Kevin Love cleared to return, will come off Cavs' bench in Game 4 CLEVELAND — Kevin Love has been cleared to return to action for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the 2016 NBA Finals, five days after an inadvertent elbow to the head from Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes knocked him out of Game 2 and landed him in the NBA's concussion protocol. [Follow Dunks Don't Lie on … [Read more...]

LeBron: 'I don't think anyone was prepared for me returning' to CLE LeBron James returning to Cleveland as a free agent in 2014 wasn’t a total shocker – Miami looked outclassed in its Finals defeat that year, and James friend and teammate Dwyane Wade somehow looked older then than he does in 2016 – but it was a bit of a surprise. [Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of … [Read more...]

Seeking better form, Curry to give 'spirited effort' 4:37 PM ET Ethan Sherwood StraussESPN Staff Writer Close Covers the Golden State Warriors for ESPN.com Contributes to ESPN's TrueHoop blog Hosts TrueHoop TV Live CLEVELAND -- Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry predicted he'll play better in Game 4 of the NBA Finals after not playing to his standards through the first … [Read more...]

Kevin Love can still be a weapon ... off the bench 10:35 AM ET Kevin Love is a really good basketball player, and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been almost universally amazing at basketball this season with Kevin Love on the floor. His defense wasn't even that big of an issue -- at least not directly -- when the Golden State Warriors flitted all over the visiting Cavs during Games 1 and 2 of the … [Read more...]

Mark Cuban warns free agents 'a money train' might not be a'comin The NBA has waited two years for the explosion. It had to wait out the official news of the league’s newest national TV contract, and the various plans that were suggested that would smooth out a massive salary cap increase, and it still has yet to learn what the official mark for the 2016-17 salary cap will actually be. … [Read more...]

LeBron: Ball in Lue's court on if Love should start 1:43 PM ET Dave McMenaminESPN Staff Writer Close Cavs and NBA writer for ESPN.com Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14 and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09 Syracuse University graduate INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- LeBron James deferred to his coach, Tyronn Lue, when asked his opinion of whether Cleveland Cavaliers … [Read more...]

The Internet's roast of Stephen Curry's new shoes is relentless Cavs in 6 pic.twitter.com/AjdylLxlnT— Kazeem Famuyide (@RealLifeKaz) June 9, 2016 The unanimous MVP and arguably the league's most popular superstar since Michael Jordan, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has come under fire for his performance through three games of the NBA Finals. But the criticism for averaging … [Read more...]

Three Things to Watch For: Golden State vs. Cleveland Game 4 So much for the sweep. The Cleveland Cavaliers' resounding 120-90 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals breathed new life into a series that had looked very one-sided through two games in Oakland. Friday's Game 4 now carries great meaning for both teams — the Cavs can tie the series at 2-2 and the … [Read more...]

KD, Harden hang; Rockets not in play, sources say 2:34 AM ET Marc SteinESPN Senior Writer Close • Senior NBA writer for ESPN.com• Began covering the NBA in 1993-94• Also covered soccer, tennis and the Olympics Former teammates Kevin Durant and James Harden are "hanging out" this week, ‎but the close friends' ‎brief reunion isn't expected to have a real impact on Durant's forthcoming free … [Read more...]

Despite big Game 3 loss, don't expect Warriors to go small ... yet CLEVELAND — After seven minutes of Game 3 of the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers held a 19-4 lead over the Golden State Warriors, fueled by LeBron James' attacking and Kyrie Irving's playmaking, which combined to leave the visitors stunned and stifled. It took a while, but the Warriors eventually joined the fight, … [Read more...]