Get your questions ready and join us live at 11 to talk all things Cleveland sports.

View full sizeTerry Pluto talks Cleveland sports at 11 a.m.Allison Carey/The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at 11 a.m. as he talks Cleveland sports.

Get ready for the NBA Finals as Terry and I will preview the Cavaliers-Warriors series. We'll also talk about the Indians coming off of an uninspiring weekend.

You can jump in the comments section below and ask your questions as well as interact with other users and respond to Pluto's remarks, or you can just listen. The chat will also be made available shortly after its completion in MP3 format.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Golden State Warriors, it will be a huge upset. But maybe, just maybe ... it can happen ... I think.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers can beat Golden State...

Maybe.

It will be a major upset if the Cavs beat the Warriors and win a title.

Golden State set an NBA record for the regular season with 73 wins.

They were behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals and came back to beat Oklahoma City.

The Warriors are only the 10th team in NBA history to come back from that 3-1 deficit -- and 223 others failed to do so.

How often has the NBA seen anything quite like that?

"We weren't just down 3-1, but we'd been blown out two straight games," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told the media after the game. "It's a pretty remarkable comeback. It shows a lot about our guys and their will and their grit."

Yes, it does.

The record shows the Cavs are facing one of history's great teams.

But if you are a Cleveland sports fan, why would you be surprised by that?

AN EPIC MATCHUP

It starts with LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry.

Or as James frames it: The NBA's Most Valuable Player vs. the NBA Player of the Year.

James rightly views himself as the league's true franchise player. Six consecutive trips to The Finals is an accomplishment for the ages.

I really believe the vast majority of NBA general managers and coaches would have selected James over any other player for their roster as they headed into the 2016 postseason.

But the LeBron James that came back to the Cavs in 2014 is one built for the playoffs, a mature leader who has more ways of winning a postseason game for his team than anyone in the NBA.

James is sick of losing in The Finals. His record is 2-4. That can be deceiving because a strong case can be made that several of those teams never should have reached The Finals.

IT'S NOT JUST 'THE BIG ONE'

The Cavs had a depleted roster available for last season's matchup with Golden State. No Kevin Love. Kyrie Irving injured after one game.

Matthew Dellavedova played so many Delly-rugby-style minutes that he ended up exhausted and hospitalized after Game 3 against the Warriors. Iman Shumpert had a significant shoulder injury.

It wasn't just James vs. Curry.

It was James vs. Golden State's Big Three of Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Curry.

Former Cavs coach David Blatt tried to sell this story line: "We're the Big One ... as in One Team."

But it was about James and a bunch of solid role players being worn down by the Warriors.

IT'S DIFFERENT THIS YEAR

Watching the Warriors, I tried to picture them playing the Cavs in a seven-game series.

I'm discounting the Cavs two regular season losses to Golden State this season. Tyronn Lue wasn't even the head coach for those games, it was still Blatt.

Those Cavs were not anywhere close to playing at the elite level that carried them back into The Finals in 2016.

I try to picture a healthy Love... a healthy Irving... a refreshed James who hasn't come close to doing the same playoff heavy lifting as a year ago.

This team really should have a chance to beat Warriors...

I think.

Maybe.

Last year, I was certain: The Cavs had no chance against Golden State.

This year is different. If you watched the Cavs in the playoffs, there is reason for hope. They seem to be peaking at the right time.

Really.

DON'T MAKE A PREDICTION!

I've had several fans tell me that... begging me to at least not pick the Cavs.

They know my track record, which is close to matching all the Cleveland teams that have tried to win a title since the 1964 Browns.

It's zero-for-52 years.

In my head, I'm making a case for the Cavs beating Golden State.

Irving can't defend Curry, but who can?

But Irving can make Curry sweat on defense.

They matched up in Game 1 of the 2015 Finals. Irving scored 23 points (10-of-22 shooting) with 7 rebounds, 6 assists 4 steals and 2 blocks.

It was one of Irving's best all-around games... ever.

I say that given the opponent, the magnitude of the game and the fact Irving  already was playing on a sore knee. He fractured it late in the 108-100 overtime loss.

Curry scored 26 points (10-of-20 shooting) with 8 assists and 4 rebounds. Irving and Curry neutralized each other.

It was only one game, but it's a reason for optimism. I say that because Irving has had an exceptional postseason in 2016.

I wonder how Kevin Love will perform against Draymond Green. I expect the Warriors to play a lot of small lineups with three guards against the Cavs. Green might play a lot of center. Can Love move well enough to keep up with the frenzied pace the Warriors love?

The Cavs certainly need Love's scoring, because the Warriors are going to put up the shots (and points) quickly.

Irving and Love will have enormous roles in determining if the Cavs can pull an upset -- and yes, it would be an upset.

CAN THIS BE THE YEAR?

The Warriors were 39-2 at home in the regular season, 9-1 in the playoffs. And they have the homecourt advantage.

But LeBron James has won at least one road game in his last 25 consecutive playoff series.

So there's hope, because the Cavs need to win at least one game in Oakland. They won Game 2 in Oakland in the 2015 Finals.

