Knicks Morning News (2015.05.23)

  • [New York Times] Cavaliers 94, Hawks 82: LeBron James Scores 30 as Cavaliers Hobble Past Limping Hawks (Sat, 23 May 2015 04:32:12 GMT)

    The Cavaliers and the Hawks both were short-handed, but James stepped up to lead Cleveland to a victory and a two-games-to-none lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

  • [New York Times] Cavaliers Take Control With Dominating Win Over Hawks (Sat, 23 May 2015 04:18:41 GMT)

    LeBron James scored 30 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers, playing without an injured Kyrie Irving, cruised to a 94-82 victory over the Atlanta Hawks to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

  • [New York Times] James Leads Cavs to 94-82 Win Over Hawks, 2-0 Series Lead (Sat, 23 May 2015 04:07:08 GMT)

    LeBron James scored 30 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took total command of the Eastern Conference final even without injured star Kyrie Irving, routing the Atlanta Hawks 94-82 on Friday night for a 2-0 lead with the series heading to Ohio.

  • [New York Times] Conference Finalists Are Dotted With Knicks’ Castoffs (Sat, 23 May 2015 01:09:32 GMT)

    J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Timofey Mozgov, Pablo Prigioni, Trevor Ariza and David Lee are still making contributions for other teams in these playoffs.

  • [New York Times] Roundup: After a Close Call, the Warriors Head to Houston Up, 2-0 (Sat, 23 May 2015 01:02:01 GMT)

    “You put a lot of hard work into your craft,” said Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who scored 34 points in Game 1 and 33 in Game 2.

  • [New York Times] Hawks’ DeMarre Carroll Starts vs. Cavaliers in Game 2 (Sat, 23 May 2015 00:25:00 GMT)

    Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll took part in shootaround Friday morning but is still questionable for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

  • Knicks Morning News (2015.05.22)

  • [New York Times] In This Generation, 3-Pointers Are Paramount in the Playoffs (Fri, 22 May 2015 06:36:48 GMT)

    Those notable names of the past, the ones still insisting that NBA playoff offenses must pound the ball inside, have been awfully quiet this week.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Survive Harden Onslaught to Forge 2-0 Lead (Fri, 22 May 2015 06:21:45 GMT)

    The Golden State Warriors survived a stirring James Harden-inspired fightback to take command of the Western Conference Final with a 99-98 Game Two victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Prevail After Rockets’ 17-Point Rally Isn’t Enough (Fri, 22 May 2015 04:11:16 GMT)

    Stephen Curry made five of 11 3-point shots to help Golden State take a 2-0 series advantage over Houston, which was led by James Harden’s 38 points.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Hold Off Harden, Rockets 99-98 to Take 2-0 Lead (Fri, 22 May 2015 03:57:57 GMT)

    Stephen Curry scored 33 points to turn back another spectacular performance by James Harden, and the Golden State Warriors held off the Houston Rockets 99-98 on Thursday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.

  • [New York Times] Liberty’s Isiah Thomas Draws Attention, and Questions (Fri, 22 May 2015 00:59:07 GMT)

    Eight years after a court found that Thomas had harassed a female executive when he was the Knicks’ president, he is officially in charge of a W.N.B.A. team.

  • [New York Times] Howard in Starting Lineup for Rockets in Game 2 vs Warriors (Fri, 22 May 2015 00:57:47 GMT)

    Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard appears ready to play in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors, though he’s not ready to say as much.

  • [New York Times] Gentry Interviews With Pelicans, Still Focused on Warriors (Fri, 22 May 2015 00:31:36 GMT)

    Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has acknowledged that top assistant Alvin Gentry interviewed for the vacant New Orleans Pelicans’ job.

  • [New York Post] How LeBron has raised J.R. Smith’s game to another level (Fri, 22 May 2015 02:29:25 -0400)

    J.R. Smith drew comparisons to Dennis Rodman this offseason — both from Knicks president Phil Jackson and Rodman himself. Now Smith may have met his version of Michael Jordan. "There…

  • [New York Post] There’s no guarantee Lakers will draft Towns or Okafor: reports (Fri, 22 May 2015 02:18:27 -0400)

    There are multiple reports Lakers brass isn't locked in on either of the draft's top-2 projected picks, big men Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor. The reports have suggested intrigue in…

  • [New York Daily News] Rehabbing Carmelo Anthony checks in on Liberty (Fri, 22 May 2015 02:42:34 GMT)

    A rehabbing Carmelo Anthony briefly made an appearance at the Liberty practice on Thursday at the team’s Westchester facility.

