See what fans of both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors are saying prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals in the Storify in this post.

OAKLAND -- Cleveland Cavaliers fans are not easily discouraged and that is evident on social media. 

Several Cleveland fans believe this is LeBron James' time to shine and that Matthew Dellavedova is capable of filling the void left by Kyrie Irving's absence. 

See what fans of both the Cavs and Golden State Warriors are saying prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals in the Storify below. 

Something about the .500 mark continues to spook the Indians. For the third time this week, they crept to within a game of an even mark, only to retreat to the land of a losing record.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Something about the .500 mark continues to spook the Indians. For the third time this week, they crept to within a game of an even mark, only to retreat to the land of a losing record.

Sunday's bid for .500 did not look promising for long. The Orioles knocked around Tribe starter Carlos Carrasco. The Indians made several costly defensive miscues and made Orioles right-hander Bud Norris -- who entered with a 9.88 ERA -- look more like Jim Palmer.

It all added up to a 7-3 loss for the Indians, who have split their last six games after a stretch of 10 victories in 13 contests.

Norris, pitching for the first time since May 10 because of a bout of bronchitis, limited the Tribe to one run on four hits over five frames. David Murphy and Brandon Moss opened the fourth inning with consecutive doubles. That, along with an RBI groundout by Ryan Raburn in the seventh and an RBI single by Raburn in the ninth, proved to be the only offense Cleveland could muster. The Indians stranded 10 runners.

Meanwhile, the Orioles jumped on Carrasco early. Center fielder Adam Jones socked a 385-foot home run into the left-field bleachers in the first inning. Baltimore tacked on three runs in the fourth, as Manny Machado and Travis Snider cleared the bases with a pair of singles. Five Orioles reached after Carrasco retired the first two hitters of the inning.

Carrasco didn't make it out of the fifth. Manager Terry Francona and a trainer checked on the right-hander during his duel with Matt Wieters to begin the inning. Wieters clubbed a triple two pitches later. That was Carrasco's last offering of the afternoon.

Wieters scored on a sacrifice fly. He provided the final advantage in the ninth with a solo homer to right.

Carrasco surrendered five runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out three.

What it means
The Indians stand at 27-29 through 56 games. They have, however, rattled off 13 wins in their last 19 contests, despite dropping two of three to Baltimore.

Rough day
Lonnie Chisenhall snapped out of an 0-for-13 funk with an eighth-inning single. He struck out in his first two trips to the plate. He also committed a pair of fielding errors.

Glove gaffe
Wieters' triple in the fifth caromed off the right-field wall and skipped past Moss. Wieters casually trotted toward second base, but since Moss did the same toward the baseball, Wieters took off for third.

End of an era
Nick Hagadone entered the game in the fifth inning with a runner on third base and no outs. He promptly served up a sacrifice fly to Chris Davis. Prior to that sequence, Tribe relievers had stranded their previous 17 inherited runners.

Going streaking
Jason Kipnis doubled to left-center in the fifth inning. He has collected at least one hit in 30 of 35 games since the start of May. He extended his hitting streak against the Orioles to 15 games and his hitting streak at Progressive Field to 18 games, which sits one contest shy of the ballpark record, established last season by Michael Brantley. Kipnis doubled again with one out in the ninth.

Blast from the past
Former Tribe center fielder Marquis Grissom tossed out the ceremonial first pitch. Grissom started for the Indians during their memorable 1997 season.

Home cooking
The Indians are 11-16 at Progressive Field this season. In three-game sets this year, the club is 2-6 in finales following a split in the first two contests.

They came, they saw
An announced crowd of 18,151 watched the game at Progressive Field.

What's next
The Indians have an off-day on Monday. The Mariners venture to town to begin a three-game series on Tuesday. Corey Kluber (3-6, 3.61 ERA) will oppose Seattle southpaw Roenis Elias (2-3, 2.94) on Tuesday. Trevor Bauer (5-2, 2.94) and right-hander Taijuan Walker (2-6, 5.80) are slated to square off on Wednesday. Walker held the Tribe scoreless on two hits over eight innings on May 29. In the series finale, Shaun Marcum (2-1, 5.19) will face off against J.A. Happ (3-1, 3.31).

See what players and some celebrities had to say on social media following the Cavaliers' dramatic Game 2 victory against the Warriors which had fans everywhere holding their breath until the final seconds.

OAKLAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' dramatic Game 2 victory against the Golden State Warriors had fans everywhere holding their breath until the final seconds. 

See what some of the most famous fans had to say after Sunday's game as well as some Cavs players, past and present, had to say on social media as well as some media personalities, local and national, in the Storify below.

What an unlikely group of players have come together to help the Cavs win their first NBA Finals game in team history.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I don't know if the Cavaliers can pull one of the greatest upsets in NBA history and beat Golden State to the win title.

But after watching the Cavs split two overtime games in Oakland, does anyone indeed doubt that this team is "All In."

Yes, that's the marketing motto for the playoffs. But everyone who is still healthy enough to step on the court has indeed been "All In" for this team, even when their shots don't go in.

When the Cavs beat Golden State, 95-93 in overtime, in Sunday's Game 2, it was the first time in NBA history a team won a Finals game missing two of its top three scorers.

Of course, most teams don't reach The Finals without two of their top three scorers.

But the Cavs had Kevin Love (shoulder surgery) for only four games in the first round sweep of Boston. Kyrie Irving (knee problems) played only 49 total minutes in the four-game sweep of Atlanta in the Eastern Conference Finals. He missed Game 2 and is out with surgery to repair a fractured knee cap.

"I don't know any other team to be without two All-Stars ... compete the way we compete and be a force," said LeBron James. "So the guys are taking that very personal."

Yes, they are ... very personal.

Especially James, who obviously was insulted when there was talk of the Cavs being swept after Irving's season-ending injury.

"Our guys love the fact that we've been counted out and come into the series being an underdog," said James. "They're pretty much saying that especially after Kyrie got hurt that the series was over.  I think our guys are using that as motivation."

ALL IN WITH DELLY

The Cavs won this game despite shooting a rim-bending 33 percent. They won because a defense led by Matthew Dellavedova held MVP Stephen Curry to 19 very ugly points. One of the best shooters in the history of the game was only 5-of-23 from the field.

"It had everything to do with Delly," said James. "He was spectacular, man, defensively."

Curry was 2-of-15 from 3-point range.

"He's been counted out his whole life," James said of Dellavedova, who wasn't drafted after coming out of St. Mary's College in 2014.

Or as Coach David Blatt said: "He's a courageous kid that plays right ... always there for his teammates."

All in?

How about how the Cavs blew an 11-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation. When that happened, I thought they had no chance to win in overtime.

They looked exhausted. They were playing on a court where Golden State is 47-3 this season. Usually, you don't upset the superior team in those circumstances.

But the Cavs did.

How about this?

The Cavs are 5-0 in games where Dellavedova plays at least 34 minutes, and he's averaging 13 points.

ALL TOGETHER ON DEFENSE

The Cavs are 3-0 in playoff games missed by Irving. They won a fourth when he played only 12 minutes against the Bulls. The Cavs are now 13-3 in the postseason. Two of the losses have been in overtime.

All In?

Just watch them play defense.

"It's the grit squad that we have," said James. "It's not cute at all. If you're looking for us to play sexy, cute basketball, then that's not us... Everything is tough."

James added that it "has to be like this" for the rest of the series.

And he's right.

The Cavs want to beat Golden State for every rebound, every loose ball. They want to make the Warriors work for every open shot. They want to slow the game down, to make it seem almost to crawl for a team that averaged an NBA-best 110 points per game in the regular season.

Consider that Tristan Thompson scored the Cavs first two points of the series -- 32 seconds into Game 1. That was his last field goal, as he's 1-of-9 from the field. He has four total points.

But Thompson has snared 29 rebounds in the two games. He challenges opponents driving to the rim.

Thompson? Delly?

Then there's 7-foot-1 Timofey Mozgov, who is averaging 16.5 points and shooting 56 percent from the field in this series. That makes him an offensive force for this Grit Squad.

The Russian also has 18 rebounds in the two games.

ALL AMAZING

As the Cavs stood at halfcourt awaiting the opening jump ball for Game 2, there was James...

And Delly...

And Mozzie, as the players call Mozgov...

And Thompson...

And Iman Shumpert...

And how is that group in The Finals?

James is at the heart of it all. He's played 96 minutes in the two games, averaging 42.5 points, 12 rebounds and 8.5 assists. He's 29-of-72 from the field, but he often is the only Cavalier who can create his own shot 1-on-1 with the 24-second clock ticking down.

All in?

Blatt and his coaching staff must have had something to do with this remarkable run. They took an above-average defensive team and transformed them into an elite collection of defenders somewhere between the Boston and Chicago series.

They have consistently produced game plans that have made it difficult for superb scorers such as Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague and Curry to put up big numbers. The Cavs are 13-0 when they out-rebound opponents, and you can be sure the coaches drive home that point.

In some ways, Blatt is the Delly of coaching. He's from another basketball world. He receives little respect from the national media and more than his share of criticism.

He has called the "writing us off ... and underdog title ... a good thing."

And now this team has won its first NBA Finals game in franchise history ... coming home for Games 3 and 4.

"It means everything to be able to be a part of history and to get this win for this franchise, for our city, for all the Cavs fans all over the world," James said Sunday. "I'm looking forward to seeing our fans. I've heard our fans pretty loud before ... But I know we can be much, much louder than any fan base in this league."

And this team is worth shouting about.

Super Speedways like Michigan are key stops for NASCAR drivers who want to make a move in the points standings, or avoid making a serious drop.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- NASCAR Super Speedways can often play havoc on the points race just by the nature of what they are. So Sunday's Michigan 400 could be a pivotal race for the likes of Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch among others.

Gordon remains in the top 10 after finishing 14th in Sunday's race at Dover. But that's the third straight outside of the top 10 for Gordon, who has yet to win a race this season and has a haunting DNF as well.

At the very least, the retiring face of the new era of NASCAR could use another top 10 finish, and preferably a top five.

Those within 35 points behind him, with much of the season still to go, include Paul Menard (-26), Denny Hamlin (-32), Aric Almirola (-32) and Kurt Busch (-32).
Gordon's history at Michigan is solid, but not unblemished. He has 19 top five finishes in 44 races with three victories, but also six DNFs.

The hardest charger of the drivers close to him is Busch. Since missing the first three races of the season under suspension for "Actions Detrimental to NASCAR" following a reported domestic violence issue, Busch has been on the move.

Since there was no criminal action following his incident Busch was reinstated and deemed eligible for The Chase. He has posted four top 10 efforts in the last six races including two top fives.

His record in 28 races at Michigan is not quite on line with Gordon's, but solid in its own right. In 28 Michigan starts, Busch has a pair of wins, four top fives, but eight DNFs.

The one driver arriving at Michigan with a bit of exhale room is Martin Truex Jr., following his victory at Dover, which marked his first win of the season. He has now posted six straight top 10s, including three top fives and a sixth. He sits just 39 points behind series points leader Kevin Harvick. Another top 10 would still keep Truex on Harvick's doors.

Kristen Denk of North Royalton sets all-time girls pole vault record at 13 feet 6 inches.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- North Royalton senior Kristen Denk won her first state title on Saturday in the Division II OHSAA state track tournament on Saturday.

In doing so, she set the all-time record in the event across all three divisions with a vault of 13 feet, 6 inches. Watch her set the record in the video above.

