LaVar Ball may owe $495 shoes to each of his travel teammates

After music icon Ice Cube stated that he'd purchase 10 pairs of NBA Draft Prospect Lonzo Ball's $495 signature sneaker if Lonzo's father LaVar Ball was able to knock down the four-point shot that will be featured in the Big 3 League once they debut later this summer.

As you can see from the video clip below, courtesy of the Big Baller Brand Twitter account, Ball tried to raise the stakes by challenging Ice Cube to buy LaVar's entire travel team a pair of Lonzo's signature shoes if he's capable of making the shot before Ice Cube does.

Let's Run It! @icecube pic.twitter.com/wvavd2OQbu

— Big Baller Brand (@bigballerbrand) May 30, 2017

The video shows no actual proof that the shot was successfully made. If Ice Cube can make this shot before LaVar can prove it, than not only will LaVar dig a bigger hole for himself by having to by a huge amount of $495 sneakers for his whole team, but he will once again prove that he is trying way too hard to help his son.

UNB! Network owner and creator Joey Gucciardo had some intense thoughts on LaVar as a whole.

"I feel so bad for Lonzo," Gucciardo said. "The poor kid must wake up everyday and say to himself 'I am a great basketball player, but my dad is embarrassing the [heck] out of me.' LaVar is a true bigot who has no remorce for insulting any sports analyst or reporter on live television or radio. In fact, the only reason I feel that people even pay attention to LaVar is that he is so embarrassing that it's actually enjoyable to watch him make a bigger fool of himself, and Lonzo deserves much better than this. LaVar Ball should be a prime example of how a father should not represent himself, publicly especially. Forcing a successful career out of your son by threatening reporters, and losing big sponsors on a shoe brand that should not even exist this early on in Lonzo's career, is not good for Lonzo's mentality. It just doesn't make sense. I can't make sense of why [LaVar] can't just back off one hundred percent and let Lonzo control his own destiny."

Obviosly some heated thoughts there.

But will LaVar owe his whole travel team a pair of Lonzo's signature shoes? We'll just have to see if Ice Cube responds.

NBA Finals: 10 things to watch

When the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers meet in a third consecutive NBA Finals beginning Thursday, it will mark the first time the same clubs staged a three-peat performance on the game's biggest stage.

There are plenty of intriguing storylines ahead of the best-of-seven showdown between the 2015 champion Warriors and the 2016 champion Cavaliers. Here are 10 things to watch:

1. LEBRON JAMES: Andre Iguodala earned MVP honors of the 2015 Finals mostly for his defense on James, who was harassed into 39.8 percent shooting in the series. Last season, James lit it up for 49.4 percent to wrestle away the hardware and the championship. As the 2017 road to the Finals has demonstrated, James appears to be getting better with age.

2. KEVIN DURANT: At some point, the TV debating duo of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson are bound to take sides on whether the first-year Warrior should opt out of his contract and return to Oklahoma City next season or unpack his bags and settle in. The question will become: Is he more likely to leave if the Warriors win or if they lose?

3. EXTRACURRICULARS: It has been a relatively quiet 2017 postseason in terms of flagrant fouls, technicals and ejections. Chalk that up to all the blowouts. But now it's high-tension time, so it is worth noting: Durant, Stephen Curry and Shaun Livingston were all ejected from playoff games last season; Draymond Green drew a league-high five technical fouls and 10 other participants in this year's Finals got nailed with at least one in the 2016 postseason; and Green's momentum-turning flagrant foul wasn't the only one detected among current Warriors and Cavaliers last spring -- Durant, Kevin Love and J.R. Smith crossed that line as well.

4. 3-POINT DEFENSE: Forget Kyrie Irving vs. Curry. Irving had 34- and 26-point games in losses in last year's Finals. Curry had 11- and 18-point games in wins. They have, and quite possibly will, offset each other. More significant in this matchup will be which team defends the perimeter the best. The final stats show the Warriors outshot the Cavaliers 37.3 percent to 32.9 percent on 3-pointers last year, but don't be misled. It was 37.6 percent to 34.0 percent for the Cavaliers in their wins, 42.7 percent to 26.1 percent for the Warriors in the Golden State wins.

5. SHOE WARS: James vs. Curry is Nike vs. Under Armour. And then there's Big Baller. Or haven't you noticed that LaVar Ball is everywhere, and the NBA Draft is just four days after a possible Game 7 is scheduled?

6. TYRONN LUE VS. MIKE BROWN: Lue seemed to have the Steve Kerr offense figured out by their seventh meeting last June, a 93-89 Cleveland win that ended with Golden State missing its final nine shots and going scoreless over the final 4:39. Lue has more weapons at his disposal this time around, and the Warriors will have one fewer with Kerr relegated to watching on television from the locker room due to a back ailment.

7. KYLE KORVER: One of the great chess matches in the series will be how Lue uses arguably his best long-range shooting weapon, and how Brown attacks arguably the series' worst defensive player. When Cleveland is on defense, the 6-foot-7 Korver would seem to match up best with the Warriors' 6-7 Shaun Livingston, a stand-still shooter who likes to use a height advantage to shoot over smaller guards.

8. AKRON, OHIO: Will we be able to see the lights of Akron, 39 miles to the south, when ABC gives us an aerial view of the Quicken Loans Arena? You better believe we're going to find out given the link between Ohio's fifth-biggest city and the Finals. Both Curry and James were born there. Are there vacancies at the Timber Top Apartments complex on the north side of town, where Curry first lived? Is James' first house, in the Akron inner city and condemned when he was 5 years old, still standing? Stay tuned.

9. CELEBRITIES: There is more than Drake (Curry) and Dr. Dre (James) to this series. It's Jim Brown and Joe Montana. Nine Inch Nails and the Grateful Dead. The Cleveland Clinic and Kaiser. And then there's Tom Hanks, born in Oakland but having adopted the Indians in last year's World Series. Too bad there's no Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. After all, this is the most highly anticipated best-of-three rubber match since the Thrilla in Manila.

10. TACOS: The most likely person to get fired after the Finals? The promotions director at Taco Bell. In a matchup of teams undefeated (13-0) on the road in the playoffs, Taco Bell is offering "Steal a Game, Steal a Taco" -- one free taco to everyone interested should either team win a road game in the Finals.

NBA announces officials for The Finals 2017

NEW YORK – The NBA today announced the list of 12 referees who earned spots to officiate the 2017 NBA Finals.  The championship series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors tips off on Thursday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

“The Finals is the pinnacle for our officials, just as it is for our teams, coaches and players,” said Byron Spruell, NBA President, League Operations.  “Earning this opportunity is a testament to each official’s work ethic and unwavering commitment to their profession.”

Finals officials were selected by the NBA Referee Operations management team based on their performance throughout the first three rounds of the 2017 playoffs.  Officials were evaluated after each round to determine advancement in this year’s postseason.

The 12 referees assigned to The Finals are below:

Tony Brothers (6th Finals)
Mike Callahan (14th)
James Capers (6th)
Danny Crawford (23rd)
Marc Davis (6th)
Scott Foster (10th)
John Goble (1st)
Ed Malloy (5th)
Ken Mauer (12th)
Monty McCutchen (9th)
Derrick Stafford (7th)
Zach Zarba (4th)

Five of the 12 have officiated at least 15 Finals games, highlighted by Crawford with 33 and Callahan with 18.  The officiating roster also includes one first-time Finals referee, John Goble.

NBA officials Tom Washington and Sean Wright have been assigned as alternates for The Finals 2017.

Individual game assignments for referees are posted at NBA.com/official at approximately 9 a.m. ET each game day.

LeBron James passes Michael Jordan to become NBA's all-time playoff scoring leader

Eleven years after his NBA playoff debut, LeBron James is now the NBA's all-time playoff scoring leader.

James took the title with with a deep 3-pointer from the left wing with 2:40 left in the third quarter of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, which the Cleveland Cavaliers won 135-102 to reach the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year.

The shot gave James 29 points for the game and 5,989 points for his postseason career. Jordan's mark of 5,987 points stood for 19 years. James reached the record in his 212th game, while Jordan played in 179 playoff games.

Career Scoring Leaders -- NBA Playoffs

Rank Player                Points
1. LeBron James       5,995
2. Michael Jordan       5,987
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar   5,762
4. Kobe Bryant           5,640
5. Shaquille O’Neal      5,250
6. Tim Duncan       5,172
7. Karl Malone       4,761
8. Jerry West       4,457
9. Tony Parker       4,012
10. Larry Bird       3,897


Before the game, James said when he passes Jordan he will cherish the honor, but the category does not define who he is as a player.

“I’ve always told you guys, any time I’m linked to any of the greats and even the greatest in Mike, it’s an honor," James said. "It’s a tribute to what I’ve been able to do with this game.”

