Pacers reportedly talking with Lakers on George deal

The Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers have begun discussing the possibilities of a Paul George trade, according to multiple reports.

George recently relayed to the Pacers that he won't re-sign with the club after the 2017-18 season and added that he hopes to sign with the Lakers as a free agent.

With Thursday's NBA draft approaching, Indiana is investigating whether it can trade the four-time All-Star forward to the Lakers either before the draft or on draft night.

The Pacers are apparently asking for the No. 2 overall pick in the draft that belongs to the Lakers, as well as forward Brandon Ingram, who was the No. 2 overall pick in last season's draft.

The Lakers aren't interested in that scenario as they have the knowledge that George could be had on the free-agent market 13 months from now.

Indiana also has engaged in talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Other teams reported to have interest are the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards.

George, who averaged a career-best 23.7 points last season, has a major preference in joining the Lakers as he grew up in Southern California.

The 27-year-old George is from Palmdale, Calif., a desert town about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

If George hits free agency, he will be eligible to sign a four-year, $130 million contract.

If George remained with the Pacers, he could receive a five-year, $177 million extension.

George has an 18.1 scoring average in parts of seven NBA seasons. He recovered from a serious compound fracture of his right leg in the summer of 2014 while playing for USA Basketball to regain his star status.

Celtics, 76ers finalize deal to swap top picks

The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers made their agreed-upon trade official Monday, a deal that will see the teams swap the Nos. 1 and 3 picks in Thursday night's NBA Draft.

The 76ers acquired the top overall pick from Boston in exchange for their No. 3 selection and a future first-round pick, according to statements released by both teams.

The Celtics and 76ers had agreed on the parameters of a deal on Saturday night after Philadelphia held a workout with point guard Markelle Fultz, who will become the fourth No. 1 overall pick in franchise history by the 76ers on Thursday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

"We are very pleased with the outcome of this trade, which puts us in the enviable position of selecting first overall in consecutive draft years," Philadelphia president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo said. "History suggests that No. 1 has the greatest odds of producing franchise-level talent and we are confident that this year's draft class has that very potential. Thursday night will see us take another significant step toward building a successful and sustainable basketball program."

Boston, with leading scorer Isaiah Thomas already manning the point guard position, was equally thrilled to drop down two spots and receive what they expect to be a high first-round pick in either 2018 or 2019.

"We're thrilled to be able to select what we expect be an impact player with the third pick in this year's very talented draft class, while also adding a highly valuable future asset as we continue to build towards Banner 18," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said.

Boston will receive the 2018 first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers -- if that selection falls between the No. 2 to No. 5 range. Otherwise, the Celtics will have a choice of first-rounders in 2019 -- either from Sacramento or Philadelphia, whichever pick is higher.

Philadelphia will pair Fultz, a high-scoring point guard out of the University of Washington, with Ben Simmons, last year's No. 1 overall pick who missed the entire season with a foot injury.

In his only season with Washington, the 6-foot-5, 186-pound Fultz averaged 23.2 points and 5.9 assists. He shot 47.6 percent, averaged along with 5.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals over 25 games during his freshman season with the Huskies, who posted a 9-22 record.

Boston, meanwhile, could potentially own the draft rights to seven first-round selections over the next three seasons.

The Celtics have been linked with either Josh Jackson of Kansas or Jayson Tatum of Duke at No. 3, although multiple media outlets reported the team may be willing to deal the pick.

Lonzo Ball of UCLA is expected to go No. 2 to the Lakers, although the sides have yet to reach agreement on a deal. Ball hosted a second workout for the Lakers on Friday.

HIGHLIGHTS: The very best of the Warriors 2017 championship parade

Watch the best moments from the 2017 Golden State Warriors championship parade.

Courtesy CSN Bay Area.

WATCH LIVE: Golden State Warriors Championship Parade

Watch the Golden State Warriors' championship parade from the Bay Area.

Courtesy of CSN Bay Area.

2 out of 3 ain't bad: Warriors top Cavs for another title

(TSX / STATS) -- OAKLAND, Calif. -- After the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers traded championships in 2015 and 2016, they could never agree on one key thing.

Who was the better team?

The third time around, there was no doubt.

The Warriors used a 28-4 flurry in the second quarter to take a lead they never relinquished, then relied on the scoring of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry down the stretch to hold off the Cavaliers en route to a 129-120 victory Monday night, claiming their second NBA championship in seasons.

Durant, the MVP of the Finals, had 39 points, and Curry added 34 for the Warriors, who captured the best-of-seven series 4-1 against the defending champions.

