The loss marked the end of the Monsters' marathon, 20-day, 10-game trip, which they finished at 3-5-1-1. The Monsters are now 20-14-3-3 on the season, while Rockford improves to 24-10-2-3 and remains in first place in the AHL's Central Division and Western Conference.
Anton Forsberg was back in the net for Lake Erie for the first time since January 16 before he was called up to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Forsberg stopped 23 of 25 shots but saw his record slip to 13-7-2. Rockford's Michael Leighton improved to 20-4-3 with 26 saves on Monday.
Rockford jumped ahead with two goals in the second period, the first by Vinnie Hinostozza on a power play at 8:53. Kirill Gotovets got the other with one minute left in the period.
The Monsters cut the lead in half when Oliver Bjorkstrand his fifth goal of the season off an assist by Alex Broadhurst at 12:46, but Bryan Bickell added an empty netter at 19:03 to complete the scoring.
The game was filled with penalties. The Monsters had eight for 22 minutes, Rockford had nine for 24. But the Monsters were blanked on six power plays, while the IceHogs converted one of five.
Need the lead: The Monsters are unbeaten (16-0-0-0) when leading after two periods this season.
Up next: The Monsters finally get back on home ice at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday to host the Grand Rapids Griffins at 7. ... They will host the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday at 7 and Saturday at 1.
Ohio State picked up verbal commitments from four-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins of Potomac (Md.) The Bullis School, four-star linebacker Keandre Jones of Olney (Md.) Good Counsel and four-star wide receiver Binjimen Victor of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Coconut Creek.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Monday has an argument for being Urban Meyer's most significant day in recruiting during his Ohio State tenure. That's a significant sentence.
Ohio State picked up verbal commitments from four-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins of Potomac (Md.) The Bullis School, four-star linebacker Keandre Jones of Olney (Md.) Good Counsel and four-star wide receiver Binjimen Victor of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Coconut Creek.
Now the Buckeyes 2016 recruiting class is up to 21 commitments and it moved from No. 3 to No. 1 overall in the 247Sports team rankings.
Oregon State player Jarmal Reid is suspended at least four games for intentionally tripping an official during a game.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jarmal Reid's intentional trip of a referee cost Oregon State a game and it cost Reid at least a four-game suspension, announced this afternoon by Oregon State and accepted by the Pac-12.
Reid will be allowed to practice during the suspension but he will not be with the team on game days.
Reid was ejected from Sunday's game against Utah after he stuck out his leg and tripped referee Tommy Nunez, who tumbled to the court. Reid, apparently was upset with a non call after he tripped over Utah's Jakob Poeltl. After Reid secured the ball and made a pass to Gary Payton II, he rose to his feet and stuck out his leg, which tripped Nunez.
In a statement, Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said Reid's conduct over the next two weeks will determine whether any further action is warranted beyond the four-game suspension.
Reghi is riled up again this week, this time about the (for now) Browns quarterback.
Watch video
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It doesn't sound like Johnny Manziel has much of a chance in Cleveland now that Hue Jackson is on board. Manziel's future has Michael Reghi riled up.
Reghi talks about why it's no surprise Jackson might not want to tie his future to Manziel. Check out this week's edition of Reghi's Riled Up.
Get the latest updates and analysis on the Cleveland Cavaliers game against the Golden State Warriors.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers got crushed by the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, 132-98, a game that looked awfully similar to June.
Stephen Curry led all scorers, setting the tone early and finishing with 35 points. Finals MVP Andre Iguodala added 20 points. The Cavs were led by LeBron James, who had 16 points.
It's just the Cavs' second loss in 11 games.
Scoring Summary:
End of 3rd Quarter - Cavs trail Warriors, 104-67. Stephen Curry leads all scorers with 35 points. Draymond Green has added 16 while Klay Thompson has poured in 15. The Cavs are led by LeBron James, who has 16 points.
End of 2nd Quarter - Cavs trail Warriors, 70-44. Stephen Curry leads all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have each added 11 points. The Cavs are led by J.R. Smith, who has 14 points. LeBron James has added 10 points.
End of 1st Quarter - Cavs trail Warriors, 34-21. Stephen Curry leads all scorers with 16 points. Klay Thompson has added five. The Cavs are led by J.R. Smith, who has nine points. Timofey Mozgov and LeBron James have each added six.
Ranked No. 5 a week ago in the cleveland.com boys basketball Top 25, St. Edward took down then-No. 4 Lorain. This week, the Eagles face St. Ignatius.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ranked No. 5 a week ago in the cleveland.com boys basketball Top 25, St. Edward took down then-No. 4 Lorain. This week, the Eagles face St. Ignatius.
That No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup highlights a week that ends Sunday with the Dunk 4 Diabetes Showcase in Canton. Here is a look at this week's Top 25 with assessments of where teams stand. Records are listed in parenthesis, followed by previous ranking.
Comment: Back from Flyin’ To The Hoop, where Dru Joyce’s Fighting Irish scored a 10-point win Sunday against Cincinnati Roger Bacon, another state-level showdown looms. STVM puts its No. 1 Division II state ranking on the line Saturday when No. 2 New Concord John Glenn comes to Akron.
Comment: The Bulldogs pushed national power Huntington Prep of West Virginia until the later portion of the fourth quarter Sunday at Flyin’ To The Hoop in Dayton. Garfield Heights’ difficult schedule continues this week with two more, including La Lumiere. The Laport, Ind., school was third in the USA Today Super 25. It recently dropped from that national Top 25.
Next up: Thursday vs. No. 10 Central Catholic, Sunday vs. La Lumiere (Ind.) at Dunk 4 Diabetes at Walsh University.
Comment: The Eagles split their two games in Erie, Pa., for the Burger King Classic, but they began last week with a huge 17-point win against previous No. 4 Lorain. That victory elevates them to this spot.
Next up: Friday vs. No. 1 St. Ignatius, Sunday vs. Green at Dunk 4 Diabetes at Walsh University.
Comment: The Titans lost consecutive games for the first time in about two years, but one came without standout junior guard Daviere Andrews and the other came on a last-second shot on the road against Bedford with Andrews’ injured shooting hand heavily taped. Lorain bounced back Saturday by scoring a school-record (for the new Lorain High) 109 points against Clearview.
Next up: Tuesday vs. No. 9 Medina, Saturday at No. 23 Cleveland Heights.
Comment: The Bison have won four straight since their lone loss to Bedford at the Scholastic Play By Play Classic. They own a two-game lead on the rest of the Chagrin Valley Conference Chagrin Division.
Next up: Friday at West Geauga, Saturday at No. 14 East Tech.
Comment: Bedford owns wins against the two teams above it, but the entire body of work is just enough to keep it from eclipsing Lorain and Beachwood here.
Comment: The Bengals are rising. OK, they were 13th last week. However, their play continues to impress. A comeback from 11 down in the third quarter Saturday vs. Villa Angela-St. Joseph is the latest.
Next up: Tuesday vs. Revere, Friday vs. No. 11 Walsh Jesuit, Saturday at Holy Name.
Comment: Things appear to be settling at VASJ with Babe Kwasniak back full-time as coach. An 11-point third quarter lead Saturday at Benedictine got away from the Vikings.
Next up: Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas, Saturday vs. Cornerstone Christian.
Comment: The Pioneers appear to be ascending with five straight wins that include impressive GCC performances vs. Mentor and Medina, plus a late comeback Saturday vs. Elyria Catholic. Senior Blake Furcron had two 30-point games last week.
Comment: The Tigers are .500 since the start of January with a schedule that includes St. Vincent-St. Mary, Warren Harding and state-ranked Dublin Coffman, which it faced Monday night.
Next up: Monday at Dublin Coffman, Saturday vs. No. 6 Lorain.
Comment: Both the Tigers and Lutheran East will look to make a statement in their nonleague matchup Tuesday. Warrensville Heights has three losses since Dec. 18, including two by four points or fewer. They are 4-2 in their last six games.
Next up: Tuesday vs. Lutheran East, Friday vs. Shaw.
Comment: The Panthers were about a minute away from beating Elyria on Saturday. This area brings us to the bubble, where Lutheran East and others are in the conversation for spots 23-25. Sound off in the comments below and vote in our poll on which bubble team is most deserving of a Top 25 spot.
Garfield Heights is fourth in Division I, while VASJ is third in Division III.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Here's how a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school boys basketball teams in this week's Associated Press poll of 2015-16. With won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses).
Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Convoy Crestview 23. 12, Russia 21. 13, McDonald 20. 14, Mansfield St. Peter's 17. 15, Ft. Recovery 16. 16, Cle. Hts. Lutheran E. 14. 17, S. Charleston SE 12.
The Browns best chance, especially if they go with a rookie quarterback, is for Jackson to duplicate the balanced attack he ran with the Bengals.
BEREA, Ohio - If Hue Jackson could bring one thing with him from Cincinnati -- you know, other than A.J. Green -- Browns fans should hope it's an offensive identity.
The franchise has been looking for one almost as long as Jimmy Buffett has been searching for his lost shaker of salt.
What has the Browns' offense done well with any consistency since they returned to the NFL? Nothing.
Quarterback Derek Anderson had a terrific 2007 before the league nullified his Faustian bargain. Running back Peyton Hillis could never duplicate his 2010 breakout season. Receiver Josh Gordon ran afoul with the NFL substance-abuse policy following an All-Pro season in 2013.
The Browns' only offensive constants in the past decade have been left tackle Joe Thomas and change. Enter Jackson, who plans to call his own plays making him the club's seventh coordinator in as many years.
Some are wary of Jackson assuming too much responsibility in his first season. It's a valid concern even though he possesses previous head-coaching experience unlike Pat Shurmur, who tied his hands to both roles in 2011.
But if Jackson can establish a balanced attack here as he did with the Bengals the past two seasons then more power to him. Cincinnati managed an almost 50-50 split -- 31.5 passes per game to 29.9 runs per game -- with Jackson coordinating the offense. The ability to run the ball never put undue pressure on Andy Dalton, who is nobody's idea of an elite passer. It helped the Bengals average 24.5 points per game since the start of the 2014 season.
An even pass-run distribution is an ideal template for the Browns if, as expected, they start over at quarterback and use the No. 2 pick in the draft to select a passer.
Of course, wanting balance and achieving it are often dependent on many variables. It's much easier to run the ball when you have the lead, or are within one possession of taking it. That was a rarity for the 2015 Browns, who chased the game much of the season in part because of a dreadful defense.
I thought first-time offensive coordinator John DeFilippo did an admirable job given the circumstances. He lost veteran line coach Andy Moeller prior to the season opener and rotated quarterbacks with regularity because of Josh McCown's health and Johnny Manziel's skullduggery.
The result was an offense that lacked rhythm and identity. The Browns failed to commit to the run until December and Isaiah Crowell didn't hide his displeasure following the final game.
"You know, obviously, we didn't have a good season this year," said Crowell, who gained 309 of his 716 yards rushing over the final four games. "I feel like maybe some changes needed to be made, and hopefully, next year it will be better."
Jackson offered favorable impressions of Crowell and rookie Duke Johnson to the team's website. He's looking for more consistency from Crowell and natural progression from Johnson, a dual-threat back who represented Ray Farmer's best pick in two-maligned draft classes.
Johnson, who's been likened to the Bengals' Gio Bernard, caught 61 passes, the second-most by any rookie in 2015 behind Raiders' receiver Amari Cooper. The University of Miami product is one of the Browns' few legitimate playmakers and figures to become a big part of Jackson's offense.
Can the coach replicate the Bengals' potent ground game, which averaged 123.5 yards and 18.5 rushing touchdowns the past two seasons? It's too early to make that call.
Johnson prefers a vertical passing attack and power running game. One of the biggest unknowns, beyond the quarterback, is who will be blocking for the Browns. Pro-Bowl center Alex Mack probably will opt out his contract. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz is a free agent, and Thomas, 31, might lobby for a trade if he's unhappy with the direction of the team.
The guess here is the Browns add a running back in the draft's middle to low rounds and beef up the right side of the offensive line. Status quo won't cut it.
Thomas is a good friend of Bengals' left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who's a staunch Jackson supporter. Convincing Thomas to stick around should be one of the coach's offseason priorities.
Establishing a running game, so important in the thick-necked AFC North, gives a young quarterback a chance to succeed and stay upright. Poor Marcus Mariota knows the alternative.
It's time the Browns' offense is known for something other than a new coordinator every year.
Andy Murray has won two major championships, an Olympic gold medal and 11 Masters titles -- impressive accomplishments. But few fans shower obsessive love on him.
Roger Federer is quite possibly the most beloved man in tennis history. When he toured South America a couple of years ago, screaming fans overran barricades in scenes reminiscent of Beatlemania. "They cry, and they shake, and they are just so, like, not in awe, but so happy to meet you," Federer said of the experience.
Federer's rival Rafael Nadal has received similar receptions during his travels around the world, and current World No. 1 Novak Djokovic's popularity has spiked with his recent on-court dominance.
But what about the fourth member of tennis' vaunted Big 4?
Andy Murray has won two major championships, an Olympic gold medal and 11 Masters titles -- impressive accomplishments. But few fans shower obsessive love on him.
This is kind of a shame, while at the same time being completely unsurprising. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, who collectively have won 41 major titles, are all noted for being great guys, ambassadors of the sport. They also all have true star quality. An electricity rolls through the room when they enter.
Murray, on the other hand, slinks into rooms with his head down, moving sidelong like a nervous cat. He's not hiding anything: he's just naturally abashed, a rare thing for a celebrity. Among tennis' best players, Murray is surely the most down-to-earth, the most relatable.
In short, he's not a natural leader of men. He's introverted, uncomfortable in his own skin. He recently talked about his childhood pet, a golden retriever named Abby, in a Players' Tribune article. "You hear 'man's best friend' so often, to the point of cliche," he wrote. "But that's just it, really -- at a certain age, growing up, Abby was my best mate."
The point of the essay was to raise awareness of animal-welfare causes he supports, but it was nevertheless deeply personal and endearing. It was accompanied by a photo of Murray, happily wide-eyed as one of his dogs explores his ear.
Casual tennis fans don't know this Andy Murray. They only know the tortured soul they see on court. The pale, wild-haired fellow who berates himself constantly and yowls like a werewolf, his gaping mouth cranked to the breaking point.
It's not easy to be the fourth best player during arguably the greatest era in tennis history.
"My number-one goal is to try and win here," Murray said last week shortly after arriving in Melbourne for the Australian Open. "It'd mean a lot because of how many times I've been close.
The talented Scotsman has reached the final in Melbourne four times, losing every one of them. This failure Down Under has frustrated pundits and fans who are keen to see someone -- anyone -- regularly beat the three all-time greats who dominate the sport. One tennis fan on Twitter recently slammed Murray for not having the best serve in the business, which prompted a typically dry response from the player.
Murray is certainly accustomed to such criticism, from big names as well as anonymous Twitterers. "He absolutely collapsed," former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said after Murray fell to Djokovic in last year's Australian Open final. "Sorry, but you don't put a rose tint on this. He melted down."
Murray did melt down in the 2015 final, but what exactly was Cash's point? Djokovic has done that to everybody, including Federer and Nadal. Nobody gives Kei Nishikori or David Ferrer or even Stan Wawrinka grief for losing the plot against Nole. Murray gets it because he's been so consistently good over the years. In a sense, he's a victim of his own success. Nishikori, Ferrer and Wawrinka have only occasionally proved capable of upending the game's best -- Wawrinka stopped Djokovic from winning the Grand Slam last season by beating him in the French Open final -- before slipping back into obvious lesser-than status. But Murray has been right there with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic for the past seven years. He's beaten Djokovic in Wimbledon and U.S. Open finals, he knocked off Nadal in a U.S. Open semifinal and he took down Federer in an Olympic final. Needless to say, he's also lost a lot of high-profile matches to these three greats ahead of him.
It's not all about tennis for Murray. He's said that of course he'll leave the Australian Open mid-tournament if his pregnant wife Kim goes into labor. He's thumbed his nose at Islamophobes and raised money for Syrian refugees. He's sighed in disgust at sexists who questioned his seriousness as a player after he hired Amelie Mauresmo as his coach. He's reiterated that he's proud to be British -- and called for his fellow Scots to vote for independence.
At the same time, it's very much about the tennis for Murray. He's fitness regime is legendary. Last season he single-handedly carried Britain to its first Davis Cup title since 1936. He's determined, at 28, to keep getting better, to finding a way to beat Djokovic, Federer and Nadal when it matters most.
In that Players' Tribune essay, Murray talked about becoming fascinated with a David Attenborough documentary about penguins, how it reminded him "that all of these animals are living creatures. And that they have a lot to offer. You just have to pay attention."
