OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the parade for the Golden State Warriors (all times local):9:15 a.m.Oakland resident Jasmine Culp says she is elated to attend her third Warriors parade with her three children.The 36-year-old mother painted her lips blue and dressed in a sparkling golden sequined dress, sash, and blue-gold feather accessories to attend the parade Tuesday that she says has become a family tradition.Culp says she and her family love that they can kick off the summer by dressing up to celebrate the Warriors.She acknowledges it will be sad to see the Warriors move to San Francisco because they team is "a big part of our city."Still, she says she will travel over the bridge to support her team.The Warrior are set move to Chase Center, a new arena being built in San Francisco, in October 2019.___7:00 a.m.Golden State Warriors fans in gold and blue T-shirts and holding signs that read "Dynasty" are already lining the streets along the team's parade route in Oakland, California.Hundreds... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — For the second straight year, throngs of fans celebrated the Golden State Warriors with a parade for a team some are calling a basketball dynasty.Throngs of fans in gold and blue T-shirts and holding signs that read "Dynasty" and "Back to Back Champions" have taken their places behind barriers set up along the route hours before the celebration is set to start at 11 a.m. Tuesday in downtown Oakland, California.As many as 1 million fans are expected to come out and cheer Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors, who won their third title in four years.The NBA champions have gone back-to-back, beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a four-game sweep of these NBA Finals in the fourth consecutive meeting between these clubs.Oakland resident Jasmine Culp, 36, painted her lips blue and dressed in a sparkling golden sequined dress, sash, and blue-gold feather accessories to attend the parade with her three children,... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the parade for the Golden State Warriors (all times local):7:00 a.m.Golden State Warriors fans in gold and blue T-shirts and holding signs that read "Dynasty" are already lining the streets along the team's parade route in Oakland, California.Hundreds of fans have taken their places behind barriers set up along the route early Tuesday, four hours before the celebration is set to start at 11 a.m.The parade will start at Broadway and 11th Street in downtown and the team has promised to interact with fans more than in previous years.The NBA champions have gone back-to-back, beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a four-game sweep of these NBA Finals. It was the fourth consecutive finals between the clubs.It was their third championship in four years.___12:30 a.m.For the second straight year, throngs of Oakland fans will get to celebrate the Golden State Warriors with a parade for a team some are calling a basketball... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — For the second straight year, throngs of Oakland fans will get to celebrate the Golden State Warriors with a parade for a team some are calling a basketball dynasty.Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to line downtown Oakland streets Tuesday to cheer Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors winning their third title in four years.The NBA champions have gone back-to-back, beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a four-game sweep of these NBA Finals in the fourth consecutive meeting between these clubs.Oakland city streets have been lined with gold and blue banners and shop and restaurant owners along the parade route say they are getting ready to open their businesses during the celebration.Fasil Lemma, who owns De Lauer's Newsstand, said he will be selling the new championship T-shirts and gear from past championships."It's very exciting," Lemma told the East Bay Times. "We want to serve the community."Officials... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Warriors general manager Bob Myers expects swift negotiations to re-sign two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and coach Steve Kerr.Durant could sign for as long as four years and about $160 million, and Myers is prepared to give him "whatever he wants." Durant has said all along he wants to stay put, especially after winning a pair of championships in his first two seasons with Golden State."Sometimes you don't negotiate. I'd love to have him for 10 years. Kevin Durant, look what he did for us last year, he did us a great service," Myers said. "He's earned the right to sign whatever deal he wants. I just want him to sign a deal. But want him to be happy and want him to know that we want him as long as he wants to be here. He's earned that, to kind of lay out the terms. He can do whatever he wants. That shouldn't be a long negotiation. Our goal, to be honest, is to try to keep the whole thing together, so that's the pieces of the puzzle we've got to try to... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Dwane Casey lost his job in Toronto because the Raptors wanted to advance further in the playoffs.In Detroit, it would be an accomplishment if Casey can simply get the Pistons into the playoffs.The Pistons hired the NBA coach of the year finalist Monday, hoping he can help the three-time NBA championship franchise regularly reach the postseason and eventually compete again for titles."Dwane is one of the most successful and highly respected coaches in our league," Pistons owner Tom Gores said. "He's a great communicator and a leader who will connect with our players and accelerate their growth. Having spent many hours with Dwane over the last few weeks, I'm confident he is the right person to get us to the next level."A month after being fired by the Raptors , Casey agreed to a five-year deal to become head coach of the Pistons, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Dwane Casey did not stay out of the NBA for long.A month after being fired by the Toronto Raptors, Casey agreed to a five-year deal to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons, two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Monday. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the move, which was first reported by ESPN.Casey led Toronto to a franchise-record 59 wins this year and helped them earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. The NBA coach of the year finalist was fired shortly after Toronto was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers with one year remaining on a three-year, $18 million dollar extension. He was 320-238 in seven seasons and is Toronto's winningest coach.Detroit has been looking for a coach for more than month since firing Stan Van Gundy, who was also its president of basketball operations. Michigan coach John Beilein was a finalist for the job before withdrawing his name from consideration... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Maybe it was poetic LeBron James had a supporting cast on his injured right hand.He was missing one in the NBA Finals.For the second time in a career still ascending after 15 years, James was on the wrong side of a sweep as the Golden State Warriors, a team with no apparent weaknesses and as many as four of the league's 10 best players on its roster, transformed into a dynasty in Cleveland late Friday.After what may have been his final game with the Cavaliers, James revealed he hurt himself in a fit of frustration following a Game 1 overtime loss.He displayed a soft cast on his hand during his postgame news conference and then rounded up his children and some of their friends, and along with his wife, and the usual support group of handlers and security personnel, drove home to Akron.His next stop is unknown.Another suspenseful summer of "Where will LeBron go next?" is off and running.In the next few weeks, James is expected to decline his $35.6 million contract option... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NBA offseason has arrived, which means nothing will happen for the next four months other than a draft, three summer leagues, free agency, the creation of a new schedule, coaching hires, trades, roster reworkings and possibly movement toward letting high school graduates jump directly into the league again.It all adds up to very little downtime.There is no shortage of questions about what will happen this summer — leading off, of course, with yet another decision to be made by LeBron James about his future and where he'll play next season as he resumes his quest for more championships.Here are some non-James topics heading into the offseason:KAWHI LEONARDThe mystery of the 2017-18 NBA season is the mystery of the offseason as well. Leonard played in only nine games for the Spurs this season while dealing with a leg injury, the specifics of which are a closely guarded secret even by San Antonio's notoriously tight-lipped standards. He could get a supermax deal, he could... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NBA might have to get used to this.Stephen Curry is under contract for basically the rest of his prime. Kevin Durant says he isn't going anywhere. Steve Kerr has more than proven himself as one of the game's best coaches. Free agents will line up for the chance to move west even if that means taking some pay cuts. There's even a new arena coming in a year or so for the Golden State Warriors to call home.It's their league now, without question.For the third time in four years, the Warriors are champions of the NBA world. They've gone back-to-back, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a sweep of these NBA Finals in the fourth consecutive meeting between those clubs.The Cavs may very well be coming apart.The Warriors look very much built to last, and no matter where LeBron James goes this summer it'll probably be Golden State as the prohibitive favorites to win it all again next year."You don't want to cheat the moment," Curry said, the... [More]

