Z-PRO MEDIA

  The Philadelphia 76ers continued their front-office rebuild by naming Mike Gansey the president of basketball operations on Thursday. Gansey, 43, comes to Philadelphia after 15 seasons with the Cleveland ‌Cavaliers organization. He was promoted to general manager on Feb. 23, 2022, and the Cavaliers have won 259 games -- third most in the NBA -- since then. He replaces Daryl Morey, who parted ways with the Sixers on May 12 after six seasons ⁠as the franchise's top decision-maker for on-court matters. Gansey rose from a basketball operations seasonal assistant in his first year in Cleveland to a key role with the Cavaliers' G League affiliate and to assistant general manager before being named GM. "Today's announcement of the hiring of Mike Gansey is an important step in our desire to take the Philadelphia 76ers to the next level. Mike has built ‌a ⁠reputation as a tremendous leader and relentless worker who has a sharp eye for basketball talent," said Josh Harris...

  Jalen Brunson was beaten and battered but not dismayed, and the New York Knicks star had enough energy to orchestrate a fine George Gervin impersonation with an Iceman-like final quarter in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Spurs icon surely appreciated Brunson's zest for heroics but the city of San Antonio was stunned over an opening defeat as the red-hot Knicks controlled the final two minutes while prevailing 105-95 on Wednesday night. Brunson scored 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and the Knicks overcame ‌a 14-point third-quarter deficit to win their 12th consecutive playoff game, tied for the second-longest postseason streak in league history. "Jalen was MVP in the second half," New York coach Mike Brown said. "He was huge for us. He did what MVP candidates are supposed to do. He carried us home and we put the ball in his hands and he got it done for us down the stretch." Brunson had a rough time during the first half as he injured his right knee in...

  The Spurs are big favorites to win the NBA Finals, but observers thinking it will be an easy road are overlooking the fact that the New York Knicks beat San Antonio in the mid-December NBA Cup championship game. The Knicks dominated the fourth quarter that night in Las Vegas and rallied for a 124-113 victory. Some Spurs have not forgotten as they enter Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night in San ‌Antonio. "Obviously, it was a tough loss," Spurs guard Stephon Castle said on Tuesday. "It wasn't season-ending, so it doesn't feel as bad as probably your season ending in the playoffs. Obviously, we wanted to win. I think just us as competitors, you want to win every single game." That marks one of eight New York victories in the past 12 meetings, including two of three this season, counting a split of the two regular-season meetings. The Spurs are riding high after taking down the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in the Western Con...

  De'Aaron Fox is surrounded by younger teammates and is accustomed to "unc" treatment from his junior peers at the ripe age of 28. Fox, acquired in 2025 from the Sacramento Kings, has helped Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper and ‌the collective future of the roster blend with the tradition and winning-rich history of the five-time champion Spurs. "You feel it when you walk through the building, the expectation," Fox said Tuesday at NBA Finals media day. "You handle it with a level of respect. You handle it with a level of responsibility. It's not always to ⁠win. You're not going to always win. But go through that process. I think that's why we've been able to do it with -- we have four guys that are under 22 and about seven guys under 26. And we're in a position to play for the championship." Fox said the attention to detail and calm exhibited by the entire roster in big games this postseason is the biggest sign of maturation into a ...

  The New York Knicks will try to deliver the city its first NBA title since 1973 when they face a Spurs team looking to launch a new dynasty behind Victor Wembanyama in a highly anticipated Finals match-up beginning ‌on Wednesday in San Antonio. Led by versatile point guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have powered their way to their first Finals appearance since 1999, winning 11 straight games and posting a record point differential of plus-271 through 14 playoff contests. The run has electrified long-suffering Knicks fans, including courtside regulars Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothee Chalamet, who have watched New York move within four wins of ending one of the NBA's longest championship droughts. There is reason for optimism. The Knicks won two of their three meetings with ⁠the Spurs this season including a 114-89 rout on March 1 at Madison Square Garden, where they made 17 three-pointers and forced 22 turnovers to snap San Antonio's 11-game winning streak. New York's b...

Luke Kornet returned to the bench a hero. The San Antonio Spurs backup big man had just turned in perhaps the biggest defensive play of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, coming in for a stretch in relief of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama exited the game with five fouls and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder had what seemed like a prime chance to seize control. But instead, Kornet blocked Isaiah Hartenstein just seconds after entering, the Spurs came through on the other end, and the Spurs were on their ‌way to an NBA Finals berth with a 111-103 road win over the Thunder on Saturday. "The definition of a winning play," Wembanyama said. San Antonio will open the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks at home Wednesday. The teams have met in the Finals once before, with San Antonio winning the 1999 NBA Championship in five games. It was the first of five titles for the Spurs. Their last visit was in 2014, when they beat the Miami Heat in five games. In...

  After a disappointing Game 5 loss in the Western Conference finals, San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said his team needed more from superstar Victor Wembanyama. Two days later, Wembanyama appeared in his first playoff elimination game, and he came through in a big way. Wembanyama set the tone from the beginning, helping the Spurs build a lead they never relinquished while beating the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 on Thursday to even the best-of-seven series at three wins apiece. Wembanyama finished with 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, and he added 10 rebounds and three blocks. However, it was in a period when Wembanyama was on the bench that the Spurs put the game away. The Thunder were still within striking distance, trailing by 10, when Wembanyama came out with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter. For much of the series, ⁠Oklahoma City had controlled the game when Wembanyama was on the bench. This time, though, the Spurs were dominant, scoring 11 consecutive points...