Some have wondered how San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman would get along with new teammate Nick Bosa, who has gotten into hot water for some of his insensitive social media posts.

"One thing about football is that nobody really cares what you say if you can play," Sherman told The Sacramento Bee on Monday. "At the end of the day, I think a guy that has played with African Americans his whole life, not saying he can't be racist, but they know how to maneuver around African Americans."

Bosa once called former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick "a clown" for his kneeling protests of social injustice. He has liked homophobic and racist content on Instagram. Leading up to the draft he scrubbed his social media of controversial content. Sherman, meanwhile, is one of the league's most active players in discussing issues regarding social justice.

Bosa was selected by the Niners with the No. 2 overall pick, landing the defensive end in one of the most progressive markets in the NFL. The Ohio State product quickly apologized about his Kaepernick comments specifically and his past social media activity generally.

"I definitely made some insensitive decisions throughout my life and I'm just excited to be here with a clean slate," Bosa said at his introductory news conference. "I'm sorry if I hurt anybody. I definitely didn't intend for that to be the case, but I think me being here is even better for me as a person because I don't think there's any city that you could really be in that would help you grow as much as this one will.

"I'm going to be surrounded by people, all different kinds, so I'm going to grow as a person and I'm going to be on my own. College, you have kind of like that support system around you. Now I'm here, I'm going to be on my own, I'm going to grow up, I'm going to learn a lot of new things."

Sherman has been a big supporter of Kaepernick's stance and has stood up himself for ending social injustice, but he says he is willing to give Bosa a chance, if he can be a good teammate.

"When you're at Ohio State, it's not like Ohio State's an all-white school. So I don't think that's going to ever be an issue," Sherman said, according to The Bee. "I think, at the end of the day, your beliefs are your beliefs ... but when you're in the building and you're a football player and you're a teammate, you handle yourself accordingly. And I think he understands that."

The Niners can definitely use Bosa's help on defense, and that's what it comes down to for Sherman.

"It's not like something where guys are like, 'Hey man, what about what you said?' No. No. If he can play, he can play. If he can't play, he won't be here," Sherman said, according to the newspaper. "But at the end of the day, that's all that matters in football. Is he getting sacks on Sunday? Is he helping our team? Is he being a good teammate? Those are things that matter.

"Now, if he's a bad teammate, that's something we'll address."

HOUSTON -- The Golden State Warriors say they're not worried about their postseason future, despite the fact that after losing Game 4 to the Houston Rockets 112-108 on Monday night they find themselves tied 2-2 in a hard-fought Western Conference semifinal series.

After winning three of the past four NBA championships and earning four straight trips to the NBA Finals, the Warriors showed no panic after another disappointing loss on the road.

"I think our vibe is just great," Warriors forward Draymond Green said. "Because everybody's just looking at each other like we know if we just correct the effort things we're just fine. And so everybody's spirits are up, everyone's feeling good about the opportunity that we have. We didn't feel this way after Game 4 last year [against the Rockets] that's for sure. Andre [Iguodala] had just went out [with a left knee injury]. We spent Game 4 trying to figure out who that guy [to replace him] would be. There were just so many questions that needed to be answered.

"Those questions aren't there this year. We know the answer to our problem, and that's pretty exciting because that's my department to lead in and I know I'll lead that department and bring it. And if I do I have no doubt that everyone else will follow and we'll win, so it's exciting for me."

Aside from the championship experience, the reason the Warriors aren't panicking is because their fixes heading into Game 5 on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena are relatively simple. During Games 3 and 4, the Warriors were outrebounded 98-72 by the Rockets.

"We didn't match their physicality until about the last four minutes of the game," Green said. "And it's been that way for about the last 96 minutes of this series. ... We go into a fight thinking it's a fair fight. And it's not. They're doing whatever it takes to win. And not that they're doing anything dirty or nothing like that, but they're doing whatever it takes to win and we're just rolling in like, 'Oh yeah, we'll box.' And they're slapping us.

"So we got to just change our mindset and I think if we change our mindset then we'll be just fine, but we haven't these last two games. The first two games I think it was the complete opposite. I think we were taking it to them and they weren't really responding as far as the physicality went. And so that's the difference in this series. That's why it's 2-2."

Another reason why the Rockets were able to tie up the series on Monday night is due to the fact that the Warriors shot just 8-for-33 from beyond the arc. Warriors All-Star swingman Klay Thompson finished just 11-for-31 in Games 3 and 4 combined, shooting just 3-for-12 from beyond the arc. Thompson's teammates and coaches are convinced that Thompson will bounce back in Game 5. So is he.

