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CLEVELAND — Before Game 1, the folks at Rocket Arena handed out blue T-shirts with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ slogan printed across the middle in very legible font: “Let em **c**** know.” The “c” was the Cavs’ logo. The asterisks stood in for, well, you can guess. By Wednesday’s Game 5 of this first-round playoff series…

The three-day extravaganza known as the NFL Draft concluded Saturday. And if you’re one of those hardcore fans who couldn’t get enough of it, you have plenty of company. According to the NFL, more than 800,000 people showed up to watch the action in person, with another 13.2 million viewers tuning in on broadcast and…

CLEVELAND — It’s the stain this version of the Cleveland Cavaliers hasn’t been able to scrub out since they were assembled. Changing coaches didn’t cleanse it. Sweeping the Miami Heat last year in the first round certainly didn’t remove it. No, the Cavs’ toughness, both mentally and physically, has been questioned for years. Advertisement From…

DETROIT — The Orlando Magic now face the ultimate test. Not because of Franz Wagner’s calf injury. Not because of Cade Cunningham’s excellence. And not even because of the Detroit Pistons’ uncanny ability to protect the basket. All those factors are major problems to overcome, but before the Magic can address any of them, they’ll…

Despite dropping the third game of the season in Cleveland, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo managed to appreciate something he saw when he stepped on the team plane back to Milwaukee. Ryan Rollins, thrust into the role as the team’s starting point guard following an injury to Kevin Porter Jr. in the first game of…

ATLANTA — Two obligations come after you receive an NBA awards vote. First, you must educate yourself. Second, whether you want it or not, you have to get educated. As the regular-season’s finale approaches, your phone lights up with text messages or calls from agents, publicists, executives and coaches, who hope to sway you into…

This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering the mental side of sports. Sign up for Peak’s newsletter here. Before he became one of the best basketball players in the world, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a 13-year-old point guard with a significant problem: He was tiny. Standing around 5-foot-6, Gilgeous-Alexander possessed the physique of a garden…

Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. called his shot Tuesday. On Wednesday night, Houston made it look real. The Rockets beat the Los Angeles Lakers 99-93 in Game 5, trimming their series to 3-2 and sending the first-round matchup back to Houston — one day after Jabari Smith Jr. declared the Rockets were “obviously the…

At the start of the playoffs, there was no clear favorite in the Eastern Conference. The Boston Celtics had the best odds to make the NBA Finals, but were not anything near a sure thing. The first round of the playoffs has reflected this balance in the East. All four series in the Eastern Conference…

The Houston Rockets stayed alive in their playoff series with the Los Angeles Lakers, posting a 99-93 victory Wednesday that sent the Western Conference series to Game 6 on Friday in Houston. After LeBron James banked in a shot to cut the Rockets’ lead to three in the final three minutes, Reed Sheppard reestablished control…