“As soon I could tell I made it over the bar I heard everyone screaming and cheering,” Denk said. “I looked even over to the other side of the field and there were people still cheering. It was like the coolest feeling ever.”

Sr. Kristen Denk sets the all-time pole vault record at 13'6" for all 3 divisions. #OHSAApic.twitter.com/RYynluiZgQ

— Nathaniel Cline (@nathanielcline) June 6, 2015

The senior, who is headed for Ohio State, also won the indoor state pole vault at 13-05.00. Her PR is 13-08.50 set during a national meet in New York earlier this year.

During the season also set the state record at 13-04.00. See the report by Tim Bielik.

On Saturday she joined three area Division II field event athletes to bring home a state title: Stow senior long jumper TJ Lawson (23-11.25), Strongsville junior high jumper Cassie Martin (5-9) and St. Edward senior discus thrower Jonathan Zedella (174-11) also captured their respective state titles at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

For more high school sports news, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Contact Nathaniel Cline on Twitter (@nathanielcline), by email (ncline@cleveland.com) or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

At the start of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday, CEO Tim Cook made mention of Brandon Moss' 100th home run ball, and the litany of Apple products the Indians' relievers requested in return for surrendering the baseball to the slugger.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Tim Cook is paying the ransom.

At the start of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday, CEO Tim Cook made mention of Brandon Moss' 100th home run ball, and the litany of Apple products the Indians' relievers requested in return for surrendering the baseball to the slugger.

Moss socked his 100th career home run into the visitor's bullpen last Tuesday in Kansas City. Upon returning to his locker, he found a note waiting for him.

The bullpen crew whipped up a list of desired items they wanted from Moss in exchange for the ball. The list included iPads, iPhones, Apple watches and MacBook Airs. Cook said Apple will pay the ransom.

"I saw they caught the ball, but they said, "No, no, no,'" Moss said. "Then I see the list and I said, "I think I can do none of this. This is like $10 grand worth of stuff. I would have rather a fan caught the ball."

As Cook spoke Monday morning, the ransom note was on display behind him. Cook raised the baseball in his right hand as he spoke of the situation. The Indians said the ball was transported to California on Sunday for the presentation.

Our bullpen caught Moss' 100th home run ball. They delivered this ransom note to Brandon after the game. #Windians pic.twitter.com/qD0d98Un9k

-- #VoteKip #VoteTribe (@Indians) June 3, 2015

Anyone watching #WWDC15? Yep, Brandon Moss and the 'pen have gone global -- and Apple is going to pay the ransom. pic.twitter.com/dS8dgxwVfn

-- #VoteKip #VoteTribe (@Indians) June 8, 2015

Chevrolet power has evened out on the IndyCar series, so picking the right setups for each race is becoming critical.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The names are rotating up front for IndyCar each race, but the separation behind points leaders Juan Pablo Montoya is getting closer, not farther apart.

That's if you drive with Chevrolet power. Those with Honda are raising questions, particularly since Honda has not signed on to be with IndyCar beyond this season.

Yet on the track, the intrigue comes down to individual setup preference, race track to race track, and how it impacts the speed and handling of the car. Chevrolet power is still king, with Target Chip Ganassi and Team Penske out front. But it's close.

Going into Toronto's road race this week, Montoya's lead is dwindling for Team Penske as Ganassi is coming off a 1-2 victory Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway. The difference came down to winner Scott Dixon and teammate Tony Kanaan making the right setup call, and the Penske's did not.

"We knew that the Ganassis had more downforce than us and in the end they ended up getting the best way,'' Helio Castroneves said in the media forum after the race. "A good day for the championship and points, we're still fourth, but at least we're closer to Juan Pablo (Montoya) and we'll keep going.''

Just like the Indianapolis 500, the racing was incredibly close and tight at the Texas oval. "To be honest, I was like, 'Ahhh!' and I closed my eyes,'' Castroneves said. "Sometimes it was like, 'That's going to be a close one.' With drivers that you can trust, when you run in the front like that all the time, it's great to run like that. It's fun, it's challenging."

At the opposite end of the speed spectrum, Honda engine continues to be a little less on power. More importantly, the lead Honda driver most of the season, Graham Rahal, had a down effort that really cut into his top five standing.

Solid pre-race prep just evaporated on race day for the Columbus, Ohio native. "This was a shock to us,'' Rahal said. "We're pretty disappointed in the performance; the car was extremely loose. This hurts us in the championship because we lost some ground. It was a bad day but we will work hard to recover from this and be strong in Toronto."

Chris Fedor and Dan Labbe talk Cavaliers-Warriors on today's show. Watch video

The Cavaliers are coming home tied at one game apiece with the Warriors. Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals are Tuesday and Thursday at Quicken Loans Arena. Both games are scheduled for 9 p.m. tipoffs.

On today's Cavs Insider, Chris Fedor and I talked with Andy Liu of Golden State of Mind about the Warriors state of mind after Game 2 and their approach moving forward. We also played a little Fact or Fiction as to whether LeBron James will win series MVP -- win or lose -- whether J.R. Smith can shoot the Cavaliers to at least one win and more.

Watch the show in the player above.

LeBron James is peaking during the NBA Finals, and coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors during the 2015 NBA Finals.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - After the Kyrie Irving injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers were expected to be in big trouble in the 2015 NBA Finals.

However, LeBron James and the Cavaliers responded with an all-time performance to help the team pick up the 95-93 overtime victory.

Get caught up on NBA Finals content in our latest installment of daily links. The collection of links below is broken down by content from cleveland.com and content from Northern California media outlets. At the bottom is general NBA links of note.

See an interesting article or column about the NBA Finals online? We invite you to share a link to it in the comments section below.

Game 3 tips off Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Check cleveland.com's Cavs page for more content throughout the day Monday and all the latest developments leading up to tipoff.

