Tag: nytimes.com

OKLAHOMA CITY — For much of these Western Conference finals, Victor Wembanyama has looked superhuman. In Game 1, the San Antonio Spurs 7-foot-4 center did his best Steph Curry impression, pulling up just inside the half-court line and burying a 3 to force a second overtime. In Game 4, Wembanyama let go an even deeper…

The New York Knicks’ dominance has put them back in an advantageous situation. After sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals — which came right after dusting up the Philadelphia 76ers in four games in the second round — New York will be able to kick back and put its feet up for…

The 2018 playoffs were supposed to go differently for the Toronto Raptors, but they were in the process of ending the same old way — with an emphatic defeat to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors won 59 games and the top seed in the Eastern Conference that year, after being bounced by…

OKLAHOMA CITY — The talk on the team plane centered on a player the Oklahoma City Thunder had not seen in weeks. All-Star point guard Jamal Murray had gone haywire that late-March evening, dropping a career-best 53 points in Denver while OKC was playing in Boston. Late at night, with the defending champs heading home…

OKLAHOMA CITY — By the time Victor Wembanyama emerged with his street clothes on, having taken his postgame shower after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 127-114 win over his San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, midnight was fast approaching. A large crowd of reporters was still in the Spurs’ visiting locker…

The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from their worst game of the season with a pivotal response at home, beating the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a game-high 32 points with nine assists to lead the Thunder, who recovered wonderfully from…

On Tuesday, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon refused to back down from her previous doubts about Jalen Brunson’s ability to lead a team to an NBA title due to his diminutive stature. Brunson, who is listed at 6-foot-2, led the New York Knicks to a 130-93 Game 4 win to complete an Eastern…

BOSTON — Despite what Joe Mazzulla thinks of the Coach of the Year award, it now belongs to him. Mazzulla, who has called the award “stupid,” won it Tuesday after leading the Boston Celtics to a 56-26 season and the Eastern Conference’s second seed. The NBA announced that Mazzulla beat out the other finalists for…

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers plan to retain coach Kenny Atkinson even after the team was swept Monday night by the New York Knicks, two league sources told The Athletic. Atkinson guided the franchise to its first appearance in the conference finals since 2018 and first without LeBron James on the roster since 1992, but there…

The NBA will announce the 2025-26 Coach of the Year winner Tuesday night ahead of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Detroit Pistons’ J.B. Bickerstaff, the Boston Celtics’ Joe Mazzulla and the Spurs’ Mitch Johnson are finalists for the award. Advertisement Bickerstaff led…