F LeBron James had a game-high 41 points Monday. He also collected a game-high 13 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. He is the first player ever to average a triple-double in the Finals. "I have no reason to put my head down," said James, who finished with averages of 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists in the five-game series.Draymond Green had a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Warriors,

F LeBron James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double, passing Magic Johnson for first place in Finals history. The loss ended the Warriors' bid for a perfect 16-0 run through the playoffs, which had never been done. Golden State leads 3-1 in the series as it shifts back to Oakland, Calif., for Game 5 on Monday night. "I didn't hear it, but some of the other guys heard it and told me that that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms, and I think it came from Draymond (Green), which is OK, that's Dray anyway," James said. "So I just told guys, I didn't stress anything besides just live in the moment. Live in the moment." James passed Michael Jordan for third place in NBA Finals scoring history with his first basket and for first in free throws in the Finals. Jordan scored 1,176 points and connected on 1,463 free throws in six Finals.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James moved past Michael Jordan into third place on the NBA Finals' career scoring list during Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.James' and-one basket with 9:56 left in the first quarter vaulted him past Jordan, who scored 1,176 points in 35 career Finals games.James now trails only Jerry West (1,679) and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar (1,317) on the Finals' scoring list.The four-time league MVP also passed Jordan (1,463) for the most made free throws in postseason history during Friday's game and tied Shaquille O'Neal for the seventh-most games played in playoff history (216).During Game 5 of the Cavaliers' Eastern Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics, James eclipsed Jordan for the league's postseason scoring mark.Cleveland scored 49 points in the first quarter, an NBA Finals-record for any period, and opened an 86-68 lead at halftime, with James totaling 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds.The Cavs' 86 points were the most scored by any team in the first half of an NBA Finals game. The 154 combined first-half points also set a record for the most points ever scored in any Finals half.Golden State led the best-of-seven series 3-0.

F LeBron James scored 39 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out nine assists for Cleveland. James passed Sam Jones (1,143 points), Bill Russell (1,151), and Elgin Baylor (1,161) for fourth place on the NBA Finals all-time scoring list in the first half. He passed Russell (315 assists) for third all time in Finals assists, too.

F LeBron James had 29 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists Sunday, the NBA-record-tying eighth postseason triple-double of his career.He equaled Magic Johnson's playoff record.

F LeBron James recorded 28 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and eight turnovers in Thursday's 113-91 loss at Golden State in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. "I pride myself on not turning the ball over, and I did it too much," James said. "Twenty turnovers for 21 points on the road and 56 points (allowed) in the paint ... We did a great job covering the 3-point line, but other than that, they played a heck of a game." James connected on two 3-pointers, the second of which moved him past Reggie Miller (320) for second place on the NBA's all-time postseason list. Ray Allen is the all-time leader with 385.

A Los Angeles home owned by Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James was vandalized Wednesday morning with a racial slur spray-painted on the front gate of the $21 million estate.The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed officers were called to the Brentwood neighborhood estate to investigate the incident of the racial epithet.The vandalism was discovered about 6:45 a.m. PT and has since been painted over by the property manager, according to the LAPD.A Los Angeles Times source described the slur as the "N-word."The LAPD is investigating the incident as a hate crime and an official police report was expected later Wednesday.Police did not specify whether security footage was being used as part of the investigation to identify any suspects for the graffiti.James bought the 9,440-square-foot house in 2015 for about $20.9 million, according to public records. His primary residence during the NBA season is in Akron, Ohio,James, a sports icon who has spoken out against racism throughout his career,... [More]

The Golden State Warriors are tuning out talk that their star-studded teams in recent years are to blame for uncompetitive playoff basketball.Kevin Durant, who signed a two-year, $54.3 million free agent contract last offseason, said his move to join the Warriors has not negatively affected the NBA and ruined parity in the league."Like I'm the reason why (expletive) Orlando couldn't make the playoffs for five, six years in a row?" Durant told USA Today Sports in a wide-ranging article published Friday. "Am I the reason that Brooklyn gave all their picks to Boston? Like, am I the reason that they're not that good?"I can't play for every team, so the truth of the matter is I left one team. It's one more team that you probably would've thought would've been a contender. One more team. I couldn't have made the (entire) East better. I couldn't have made everybody (else) in the West better."The 2015 champion Warriors will face the 2016 champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals for the third... [More]

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the underdog against the Golden State Warriors as the NBA Finals get underway next week.The 2016 champion Cavs will battle the 2015 champion Warriors for the third straight year.James scored 35 points and passed Michael Jordan to become the NBA's all-time playoff scoring leader as the Cavaliers routed the Boston Celtics 135-102 on Thursday night to claim their third straight Eastern Conference title.Both teams dominated throughout the playoffs -- the Warriors making history by going an unprecedented 12-0 through three rounds in the Western Conference with the Cavs losing just a single game to the Celtics.The league will showcase the two best teams again when the NBA Finals tip off on Thursday night (ABC, 9 p.m. ET).The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook installed Golden State as a minus-260 favorite, with Cleveland at plus-220, meaning a $100 bet on the Warriors would win $38.46 and the same bet on the Cavaliers would win $220, according to ESPN.The... [More]

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be the underdog against the Golden State Warriors as the NBA Finals get underway next week.The 2016 champion Cavs will battle the 2015 champion Warriors for the third straight year.James scored 35 points and passed Michael Jordan to become the NBA's all-time playoff scoring leader as the Cavaliers routed the Boston Celtics 135-102 on Thursday night to claim their third straight Eastern Conference title.Both teams dominated throughout the playoffs -- the Warriors making history by going an unprecedented 12-0 through three rounds in the Western Conference with the Cavs losing just a single game to the Celtics.The league will showcase the two best teams again when the NBA Finals tip off on Thursday night (ABC, 9 p.m. ET).The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook installed Golden State as a minus-260 favorite, with Cleveland at plus-220, meaning a $100 bet on the Warriors would win $38.46 and the same bet on the Cavaliers would win $220, according to ESPN.The... [More]

