Play It Forward May 9-15: Will Steph Curry rescue Golden State from a Portlandia exit?

Ranking top 10 sports events May 9-15 you won’t want to miss:

NO. 1: NBA PLAYOFFS

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

GOLDEN STATE vs. PORTLAND

Details/TV: Game 4 at Portland, Monday, 7:30 p.m., TNT

For a city population that pretty much gets around by walking, hiking, ruing or electric-driven public transportation, the Blazers decided to push a bill through the state legislature that offers Oregon car owners the opportunity to show team pride by ordering the first specialized license plates honoring the NBA team. One can cruise around Oregon with a piece of metal that features the franchise’s pinwheel logo and the words “Rip City” on it. They were supposed to be ready for distribution last month, but the team now says the vanity plate won’t be available until September. That’s really too bad. The way the Blazers are poised to make more noise with another come-from-behind playoff series win against a wounded opponent — this time against the defending champion Warriors — the citizenry might have been anticipating the official souvenirs to be ready for the title parade this June. Having come back from a 0-2 deficit to knock the Clippers out of the first round, the Blazers just became the first team in the league to have defeated Golden State twice this season, taking Game 3 of their series by 12 points on Saturday at home, led by Damian Lillard’s 40 points and 10 assists, feeding off the noise of their home crowd. Even if this isn’t the second coming of Blazermania, the locals must realize their playoff lives could end this week, with or without an appearance by the Warriors’ Steph Curry. Golden State has not lost back-to-back games this season en route to their 73-9 regular-season mark and 6-2 record so far in the postseason. Warriors coach Steve Kerr says Curry is again doubtful for Monday’s Game 4, which could give Portland a rip-city ruing start toward tying the series up. Win this, steal Game 5 in Oakland, and suddenly it’s a close-out game back in Portlandia. Get the Voodoo Doughnuts ready.

The rest of the series: Game 5 is Wednesday at Golden State (TNT, 7:30 p.m., Game 6 is Friday at Portland (ESPN, TBA) with a Game 7 at Golden State on May 16 if necessary

Also this week in the Weste Conference: San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City: Game 5 at San Antonio, Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., TNT

NO. 2: MLB: DODGERS vs. N.Y. METS

Details/TV: At Dodger Stadium, Monday-Thursday, SportsNet LA

The capper to this four-game throwback to last year’s playoffs is a matchup of Clayton Kershaw (4-1, 2.04) and Bartolo Colon (3-1, 2.84), the almost 43-year-old still coming off the strange occurrence of becoming the oldest player to ever hit his first MLB home run, which came in his last start (and win) at San Diego. That included a half-minute jog around the bases for the former Angels Cy Young Award wier. He follows 24-year-old Steven Matz (4-1, 2.83), 27-year-old Jacob deGrom (3-1, 1.99) and 23-year-old Noah Syndergaard (2-2, 2.58) in the Mets’ heralded rotation that also includes former All-Star Matt Harvey, who misses this series.

The series: Each game at 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA

NO. 3: MLB: DODGERS vs. ST. LOUIS

Details/TV: At Dodger Stadium, Friday-Sunday, SportsNet LA, ESPN

ANGELS vs. ST. LOUIS

Details/TV: At Angel Stadium, Tuesday-Thursday, FSW

Ruben Tejada, the Mets shortstop who broke his leg on the Chase Utley slide in last year’s NLDS, comes back to Dodger Stadium, but not as you may remember. He was eventually cut from the roster last winter and has tued up with the Cards — but existing as the backup to Cuban rookie phenom Aldemys Diaz, who leads all NL first-year players in slugging percentage and OPS, hitting .400 and sporting a 1.7 WAR, fourth-best in the NL. The Cardinals’ only week in Southe Califoia for the L.A.-L.A. combo is split between a brief interleague interlude in Anaheim and three more at Chavez Ravine, capped by a nationally televised game on Sunday.

The Angels-Cardinals series: Each game at 7:05 p.m., FSW

The Dodgers-Cardinals series: Friday at 7:10 p.m. and Saturday at 6:10 p.m., SNLA; Sunday at 5:05 p.m., ESPN.

Also this week for the Angels: At Seattle, Friday-Sunday, FSW

NO. 4: WNBA: SPARKS vs. SEATTLE

Details/TV: At Staples Center, Sunday at 2 p.m., TWC SportsNet

Welcome to the Sparks’ 20th aiversary season, opening at home for the first of 34 on a schedule that runs until September. As opposed to last year’s 14-20 finish with only a part-time Candace Parker, the former Olympic gold medalist and two-time league MVP who just tued 30 begins her eighth season at the begiing this time. She scored 22 points in the team’s exhibition opening win in Pasadena against Atlanta last Saturday. See what her motivation is having just heard she was left off the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team going to Rio in August.

