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Warriors beat Cavs in NBA Finals Game 1

The Warriors beat the Cavs 113-91 Thursday in Oakland to take a 1-0 NBA Finals lead. Some quotes from the web are below:

To kick off a matchup that has been anticipated since the Cavaliers escaped Oracle Arena with the Larry O’Brien trophy 347 days earlier, Golden State sent a statement: It is much improved from the group that squandered a 3-1 lead to Cleveland.

The biggest difference for the Warriors, of course, is that they now have a do-everything future Hall of Famer who thrives on the biggest stages. Durant poured in 23 of his game-high 38 points in the first half Thursday, adding eight rebounds and eight assists to finish with a near triple-double.

Stephen Curry overwhelmed Cleveland with a sterling third quarter on a night he finished with 28 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. Because Golden State was at its ball-moving best, he and Durant feasted on open looks. The Warriors had more assists (31) Thursday than the Cavaliers had field goals (30).

By the start of the fourth quarter, the most-hyped NBA game of the year was rid of suspense. It was the type of thorough pummeling that only underscored why few have given Cleveland much of a shot in this series. Though he scored 28 points, LeBron James piled up eight of the Cavaliers’ 20 giveaways. Tristan Thompson, one of the league’s elite role players, was a non-factor on a night he totaled zero points and four rebounds in 22 minutes.

— San Francisco Chronicle

The Cavs committed 12 turnovers in the first half — seven by LeBron James. They were slow on the defensive glass, allowing the Warriors 11 offensive rebounds in the first 24 minutes. To put that in perspective, Golden State had only five offensive rebounds the entire game on Christmas Day when the Cavs beat the Warriors, 109-108, at Quicken Loans Arena.

Golden State took 61 shots in the first half compared to 43 by the Cavaliers. Despite those lopsided numbers, the Cavs were down only eight, 60-52, in a building in which they know they can win.

— News Herald

Durant shook LeBron to the ground for a slam, powered through Irving for another layup — his first eight makes were all at the rim — and then forced his way to the free throw line a few times late in the first half, putting up 23 in the first 24 minutes. He finished with a game-high 38 — finally busting out his 3-point shot late to cap the huge night.

But Steph Curry never had to get hot from 3 because he just stayed hot, carrying over his scorching stroke from the last round to plant six of his 11 threes on Thursday, giving him an NBA-high 59 made 3s in 13 playoff games. Kevin Love is the next closest shooter, with 41 makes in 14 games.

— Bay Area News Group

Steve Kerr not ready to return to coaching yet

The Warriors are doing just fine — okay, way better than fine — so far in the 2017 NBA Playoffs. They’re 12-0 and will play the Cavaliers on Thursday in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. But they remain without head coach Steve Kerr. Here’s the San Jose Mercury News with the latest update:

Steve Kerr made a surprise appearance in front of reporters after the Warriors’ practice on Monday, filling in for his fill-in, Mike Brown, who was out with the flu.

Kerr updated his own health status in an 11-minute interview with reporters, saying he’s still unsure whether he will coach Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Cavaliers on Thursday night, though it sounds unlikely.

“No. As of right now, I would not coach Thursday night,” Kerr said. “But it’s still up in the air. Waiting for that ‘ahhhhhh’ (moment). It’s coming.”

It sounds like Kerr has set a deadline for himself, saying he doesn’t want it to be a night-by-night decision about whether he can return to the sideline throughout the Finals. He wants to make a firm decision, either way, before Game 1 tips off.

Matt Barnes thinks he has a few more NBA seasons left to play

The Warriors will face the Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals. Warriors reserve Matt Barnes is still a hard-nosed competitor, but up there in age. Is retirement on the horizon? Not just yet. Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting:

At age 37, Warriors forward Matt Barnes is a case study in persistence. The former second-round pick from UCLA has played for nine teams.

As he prepares to end his 14th season with his first career Finals appearance, the question for Barnes becomes: Could he cap his last professional basketball game by hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy?

“I think I’ve still got a little bit left in the tank,” Barnes said of retirement. “Obviously, I’d like to come back here and finish up here, but I feel like I’ve got another year or two left in the tank.”

No surgery for David Lee

David Lee, who averaged 7.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game for the Spurs this past regular season, and 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game in the playoffs, will be able to recover from his latest injury without the need for surgery, reports the San Antonio Express News:

Spurs forward David Lee will not need surgery to repair his injured left patellar tendon, his agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed Saturday.

Lee suffered the injury in the first quarter of Game 3 of the West finals against Golden State and did not play in Game 4…

Lee, 33, has a player option on his $1.6 million salary next season.

Isaiah Thomas hopes to avoid surgery

Playing without injured star point guard Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics were recently eliminated in five games by the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Thomas, in recovery, must still figure out if surgery is a necessary option for him. Long-term health is in mind. Here’s the Boston Herald with the latest:

The goal now is to return to what Thomas calls an “MVP” level, and he hopes to get there without surgery, though that remains a possibility. He also wants to play until he’s 40 years old.

“I’ve only seen one (doctor) but we’ve sent the information to a few of them,” he said. “I’m just waiting to hear back. We’re really waiting on the swelling to go down to see what the No. 1 option is. And then we go from there and attack that, whatever it may be. (Surgery is) not the No. 1 option right now but it could be once the swelling goes down. They want to let it die down a little bit then take another MRI once everything is down and it’s back to normal.

“We’ll go from there. Hopefully I don’t have to have surgery but I know that is an option.”

Thomas added that he doesn’t know how long he played with a tear in his hip, but that he had hip issues prior to suffering the injury on March 15 against Minnesota.

