the front of the team meeting room by Urban Meyer, as you've seen in so many walkon videos from so many schools.

He earned the scholarship. But he didn't take it. 

The Saracs could afford to pay for Nik's Ohio State education. So that's what they said they would continue to do. Not that they wanted to make a big deal about it.

Then on Saturday, at Ohio State's National Championship celebration at Ohio Stadium, Sarac was sitting off to the side in one of the two sets of bleachers that flanked the main stage. Meyer and a handful of players had seats on that stage. The rest of the Buckeyes were in the bleachers.

"Sarac, Sarac, Sarac."

Ohio State director of football operations Brian Voltolini was calling his name just as things were getting underway.

"You're supposed to be on the stage."

So Sarac took his seat. And when Meyer went to the microphone during the ceremony to talk about this National Championship team, the first player he mentioned was Nik Sarac.

"This is the most selfless group of players and people that I've ever been around," Meyer said. "I'm going to give you a couple examples. A young man by the name of Nik Sarac. He's going to be a doctor, he was a walkon football player and earned a scholarship this summer.

"I called him, I called his father. And in one of the most incredible moments of selflessness I've ever been a part of, he said, 'Coach, give that scholarship to someone who needs it. Nik doesn't need it, we can afford it, give it back to your team.'

"So I'll introduce to you, Nik Sarac."

"He caught me really by surprise," Sarac told cleveland.com afterward. "I think everybody else he called up ending up saying something. I think maybe I was supposed to talk."

That's no problem. But now he does have to do the other thing Meyer said he would. Sarac's father, Tim, is a doctor, and Nik doesn't have a choice now. Meyer said he's going to be a doctor, so he's locked in.

Med school applications go out this summer.

"It's a great feeling," Sarac said. "This is my last time in the Shoe with the 2014 team, and a heck of a way to go out."

"The behind-the-scenes stuff really makes us play the way we do on Saturday," Cardale Jones said after his moment on stage with Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett stood out during the ceremony at Ohio Stadium. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Nobody sang.

So the moment Ohio State fans might take with them from Saturday's National Championship celebration at Ohio Stadium may belong to the trio Urban Meyer dubbed "The Magnificent Three."

Cardale Jones at the podium. J.T Barrett, on crutches, to his left. Braxton Miller, holding the College Football Playoff trophy, to his right.

Jones, who has been on his own Ohio tour since announcing last week that he'd remain at Ohio State for the 2015 season, spoke last after Meyer introduced the quarterbacks, Miller first, then Barrett, then Jones.

• Did Braxton Miller tip his hand about next year?

"It's all about the guys next to us," Jones said. "So I dedicated this season and the last couple games to these two guys on my left and my right. Go Bucks."

Whatever's ahead, that moment with Quarterback Three between quarterbacks One and Two, summed up this 2014 season as well as any moment could have.

The roughly 50-minute ceremony, dragging at the start thanks to politicians taking their moments in the cold, picked up with Meyer and the players. Several seniors, including Michael Bennett, Curtis Grant, Doran Grant and Devin Smith, were absent because of commitments to preparing for their futures. So Jeff Heuerman and Evan Spencer were the designated trophy holders, after Meyer, as the Buckeyes accepted three separate national championship trophies. 

No particular moment of emotion defined the day, unlike Cie Grant's Carmen Ohio rendition of 12 years earlier, maybe because the Buckeyes managed to wring every drop of emotion out of this season. But before a crowd estimated at 45,000 fans, the band, some highlight videos, some smoke and fireworks and a last reminder of a season to remember was probably enough.

Meyer, speaking to the crowd, said he suggested moving the event inside the Schottenstein Center but was reminded by athletic director Gene Smith that the fans could hack it outdoors.

"You are nuts," Meyer said with appreciation.

After sophomores Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott were introduced by Meyer as the last players to speak, Bosa, a Florida native, shrugged his way to the mic and told the crowd, "How are you guys out here right now? It's freezing."

Several players were invited to join Meyer on the main stage, the rest of the team in bleachers off to the side. Barrett, Jones and Miller sat together, and maybe the three quarterbacks offered a look at 2015, if in fact Miller does return. At the very least, it offered a concise, three-man shot of 2014 in a nutshell.

This guy down, that guy up. This guy down, that guy up. This guy up, trophy in hand. Meyer called their three-man tale of pain and progress "one of the most intriguing stories in the history of college football."

The intrigue isn't over. But the three of them, together in the end, told a story in itself.

"I mean, everybody wants to make it a big deal about us," Jones told cleveland.com as he walked off the field after the ceremony. "We're more brothers than teammates."

With his news conference at Ginn Academy, a trip to a Cavs game with Meyer and some teammates, a stop at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards and his brief words Saturday, Jones has been front and center while soaking in the championship aftermath. Soon enough, he'll be another guy in the quarterback room.