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Also this week: Exhibition games in San Antonio on Monday and in Atlanta on Tuesday. More info: www.sparks.com

NO. 5: PGA: THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Details/TV: At TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Thursday-Sunday, Golf Chael, Ch. 4

The event that offers the most prize money of any touament in golf — a $10.5 million purse, which is a half-mil more than the Masters — might be one reason why that in a recent Golf.com aual anonymous survey, 62 percent of PGA players said they’d rather win this event than get an Olympic gold medal. Last year, Rickie Fowler finished the final four holes in 11 shots (birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie) to force a three-man, three-hole aggregate playoff triumph over Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner. Forty six of the world’s top 40 ranked players are in, including No. 1 Jason Day, No. 2 Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson attacking the famous 137-yard island hole. More info: www.PGATour.com.

NO. 6: CYCLING: 11th AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA

Details/TV: Stage 1 at San Diego, Sunday, 10 a.m., NBCSN

The peloton leaves Mission Bay, goes through Balboa Park, south toward downtown and the harbor past the airport and toward the Coronado Bridge, through National City and Chula Vista to a sprint and tight tu back east at Imperial Beach, then even further east up the mountain on Honey Springs Road before it loops around back through El Cajon and retus to Mission Beach on a 106-mile leg that goes up to 6,700 feet from sea level. The eight-stage event moves to Pasadena (Stage 2) and Thousand Oaks (Stage 3) before heading further north toward the May 22 finish in Sacramento. More info: www.AmgenTourofCalifoia.com

NO. 7: NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

SAN JOSE vs. NASHVILLE

Details/TV: Game 6 at Nashville, Monday, 6 p.m., CNBC

ST. LOUIS vs. DALLAS

Details/TV: Game 6 at St. Louis, Monday, 5 p.m., NBCSN

It’s all fine and dandy that the Sharks and Blues are one win away from advancing to the Final Four. But the series that keeps our attention as the one to stay engaged with is whether Pittsburgh can take advantage of a home Game 6 and finish off No. 1 overall seeded Washington in the Easte Conference semifinal series (Tuesday, 5 p.m., NBCSN). Otherwise, it’s back to Washington for a Game 7 on Thursday.

NO. 8: CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS

AHL PACIFIC DIVISION FINALS

ONTARIO vs. SAN DIEGO

Details/TV: Game 4 at San Diego, Friday, 7:05 p.m., AHLLive.com (PPV)

The Kings’ top affiliate Reign hold the advantage over the Ducks’ top minor-league team Gulls going into an odd four-day break after playing the first three games of the series over a four-day stretch.

Also this week: Game 5 is set for Ontario, Saturday at 7 p.m. Games 6 and 7 would be May 16 in San Diego and May 18 in Ontario at 7 p.m. More info: www.ontarioreign.com

NO. 9: COLLEGE WATER POLO

WOMEN’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

Details/TV: At UCLA’s Spieker Aquatics Center, Sunday, 5:30 p.m.

No. 1 USC (23-0) and No. 2 UCLA (24-4) are seeded to meet in the championship match. The Trojans, with freshman goal keeper Amanda Longan (Oaks Christian High) and junior conference MVP Stephania Haralabidis, start Friday at 3:30 p.m. against either San Diego State or Wagner (which meet Tuesday). The Bruins, with all-MPSF first-team utility player Mackenzie Barr, a junior from Mater Dei High, have either UC San Diego or Whittier in Friday’s first round at noon. Coach Jovan Vavic’s USC team has defeated UCLA three times this season (in touaments at La Jolla and Irvine as well as its home Uytngsu Aquatics Center on campus), but they haven’t met at the UCLA pool. More info: www.NCAA.com.

NO. 10: COLLEGE BASEBALL: USC at UCLA

Details/TV: At Jackie Robinson Stadium, Friday-Sunday, Pac-12 Network

Just two weeks left after this before the regular season ends. UCLA held on for a 5-3, 14-iing victory over USC at Dodger Stadium back on March 6.

The series: Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 6 p.m., P12 Net

ALSO:

SOCCER: PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

Details/TV: Sunday at 7 a.m., all NBCUniversal networks

Leicester City has already been celebrated for claiming the unlikely championship, the first in their 132-year history. It finishes league play on this day at Chelsea. The rest of the league has to figure out who survives and who gets relegated after this final day.