The streak started a little over nine years ago. A trio of kids &mdash; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green &mdash; went into Denver on a cool April night in 2013 and helped Golden State win Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round series.
And afterward, Curry said something prophetic.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a resilient team,&rdquo; Curry proclaimed that night.
He had no idea how right he was.
The Warriors have been in 27 playoff series over those nine seasons. They&rsquo;ve won a road game in every single one of them, a streak that is beyond compare in NBA history. And it can be argued that none of those road wins for Golden State in the Curry-Thompson-Green era were bigger than the latest one, a 107-97 win over Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
Series tied, 2-2. Home-court advantage reclaimed. Game 5 is on Monday in San Francisco, the start of a best-of-three to decide the NBA title. And if the Warriors didn&rsquo;t extend that road streak, the story would be wildly different right now. The Celtics would be on the brink of a title. The Warriors would be just on the brink.
&nbsp;

The streak started a little over nine years ago. A trio of kids &mdash; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green &mdash; went into Denver on a cool April night in 2013 and helped Golden State win Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round series.
And afterward, Curry said something prophetic.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a resilient team,&rdquo; Curry proclaimed that night.
He had no idea how right he was.
The Warriors have been in 27 playoff series over those nine seasons. They&rsquo;ve won a road game in every single one of them, a streak that is beyond compare in NBA history. And it can be argued that none of those road wins for Golden State in the Curry-Thompson-Green era were bigger than the latest one, a 107-97 win over Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
Series tied, 2-2. Home-court advantage reclaimed. Game 5 is on Monday in San Francisco, the start of a best-of-three to decide the NBA title. And if the Warriors didn&rsquo;t extend that road streak, the story would be wildly different right now. The Celtics would be on the brink of a title. The Warriors would be just on the brink.
&ldquo;What a gut-check win,&rdquo; Thompson said.
Indeed it was, probably more so than any other road victory in this Warriors&rsquo; run.
There have been bigger moments: the Warriors have three championships in this era, and yes, getting handed a golden trophy by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is the biggest moment a team can have. But of the 39 road wins that the Warriors have enjoyed during this run, only one might truly measure up to the one Golden State got on Friday in terms of significance.
&nbsp;

The streak started a little over nine years ago. A trio of kids &mdash; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green &mdash; went into Denver on a cool April night in 2013 and helped Golden State win Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round series.
And afterward, Curry said something prophetic.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a resilient team,&rdquo; Curry proclaimed that night.
He had no idea how right he was.
The Warriors have been in 27 playoff series over those nine seasons. They&rsquo;ve won a road game in every single one of them, a streak that is beyond compare in NBA history. And it can be argued that none of those road wins for Golden State in the Curry-Thompson-Green era were bigger than the latest one, a 107-97 win over Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
Series tied, 2-2. Home-court advantage reclaimed. Game 5 is on Monday in San Francisco, the start of a best-of-three to decide the NBA title. And if the Warriors didn&rsquo;t extend that road streak, the story would be wildly different right now. The Celtics would be on the brink of a title. The Warriors would be just on the brink.
&ldquo;What a gut-check win,&rdquo; Thompson said.
Indeed it was, probably more so than any other road victory in this Warriors&rsquo; run.
There have been bigger moments: the Warriors have three championships in this era, and yes, getting handed a golden trophy by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is the biggest moment a team can have. But of the 39 road wins that the Warriors have enjoyed during this run, only one might truly measure up to the one Golden State got on Friday in terms of significance.
That would be Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals. Same scenario: the Warriors were trailing that series 2-1, they were on the road and facing the dreaded 3-1 deficit, but found a way that night in Cleveland to top the Cavaliers and even the series on their way to a six-game triumph for a title.
Thompson mused after Boston&rsquo;s win in Game 3 that he was feeling those 2015 vibes again.
He might be right.
&ldquo;You have a group of guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame someday: Steph, Klay, Draymond,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;These guys are the constant. They have been here together throughout that span. So, they are not only gifted but they are incredibly competitive, and that&rsquo;s what it takes to win on the road. You have to summon that kind of will and intensity and passion, and those guys have that.&rdquo;
Imagine, 48 hours before Game 4, the question was whether Curry could even play. He sprained his left foot late in Game 3, the same injury that ended his regular season a few games early. Curry said Thursday that he would play, and on Friday, he delivered a performance for all-time &mdash; 43 points, 10 rebounds, four assists.
&ldquo;This was nearly a must-win game, and to go out there and shoot as efficiently as he did, and grab 10 rebounds and they were attacking him on defense ... Steph played incredible,&rdquo; Thompson said.
The 43 points represented Curry&rsquo;s second-highest total ever in a road playoff game. He had 44 in a game at San Antonio in 2013, a second-round affair that probably very few people remembers and certainly didn&rsquo;t have anywhere near the stakes, spotlight and pressure that was present on Friday night in Boston.
&nbsp;

The streak started a little over nine years ago. A trio of kids &mdash; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green &mdash; went into Denver on a cool April night in 2013 and helped Golden State win Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round series.
And afterward, Curry said something prophetic.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a resilient team,&rdquo; Curry proclaimed that night.
He had no idea how right he was.
The Warriors have been in 27 playoff series over those nine seasons. They&rsquo;ve won a road game in every single one of them, a streak that is beyond compare in NBA history. And it can be argued that none of those road wins for Golden State in the Curry-Thompson-Green era were bigger than the latest one, a 107-97 win over Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
Series tied, 2-2. Home-court advantage reclaimed. Game 5 is on Monday in San Francisco, the start of a best-of-three to decide the NBA title. And if the Warriors didn&rsquo;t extend that road streak, the story would be wildly different right now. The Celtics would be on the brink of a title. The Warriors would be just on the brink.
&ldquo;What a gut-check win,&rdquo; Thompson said.
Indeed it was, probably more so than any other road victory in this Warriors&rsquo; run.
There have been bigger moments: the Warriors have three championships in this era, and yes, getting handed a golden trophy by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is the biggest moment a team can have. But of the 39 road wins that the Warriors have enjoyed during this run, only one might truly measure up to the one Golden State got on Friday in terms of significance.
That would be Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals. Same scenario: the Warriors were trailing that series 2-1, they were on the road and facing the dreaded 3-1 deficit, but found a way that night in Cleveland to top the Cavaliers and even the series on their way to a six-game triumph for a title.
Thompson mused after Boston&rsquo;s win in Game 3 that he was feeling those 2015 vibes again.
He might be right.
&ldquo;You have a group of guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame someday: Steph, Klay, Draymond,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;These guys are the constant. They have been here together throughout that span. So, they are not only gifted but they are incredibly competitive, and that&rsquo;s what it takes to win on the road. You have to summon that kind of will and intensity and passion, and those guys have that.&rdquo;
Imagine, 48 hours before Game 4, the question was whether Curry could even play. He sprained his left foot late in Game 3, the same injury that ended his regular season a few games early. Curry said Thursday that he would play, and on Friday, he delivered a performance for all-time &mdash; 43 points, 10 rebounds, four assists.
&ldquo;This was nearly a must-win game, and to go out there and shoot as efficiently as he did, and grab 10 rebounds and they were attacking him on defense ... Steph played incredible,&rdquo; Thompson said.
The 43 points represented Curry&rsquo;s second-highest total ever in a road playoff game. He had 44 in a game at San Antonio in 2013, a second-round affair that probably very few people remembers and certainly didn&rsquo;t have anywhere near the stakes, spotlight and pressure that was present on Friday night in Boston.
He was demonstrative. Yelling at the crowd a couple times, even. Very un-Steph-like. But the moment couldn&rsquo;t have been bigger, and Curry delivered, all those years of winning road games at playoff time on enemy hardwood preparing him for this ultimate moment.
&ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t letting us lose,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just what it boils down to. ... He was going to come out with that type of fire, and he did.&rdquo;
And now, instead of Boston fans starting to wonder when the parade will be, buckle up for another huge game Monday. The winner of Game 5 will have a chance to claim the trophy with a win in Game 6 on Thursday in Boston. Otherwise, next Sunday, the whole thing gets decided with a Game 7 in San Francisco.
Like Curry said after that first road win nine years ago, the Warriors are resilient.
That might have never been more evident than it was Friday night.

The streak started a little over nine years ago. A trio of kids &mdash; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green &mdash; went into Denver on a cool April night in 2013 and helped Golden State win Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round series.
And afterward, Curry said something prophetic.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a resilient team,&rdquo; Curry proclaimed that night.
He had no idea how right he was.
The Warriors have been in 27 playoff series over those nine seasons. They&rsquo;ve won a road game in every single one of them, a streak that is beyond compare in NBA history. And it can be argued that none of those road wins for Golden State in the Curry-Thompson-Green era were bigger than the latest one, a 107-97 win over Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
Series tied, 2-2. Home-court advantage reclaimed. Game 5 is on Monday in San Francisco, the start of a best-of-three to decide the NBA title. And if the Warriors didn&rsquo;t extend that road streak, the story would be wildly different right now. The Celtics would be on the brink of a title. The Warriors would be just on the brink.
&ldquo;What a gut-check win,&rdquo; Thompson said.
Indeed it was, probably more so than any other road victory in this Warriors&rsquo; run.
There have been bigger moments: the Warriors have three championships in this era, and yes, getting handed a golden trophy by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is the biggest moment a team can have. But of the 39 road wins that the Warriors have enjoyed during this run, only one might truly measure up to the one Golden State got on Friday in terms of significance.
That would be Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals. Same scenario: the Warriors were trailing that series 2-1, they were on the road and facing the dreaded 3-1 deficit, but found a way that night in Cleveland to top the Cavaliers and even the series on their way to a six-game triumph for a title.
Thompson mused after Boston&rsquo;s win in Game 3 that he was feeling those 2015 vibes again.
He might be right.
&ldquo;You have a group of guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame someday: Steph, Klay, Draymond,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;These guys are the constant. They have been here together throughout that span. So, they are not only gifted but they are incredibly competitive, and that&rsquo;s what it takes to win on the road. You have to summon that kind of will and intensity and passion, and those guys have that.&rdquo;
Imagine, 48 hours before Game 4, the question was whether Curry could even play. He sprained his left foot late in Game 3, the same injury that ended his regular season a few games early. Curry said Thursday that he would play, and on Friday, he delivered a performance for all-time &mdash; 43 points, 10 rebounds, four assists.
&ldquo;This was nearly a must-win game, and to go out there and shoot as efficiently as he did, and grab 10 rebounds and they were attacking him on defense ... Steph played incredible,&rdquo; Thompson said.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The 43 points represented Curry&rsquo;s second-highest total ever in a road playoff game. He had 44 in a game at San Antonio in 2013, a second-round affair that probably very few people remembers and certainly didn&rsquo;t have anywhere near the stakes, spotlight and pressure that was present on Friday night in Boston.
He was demonstrative. Yelling at the crowd a couple times, even. Very un-Steph-like. But the moment couldn&rsquo;t have been bigger, and Curry delivered, all those years of winning road games at playoff time on enemy hardwood preparing him for this ultimate moment.
&ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t letting us lose,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just what it boils down to. ... He was going to come out with that type of fire, and he did.&rdquo;
And now, instead of Boston fans starting to wonder when the parade will be, buckle up for another huge game Monday. The winner of Game 5 will have a chance to claim the trophy with a win in Game 6 on Thursday in Boston. Otherwise, next Sunday, the whole thing gets decided with a Game 7 in San Francisco.
Like Curry said after that first road win nine years ago, the Warriors are resilient.
That might have never been more evident than it was Friday night.

