INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — There haven't been any championship banners hoisted into Boston's hallowed rafters since 2008.LeBron James won't let go of the rope.Cleveland's star has bounced the Celtics from the playoffs four times in the past seven years, and James carries a six-game postseason winning streak at Boston into this year's Eastern Conference finals, which open Sunday at TD Garden.As a member of both the Miami Heat and Cavaliers, James — whose success against Boston did a 180-degree turn with a mesmerizing Game 6 performance in 2012 — has made the Celtics green(er) with envy.But while the 33-year-old has the utmost respect for the NBA's most decorated franchise, James' admiration hasn't stopped him from standing in the way of Boston stuffing more Larry O'Brien trophies into its crowded case.And if he beats the Celtics again and advances to his eighth straight NBA Finals, James would join a club currently exclusive to Boston players with legendary status.Only Bill Russell (10),... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks' coaching search is underway, with interviews starting as early as this weekend."For us we're on a really thought-out process," general manager Jon Horst said Friday. "It will start out immediately and we'll hopefully get to a great result at the end of it."Current coach Joe Prunty will be among those interviewed after the former assistant led the Bucks to a 21-16 record following the firing in late January of Jason Kidd. The Bucks said then that Prunty would get a shot to keep the job."Joe has earned the right to be part of this process. He will be," Horst said at the Bucks' training facility. "Now it's our job to not only focus on Joe but the other candidates that we're going to bring in and try to come up with a great result."The Bucks' job is attractive with a new arena opening in the fall and budding NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo leading a young core.Interviews could start as early as Saturday, Horst said, and there was no timeline to make... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks' coaching search is underway, with interviews starting as early as this weekend."For us we're on a really thought-out process," general manager Jon Horst said Friday. "It will start out immediately and we'll hopefully get to a great result at the end of it."Current coach Joe Prunty will be among those interviewed after the former assistant led the Bucks to a 21-16 record following the firing in late January of Jason Kidd. The Bucks said then that Prunty would get a shot to keep the job."Joe has earned the right to be part of this process. He will be," Horst said at the Bucks' training facility. "Now it's our job to not only focus on Joe but the other candidates that we're going to bring in and try to come up with a great result."The Bucks' job is attractive with a new arena opening in the fall and budding NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo leading a young core.Interviews could start as early as Saturday, Horst said, and there was no timeline to make... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo is trying to eliminate the drama around whether Jabari Parker will return to the Milwaukee Bucks.It doesn't sound like he wants Parker to leave as a restricted free agent."Jabari ain't going nowhere," Antetokounmpo said with a smile. "He's going to be here and he's going to be ready for the next season."It's just one of two big decisions facing the Bucks this offseason. They might be hiring a new coach, too.The organization has arrived at a crossroads. A new arena is opening in the fall, while Antetokounmpo is a budding NBA superstar because of the athleticism that earned him his "Greek Freak" nickname.However they proceed, the Bucks have grown beyond being a feel-good story. They've established a baseline of success with the Antetokounmpo-led group, having gone to the playoffs three times in the last four years.The next step is to get beyond the first round for the first time since going to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001. The best way to do... [More]

Al Horford has played in four Game 7s. Jason Terry has been in three, his teams winning them all.For them, this is old hat.For just about everyone else who's had any role in this Boston-Milwaukee series, however, this is new or relatively new territory. The ultimate game awaits the Bucks and Celtics on Saturday night, when their Eastern Conference first-round series ends on Boston's home floor — the winner moving into the second round to face the Philadelphia 76ers, the loser going home for the summer."We're going to be in a tough position," Milwaukee guard Eric Bledsoe said. "We've just got to come out and fight. ... We've just got to find a way."The Celtics have been in more Game 7s than any franchise in NBA history. This will be the 32nd such game for Boston, which has gone 22-9 in its previous ones. Milwaukee is going to Game 7 for the 10th time; the Bucks' franchise is 2-7 so far in those."Super exciting," said Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon, when asked about how he feels about making... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee guard Eric Bledsoe says an injury to his left hand didn't affect his play in the Bucks' Game 5 loss to the Boston Celtics.Bledsoe's left thumb and hand were wrapped after the 92-87 loss on Tuesday night. The right-handed shooter was 5 of 15 from the field.Bledsoe said Tuesday he hurt the hand during Game 4 on Sunday, but that he felt good and that the injury didn't affect him.Bucks coach Joe Prunty said after practice Wednesday that Bledsoe has told him he is fine and ready to go for Game 6 on Thursday in Milwaukee. Prunty says he doesn't think the injury is affecting his starting point guard.It's unclear if center John Henson will be ready for Game 6 after missing the three previous contests with a back injury.The Celtics lead the series 3-2.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A poised and productive Ricky Rubio has been smiling and laughing, masterfully running Utah's offense in his matchup with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.Meanwhile, the reigning league MVP has been scowling, shoving, fouling, complaining and most of all — losing.It's fair to say Rubio has been more effective for the Jazz.The Rubio-Westbrook matchup mirrors what is happening throughout the NBA playoffs: The team that gets the best point guard play usually wins.Rubio's all-around success has the Jazz on the brink of advancing. Utah has a 3-1 lead on the Thunder and can finish the series Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.He summed up his play after Game 2, saying "I did my job, looking for my teammates, and looking for my shot too when it was open. I just took what the game gave me and watched film and got better and we played as a team."Maybe it is just that simple.Rubio is averaging 18.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8 assists per game against Oklahoma City, all well above... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A poised and productive Ricky Rubio has been smiling and laughing, masterfully running Utah's offense in his matchup with Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook.Meanwhile, the reigning league MVP has been scowling, shoving, fouling, complaining and most of all — losing.It's fair to say Rubio has been more effective for the Jazz.The Rubio-Westbrook matchup mirrors what is happening throughout the NBA playoffs: The team that gets the best point guard play usually wins.Rubio's all-around success has the Jazz on the brink of advancing. Utah has a 3-1 lead on the Thunder and can finish the series Wednesday night in Oklahoma City.He summed up his play after Game 2, saying "I did my job, looking for my teammates, and looking for my shot too when it was open. I just took what the game gave me and watched film and got better and we played as a team."Maybe it is just that simple.Rubio is averaging 18.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8 assists per game against Oklahoma City, all well above... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks starting center John Henson will miss the playoff game Friday night against the Boston Celtics with a sore back.Seven-footer Tyler Zeller, who used to play for Boston, is listed as the probable starter. The Bucks trail Boston 2-0 in their best-of-seven, first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.Coach Joe Prunty has also listed Malcolm Brogdon as the probable starter over Tony Snell at guard alongside Eric Bledsoe. The Bucks' starting backcourt has been outscored 96-25 in the first two games by Boston's starting guard duo of Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown.Henson was second on the team in rebounding, averaging 6.8 per game. The Celtics have decisive edges in offensive rebounding (20-12) and second-chance points (42-13) going into Game 3.___For more AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

MILWAUKEE (AP) — A billboard down the street from the Milwaukee Bucks' nearly completed new arena makes a proclamation in big, bold letters: "The Future is Here."The rebuilding process is over. Winning a playoff series could make that message resonate as loudly as a Giannis Antetokounmpo rim-rattling dunk ."I think it's crucial," Bucks President Peter Feigin said about the confluence of the playoffs and new arena. "We're at a point ... we want to go into the new arena for lots of reasons in a sold-out capacity. That would be the way to usher in a new arena and really have demand and a peak."Part of that is performance and how successful we are on the court," Feigin said.The seventh-seeded Bucks have work to do to climb out of a 2-0 deficit to the second-seeded Boston Celtics. Game 3 is Friday night in Milwaukee."We have to protect home court," guard Jason Terry said after the 14-point loss in Boston on Tuesday.The Bucks haven't won a playoff series since a team coached by George Karl reached... [More]

