Tag: nytimes.com

SAN ANTONIO — He has more money than he could spend in this or several more lifetimes. He has an Olympic gold medal and an All-Star MVP trophy in Minnesota, shimmering reminders of his prodigious talent. He is only 24 years old, with his whole basketball life ahead of him to chase more wins, get…

SAN ANTONIO — In any fight, body blows become an investment. They take a toll. They destroy methodically. Siphon the opponent’s energy. Challenge the will. Indeed, haymaker swings offer more excitement. But a patient pugilist values the muffled thud of shots to the resolve. On Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Julius Randle went to work on…

For those of you who are certified, card-carrying, dues-paying, die-hard Boston sports fans, it’s been quite a 21st century so far. Led by a banquet hall-sized cast of current and future Hall of Famers, from Tom Brady and David Ortiz to Kevin Garnett and Zdeno Chara, the New England Patriots (six), Boston Red Sox (four),…

It seems right for the NBA’s seminal superstar to go against the incumbent champions. A second-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder commands a massive audience, and it also prompts some urgent questions. Can OKC stay atop its perch and pull off back-to-back title runs? Can anyone on the planet…

SAN ANTONIO — Things just got real for the San Antonio Spurs. A wake-up call was going to come eventually. It was inevitable. Not one of those Victor-Wembanyama-is-out-and-he’s-not-always-a-given kind of things. No. This was a Wembanyama-can’t-always-save-them game. Wembanyama’s NBA playoff record 12 blocks weren’t enough in Monday’s Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The…

It was too easy to be true. Matt Lloyd coming home, the friendly face with the A-plus resume returning to rescue the Chicago Bulls from years of mediocrity, back-biting and basketball hell. On Monday, the Bulls threw everyone a curveball — or I guess a no-look pass — by hiring Bryson Graham, the former senior…

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Wear something bold today. Inside:  😤 Minnesota’s grit  📻 RIP, John Sterling 🏈 Dion Jordan’s incredible path While You Were Sleeping: The playoffs are getting better Each year, the first…

As 21-year-old Jarret Jack was going through his pre-draft workout circuit in the summer of 2005, he noticed one coach in particular had a level of passion none of his peers replicated. That coach was J.B. Bickerstaff, a second-year assistant for the Charlotte Bobcats working under his father, Bernie, the Bobcats’ head coach. Jack recalls…

NEW YORK — Think of your favorite song. Surely, there’s a crisp snare following a thumping kick drum. A melody that rides over both like a wave does the ocean floor. Vocals cutting through to provide perspective to the backdrop of the track. All together it evokes an emotion. Harmony. The Knicks’ offense is in…

The Detroit Pistons are seeking their first conference finals berth since 2008. The Cleveland Cavaliers have yet to get that far in their post-LeBron James iteration. One of them will end that drought as top-seeded Detroit takes on star-laden Cleveland in a second-round playoff series. Both sides arrive at this matchup on the heels of…