The streak started a little over nine years ago. A trio of kids &mdash; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green &mdash; went into Denver on a cool April night in 2013 and helped Golden State win Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round series.
And afterward, Curry said something prophetic.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a resilient team,&rdquo; Curry proclaimed that night.
He had no idea how right he was.
The Warriors have been in 27 playoff series over those nine seasons. They&rsquo;ve won a road game in every single one of them, a streak that is beyond compare in NBA history. And it can be argued that none of those road wins for Golden State in the Curry-Thompson-Green era were bigger than the latest one, a 107-97 win over Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
Series tied, 2-2.
Home-court advantage reclaimed.
Game 5 is on Monday in San Francisco, the start of a best-of-three to decide the NBA title. And if the Warriors didn&rsquo;t extend that road streak, the story would be wildly different right now. The Celtics would be on the brink of a title. The Warriors would be just on the brink.
&ldquo;What a gut-check win,&rdquo; Thompson said.
Indeed it was, probably more so than any other road victory in this Warriors&rsquo; run.
There have been bigger moments: the Warriors have three championships in this era, and yes, getting handed a golden trophy by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is the biggest moment a team can have. But of the 39 road wins that the Warriors have enjoyed during this run, only one might truly measure up to the one Golden State got on Friday in terms of significance.
That would be Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals. Same scenario: the Warriors were trailing that series 2-1, they were on the road and facing the dreaded 3-1 deficit, but found a way that night in Cleveland to top the Cavaliers and even the series on their way to a six-game triumph for a title.
Thompson mused after Boston&rsquo;s win in Game 3 that he was feeling those 2015 vibes again.
He might be right.
&ldquo;You have a group of guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame someday: Steph, Klay, Draymond,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;These guys are the constant. They have been here together throughout that span. So, they are not only gifted but they are incredibly competitive, and that&rsquo;s what it takes to win on the road. You have to summon that kind of will and intensity and passion, and those guys have that.&rdquo;
Imagine, 48 hours before Game 4, the question was whether Curry could even play. He sprained his left foot late in Game 3, the same injury that ended his regular season a few games early. Curry said Thursday that he would play, and on Friday, he delivered a performance for all-time &mdash; 43 points, 10 rebounds, four assists.
&ldquo;This was nearly a must-win game, and to go out there and shoot as efficiently as he did, and grab 10 rebounds and they were attacking him on defense ... Steph played incredible,&rdquo; Thompson said.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The 43 points represented Curry&rsquo;s second-highest total ever in a road playoff game. He had 44 in a game at San Antonio in 2013, a second-round affair that probably very few people remembers and certainly didn&rsquo;t have anywhere near the stakes, spotlight and pressure that was present on Friday night in Boston.
He was demonstrative. Yelling at the crowd a couple times, even. Very un-Steph-like. But the moment couldn&rsquo;t have been bigger, and Curry delivered, all those years of winning road games at playoff time on enemy hardwood preparing him for this ultimate moment.
&ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t letting us lose,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just what it boils down to. ... He was going to come out with that type of fire, and he did.&rdquo;
And now, instead of Boston fans starting to wonder when the parade will be, buckle up for another huge game Monday. The winner of Game 5 will have a chance to claim the trophy with a win in Game 6 on Thursday in Boston. Otherwise, next Sunday, the whole thing gets decided with a Game 7 in San Francisco.
Like Curry said after that first road win nine years ago, the Warriors are resilient.
That might have never been more evident than it was Friday night.

The streak started a little over nine years ago. A trio of kids &mdash; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green &mdash; went into Denver on a cool April night in 2013 and helped Golden State win Game 2 of a Western Conference first-round series.
And afterward, Curry said something prophetic.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re a resilient team,&rdquo; Curry proclaimed that night.
He had no idea how right he was.
The Warriors have been in 27 playoff series over those nine seasons. They&rsquo;ve won a road game in every single one of them, a streak that is beyond compare in NBA history. And it can be argued that none of those road wins for Golden State in the Curry-Thompson-Green era were bigger than the latest one, a 107-97 win over Boston in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night.
Series tied, 2-2.
Home-court advantage reclaimed.
Game 5 is on Monday in San Francisco, the start of a best-of-three to decide the NBA title.
And if the Warriors didn&rsquo;t extend that road streak, the story would be wildly different right now. The Celtics would be on the brink of a title. The Warriors would be just on the brink.
&ldquo;What a gut-check win,&rdquo; Thompson said.
Indeed it was, probably more so than any other road victory in this Warriors&rsquo; run.
There have been bigger moments: the Warriors have three championships in this era, and yes, getting handed a golden trophy by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is the biggest moment a team can have. But of the 39 road wins that the Warriors have enjoyed during this run, only one might truly measure up to the one Golden State got on Friday in terms of significance.
That would be Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals. Same scenario: the Warriors were trailing that series 2-1, they were on the road and facing the dreaded 3-1 deficit, but found a way that night in Cleveland to top the Cavaliers and even the series on their way to a six-game triumph for a title.
Thompson mused after Boston&rsquo;s win in Game 3 that he was feeling those 2015 vibes again.
He might be right.
&ldquo;You have a group of guys who are going to be in the Hall of Fame someday: Steph, Klay, Draymond,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;These guys are the constant. They have been here together throughout that span. So, they are not only gifted but they are incredibly competitive, and that&rsquo;s what it takes to win on the road. You have to summon that kind of will and intensity and passion, and those guys have that.&rdquo;
Imagine, 48 hours before Game 4, the question was whether Curry could even play. He sprained his left foot late in Game 3, the same injury that ended his regular season a few games early. Curry said Thursday that he would play, and on Friday, he delivered a performance for all-time &mdash; 43 points, 10 rebounds, four assists.
&ldquo;This was nearly a must-win game, and to go out there and shoot as efficiently as he did, and grab 10 rebounds and they were attacking him on defense ... Steph played incredible,&rdquo; Thompson said.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The 43 points represented Curry&rsquo;s second-highest total ever in a road playoff game. He had 44 in a game at San Antonio in 2013, a second-round affair that probably very few people remembers and certainly didn&rsquo;t have anywhere near the stakes, spotlight and pressure that was present on Friday night in Boston.
He was demonstrative. Yelling at the crowd a couple times, even. Very un-Steph-like. But the moment couldn&rsquo;t have been bigger, and Curry delivered, all those years of winning road games at playoff time on enemy hardwood preparing him for this ultimate moment.
&ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t letting us lose,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just what it boils down to. ... He was going to come out with that type of fire, and he did.&rdquo;
And now, instead of Boston fans starting to wonder when the parade will be, buckle up for another huge game Monday. The winner of Game 5 will have a chance to claim the trophy with a win in Game 6 on Thursday in Boston. Otherwise, next Sunday, the whole thing gets decided with a Game 7 in San Francisco.
Like Curry said after that first road win nine years ago, the Warriors are resilient.
That might have never been more evident than it was Friday night.

The Warriors have been in 27 playoff series over the last nine seasons and they’ve won a road game in every single one of them.

In Game 4, Golden State proved that they are still road warriors

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Jabari Smith didn&rsquo;t even attempt to minimize the significance of what was happening. He was in an NBA gym, wearing NBA apparel, getting guidance from NBA coaches.
It was a big moment for him.
It&rsquo;ll lead to a big decision for the Orlando Magic.
Smith did the first of his two planned pre-NBA draft workouts on Thursday, the former Auburn All-American going through drills for the Magic &mdash; the team that holds the No. 1 pick for the June 23 draft. His other workout will be for Oklahoma City, the team that has the No. 2 selection.
&ldquo;If I said I wasn&rsquo;t nervous, I&rsquo;d be lying,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Coming into it, I was nervous. But everybody talking to me and getting me through it just kind of relaxed me a little bit. And then, just have some fun with it &mdash; that&rsquo;s what I tried to do.&rdquo;
The workout at the AdventHealth Practice Facility at Amway Center, the team&rsquo;s home arena, was closed to everyone except Magic personnel. But a few fans, so to speak, got in anyway: As Smith&rsquo;s workout went on, the doors on one end of the court kept opening as interested parties kept arriving -- Magic players, including Cole Anthony, Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac.
There was applause at times, even a few audible cheers. Clearly, at least some of the onlookers were enjoying the show. Smith said he was getting help from the players who were watching, even if it just meant a few handshakes and a quick bit of praise.
&ldquo;It was my first workout, so the first experience that I&rsquo;ll never forget, really,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old Smith. &ldquo;It was it was fun to get out here and push myself and get through it.&rdquo;
The consensus is that there are three players above most others in the draft &mdash; Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero. All are forwards, all at least 6-foot-10 (Holmgren is a 7-footer), all played one year of college ball and all figure to be meriting serious consideration for the No. 1 spot.
Smith averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his lone season at Auburn, shooting 43% from the field and 42% from 3-point range. Against teams that were ranked in the AP Top 25 when facing Auburn, Smith averaged 20.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. But it&rsquo;s the two-way game &mdash; Smith excels defensively &mdash; that might rate him the edge in the race to be the No. 1 selection.
&ldquo;I just think it&rsquo;s my will to win that sets me apart,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really care about stats and glamour and all that. I just want to really win and play to win every game.&rdquo;
When it was over and the workout was done, Smith looked around for a moment at the gym, taking it all in. On Thursday, he was a guest, auditioning.
In a couple weeks, the same gym might become home.
&ldquo;I think I can fit in it really well,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Seeing the guys and seeing the players, this is a young team, one of the youngest in the league. So, adding me would just add another young player who was hungry and got a lot left in the tank. So, I&rsquo;ll add some energy and just another person wants to come in and work and get this organization where it needs to be.&rdquo;

Jabari Smith didn&rsquo;t even attempt to minimize the significance of what was happening. He was in an NBA gym, wearing NBA apparel, getting guidance from NBA coaches.
It was a big moment for him.
It&rsquo;ll lead to a big decision for the Orlando Magic.
Smith did the first of his two planned pre-NBA draft workouts on Thursday, the former Auburn All-American going through drills for the Magic &mdash; the team that holds the No. 1 pick for the June 23 draft. His other workout will be for Oklahoma City, the team that has the No. 2 selection.
&ldquo;If I said I wasn&rsquo;t nervous, I&rsquo;d be lying,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Coming into it, I was nervous. But everybody talking to me and getting me through it just kind of relaxed me a little bit. And then, just have some fun with it &mdash; that&rsquo;s what I tried to do.&rdquo;
The workout at the AdventHealth Practice Facility at Amway Center, the team&rsquo;s home arena, was closed to everyone except Magic personnel. But a few fans, so to speak, got in anyway: As Smith&rsquo;s workout went on, the doors on one end of the court kept opening as interested parties kept arriving -- Magic players, including Cole Anthony, Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac.
There was applause at times, even a few audible cheers. Clearly, at least some of the onlookers were enjoying the show. Smith said he was getting help from the players who were watching, even if it just meant a few handshakes and a quick bit of praise.
&ldquo;It was my first workout, so the first experience that I&rsquo;ll never forget, really,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old Smith. &ldquo;It was it was fun to get out here and push myself and get through it.&rdquo;
The consensus is that there are three players above most others in the draft &mdash; Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero. All are forwards, all at least 6-foot-10 (Holmgren is a 7-footer), all played one year of college ball and all figure to be meriting serious consideration for the No. 1 spot.
Smith averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his lone season at Auburn, shooting 43% from the field and 42% from 3-point range. Against teams that were ranked in the AP Top 25 when facing Auburn, Smith averaged 20.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. But it&rsquo;s the two-way game &mdash; Smith excels defensively &mdash; that might rate him the edge in the race to be the No. 1 selection.
&ldquo;I just think it&rsquo;s my will to win that sets me apart,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really care about stats and glamour and all that. I just want to really win and play to win every game.&rdquo;
When it was over and the workout was done, Smith looked around for a moment at the gym, taking it all in. On Thursday, he was a guest, auditioning.
In a couple weeks, the same gym might become home.
&ldquo;I think I can fit in it really well,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Seeing the guys and seeing the players, this is a young team, one of the youngest in the league. So, adding me would just add another young player who was hungry and got a lot left in the tank. So, I&rsquo;ll add some energy and just another person wants to come in and work and get this organization where it needs to be.&rdquo;