Saturday, the quarterbacks wanted to bring that room out into the public.

"That's the part people don't get to see, that side of us," Jones said. "All you get to see is what we do on Saturday. The behind-the-scenes stuff really makes us play the way we do on Saturday.

"It's always been about the power of the unit with us. I'm a unit guy and Braxton is our unit leader, and one goes down and the next guy has to got step up. I admired what J.T. did and I just wanted to continue to lead the team in the way my other two unit players would."

Miller dropped a possible hint about his future and a return to Ohio State with his short remarks that referenced next year. Barrett leaned on his crutches while speaking second among the quarterbacks and talked of fulfilling his dreams.

He spoke the same on the day he committed to Ohio State as a recruit on April 18, 2012.

"I felt like if I went to another school I would have been watching on TV with Ohio State winning a national championship, and I wanted to do that," Barrett said nearly three years ago. "I felt like I would have missed out on an opportunity by not going to Ohio State. With Coach Meyer and what he has going there and the history of how his teams play football, they win and they win national championships and I want to be part of that."

He was part of that. So were two other quarterbacks. And that's something people won't forget.

St. Edward safety Kyle Hegedus has committed to play college football at Youngstown State.

St. Edward safety Kyle Hegedus has committed to play college football at Youngstown State.

Youngsters Ryan Johansen, John Tavares and Aaron Ekblad lead offensive charge at the 60th NHL All-Star Game in Columbus.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – They came. They scored. They scored some more. And it's quite possible NHL All-Stars still were dropping pucks into the net as their jets carried them out of town Sunday night.

No checks. No defense. No penalties. Barely any goal keeping. And certainly not a fist was raised in anger.

It wasn't real hockey, but no one expects that any more at the NHL All-Star Game, which is more about the weekend itself. It's quite possible fans were better entertained by Friday's fantasy draft and Saturday's skills competition.

Or maybe the performances by Locksley, Fall Out Boy and hometown favorite O.A.R. were worth the ticket.

All told, there were an All-Star Game record 29 goals.

For the record, Team Toews beat Team Folingo, 17-12. The teams were chosen by captains Jonathan Toews of the Blackhawks and the Blue Jackets' Nick Foligno on Friday.

The All-Star Game rarely carries any drama, unless it's to say goodbye to an aging star such as Gordie Howe or Ray Bourque.

None of that happened Sunday in front of 18,901 fans in sold-out Nationwide Arena. This night was more about an increasingly young league, and its rising stars.

Team Toews' John Tavares of the Islanders had a hat trick by the second intermission and finished with four goals, tying an All-Star Game record. He's just 24.

Blue Jackets forward Ryan Johansen, 22, scored twice in the first period for Team Foligno and was named MVP in a fan vote on Twitter. He won a car. He finished with two goals and two assists.

"I don't know if I really deserved it, but it's pretty cool to be MVP,'' he said. "We've just been really enjoying every moment of this weekend, and just being in Columbus and in front of our fans and our first game, it really has been a very special weekend and something we'll remember for a long time.''

Steven Stamkos of Tampa Bay, 24, scored two goals in the first two periods.

Team Toews 18-year-old defenseman Aaron Ekblad of Florida, the youngest blue-liner to play for an NHL All-Star team, had four assists.

"The young guys coming up are all trying to make names for themselves, but the most fun part was just to interact and build relationships with great players that will last a lifetime,'' Ekblad said.

Team Toews winger Vladimir Tarasenko of St. Louis, 23, also had three assists.

Team Foligno's Jakub Voracek, 25, also had a hat trick to go with three assists.

"It was awesome to be out there with those veteran guys to see us younger guys contributing, too, said 20-year-old Nashville rookie Filip Forsberg, who scored twice.

The whole thing probably played much better on television with players wearing microphones and officials wearing Go Pro cameras.

There were plenty of fun moments, some pretty stick handling and highlight-reel goals, and a few outstanding saves, not to mention some pretty cool line matchups.

Blue Jackets fans loved seeing Foligno and Johansen on the starting forward line. Foligno had a goal and an assist.

Canadians no doubt got a kick out of seeing Olympic heroes Patrice Bergeron and Tavares on the ice together for Team Toews.

Team Toews goalie Roberto Luongo made a nice glove save on snap shot by Alex Ovechkin, but Luongo also whiffed on a high shot by Johansen.

The first period ended in a 4-4 tie, and 2:27 into the second period it was 6-6.

Team Toews scored five goals on its nine seven shots of the second period against goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of rival Pittsburgh. Blue Jackets fans derisively cheered his saves and booed on some of his goals, even the ones that weren't scored by Rick Nash, who finished with two. At one point, Vladimir Tarasenko lost control of the puck in front of Fleury and still scored.

