May 27, 2022 SAN FRANCISCO — Luka Doncic‘s initial reaction to the end of the longest playoff run of his young NBA career was to express disappointment in himself. “I don’t like losing, especially like this,” Doncic said after the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated Thursday night with a 120-110 Game 5 loss to the Golden
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8:00 AM ET After the many ups and downs of the 2022 Eastern Conference finals, including double-digit wins and injuries to star players, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are facing off for Game 7 in Miami on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET (on ESPN and the ESPN app). The winner will advance to play
May 26, 2022 SAN FRANCISCO — As Stephen Curry was named the inaugural Most Valuable Player of the Western Conference finals, Draymond Green gave the Golden State Warriors star a bear hug, lifting him up and letting out a scream. Curry smiled and laughed as he celebrated returning to the NBA Finals, which came with
1:11 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN MIAMI — Ahead of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka said that after his team has gone through a roller-coaster ride of a season to get to this point, it is only fitting that this series will come down to Boston having to win
May 26, 2022 Andrew LopezESPN Zion Williamson has been cleared in his return to play progression without any restrictions, the New Orleans Pelicans said Thursday . The announcement clears Williamson to go through offseason workouts unrestricted this summer as he prepares for the 2022-23 season. Williamson missed the entire 2021-22 season after he broke the
2:13 AM ET BOSTON — The Miami Heat might have to clear some room in Championship Alley. That’s the name for the path from their home court to the locker room that is filled with wall-sized memories of greatness from Miami’s past. Gary Payton‘s jumper that started their 2006 Finals comeback. Blood dripping down Udonis
9:34 PM ET The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring ESPN’s NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz as an assistant general manager, assigning him leadership of the franchise’s domestic and international scouting departments, sources told ESPN. New Blazers GM Joe Cronin targeted Schmitz to take a lead role in player evaluation and hired him away from ESPN,
8:00 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN BOSTON — As they find themselves on the precipice of the 2022 NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics might find motivation in a series that happened a decade ago. The Oklahoma City Thunder were near the top of the basketball world in 2012, having reached the Finals with a roster featuring
May 24, 2022 Kendra AndrewsESPN DALLAS — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr did not want to talk about basketball in his pregame news conference heading into Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. Basketball, he said, didn’t matter. “Since we left shootaround, 14 children were killed, 400
6:45 PM ET William E. Ricks LeBron James has been busy off the court since the Los Angeles Lakers failed to make the postseason this year. He enjoyed a vacation to the Maldives with his family in April, engaged in a Twitter Q&A with his followers a few weeks ago and saw his son Bronny