Content from cleveland.com

Terry Pluto says the Cavaliers are All In on defense.

What NBA players and celebrities said after Game 2.

See what fans have to say after the Cavaliers victory against the Warriors.

Tim Bielik takes a look at how much tickets are going to cost Games 3 and 4.

David Cassilo takes a look at how Matthew Dellavedova defended Steph Curry.

With the victory, the Cavaliers now have home court.

Usher and Rascal Flats will sing the national anthem during the next two Finals games in Cleveland.

Dennis Manoloff breaks down how the Cavaliers won the game.

Dan Labbe talks about the Cavaliers grit being the difference in the game.

The Cavaliers are playing basketball the way they need to in order to win.

The people closest to LeBron James say he is peaking right now.

LeBron James is ready for the Cleveland crowd to be loud in Game 3.

The Cavaliers players were given gifts by LeBron James before the Finals.

Chris Fedor gives his five observations from Game 2.

Even though he is in the hospital, Kyrie Irving is still supporting his team.

Matthew Dellavedova proves to be the difference for the Cavaliers.

Dellavedova says the team still has a lot of confidence it can win the series.

Dan Labbe wrote his observations during Game 2 of the Finals.

Klay Thompson said after the Game 2 that the team is not playing the way they have this season.

Joe Vardon takes a look at the performance by LeBron James in Game 2.

For fans of sexy and cute basketball, the Cavaliers are not the team.

 

Content from Northern California

The Warriors loss last night a cold reality for their fans. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Draymond Green is finding it difficult to get anything going against the Cleveland Cavaliers big men. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Stephen Curry struggled with the defensive pressure. (San Francisco Chronicle)

The Cavaliers, despite their injuries, are still giving it their all. (San Jose Mercury News)

Steph Curry's Game 2 performance had to be a fluke. (San Jose Mercury News)

Warriors loss in Game 2 proves it won't be easy to win the NBA Finals. (San Jose Mercury News)

General NBA Links

Mike Malone gets second interview with the Denver Nuggets. (ESPN)

Like LeBron James, Kevin Durant recently just sold a house in Miami. (South Florida Business Journal)

Signs are starting to point on LaMarcus Aldridge leaving the Portland Trail Blazers. (Dallas Morning News)

Dwyane Wade indicates that he will opt out. (Pro Basketball Talk)

With the MLB amateur drafted slated to begin on Monday night, here is a look through the history of the Indians' selections. The Indians will make the 17th, 42nd and 59th overall picks on Monday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With the MLB amateur drafted slated to begin on Monday night, here is a look through the history of the Indians' selections. The Indians will make the 17th, 42nd and 59th overall picks on Monday.

Best late-round selections

Tony Sipp, LHP, 2004 (45th round)

The southpaw provided steady left-handed relief for the Tribe from 2009-12.

David Riske, RHP, 1996 (56th round)

The righty was a mainstay in Cleveland's bullpen from 2001-05.

Richie Sexson, 1B, 1993 (24th round)

Before he was dealt to Milwaukee for Bob Wickman, Sexson provided right-handed pop for the offensively potent Tribe of the late '90s.

Cody Allen, RHP, 2011 (23rd round)

Allen blitzed through the Tribe's farm system and has pitched in the late innings since 2011.

Vinnie Pestano, RHP, 2006 (20th round)

The right-hander was one of baseball's best set-up men in 2011 and '12.

Best first-round selections

Charles Nagy, RHP, 1988 (17th overall)

Nagy, a three-time All-Star, produced 25.2 WAR in 13 seasons with the Indians.

Manny Ramirez, OF, 1991 (13th overall)

He posted a .313 batting average and .998 OPS, with 236 home runs in eight seasons with the Tribe.

CC Sabathia, LHP, 1998 (20th overall)

He won 106 games and tallied 1,265 strikeouts in eight years with Cleveland.

Greg Swindell, LHP, 1986 (second overall)

An All-Star in 1988, the southpaw posted a 3.86 ERA and tossed 32 complete games in seven seasons with the Tribe.

Ray Fosse, C, 1965 (seventh overall)

A two-time All-Star, Fosse spent eight seasons with the Indians and was a force when healthy.

Best early-round selections

Albert Belle, OF, 1987 (second round)

Belle clubbed 242 home runs and posted a .580 slugging percentage in eight years with the Indians.

Dennis Eckersley, RHP, 1972 (third round)

Eckersley racked up most of his accomplishments with other franchises, but he did register three strong seasons -- including one All-Star campaign -- with the Indians to begin his career.

Worst first-round selections

These players reached the big leagues, but didn't do much at the level.

Trevor Crowe, OF, 2005 (14th overall)

Crowe posted a .245/.295/.329 slash line in three seasons with Cleveland

Jeremy Sowers, LHP, 2004 (sixth overall)

Despite a promising rookie cameo in 2006, Sowers finished his four major league seasons with an 18-30 record and 5.18 ERA.

Michael Aubrey, 1B, 2003 (11th overall)

Aubrey tallied nine hits in 45 at-bats with the Indians in 2008. He appeared in 31 games with the Orioles the following year. That's it.

Mark Lewis, SS, 1988 (second overall)

The infielder compiled a .255/.289/.332 slash line, with seven homers in five seasons with the Tribe.

Jack Heidemann, IF, 1967 (11th overall)

In five seasons with Cleveland, he batted .206 with a .523 OPS.

