DALLAS (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki plans to become the first player to spend all 21 seasons with the same NBA franchise.Dennis Smith Jr. will be half the German star's age when the Dallas Mavericks open next season looking to end the first two-year playoff drought in nearly two decades. The team posted its worst record since 1997-98, the year before Nowitzki arrived.The No. 9 overall pick who turned 20 early in what ended up as a solid rookie season, Smith figures to have a new teammate facing high expectations the way he did. Dallas will pick no lower than seventh in June.Smith will have at least one thing in common with Nowitzki, who turns 40 this summer. They want the Mavericks to be regulars in the postseason again, the way they were before the current swoon."I've been in a couple of arenas that are playoff teams, and I just witnessed the atmosphere," Smith said. "I can only imagine how it is playoff time."It's certainly better than 24-58, tied with Atlanta for the league's third-worst record.... [More]

Maybe this is the year.Maybe the Golden State Warriors, opening the postseason without Stephen Curry or any momentum, won't be the best of the West, where there's a Houston team that can run and gun as well as they do.Maybe the Cleveland Cavaliers, starting from the middle of the pack in the East, just have too big a hill to climb, even with LeBron James carrying them.Or perhaps none of that matters, and the NBA is headed toward Round 4 of its reigning rivalry.The postseason opens Saturday and it's far from a guarantee it ends with a record fourth straight NBA Finals matchup between the Warriors and Cavaliers. Neither was the best team in its conference during the regular season — the Cavaliers were only No. 4 in the East — and it's not hard to envision a Houston to Toronto trip replacing what's become an annual Oakland, California, to Cleveland itinerary.Then again, the Warriors could be as dangerous as ever once Curry returns from a knee injury that could have him back for the second... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Pistons can certainly attest to how long the NBA season is.For two months, they looked like a team on the rise in the Eastern Conference during a 19-14 start that included victories at Golden State, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Boston. Then an ankle injury to point guard Reggie Jackson derailed Detroit's season, and even a bold trade for Blake Griffin wasn't enough to push the Pistons to the playoffs.Detroit's promising start now feels like a long time ago, and the big question for this offseason is the status of Stan Van Gundy, who has just one playoff appearance in four seasons as coach and president of basketball operations."I think we have to make changes," owner Tom Gores said earlier this week.It's not clear if those changes will involve moving on from Van Gundy, who never had much of a chance to coach the Pistons at full strength after Jackson's ankle injury Dec. 26. He didn't come back until the latter half of March.After faltering badly following Jackson's... [More]

Frank Vogel was brought to Orlando two years ago with hopes he could get the Magic back to the playoffs, and stop the spinning of the revolving door to their coaches' office.Neither of those things happened.Vogel was fired by the Magic on Thursday about 10 hours after the team wrapped up a 25-57 season, its sixth consecutive losing year. Vogel, who had one year left on his contract, went 54-110 in his two years with Orlando.The Magic haven't been to the playoffs since Stan Van Gundy's final season with the team in 2012. Vogel, who had some successful years coaching the Indiana Pacers before going to Orlando, simply didn't have the roster to change that."I have nothing but the utmost respect for Frank Vogel as a coach and a person," said Magic basketball operations president Jeff Weltman, who met with Vogel to deliver the news. "I know he'll be a head coach again shortly."Weltman didn't give a timetable for finding a new coach."We just have to find that right guy," he said.Clearly, another... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Coach Dave Joerger strongly believes Sacramento's commitment to youth this season will pay off down the line in helping develop the Kings into a playoff contender.How soon that happens remains an open question."It can be frustrating because we're a society that wants a quick change and we want it right now," Joerger said after the final game of his second season in Sacramento. "It just takes time together to get that chemistry. We all want it to happen as fast as possible and we're doing everything we can for that."The Kings took a step back in the standings this season, winning five fewer games on the way to a 27-55 record that left them out of the playoffs for the 12th straight season, the longest active drought in the NBA.But with most of Sacramento's key players age 25 or younger, there might be some reason for optimism for a franchise that seems to be in perpetual rebuilding mode."They've seen enough to know how to react now," veteran Vince Carter said. "They... [More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Coach Dave Joerger strongly believes Sacramento's commitment to youth this season will pay off down the line in helping develop the Kings into a playoff contender.How soon that happens remains an open question."It can be frustrating because we're a society that wants a quick change and we want it right now," Joerger said after the final game of his second season in Sacramento. "It just takes time together to get that chemistry. We all want it to happen as fast as possible and we're doing everything we can for that."The Kings took a step back in the standings this season, winning five fewer games on the way to a 27-55 record that left them out of the playoffs for the 12th straight season, the longest active drought in the NBA.But with most of Sacramento's key players age 25 or younger, there might be some reason for optimism for a franchise that seems to be in perpetual rebuilding mode."They've seen enough to know how to react now," veteran Vince Carter said. "They... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — John Paxson insisted the Chicago Bulls are in a good position. And the Bulls' top executive hopes they are never in this spot again."We did this year what we felt was in the long-term best interests of the Bulls," Paxson said Thursday. "It's not a situation that any of us want to ever be in again. It goes against everything as a competitive person that you believe in, but it's the way the system is set up. To be very honest, we believe we've done it the right way."The Bulls went 27-55, their worst record since the 2003-04 season, and missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. But they are staying the course after going all-in on rebuilding.Paxson, Chicago's executive vice president of basketball operations, praised coach Fred Hoiberg and said he will "absolutely" return for a fourth season. He said most of the roster will be back "because we're headed in the right direction" and called this "as important a summer as we've had in a very long time."Here are some... [More]

