https://www.scmp.com/rss/318880/feed The 2015 NBA Playoffs, decide the champion of American basketball, culminating in the NBA Finals beginning on 5 June 2015. San Antonio Spurs won the 2014 finals. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kevin Love announced he will return to the Cavaliers next season, with the 26-year-old power forward reportedly agreeing to a five-year deal worth US$110 million to remain in Cleveland. Love, obtained last year from Minnesota in a major trade, suffered a separated left shoulder in the first round of the NBA play-offs and could only watch as the Cavaliers lost to Golden State in the NBA Finals. I'm going back to Cleveland ... We have unfinished business and now it's time to get back to work Kevin... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1831738/kevin-love-going-nowhere-cleveland-cavaliers-star-stay-us110?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1831738/kevin-love-going-nowhere-cleveland-cavaliers-star-stay-us110?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jul 2015 16:34:42 +0000 Revived by a fresh-faced shooting superstar and a first-year coach who made them believe, the Golden State Warriors again reign supreme. Their 40-year NBA championship drought is finally over. A half century of misery in Cleveland drags on. LeBron James just didn’t have enough help. Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala scored 25 points apiece, Draymond Green recorded a triple-double and the Warriors – using a barrage of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter – won their first title since 1975 by... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1823087/stephen-curry-and-andre-iguodala-end-golden-states-40-year-wait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1823087/stephen-curry-and-andre-iguodala-end-golden-states-40-year-wait?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jun 2015 04:30:15 +0000 Despite his spectacular all-around performance in the NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James knows he must do even more to prevent the Golden State Warriors from capturing the title. The Warriors are on the brink of their first crown since 1975, leading the best-of-seven championship series 3-2 entering Tuesday’s game six in Cleveland. But James has faith in himself and his team to answer the must-win challenge and force a seventh game Friday back in California. “I feel confident... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1822679/lebron-im-confident-because-im-best-player-world-simple?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1822679/lebron-im-confident-because-im-best-player-world-simple?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jun 2015 02:40:57 +0000 The Golden State Warriors are a win away from ending one long championship drought and extending another. Stephen Curry made seven three-pointers and scored 37 points, and the Warriors withstood another brilliant performance from LeBron James to outlast the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-91 on Sunday night for a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals. With a sellout crowd rocking and roaring in their golden-yellow shirts, the newly minted MVP and his teammates took control of the game – and possibly the series –... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1822172/stephen-curry-leads-golden-state-warriors-past-cleveland-cavaliers-brink-nba?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1822172/stephen-curry-leads-golden-state-warriors-past-cleveland-cavaliers-brink-nba?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jun 2015 03:57:36 +0000 It's a fresh new day for the NBA Finals in so many ways. For the first time ever, the match-up between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers features two rookie head coaches. Warriors coach Steve Kerr came out of the broadcast booth to replace another former player-turned-broadcaster-turned-coach in Mark Jackson, who was fired despite posting a .526 winning percentage. All Kerr did in his first year was lead the team to the best record in the league and the franchise's first... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1820826/right-field-nba-finals-are-breath-fresh-air?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1820826/right-field-nba-finals-are-breath-fresh-air?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jun 2015 13:00:30 +0000 LeBron James came home last summer to win a championship – one like no other. He’s two wins away. Pushed by a crowd howling to see Cleveland’s 51-year title drought end, James scored 40 points, his new sidekick Matthew Dellavedova added 20 and the Cavaliers survived Golden State’s furious fourth-quarter comeback led by Stephen Curry for a 96-91 win over the Warriors on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. James added 12 rebounds and eight assists in 46 minutes, his third stellar... https://www.scmp.com/article/1819550/james-and-dellavedova-star-cavaliers-take-control-nba-finals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1819550/james-and-dellavedova-star-cavaliers-take-control-nba-finals?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jun 2015 04:30:15 +0000 Once LeBron James tied up the NBA Finals with another one of his virtuoso postseason performances, his legs were in knots. He needed ice, treatment and rest. He wasn’t the only one. After a pair of entertaining, exhausting, drama-filled overtime games at Golden State, everyone – players, fans, even the refs – needed a day to take a breather and recover before the Cavaliers and Warriors resume a series getting stellar TV ratings and shifting to Quicken Loans Arena for Game 3 on Tuesday night... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1819137/coach-and-teammates-awe-lebron-james-carries-cavs-his-back?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1819137/coach-and-teammates-awe-lebron-james-carries-cavs-his-back?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jun 2015 02:15:45 +0000 LeBron James is headed back home to Ohio. And if that seemed like a big deal last July, he can’t wait to hear how it sounds in June. Shortly after helping Cleveland pull out a 95-93 overtime victory over Golden State on Sunday night in game two of the NBA Finals with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, James challenged the fans in Cleveland to be as noisy as the ones at Oracle Arena. “I’ve heard our fans pretty loud before,” he said. “A couple instances my first postseason appearance was... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1818337/lebron-james-legs-and-stephen-currys-confidence-looking-ahead-game?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1818337/lebron-james-legs-and-stephen-currys-confidence-looking-ahead-game?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2015 08:00:45 +0000 LeBron James had 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers tied the NBA finals at one game apiece with a 95-93 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. Matthew Dellavedova, starting after Kyrie Irving broke his left kneecap in game one, made two free throws with 10.1 seconds left in overtime for a 94-93 lead, then played tough defence and forced Stephen Curry to shoot an airball. James followed with a free throw and the Warriors turned it over on their... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1818314/lebron-james-triple-double-sees-cleveland-cavaliers-level-series-golden-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1818314/lebron-james-triple-double-sees-cleveland-cavaliers-level-series-golden-state?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2015 03:51:25 +0000 The Golden State Warriors, led by the league’s Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, held off a big performance by LeBron James to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-100 in overtime to take the opening game of the NBA Finals.  In the finals for the first time in 40 years, the Warriors rallied from an early 14-point deficit, absorbed a finals-best 44 points from James and shut down Cleveland in the extra session on Thursday. We know what he is about and what he’s capable of. Our guys guarded him all... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1816932/golden-state-warriors-knock-down-cleveland-cavaliers-nba-finals-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1816932/golden-state-warriors-knock-down-cleveland-cavaliers-nba-finals-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2015 04:15:30 +0000 The Golden State Warriors survived a major injury scare to NBA MVP Stephen Curry but still lost the game as a pumped up Houston Rockets staved off playoff elimination with a 128-115 victory. Curry went down in the second quarter of Game Four in the Western Conference Finals, falling hard on his upper back and neck after flipping over the back of Rockets forward Trevor Ariza, silencing a previously raucous Houston home crowd. The star point guard remained on the floor below the basket for a few... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1808964/harden-keeps-houston-alive-warriors-curry-survives-major-injury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1808964/harden-keeps-houston-alive-warriors-curry-survives-major-injury?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2015 04:34:30 +0000 LeBron James hurts everywhere, the King of Pain. One win from taking the Cavaliers back to the NBA Finals, and one step closer to a title he covets more than any other, James leaned against a padded wall and hardly resembled basketball’s most undeniable force. “I’m feeling all right,” he said, forcing a smile that showed he wasn’t being entirely truthful. “I’ve been better, but I’ve been worse. I think I’ve been worse.” James moved slowly and not with his usual grace one day after his brilliant... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1808943/youve-got-sacrifice-your-body-says-battered-and-bruised-lebron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1808943/youve-got-sacrifice-your-body-says-battered-and-bruised-lebron?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2015 02:15:30 +0000 Golden State coach Steve Kerr described Stephen Curry's performance simply. "Steph was Steph," Kerr said. Indeed. The MVP did what he does best, using his extraordinary three-point shooting to power a 40-point game and the Warriors made it look easy against Houston, beating the Rockets 115-80 to take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. "He's had a brilliant season," Kerr said. "The shooting is hard to describe because I don't think we've ever seen anybody shoot the ball the way Steph... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1808287/stephen-curry-turns-heat-golden-state-warriors-beat-houston?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1808287/stephen-curry-turns-heat-golden-state-warriors-beat-houston?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2015 13:41:25 +0000 The Houston Rockets could not have scripted it any better. James Harden had the ball in his hands in transition with the chance to win the game and tie the Western Conference finals at a game apiece. Harden's chance at a potential game-winning shot was squandered when Golden State knocked the ball away in the closing seconds of a 99-98 victory in game two that left Harden on the floor with his head in his hands and the Warriors celebrating. It's just a little frustration at that last play, but... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1807372/frustrated-james-harden-kicks-chairs-after-blowing-chance-nba-play?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1807372/frustrated-james-harden-kicks-chairs-after-blowing-chance-nba-play?