GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Knicks are preaching patience but looking for progress.Jeff Hornacek got caught in the middle.The Knicks fired their coach early Thursday, shortly after finishing a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek."We looked out and we have a plan for what this team should look like over the next three years or so," Knicks President Steve Mills said. "We just thought this was an opportunity where we thought it was the right time to make a change."Mills and general manager Scott Perry said they didn't see enough improvement on the court and enough communication and accountability off it. They informed Hornacek of their decision at the airport after flying home from a season-ending victory in Cleveland."We know the roster is not complete, we understand our roster as well as anybody," Perry said at a news conference at the team's training facility. "But again, just in terms of consistency and then a trend I... [More]

GREENBURGH, N.Y. (AP) — The New York Knicks will open their offseason with a coaching search.The team fired Jeff Hornacek early Thursday shortly after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. The Knicks lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek.Team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry said they didn't see enough progress on the court and enough communication and accountability off it. They informed Hornacek of their decision on the plane home."We know the roster is not complete, we understand our roster as well as anybody," Perry said at a news conference at the team's training facility. "But again, just in terms of consistency and then a trend I would say toward consistency, Steve and I thought we fell a little bit short in that area."Associate head coach Kurt Rambis also was fired.Hornacek went 60-104 and had a year left on his contract. He became the first coaching change after the NBA regular season finished,... [More]

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A season that opened with such promise for the Grizzlies wound up as one of the franchise's worst since moving to Memphis.The Grizzlies couldn't have started better than 5-1, sitting near the top of the Western Conference standings with a pair of early wins over the Houston Rockets and a home victory over the Golden State Warriors. By the end, the Grizzlies' hopes of an eighth straight postseason appearance turned to hopefully landing a top two pick in June's NBA draft.When the injuries started, most notably what wound up a season-ending left heel-Achilles tendon injury to point guard Mike Conley, the season imploded. And kept getting worse through multiple double-digit losing streaks. The first long slide cost coach David Fizdale his job after a short tenure and leaving interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff at the helm.The change didn't help as the Grizzlies lost 19 straight between early February and mid-March — the longest skid since the team moved to Memphis in 2001."It's... [More]

Frank Vogel was brought to Orlando two years ago with hopes he could get the Magic back to the playoffs, and stop the spinning of the revolving door to their coaches' office.Neither of those things happened.Vogel was fired by the Magic on Thursday about 10 hours after the team wrapped up a 25-57 season, its sixth consecutive losing year. Vogel, who had one year left on his contract, went 54-110 in his two years with Orlando.The Magic haven't been to the playoffs since Stan Van Gundy's final season with the team in 2012. Vogel, who had some successful years coaching the Indiana Pacers before going to Orlando, simply didn't have the roster to change that."We would like to thank Frank for his contributions to the Orlando Magic," Magic basketball operations president Jeff Weltman said. "We appreciate the sacrifices he made as head coach and certainly wish him and his family well going forward."Vogel told his players after Wednesday's season-ending win over playoff-bound Washington he was planning... [More]

Editors:To help you with the upcoming NBA postseason, here are some of AP's plans. Please direct questions to Oscar Dixon (odixon@ap.org). Times are ET. This digest will be updated.PLAYOFF COVERAGE— Each series will get a preview, 650-750 words.— Game coverage will follow the regular-season format, with final updates of about 750 words. Sidebars on merit.— During the early rounds, we will again move BKN--TIPOFF each day until the conference finals, featuring the top story lines looking ahead to the next day's games.— Team wrapups will move the day after the regular season in most cases.