LeBron James gets to the NBA Finals every year, masking the East's mediocrity.Lately, he's been the underdog and the finals' outcome has been predictable.That doesn't seem like the best thing for a championship series, though James representing the East is a better finals option for the NBA than a Kyrie Irving-less Celtics squad or the uninspiring Raptors.James provides the star power to drive TV ratings. So the NBA hasn't needed the best teams in the finals; it has had the best player."The real answer is it's better to have both," said Scott Rosner, the academic director of the sports management program at Columbia University. "The NBA, if you step back from it, has been very much on an upward trend, you can argue more than any of the other big four sports leagues. There's a lot of different reasons for that, but clearly it's a star-driven league."For eight years running James has provided the glimmer of hope that the JV against the varsity really can be competitive. He can almost single-handedly... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — This was not exactly the same shot from Kevin Durant.Game 3 of the NBA Finals again, yes.Left wing pull-up, yes.Back in Cleveland, yes.Final minute again, yes.But this one was deeper than his dagger was a year ago — and it cut deeper as well. And on a night where Stephen Curry couldn't shoot and Klay Thompson wasn't much better, Durant put the Golden State Warriors on his slender shoulders and carried them to the brink of becoming back-to-back NBA champions for the first time.Durant's 33-footer was the final act in his 43-point night, and the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3 of the finals on Wednesday night to take a 3-0 lead in the title series for the second straight season. A year ago, his shot from a bit closer — 26 feet, officially — put the Warriors ahead to stay in what became a five-point win. This time, the longer one put Golden State up by six and sent fans starting to head toward the exits."Different game, different season, different feel,"... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — This was not exactly the same shot from Kevin Durant.Game 3 of the NBA Finals again, yes.Left wing pull-up, yes.Back in Cleveland, yes.Final minute again, yes.But this one was deeper than his dagger was a year ago — and it cut deeper as well. And on a night where Stephen Curry couldn't shoot and Klay Thompson wasn't much better, Durant put the Golden State Warriors on his slender shoulders and carried them to the brink of becoming back-to-back NBA champions for the first time.Durant's 33-footer was the final act in his 43-point night, and the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 110-102 in Game 3 of the finals on Wednesday night to take a 3-0 lead in the title series for the second straight season. A year ago, his shot from a bit closer — 26 feet, officially — put the Warriors ahead to stay in what became a five-point win. This time, the longer one put Golden State up by six and sent fans starting to head toward the exits."Different game, different season, different feel,"... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Learn from your mistakes, Golden State.Learn from how one got away in 2016. Learn from how sleepwalking through the third quarter on Sunday night made Game 2 of this series much more interesting than it ever should have been, at least until Stephen Curry went wild in the fourth quarter. Learn from Boston, both this year and six years ago. Learn from what cost San Antonio a title in 2013, too.Don't give LeBron James hope.Or else.Golden State leads these NBA Finals 2-0, after a 122-103 win put the defending champions two wins away from what would be their third title in the last four seasons. Only four teams have ever wasted a 2-0 lead in the finals — and Golden State is one of them, letting a championship ring slip away against James and the Cavaliers two years ago.The series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Wednesday night. James looked exhausted when Game 2 was over, but he'll be somewhat rested by then. And he will most definitely be fueled by a boisterous home... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Learn from your mistakes, Golden State.Learn from how one got away in 2016. Learn from how sleepwalking through the third quarter on Sunday night made Game 2 of this series much more interesting than it ever should have been, at least until Stephen Curry went wild in the fourth quarter. Learn from Boston, both this year and six years ago. Learn from what cost San Antonio a title in 2013, too.Don't give LeBron James hope.Or else.Golden State leads these NBA Finals 2-0, after a 122-103 win put the defending champions two wins away from what would be their third title in the last four seasons. Only four teams have ever wasted a 2-0 lead in the finals — and Golden State is one of them, letting a championship ring slip away against James and the Cavaliers two years ago.The series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Wednesday night. James looked exhausted when Game 2 was over, but he'll be somewhat rested by then. And he will most definitely be fueled by a boisterous home... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James' face said it all. J.R. Smith messed up. And the Cleveland Cavaliers paid for his mistake as they lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals 124-114 to the Golden State Warriors in overtime.The score was tied at 107 with 4.