So it goes with Murray as well. He doesn't get fans crying and shaking in awe like Federer does, but the guy has a lot to offer -- on and off the court. You just have to pay attention.
Edwards hit on 7 of 14 shots from the floor, including 4 of 7 from the 3-point line in help the Vikings improve to 7-13 overall, 2-5 in the Horizon League. Edwards also had six rebounds and four assists.
CSU made 9 of 16 (56.3 percent) from behind the arc for the game and also hit 15 of 18 free throws. UIC made just 11 of 28 from the line.
UIC led 2-0 and 3-2, and that was it. Cleveland State quickly moved in front and used a 12-5 run to lead at the half, 32-22. CSU built the lead as high as 18 midway through the second half.
Andre Yates was the only other double-figure scorer with 11, while Vinny Zollo had nine and Demonte Flannigan had eight. Flanningan also had a team-high eight rebounds.
Dikembe Dixson led UIC (2-15, 0-6) with 15 points, Tai Odiase had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Up next: Cleveland State will play host to Youngstown State on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Quicken Loans Arena. ... The Vikings close out the first round of Horizon play on Jan. 28 at Valparaiso.
LeBron James compiled 16 points, five rebounds, and five assists in an embarrassing home loss to the Warriors.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Well, obviously, Stephen Curry can say whatever he wants.
LeBron James and the Cavaliers aren't exactly in a position to object.
The Cavaliers apparently were miffed that Curry said he hoped the visitor's locker room at The Q still smelled like champagne. And then of course they went out and let Curry and the Warriors embarrass them, 132-98 in Golden State's first game here since they clinched the Finals and partied hard after Game 6.
Blame the media, this reporter included, for not asking James about Curry's comment at shootaround Monday, when the opportunity presented itself.
James actually brought it up after his interview session was over, expressing incredulousness over not getting the Curry question, hinting that he had an answer.
But James didn't actually say what he felt about Curry's champagne memories. And when he and his teammates had the ultimate opportunity to respond - you know, on the court - they cowered.
In retrospect, James is probably lucky he wasn't asked. He wasn't given the chance to elevate the rivalries between the two teams and between the current and former MVPs (though, really, the Warriors have won five straight over the Cavs) to an even higher place before everything came crashing down on Cleveland Monday night.
James finished with a team-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes. He shot 7-of-16 and sat the entire fourth quarter - which began with the Warriors up by 37.
Really, James had one good moment. With 1:49 left in the third and Golden State up 99-62, James hustled down the court and blocked Leandro Barbosa's layup attempt from behind.
It was a brilliant flash of hustle from James on a night where the Cavs didn't flash much of anything. He opened the game wearing a headband, but it was gone by the second quarter.
So were Cleveland's chances.
James was slapped with a technical with 3:35 to go when he elbowed Festus Ezeli, who had just fallen on James as he was trying to shoot.
The night was properly placed into context with 1:03 remaining in the first quarter. The Cavs had the ball and James set a screen on Curry. The two were locked up and trying to go their separate ways, though it looked like Curry was clutching onto James.
James, remember, who was apparently peeved about champagne, tossed Curry to the court. And he was assessed an offensive foul.
The exchange was sandwiched between two Curry 3-pointers. He made four of them in the quarter, seven for the game, and dialed up 16 of his 35 points in period one.
Naturally, he only played three quarters, too. With the blowout and all.
Entering play Monday, James was averaging 30.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists in 28 career games against the Warriors, including last season's Finals.
James dragged the Cavs, who were depleted by injury in June, to two wins in the Finals and nearly a third. One of those wins was at Golden State, where the Warriors had posted one of the best home records in NBA history.
Heck, on Christmas Day, James had the Cavs in position to maybe steal one in Oakland against these Warriors, but Cleveland ultimately fell, 89-83.
The point is, you could attempt to argue that too much shouldn't be put into this one game. The Cavs remain comfortably in first in the East, and there's plenty of time to fix this before June.
But the Warriors dropped more devastation upon a team than should be allowed for a single game. They were up by 43 points in this game.
And at any rate, Curry has carte blanche to say anything.
As Stephen Curry and the Warriors continued to increase their lead in the second quarter, Cavaliers fans and those watching across the country chimed in with their assessment of Kevin Love's play along with the effort LeBron James and the rest of the team was putting forth.
