So how was your Monday night?

Mine was great-enough action on my TV to fill a week.

PADRES-DODGERS…Felt like a playoff game, ended in a Padres (1-0) win.  The aces put on a show.  Not much difference between Michael King (7inn-0R-4H-9K), and Yosh Yamamoto (7inn-1R-3H-9K).  Another one of those bench bunch guys saved them, this time it was Miguel Andujar’s solo HR that was the difference.  And Mason Miller continued to live on the wild side, throwing 8-straight balls, then 12-straight strikes.  Game over, 15th save.  Even career minor league catcher Rod Duran threw out 2-base runners at 2nd base.  Nice win.  Nice noise.  Nice thing to see, Padres in first place in the standings.

SPURS-THUNDER..Game one of the Western Conference playoffs, though in reality this is likely the NBA Championship series. But when you have the league’s MVP, Shai Gilegous Alexander, going against the league’s best big man, Victor Wembenyam, the game can never be over.  Monday night went to overtime.  San Antonio had a 10-point lead and saw it go away.  OKC earned every tough bucket it got in the comeback, tying it in regulation, then again in overtime, then fading in the 2nd overtime.  Wemby, what a show: (41P-24R-3BS).  SGA, what a tough night (7-for-23) shooting, just 23-points.  Luckily Alex Caruso scored (31P) and the Thunder hit 17-threes.  Storyline, the Spurs beat the Thunder at their own game, with choke hold defense.  The NBA’s leading scoring team shot just 41-points and gave up (60) rebounds.

MONTREAL-BUFFALO…The mood swings were wild in that Game 7-showdown on Sabres ice.  The young upstart Canadiens, playing from behind, never gave up, though they caved in a couple of times.  A (2-0) 1st period lead gave way to a Sabres comeback.  At one point Buffalo had outshot Montreal (24-2) and yet here we were in an overtime game that Montreal won in the extra stanza.  Montreal had already won a playoff game in Tampa despite being outshot (30-9).  They roared back to win behind belligerent rookie goalie Jakub Dobes, who wound up with 37-saves.  Onto the Eastern Conference finals where the Habs take on Carolina, which has not played a game since May 9th

What a Monday night.  Now we see if Tuesday night can top that.

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