Several players, including Johansen and Foligno, prepared for the second period by watching Fall Out Boy's show on the ice after the first period.

Team Toews scored seven goals on 16 shots in the second period against Fleury.

The biggest offensive failure was, somewhat ironically, by the guy who received the most fan votes thanks to his internet savvy fans back in Latvia, Zemgus Giergensons. He led a bizarre 3-on-0 break in the first period and one could almost feel everyone in Latvia rise to their feet watching on TV just before midnight. Then Giergensons, a Buffalo forward, lost control of the puck and turned it over.

All of Latvia sat back down.

Foligno said he thought Columbus shined all weekend and he was proud of the town.

"I wanted the (all-stars) to see the city, and all the comments that came from the guys, they love it here. They really were impressed with how nice Columbus is,'' he said. "A lot of times you come in and get a dinner and get to bed and get ready for the game. So, they don't get to see all the people and the things to do here, and I think they really enjoyed themselves.

"That was probably the role I wanted to make sure I got across to everybody is how great of a city it is to play here and I think the fans took over and did the rest.  It was a lot of fun for me, and mentoring this young man (Johansen) over here, too.''

Kevin Durant passed beautifully when the Cavaliers forced him to, but when the game was on the line, LeBron James again had more ways to win the game.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Basketball royalty isn't limited to LeBron James, who was self-crowned in high school long before he won two championships in Miami. The first title came at the expense of Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals.

Ringless, Durant is the reigning Most Valuable Player in the NBA, which meant he and James stepped onto the court at The Q on Sunday afternoon as owners of the last such awards and, between them, of five of the last six. Since four of those went to James, Durant has some impact amplification still to do. 

It is safe to say he is working on it.

The difference between the pair is usually passing. It is why Larry Bird and Magic Johnson not only popularized the NBA in the 1980s, but also reformed its image.

It was the last thing Michael Jordan had to make himself do to fulfill all of his  potential.

The good news for basketball fans is that Durant showed a clever touch in giving up the ball and not just shooting it. In the Cavaliers' 108-98 victory, Durant had nine assists to James' five.

"We wanted to force him to be a passer, but he made the plays," said Cavaliers' coach David Blatt after the Cavs' sixth straight win.

Durant's growth gives NBA followers something to counteract the selfishness inherent in a game in which only an outraged coach with a hook or, more rarely, a player's conscience can regulate shot attempts.

At 6-9 with the wing-span of a man 7-5, Durant has the shooting eye, quick release  and high release point to be one of the greatest scorers in league history. But now he can hurt teams by passing the ammunition as well as shooting it.

James' box score line was 34 points (although it took 25 shots to get them), seven rebounds and five assists. (I counted four or five more open shots he created for teammates that were missed.)

Three of James' assists, all setting up three-pointers (two by Kyrie Irving and one by Kevin Love) came in the fourth quarter when James also scored 12 points. He thus had a hand in  21 of his team's 25 points.

Durant's line was 32 points, six rebounds and nine assists. In the last quarter, he scored 10 points. His lone assist, to Russell Westbrook, was for a three. Durant accounted for 13 of his team's 20 points in the quarter.

Still, when the lead was only five points going into the final quarter, it was James' inside-out scoring that decided it.

He knocked down a three-pointer. Then, he posted up, a tactic he rarely bothered with in his first Cavs stay. On Sunday, his 15-foot fadeaway near the block swished and recalled Jordan fighting off the depredations of time by adding the fallaway shot to his game.

James was matched up next with former Cavalier Dion Waiters.

A substitute at Syracuse with an impact lighter than a falling snowflake in an Elite Eight NCAA Tournament loss on a friendly Boston court to Ohio State in 2012, Waiters was nonetheless drafted fourth in the first round by Byron Scott when he was the Cavs' coach. A reluctant passer then and now, Waiters put up 15 shots in 33 minutes, making only five.

Waiters was standing on the left side of the arc, giving James two feet of clearance about 2 1/2 minutes into the fourth quarter. With a flick of the wrist, James'  three made it an 8-0 run for him and the team. The rest of the game was a formality.

Although Oklahoma City has only a 22-22 record, much of the struggles were because of the loss of Durant to injury for 23 games. He is back now and, even in the final game of a five-game road trip, he is playing a game with more dimensions than before.

But James still has the arsenal to be emulated.

"I saw two brilliant players really competing and two guys who played for their team as well, and that is (said) as a coach and a basketball aficionado," said Blatt. "You want to see great players with great talent play the game the right way. We saw that from both KD and LeBron."

