Tag: nytimes.com

The San Antonio Spurs outclassed the Minnesota Timberwolves 139-109 in a Game 6 win Friday, securing a spot in the Western Conference finals. The win propelled the Spurs to a matchup against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. It also denied the Timberwolves a third consecutive appearance in the West finals. San Antonio is in…

CLEVELAND — The Detroit Pistons have found something on defense over the last two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they nearly lost one of two key ingredients in the second quarter Friday. With 8:04 left before halftime of the Pistons’ 115-94 win over Cleveland in Game 6, Detroit’s…

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said that while he has had discussions with Draymond Green about his future, “the ball is in his court” as far as whether the former Defensive Player of the Year returns to the franchise. “I think we have had discussions where we want him to…

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Kerr wanted to make one thing abundantly clear as he began the news conference to announce the two-year contract extension he agreed to earlier this week to remain the Golden State Warriors’ head coach. The smile on his face and the ease with which he walked into the room high atop…

Milwaukee center Myles Turner said former Bucks coach Doc Rivers did not fine players for their transgressions during the 2025-26 season. “Doc Rivers, he didn’t fine anybody, ever,” Turner said. “Guys were late all the time. Guys were showing up to film whenever they wanted to show up. Guys were missing meetings. It was one…

The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic’s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. On this date in 2001, Allen Iverson became the shortest and smallest MVP in NBA history. He was listed at 6 feet and 165 pounds. I don’t love getting into time-travel debates of…

CHICAGO — Let’s start at the top, because that’s what we do when it comes to the NBA Draft. And in the 2026 version of the draft, that “top” isn’t one or two players. It’s four. Talking to executives here for the league’s annual draft combine, including some from multiple teams picking near the top,…

Smelling salts have been around for centuries, common around sports to give athletes a quick jolt of adrenaline. Search the internet and there are coaches and players spotted sniffing the ammonia inhalants before a game, with their instant reactions — a noticeable head jerk or contorted face — going viral. Sports like football, hockey, boxing…

The New York Knicks are disintegrating anyone in their path. They have won seven consecutive playoff games, a franchise record, by a combined 185 points, an NBA record. After a regular season that included an impressive 53 wins but also left them without a surefire identity, the Knicks have discovered what makes them special. So,…

The NBA world is used to waiting on LeBron James. “The Decision,” the television program in which James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat, aired on July 8, 2010, a week into free agency. His first-person essay in Sports Illustrated, as explained to Lee Jenkins, was published on July 11,…