he Cleveland Cavaliers hadn't won a Game 1 matchup on the road in 14 tries in franchise history. LeBron James was 0-for-8. But history changed Wednesday night.

ATLANTA -- The Cleveland Cavaliers hadn't won a Game 1 matchup on the road in 14 tries in franchise history. LeBron James was 0-for-8. But history changed Wednesday night.

Behind a brilliant second half and the hot shooting of J.R. Smith, the Cavs beat the Atlanta Hawks, 97-89, and ripped away homecourt advantage.

"Definitely big for us," Tristan Thompson said of the Game 1 win. "Whenever you are the team on the road first you want to be able to take away homecourt advantage. That's what we did tonight, but we didn't come here to get one game, we came here to get two."

Here are five observations from the win:

Kyrie Irving's injury questions remain -- So much for "feeling good" and hoping to make a statement early.

Irving seemed dejected as he fielded questions from reporters following the Game 1 win as his lingering injuries have him wondering how much he can contribute.

"This is obviously one of the most frustrating things I've ever dealt with," he admitted. "We do days and days and go out there and it's nothing like simulating a game so for me, I just have to continue to do what I've been doing and do whatever is necessary to put myself out there. I'm all about winning. That's the only thing that matters."

Irving admitted after the game he re-aggravated his left knee injury in the third quarter, but it was clear from the opening tip it was going to be a rough night.

Jeff Teague and other Atlanta ball handlers were blowing past him as if he had ankle weights attached to his signature shoe. On the offensive end, Irving played off the ball in the early stages, burying a pair of three-pointers in the first eight minutes.

His next basket didn't come until the 8:56 mark of the third quarter.

"Left knee is a little bit more stiff than I would want it to be, but like I said before in the past series, and I'm going to continue to say, no excuses," he said. "Just have to continue to put myself out there and put myself in the best position for my teammates. Whenever they need me, I'm out there, called upon and I will do whatever it takes."

Irving played 27 minutes, scoring 10 points and dishing out six assists before becoming a late-game spectator, with Matthew Dellavedova closing out the game.

"The most frustrating part is seeing holes in the defense that I'm used attacking," he said. "I try to make one move, accelerate and then I stop to pass it."

Of those 27 minutes, only nine came in the second half as the Cavs started to stifle Atlanta's potent offense. While Irving gutted through another game for the betterment of his team, it's hard not to see a correlation with the Cavs' turnaround defensively and Irving's light minutes-load in the final 24 minutes.

"It's tough," James said of Irving's struggles. "I know it sucks for him. This is the moment he's been waiting for. This is the biggest stage. Physically, he's not capable of doing what we all know he's capable of doing. Hopefully it doesn't get into his mind. For me, that's my role at this point, let him know when he's on the floor that we need him to be aggressive, as aggressive as he can be with the injury and not worry about things that he cannot control, only worry about the things that he can control. That will be my job to help him understand no matter what he's going through physically, never let it creep into his mind where it affects him mentally."

As for Irving's Game 2 status, it doesn't appear anything has changed.

"Right now I'm pretty confident I will go for Game 2," he said. 

Janitor cleans up -- The battle along the frontline was a key matchup entering the series. The Hawks All-Star duo of Paul Millsap and Al Horford were averaging better than 30 points per game in the postseason. On Wednesday, Horford did his part, scoring 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting. He also grabbed seven rebounds and was one of Atlanta's best players.

The other matchup favored the Wine and Gold as Tristan Thompson, sometimes referred to as "The Janitor" mopped the floor with Millsap.

Thompson had more points (14-13) and won the rebounding battle (10-7).

While Millsap shot a paltry 3-of-11 from the field, including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, Thompson was an efficient 5-of-7 shooting.

Thanks to Thompson's non-stop effort in his 42 minutes, the Cavaliers outrebounded Atlanta, 49-37, including a plus five advantage on the offensive glass. Thompson had five of those offensive boards while Mozgov chipped in with four.

"We have to take pride, especially the bigs," Thompson said. "Myself, Timo, LeBron and James Jones, we have to control the glass and the team that wins the rebounding advantage usually wins the game so we have to take pride in that."

He's right. The Cavs and Hawks have played five games and each time the team holding the rebounding advantage has won.

As for Thompson, he's seen his role increase since the season-ending injury to Kevin Love. In the first series against Boston, Thompson averaged 25.5 minutes, scoring 7.3 points and grabbing 6.8 rebounds. He didn't record a double-double in the first four playoff games. In the last seven, however, Thompson is averaging 10.0 points while playing 37.7 minutes per game.

With a much bigger canvas, Thompson has turned into a rebounding Picasso, nabbing 11.0 per night and has four double-doubles in the last five games. 

Busy signal -- The Hawks have been dialing long distance all season, using the three-ball as a weapon to bury opponents. They ended the regular campaign with the NBA's second-highest three-point percentage, connecting on 38 percent, which trailed just one team: Golden State.

Atlanta carried that success over to the postseason, averaging 9.5 made triples entering Wednesday night. But they were just 4-of-23, the fewest made during their postseason run.

"All year," Cavs head coach David Blatt said when asked about the emphasis on defending the three. "Cleveland Cavaliers last year were the last place team in the league giving up three-point shots, makes, total, percentage wise and that's been a point of emphasis since day one here. We've definitely improved in that area and we wanted to."

The Bulls entered the previous series against the Cavs as the second-best three-point shooting team before they were held to 33 percent (43-of-127) in the six-game series.

Boston, Chicago and Atlanta combined are shooting 29 percent from three-point range against the Cavs in these playoffs, which is the best defensive mark of the remaining teams.

"We have a bright coaching staff, first of all, that gives us a game plan," James said. "Throughout the six days, we've been bouncing ways we can try to not stop what they do, but just try to limit some of their touches, limit Kyle Korver's touches, limit some of their other three-point shooters. We're the No. 1 defensive team in the playoffs. It has a lot to do with what we go out, as a coaching staff, they give us our game plan and for us as players, we go out and execute it. In order for us to win, ultimately, we have to defend. Tonight, we shot 44 percent from the field. But we defended, gave ourselves a chance. When you defend at a high level, you give yourself a chance to win every game."

Teague, who made 1-of-6 from beyond the arc, didn't have the same opinion as James. 

"The shots were not falling," he said. "Missed easy ones. Guys missed open shots. We didn't capitalize on shots tonight."

Defensive turnaround -- Early in the game the Hawks were making offense look easy, getting into the paint at will thanks to dribble penetration from Teague. They led by six points after one quarter and shot a blistering 61 percent from the field.

That didn't last. The Cavs held them to 39 percent the rest of the way.

"I thought we adjusted well to how they were playing and they were playing very well on offense as Atlanta is capable of doing," Blatt said of the turnaround. "A lot of time it's the other guy too. They were moving the ball, making some shots and attacking. We just sort of adjusted and found our rhythm defensively. We were better with the ball, which led to less easy transition baskets. When we have the chance to lock in and play the halfcourt defense we have been playing throughout the playoffs we have a good shot. The guys stepped up and were terrific on the defensive end in the second half."

The Hawks scored 38 points in the second half after looking on pace to get to the all-important century mark.

"We started to get a rhythm of what they wanted to do," James said. "We also just put pressure not only at the point of attack, but when the ball was moved from side to side. Our coaching staff gives us a great game plan and it's up to us to execute it. They're going to make shots. They're one of, if not the best with Golden State, the best offenses we have in our league. And we just have to make it tough on them."

Bench mob -- The Cavs' second unit scored 28 points -- all of which came from one player: J.R. Smith.

The other two players, Jones and Dellavedova, finished the night 0-for-9 from the floor.

When the Cavs acquired Smith in January, he arrived with plenty of baggage and a poor reputation. But they took the risk anyway, knowing he's one of the most combustible shooters in the league, capable of scoring outbursts like Wednesday.

"Me and JR's history goes back long before we came into the NBA," James said. "Before we came into the NBA, he came into my hometown, we worked out multiple days, multiple times. For me as a leader of a team, we always just want to try to give someone an opportunity. With the talent this guy presents, I knew the man he was and I didn't care what everybody else thought about him. Obviously, our front office, they have the last say-so. When they made it and said they were going to do it, I was definitely all for it. I felt like for me, we were getting a great piece not only on the floor, but off the floor as well because I knew him before he even got to this point."

James said his message to the front office when they were weighing the deal was pointed and simple: "Get him here and I'll take care of it."