 

The Cavs have won six in a row. Average margin: 14.8 points.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-98, Sunday afternoon at The Q. Here is a capsule look at the game after a dvr review of the ABC telecast:

Locked in: Coach David Blatt's Cavs (25-20) have won six in a row. They have averaged 114.3 points and won by 14.8.

During the streak, they have defeated four Western Conference teams. One of the four is in the top eight in the conference (L.A. Clippers) and another is on the outside but dangerous (Thunder).

Don't be deceived: The Thunder that took the court Sunday are much better than their overall record of 22-22. That is because they featured forward Kevin Durant and point guard Russell Westbrook.

When Durant and Westbrook are available, the Thunder are 14-7.

Dialing long distance: It became apparent early that the Cavs needed to be able to score on the perimeter, because the Thunder's interior defense was typically formidable.

The Cavs answered the challenge, going 16-of-36 from 3-point range. They scored 20 more points from 3-pointers (48) than in the paint (28).

The Cavs shot a higher percentage from 3-point range (44.4) than overall from the field (43.9).

The 3-point opportunities did not happen by accident. The Cavs used quality passing from motion or dribble-penetration to break down Oklahoma City.

Getting defensive: The Thunder were 37-of-94 from the field (39.4 percent).

Thunder personnel will submit that numerous misses were despite open or otherwise good looks. Correct. But the Cavs' recent commitment to defense factored in the Thunder's overall inefficiency. The Cavs communicated with, and helped, each other, which led to taking away space and making the Thunder less comfortable.

In the past four games, the Cavs' solid defense has contributed to opposition shooting percentages of 37.5 (Bulls), 41.7 (Jazz), 40.4 (Hornets) and 39.4 (Thunder).

What a difference a king makes: The Cavs avenged a 103-94 defeat on Dec. 11 in Oklahoma City. LeBron James did not play because of left-knee soreness.

A fully loaded LeBron performed superbly in the rematch. He scored a game-high 34 and had seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block and two turnovers in 39 minutes. (Given the amount of time he handled the ball in traffic, to limit the turnovers to two against a defense as active as Oklahoma City's is impressive.)

Oklahoma City's best defense against the King's drives was to foul him.

King owns KD: LeBron improved to 15-4 against Durant, including postseason.

Not a fair fight: LeBron vs. Thunder guard Anthony Morrow.

Early in the fourth quarter, ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said: "Every time (LeBron) gets the switch with Morrow, he doesn't want pick-and-rolls. He wants room to work.''

Not a fair fight, part II: LeBron vs. Westbrook.

Sandbagger: LeBron scored 22 in the first half, then none in the third quarter. He took one shot in the third.

LeBron cranked it up again in the fourth, scoring or assisting on 21 of Cleveland's 25 points. Every time the Thunder thought they were making progress, LeBron gave them the Heisman.

Here is the list of his direct or indirect contributions to points in the final quarter:

*3-pointer from left wing (Cavs, 86-78, with 11:27 left). Received pass from Matthew Dellavedova and drilled shot over Durant, who was late closing.

*15-footer from left side (Cavs, 88-80, 10:27). Helped create the isolation mismatch against Morrow and sank turnaround jumper.

*3-pointer from left wing (Cavs, 91-80, 9:41). Noticed that former teammate Dion Waiters, attempting to take away a drive, gave him space. Bang.

*Assisted on Kyrie Irving's 3-pointer from right side (Cavs, 94-82, 6:58). Dribble-penetration/kick-out -- sort of. Durant got a piece but ball bounced on-target to Irving.

*Jumper from left baseline (Cavs, 97-86, 4:09). Screen action with Irving created mismatch against Westbrook. Back-down, spin, fadeaway.

*Assisted on Kevin Love's 3-pointer from left side (Cavs, 100-88, 3:36). Dribble-penetration brought attention from three Thunder players, then whip-pass to open Love.

*1-of-2 free throws (Cavs, 101-88, 3:23). Drew foul by Westbrook.

*1-of-2 free throws (Cavs, 105-96, 1:14). Power move drew foul by Durant, who argued even though clearly guilty of slap in face and hack across arm.

(Slapped ball off Westbrook on dribble-drive to give Cavs possession with 1:00 remaining. Westbrook whined that it didn't go off him; a replay showed that the referees were correct.) 

*Assisted on Irving's 3-pointer (Cavs, 108-96, :37). Another mismatch against Westbrook led to a kick-out to open Irving topside left.)

Points flowing: In each of seven games since returning from an eight-game absence because of knee and back injuries, LeBron has scored at least 25. He is averaging 30.3 and shooting 51.4 percent from the field. The Cavs have scored 100-plus in each game.

Ready and willing: LeBron's supporting cast included the other members of the Cavs' "big three.''

