6:01 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks spent the 82 games of the regular season, followed by the four more it took them to dispatch the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, playing one way. Doing so allowed the Bucks to post the NBA’s best record, and
NBA
3:19 PM ET The Houston Rockets believe officiating in last season’s Western Conference finals cost them an NBA championship, and in a report since sent to the league, tabulated the net result of 81 potential missed calls and non-calls in Game 7 of that series between Houston and the Golden State Warriors, according to the
4:50 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — The referees got two no-calls correct in the final seconds of the Golden State Warriors‘ 104-100 Game 1 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday, according to a review by the league. But three calls that were deemed incorrect that went against the Rockets will only increase the furor
5:53 PM ET OKLAHOMA CITY — Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Monday “we anticipate Billy [Donovan] being back,” in reference to whether the team’s head coach will return next season. Presti said he has not officially met yet with Donovan but plans to do that in the coming days, leaving the door cracked for
1:53 PM ET Associated Press SAN ANTONIO — Coach Gregg Popovich is negotiating a new deal with the San Antonio Spurs. The 70-year-old Popovich just finished his 23rd season with the Spurs. The Spurs have made the playoffs in each of the last 22 seasons, a streak that ties for the longest in NBA history,
6:56 AM ET Editor’s note: The following excerpt from the new book “SprawlBall: A Visual Tour of the New Era of the NBA,” by ESPN NBA analyst Kirk Goldsberry, has been updated and edited for length and clarity. As the second round of the NBA playoffs kicks into high gear, the most star-studded series features
10:55 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — The worst-case scenario for the NBA, its fans and the game itself is for the Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets series to come down to a he said, he said on officiating. This is a series rematch that has been a year in the making, perhaps the series
8:55 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Rockets guard James Harden pleaded for a “fair chance” from officials after Houston’s 104-100 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Sunday’s Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Harden and the Rockets were specifically upset about what they believed were several incorrect no-calls on his 3-point attempts, when
11:04 PM ET OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant is in the midst of one of the greatest postseason runs of his storied career. The 30-year-old forward continued his brilliant stretch by scoring 35 points and grabbing five rebounds in a 104-100 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the
6:00 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN MILWAUKEE — The Boston Celtics have known for the better part of three months now that, if they were going to make it to the NBA Finals, they were going to have to go through the Milwaukee Bucks. And, more specifically, they were going to have to try to slow