The stats say the Cavs are facing one of the NBA's greatest teams in history. Watching the last three playoff games also is enough to make you think the Warriors are a team of destiny.

Perhaps that's the case.

Maybe... just maybe... the Cavs can change that.

But don't tell anybody I said that.

Plain Dealer columnist talks all things Cleveland sports in his weekly podcast.

We're on iTunes. Subscribe to the cleveland.com Sports podcasts channel here (or search cleveland.com Sports podcasts).

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Who will win the NBA Finals? Are the Indians a contender?

Plain Dealer sports columnist Terry Pluto answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast. Among other topics discussed:

LeBron vs. Steph Part II.

The Browns keeping Joe Thomas.

The Indians' biggest concern.

You can download the mp3 or listen with the player to the right.

Be sure to also like Terry Pluto on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

The Browns formally announced the prevously reported promotions of Ken Kovash and Ken Meers in their personnel department.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ken Kovash has formally joined Andrew Berry as Browns Vice President of Player, and the Browns announced five other promotions and one new hire in their personnel department under Sashi Brown.

The other promotions are as follows:

Kevin Meers - Director of Research and Strategy
Chisom Opara - Director of Player Personnel
Dan Saganey - Director of Scouting
Bobby Vega - Director of Scouting

The promotions of Meers and Kovash were reported by cleveland.com in February.

The new hire is Glenn Cook, who will serve as their new Assistant Director of Scouting after spending the past four years with the Packers.

The staff will work with Brown, Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta and Berry.

"We feel really good about our department as a whole and the extensive collaboration we have established in our everyday work," Brown said in a release. "Our intent has been to assemble a group committed to creating strategic and comprehensive processes that help us make the best decisions possible for building our football team. We are excited about the high caliber individuals within our football operations, the quality of their work and their passion for football."

Kovash joined the Browns in 2013 and  has spent the past three seasons as the director of football research. Before that, he spent three years as Cowboys' His senior analytics manager.

"Ken is an intelligent, critical thinker," Brown said. "He provides valuable leadership and input to our decision-making process and will continue to be a key component to our personnel department."

Bernie Kosar reunited with Browns after accepting Hue Jackson's invitation to attend practice

Meers has also been with the Browns for three years, including the past two as a football research analyst. He began as a football research intern in 2013. He'll  work closely with DePodesta.

"Kevin's inquisitive nature, his intelligence, and his tireless work ethic make him a perfect fit to lead our research function," DePodesta said. "We look forward to him helping us in many different areas."

Opera and Vega have both been with the Browns for 12 seasons, surviving numerous regimes.

Opara, who will work directly with DePodesta, joined the team in 2005 as an area scout. and was an area scout for the first nine years.  A former wide receiver at Princeton, he signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2003, but was waived at the end of training camp. He joined the Ravens a year later in the player personnel department.

"We're thrilled to add Chisom's expertise to the broader player personnel function," DePodesta said in the release. "His deep background in scouting and his ability to work across many different lines will make a huge impact on the organization."

Vega spent his first two seasons with the Browns as a scouting assistant and was promoted to college-area scout in 2007, evaluating prospects from small schools from Maine to Florida. In 2009, he took on mid-Atlantic responsibilities and then moved to Southeast scout in 2009.

"Bobby has been one of the most respected college scouts on our staff for some time," Brown said. "He understands our vision and we really value his input. In his role as director, we will look for him to provide leadership and efficiency in our college scouting process, enhancing our opportunities to pick the best players."

Saganey, in his eighth year with the Browns, has served as a manager in the player personnel department. He scouted Browns' upcoming opponents, tracked player movement, helped out on pro free agency and assisted in the evaluation of college prospects. Before joining the Browns in 2009, he was a position coach at Harvard for two seasons.

"It was very important for us to be able to retain Dan," Brown said. "He has a diverse background in that he's coached on the college level and has worked in our personnel department for seven seasons. He knows our league and knows our division especially well. We look forward to him leading our scouting efforts on the pro side."

Cetta also joined the Browns in 2013, as an intern in the scouting department. He was hired full time in 2014 as a department assistant.

"In Mike's three years with our organization he has worked extremely hard and has proven that he can have a positive impact on our scouting process," Brown said. "He's another smart, diligent and collaborative worker that has a bright future with our organization."    

 Cook, an alum and former graduate assistant at the University of Miami, joined the Packers personnel department in 2012.

"We are fortune to be able to add Glenn to our personnel department," Brown said.  "He is a highly-regarded, bright scout that has been a part of a very successful scouting environment in Green Bay. He will bring a fresh perspective to our group and we are excited to have him on our staff."

The Columbus Blue Jackets are enjoying their first-year affiliation with the Lake Erie Monsters, who are in the 2016 Calder Cup Finals and will face the Hershey Bears beginning Wednesday.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Lake Erie Monsters participation in the 2016 Calder Cup Finals is a reflection of a happy marriage between the minor league team and their parent club, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

This is the first year the Monsters are affiliated with the Blue Jackets after the Monsters spent eight years connected with the Colorado Avalanche.