"We did it together," said Durant, a first-time champion. "Call us a super team, but it's been a lot of super teams that hasn't worked. We came together and we continued to just believe in each other and we sacrificed, and we're champions now."

Golden State completed an unprecedented 16-1 run through the NBA playoffs, registering the second-best average playoff point differential (plus-13.5) in league history.

Completing a perfect 9-0 run at home during the postseason, the Warriors became the first San Francisco Bay Area team to win a championship at home since the Oakland Athletics won the 1974 World Series.

"This is history," Warriors forward Andre Iguodala said. "We're going down as one of the best teams ever, and that's a special thing you cannot take away from us."

Led by LeBron James' game-high 41 points, the Cavaliers hung within 108-102 with 8:29 to play on a 3-pointer by Kyle Korver.

However, Iguodala assisted a Durant dunk and added one of his own off a Curry feed, reopening a double-digit lead and making the final 7:42 an extended celebration among the Oracle Arena fans.

"Golden State (was) the best team this year," James said. "They showcased that throughout the postseason, and we were another opponent in their way.

"We left everything on the floor, and it still wasn't enough."

Durant shot 14 of 20 overall and 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, hitting three of his threes during the critical second-quarter run that lasted more than seven minutes and turned a 41-33 deficit into a 61-45 advantage.

Curry shot 10 of 20, converted 12 of his 15 free throw attempts, found time for six rebounds and completed a double-double with a game-high 10 assists.

When the game became two-on-two, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue observed, his team had little chance.

"They started to go with the pick-and-roll with Steph Curry and Durant, which might be one of the most unstoppable pick-and-rolls in our league," Lue said. "And they waited until late to do it. That's a tough play to stop."

The Warriors, who were playing a Game 5 for the first time in the postseason, shot 51.1 percent from the field and 36.8 percent on 3-pointers.

Iguodala chipped in with 20 points off the bench and Draymond Green had a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double for the Warriors, who topped 100 points for the 17th straight time in the playoffs.

"There was never any question in my mind that this was going to work," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of the addition of Durant to a Curry-led core that already was good enough to make consecutive Finals. "This was the culmination of a year where (Durant and Curry) grew together and learned each other's games and got better and better all year. It was phenomenal to be a part of."

James collected a game-high 13 rebounds, eight assists and two steals to go with his 41 points in becoming the first player ever to average a triple-double in the Finals.

"I have no reason to put my head down," said James, who finished with averages of 33.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 10.0 assists in the five-game series. "I have no reason to look back at what I could have done or what I shouldn't have done or what I could have done better for the team. I left everything I had out on the floor every single game for five games in this Finals, and you come up short."

Kyrie Irving, fighting through back tightness late in the game, had 26 points and J.R. Smith 25 for the Cavaliers, who, like the Warriors, were competing in their third straight Finals.

The Cavaliers shot 53.4 percent from the field and 45.8 percent on 3-pointers, but were outrebounded 42-40 and outscored 23-15 at the free-throw line.

"A lot of guys cried because they wanted it bad," Lue reported of the postgame scene in the Cleveland locker room. "That's all you can ask."

NOTES: The Warriors' .941 winning percentage in the playoffs (16-1) bettered the previous mark of .938 established by the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, who went 15-1. ... The highest average point differential in NBA playoff history remains plus-14.5, set by the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. ... The championship was the 17th won by a San Francisco Bay Area franchise in baseball, basketball or football. The Warriors have three, trailing the San Francisco 49ers (five) and Oakland Athletics (four). ... Cavaliers SF LeBron James played in his 217th career postseason game, moving past C Shaquille O'Neal for seventh place on the all-time list.

Cavs cling to life with record-setting effort vs. Warriors

(TSX / STATS) -- CLEVELAND -- A chance at perfection ended, the Golden State Warriors find themselves in the same spot in the NBA Finals as they were at this time a year ago.

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Warriors 137-116 in Game 4 of the Finals on Friday night to avoid elimination. Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 40 points and LeBron James broke all kinds of records as he posted a triple-double.

The loss ended the Warriors' bid for a perfect 16-0 run through the playoffs, which had never been done. Golden State leads 3-1 in the series as it shifts back to Oakland, Calif., for Game 5 on Monday night.

"The magnitude of the games, especially the last game, it hit me in a very deep place," said Irving, who made 15 of 27 shots from the floor and drained seven 3-pointers -- tied for second most in a Finals game. "Glad that we got the monkey off our back in terms of just getting one win in this series in terms of going against this great team."

Golden State whiffed at its chance to pop champagne in Cleveland's visiting locker room for the second time in three seasons -- something the Warriors openly discussed as a goal: celebrating at The Q.