  • [New York Daily News] New Liberty president Isiah Thomas won’t rule out NBA return (Fri, 22 May 2015 02:27:04 GMT)

    Isiah Thomas hasn’t spoken with Phil Jackson yet, aware that a conversation between the two could fuel speculation he’s angling for his job.

  • Knicks Morning News (2015.05.21)

  • [New York Times] Hawks Lose Game One, Carroll to Knee Injury (Thu, 21 May 2015 05:51:41 GMT)

    The Atlanta Hawks suffered a double blow on Wednesday when they were beaten 97-89 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals and lost DeMarre Carroll to what looked like a serious knee injury.

  • [New York Times] Smith, James Lead Cavs Past Hawks 97-89 in Game 1 (Thu, 21 May 2015 04:39:56 GMT)

    LeBron James scored 31 points and J.R. Smith made eight 3-pointers and added 28, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers past the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks 97-89 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night.

  • [New York Times] Cavaliers 97, Hawks 89: J. R. Smith, Ex-Knick and ‘Great Guy,’ Lifts the Cavs (Thu, 21 May 2015 04:34:57 GMT)

    Smith made eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points, and LeBron James added 31 as Cleveland captured the first game of the Eastern Conference finals at Atlanta.

  • [New York Times] Hawks Lose DeMarre Carroll With Left Knee Sprain (Thu, 21 May 2015 03:55:04 GMT)

    Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll has left Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers with what appeared to be a serious left leg injury.

  • [New York Times] Hawks Lose Game One, Carroll to Knee Injury (Thu, 21 May 2015 03:51:41 GMT)

    The Atlanta Hawks suffered a double blow on Wednesday when they were beaten 97-89 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game One of the Eastern Conference finals and lost DeMarre Carroll to what looked like a serious knee injury.

  • [New York Times] N.B.A. Draft 2015: Teams With Top Five Picks Have Decisions to Make (Thu, 21 May 2015 02:20:28 GMT)

    With the order now set for the June 25 N.B.A. draft, speculation can begin about which players will end up on which teams.

  • [New York Times] Sports Briefing | Pro Basketball: Rockets’ Dwight Howard Doubtful (Thu, 21 May 2015 02:16:19 GMT)

    Howard, who sat out practice after a magnetic resonance imaging test confirmed he had a sprained left knee, said he was not sure he would play against Golden State on Thursday.

  • [New York Times] The Price of Knowing a Big N.B.A. Secret? Two Hours of Your Freedom (Thu, 21 May 2015 01:00:55 GMT)

    A reporter reports on the behind-the-scenes machinations of the 2015 lottery and the sensation of being in seclusion while knowing the result before almost everyone else.

  • [ESPN.com – New York Knicks] Cavs rewarded for leap of faith with J.R. Smith (Thu, 21 May 2015 02:00:20 EST)

    Cavs rewarded for leap of faith with J.R. Smith

  • [New York Daily News] Isola: Phil Jackson needs to find star for Knicks at No. 4 (Thu, 21 May 2015 01:34:08 GMT)

    Three hours after Phil Jackson was betrayed by Ping-Pong balls, Stephen Curry, of all people, provided the Knicks with a glimmer of hope.

  • Knicks Morning News (2015.05.20)

  • [ESPN.com – New York Knicks] Knicks GM: No. 4 pick not 'setback,' keeping options open (Wed, 20 May 2015 01:32:18 EST)

    Knicks GM: No. 4 pick not 'setback,' keeping options open

  • [New York Daily News] Knicks get No. 4 pick in 2015 NBA draft (Wed, 20 May 2015 05:36:17 GMT)

    Phil Jackson did not hit the jackpot, and he did not even land the all-important consolation prize.

  • [New York Daily News] Isola: NBA draft’s 4th pick is a loss for Jackson’s Knicks (Wed, 20 May 2015 05:34:29 GMT)

    Phil Jackson should tell his basketball gods to go to hell. Or maybe he’ll tweet it since he couldn’t represent the Knicks at the lottery.