Love was highly efficient, scoring 19 points on 10 shots from the field in 36 minutes. He went 5-of-7 from 3-point range -- his first game of five-plus triples since going 6-of-9 against New Orleans on Nov. 10. In his previous six games, he was a combined 4-of-21 from beyond the arc.

Oh, by the way: Love grabbed 13 rebounds and played solid defense.

Irving scored 21 and had six assists, two rebounds and two steals in 41 minutes. Irving went 9-of-21 from the field. The majority of the misses occurred when he  sought to score in the paint against a team that protects it well.

Fast fact: Love has posted 11 straight double-doubles against Oklahoma City.

The power of TT: Cavs center Tristan Thompson amassed 10 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks in 31 minutes off the bench. The Cavs needed the points because starting center Timofey Mozgov was 0-of-3 from the field and scored two in 28 minutes. (Mozgov did, however, periodically clog the middle defensively and refuse to back down against Thunder tough guy Kendrick Perkins.)

Westbrook goes south: While Durant lived up to his end offensively -- 32 points on 12-of-23 shooting in 40 minutes -- Westbrook did not.

Westbrook scored 22 but missed 19 of his 26 shots from the field. His final misfire was a 3-pointer with one second left in the game and his team trailing by 10; the blatant attempt to stat-pad occurred after the Cavs voluntarily committed a 24-second violation with six seconds left.

Given that the Cavs struggled to contain Durant throughout, it made little sense that Westbrook finished with more shots. Westbrook did manage 11 assists and nine rebounds, but if he had facilitated even more, the Thunder might have prevailed. 

So much for that: The Thunder lost despite single-digit turnovers (eight) and just four points allowed off the miscues.

Massillon turns to Nate Moore of Cincinnati LaSalle as new football coach after Highland's Tom Lombardo turned down offer last weekend.

Massillon turns to Nate Moore of Cincinnati LaSalle as new football coach after Highland's Tom Lombardo turned down offer last weekend.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their sixth straight game on Sunday afternoon, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-98.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers won their sixth straight game on Sunday afternoon, beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 108-98.

The Cavs' defense, which has picked up recently, held an explosive Oklahoma City team to under 100 points, limiting them to 39 percent (37-of-94) shooting from the field, including 30 percent (10-of-30) from three-point range. It's the fourth straight opponent the Cavs have held under the century mark.

In a showdown of the last two NBA MVP's, LeBron James outdueled Kevin Durant.

James scored 34 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. Durant scored 32 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out nine assists.

Kyrie Irving added 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting to go with six assists. Kevin Love recorded his team-leading 24^th double-double, scoring 19 points and pulling down 13 boards.

The Cavs are 25-20 and 6-1 since James returned from knee and back injuries.

Here are five observations on the Cavs' latest win:

Head of the snake – Irving has mentioned a few times this year it's his responsibility to cut off the "head of the snake."

A new-and-improved Irving has taken a personal challenge of keeping the opposing point guard in check, which isn't easy considering the depth at the position nowadays.

Irving helped limit Oklahoma City star Russell Westbrook to a rough 7-of-26 shooting night. Westbrook finished with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, but very little came easy against Irving and the Cavs' defense.

The Cavaliers point guard deserves plenty of credit, but Timofey Mozgov is making opponents think twice about going to the basket. Guards are now settling for floaters or pull-up jumpers instead of attacking the rim.

"You see a 7-foot-2 body there and obviously you're watching film of him and he clogs the paint up so well," Irving said recently. "You just have to do your best to try to adjust and to have him on my team is truly a luxury and I'm just happy he's here."

Westbrook, known for his supreme athleticism and ability to slice through the defense, was stymied each time he attempted to go inside. He had his shot blocked by Mozgov twice in the first few minutes and Westbrook finished 1-of-11 on shots in the paint. 

He isn't the first opposing point guard to find it difficult against the Cavs since the addition of the big Russian. And likely won't be the last.

Suns' Eric Bledsoe shot 3-for-8 while LA's Chris Paul made 4-for-15 from the field during the Western Conference road trip.

On Monday, Chicago's Derrick Rose shot 5-for-14. Trey Burke from Utah made just 1-for-10 from the field. Charlotte's Kemba Walker was a pedestrian 3-for-14 on Friday.

With Westbrook's misfires on Sunday, those six talented point guards have shot a combined 23-of-87 (.264) from the field.

"Just making a conscious effort to come out every single game and get stops," Irving said following Sunday's win. "Pay attention to our film work, trusting each other on the backside and getting stops when we need it. We are starting to do it for a consistent 48 minutes. Those lulls that we have on the offensive end, sometimes our defense helps us pick it back up. Just have to keep doing it."