They are being rewarded handsomely now. Smith made 10-of-16 from the field, including a new postseason-high eight three-pointers.

He got off to a slow start in the Boston series, which ended early after throwing a punch at Jae Crowder, but in the five games since returning from his two-game ban, Smith is shooting 51 percent (20-of-39) from distance. With each flick of the wrist comes another shot at redemption.

"It's an extremely fun system to play," Smith said. "I get a lot of open shots, so it's easy for me to get into a rhythm. Once I start shooting, whether I make or miss, everyone tells me to keep shooting. So it's a great situation."

Smith outscored Atlanta's second unit by himself, 28-21.

Dennis Schroder, one of six players averaging in double figures, was transformed into a jump shooter, which is hardly his gift.

The ultra-quick backup, who likes to use dribble penetration and finish around the rim, was a miserable 2-of-10 from the field and 0-for-3 from distance. He finished with a -13, the worst of any player.

As bad as the Hawks' bench was, it looks like it will only get weaker as DeMarre Carroll suffered a sprained left knee and has an MRI scheduled for Thursday. Leaving the arena on crutches after a non-contact injury isn't a good sign so that means someone will likely be moved up in the rotation.

The Hawks were already without defensive pest Thabo Sefolosha so if Carroll misses time, Kent Bazemore, who scored 10 points Wednesday, will see the biggest jump in minutes. Bazemore is known for his defensive tenacity, but losing Carroll would be a significant blow, one that changes the complexion of the series completely.

"DeMarre is a complete player," Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "He has a big impact on both ends of the court. We'll see what we learn tomorrow and figure out what gives us our best chance."

LeBron James and J.R. Smith combined for 59 points as the Cavs defeated the Hawks, 97-89, Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final in Atlanta.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James had 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists and J.R. Smith went 8-of-12 from 3-point range as the Cavaliers defeated the Hawks, 97-89, Wednesday night at Philips Arena in Atlanta. Smith set a franchise playoff record for 3-pointers and finished with 28 points.

The Cavs lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Final, 1-0.

Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the TNT telecast:

Zen Master with the assist: Cavs Nation owes New York Knicks President Phil Jackson as many thank-you calls, texts and emails as Madison Square Garden can handle. Jackson signed off on the legal heist of guards Smith and Iman Shumpert by Cavs General Manager David Griffin in January.

The Cavs expected Shumpert to contribute and hoped Smith would contribute. Both have been superb, on balance, at both ends of the court in the regular season and playoffs. They have become invaluable pieces.

Quality performance: The Cavs are banged up and were far from perfect, but they found a way to rip homecourt advantage from the conference's top seed.

For the first time in franchise history, the Cavs won the opening game of a series on the road. They had been 0-14.

The Cavs did not get unnerved by the fast start of the Hawks, who made 10 of their first 13 shots and led after the first quarter, 26-20. The Hawks finished 34-of-77 from the field.

King makes history: LeBron notched his 52nd career playoff game of 30+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists. He is the all-time leader in that stat line, having surpassed Michael Jordan's 51.

The Akron Hammer: LeBron went 12-of-26 from the field and 7-of-8 from the line. His 12th field goal was his most electrifying, and it came at a particularly opportune time for his team.

The Cavs led, 91-77, with 4:58 remaining in the fourth, but the Hawks refused to fold. They pulled within 91-87 on Kent Bazemore's shot with 57 seconds left.

Ten seconds later, the Cavs called timeout.

LeBron, guarded by Paul Millsap, controlled from inside the timeline on the left as his teammates spread the floor. When Tristan Thompson came out ostensibly to screen, Millsap figured LeBron would move to the left around Thompson. Instead, LeBron bolted to the right before Thompson set anything; Millsap was caught flat-footed. (Such pseudo screens worked splendidly for the Cavs in the latter stages of round two against the Chicago Bulls.)

LeBron dribbled past Millsap, then another big, Al Horford, who had extended too far in tracking Thompson. LeBron continued into the paint and, without even trying, faked Kyle Korver and Bazemore. The threat of dribble-penetration kick-out had caused Korver to hedge toward Shumpert on the right wing and Bazemore to hedge toward Smith in the right corner.

The only Hawk remaining to resist LeBron was Jeff Teague, but Teague, too, was preoccupied -- with Matthew Dellavedova in the left corner. LeBron thundered down the lane and slammed with the right hand to make it 93-87 with 37 seconds remaining.

After the game, TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley said: "That can't happen. You can't dribble from halfcourt and nobody steps in front of you.''

TNT studio analyst Shaquille O'Neal said: "Millsap should not be playing LeBron at halfcourt.''

DeMarre Carroll, not Millsap, would have been in front of LeBron under normal circumstances. However, Carroll sustained a left-knee injury on a drive with 4:59 left in the quarter and required assistance to the locker room.

J.R. Swish at work: In Game 1 of the opening round against Boston, Smith was 3-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-7 from 3-point range, and scored nine in 19 minutes. The Cavs won, 113-100, in Cleveland.

In Game 1 of the second round against the Bulls, Smith did not play. He served the first of a two-game suspension for his actions in Game 4 against Boston. The Cavs lost, 99-92, in Cleveland.

In Game 1 of the third round, Smith shot 10-of-16 from the field and established a playoff career-high for points. All of his field goals were jumpers from at least 20 feet.

Smith, who played 36 minutes, accounted for ALL of Cleveland's bench scoring. The other Cleveland reserves to appear, Dellavedova and James Jones, were a combined 0-of-9 in 39 minutes. 

Smith assumed the role of LeBron's running mate given that Kyrie Irving was limited to 27 minutes and 10 points because of various leg injuries.     

Here is a look at how Smith amassed his points:

FIRST QUARTER

1, 2 -- Step-back 20-footer from left wing. Irving assist. (Hawks, 24-17, 2:39 left.)

Skinny: Smith received the pass from Irving topside left, dribbled against Dennis Schroder and stepped back. Schroder wanted the referee to call a push-off; it amounted to begging.

SECOND QUARTER

3, 4, 5 -- Catch-and-shoot 25-footer from left wing. Dellavedova assist. (Hawks, 28-23, 11:22.)

Skinny: An old-school weave involving LeBron, Smith and Dellavedova -- with a  Thompson screen mixed in -- resulted in Dellavedova attracting Teague and Mike Muscala at the top of the 3-point arc. As Thompson cut into the paint and the peripheral vision of Millsap, Dellavedova passed to an open Smith. Millsap was a half-second late to close. Cleveland's ball movement and patience beat the Hawks at their own game.

6, 7, 8 -- Pull-up 24-footer from right sideline. (Hawks, 30-28, 9:57.)

Skinny: Smith received the pass from Dellavedova topside right and used center Timofey Mozgov's rub-screen to create space against Kyle Korver. Muscala, who had been checking Mozgov, picked up Smith as Korver chased. After several dribbles while moving toward the corner, Smith realized he had room and fired over Muscala's outstretched left arm. Korver arrived too late.

TNT play-by-play voice Marv Albert said: "J.R. Smith is on fire.''

TNT analyst Reggie Miller said: "You can't leave him, Marv. You've got to stay in his jersey...When you switch, when you've got a big like Muscala trailing out -- he's not used to leaving that paint area.''

9, 10, 11 -- 25-footer from right side. (Hawks, 33-31, 8:18.)

Skinny: Smith received a pass from Dellavedova on the right wing. Smith turned his back to Korver, pivoted to face him and rose for the shot. TNT showed Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer disgusted with Korver as the teams moved to the other end. Smith was 4-of-4 from the field.

TNT analyst Chris Webber said: "(Smith) doesn't respect Kyle Korver. I'm just going to put it out there.''

THIRD QUARTER

12, 13, 14 -- Step-back 23-footer from right baseline. (Cavs, 68-63, 2:56.)

Skinny: Smith received a pass from Dellavedova on the right sideline and dribbled once toward the baseline against Bazemore. Smith created space, dribbled behind the back and released over Bazemore's left hand. Smith went playground on Bazemore.

Miller said: "Oh, my goodness. Most coaches are saying, 'What in the ... great shot, J.R.'''

15, 16, 17 -- Catch-and-shoot 25-footer from right wing. LeBron assist. (Cavs, 71-63, 2:30.)