  • [New York Post] Russell or Mudiay? Knicks’ attention turns to 2 star guards (Wed, 20 May 2015 01:38:25 -0400)

    The Knicks' focus now shifts from a debate between big-man studs Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor to head scratching over the worth of point guards Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell,…

  • [New York Post] Mock 1.0: The Post’s 2015 NBA Draft predictions (Wed, 20 May 2015 00:06:56 -0400)

    Now that we know the order of next month's NBA draft following Tuesday night's lottery drawing, it's time to take our first crack at how it will shake out at…

  • [New York Times] For Cleveland and Atlanta, Plenty of Sports Lowlights (Wed, 20 May 2015 07:12:59 GMT)

    On the sports misery index, Atlanta and Cleveland are hard to beat.

  • [New York Times] Wolves Finally Come Out on Top After Heartache, Bad Luck (Wed, 20 May 2015 06:34:06 GMT)

    His voice cracking and tears welling in his eyes, Flip Saunders pointed to the sky about 20 minutes after the Minnesota Timberwolves — the franchise that has been down on its luck for most of the past 25 years — won the draft lottery to get the No. 1 overall selection.

  • [New York Times] Best Shot: J.R. Smith Making Most of Fresh Start With Cavs (Wed, 20 May 2015 06:34:01 GMT)

    J.R. Smith barely has as an inch of skin not covered by tattoos, offering a colorful timeline of the enigmatic Cleveland shooting guard’s life.

  • [New York Times] Curry Sparks Warriors to Game One Victory Over Houston (Wed, 20 May 2015 04:42:42 GMT)

    Stephen Curry won his personal duel with James Harden as the Golden State Warriors overcame an early deficit and survived a late scare to edge the Houston Rockets 110-106 in Game One of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday.

  • [New York Times] Warriors 110, Rockets 106: Rockets Surge and Resurge, but Warriors Hold On (Wed, 20 May 2015 04:23:28 GMT)

    Houston led by 16 early in the second quarter, but Golden State somehow moved in front by halftime, scored 11 straight points late and used two free throws with 11.8 seconds left to seal the result.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Rally Past Rockets 110-106 in Game 1 of West Finals (Wed, 20 May 2015 04:16:14 GMT)

    Down big at home, the Golden State Warriors went small.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Rally Past Rockets 110-106 in Game 1 of West Finals (Wed, 20 May 2015 04:10:23 GMT)

    Stephen Curry hit two free throws in the final seconds to finish with 34 points, and the Golden State Warriors rallied from 16 points down in the second quarter to beat the Houston Rockets 110-106 on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

  • [New York Times] N.B.A. Draft Lottery 2015: Timberwolves Get First Pick (Wed, 20 May 2015 02:56:59 GMT)

    Minnesota became only the fifth team to finish with the N.B.A.’s worst record and win the lottery that same year. The Knicks, who had the second-best odds at the top pick, fell to No. 4.

  • [New York Times] Timberwolves Win Draft Lottery, Lakers Move to No. 2 (Wed, 20 May 2015 02:25:04 GMT)

    The Minnesota Timberwolves have won the NBA draft lottery, the first time since 2004 the team with the worst record won the No. 1 pick.

  • [New York Times] Timberwolves Win Lottery for Top Draft Pick (Wed, 20 May 2015 02:18:41 GMT)

    The Minnesota Timberwolves won the National Basketball Association’s draft lottery on Tuesday, giving them the opportunity to make the first selection in June’s draft.

  • [New York Times] 2 Teams That Made Big Strides Look to Take Another Step (Wed, 20 May 2015 01:05:08 GMT)

    The Cavaliers and the Hawks, whose series begins Wednesday, pulled off remarkable turnarounds, with Cleveland relying on LeBron James and Atlanta on Mike Budenholzer’s system.

  • [New York Times] Rev. John Lo Schiavo, Who Barred Basketball, Dies at 90 (Wed, 20 May 2015 00:24:02 GMT)

    Father Lo Schiavo, who spent 14 years as president of the University of San Francisco, made headlines when he suspended the men’s basketball program after repeated violations of N.C.A.A. rules.

