MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included a hook-and-ladder fire truck, occasionally blaring its horn, and open-air buses and flatbed trucks carrying Bucks stars including Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, as well as the trophy they captured Tuesday night with a Game 6 victory over Phoenix. Fans could be heard chanting, “Bucks in 6," an odd but popular rallying cry with roots in a former Bucks player's fruitless prediction in 2013 that the team would take down the playoffs' top seed at the time. Antetokounmpo held his son, 1-year-old Liam, atop a bus as fans along the route chanted “MVP!” Later, he shot a basketball into the crowd. “Milwaukee, we did it baby! We did it!” Antetokounmpo said to a cheering crowd in the... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included a hook-and-ladder fire truck, occasionally blaring its horn, and open-air buses and flatbed trucks carrying Bucks stars including Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, as well as the trophy they captured Tuesday night with a Game 6 victory over Phoenix. Fans could be heard chanting, “Bucks in 6," an odd but popular rallying cry with roots in a former Bucks player's fruitless prediction in 2013 that the team would take down the playoffs' top seed at the time. Antetokounmpo held his son, 1-year-old Liam, atop a bus as fans along the route chanted “MVP!” Later, he shot a basketball into the crowd. “Milwaukee, we did it baby! We did it!” Antetokounmpo said to a cheering crowd in the... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included a hook-and-ladder fire truck, occasionally blaring its horn, and open-air buses and flatbed trucks carrying Bucks stars including Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, as well as the trophy they captured Tuesday night with a Game 6 victory over Phoenix. Fans could be heard chanting, “Bucks in 6," an odd but popular rallying cry with roots in a former Bucks player's fruitless prediction in 2013 that the team would take down the playoffs' top seed at the time. Antetokounmpo held his son, 1-year-old Liam, atop a bus as fans along the route chanted “MVP!” Later, he shot a basketball into the crowd. “Milwaukee, we did it baby! We did it!” Antetokounmpo said to a cheering crowd in the... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included a hook-and-ladder fire truck, occasionally blaring its horn, and open-air buses and flatbed trucks carrying Bucks stars including Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, as well as the trophy they captured Tuesday night with a Game 6 victory over Phoenix. Fans could be heard chanting, “Bucks in 6," an odd but locally familiar rallying cry with roots in a former Bucks player's fruitless prediction in 2013 that the team would take down the playoffs' top seed at the time. Antetokounmpo held his son, 1-year-old Liam, atop a bus as fans along the route chanted “MVP!” Later, he shot a basketball into the crowd. “Milwaukee, we did it baby! We did it!” Antetokounmpo said to a cheering crowd... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included a hook-and-ladder fire truck, occasionally blaring its horn, and open-air buses and flatbed trucks carrying Bucks stars including Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, as well as the trophy they captured Tuesday night with a Game 6 victory over Phoenix. Fans could be heard chanting, “Bucks in 6," an odd but beloved rallying cry with roots in a former Bucks player's fruitless prediction in 2013 that the team would take down the playoffs' top seed at the time. Antetokounmpo held his son, 1-year-old Liam, atop a bus as fans along the route chanted “MVP!” Later, he shot a basketball into the crowd. “Milwaukee, we did it baby! We did it!” Antetokounmpo said to a cheering crowd in the... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included a hook-and-ladder fire truck, occasionally blaring its horn, and open-air buses and flatbed trucks carrying Bucks stars including Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, as well as the trophy they captured Tuesday night with a Game 6 victory over Phoenix. Fans could be heard chanting, “Bucks in 6," an odd but beloved rallying cry with roots in a former Bucks player's fruitless prediction in 2013 that the team would take down the playoffs' top seed at the time. “Milwaukee, we did it baby! We did it!” Antetokounmpo said to a cheering crowd in the Deer District, the area outside the Bucks' Fiserv Forum. “This is our city, this is our city, man, we did it! Unbelievable.” Neil and Rachana... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Thousands of fans lined downtown Milwaukee streets on Thursday to catch a glimpse of their beloved Bucks in a parade to celebrate the city’s first NBA championship in half a century. Six police officers on horseback clopped past cheering fans at the head of a procession that included a hook-and-ladder fire truck, occasionally blaring its horn, and open-air buses and flatbed trucks carrying Bucks stars including Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday, as well as the trophy they captured Tuesday night with a Game 6 victory over Phoenix. Fans could be heard chanting, “Bucks in 6!," an odd but beloved rallying cry with roots in a former Bucks player's fruitless prediction in 2013 that the team would take down the playoffs' top seed at the time. Neil and Rachana Bhatia, both 34 and from suburban Waukesha, brought 1-month-old son Zain to the Deer District, the area outside Fiserv Forum where the parade was due to finish. The couple said they wanted to give Zain an... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — This could have been the offseason in which Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the free-agent market and perhaps teamed up with another superstar to try winning multiple NBA titles together. Antetokounmpo instead will spend the summer celebrating a championship he won with the team that picked him. Leading the Bucks to their first NBA crown in half century rewarded Antetokounmpo for his December decision to sign a supermax extension with Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5 assists to help the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the NBA Finals. “I could go to a superteam and just do my part and win a championship,’’ Antetokounmpo said Tuesday as he was flanked by the Larry O’Brien trophy and his NBA Finals MVP trophy. “But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it. And we did it.” Antetokounmpo, 26, stuck with the franchise that had taken a chance on him eight years ago by selecting him with the 15th overall pick in the draft. He... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — This could have been the offseason in which Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the free-agent market and perhaps teamed up with another superstar to try winning multiple NBA titles together. Antetokounmpo instead will spend the summer celebrating a championship he won with the team that picked him. Leading the Bucks to their first NBA crown in half century rewarded Antetokounmpo for his December decision to sign a supermax extension with Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5 assists to help the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the NBA Finals. “I could go to a superteam and just do my part and win a championship,’’ Antetokounmpo said Tuesday as he was flanked by the Larry O’Brien trophy and his NBA Finals MVP trophy. “But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it. And we did it.” Antetokounmpo, 26, stuck with the franchise that had taken a chance on him eight years ago by selecting him with the 15th overall pick in the draft. He... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — This could have been the offseason in which Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the free-agent market and perhaps teamed up with another superstar to try winning multiple NBA titles together. Antetokounmpo instead will spend the summer celebrating a championship he won with the team that picked him. Leading the Bucks to their first NBA crown in half century rewarded Antetokounmpo for his December decision to sign a supermax extension with Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5 assists to help the Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the NBA Finals. “I could go to a superteam and just do my part and win a championship,’’ Antetokounmpo said Tuesday as he was flanked by the Larry O’Brien trophy and his NBA Finals MVP trophy. “But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it. And we did it.” Antetokounmpo, 26, stuck with the franchise that had taken a chance on him eight years ago by selecting him with the 15th overall pick in the draft. He... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Bobby Portis says he turned down more lucrative offers to sign with the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason because he wanted to play for a winner and experience a deep playoff run. The reassurance that he made the right decision came every time a frenzied Fiserv Forum crowd chanted his name Thursday night. Through the first five seasons of his career, Portis appeared in only one playoff series. Now he's a win away from the NBA Finals. “Coming here was one of the best decisions for my career,” Portis said. Portis took injured two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo’s spot in the starting lineup and scored 22 points in a 123-112 Game 5 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. That gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals. With every big play Portis made, the chants of “Bobby! Bobby!” grew louder. Portis had a simple explanation for why he’s become such a fan favorite his first year in Milwaukee. “It’s a blue-collar city,” Portis said, “and I’m a blue-collar player.” This... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is doubtful for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday after undergoing an MRI on his injured left knee. Bucks officials said the two-time MVP hyperextended his left knee in the third quarter of a 110-88 game 4 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. The Bucks announced Wednesday that an MRI confirmed that diagnosis and said he'd be listed as doubtful for Thursday's game. “We’ll just take it day by day and see how he’s doing," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “When you talk about the range of possibilities, I think where this has landed has to be looked at as a positive," Budenholzer added. “It’s still a really difficult fall." Antetokounmpo was attempting to block a dunk attempt by Atlanta’s Clint Capela when he landed awkwardly. He clutched his knee in obvious pain and remained down for several minutes before walking slowly to the locker room. He briefly went back to the Bucks’ bench and then returned to... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is doubtful for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday after undergoing an MRI on his injured left knee. Bucks officials said the two-time MVP hyperextended his left knee in the third quarter of a 110-88 game 4 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. The Bucks announced Wednesday that an MRI confirmed that diagnosis and said he'd be listed as doubtful for Thursday's game. “We’ll just take it day by day and see how he’s doing," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “When you talk about the range of possibilities, I think where this has landed has to be looked at as a positive," Budenholzer added. “It’s still a really difficult fall." Antetokounmpo was attempting to block a dunk attempt by Atlanta’s Clint Capela when he landed awkwardly. He clutched his knee in obvious pain and remained down for several minutes before walking slowly to the locker room. He briefly went back to the Bucks’ bench and then returned to... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks suddenly are facing the daunting challenge of possibly having to move forward in their Eastern Conference finals without their two-time MVP. Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a hyperextension of his left knee and and was forced out of the Bucks' Eastern Conference finals game against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. “It’s not good,” Bucks forward P.J. Tucker said. “It’s not good losing anybody on your team and losing your best player stinks.” The Hawks won 110-88, evening the best-of-seven series at 2-2. Antetokounmpo’s status for Game 5 at Milwaukee on Thursday night is not known. Antetokounmpo was defending a jam by Hawks center Clint Capela with 7:14 remaining in the third quarter when his left knee appeared to buckle. He fell to the floor in obvious pain, grimacing and clutching his knee. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said the team would learn more about Antetokounmpo's status on Wednesday. “We’ll take everything as it comes," Budenholzer said. "We’ll... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Finally, Trae Young ran into someone he couldn't beat. A referee. The Atlanta Hawks' playoff star twisted his right ankle in a freak encounter with an official's foot late in the third quarter of Game 3 in the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. Young was able to return for much of the fourth quarter, but he didn't have the sort of explosiveness that has made him the breakout leader of Atlanta's stunning playoff run. “It's sore right now.," he said, rubbing his forehead. “It's hurting. It's frustrating.” Young underwent an MRI on Monday that showed a bone bruise. He was listed as questionable for Game 4. Hawks coach Nate McMillan said he won't make a call on Young's availability until shortly before Tuesday's crucial contest. He was getting extensive treatment in hopes of being able to play. “I'll wait until tomorrow to find out where Trae's at, how he feels, if he can go,” McMillan said. “If (team medical officials) give me the OK that... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Finally, Trae Young ran into someone he couldn't beat. A referee. The Atlanta Hawks' playoff star sprained his right ankle in a freak encounter with an official's foot late in the third quarter of Game 3 in the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. Young was able to return for much of the fourth quarter, but he didn't have the sort of explosiveness that has made him the breakout leader of Atlanta's stunning playoff run. “It's sore right now.," he said, rubbing his forehead. “It's hurting. It's frustrating.” Young underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the full extent of the sprain. He'll also be getting extensive treatment in an attempt to make sure he's as healthy as possible going into Game 4. Hawks coach Nate McMillan said he was awaiting results of the MRI, but he won't make a call on Young's availability until shortly before Tuesday's game. “I'll wait until tomorrow to find out where Trae's at, how he feels, if he can go,” McMillan said.... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Finally, Trae Young ran into someone he couldn't beat. A referee. The Atlanta Hawks' playoff star sprained his right ankle in a freak encounter with an official's foot late in the third quarter of Game 3 in the Eastern Conference finals against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night. Young was able to return for much of the fourth quarter, but he didn't have the sort of explosiveness that has made him the breakout leader of Atlanta's stunning playoff run. “It's sore right now.," he said, rubbing his forehead. “It's hurting. It's frustrating.” Young will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the full extent of the sprain. He'll also be getting extensive treatment over the next 48 hours in an attempt to make sure he's as healthy as possible going into Game 4. “I don’t know how bad it is, but he was definitely limping,” teammate Danilo Gallinari said. “I’m guessing he was not feeling very good.” Even though Young finished with 35 points, the Hawks bogged down offensively in the... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn's blockbuster brought James Harden to play with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, creating a team with potential to shoot its way out of any situation. Milwaukee's move gave Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton a top two-way guard in Jrue Holiday, who could run his team and slow down the other. Both teams hoped their big trade was the one that would lead to a championship. One of them won't even get halfway there. The Nets and Bucks play Game 7 of their second-round series Saturday in Brooklyn, with the winner moving on to play for the Eastern Conference title and the loser falling well short of expectations. “With everything we’ve built and been through, we got the second seed for this particular reason and we’ve just got to go out there and hoop,” Harden said. “At home. One game.” In a series where the home team has won every game, the Nets hope their strong ending to the regular season pays off now. They won their final five games to finish two games ahead... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn's blockbuster brought James Harden to play with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, creating a team with potential to shoot its way out of any situation. Milwaukee's move gave Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton a top two-way guard in Jrue Holiday, who could run his team and slow down the other. Both teams hoped their big trade was the one that would lead to a championship. One of them won't even get halfway there. The Nets and Bucks play Game 7 of their second-round series Saturday in Brooklyn, with the winner moving on to play for the Eastern Conference title and the loser falling well short of expectations. “With everything we’ve built and been through, we got the second seed for this particular reason and we’ve just got to go out there and hoop,” Harden said. “At home. One game.” In a series where the home team has won every game, the Nets hope their strong ending to the regular season pays off now. They won their final five games to finish two games ahead... [More]

Phoenix general manager James Jones was the guy who would routinely hold court at his locker a half-hour before games and engage in all sorts of conversations in his playing days. Books he was reading, what the financial markets were doing, current events, political matters, the nuances of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. It was all fair game. He was smart. He knew it, too. These days, the rest of the NBA — if they didn’t know previously — has figured that out as well. The eight general managers left in the NBA playoffs all had success stories to tell long before their postseason runs of 2021 started. For the team that winds up winning the NBA title, it’ll be a breakthrough since none of the remaining franchises have won a championship since 1983. And for the winning GM, it’ll be another breakthrough -- since none of them have won rings in their current capacities either. “I took this job saying this would be a challenge for me to help young guys who are here in Phoenix, trying... [More]