Browns draft Myles Garrett
The Cheat SheetBy Jesse Kramer on

Thursday night was stacked between the NFL Draft, NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs and a pitcher completing a ridiculous, unassisted double play. There’s plenty to catch up on, so let’s dive right in to Friday’s Cheat Sheet.

The Browns decided to not do something stupid and drafted Myles Garrett instead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3zUiWh-c0U

Garrett, a defensive end out of Texas A&M, was the undisputed top prospect in this year’s draft. But that didn’t stop the Browns from toying with the idea of taking North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubinsky.

But ultimately, Cleveland made the smart move going with Garrett. And the pick was a hit.

The Browns still don’t have a real quarterback, but they also got safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end David Njoku with late first round picks. It’s not the worst thing in the world if they wind up starting Cody Kessler or Brock Osweiler at QB next season. That’ll just lead them back to one of the top picks in the 2018 draft, which will be must richer at the quarterback position.

(Speaking of Osweiler, the Texans filled his place at quarterback by drafting former Clemson star and two-time Heisman finalist Deshaun Watson with the No. 12 pick.)

And then with Garrett anchoring the defense and someone like USC’s Sam Darnold or UCLA’s Josh Rosen at quarterback, maybe the Browns won’t be completely terrible a few years from now.

Some of the other highlights from draft night included the Bears making a really terrible trade for no reason, the Chiefs trading up to place their future on former Texas Tech star Patrick Mahomes, and new Falcons cornerback Takkarist McKinley dropping an F-Bomb on live TV.

The Spurs finally won in Memphis to advance in Game 6

Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge
MEMPHIS, TN – APRIL 22: Pau Gasol #16 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates with LaMarcus Aldridge #12 against the Memphis Grizzlies in game four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum on April 22, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. 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 Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Spurs appeared to have the series in hand after two games, cruising past the Grizzlies twice in San Antonio. Then the Grizz came back with two surprising wins in Memphis to make things interesting.

After the Spurs won again in San Antonio, the series returned to FedExForum for Game 6. The Grizzlies put up another good fight, but the Spurs advanced behind 29 points from Kawhi Leonard and 27 from Tony Parker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeNVdbC7xpA

Leonard was a beast in every way this series. He averaged 31.2 points with a 61.5 effective field goal percentage. But perhaps most impressively, he shot 59-for-61 at the foul line. That’s 96.7 percent.

But for Kawhi, that’s easy. He’s just 25 years old.

Now let’s check in on 40-year-old Grizzlies veteran Vince Carter.

At least the Grizzlies got two wins in. The Spurs had swept them in the 2013 and 2016 playoffs.

The Raptors blew a 25-point lead in 13 minutes but just barely survived as well

Raptors bench celebration
MILWAUKEE, WI – APRIL 27: Members of the Toronto Raptors bench celebrate in the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center on April 27, 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Raptors led the Bucks by 25 points late in the third quarter of Game 6. Sounds like a cakewalk even on the road, right? Well, unfortunately Raptors fans know better.

The Bucks, who trailed 3-2 in the series and were trying to force a Game 7 in Toronto, came back to take a two-point lead late in the fourth. But all was well as Toronto bounced back to lead 89-82 with under 30 seconds left … except they nearly blew that one, too. Milwaukee had the ball down three twice in the final five seconds but could not capitalize.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWcoiaxnokc

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo went out with another strong performance: 34 points on 13-for-23 shooting. Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan dropped 32 points on 24 shots, one of them being this vicious dunk.

Quick Hits

Stephen A. Smith

—All over social media, people complained when ESPN laid off several skilled journalists but kept TV personality Stephen A. Smith. Smith fired back and defended his credentials on Thursday.

—A’s pitcher Kendall Graveman turned an unconventional, unassisted double play in Thursday’s loss to the Angels. How often do you see that?

—Eugenie Bouchard wants Maria Sharapova banned for life.

—A Tottenham fan broke another Tottenham fan’s skull because he thought the guy was a Chelsea fan.

—The Senators won 2-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their series against the Rangers, and the Penguins opened their series against the Capitals with a 3-2 victory on the road.

—While Mahomes got picked higher than most people expected, he was the only Big 12 player drafted in the first round. Ouch.

—Comments by a recruit who recently decommitted from Ohio State shows how far the reputation of Thad Matta’s program has fallen.

—Former Obama campaign manager David Axelrod thinks Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein would make an excellent presidential candidate.

—A caller asked Mike Francesca for his thoughts on NFL prospect Matt Saracen. Matt Saracen is a Friday Night Lights character. Francesca did not know that.

https://twitter.com/SportsFunhouse/status/857672150735630336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fawfulannouncing.com%2Flocal-networks%2Fcaller-asks-mike-francesa-matt-saracens-draft-potential-sports-pope-confused.html

—Tom Hanks wants to boycott the NFL because the Raiders are moving to Vegas.

One last moment of procrastination

I can’t wait to hear Jeff Van Gundy’s rant on this flop.

Corgi pup just loves to flop

About Jesse Kramer

Jesse is a writer and editor for The Comeback. He has also worked for SI.com and runs The Catch and Shoot, a college basketball website based in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow Jesse on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer.

View all posts by Jesse Kramer