"I'll play much better on Wednesday," Thompson said.

The good news for the Warriors is that after his own series-long slump, star guard Stephen Curry finished with 30 points and was 12-for-25 from the field. As is the case with Thompson, nobody inside the Warriors doubted that Curry would eventually find his groove again.

"The last 48 hours has been pretty funny," Curry said. "Hearing all the noise and chatter about how I've been playing this series. I take it all in stride and understand what I'm capable of. And doing it within the context of how we play as a team, I can play even better. So I'm just trying to stay within my own zone, in terms of what I expect from myself on the floor and leaving it all out there and living with the results because I know how prepared I am every night."

While the Warriors say they're feeling no pressure heading into Wednesday's game, the reality is that if they lose Game 5 they face the possibility that it could be the final game played inside Oracle Arena. The Warriors move to Chase Center in San Francisco in September.

For the time being, the group is trying to focus on what it can control -- despite the losses in Houston, they seem to be enjoying the fact that they get to play against an opponent that has earned their respect over the years on basketball's postseason stage.

"This is what it's about," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "This is the NBA playoffs, the best teams in the league. We're playing a great team and we know what the game plan is and we know how good they are. So it's just about competition, that's it."

HOUSTON -- As the red confetti fell from the Toyota Center rafters Monday night, the Houston Rockets felt a sense of relief.

Their Western Conference semifinal series is tied after the Rockets survived Game 4, pulling out a 112-108 win over the Golden State Warriors despite almost blowing a 15-point fourth-quarter lead. Two elite Golden State shooters had good looks at potential game-tying 3-pointers with seconds remaining, but Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry both missed.

"Yeah, we won the game, but we've got to be better," said Rockets point guard Chris Paul, who grabbed the rebound of Curry's miss and split a pair of free throws to seal the win. "We understand that. Going back to the Bay, they're probably not going to miss those shots."

The Rockets rolled for most of the game, but the Houston offense that was spectacular for the first three quarters sputtered down the stretch, giving two-time defending champion Golden State a chance to get back in the game.

Houston was held to 19 points in the fourth quarter, including only 11 after a PJ Tucker hook shot put the Rockets up by 15 with 9 minutes, 12 seconds remaining. After shooting 42.1 percent from 3-point range through three quarters, the Rockets were 1-of-12 from long distance in the final frame.

The Rockets, who went with a small lineup in the fourth quarter to maximize their shooting and spacing, missed 16 of their final 20 shots from the floor. Houston had a scoreless drought of two minutes, 20 seconds before James Harden split a pair of free throws with 11.5 seconds remaining, missing the second to fail to give the Rockets a two-possession cushion.

"Everything tightened up in the fourth quarter," said Harden, who finished with a game-high 38 points and 10 rebounds but was only 3-of-11 from the floor and 0-of-6 on 3s in the fourth quarter. "We went through a stretch where we couldn't score. They went through a stretch where Draymond [Green] got a couple of layups, but other than that, they really couldn't score either. Twenty-four points defensively against anybody is a great quarter, but against the Warriors, it's even better. We only had 19, but luckily, we gave ourselves a cushion in the third quarter to sustain it. That's what it's about."

After Harden's missed free throw, the Warriors perfectly executed a play out of the timeout to get Durant (34 points on 12-of-22 shooting) what Paul referred to as a "butt-naked look." Houston didn't switch after Green got a clean screen on Tucker, allowing Durant to get wide-open, but his 29-foot attempt from straightaway caromed off the rim.

Green tapped out the rebound, and Durant shoveled the ball back to Curry, who had 30 points on 12-of-25 shooting. Curry immediately launched a 34-footer as Harden and Austin Rivers lunged to try to contest the shot. It went long, and Paul snatched the rebound with two hands -- "highest I've seen you jump in a long time," Tucker kidded Paul.

"I thought it was going to overtime -- 100 percent," said Rivers, who played 33 minutes off the bench after Houston coach Mike D'Antoni opted to play a small lineup more than the Rockets have all series. "KD got one and I'm like, 'Come on, man.' Then Steph got one. The fact he wasn't open and it was like a crazy shot, those are the ones that he would hit. We are fortunate."

The Rockets certainly weren't apologizing for not closing out the Warriors in more convincing fashion. They were pleased to protect their home court to even the series.

However, the postgame theme throughout the home locker room was that the Rockets needed to be sharper to get a win at Oracle Arena, which is a must for Houston to advance to the conference finals.

"We played OK and we got some wins, but we've got to be better," said Tucker, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds. "We've got to be more aggressive. We've got to play faster the whole game. We've got to pick it up. ... I'm going to tell you right now, we've got to be more intense the next game."