A major component of the new affiliation was the proximity between Columbus and Cleveland and how that short distance would cut down on travel time for the parent staff and could help fans follow prospects.

Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson said the new affiliation is off the charts.

"Everything with our affiliation is excellent," Davidson said. "We're a draft and development organization, so this is hugely important to us and it's working. The proximity all within the same state, the facility here and how they treat our players in a big league fashion preps them for when they get into the National Hockey League."

Some of that preparation is due to the experience of the professional sports staff of the Cleveland Cavaliers, run by owner Dan Gilbert and senior vice president of communications Tad Carper.

"They know how to run a big operation and they treat our group like it's a big-time operation and that's important," Davidson said. "Our young players and veteran players all feel important. This level is not yet the NHL but they're playing at a location where people care about them, which makes this a destination for players in this league and they're going to want to play [in Cleveland]."

Coming up big: The key to the Monsters continued success will depend on the steady play of goalie Anton Forsberg, who has been solid during the postseason since taking over for Joonas Korpisalo. Forsberg has a shutout and a 95.5 percent save percentage in six games.

Forsberg's latest great save happened in the Monsters' overtime victory last week over the Ontario Reign to clinch the Western Conference title.

In just under a minute before the Monsters' scored their winning goal,  Forsberg made a spectacular save when he gloved a backhand shot. It was his 41st save of the night.

"He just comes up big, and none bigger than that last save just before we scored," said Monsters coach Jared Bednar on Forsberg. "He's had an exceptional playoffs since he's come in."

Winning cities: This is the AHL's 80th anniversary and the two winningest cities will participate in the Calder Cup Finals. The Bears have won 11 Calder Cup titles since 1938 and the Cleveland Barons won nine titles from 1936-72.

2016 Calder Cup Finals (best-of-seven)
Hershey Bears vs. Lake Erie Monsters

Game 1: Wednesday - Lake Erie at Hershey, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Friday - Lake Erie at Hershey, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Monday - Hershey at Lake Erie, 7 p.m.
Game 4: June 11 - Hershey at Lake Erie, 7 p.m.
Game 5: June 12 - Hershey at Lake Erie, 6 p.m., if necessary
Game 6: June 14 - Lake Erie at Hershey, 7 p.m., if necessary
Game 7: June 17 - Lake Erie at Hershey, 7 p.m., if necessary

Tickets for all home Calder Cup Finals Championship Series Games at Quicken Loans Arena are on sale now at the team's web site.
 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have spent the last year believing the 2015 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors would have been different if not for bad injury luck. They will get their chance to prove it.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have spent the last year believing the 2015 NBA Finals against Golden State would have been different if not for bad injury luck. The Cavs will get their chance to prove it. 

This year's NBA Finals will be a rematch. 

The fully healthy Cavs, with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving this time, will open the best-of-seven series on Thursday night against the 73-win Warriors, who rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to topple Oklahoma City in Game 7. 

Who will the NBA championship? Vote on our poll below. 

The gator was estimated to be 14 to 15 feet long. Watch video

PALMETTO, Florida -- If you hit a ball near the water at Buffalo Creek Golf Course, you might want to consider just taking the penalty and dropping another ball ... at a very safe distance.

Golfer Charlie Helm's video on YouTube shows a massive alligator ... estimated to be 14 to 15 feet long ... taking a casual stroll across the fairway on the third hole of the course.

"You get up in the morning not thinking you're going to see anything like that, and you go to bed not believing it," Helms tells fox13news.com. "I took the video, basically, so I could prove it to my family and friends who I knew were going to say, 'No, it's not that big.' It becomes a fish tail!"

The video posted by golf.com has nearly 3 million views on YouTube.

Despite the gator's enormous size, Helms tells NBC News he wasn't afraid.

"You kind of learn very early on that people really aren't on the menu," Helms said. "Just don't bother it, don't annoy it. Certainly don't corner it -- just let it go."

He says he plans to return to the course later this week for another round.

"It's the only thing worth noting that I've ever done on a golf course, is take this video," Helms tells fox13news.com.

Have the Cleveland Cavaliers addressed concerns from previous meetings against the Golden State Warriors before the NBA Finals? Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Cavaliers are back in the NBA Finals for a second straight year and their opponent is on a five-game win streak against them.

The Warriors won the final three games against a shorthanded Cavs team to claim the 2015 title, and swept Cleveland in the regular season's two matchups.

So since that time, have the Cavs fixed the issues that arose in 2015-16? Or do those games really matter?

Game 1: Warriors win, 89-83, on Dec. 25

The Warriors and Cavaliers exchanged leads 10 times on Christmas Day in Oakland and neither team was offensively efficient. The Warriors 41 percent from the field, while the Cavs were a miserable 31 percent. They were equally bad from long distance -- Cleveland missed 25 of its 30 attempts, Golden State 13 of its 18.

The Cavs led, 40-37, late in the second quarter and dominated on the offensive glass outrebounding the Warriors 17-8. But the Warriors had the edge on fast-break points (14-4) and assists (21-12). The Cavs got within three, 83-80, on a J.R. Smith trey with 68 seconds left, but couldn't get any closer.

Draymond Green scored 22 points to lead the Warriors. Stephen Curry (19 points) and Klay Thompson (18) were held in check.

The hidden story: Kyrie Irving missed 11 of his 15 shot attempts in 26 minutes as he was still restricted in court time as he recovered from off-season knee surgery. Still, his plus-4 rating was second best on the Cavs, trailing only Tristan Thompson's plus-7.

Speaking of Thompson, he was still a bench player behind Timofey Mozgov, but grabbed 10 rebounds (three offensive) in 27 minutes. Kevin Love had a big day on the boards with 18 (three offensive).

And, of course, it was Christmas Day. ESPN had built up the matchup for a month, but the result was less than thrilling.

Game 2: Warriors win 132-98 on Jan. 18

Turning over the basketball 18 times, the Cavaliers were buried by the Warriors' small lineup in a Martin Luther King Jr. showcase game at The Q. Four days later,  David Blatt was fired and Tyronn Lue promoted.

This was bad from the start for the Cavaliers, who fell behind 12-2 and ended the quarter facing a 34-21 deficit. It was even worse in the second, with the Warriors strolling off the court with a 70-44 margin.

The Warriors showcased all the traits that led to a 73-win season -- shooting 47 percent from the 3-point arc, 54.1 from the field and 77.8 from the charity stripe. Stephen Curry had the big game with 35 points, but the Cavs allowed four other players to score in double figures. Golden State finished with 33 assists and a 17-2 advantage in fast break points.

The Cavs' starting five of LeBron James, Irving, Love, Smith and Mozgov averaged a minus-24 rating (James was minus-34 in 32 minutes). Remember the Cavs' 100-60 lead after three quarters of Game 5 of the Eastern finals against Toronto? This was even worse -- the Warriors at one point had a 43-point lead at 114-71.

The hidden story: As James fumed on the bench, the wheels were turning for the change in coaches. Even though the team beat Brooklyn and the Clippers in the next two games, GM David Griffin made the change while keeping an eye on improving the roster.

AFTERWARDS

Head coach David Blatt was the first change to the team's personnel, dismissed on Jan. 22, with Tyronn Lue taking over.

In the following month, the Cavs acquired 6-foot-11 forward Channing Frye from Orlando. Frye has been a major asset in the playoffs, shooting 58 percent from the 3-point arc.

When the Cavs acquired Frye, the team sent guard Jared Cunningham and a future second-round draft pick to Orlando, and center Anderson Varejao and 2018 first-round draft pick to Portland. Varejao, who played 12 seasons with the Cavs, then signed with the Warriors after being released by the Trail Blazers.

PLAYOFFS

Both teams finished with the best record in their conferences, although the Warriors deserved all of the acclaim in their record-breaking finish. They earned a spot in the finals after coming back from 3-1 deficit to defeat Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals after topping Houston (4-1) and Portland Trailblazers (4-1) in the previous rounds. In the Eastern Conference, the Cavs swept the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks, then topped the Toronto Raptors in six.

During the playoffs, the Cavs broke the Warriors' record for the most 3-pointers in a game with 25.

WARRIORS VS. CAVS: 2015-16 MATCHUPS

Warriors won head-to-head 2-0

PPG: Warriors advantage: 110.5 to 90.5 ppg.

REB: Cavaliers advantage: 45.5 to 43.

Assists: Cavaliers advantage: 27-17.

3PT FG%: Warriors advantage: 41-25.

The teams begin the seven-game series on June 2 starting in Oakland. Tipoff is at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

A look at the players the Cavaliers and Warriors want to have at the free-throw line and who they don't want shooting key free throws.

The Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry and their immediate worries: Crowquill

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers will be in Oakland on Thursday for a rematch of last year's NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

Once again Golden State has homecourt advantage and the reigning MVP in Steph Curry, but a healthy and rested Cavaliers team will be hoping for a different result and Cleveland's first major sports championship since 1964.

Curry and the Warriors have to be even more confident after coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Only time will tell if the Warriors truly have no worries against the Cavs, or whether the Cavs can make Curry and the Warriors look like Alfred E. Neumann.

Crowquill, by Plain Dealer artist Ted Crow, appears three times a week on cleveland.com.

Is this the year 'The Land' becomes the Promised Land? LeBron James will give his all to make it so for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who play the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- In sports today, players speak of their "brand."

Extrapolated far enough, it would equate Michael Jordan with the Air Jordan line of sneakers, from which his leaps beyond belief were launched.

In the same way, the Converse All-Stars sold by spokesman Chuck Taylor became known as  "Chucks." 

Soul reduced to sole.

Muhammad Ali never became some variant on the "Roach Motel," the bug-killer he endorsed, but you get the idea.

Something more is at stake in the second season of LeBron James' return to Cleveland, though.

In his current Samsung Gear VR commercial, after James rises to begin a workout at 5:34 in the morning, determined to win the One, True Ring that would double in national perception the two he won in "South Beach," he says, "Man, you know this is all about getting one for The Land."

