NBANHLThe Cheat SheetBy Alex Putterman on

Two teams, one in the NHL and one in the NBA, entered Monday night with a chance to clinch a series victory and move on to the next round of their respective series.

One succeeded easily. The other failed emphatically.

We’ve got all that and more here in The Cheat Sheet.

Warriors glide by Jazz, move on to the conference finals

SALT LAKE CITY, UT – MAY 8: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors directs a play in the first half against the Utah Jazz in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena on May 8, 2017 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)

Well that was easy.

For the fourth straight game, Golden State beat Utah while hardly breaking a sweat. After a 12-point win in Game 1, and 11-point wins in Game 2 and 3, the Warriors prevailed by 26 Monday, 121-95.

Steph Curry led all scorers with 30 points, but Draymond Green was the Warriors’ best player. He notched a triple double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists and added two steals for good measure.

The Warriors will now face the Rockets or Spurs while the Jazz head home. For Utah, Monday was a disappointing but predictable end to a pretty impressive season. Not that the night was a total loss. At least this happened:

Hey, that’s something.

Capitals rout Penguins 5-2, send series to Game 7

PITTSBURGH, PA – MAY 08: Nicklas Backstrom #19 of the Washington Capitals celebrates scoring a goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins with Dmitry Orlov #9 and Matt Niskanen #2 in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on May 8, 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Just a few days ago, the hockey world was writing off the Capitals, preparing a post mortem on another early exit for Alex Ovechkin and company.

But after a 5-2 blowout win in Game 6 of their series against the Penguins, the Caps are very much alive heading for a Game 7 back in D.C.

Monday’s game was even more of a blowout than the lopsided final score indicates. After leading 2-0 after two periods, the Capitals scored three goals in the first 12 and a half minutes of the third, including Andre Burakovsky’s second of the night, to go up 5-0. The Penguins scored two garbage-time goals after the game was firmly decided.

The Caps and Pens will play Wednesday in a Game 7 with particularly high stakes. Pittsburgh will look to stave off an embarrassing collapse after leading this series 3-1. And Washington will look to exorcise some demons and finally get past a longtime rival.

Any NHL Game 7 is worth getting excited about. This one even more so.

Quick hits

– Holy cow, what a catch by Blue Jays centerfielder Kevin Pillar.

– Lorenzo Cain turned a ground ball up the middle into a Little-League-style home run, thanks of course to some poor fielding.

– The Matt Harvey saga continued Monday with the revelation that when Harvey didn’t show up to the ballpark last week, the team sent security to check on him.

– In more serious baseball news, Pirates pitcher Jameson Taillon had surgery Monday to treat testicular cancer. We wish him from the best, but based on his badass statement on the situation, it sounds like he’ll be fine.

– Draymond Green elaborately trashed Kelly Olynyk for playing dirty. The irony was lost on no one except Draymond.

– Chris Bosh is being sued by a porn company that rented his L.A. mansion, then claimed it was full of toxic waste. You can’t make this stuff up.

– Rockets back-up center Nene is out for the rest of the playoffs, which could make a bigger difference than you think.

– Do the NBA playoffs have a competitiveness problem?

– Members of the 2008 Celtics reunited on Kevin Garnett’s TNT show, and it turns out they’re still absurdly bitter over Ray Allen leaving them five years ago.

– Former NFL receiver Plaxico Buress says if he could do it over, “I wouldn’t have shot myself in the damn leg. He offered that, plus some other useful advice,” in a Players Tribune essay.

– College football is getting an early signing period, around the holidays in December. There are pros and cons for everyone involved.

– A Lionel Messi look-alike is causing chaos in Iran. Police had to bring him to the station while they cleared away adoring fans.

– An elementary school in Texas is seeking public suggestions for a new name. Some of the proposals: Dwayne Johnson Elementary, John Cena Elementary and O.J. Simpson Elementary.

One last moment of procrastination

Believe it or not, Lonzo Ball, aka ZO2, can really rap.

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