The 15-year struggle

Here is a list of Indians selections from the first or supplemental round from 1993-2007

Daron Kirkreit, RHP, 1993 (11th overall, never reached majors)

Jaret Wright, RHP, 1994 (10th overall, career war of 4.7)

David Miller, 1B, 1995 (23rd overall, never reached majors)

Danny Peoples, 1B, 1996 (28th overall, never reached majors)

Tim Drew, RHP, 1997 (28th overall, career WAR of -2.3)

Jason Fitzgerald, OF, 1997 (41st overall, never reached majors)

CC Sabathia, LHP, 1998 (20th overall, career WAR of 54.8)

Corey Smith, IF, 2000 (26th overall, never reached majors)

Derek Thompson, LHP, 2000 (37th overall, career WAR of 0.2)

Dan Denham, RHP, 2001 (17th overall, never reached majors)

Alan Horne, RHP, 2001 (27th overall, never reached majors)

J.D. Martin, RHP, 2001 (35th overall, career WAR of 0.7)

Mike Conroy, OF, 2001 (43rd overall, never reached majors)

Jeremy Guthrie, RHP, 2002 (22nd overall, career WAR of 19.0)

Matthew Whitney, 3B, 2002 (33rd overall, never reached majors)

Micah Schilling, 2B, 2002 (41st overall, never reached majors)

Michael Aubrey, 1B, 2003 (11th overall, career WAR of 0.2)

Brad Snyder, OF, 2003 (18th overall, career WAR of -0.1)

Adam Miller, RHP, 2003 (31st overall, never reached majors)

Jeremy Sowers, LHP, 2004 (sixth overall, career WAR of 1.6)

Trevor Crowe, OF, 2005 (14th overall, career WAR of 0.0)

Johnny Drennen, OF, 2005 (33rd overall, never reached majors)

David Huff, LHP, 2006 (39th overall, career WAR of -1.3)

Beau Mills, 1B, 2007 (13th overall, never reached majors)

The ones that got away

These players blossomed after they left the Indians' organization.

Sean Casey, 1B, 1995 (second round)

"The Mayor" played in six games for the Indians before he was traded to Cincinnati for Dave Burba. He played in three All-Star games and batted .305 in eight seasons with the Reds.

Chris Archer, RHP, 2006 (fifth round)

The Indians sent him to Chicago for Mark DeRosa in 2008. He owns a 3.10 ERA in 74 outings with Tampa Bay and is 7-4 with a 1.84 ERA and a league-leading 108 strikeouts this season. In nine of his 13 starts, he has held the opposition to one or zero runs.

Brian Giles, OF, 1989 (17th round)

He posted an .876 OPS in parts of four seasons with Cleveland. After being dealt to Pittsburgh for Ricardo Rincon, his OPS jumped to 1.018 over five seasons, two of which included trips to the All-Star Game.

Jeremy Guthrie, RHP, 2002 (first round)

Guthrie has posted 19.2 WAR across 12 big league seasons, but he never got his footing with the Indians, as he posted a 6.08 ERA in 37 innings with the Tribe before being selected off waivers by Baltimore.

If only they had signed

Tim Lincecum, RHP, 2005 (42nd round)

The righty was the 10th overall selection by San Francisco in 2006. He has logged four All-Star Game nods and two Cy Young awards.

Doug Drabek, RHP, 1980 (fourth round)

Selected by the White Sox in the 11th round in 1983, Drabek posted a 3.73 ERA in 13 big league seasons. He won the National League Cy Young Award in 1990.

Brian Jordan, SS, 1985 (20th round)

The 30th overall pick by St. Louis in 1988, Jordan batted .282 over 15 big league seasons and was an All-Star in 1999.

Terry Steinbach, C, 1980 (16th round)

A ninth-round selection by Oakland in 1983, Steinbach was a three-time All-Star.

Games 3 and 4 of NBA Finals will be played at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland

CLEVELAND, OH --   Fans are ready for games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena.  A steady flow of visitors checked out the scene.  

The series is tied at 1-1, with Cleveland coming off a 95-93 overtime win in game 2. Tipoff for games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Thursday is 9 p.m. ET. 

Four-star defensive tackle Naquan Jones of Evanston (Ill.) Township announced his commitment to Michigan State on Monday afternoon, picking the Spartans over offers from Ohio State and others.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Four-star defensive tackle Naquan Jones of Evanston (Ill.) Township announced his commitment to Michigan State on Monday afternoon, picking the Spartans over offers from Ohio State and others. 

Rated in the 247Sports composite rankings the No. 25 defensive tackle in the 2016 recruiting class, Jones reduced a list of more than 15 scholarship offers down to five in early may before making his decision. 

Ohio State got in late on the 6-foot-4, 283-pound defensive lineman, and Michigan State was the heavy favorite to land Jones. 

According to 247Sports "Crystal Ball" -- a tool that polls recruiting experts to predict a prospect's college destination -- Michigan State received 100 percent of the 11 votes. They were right. 

Ohio State is still in the process of recruiting some very talented defensive linemen, like five-star defensive end Rashan Gary of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic and four-star defensive end Nick Bosa of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas. 

Cleveland sports fans wonder about Timofey Mozgov's disappearing act, Tiger Woods' troubles and whether the Browns have enough horse power for a productive season -- Bud Shaw's You Said It

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You Said It is based on the premise that the only thing Cleveland sports fans need more than a championship is a sense of humor...

YOU SAID IT

(The Monday Edition)

Bud: Where is Mozgov in 4th quarters? Siberia?  Fighting moose and squirrel?
Steve S., Richmond Heights

If the Cavs cover Steph Curry in the rest of the series half as well as you covered that stereotype, there could be a parade in this town yet.

Bud: I took a bunch of Tiger Woods branded merchandise to Goodwill and they didn't want it. Are you interested? -- Jay Shulman

Go easy on him. He's done us a great service. So many of us always wanted to play like Tiger and now we do.

Bud: I see where Albert Belle was left off of the 1995 Commemorative T-shirt that the Indians are giving away.  Apparently he did not approve of the likeness of him smashing a thermostat with a baseball bat - Vince G, Cincinnati

Poor guy has one temper flare up per day during a 12-year career and nobody ever lets him forget it.

Bud: Is Tiger Woods more likely to call you for golf advice or hair restoration? - Joe S

When the day comes, I'm just the guy to help him deal with being completely ignored by autograph seekers.

Bud: Do you know where I can get one of those new "ALL INjured!" Cavs t-shirts? - Ken K, Independence

First-time You Said It winners stick out in a crowd.

Bud: Who will have more wins this year, 'American Pharoah' or the Browns? - Jim Corrigan, Fairview Park

Repeat winners are not a stable bunch.

Gabriel ranked second on team in receiving yards and finished third in NFL with 17.3 yards per catch.

BEREA, Ohio - Taylor Gabriel flashed across the back of the end zone last Tuesday, soaring above a defender the way he did so many expectations placed on him a year ago.

The diminutive Browns receiver caught the pass - an almost carbon copy of his touchdown reception earlier in the training session.

Gabriel doesn't care that it's a mere spring practice with no pads or serious contact. After all, it was in these environs where the rookie mini-camp tryout started to attract attention from the coaching staff last June. He finished his first season ranked third in the NFL with 17.3 yards per catch.

"I just want to be great and I want to be the best at my position and what I do," the Abilene (Texas) Christian product said. "That's what fuels me. I know I have the talent and the ability to be one of the best."

Those are big words for a 5-foot-8, 167-pounder who will need another strong camp to ensure a spot on a roster that added veterans Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe through free agency and drafted Vince Mayle in the fourth round. But anyone who watched this pocket Hercules - he can bench press twice his body weight - should not doubt his resolve.

Gabriel made 36 catches and was the club's second-leading receiver in yards (621) despite becoming an afterthought once Josh Gordon returned to the lineup in Week 11. The Browns made some mistakes at the position last year by not drafting a wideout in a talent-rich class and releasing Charles Johnson, who excelled in Norv Turner's offense with the Vikings. But they got it right in discovering Gabriel and keeping him ahead of veteran Nate Burleson.

"Taylor Gabriel, to the young man's credit, he came in and just worked," general manager Ray Farmer said at the combine in February. "He took what we said and ran with it, which is that everybody will be allowed to compete. In his competition he proved to the coaching staff and to the scouting staff . . . that he deserved that opportunity and he got it."

Farmer and Pettine celebrate depth as much any GM/coach tandem in the league. Over the weekend, the general manager told an audience at the Browns Fan Fest that the top-22 players on any NFL roster "are in the same ballpark" and that it's players 23 through 53 who make the difference.

It's a cringe-inducing comment when you consider the Browns' recent history at quarterback and the fact they must face Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown twice a season. Of course, Brown was a sixth-round pick so there's something to be said for development and, you know, having a great quarterback.

But Gabriel, cut from the same under-appreciated fabric as Andrew Hawkins, is a great story. His father turned the backyard of his family's suburban Dallas home into a football training ground for his then-150-pound son. He set up cones and a blocking sled and strapped the high-school receiver to a harness, making him drag a heavy tire around the lot. These 30-minute workouts followed his team's football practices.

Little has changed despite a successful rookie year. In the offseason, Gabriel spent many hours at youth football fields near his hometown doing drills to improve his explosiveness and hone his route running. Forget high-tech training, the 24-year-old is an old soul on the gridiron.

It's how one of the NFL's smallest players rated as the seventh-best blocking receiver a year ago by ProFootballFocus.com.

"It was all about conditioning my legs, getting in and out of breaks and catching punts," he recalled. "Football is about stopping and going. OTAs are pretty much easy now . . . I just want to be able to take a hitch and go 60 yards to the end zone."

The Browns are using him in the slot and splitting him out wide in practices. Pettine doesn't believe Gabriel has a "niche skillset" like so many undersized receivers.

The second-year pro gives Hawkins ample credit for his development. The veteran helped Gabriel in the classroom and with film study. The fact the Browns' top-three pass catchers in 2014 - Hawkins, Miles Austin and Gabriel - were undrafted free agents reflects the club's thinking about the need for high-end wideouts.

Then again, the Browns finished last in TD receptions with 12.

"I feel like we are a solid group, very explosive, we just all have something to prove to all 32 teams," Gabriel said.

It's easy to dismiss players of his ilk and wonder if he's already bumping his head on his talent ceiling. Gabriel chuckles at the notion he'll be unable to improve on his rookie output.

He welcomes the doubters just like he does the chance to make another great catch in spring practice when almost nobody outside the Browns' circle is paying attention.

"People like that just motivate me to be great and be better," he said. "I've got the ability and I know what I can do."

Mid-American Conference Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher rewarded with a contract extension through 2019-2020 school year.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Mid-American Conference has signed Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher to a three-year contract extension through the 2019-2020 academic year. It is the second extension Steinbrecher has signed since he was hired in 2009.

In a release Steinbrecher said; "I am very appreciative to the Council of Presidents and the confidence they have placed in me during my years as commissioner,'' he said. "We share the same vision and I look forward to continuing to lead this conference, our members and our students."

Perhaps Steinbrecher's biggest accomplishment has been maintaining a stable membership through the recent string of conference realignments around the country that has many leagues playing well outside of their original footprint at the cost of ending many natural rivalries.

The MAC gently tried to expand, with Temple and UMass, but when those deals failed to generate full conference alignments in all sports, the MAC remained steady with its 12 core members.

Steinbrecher has also increased the MAC's TV and internet package, for basketball and football, with visibility on CBS (the next four years) and ESPN (13 year extension).

Among the challenges ahead for Steinbrecher are continuing the league's growth and competitiveness in college basketball and focusing on quality, not quantity for postseason football bowl games.

The league has seen quick basketball improvement since Steinbrecher started a scheduling initiative for all teams after signing his first contract extension. There were seven 20-win teams in the MAC after last season.