Second quarter explosion – It wasn't long ago when the Cavaliers threw away leads in the second quarter. Inconsistent rotations, James resting and poor bench play were the biggest factors.

With a boosted bench and Cavs coach David Blatt changing his rotation to rest James late in the first quarter instead, the problem has disappeared.

The Cavs are averaging 31.8 points in the last six second quarters, including a 37-point outburst on Sunday, which turned a six point first quarter deficit into an eight point halftime advantage.

James scored nine of the first 11 points and 15 total during the second quarter on Sunday, setting the tone before the rest of his team followed.

The Cavs are now outscoring the opponent by an average of six points per game (191-152) in the second quarter during this six-game winning streak.

"The defense sparks the offense," James said. "That's going to be the staple of our season. When we defend, the offense comes a lot easier, when we don't have to play against a half court set of defense."

Blatt has been in the crosshairs a lot this season. He has been criticized for a stagnant offense, questionable rotations and not using timeouts properly, among other things. His players have reportedly been outspoken to the opposition about the struggles. But Blatt's decision to rest James late in the first quarter, making him available to start the second, is paying off. 

Dialing long distance – The three-pointer has turned into Cleveland's ally during its six-game winning streak, and Sunday was no exception, needing it to combat the size of Serge Ibaka on the interior of the Thunder defense.

The Cavaliers connected on 16 triples, outscoring Oklahoma City by 18 points from beyond the arc. The Cavs shot 44 percent from three-point range and are now 7-0 at home when connecting on better than 40 percent.

"Not overly enthused by it," Blatt said. "On the other hand, we made 16 of them. It served us well given the fact that we shot the ball well. Oklahoma City is an excellent defensive team. They have great size and length around the rim and make it difficult for you to play down there. They make it difficult for you to play in general because they're such a good team. We had to take the ones, for the most part, that we took and I thought the fact that Kevin shot it so well really opened up the game for us and might've been one of the keys to our victory."

Love, who had been in a shooting funk from the outside, going 3-of-16 on threes in the previous four games, made a team-high five triples.

"Just continuing to keep shooting," Love said. "Confidence. I read a quote by Kobe Bryant that said 'I will go 0-for-30 before I go 0-for-9.' If you go 0-for-9 that means you lost your confidence, but if you go 0-for-30 that means you believed in yourself and kept trying to shoot through it. For me that's just something I've been trying to do. Getting great looks and a lot of them have been right there hitting the very back part of the front rim or back rim but other than that continuing to keep shooting and knowing it's eventually going to fall for me."

It's not a coincidence Love's shooting woes faded against Oklahoma City. Love has been a Thunder killer during his career, recording his 11^th straight double-double and 13^th in 18 career games against them on Sunday.

"I didn't know that," Love told me when I mentioned his success against the Thunder. "I think my teammates by chance have been able to find me against them. They're a very good team and they take away a lot but we have a ton of weapons that can get out there and score the ball."

Irving made three triples. J.R. Smith hit four, bringing his total to 33 in 10 games with the Cavs. James added two, including one in the face of former Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters that led to James barking at the bench. Iman Shumpert and Matthew Dellavedova also hit one.

Over the last six games, the Cavs are 63-of-160 (.393) from distance. They have made 17 more triples than the opponent, outscoring them by 51 total points from that range.

"Trying to get layups and threes," Irving said. "Trying to get up and down the floor as much as possible. Most of our threes are coming in transition. We're getting open looks and guys are doing their job. We're finding guys and it's great."

It will continue to be a weapon for the Cavs.

"We have three guys that attract so much attention, there's nothing for me to be but a shooter," Smith, who made 4-of-12 three-point attempts, said before the game. "All I have to do is spot up and make shots. Have the confidence they are going to make the right plays."

Swiss army knife – Tristan Thompson has been in and out of the starting lineup, but no matter how many minutes he plays or when he first enters the game, Thompson makes an impact for the Cavs.

As Mozgov dealt with foul trouble at times against the Thunder, Thompson played 30 minutes off the bench, scoring 10 points and grabbing a season-high 16 rebounds. He also added a team-high three blocks and gave the Cavs numerous second chance opportunities with five offensive rebounds.

"Seems like Tristan always steps up when we need him," Blatt said. "He's just a great guy to have on your team. He doesn't care if he starts or doesn't start, he just wants to help the team win and that's what he does every time he steps on the floor. He gives his best effort."

Measuring stick – Injuries are a part of the NBA, and every team will deal with them throughout the lengthy regular season. 

But it seems like many of the Cavaliers' biggest wins have come with an asterisk.

Memphis was missing Zach Randolph and Tony Allen. In the two wins against Toronto earlier this season, DeMar DeRozan wasn't there. When the Cavs bullied the Wizards in Washington Nene didn't play. The first meeting against Chicago, the Bulls didn't have Jimmy Butler; the second meeting the Bulls didn't have Joakim Noah.

