Case of the Mondays: Cleveland Goes Down in Flames in Game 1

by Ricky Dimon - 4/16/2018

Is it already time to press the panic button in Cleveland? The Cavaliers underwhelmed throughout the regular season and failed to pick up the pace in Game 1 of the playoffs, getting blown out at home by Indiana on Sunday. San Antonio is also off to a rough start, but no team has it worse than the two of the three California-based NHL playoff representatives. Los Angeles trails Vegas 3-0, while Anaheim is down 2-0 to San Jose.

All odds provided by BetOnline Sportsbook .

Cleveland Cavaliers . The Cavaliers slumped to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference with-by their standards-a disappointing 50-32 record. In past years LeBron James and company have been able to flip the switch from the 82-game, regular-season malaise to the playoffs. But that was not the case in Sunday's first-round opener against the Pacers, who went into Cleveland and dominated 98-80. LeBron delivered a triple-double with 24 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, but he shot a modest 7-for-17 from the floor and missed all four of his three-point attempts. It marked the first time in the 33-year-old's career that he lost Game 1 of a first-round postseason series (previously 12-0). LeBron, though, does not sound too worried. "I'm down 0-1 in the first round," he said. "I was down 3-1 in the (NBA) Finals." The Cavs are -195 to come back and win the series.

Gregg Popovich . Popovich's press conference following San Antonio's Game 1 loss to Golden State did not last long. His team's stay in the NBA playoffs also may not last long. Going up against a Stephen Curry-less Warriors squad but also depleted themselves, the Spurs fell 113-92 in the opener this past Saturday afternoon. They watched Golden State shoot 54.3 percent from the field and 45.5 percent (10-for-22) from three-point range. "I thought we were very prepared physically and mentally," Popovich commented. "But I was mistaken…. We looked like deer in the headlights." San Antonio's coach does not sound too confident about Game 2 on Monday, either. In typical Popovich fashion, he said Danny Green needs to "grow four or five inches by Monday," "jump higher," and "move quicker." The Warriors are -9.5 home favorites on Monday.

Anaheim Ducks . Anaheim stole home-ice advantage from the Sharks by ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak. Perhaps the Ducks should have just saved their energy, because home ice has not amounted to anything. San Jose went into the Honda Center last week and dominated Game 1 via a 3-0 shutout before taking Game 2 by a 3-2 margin. If there is any good news for the Ducks, it is that they have been in this situation before. Just last year, Edmonton won the first two in Anaheim during opening-round action before the Ducks recovered to take the series in seven games. The Sharks are -138 home favorites on Monday.

Deven Marrero . Marrero hit his fifth career home run and first with the Diamondbacks this past Saturday. And then he didn't. In the top of the fourth inning against the Dodgers, Marrero sent one just over the wall in left field. Teammate Alex Avila was on first base, however, and he retreated to the bag thinking the ball may be caught and he would tag up. Marrero rounded first base simultaneously and was deemed to have passed Avila, resulting in the batter being out and the hit reduced from a three-run homer to a two-run single. "I definitely owe Deven, taking away a homer from him," Avila admitted. Fortunately for Arizona, it still ended up destroying the Dodgers 9-1. The Diamondbacks are +500 to win the National League Pennant.

Dez Bryant . The Bryant era is over in Dallas, as the star wide receiver was released last week. A three-time Pro Bowl selection, he was scheduled to make $12.5 million in each of the next two seasons with an annual $16.5 million cap hit. "It's sad news," quarterback Dak Prescott assured. "That's a brother to me. Put the football stuff behind you, and what he meant to me as a person, what he meant to me as a brother, it's tough to see him go. It shows you it's a business…. Dez is going to be a hard guy to replace. He's a talented guy, so he'll be missed." The Cowboys are +350 to win the NFC East.

Manchester United . Man United knew good and well that it only delayed the inevitable when it erased a two-goal deficit to stun Manchester City 3-2 a week earlier. But the Red Devils should have delayed the inevitable yet again when they faced West Bromwich at home this past Saturday. Needing a win over the last-place club on the English Premier League table to prevent Man City from clinching the title, United somehow lost 1-0 to West Brom. The visitors found the back of the net in the 74^th minute and held on from there to hand City the trophy. EPL rival Liverpool is +225 to win the Champions League.

Kelly Kraft . Kraft missed the cut at last week's RBC Heritage because his ball hit a bird in midair. You can't make this stuff up, folks. Teeing off on the par-3 14^th hole during the second round, Kraft saw his ball collide with a bird and plunge into the water (the bird flew off unscathed). He ended up making double-bogey and missed the cut by…you guessed it…one stroke. "It cost me the cut, most likely," the 29-year-old American lamented. "I hit a 7-iron; caught it perfect. It was probably 30 yards off the tee box and this giant, black bird swooped in front of it and hit it and the ball fell 20 yards short in the water. It would've been in the middle of the green. It might have been close. I got screwed." Jordan Spieth is a +1000 favorite to win the U.S. Open in June.

Start:	November 22, 2024 @ 8:00 PM
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Case of the Mondays: Cleveland Goes Down in Flames in Game 1

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