Skinny: After Smith's 3-pointer at 2:56, Atlanta missed a 3-pointer and short shot. LeBron rebounded and dribbled over the timeline and into the lane. LeBron, having drawn several Hawks, spotted an open Smith, who didn't grip the pass cleanly but still managed to drill the one-legged shot over a closing Millsap. Smith, facing the crowd, cooled the imaginary 6-shooter and put it in the imaginary holster.

18, 19 -- Step-back 21-footer from left wing. (Cavs, 74-67, 0:06.)

Skinny: Cavs spread the floor and Smith went to work on Bazemore from high on the left. Smith dribbled toward the key and jab-stepped at the foul line extended to create space. Smith dribbled behind the back and faded away over Bazemore's arm.

FOURTH QUARTER

20, 21, 22 -- Catch-and-shoot 26-footer from left wing. Irving assist. (Cavs, 77-67, 11:41.)

Skinny: Irving, inbounding from the baseline, made a half-look chest pass to an open Smith, who released over Teague. Credit Thompson with a rub-screen that delayed Teague's arrival by the necessary second.   

23, 24, 25 -- Step-back 25-footer from topside right. Irving assist. (Cavs, 80-67, 11:03.)

Skinny: Smith received the pass from Irving topside right and went to work on Teague. Smith leaned into Teague off the dribble and gave the Larry Bird/Reggie Miller nudge, which created the space needed for the fadeaway. Unlike Schroder, Teague did not complain about a push-off.

Miller said: "Wow.'' 

26, 27, 28 -- Catch-and-shoot 25-footer from right wing. Irving assist. (Cavs, 85-67, 9:59.)

Skinny: Bazemore thought he had it covered, but Smith surprised him with a cat-quick turn and release. The Philips Arena crowd was stunned, with the groans to prove it. Final points of Cleveland's 13-0 run -- 11 by Smith.

Exclamation point: Shumpert made a play in the final seconds that meant nothing -- yet meant a lot.

Shumpert's free throw had given the Cavs a 97-89 lead with six seconds remaining. Teague brought the ball over the timeline and undoubtedly figured he would be able to shoot an uncontested 3-pointer as time expired. Not so fast. As Teague rose to release, Shumpert swatted him from behind with three seconds left.

The game was going to end on Shumpert's terms, not Teague's.

DeMarre Carroll's knee injury may prove devastating to the Atlanta Hawks, but the Cavaliers probably can't sustain the stagnant, isolation offense they ran Wednesday in Game 1.

ATLANTA - In the fourth quarter on Wednesday night, Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll suffered an apparently serious knee injury - the kind of injury his team probably cannot survive against the Cavaliers.

Also in the fourth quarter, the Cavs played the kind of offense that, should they be fortunate enough to get past the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals, they probably could not win with in the NBA Finals.

Carroll, whose chief role for the Hawks this series was to press his flesh against LeBron James all over the court, stole James' pass with 5:03 left and was headed toward the hoop. Iman Shumpert fouled him on his layup attempt, and Carroll's left knee buckled as he landed.

Carroll couldn't put any weight on his leg as he was carried to the locker room, and in the hallway following the Cavs' 97-89 win Carroll was spotted on crutches. For now the Hawks are calling it a sprain with an MRI coming Thursday.

Not good pic.twitter.com/xckaDmH9MQ

-- Joe Vardon (@joevardon) May 21, 2015

Atlanta's best hope in this series was for Carroll to frustrate James and force him into high volume, low percentage shots. Almost as an aside, he entered as the Hawks' leading scorer.

Even a sprain of a knee ligament - with no tear - would put him in serious jeopardy of missing the rest of the series. With an on-ball defender like Carroll to take the brunt of James' attacks, the defenses designed to slow James down by coach Mike Budenholzer (who learned under San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, who knows a thing or two about scheming against James) don't work.

"At the end of the day, we're all a brotherhood," James said. "The NBA is a brotherhood, and you never want anyone to get injured, even in combat. That's going though my mind.

"Obviously, I love competing versus anybody who loves to compete as well. He's one of those guys that was competing throughout the night and throughout the postseason. I'm not sure of the severity of the injury right now, but I hope he has a recovery, whatever it is, you just don't want nobody to get hurt like that."

James and Carroll were already getting chippy with one another, including exchanges in the second quarter of shoves after a basket and James screaming at an official to "get him off me."

To the extent Carroll was succeeding agitating James, he wasn't getting stops. James scored 27 of his game-high 31 points before Carroll's injury, including 14 in a dominant second quarter where James crushed the Hawks by going through the post.

LeBron James shot 12-of-26 in Game 1 against the Hawks.NBA.com 

James performs in the conference finals like few other players in history. He's been to five in a row and six of the last seven, and his highest scoring average by series is in the East finals.

So the 31 points, eight rebounds, and six assists he produced Wednesday night stand as another in a long line of incredible conference finals efforts for James -- who nearly suffered a personal catastrophe when he turned his right ankle stepping on a cameraman in the third quarter. 

Then it all nearly came unraveled for the Cavs in the fourth, and James said he was at fault.

Up by 18 at one time in the period, James' 19-foot fadeaway with 7:02 left would stand as Cleveland's last bucket for a stretch of longer than six minutes. During that span - which included Carroll's injury - the Hawks cut their deficit to four before James drove a wide-open lane for an uncontested slam with 37.9 seconds remaining.

James missed five consecutive shots. In each case, the Cavs gave him the ball either at or near the top of the key, then stood idly while James pounded the ball in isolation before throwing up an errant shot.

"It starts with me," James said. "In the fourth quarter I played way too much isolation, one-on-one basketball. Allowed the defense to set and I was letting the clock run down way too much - either for me to just take a, I had to take a shot or I was giving it to my guys late in the shot clock and they couldn't to do nothing with it besides shoot it or turn the ball over. So, I will do a better job."

The Cavs are no strangers to isolation offense, predominantly because they have two of the best ball-dominant players in the NBA in James and Kyrie Irving. Cleveland led the NBA during the regular season in isolation offense, shooting without passing on 11.4 percent of possessions.

The Cavs also entered Wednesday night's game leading the league in isolation offense during the playoffs at 15.8 percent.

Coach David Blatt cited fatigue as the culprit for the Cavs' stagnant fourth quarter offense Wednesday, brought on "because we were playing so hard on the defensive end."

He said James "came in with a purpose today" and called his play "terrific," and sharing the ball would be something for the team to address Thursday.

But there were a number of factors - other than the team's scoring drought and James' forced shots - that made Cleveland's reliance on the iso stand out in the fourth quarter.

Irving, for one, didn't return after the 8:39 mark, suffering from a re-aggravation of his injured left knee. J.R. Smith was on his way to 28 points on eight three-pointers, but only took one shot over the game's final seven minutes.

And with Carroll out, the Hawks put the bigger Paul Millsap on James, who benefited from James holding onto the ball rather than passing and cutting without it.

"It's tough, sometimes, with our main ballhandler not being out on the floor, and that's in Kyrie," James said. "That's something that I'm not happy with, something I'm not really comfortable doing. I can do it but I don't like to play that much isolation basketball late in the game. I'd much rather get the ball moving from side to side and get a good look after that.

"Like I said, I'll be more conscious about that in Game 2, if that opportunity presents itself. Where at least I know if I can get the ball moving to start, and then maybe at the backside, like the third option, I could get it back at the end, at least we've got the defense moving instead of watching me pound the ball for 24 seconds. That's not good basketball."

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer values great defensive tackles as much as any other position in the recruiting process, and the Buckeyes already have a commitment from four-star prospect Malik Barrow of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG. Meyer isn't done, and here's a look at the top defensive tackles Ohio State is recruiting.

Has your original prediction for NBA Eastern Conference finals changed after Cavaliers opened series with road win Wednesday night?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - How are you feeling about the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Eastern Conference finals with Game 1 in the books?

Has your prediction that was set before the best-of-seven series started changed after the Cavaliers opened up with a 97-89 win on the road on Wednesday night?

We want to know how you're feeling after the latest game. Vote in the poll below on which team you think will win the series, and in how many games.

Look for a similar poll the day after every game and see what kind of feelings are trending among fans throughout the conference finals.

In the comments section located at the bottom of this page we invite you to share how your prediction has changed, if at all, and why.

The Cavaliers led comfortably in the fourth quarter -- as many as 18 points -- before things got a bit interesting. Late in the quarter Cleveland went through a stretch in which it missed eight consecutive attempts, allowing the Hawks to pull within 91-87 with 47 seconds left.

