BOSTON (AP) — A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that Boston Celtics center Al Horford will decline his player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent.The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity Tuesday because the decision has …

BOSTON (AP) — There won't be a third championship parade through the Back Bay, and it seems so long ago that people in the city were dreaming of a Boston Slam.After back-to-back wins by the Red Sox and the Patriots, the never-satisfied fans in this town coveted a chance to sweep the major …

TOKYO (AP) — I can't imagine there were many St. Louis Blues fans farther from their hometown than I was when the team finally won its first Stanley Cup. If not, my kicker is that I actually attended Blues games that first season in 1967-68.Others talk about being long-suffering fans. …

BOSTON (AP) — The Latest from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final between Boston and St. Louis (all times local):10:49 p.m.Ryan O'Reilly of the St. Louis Blues has been named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player of the playoffs.The gritty forward lifted the trophy on the …

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan standout Charles Matthews is dealing with a significant knee injury as the NBA draft approaches.Agent Adam Pensack confirmed Sunday night that Matthews tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a workout with the Boston Celtics and will have surgery. …

BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving can opt out of his Celtics contract and become a free agent. Gordon Hayward might never play like he did before his injury. It's possible Brad Stevens won't figure out a way to deploy all of the team's talent.There's one thing, though, that Boston boss Danny Ainge …

TORONTO (AP) — Dynasty versus dinosaurs.The Golden State Warriors' road to a fifth straight NBA Finals has detoured to a new destination — and this one requires a passport.The Toronto Raptors, a team that arrived in the NBA 24 years ago as the dinosaur-logoed basketball franchise in …

Metta World Peace needed to win a championship ring so his career wasn't defined only by one angry moment in Detroit.Before he could get it with the Los Angeles Lakers, though, World Peace had to heal his mind. The therapy had to come first if the former Ron Artest was to make it to Game 7 of the …

It all comes down to this.No, really.It ALL comes down to this.The next four, five, six or seven games of the NBA Finals between Golden State and Toronto will not only decide the 2019 championship, but how this series plays out is inevitably going to affect how free agency unfolds starting in a …

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry hears the dynasty discussion about his Golden State Warriors during another postseason run.Draymond Green realizes special teams only stay together for so long before something breaks them apart.That's why the Warriors decided from Day 1 of training camp …

BOSTON (AP) — Sports legends were in Boston to honor basketball great John Havlicek.Former Celtics and Bruins stars gathered at Trinity Church in Boston on Thursday for a memorial service. The Hall of Fame Celtics player died in April at the age of 79.The Boston Herald reports that Celtics …

BOSTON (AP) — It's been more than three months since the last championship parade in Boston, and the city is getting antsy.Sure, the Red Sox won the World Series last October. And the New England Patriots earned their sixth Super Bowl victory in February.But since then: Nothing.And Boston's …

And now, they wait.Again.The Golden State Warriors have gotten used to going to the NBA Finals, and their win in Portland on Monday night clinched their fifth consecutive trip. They've also gotten used to waiting for those finals to begin, with long layoffs after the Western Conference finals …

NEW YORK (AP) — Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, whose coast-to-coast rivalry in the 1980s propelled the NBA to a new level of popularity, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.The Hall of Famers and 1992 U.S. Olympic teammates will receive the award on June 24 at the NBA Awards, …

BOSTON (AP) — Expectations overflowed prior to the season for a Boston Celtics team expected to ascend to the top of an Eastern Conference without LeBron James.The season will be remembered for how poorly Boston did fulfilling its potential following false starts, some regression by its …

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo has carried the Milwaukee Bucks to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2001.The Bucks have reason to believe they can go even further, thanks to a deep roster that received a boost with the return of guard Malcolm Brogdon for the …

It begins.When the buzzer sounded in Milwaukee on Wednesday night, the question immediately became this: Has Kyrie Irving played his last game for the Boston Celtics?It's very possible.Welcome to free agency, Kyrie.He's now in the place that other big names like Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi …

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks found another gear after their first loss of the playoffs.Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics just couldn't keep up.Antetokounmpo had 20 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and the Bucks routed the Celtics 116-91 on …

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Durant vs. James Harden. This duel may just go the distance, and the two stars know it.Everyone figured the Western Conference semifinal between Golden State and Houston had a chance to be more like the NBA Finals in terms of talent on each side, and now it's …

BOSTON (AP) — When Giannis Antetokounmpo picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter of a tie game, the Boston Celtics sensed a chance to pull away.Instead, Milwaukee took control.Of the game, and the series.Antetokounmpo watched the Bucks bench open a double-digit lead, then …