Jabari Smith didn&rsquo;t even attempt to minimize the significance of what was happening. He was in an NBA gym, wearing NBA apparel, getting guidance from NBA coaches.
It was a big moment for him.
It&rsquo;ll lead to a big decision for the Orlando Magic.
Smith did the first of his two planned pre-NBA draft workouts on Thursday, the former Auburn All-American going through drills for the Magic &mdash; the team that holds the No. 1 pick for the June 23 draft. His other workout will be for Oklahoma City, the team that has the No. 2 selection.
&ldquo;If I said I wasn&rsquo;t nervous, I&rsquo;d be lying,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Coming into it, I was nervous. But everybody talking to me and getting me through it just kind of relaxed me a little bit. And then, just have some fun with it &mdash; that&rsquo;s what I tried to do.&rdquo;
(Editor's Note: Check out BasketballNews.com's latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft.)
The workout at the AdventHealth Practice Facility at Amway Center, the team&rsquo;s home arena, was closed to everyone except Magic personnel. But a few fans, so to speak, got in anyway: As Smith&rsquo;s workout went on, the doors on one end of the court kept opening as interested parties kept arriving -- Magic players, including Cole Anthony, Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac.
There was applause at times, even a few audible cheers. Clearly, at least some of the onlookers were enjoying the show. Smith said he was getting help from the players who were watching, even if it just meant a few handshakes and a quick bit of praise.
&ldquo;It was my first workout, so the first experience that I&rsquo;ll never forget, really,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old Smith. &ldquo;It was it was fun to get out here and push myself and get through it.&rdquo;
The consensus is that there are three players above most others in the draft &mdash; Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero. All are forwards, all at least 6-foot-10 (Holmgren is a 7-footer), all played one year of college ball and all figure to be meriting serious consideration for the No. 1 spot.
Smith averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his lone season at Auburn, shooting 43% from the field and 42% from 3-point range. Against teams that were ranked in the AP Top 25 when facing Auburn, Smith averaged 20.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. But it&rsquo;s the two-way game &mdash; Smith excels defensively &mdash; that might rate him the edge in the race to be the No. 1 selection.
&ldquo;I just think it&rsquo;s my will to win that sets me apart,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really care about stats and glamour and all that. I just want to really win and play to win every game.&rdquo;
When it was over and the workout was done, Smith looked around for a moment at the gym, taking it all in. On Thursday, he was a guest, auditioning.
In a couple weeks, the same gym might become home.
&ldquo;I think I can fit in it really well,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Seeing the guys and seeing the players, this is a young team, one of the youngest in the league. So, adding me would just add another young player who was hungry and got a lot left in the tank. So, I&rsquo;ll add some energy and just another person wants to come in and work and get this organization where it needs to be.&rdquo;

Jabari Smith didn&rsquo;t even attempt to minimize the significance of what was happening. He was in an NBA gym, wearing NBA apparel, getting guidance from NBA coaches.
It was a big moment for him.
It&rsquo;ll lead to a big decision for the Orlando Magic.
Smith did the first of his two planned pre-NBA draft workouts on Thursday, the former Auburn All-American going through drills for the Magic &mdash; the team that holds the No. 1 pick for the June 23 draft. His other workout will be for Oklahoma City, the team that has the No. 2 selection.
&ldquo;If I said I wasn&rsquo;t nervous, I&rsquo;d be lying,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Coming into it, I was nervous. But everybody talking to me and getting me through it just kind of relaxed me a little bit. And then, just have some fun with it &mdash; that&rsquo;s what I tried to do.&rdquo;
(Editor's Note: Check out BasketballNews.com's latest 2022 NBA Mock Draft.)
The workout at the AdventHealth Practice Facility at Amway Center, the team&rsquo;s home arena, was closed to everyone except Magic personnel. But a few fans, so to speak, got in anyway: As Smith&rsquo;s workout went on, the doors on one end of the court kept opening as interested parties kept arriving -- Magic players, including Cole Anthony, Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac.
There was applause at times, even a few audible cheers. Clearly, at least some of the onlookers were enjoying the show. Smith said he was getting help from the players who were watching, even if it just meant a few handshakes and a quick bit of praise.
&ldquo;It was my first workout, so the first experience that I&rsquo;ll never forget, really,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old Smith. &ldquo;It was it was fun to get out here and push myself and get through it.&rdquo;
The consensus is that there are three players above most others in the draft &mdash; Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero. All are forwards, all at least 6-foot-10 (Holmgren is a 7-footer), all played one year of college ball and all figure to be meriting serious consideration for the No. 1 spot.
Smith averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his lone season at Auburn, shooting 43% from the field and 42% from 3-point range. Against teams that were ranked in the AP Top 25 when facing Auburn, Smith averaged 20.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. But it&rsquo;s the two-way game &mdash; Smith excels defensively &mdash; that might rate him the edge in the race to be the No. 1 selection.
&ldquo;I just think it&rsquo;s my will to win that sets me apart,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really care about stats and glamour and all that. I just want to really win and play to win every game.&rdquo;
When it was over and the workout was done, Smith looked around for a moment at the gym, taking it all in. On Thursday, he was a guest, auditioning.
In a couple weeks, the same gym might become home.
&ldquo;I think I can fit in it really well,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Seeing the guys and seeing the players, this is a young team, one of the youngest in the league. So, adding me would just add another young player who was hungry and got a lot left in the tank. So, I&rsquo;ll add some energy and just another person wants to come in and work and get this organization where it needs to be.&rdquo;

Jabari Smith didn&rsquo;t even attempt to minimize the significance of what was happening. He was in an NBA gym, wearing NBA apparel, getting guidance from NBA coaches.
It was a big moment for him.
It&rsquo;ll lead to a big decision for the Orlando Magic.
Smith did the first of his two planned pre-NBA draft workouts on Thursday, the former Auburn All-American going through drills for the Magic &mdash; the team that holds the No. 1 pick for the June 23 draft. His other workout will be for Oklahoma City, the team that has the No. 2 selection.
&ldquo;If I said I wasn&rsquo;t nervous, I&rsquo;d be lying,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Coming into it, I was nervous. But everybody talking to me and getting me through it just kind of relaxed me a little bit. And then, just have some fun with it &mdash; that&rsquo;s what I tried to do.&rdquo;
(Editor's Note: Check out BasketballNews.com's latest <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>.)
The workout at the AdventHealth Practice Facility at Amway Center, the team&rsquo;s home arena, was closed to everyone except Magic personnel. But a few fans, so to speak, got in anyway: As Smith&rsquo;s workout went on, the doors on one end of the court kept opening as interested parties kept arriving -- Magic players, including Cole Anthony, Mo Bamba and Jonathan Isaac.
There was applause at times, even a few audible cheers. Clearly, at least some of the onlookers were enjoying the show. Smith said he was getting help from the players who were watching, even if it just meant a few handshakes and a quick bit of praise.
&ldquo;It was my first workout, so the first experience that I&rsquo;ll never forget, really,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old Smith. &ldquo;It was it was fun to get out here and push myself and get through it.&rdquo;
The consensus is that there are three players above most others in the draft &mdash; Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero. All are forwards, all at least 6-foot-10 (Holmgren is a 7-footer), all played one year of college ball and all figure to be meriting serious consideration for the No. 1 spot.
Smith averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his lone season at Auburn, shooting 43% from the field and 42% from 3-point range. Against teams that were ranked in the AP Top 25 when facing Auburn, Smith averaged 20.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. But it&rsquo;s the two-way game &mdash; Smith excels defensively &mdash; that might rate him the edge in the race to be the No. 1 selection.
&ldquo;I just think it&rsquo;s my will to win that sets me apart,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really care about stats and glamour and all that. I just want to really win and play to win every game.&rdquo;
When it was over and the workout was done, Smith looked around for a moment at the gym, taking it all in. On Thursday, he was a guest, auditioning.
In a couple weeks, the same gym might become home.
&ldquo;I think I can fit in it really well,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Seeing the guys and seeing the players, this is a young team, one of the youngest in the league. So, adding me would just add another young player who was hungry and got a lot left in the tank. So, I&rsquo;ll add some energy and just another person wants to come in and work and get this organization where it needs to be.&rdquo;

Jabari Smith did the first of his two planned pre-NBA draft workouts Thursday, the former All-American going through drills for the Magic.

No. 1? Magic work out Jabari Smith in advance of NBA draft

Adam Silver was on his phone constantly in late December. At that time, the NBA had more than 100 players sidelined by virus-related issues, along with some head coaches, assistant coaches, referees and team staffers.
The NHL had just paused its season. The NBA commissioner wondered if his league would follow suit.
&ldquo;I was very concerned,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And we had numerous discussions with our governors about whether we were doing the right thing.&rdquo;
With a lot of help from dozens of newly signed players, some of whom might already be forgotten, the NBA played on.
It could be argued the untold MVP&rsquo;s of this season were the more than 100 players signed to short-term hardship contracts to fill in when almost every team was decimated by the Omicron variant and other virus issues in December and January.
Those fill-ins kept the season from veering off the rails. And they&rsquo;re really why the NBA Finals matchup between the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors is being played exactly as planned when the schedule was being put together last summer.
&ldquo;I think that everyone understood that if we did have to pause the season, it would have a huge potential economic impact on the league as well or force players and the league to have to move into the summer, which is not ideal,&rdquo; Silver told The Associated Press. &ldquo;So, without those players, we wouldn&rsquo;t be here today.&rdquo;
Around the league, 605 players &mdash; a record &mdash; got into at least one game during the regular season, up 12% from last season. There were 633 players who were known to be under contract at some point, up 15% from last season&rsquo;s figure.
And when the variant was at its worst, the league was at its busiest: over a 10-day span of late December, 93 different 10-day contracts were signed.
&ldquo;Strangest season I&rsquo;ve been a part of so far,&rdquo; 19-year NBA veteran LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers said during the season. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to just talk about the injuries but COVID protocols. You have guys go out for false positives. You have had guys go out for real reasons. ... We&rsquo;ve had a little bit of everything.&rdquo;
To put how many players were needed in some perspective, consider that over a five-season span &mdash; 1982-83 through 1986-87 &mdash; the Celtics used a total of 27 players.
This season, they used 28.
And that doesn&rsquo;t count four Celtics who were signed and never got into a game. The Celtics&rsquo; total of 32 players who were under contract &mdash; some very briefly &mdash; at some point this season was the highest in the NBA, one more than Portland and two more than Indiana, Milwaukee, and New Orleans.
&ldquo;Obviously to play basketball during unprecedented times the last two years has been tough for individuals, families, etc.,&rdquo; Boston guard Jaylen Brown said. &ldquo;But I think the NBA and the players association have done as good a job as possible to keep things going and to accommodate everything as best they possibly can. There&rsquo;s been ups and downs. There&rsquo;s been questions, things that haven&rsquo;t made sense. But I still give credit where credit is due.&rdquo;
The NBA had to postpone a total of 11 games that were originally slated from mid-to-late December, and the rescheduling of those forced eight other games to be shifted in order to keep teams from playing in overly adverse circumstances like having three games in three nights.
Otherwise, games were played like normal. Only it wasn&rsquo;t normal.
&ldquo;A global pandemic was not something you&rsquo;d expect would be part of a season,&rdquo; Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;But it was, and it is, and it got people to find some solutions and keep working.&rdquo;
Former NBA All-Stars such as Joe Johnson &mdash; who made his only shot attempt in his one-game appearance with the Celtics &mdash; and Isaiah Thomas were called back to the league to help amid the depletions. The Warriors&rsquo; Quinndary Weatherspoon got to make his season debut on Christmas Day.
&ldquo;Surreal,&rdquo; he said.
Washington signed center Jaime Echenique and he played three unremarkable minutes; no points, no stats of any sort. But he made history, becoming the first Colombian to appear in an NBA game.
&ldquo;If I&rsquo;m dreaming, don&rsquo;t wake me up,&rdquo; Echenique said.
It&rsquo;s the players like Echenique who kept the season going. The schedule that the league drafted nearly a year ago &mdash; long before Omicron, long before anyone knew what the season would bring and how the virus would go &mdash; had Monday listed as a travel day for the NBA Finals teams before Games 2 and 3.
The Celtics and Warriors traveled Monday &mdash; as scheduled.
The NBA is about to make it through a season as planned, thanks to some former All-Stars and more than a few players who weren&rsquo;t household names.
&ldquo;I know Chris Paul, for example, made the point in one of our meetings of saying what an incredible debt of gratitude we owe to these players,&rdquo; Silver told AP. &ldquo;And he even was reminding his other NBA players, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t forget to thank those players.&rsquo; We were relying on a terrific group of outside advisors made up of top doctors and scientists who were predicting that if we could tough it out for a few weeks, we&rsquo;d be able to make it through.
&ldquo;But without the service, largely of those G league players, we wouldn&rsquo;t have been able to do it.&rdquo;

With a lot of help from dozens of newly signed players, some of whom might already be forgotten, the NBA played on.

NBA Finals, season on schedule thanks to replacement players

It&rsquo;s an annual occurrence in the NBA. Teams change head coaches and the roster of candidates who should get those jobs starts getting bandied about, and especially in recent years those lists almost always included Black candidates.
Case in point: Ime Udoka, who is of Nigerian descent.
For five years, he was one of those can&rsquo;t-miss candidates but never got hired. That is, until the Boston Celtics gave him the opportunity. And all Udoka did in Year 1 was reach the NBA Finals.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand what took so long, to be honest,&rdquo; Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said.
Udoka&rsquo;s hiring by the Eastern Conference champion Celtics, who open the NBA Finals on Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors, was part of a transformative year for the league when it comes to diversity within the coaching ranks. In the last 12 months, eight coaching jobs have been filled by Black candidates &mdash; and for the first time, half the league&rsquo;s franchises, 15 of the 30, have Black head coaches.
&ldquo;It means a lot,&rdquo; said Golden State assistant Mike Brown, one of the eight recent Black hires; he&rsquo;s taking over the Sacramento Kings when this series ends. &ldquo;When my son, and my oldest son&rsquo;s about to have his first son, when they turn on the TV and they see people that look like them leading an NBA team on the sidelines, it can be inspiring.
&ldquo;For me, carrying the torch and then passing it to the next generation is something that I think about often &mdash; not just for my family, but for others out there.&rdquo;
Detroit&rsquo;s Dwane Casey, Phoenix&rsquo;s Monty Williams, Cleveland&rsquo;s J.B. Bickerstaff, Philadelphia&rsquo;s Doc Rivers, the Los Angeles Clippers&rsquo; Tyronn Lue, Houston&rsquo;s Stephen Silas and Atlanta&rsquo;s Nate McMillan are the seven Black coaches who had their current jobs last season. They&rsquo;ve been joined in the last year by Udoka, Brown, Portland&rsquo;s Chauncey Billups, Dallas&rsquo; Jason Kidd, Orlando&rsquo;s Jamahl Mosley, Washington&rsquo;s Wes Unseld Jr., New Orleans&rsquo; Willie Green and last week, the Los Angeles Lakers hired Darvin Ham.
Mosley interviewed for nine jobs before getting hired in Orlando. Ham, like Udoka, had been a can&rsquo;t-miss name for years, but never got a chance until now.
&ldquo;Darvin is about as good a guy as you&rsquo;re going to see, a big competitor,&rdquo; Boston&rsquo;s Al Horford said. &ldquo;Extreme competitor. The Lakers are really lucky to have a guy like him. He&rsquo;s the kind of guy that you want.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s been nearly 60 years since Bill Russell broke the NBA coaching color barrier when he became the first Black man to coach a team; he accepted the role as player-coach of the Celtics starting with the 1966-67 season and won a championship in his second season.
Al Attles and Lenny Wilkens were the next two Black coaches to get opportunities; they would eventually become champions as well. There have been roughly 260 different coaches in the NBA, excluding short-term interim fill-ins, since Russell was hired, and 1 out of 3 of those coaches have been Black. But most of those Black coaches have either lasted in their first job no more than three years or not gotten a second chance at leading a team.
Players wanted that to change. Evidently, so did other coaches.
&ldquo;For many years qualified young coaches of color like Ime Udoka, Jamahl Mosley, Willie Green, Wes Unseld Jr., Darvin Ham and Stephen Silas, to name just a few, were not getting consistent opportunities to interview for NBA head coaching positions,&rdquo; said Indiana coach Rick Carlisle, the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association. &ldquo;The last two years changed everything. The league office has tirelessly made franchises more aware of the qualifications and journeys of these talented young coaches. This increased awareness has led to qualified coaches of all backgrounds having greater opportunity to interview and the numbers speak for themselves.&rdquo;
Part of that awareness came from a meeting that three league officials &mdash; Commissioner Adam Silver, chief people and inclusion officer Oris Stuart and president of social responsibility and player programs Kathy Behrens &mdash; had with Carlisle, representing the NBCA, in February 2019.
Out of that meeting, the NBA Coaches Equality Initiative was born. The NBCA worked with the league in many ways to get it started, including the building of a database; in a couple of clicks, teams in need of coaches could get information, including qualifications, experience and even an on-camera interview in some cases, on every available candidate.
&ldquo;You have to talk about these issues all the time,&rdquo; Silver said Thursday. &ldquo;If you care about diversity and inclusion in your workplace ... it has to become a focus.&rdquo;
There are still areas where the NBA can improve in terms of diversity. Most front-office positions are not held by people of color and Michael Jordan is the lone Black principal owner of a franchise; Jordan leads the Charlotte Hornets, the only team that has a coaching vacancy right now.
It&rsquo;s an issue, and while there has been improvement in some areas, Silver wants more.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s more work to be done,&rdquo; Silver said.
That said, the numbers in the NBA wildly exceed the other major U.S. pro leagues.
There are three Black coaches in the NFL: Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Mike Tomlin, Houston&rsquo;s Lovie Smith and Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Todd Bowles. That does not include Miami&rsquo;s Mike McDaniel; his father is Black, but McDaniel identifies as biracial. The person McDaniel replaced in Miami, former coach Brian Flores, is suing the Dolphins and the NFL for what he says is racial discrimination in hiring practices.
&ldquo;Our league leads the charge,&rdquo; Mike Brown said. &ldquo;Hopefully other leagues will follow suit.&rdquo;
But he also points out that he longs for a day when 50% of the coaches in a league being Black won&rsquo;t seem like a milestone, saying that&rsquo;s &ldquo;the dream.&rdquo; And Silver echoed those sentiments.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m particularly proud of numbers and roughly 50% of our head coaches are Black now, the goal is that that&rsquo;s not newsworthy,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And when people are hired, the first reaction isn&rsquo;t the color of their skin.&rdquo;

“Our league leads the charge,” Mike Brown said. “Hopefully other leagues will follow suit.”

Transformative year: Black coaches now lead 50% of NBA teams

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday that he expects the oft-maligned &ldquo;transition take foul&rdquo; to come with stiffer penalties next season.
Silver expects the rules regarding the play &mdash; where a defender intentionally commits a foul to halt a transition opportunity for the opposition &mdash; are going to change this summer. It&rsquo;s been something the NBA and its competition committee have been studying for several seasons.
Momentum has been building for several months toward a change, one that now seems likely to come at league meetings in July.
&ldquo;I am confident that we&rsquo;ll see a change,&rdquo; Silver said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press. &ldquo;I would not say I&rsquo;m overconfident that it will be the last change, even though this is a rule that we&rsquo;ve been experimenting with in the G League for last four years.&rdquo;
The way such fouls have been officiated in the G League since 2018 is this: When a defender commits a take foul, which is one where no play on the ball is made but doesn&rsquo;t rise to the level of a clear path foul, the fouled team retains possession and gets one free throw before play resumes. The clear path foul results in two shots and the ball.
Under FIBA rules, which govern international basketball, the penalty for transition take fouls is two shots and the ball.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think the take foul needs to be abolished as soon as humanly possible,&rdquo; Golden State coach Steve Kerr said earlier in these playoffs. &ldquo;I coached in FIBA the last few summers and FIBA has a rule that basically eliminated it entirely. It&rsquo;s so penalizing when you get called for it that coaches all teach their teams, don&rsquo;t do it. That&rsquo;s what we need to do as a league. ... You&rsquo;ve just got to get rid of it, make the game better, open up the game and hopefully that&rsquo;s what will happen this summer.&rdquo;
The G League and Summer League are the traditional testing labs for the NBA before making rule changes or amending policies. Among those that started at those levels and eventually got to the NBA &mdash; the coaches&rsquo; challenge, plus resetting the 24-second shot clock to 14 seconds in offensive rebound situations.
The take foul, Silver believes, is about to get added to that list.
&ldquo;I always say to people, including on this potential change in take fouls, if there was something that was obvious it would have happened long ago,&rdquo; Silver said after the dedication of a new NBA Cares Live, Learn or Play Center to assist the Boys &amp; Girls Club of San Francisco. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s pros and cons to everything we do. This is a change I&rsquo;m very much in favor of, and from all the research we&rsquo;ve looked at, it&rsquo;s something our fans really want too.&rdquo;

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that he expects the “transition take foul” to come with stiffer penalties next year.