Did the late play concern you at all? Or are you encouraged by the Cavaliers shutting the door on a comeback by the Hawks on their home court when LeBron James responded with a driving dunk, followed by a missed 3-point attempt by Atlanta?

James scored 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The Cavs were led by J.R. Smith with 28 points, including eight 3-pointers, good for a Cavaliers playoff record.

Game 2 is Friday night in Atlanta with a tipoff time of 8:30 p.m. on TNT. The series moves to Cleveland on Sunday night.

See how metropolitan newspapers covering NBA Eastern Conference finals presented Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 1 win over Atlanta Hawks.

The front page of The Plain Dealer's section on Game 1 of NBA Eastern Conference finals.PD 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Check out the main pages of the metropolitan newspapers that are covering the NBA Eastern Conference finals, The Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

At right is The Plain Dealer's front page of its "Conference Finals" section, a four-page recap, that appeared in Thursday's edition.

Obviously, each newspaper had a drastically different story to tell their hometown readers after Wednesday's Game 1, which was won by the Cavaliers, 97-89, in Atlanta.

The Cavaliers' difference maker Wednesday night was guard J.R. Smith, who set a Cleveland playoff record with eight 3-pointers en route to finishing with 31 points.

LeBron James had 31 points, eight rebounds and six assists.

To see all the latest news from the series by writers at the Northeast Ohio Media Group and Plain Dealer, head over to the Cavs page on cleveland.com.

Check out the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's presentation of its Game 1 Eastern Conference finals content from Wednesday night in its "Hawks Extra" section at bottom right.

The front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's section on Game 1.AJC 

To read the AJC's stories of the opener, visit its Hawks main webpage.

The best-of-7 series resumes Friday night in Atlanta at 8:30 p.m. on TNT. See how the newspapers recap Game 2 on Saturday.

J.R. Smith scored 28 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers victory against the Atlanta Hawks.

ATLANTA -- The Cleveland Cavaliers started the Eastern Conference finals in convincing fashion by defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 97-89, on Wednesday night.

LeBron James set an NBA record in the win, passing Michael Jordan with his 52nd career playoff game of at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists.

However, it was another Cavaliers player who took over the game, as J.R. Smith scored 28 points to help the team take a 1-0 lead.

With an energized crowd, the Hawks scored 26 points in the first quarter and were clicking on all cylinders. However, as Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote, Atlanta went cold the rest of the way, and Smith was just getting started.

"The sub J.R. Smith turned the game in the second quarter and won it in the third and fourth. He took 12 3-point shots; he made eight of them. He finished with 28 points in 35 minutes."

Not only did the Hawks lose the game, they could also be without defensive stopper DeMarre Carroll, as he left the game with an apparent knee injury.

At first glance, the injury appeared to be very serious, but the Hawks appear to be a little more optimistic it is not as bad as it first looked.

"The Hawks announced that he had a knee sprain and will undergo an MRI on Thursday. For the man whom the Hawks were hoping could chase James all series, the sight of him in such obvious distress was a massive downer. (Although the last-gasp rally was fueled by Bazemore, who might well be forced to become James' shadow."

Go read the whole thing over at AJC.com.

More Cavaliers links

After clashing early, Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova have formed a great relationship. (ESPN.com)

J.R. Smith scored the second most points ever by a LeBron James reserve teammate in a playoff game. (ESPN.com)

NBA links

While the Hawks weren't able to get the victory in Game 1, one lucky fan was able to receive the memory of a lifetime by meeting Shaquille O'Neal. (Bleacher Report)

While Scott Brooks is being looked as one of the top coaching candidates out there, it appears he may be sitting next season out. (yahoo.com)

With Steph Curry having a big performance in Game 1, Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley was trying to return from an inury and slow down the MVP. However, he has decided he isn't healthy enough to play in the series. (yahoo.com)

WaitingForNextYear.com's Will Gibson breaks down Cavs-Hawks Game 1 on our postgame podcast.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers have a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hawks. Game 2 of their series is Friday night in Atlanta.

After the game, WaitingForNextYear.com's Will Gibson and I broke everything down. We talked about the win and looked ahead to Game 2. Topics included:

• J.R. Smith's big night.
• DeMarre Carroll's injury.
• The Cavaliers defense in the second half.
• Three stars of the game.

Looking to subscribe to our podcasts? We're coming soon to iTunes, but until then, find our RSS feed here. Users of Apple products can go to iTunes and in the Podcasts section, click on File >> Subscribe to Podcast and enter the URL of the RSS feed into the pop-up box.

You can listen to our live postgame show immediately following every game this postseason.

Listen to the podcast in the player above or download it by clicking here.

Golfers are invited to enter contest to play in fifth annual Summer Solstice Golf Challenge at Hickory Nut.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Attention golfers -- what's better than free golf, along with free food and drinks?

We can't think of much and we're pleased to announce the return of The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Summer Solstice Golf Challenge, which returns for a fifth year on Friday, June 19 at Hickory Nut Golf Course in Columbia Station.

We are seeking at least six area golfers to play in the sunup-to-sundown Challenge to see how many holes they can complete.

Scroll down to access the short contest entry form. Golfers have until Friday, May 29 at 5 p.m. to apply for a spot in the contest. The biggest criteria is telling us why we should select you. All greens fees and riding carts, food and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided free to the winners.

Hickory Nut Golf Course in Columbia Station is sponsoring the fifth annual Summer Solstice Golf Challenge on June 19. Scroll down to apply for the free contest.Hickory Nut 

Last year's foursomes played a combined 174 holes - 101 by one team and 73 by another team (see pictures in slideshow). Think you can top that? Tell us why in your application.

Also, we want to make this a golf event for many more people, not just the six players chosen to compete in the Challenge.

Hickory Nut will offer additional spots to play in the Challenge for a fee. The spots will be selected from the pool of applicants not chosen as one of six contest winners. Players chosen will be contacted in June.

Here are the full details on entering the free contest:

What, when, where: We are looking for six golfers from Northeast Ohio to play Friday, June 19 in the 16-hour Summer Solstice Golf Challenge at Hickory Nut Golf Course in Columbia Station. (We realize the summer solstice is June 21 but we wanted to avoid holding the contest on a weekend when courses are jammed).

Hours: Players will golf from sunup to sundown -- roughly 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

It's free for contest winners: All greens fees and riding carts will be covered, in addition to food and non-alcoholic drinks for the six contest winners.

How to enter contest: Fill out the form below. The most important factor is telling us why we should select you to participate. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 29 at 5 p.m. The six winners will be chosen in June.

Browns rookie pass-catchers Randall Telfer (foot) and Vince Mayle (thumb) are recovering from surgeries, but Telfer might need until late in the season to play.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns might have to wait until late in the season to see if sixth-round tight end Randall Telfer can help ease the loss of Jordan Cameron, but fourth-round wide receiver Vince Mayle is expected to be full-go in training camp after undergoing surgery to repair his broken right thumb last week.

Mayle's currently wearing a soft cast, but is expected to have it removed in two weeks. He had a small permanent screw inserted in the thumb at University Hospitals, but should be 100% by late July.
 
"It should not be an issue in the fall,'' Pettine said during rookie camp.

As for Telfer, Pettine revealed during the Browns Foundation Golf outing Friday that the former USC tight end might miss a good chunk of the season while recovering from his foot surgery.  Telfer suffered a left mid-foot fracture involving the Lisfranc joint during USC's 45-42 victory over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl Dec. 27th.

Because such injuries are rare and hard to diagnose, Telfer didn't undergo the surgery until late February. Typically, a player can return to the field in about four to six months, but some doctors advise an eight-month rehab. In the best-case scenario, Telfer will return to limited football action in a month, but more likely, he'll test it toward the end of camp.

Telfer will likely begin training camp -- and possibly the season -- on the physically unable to perform list. He might also be a candidate for short-term injured reserve or season-long injured reserve, meaning it would be a redshirt year for him. It all depends on how he progresses in his rehab. Currently, he's ahead of schedule, and has a history of playing through injuries at USC, including a sprained knee, a sprained ankle, a torn meniscus and a hip-point. In fact, Telfer was voted USC's most Inspirational Player in 2014.