HOUSTON -- Middle linebackers vs. volleyball players.

That's how Steve Kerr described Houston Rockets-Golden State Warriors games. It was an unexpected but quite effective comparison: a bruising team that looks for contact and spends lots of time on the floor against a long, lean squad that uses teamwork and finesse to build toward power spikes.

Call it whatever you want, but this Western Conference semifinal turned into a terrific series during the two games in Houston, the type of matchup the league and its fans had been anticipating for a year.

The over-the-top complaining about the officiating has gone away after the Warriors' two victories in Oakland, at least for now. James Harden's vision has cleared up, and his game has roared back to its MVP level. Kevin Durant is still playing terrifically, and his back-and-forth with Harden is maturing toward historic duel territory. The pressure on Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson is ramping up. The entire basketball world is gaining a new appreciation for PJ Tucker.

Simply, you can feel the intensity building with each skin-tight game. The level of shot-making, execution and gamesmanship is the bedrock of the current popularity of the league.

With the Rockets' 112-108 victory on Monday in Game 4, which followed their gritty Game 3 overtime win, it's now 2-2, and this has another seven-game series written all over it. And the combatants are totally into it.

"We love it," Curry said.

"This is fun," Chris Paul said.

"I love this, I do," Kerr said.

"It's the playoffs," Thompson said.

The edge you'd expect with this situation -- this is the fourth postseason meeting in five seasons, and there has been consequence to every game these teams have played over the past two years -- is roaring to life.

Draymond Green and Paul have been in each other's faces. Durant and Paul have been in each other's faces. Durant even had words with Harden's mother in her courtside seat during Monday's game.

The bruises are piling up. Green has poked Harden in the eye. Durant has elbowed Harden in the head. Harden has nailed Green in the head. A bunch of other guys have gone down, many of them on flops, but some have surely been legitimate. Everyone is sore. The fatigue is starting to take hold. It's an unfolding classic.

For a second straight game, Durant and Harden battled in a tremendous shot-for-shot slugfest. After Harden answered Durant's 46 points with 41 of his own Saturday night, they were pouring in shots on top of each other Monday too -- as Harden scored 20 of his 38 in the second half, with Durant scoring 22 of his 34.

The slump that was weighing Harden down early in the series has vanished as his floater game has returned, giving him the inside-out action that is the basis for his offensive greatness. He had been 8-of-29 on floaters through his first seven playoff games, but he is 5-of-9 over the past two, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Meanwhile, the coaches are locked in a tactical battle. Kerr caught Mike D'Antoni off guard in Game 1 when he put Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup for the first time all season, moving Green to center. D'Antoni has countered, rolling out lineups with Tucker at center that have even more shooting than the Warriors' lineups, believe it or not.

The Warriors have claimed success by largely defanging Clint Capela.

But the Rockets have hit back with their shooters; they have a breathtaking 26 more 3-pointers in the series than Golden State. They made nine more 3-pointers than the Warriors on Monday, the second-worst 3-point differential for Golden State in its postseason history.

Eric Gordon already has made 16 3-pointers in the series and is averaging 23 points a game. Tucker and Austin Rivers have combined to make 14 3-pointers and are shooting 48 percent collectively on them. Meanwhile, Thompson is just 8-of-26, and Curry already has missed 34 treys, the most in a four-game span in his playoff career.

"It's intense and every possession matters," said Paul, who had 13 points in Game 4. "If you love to hoop, then you want that challenge to try to stop some of the best players to ever play."

The moods of the teams are so telling. Both are absolutely convinced they're going to win. Harden, his eye still red and a bump on his head, practically floated out of the building he was so energized by his play. The Warriors pointed out that they feel much better than after Game 4 last season because they're healthier and feel like the Rockets are barely beating them, even with Curry and Thompson now the ones struggling.

Some playoff series, even close ones, feel like a slog toward what can seem an eventuality. This is the joyous inverse. There's unknown, and that is a space that will probably be filled with the kind of performances that will help define many of these players' legacies.

There very well might be a few historic moments coming here from a load of future Hall of Famers. Ten years from now, you might be watching a 30 for 30 documentary about what's about to go down over the next few games. And it sure does feel like there's going to be three more of them.

The players feel it too. And they can't wait.

"We're excited for Game 5, just like I'm sure they are," Durant said. "It's going to be a great basketball game."

Reliever Carl Edwards Jr. is back with the Chicago Cubs after spending the past month at Triple-A Iowa, a demotion the right-hander called "very humbling" on Monday.