  • The Basketball Gods Must Be Crazy – The Knicks Got the #4 Pick

    We’ll have more coverage of this Wednesday morning by everyone’s friend, David Crockett, but it just occurred to me that we probably should have a quick thread on the event itself – the Knicks falling to the #4 slot in the NBA Draft, the only team in the entire draft to fall from their scheduled draft slot, with the Lakers rising from #4 to take the Knicks’ #2 slot.

    Due to winning two late season games that the Knicks had no business winning, the Knicks ceded the top group of four-digit combinations to the Minnesota Timberwolves and it was one of those combinations that ended up winning the lottery for the Timberwolves. So, once again, if winning a game hurts your draft chances and you can prevent yourself from winning the game, just lose the darn game. I’m sure that is a lesson some other team will now learn from the Knicks. The New York Knicks – the object lesson for other teams since 2000.

    Anyhow, luckily enough, this year’s draft class is quite good, and I’d honestly take any of the four best players in this year’s draft over the #1 pick in either of the last two drafts (and I’d take Winslow and WCS and probably a bunch of other guys over Andrew Bennett, as well, and maybe Winslow over Wiggins, but probably not). One of the two top point guard prospects, Emmanuel Mudiay and D’Angelo Russell, will be there at #4. Either one could turn out to be a star. Justise Winslow is also an excellent prospect, so he could be in play at #4. I wanted either Towns or Okafor with Russell as the back-up and it looks like none of those three will be there at #4, but, well, maybe the Knicks will get lucky (hey, stop laughing!) and either one of those three guys will fall to #4 or Mudiay turns out to be the best player in the draft. It is definitely possible.

    Now that we know where the Knicks are drafting, we officially now also know how much ca room the Knicks will have (based on a $66,500,000 cap. It could be higher than that, but everyone is currently projecting $66.5).

    According to the Ultimate Blog Post On best sneakers for basketball The Knicks’ #4 pick’s cap hold is $3,443,100. The rest of their salaries are 33,272,450.

    That’s six players (the #4 pick plus Melo, Calderon, THJ, Anthony and Galloway) for a sum of $36,715,550.

    However, you also need to take into account the fact that the Knicks have to have cap holds for their remaining six spots. Each cap hold is the minimum, so $525,093 per slot. For every free agent you sign, however, you fill in one of those slots. So for the purposes of this exercise, let’s assume Phil Jackson signs three free agents, so we’ll only have to account for three minimum slots. So it is $525,093 times three, or $1,575,279.

    That brings us to $38,290,829. Subtract that from $66,500,000 and the Knicks have roughly:

    $28,209,171 to spend on three free agents.

    If the Knicks sign less than three free agents with their cap room or more than three free agents with their cap room, here is what they will have in cap room:

    $27,684,078 to spend on two free agents.

    $28,734,264 to spend on four free agents

    $29,259,357 to spend on five free agents

    $29,784,450 to spend on six free agents

    It is important to note, however, that the Knicks will also have access to the room exception, which is $2,732,000. This is an exception given to teams who use up almost all or all of their cap room (but are not over the cap). It allows them to go over the cap, but only for $2,732,000 for one player (I believe that’s half the current mid-level). So the Knicks can spend the full $27,684,078 on two players and then use the room exception to sign a third player.

    So if Jackson wants to hand out three mid-size contracts, he has $28,209,171 to work with. If he wants to hand out two big contracts and one room exception contract, he’ll have $27,684,078 to work with on the two big deals.

    The Knicks have enough to make one max offer, but not two. They obviously can open up a lot more room if they somehow dump Calderon’s contract (it is kind of funny to note that had they kept Felton and just cut him, they’d have room for two max offers now).

    EDITED TO ADD: Just for fun, if the Knicks waived Calderon and used the stretch provision on him, they’d open up roughly a little under $4 million in cap space ($4,380,683 minus the additional $525,093 cap slot they’d be opening up). So in that scenario, they’d have $31,539,668 in cap space for two free agents, almost literally the exact amount of cap room needed for two max offers (for young players with maxes of $15.7 million, of course, like Draymond Green and Greg Monroe, not older maxes of $20 million for players like Marc Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge).

    They’d have to pay Calderon roughly $3 million for the next five years, though, but with the cap rising, that’s probably not a huge deal.