As for football, containing the glut of costly football bowl appearances for barely .500 conference teams can't be ignored. These teams playing games outside of the region glean the conference and team coffers of badly needed funds for initiatives including Cost of Attendance.

Trace Matthew Dellavedova's journey from Australia as a youth player in the club system to college at St. Mary's College in northern California to a household name with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova has gone from an undrafted player on the fringe of the roster to a household name even amongst casual basketball fans through his play in the 2015 NBA Playoffs. 

Before his tenure with the Cavaliers, Dellavedova starred at St. Mary's College and was a high-caliber player with the Australian National team and the Aussie Boomers with fellow NBA reserve players Patty Mills and Aron Baynes of the San Antonio Spurs.

Trace Dellavedova's journey from as an unknown Australian player to Cleveland and the NBA Finals with the links and videos below.

• Both of "Delly's" parents were athletes. His mom enjoyed track and netball, while his dad played Australian football, basketball and tennis.
• Dellavedova has always been serious about basketball, but his dedication to his studies at St. Mary's College separated him from others.
• Dellavedova and fellow Australian Patty Mills were both unlikely NBA success stories.
• He's arguably the best player in the history of St. Mary's. His game-winning 3-pointer against BYU was immortalized as the "Dellavedagger." 

• He's been a "kind and affable" player from the start, as a rookie with the Cavaliers in 2013.
• Before games last year, Dellavedova and another Cavaliers teammate would search for free food in the press room at NBA stadiums. Apparently, the Brooklyn Nets have the best spread. In addition, teammates find his pregame ritual of drinking straight black coffee odd. 
• "Delly" and Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao are similar players who have bonded over their style of play. 
• After controversial situations involving injuries with opposing teams' players, Dellavedova was labeled by some as a dirty player. Hard work and being relentless is just the Autralian way, according to his youth coach. 
• In Warriors' country, Dellavedova is adored.
• With his relentless play and work ethic, he's become a folk-hero to the people of Cleveland, and he's brought Australian attitude to the NBA.
• Delly is the latest find for the Cavaliers in a postseason of surprise and promise. 
• How Matthew Dellavedova guarded Steph Curry in Game 2 of the NBA Finals: an X's & O's look. 
• Finally, presented without comment: 

Contact sports producer Cameron Moon (cmoon@cleveland.com) or on Twitter (@MoonCameron20). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Do demoted infielders Lonnie Chisenhall and Jose Ramirez become trade chips for the Indians?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Indians are about a month too late with the demotion of shortstop Jose Ramirez.  Here's hoping they didn't ruin him by letting him take one too many punches in the big leagues.

The demotion of Lonnie Chisenhall is a bigger surprise. He certainly played his way into it, but he has three plus seasons in the big leagues and is making $2.25 million this year. That's a lot of money for the Indians to pay somebody to play third base for the Columbus Clippers.

Then again, his salary is guaranteed so the Indians are on the hook for that wherever he plays.

The last time the Indians sent Chisenhall to Columbus was in 2013. He hit .390 with six homers and 26 RBI in 27 games. When they brought him back, they said he had nothing left to prove at Triple-A.

After hitting .209 (37-for-177) in 52 games this year, apparently he does. Chisenhall hit four homers with 19 RBI, while drawing just seven walks and striking out 32 times.

Among American League qualifying third basemen he ranked 13^th in average, 14^th in OPS, 11^th in RBI, 12^th in homers and 11^th in RBI.

Giovanny Urshela, who will replace Chisenhall at third base, missed most of spring training with a back injury. He was in big league camp, and manager Terry Francona was excited to see him play, but a winter-ball knee injury and the subsequent back injury didn't allow for much of a review.

Francona said last week in Kansas City that the Indians wanted to let Urshela play for a while at Columbus before even considering promoting him. Well, that changed, too.

It's not often a team flips the whole left side of its infield in one move during the season. It's especially unusual for a team that has been playing good baseball despite losing two out of three to Baltimore over the weekend.

Along with Urshela, the Indians recalled Zach Walters from Columbus. Look for Mike Aviles to take over at shortstop and Walters to step into Aviles' utility role. Whether shortstop Francisco Lindor is on the way is unclear. Francona said recently that Lindor wasn't ready for the big leagues and that he was dealing with some physical injuries.

On Sunday, the first-place Houston Astros promoted shortstop Carlos Correa from Class AAA. Correa, 20, was the No.1 pick in the 2012 draft and was hitting a combined .335 with 21 doubles, 10 homers, 44 RBI and 18 steals at Class AA and Class AAA.

Correa was doing what the Indians want Lindor to do -- dominate his level of competition -- before getting called to the big leagues.

Regarding Lindor's physical issues, he's dealing with a sore side and bruised hands.

Ramirez played well for the Indians last year when he replaced Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop following Cabrera's trade to Washington on July 31. This spring the Indians made it clear that he was going to be their opening day shortstop. They brought him to Goodyear, Ariz. in January to get his weight down and work on his strength. Everything seemed fine until the regular season started.

The switch-hitting Ramirez flopped. It can happen when a player opens the season in the big leagues for the first time instead of joining the club during the season after they've gotten their game in line in the minors.

The Indians could have sent Ramirez down in May, but their options were limited. Walters was coming off a strained oblique muscle from spring training and Lindor wasn't playing well.

This isn't the first time Ramirez has been sent down. He handled it well last year and maybe that's why the Indians stayed with him as long as they did this season. From the outside looking in, confidence seems to be the least of Ramirez's concerns. But who knows for sure. Francona said one of the most frustrating things about Ramirez is that he couldn't talk to him one-on-one because of the language barrier.

Ramirez's future with the Indians is hazy. It seemed as if he was merely a place holder until Lindor was deemed ready to take over at shortstop. Yet he looked very much like an everyday big league shortstop over the last two months of the 2014 season.

