MILWAUKEE (AP) — This could have been the offseason in which Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the free-agent market and perhaps teamed up with another superstar to try winning multiple NBA titles together. Antetokounmpo instead will spend the summer celebrating a championship he won with the team that picked him. Leading the Bucks to their first NBA crown in half century rewarded Antetokounmpo for his December decision to sign a supermax extension with Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5 assists to help the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the NBA Finals. “I could go to a superteam and just do my part and win a championship,’’ Antetokounmpo said Tuesday as he was flanked by the Larry O’Brien trophy and his NBA Finals MVP trophy. “But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it. And we did it.” Antetokounmpo, 26, stuck with the franchise that had taken a chance on him eight years ago by selecting him with the 15th overall pick in the draft. He... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — This could have been the offseason in which Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the free-agent market and perhaps teamed up with another superstar to try winning multiple NBA titles together. Antetokounmpo instead will spend the summer celebrating a championship he won with the team that picked him. Leading the Bucks to their first NBA crown in half century rewarded Antetokounmpo for his December decision to sign a supermax extension with Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5 assists to help the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the NBA Finals. “I could go to a superteam and just do my part and win a championship,’’ Antetokounmpo said Tuesday as he was flanked by the Larry O’Brien trophy and his NBA Finals MVP trophy. “But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it. And we did it.” Antetokounmpo, 26, stuck with the franchise that had taken a chance on him eight years ago by selecting him with the 15th overall pick in the draft. He... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans are negotiating with Suns assistant Willie Green about taking over as head coach, but no deal is in place and discussions could extend beyond the NBA Finals, a person familiar with the situation said. “He has not agreed to a deal,” the person said to The Associated Press Wednesday on condition of anonymity because talks were ongoing. “We are working through it and may wait until the Finals conclude.” Should Green ultimately take the job, he'll arrive in New Orleans at a time when pressure is rising to give young star Zion Williamson faith that he can find long-term satisfaction with the club that drafted him first overall two years ago. Green, a former NBA player who turns 40 on July 28, would become a first-time head coach after serving as an NBA assistant coach the past five years — first with Golden State and then with Phoenix, who were facing Milwaukee in Game 4 of the NBA finals on Wednesday night. Green was a member of two NBA title-winning... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The end for the Brooklyn Nets came quickly. Changes to prevent it from happening again will not. Two days after a team with title hopes went out in the second round of the playoffs, the Nets said they will take some time evaluating their players — and even the people responsible for keeping them healthy. “I think you have to be very careful in the circumstances that we dealt with this year,” general manager Sean Marks said Monday. “No team has ever been through this before. You hope that next season looks vastly different from the protocols that were in place for COVID and so forth, so I don’t want to be too quick to judge anybody and there’s no rash decisions. We’ve never made rash decisions in five years since we’ve been here.” The Nets were eliminated with a 115-111 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. James Harden missed all but 43 seconds of Games 1-4 with a hamstring injury, and Kyrie Irving sat out the final... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets had all the shooting and scoring any team could ever want. They just didn't have the health that every team needs. Kevin Durant was spectacular in his first postseason in Brooklyn, but by the end of it a Big Three was down to 1 1/2. Kyrie Irving was on the bench and James Harden probably should have been. That's the way it often went for Brooklyn after putting together its three superstars. On paper, it looked unstoppable. On the court, it just wasn't seen all that much. “We gave it everything we had,” Harden said. “Just having to deal with injuries throughout the course of the year set us back.” That contributed to an ending far earlier than the Nets anticipated. Brooklyn was eliminated with a 115-111 overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Irving missed the final 3 1/2 games of the series with a sprained right ankle. Harden played only 43 seconds of Games 1-4 because of right hamstring tightness,... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn's blockbuster brought James Harden to play with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, creating a team with potential to shoot its way out of any situation. Milwaukee's move gave Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton a top two-way guard in Jrue Holiday, who could run his team and slow down the other. Both teams hoped their big trade was the one that would lead to a championship. One of them won't even get halfway there. The Nets and Bucks play Game 7 of their second-round series Saturday in Brooklyn, with the winner moving on to play for the Eastern Conference title and the loser falling well short of expectations. “With everything we’ve built and been through, we got the second seed for this particular reason and we’ve just got to go out there and hoop,” Harden said. “At home. One game.” In a series where the home team has won every game, the Nets hope their strong ending to the regular season pays off now. They won their final five games to finish two games ahead... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn's blockbuster brought James Harden to play with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, creating a team with potential to shoot its way out of any situation. Milwaukee's move gave Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton a top two-way guard in Jrue Holiday, who could run his team and slow down the other. Both teams hoped their big trade was the one that would lead to a championship. One of them won't even get halfway there. The Nets and Bucks play Game 7 of their second-round series Saturday in Brooklyn, with the winner moving on to play for the Eastern Conference title and the loser falling well short of expectations. “With everything we’ve built and been through, we got the second seed for this particular reason and we’ve just got to go out there and hoop,” Harden said. “At home. One game.” In a series where the home team has won every game, the Nets hope their strong ending to the regular season pays off now. They won their final five games to finish two games ahead... [More]

