What do they pay Mike Brown to do?

If you’re a Cleveland Cavaliers supporter, and it looks like many of you are, that’s the question on your mind after Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Cavs kept pace with the San Antonio Spurs for most of the first half, going into the dressing room down 40-35. Cleveland’s best play during that half, as it has been during the past couple of weeks, was when Daniel Gibson was on the floor. Boobiemania is sweeping the nation.

And then Brown started Larry Hughes in the second half. It’s bad enough that Hughes is still in the starting rotation at point guard now that he’s playing with an injured foot. Some veterans get that kind of respect from their coaches. And some rookies sit even though they’ve already proven themselves the better player – at least, better for this team at this time. Cleveland was down 58-47 by the time Gibson came in with 3:20 left in the third.

If you saw the game, you could tell how ineffective Hughes was. Even if you didn’t, the numbers don’t lie: Gibson had 16 points in 28 minutes on 7-for-9 shooting, including a pair of threes, and was a plus-4 on the night. Hughes hobbled his way to a single bucket in five attempts over 23 minutes and was a team-worst minus-18. And did we mention Gibson’s defense? He had four steals and did a commendable job guarding the perimeter.

The Spurs cruised to an 85-76 win, although they did rely heavily on their Big Three for scoring. Everyone on the Spurs not named Tim Duncan, Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili shot a combined 7-for-23. That’s not going to be enough, provided Brown does the right thing in Game 2 and shows us some Boobie. Keep your eyes glued to this one.

NBA Finals odds

The Triple Crown is about to embrace its feminine side.

Todd Pletcher has confirmed that Rags to Riches will run in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. The prize chestnut filly has won each of her last four races, including the prestigious Kentucky Oaks, and Pletcher is confident she has a chance to take New York by storm.

Winning the race, on the other hand, appears to be beyond even Pletcher’s dreams. Even though Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense will not be in the field, Curlin will be there after taking first place at the Preakness. “I would certainly identify Curlin as the horse for everyone to beat,” Pletcher told the Associated Press on Tuesday. “If I was anybody else in the race, I wouldn’t be excited that she was in there running against me.”

Entirely reasonable. The last filly to claim the Belmont Stakes was Tanya in 1905. Pletcher himself has yet to train Triple Crown winner in 28 attempts. And Rags to Riches will have an unfamiliar (and yet to be named) jockey in the saddle on Saturday; John Velazquez will be atop Slew’s Tizzy, while No. 2 choice Garrett Gomez will riding Hard Spun.

Having said that, Rags to Riches is no ordinary horse. She was born to run the mile-and-a-half; her sire was 1992 Belmont winner A.P. Indy, and his father was the incomparable Seattle Slew, the 1977 Triple Crown sensation. For good measure, her brother is 2006 Belmont champion Jazil.

This is shaping up to be a field of eight, and with no Triple Crown on the line, Rags to Riches will be an easy fan favorite. But Curlin is very likely to spoil the party. He is expected to carry a lot of chalk into Saturday’s race, and for good reason: four wins in five career races, all as a 3-year-old, and a third-place finish at the Kentucky Derby.

For now, we’ll put Rags to Riches in the Danica Patrick file: definitely talented, regardless of gender, but yet to defeat the big boys.

For all your Belmont Stakes odds, check this sportsbook out. (And for more horse racing and sports betting information, check this out!)

Was Jazil just another run-of-the-mill Belmont Stakes champion?

You might draw that conclusion, based on the props list for Saturday’s Run for the Carnations. One of the more compelling items on the menu asks if the 2007 winner will post a faster time than Jazil’s 2:27.86 result at the 2006 Belmont. “Yes” and “No” are both pegged at –120.

Jazil, still racing as a 4-year-old, isn’t the fastest horse of the bunch – his career-high Beyer figure is 97. But after a slow pace to open last year’s Belmont, Jazil showed off his preferred closing style, catching and passing Bluegrass Cat to win by 1-1/4 lengths. Jazil’s finishing kick was enough for him to post the fourth-fastest Belmont time over the last 12 races.

There are some much quicker horses on tap for New York. Although Street Sense has opted out, Curlin and Hard Spun are pointed squarely at the Belmont. Hard Spun (107 Beyer) is a very fleet frontrunner, while Curlin (103 Beyer) is one of the most highly touted thoroughbreds to come down the pike in some time. They combined to run the 2007 Preakness in 1:53:46, the fastest finish there since 1996.

Weather will either help or hurt the horses on Saturday. The forecast for New York at press time called for partly cloudy conditions, with highs in the mid-80s Fahrenheit. That should create a fast track, especially with the possibility of some thundershowers the day before.

Five other horses were known to be pointed at Belmont at press time: Imawildandcrazyguy, Slew’s Tizzy, Tiago, Digger and Time Squared. Tiago won the Santa Anita Derby with a 100 Beyer figure; he will be fresh after finishing seventh at the Kentucky Derby and skipping the Preakness. In a field of seven, maybe eight horses, Tiago should keep the Belmont’s “Big Two” honest enough to produce a swift time on Saturday.

Online horse racing and Belmont Stakes odds at Bodog!

The Ottawa Senators made the Stanley Cup final worth watching on Saturday night by escaping a possible 3-0 series deficit with a 5-3 win to now trail the Anaheim Ducks 2-1.

The return home was just what the Senators’ offense needed as they scored more goals in Game 3 than they did in Games 1 and 2 combined. Ottawa is still trying to get their big three weapons in gear after Daniel Alfredsson got on the board with a controversial goal in Game 3, but Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley were both shut out again. With Spezza and Heatley still firing blanks, the Sens still got past the Ducks thanks to goals from secondary scorers like Chris Neil, Mike Fisher and Dean McAmmond. McAmmond scored what turned out to be the game-winner on Saturday night, but he’ll likely be watching from the sidelines on Monday after a shot to the head from Chris Pronger knocked him out. Ottawa did catch one break from Pronger’s latest assault, as it cost the Norris Trophy nominee a one-game suspension, meaning he’ll be watching Game 4 from the sidelines with McAmmond. It’s doubtful they’ll be sitting together, though.

Aside from Heatley and Spezza, the Senators’ biggest disappointment in Game 3 was goaltender Ray Emery. Despite losing both Game 1 and 2 Emery played much better in the losses, and let in three weak goals to Anaheim on Saturday night. Emery saved himself in the third when he stopped Todd Marchant on a shorthanded breakaway when Ottawa only had a one-goal lead. Emery’s counterpart Jean-Sebastien Giguere also took a step backward in Game 3, but really he had nowhere to go but down after pitching a shutout in Game 2.

For Anaheim to take back control of the series they’ll need to resuscitate their strong forecheck that disappeared in Game 3. One bright spot for Anaheim in Game 3 was the performance of the Ryan Getzlaf/Dustin Penner/Corey Perry line. Getzlaf and Perry each had a goal and an assist, while Penner picked up a pair of assists.

Puck drop for Game 4 is 8:00 pm ET on Monday night, with the Senators listed as -200 favorites on home ice.