"Randall is the team warrior for USC,'' said his former Trojans and current Browns teammate Hayes Pullard, the seventh-round linebacker. "He's probably one of the toughest guys there are. I know it's a pleasure to play with him once again, Trojans going all the way to Cleveland together. It's going to be a great opportunity for him to show what he wasn't able to show at USC."
The Browns had high hopes for Telfer when they drafted him, despite the injury.
"He was one of our top-rated tight ends,'' said Pettine. "We were fortunate to be able to get him when we did. We all know that the injury's well-documented, but there is a chance that he'll be able to help us late in the year.''
Just in case, the Browns signed two tight ends that tried out in rookie camp: Emmanuel Bibbs (6-2, 256) from Iowa State and Kevin Haplea (6-3, 249) from Florida State. Bibbs, ranked in the top 10 at his position by some draft analysts, caught 45 passes for 382 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games last season.
Haplea played two years at Penn State before transferring to Florida State in 2012. Last season, he contributed on special teams in two-tight end formations en route to a  conference championship for the Seminoles.
"I think the tight ends will be very involved,'' Pettine said. "We want to run the football. That's going to be a cornerstone of what we do. We also want to be able to control, tp work the middle of the field. That's why we felt very fortunate to add a Rob Housler (as a free agent) to what we feel is a solid duo in Jim (Dray) and Gary (Barnidge).

"Then we found two guys in the rookie camp, Bibbs and Haplea, who we feel are solid guys that I think have a legitimate chance. That room went from being, before we signed Housler, a big question mark to one we feel is very deep.''

Mayle tested his thumb on the first day of rookie camp, but couldn't grip the ball without pain. The Browns determined surgery was the best course of action and quickest way to get him back on the field.

Mayle is still participating in the Browns offseason program, which is in the final week Phase II. Organized team activities begin next week, which consists of 10 practices in which the offense and defense are permitted to work against each other for the first time. The former Washington State receiver is still running routes and doing whatever he can besides catching the ball.

Mayle initially broke the thumb during Senior Bowl practices in late January, but thought it was just a sprain. It wasn't until the NFL combine in February that X-rays revealed the fracture. Still, Mayle did mostly everything at the combine except the bench press. When he returned to Washington State, he was told that surgery wasn't necessary and was placed in a cast. He took it off for his Pro Day April, but called his agent, Cameron Foster, afterwards and said, "I think I broke my thumb again.''

The Browns drafted Mayle in the fourth round knowing about the thumb, but hoping it might heal on its known. Now, he should be back in time to compete for playing time in camp.

Mayle and Telfer are two of three rookies currently recovering from surgeries, but whom the Browns feel are worth the wait. The other is seventh-round cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, who suffered a torn ACL and dislocated knee in December.

The Browns believed Ekpre Olomu has starting potential when healthy.

We talked all things Cavaliers-Hawks on today's Cavs Insider. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's on to Game 2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, and questions abound for both teams. What will the Cavaliers get out of Kyrie Irving? Will DeMarre Carroll be able to play -- and how effective will he be -- in Game 2? 

I was joined by Fear the Sword's David Zavac and Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon and Chris Haynes to answer those questions and more. Other topics we discussed included:

• Is Game 2 a must-win for Atlanta?
• How will the Hawks defend LeBron James if Carroll is out?
• Is Tristan Thompson playing 40+ minutes sustainable?

Want an audio-only version of the show? Download it here.

Lake Erie walleye are on move this week, giving anglers all along the shoreline an opportunity to catch a few fish.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Lake Erie walleye fishing is drawing crowds of anglers from Toledo to Cleveland, with near-shore schools of post-spawn walleye on the move and feeding. The yellow perch spring fishing season is still a puzzle, with big schools of perch are hard to find and difficult to catch.

Inland anglers are scoring on walleye, but the hottest fishing is for bluegills moving to shallow bedding areas all around Northern Ohio. The walleye and bass fishing is good and catfish are starting wake up around the area.

The steelhead trout fishing season in the Northeast Ohio rivers and streams is almost over. Some die-hard trout anglers are still picking off a few trout as they slowly make their way back to Lake Erie after their spawning runs.

CLEVELAND AREA

The Cleveland Metroparks Children's Fishing Derbies were a major hit last weekend and are still a bonus for the older fishing crowd. While the kids caught rainbow trout, channel catfish and bluegills, there are stocked fish still swimming in Wallace Lake and the canal at the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation.

The trout were hitting Berkley PowerBait, kernels of corn and maggots on a small hook and suspended under a float. Add a lead split shot about a foot above the hook.

Cleveland Harbor walleye fishermen have been casting from the piers and breakwalls after dark, and trolling both day and night along the Cleveland shoreline. The yellow perch fishing has been erratic. The Chagrin and Rocky rivers are giving up lots of smallmouth bass and catfish, and a few carp.

CENTRAL LAKE ERIE

The walleye fishing has been good from Vermilion to Cleveland in 37 feet of water, or less. Trolling has been the key, and minnow-style plugs such as Reef Runners are taking fish. Some fishermen are finding single- and tandem-spinner rigs and nightcrawlers are starting to shine.

There have been a few days of yellow perch fishing off Lorain, but it's not consistent. Commercial fishermen are focusing on the Lorain Sand Bar with trap nets and catching good numbers of perch.

The crappie fishing continues around the bays and harbors. Smallmouth bass and catfish are moving in, as well. Fishermen are casting crappie rigs and jigs tipped with minnows for crappie, targeting docks, brushy areas and overhanging trees. The black jet ski docks in the marinas are crappie magnets.

To the east, walleye are starting to migrate as far as the Fairport Harbor area, where they're being caught in 42 feet of water on crankbaits and spinner rigs and nightcrawlers. Some yellow perch are being caught in 32 to 34 feet of water off Fairport. The Grand River has been good for catfish, with Painesville's Harbor Bait & Tackle kicking off a free three-day catfish derby this weekend. To the west, the shallow areas from Huron to Vermilion are bass and walleye hot spots.

WESTERN LAKE ERIE

Trolling fishermen continue to catch very good numbers of big walleye, and the drift-and-cast fishing around the reefs has begun to sparkle. The Niagara Reef complex is a good place to cast a small spinner rig or weight-forward spinner tipped with a nightcrawler, as well as American Eagle Reef off the southwest corner of Kelleys Island and the small reefs between Mouse and Starve islands.

Yellow perch fishing has begun to heat up again off of the Marblehead Lighthouse and the dumping grounds off Cedar Point. The smallmouth bass fishing has been very good around the Bass Islands and Kelleys Island as the bass move shallower, but must be released during the closed season.

RIVERS AND STREAMS

The steelhead trout season is almost over, but some big trout remain in the Northeast Ohio streams. It's more likely anglers will catch smallmouth bass, channel catfish and carp. The bass are hitting minnows, worms, tube jigs and small spinners and spoons. The catfish are taking nightcrawlers and chicken livers, as well as processed baits. Chum the carp with kernels of corn, then bait up and cast with a fly rod.

Out west, the white bass run is luring lots of fishermen to the Sandusky and Maumee rivers.

PONDS, LAKES, RESERVOIRS

The Lake Metroparks has released largemouth bass, channel catfish and bluegills into many of their ponds in recent days, providing excellent family fishing. Park officials released fish into two ponds at Penitentiary Glen, three ponds in the Girdled Road area and two ponds at both Concord Woods and River Road.

Bluegills are moving to shallow spawning beds in most of the area lakes, where anglers have easy access casting small lures and live bait, including jig-maggot rigs and spider flies. Top bluegill lakes include the Portage Lakes, Wingfoot and LaDue Reservoir.

Largemouth bass are spawning, or just finishing up, making the bass fishing a bit difficult. The best bass lakes this week should be Lake Milton, Mosquito Reservoir and East and West reservoirs in the Portage Lakes. Long Lake in the Portage Lakes has been a hot spot for channel catfish.

Walleye are being caught in good numbers at Pymatuning, Mosquito and Berlin reservoirs. Good numbers of walleye are still prowling the shallows and are being caught on jig-nightcrawler rigs. Late in the day and after dark fishermen are switching to casting minnow-style plugs, including the Long A bomber, or trolling Hot-N-Tots.

FISHING TOURNAMENTS

Lake Erie Walleye Trail (Lake Erie at Sandusky): 1. Zak Jobes and Josh Wells, 5 walleye, 48.785 pounds, $3,300; 2. Randy Eyre and Corey Miller, 5, 39.95 pounds; 3. Dave Frey and Lonnie Hanchosky, 5, 38.48 pounds. Big Walleye: Derek and Fischer Wilkes, 10.58 pounds.