"I didn't hear it, but some of the other guys heard it and told me that that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms, and I think it came from Draymond (Green), which is OK, that's Dray anyway," James said. "So I just told guys, I didn't stress anything besides just live in the moment. Live in the moment."

The Cavs set Finals records with 86 points in the first half, 49 in the first quarter, and 3-pointers in a game (24). James finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double, passing Magic Johnson for first place in Finals history.

Kevin Love added 23 points for Cleveland and J.R. Smith finished with 15 points.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 35 points. Green added 16 points and 14 rebounds and Stephen Curry was 4 of 13 for 14 points.

"Just one of those games," Curry said. "Not going to overreact to one."

The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals last season. No team has come back from 3-0 in the playoffs.

"Believeland is not going to give up and we're going to keep fighting," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "We're going to keep scrapping."

The Warriors still have ample chances to win their second title in three seasons over the Cavs, something they failed to do last season.

"Different team, man, different team," Curry said. "Obviously, we haven't felt this feeling walking off the court with a loss in a while, but we have done a good job bouncing back and being resilient all year."

The third quarter was easily the most chaotic of the Finals. It started with 6:18 left in the quarter when Green appeared to pick up his second technical.

Instead of an automatic ejection, however, Green stayed in the game because officials insisted the first technical given to him -- with 1:55 left in the first quarter -- was actually assessed to Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

And with 1:10 left in the quarter, Zaza Pachulia and Kyle Korver were tied up on a loose ball. In the scrum, Pachulia appeared to kick Iman Shumpert -- who was standing over him -- once and punch him twice. Instead of an ejection for Pachulia, however, he and Shumpert were slapped with technicals.

The quarter closed with a 3-ball from Curry with 12 seconds to go, answered by one from James with 2.7 seconds remaining. The Cavs led 115-96.

Cleveland led 86-68 at halftime and were up by as many as 22. The 86 points were the most in a half in NBA Finals history.

A Durant 3-pointer at the buzzer brought the Warriors a little closer. Irving was up to 28 points and James had already registered 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists. The Cavs made 13 3-pointers.

The Cavaliers set a Finals record with 49 points in the first quarter and led by 16 when it was over. James had two foul shots with 2.9 seconds left and missed one, otherwise Cleveland would've hung 50 on the Warriors.

Four players -- Green, Klay Thompson, Curry and Andre Iguodala -- were whistled for two fouls in the first quarter. The Cavs took 22 free throws in the quarter but only made 14. They were 17-of-26 from the line at halftime.

"That was pretty much the factor (the fouls) in that first quarter," Curry said. "The aggressor usually gets the whistle and they were the aggressor."

NOTES: LeBron James said his mother, Gloria, did not want him to return to Cleveland and play for the Cavaliers in 2014, according to cleveland.com. James made the disclosure in a production for his online platform for athletes, Uninterrupted, in which he, Warriors star F Draymond Green, rapper 2 Chainz, and James' inner circle sat around at a barbershop during All-Star weekend in New Orleans. James said his mom didn't want him to leave the Miami Heat for the Cavs because of the letter Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert wrote to fans the night James bolted for the Heat in 2010. ... James passed Michael Jordan for third place in NBA Finals scoring history with his first basket and for first in free throws in the Finals. Jordan scored 1,176 points and connected on 1,463 free throws in six Finals. ... When the Warriors received 31 points from Kevin Durant and 30 from Klay Thompson in Game 3, it was the first time a team had two players score 30 points in consecutive Finals games since Elgin Baylor and Jerry West did it with the Los Angeles Lakers in Games 6 and 7 of the 1962 Finals.

NBA prospect Jeanne diagnosed with career-threatening disorder

(TSX / STATS) -- Jonathan Jeanne, a 19-year-old prospect from France and possible first-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft later this month, has been diagnosed with a career-threatening genetic disorder.

The 7-foot-2 center has Marfan syndrome, which affects the connective tissues of the body, his agent told The Vertical on Thursday.

Jeanne underwent an MRI while participating in the Chicago draft combine last month that showed an abnormality in his spine that required follow-up examinations, agent Bouna Ndiaye told The Vertical. Jeanne completed medical, physical and genetic testing at the Cleveland Clinic and received the results Thursday.

Jeanne is not expected to receive clearance for future NBA workouts before the June 22 draft. His agent said Jeanne remains hopeful he can resume his basketball career after extensive medical supervision.

Jeanne's condition is not unprecedented, with former 7-1 Baylor standout Isaiah Austin being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome before the NBA Draft in 2014. He was cleared to return to basketball late last year.

Jeanne has played professionally overseas since 2013 and spent the 2016-17 season in the top Pro-A league in France.