5,989: the most Playoff points EVER.@KingJames is the new leading scorer in @NBAHistory. 👑#StriveForGreatness pic.twitter.com/BYGPjbacRl

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 26, 2017

"I wear the number because of Mike," James said after the game. "I think I fell in love with the game because of Mike, just because of what he was able to accomplish. When you're watching Michael Jordan it's almost like a god. So I didn't think I could be Mike."

While James has appeared in more NBA Finals than Jordan, His Airness still leads James in several significant categories, including championship rings (six to three), MVP awards (five to four) and regular-season scoring titles (10 to one).

James, Cavs KO Celts, set up rematch vs. Warriors

(TSX / STATS) -- BOSTON -- The Cleveland Cavaliers were supposed to get there, and they did.

They were supposed to play the Golden State Warriors there, and they will, deciding the league title for a third consecutive year.

LeBron James and the defending champion Cavaliers are headed back to the NBA Finals.

"We all need to soak this up. This is a great moment, and this is not promised," James said after scoring 35 points and becoming the NBA's all-time leading playoff scorer in a 135-102 blowout of the Boston Celtics in Game 5 on Thursday to clinch the Eastern Conference title.

James, who was joined on the podium by teammates, pointed out that it is a special moment for Deron Williams and Kyle Korver, two veterans heading for their first Finals.

James, who also had eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a blocked shot, then talked about "the beast of an opponent" that is waiting.

Kyrie Irving had 24 points and seven assists and the Cavaliers, who sat their starters for the entire fourth quarter.

When James takes the court June 1 in Oakland, Calif., he will be appearing in his seventh straight Finals while seeking his fourth title.

The Warriors, who beat Cavs for the 2015 championship before losing the rematch in 2016, are 12-0 in this year's playoffs.

"They've been playing great, but you can't get too far ahead of yourself," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said of the Warriors. "You saw that in Game 3 against Boston. ... To be honest, I didn't do one (bit of) prep for Golden State yet because I really believe that this (Boston) team is a good team."

James, who shot 13 of 18 from the floor and 4 of 7 from 3-point range, hit a 3-pointer with 2:41 left in the third quarter to pass Michael Jordan and move to the top of all playoff scorers.

James finished the night with 5,995 playoff points, topping Jordan's mark of 5,987. Jordan appeared in 179 postseason games; James played his 212th.

Before the game, James said, "It's just a personal goal of mine. It has nothing to do with passing the rings, passing the points, passing MVPs. It's just my personal goal to keep me motivated -- that's all."

For the third time in as many TD Garden games in the series, the Cavaliers never trailed. They won the three road games in the series by a combined 90 points, the last two by a total of 77.

Kevin Love had 15 points and 11 rebounds and was a game-high plus-43, and Williams added 14 points in 17 minutes off the bench in the win that made Cleveland 12-1 in the postseason.

Avery Bradley led the Celtics with 23 points, and Gerald Green scored 14.

"We're definitely disappointed. I felt like if we weren't, it would be a problem," Bradley said. "We feel like we should be here, and we feel like we should be a championship-contending team."

With 2:44 left, the remaining Boston fans began a "Let's Go Celtics" chant that kept going until the final horn, cheering every basket as if the game were close.

"I leave with a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth not playing as well here, and man you want to play well here," said an emotional Celtics coach Brad Stevens, who earned his first two playoff series wins this year.

James said he embraced Isaiah Thomas, who sat out the last three games of the series after playing the first two with a hip injury, later paying tribute to Boston's little big man.

"It was a matchup that we were all looking forward to, and I'm glad that we prevailed," Irving said. "But they tested us every single minute, and we needed that."

The Celtics made some noise near the end of the first half, but Irving scored Cleveland's first 11 points in the opening 3:18 of the second half. Two baskets by James ballooned the lead to 25 with 6:39 left in the third quarter. It soon grew to 32 and then to 35 by the end of the quarter.

James scored 15 and Irving 13 in the period, with James hitting three bombs in the final 2:41.

Irving, who shook off a Game 4 twisted ankle, shot 9 of 15 from the floor and 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

"If we have a great game plan and play inspired basketball, we're tough to beat," Love said.

The Cleveland regulars were 16 of 33 from behind the arc through three quarters -- after the Cavs went 19 of 39 on treys in a 44-point win in Game 2. They finished 19 of 41 Thursday.

The Celtics were 9-9 during a playoff run that capped a successful season.

"It's pretty cool to think that in three weeks you've got the No. 1 pick in the draft," Stevens said.

Added Bradley: "Sky's the limit if we're able to keep the core guys together."

NOTES: Cleveland's 109 points through three quarters marked the most the Celtics have allowed in the shot-clock era. ... Like LeBron James, F James Jones is also going to his seventh straight NBA Finals, all with James. Bill Russell holds the record of appearing in 10 consecutive Finals. ... All three of Boston's walking wounded -- Fs Jae Crowder, Jaylen Brown and Amir Johnson -- were able to play. ... Acting Golden State coach Mike Brown, asked about Cavs coach Tyronn Lue's comment that the Celtics are harder to defend than the Warriors, said, "That's his opinion. It's cute." ... The Cavaliers' 43 points in the first quarter made Cleveland the first playoff team since the 1990 Celtics with three 40-point quarters in the same series. ... The teams observed a moment of silence for the victims of Monday's bombing in Manchester, England.

Cavaliers look to finish off Celtics

Stats, LLC

BOSTON -- Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue, whose Cleveland Cavaliers are one win away from an NBA Final rematch with the Golden State Warriors, said Wednesday coaching against the Boston Celtics without Isaiah Thomas has presented a whole different set of obstacles.

Obstacles different even than the Warriors, who await the winner of the Eastern Conference Final.

"The stuff they're running, it's harder to defend than Golden State's (offense) for me, as far as the actions and all the running around and all the guys who are making all the plays, so it's a totally different thing," Lue said. "Like, they hit the post, Golden State runs splits and all that stuff but these guys are running all kinds of (stuff). And Brad (Stevens has) got them moving and cutting and playing with pace and everybody is a threat."

That's why, when asked whether he is thinking about a possible third straight title meeting with the Warriors, Lue, whose team is up 3-1 on Boston, said, "You can't. As much as you want to, it's not over.

"(The Celtics are), like I told you guys before, it's like we're preparing for a whole new team. Like, we didn't know what they were going to run. Isaiah (Thomas) goes down and they're running a totally different offense than we prepared for so it's been tough on us. And defensively, they're a lot better. They don't have a lot of weak links to go to, to go at.

The Celtics left TD Garden after their Game 2 beat-down anything but sure they could give their fans at least one more home game. Then they found out for sure their star, Thomas, was done for the year.

Thursday night, the Boston fans do in fact get another home game as the injury-riddled Celtics try to send the series back to Cleveland for Game 6.

A win and LeBron James goes to his seventh straight finals and the Cavs will see a team that is 12-0 in these playoffs.

The Celtics pulled off the improbable comeback upset in Game 3 before Kyrie Irving and James combined to bring the defending champions back from 16 points down to win Game 4 Tuesday night.

Irving, who scored a career-playoff-high 42 points, rolled his left ankle with 1:49 left in his 21-point third quarter but is expected to play Thursday.

"I've twisted my ankle so many times that plays like that, you have two choices, either you can sit there and kind of wallow in the sorrow of you twisting your ankle or capture the moment," Irving said.

With Thomas already gone, the Celtics played without Amir Johnson in Game 4 because a shoulder injury suffered in the third game. He and Jae Crowder (groin) are listed as probable for Game 5 while rookie Jaylen Brown (hip pointer) is questionable.

Asked about suffering his injury, Irving said, "My adrenaline is still going at this point, so I'm pretty sure when I get home my body will probably hate me, but it's the magnitude of the moment and what's at stake, and I wasn't coming out for any margin. I wasn't coming out.

"I knew how much we needed this game and how much my teammates needed me and the importance of me leading these guys as well as 'Bron.

"I'm saying to myself, 'They cannot tie up this series. They cannot. We cannot go to Boston 2-2 and then it becomes almost an even series."

The Celtics have to know they let one get away Tuesday night, but may well have just fallen victim to the fatigue that resulted from the dramatic -- and totally unexpected -- win in Game 3.

"The first half we played some of the best basketball we played all season," Brown said of Game 4, "against one of the best teams in basketball."

They did. And they built a 16-point lead, before the Cleveland stars, more notable Irving, stole the game right back.

"We had really good athletes, quick guys that make things tough on people, guarding him, and he was able to raise up and make a lot of tough shots," said Stevens. "He was able to get by us and make tough shots in the paint. Again, sometimes I think that -- I'll go look at it and see all the things that we did wrong, but I think it's more of a tip-your-hat kind of thing with those two guys tonight."

NBA announces 2019 All-Star game will held in Charlotte

By STEVE REED
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The NBA All-Star game is headed back to Charlotte in 2019, a couple of years longer than anticipated.

The NBA announced that the All-Star weekend will be held Feb. 15-17 in Charlotte and the game will be played at the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets.

The league had selected Charlotte to host the 2017 All-Star game, but later moved the game to New Orleans because of the state law restricting the rights of LGBT people. However, a compromise was struck in March to partially erase the impact of the House Bill 2 law limiting anti-discrimination protections for lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people.

"While we understand the concerns of those who say the repeal of HB2 did not go far enough, we believe the recent legislation eliminates the most egregious aspects of the prior law," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a release. "Additionally, it allows us to work with the leadership of the Hornets organization to apply a set of equality principles to ensure that every All-Star event will proceed with open access and anti-discrimination policies.

"All venues, hotels and businesses we work with during All-Star will adhere to these policies as well. Sports have a long history of helping to change attitudes around important social issues. We believe holding our All-Star activities in Charlotte will be a powerful way for the NBA to continue this tradition."

Hornets owner and longtime NBA great Michael Jordan said in a release he is "thrilled" the game is coming back to Charlotte.

"We want to thank Commissioner Silver for his leadership throughout this process and for the decision to bring NBA All-Star back to Buzz City," Jordan said in the release. "All-Star Weekend is an international event that will provide a tremendous economic impact to our community while showcasing our city, our franchise and our passionate Hornets fan base to people around the world."

Charlotte previously hosted the All-Star game in 1991 at the Charlotte Coliseum, which has since been demolished.

---

More AP NBA: www.apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Irving's 42 carry Cavs to win, 3-1 lead over Celtics

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- Imagine being down by 13 points and losing the best player in the world to his fourth foul before the second quarter of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals is even over.

And then handing the ball to Kyrie Irving, getting out of the way, and watching him bring the team to the doorstep of the NBA Finals.

That was reality for the Cavaliers on Tuesday night, as Irving set a playoff-career high with 42 points in Cleveland's 112-99 win over the Boston Celtics.

The Cavs, ahead 3-1 in the series, can reach their third straight NBA Finals, and LeBron James his seventh in a row, with a win in Game 5 on Thursday night in Boston.

James scored 34 points to go with six assists in Game 4, even though he left the game with 6:46 remaining in the second quarter after picking up his fourth foul. He never previously had that many fouls in the first half in his 14-year career, and Cleveland trailed 46-33.

Irving scored 36 points after that, including 21 during a game-turning third quarter in which Cleveland outscored the Celtics 40-23.

"In the back of my mind, I was like, I'm saying to myself, 'We cannot -- they cannot tie up this series,'" Irving said. "They cannot. We cannot go to Boston 2-2 and then it becomes almost an even series."

Kevin Love added 17 points and a career playoff-high 17 rebounds for Cleveland. The 93 points produced together by Irving, James and Love are the most they have amassed as a group and the second highest for a trio in team playoff history.

Avery Bradley led the Celtics with 19 points, and Jae Crowder added 18 points and eight rebounds. Al Horford contributed 16 points and seven assists.

The Celtics, who are missing their best player, injured guard Isaiah Thomas, led by as many as 16 points in the first half and appeared primed to stun Cleveland again while James flirted with trouble.

Irving kept the game close until halftime with 12 points. Then he tied a team playoff record with his 21 points in the third, set a Cavs postseason record with nine field goals and scored the final 14 points of the period.

When his 3-pointer splashed with a half-second left in the third quarter, the Cavs led 87-80. The circumstances were different and the primary author of the comeback was Irving instead of James, but Cleveland fighting back from 16 down was in some ways reminiscent of the 26-point halftime deficit the Cavs erased in Game 3 of their first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.

"I'm telling my guys on the court the whole entire game, we've seen this before, we've been through this, we've experienced this, and we're going to get through this, and from that point on, it clicked," Irving said.

Irving also rolled an ankle on a drive and bucket with 1:47 left in the third but was able to stay in the game.

James recovered from an 11-point, 4-of-13 shooting night he endured in Cleveland's stunning Game 3 loss. He shot 15 of 27 from the field Tuesday and closed the game with 15 points in the fourth, including a 3-pointer with 3:52 remaining for a 106-97 lead.

"I don't think I've ever had four fouls in a game before in the first half, so my rhythm is kind of broken and you've got to figure out ways you can still help the team, and my teammates said be aggressive, be you," James said. "You got us to this point and continue to do that, so I just tried to find ways to get into the lane, get into transition, when they backed off, shoot the jumper, and felt very comfortable."

The Celtics proved to be a tough cover without Thomas again in the first half, bringing to mind their second-half success in their 111-108 win in Game 3. However, they committed nine turnovers that led to 13 Cleveland points in the second half.

Bradley shot just 7 of 19 from the field. Crowder started the game 4 of 5 but finished 6 of 12. He also sustained a strained left thigh in the third quarter but returned to the game.

The Cavs had nine turnovers for 13 points in the first half. In the second half, they shot 27 of 38 (71.1 percent) from the field.

"Kyrie Irving and LeBron James would be the two answers," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said when asked about the difference from the first half to the second. "They were unbelievable. Irving was incredible at the end of the third, and then obviously LeBron had all those baskets in the fourth.

"I thought that we played, you know, as well as we've played maybe the entire playoffs in the first half. We were really good defensively. Offensively, I thought we moved and cut and played together, and then for whatever reason, all those things became a little bit more difficult. But that's what great teams do. They make it really hard on you.

"As we all know, a 10-point lead at halftime is nothing, especially against those guys. But they deserve a lot of credit. Those two guys were incredible."

NOTES: Celtics G Isaiah Thomas (right hip) visited with an undisclosed specialist to determine the course of action for his surgery. Coach Brad Stevens said no decision had been made yet on whether Thomas would undergo an operation but reiterated that the guard is out for the remainder of the playoffs. Stevens said Thomas may consult with two additional specialists. ... Boston F Kelly Olynyk made his first start of the postseason in place of Amir Johnson (sprained shoulder), and he scored 15 points. The Celtics used their third different starting lineup in four games against Cleveland. ... Cavs G J.R. Smith and his wife brought home from the hospital their baby daughter Dakota, who had been in a Cleveland-area NICU since her birth in January. She was born nearly five months early. ... Cavs F LeBron James trails Michael Jordan (5,987 points) by just 28 points for first place in NBA playoff history in scoring.

Warriors finish off Spurs behind Curry's 36

(TSX / STATS) -- SAN ANTONIO -- The celebration was subdued on Monday after Golden State made history in its four-game sweep of the San Antonio Spurs in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

The Warriors refuse to be deterred from their ultimate goal of a second NBA title in the past three years.

Stephen Curry scored 36 points and Kevin Durant added 29 points and 12 rebounds as the Warriors strolled to a 129-115 win over the short-handed but game San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center, in the process earning the right to play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

The Warriors will have nine days to rest for that series, which begins in Oakland, Calif., on June 1.

The Warriors have swept all three of their playoff series and are the first team in NBA history to start the postseason 12-0, eclipsing the record established by the 1989 and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State has won 27 of its past 28 overall games (including the regular season) and has won six straight road playoff games, a franchise record.

"It's a great run, and we had an opportunity to get it done tonight, but more importantly, it was obviously just a closeout kind of mentality and trying to take care of our business and play a good 48-minute game," Curry said. "For the most part, we did.

"We had some slip-ups and some mental errors, but for the most part it was a solid night. Contributions from everybody.

"Going 12-0 is great, but it doesn't mean anything going into the next series, and we have to understand that."

The Spurs announced about 90 minutes before tipoff that both injured star forward Kawhi Leonard (left ankle) and reserve forward David Lee (left knee) would miss the game, likely dooming any chance San Antonio had to extend the series.

But even with a full complement of players, the Spurs -- or any opponent for that matter -- would have been hard-pressed to beat Golden State the way the Warriors are playing. Despite the fact that the Warriors have cruised to their spot in the Finals, they are adamant that they can play better.

"There are things on both sides of the ball that we can clean up, and that's what's, I guess, got our guys' attention or focus," Warriors acting head coach Mike Brown said. "We've been preaching certain things, and for the most part, they've been doing it, but to get to our ultimate goal of winning the whole thing, we've got to be better on both ends of the floor."

Draymond Green contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Golden State. Ian Clark tallied 12 points, and Klay Thompson scored 10 points (on 3-of-13 shooting) for the Warriors. Golden State outshot the Spurs 55.8 percent to 42.3 percent, had 53 rebounds to San Antonio's 41 and dominated despite 17 turnovers that led to 22 San Antonio points.

Kyle Anderson led the Spurs with 20 points, and Manu Ginobili added 15 in what might have been the final game of his 15-year NBA career.

Ginobili left the game in the final minutes to chants of "Manu, Manu" and "one more year." He has said he will take three or four weeks off before deciding whether he wants to return to the league next season, when he will be 40 years old.

"The opponent was, in this case, way better than us," Ginobili said of the Warriors' domination off the series. "When you lose by an average of 20 points per game in the last three games, you look at them in the eyes and say, 'Congratulations, man, you beat us fair and square. You were better than us.' It's the easiest thing to do."

San Antonio's Patty Mills and Pau Gasol hit for 14 points each, and Jonathon Simmons scored 13. LaMarcus Aldridge, arguably the Spurs' most important player after Leonard, scored just eight points and did not play in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors shot 50 percent in the first quarter against San Antonio's makeshift lineup, built as much as a 14-point advantage and led 31-19 after 12 minutes as Curry pumped in 13 points despite shooting just 1 of 6 from 3-point range. The Spurs hit just 9 of 31 shots in the first quarter and wasted the momentum and boost from the crowd that was provided by the ageless Ginobili's first start in a playoff game since 2013.

Golden State was even better from the floor in the second quarter, hitting 14 of 19 shots and leading by as many as 19 points before settling for a 65-51 advantage at halftime. Durant and Curry each had 18 points in the half to lead the Warriors, while Anderson led San Antonio with 10 points.

The Warriors worked to finish off San Antonio in the early stages of the third quarter, moving to a 78-56 lead on two Green free throws at the 8:25 mark. But the Spurs would not quit, forging a 19-7 run to cut the lead back to 85-75 on a jumper by Bryn Forbes with 2:49 to play in the period. Golden State responded with an 11-3 surge of its own to end the period and took a 96-78 cushion into the final period.

The fourth quarter was mostly mop-up time for the Warriors, who never let San Antonio get within 13 points while closing out the victory.

"Everybody tries to put together as much talent as they can, and that's what (Golden State) did," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Make no mistake -- they're really talented. But that's not the whole equation. That's not everything that describes them.

"(Golden State is) maybe the best defensive team in the league on top of everything. So they don't just play with talent. They execute at the defensive end of the floor. On offense, no team is more unselfish finding the open man and that sort of thing. Coaches are always trying to get their team to do that. But they've got a multitude of people who are unselfish in that regard and play a beautiful game. They're way, way more than just their talent."

NOTES: Golden State has won at least one road game in each of its past 14 playoff series dating back to the first round in 2013, extending a franchise record. Gs Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and F Draymond Green and have played with the Warriors for all 14 of those postseason series. ... Since the Spurs joined the NBA in 1976, they have made 10 conference finals appearances, which ranks as the most in the league in that time frame. San Antonio is also tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA championships during that span (five). ... Spurs G Manu Ginobili is the only player in NBA history besides LeBron James to record at least 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 300 3-pointers in the postseason. ... The Spurs are now 0-3 under coach Gregg Popovich is series in which they lost the first three games.

James, Cavaliers aim to rebound in Game 4 vs. Celtics

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CLEVELAND -- Forget playing like he had throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

If LeBron James was even a shell of his usual self in Game 3 against the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be up 3-0 in the conference finals and beginning to size up the Golden State Warriors for what would be an NBA Finals rematch.

Game 4 is Tuesday in Cleveland.

"No blame. We're all to blame," Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said Monday, a day after his team was stunned 111-108 by the Celtics. "We lost; it happens. For a guy who played great for five straight months, he's got to have a bad game sooner or later. He's human. He didn't shoot the ball well. It wasn't his ordinary game. But Kevin (Love, 28 points) and Kyrie (Irving, 29 points) had it going early and they played well, so it kind of got him out of rhythm a little bit in that first half. That's no excuse."

It wasn't just James' 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting that killed Cleveland, although it was surprising, given the 68 points he'd scored in the first two games of this series. It was his shocking inactivity in the fourth quarter against the Celtics, given his historic efforts against them and Jae Crowder -- who typically defends James.

James took just three shots in that fourth quarter and missed them all. He didn't get to the free-throw line.

"He's got to be aggressive, get downhill, play like he's been playing, play confident," said Cavaliers teammate and friend J.R. Smith, who scored 13 points with eight rebounds in Game 3.

"That's what I always think, when people of his stature or people like him, you've got to play confident the whole night and play aggressive. It's the Eastern Conference finals. It's not enough for him. For what he does, what he brings, it's not enough. He knows that. We know that. Just expect him to be better in Game 4."

According to cleveland.com, James' teams are 1-10 in the playoffs when he scores 15 or fewer points. Perhaps foreshadowing what's to come from him in Game 4, James is averaging 24.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in the nine playoff games following such a loss (the 10th game will be Tuesday).

James is 20-0 in playoff series in which his team won the first two games, and the Cavaliers are 14-0 in those sets. James hasn't lost a playoff series against an Eastern team since the second round in 2010, when the Celtics knocked out Cleveland in six games.

James had one of his worst playoff games ever in that series -- in Game 5, at home, he scored 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting and the Cavaliers were blown out. The Celtics took Game 6 and the series.

Cleveland still has control in these conference finals and is 13-2 in its last 15 playoff games at Quicken Loans Arena.

"I mean, a game like that just happens," Lue said. "You move on and hopefully be better the next game. It's not something we're going to hang our head on. But we definitely understand that this (Boston) team is not going to quit, they're going to fight, they're going to compete."

The Celtics have to fight on without leading scorer Isaiah Thomas, who is out for the remainder of the playoffs with a hip injury. His teammates celebrated with Thomas via FaceTime following their Game 3 win. They all know not to expect the same, unusually tame James in Game 4.

"I think he's going to be aggressive," said Avery Bradley, who scored 20 points and made the game-winning 3-pointer. "I mean, LeBron James understands how to play the game, and he understands what this team needs from him. He's most likely going to be a lot more aggressive. It's our job to make sure that we defend him as best we can and just make every -- take other guys out of the game."

Boston trailed 2-0 in the first round against Chicago, but won the next four. This is a whole different deal, however, facing the defending champions without their own best player in Thomas.

And now there may be more adversity for the Celtics. Coach Brad Stevens told the Boston Globe that forward Amir Johnson has a sprained right shoulder and is questionable for Game 4. Johnson was replaced in the starting lineup for Game 2 by Gerald Green, but after a 44-point loss and with Thomas out, Stevens went back to Johnson in Game 3.

Stevens would rather play Kelly Olynyk (15 points in Game 3) and Jonas Jerebko (10 points) than Johnson anyway.

"We always believe in ourselves," said Avery Bradley, who scored 20 points and made the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 3. "It's not always the outcome that we want, but that's part of the game.

"You're going to have ups and downs. You obviously hear people saying that it's all about how you respond, and we don't feel like people believed in us and counted us out, but that just put another chip on our shoulder, which I think is good. And I hope we can continue to play with that chip on our shoulder and come out the same way next game."

Stevens looked beyond the scoring numbers James put up in Game 3.

"Well, one of the things, as you go back and watch the film, I thought LeBron made a lot of the right plays," Stevens said. "When you've got guys that are all on fire the way they are, the right basketball play is to find them. He just made it over and over.

"The guy is a tremendous basketball player. He makes the right play over and over, and he thinks the game, he sees the game. He's a really good defender. He can read situations. So I thought he was pretty darned good. But like I said last night, I'm not going to be critical of the best player in the world."

Warriors finish off Spurs behind Curry's 36

(TSX / STATS) -- SAN ANTONIO -- The celebration was subdued on Monday after Golden State made history in its four-game sweep of the San Antonio Spurs in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

The Warriors refuse to be deterred from their ultimate goal of a second NBA title in the past three years.

Stephen Curry scored 36 points and Kevin Durant added 29 points and 12 rebounds as the Warriors strolled to a 129-115 win over the short-handed but game San Antonio Spurs at the AT&T Center, in the process earning the right to play either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

The Warriors will have nine days to rest for that series, which begins in Oakland, Calif., on June 1.

The Warriors have swept all three of their playoff series and are the first team in NBA history to start the postseason 12-0, eclipsing the record established by the 1989 and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers. Golden State has won 27 of its past 28 overall games (including the regular season) and has won six straight road playoff games, a franchise record.

"It's a great run, and we had an opportunity to get it done tonight, but more importantly, it was obviously just a closeout kind of mentality and trying to take care of our business and play a good 48-minute game," Curry said. "For the most part, we did.

"We had some slip-ups and some mental errors, but for the most part it was a solid night. Contributions from everybody.

"Going 12-0 is great, but it doesn't mean anything going into the next series, and we have to understand that."

The Spurs announced about 90 minutes before tipoff that both injured star forward Kawhi Leonard (left ankle) and reserve forward David Lee (left knee) would miss the game, likely dooming any chance San Antonio had to extend the series.

But even with a full complement of players, the Spurs -- or any opponent for that matter -- would have been hard-pressed to beat Golden State the way the Warriors are playing. Despite the fact that the Warriors have cruised to their spot in the Finals, they are adamant that they can play better.

"There are things on both sides of the ball that we can clean up, and that's what's, I guess, got our guys' attention or focus," Warriors acting head coach Mike Brown said. "We've been preaching certain things, and for the most part, they've been doing it, but to get to our ultimate goal of winning the whole thing, we've got to be better on both ends of the floor."

Draymond Green contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Golden State. Ian Clark tallied 12 points, and Klay Thompson scored 10 points (on 3-of-13 shooting) for the Warriors. Golden State outshot the Spurs 55.8 percent to 42.3 percent, had 53 rebounds to San Antonio's 41 and dominated despite 17 turnovers that led to 22 San Antonio points.

Kyle Anderson led the Spurs with 20 points, and Manu Ginobili added 15 in what might have been the final game of his 15-year NBA career.

Ginobili left the game in the final minutes to chants of "Manu, Manu" and "one more year." He has said he will take three or four weeks off before deciding whether he wants to return to the league next season, when he will be 40 years old.

"The opponent was, in this case, way better than us," Ginobili said of the Warriors' domination off the series. "When you lose by an average of 20 points per game in the last three games, you look at them in the eyes and say, 'Congratulations, man, you beat us fair and square. You were better than us.' It's the easiest thing to do."

San Antonio's Patty Mills and Pau Gasol hit for 14 points each, and Jonathon Simmons scored 13. LaMarcus Aldridge, arguably the Spurs' most important player after Leonard, scored just eight points and did not play in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors shot 50 percent in the first quarter against San Antonio's makeshift lineup, built as much as a 14-point advantage and led 31-19 after 12 minutes as Curry pumped in 13 points despite shooting just 1 of 6 from 3-point range. The Spurs hit just 9 of 31 shots in the first quarter and wasted the momentum and boost from the crowd that was provided by the ageless Ginobili's first start in a playoff game since 2013.

Golden State was even better from the floor in the second quarter, hitting 14 of 19 shots and leading by as many as 19 points before settling for a 65-51 advantage at halftime. Durant and Curry each had 18 points in the half to lead the Warriors, while Anderson led San Antonio with 10 points.

The Warriors worked to finish off San Antonio in the early stages of the third quarter, moving to a 78-56 lead on two Green free throws at the 8:25 mark. But the Spurs would not quit, forging a 19-7 run to cut the lead back to 85-75 on a jumper by Bryn Forbes with 2:49 to play in the period. Golden State responded with an 11-3 surge of its own to end the period and took a 96-78 cushion into the final period.

The fourth quarter was mostly mop-up time for the Warriors, who never let San Antonio get within 13 points while closing out the victory.

"Everybody tries to put together as much talent as they can, and that's what (Golden State) did," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Make no mistake -- they're really talented. But that's not the whole equation. That's not everything that describes them.

"(Golden State is) maybe the best defensive team in the league on top of everything. So they don't just play with talent. They execute at the defensive end of the floor. On offense, no team is more unselfish finding the open man and that sort of thing. Coaches are always trying to get their team to do that. But they've got a multitude of people who are unselfish in that regard and play a beautiful game. They're way, way more than just their talent."

NOTES: Golden State has won at least one road game in each of its past 14 playoff series dating back to the first round in 2013, extending a franchise record. Gs Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and F Draymond Green and have played with the Warriors for all 14 of those postseason series. ... Since the Spurs joined the NBA in 1976, they have made 10 conference finals appearances, which ranks as the most in the league in that time frame. San Antonio is also tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA championships during that span (five). ... Spurs G Manu Ginobili is the only player in NBA history besides LeBron James to record at least 800 rebounds, 800 assists and 300 3-pointers in the postseason. ... The Spurs are now 0-3 under coach Gregg Popovich is series in which they lost the first three games.

Warriors look for knockout punch vs. Spurs

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If there is anything that can stop, or even slow, Golden State on the way to its third straight trip to the NBA Finals, it hasn't been found yet by the three teams the Warriors have faced so far in the playoffs.

On Monday, the short-handed San Antonio Spurs, injury-ravaged losers of the first three games of the Western Conference finals, will take one more shot at beating Golden State when the teams square off for Game 4 of their best-of-seven series.

No team in NBA playoff history has come back to win a series after losing the first three games. The chances that the Spurs, with or without injured star forward and erstwhile MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard, can do so are monumental, at best.

Leonard is a near-certainty to miss the contest due to an ankle injury. Fellow Spurs forward David Lee (knee) also could sit out.

The Warriors rolled to a 120-108 win on Saturday behind 33 points from Kevin Durant, 17 of which came consecutively during the third quarter after the Spurs closed within 69-65. Golden State's wave and wave of talented players came alive when the Warriors were needed the most, and -- all the great coaching and proper preparation aside -- San Antonio just couldn't muster a meaningful response.

"For us to win, we have to play at a 10 level and they have to play at a 7," San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili said after the loss in Game 3. "We know it's going to be very tough. We don't know what's going to happen with Kawhi, so we have to be out there, compete, feel good about yourself, give everything you have, and if it's enough, great. If it's not, great, too."

Golden State has now won all 11 games in this postseason -- it swept the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz before taking the first three games in the conference finals -- and has garnered victories in 26 of its past 27 overall contests.

"As players, you want to go out there and win as much as possible and play as great as you can," Durant said when asked about the Warriors' domination. "Whatever happens with the score happens. So, we leave that to the fans who feel upset. If you don't like it, don't watch it."

About the only chance the Spurs would seem to have to extend the series past Monday to a Game 5 in Oakland on Wednesday would stem on some level of complacency by Golden State. If Stephen Curry's comments after Game 3 are to be believed, it's more likely that the Warriors will go for the knockout punch and their third straight series sweep in Game 4.

"I'm not surprised that we are up 3-0 -- our goal is to win every game we play," Curry said. "Obviously, sometimes it doesn't happen like that, but we've answered a lot of challenges throughout the course of the playoffs and learned a lot of lessons, obviously through winning.

"But against the Spurs, they challenge you no matter who is out there, and you've got to play well to beat them. So, we obviously know Game 4 is going to be even tougher, with the chance to close it out. They're going to go down swinging, so we have to really come in focused and with a lot of energy to get it done on Monday."

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said Sunday after the team's practice that he does not expect Leonard to play on Monday.

"It wouldn't make much sense," Popovich said. "If (Leonard) was unable to play yesterday, I don't think there's going to be a miraculous healing by tomorrow."

If this is the end of the line for the Spurs, it has been a memorable -- if incomplete -- campaign. San Antonio is a team no opponent can take for granted, so writing off the Spurs is hard, even with these dire circumstances.

"I've been saying this the whole time -- the Spurs are not just going to lay down for us," Warriors acting coach Mike Brown said. "The building is going to be energized. The group is going to be ready to play, so we have to make sure that we come out and we play the right way."

Bradley's 3-pointer gives Celtics improable win over Cavs

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- At first glance, maybe the sight of Avery Bradley's 3-point attempt in the waning seconds of Game 3 doesn't come to mind as the perfect shot.

It was good enough to help the Boston Celtics shock the Cleveland Cavaliers 111-108 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday, and not just because it eventually went through the hoop.

Bradley's shot left his hands with about 2.8 seconds remaining. It bounced off different parts of the rim four times, and it didn't roll into the basket until there was 0.1 seconds to go.

Not enough time for LeBron James and the Cavaliers to rescue themselves from a pitiful end.

"Thank God it's bouncing on the rim because that's taking time," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "If it goes in or doesn't go in, they have a timeout left. So when it bounced around, I was actually hoping it went in, obviously, but not completely disappointed that it was bouncing up there."

Cleveland leads the series 2-1. Game 4 will be Tuesday in Quicken Loans Arena.

Celtics star Isaiah Thomas is out for the remainder of the postseason because of a hip injury, and the Cavs had lost just one game at home to an Eastern team in the playoffs dating to 2015.

However, Thomas' replacement, Marcus Smart, scored a career-high 27 points and handed out seven assists, and Bradley had 20 points. Al Horford added 16 points, Jae Crowder amassed 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Kelly Olynyk contributed 15 off the bench for the Celtics, who were beaten by an average of 28.5 points in the first two games.

When the two teams left Boston after Game 2, the Cavs had beaten the Celtics by 44 points for the most lopsided win in Eastern finals history.

Now this.

"We've got guys that have chips on their shoulders," Stevens said. "A lot of these guys have been overlooked, and this is their first opportunity to really play a meaningful role.

"We knew that Friday was a (44)-point disaster, worth one (game). It wasn't worth four."

The Cavs led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter Sunday, but they shot 2-for-17 from 3-point range in the second half. The Celtics made 18 3-pointers for the game.