Ohio Walleye Federation (Berlin Reservoir): 1. Bret Berkey and Nate Arnold, 20.2 pounds; 2. Jerimah James and Adam Momirov, 19.94 pounds; 3. Anthony Naples and Chris Durkin, 14.42 pounds. Big Walleye: Berkey and Arnold, 6.7 pounds.

Walleye Madness Tournament (Berlin Reservoir): 1. Sammy Cappelli and Ted Jackson, 18.50 pounds; 2. Chris Durkin and Anthony Naples, 17.55 pounds; 3. Nate Arnold and Bret Berkey, 17.50 pounds. Big Walleye: Ryan Cecil and Brock Stence, 7.05 pounds.

KSU LaDO Bass Series (LaDue Reservoir): 1. Ryan and Craig Kitson, 5 bass, 12.29 pounds, $364; 2. Greg Perry and Alec Chicko Gabriel, 5, 11.60, $390; 3. Corey and Steve Petz, 5. 10.66, $208. Big Bass: Perry and Gabriel, 3.97 pounds.

Bedford Bass Club (Lake Milton): 1. Gary Teel, 7.76 pounds; 2. Joe Steinbicker, 6.36 pounds; 3. Ray Halter Jr., 5.75 pounds.

Danny Salazar will try to win his fifth game of the season Thursday night when he faces John Danks and the Chicago White Sox.

CHICAGO -- Here are the lineups for Thursday night's game between the Indians and White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m.

INDIANS

2B Jason Kipnis.

1B Carlos Santana.

LF Michael Brantley.

RF Ryan Raburn.

DH Nick Swisher.

3B Mike Aviles.

SS Jose Ramirez.

C Roberto Perez

CF Michael Bourn.

RHP Danny Salazar (4-1, 4.06).

WHITE SOX

CF Adam Eaton.

LF Melky Cabrera.

1B Jose Abreu.

DH Adam LaRoche.

RF Avisail Garcia.

SS Alexei Ramirez.

3B Gordon Beckham.

C Tyler Flowers.

2B Emilio Bonifacio.

LHP John Danks  (2-3, 4.66).

UMPIRES

H Larry Vanover.

1B Ron Kulpa.

2B Brian Knight.

3B Dale Scott.

The Indians and White Sox conclude their four-game series Thursday night at U.S. Cellular Field with Danny Salazar facing White Sox lefty John Danks. The Indians, with a 2-1 lead, are looking for a series victory.

CHICAGO-- Get live updates and chat with beat writer Paul Hoynes in the comments section below as the Indians play the White Sox on Thursday night in the fourth game of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular Field.

Game 39: Indians (16-23) vs. White Sox (18-19).

First pitch: 8:10 p.m. ET.

Johnny Manziel will practice for the first time in front of the media at OTAs Tuesday since being discharged from rehab April 11.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The new and improved version of Johnny Manziel will be on display for the first time at organized team activities on Tuesday.

It marks the beginning of Phase III of the offseason program, which consists of 10 practices over the next three weeks. For the first time this offseason, reporters will be permitted to watch Manziel and the other veterans practice. So far, only rookie camp has been open to the media.

Also for the first time, the offense and defense will be permitted to work against each other in non-contact drills, including 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s. Previously, in three weeks of Phase II, the offensive and defensive units worked separately.

Therefore, it will be the first glimpse of Manziel throwing the ball and improvising since being discharged April 11th from the Caron Addiction Treatment Center in Pennsylvania, where he spent 10 weeks. One full OTA practice will be open to the media each of the next three weeks, but it's not yet known when Manziel will address the media for the first time since the end of last season.

When OTAs are over, the Browns will conduct their mandatory minicamp June 16-18. After that, veterans will mostly disperse until the end of training camp in July, and rookies will remain in town for the NFL rookie symposium June 23-27th.  

By all accounts, Manziel -- who will take backup reps behind likely 2015 starter Josh McCown -- has been working hard and making great progress.

"Johnny's been great,'' offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said during rookie camp. "He's been fantastic. All I know is Johnny the football player, and he's been awesome. He's been working hard, very hard with myself and (quarterbacks coach Kevin O'Connell), and doing what we want him to do on the field."

DeFilippo has been impressed with Manziel's work ethic -- but former Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was pleased with his effort too. It was the off-field issues that were the problem his rookie year.

 "He's been nothing but a consummate professional,'' DeFilippo said.  "He's spent every hour that he's been allowed to spend in this building. We give them worksheets every Tuesday and every Friday, and they're done to the unbelievable detail that we need an NFL quarterback to do. From that standpoint, like I said I can't predict the future, but all I can do is tell you right now Johnny Manziel is putting himself in a position to be a quarterback in the NFL."

Manziel moved from downtown hotspot The 9 to a quiet west side golf community, where Browns linebacker Paul Kruger is his neighbor. But he hasn't holed up in his house since leaving rehab. Manziel participated in the Browns Foundation golf outing last Friday, and he's attended Cavs playoffs games. He's played pickup basketball with Joe Haden and is schedule to play in the Joe Haden and Friends Celebrity softball game June 6th at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio. Manziel has also been seen out socially.

But cornerback Joe Haden, a close friend of Manziel's, has had heart to heart talks with the second-year pro and is convinced his head's in the right place.

"I can see just him trying to be involved a little bit more in the offense,'' Haden said.  "(I see) him studying a lot more, him being in the facility a lot more. Him being involved with his coaches, just staying after and getting that one-on-one and being able to understand what he has to do. Just a different mentality. I'm really excited about it.''

Despite the fact Mike Pettine has sworn off a quarterback competition in training camp and has declared McCown the favorite to start the season, Haden believes Manziel will try to win the starting job.

 "Oh for sure,'' Haden said at the golf outing. He's a competitor. I think it's all about competition. We have Josh McCown. We have Johnny. We have (Connor) Shaw. All those guys. Just all of them feel like they can win the starting job.

"Competition brings out the best in you and I think that's good for Johnny and all the other quarterbacks who are going to compete against each other.''

Haden says Manziel realizes now what he almost threw away.

"He said he took a lot of things for granted,'' said Haden. "Just being able to go back there and realize that he is in the NFL. He's living his dream. He's a quarterback in the National Football League and what that entitles him. I think he understands that and I'm very happy for him.''

Browns general manager, who drives competition at every position, also wouldn't count anyone out at this point in the offseason.

"That's Pett's call,'' he said at the Golf outing of Manziel's shot to start the opener. "But again, I watch the film, I evaluate guys and at the end of the day, the best man always wins in my mind. Whoever plays the best is who should play.''

He's also emphasized to Manziel that he has to come in and compete.

"This is still the National Football League,'' said Farmer. "There's no rest for the weary. We get it. We're supportive of him and his personal endeavors and he's got to come out and perform and demonstrate that he's worthy of being on the 53-man roster.''

But he's been encouraged by what he's seen from the post-rehab Manziel, who struggled mightily in his two rookie starts.

"When you see the guy throw the ball, he can throw it,'' said Farmer. "It looks good right now, so we'll see.''

Manziel will undoubtedly be given a chance to freelance in practice, the way he did when he was running the scout team last season.

"I'm the last guy - the last guy -- that's going to take Johnny Manziel's athleticism away from him,'' DeFilippo said. "I will not do that. I refuse to do that. ... Okay? And I told (former Raider) Terrelle Pryor the same thing. 'That's part of your game.' Now, we need to refine the other part to make you the complete quarterback.'''

See the Players of the Week for May 21, 2015.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Here are the cleveland.com Players of the Week for May 21. Players of the Week win a free SAT or ACT class with College Review. Call 216-831-2557 or visit collegereview.org online.

See a poll below asking which athlete had the most impressive week.

This is the final installment of Players of the Week for the school year.

BASEBALL

Name: Anthony Savarino.

School: Olmsted Falls.

Year: Senior.

Position: Pitcher/shortstop.

College: Marietta.

What Anthony did last week: Led Bulldogs to perfect 4-0 week with wins against North Royalton, Lakewood, North Ridgeville and Brunswick. Was 7 of 11 at the plate, with two doubles and a home run, three RBI, five stolen bases and six runs scored. As a pitcher against Lakewood, he turned in a complete game 9-2 victory with 10 strikeouts and only three hits. Recently selected as Mizuno All-Ohio and first team All-Southwestern Conference player.

Three Questions with Anthony

Q: Who is the biggest reason why you became involved with baseball?

A: "At a young age, I just started playing catch with my dad. Every day he would come home from work and we would play. From there I started playing on a team and it went on from there."

