NBCNHLThe Cheat SheetBy Alex Putterman on

The NBA and NHL playoffs are getting to the good parts and even if the NBA postseason in particular has been a bit of a bummer, it’s still fun when both leagues have huge games on the same night.

In the NBA, Kyrie Irving stepped up bigtime as the Cavaliers beat the Celtics to go up 3-1 in their Eastern Conference Finals series. In the NHL, a third-period goal from Mike Hoffman gave the Senators a 2-1 win, evening their series against the Penguins at 3 games apiece.

We’ve got all that, a full night of baseball and more, right here in The Cheat Sheet.

Kyrie goes off as the Cavs go up 3-1 on the Celtics

At one point in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday, the Celtics led the Cavaliers 49-33, and it appeared Boston might be headed for a 2-2 series tie.

Then Kyrie Irving channeled all his super-scoring mojo and carried Cleveland to a 112-99 victory that put his team a game away from the NBA Finals.

When the dust settled, Kyrie had 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting. His outburst featured many highlights, but none were more impressive than this drive, complete with a behind-the-back fake.

Meanwhile LeBron James, fresh off an uncharacteristically poor performance in Game 3, had a nice game as well, with 34 points on 15-of-27 shooting, plus five rebounds and six assists. There were three other Cavs on the floor besides LeBron and Kyrie, but sometimes it seemed like there didn’t have to be.

The Celtics once again played hard without leading scorer Isaiah Thomas, as seven Boston players scored at least 8 points, but in the end they didn’t have enough fire power.

Game 5 in Boston will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, as the Cavs try to reach the NBA Finals for the third straight year.

Pesky Senators prevail over Penguins to force a Game 7

in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Final during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre on May 23, 2017 in Ottawa, Canada.

In a series that has had more dramatic back-and-forth swings than most hockey fans ever anticipated, the Senators and Penguins are headed for a seventh game.

Just two days after losing 7-0 in Pittsburgh, Ottawa bounced back Tuesday with a 2-1 victory at home in Game 6.

The Penguins actually led this one 1-0 after a second-period goal from Evgeni Malkin, but the Senators tied the score on a Bobby Ryan power-play score later that period. They then took the lead 94 seconds into the third period on a slap-shot from Mike Hoffman.

This series has lurched back and forth, with Ottawa taking a 2-1 lead with a 5-1 victory in Game 3, then Pittsburgh responding with two straight wins, including the blowout in Game 5. Tuesday’s Game 6 evened things up.

So do the Senators have a shot in Game 7 back in Pittsburgh (8 p.m. ET on Thursday), with a berth in the Stanley Cup Final on the line? Well, history isn’t on their side.

Quick hits

– Oh we forgot to mention, LeBron’s game wasn’t exactly perfect.

But The King had a solid response to a question about the missed dunk.

https://twitter.com/SInow/status/867230866736590848

– Baseball happened too on Tuesday night. Kyle Schwarber did this:

– Bryce Harper did this:

– And Clayton Kershaw blew a lead in the ninth inning when a runner scored from second base on his wild pitch.

– Joc Pederson had himself a bit of a rough night. After a touching moment pregame with his brother, the outfielder’s second collision of the evening knocked him out of the Dodgers’ game against the Cardinals.

– The Yankees played “God Save the Queen,” in a nice moment of recognition for the victims of Monday night’s terrorist attack in Manchester, England.

– One of the real contracts from 1920 that sent Babe Ruth to the Yankees is up for sale. And it sure ain’t cheap.

– After needlessly cracking down on touchdown celebrations for years, the NFL is finally reversing itself and loosening up its rules.

– Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson took a needless (but amusing) shot at former teammate Brandon Marshall on Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/SInow/status/867069315543072769

– Michigan State found that three football players accused of sexual assault violated university policy.

– Is Chris Bosh headed for an NBA return?

– Tom Cruise says Top Gun 2 is happening. For real.

One last moment of procrastination

Tell us this Grammy-winning guitar player (Wayne Johnson from The Manhattan Transfer) doesn’t look exactly—exactly—like Alabama football coach Nick Saban.

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.

View all posts by Alex Putterman