But Sunday, the only missing piece for Oklahoma City was Steven Adams, hardly a difference-maker. It was a regular season game in January, but it carried significance.

"Just shows that we can play with the best teams and that we are hopefully starting to put this thing together," Love said. "It's a good time to be doing so. We have a couple of tough matchups and four games in five nights so we want to continue to keep this momentum flowing."

With the national audience watching and the Cavs calling for fans to wear gold, Quicken Loans Arena was alive.

"I thought it was kind of a playoff atmosphere," Blatt said. "That was my feeling because we're playing a very high quality team that is a team of great players and well-coached. Has experience going far into the playoffs and that has the same designs this year. So I felt the atmosphere was playoff atmosphere. I felt the physicality was in line with that but not overboard and I'm glad we responded well to that kind of tough matchup."

Mozgov and Kendrick Perkins got into a few spats, with Mozgov receiving his first technical foul. The two teams were talking trash. But the Cavs never backed down.

"I think it was a great individual challenge for us," Thompson said. "I think guys stepped up and met the challenge. Got stops and weren't afraid to back down. They went on a little run in the third quarter and LeBron started to get it going and we fed off his energy."

As Irving awaits his first playoff game all he can do is imagine.

"Until I get there I won't really know the feeling so I'm just going to take it game-to-game to finish out the season and hopefully get a the feeling of what a playoff game feels like," he said. "Definitely high intensity and a lot of great players playing out there at one time. Definitely what we want to be a part of and as an NBA player everyone is watching and it's great to be a part of."

Still, a win against the Thunder, no matter when it happens, has the Cavs feeling confident.

"As long as we continue to play like this it's going to be tough for any team to deal with us for a seven-game series," Shumpert said.

Mark Shapiro, entering his fifth year as president, believes the Indians are entering a "dynamic time' in franchise history.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Former Commissioner Bud Selig always enjoyed a good relationship with Indians owners Larry and Paul Dolan and President Mark Shapiro. Under new Commissioner Rob Manfred the relationship has stayed the course.

Manfred recently named Shapiro to MLB's competition committee. Shapiro served on Selig's committee of on field matters since 2009.

"It's a new committee with all the on-field stuff rolled into one," said Shapiro on Sunday at TribeFest. "I'm looking forward to that."

MLB's 30 owners elected Manfred as Selig's successor last year. Before the election, Shapiro and Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski were reportedly among the few candidates from outside MLB's leadership group to be considered for the job.

"I'm excited for Rob," said Shapiro. "I have a relationship with him and I'm excited to help him in any way I can or the Indians can. He's a thoughtful, highly-intelligent guy, who is a strategic thinker. I think that bodes well for problems that will develop in front of MLB in the next generation."

One of the issues the competition committee will deal with is pace of play. Yes, Shapiro could have a vote if a pitch clock is hung in a big league ballpark new you.

The pitch clocks will reportedly be tested at the Class AA and Class AAA levels this season in the minors.

"You have to test in the minor leagues," said Shapiro. "You can't just implement these things unless the union says that these are things we're 100 percent on board with."

MLB believes there's too much dead time in games. In order to attract younger fans, it's trying keeps things moving.

"It's being called pace of play," said Shapiro. "To me, it's more pace of action --- how frequently balls are put in play, are clearly among the priorities. How do we do it? How thoughtful are we? How do we test it? Those are great lessons that were demonstrated well in instant replay."

Shapiro says pace of play elements will probably be phased into the game like replay. It will be a step at a time instead of one big plunge.

"It will probably be a series of things over a series of seasons," he said.

Shapiro is starting his fifth season as team president. He was the Tribe's general manager for nine years before that.

When asked if he received inquiries from Toronto, which is looking for a president to replace Paul Beeston, Shapiro said, "I wouldn't answer that either way. It wouldn't be constructive. To me, you never answer those things either way. I have 23 years here. Nothing is forever, but I've made a lot of decisions along the way to stay here because I appreciate the things that are here and I want to be here."

Shapiro believes good things are ahead for the Indians.

"This is a dynamic period of time for the Indians," he said. "A special time to be here with the people we have in place in baseball operations and with Tito (manager Terry Francona) leading the way, the ballpark renovations and hopefully some other things coming down the pike as well. I've never lived my life here like I'd be here five years and this is my 24th season. "

Josh Gordon's latest misstep has exasperated the patience of Browns fans and the media.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — As Twitter user Fake Jimmy Haslam points out, even when the Browns aren't playing, they find a way to ruin your Sunday.

This time it's Josh Gordon. Again.

Gordon is facing a minimum one-year suspension after he reportedly failed another NFL drug test. Gordon tested positive for alcohol, and reports say a reversal of a yearlong ban is unlikely.

It's immensely frustrating news for Browns fans as a receiver who has shown so much talent can't seem to get out of his own way. It's the repeat offenses that have Plain Dealer columnist Bud Shaw saying enough is enough. The biggest downside, though, is the Browns missed their chance to trade Gordon, Shaw says:

He was great for one game in Atlanta and unproductive and problematic for the rest of the season. No longer suspended by the league, he finished the season suspended by the team for missing a walk through before the final game in Baltimore. ...  The Browns' best move in the off-season would've been to trade him. Everyone knew it. It wouldn't have been easy. Now that opportunity is gone. Even if cutting him at this point is only a symbolic gesture, he should be gone, too.

Cleveland.com Browns writer Tom Reed concurs, saying the Browns have to let Gordon go if the team wants to maintain any credibility:

I lobbied for the Browns to keep him the last time he tested positive for marijuana a year ago. Players with talent earn more strikes -- that's just how the NFL operates -- but they're not infinite. ... The Browns must cut ties with Gordon if they want their talk about accountability to be taken more seriously than (Johnny) Manziel's promises to change. You can argue this is just alcohol and not a stronger drug, but he certainly understood the consequences for testing positive again. Gordon has a substance-abuse problem. What's really wasted, however, is his talent.

All of a sudden there's tenacity, a resolve not to allow opponents to even sniff the rim.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Cavaliers are putting forth a defensive clinic that should be videotaped, packaged and shipped to the young Minnesota Timberwolves, who are giving up the most points in the league.

All of a sudden there's tenacity, a resolve not to allow opponents to even sniff the rim. In the last four games, Cleveland has held the opposition to no more than 42 percent shooting. Dion Waiters and his new team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, were the latest victims on Sunday.

Waiters is as hard and rugged as they come. The Philly streets brought him up that way. He doesn't know how to be anything else. But when the Cavaliers  sputtered out of the gate this season, one of the problems was the lack of an enforcer. Waiters' demeanor didn't offer the on-court combativeness Cleveland so desperately desired.

That all changed with the Cavaliers' early January trades, which sent Waiters to Oklahoma City and eventually landed a 7-1 Heisman Trophy statue in Timofey Mozgov from Denver. He's not stiff-arming the competition, but his arms are just as effective in keeping the opponent separated from the basket.

OKC's Russell Westbrook found out early Sunday that his usual drives through the paint would not be permitted. Mozgov swatted two of his layup attempts in the opening quarter. It set the tone, and Westbrook finished 2-of-11 in the paint.

"I just try to do what I can do," Mozgov said. "I don't try to do anything different. I just try to be big, try to play strong, try to protect the rim and most importantly try to play hard every time."

Listed at 250 pounds (Kevin Love is "officially" 10 pounds heavier), there's no question he plays much bigger. But if you look at him from the neck up, he has the face of a 10-year-old. The big man is polite, sociable and doesn't come off as threatening.

Unless you're wearing an opposing jersey.

In the third quarter an animated Mozgov picked up a technical foul for arguing that Kendrick Perkins' foul should have been ruled flagrant. Perkins' block attempt at the rim smacked him in the face.

A second technical would have banished him from the floor, so Mozgov closed his mouth. But he never changed his aggressive defensive style. He banged with Perkins up and down the court. Most players would have avoided unnecessary contact in those types of situations. If anything, he intensified the pounding.

"I just try to make it a little tougher on guys," he said.

The two men tangled a few more times, but the referees let them play. Mozgov said he isn't backing down from anybody.

"Yeah, that toughness is all him," Cavs guard Kyrie Irving said. "We got his back as well as everyone on this team. It's great to have a big guy like that who is not going to take any nonsense or anything like that."

Sunday in the Thunder locker room, Waiters had to answer why the fans at The Q booed him.

"I don't know," he said. "It didn't do anything to me. I'm still going to go home and sleep at night. It is what it is."

Then he was asked if any of his former teammates talked trash during the game, and Waiters provided a Waiters-like response.

"Ain't nobody saying nothing to me," he said adamantly. "We just played basketball and kept it at that."

Overhearing Waiters, Kevin Durant, a couple of locker stalls away, lifted up his head from tying his shoes and said, "That's a real one right there."

That's accurate. Waiters is real and authentic as it gets. He's the opposite of soft. However, his hardness simply wasn't what the Cavaliers needed. Mozgov imparts a force that can be utilized on the court, where it's needed most.

Don't let the young, innocent face fool you. When Mozgov is on the court, he's instilling fear. The Cavaliers have gotten their defensive anchor, and it's no surprise they suddenly have a new competitive edge.