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Knicks are preaching patience but looking for progress.Jeff Hornacek got caught in the middle.The Knicks fired their coach early Thursday, shortly after finishing a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek."We looked out and we have a plan for what this team should look like over the next three years or so," Knicks President Steve Mills said. "We just thought this was an opportunity where we thought it was the right time to make a change."Mills and general manager Scott Perry said they didn't see enough improvement on the court and enough communication and accountability off it. They informed Hornacek of their decision at the airport after flying home from a season-ending victory in Cleveland."We know the roster is not complete, we understand our roster as well as anybody," Perry said at a news conference at the team's training facility. "But again, just in terms of consistency and then a trend I... [More]

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Knicks will open their offseason with a coaching search.The team fired Jeff Hornacek early Thursday shortly after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. The Knicks lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek.Team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry said they didn't see enough progress on the court and enough communication and accountability off it. They informed Hornacek of their decision on the plane home."We know the roster is not complete, we understand our roster as well as anybody," Perry said at a news conference at the team's training facility. "But again, just in terms of consistency and then a trend I would say toward consistency, Steve and I thought we fell a little bit short in that area."Associate head coach Kurt Rambis also was fired.Hornacek went 60-104 and had a year left on his contract. He became the first coaching change after the NBA regular season finished,... [More]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A season that opened with such promise for the Grizzlies wound up as one of the franchise's worst since moving to Memphis.The Grizzlies couldn't have started better than 5-1, sitting near the top of the Western Conference standings with a pair of early wins over the Houston Rockets and a home victory over the Golden State Warriors. By the end, the Grizzlies' hopes of an eighth straight postseason appearance turned to hopefully landing a top two pick in June's NBA draft.When the injuries started, most notably what wound up a season-ending left heel-Achilles tendon injury to point guard Mike Conley, the season imploded. And kept getting worse through multiple double-digit losing streaks. The first long slide cost coach David Fizdale his job after a short tenure and leaving interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff at the helm.The change didn't help as the Grizzlies lost 19 straight between early February and mid-March — the longest skid since the team moved to Memphis in 2001."It's... [More]

Frank Vogel was brought to Orlando two years ago with hopes he could get the Magic back to the playoffs, and stop the spinning of the revolving door to their coaches' office.Neither of those things happened.Vogel was fired by the Magic on Thursday about 10 hours after the team wrapped up a 25-57 season, its sixth consecutive losing year. Vogel, who had one year left on his contract, went 54-110 in his two years with Orlando.The Magic haven't been to the playoffs since Stan Van Gundy's final season with the team in 2012. Vogel, who had some successful years coaching the Indiana Pacers before going to Orlando, simply didn't have the roster to change that."We would like to thank Frank for his contributions to the Orlando Magic," Magic basketball operations president Jeff Weltman said. "We appreciate the sacrifices he made as head coach and certainly wish him and his family well going forward."Vogel told his players after Wednesday's season-ending win over playoff-bound Washington he was planning... [More]

