GMs seeWarriors- Cavs in Finals again
NBA general managers expect a third consecutive Golden State Warriors- Cleveland Cavaliers matchup in the NBA Finals next spring, with the Warriors their pick to reclaim the title.
That was the consensus from the annual poll of GMs by NBA. com. The Warriors and Cavaliers each got 97 percent of the votes — 29 of 30 — cast by GMs when they were asked to pick the Western and Eastern conference champions. GMs weren’t allowed to vote for their own teams, so the Boston Celtics got the Cavaliers’ vote in the East and the San Antonio Spurs got the Warriors’ vote in the West.
The Warriors got 69 percent of the votes cast to emerge as champions, with the Cavaliers getting the other 31 percent. The Warriors beat the Cavaliers in six games in the 2015 Finals, and the Cavaliers rallied past the Warriors in seven games in the 2016 Finals.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said returning the All- Star Game to Charlotte in 2019 is ‘‘ a high priority,’’ provided there’s a resolution to a North Carolina law that restricts the rights of LGBT people.
The league recently decided to move the 2017 All- Star Game to New Orleans because it didn’t think it successfully could host the game and related events in Charlotte under the climate created by the law known as House Bill 2. Los Angeles will host the All- Star Game in 2018.
The North Carolina law excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from local and statewide antidiscrimination protections. It also requires transgender people to use restrooms at schools and government buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates.
Minnesota QB unlikely to play
Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner still is working hisway back from a concussion, and coach Tracy Claeys said it’s likely Conor Rhoda will start Saturday against Rutgers.
Claeys said Leidner has been cleared to do some light work in practice this week, but he said it will be hard for him to get enough reps to prepare for the game. That means Rhoda, a former walk- on, should start for the second consecutive week.
Stanford coach David Shaw said running back Christian McCaffrey is feeling better and is hopeful he will be back in the lineup Saturday against Colorado. McCaffrey, a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, has been out since suffering an undisclosed injury in the first half Oct. 8 against Washington State.
Hall of Fame class selected
Former Masters champion Ian Woosnam, former PGA Championship winner Davis Love III, fourtime major champion Meg Mallon and two- time major winner Lorena Ochoa were selected for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida.