OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry and Draymond Green admire Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni from afar for how he empowers all his players to be scorers.No matter who you are, just let it fly — and for the Rockets that means regularly from 3-point range. And in transition whenever possible.Golden State coach Steve Kerr praises D'Antoni for influencing the way NBA teams now play offense: the pace and the space; precise ball movement and playing small without a traditional center; shooting at will and shooting from way back.Still, for all his success in leading the West's top team this season, D'Antoni might need a championship to validate his style.Standing in the way are the defending champion Warriors, who open the best-of-seven Western Conference finals at Houston on Monday night."He empowers everyone to shoot the basketball, and that's dangerous," said Green, Golden State's bruising forward. "That's why he's been so successful, especially on that side of the ball with any team he's ever... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — George Hill has gone from point guard to point grad in the NBA playoffs.Cleveland's starting guard was excused from practice on Saturday to receive his degree from IUPUI. As his Cavaliers teammates got in one last workout before heading to Boston for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, Hill took part in graduation ceremonies at the school in Indianapolis.The 32-year-old Hill received his degree from the School of Liberal Arts. He was one of two student speakers to address the new graduates. Hill played for the Jaguars from 2004-08.Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said Hill would rejoin the team in time for the series opener Sunday against the Celtics.Hill joined the Cavs in February, coming over in a trade from Sacramento. He was slowed by back spasms and missed three games in the first round of the playoff against Indiana. But he returned and played a key role in Cleveland's four-game sweep of Toronto.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

The regular season is irrelevant.That's the message the Toronto Raptors sent Friday when they fired Dwane Casey, two days after his now-former peers in the NBA said he did the best coaching job in the league this season. Casey led the Raptors to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this season, along with the second-best record in the league. He even got to coach in the All-Star game.Didn't matter.Swept in the playoffs, swept out of Toronto.The Raptors were good this season. They weren't great. And they can't beat LeBron James, who has engineered the ouster of Toronto now in each of the last three seasons, the last two of them being sweeps. So Casey paid the price, and with that comes the reminder: Winning isn't enough in this NBA. Coaches must meet expectations, regardless of how misguided they may be."In some ways I think the time has come," Raptors President Masai Ujiri said Friday, a few hours after telling Casey that he was done in Toronto. "Sometimes these things come to an end,... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Masai Ujiri believes Dwane Casey deserves to be recognized as the best coach in the NBA, but the Toronto president doesn't think Casey should be leading the Raptors.So the Raptors fired Casey, praising him on his way out the door.Hours after the Raptors announced they were parting ways with Casey on Friday — days after the team was swept in the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season — Ujiri said he doesn't think he will ever work with a better person."Nothing in particular that coach Casey did wrong, but I think it was time for this to happen," he said.Casey led the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins this season as Toronto earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. He posted a 320-238 record in seven seasons and is the franchise's winningest coach."I hope coach Casey gets coach of the year, because he deserves it," Ujiri said. "I saw everything he did here. I saw the job he did this year. He deserves it."But that wasn't... [More]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — There haven't been any championship banners hoisted into Boston's hallowed rafters since 2008.LeBron James won't let go of the rope.Cleveland's star has bounced the Celtics from the playoffs four times in the past seven years, and James carries a six-game postseason winning streak at Boston into this year's Eastern Conference finals, which open Sunday at TD Garden.As a member of both the Miami Heat and Cavaliers, James — whose success against Boston did a 180-degree turn with a mesmerizing Game 6 performance in 2012 — has made the Celtics green(er) with envy.But while the 33-year-old has the utmost respect for the NBA's most decorated franchise, James' admiration hasn't stopped him from standing in the way of Boston stuffing more Larry O'Brien trophies into its crowded case.And if he beats the Celtics again and advances to his eighth straight NBA Finals, James would join a club currently exclusive to Boston players with legendary status.Only Bill Russell (10),... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — Masai Ujiri believes Dwane Casey deserves to be recognized as the best coach in the NBA, but the Toronto president doesn't think Casey should be leading the Raptors.So the Raptors fired Casey, praising him on his way out the door.Hours after the Raptors announced they were parting ways with Casey on Friday — days after the team was swept in the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season — Ujiri said he doesn't think he will ever work with a better person."Nothing in particular that coach Casey did wrong, but I think it was time for this to happen," he said.Casey led the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins this season as Toronto earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. He posted a 320-238 record in seven seasons and is the franchise's winningest coach."I hope coach Casey gets coach of the year, because he deserves it," Ujiri said. "I saw everything he did here. I saw the job he did this year. He deserves it."But that wasn't... [More]