Right-hander Dillon Maples was optioned to Iowa in a corresponding move.

Edwards had a 32.40 ERA at the time of his demotion and was 0-1 in four appearances. He received racist Instagram messages after his early struggles, prompting an investigation by Major League Baseball.

He revamped his delivery this past offseason but, by the end of spring training, it was deemed illegal, as Edwards was touching the ground twice with his right foot before releasing the ball.

After being demoted, Edwards was 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in seven appearances with Iowa. He said Monday his father "played a huge role" in helping him regain his confidence.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters that he hopes to ease Edwards back into the fold.

Edwards, 27, was 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA in 58 appearances last season for the Cubs and has a 3.36 ERA in five major league seasons with the club.

ESPN's Jesse Rogers contributed to this report.

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets shocked the NHL this season by doing something few teams do: they went all-in.

Instead of selling off soon-to-be unrestricted free agents like goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and winger Artemi Panarin, the Blue Jackets kept both players on the roster as their own "rentals." They also loaded up, adding center Matt Duchene, defenseman Adam McQuaid, winger Ryan Dzingel and backup goalie Keith Kinkaid at the trade deadline.

It all culminated with the Blue Jackets making it further than they ever had in franchise history -- past the first round. But it didn't end with a Stanley Cup, as Columbus was eliminated by the Bruins in the second round after a 3-0 loss in Game 6. And now the team is wondering, what's next?

"You never know what's going to happen this summer, who is going to stay who is going to go," veteran winger Cam Atkinson said. "We had the group to do it this year, that's for sure."

Chief among concerns are Panarin and Bobrovsky, two of the most talented players in franchise history. The club tried to work out extensions with both players; Panarin expressed an interest in testing unrestricted free agency while Bobrovsky and the team were too far away on money and term that talks broke off.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen was characteristically blunt when talking to local reporters.

"Guys that want to be here are going to be here," Kekalainen said. "Guys that don't want to be here, it's, well, 'Good luck.'"

Bobrovsky, a two time Vezina winner, spent seven seasons in Columbus. He said it was too early to talk about his future because "it's a big decision, it's a lifetime decision."

"I'm definitely thankful for everything I had here," Bobrovsky said.

Bobrovsky was somber as he spoke and repeatedly thanked fans for their support. Just as the Blue Jackets did, Bobrovsky rewrote his own narrative this postseason. Bobrovsky was always known as a terrific regular-season goaltender who had a tendency to crumble in the playoffs.

Between 2011 and 2018, Bobrovsky went 5-14 in the playoffs, with a 3.49 goals-against average and .891 save percentage. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Bobrovsky allowed at least three goals in 79 percent of his postseason appearances in that span, by far the most of any goalie with at least 10 appearances.

Bobrovsky was spectacular in the first-round sweep against the Tampa Bay Lightning, posting a .932 save percentage, and had some strong performances against the Bruins, too.

"We went through some good times, some tough times," Bobrovsky said. "We've been together seven years, so that's a long time. It was special."

Panarin was in his second season with the team after being traded from the Chicago Blackhawks. He set a new Columbus franchise record for points and became a fan favorite.

Panarin, who like Bobrovsky is Russian, rarely does media interviews but on Monday night spoke through an interpreter for a large media scrum.

"We just lost the game, that's all I think," Panarin said through the interpreter. When asked if he would return to Columbus, Panarin looked at the reporter, laughed, and shrugged a couple times. "Nobody knows," he said in English.

The Blue Jackets will likely try to re-sign Duchene, a No. 1 center in free agency, though he will have other suitors. Duchene was not made available after the game.

"I think it's important moving forward that we have the guys that are proud to be Blue Jackets and proud to be living in Columbus and loving it here," Kekalainen said. "That's really important, that hey bleed blue or whatever you want to call it."

As each NHL team is eliminated from the postseason, we'll take a look at why its quest for the Stanley Cup fell short in 2018-19, three keys to its offseason, and impact prospects for 2019-20, concluding by offering a way-too-early prediction for what next season will hold.

What went wrong

Did the Columbus Blue Jackets create a new NHL trend this season? Will we be using saying a team "pulled a Columbus" to describe GMs who decide to go all-in, hoarding their own rentals at the deadline in order to make one splashy run? It sure could happen.

It was mostly effective for the Blue Jackets, who went further than they ever had in franchise history, winning a stunning first-round series against a historically good Tampa Bay Lightning team. Ultimately, though, the Blue Jackets didn't have enough potency to get past the Boston Bruins in the second round.