F LeBron James scored 35 points to become the all-time playoff points leader while clinching his seventh consecutive NBA Finals appearance.James also had eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a blocked shot in a 135-102 blowout of the Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.James, who shot 13 of 18 from the floor and 4 of 7 from 3-point range, hit a 3-pointer with 2:41 left in the third quarter to pass Michael Jordan and move to the top of all playoff scorers. James finished the night with 5,995 playoff points, topping Jordan's mark of 5,987. Jordan appeared in 179 postseason games; James played his 212th.

F LeBron James scored 34 points to go with six assists in Game 4 vs. Boston, even though he left the game with 6:46 remaining in the second quarter after picking up his fourth foul. He never previously had that many fouls in the first half in his 14-year career, and Cleveland trailed 46-33.James recovered from an 11-point, 4-of-13 shooting night he endured in Cleveland's stunning Game 3 loss. He shot 15 of 27 from the field Tuesday and closed the game with 15 points in the fourth, including a 3-pointer with 3:52 remaining for a 106-97 lead.James trails Michael Jordan (5,987 points) by just 28 points for first place in NBA playoff history in scoring.

F LeBronJames was ineffective Sunday, scoring just 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting with six turnovers in a 111-108 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. He was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and was limited to three points in the second half. "I didn't have it," James said.

The San Antonio Spurs, on the brink of elimination down 3-0, likely will be without star forward Kawhi Leonard on Monday night for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors.Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Sunday the MVP candidate is "likely out" for a third straight game after Leonard re-injured his left ankle in the series opener. Popovich also said forward David Lee (knee) is expected to miss the game.Leonard aggravated the ankle injury when he landed on Warriors center Zaza Pachulia's foot after taking a jump shot early in the third quarter of Game 1 on May 14. The Spurs led by 23 points when Leonard was forced to leave in the third quarter, and they have since been outscored 314-241 by the Warriors.Lee underwent an MRI exam and was found to have a partially torn patellar tendon. It is possible that he injury will require surgery.--Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter, who was detained at a Romanian airport on Saturday when he said his passport was... [More]

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has been named the winner of the 2016-17 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for community service.The 32-year-old superstar is being honored for improving the educational opportunities of disadvantaged youth in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. More than 1,100 at-risk students have benefited from programs through the LeBron James Family Foundation, which motivates children to stay in school and attend college.The NBA made the award announcement Sunday as selected annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The PBWA is composed of about 200 writers and editors who cover the NBA on a regular basis for newspapers, online outlets and magazines. The honor, named after the NBA's second commissioner, is presented to a player, coach or athletic trainer "who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community."James was one of five finalists for the award, along with New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler,... [More]

F LeBron James, who scored 22 of his 30 points in the first half of Friday's 130-86 rout at Boston in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, has never lost a playoff series when up 2-0.James, who was a plus-46 in the game (plus-63 in two games), dished out seven assists and added four rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. He is averaging 34.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in the playoffs, shooting 56.9 percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from 3-point range. The plus-46 matched Jimmy Butler's 2015 performance at Milwaukee -- a stat that is tracked back only as far as 2003.Earlier in the day, James was not one of the three finalists for the league Most Valuable Player Award. "I didn't see it. What you going to do about it?" James said. "At the end of the day, my only job is try to be the MVP for this team every night. I know what I bring to the table. This league knows what I bring to the table. That's for you guys to write about. That's not for me to be concerned about."

Houston Rockets point guard James Harden was the only unanimous choice on the All-NBA first team in balloting announced by the league on Thursday. Harden earned all 500 points by being named as one of five first-team selections on each of the 100 ballots.Joining Harden on the first team are Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (498), Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook (498), San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (490) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (343).James and Westbrook each received one second-team vote in failing to join Harden as a unanimous choice.Earning second-team honors were Utah center Rudy Gobert (339 points), Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (290), Milwaukee Bucks small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (258), Warriors small forward Kevin Durant (239) and Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas (236).Selected to the third team were Golden State power forward Draymond Green (134), Washington Wizards point guard John Wall (125),... [More]

F LeBron James scored 15 of his 38 points in the first quarter as the Cavaliers cruised to a 117-104 victory over the Celtics in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals.James, looking to advance to his seventh consecutive NBA Finals (the most since Bill Russell in the 1960s) grabbed nine rebounds and seven assists while posting his seventh consecutive 30-point game. He is averaging 34.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.1 assists in the playoffs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to a multiyear sponsorship deal to wear Goodyear's iconic Wingfoot logo on their jerseys beginning with the 2017-18 season.The Cavs and the tire company, founded and headquartered in Akron, Ohio, announced the partnership on Monday at Quicken Loans Arena, home of the defending NBA champions.Cavaliers star LeBron James is Akron's favorite son and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is the city's cornerstone company, founded in 1898."Every Akron kid grew up seeing the Wingfoot in the sky on the blimp and feeling pride in our community," James said in a statement. "There is something special for me personally about having that logo on the Cavs uniform. Goodyear is also very supportive of the LeBron James Family Foundation. I can't imagine a better situation with our new Cavs jersey than bringing together Nike and Goodyear, two companies that mean a lot to me and my family."The NBA announced a year ago the approval of a three-year pilot program to sell ads on... [More]

F LeBron James scored 35 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had six assists to lead the Cavaliers, who won the NBA championship last season.