    If the Basketball Gods are Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise: The 2015 NBA Lottery Live Thread

    The Knicks enter tonight’s lottery (8:30 PM Eastern on ESPN) with a question begging to be answered – “Do the basketball gods love Phil Jackson more than they hate James Dolan?” Phil Jackson has lived a charmed life in the NBA. He won two titles as a player, then won six titles with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Bulls and then five titles with Kobe Bryan, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol and the Lakers. James Dolan, on the other hand, has lived a charmed life in general, but not so much in the NBA, where he does stuff like hire a guy that a jury ruled was a sexual harasser to be the head of his Women’s Basketball team (and then not only not throw in a “He’s changed. He’s sorry for what he did before” but instead go the opposite route and say “We think the jury was wrong”).

    The Knicks also annoyingly won a couple of otherwise meaningless games at the end of the season, which reduced their odds from having the best odds at getting the top pick in the lottery to the second best odds (and made their worst case scenario change from #4 to #5). Tonight we will learn if the basketball gods have decided to reward the Knicks with a top pick due to the fact that the Knicks didn’t actively try to lose games once they gutted their roster (they were just terrible, so they normally had good odds for losing) instead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who also gutted their roster but then actively tried (and succeeded) to lose games late in the year.

    Here are the Knicks’ odds tonight:
    1st overall: 19.9%
    2nd overall: 18.8%
    3rd overall: 17.1%
    4th overall: 31.9%
    5th overall: 12.3%

    Breaking it down further..
    Top Two pick: 38.7%
    Top Three pick: 55.8%
    Top Four pick: 87.7%
    Top Five pick: 100%

    The important thing to remember if the Knicks don’t do well in tonight’s lottery is that it will all be Chris Paul’s fault. He cannot be considered a star player if I cannot blame him for the Knicks not doing well in the lottery.

    So, one last time for the 2014-15 season, let’s go Knicks(‘ ping pong balls)!

    Knicks Morning News (2015.05.19)

  • [New York Post] The Knicks’ monumental, direction-deciding day is here (Tue, 19 May 2015 00:01:15 -0400)

    Thirty years ago, Adam Silver was a 23-year-old Knicks fan working for a congressman in the nation's capital. He was thrilled his beloved team had captured the NBA's first-ever lottery…

  • [New York Daily News] Raissman: Draft lottery won’t be same without Phil Jackson (Tue, 19 May 2015 01:35:44 GMT)

    Silent Steve Mills? Really? Nothing at all against the Knickerbockers’ general manager.

  • [New York Daily News] Knick future riding on a Ping-Pall ball and a dream (Tue, 19 May 2015 01:11:06 GMT)

    Everyone knows that you are more likely to be eaten by a shark or get struck by lightning multiple times than to win the actual lottery.

  • [New York Times] Pelicans Invite China’s He to Summer League (Tue, 19 May 2015 08:00:46 GMT)

    The New Orleans Pelicans have invited Chinese forward He Tianju to attend the NBA Summer League in July with an eye on drafting him.

  • [New York Times] Rockets Depth Proves Important in Playoffs (Tue, 19 May 2015 06:39:45 GMT)

    James Harden and Dwight Howard are undeniably Houston’s most important players.

  • [New York Times] Warriors’ Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry Share a Bond Beyond the Arc (Tue, 19 May 2015 00:46:55 GMT)

    Kerr, the most accurate 3-point shooter in N.B.A. history and the Warriors’ coach, has formed a perfect pairing with Curry, the most accurate among active players.

  • Knicks Morning News (2015.05.18)

  • [New York Daily News] Isiah Thomas watches 1st Liberty practice as team president (Mon, 18 May 2015 05:19:11 GMT)

    There were no Phil Jackson sightings at the MSG Training Facility on Sunday, which is too bad.

  • [New York Daily News] Plenty of former Knicks still alive in NBA playoffs (Mon, 18 May 2015 05:14:22 GMT)

    While Knicks fans root for a win in the draft lottery, they have plenty of former players to watch in the NBA playoffs.

  • [New York Times] Party Time: Hawks’ Streak, LeBron Has Atlanta Fans Buzzing (Mon, 18 May 2015 06:22:45 GMT)

    Atlanta fans love a big winner, and they love big stars.

