Look, when you have a body like Goldberg, then you can eat like this too.
The Cheat SheetBy Kevin McGuire on

Just when you thought the NBA conference finals had no more drama to give, Boston reminds you not to give up hope yet.

Lose a key player to a season-ending injury? Get completely annihilated on your home court? No problem for Boston, for one game at least. The Celtics kick off our Monday morning edition of The Cheat Sheet.

Celtics hand Cavs first loss of postseason

The entire populations of Cleveland and Boston were holding their breath at this exact moment.

The conference finals have been far from entertaining from a competitive standpoint. Until last night. The Boston Celtics bounced back from a horrific blowout to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals courtesy of a most fortunate roll off the rim from Avery Bradley.

The Celtics worked their way back from a 21-point deficit in this one, and they also managed to finally find a way to hold down LeBron James. And, of course, they did so without Isaiah Thomas (who is out for the remainder of the postseason with a hip injury).

James scored just 11 points, while Kyrie Irving did all he could with a 29-point effort for the Cavs.  Bradley’s three roll in gave him 20 points to complement a 27-point night from Marcus Smart for Boston. The Celtics victory brought an end to Cleveland’s 13-game postseason winning streak which dated back to the NBA Finals last summer. It was also made some history in Las Vegas.

Odds are Cleveland still manages to put this series away without too much more trouble, but at least it looks as though we could have a shot at a series here. Game 4 will be tomorrow night in Cleveland.

In the West, the Golden State Warriors have a chance to close out San Antonio in Game 4 tonight.

Penguins move one win closer to Stanley Cup Final

Pittsburgh lit the lamp four times in the first period, and Ottawa was cooked.

It is sort of ironic that the first time the NBA playoffs make you watch until the end of the game in the conference finals comes on the same day the NHL dropped the puck on a total blowout. The blowout comes courtesy of the Pittsburgh Penguins and a 7-0 demolishing of the Ottawa Senators in a pivotal Game 5 in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins scored four goals in the first period, starting with this…

… and ending with this…

There was no coming back from that for the Senators, who now must win on home ice in Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7 back in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, in the West, Nashville has a chance to punch their ticket to the finals with a Game 6 victory tonight. After sneaking out of Anaheim with a win over the weekend, Nashville is already in a frenzy.

Quick Hits

Interview of the year.

– It’s always dangerous to ask Gregg Popovich questions, especially after a third straight playoff loss. You shoudl also probably not ask him about rompers.

– Whoever is behind the NBA’s Twitter account didn’t recognize who Dave Chappelle was, but did mention Amy Schumer.

– LaVar Ball remains awful.

– Sweden remains good at hockey…

– Throwing a no-hitter in baseball or softball is no small feat. To do so in back-to-back starts in the postseason is unheard of, but Baylor’s Gia Rodoni pulled off the impossible.

– Wrestling icon Goldberg sure does have a sweet tooth…

– It’s good to see former president George W. Bush continuing to enjoy his life in the public sector. In case you missed it last week, here he is doing what baseball fans do by walking behind a baseball reporter and hollering to the camera last week. Good ole Dubya!

https://youtu.be/7yKyfqsnf4o

– A kind reminder to always be aware of your milk’s expiration date. Otherwise…

https://twitter.com/FillWerrell/status/866466154986033153

– Tim Tebow hit his third home run in the minors. It ended a five-game hitless streak, and he is now hitting .220.

– Mike Trout hit his 14th home run in the majors this season, and the Mets even contemplated walking Trout with the bases loaded. His old Spanish teacher also showed up to root him on while in New York this weekend.

https://twitter.com/pcepete/status/866333340214931456

– Despite what some may think, Cristiano Ronaldo says he is not the devil. Ronaldo and Real Madrid clinched the La Liga title this weekend. In the Premier League, it is Chelsea celebrating a title. Apparently, Lukaku doesn’t want to move to Manchester United because he doesn’t want to work with Jose Mourinho. He could be heading to Chelsea.

One last gratuitous moment of procrastination

I know this has been floating around for a few weeks now, but I just happened to see it recently and who can turn down a video of a good dog helping to keep you motivated during your workout?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTJ9RMFDRr9/

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.

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