Cleveland also committed 16 turnovers that Boston turned into 14 points. The Celtics gave the ball away nine times, leading to five Cavaliers points.

"You let a team grab momentum like that, you almost know that last shot is going in," James said. "It was like, you already knew. As soon as the ball went out of his hands, you kind of knew that shot was going to go in because of how the game was just played throughout the second half."

James was ineffective, scoring just 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting with six turnovers. He was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and was limited to three points in the second half.

"I didn't have it," James said.

Kyrie Irving led the Cavs with 29 points, and Kevin Love added 28 points and 10 rebounds. Tristan Thompson scored 18 points to go with 13 boards.

Cleveland blew a chance to set a playoff record for consecutive wins (14) dating to Game 5 of last year's Finals. The Cavs also squandered an opportunity to become the fourth team in history to start the playoffs 11-0.

"I feel some adversity is all part of the postseason," James said. "I feel like you have to have some type of adversity in order to be successful. If it was going to happen, let it happen now; let us regroup. Let us regroup, and all the narrative and everything that was going on, let's regroup and let's get back to playing desperate basketball, which they did tonight. So we've got to be a lot better, for sure."

NOTES: Cavs F LeBron James won the J. Walter Kennedy citizenship award, given by the writers who cover pro basketball to a player, coach or athletic trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community. ... Celtics coach Brad Stevens said G Isaiah Thomas (right hip injury) would travel outside of Boston to undergo further examination Monday to determine if surgery is needed. ... Stevens also said the Cavs' 130-86 win in Game 2 -- the largest margin of victory ever in an Eastern finals game -- "may have been the best game I've ever seen a team play against us, at least in my time in the NBA." ... Cleveland entered Game 3 leading NBA playoff teams in field-goal percentage (.433), 3-point percentage (.433), offensive rating (119.4) and 3-pointers per game (14.5). ... In addition to G Marcus Smart, Amir Johnson also rejoined the Boston lineup after being replaced by Gerald Green in Game 2. Johnson scored two points in nine minutes, while Green scored five points in seven minutes.

Celtics face deeper hole minus top scorer vs. Cavs

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CLEVELAND -- Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas is done for the playoffs with the right hip injury that cost him the second half of a 44-point loss in Game 2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics announced Saturday that Thomas, their leading scorer, was out after reaggravating a "right femoral-acetabular impingement with labral tear."

Even if he had returned to Game 2 with his hip strain, or if he could've played against the Cavaliers on Sunday in the third game of this lopsided Eastern Conference final, Thomas alone is not enough to bridge the gap between Cleveland and Boston.

LeBron James and the Cavs have so thoroughly dominated the series they now lead 2-0, with Game 3 headed for their building at 8:30 p.m. ET

"Not 44 points' worth," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Friday after his team's historic 130-86 loss to Cleveland in Game 2, when asked if a healthy Thomas could've made a difference. "But I don't want to put that on any one guy. I think ultimately they were terrific, we were poor. You've got to be able to pick up the slack certainly when other guys aren't available. But they were tremendous.

"They've taken advantage of us both nights."

Celtics team physician Dr. Brian McKeon said, "Isaiah has worked tirelessly to manage this injury since it first occurred" in March, and "the swelling increased during the first two games against Cleveland, and in order to avoid more significant long-term damage to his hip, we could no longer allow him to continue."

Marcus Smart started the second half of Game 2 in place of Thomas.

The Cavaliers' win in Game 2 was the most lopsided in Eastern Conference finals and in franchise history. It was also the worst playoff loss for Boston -- the most decorated franchise in the NBA -- at home in team history.

James notched his eighth straight playoff game of at least 30 points, and did it in a 2017 playoff-low 33 minutes.

The Cavs won the first two games in this series by an average of 28.5 points. Sure, the number was skewed by the 44-pointer Friday in Game 2, but Game 1 really wasn't close, either.

Thomas aggravated the hip strain in Game 6 of Boston's conference semifinal win over Washington. He was limited to two points in Game 2, and in Game 1 scored 17 on 7-of-19 shooting from the field.

Already overmatched, Boston seems incapable of competing with a healthy Cavs bunch without Thomas and the 28.9 points per game he averaged during the regular season.

"He's not second-team All-NBA for no reason, top three in the league in scoring," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said. "So he's a tough cover. The things they run for him put you in bad positions and tough positions, especially with Al Horford being a stretch five. That's why I'm pleased most of all with our defense and how we just kept reacting and kept moving and kept scrambling."

Lue was in no mood after Friday's win to look past this series.

"I don't care if you win by 200 points," Lue said. "It's one game, and we know this team is a very scrappy team."

The Celtics, after all, did lose the first two games at home to Chicago in the first round and recovered to win the series in six games. Of course, the Bulls lost Rajon Rondo to a broken thumb in Game 2 and the Celtics had Thomas at full tilt, playing like crazy to honor the memory of his sister who died in an auto accident.

This is a totally different scenario. It usually is when James is involved.

James is 73 points from passing Michael Jordan as the NBA's leading scorer in the playoffs. Hem has scored at least 25 points in every game this postseason and is trying to become the first since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1970 to score 30 in nine straight playoff games.

James is 20-0 when he leads 2-0 in a playoff series. The Cavs are 14-0. Together, they need one more win to set an NBA record for consecutive postseason wins, and would become only the third team in league history to start the playoffs 11-0.

"We can get better," James said. "That's the positive for our ballclub. There's no complacency with us right now. There shouldn't be. It's the postseason. But we like where we're headed and the direction we're headed right now."

Durant's big third quarter helps Warriors sink Spurs

(TSX / STATS) -- SAN ANTONIO -- In the unlikely event that the prolific Golden State offense needs a pick-me-up, it can turn to forward Kevin Durant, who is capable of jump-starting the Warriors in clutch situations.

Durant provided the spark the Warriors craved when he scored 17 consecutive points in a three-minute stretch of the decisive third quarter on Saturday as the Warriors easily dispatched the San Antonio Spurs 120-108 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals at the AT&T Center.

The Warriors lead 3-0 in the best-of-seven series with Game 4, a potential clincher for Golden State, set for Monday in San Antonio. No NBA team has ever come back to win a series after losing the first three games.

Durant had 33 points in all, 19 of them in the third period, and pulled down 10 rebounds.

"Yeah, KD got in a groove," Warriors acting coach Mike Brown said. "He was huge for us. Literally, we didn't do anything tricky. He got hot, and we just wanted to keep him in the middle of the floor attacking downhill and in pick-and-roll situations. He was terrific. He made the right play every time down the floor, and obviously he made shots. He is who he is."

San Antonio trailed by nine points at the half and got as close as 69-65 two minutes into the third quarter before Golden State took charge with its superior firepower and unselfish play. By the middle of the fourth quarter, the Spurs were just worn out, settling for shots early in possessions and missing most of them while the Warriors rebuilt an 18-point lead.

"It feels like (San Antonio) can always stay in the game and always put up a fight and win," Durant said. "So we knew especially (with the Spurs) at home, Game 3, a lot of energy in the building, they were going to come out and hit us in the mouth, and we did a good job of taking that punch and just keep playing."

The Spurs' hopes of getting back in this series were severely damaged earlier on Saturday when the team announced that star forward Kawhi Leonard would not play in Game 3 because of a sprained left ankle. Leonard was originally injured in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets and re-injured the ankle in Game 1 at Golden State.

Stephen Curry added 21 points for the Warriors, who are a perfect 11-0 in the postseason and have won 26 of their past 27 games.

Klay Thompson had 17 points, JaVale McGee hit for 16 (all in the first half) and Draymond Green tallied 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as all five of Golden State's starters scored in double figures. The Warriors outshot San Antonio 54.8 percent to 47.3 percent from the floor.

The Spurs got 21 points from the ageless Manu Ginobili, who hit 7 of 9 shots from the field, and 18 points from LaMarcus Aldridge. Jonathon Simmons added 14 points, and Pau Gasol contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio.

"We knew we were going to be able to bounce back at least emotionally today and play a better game," Ginobili said. "The fact is that it's just too tough. We are missing Kawhi's offense and defense in this series. They were just too much for us today offensively. KD got hot in the moment when we had a chance. They got a lead, and they just played their rhythm and they were better than us."

The Spurs took a 26-25 lead on a 3-pointer by Patty Mills late in the first quarter and expanded it to 33-27 with 1.1 seconds to play on two free throws by Ginobili. The Warriors stole the final points of the quarter and a little of the momentum when David West threw an end-to-end pass to Ian Clark, who caught the ball underneath the Spurs' basket and laid it in as the horn sounded, bringing Golden State within 33-29 at the quarter break.