  • [New York Times] Rockets Bounce Back to Advance to Conference Finals (Mon, 18 May 2015 06:22:43 GMT)

    Down 3-1 in the series and on the brink of elimination, the Houston Rockets reeled off three straight wins to complete an improbable comeback over the Los Angeles Clippers and return to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1997.

  • [New York Times] N.B.A. Draft: Before Envelopes for Draft Lottery Are Opened, Teams’ Fates Are Sealed in Secrecy (Mon, 18 May 2015 06:00:15 GMT)

    The actual selection of the winning teams will take place in strict secrecy about an hour before Tuesday’s made-for-TV event.

  • [New York Times] James Harden and Houston Complete Comeback From a 3-1 Series Deficit Against the Clippers (Mon, 18 May 2015 01:24:43 GMT)

    With the help of 31 points from Harden, the Rockets completed a comeback from a deficit of three games to one against the Los Angeles Clippers and move on to play the Golden State Warriors.

  • [New York Times] On Pro Basketball: Knicks as a Lottery Lock? Picking the Notion Apart (Mon, 18 May 2015 00:44:31 GMT)

    The former N.B.A. commissioner David Stern pointed out that the league has done just fine without a champion hailing from New York.

  • [New York Times] Rockets Back in Conference Finals First 1st Time Since ’97 (Mon, 18 May 2015 00:04:45 GMT)

    James Harden scored 31 points, Dwight Howard had 16 points and 15 rebounds and the Houston Rockets never trailed in a 113-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, sending them to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1997.

  • [ESPN.com – New York Knicks] Ex-Knick Dalembert's heart still with Haiti (Mon, 18 May 2015 00:39:14 EST)

    Ex-Knick Dalembert's heart still with Haiti

  • Knicks Morning News (2015.05.16)

  • [New York Daily News] Phil Jackson ‘not happy’ about Isiah Thomas’ Garden return (Sat, 16 May 2015 03:54:08 GMT)

    James Dolan’s decision to bring Isiah Thomas back to Madison Square Garden does not sit well with Dolan’s highest paid basketball executive.

  • [New York Daily News] Justise is served in meeting with Knicks prez Phil Jackson (Sat, 16 May 2015 01:51:54 GMT)

    Phil Jackson and other Knicks officials have met with many of the top players taking part in workouts and drills at Quest Sports Complex.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Earn Some Rest Before 1st Western Final Since 1976 (Sat, 16 May 2015 06:52:37 GMT)

    MVP Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are shooting the ball outside the arc even better than they did during the regular season.

  • [New York Times] In 1st Conference Final, Atlanta Hawks to Face LeBron’s Cavs (Sat, 16 May 2015 06:34:38 GMT)

    As far as Jeff Teague and the rest of the Atlanta Hawks are concerned, bring on LeBron.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Advance to Western Final, Beating Memphis 108-95 (Sat, 16 May 2015 05:37:35 GMT)

    MVP Stephen Curry scored 21 of his 33 points by halftime, and the Golden State Warriors snapped their two-game skid Monday night by routing the Memphis Grizzlies 101-84 to tie their Western Conference semifinal at 2-2.

  • [New York Times] Warriors 108, Grizzlies 95 | Golden State Wins Series, 4-2: Stephen Curry Puts on Show and Warriors Pull Curtain on Grizzlies’ Season (Sat, 16 May 2015 05:08:24 GMT)

    Curry’s 62-footer at the third-quarter buzzer effectively neutralized Memphis as Golden State closed out their Western Conference semifinal series in six games.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Advance to West Final (Sat, 16 May 2015 05:01:33 GMT)

    In less than three minutes, the Golden State Warriors went from nearly allowing the Memphis Grizzlies to erase a 15-point deficit to cruising to a 108-95 series-clinching victory in GameSix of the Western Conference semi-finals on Friday.

  • [New York Times] Warriors Advance to Western Final, Beating Memphis 108-95 (Sat, 16 May 2015 04:10:54 GMT)

    Stephen Curry scored 32 points, including a 62-footer to end the third quarter, and the Golden State Warriors advanced to their first Western Conference finals since 1976 by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 108-95 on Friday night.

  • [New York Times] Pierce’s Shot Too Late, Hawks Hold On to Beat Wizards 94-91 (Sat, 16 May 2015 03:43:42 GMT)

    Avoiding overtime in Game 6 when Paul Pierce’s potential tying 3-pointer was released after the clock expired, the Atlanta Hawks made it to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time by beating the Washington Wizards 94-91 on Friday night.