Silver confident that the NBA’s take-foul policy will change

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri and Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka both spoke out Sunday against the decision by Nigeria&rsquo;s government to withdraw its basketball teams from international competitions for two years and potentially eliminate any chance of qualifying for the 2024 Olympics.
Ujiri and Udoka are both of Nigerian descent. Ujiri called for resignations and a rebirth of the Nigeran federation.
Ujiri released a letter saying &ldquo;enough is enough,&rdquo; and Udoka &mdash; shortly before his team played in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors &mdash; also questioned the motives behind the move by government officials.
&ldquo;The leaders of the basketball ecosystem in Nigeria continue to rob our youth of their present and future while tearing the entire basketball community apart &mdash; this needs to stop,&rdquo; Ujiri wrote.
FIBA, basketball&rsquo;s global governing body, said it had no choice last week but to replace Nigeria from the 12-team field for the Women&rsquo;s World Cup that will occur later this year and replace it with Mali. The men&rsquo;s national team has been trying to qualify for next year&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s World Cup &mdash; a major step toward making the &rsquo;24 Games.
But if the ban approved by the Nigerian government holds, there&rsquo;s almost no realistic scenario in which Nigeria&rsquo;s basketball teams can qualify for Paris. Both the Nigerian men and women were part of the Tokyo Olympics field last summer &mdash; and the men&rsquo;s team, coached by Warriors assistant and now Sacramento coach Mike Brown, beat the eventual gold medalist U.S. team in an exhibition game.
Udoka said the Nigerian federation suffers from disorganization.
&ldquo;A lot of the same stuff I dealt with as a player, which is disappointing,&rdquo; said Udoka, a former player for the Nigerian national team.
It was an issue last summer as well. Brown got a great deal of logistical help from the Warriors as he gathered the Nigerian team &mdash; many of whom were NBA players &mdash; for a training camp. He had to oversee everything from making sure practice equipment arrived to setting up travel arrangements, and even set up a charitable foundation that was trying to raise $1 million to support the national team programs.
The problems in Nigerian basketball revolve around a leadership tussle at the national federation, which elected two different presidents in parallel elections in January. The government wants to appoint an interim committee to run the NBBF until its issues are resolved, but has also announced its intention to &ldquo;revamp&rdquo; all areas of Nigerian basketball, including the domestic league.
&ldquo;The time for change is now,&rdquo; Ujiri wrote. &ldquo;I know all athletes, leaders and stakeholders in African sport will not give up on Nigerian basketball, and we will not give up on the youth. It&rsquo;s time for us to move forward. We need a new slate and a new narrative. To do this, all of the leaders that have held on to the realms of the Nigerian Basketball Federation for the past several years must all step down.&rdquo;

Ime Udoka and Masai Ujiri both spoke on the Nigerian government's actions to withdraw its teams from international competition.

Udoka, Ujiri angry over Nigerian basketball dysfunction

Over the last three seasons, six franchises have reached the NBA Finals. The league has seen five Eastern Conference champions in the last five seasons. This will be the fourth consecutive year that the team which hoists the trophy won&rsquo;t be the same as the one who did the year before.
Adam Silver likes all these numbers.
The NBA commissioner, in his annual NBA Finals address Thursday night held just before Game 1 of the series between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, repeated his familiar refrain that he doesn&rsquo;t care who wins. But he also sees the value in some unpredictability from one year to the next as far as which teams make it to the title round.
&ldquo;Of course, I do care though about the platform that we&rsquo;re presenting and the competition itself,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;Anybody running a league wants to see not necessarily in my mind parity on the floor every year, but parity of opportunity. You also want a system where the best players, the best-managed teams can also excel.&rdquo;
The league has seen five different East champions in the last five years &mdash; Cleveland in 2018, followed by Toronto, Miami, Milwaukee and now Boston. It&rsquo;s the first time since 1998 through 2002 when five different franchises have won the East in a five-season span.
The Western Conference is on its third different champion in three years: The Los Angeles Lakers won in 2020, Phoenix did last year and now Golden State. The last time the West had a longer such run was 2010 through 2013, when the titles were won by, in order, the Lakers, Dallas, Oklahoma City and San Antonio.
&ldquo;We do focus a lot on ensuring through the salary cap system that teams, in essence, have the same fair opportunity to compete,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And that is something we&rsquo;re always looking at as part of our system, something we&rsquo;re constantly talking to the Players Association about. ... All 450 players presumably want an equal chance to win championships and be a part of a championship team. So, I&rsquo;m I&rsquo;m pleased with where we are. I&rsquo;m thrilled with the teams that are here in the finals.&rdquo;
Among the other topics Silver addressed:
BLAZERS SALE
Silver said he believes the Portland Trail Blazers will be sold. The question is when.
ESPN and other outlets reported Thursday that Nike co-founder Phil Knight and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky made an offer to buy the Blazers for more than $2 billion. The Blazers then released a statement saying the team is not for sale.
The Blazers remain owned by the Paul G. Allen Trust, after the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft died nearly four years ago. Allen&rsquo;s sister, Jody Allen, is the trustee of the estate.
&ldquo;At some point, the team will be sold,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have any sense of the precise timing. I read that same statement today in which she or someone on behalf of the estate said the team is not currently for sale. But at some point it will be for sale. This is a hugely a complex estate, and although it&rsquo;s been several years, these things take time.&rdquo;
Silver said the NBA&rsquo;s preference, and his own hope, is that the Blazers &mdash; whenever they are sold &mdash; remain in Portland.
IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT
Silver has spoken many times in recent years about his hope to add an in-season tournament, modeling it after some of the trophies that soccer teams in Europe vie for during their seasons. It remains a priority, but nothing is yet finalized.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not there yet,&rdquo; Silver said.
The league commissioned a study in 2019 that showed 60% of NBA fans want a shorter regular season, 68% of fans were interested in an in-season tournament and 75% were interested in a play-in tournament. The play-in tournament has since been implemented; the in-season tournament and decision to shorten the regular season &mdash; one proposal the league has considered calls for moving from 82 to 78 games &mdash; remain in the idea phase.
But the NBA has had a format in mind for nearly three years already: Teams would play eight divisional games in the group stage of the event, counting toward their regular-season total. The six group winners and two wild cards would qualify for the quarterfinals, then semifinals and the final would be played at a neutral site like Las Vegas. Players on the winning team would split $15 million; the winning coaching staff would split $1.5 million.
&ldquo;We want to make sure we have a system where our best players are incentivized to be on the floor,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;At the same time, we obviously don&rsquo;t want to see them injured. And so, what we&rsquo;re hoping is we can all work collectively, the 30 teams together in a non-competitive way, together with our Players Association and figure out what is optimal on these players&rsquo; bodies so that they&rsquo;re incentivized to play but aren&rsquo;t overdoing it to the extent where they end up playing too much and pushing through injuries.&rdquo;
ALL-NBA CHANGES
Silver said &ldquo;a fair amount of consideration&rdquo; is going into potentially changing the system by which All-NBA teams are selected.
The voting panel of 100 media members is tasked with choosing three teams of five &mdash; two guards, two forwards and one center on each team. That led to Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers being second-team All-NBA in both 2021 and 2022 behind fellow center Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Jokic was MVP in both seasons, Embiid was the MVP runner-up.
But in a largely positionless league, the NBA continues to insist that the All-NBA teams be done by positions. That may change.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to discuss that with the players and sit down once again and see if there&rsquo;s a better way to do it,&rdquo; Silver said.
EXPANSION
Silver said any talk that the league is targeting Seattle and Las Vegas for expansion in 2024 &ldquo;is not true.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We are not discussing that at this time,&rdquo; Silver said.
It&rsquo;s no secret, and Silver said it again Thursday, that the league will eventually expand past its current 30 teams. Diluting player talent remains a major impediment toward expansion, though.
&ldquo;Expansion does create a certain amount of dilution,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;And even sort of adding another 30 players or so that are roughly comparable, there still are only so many of the truly top-tier super talents to go around. That is something on the mind of the other teams as we think about expansion.&rdquo;
He did, however, call Seattle and Las Vegas &ldquo;wonderful markets.&rdquo;

NBA commissioner Adam Silver held his annual NBA Finals address prior to Game 1 on Thursday night to address many topics.