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana Pacers look loose and sound confident.They were laughing, smiling and joking around at practice Thursday as turned to a new task — protecting their home court this weekend against LeBron James.Sure, his sensational 46-point, 12-rebound effort in Game 2 exposed flaws in Indiana's defense and allowed Cleveland to even the series, but it sure didn't shake the faith of the fearless Pacers."It's a good sign when you lose by three and the best player in the world has a game like that," Indiana point guard Darren Collison said.The Pacers shouldn't be rattled.They are 4-2 against the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs this season, fought back from an early 18-point deficit Wednesday with Victor Oladipo in foul trouble and still had a chance to tie the score on Oladipo's wide-open 3-pointer with 27 seconds left.They still can seize control of the series by winning the next two in Indianapolis.To avoid such a plight, the Cavs could give their star player... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Two games into their first-round playoff series, Milwaukee point guard Eric Bledsoe and his Boston counterpart, Terry Rozier, still seem to be having trouble remembering each other's names.Maybe it's the sign of a festering feud with the Celtics up 2-0 as the series shifts to Milwaukee. Perhaps it's a case of Bluegrass State bragging rights between Bledsoe, who played at Kentucky, and Rozier, who played at Louisville, though they never faced each other in college.Or it could be just a case of good-natured gamesmanship between two competitors.Through two games, it is advantage Rozier with Game 3 coming up Friday night.He had 23 points in Game 2 on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3 of 5 from the 3-point line, to match his postseason career scoring high set in Game 1. Rozier is shooting 7 of 16 from beyond the arc so far this series.So much for the Celtics being at a disadvantage at the point without Kyrie Irving, who is out for the playoffs following knee surgery."We've talked... [More]

The Portland Trail Blazers fought their way through a pressure-packed playoff race to earn home-court advantage in a series, then lost it in one game.The Toronto Raptors know that problem all too well, so they want to take advantage of playing from ahead for a change.They try for their first 2-0 playoff series lead ever Tuesday night against Washington, while the Trail Blazers try to even things up in against the New Orleans Pelicans.Boston and Milwaukee play the other Game 2 on Tuesday after the Celtics pulled out a 113-107 overtime victory on Sunday.The No. 3 Trail Blazers were the highest-seeded team to lose so far, falling 97-95 on Saturday. Anthony Davis was dominant, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were slow-starting, and the Pelicans got a couple big defensive plays down the stretch from Jrue Holiday to hold on after the Blazers nearly came back from a 19-point deficit."I think it puts some pressure on us," Lillard said. "You know, you come in with home court, the first two games... [More]

The Portland Trail Blazers fought their way through a pressure-packed playoff race to earn home-court advantage in a series, then lost it in one game.The Toronto Raptors know that problem all too well, so they want to take advantage of playing from ahead for a change.They try for their first 2-0 playoff series lead ever Tuesday night against Washington, while the Trail Blazers try to even things up in against the New Orleans Pelicans.Boston and Milwaukee play the other Game 2 on Tuesday after the Celtics pulled out a 113-107 overtime victory on Sunday.The No. 3 Trail Blazers were the highest-seeded team to lose so far, falling 97-95 on Saturday. Anthony Davis was dominant, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum were slow-starting, and the Pelicans got a couple big defensive plays down the stretch from Jrue Holiday to hold on after the Blazers nearly came back from a 19-point deficit."I think it puts some pressure on us," Lillard said. "You know, you come in with home court, the first two games... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — By now, the Boston Celtics have come to expect adversity.They were barely five minutes into the season when Gordon Hayward's gruesome ankle injury offered the first collective gasp in what would be an 82-game schedule replete with more head-shaking moments.The most recent setback, season-ending knee surgery for Kyrie Irving, left teams in the East almost hoping for a chance to face the wounded Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.Boston enters as the No. 2 seed. But it is certainly vulnerable opposite a seventh-seeded Bucks team with which it split four games this season. Milwaukee is led by one of the league's budding young talents in 23-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo.If there is a silver lining for the Celtics it's that they went 14-8 without Irving for the last 22 games."It's forcing our group to grow up quicker than maybe some of our guys were supposed to," forward Al Horford said. "I think that this is a great opportunity that we have in front of us. We've really... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo's meme-worthy scowl started with a look in the mirror.The Milwaukee Bucks All-Star was an NBA rookie then, trying to come up with a look he could flash after making a big play. Antetokounmpo thought about the glare his mother would throw his way when he misbehaved as a child. It took about a week to perfect as he struck poses in front of the mirror."Now it comes easy. You've just got to put your nose up like this," said Antetokounmpo, wrinkling his face after a recent practice.It can look so much more intimidating on the court.As Antetokounmpo's skills reach new heights, so does his confidence as he enters his third career postseason. The Bucks open their first-round series against the Celtics on Sunday in Boston."You don't think. It's just second nature. You're just playing now," Antetokounmpo said. "There are points when you're young, you're scared to make the wrong decision late."This is no longer the gangly, 6-foot-11 forward who would defer during... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Maybe, just maybe, the worst is behind the Phoenix Suns.Their 50th anniversary season was awful, even worse than the two that came before.For the eighth season in a row, the Suns won't make the playoffs. The win totals the past three seasons: 23, 24 and — this year 21. That 21-61 mark is the worst since Phoenix went 16-66 in its inaugural 1968-69 season.The season devolved in the final months, with injuries depleting the already exceedingly young roster, leaving a contingent of G League transfers to fill out the lineup in the final days. The Suns lost a franchise-record 15 straight in one stretch.Now, everyone involved is insisting, enough is enough."I'm done with not making the playoffs," rising star Devin Booker said as the players cleaned out their lockers and conducted exit interviews Wednesday. "I'm serious. This is probably my last year ever not making the playoffs. If that's putting pressure on myself, I'm going to take this summer and work that hard so that it doesn't... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — Maybe, just maybe, the worst is behind the Phoenix Suns.Their 50th anniversary season was awful, even worse than the two that came before.For the eighth season in a row, the Suns won't make the playoffs. The win totals the past three seasons: 23, 24 and — this year 21. That 21-61 mark is the worst since Phoenix went 16-66 in its inaugural 1968-69 season.The season devolved in the final months, with injuries depleting the already exceedingly young roster, leaving a contingent of G League transfers to fill out the lineup in the final days. The Suns lost a franchise-record 15 straight in one stretch.Now, everyone involved is insisting, enough is enough."I'm done with not making the playoffs," rising star Devin Booker said as the players cleaned out their lockers and conducted exit interviews Wednesday. "I'm serious. This is probably my last year ever not making the playoffs. If that's putting pressure on myself, I'm going to take this summer and work that hard so that it doesn't... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — When given the choice, the Milwaukee Bucks will always prefer to have Giannis Antetokounmpo on the court closing out tight games.They're still winning while the All-Star forward rests a sore right ankle, a good sign for a team jockeying for playoff seeding in the East.Coach Joe Prunty said it was too early to determine Antetokounmpo's status for the regular-season finale Wednesday at Philadelphia, though he liked what he saw at practice. The NBA's fourth-leading scorer (27.1 points) has missed the last two games because of the ankle injury."The bottom line is that it's progressing, that's the positive," Prunty said after practice Tuesday.A win over the 76ers allows the Bucks to clinch the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. A loss means that they could fall as low as eighth, depending on how the Washington Wizards fare over their last two games.Without Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee has beaten 50-loss teams in the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic. It's a positive since the... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Suns have waived center Greg Monroe in a buyout agreement.Monroe was acquired from Milwaukee last Nov. 7 in the trade that sent Eric Bledsoe to the Bucks. He becomes an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers.Monroe averaged 11.3 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 assists in 20 games with the Suns. He was making $17.8 million this season in the final year of a three-year, $50 million deal.Monroe was the seventh overall pick in the draft — by Boston — in the 2010 draft.The move was announced on Thursday.