The series was billed as Antetokounmpo against Leonard — and the former gained the early advantage when his Bucks opened up a 2-0 lead with back-to-back victories at home. However, Milwaukee could not build on their early advantage and lost the next four on the spin, finishing with Saturday’s 100-94 reverse in Toronto that sent the Raptors through to their first NBA Finals. While Toronto will be breaking new ground as a franchise, star man Leonard has won the title before with the San Antonio Spurs....

There are parts of the NBRA’s position paper on the “Last Two Minute Report” that make sense. Two of the big ones come at the end, under the “Recommended Process Reform” header. MORE: Ranking the 13 worst NBA playoff chokes ever Yes, there should be more transparency baked into league-produced video appraisals of how referees do their jobs at the most crucial moments. That’s what it’s all about in the first place....

NBA refs got together and read “mean tweets” sent in from NBA fans. MORE: All-Star jerseys through the years | Ranking NBA All-Stars Joey Crawford and Dick Bavetta were among the referees who read the tweets. And their reactions were almost as good as the tweets they read. Good to know that these guys have a sense of humor. It’s probably how they cope with the stress of being some of the most hated folks on the planet....

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Sunday’s matchup between the Cavaliers and Hawks has been postponed due to “Cleveland’s shortage of players.” An hour earlier, Wojnarowski reported that the Cavaliers have a COVID-19 outbreak on their roster, with five players having tested positive. Hawks star Trae Young has also entered the league’s health and safety protocols, per Wojnarowski. MORE: Updated team-by-team list of players in health and safety protocols Additionally, Sunday’s meeting between the Nets and Nuggets has reportedly been postponed....

According to CBS Sports, the league notified teams Thursday that the projected salary cap for the 2017-18 season will be $102 million — $5 million less than originally estimated. The cap for 2017 had even been projected as high as $110 million, but more than $1.7 billion in guaranteed contracts handed out so far have created a smaller shortfall between negotiated salaries and the players’ collectively bargained guarantee of 51 percent of the league’s revenue....

On Wednesday, reports indicated that the first major move of the offseason had been undertaken, and it involved the Atlanta Hawks and the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs sent their All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Eastern Conference in exchange for the Hawks sending back Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks and a pick swap in 2026. Who won the deal? We have you covered with some trade grades below....

Four years later, at the Rio Olympics last summer, Kemzura’s criticism of Valanciunas — who averaged just 6.7 points and 7.0 rebounds — was echoed by new coach Jonas Kazlauskas in much sharper terms. “He has to dedicate himself to basketball more,” Kazlauskas said. He was also asked why Valanciunas was struggling, and said, “You’ll have to ask Valanciunas.” NBA FREE AGENCY: Grading the biggest offseason signings Fair or not, in the minds of executives around the league, this helped cement the reputation of Valanciunas as a player who is less than enthusiastic about conditioning and, at best, an anachronism in the middle — big, slow and deliberate, without providing much by way of rim protection....

“There’s a growing belief around the league” Chicago is open to trading everyone on its roster except forwards Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr., according to a report from The Athletic, which cites unidentified sources familiar with the team’s plans. The Bulls finished 2018-19 with a 22-60 record and missed the playoffs for a second straight season. They hold the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, which is set for June 20, and are also looking to upgrade at point guard....

Why, you ask? Well, because Dec. 15 was the first day that many players who signed contracts in the offseason were eligible to be traded. That date doesn’t apply to all players who signed a new deal but it applies to the majority of players. However, there are some free agent signees whose trade ineligibility lasts for an extra month. These players below all met a specific set of criteria, per Hoops Rumors....

Charlotte has made Kemba Walker available in trade talks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, as the front office would like to attach Walker to one of its bad contracts as part of a larger deal. Walker is clearly the closest thing the Hornets have to a franchise player, but he is only the sixth-highest paid member of the team behind Cody Zeller, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Marvin Williams, Nic Batum and Dwight Howard....