If and when Ramirez does return to the big leagues, it could be in a utility role. It doesn't look like he's going to hit enough to be a regular anywhere but shortstop.

Of course, that could make him a trade option because teams are always looking for shortstops.

Among qualifying AL shortstops, Ramirez ranked 20^th with a .208 batting average, 14^th with eight RBI, tied for second with eight steals, seventh with 19 runs and 17^th with a .487 OPS.

Ramirez, 22, does have age on his size. Surprisingly, so does Chisenhall. He's only 26, although this is his eighth year in the organization.

Chisenhall has worked hard to change his body, become a better base runner and third baseman. Offensively, however, the raw power he showed as a No.1 draft pick has never become a consistent part of his game.

Last year was Chisenhall's first full year in the big leagues and his best. He started the year as a bench player, pinch-hitting and playing third, first and appearing in one game in the outfield. He eventually earned the third base job with Carlos Santana moving to first.

Chisenhall ended the year hitting .280 with 13 homers, 59 RBI and a .770 OPS. But it was a wildly inconsistent year. This year Chisenhall started slowly and never found another gear.

Now there has to be a question about Chisenhall's future with the organization. If Urshela takes off at third, where does Chisenhall fit? He would seem to be a prime candidate for a trade regardless of whether the Indians are a contender or pretender this season.

Still, unless he improves offensively, it's hard to imagine that a change-of-scenery-trade would do Chisenhall any good.

Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov becomes DJ Timofey Mozgov in new Fox 8 video by comedian Mike Polk Jr.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Timofey Mozgov as portrayed by comedian Mike Polk Jr. in his latest video is a slammin' DJ who "must break you." It apparently made Mozgov break into laughter.

Polk donned a wig to portray the Cavs Russian center in a video produced for the Fox 8 Rizzo Show. He portrayed him as a techno DJ with the moves you'd expect.

"Looks like we've got a cold war on the dance floor. Watch DJ Mozgov heat it up," Polk says in his best Ivan Drago accent from "Rocky IV," even appropriating Drago's "must break you" line.

"When I'm not setting screens, I'll be down low defending. Clogging up the middle, standing tall as the Kremlin," DJ Mozgov spews.

He will be doing plenty of that tonight, and perhaps some early scoring, too, as the Cavs take on Golden State at The Q in Game 3 of the best-of-seven NBA Finals. The series is 1-1 after the Cavs' bruising overtime win Sunday night, from which referees are still receiving scorn from Cavs fans.

Polk said he actually tried to get Mozgov to be in the video, but he was shot down.

"Which means he must have considered what I wrote to be worse than those Brew Garden commercials that he agreed to be in. That was the cause of some serious self-reflection for me," Polk said.

But the big man apparently liked the finished version.

"Inside sources have informed me that the song is 'Mozgov approved.' Mozgov apparently sent the link to his smash hit single back to his family and friends in Russia," Polk said. "Now he just has to wait a couple more years for his village to get the Internet so they can watch it."

LeBron James has been great in the Finals, but can he possibly sustain his level of play with all these minutes?

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - LeBron James has more points, rebounds, and assists through two games of the NBA Finals than in any other two-game stretch of his playoff career.

But the production has come in the second-most minutes he's ever played in two postseason games, and he is of course older with more mileage on his body than at any previous point.

Heading into Game 3 tonight in Cleveland with the Golden State Warriors, James' 83 points, 24 boards, and 17 assists have come in 96 minutes. Both of the games went into overtime, the first ending in a 108-100 loss and the second a 95-93 win.

In games 5 and 6 of the 2013 Finals for Miami, James played 94 minutes and then another 45 in Game 7. He played 96 in games 4 and 5 of the 2011 conference semifinals in 2011, and way back in 2006 he played a career-high 99 minutes in games 5 and 6 of his first-ever playoff series.

Now, James is 30, but his team needs him more than ever because of season-ending injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. So the opportunities to rest him are few.

"The biggest problem really was the two overtimes," Cavaliers coach David Blatt said after shootaround today. "That wasn't necessarily in the plan. If I knew that going in maybe we would've looked at it a little bit differently.

"But he's done yeoman's work in every respect including the number of minutes that he's had to play. He is strong and he is prepared through the full season for this time of year.

"There's very few guys that can do what he did throughout the course of the year with the understanding of where he needs to be at the key moment of the season. And he's ready to go."

James could've ended each of the first two games against the Warriors in regulation with shots just before the buzzer, but missed each time. His "usage" percentage - a complicated formula to measure the number of offensive possessions in which he dominates the ball - is sky high in the Finals.

In Game 1, James' "used" nearly half of the Cavs' possessions when he was on the floor. In Game 2 the number dropped to 39.5 percent, notable because Irving played the first game but not the second.

James said the Cavs arrived in Cleveland at about 6 a.m. Monday morning. The treatment on his body came immediately after Game 2 with an ice bath. He wears compression pants from Nike on flights home to reduce swelling, and treatments will continue until tonight.

James missed a career-high 13 games during the regular season, mostly due to various injuries. At least his 36.1 minutes per game were a career low.

"It's a difficult schedule," James said. "I looked at the schedule, they (the Warriors) have more time at their home than we have. They give us every other day back home, they get 2 1/2 days of rest when they go back home, but, that's the schedule and it is what it is."

And, of course, there's that whole issue of James calling out Cleveland fans to get loud tonight. He said the cheers would lift the Cavs as a whole, not necessarily him.

"I can use the energy from the home crowd, I can use the energy from an away crowd," James said. "But for me, my focus is so laser sharp that it doesn't mater. I don't need something where I need to go. I know our fans are going to be, they're going to be unbelievable tonight. It's probably going to be the loudest I've ever heard them tonight. And I think our guys are very excited about playing in front of them. I don't need any extra motivation, extra lift."