The regular season is irrelevant.That's the message the Toronto Raptors sent Friday when they fired Dwane Casey, two days after his now-former peers in the NBA said he did the best coaching job in the league this season. Casey led the Raptors to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference this season, along with the second-best record in the league. He even got to coach in the All-Star game.Didn't matter.Swept in the playoffs, swept out of Toronto.The Raptors were good this season. They weren't great. And they can't beat LeBron James, who has engineered the ouster of Toronto now in each of the last three seasons, the last two of them being sweeps. So Casey paid the price, and with that comes the reminder: Winning isn't enough in this NBA. Coaches must meet expectations, regardless of how misguided they may be."In some ways I think the time has come," Raptors President Masai Ujiri said Friday, a few hours after telling Casey that he was done in Toronto. "Sometimes these things come to an end,... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors fired Dwane Casey on Friday after the team was swept in the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season.Toronto President Masai Ujiri said the move was a "very difficult but necessary step."The 61-year-old Casey led the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins and a top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. He posted a 320-238 record in seven seasons and is the franchise's winningest coach.The Raptors won four Atlantic Division titles and advanced to the postseason five consecutive seasons. But Toronto could not get past the puzzle of the Cavaliers and LeBron James in the playoffs."As a team, we are constantly trying to grow and improve in order to get to the next level," Ujiri said in the statement released by the team.Ujiri thanked Casey for what he's done for the organization, saying Casey was "instrumental in creating the identity and culture of who we are as a team."The Raptors will hold a news conference Friday afternoon... [More]

TORONTO (AP) — The Toronto Raptors have fired Dwane Casey after the team was swept in the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for second straight season.Toronto President Masai Ujiri on Friday said the move was a "very difficult but necessary step.""As a team, we are constantly trying to grow and improve in order to get to the next level," Ujiri said in the statement released by the team.Ujiri thanked Casey for what he has done for the organization, saying Casey was "instrumental in creating the identity and culture of who we are as a team."The Raptors will hold a news conference Friday afternoon and are expected to provide more details on the decision to part ways with Casey.The move comes two days after Casey was honored as coach of the year by the National Basketball Coaches Association.Casey, 61, led the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins and a top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. He posted a 320-238 record and is the franchise's winningest coach.The Raptors won... [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]

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) — Rodney Hood got an unusual reaction when he apologized to his Cleveland teammates for refusing to check into Game 4 against Toronto.They laughed.The chaotic Cavaliers have dealt with bigger nonsense this season."They was like, 'Hood, that's not really a distraction' because of everything that they've been through this year," he said. "So they all took light of it. They understand, so it wasn't anything really."Hood added another distraction to a season full of them on Tuesday night when he waved off coach Tyronn Lue's request to replace LeBron James during the fourth quarter of the Cavs' blowout win over the Raptors. The Cavs were ahead by 30 when Hood, whose playing time has dwindled in the postseason, told Lue to put in Jose Calderon instead.Hood said he told Lue to "just let Jose play" and then regretted his decision."I should have known because I didn't play throughout the duration of the game that it was gonna look bad, but it wasn't (as bad) as people was... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison is retiring after 15 years in the NBA.The 37-year-old Collison announced his decision Thursday through the team. The Thunder said Collison is among five NBA players to have spent the past 15 or more seasons all with one franchise."My goal was always to make a career out of basketball and I was blessed to be in the NBA for 15 seasons," Collison said in a statement.The 6-foot-10 Collison did not give a reason for his retirement. He played in just 15 games this past season. His best season came in 2007-08, when he averaged 9.8 points and 9.4 rebounds in the last year before the Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City.Collison was selected No. 12 overall out of Kansas by the Seattle Supersonics in 2003.Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti said Collison was a player who set the course for the team at home in Oklahoma City. "Nick has helped define the standards we work by on a day-to-day basis,... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Draymond Green's remarkable postseason has pushed beyond basketball, featuring Charles Barkley declaring he'd like to punch the emotional Golden State forward, a death threat from a frustrated fan who Green encouraged to get the help he needs, and an attempt by the All-Star to listen in on the Pelicans huddle.Oh, and it just so happens Green also became the first Warriors player to ever average a triple-double in a postseason series."He's just incredibly engaged and locked in. This is the best I've seen him play all year," coach Steve Kerr said. "Draymond has to play hard to do what he does. I think the playoffs have energized him."Green is at his best on the big stage and playing just on the edge — pushing boundaries by being just physical enough without crossing the line, dishing out just enough trash talk, though others may beg to differ.Just as Barkley did.Green flaps his mouth with the best of them in what many might consider over-the-top gamesmanship, engaging... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City forward Nick Collison is retiring after 15 years with the Thunder.The 37-year-old Collison announced his decision Thursday through the team. The Thunder said Collison is among five NBA players to have spent the past 15 or more seasons all with one franchise.Collison said his goal was to make a career out of basketball and that he was "blessed to be in the NBA for 15 seasons."The 6-foot-10 Collison was selected No. 12 overall out of Kansas by the Seattle Supersonics in 2003.Collison started 177 of his 910 career regular-season games, averaging 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds. He and Russell Westbrook are the only two players to spend the first 10 years of the relocated franchise in Oklahoma City.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Draymond Green's remarkable postseason has pushed beyond basketball, featuring Charles Barkley declaring he'd like to punch the emotional Golden State forward, a death threat from a frustrated fan that Green encouraged to get the help he needs, and an attempt by the All-Star to listen in on the Pelicans huddle.Oh, and it just so happens Green also became the first Warriors player to ever average a triple-double in a postseason series."He's just incredibly engaged and locked in. This is the best I've seen him play all year," coach Steve Kerr said. "Draymond has to play hard to do what he does. I think the playoffs have energized him."Green is at his best on the big stage and playing just on the edge — pushing boundaries by being just physical enough without crossing the line, dishing out just enough trash talk, though others may beg to differ.Just as Barkley did.Green flaps his mouth with the best of them in what many might consider over-the-top gamesmanship, engaging... [More]