It doesn’t sound like they’ve reached that point yet — there’s also no guarantee that they ever will — but ESPN’s Zach Lowe recently said on his podcast that the return for Anunoby could rival what the Jazz got for Donovan Mitchell if the Raptors do decide to test the trade waters for him. As a reminder, Utah got three players, three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps for Mitchell....

Taking a look at the roster, the most likely candidate is center DeAndre Jordan. The All-Star big man recently hired Jeff Schwartz to represent him after two years without an agent to help him figure out his future with the Clippers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. That could mean re-signing with LA before the end of his current deal, as Jordan owns a player option which would allow him to become a free agent before the 2018-19 season....

The conversation was sparked over NASCAR’s decision to put driver Matt DiBenedetto into the sport’s concussion protocol. DiBenedetto could not drive in the AAA Texas 500 — Jeffrey Earnhardt replaced him in the car — but told NBC that he “felt fine” on Sunday morning. According to the NBCSports report, DiBenedetto must be cleared by a board-certified neurologist or neurosurgeon with a minimum of five years’ experience in treating sports-related head injuries before he can race again....

Michigan Representative Peter Meijer made the comment during an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press Sunday. Host Chuck Todd referenced comments made by Senator Lindsey Graham after the Capitol riot on January 6. “In the words of Lindsey Graham: ‘Enough is enough, I’m out of here, I’m done with this, the party’s going to move on, Trump’s going to be left behind’” Todd said. “Boy did that not happen....

A Monmouth University poll released Tuesday finds Cunningham with a 48 percent to 44 percent lead over Tillis among registered voters. In a scenario of likely voters participating in a high turnout election, Cunningham is ahead by 49 percent to 44 percent. The race is tighter in a low-turnout scenario, with likely voters favoring Cunningham by 48 percent to 47 percent. The poll was conducted by telephone among 500 registered North Carolina voters between October 8 and October 11....

And they Wolfpack will look good doing it. MORE: ‘Christmas Vacation’ jerseys | Week 2 photos They’re breaking out these new black uniforms at Carter-Finley Stadium. NC State is 1-0 entering the game after slipping past Georgia Southern, 24-23, last week.

“Considering the travel conditions we are not comfortable with the idea that thousands of people, from the players, coaches and officials to fans of both teams and the hundreds of people that staff the Smith Center for the game, would be leaving the arena tonight after 10 p.m.,” UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a release. “Everyone attending the game on Sunday will still need to use extreme caution in getting to and from the game, but we think there is a huge difference between driving in the daylight as opposed to this evening, when conditions are expected to be treacherous....

They are not about accomplishment. It helps to show one can beat significant opponents, and that’s the fundamental ingredient of any NCAA Tournament bracket projection, but that doesn’t always equate to pure power. They are not based on anyone’s metric, or a reading of them in combination. MORE: SN’s Midseason All-America team They are, at the core, an assessment of which teams look to be moving toward being ready to compile victories in the biggest games: those played with league titles on the line, those played in conference tournaments and, of course, those played on the road to the Final Four....

East Carolina’s Justin Hardy is used to being overlooked. He had no Division I offers coming out of West Craven High School in Vanceboro, N.C., and walked on at ECU. Despite breaking the NCAA receptions record, previously held by former Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles, Hardy was not a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. MORE: Fresno State WR could have best hands in draft | Gurley’s a safe bet | Combine busts, NFL stars...

The recommendations, which go into effect on Thursday, will not be formally enforced by the NCAA; member institutions that do not abide by them will not be penalized. They generally match what Brian Hainline — head of the NCAA sports science institute — and other experts involved in their drafting said to expect in January. Among the key points are the elimination of workouts as a form of punishment, instructions for re-acclimating players to training regimens after extended breaks and an explanation of how to properly diagnose and treat heat stroke, all measures geared toward eliminating preventable student-athlete deaths — 27 since 2000....