Adam Silver: NBA likes ‘parity of opportunity’ for its teams

MIAMI (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each had 24 and the Boston Celtics dominated the first half to roll past the Miami Heat 127-102 on Thursday night and tie the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.
Smart was a rebound shy of a triple-double, after adding 12 assists and nine rebounds.
Grant Williams scored 19 points for Boston, which used a 17-0 run late in the first quarter — fueled by five 3-pointers in the span of six possessions — to take control. Payton Pritchard and Al Horford each had 10 for the Celtics.
Jimmy Butler had 29 points in 32 minutes for Miami, which fell to 7-1 at home in these playoffs. Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladpio each scored 14 points, and Tyler Herro added 11 for the Heat.
The Celtics — now 4-0 in these playoffs in the game immediately following a loss — made 20 shots from 3-point range to Miami's 10. Game 3 is Saturday in Boston.
And the margin could have been worse: Boston led by as many as 34 points in the fourth, putting this game on the cusp of really good Celtics history and really bad Heat history. The Celtics' record for biggest postseason win ever is 40, the Heat record for biggest postseason loss ever is 36, and those numbers were within reach before a meaningless Miami run over the final moments.
Boston trailed by 10 in the first quarter, then outscored Miami 60-21 over the next 18 minutes — a 39-point turnaround that wound up leading to a 70-45 halftime lead.
The 25-point halftime lead was the biggest by the Celtics in any road playoff game, topping a 22-point edge at the break at Chicago in 2009.
Brown had 11 points in the first quarter, when the Celtics went 9 for 11 from 3-point range. Tatum then had 17 points in the second and Boston kept pulling away, on a day where everything went the Celtics’ way. They learned earlier in the day that two starters — Horford (virus-related issues) and Smart (mid-foot sprain) — were cleared to play in Game 2 after missing the series opener.
“I got to get my rest, got to get my health back, got to watch and see some things and come out and execute in this game," Smart said.
And the good news kept coming well into the night.
Butler did all he could to try and manufacture a comeback, scoring 16 points in the third quarter and getting the Heat within 17. But a 12-2 run late in the quarter by the Celtics restored a 27-point edge. The lead was 96-71 going into the fourth and the outcome was never remotely close to being in question the rest of the way.
Miami didn't even use its starters in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Technically, Boston had one other “road” game with a bigger halftime lead. The Celtics were the designated visitor on Sept. 7, 2020 — in the bubble at Walt Disney World — when they led Toronto by 27 at the break. ... With Horford back, Grant Williams returned to his off-the-bench role. ... Tatum got his second foul with 4:14 left in the first, after charging into Butler. The entirety of the 17-0 run came with him on the bench.
Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) sat for the eighth time in the last 10 games. ... It was the first game since Dallas-Atlanta on Feb. 1, 2020 in which both teams had a 10-point lead in the first quarter.... P.J. Tucker had Miami’s first five points, all in the game’s first 51 seconds. It was his 863rd career game, the first in which he had five points in the first minute. Those were his only points of the night, and he left in the third quarter with a left knee contusion.
25 TWICE
This Boston team is the sixth club in the last 25 years to have two separate games where it led by at least 25 points in Miami in the same season. The Celtics also did it on Nov. 4. The other teams who pulled it off: Milwaukee last season (won NBA title), San Antonio in 2013-14 (won NBA title), Boston in 2007-08 (won NBA title), Toronto (2007-08) and Charlotte (2000-01).
500 AND COUNTING
The Heat announced their 500th consecutive sellout, excluding games affected by the pandemic. Only Dallas (867 and counting), Portland (814 from 1977 through 1995), Boston (662 from 1980 through 1995) and Chicago (610 from 1987 through 2000) have streaks that the NBA counts as being longer.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each had 24 and the Boston Celtics dominated the first half to roll past the Miami Heat 127-102 on Thursday night and tie the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.
Smart was a rebound shy of a triple-double, after adding 12 assists and nine rebounds.
Grant Williams scored 19 points for Boston, which used a 17-0 run late in the first quarter &mdash; fueled by five 3-pointers in the span of six possessions &mdash; to take control. Payton Pritchard and Al Horford each had 10 for the Celtics.
Jimmy Butler had 29 points in 32 minutes for Miami, which fell to 7-1 at home in these playoffs. Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladpio each scored 14 points, and Tyler Herro added 11 for the Heat.
The Celtics &mdash; now 4-0 in these playoffs in the game immediately following a loss &mdash; made 20 shots from 3-point range to Miami's 10. Game 3 is Saturday in Boston.
And the margin could have been worse: Boston led by as many as 34 points in the fourth, putting this game on the cusp of really good Celtics history and really bad Heat history. The Celtics' record for biggest postseason win ever is 40, the Heat record for biggest postseason loss ever is 36, and those numbers were within reach before a meaningless Miami run over the final moments.
Boston trailed by 10 in the first quarter, then outscored Miami 60-21 over the next 18 minutes &mdash; a 39-point turnaround that wound up leading to a 70-45 halftime lead.
The 25-point halftime lead was the biggest by the Celtics in any road playoff game, topping a 22-point edge at the break at Chicago in 2009.
Brown had 11 points in the first quarter, when the Celtics went 9 for 11 from 3-point range. Tatum then had 17 points in the second and Boston kept pulling away, on a day where everything went the Celtics&rsquo; way. They learned earlier in the day that two starters &mdash; Horford (virus-related issues) and Smart (mid-foot sprain) &mdash; were cleared to play in Game 2 after missing the series opener.
&ldquo;I got to get my rest, got to get my health back, got to watch and see some things and come out and execute in this game," Smart said.
And the good news kept coming well into the night.
Butler did all he could to try and manufacture a comeback, scoring 16 points in the third quarter and getting the Heat within 17. But a 12-2 run late in the quarter by the Celtics restored a 27-point edge. The lead was 96-71 going into the fourth and the outcome was never remotely close to being in question the rest of the way.
Miami didn't even use its starters in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Technically, Boston had one other &ldquo;road&rdquo; game with a bigger halftime lead. The Celtics were the designated visitor on Sept. 7, 2020 &mdash; in the bubble at Walt Disney World &mdash; when they led Toronto by 27 at the break. ... With Horford back, Grant Williams returned to his off-the-bench role. ... Tatum got his second foul with 4:14 left in the first, after charging into Butler. The entirety of the 17-0 run came with him on the bench.
Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) sat for the eighth time in the last 10 games. ... It was the first game since Dallas-Atlanta on Feb. 1, 2020 in which both teams had a 10-point lead in the first quarter.... P.J. Tucker had Miami&rsquo;s first five points, all in the game&rsquo;s first 51 seconds. It was his 863rd career game, the first in which he had five points in the first minute. Those were his only points of the night, and he left in the third quarter with a left knee contusion.
25 TWICE
This Boston team is the sixth club in the last 25 years to have two separate games where it led by at least 25 points in Miami in the same season. The Celtics also did it on Nov. 4. The other teams who pulled it off: Milwaukee last season (won NBA title), San Antonio in 2013-14 (won NBA title), Boston in 2007-08 (won NBA title), Toronto (2007-08) and Charlotte (2000-01).
500 AND COUNTING
The Heat announced their 500th consecutive sellout, excluding games affected by the pandemic. Only Dallas (867 and counting), Portland (814 from 1977 through 1995), Boston (662 from 1980 through 1995) and Chicago (610 from 1987 through 2000) have streaks that the NBA counts as being longer.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each had 24 and the Boston Celtics dominated the first half to roll past the Miami Heat 127-102 on Thursday night and tie the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.
Smart was a rebound shy of a triple-double, after adding 12 assists and nine rebounds.
Grant Williams scored 19 points for Boston, which used a 17-0 run late in the first quarter &mdash; fueled by five 3-pointers in the span of six possessions &mdash; to take control. Payton Pritchard and Al Horford each had 10 for the Celtics.
Jimmy Butler had 29 points in 32 minutes for Miami, which fell to 7-1 at home in these playoffs. Gabe Vincent and Victor Oladpio each scored 14 points, and Tyler Herro added 11 for the Heat.
The Celtics &mdash; now 4-0 in these playoffs in the game immediately following a loss &mdash; made 20 shots from 3-point range to Miami's 10. Game 3 is Saturday in Boston.
And the margin could have been worse: Boston led by as many as 34 points in the fourth, putting this game on the cusp of really good Celtics history and really bad Heat history. The Celtics' record for biggest postseason win ever is 40, the Heat record for biggest postseason loss ever is 36, and those numbers were within reach before a meaningless Miami run over the final moments.
Boston trailed by 10 in the first quarter, then outscored Miami 60-21 over the next 18 minutes &mdash; a 39-point turnaround that wound up leading to a 70-45 halftime lead.
The 25-point halftime lead was the biggest by the Celtics in any road playoff game, topping a 22-point edge at the break at Chicago in 2009.
Brown had 11 points in the first quarter, when the Celtics went 9 for 11 from 3-point range. Tatum then had 17 points in the second and Boston kept pulling away, on a day where everything went the Celtics&rsquo; way. They learned earlier in the day that two starters &mdash; Horford (virus-related issues) and Smart (mid-foot sprain) &mdash; were cleared to play in Game 2 after missing the series opener.
&ldquo;I got to get my rest, got to get my health back, got to watch and see some things and come out and execute in this game," Smart said.
And the good news kept coming well into the night.
Butler did all he could to try and manufacture a comeback, scoring 16 points in the third quarter and getting the Heat within 17. But a 12-2 run late in the quarter by the Celtics restored a 27-point edge. The lead was 96-71 going into the fourth and the outcome was never remotely close to being in question the rest of the way.
Miami didn't even use its starters in the fourth quarter.
TIP-INS
Celtics: Technically, Boston had one other &ldquo;road&rdquo; game with a bigger halftime lead. The Celtics were the designated visitor on Sept. 7, 2020 &mdash; in the bubble at Walt Disney World &mdash; when they led Toronto by 27 at the break. ... With Horford back, Grant Williams returned to his off-the-bench role. ... Tatum got his second foul with 4:14 left in the first, after charging into Butler. The entirety of the 17-0 run came with him on the bench.
Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) sat for the eighth time in the last 10 games. ... It was the first game since Dallas-Atlanta on Feb. 1, 2020 in which both teams had a 10-point lead in the first quarter.... P.J. Tucker had Miami&rsquo;s first five points, all in the game&rsquo;s first 51 seconds. It was his 863rd career game, the first in which he had five points in the first minute. Those were his only points of the night, and he left in the third quarter with a left knee contusion.
25 TWICE
This Boston team is the sixth club in the last 25 years to have two separate games where it led by at least 25 points in Miami in the same season. The Celtics also did it on Nov. 4. The other teams who pulled it off: Milwaukee last season (won NBA title), San Antonio in 2013-14 (won NBA title), Boston in 2007-08 (won NBA title), Toronto (2007-08) and Charlotte (2000-01).
500 AND COUNTING
The Heat announced their 500th consecutive sellout, excluding games affected by the pandemic. Only Dallas (867 and counting), Portland (814 from 1977 through 1995), Boston (662 from 1980 through 1995) and Chicago (610 from 1987 through 2000) have streaks that the NBA counts as being longer.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each had 24 and the Celtics dominated to roll past the Heat 127-102.

Celtics roll past Heat 127-102, tie East Finals at 1-1

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved one win away from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals by topping the Philadelphia 76ers 120-85 on Tuesday night.
Victor Oladipo scored 13 for Miami, which got 12 from Bam Adebayo and 10 apiece from Tyler Herro and P.J. Tucker. The top-seeded Heat now lead the East semifinal series 3-2, and improved to an NBA-best 6-0 at home in these playoffs.
Joel Embiid scored 17 points for fourth-seeded Philadelphia, which got 14 from James Harden and 12 from Tobias Harris. The 76ers were down by 15 going into the fourth, then gave up 12 consecutive points to open the final quarter.
Game 6 is in Philadelphia on Thursday.
It was a tough night all the way around for the Sixers, especially for Embiid &mdash; their best player, already wearing a mask to protect a facial fracture and dealing with a significant thumb injury.
Embiid got shaken up in the first quarter when he tried to dive into some baseline seats while attempting to save a loose ball. He doubled over shortly afterward, grabbing at his back.
He remained in the game after that scare.
He also remained in the game after the next scare, which was much worse.
It came midway through the second quarter, when Miami&rsquo;s Dewayne Dedmon missed a shot and Embiid grabbed the rebound. Dedmon, flailing for the ball, made contact with it &mdash; and wound up pushing it back into Embiid&rsquo;s mask-covered face.
Embiid lost the ball and went down in pain, covering his face with both hands. Oladipo picked up the ball and scored to make it 42-31, but Embiid writhing was of much greater importance to the 76ers than giving up two points. Embiid remained down for several moments, before making his way back to the Philadelphia bench and getting tended to by doctors.
And now Philadelphia must beat the Heat in Games 6 and 7, with almost all the odds pointing to how difficult that task will be.
All-time in best-of-seven series, entering this round, teams that won Game 1 of a matchup ultimately prevail 75.6% of the time. Game 1 winners at home, 85% of the time. Teams that start a series with a 2-0 lead, 92.4% of the time. And teams that win Game 5 for a 3-2 series lead wind up advancing 82.2% of the time.
All those stats favor Miami, obviously.
Tyrese Maxey made a deep 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in the third to pull Philadelphia within 81-66. Whatever hope remained for the 76ers in that moment was short-lived.
A jumper from Herro and then five straight points from Strus were the start of Miami&rsquo;s game-sealing flurry that opened the fourth. A three-point play from Adebayo pushed the lead to 25, at which point Embiid checked out with the outcome clearly no longer in question.
TIP-INS
76ers: None of Philadelphia&rsquo;s starters played in the final 8:18. ... Maxey, who has been great for the majority of this series, shot 2 for 10. ... Georges Niang was 0 for 5, all of those shots from 3-point range, reminiscent of his 0-for-7 stat line &mdash; all on 3s &mdash; in Game 1.
Heat: After shooting 14 for 65 from 3-point range in the two losses at Philadelphia (21.5%), the Heat shot 13 for 33 from deep on Tuesday (39.4%). ... Miami improved to 18-4 all-time in Game 5s at home. ... The Heat outrebounded Philadelphia 46-36. ... Miami is one of two teams unbeaten at home in these playoffs. Golden State is 5-0.
FANDUEL SAYS
Miami was a three-point favorite at tipoff. After the Heat won the first quarter 31-19, the line went to 7.5 points.
SILVER VISITS
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game, seated with Ahmad Rashad &mdash; whose ties to the league go back decades, primarily for his years as host and executive producer of &ldquo;NBA Inside Stuff.&rdquo; Also in the crowd: NBA champion Mike Miller of the Heat, and longtime baseball star, Miami native and Minnesota Timberwolves co-minority owner Alex Rodriguez.
UP NEXT
Game 6 is Thursday in Philadelphia.

Jimmy Butler scored 23 points, Max Strus added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and the Heat are one win away from the East Finals.