Editors:To help you with the upcoming NBA postseason, here are some of AP's plans. Please direct questions to Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org). Times are ET. This digest will be updated.PLAYOFF COVERAGE— Each series will get a preview, 650-750 words.— Game coverage will follow the regular-season format, with final updates of about 750 words. Sidebars on merit.— During the early rounds, we will again move BKN--TIPOFF each day until the conference finals, featuring the top story lines looking ahead to the next day's games.— Team wrapups will move the day after the regular season in most cases.___UPCOMING FEATURESBKN--PLAYOFFS SETMIAMI — Finally, the brackets will be set. A race that went to the end in both conferences — just to decide who got in out West, and to decide who plays who in the East — is over, and the long road to the NBA Finals is now underway. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos by 3 a.m. THURSDAYBKN--WARRIORS-DIFFERENT PATHOAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks will open their offseason with a coaching search.The team fired coach Jeff Hornacek early Thursday, making the decision shortly after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek."Jeff is a true professional who has worked tirelessly for this organization the last two seasons," Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. "We sincerely appreciate his efforts and considerable contributions to the team and wish him well in his future endeavors."Associate head coach Kurt Rambis also was fired.Hornacek went 60-104 and had a year left on his contract. He became the first coaching change after the NBA regular season finished, sending the Knicks in search of their 11th different head coach since Jeff Van Gundy resigned in the 2001-02 season.Hornacek was hired in 2016 by Phil Jackson and lasted just one more season after Jackson... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry on the sidelines again, this time with a hurt knee. No longer the sure-thing No. 1 seed. Steve Kerr piecing together rotations based on who's available through illness and injury.It hasn't exactly been an easy course this season for the defending NBA champions.The Golden State Warriors are used to being the best out West, a top target that everyone in the NBA seeks to unseat.It's just a little different this time.Not that Kerr is overly concerned. Golden State's coach thinks the Warriors will be just fine when they open their best-of-seven series against No. 7 seed San Antonio at home Saturday afternoon."We're going to have new life when the playoffs start. And I'm well aware of what a long, difficult season it's been," he said. "So many things have been thrown at us here the last month, especially all the injuries, which have really shaken up our rotation. That's made it difficult on everybody and our players. But they're fighting and that's the main... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Wednesday's final slate of NBA regular-season games (all times local):3:10 a.m.The NBA has released the first-round playoff schedule, and the reigning NBA champs will host the postseason opener.Game 1 between Golden State and San Antonio opens the slate on Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern — a somewhat unusual noon local time tip-off for the Warriors.The Warriors-Spurs game will followed Saturday by three other openers — Washington-Toronto, Miami-Philadelphia and New Orleans-Portland.On Sunday, the games are Milwaukee-Boston, Indiana-Cleveland, Utah-Oklahoma City and Minnesota-Houston.Game 2s will be held Monday through Wednesday.Game 3s start Thursday, and all Game 7s — if necessary — would be on April 28 and 29.For those planning way ahead, the NBA Finals are set to begin on May 31.___1:00 a.m.The NBA playoff bracket is complete.Portland beat Utah to grab the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and that allowed the rest of the bracket to be filled in — finally. The... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks will open their offseason with a coaching search.The team fired coach Jeff Hornacek after two seasons, a person with knowledge of the decision said early Thursday.The Knicks made the decision shortly after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official announcement isn't planned until later in the day.The firing was first reported by ESPN.Hornacek was hired in 2016 by Phil Jackson and lasted just one more season after Jackson and the team parted ways last summer. President Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry apparently weren't pleased with the results, though they knew the Knicks were rebuilding with younger players."Jeff is a good guy," forward Michael Beasley said after Wednesday's victory. "He played the hand he was dealt. It's difficult to do anything because... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — For most point guards, grabbing 16 rebounds to achieve a milestone would seem a daunting task.For Russell Westbrook, it seemed a foregone conclusion.The Thunder star entered Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies needing 16 rebounds to become the first player to average a triple-double in multiple seasons. He had four rebounds at the end of the first quarter, then snagged seven in the second in just under nine minutes. He had five rebounds in the first 2:42 of the third quarter to reach his goal, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.He finished with just six points, but he had a career-high 20 rebounds and 19 assists in a 137-123 win. He finished the season with averages of 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists."I'm very, very thankful and blessed, man, to go out and compete," Westbrook said. "Like I've said many, many times, I don't take this game for granted. I don't take going out on the floor and competing for granted. When God... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks have fired coach Jeff Hornacek after two seasons, a person with knowledge of the decision said early Thursday.The Knicks made the decision after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official announcement isn't planned until later in the day.The firing was first reported by ESPN.Hornacek was hired in 2016 by Phil Jackson and lasted just one more season after Jackson and the team parted ways last summer. President Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry apparently weren't pleased with the results, though they knew the Knicks were rebuilding with younger players.Hornacek went 60-104 and had a year left on his contract. He became the first coaching change after the NBA regular season completed, sending the Knicks on yet another coaching search.Hornacek, previously a head... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry on the sidelines again, this time with a hurt knee. No longer the sure-thing No. 1 seed. Steve Kerr piecing together rotations based on who's available through illness and injury.It hasn't exactly been an easy course this season for the defending NBA champions.The Golden State Warriors are used to being the best out West, a top target that everyone in the NBA seeks to unseat.It's just a little different this time.Not that Kerr is overly concerned. Golden State's coach thinks the Warriors will be just fine when they open their best-of-seven series against No. 7 seed San Antonio at home this weekend."We're going to have new life when the playoffs start. And I'm well aware of what a long, difficult season it's been," he said. "So many things have been thrown at us here the last month, especially all the injuries, which have really shaken up our rotation. That's made it difficult on everybody and our players. But they're fighting and that's the main thing."We're... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA playoffs that start this weekend already have an extremely tough act to follow.The regular season ended with a flourish.Wednesday's final night of the regular season was well beyond dramatic — an overtime game between Minnesota and Denver to decide the last berth, another overtime game between Miami and Toronto to determine some East fates, a 46-point first quarter by Philadelphia , an absurd 20-rebound, 19-assist night from Russell Westbrook.And now, the best time of the NBA year is finally here.The playoffs are back, with Golden State and Cleveland — who've met in the last three NBA Finals — not exactly looking like the overwhelming favorites the league has come to expect. A fourth straight Warriors-Cavs matchup is no guarantee. A fourth straight trip by either of those teams alone is far from certain, either.It all starts Saturday, the 16-team tournament that will be a two-month grind following the six-month grind of the regular season."I feel pretty ready," Toronto... [More]