Is this the worst NBA postseason ever?
The NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers have become as predictable as the earlier rounds of the playoffs.
The home teams continue to dominate as the Cavs won Game 3 in Cleveland, after the Warriors won their first two games at home.
Will the trend continue for the next game on Friday with Cleveland tying the series at 2-2 or will the Warriors go up 3-1?
No one knows, but I told Rick Kamla from NBA TV on my Fox Sports Radio show that this year's playoffs are the worst I had ever seen. He felt it "was just one of those years," and reminded me that everyone who went to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference was .500 or better, so maybe it wasn't as weak of a division as we thought.
Now the interesting thing for anyone making a wager is the point spread in the first two games at Golden State was a -6, and yet they easily beat the number both times since the Warriors won the first game by 15 and the second by 33.
In Game 3, Cleveland was favored at home by 1½, and they covered easily, winning by 30.
Now Game 4 has the Cavs -2; it's amazing to see Las Vegas is saying the Cavs will only win by a single basket since every game has been a blowout.
Here's my prediction for Game 4: Golden State 101, Cleveland 99.
Talkin' baseball:
Let's take a look at baseball - America's favorite pastime.
In the American League East, I love Baltimore. I called my brother Danny after the first week of the season and said
"Fear the Oriole." They lead second-place Boston, but not by much.
I don't think Boston or Toronto has the pitching to stay with the Orioles, who have been led by Chris Tillman (8-1 with a 3.01 ERA.)
In the Central, my White Sox have done a massive turnaround, and not in a good way. And the first-place Cleveland Indians have been a real surprise to me. Going into Thursday, Detroit and Royals are tied for second place, with last year's World Series champions in the throes of a seven-game losing streak.
As for the boring West, it's the Texas Rangers, and a surprising Seattle in second, with Houston playing under .500 ball in a distant third.
In the National League East it's the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets, but look out for the Miami Marlins. In the Central it's over, the Cubs will easily win the division by double digits. In the West, it's the same old story - the San Francisco Giants and the L.A. Dodgers.
Have a great weekend!
Program notes:
Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.
• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.