He runs down Cleveland streets that are as gritty as those Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa pounded in the first and greatest movie of the "Rocky" series. Then James enters what appears to be a basement boxing gym.

Fans will not really find James running down the streets and over the bridges  around town. But from the bottom to the top, from the streets here, through those of the Bay Area, his journey to the summit could be an NBA rival of Frodo's trip to Mordor in "Lord of the Rings." (James could bury the bare-footed Hobbit in the paint, by the way.)

Significantly, James' likeness appears again on a huge banner on Prospect Ave. across the street from The Q.

The first one -- showing a cloud of hurled chalk dust hanging above his head, which was destined to drift away, as did the thrower -- came down in 2010.

This time, the name of the back of the jersey, where the player's name goes, reads "Cleveland."

Brand reduced to Land.

Moses and the Promised Land

After his signing by Philadelphia in 1982, just his name, Moses Malone, made inevitable the appearance in the Spectrum of fans costumed as bearded prophets, dressed in in robes, each carrying a staff.

The 76ers had seen enough of Darryl Dawkins, who was once their future, but who could not control the Lakers' Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, so they traded Dawkins. Then they maneuvered to sign Malone as a restricted free agent.

Malone was everything they thought he would be and more, leading the team to its first championship in 16 seasons. It was almost the "Fo', fo', and fo'" postseason he predicted, but the middle series took five games.

The (Promised) Land here?

Moses' quest, like that of James, resonates on two levels.

The first is that of basketball, in which the Cavs' future, in the form of No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins, was traded for veteran help in the form of  forward Kevin Love.

With the Cavaliers' 3-point threat making opponents' lanes open for James the way the Red Sea parted for Moses, it also recalls the bible.

Malone was the missing piece that completed the championship jigsaw, the fragment that made the whole, the addition that turned the puzzle into a Mosaic.

James' back-story works for a litany of biblical metaphors, from the messianic Sports Illustrated cover photo as "The Chosen One" as a mere high school junior, a nickname repeated in a tattoo on his back; to the story of the prodigal son when James took his talents to South Beach and then came home; to the puzzle of incorporating Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love into a championship mosaic.

Fifty-two years after the Browns' 1964 championship, Cleveland fans are still waiting for a championship in any of the three major sports.

Other than the commercial, James does not talk about his mission as fully as he did last year, only saying, "I'll give my all and live with the results."

Still, seldom has a championship pledge been made more openly in the name of ordinary fans than that of James now.

The diff

All championships are extrapolated by the teams winning them into gifts for the fans, payback for their loyalty and other altruistic expressions the team's public relations staff devises. 

James' mere return, of course, is part of his legacy. It is the treasure room of the old pharaohs' pyramids. The pharaohs thought they could take the riches with them into eternity. It would work for a championship ring here, at least in the memories of long-suffering fans.

It's not personal

The 2016 Finals are not about James' search for personal redemption after his timid 2011 Finals, which was achieved the next year with a championship ring.

"We thought we were going to the NBA Finals. LeBron scored 45 points, in Boston! He broke our hearts," said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue, then Doc Rivers' top Celtics assistant of the sixth game of the Eastern Conference Finals, into which the Celtics took a 3-2 lead at home.

If hearts can be left in San Francisco, perhaps those of the Golden State Warriors can be broken in the Bay Area, too.

This year's Finals are about a star-crossed franchise's fans, who turned out in the four years of famine while James was away, who welcomed him back with open arms, and who loved him with open hearts after his doomed, virtuoso performance in the Finals of 2015.

Magic

When Magic Johnson was stricken with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, almost a quarter-century ago, he never had a consistent basketball platform to help create AIDS awareness and demystify what was feared to be a plague disease.

The closest Johnson came was in his play on the Olympic Dream Team of 1992 and in winning a Most Valuable Player award in the otherwise meaningless exhibition that is the NBA All-Star Game.

Michael

Jordan's six NBA Finals and six rings will probably never be matched by the players to come. His cause was never any larger than himself.

After the validation with the first one as a winner, the others often amounted to visitations upon opponents, collectively and individually, of various aspects of Jordan's pathologically competitive personality.

These traits were most nakedly and gracelessly displayed in a Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech that Jordan turned into list of grievances, real and imagined, against rivals whom he considered inferior.

The Chicago Bulls' first three-peat began with a five-game rout of Magic Johnson's Lakers, making it clear that Johnson's time was past and Jordan's was here, complete with its soaring flights of the imagination and its smell of napalm in the morning.

Two of the other championships were devoted to denigrating Clyde Drexler in 1992 and Karl Malone in 1997, his top rivals in those years.

How the record-setters fared

Regular seasons reward consistency in performance and depth in rosters. In the playoffs and particularly in the Finals, peak performance and ruthlessness of focus are rewarded.

Defending champion Golden State enjoyed a record 73-9 season, but had to come off the mat to beat Oklahoma City in seven games in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors are only the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit to do so.

Two of the Warriors, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, can score while shock is racing comprehension to their defender's brain. Such a 3-point conniption rocked the Thunder's always precarious poise and decided the seventh game in the third quarter.