By the time the final horn sounded, a rash of memes and quips simultaneously extolled the defending champion Warriors while punctuating the seemingly tremendous gap in competition with the Cavaliers.
Below is a timeline of Tweets beginning early in the first period and building toward the game's bitter ending for Cavs fans.
Monday night on Martin Luther King Day was the first time the Golden State Warriors were back in Northeast Ohio since winning the NBA title in Game 6 of The Finals.
Curry's quote struck a nerve, but when the Cavaliers had a chance to do something about it, they failed miserably. The Warriors handed them their worst loss of the season, a 132-98 clobbering on national television.
Curry erupted for a game-high 35 points and was 7-for-12 from beyond the arc. He did not play in the final quarter. Curry had it going from the start as he dropped 16 points in the opening quarter. He got a back-door layup, knocked down threes off of curls and screens and nailed jaw-dropping transition threes.
The Cavs' LeBron James had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists. Power forward Kevin Love couldn't find his way. He went for three points and six rebounds. He was 1-of-5 from the floor in 21 minutes. Guard Kyrie Irving scored eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.
In the first quarter, James and Curry got locked up on a screen and James shoved Curry to the floor and was hit with an offensive foul. That was the extent of the damage Curry suffered for his remark.
Warriors interim coach Luke Walton didn't find Curry's comment disrespectful to the opponent.
"No. Why would it? It's an honest statement," he said. "It was one of the greatest moments that we've ever had in our lives, especially for those guys that put in all the work and spent their whole life trying to get there. They shouldn't be shy or ashamed about how much they enjoyed winning. I wouldn't expect anything different if Cleveland had won our home court. I don't think that's really a big deal. He's just being honest."
No contest
Golden State started out the game up 12-2. It was a body blow the Cavaliers struggled to recover from, because the contest got out of control in a hurry from there.
The Warriors toyed with the Cavaliers. They did whatever they wanted. They ran their offensive sets to perfection and the Cavaliers were a step, two or three too slow to play even marginal defense.
Golden State's Draymond Green made play after play and was seen constantly talking trash to Mo Williams, who was on the Cavs bench. Green ended the evening with 16 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists.
The comfy confines of The Q are where the Cavaliers were 15-1 this season, but the Warriors made it their home on this night. They shot a staggering 54 percent.
An Andre Iguodala fastbreak dunk to put the Warriors up 20 midway in the second ruined the spirits attending the game. Cavaliers coach David Blatt immediately called a timeout and the place went quiet. The energy was sucked out of the building.
But Golden State continued to pile on, extending its lead to 30 as the first half neared a close.
Smith gets physical
The third quarter started out with a Cavalier turnover that led to two straight field goals for the Warriors to go up 30 once again. And then the frustration boiled over.
J.R. Smith plowed right through Harrison Barnes, who was setting a screen for Curry. Smith knocked Barnes onto the court. Smith was assessed a Flagrant 2 and ejected. He departed with 14 points. Barnes hit both free throws and Curry followed it up with a long-range bomb to make it a 35-point lead.
After Curry drained his seventh trey of the game, the Warriors went up a whopping 40. Cleveland's body language was poor, and the Cavs lacked any type of motivation. Fans headed for the exits with three minutes remaining in the third when their team was down 37. In the fourth, the Warriors built it up to a 43-point lead.
Iguodala, The Finals MVP, registered 20 points off the bench.
What the Warriors did to the Cavaliers was an outright crime. Including The Finals, it's the Warriors' fifth straight win over the Cavaliers. The Warriors reminded Cleveland why they are the defending champs.
On deck
Cleveland will hit the road again briefly to face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. FOX Sports Ohio will have the game.
Should the Browns hang on to Josh Gordon?
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Josh Gordon could be back in brown and oranger orange this season if the Browns want him. Should the Browns hang onto him?
Bud Shaw, Michael Reghi and I talked about Gordon and the approach the Browns should take with him. Do you want to see Gordon in a Browns uniform next season?
You voted the Indians manager the best hire of the last 30 years of Cleveland sports. Right now, do you trust Francona more than Jackson and Blatt?
CLEVELAND -- You like Hue. You do. It's true.