The NBA champion this season will be the last team standing. Perhaps literally. Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers missed Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals with a knee sprain and amid concerns that it could be a far more significant injury. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving has been sidelined by a badly sprained ankle. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid is playing through a meniscus tear. Atlanta’s Trae Young is putting heat packs on his shoulder that appear to be roughly the size of a small vehicle. Brooklyn’s James Harden came back despite an ailing hamstring. Those are big names, All-Star names, all nowhere near their best right now because of injuries, and there were plenty of other top players — the Lakers’ duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Denver’s Jamal Murray and Miami’s Victor Oladipo among them — that also either limped to the finish of their seasons or saw them end prematurely because of serious injury. “This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing... [More]

The NBA champion this season will be the last team standing. Perhaps literally. Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers missed Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals with a knee sprain and amid concerns that it could be a far more significant injury. Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving has been sidelined by a badly sprained ankle. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid is playing through a meniscus tear. Atlanta’s Trae Young is putting heat packs on his shoulder that appear to be roughly the size of a small vehicle. Brooklyn’s James Harden came back despite an ailing hamstring. Those are big names, All-Star names, all nowhere near their best right now because of injuries, and there were plenty of other top players — the Lakers’ duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Denver’s Jamal Murray and Miami’s Victor Oladipo among them — that also either limped to the finish of their seasons or saw them end prematurely because of serious injury. “This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets will continue to play without Kyrie Irving and don’t know exactly what kind of production they will get from James Harden as the star players deal with injuries. None of that might make any difference if Kevin Durant keeps performing the way he has thus far in Brooklyn’s second-round playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Nets own a 3-2 series lead thanks largely to Durant, who delivered a performance for the ages as Brooklyn rallied from a 17-point deficit in a 114-108 Game 5 victory Tuesday at Brooklyn. That leaves the Nets facing a dilemma as the series returns to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Thursday. After Durant played all 48 minutes and Harden played 46 minutes Tuesday, how long can they reasonably play in Game 6? “I think that’s something that we have to feel out as we go,” Nets coach Steve Nash said Wednesday. Nash would rather not drain his veteran team this early in the postseason as the Nets chase their first NBA championship. With all the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden barely played in the first four games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, then barely sat down in Game 5. Harden played 46 minutes Tuesday night as the Brooklyn Nets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 114-108 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. It was Harden's first action since leaving with a hamstring injury less than a minute into the series opener. “I didn’t expect to play, so 46 is a lot. But I’m built for it, so just get some rest and get my proper treatment," Harden said. "Credit to our trainers. They’ve been doing an unbelievable job of preparing me. Get some rest and give it another shot Game 6.” Harden finished with just five points, going 1 for 10 from the field and missing all eight 3-point attempts. But he had eight assists and six rebounds, providing a big lift to a Brooklyn team that was without Kyrie Irving after he sprained his right ankle in the Bucks' victory Sunday that tied the series. “It inspired me this morning when he said he was getting ready... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden will play for the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, his first action since leaving with a hamstring injury less than a minute into the series opener. The Nets upgraded the All-Star guard's status to available about 45 minutes before the game Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Harden's availability is a huge boost for the Nets, who are without Kyrie Irving after he sprained his right ankle in the Bucks' victory Sunday that tied the series. Harden left 43 seconds into Game 1 with what the Nets called right hamstring tightness and they had ruled him out of Game 5 on Monday. But they upgraded him to doubtful Tuesday morning, then questionable pending his pregame workout. He appeared to be moving well while going through that, jogging off the floor into the tunnel toward the locker room after finishing. Harden missed 20 of 21 games in the second half of the season with hamstring problems. Coach Steve Nash said before the game that the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — First they lost James Harden, then Kyrie Irving, and finally the Brooklyn Nets lost their lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Though the series is tied, the Milwaukee Bucks are way ahead in the health category. Down to Kevin Durant as their lone healthy superstar, the Nets limped home to host Game 5 on Tuesday, a team that once piled up points with ease suddenly struggling to cobble together much offense at all. “This is what it’s all about in the playoffs, is you’re going to have ups and downs. You’re going to have momentum shifts, you’re going to have adversity and it’s about how you respond,” Nets coach Steve Nash said Monday. “So tomorrow is a great opportunity for us to show what we’re made of, respond in a positive way and put on our best performance of the series.” The Nets were bitten by the injury bug all season, with long absences for Durant and Harden in the second half. Their three stars played together only eight times in the regular season and they may... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — First they lost James Harden, then Kyrie Irving, and finally the Brooklyn Nets lost their lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Though the series is tied, the Milwaukee Bucks are way ahead in the health category. Down to Kevin Durant as their lone healthy superstar, the Nets limp home to host Game 5 on Tuesday, a team that once piled up points with ease suddenly struggling to cobble together much offense at all. “This is what it’s all about in the playoffs, is you’re going to have ups and downs. You’re going to have momentum shifts, you’re going to have adversity and it’s about how you respond,” Nets coach Steve Nash said Monday. “So tomorrow is a great opportunity for us to show what we’re made of, respond in a positive way and put on our best performance of the series.” The Nets were bitten by the injury bug all season, with long absences for Durant and Harden in the second half. Their three stars played together only eight times in the regular season and they may... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — First they lost James Harden, then Kyrie Irving, and finally the Brooklyn Nets lost their lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Though the series is tied, the Milwaukee Bucks are way ahead in the health category. Down to Kevin Durant as their lone healthy superstar, the Nets limp home to host Game 5 on Tuesday, a team that once piled up points with ease suddenly struggling to cobble together much offense at all. “This is what it’s all about in the playoffs, is you’re going to have ups and downs. You’re going to have momentum shifts, you’re going to have adversity and it’s about how you respond,” Nets coach Steve Nash said Monday. “So tomorrow is a great opportunity for us to show what we’re made of, respond in a positive way and put on our best performance of the series.” The Nets were bitten by the injury bug all season, with long absences for Durant and Harden in the second half. Their three stars played together only eight times in the regular season and they may... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving missed the second half of Game 4 of his team's second-round playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks after spraining his ankle midway through the second quarter. Irving left the game and headed to the locker room with 5:52 left in the period, leaving Brooklyn without two of its superstars. The Nets announced at halftime he had a sprained ankle and wouldn't return to the game. Irving had just made a basket in the paint when he landed awkwardly. On his way down, Irving's left leg appeared to hit Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's right leg before the Nets guard landed. He remained on the floor as play initially continued on the other end of the court. When the game eventually stopped on a change of possession, Nets team officials checked on Irving before he headed to the locker room. Irving had 11 points, five rebounds and two assists when the seven-time All-Star left the game with the Nets trailing 44-40. The Nets, who entered the day with a 2-1 series lead, already are playing without nine-time All-Star and 2018 MVP James Harden due to right hamstring tightness. Harden hasn’t played since getting hurt in the opening minute of Game 1.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving headed to the locker room after appearing to hurt his right ankle in the second quarter of Game 4 of his team's second-round playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks. Irving had just made a basket in the paint midway through the second quarter when he landed awkwardly. On his way down, Irving's left leg appeared to hit Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's right leg before the Nets guard landed. He remained on the floor as play initially continued on the other end of the court. When the game eventually stopped on a change of possession, Nets team officials checked on Irving before he headed to the locker room. Irving had 11 points, five rebounds and two assists when the seven-time All-Star left the game with the Nets trailing 44-40. The Nets, who entered the day with a 2-1 series lead, already are playing without nine-time All-Star and 2018 MVP James Harden due to right hamstring tightness. Harden hasn’t played since getting hurt in the opening minute of Game 1.

Phoenix general manager James Jones was the guy who would routinely hold court at his locker a half-hour before games and engage in all sorts of conversations in his playing days. Books he was reading, what the financial markets were doing, current events, political matters, the nuances of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. It was all fair game. He was smart. He knew it, too. These days, the rest of the NBA — if they didn’t know previously — has figured that out as well. The eight general managers left in the NBA playoffs all had success stories to tell long before their postseason runs of 2021 started. For the team that winds up winning the NBA title, it’ll be a breakthrough since none of the remaining franchises have won a championship since 1983. And for the winning GM, it’ll be another breakthrough -- since none of them have won rings in their current capacities either. “I took this job saying this would be a challenge for me to help young guys who are here in Phoenix, trying... [More]

Phoenix's Deandre Ayton had Guy Fieri leaping out of his courtside seat with a thundering dunk. Atlanta's Trae Young had Spike Lee leaving early in disappointment. Dallas' Luka Doncic impressed Paul George so much that the Clippers’ veteran insisted on trading jerseys with the youngster. They’re all part of the NBA’s draft class of 2018. And that group, so far, might be the class of these playoffs. Doncic is gone, but plenty of others — Young, Ayton, Michael Porter Jr., Mikal Bridges, Kevin Huerter, Bruce Brown and more — from the group that got drafted three years ago remain. And they’ve seemed right at home in this postseason, even though for many it’s the first time on this big a stage. “I think it’s the best class in NBA history,” Ayton, the Phoenix center who went No. 1 overall in that class three years ago, said after the Suns won their first-round series over the 2020 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. “That’s how I feel. ... Guys like Luka, MPJ and Trae, it’s been great to watch us... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — James Harden won't be back for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Milwaukee Bucks believe their shooting touch will. So the Bucks have plenty of reasons for optimism heading into the game Monday night. Yet there's also still plenty of cause for concern. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are still out there for the Brooklyn Nets, who spent all season working around injuries and proved another point about themselves after shaking off Harden's loss 43 seconds into Game 1. “That we have the capability of rising to the occasion,” Irving said. “We’re a very mature basketball club because we play selfless and we trust each other, so in any situation in a game I feel like we have the talent, we have the preparation, we have the coaching staff to be able to go out and execute.” They did that on both sides of the floor in their 115-107 victory in Game 1. Durant scored 29 points, Irving had 25 and the Nets held the Bucks to 6-for-30 shooting from 3-point range. The Phoenix... [More]