Still, upsets can take the luster off glory years.

The 68-14 Boston Celtics of 1973 lost to the New York Knicks in the conference finals because John Havlicek played the three final games of the series with a separated shooting shoulder.

The 67-15 Dallas Mavericks of 2007 lost in a shocking first-round upset to former Cavalier Baron Davis and his 42-40 Warriors. Dirk Nowitzki shot only 38.3 percent and averaged only 19.7 points. It took him four years to get revenge as a Finals MVP against James' Heat team in 2011.

The 66-16 Cavs of 2009 lost to Orlando because Dwight Howard made his free throws (70.1 percent), and Rashard Lewis shot up the Cavs at the 3-point line (19 points per game average, 29.4 percent on threes). Stubborn Cavs coach Mike Brown kept James on Rafer Alston (12.2 points, 31.9 percent on threes), not Lewis.

It was as stupid then as it seems now, just writing it.

LeBron and the Cavs

The huge LeBron banner will come down near the end of June, to be replaced by one welcoming the Republican National Convention. Neither banners, nor sideline  speeches, nor well-meant promises win championships.

Championships are won during play, when besieged by a "Curry flurry" of 3-pointers or when the Cavs' own barrages of them are belching flame and smoke. 

But they are also won on the streets of The Land, by men at work.

Before Stephen Curry emerged as an NBA champion and MVP, the Golden State Warriors went through their ups and downs to build a title contender.

What do the Cavaliers and Warriors have in common? Quite a lot, actually.

LeBron James is preparing for his sixth consecutive NBA Finals -- something that hasn't been done since the 1960s. This will be his seventh Finals overall. How'd the first six go?

Lindor ranks second among AL shortstops on the ballot in WAR, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and batting average and ranks tied for first in stolen bases. He ranks somewhere outside of the top five in All-Star votes.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Send a search party. Francisco Lindor is nowhere to be found.

The Indians' shortstop isn't with Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa, or even with Troy Tulowitzki and Alcides Escobar. He's lost somewhere in the All-Star balloting wilderness among the tall, mangy weeds with the likes of Ketel Marte, Marcus Semien and Brad Miller.

Major League Baseball revealed the first installment of its weekly American League voting updates on Tuesday. The Indians were absent from the latest positional chases. No Tribe player ranked in the top five at any position (or top 15 among outfielders).

The Indians don't have much of a gripe, except for at shortstop. Lindor ranks second among AL shortstops on the ballot in WAR, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and batting average and ranks tied for first in stolen bases. He ranks somewhere outside of the top five in All-Star votes.

The stat line provided on the league's online ballots doesn't even mention the word "defense," an area in which Lindor rates much better than most. Even in 2016, though, the popularity contest is driven by gaudy offensive numbers, not one's number of defensive highlights.

Maybe Lindor will sneak his way up the totem pole as the Midsummer Classic approaches. Maybe he'll remain overlooked by other fan bases (or even by his own). Maybe it will, in the end, serve to underscore how the league struggles to market some of its better talents. Lindor might need more seasoning and production before he can earn the "superstar" label, but his flashy style of play and his enduring smile should eventually make him an obvious candidate for the league to plaster across its social platforms.

Future meets present with Lindor, Correa

Until then, he'll suffer from a lack of exposure and experience. Lindor isn't alone, either. No longer do fans in only New York and New England stuff the ballot boxes with votes for Yankees and Red Sox players (Bogaerts is certainly deserving of his first-place showing). For the second straight year, Royals fans have spoken.

Catcher: Salvador Perez

Rank: 1st

The skinny: He leads all AL players with nearly 1.1 million votes

First base: Eric Hosmer

Rank: 1st

The skinny: A worthy selection

Second base: Omar Infante

Rank: 2nd

The skinny: He also ranks second on the Royals' depth chart at second base, behind Whit Merrifield

Shortstop: Escobar

Rank: 2nd

The skinny: He boasts a .609 OPS and 0.1 WAR

Third base: Mike Moustakas

Rank: 2nd

The skinny: He's out for the season with a torn knee ligament

Designated hitter: Kendrys Morales

Rank: 2nd

The skinny: He's batting .193 with a .592 OPS and minus-1.0 WAR

via MLB 

Remember, this exhibition game carries valuable stakes, for some reason. (Mr. Manfred, if you're reading this: Feel free to reverse your predecessor's decision and, as common sense would have it, award home-field advantage in the World Series to the team with the better regular-season record.)

Kudos to Kansas City fans for feverishly supporting their players. It'll be too bad, though, if Wrigley Field plays host to Game 7 because a guy who can't find his way off of the Royals' bench receives a couple of at-bats against world-class pitchers in San Diego on a Tuesday evening in mid-July.

It's all silly, really. And it's mighty early.

Should Lindor stay the course, one would think his peers or the AL manager would select him to the team anyway. Still, his initial absence is a reflection of the voting process, the senseless stipulations and the lack of widespread knowledge and consideration for some of the game's bright, young players.

Take a look at recent first-round wide receivers who have doubled as kick returners -- with mixed results.