Heat roll past 76ers 120-85 in Game 5, take 3-2 series lead

MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat topped the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 on Monday night in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Jimmy Butler added 15 points for the top-seeded Heat, who got 10 from Gabe Vincent and P.J. Tucker.
The 76ers were without Joel Embiid, the MVP finalist who isn’t even in Miami while recovering from an orbital fracture and concussion — injuries suffered in Philadelphia’s first-round-clinching win at Toronto. He’s not expected to play in Game 2.
And as would be expected, he was missed. Tobias Harris scored 27 points for Philadelphia, which got 19 from Tyrese Maxey and 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists from James Harden.
Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.
Miami came out as aggressive as could be, putting Tucker on Harden and having him guard him the entire 94 feet of the floor in a similar approach to what the Heat utilized against Atlanta’s Trae Young in the first round series.
It worked — for a while. Miami led by as many as 12 in the opening quarter, then a 10-2 run fueled by eight points from Herro gave the Heat a 13-point edge at 37-24 to mark their biggest of the half. The margin was still 46-36 midway through the second after another Herro basket.
The rest of the half was all Philly.
Miami went 1 for 9 from the field over the final 6 minutes of the half, with four turnovers in there as well, and Philadelphia went on a 15-4 spurt. Harden’s shot in the lane with 28 seconds left put the 76ers up 51-50, their first lead of the night and the score that they took into the locker room.
The 76ers scored the first four points of the second half, going up by five. That was as good as it got for the 76ers.
Adebayo took a bullet pass from Tucker for a dunk that put Miami up 62-61, and that would be the final lead change of the night. It was the start of a 10-0 run that built a cushion, and then an 13-2 run early in the fourth decided matters and pushed the Heat edge out to 98-77.
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia fell to 6-9 without Embiid this season. ... DeAndre Jordan started in place of Embiid and had four points and two rebounds in 17 minutes. ... Georges Niang was 0 for 7, all those shots from 3-point range.
Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) missed his third consecutive game. ... Backup center Dewayne Dedmon picked up three fouls in a 23-second span of the first quarter. He then had two more in a 1:46 span of the third, giving him five fouls in 4:14 of playing time.
CLANK
The teams combined to shoot 7 for 33 in the first half from 3-point range — 3 for 17 by the 76ers, 4 for 16 by the Heat.
ROBINSON SITS
Heat guard Duncan Robinson, who led Miami in games played for a third consecutive regular season, didn’t appear in Game 1. It’s the first time since April 2019 that he dressed but didn’t play, ending a streak of 256 games including playoffs. He missed three games this season while on Miami’s inactive list.
UP NEXT
Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat topped the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers 106-92 on Monday night in the opener of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Jimmy Butler added 15 points for the top-seeded Heat, who got 10 from Gabe Vincent and P.J. Tucker.
The 76ers were without Joel Embiid, the MVP finalist who isn&rsquo;t even in Miami while recovering from an orbital fracture and concussion &mdash; injuries suffered in Philadelphia&rsquo;s first-round-clinching win at Toronto. He&rsquo;s not expected to play in Game 2.
And as would be expected, he was missed. Tobias Harris scored 27 points for Philadelphia, which got 19 from Tyrese Maxey and 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists from James Harden.
Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.
Miami came out as aggressive as could be, putting Tucker on Harden and having him guard him the entire 94 feet of the floor in a similar approach to what the Heat utilized against Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young in the first round series.
It worked &mdash; for a while. Miami led by as many as 12 in the opening quarter, then a 10-2 run fueled by eight points from Herro gave the Heat a 13-point edge at 37-24 to mark their biggest of the half. The margin was still 46-36 midway through the second after another Herro basket.
The rest of the half was all Philly.
Miami went 1 for 9 from the field over the final 6 minutes of the half, with four turnovers in there as well, and Philadelphia went on a 15-4 spurt. Harden&rsquo;s shot in the lane with 28 seconds left put the 76ers up 51-50, their first lead of the night and the score that they took into the locker room.
The 76ers scored the first four points of the second half, going up by five. That was as good as it got for the 76ers.
Adebayo took a bullet pass from Tucker for a dunk that put Miami up 62-61, and that would be the final lead change of the night. It was the start of a 10-0 run that built a cushion, and then an 13-2 run early in the fourth decided matters and pushed the Heat edge out to 98-77.
TIP-INS
76ers: Philadelphia fell to 6-9 without Embiid this season. ... DeAndre Jordan started in place of Embiid and had four points and two rebounds in 17 minutes. ... Georges Niang was 0 for 7, all those shots from 3-point range.
Heat: Kyle Lowry (hamstring) missed his third consecutive game. ... Backup center Dewayne Dedmon picked up three fouls in a 23-second span of the first quarter. He then had two more in a 1:46 span of the third, giving him five fouls in 4:14 of playing time.
CLANK
The teams combined to shoot 7 for 33 in the first half from 3-point range &mdash; 3 for 17 by the 76ers, 4 for 16 by the Heat.
ROBINSON SITS
Heat guard Duncan Robinson, who led Miami in games played for a third consecutive regular season, didn&rsquo;t appear in Game 1. It&rsquo;s the first time since April 2019 that he dressed but didn&rsquo;t play, ending a streak of 256 games including playoffs. He missed three games this season while on Miami&rsquo;s inactive list.
UP NEXT
Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.

Tyler Herro scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the Heat topped the shorthanded Sixers.

Herro scores 25, Heat take Game 1 over 76ers 106-92

MIAMI (AP) — Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94 on Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 16, Max Strus scored 15 and Caleb Martin added 10 for the top-seeded Heat, who ousted the eighth-seeded Hawks in five games. And Miami got the series-clincher without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, both of whom sat out Tuesday with injuries.
Trae Young's rough series for Atlanta remained that way: He finished 2 for 12 from the floor, scoring just 11 points. For the series, the Hawks' guard shot 32% against Miami's swarming defense.
De'Andre Hunter scored 35 for Atlanta, which got 12 apiece from Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari.
Hunter fouled out with 41.6 seconds left, Miami clinging to a three-point lead at the time. The Hawks got a stop, taking over with 29.2 seconds remaining, and retained possession after a missed shot from Gallinari went out of bounds off Miami.
The Hawks never got another shot off, time expired and Miami moved on.
Onyeka Okongwu's three-point play got Atlanta within 79-76 early in the fourth, the Hawks clawing back after being down by as many as 15.
But Herro hit a high-arcing jumper from the lane, Miami got a stop, and Oladipo hit a left-wing 3 on the next Heat possession to push the lead back to eight with 7:29 remaining.
That's how the final minutes went: Atlanta made a charge, Miami would hold it off, all the way to the end.
And now, the Heat get nearly a week off before facing either Philadelphia or Toronto in the East semis. Game 1 will be Monday in Miami.
The Heat already knew they’d be without Lowry, who missed his second consecutive game with a strained left hamstring. The surprise was Butler, who reported knee soreness to the team on Monday and didn’t see enough improvement to play on Tuesday.
It was the fourth time the Heat had to play without both Butler and Lowry this season, after going 1-2 in that scenario during the regular season — one of those losses being the finale in Orlando where Miami sat most of its rotation players.
And Butler and Lowry spent the final few minutes of the first half particularly enjoying what was happening.
A 17-0 Miami run — including 10 in a row from Strus in a span of 67 seconds — turned a three-point deficit into a 54-40 lead late in the second quarter. Miami pushed the lead out to 67-52 on a score by Adebayo with 2:55 left in the third, and the lead was 75-64 going into the fourth.
Atlanta had one last charge to make, getting within two in the final moments — but no closer.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Clint Capela, who missed the first three games of the series with a right knee injury, left in the third quarter of Game 5 because of continued knee issues. ... Atlanta was without Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee soreness). ... Atlanta coach Nate McMillan is now 1-8 in postseason games against Miami’s Erik Spoelstra. The Heat swept McMillan’s Indiana Pacers in Round 1 at the bubble in 2020. ... The Hawks went 2-7 against the Heat this season.
Heat: Michigan coach Juwan Howard, the former Miami player and assistant, was in attendance. ... It marked the first time Butler had ever been declared inactive for a playoff game. ... Miami missed its first eight 3-point tries before Oladipo connected midway through the second quarter. ... Martin left just before halftime with an injury around his left hand or wrist, but returned for the second half.
STREAKING
Before this series, Miami had one run of more than 16 consecutive points in its playoff history. It now has three. The Heat had a 21-0 run in Game 3 at Atlanta, and the 17-0 run on Tuesday was the third-largest in team playoff history. Miami had a 19-0 run against New York in 2012, and has had 16-0 runs on four other occasions.
ODD TECH
Miami's Markieff Morris didn't play, and got a technical foul anyway. Morris was called for an unsportsmanlike play after he grabbed onto Hunter after the Hawks' forward stepped into the Miami bench area in the third quarter.
FIRST WIN
Miami beat Atlanta in a series for the first time in three tries. The Hawks had won two previous first-round series that both went to the limit, prevailing 3-2 in 1994 and 4-3 in 2009.
UP NEXT
Miami will play host to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia or Toronto on Monday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94 on Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 16, Max Strus scored 15 and Caleb Martin added 10 for the top-seeded Heat, who ousted the eighth-seeded Hawks in five games. And Miami got the series-clincher without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, both of whom sat out Tuesday with injuries.
Trae Young's rough series for Atlanta remained that way: He finished 2 for 12 from the floor, scoring just 11 points. For the series, the Hawks' guard shot 32% against Miami's swarming defense.
De'Andre Hunter scored 35 for Atlanta, which got 12 apiece from Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari.
Hunter fouled out with 41.6 seconds left, Miami clinging to a three-point lead at the time. The Hawks got a stop, taking over with 29.2 seconds remaining, and retained possession after a missed shot from Gallinari went out of bounds off Miami.
The Hawks never got another shot off, time expired and Miami moved on.
Onyeka Okongwu's three-point play got Atlanta within 79-76 early in the fourth, the Hawks clawing back after being down by as many as 15.
But Herro hit a high-arcing jumper from the lane, Miami got a stop, and Oladipo hit a left-wing 3 on the next Heat possession to push the lead back to eight with 7:29 remaining.
That's how the final minutes went: Atlanta made a charge, Miami would hold it off, all the way to the end.
And now, the Heat get nearly a week off before facing either Philadelphia or Toronto in the East semis. Game 1 will be Monday in Miami.
The Heat already knew they&rsquo;d be without Lowry, who missed his second consecutive game with a strained left hamstring. The surprise was Butler, who reported knee soreness to the team on Monday and didn&rsquo;t see enough improvement to play on Tuesday.
It was the fourth time the Heat had to play without both Butler and Lowry this season, after going 1-2 in that scenario during the regular season &mdash; one of those losses being the finale in Orlando where Miami sat most of its rotation players.
And Butler and Lowry spent the final few minutes of the first half particularly enjoying what was happening.
A 17-0 Miami run &mdash; including 10 in a row from Strus in a span of 67 seconds &mdash; turned a three-point deficit into a 54-40 lead late in the second quarter. Miami pushed the lead out to 67-52 on a score by Adebayo with 2:55 left in the third, and the lead was 75-64 going into the fourth.
Atlanta had one last charge to make, getting within two in the final moments &mdash; but no closer.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Clint Capela, who missed the first three games of the series with a right knee injury, left in the third quarter of Game 5 because of continued knee issues. ... Atlanta was without Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee soreness). ... Atlanta coach Nate McMillan is now 1-8 in postseason games against Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra. The Heat swept McMillan&rsquo;s Indiana Pacers in Round 1 at the bubble in 2020. ... The Hawks went 2-7 against the Heat this season.
Heat: Michigan coach Juwan Howard, the former Miami player and assistant, was in attendance. ... It marked the first time Butler had ever been declared inactive for a playoff game. ... Miami missed its first eight 3-point tries before Oladipo connected midway through the second quarter. ... Martin left just before halftime with an injury around his left hand or wrist, but returned for the second half.
STREAKING
Before this series, Miami had one run of more than 16 consecutive points in its playoff history. It now has three. The Heat had a 21-0 run in Game 3 at Atlanta, and the 17-0 run on Tuesday was the third-largest in team playoff history. Miami had a 19-0 run against New York in 2012, and has had 16-0 runs on four other occasions.
ODD TECH
Miami's Markieff Morris didn't play, and got a technical foul anyway. Morris was called for an unsportsmanlike play after he grabbed onto Hunter after the Hawks' forward stepped into the Miami bench area in the third quarter.
FIRST WIN
Miami beat Atlanta in a series for the first time in three tries. The Hawks had won two previous first-round series that both went to the limit, prevailing 3-2 in 1994 and 4-3 in 2009.
UP NEXT
Miami will play host to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia or Toronto on Monday.
___
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Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94 on Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 16, Max Strus scored 15 and Caleb Martin added 10 for the top-seeded Heat, who ousted the eighth-seeded Hawks in five games. And Miami got the series-clincher without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, both of whom sat out Tuesday with injuries.
Trae Young's rough series for Atlanta remained that way: He finished 2 for 12 from the floor, scoring just 11 points. For the series, the Hawks' guard shot 32% against Miami's swarming defense.
De'Andre Hunter scored 35 for Atlanta, which got 12 apiece from Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari.
Hunter fouled out with 41.6 seconds left, Miami clinging to a three-point lead at the time. The Hawks got a stop, taking over with 29.2 seconds remaining, and retained possession after a missed shot from Gallinari went out of bounds off Miami.
The Hawks never got another shot off, time expired and Miami moved on.
Onyeka Okongwu's three-point play got Atlanta within 79-76 early in the fourth, the Hawks clawing back after being down by as many as 15.
But Herro hit a high-arcing jumper from the lane, Miami got a stop, and Oladipo hit a left-wing 3 on the next Heat possession to push the lead back to eight with 7:29 remaining.
That's how the final minutes went: Atlanta made a charge, Miami would hold it off, all the way to the end.
And now, the Heat get nearly a week off before facing either Philadelphia or Toronto in the East semis. Game 1 will be Monday in Miami.
The Heat already knew they&rsquo;d be without Lowry, who missed his second consecutive game with a strained left hamstring. The surprise was Butler, who reported knee soreness to the team on Monday and didn&rsquo;t see enough improvement to play on Tuesday.
It was the fourth time the Heat had to play without both Butler and Lowry this season, after going 1-2 in that scenario during the regular season &mdash; one of those losses being the finale in Orlando where Miami sat most of its rotation players.
And Butler and Lowry spent the final few minutes of the first half particularly enjoying what was happening.
A 17-0 Miami run &mdash; including 10 in a row from Strus in a span of 67 seconds &mdash; turned a three-point deficit into a 54-40 lead late in the second quarter. Miami pushed the lead out to 67-52 on a score by Adebayo with 2:55 left in the third, and the lead was 75-64 going into the fourth.
Atlanta had one last charge to make, getting within two in the final moments &mdash; but no closer.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Clint Capela, who missed the first three games of the series with a right knee injury, left in the third quarter of Game 5 because of continued knee issues. ... Atlanta was without Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee soreness). ... Atlanta coach Nate McMillan is now 1-8 in postseason games against Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra. The Heat swept McMillan&rsquo;s Indiana Pacers in Round 1 at the bubble in 2020. ... The Hawks went 2-7 against the Heat this season.
Heat: Michigan coach Juwan Howard, the former Miami player and assistant, was in attendance. ... It marked the first time Butler had ever been declared inactive for a playoff game. ... Miami missed its first eight 3-point tries before Oladipo connected midway through the second quarter. ... Martin left just before halftime with an injury around his left hand or wrist, but returned for the second half.
STREAKING
Before this series, Miami had one run of more than 16 consecutive points in its playoff history. It now has three. The Heat had a 21-0 run in Game 3 at Atlanta, and the 17-0 run on Tuesday was the third-largest in team playoff history. Miami had a 19-0 run against New York in 2012, and has had 16-0 runs on four other occasions.
ODD TECH
Miami's Markieff Morris didn't play, and got a technical foul anyway. Morris was called for an unsportsmanlike play after he grabbed onto Hunter after the Hawks' forward stepped into the Miami bench area in the third quarter.
FIRST WIN
Miami beat Atlanta in a series for the first time in three tries. The Hawks had won two previous first-round series that both went to the limit, prevailing 3-2 in 1994 and 4-3 in 2009.
UP NEXT
Miami will play host to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia or Toronto on Monday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94 on Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 16, Max Strus scored 15 and Caleb Martin added 10 for the top-seeded Heat, who ousted the eighth-seeded Hawks in five games. And Miami got the series-clincher without Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry, both of whom sat out Tuesday with injuries.
Trae Young's rough series for Atlanta remained that way: He finished 2 for 12 from the floor, scoring just 11 points. For the series, the Hawks' guard shot 32% against Miami's swarming defense.
De'Andre Hunter scored 35 for Atlanta, which got 12 apiece from Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari.
Hunter fouled out with 41.6 seconds left, Miami clinging to a three-point lead at the time. The Hawks got a stop, taking over with 29.2 seconds remaining, and retained possession after a missed shot from Gallinari went out of bounds off Miami.
The Hawks never got another shot off, time expired and Miami moved on.
Onyeka Okongwu's three-point play got Atlanta within 79-76 early in the fourth, the Hawks clawing back after being down by as many as 15.
But Herro hit a high-arcing jumper from the lane, Miami got a stop, and Oladipo hit a left-wing 3 on the next Heat possession to push the lead back to eight with 7:29 remaining.
That's how the final minutes went: Atlanta made a charge, Miami would hold it off, all the way to the end.
And now, the Heat get nearly a week off before facing either Philadelphia or Toronto in the East semis. Game 1 will be Monday in Miami.
The Heat already knew they&rsquo;d be without Lowry, who missed his second consecutive game with a strained left hamstring. The surprise was Butler, who reported knee soreness to the team on Monday and didn&rsquo;t see enough improvement to play on Tuesday.
It was the fourth time the Heat had to play without both Butler and Lowry this season, after going 1-2 in that scenario during the regular season &mdash; one of those losses being the finale in Orlando where Miami sat most of its rotation players.
And Butler and Lowry spent the final few minutes of the first half particularly enjoying what was happening.
A 17-0 Miami run &mdash; including 10 in a row from Strus in a span of 67 seconds &mdash; turned a three-point deficit into a 54-40 lead late in the second quarter. Miami pushed the lead out to 67-52 on a score by Adebayo with 2:55 left in the third, and the lead was 75-64 going into the fourth.
Atlanta had one last charge to make, getting within two in the final moments &mdash; but no closer.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Clint Capela, who missed the first three games of the series with a right knee injury, left in the third quarter of Game 5 because of continued knee issues. ... Atlanta was without Bogdan Bogdanovic (right knee soreness). ... Atlanta coach Nate McMillan is now 1-8 in postseason games against Miami&rsquo;s Erik Spoelstra. The Heat swept McMillan&rsquo;s Indiana Pacers in Round 1 at the bubble in 2020. ... The Hawks went 2-7 against the Heat this season.
Heat: Michigan coach Juwan Howard, the former Miami player and assistant, was in attendance. ... It marked the first time Butler had ever been declared inactive for a playoff game. ... Miami missed its first eight 3-point tries before Oladipo connected midway through the second quarter. ... Martin left just before halftime with an injury around his left hand or wrist, but returned for the second half.
STREAKING
Before this series, Miami had one run of more than 16 consecutive points in its playoff history. It now has three. The Heat had a 21-0 run in Game 3 at Atlanta, and the 17-0 run on Tuesday was the third-largest in team playoff history. Miami had a 19-0 run against New York in 2012, and has had 16-0 runs on four other occasions.
ODD TECH
Miami's Markieff Morris didn't play, and got a technical foul anyway. Morris was called for an unsportsmanlike play after he grabbed onto Hunter after the Hawks' forward stepped into the Miami bench area in the third quarter.
FIRST WIN
Miami beat Atlanta in a series for the first time in three tries. The Hawks had won two previous first-round series that both went to the limit, prevailing 3-2 in 1994 and 4-3 in 2009.
UP NEXT
Miami will play host to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Philadelphia or Toronto on Monday.

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Heat advanced to the second round.

Heat hold off Hawks 97-94, reach Eastern semifinals

Jimmy Butler scored a playoff career-high 45 points, including a personal 7-0 run in the final moments, and the Miami Heat held off the Atlanta Hawks 115-105 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 15 for Miami, while Max Strus scored 14 and Gabe Vincent added 11 for top-seeded Miami, which took a 2-0 lead over the eighth-seeded Hawks.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter for Atlanta. Trae Young scored 25 for the Hawks, while De&rsquo;Andre Hunter had 16 and John Collins finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks.
Butler&rsquo;s previous playoff best was 40, done twice, both in the bubble when the Heat made the 2020 NBA Finals. The Heat needed all of his heroics then, and they needed them all on Tuesday as well.
Bogdanovic&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 3:15 left got Atlanta within 104-101.
From there, it was all Butler.
He had a dunk, a 3-pointer and another dunk &mdash; all in the span of 56 seconds &mdash; to turn things from in doubt to locked down, putting Miami up 10 with 1:20 remaining and ensuring the Heat would finish off the win.
&ldquo;Just staying aggressive,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;Taking what the defense gives me.&rdquo;
As would be expected in a playoff series, pleasantries began being exchanged with more regularity. The first half featured 16 fouls by Atlanta and 14 by Miami &mdash; a season-high for the Hawks, one off the season-high for the Heat, and those 30 personals didn&rsquo;t even include a double technical that Lowry and Hunter got for getting face-to-face.
Young picked up a technical for arguing a foul against him late in the third as well, the capper to a period where the Heat went from barely ahead to holders of a double-digit lead going into the final 12 minutes. He played the entire third quarter, but managed only two shots in that span &mdash; making both &mdash; and didn&rsquo;t get to the foul line, while committing five turnovers in that period alone.
And in time, Miami hit its stride.
Kevin Huerter&rsquo;s stepback 3-pointer with 8:59 left in the third pulled Atlanta within 64-62. The Hawks went nearly three minutes without scoring again, and the game looked very different after those three minutes.
The Heat went 4 for 4 in that stretch &mdash; 3-pointers by Butler, P.J. Tucker and Strus, with a layup by Butler in there as well &mdash; and it added up to an 11-0 run that pushed the lead out to 75-62. The margin remained at least eight points for the next 11 minutes, before Atlanta began clawing back.
Young hit Collins with a strike for a layup, and Bogdanovic&rsquo;s long jumper got Atlanta within 94-90 midway through the fourth.
But the Hawks never got the lead. Butler saw to that.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Atlanta had three players (Hunter, Huerter and Bogdanovic) with three fouls by halftime for only the second time this season. The other was Jan. 14 &mdash; also at Miami. ... Among the adjustments the Hawks tried: Collins started Game 2, and Huerter opened the game guarding Lowry.
Heat: Duncan Robinson, who made eight 3&rsquo;s and scored 27 points in Game 1, went without a shot in seven minutes. ... Soccer legend David Beckham was in attendance. ... Going back to the end of the regular season, Miami is 8-1 in its last nine games. ... Miami is now 5-1 against Atlanta this season.
2-0 LEADS
Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven matchup have eventually won the series 92.4% of the time. The Hawks have never rallied from 0-2 down in a series (0-25) and the Heat have never wasted a 2-0 lead (17-0) &mdash; but there were four such rallies in last season&rsquo;s playoffs, two by the Los Angeles Clippers and two others by Milwaukee.
GOING HOME
Atlanta now plays host to games 3 and 4. Since Jan. 17, the Hawks are an NBA-best 20-3 at home.
UP NEXT
Game 3 is Friday in Atlanta.

Jimmy Butler scored a playoff career-high 45 points, including a personal 7-0 run in the final moments as the Heat won Game 2.

Butler scores 45, Heat defeat Hawks 115-105 for 2-0 lead

Tim Reynolds is a writer for the Associated Press.