Columbus stifled Boston early in the series by clogging lanes and blocking shots -- hallmarks of a John Tortorella-coached team in the playoffs. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was as locked-in as he's ever been in the playoffs, rewriting his own narrative. But as the second-round series wore on, the Bruins' dynamic top line woke up and became a force that the Blue Jackets were unable to contain. Columbus took too many penalties, which slowed the Blue Jackets' momentum, and they got quality chances, but weren't able to capture their scoring touch.

It was an unceremonious, if appropriate, end to the Blue Jacket tenures of Bobrovsky and Artemi Panarin, two of the most exciting players in franchise history (unless there's a change of heart and one or both return). And it will lead to some major roster reconstruction this summer.

Bruins put away Blue Jackets to advance to conference finals

Tuukka Rask made 39 saves and recorded his sixth career playoff shutout as the Boston Bruins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 Monday night to clinch their second-round series and advance to the Eastern Conference final.

LIVERPOOL, England -- Luis Suarez said he is expecting a warm welcome at Anfield on Tuesday, and has pledged not celebrate at his former home ground in the same way he did after opening the scoring in Barcelona's 3-0 win against Liverpool at Camp Nou last week.

Suarez, 32, drew criticism from Liverpool supporters for the way he reacted to opening the scoring at Camp Nou. The Uruguayan had spent three-and-a-half years at the Premier League club before moving to Barca in 2014, scoring 82 goals in 133 appearances.

Barca go into this week's Champions League semifinal second leg meeting between the two teams in a commanding position thanks to their first-leg win. A goal from Suarez, who hasn't scored on the road in Europe since 2015, a run spanning 17 games, would leave Liverpool needing to score five to reach the final.

However, he says even if he scores the goal which books Barca a spot in the final in Madrid in June, he will not celebrate out of respect for Liverpool.

"People in football know the importance of scoring a goal in the semifinal of the Champions League," he said in defence of his Camp Nou celebration. "I have a lot of respect for Liverpool and I apologised [to the Liverpool fans after the celebration].

"I'm grateful to Liverpool and obviously if I score tomorrow I won't celebrate like I did at Camp Nou, just as I didn't when I returned to other teams I have played for in my career."

Suarez believes he will be well-received by the Anfield faithful on Tuesday after helping Liverpool return to the Champions League in 2014 and taking them to the brink of the Premier League title.

"I think because of all the hard work I did here, there will be more applause than whistles," he added. "The supporters know what I did here. Maybe there will be some people unhappy [with me] but I am grateful to the club.

"It's really special to be back. Liverpool gave me a lot. They helped me to improve, to become more professional and more mature in many aspects. I improved at Ajax, but more here playing with players with a lot of experience. Captaining Liverpool was a unique moment in my career, I was very proud. If I am playing for Barcelona, with football's elite, it's thanks to how Liverpool made me as a player."

Suarez's opener at Camp Nou was followed by two Lionel Messi goals to leave Barca on the verge of a first European final in four years. But, even though Liverpool are without the injured Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, Suarez is not taking anything for granted.

"We're aware of the threat Liverpool pose," he said. "We have to be careful of that. We played one of our best games of the season last week, even though they had some opportunities. Now we have to play better as we will face a really difficult atmosphere in which to play in.

"I was never not up for games here. The fans push you on. You'd play at Anfield against a team in the fifth division, and the atmosphere would motivate you. It would still be full and that would motivate you."

Barca also have the unwanted precedent of last season. They beat Roma 4-1 in their quarterfinal first leg last season only to lose 3-0 in Italy to make a surprise exit from the competition.

"It hurt a lot," Suarez admitted. "We don't want that feeling again. You learn a lot from errors. Last year we were a little bit too relaxed. If you switch off for one minute, or even 30 seconds, they can score a goal and that warms up the fans. We have to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde said his side still has their work ahead of them at Anfield on Tuesday, and must avoid complacency against the Premier League challengers.

"Everything is still to be played for. We know there will be a great atmosphere here. There also was at Old Trafford, at the San Siro," he said. "But the team has always stepped up in those environments. We will have to be at our best for this game."

He added: "Obviously every team has their own style and what you want is for the game to be played on your terms. There are times when the opposition attack and press you back. In those situations it can seem like the ball never stops moving.

"But we're not interested in having the sensation that we're in control. We have to attack. If we think about having control, it would be a mistake. We have to attack. We have to go out to attack."

The Blaugrana will be without winger Ousmane Dembele for the match, and Valverde hinted he could be sidelined at least until the Copa del Rey final on May 25.

"We have not spoken about it but I think it will be tough for him to be back in time for the Copa del Rey final," he said.