In attempting to assess the hiring of the Browns new coach, we ran through the last 30 years of Cleveland sport hires, hoping to place Hue Jackson's arrival in the context of other recent leaders of the Browns, Indians and Cavs.
We narrowed the field to the 10 coaches and managers we felt had the best resumes when they were hired, and then you ranked them, giving each a upvote, downvote or no vote.
Here's the final order, with the overall positive or negative rating for each.
1. Terry Francona, Indians, plus-315
2. Mike Hargrove, Indians, plus-304
3. Lenny Wilkens, Cavs, plus-284
4. Hue Jackson, Browns, plus-270.
5. David Blatt, Cavs, plus-258
6. Bill Belichick, Browns, plus-182
7. Charlie Manuel, Indians, minus-61
8. Butch Davis, Browns, minus-208
9. Romeo Crennel, Browns, minus-233
10. Mike Brown, Cavs, minus-237
Consider this: Cleveland fans don't just like Jackson, they seem to like all three guys running the teams these days.
Now, our question was based on their credentials when they were hired, which is different than what you feel about the job they did after day one on the job. But it's hard for performance not to influence a look back to hiring day.
Francona arrived with two World Series rings and Blatt with an international resume that intrigued other NBA teams. Jackson is a respected and well-liked assistant with head-coaching experience who was a hot name in the offseason market.
None of these three guys is a second choice. None is off the scrap heap. You can quibble with their results, especially after the Cavs' loss to Golden State on Monday night, but you can't really question why they were brought here.
So who do you trust the most?
Certainly, they oversee varying degrees of ability. Trying to lead a very good team filled with stars to a title (Blatt), attempting to drive young talent without a huge payroll to the playoffs (Francona) or hoping to right a wounded franchise in transition (Jackson) are very different jobs.
Whatever the task, who will do it best?
You might like Hue. But do you like him as much as Blatt to Tito?
Vote in our poll and tell us what you think in the comments.
See where and when you can watch the 2016 Senior Bowl.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The 2016 Senior Bowl will take place on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. The game will feature the top senior college football players from all across the country, most of whom will be drafted into the NFL starting on April 28.
Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m., and will be televised on NFL Network.
NFL Network will also televise roughly 15 hours of live practice coverage during game week. ESPNU will have coverage of practice on Jan. 27-28.
Many of Northeast Ohio’s top basketball players spend much of their time above the rim. Included is an assortment of dunks captured this season by cleveland.com.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Each winter, they take flight.
Many of Northeast Ohio’s top basketball players spend much of their time above the rim. Above is an assortment of dunks captured this season by cleveland.com.
More are featured below.
Read the descriptions below and vote for your favorite dunk artist in the poll to the right.
Tre Granger, Bedford: The Bearcats senior got his season started with a slam dunk title at the NEO Youth Elite Showcase at Garfield Heights. The 6-foot-3 guard hasn’t let up since then.
Markell Johnson, East Tech: This 6-1 junior guard is racking up Division I college offers from Cincinnati to North Carolina State.
Quintin Dove, Euclid: A 6-7 Rider recruit, Dove pulled off an impressive dunk at the NEO Youth Elite Showcase.
Blake Furcron, Elyria: Furcron’s scoring numbers have heated up as of late. The 6-4 guard also is headed to Ohio Dominican.
Justin Sylver, Benedictine: One of the Bengals’ bigs, the 6-7 Sylver nearly tried to pull down the rim a few times against Central Catholic.
Anfernee Smothers, Lorain: One of the 6-7 Smothers’ favorite plays is catching an alley-oop toward the side of the basket. Watch video above for an example vs. St. Edward.
Jon Teske, Medina: The 7-1 Michigan recruit put an exclamation on the Bees’ January home win against Mentor.
Tyrone Gibson, Beachwood: In transition, the 6-3 senior guard won’t hesitate to attack the basket.
Nazihar Bohannon, Lorain: A two-sport junior standout at Lorain, watch below as Bohannon broke away from North Olmsted.
Jayvon Graves, St. Vincent-St. Mary: A 6-2 junior guard, Graves can rise with the best of them. Here's an example in slow motion.
Lamont Rhodes, Bedford: A 6-7 Lake Erie College commit, Rhodes teamed up with another dunk candidate, Tre Granger, on the alley-oop below.
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