Because each player is so creative, it is often tough to determine where they will go with the ball, how they will maneuver or who they will finish over. MORE: Western Conference in images | Durant’s amazing 4-point play The same could not be said about the Memphis Grizzlies. All on hand at Chesapeke Energy Arena knew exactly where the ball would go. The Thunder knew, too, yet they were helpless to stop Mike Conley, Zach Randolph or Marc Gasol in a 111-105 Grizzlies win of Game 2....

Thomas tried to find daylight. Instead, Love stripped the ball from Thomas for a turnover. The Cavaliers never looked back from there. They led wire to wire and won 117-104 to open the Eastern Conference finals at TD Garden. SN GAME CENTER: Cavaliers vs. Celtics Game 1 stats “We know Isaiah is dangerous,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. “When he gets going, the crowd really gets into it, their team gets into it and it opens up a lot of things....

Many have said the Warriors are playing better without Durant on the court even though some thought Golden State wouldn’t beat Houston without the two-time Finals MVP. But the Warriors ended up closing out the semifinals series against the Rockets in six games and now hold a 2-0 series lead over the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals entering Saturday’s Game 3 (9 p.m. E, ESPN). “I think they played three fantastic games in a row, but anybody who thinks they’re going to win a world championship without Kevin Durant, don’t know anything about basketball,” Barkley, an 11-time All-Star who currently works as an analyst for TNT, said on ESPN’s “Get Up!...

The Warriors missed a chance to end the series, despite Kevin Durant posting a game-high 45 points at Oracle Arena. Steve Kerr’s two-time defending champions, who still lead the series 3-2, were well off their best, and Thompson wants to see a strong response in Friday’s Game 6 in Los Angeles. Asked how the Warriors could build on the latest result, Thompson said: “Shoot, there’s no building, we just go do what we do....

The 30-year-old star attempted just eight shots in the Warriors’ shocking 135-131 loss to the Clippers in Game 2 of their series earlier this week. Kerr was asked about Durant’s performance when he met with reporters Wednesday. “(Durant’s) the most skilled basketball player on planet earth,” Kerr said, via the Mercury News. “There’s nobody who can do what he can do. In the playoffs, defenses are more locked in, they play everybody tougher....

By now, we’ve seen every team play between two and three games. Which teams impressed in their first games of the season and which ones disappointed? We mentioned it last week but as a reminder, these rankings are not projections for how the final standings will look. There will be plenty of movement throughout the season. Got it? Great. Onto this week’s rankings… NBA Power Rankings 2021 Milwaukee Bucks Previous rank: No....

Commissioner Adam Silver handled the first three miles, crossing the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from Staten Island to Brooklyn. He passed a baton to Chris Mullin, the Brooklyn native who starred at St. John’s in Queens before a Hall of Fame NBA career. The group’s total time was just over 4 hours, 48 minutes. The event was staged to try to encourage kids to exercise. “Many people told me that I was going to walk after retiring five years ago, but I’m glad I pushed myself,” Mutombo said....

Look no further than the recently extended TV deal between the NBA, ESPN and Turner Networks — said to be valued at $24 billion over a nine-year extension — to see just how valuable the league’s media dollars have become. Beyond the players, the stadiums, the coaches and brand marketing, each team proves its media worth in DVR-proof entertainment and the endless exposure fan and press involvement provides. More from General Sentiment: NFL team value by media exposure | Quantifying NFL controversy...

Both are effective beginning 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday when the NBA’s moratorium period ends and teams can officially sign free agents and make trades. MORE: 12 affordable free agents who can really help | NBA free agency tracker The minimum team salary — 90 percent of the salary cap — is $63 million. The increases mean new figures for unofficial max deal contracts reportedly agreed upon ahead of Thursday’s opening....

Fourteen teams will take the floor on Wednesday night as the Las Vegas Summer League moves closer to its conclusion. The primetime matchup between the Kings and Thunder could be the highlight of the evening, as Chet Holmgren and Keegan Murray will meet on the Thomas & Mack Center court. Oklahoma City selected Holmgren with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and Sacramento snagged Murray at No....