Teams that have asked their first-round receivers to return punts or kicks have rarely seen them stick at both positions for long. Watch video

BEREA, Ohio -- You could do worse than looking to Antonio Brown for inspiration in, well, anything that involves getting the football in a player's hands. Brown has grown from a sixth-round pick in 2010 to one of the best offensive weapons in football.

It was Brown's name that special teams coordinator Chris Tabor brought up when asked about using first-round pick Corey Coleman as a punt returner, though. 

"If that's the best option and best player that you have that's what you want to do," Tabor said last week. "If it's going to help you win that's what we want to do. I don't get caught up in where a guy's at just from this standpoint -- Antonio Brown for the Steelers might be regarded as one of the best players in the NFL and he's their punt returner." 

Of course, a player is something in the NFL until he isn't, and, at least according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Brown's days as the Steelers punt returner could be numbered. There is risk inherent in the return game and as players become more valuable, protecting them becomes more of a priority.

The goal for the Browns isn't to make Coleman into Antonio Brown. Brown is the most dynamic player on one of the league's best offenses. The Browns should be so lucky to have Coleman become that.  

The goal, though, is to find as many ways as possible to get the ball in Coleman's hands considering that, even though he hasn't played a game, he's already viewed as one of this offense's few big-play weapons. Coleman returned three punts at Baylor and 25 kickoffs in his three college seasons to go along with two 1,000-yard seasons and 33 receiving touchdowns. 

"You don't learn to catch and return kicks at the NFL level," associate head coach Pep Hamilton said last week. "You either can do it or you can't. The instincts that you have got to have, and the overall skill set, is just something that I am sure Corey can do, and I am sure he has done it in the past. That is not my area of expertise, but he is a talented kid and he can score the ball, so however we can get the ball into his hands -- returning kicks, throwing screen routes, throwing post routes -- we know that he will score the ball." 

Is there a template, aside from Brown, for Coleman? I looked back at some recent first-round wide receivers going back to 2010 to see if any had successfully established themselves in both roles. 

Since 2010, there have been 23 wide receivers drafted in the first round. Eight of them have spent a reasonable amount of time -- more than a stray instance here or there -- returning kicks. Here are some of the trends. You can check out a list of the more significant names at the link below: 

First-round wide receivers as kick returners

The top receiver 

Some of the names on the list are recognizable for their accomplishments at wide receiver. Odell Beckham has 2,755 combined receiving yards in his first two seasons. He returned 21 punts his rookie season following a successful college career returning punts at LSU, including two punt return touchdowns in 2012. Beckham returned just two punts last season, though, after continuing to emerge as a go-to wide receiver.  

Saints receiver Brandin Cooks returned kicks in eight of the ten games he played in 2014. He returned just two in 2015 as he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time. Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas both returned kicks early in their careers -- Thomas returned kickoffs his rookie year and Bryant returned 42 punts during his first three seasons. Amari Cooper even dabbled in punt returns during his rookie season. 

The key trend is these players have tended to stop returning kicks as they've moved up the receiver food chain. 

Mr. Versatility 

The Rams' Tavon Austin hasn't done as much at receiver as you'd like from a No. 8 overall pick (2013), but he's managed to make himself into a playmaker in the return game. He's scored a punt return touchdown in each of his three seasons. 

The skillset that has allowed him to become an effective returner has translated to the offensive side of the football, even if he's been disappointing at receiver. While he's never put up even a 500-yard receiving season, he has rushed for 809 yards on 97 career carries and scored seven times on the ground, including four last season. 

Somewhere between Austin and Brown lies a realistic expectation for Coleman. 

The specialist 

Cordarrelle Patterson's number of receptions and receiving yardage has dropped each of his first three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, bottoming out last season with just two targets, two catches and ten yards. How do you keep a job when your numbers are heading that south that quickly? Get really good at returning kickoffs. 

Patterson, the 29th overall pick in 2013, has scored four times on kickoff returns -- twice in his rookie season and twice last year -- and has a career-long kick return of 109 yards. In a league where kick returns are becoming irrelevant, Patterson has somehow managed to make himself valuable doing just that. 

As an aside, the Browns would love it if Justin Gilbert could do the same. 

What does it mean? 

None of this is to say that Coleman can or can't do both and succeed in both.  

Brown has done it. Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman have managed in New England. It's worth noting that those players have also had to climb the ladder up NFL rosters from less prestigious draft positions -- or, in the case of Amendola, as an undrafted free agent. 

When it has come to first-round picks, the tendency has been for them to ultimately specialize. That could happen eventually with Coleman. This season, though, when touchdowns and big plays might be hard to come by, getting the ball in the hands of Coleman in as many ways as possible is a necessary risk.

What number will Ohio State's freshmen wear in 2016?

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The last time a player from Montverde Academy came to Ohio State and wore No. 0, things worked out pretty well.

So no pressure, Micah Potter.

Potter will wear No. 0 for the Buckeyes this season, as the Ohio State basketball team released an updated roster with numbers, heights and weights for its incoming four-man 2016 recruiting class.