Golden State surged back into the lead in the middle of the second quarter, building a 61-49 advantage with 1:28 remaining while holding the Spurs scoreless for more than three minutes. San Antonio cut the deficit to 61-55 on a free throw and a basket by Ginobili and a put-back by Aldridge, but West canned a 3-pointer with 10.9 seconds left in the half to grant the Warriors a 64-55 lead at intermission.

McGee led the Warriors with 16 points in the half while Ginobili paced the Spurs with 13 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the floor.

Durant caught fire in the third quarter, hitting on 5 of 6 shots as the Warriors built as much as an 18-point lead before settling for a 100-88 advantage through three quarters. Golden State shot 60 percent in the period (12 of 20) but allowed San Antonio some hope when it committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions.

Spurs reserve forward David Lee was forced from the game with a hyperextended left knee late in the first quarter while hitting a layup and being fouled. Lee went straight to the San Antonio locker room and was not able to return to shoot the free throw he earned, meaning he could not return to the game.

"Our competitiveness was great," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "Every time you look up, you're playing against four All-Stars, so you better be pretty perfect, and competitiveness-wise I couldn't ask for anything more. We turned it over too much, and we've got to make some more shots. But Golden State is a hell of a team."

NOTES: San Antonio won 33 consecutive home games against the Warriors from the start of the 1997-98 season up until April 10, 2016, when it dropped a 92-86 decision to Golden State for its only home loss on the 2015-16 season. During that stretch, the Spurs posted a 57-13 record against the Warriors. ... In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, the Warriors dished out a franchise-record 23 assists in the first half on the way to a 2017 playoff-high 39, one shy of the team playoff record. ... San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich served as an assistant for the Warriors under Don Nelson's staff from 1992-93 through the 1994-95 season. ... Warriors coach Steve Kerr had two playing stints with San Antonio, appearing in 131 games while averaging 3.5 points from 1998-2001 and in 75 games during the 2002-03 season while helping lead the Spurs to their second NBA championship.

Leonard iffy as Spurs host Warriors in Game 3

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It is put-up-or-shut-up time for San Antonio when the Spurs face the red-hot Golden State Warriors on Saturday in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

San Antonio is trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and has looked completely lost after star forward Kawhi Leonard reinjured his left ankle midway through the third quarter of Game 1. The Spurs were up by as many as 25 points in that contest before losing 113-111 and then, with Leonard unavailable because of the injury, were steamrolled 136-100 in Game 2.

Both of those games were in Oakland, and the Spurs are hoping that the series shift to the Alamo City will change the momentum. Leonard's return would help bolster that change but, even after six full days of rest and rehabilitation, he was listed by the team as questionable for Game 3.

Leonard originally sustained the ankle injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets. He is averaging 27.7 points on 52.5 percent shooting, to go along with 7.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the postseason.

Leonard said Friday at the Spurs' shootaround that he will make the decision on his playing status.

"I will have a lot of input," Leonard said. "If I feel good, I'm going to play. Part of that is just seeing if I can run and at least be myself on the court. I don't want to hobble around or shoot off-balance shots. I just want to be able to push with both legs."

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said he was not planning any contingency plans for his team in case Leonard decides he can't play.

"Either Kawhi is going to play, or he's not," he said. "Everything else, you just work on what you want to work on."

The Warriors are expecting Leonard to play Saturday and are readying to handle the boost he and the change of venue could give the Spurs.

"I'm 100 percent sure he's going to play," Golden State's Kevin Durant said after practice Friday. "I haven't talked to anybody, but that's just my gut. It's Game 3 at home, and he's got a few days of rest on that ankle. They're a way better team, obviously, with him on the court. They pose a different threat."

Lost in all the talk about Leonard's injury is Golden State's overall excellent play, especially in Game 2, and the Warriors' ability to step things up when needed. Golden State has won all 10 of its games in the postseason, sweeping Portland and Utah and now taking the first two games from San Antonio.

Warriors acting coach Mike Brown was happy to see his team stroll to an easy win, but understands that things are going to be a lot more difficult moving forward. Game 4 will also be in San Antonio, on Monday, and two Spurs wins would put the series back on track.

"Steve (Kerr) told our guys before Game 2 that we've got to come out and play with a sense of urgency from the beginning," Brown said of his ailing boss' address to the team in the locker room before the game. "Give all of our guys credit. That was the message to the team afterward, too, going into Game 3.

"Think Game 1 was tough?" Brown added. "Oh, down in San Antonio, it's going to be more than a dogfight. Game 3 is going to be tough for us."

Not everything has gone the Warriors' way in this series. San Antonio outrebounded Golden State 49-40 in Game 2, and the Spurs' 22 offensive rebounds were the most the Warriors have surrendered in any game this season. San Antonio also had a significant rebounding advantage in the first two quarters of Game 1 before Leonard's injury.

Golden State's Andre Iguodala (left knee soreness) and Zaza Pachulia (right heel contusion) are listed as questionable for Saturday's Game 3. Iguodala participated in practice Friday and appears closer to a return than Pachulia at this point.

Cavaliers steamroll Celtics to take 2-0 lead

(TSX / STATS) -- BOSTON -- Charles Barkley walked into TD Garden for Friday night's television gig and greeted a familiar face with the words: "Came in for this mercy killing."

Sir Charles clearly had no idea how right he would be.

The defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers exploded to a 41-point halftime lead -- the largest halftime advantage in playoff history -- and cruised to 130-86 blowout of the Boston Celtics to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

"It was a good 48-minute game for us on both ends of the ball. We played all the way through for 48 minutes," Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said after the biggest playoff win ever for the Cavaliers.

The Celtics suffered their worst postseason home loss in history and fell just three points shy of matching their worst playoff defeat. Boston trailed 72-31 at the half.

"It's one game," said Lue. "I don't care if you win by 200 points. It's one game, and we know this team is a very scrappy team. They play hard and compete."

LeBron James, who scored 22 of his 30 points in the first half, has never lost a playoff series when up 2-0 and this series now shifts to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 Sunday and Tuesday, with outmanned Boston perhaps missing star guard Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas was lost to a right hip strain at halftime. He was scoreless, missing all six shots in the first half, but he did assist on six of his team's 11 baskets in the half.

"He's had a nagging hip injury," said Boston coach Brad Stevens. "He aggravated it pretty significantly on Friday in Washington, Game 6.

"Today I thought he looked much different in the first half. When he went back to the locker room our training staff and doctors got with him. He was pretty despondent not to be able to play. That guy's a tough guy and he plays through a lot. For him to have to sit is really hard."

Thomas didn't miss much.

Asked how much his team missed its top scorer, Stevens said, "Not 44 points' worth. I don't want to put that on any one guy.

"I think ultimately they were terrific, we were poor."

The win was the 13th straight playoff victory for the Cavs, who have not lost since Game 4 of last year's NBA Finals. The streak tied an NBA record.

James, the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970) with eight straight 30-point playoff games, and the rest of the Cleveland starters were pulled with 1:47 left in the third quarter.

James, who was a plus-46 in the game (plus-63 in two games), dished out seven assists and added four rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. He is averaging 34.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in the playoffs, shooting 56.9 percent from the floor and 45.8 percent from 3-point range.

The plus-46 matched Jimmy Butler's 2015 performance at Milwaukee -- a stat that is tracked back only as far as 2003.

Earlier in the day, James was not one of the three finalists for the league Most Valuable Player Award.

"I didn't see it. What you going to do about it?" James said. "At the end of the day, my only job is try to be the MVP for this team every night.

"I know what I bring to the table. This league knows what I bring to the table. That's for you guys to write about. That's not for me to be concerned about."

Kevin Love had 21 points and 12 rebounds and Kyrie Irving 23 points for Cleveland. The trio went a combined 11 of 21 from 3-point range.

The Cavs, who went 19 of 39 from 3-point range (Boston was 8 of 27), have never trailed in the first two games.

"We just want to try to get better," James said. "I also told you (earlier this season) we had another level. You looked at me crazy. I told you that. I believe we have another level as well.

"As well as we played tonight, there's still some things we could have (done) better.

Rookie Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 19 points and Avery Bradley had 13. But Bradley was a minus-42, one shy of Draymond Green's record.

"We got our (butt) kicked. Point blank, period," said Brown. "Defending champs. They swept us off the floor."

NOTES: The Celtics made one lineup change, starting G/F Gerald Green in place of F Amir Johnson. "He's always been ready, and he always stays ready," Boston coach Brad Stevens said of Green, who logged 13:44 and scored 11 points off the bench in Game 1. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue called it a "smart? Move" and he hit a pair of first-quarter 3-pointers. ... The Cavaliers shrugged off two aggressive plays by Boston G Isaiah Thomas in the opener, the second a hard foul on a driving LeBron James that actually knocked the smaller Thomas' headband from his head. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was," said Lue, who was asking for a review for a potential flagrant. ... The Cavaliers won their two home games against Boston in the regular season by six points apiece but the Celtics haven't played in Cleveland since Dec. 29.n League lead with 11.

