The Sports Report: When push comes to shove, Warriors part-owner was out of line

Hello everyone. My name is Houston Mitchell and let’s get right to the news.

NBA Finals

Mark Stevens, a minority owner in the Golden State Warriors, was sitting in his sideline seat watching the Warriors take on the Toronto Raptors In Game 3 on Wednesday when Raptors star Kyle Lowry ended up in the seat next him while trying to save a loose ball. Stevens thought it would be a good idea to shove Lowry and use some language unsuitable for your friendly neighborhood sports newsletter.

On Thursday, the NBA responded, fining Stevens $500,000 and banning him from all games and from all team events for the rest of these playoffs and all of next season.

Frankly, he got off easy. There is absolutely no place for something like this in sports. To their credit, the Warriors and coach Steve Kerr immediately criticized Stevens and apologized to Lowry and the Raptors. Stevens had an apology of his own, with a statement that read,

“I take full responsibility for my actions last night at the NBA Finals and am embarrassed by what transpired. What I did was wrong and there is no excuse for it. Mr. Lowry deserves better, and I have reached out today in an attempt to directly apologize to him and other members of the Raptors and Warriors organizations. I’m grateful to those who accepted my calls. I hope that Mr. Lowry and others impacted by this lapse in judgment understand that the behavior I demonstrated last night does not reflect the person I am or have been throughout my life. I made a mistake and I’m truly sorry. I need to be better and look forward to making it right.”

Lakers forward LeBron James posted a video of that play on Instagram Thursday, leaving a lengthy comment condemning Stevens’ actions.

“There’s absolutely no place in our BEAUTIFUL game for that AT ALL. There’s so many issues here. When you sit courtside you absolutely know what comes with being on the floor and if you don’t know it’s on the back on the ticket itself that states the guidelines,” James posted. “But he himself being a fan but more importantly PART-OWNER of the Warriors knew exactly what he was doing which was so uncalled for. He knew the rules more than just the average person sitting watching the game courtside so for that Something needs to be done ASAP! A swift action for his actions.”

NBA Finals schedule/results

All times Pacific

at Toronto 118, Golden State 109

Golden State 109, at Toronto 104

Toronto 123, at Golden State 109

Tonight, Toronto at Golden State, 6 p.m., ABC

Monday, Golden State at Toronto, 6 p.m., ABC

*Thusday, Toronto at Golden State, 6 p.m., ABC

*Sun, June 16, Golden State at Toronto, 5 p.m., ABC

*-if necessary

Rams

The Philadelphia Eagles announced they signed quarterback Carson Wentz to a four-year extension through the 2024 season. The deal is reportedly worth $128 million, with $107 guaranteed, according to several reports.

According to our own Gary Klein, this is good news for Rams quarterback Jared Goff.

“Whether those figures are exact remains to be seen, but it probably set a new floor for the Rams’ eventual negotiations with Goff, who is under contract through the 2020 season and is represented by the same firm — REP 1 Sports — as Wentz.

“Goff was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft. Wentz was the second pick.

“Wentz, 26, has struggled with knee and back injuries but has played well when available. He has completed 63.7% of his passes, 70 for touchdowns, with 28 interceptions. He is 23-17 as a starter and made the Pro Bowl in 2017. He suffered a major knee injury late in that season against the Rams, which opened the door for quarterback Nick Foles to lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl title.

“Goff, 24, went 0-7 as a starter under former coach Jeff Fisher’s staff but has flourished under coach Sean McVay, improving his record to 24-14. He made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons, led the Rams to consecutive NFC West titles and to the Super Bowl last season. He has completed 62% of his passes, 65 for touchdowns, with 26 interceptions.

“Goff is due to earn a base salary of $4.3 million this season and carries a salary-cap number of $8.9 million, according to the website overthecap.com. In April, the Rams exercised their fifth-year option on Goff, which would give him a salary of about $22 million in 2020 if he does not sign an extension before then.

“Throughout this offseason, Rams front office executives indicated that they typically wait until the weeks after the conclusion of mandatory minicamp in June before entering into discussions about extensions. The Rams will hold one minicamp practice Tuesday.

“Wentz’s deal breaks from recent NFL practice. Most teams have waited until after a quarterback’s fourth season before signing him to an extension.”

Soccer

The Women’s World Cup starts today with host France taking on South Korea. We have put together a page that tells you basically all you need to know, which you can access by clicking here.

Let’s break down the basics. (Spoiler alert: the U.S. is going to win)

How the groups shape up, in predicted order of finish:

Group A

France

Norway

South Korea

Nigeria

Group A TV schedule (All Times Pacific)

Friday, France vs. South Korea, Noon, FS1

Saturday, Norway vs. Nigeria, Noon, Fox

Wednesday, Nigeria vs. South Korea, 6 a.m., FS1

Wednesday, France vs. Norway, Noon, Fox

Monday, June 17, Nigeria vs. France, Noon, Fox

Monday, June 17, South Korea vs. Norway, Noon, FS1

Group B

Germany

Spain

China

South Africa

Group B TV schedule (All Times Pacific)

Saturday, Germany vs. China, 6 a.m., FS1

Saturday, Spain vs. South Africa, 9 a.m., Fox

Wednesday, Germany vs. Spain, 9 a.m., Fox

Thursday, South Africa vs. China, Noon, Fox

Monday, June 17, South Africa vs. Germany, 9 a.m., Fox

Monday, June 17, China vs. Spain, 9 a.m., FS1

Group C

Australia

Italy

Brazil

Jamaica

Group C TV schedule (All Times Pacific)

