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This week: Reinforcements on the way for Braves
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With the conclusion of high school athletics last week, it’s time to focus on the professionals.

The Braves continue their home stand this week with a four-game series against Colorado and a three-game interleague set against the AL East’s Toronto Blue Jays.

One of the major league’s best teams away from Turner Field, the Braves currently sit in second place in the NL East and with a solid homestand, they could find themselves sitting in first place by the end of the week.

Something that’s not a surprise is Kris Medlen, the 23-year-old righthander from California that was called up from Gwinnett to take Jo-Jo Reyes’ spot in the starting rotation. Medlen hasn’t surrendered a run in May, leads the International League with five wins and a 0.96 ERA and will start Thursday when the Braves take on the Rockies.

Speaking of Medlen, his former team begins a eight-game homestand Thursday with a four-game series against the Toledo Mud Hens, a AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.

NBA playoffs heating up 

If baseball isn’t your thing, the NBA playoffs heat up this week with the conference finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who have yet to lose a game this postseason, have one more hurdle in their quest to make it back to the NBA Finals and a shot at the city’s first championship since the NFL’s Browns won the title in 1955.

Cleveland faces the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals and are trying to become the first team to go 12-0 in the conference playoffs. Eight teams have swept their way to the finals but none played three, best-of-seven series. The Lakers went 11-0 in 1989 and 2001 but that was before the league expanded to a best-of-seven series in Round 1.

They certainly haven’t gone 11-0, and don’t look quite as dominant as before the playoffs started, but the Lakers continue their run to a repeat Finals appearance this week against the Denver Nuggets. Denver has lost just two games in the postseason and will be well rested after completing their second-round series against Dallas on May 13. The Nuggets went 1-3 against Los Angeles during the regular season.

Falcons to begin offseason workouts

Basketball and baseball aren’t the only sports going on this week, as the Atlanta Falcons begin organized team activities this week. The OTAs are off limits to the public, but are the first sign that the NFL season is just around the corner.

Atlanta will have plenty to work on during the OTAs with newly acquired tight end Tony Gonzalez getting acclimated with Matt Ryan and the rest of the offense and the new class of rookies finding out what life will be like in the NFL.

The OTAs start Wednesday and will continue every through June 17.

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