Promo Reel

Lynch and Shanahan are forward-thinkers. Both are playing tons of different scenarios out in their heads, making sure this team is equipped with enough resources. Just because Trent Baalke spent high-end draft picks on Ward, Eric Reid and Jaquiski Tartt doesn’t mean the new regime can’t supply the roster with high-end backups.

There were plenty of fireworks on Monday, but they didn’t come at the plate. Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland exchanged blows in the 8th inning after Strickland hit Harper with a pitch. In other events, Matt Moore pitched a quality start but the San Francisco offense delivered no support in the 3-0 loss.

Bryce Harper and Hunter Strickland exchanged blows on Monday afternoon. Take a look at what went down.

In my mind, the “overwhelming favorite” narrative was inescapable once Golden State lured Durant away from Oklahoma City. Kerr and his team embraced it all year, often wearing Super Villain T-shirts at practice. Kerr is smart enough to understand how these narratives impact the mindset of a team, and he’s subtly trying to remind everyone how great of a team Cleveland really is.

Kerr looked improved to me. The fact that he’s not willing to make a decision on his sideline status for the NBA Finals is a good sign. Kerr’s competitive. He wants to help this team win a championship. At the same time, he recognizes the synergy he and Brown have created sharing the coaching duties.

Obviously losing LeBron negatively impacted ticket sales. The point is that Cleveland loves LeBron more than they love the Cavs. The same isn’t true in Northern California. While they were an improving young team, the Warriors held strong in attendance rankings — despite showing no super team potential. At all.

Brown acknowledged he cannot recall any other details such as how many shots each man made, saying: “I don’t even remember, that was back when I was in shape and a good shooter. He’d kill me now”

There are 100 more games within the game we could write about. But if these five go the Warriors’ way, you probably need to ask for a day off in late June for a parade in Oakland.

Zaza Pachulia has been back to normal in practices the last few days, and will reportedly be good to go when the Warriors begin the finals on Thursday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Pachulia missed the last two games of the conference finals with a heel injury.

Matt Cain came out and did his part, allowing two runs (one earned) in seven innings of work, but it wasn’t enough as the Giants fell at home Friday to the Braves 2-0. This was the team’s fourth loss in a row.