OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — For the second straight year, throngs of Golden State Warriors fans turned out for a victory parade to celebrate a team some are calling an NBA dynasty and got a treat when several players got off their buses to mingle with the crowd.Hundreds of thousands of fans in gold and blue and holding signs that read "Dynasty" and "Back to Back Champions" waved from behind barriers set up along the route in downtown Oakland, California, as the Warriors rode by in the open, double-decker buses Tuesday.Stephen Curry, NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors, who won their third title in four years last week, took turns raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the roaring crowd, which officials said could reach up to 1 million fans.Officials had promised an "interactive" parade with some fans able to ask the players questions and giant TV screens for the crowd to see them and hear their answers as the moved along the route. But there were no screens and when Klay Thompson... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — For the second straight year, throngs of Golden State Warriors fans turned out for a victory parade to celebrate a team some are calling an NBA dynasty and got a treat when several players got off their buses to mingle with the crowd.Hundreds of thousands of fans in gold and blue and holding signs that read "Dynasty" and "Back to Back Champions" waved from behind barriers set up along the route in downtown Oakland, California, as the Warriors rode by in the open, double-decker buses Tuesday.Stephen Curry, NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors, who won their third title in four years last week, took turns raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the roaring crowd, which officials said could reach up to 1 million fans.Officials had promised an "interactive" parade with some fans able to ask the players questions and giant TV screens for the crowd to see them and hear their answers as the moved along the route. But there were no screens and when Klay Thompson... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — For the second straight year, throngs of Golden State Warriors fans turned out for a victory parade to celebrate a team some are calling an NBA dynasty and got a treat when several players got off their buses to mingle with the crowd.Hundreds of thousands of fans in gold and blue and holding signs that read "Dynasty" and "Back to Back Champions" waved from behind barriers set up along the route in downtown Oakland, California, as the Warriors rode by in the open, double-decker buses Tuesday.Stephen Curry, NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors, who won their third title in four years last week, took turns raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the roaring crowd, which officials said could reach up to 1 million fans.Officials had promised an "interactive" parade with some fans able to ask the players questions and giant TV screens for the crowd to see them and hear their answers as the moved along the route. But there were no screens and when Klay Thompson... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the parade for the Golden State Warriors (all times local):1:20 p.m.Golden State Warriors players got off their buses to sign autographs and high-five fans and even posed for photographs holding brooms during their championship parade in Oakland.JaVale McGee, Nick Young and Jordan Bell ran along the barriers holding the crowd back and mingled with fans and even hugged some of them.Even coach Steve Kerr joined in on the fun and walked up to crowd to sign autographs during the team's victory parade Tuesday.McGee, who was wearing only shorts, said, "I'm just excited to be here with these guys. Our fans are amazing! All the love that they show is just beautiful."Young, also just in shorts during a very warm afternoon, swept the ground with a broom as dozens of fans held up their phones to take his picture.___12:15 p.m.Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has gotten off the double-decker bus to the cheers of the crowd.Curry is holding the Larry O'Brien... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving is playing coy about the possibility of reuniting with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate LeBron James next season in Boston.The Celtics guard on Tuesday deferred when asked about the prospect of the team pursuing James this summer. The 33-year-old James has a player option to remain in Cleveland next season but could opt for free agency."In this business, I've kind of experienced it all and I've seen a lot, so we'll see what management decides," Irving said when asked if he would be open to playing alongside James again.Irving was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2011 and played three seasons with James, from 2014-17. The duo made three straight trips to the NBA Finals, winning a championship in 2016."Obviously, it's a business at the end of the day," Irving said. "Ownership and management, they're going to feel what's best for our future and I'm fully supportive of (them). We'll see what happens."Irving was traded to Boston last August and averaged... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — For the second straight year, throngs of Golden State Warriors fans turned out for a victory parade to celebrate a team some are calling an NBA dynasty.Hundreds of thousands of fans in gold and blue and holding signs that read "Dynasty" and "Back to Back Champions" waved from behind barriers set up along the route in downtown Oakland, California, as the Warriors rode by in an open, double-decker bus.Stephen Curry, NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors, who won their third title in four years last week, took turns raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the roaring crowd, which officials said could reach up to 1 million fans.Officials had promised an "interactive" parade with some fans able to ask the players questions and giant TV screens for the crowd to see them and hear their answers as the moved along the route. But there were no screens and when Klay Thompson used a megaphone to say hello, his greeting was drowned out by the cheering crowd.Curry... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the parade for the Golden State Warriors (all times local):12:15 p.m.Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has gotten off the double-decker bus to the cheers of the crowd.Curry is holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy up in the air as dozens of cameras surround him.Officials had promised a more interactive parade this year for the team that has won three championships in four years.Klay Thompson used a megaphone from the bus to say hello to the crowd but his greeting was drowned out.Teenager Adriana Carnecer of San Francisco says she is a lifelong fan and is excited the team will be closer to home.The back-to-back champions plan to move to San Francisco next year.The 15-year-old says the team, which has won three championships in four years, has started "something that's going to be greater than it already is."___11:25 a.m.Gold and blue confetti is raining down in downtown Oakland, California, as a parade to celebrate the Golden State Warriors' third NBA... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on the parade for the Golden State Warriors (all times local):11:25 a.m.Gold and blue confetti is raining down in downtown Oakland, California, as a parade to celebrate the Golden State Warriors' third NBA title in four years gets underway.Warriors guard Klay Thompson is throwing T-shirts to fans and waving from the top of an open, double-decker bus.Fans arrived hours before the start of the parade Tuesday to get a prime spot along the route.The NBA champions have gone back-to-back, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-85 on Friday night to finish off a sweep of the NBA Finals in the fourth consecutive meeting between the clubs.___10:40 a.m.Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is promising fans the team will "get greedy" and win more championships.Curry says he never imagined the team would have a parade "let alone two and now three."Curry spoke during a short interview Tuesday with the team that was broadcast live before the start of the parade through... [More]

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]

Nick Nurse spent almost three decades paying his coaching dues, toiling with teams in Britain, Italy and Belgium, college basketball and the G League.The chance he's long coveted has finally arrived.Nurse has agreed to become the next coach of the Toronto Raptors, a person with direct knowledge of the hire told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Nurse will be replacing his former boss, Dwane Casey — under whom he spent the past five seasons as a Raptors assistant. Casey was fired after the Raptors were swept out of the second round of this year's playoffs by Cleveland.Nurse and the Raptors were completing contract terms Tuesday, according to the person who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced. ESPN first reported the hiring.The move seems to suggest there will be at least some continuity between what the Raptors have been doing and what they'll do on his watch. Toronto went 59-23 this season, the best record in the Eastern Conference and second-best... [More]

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — In a way, Hayden Dalton's game is tailor made for the NBA."With me stretching the floor, shooting at the 3 or 4 position as well as being able to rebound and handle the ball and then be able to guard multiple different positions," the former Wyoming Cowboy said, "my versatility is going toward what the NBA is (looking for)."Those strengths were magnified by the Cowboys' style of play the past two seasons under head coach Allen Edwards."The way we played was free and open, kind of positionless," the 6-foot-8, 195-pound Dalton said. "That helped out a ton, just in terms of me being comfortable handling the ball as well as rebounding, pushing. We did a lot of switching, so guarding guards and just stuff like that. That helps out a ton, just having that experience of having no position."But Dalton's path to a potential professional career was far from the usual one. The late bloomer received little recruiting attention out of Parker, Colorado, and attended Central Wyoming... [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]

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."Myers says: "I'd love to have him 10 years. He's earned the right to sign whatever deal he wants. ... That shouldn't be a long negotiation."Kerr has one year remaining on his original five-year contract, so he would receive a multiyear extension — and Kerr wants to coach Golden State for the long haul, perhaps for another decade if he can.Myers wants to keep as much of the core of the two-time defending champions intact while also realizing the Warriors will be a younger team without the same veteran presence.Key reserve David West is contemplating retirement.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

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]

PHOENIX (AP) — Mohamed Bamba could be the next Rudy Gobert, and that's why he's expected to go very high in the NBA draft.The towering 7-footer from Harlem, who played his one collegiate season at Texas, worked out individually with Phoenix on Saturday, the third player to do so this week as the Suns weigh their options with the No. 1 overall pick this month in the NBA draft.Deandre Ayton worked out Wednesday and Marvin Bagley III on Friday."Mo had a really good workout," Suns general manager Ryan McDonough said. "His wingspan, his standing reach, is off the charts. His ability to protect the rim I think will be elite at the NBA level, in addition to his ability to rebound the ball. Another thing that stood out to us in his workout today is we can tell he's been working on his shooting."Bamba has been working with noted shooting coach Drew Hanlen and has made significant changes to his form.McDonough described Bamba's old form as "a slingshot" approach with the ball released far behind... [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]