Q: What baseball player do you look up to the most?

A: "That's a tough question. The Indians are my favorite team, for sure. I'd say Michael Brantley. The way he carries himself and it's always fun watching him hit."

Q: What is your favorite thing about the game of baseball?

A: "I enjoy playing with my friends a lot. I've grown up with these kids my whole life and we've been playing since we were little kids. It's fun because we're so close now."

- Cameron Moon

BOYS TRACK

Name: Jai Dixon.

School: Brush.

Year: Junior.

Height, weight: 6-0, 145.

College: Undecided.

What Jai did last week: Won both hurdles events at Northeast Ohio Conference Lake Division championships to earn meet MVP honors. He finished in a time of 15.40 seconds in 110-meter hurdles and 40.8 in 300 hurdles.

Three Questions with Jai

Q: How much does your mentality change as a runner heading into the postseason?

A: “I just think of it like I don't want to be eliminated. I just want to keep my season going. I'm a competitor. I like to compete.”

Q: What's your favorite high school track memory?

A: “When I fell in the 300-meter hurdles and still finished first last year. I got up and kept moving.”

Q: You also play football and you wrestle. Which sport is your favorite?

A: “I like football the most, but I'm probably more successful in track.”

- Tim Bielik

GIRLS TRACK

Name: Alexis Szivan.

School: Amherst.

Year: Senior.

Height: 5-9.

College: Miami (Ohio).

What Alexis did last week: Set a new Southwestern Conference championship meet record in 800 meters (2:14.3) and ran in winning 4x400-meter relay (4:02.47).

Three Questions with Alexis

Q: How excited are you to be able to compete in track and cross country in college starting next year?

A: “I'm really excited because I've worked so hard to be able to do this stuff. I'm really excited to take my career to the next level.”

Q: Do you have any pre-race rituals or superstitions?

A: “I've been wearing the same socks since seventh grade. It's one of the things that I have to wear.”

Q: After placing sixth at state last year in the 4x400, what did you learn from that experience that you've carried over into this year?

A: “I've learned a lot from running at state, so I know what to expect for the big races and everything. I've been able to relax more before a big meet. So running at state and regionals, that really has prepared me for my upcoming big meets that I have to run.”

- Tim Bielik

Yan Gomes will be activated and rejoin the Indians on Sunday to catch against the Reds. Left-hander TJ House, meanwhile, was activated from the DL, and optioned to Class AAA Columbus.

CHICAGO -- The Indians roster continues to spin and Thursday it brought good news to one player and bad news to another.

Manager Terry Francona said catcher Yan Gomes will come off the disabled list and catch for the Indians on Sunday against Cincinnati at Progressive Field. Gomes has not played with the Tribe since injuring his right knee in the ninth inning on April 11 against Detroit.

Left-hander TJ House was activated from the disabled list Thursday in another move and optioned to Class AAA Columbus. He opened the season in the Indians' rotation, but went on the DL on May 1 with a sore left shoulder.

House threw five scoreless innings in a rehab start for Columbus on Wednesday. Gomes was his catcher.

Gomes was scheduled to DH for the Clippers on Thursday night and catch nine innings on Friday to clear his final hurdle before rejoining the Indians.

When Gomes sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee on a play at the plate on April 11, the Indians medical staff said he'd need six to eight weeks of recovery time. If he plays Sunday, Gomes will have made it back in six weeks.

"After Gomes caught House, he went out in the bullpen and simulated catching two more innings," said Francona. "Gomes is trying so hard to get back that I didn't want him to look at this as a penalty (having to catch nine innings before being activated).

"We just want to try and make a good decision. Part of this is how important he is to us. I've said it before ... you want your catcher to be indispensable. That's probably the ultimate compliment to him. Then when they're not around, you find out that maybe they are."

Roberto Perez and Brett Hayes have filled in. When Gomes returns, one of them will have to go.

"We've been fortunate with Perez and Hayes," said Francona. "They haven't hit for average, but each have hit three homers and done a pretty good job behind the plate.

"They have different skill sets. Hayes is more of a veteran. Roberto, I might have caught him too much early. That would be on me. I do think in the long run it's been good for him."

House had a breakout season last year, but struggled through part of spring training and four starts this season before going on the disabled list. GM Chris Antonetti, who is on the this trip, told House about the move on a phone call.

"The thought is that TJ is healthy now so we'll option him down," said Francona. "The reality of it was who should we get rid of? Would it have been fair to say to Shaun Marcum, "Hey, man, thanks for the seven dazzling innings.'"

Marcum made his first big-league start in almost two years Wednesday and pitched 6 2/3 innings in a win over Chicago. Marcum was out of options, but House has one left.

The Indians are working on their third No.5 starter following House and Bruce Chen, who retired Monday after making two starts.

"TJ probably doesn't feel like hearing this right now, but it had been a struggle since the middle of spring training," said Francona. "We want him to find himself. That is going to be better for him in the long run.

"The hope is he'll understand it and do it because you can never have enough pitching."

House is 0-4 with a 13.15 ERA in four starts this year.

He's back: First baseman Carlos Santana returned to the lineup after missing four games with back spasms.

Francona put him back in the No.2 spot, even though Jose Ramirez has done a nice job there in the first three games of the Chicago series.

On April 26, Francona moved Jason Kipnis into the leadoff spot. On May 5, he moved Santana to second from the cleanup spot to take advantage of his on-base percentage and to create more scoring chances for Michael Brantley.

Asked if he considered going with Ramirez in the No.2 spot, Francona said, "I guess I would say why? You've got a guy (Ramirez) hitting .198 with an on-base percentage of .262. The other guy has a .400 (.365) on base percentage.

"I think Jose is starting to play better, which is great. But Santana has years of a high on-base percentage and that's a nice thing."

Mini-vacation: This four-game series has been a vacation for David Murphy and Lonnie Chisenhall because the White Sox started four left-handers.

Francona said Wednesday that he was going to start Chisenhall on Thursday, but he stayed with Mike Aviles at third base. Aviles homered in the first inning to give the Tribe a 4-0 lead.

"I'm just trying to strike a balance," said Francona. "He's not swinging that great right now. Sitting might not always help, but we have three righties coming up (with Cincinnati) and Aviles has done a pretty good job."

Chisenhall is hitting .228 (13-for-57) in May.

The RubberDucks have now won four of their past five games.

Akron scored four times in the fifth inning, including a steal of home by Tony Wolters, then held on to defeat the New Britain Rock Cats, 4-2, in a Class AA Eastern League game Thursday at Canal Park.

Tony WoltersAkron RubberDucks 

The RubberDucks had struggled against Rock Cats starter Ryan Carpenter, getting only one hit heading into the fifth inning and trailing, 1-0.

But designated hitter Anthony Gallas evened the game to start the fifth with a solo homer to left-center field. Wolters followed with a double to right field, and Destin Hood got on base with a bunt single, moving Wolters to third.

The RubberDucks then pulled off a double steal, with Wolters scoring and Hood getting to second.

Jordan Smith walked, then a wild pitch by Carpenter moved the runners to second and third. Jeremy Lucas grounded out, but a passed ball allowed Hood to score, the second run in the inning for RubberDucks brought in without a hit.

Bryson Myles singled to bring in the fourth run of the inning.

Gallas finished 2-for-4 with a homer and RBI, while Hood was 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

Starter Ryan Merritt (3-3, 4.41 ERA) got the win for the RubberDucks, giving up just one run on two hits in six innings and striking out seven. Jeff Johnson got his fourth save of the season.

The RubberDucks have now won four of their past five games. They travel to Binghamton, N.Y., on Friday to begin a four-game series against the Mets. They return home next Tuesday to face Trenton.

A look at the high school sporting events in Northeast Ohio on Thursday, May 21, 2015.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Here are spring sports highlights from Thursday's action based on box scores reported to the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

For more information on how to report box scores, please email High School Sports Manager Kristen Davis (kdavis@cleveland.com).

BASEBALL

The game was close early, but Gilmour was able to pull away for an 8-4 win against Champion to set up a district final against Kirtland.

Ethan Pawlak went 2-for-2 with two runs batted in to help lead the Lancers to victory.

SOFTBALL

The Westlake softball team is enjoying a historic season, and it continued on Thursday as the Demons defeated Elyria, 8-3, in a district semifinal game.

Gina Campo led the way offensively for the Demons, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and four runs batted in.