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2015 15:45:35 +0000 The Houston Rockets humbled the Los Angeles Clippers 113-100 in game seven of their NBA second round playoff series Sunday to reach their first Western Conference final since 1997. James Harden tallied 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, while Dwight Howard finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who became just the ninth team ever to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to win in seven games. “They had stretches where they did some things that got us off our game a little... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1802118/rockets-complete-stunning-comeback-over-clippers-reach-western?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1802118/rockets-complete-stunning-comeback-over-clippers-reach-western?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2015 02:17:23 +0000 LeBron James struggled to score 15 points, Kyrie Irving limped off the court and the Cleveland Cavaliers still beat the Chicago Bulls 94-73 to clinch their Eastern Conference semi-final series in six games. Matthew Dellavedova scored 19 points and Tristan Thompson added 13 points and 17 rebounds to help the Cavaliers advance to the conference final for the first time since 2009 even though their superstar played like a mere mortal and their All-Star point guard hobbled to the locker room in the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1797793/cavaliers-head-eastern-finals-after-dumping-out-bulls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1797793/cavaliers-head-eastern-finals-after-dumping-out-bulls?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2015 03:03:48 +0000 With the "Big Three" reduced to the "Banged-Up Two", LeBron James again showed why he's Cleveland's one and only. James scored 38 points, Kyrie Irving added 25 and the Cavaliers held off Chicago's charge in the fourth quarter for a 106-101 victory over the Bulls to take a 3-2 lead in their testy Eastern Conference semi-final. Showing no ill effects from a sprained left ankle, James added 12 rebounds, six assists, three steals, three blocks and didn't have a turnover in 41 minutes to ensure the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1795703/lebron-james-takes-charge-cavaliers-beat-bulls-3-2-series-lead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1795703/lebron-james-takes-charge-cavaliers-beat-bulls-3-2-series-lead?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2015 13:37:16 +0000 Paul Pierce banked in the game winner to lift the short-handed Washington Wizards to a 103-101 NBA play-off victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Pierce's heroics gave the Wizards a two-games-to-one lead over Eastern Conference top seeds Atlanta in their best-of-seven second-round series - and thwarted the Hawks' bid to rally from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit. There was no such drama in Memphis, where the Grizzlies took a 2-1 series lead over Western Conference top seeds Golden State with a 99-89... https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1792249/paul-pierces-buzzer-beater-lifts-washington-wizards-over-atlanta-hawks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/article/1792249/paul-pierces-buzzer-beater-lifts-washington-wizards-over-atlanta-hawks?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2015 13:24:11 +0000 Golden State coach Steve Kerr dead-panned that he’d be relaxing on the beach while waiting to find out who would be the Warriors’ second-round playoff opponent. “I’ll be in Cabo all week. I told the guys just to get some work in if they want,” Kerr said, unable to stop himself from smiling before he got to the end of the sentence. Among those who won’t be laughing are the Warriors’ next opponents, who will have to figure out how to stop Stephen Curry and Co. from scoring in bunches, as they did... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1776847/stephen-curry-stars-warriors-become-first-team-book-place-second?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1776847/stephen-curry-stars-warriors-become-first-team-book-place-second?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2015 06:54:42 +0000 Kyrie Irving made the most of his play-off debut, scoring 30 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 113-100 in the opening game of their first round series. Guard Irving played with the poise of an NBA veteran as he drained his first five shots from beyond the arc. He was backed up by LeBron James 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Kevin Love's 19 point and 12 rebound performance as Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1772316/kyrie-irving-helps-cavaliers-1-0-lead-first-round-play-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1772316/kyrie-irving-helps-cavaliers-1-0-lead-first-round-play-against?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:30:45 +0000 Let the championship chase begin. New Orleans and Brooklyn are in. Indiana and Oklahoma City are out. And while San Antonio slipped to sixth in the loaded Western Conference, the defending champions are looking awfully dangerous again. It feels like the first game of the season. You're excited. There's a renewed energy and a sense of urgency Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors Forget the 82-game grind of the past six months. There are no more back-to-back sets, uneven schedules and excuses. The... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1767951/slate-wiped-clean-16-teams-prepare-nba-championship-chase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1767951/slate-wiped-clean-16-teams-prepare-nba-championship-chase?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2015 13:45:15 +0000