Potter, originally from Mentor, Ohio, spent a year at Florida prep powerhouse Montverde Academy this past season. That's the same school that produced D'Angelo Russell. Russell went on to wear No. 0 in his only season at Ohio State -- because "zero people could guard him" -- before becoming the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Don't expect any of that from Potter. It's just a funny coincidence.

Potter, a center, is listed as 6-foot-9, 230 pounds.

Derek Funderburk, a forward originally from St. Edward High School, will wear No. 4. That's the number he wore for the Eagles before playing his final year of high school basketball at Hargrave Military Academy. Funderburk is listed as 6-foot-9, 210 pounds.

Small forward Andre Wesson will wear No. 24 after wearing No. 5 at Westerville South High School. Wesson is listed as 6-foot-6, 190 pounds.

Point guard C.J. Jackson will wear No. 3. Jackson, who will be a sophomore next season, wore No. 10 at Eastern Florida State College. The junior college addition is listed as 6-foot-2, 170 pounds.

None of the heights or weights for Ohio State's returning players were changed.

So as it stands now, Ohio State is a slightly taller team than it was last year. Last season the Buckeyes were 60th in the country with an average height of 77.8 inches, or 6-foot-4.8 inches, according to Ken Pomeroy's height ratings.

This year, Ohio State has an average height of 78.1 inches, or 6-foot-5.1 inches.

That means this Ohio State team will be Thad Matta's tallest on average since the 2008 team that averaged 78.2 inches. The 2009 team also averaged 78.1 inches.

Here's Ohio State's 2016 basketball roster as it stands now:

Seniors

No. 2 Marc Loving, F, 6-foot-7, 220 pounds

Juniors

No. 33 Keita Bates-Diop, F, 6-foot-7, 235 pounds

No. 1 Jae'Sean Tate, F, 6-foot-4, 225 pounds

No. 32 Trevor Thompson, C, 6-foot-11, 250 pounds

No. 15 Kam Williams, G, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds

Sophomores

No. 10 David Bell, C, 6-foot-10, 225 pounds

No. 3 C.J. Jackson, G, 6-foot-2, 170 pounds

No. 14 Joey Lane, G, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds (walk-on)

No. 13 JaQuan Lyle, G, 6-foot-5, 210 pounds

Freshmen

No. 4 Derek Funderburk, F, 6-foot-9, 210 pounds

No. 0 Micah Potter, C, 6-foot-9, 230 pounds

No. 24 Andre Wesson, F, 6-foot-6, 190 pounds

Check out brackets for all four OHSAA baseball state tournaments, which begin Thursday in Columbus.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Check out brackets for all four OHSAA baseball state tournaments, which begin Thursday in Columbus.

Click the links below to access the brackets, which are printable. The brackets also are interactive. Click on the game to see more about the matchup, particularly after the game has been played.

DIVISION I

DIVISION II

DIVISION III

DIVISION IV

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Solon wins Division I regional final

St. Ignatius wins Division I regional final

Cuyahoga Heights wins Division IV regional final

Check out full regional brackets for each division to see how teams reached the state final four:

DIVISION I

Cincinnati

Canton

Bowling Green

Dublin

DIVISION II

Zanesville

Bowling Green

Hudson

Mason

DIVISION III

Xenia

Chillicothe

Elida

Massillon

DIVISION IV

Patrick Henry

Lancaster

Springfield

Lorain

The real Lil' Kev is actually 36-year British model Will Chalker.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If you've followed the Cavaliers' run to the NBA Finals on social media, you've seen Lil' Kev.

Who or what, more accurately, is Lil' Kev? It's a cutout of a Tommy Bahama magazine ad of a model that's a dead ringer for Cavs forward Kevin Love. Lil' Kev has become the team's mascot/good luck charm of the postseason.

Lately, Lil Kev has been liberated from its natural habitat of forward Richard Jefferson's Snapchat account (RJeff24), getting his own Instagram account and appearing on signs at The Q and on T-shirts.

When the Cavaliers landed in San Francisco for the start of the finals, Jefferson and Jordan McRae were photographed wearing Lil' Kev T-shirts. J.R. Smith has practiced in one. The Tommy Bahama store at Beachwood Place recently gave a bunch of shirts away.

The real Lil' Kev is actually 36-year-old British model Will Chalker. While he hasn't commented on his new-found fame in the sports world, Chalker seems to be enjoying it-- even identifying himself as Lil' Kev on his Instagram profile.

Chalker, who at 6'1 is considerably shorter than the 6'10 Love, has appeared in ads for J. Crew, H&M, Louis Vuitton and Coach. Andy Comer, the Tommy Bahama exec who created the ad, recently told USA Today he chose Chalker for the ad because he's "one of the best male models of the generation" -- not because of a resemblance to Love.

"I actually don't know if I agree he looks terribly like him," Comer said.

We creeped on Chalker's photos to determine, yes, Chalker doesn't look like Love's doppelganger in a lot of the pictures. In fact, there is an Aveda model that recently popped up on our Instagram feed that perhaps looks as much like Love as Chalker.

You be the judge.