Heat, Chris Bosh may soon part ways

Chris Bosh is still technically a member of the Miami Heat, but the future between the two sides is clearly one of separation. Here’s ESPN.com with the latest:

The Miami Heat, Chris Bosh and the players’ association have tentatively agreed to a resolution that would allow all parties to move on, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Bosh, 33, hasn’t played since February 2016 because of blood clot issues. He has remained on the Heat roster as the sides have worked through complex medical and legal issues in this delicate and unique situation.

The agreement hasn’t been finalized as Bosh and his family, agents and lawyers are still reviewing documents…

Bosh is guaranteed $52 million over the next two seasons, though a significant portion of that is covered by insurance. But he has remained on the Heat’s salary cap, limiting their ability to replace him. This agreement is expected to remove Bosh from the cap and allow the Heat to move on with their team.

Lakers hire Gunnar Peterson

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Gunnar Peterson as Director of Strength and Endurance Training.

Peterson will design and implement a strength and conditioning program for the team with the goal of keeping the players performing at elite levels throughout the NBA season.

“From his time in college at Duke University until now, Gunnar has pursued excellence in training and fitness,” said General Manager Rob Pelinka. “Gunnar is a true pioneer and visionary at his craft, and will bring a new mentality to our weight room which we are all very excited about. Since Magic and I have worked with Gunnar in the past, we have a strong relationship with him, which makes working together now feel seamless.”

Prior to joining the Lakers, Peterson was a personal trainer for some of the top entertainers and athletes in the world. A 28-year veteran of the fitness industry, Peterson has worked with athletes from the NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB, USTA, boxing and various NCAA sports.

The Houston, TX native is a graduate of Duke University and is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).

Josh McRoberts elects to return to Heat

Here’s the Palm Beach Post with a report on forward Josh McRoberts and his Heat contract decision:

Josh McRoberts is back on the Heat’s books.

McRoberts has exercised his opt-in to return to the Heat for $6 million next season, agent Mike Conley told the Palm Beach Post on Tuesday. It’s the final season of the four-year, $22 million contract he signed with Miami in the summer of 2014 — the same summer the organization lost LeBron James to Cleveland.

Now that McRoberts is not eligible to be a free agent this summer, he is eligible to be traded by the Heat to create more cap space. Miami reportedly tried to trade the 30-year-old forward last offseason, but it was not able to find a match.

Orlando Magic hire John Hammond as general manager

The Orlando Magic have named John Hammond general manager, President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman announced today.

Hammond brings more than 35 years of coaching and administrative experience to Orlando, including the last nine seasons (2008-17) as general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. During Hammond’s 26 years in the NBA, his teams have made 15 postseason appearances. Weltman served as assistant general manager under Hammond for five seasons (2008-13) and also worked with him in Detroit (2007-08).

“John (Hammond) brings tremendous experience and is a great talent evaluator,” said Weltman. “He has experience in everything from day-to-day operations to player development. He built a great team in Milwaukee, and won a championship while in Detroit. We are very fortunate to have him as part of the Magic family.”

“We are very excited to join Jeff (Weltman) and be a part of the team in Orlando,” said Hammond. “The Magic are a first-class organization all the way around and we look forward to this tremendous opportunity. I want to thank the ownership in Milwaukee, Wes Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan, for their support and I certainly wish them well.”

Hammond was named general manager of Milwaukee on April 11, 2008 and promptly generated an eight-win improvement in his first season and another 12 during his second, earning the 2009-10 NBA Executive of the Year Award.

Prior to joining the Bucks, Hammond spent seven seasons as vice president of basketball operations with the Detroit Pistons, where he was responsible for directing day-to-day operations of the basketball operations department, handling player personnel issues and assisting in roster development. During his time with Detroit, the Pistons were 330-158 (.676), reached the Eastern Conference Finals six consecutive times (2003-08), made two straight trips to the NBA Finals (2004-05) and captured the NBA World Championship in 2004. In addition to his time as vice president of basketball operations, Hammond also served as director of player personnel, scouting director and assistant coach in two stints with the Pistons.

Hammond began his NBA career in 1989 as an assistant coach and scout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. From there, he joined Larry Brown’s staff with the Los Angeles Clippers, where they advanced to the playoffs in 1992 and 1993. Hammond had a second stint with the Clippers in 2000-01, joining Alvin Gentry’s staff as lead assistant. That team saw a 16-game improvement and Hammond was noted as a key in developing first-year players Darius Miles, Keyon Dooling and Quentin Richardson.

Prior to his NBA career, Hammond spent six seasons at Southwest Missouri State, where he helped lead the school to three consecutive NCAA Tournament berths (1986-88) and a trip to the NIT in 1985. He also spent two seasons at Houston Baptist (1981-83), two seasons at Nebraska (1979-81) and three seasons at the high school level in Nebraska.

A native of Zion, Ill., Hammond graduated from Greenville College in Illinois, where he earned two letters in basketball and served as a student assistant coach.

STATEMENT FROM BUCKS OWNERSHIP ON JOHN HAMMOND

“John Hammond has been an incredible asset to the Bucks organization these last nine years and a true professional in every sense of the word. His keen eye for talent and relentless drive to build one of the finest teams in the league has helped the Bucks become a championship-caliber organization on and off the court. We wish John and his family nothing but the best in Orlando.

“We remain very excited about the prospects of our team and anticipate further announcements about the front office staff to be made in the near future.”

Kelly Olynyk will start Game 4

Celtics-Cavaliers Game 4 is tonight in Cleveland. Boston’s starting lineup is undergoing a change. Here’s the Akron Beacon Journal reporting:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said center/forward Kelly Olynyk will start Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday night against the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Center Amir Johnson is not likely to play, Stevens said, due to a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder.

It will mark Olynyk’s first start for the Celtics in their 17 playoff games. He’s averaging 8.9 points and three rebounds in 18.9 minutes off the bench.