Sunday, Australia vs. Italy, 4 a.m., FS1

Sunday, Brazil vs. Jamaica, 6:30 a.m., FS1

Thursday, Australia vs. Brazil, 9 a.m., Fox

Friday, June 14, Jamaica vs. Italy, 9 a.m., Fox

Tuesday, June 18, Jamaica vs. Australia, Noon, FS2

Tuesday, June 18, Italy vs. Brazil, FS1

Group D

England

Japan

Scotland

Argentina

Group D TV schedule (All Times Pacific)

Sunday, England vs. Scotland, 9 a.m., Fox

Monday, Argentina vs. Japan, 9 a.m., FS1

Friday, June 14, Japan vs. Scotland, 6 a.m., FS1

Friday, June 14, England vs. Argentina, Noon, Fox

Wednesday, June 19, Japan vs. England, Noon, FS1

Wednesday, June 19, Scotland vs. Argentina, Noon, FS2

Group E

Canada

Netherlands

New Zealand

Cameroon

Group E TV schedule (All Times Pacific)

Monday, Canada vs. Cameroon, Noon, FS1

Tuesday, Netherlands vs. New Zealand, 6 a.m., FS1

Saturday, June 15, Netherlands vs, Cameroon, 6 a.m., GS1

Saturday, June 15, Canada vs. New Zealand, Noon, FS2

Thursday, June 20, Netherlands vs. Canada, 9 a.m., Fox

Thursday, June 20, Cameroon vs. New Zealand, 9 a.m., FS1

Group F

United States

Sweden

Chile

Thailand

Group F TV schedule (All Times Pacific)

Tuesday, Chile vs. Sweden, 9 a.m., FS1

Tuesday, United States vs. Thailand, Noon, Fox

Sunday, June 16, Sweden vs. Thailand, 6 a.m., FS1

Sunday, June 16, United States vs. Chile, 9 a.m., Fox

Thursday, June 20, United States vs. Sweden, Noon, Fox

Thursday, June 20, Thailand vs. Chile, Noon, FS1

Rest of the schedule

Round of 16 matches take place from June 22-25.

Quarterfinal matches are from June 27-29

One semifinal match is on July 2 at Noon on Fox

The other semifinal is on July 3 at Noon on FS1

Third-place game is July 6 at 8 a.m. on Fox

Championship match is Sunday, July 7 at 8 a.m. on Fox.

Stanley Cup Final

Helene Elliott on Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final:

“The St. Louis Blues, who ranked last in the NHL on Jan. 2 and appeared destined for a second straight non-playoff finish, are one victory away from capping a remarkable comeback season with a Stanley Cup championship.

“Goaltender Jordan Binnington, who became the key to their rise when he seized the starting job in January, stopped 38 shots by the Boston Bruins on Thursday and made Ryan O’Reilly’s second-period goal hold up as the Blues grabbed a 2-1 triumph at TD Garden. The Blues can claim the franchise’s first Cup title on Sunday, when the Final resumes at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The Blues entered the NHL in the six-team expansion of 1967, and they’d be the last of the five surviving teams from that group to get their name engraved on the Cup.

The Bruins hoped to get a lift from the presence of veteran defenseman Zdeno Chara, who suffered a face or jaw injury in Game 4 when a shot deflected upward off his own stick. His status was doubtful but he did play, wearing a clear shield over the lower half of his face. The crowd roared when he skated out for warmups and again when he was introduced but the Bruins couldn’t ride that wave of emotion.

With his 15^th playoff win, Binnington tied Patrick Roy, Ron Hextall, Cam Ward and Matt Murray for most wins by a rookie goalie in one playoff year.

Of the 25 times the Cup Final has been tied at 2-2 since the best-of-seven format was adopted in 1939, the Game 5 winner has gone on to win the Cup 18 times (72%).

Stanley Cup Final results/schedule

All times Pacific

at Boston 4, St. Louis 2

St. Louis 3, at Boston 2 (OT)

Boston 7, at St. Louis 2

at St. Louis 4, Boston 2

St. Louis 2, at Boston 1

Sunday, 5 p.m., Boston at St. Louis, NBC

*Wednesday, 5 p.m., St. Louis at Boston, NBC

*-if necessary

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Odds and ends

Dodgers rookie catcher Will Smith‘s apprenticeship began in September…. UCLA coach John Savage considers the MLB draft a headache…. Derby River is 27th horse to die since Santa Anita opened meet Dec. 26…. Angels’ Justin Upton heads to rehab stint for first action since March…. LAFC’s Tyler Miller and Walker Zimmerman make USMNT roster for Gold Cup…. Braves sign starter Dallas Keuchel to a one-year deal…. Quarterback Matt Fink decides against transferring, will remain with USC…. Sparks’ second-half rally falls short against Sun…. Angels face the A’s at home.

Today’s local major sports schedule

(All times Pacific)

Dodgers at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570

Seattle at Angels, 7 p.m., FSW, KLAA 830

Born on this date

1947: Baseball player Thurman Munson

1970: NHL player Mike Modano

1973: NFL player Napoleon Kaufman

1975: NBA player Allen Iverson

1981: Tennis player Anna Kournikova

Died on this date

1993: NBA player Drazen Petrovic, 28

2008: Sportscaster Jim McKay, 86

And finally

Mark Stevens pushes Kyle Lowry. Watch it here.

That concludes the newsletter for today. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, please email us here. If you want to subscribe, click here.