James, Cavs look to take 2-0 lead on Celtics

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BOSTON -- LeBron James offered a rather ominous comment after his Cleveland Cavaliers won the opener of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night.

"I don't even think we played that great tonight," James said after the Cavs cruised to a 117-104 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Despite not playing "that great," the Cavaliers took over home-court advantage in the series and look to get a two games to none lead Friday night at TD Garden.

James was, well, James in Game 1. He continued his dynamic playoff run with 38 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in a wire-to-wire victory.

To make it tougher for Boston, James had help and the Cavaliers hit 28 of their first 45 shots and coasted, doing so in a game where Kyrie Irving, who usually kills the Celtics, scored just 11 points.

"They put you in a bad matchup almost every time down the floor," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Thursday.

Kevin Love, looking like the Kevin Love from his Minnesota days, fired in a career-playoff-high 32 points, including four 3-pointers in the third quarter, and grabbed 12 rebounds. Tristan Thompson had a career-playoff-best 20 points and nine boards.

The win was the Cavs' 12th straight in the playoffs, dating back to the last three games of the finals last year. James has scored 30 points in seven straight games as he looks to visit the finals for the seventh straight season.

"There's gonna be some adjustments made from both sides," James said Thursday. "We have to be ready for it. Obviously, we don't know the exact adjustments but we know they're gonna make adjustments. That's what good teams do and we have to be ready for anything they bring to the table."

One thing the Celtics would love to bring to the table is more offense from Isaiah Thomas. Boston's little big man, who named All-NBA second team Thursday. (James made his 11th straight first team.) Thomas was hounded by the Cavs in the opening game, scoring just 17 points. He did have 10 assists and became the first Celtic since Rajon Rondo in 2012 with back-to-back playoff double-doubles.

"I'm very confident. I believe in these guys," Thomas said. "We just gotta protect our home court in Game 2 and get the win."

Games 3 and 4 are in Cleveland Sunday and Tuesday.

"LeBron's been playing so well that we really haven't had the chance to feature Kevin, but we've been talking and he's been ready," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "Tonight was a huge performance from him. We needed that."

James is averaging 34.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in these playoffs.

"Amazing, but he's better than when I first got into the league," said Stevens, in his fourth year in the league and now 0-5 against James and the Cavs in the postseason.

The Celtics, who lost the first two games of their first-round series with the Chicago Bulls at home, had won five straight at home since then before losing the opener of this series.

"We got the shots we wanted on the offensive end almost all of the first half," Thomas said, noting the Cavs were rested while his team had just come off a seven-game series with the Washington Wizards. "We got what we wanted, we just couldn't capitalize on it. I think that was a big reason why our defense was let down as well.

"It's tough to continue to keep playing hard even though we need to when you don't see shots fall."

Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LeBron James lead 2016-17 All-NBA first team

Houston Rockets guard James Harden was unanimously voted to the 2016-17 All-NBA First Team, and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James matched an NBA record with his 11th First Team selection, the NBA announced today.

Harden (500 points) was the only player named to the First Team on all 100 ballots, earning First Team honors for the third time in the last four seasons.  James (498 points) received 99 First Team votes, joining Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone as the only players in league history to make the All-NBA First Team 11 times. 

The All-NBA First Team also features three players who were each selected to the First Team for the second time: Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook, who joined James in totaling 99 First Team votes and 498 points, San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (96 First Team votes, 490 points) and New Orleans Pelicans center Anthony Davis (45 First Team votes, 343 points).   

The All-NBA Second Team includes three players making their All-NBA debuts: Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas.  They are joined by two Golden State Warriors, guard Stephen Curry (fourth All-NBA selection) and forward Kevin Durant (seventh All-NBA selection).

The All-NBA Third Team consists of forwards Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls and Draymond Green of the Warriors, guards DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors and John Wall of the Washington Wizards and center DeAndre Jordan of the LA Clippers.  Butler, DeRozan and Wall are first-time All-NBA selections.  Green was named All-NBA for the second time, while Jordan earned his third All-NBA honor.

The NBA’s remaining 2016-17 award winners will be revealed during the inaugural NBA Awards on TNT, which will be hosted by platinum-selling recording artist and multifaceted entertainer Drake on Monday, June 26 (9 p.m. ET) at Basketball City in New York. 

The finalists for the following awards will be unveiled during a special 90-minute edition of TNT’s NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader on Friday, May 19 at 7 p.m. ET.: Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, Kia NBA Rookie of the Year, Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, Kia NBA Most Improved Player and NBA Coach of the Year.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.  The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.  Voters were asked to select two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, picking players at the position they play regularly.  Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position where they received the most votes.

Complete media voting results will be posted at NBA.com/official the night of the NBA Awards.  Click here for the list of 100 media voters for the All-NBA Teams.   

Here is a closer look at the All-NBA First Team:

• James Harden, Rockets: Harden averaged career highs of 29.1 points (second in the NBA), 11.2 assists (first) and 8.1 rebounds, helping Houston finish with the league’s third-best record at 55-27.  The 6-5 guard led the NBA in free throws made with 746 and ranked third in three-pointers made with 262.  He recorded a career-high 22 triple-doubles, tied for the NBA’s sixth-highest total in a single season.

• LeBron James, Cavaliers: In his 14th season, James set career highs in assists (8.7 apg; sixth in the NBA), rebounds (8.6 rpg) and triple-doubles (13; third in the NBA).  The 6-8 forward also ranked eighth in the NBA in scoring with 26.4 points per game, extending his league record for consecutive seasons of averaging 25.0 points to 13.  With 11 First Team selections (including 10 straight) to go with two Second Team nods, James has made an All-NBA Team in each of the last 13 seasons. 

• Russell Westbrook, Thunder: Westbrook set an NBA single-season record with 42 triple-doubles and joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in league history to average a triple-double for a season.  He averaged a league-leading 31.6 points to go with 10.7 rebounds (10th in the NBA) and 10.4 assists (third in the NBA).  In winning his second scoring title in three seasons, the 6-3 guard paced the NBA in games with at least 20 points (72), 30 points (44), 40 points (18) and 50 points (four).

• Kawhi Leonard, Spurs: The 6-7 forward finished as the NBA’s ninth-leading scorer at a career-high 25.5 points per game, becoming the first San Antonio player to average 25.0 points since Tim Duncan in the 2001-02 season.  Leonard, the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year in each of the previous two seasons, helped the Spurs (61-21) post the league’s best defensive rating as they registered their third 60-win season in four years.

• Anthony Davis, Pelicans: Davis ranked fourth in the NBA in scoring (career-high 28.0 ppg), seventh in rebounding (career-high 11.8 rpg) and second in blocked shots (2.23 bpg) while appearing in a career-high 75 games.  The 6-11 forward/center set a single-season franchise scoring record with 2,099 points. 

2016-17 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM

Pos. | Player (Team) | 1st team votes | 2nd team votes | 3rd team votes | Total

F | LeBron James (Cleveland) | 99 | 1 | -- | 498

F | Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio) | 96 | 3 | 1 | 490

C | Anthony Davis (New Orleans) | 45 | 34 | 16 | 343

G | James Harden (Houston) | 100 | -- | -- | 500

G | Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City) | 99 | 1 | -- | 498

2016-17 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM

Pos. | Player (Team) | 1st team votes | 2nd team votes | 3rd team votes | Total

F | Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) | -- | 81 | 15 | 258

F | Kevin Durant (Golden State) | 3 | 66 | 26 | 239

C | Rudy Gobert (Utah) | 43 | 38 | 10 | 339

G | Stephen Curry (Golden State) | 1 | 93 | 6 | 290

G | Isaiah Thomas (Boston) | -- | 71 | 23 | 236

2016-17 ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM

Pos. | Player (Team) | 1st team votes | 2nd team votes | 3rd team votes | Total

F | Draymond Green (Golden State) | 4 | 21 | 51 | 134

F | Jimmy Butler (Chicago) | -- | 19 | 45 | 102

C | DeAndre Jordan (LA Clippers) | 3 | 7 | 18 | 54

G | John Wall (Washington) | -- | 19 | 68 | 125

G | DeMar DeRozan (Toronto) | -- | 4 | 50 | 62

Other players receiving votes, with point totals (First Team votes in parentheses): Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota, 50 (2); Chris Paul, LA Clippers, 49; Marc Gasol, Memphis, 48 (2); DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans, 42 (2); Paul George, Indiana, 40; Gordon Hayward, Utah, 27; Hassan Whiteside, Miami, 18; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland, 14; Klay Thompson, Golden State, 14; Nikola Jokic, Denver, 12 (1); Damian Lillard, Portland, 12; Paul Millsap, Atlanta, 3; LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio, 1; Blake Griffin, LA Clippers, 1; Al Horford, Boston, 1.