Draft Preview: NBA Combine: Shooting Drills After looking at the measurements and the agility testing, the third major component of the NBA combine is the shooting drills. Fewer players took part here than in the agility testing, but for those who do take part and perform well, it can be a good sign that teams will have increased interest. A point guard who can knock down the long-range jumper is … [Read more...]

Cavaliers make paint their home in Game 1 win 12:50 AM ET ESPN Stats & Information print It was the kind of romp that was thought to be possible, but was still very impressive nonetheless. The Cleveland Cavaliers won by 31, becoming the fifth team to win its first nine games in a single postseason. The record is 11 such wins, set by the 1989 Lakers (who lost in the NBA Finals) … [Read more...]

Embiid says he'll be ready next season in more great Sixers news Tuesday was unquestionably a good night for the Philadelphia 76ers, who won the draft lottery to obtain the No. 1 pick after a 10-72 season. It's not clear if that reward will prove to be worth three years of unrepentant losing, but it at least validates a great deal of ex-GM Sam Hinkie's controversial plan and gives the … [Read more...]

Basketball Daily Dose: Dose: Always Trust the Process Yeah, so the Cavs are pretty good. They did have a sweep in both of their two first rounds, but they only had a +10.2 net rating in those eight games. As a reference point, the Spurs had a +16.7 net rating in their 67 wins this season — all for naught, we know. In other words, the Cavs played some close games in those two rounds. Well, that … [Read more...]

A Warriors exec told Luke Walton the Lakers had lost their pick Luke Walton's future lies with the Los Angeles Lakers as the storied franchise's next head coach, but for now he remains an employee of the Golden State Warriors as they attempt to win back-to-back championships. Tuesday was therefore an important day for Walton for two reasons — the Warriors had to make adjustments ahead of … [Read more...]

Cavaliers hit ludicrous speed, crush Raptors in Game 1 11:38 PM ET Brian WindhorstESPN Senior Writer Close ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010 Covered Cleveland Cavs for seven years Author of two books print CLEVELAND -- The Richard Jefferson power drive, that was the moment it crossed over from impressive to ridiculous. The Cleveland Cavaliers were a little defiant over the last week as … [Read more...]

The Cavs send a message, totally dominating the Raptors in Game 1 During the 82-game regular season, just one game separated the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors. During Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, though, it became very clear that these two teams are separated by a hell of a lot more than that. [Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball] The … [Read more...]

Sixers win NBA draft lottery; Lakers get No. 2 10:33 PM ET Ohm YoungmisukESPN Staff Writer Close Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.Follow him on Twitter … [Read more...]

LeBron wants to pulverize rims, and DeMarre Carroll can't stop him So, if you were wondering whether having eight full days off between sweeping the Atlanta Hawks and opening the Eastern Conference finals against the Toronto Raptors would lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers looking rusty rather than rested ... well, just ask DeMarre Carroll. [Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: … [Read more...]

Sixers win 2016 draft lottery to validate Sam Hinkie's plan Sam Hinkie's plan for the Philadelphia 76ers reaped major rewards at Tuesday night's 2016 NBA Draft Lottery. He just won't be around to make the No. 1 overall draft pick it earned. [Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball] More than a month after Hinkie resigned his post as general manager, the … [Read more...]