CLEVELAND (AP) — The Celtics were loose, smiling and laughing. They weren't straining to hear each other speak and there were no obnoxious Cleveland fans heckling them.All was quiet as Boston worked out Sunday.Practice isn't an issue on the road in the postseason. Playing games is the problem.Less than 24 hours after a 30-point bludgeoning at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics did some film study and critical evaluation.They were hard on themselves."I thought it was embarrassing," Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said of Boston's 116-86 loss — and his own performance. "I thought we came out, the way I played, the way I performed, how not aggressive I was in the first half, I look at that as fuel to come out in Game 4 and be excited about it and be ready to play and ready to fight."Brown scored just 10 points — 13 below his average after two games in the series — and was in almost immediate foul trouble as the Cavs dominated while... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Celtics were loose, smiling and laughing. They weren't straining to hear each other speak and there were no obnoxious Cleveland fans heckling them.All was quiet as Boston worked out Sunday.Practice isn't an issue on the road in the postseason. Playing games is the problem.Less than 24 hours after a 30-point bludgeoning at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics did some film study and critical evaluation.They were hard on themselves."I thought it was embarrassing," Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said of Boston's 116-86 loss — and his own performance. "I thought we came out, the way I played, the way I performed, how not aggressive I was in the first half, I look at that as fuel to come out in Game 4 and be excited about it and be ready to play and ready to fight."Brown scored just 10 points — 13 below his average after two games in the series — and was in almost immediate foul trouble as the Cavs dominated while... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant 1 foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Smith will... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant 1 foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Smith will... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — J.R. Smith reached out, placed his hands on Al Horford's back and shoved Boston's big man out of bounds.It was the only time Smith was on target.Smith's shoddy performance in Game 2 — he missed all seven shots and committed a flagrant foul in 27 forgettable minutes — underscored a startling disparity between Cleveland's and Boston's starting backcourts that allowed the fearless Celtics to withstand a brilliant, 42-point effort by LeBron James and take a 2-0 series lead.Smith and point guard George Hill were outscored 41-3 by Boston's Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, who were faster, hungrier and maybe tougher."I don't think tougher," Smith said afterward, showing better defensive instincts than during the game. "They made shots, we missed shots at the end of the day. We had some good looks, they didn't fall. For them playing on their home court, they fell. It's a matter for us to bounce back, go home, try and get (win) two, even the series up and come back here."Thanks to... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Boston playoff star Jayson Tatum and Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue are cousins. The Cavaliers and Celtics might as well be.The Eastern Conference's top two teams have been intertwined for more than a year — from a summer blockbuster trade, from opening night, from afar.Although there were long stretches this season when it seemed at least unlikely, and maybe impossible, that the Celtics and Cavs would reach the conference finals, they're back again and meeting in the playoffs for the third time in four years.The series everyone wanted. The one few expected to see.And yet here they are: the odds-defying Celtics, guided by baby-faced coach Brad Stevens and prospering without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, versus the Cavs, who despite a massive roster makeover in February are rolling as 33-year-old LeBron James enhances his legend with every game."There's been a lot that's happened throughout the season with us and for them," Cavs forward Kevin Love said Thursday... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Boston playoff star Jayson Tatum and Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue are cousins. The Cavaliers and Celtics might as well be.The Eastern Conference's top two teams have been intertwined for more than a year — from a summer blockbuster trade, from opening night, from afar.Although there were long stretches this season when it seemed at least unlikely, and maybe impossible, that the Celtics and Cavs would reach the conference finals, they're back again and meeting in the playoffs for the third time in four years.The series everyone wanted. The one few expected to see.And yet here they are: the odds-defying Celtics, guided by baby-faced coach Brad Stevens and prospering without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, versus the Cavs, who despite a massive roster makeover in February are rolling as 33-year-old LeBron James enhances his legend with every game."There's been a lot that's happened throughout the season with us and for them," Cavs forward Kevin Love said Thursday... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James walked sluggishly down a corridor inside Quicken Loans Arena following Game 7 surrounded by the usual squadron of security personnel, some business associates and his publicist.Each step seemed a challenge. His eyes were heavy. He ached from head to toe. He wanted to lie down.James was moving on to the second round of the NBA playoffs — almost on his hands and knees."I don't think he's appreciated enough for just how much energy he puts into every single game to do what he does," Cavaliers forward Kyle Korver said of James. "It's just unbelievable."Pushed to his physical limits by the Indiana Pacers, and barely helped by Cleveland teammates until they finally showed up when it mattered most Sunday in a 105-101 win, James willed the Cavs into the next round, where they'll face the top-seeded Toronto Raptors for the third straight postseason.If the Indiana series was any indication, James might have to do it again.James scored 45 points — his third game over... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James walked sluggishly down a corridor inside Quicken Loans Arena following Game 7 surrounded by the usual squadron of security personnel, some business associates and his publicist.Each step seemed a challenge. His eyes were heavy. He ached from head to toe. He wanted to lie down.James was moving on to the second round of the NBA playoffs — almost on his hands and knees."I don't think he's appreciated enough for just how much energy he puts into every single game to do what he does," Cavaliers forward Kyle Korver said of James. "It's just unbelievable."Pushed to his physical limits by the Indiana Pacers, and barely helped by Cleveland teammates until they finally showed up when it mattered most Sunday in a 105-101 win, James willed the Cavs into the next round, where they'll face the top-seeded Toronto Raptors for the third straight postseason.If the Indiana series was any indication, James might have to do it again.James scored 45 points — his third game over... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thon Maker is having his biggest games at the biggest time of the year.Not bad for a bench guy and someone who, as recently as last week, was a roster afterthought.Maker had never blocked five shots in any NBA game before this postseason began — and now he's blocked that many in each of the last two playoff contests for the Milwaukee Bucks. There's an old coaching adage that tells players to stay ready, because they never know when their chance to make an impact has arrived.Maker is proving that axiom to be correct."Just trying to be there for my teammates, playing aggressive," said Maker, the Bucks' backup center. "It's the playoffs. These are the moments everybody plays for. You've got to find a way to win, you've got to find a way to impact the game. I try to do that every single time."Maker is almost an out-of-nowhere story for the Bucks, who've pulled even with the Boston Celtics four games into their Eastern Conference first-round series in large part because of a... [More]

LeBron James is keeping his thoughts to himself.Whatever concerns — or confidence — he might harbor about his Cleveland Cavaliers facing a 2-1 first-round Eastern Conference series hole heading into Game 4 at the Indiana Pacers on Sunday were not going to be made available for public consumption.James decided not to speak to reporters on Saturday.And he did not have a whole lot to say in the immediate aftermath of Game 3, either, when Indiana erased a 17-point deficit and then held on for a 92-90 victory over the Cavs.Not only has the four-time MVP and three-time NBA champ never lost an opening NBA postseason series, going 12-0 in the past, he had never even trailed in the first round until this one, when Cleveland dropped Game 1 at home.Now he is behind again."We've had some good quarters," James said Friday, "and we didn't have some good quarters."Well, that explains a lot.Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue's synopsis?"They won a game we should have won," Lue said. "That's what's disappointing.... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — With the playoffs just days away, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue typically would have his lineup rotations set by now.Nothing has been typical about this season for the Cavs.Lue said Thursday that he plans to use a 10-player rotation for Cleveland's opening-round series against the Indiana Pacers, but that things could change depending on injuries, matchups and performances."I will play 10," Lue said after the Cavaliers watched film on the Pacers, who went 3-1 against Cleveland this season. "We'll just see how it looks and if one guy is not great this round, then it might be nine."Lue and his staff have been juggling lineups and using different combinations on the floor for months, forced to adjust and re-adjust, first because of injuries and then by a slew of trades that transformed the team.Lue refused to name his full starting lineup for Sunday's Game 1. He revealed previously that four of them will be LeBron James, Kevin Love, Jeff Green and George Hill.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James capped his 15th regular season with yet another record.James played in his 82nd game on Wednesday night against the New York Knicks, completing an end to end run that underscores the 33-year-old's remarkable consistency. The four-time MVP had never played every game in a regular season as he typically sits out games at the end of the year to rest for the playoffs.Not this year.James' previous high was 81 games in 2008-09, when then-coach Mike Brown sat him for the Cavs' regular-season finale. James never made playing every game a goal, but he has said he wants to break the mold for players of his age.Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he tried to talk James out of playing, but relented."He wants to play," Lue said. "I mean, it's hard to play 82 games. I was in the league 11 years. Never had a chance to get to 82. Everything has to go absolutely right. He wants to play and I guess in his 15th year to get to 82, it really says a lot. It says a lot about him. But once... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James capped his 15th regular season with yet another record.James played in his 82nd game on Wednesday night against the New York Knicks, completing an end to end run that underscores the 33-year-old's remarkable consistency. The four-time MVP had never played every game in a regular season as he typically sits out games at the end of the year to rest for the playoffs.Not this year.James' previous high was 81 games in 2008-09, when then-coach Mike Brown sat him for the Cavs' regular-season finale. James never made playing every game a goal, but he has said he wants to break the mold for players of his age.Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he tried to talk James out of playing, but relented."He wants to play," Lue said. "I mean, it's hard to play 82 games. I was in the league 11 years. Never had a chance to get to 82. Everything has to go absolutely right. He wants to play and I guess in his 15th year to get to 82, it really says a lot. It says a lot about him. But once... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — It's rookie Cedi Osman's turn to start at point guard for the Cavaliers. Just about everyone else has gotten a chance.With guards Jose Calderon and George Hill out with injuries, Osman will make his first career start at guard on Thursday night when the Cavs host the Washington Wizards. Osman has made nine previous starts this season, but all were at small forward.The 6-foot-8 native of Turkey follows Calderon, Hill, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Iman Shumpert and Isaiah Thomas to the point this season. Cleveland has been besieged by injuries and coach Tyronn Lue, who is back after missing nine games due to health reasons, is using his 29th different starting lineup against Washington.Calderon has given Cleveland a huge lift lately, but he's dealing with a sore left hamstring. Hill will miss his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. Calderon took part in the team's shootaround on Thursday, but was later ruled out by the Cavs.Lue could have started Jordan Clarkson... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers will be without point guards Jose Calderon and George Hill against Washington because of injuries.Calderon, who has given Cleveland a huge lift lately, is dealing with a sore left hamstring, while Hill will miss his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. Calderon took part in the team's shootaround on Thursday, but was later ruled out to face the Wizards.Injuries are nothing new to the Cavs and coach Tyronn Lue will again have to adjust in his first game back from a medical leave. Lue had been sidelined for nine games after experiencing chest pains and other symptoms.Lue could start Jordan Clarkson at point, and it's possible he'll give playing time to rookie London Perrantes as the Cavs try to hold onto the No. 3 playoff seed in the East.Lue does have another option: LeBron James, who has played the point throughout his career and typically brings the ball up anyway.___More NBA basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — As the Cavaliers experience growing pains with four new players, relief might be ahead: Kevin Love.The All-Star forward, sidelined since Jan. 29 with a broken left hand, said Friday he could return sooner than expected. The initial timetable was for him to be out two months."If I can get back before eight weeks, great," he said. "So I'm hoping that that is the case."Love's recovery has picked up speed in recent days. He's now able to catch the ball with a padded glove to protect his left hand, and the progress is such that there's less risk for re-injury."One of the things I can do now is kind of catch the ball, guide it and shoot it within 12-15 feet so that feels good to do something other than run on the treadmill or run on the bike so it's nice," he said.The Cavaliers have been transformed since the last time Love played, with their roster overhauled by three trades before the deadline. Cleveland is just 3-4 since adding guards George Hill, Jordan Clarkson... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Larry Nance Jr. has run into an unexpected snag since joining the Cavaliers."Trying to convince my mom that I'm not living at home," he said, smiling. "We're out looking for rental properties and stuff like that and she's like, 'Oh, our basement is pretty nice.' That's probably been the toughest thing."Nance's Ohio homecoming will become even more special Thursday when the former Lakers forward plays his first at Quicken Loans Arena with the Cavs, the same team his dad starred with from 1987-94Life has been a whirlwind of late for Nance, who was obtained by Cleveland shortly before the Feb. 8 trading deadline along with guards Jordan Clarkson and George Hill and forward Rodney Hill — four players the Cavs feel can get them back to the NBA Finals.Nance competed in last weekend's All-Star dunk contest, an event he turned into an unforgettable family affair by wearing his dad's Phoenix jersey and replicating the same dunk Larry Nance Sr. did while winning the inaugural... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James moved on quickly.A day after the Cavaliers overhauled their roster with a tornado of trades that ripped through the NBA, James didn't dwell on what's lost, who's no longer around or how much time Cleveland has left to salvage its season."It is what it is, so let's get it going," he said Friday following the team's shootaround in Atlanta. "The front office made changes that they felt best fit this franchise. It's time to go to work."In the hours before Thursday's trading deadline, the Cavs unloaded six players, including Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade, James' best friend, in three separate deals designed to make the team younger, more athletic and as general manager Koby Altman put it, to revitalize a team he felt was "marching a slow death."Cleveland added guards George Hill and Jordan Clarkson as well as forwards Larry Nance Jr. and Rodney Hood, and all will have to take a crash course in Cavaliers 101. The team sent some of medical staff to Atlanta in hopes... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James says he's excited about the new players added by the Cavaliers following a whirlwind of trades before the NBA's deadline.The Cavs unloaded six players, including Isaiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade, in three separate deals Thursday. General manager Koby Altman wanted to revitalize an aging team he felt was "marching a slow death" and not fulfilling its potential as a title contender.Cleveland's additions are George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Rodney Hood. At the team's morning shootaround in Atlanta on Friday, James says it's his job to integrate them as fast as possible.Thomas struggled with Cleveland while recovering from a serious hip injury. James says he wishes the point guard's time with the Cavs "could have been better." James also hopes Thomas "can get that bounce back" with the Los Angeles Lakers.___More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball