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]

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."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

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]

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]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love's arms are lined with finger-nail scratches, discolored bruises and abrasions, hard-earned mementos from months battling under the basket against other NBA big men.Some of the surface wounds are healing, some are fresh.Other marks are hidden.On the eve of his fourth straight NBA Finals with Cleveland, and while recovering from a concussion suffered last week against Boston that could keep him out of Game 1, Love has persisted and prevailed during a season in which he revealed dealing with anxiety and panic attacks for much of his life.It's been an emotionally straining — but ultimately rewarding — journey for the 29-year-old All-Star, who laughed when told it feels like he's been with the Cavaliers much longer than four seasons."I've been through enough for a guy who has been here for 12 years," he told the AP following a recent practice. "It's been well worth it."Love, though, has had to pay a price for his new-found peace.Almost since the moment he arrived... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kevin Love's arms are lined with finger-nail scratches, discolored bruises and abrasions, hard-earned mementos from months battling under the basket against other NBA big men.Some of the surface wounds are healing, some are fresh.Other marks are hidden.On the eve of his fourth straight NBA Finals with Cleveland, and while recovering from a concussion suffered last week against Boston, Love has persisted and prevailed during a season in which he revealed dealing with anxiety and panic attacks for much of his life.It's been an emotionally straining — but ultimately rewarding — journey for the 29-year-old All-Star, who laughed when told it feels like he's been with the Cavaliers much longer than four seasons."I've been through enough for a guy who has been here for 12 years," he told the AP following a recent practice. "It's been well worth it."Love, though, has had to pay a price for his new-found peace.Almost since the moment he arrived in a trade from Minnesota in 2014... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Rockets were up by 14 in the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors when they started missing from 3-point range. They shot themselves all the way from prime position to advance to the NBA Finals to the end of a solid season.James Harden was the first to miss. Eric Gordon soon bricked one, and P.J. Tucker did the same. It was miss after miss after miss as the cold streak stretched to nine by halftime. There were 14 more in the third quarter in a surprising performance for a team that relied on the 3 all season. By the time Tucker connected with about 6 1/2 minutes left, the Rockets had missed an NBA-record 27 straight 3-pointers and the Warriors were on their way to a 101-92 victory.Though Gordon believes the result would have been different if Houston had Chris Paul for the last two games of the Western Conference finals, saying: "if he was out there, we'd have been playing on Thursday," the rest of the Rockets agreed that even the nine-time All-Star... [More]

HOUSTON (AP) — Houston's Chris Paul has been ruled out for Game 7 of the Western Conference finals against Golden State because of a strained right hamstring.Coach Mike D'Antoni says: "Everybody came to the same conclusion. There's no way." The nine-time All-Star got hurt late in the fourth quarter of Game 5 and missed the Rockets' 115-86 loss on Saturday.The Rockets are trying to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995 against a Golden State team that hopes to reach the finals for the fourth straight season.D'Antoni says they made the decision because: "He couldn't explode. He couldn't push off of it."

HOUSTON (AP) — When the Golden State Warriors lost Game 5 of the Western Conference finals to the Rockets on Thursday night to send them to the brink of elimination they vowed to be back in Houston for Game 7.After a resounding win in Game 6 that's exactly where the defending champions are, preparing for a winner-take-all game Monday night for a spot in the NBA Finals."It's going to be fun," Stephen Curry said. "It's what you play for, to be in a situation where you're one win away from going to the finals. Pressure both ways because of how big the moment is, and you've got to want it."The Warriors trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half Saturday night before using a splendid second half to roll to a 115-86 victory. Curry knows that if the Warriors hope to return to the finals for the fourth straight year they'll have to get off to a better start in Game 7."I guarantee if we start the game out like we did (Saturday) and they jump out to the lead, it's going to be 10 times harder... [More]