With the win, Westlake will play Avon in a district final on Friday. The Eagles advanced to the district final with a thrilling 2-1 win against Amherst.Nordonia will be in action in a district final as well on Friday, as the Knights defeated Austintown-Fitch, 6-5.

GIRLS TRACK

DIVISION II

LAKE VIEW DISTRICT

ORVILLE DISTRICT

4x800: 1. W.S. Northwestern (Alberts, Ball, Howman, Garrison) 10:32.1; High Jump: 1. Rico (Firelands) 5-1; 2. Rogala (Firelands); 3. Hartley (Buckeye) 5-0; 4. Renner (Orville) 4-10. Shot Put: 1. Schultz (Lutheran West) 39-02.75; 2. Ragland (Lutheran West) 39-00.75; 3. Merwin (Triway) 37-05.50; 4. Bucher (Orrville) 34-03.5; Pole Vault: 1. Plybon (Orville) 11-10; 2. Bodager (W.S. Northwestern) 10-06; 3. Plas (Keystone) 9-0; 4. Eby (Orville) 9-0; Long Jump: 1. Rogala (Firelands) 15-11.75; 2. Maxwell (Lutheran West) 15-03; 3. Sobel (Keystone) 15-0; 4. Fletcher (Chippewa) 14-11.25; Discus: 1. Cannon (Chippewa) 122-02; 2. Ragland (Lutheran West) 117-11; 3. Schultz (Lutheran West) 115-01; 4. Merwin (Triway) 110-02.

SALEM DISTRICT

 4x800: 1. Marlington (Mason, Viscounte, Kennedy, Bakan) 10:02.22; 2. South Range (Maali, Kimpel, L. Kimpel, Pierson) 10:07.66; 3. Poland Seminary (Rubesa, Eckman, Harakal, Penman) 10:09.57; 4. Tuslaw (Albert, Koons, George, Parrot) 10:22.49; High Jump: 1. Gibbins (Fairless 5-0; 2. Kirschner (Alliance) 5-0; 3. Kane (Struthers) 5-0; 4. Oliver (South Range) 4-08; Shot Put: 1. Snyder (Fairless) 39-09.25; 2. Bock (West Branch) 38-11.5; 3. Schuler (South Range) 37-09; 4. N. Kreatsoulas (Poland Seminary) 37-0.

BOYS TRACK

DIVISION II

LAKE VIEW DISTRICT

ORVILLE DISTRICT

4x800: 1. Bay (Metic, MacMillan, Hautz, Orr) 8:18.25; 2. Firelands (Reynolds, Grude, Brightbill, Ruffner) 8:23.21; 3. Fairview (Borsody, Krueger, Cartier, Miles) 8:34.12; 4. W.S. Northwestern (Berger, Smith, McCoy, Boggs) 8:46.61; High Jump: 1. Speck (Keystone) 6-02; 2. Duncan (Triway) 6-02; 3. Canedy (Buckeye) 6-0; 4. Adkins (Brookside) 5-10; Shot Put: 1. Miller (Orville) 56-05; 2. Achladis (Elyria Catholic) 49-08; 3. Koch (W.S. Northwestern) 46-08; 4. Phillips (Triway) 45-07.5; Pole Vault: 1. Sadzewicz (W.S. Northwestern) 14-00; 2. Boulany (Chippewa) 12-06; 3. Wilson (Brookside) 12-00; 4. Adkins (Brookside) 12-00; Long Jump: 1. Owens 22-03.5; 2. Rankin (Elyria Catholic) 20-11.75; 3. Smothers (Orville) 20-11.75; 4. Strock (Triway) 20-06.25; Discus: 1. Achladis (Elyria Catholic) 164-11; 2. Sullivan (Bay) 157-11; 3. Shock (Triway) 143-04; 4. Barnby (Buckeye) 141-04.

SALEM DISTRICT

4x800: 1. Field (Lewis, Johnson, Miterko, Bookman) 8:27.77; 2. Tuslaw (Speicher, Wenzel, Klever, Burrow); 3. Marlington (Bixler, Knapp, Whittington, Burrow) 8:29.27; 4. West Branch (Koneval, Johnson, Leppert, Pigza) 8:42.36; Pole Vault: 1. Hall (Fairless) 12-06; 2. Reese (Tuslaw) 11-06; 3. Summer (Fairless) 10-06; 4. Miller (Canton Central Catholic) 10-06; Long Jump: 1. Semler (Field) 21-09.25; 2. Monteleone (East Palenstine) 21-03; 3. Butcher (West Branch) 20-02; 4. Frazier (Alliance) 20-07.5; Discus: 1. Zinni (West Branch) 153-02; 2. Morgan (Canton Central Catholic) 149-10; 3. Barker (Tuslaw) 148-07; 4. Wyslutsky (Field) 148-03.

The Indians, powered by consecutive first-inning homers by Nick Swisher and Mike Aviles and six scoreless innings by Danny Salazar, ended this seven-game trip with a 5-2 record.

CHICAGO -- The daunting task of facing four straight left-handed starters proved to less daunting than expected for the Indians.

For more than a month, the Indians couldn't stand the sight of a left-handed starter. Now they haven't met one that they don't think they can beat.

The Indians scored four runs in the first inning Thursday night against lefty John Danks and beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-2, at U.S. Cellular Field. The Indians three straight wins represent their longest winning streak of the season.

Danny Salazar, Ryan Webb, Marc Rzepczysnki and Bryan Shaw held the White Sox scoreless through 8 2/3 innings. Shaw, however, gave up a 436-foot two-run homer to Tyler Flowers in the ninth to lose the shutout.

In taking three out of four from the White Sox, the Indians beat lefties Jose Quintana and Danks and wrestled Chris Sale and rookie Carlos Rodon to no decisions. The Indians are 7-10 in games started by left-handers.

The Tribe won this game the hard way -- by scoring first.

They came into the game being outscored 32-18 in the first inning, but they quickly took a 4-0 lead against Danks. Jason Kipnis hit a leadoff double and scored on Michael Brantley's single following a wild pitch.

Carlos Santana, back in the lineup after missing four games with back spasms, made it 2-0 when he scored on Ryan Raburn's double play grounder. The inning did not end there.

Nick Swisher and Mike Aviles hit consecutive homers to make it 4-0. It was the first time the Indians have hit consecutive homers in a game this season. Not only that, but each of the homers came on a 1-2 pitch by Danks.

It was Swisher's first homer since July 11. That one also came against the White Sox. The homer for Aviles was his second of the season.

The Indians made it 5-0 in the second on some smart base running by Roberto Perez. With Santana batting, Perez at third and Kipnis on first, Santana sent a bouncer in front of the plate. Flowers pounced on the ball from behind the plate and threw Santana out at first, but Perez raced home because Flowers forgot to look him back to third.

The Indians ended the game with 11 hits. Aviles led the way with four.

The 5-0 lead was more than enough incentive for Salazar (5-1, 3.50), who threw six scoreless innings for the win. Salazar, 3-1 lifetime against Chicago, struck out eight, but had a lot of traffic on base.

He walked three and allowed five hits in throwing 107 pitches.

The Indians completed their best trip of the season, going 5-2 through Arlington, Texas and Chicago. It's the first time they've won consecutive series this season.

They improved to 5-4 against the White Sox. It's the only AL Central team they have a winning record against.

When the White Sox beat the Indians, 2-1, Monday night it stretched their season-high winning streak to six games. They're now on a three-game losing streak.

Downer for Danks

Danks (2-4, 5.11) took the loss. He's 0-2 in three starts against the Indians this year and 5-13 in his career.

The Indians have scored 12 runs in 16 innings against Danks this season.

Double down

Michael Bourn robbed Jose Abreu of extra bases with a nice running catch in the gap in right center field in the fifth with one out and Melky Cabrera on first. Bourn and Kipnis combined on strong relay throws to Santana at first to double up Cabrera.

It was a close play, but the White Sox did not challenge the call.

Thanks for coming

The Indians and White Sox drew 18,321 fans to Progressive Field on Thursday night.

What happens next?

The Indians and Reds open a three-game interleague series Friday night at Progressive Field. Cincinnat right-hander Mike Leake (2-2, 3.62) will face right-hander Carlos Carrasco (4-4, 4.98) at 7:10 p.m.

Carrasco is coming off a complete game loss on Sunday against Texas. He's 3-3 in interleague games, but this will be his first start against Cincinnati since 2011.