The Golden State Warriors, who won a NBA single-season record 73 games this season, lead the Cleveland Cavaliers 2-0 in the NBA Finals.
Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News in San Jose, Calif., thinks the Warriors are breezing toward a second consecutive NBA championship.
"This series is like summer school after the Warriors already passed the bar exam," Kawakami wrote.
"It's the NBA Finals, against LeBron James, with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and their teammates aiming to crown themselves as one of the greatest teams in sports history.
"It's supposed to be really, really hard.
"And yet after two games -- and after the Warriors' seven-game epic novel against Oklahoma City in the Western Conference finals -- this one is 2-0 Warriors and feels like it's a breezy short story.
"Already almost over, after two quick and disposable chapters.
"This is happening so fast, you could literally see and hear the Warriors pause and settle themselves after the 110-77 Game 2 demolition of Cleveland on Sunday, to make sure they avoid coasting to the finish line.
"All the Warriors have done so far is win the first two games at home, and now they travel to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4.
"But in NBA history, 90 percent of teams that win the first two Finals games at home go on to win the title; and with the Warriors dominating Cleveland in every way, 90 percent seems like a low estimate."
Raise it
The San Jose Sharks have come a long way since their expansion days of the early 1990s.
During the Sharks' second season in 1992-1993, they had a 17-game losing streak, which is tied with the Washington Capitals' 17-game losing streak in 1974-1975 as the NHL's longest. The streak ended with a 3-2 victory at Winnipeg on Feb. 14, 1993.
"We passed a garbage can around the locker room in the old Winnipeg Arena, raising it above our heads like it was the Stanley Cup, everybody was howling," Kelly Kisio, a center on the 1992-1993 Sharks team, told Frank Seravalli of Canadian TV network TSN. "We were like the Bad News Bears coming together."
San Jose finished 11-71-2 (24 points) in 1992-1993 in its second season of existence.
Twenty three years later, the Sharks are in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time. San Jose trails the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. The Sharks lost 3-1 in Game 4 Monday night.
So, if the Sharks were to win three more games, they'll be able to raise the real Stanley Cup -- a far cry from that February 1993 night in Winnipeg.
Strong claim
During his news conference Monday to announce his return to UFC, WWE superstar Brock Lesnar compared himself to another multisport athlete.
"I'm a crossover athlete," Lesnar told reporters. "I'm the modern-day Bo Jackson, people. I'm excited about it. I'm enthusiastic. I couldn't be more excited and honored to have the opportunity that both companies have faith in Brock Lesnar to allow him to step back into the Octagon."
However, the Oakland Raiders organization heard Lesnar's words and fired back.
"There's only one Bo Jackson. #MondayMotivation" the Raiders, whom Jackson played for in Los Angeles in 1987-1990, tweeted Monday.
Lesnar, who is 5-3 in the UFC, will fight Mark Hunt at UFC 200 on July 9 in Las Vegas.
Sports on 06/07/2016