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cleveland was at the line. George Hill's free-throw attempt bounced off the rim, and Smith rebounded. Instead of putting a shot up while near the basket, Smith dribbled out toward midcourt and kept it , despite James' shouts for the ball.Time ran out. Overtime ensued. Golden State won.Welcome to the club of big blunders, Smith.___CHRIS WEBBER - 1993The announcer said it before the game-deciding moment even happened: "Remember, the Wolverines are out of timeouts." Well, Michigan's Chris Webber didn't remember.After dribbling into a corner with 11 seconds left in the championship, surrounded by defenders, Webber called a timeout . Automatic technical foul. North Carolina hit two free throws, then two more to seal it.Michigan... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James' face said it all. J.R. Smith messed up. And the Cleveland Cavaliers paid for his mistake as they lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals 124-114 to the Golden State Warriors in overtime.The score was tied at 107 with 4.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Cleveland was at the line. George Hill's free-throw attempt bounced off the rim, and Smith rebounded. Instead of putting a shot up while near the basket, Smith dribbled out toward midcourt and kept it , despite James' shouts for the ball.Time ran out. Overtime ensued. Golden State won.Welcome to the club of big blunders, Smith.___CHRIS WEBBER - 1993The announcer said it before the game-deciding moment even happened: "Remember, the Wolverines are out of timeouts." Well, Michigan's Chris Webber didn't remember.After dribbling into a corner with 11 seconds left in the championship, surrounded by defenders, Webber called a timeout . Automatic technical foul. North Carolina hit two free throws, then two more to seal it.Michigan... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The ending was weird.The postgame was weird.At least Game 1 of what was supposed to be a lopsided NBA Finals was anything but boring. It had a little of everything: A player stumbled and buckled Klay Thompson's knee to send the Warriors' sharp-shooter limping to the locker room in the opening minutes; let Stephen Curry get loose for a 30-footer at the halftime buzzer; grabbed a rebound in the final seconds of regulation with the score tied and inexplicably ran toward midcourt as if he thought the game was over.And all that was just J.R. Smith.The opener of this Cleveland-Golden State series should have been memorable for other reasons — LeBron James scoring a playoff career-high 51 points, the Warriors having three players score at least 24 and Draymond Green nearly getting a triple-double. Instead, this game's legacy is an overturned charge call late in regulation, Smith's gaffes, contradictory explanations from Cleveland and hot tempers in the final seconds.Warriors... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The ending was weird.The postgame was weird.At least Game 1 of what was supposed to be a lopsided NBA Finals was anything but boring. It had a little of everything: A player stumbled and buckled Klay Thompson's knee to send the Warriors' sharp-shooter limping to the locker room in the opening minutes; let Stephen Curry get loose for a 30-footer at the halftime buzzer; grabbed a rebound in the final seconds of regulation with the score tied and inexplicably ran toward midcourt as if he thought the game was over.And all that was just J.R. Smith.The opener of this Cleveland-Golden State series should have been memorable for other reasons — LeBron James scoring a playoff career-high 51 points, the Warriors having three players score at least 24 and Draymond Green nearly getting a triple-double. Instead, this game's legacy is an overturned charge call late in regulation, Smith's gaffes, contradictory explanations from Cleveland and hot tempers in the final seconds.Warriors... [More]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers are investigating whether team president Bryan Colangelo used a variety of Twitter accounts to anonymously trash some of his own players and fellow executives and defend himself against criticism from fans and the sports media.The allegations, reported Tuesday by the sports website The Ringer , raised questions about Colangelo's future and that of the NBA team itself, a rising franchise heading into perhaps its most important summer ever as it tries to attract free agents to contend for championships.The five Twitter accounts under suspicion took aim at Philadelphia players Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, former Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie, Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri and former Sixers players Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel, according to The Ringer.Among other things, the user or users of the accounts complained that Embiid, the 24-year-old All-Star center, was "playing like a toddler having tantrums" and was "a bit lazy," ''selfish"... [More]