The franchise with the most titles. The best player of this generation. The reigning champions. The probable MVP.The NBA has its Final Four.It certainly does not disappoint.Boston's win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night brought down the curtain on the postseason's second round — one that wasn't exactly loaded with drama, since it was the first time since 2002 that none of the NBA's four conference semifinal series went past five games. Cleveland swept Toronto, while Houston, Golden State and the Celtics all prevailed by 4-1 counts.Everyone gets to catch their collective breaths for a few days, with the league going dark until the weekend. Cleveland and Boston don't tip off the Eastern Conference finals until Sunday, and the Warriors and Rockets start their West title series on Monday. And yes, the Cavaliers and Warriors are four wins away from a fourth consecutive meeting in the NBA Finals.A few things to know going into the conference finals:LEBRON, OF COURSEAny list of anything this... [More]

The franchise with the most titles. The best player of this generation. The reigning champions. The probable MVP.The NBA has its Final Four.It certainly does not disappoint.Boston's win over Philadelphia on Wednesday night brought down the curtain on the postseason's second round — one that wasn't exactly loaded with drama, since it was the first time since 2002 that none of the NBA's four conference semifinal series went past five games. Cleveland swept Toronto, while Houston, Golden State and the Celtics all prevailed by 4-1 counts.Everyone gets to catch their collective breaths for a few days, with the league going dark until the weekend. Cleveland and Boston don't tip off the Eastern Conference finals until Sunday, and the Warriors and Rockets start their West title series on Monday. And yes, the Cavaliers and Warriors are four wins away from a fourth consecutive meeting in the NBA Finals.A few things to know going into the conference finals:LEBRON, OF COURSEAny list of anything this... [More]

The buildup for this series truly began in February, with some pointed comments from Golden State's Draymond Green.Or in October, when Houston won at Golden State on ring night.Or in June, when the Rockets landed Chris Paul.Whenever it started, however it started, it's clear that this is the series that the NBA-watching world wanted. Western Conference finals, Golden State versus Houston, Game 1 on Monday on the Rockets' home floor. Series winner to the NBA Finals, series loser will undoubtedly feel like they let a championship ring slip away."They got us. We got them," Green said. "Got to go out there and play. We'll see who better."After more than 10 months of playing, posturing and some pontificating, it really is that simple.This Rockets team was assembled — the key being the trade for Paul last summer — with hopes of unseating the reigning champion Warriors from their perch atop the NBA. So far, so good. Houston set a franchise record with 65 wins in the regular season, went 2-1 against... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Chris Paul is an ultra-intense competitor, often the most passionate player on the court.But even for his Houston Rockets teammates, what they saw from him Tuesday night was on another level.Paul scored a playoff career-high 41 points with eight 3-pointers to finally reach the conference finals, helping the Rockets eliminate the Utah Jazz 112-102 in Game 5."He said you get out of the way ... I'm going to put us on my back," James Harden said. "You could see it in his eyes. He had that look in his eyes. If he has that look in his eyes ... he's a problem."The Rockets will meet Golden State after the Warriors closed out their series against the New Orleans Pelicans later Tuesday night. Top-seeded Houston will host the series opener Monday night.It will be Houston's second trip to the Western Conference finals in four years and the first ever for Paul. The point guard has been panned for failing to get past the second round in his nine previous trips to the postseason."He's been... [More]