That’s because the market has been very light for some big-name veterans who are very much on the trading block, starting with Celtics big man David Lee. Boston acquired Lee from the Warriors last summer, but he was quickly nudged out of the rotation and has logged a career-low 15.7 minutes in just 30 games. The Celtics, a source said, have tried to deal Lee to a Western Conference team, for fear that he could bolster one of the crowd of East playoff teams the Celtics might see this spring (Washington or Indiana, for example)....

What seems like a simple question often holds plenty of weight, especially when it comes to NBA teams ahead of the trade deadline. This again holds true in 2022, as a number of teams could be active in the market. With Feb. 10 fast approaching, the league’s buyers and sellers are emerging. NOH: How to make your fake trades suck less The buyers, of course, are the teams that feel they’re one piece away – teams looking for a late-season turnaround make moves to move into the Play-In picture, teams in the Play-In picture look to make moves to leap into their conference’s top six and solid playoff contenders are looking for that one addition to become a legitimate title contender....

The moves were a bit shocking; reports in the days leading up to Leonard’s decision pegged the Raptors and Lakers as front-runners to land the services of the two-time Finals MVP. MORE: NBA players react to Clippers signing Kawhi Leonard, trading for Paul George While it’s tough to lose out on a big-time free agent like Leonard, what makes matter worse for the Lakers is that he spurned them for their proverbial “little brother” just down the hall at Staples Center....

The two-time Emmy winner will join golf commentator Dan Hicks and three-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines as they cover Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin and other top swimmers in Rio. This will will the fourth time Tafoya has worked the Olympics — but the first time she’s covered swimming. Hicks and Gaines will be working their sixth consecutive Olympics. NBC’s coverage from Rio kicks off Friday, August 5....

Tim Furr of the Cabarrus County Schools Board of Education argued Monday that masks should not be a requirement in area schools as long as the U.S. federal government is allowing “illegal aliens by the thousands to come across the border without masks, with COVID.” Furr tied a recent national increase in COVID-19 cases on waves of undocumented migrants who are attempting to gain entry through the U.S. southern border....

Florida State: Tallahassee, Fla. Mississippi State: Starkville, Miss. MLB Mock Draft: Who goes No. 1? NC State: Raleigh, N.C. Ole Miss: Oxford, Miss. Vanderbilt: Nashville, Tenn. Texas Tech: Lubbock, Texas. Louisville: Louisville, Ky. Louisiana-Lafayette: Lafayette, La. Florida: Gainesville, Fla. TCU: Fort Worth, Texas. Miami: Coral Gables, Fla. South Carolina: Columbia, S.C. Texas A&M: College Station, Texas Clemson: Clemson, S.C. Virginia: Charlottesville, Va. LSU: Baton Rouge, La. The four-team, double-elimination regionals start Friday....

What those people do from Monday through Saturday, I have no idea. If any of you wandered into this space, you may want to know what you should watch between now and the start of the NCAA Tournament. So these are the most fearsome teams, and these are the most dangerous games they’ll play until their league tournaments begin. MORE: Bracket reveal will give real preview of Selection Sunday...

As college basketball approaches the final week of its season, as well as the start of conference tournaments in such leagues as the Ohio Valley and ASUN, the conversation alights regarding which All-America candidate will stand alone as Player of the Year and which team’s boss might earn Coach of the Year. MORE: Projecting the Field of 68 for the 2022 NCAA Tournament It’s a lot more fun to debate those topics than to discuss whether someone’s suspension was quite long enough, right?...

There was one difference, though. Hansbrough had just been removed from a blowout victory when he wrapped his arms around Williams in front of the Carolina bench. Meeks still was in the game against Gonzaga with time on the clock. The game was over, but it wasn’t over. “I told him to finish the game,” Williams said. “That’s what I told him.” Meeks did not apologize for his prematurity....

The junior forward received a legislative release waiver from the NCAA, according to a statement issued by Maryland. “We’re excited for Jonathan that he is immediately eligible for the upcoming season,” head coach Mark Turgeon said in the statement. “Our administration did an outstanding job working diligently on Jonathan’s behalf.” Graham, a Baltimore product, averaged 2.8 points and 3.2 rebounds during his 57-game Nittany Lions career.