  • [New York Times] Haws 94, Wizards 91: Hawks Escape Wizards at Buzzer to Move Into Eastern Finals (Sat, 16 May 2015 03:27:12 GMT)

    Atlanta narrowly avoided overtime when Washington’s Paul Pierce was late in releasing a 3-point attempt that would have tied the game as the clock expired.

  • [New York Times] Hawks Eliminate Wizards With Game Six Win (Sat, 16 May 2015 02:43:30 GMT)

    The Atlanta Hawks survived a frantic finish to eliminate the Washington Wizards with a 94-91 win in Game Six of their Eastern Conference semi-final playoff series on Friday.

  • Knicks Morning News (2015.05.15)

  • [New York Post] J.R. takes shot at Knicks as he and Iman move into East finals (Fri, 15 May 2015 01:05:40 -0400)

    CHICAGO — Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith were the last two Cavaliers players to leave the court Thursday night after a Cleveland celebration at United Center, a good few minutes…

  • [New York Post] Frank Kaminsky states case about age bias in chat with Jackson (Fri, 15 May 2015 01:00:01 -0400)

    CHICAGO — Wisconsin's 7-foot senior center Frank Kaminsky, who won college basketball's highest honor when he was named the Naismith Player of the Year, says he believes he impressed Knicks…

  • [New York Times] Michael Jordan to Take Trademark Case to China’s Highest Court (Fri, 15 May 2015 10:01:36 GMT)

    Michael Jordan will take a trademark dispute with a Chinese sports firm to China’s supreme court, lawyers for the basketball star said on Friday, escalating one of several cases accusing local firms of illegally imitating global brands.

  • [New York Times] From the Quotable Mouths of the Memphis Grizzlies, Straight to Ad-Libbed T-Shirts (Fri, 15 May 2015 09:00:03 GMT)

    The franchise has embraced a cottage industry that has sprung up in its hometown, with businesses producing team-themed clothing.

  • [New York Times] NBA-Rockets Shoot Down Clippers to Level Series at 3-3 (Fri, 15 May 2015 07:10:34 GMT)

    A Corey Brewer-inspired Houston Rockets overcame a 19-point deficit in the third quarter to set up a Game Seven decider in their Western Conference semi-final series with a 119-107 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.

  • [New York Times] Rockets Stun Clippers 119-107 to Force Deciding Game 7 (Fri, 15 May 2015 06:49:46 GMT)

    Corey Brewer scored 15 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and the Houston Rockets erased a 19-point, second-half deficit to stun the Los Angeles Clippers 119-107 on Thursday night to force a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals.

  • [New York Times] Cavaliers, King James Take Next Step Toward Crown (Fri, 15 May 2015 06:43:57 GMT)

    Everything changed for the Cleveland Cavaliers when they found out LeBron James was bringing his talents home from South Beach.

  • [New York Times] Top-Seeded Warriors, Hawks Try to Close Out Series, Advance (Fri, 15 May 2015 06:07:39 GMT)

    The Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks have regained control of their respective series, doing their best to restore order in the NBA playoffs.

  • [New York Times] Rockets 119, Clippers 107: Corey Brewer and Rockets Stun Clippers to Force Game 7 (Fri, 15 May 2015 05:56:46 GMT)

    Brewer scored 15 points in the fourth quarter, helping Houston rally from a double-digit deficit against Los Angeles, which was on the verge of its first berth in the conference finals.

  • [New York Times] James Struggles, Cavaliers Still Advance Past Bulls 94-73 (Fri, 15 May 2015 04:13:39 GMT)

    LeBron James struggled to score 15 points, Kyrie Irving limped off the court and the Cleveland Cavaliers still beat the Chicago Bulls 94-73 on Thursday night to clinch their Eastern Conference semifinal series in six games.

  • [New York Times] Cavaliers 94, Bulls 73: James Helps Cavaliers Coast Into Eastern Finals (Fri, 15 May 2015 03:17:08 GMT)

    LeBron James finished one rebound shy of a triple-double, and Cleveland shot 44 percent from 3-point range to eliminate Chicago and advance to the Eastern Conference finals.