___UPCOMING FEATURESBKN--PLAYOFFS SETMIAMI — Finally, the brackets will be set. A race that went to the end in both conferences — just to decide who got in out West, and to decide who plays who in the East — is over, and the long road to the NBA Finals is now underway. By Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds. UPCOMING: 650 words, photos by 3 a.m. THURSDAYBKN--WARRIORS-DIFFERENT PATHOAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks will open their offseason with a coaching search.The team fired coach Jeff Hornacek early Thursday, making the decision shortly after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek."Jeff is a true professional who has worked tirelessly for this organization the last two seasons," Knicks president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. "We sincerely appreciate his efforts and considerable contributions to the team and wish him well in his future endeavors."Associate head coach Kurt Rambis also was fired.Hornacek went 60-104 and had a year left on his contract. He became the first coaching change after the NBA regular season finished, sending the Knicks in search of their 11th different head coach since Jeff Van Gundy resigned in the 2001-02 season.Hornacek was hired in 2016 by Phil Jackson and lasted just one more season after Jackson... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry on the sidelines again, this time with a hurt knee. No longer the sure-thing No. 1 seed. Steve Kerr piecing together rotations based on who's available through illness and injury.It hasn't exactly been an easy course this season for the defending NBA champions.The Golden State Warriors are used to being the best out West, a top target that everyone in the NBA seeks to unseat.It's just a little different this time.Not that Kerr is overly concerned. Golden State's coach thinks the Warriors will be just fine when they open their best-of-seven series against No. 7 seed San Antonio at home Saturday afternoon."We're going to have new life when the playoffs start. And I'm well aware of what a long, difficult season it's been," he said. "So many things have been thrown at us here the last month, especially all the injuries, which have really shaken up our rotation. That's made it difficult on everybody and our players. But they're fighting and that's the main... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Wednesday's final slate of NBA regular-season games (all times local):3:10 a.m.The NBA has released the first-round playoff schedule, and the reigning NBA champs will host the postseason opener.Game 1 between Golden State and San Antonio opens the slate on Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern — a somewhat unusual noon local time tip-off for the Warriors.The Warriors-Spurs game will followed Saturday by three other openers — Washington-Toronto, Miami-Philadelphia and New Orleans-Portland.On Sunday, the games are Milwaukee-Boston, Indiana-Cleveland, Utah-Oklahoma City and Minnesota-Houston.Game 2s will be held Monday through Wednesday.Game 3s start Thursday, and all Game 7s — if necessary — would be on April 28 and 29.For those planning way ahead, the NBA Finals are set to begin on May 31.___1:00 a.m.The NBA playoff bracket is complete.Portland beat Utah to grab the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and that allowed the rest of the bracket to be filled in — finally. The... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks will open their offseason with a coaching search.The team fired coach Jeff Hornacek after two seasons, a person with knowledge of the decision said early Thursday.The Knicks made the decision shortly after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official announcement isn't planned until later in the day.The firing was first reported by ESPN.Hornacek was hired in 2016 by Phil Jackson and lasted just one more season after Jackson and the team parted ways last summer. President Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry apparently weren't pleased with the results, though they knew the Knicks were rebuilding with younger players."Jeff is a good guy," forward Michael Beasley said after Wednesday's victory. "He played the hand he was dealt. It's difficult to do anything because... [More]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — For most point guards, grabbing 16 rebounds to achieve a milestone would seem a daunting task.For Russell Westbrook, it seemed a foregone conclusion.The Thunder star entered Wednesday's regular-season finale against the Memphis Grizzlies needing 16 rebounds to become the first player to average a triple-double in multiple seasons. He had four rebounds at the end of the first quarter, then snagged seven in the second in just under nine minutes. He had five rebounds in the first 2:42 of the third quarter to reach his goal, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation.He finished with just six points, but he had a career-high 20 rebounds and 19 assists in a 137-123 win. He finished the season with averages of 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists."I'm very, very thankful and blessed, man, to go out and compete," Westbrook said. "Like I've said many, many times, I don't take this game for granted. I don't take going out on the floor and competing for granted. When God... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks have fired coach Jeff Hornacek after two seasons, a person with knowledge of the decision said early Thursday.The Knicks made the decision after beating Cleveland on Wednesday night to finish a 29-53 season. They lost more than 50 games and missed the playoffs both seasons under Hornacek.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because an official announcement isn't planned until later in the day.The firing was first reported by ESPN.Hornacek was hired in 2016 by Phil Jackson and lasted just one more season after Jackson and the team parted ways last summer. President Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry apparently weren't pleased with the results, though they knew the Knicks were rebuilding with younger players.Hornacek went 60-104 and had a year left on his contract. He became the first coaching change after the NBA regular season completed, sending the Knicks on yet another coaching search.Hornacek, previously a head... [More]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Stephen Curry on the sidelines again, this time with a hurt knee. No longer the sure-thing No. 1 seed. Steve Kerr piecing together rotations based on who's available through illness and injury.It hasn't exactly been an easy course this season for the defending NBA champions.The Golden State Warriors are used to being the best out West, a top target that everyone in the NBA seeks to unseat.It's just a little different this time.Not that Kerr is overly concerned. Golden State's coach thinks the Warriors will be just fine when they open their best-of-seven series against No. 7 seed San Antonio at home this weekend."We're going to have new life when the playoffs start. And I'm well aware of what a long, difficult season it's been," he said. "So many things have been thrown at us here the last month, especially all the injuries, which have really shaken up our rotation. That's made it difficult on everybody and our players. But they're fighting and that's the main thing."We're... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA playoffs that start this weekend already have an extremely tough act to follow.The regular season ended with a flourish.Wednesday's final night of the regular season was well beyond dramatic — an overtime game between Minnesota and Denver to decide the last berth, another overtime game between Miami and Toronto to determine some East fates, a 46-point first quarter by Philadelphia , an absurd 20-rebound, 19-assist night from Russell Westbrook.And now, the best time of the NBA year is finally here.The playoffs are back, with Golden State and Cleveland — who've met in the last three NBA Finals — not exactly looking like the overwhelming favorites the league has come to expect. A fourth straight Warriors-Cavs matchup is no guarantee. A fourth straight trip by either of those teams alone is far from certain, either.It all starts Saturday, the 16-team tournament that will be a two-month grind following the six-month grind of the regular season."I feel pretty ready," Toronto... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA playoffs that start this weekend already have an extremely tough act to follow.The regular season ended with a flourish.Wednesday's final night of the regular season was well beyond dramatic — an overtime game between Minnesota and Denver to decide the last berth, another overtime game between Miami and Toronto to determine some East fates, a 46-point first quarter by Philadelphia , an absurd 20-rebound, 19-assist night from Russell Westbrook.And now, the best time of the NBA year is finally here.The playoffs are back, with Golden State and Cleveland — who've met in the last three NBA Finals — not exactly looking like the overwhelming favorites the league has come to expect. A fourth straight Warriors-Cavs matchup is no guarantee. A fourth straight trip by either of those teams alone is far from certain, either.It all starts Saturday, the 16-team tournament that will be a two-month grind following the six-month grind of the regular season."I feel pretty ready," Toronto... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Wednesday's final slate of NBA regular-season games (all times local):1:00 a.m.The NBA playoff bracket is complete.Portland beat Utah to grab the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and that allowed the rest of the bracket to be filled in — finally. The Trail Blazers will play No. 6 New Orleans in the first round, and No. 4 Oklahoma City will have home-court advantage against the fifth-seeded Jazz.The Jazz-Blazers game was the 1,230th and final regular-season matchup of the season. Every other game on Wednesday's schedule was over before the final buzzer in Portland, meaning it took the entire schedule to determine the last two matchups in the West.___11:55 p.m.The first two of the four Western Conference first-round matchups have been set.No. 1 Houston will play No. 8 Minnesota, and No. 2 Golden State (probably with no Stephen Curry) will play No. 7 San Antonio (probably with no Kawhi Leonard).The Rockets swept four games from the Timberwolves, and the Warriors... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Wednesday's final slate of NBA regular-season games (all times local):11:55 p.m.The first two of the four Western Conference first-round matchups have been set.No. 1 Houston will play No. 8 Minnesota, and No. 2 Golden State (probably with no Stephen Curry) will play No. 7 San Antonio (probably with no Kawhi Leonard).The Rockets swept four games from the Timberwolves, and the Warriors went 3-1 against the Spurs in the regular season.The rest of the West bracket will be set based on the outcome of the Utah-Portland game. New Orleans will start on the road, regardless of the winner, and Oklahoma City — thanks to its wild 137-123 win over Memphis — could still get a top-four seed.___10:50 p.m.Minnesota is in the playoffs.Jeff Teague's jumper with just over a minute left in overtime put the Timberwolves ahead to stay, and Minnesota topped Denver 112-106 on Wednesday night to grab the final spot in the NBA playoffs.The last West spot was the only one up for grabs on... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Wednesday's final slate of NBA regular-season games (all times local):10:50 p.m.Minnesota is in the playoffs.Jeff Teague's jumper with just over a minute left in overtime put the Timberwolves ahead to stay, and Minnesota topped Denver 112-106 on Wednesday night to grab the final spot in the NBA playoffs.The last West spot was the only one up for grabs on the season's final night. It was the NBA's first winner-gets-in, loser-goes-home game since 1997.Denver would have gone to the postseason with a win at Minnesota.Minnesota is in the playoffs for the first time since 2004 — ending what was the longest active drought in the NBA___10:40 p.m.The East is set.It took 82 games, the entire regular season and even an overtime in Miami to decide things, but the bracket for the Eastern Conference playoffs is filled.No. 1 Toronto will play No. 8 Washington, No. 2 Boston will meet No. 7 Milwaukee, No. 3 Philadelphia draws No. 6 Miami and No. 4 Cleveland gets No. 5 Indiana.All... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Wednesday's final slate of NBA regular-season games (all times local):10:40 p.m.The East is set.It took 82 games, the entire regular season and even an overtime in Miami to decide things, but the bracket for the Eastern Conference playoffs is filled.No. 1 Toronto will play No. 8 Washington, No. 2 Boston will meet No. 7 Milwaukee, No. 3 Philadelphia draws No. 6 Miami and No. 4 Cleveland gets No. 5 Indiana.All the Game 1s will be Saturday or Sunday, at the lower seed.Indiana went 3-1 against the Cavaliers in the regular season. All the other first-round matchups are ones where the playoff foes split four meetings this season.___10:15 p.m.For the first time since 2001, Philadelphia is a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.For the first time since 2008, LeBron James is not.The 76ers routed Milwaukee 130-95 on Wednesday night to wrap up the No. 3 seed on the East bracket, and that meant No. 4 Cleveland will face No. 5 Indiana when the playoffs open this... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on Wednesday's final slate of NBA regular-season games (all times local):9:40 p.m.Russell Westbrook will average a triple-double for the second straight season.The Oklahoma City guard came into Wednesday needing 16 rebounds against Memphis to average 10.0 boards this season — and got there in the third quarter of the Thunder's game against the Grizzlies.Westbrook has no issue outdueling teammates for rebounds, and grabbed 16 of the Thunder's first 27 rebounds on Wednesday.It's only the third time in NBA history that someone has averaged a triple-double. Westbrook did it last year, and Oscar Robertson did it in 1961-62.___9:30 p.m.Houston Rockets forward Luc Mbah a Moute will likely miss at least the first round of the playoffs after dislocating his right shoulder in a meaningless game for the Western Conference leaders.Coach Mike D'Antoni said Wednesday that Mbah a Moute will likely miss two to three weeks with the injury sustained against the Los Angeles Lakers... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James capped his 15th regular season with yet another record.James played in his 82nd game on Wednesday night against the New York Knicks, completing an end to end run that underscores the 33-year-old's remarkable consistency. The four-time MVP had never played every game in a regular season as he typically sits out games at the end of the year to rest for the playoffs.Not this year.James' previous high was 81 games in 2008-09, when then-coach Mike Brown sat him for the Cavs' regular-season finale. James never made playing every game a goal, but he has said he wants to break the mold for players of his age.Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said he tried to talk James out of playing, but relented."He wants to play," Lue said. "I mean, it's hard to play 82 games. I was in the league 11 years. Never had a chance to get to 82. Everything has to go absolutely right. He wants to play and I guess in his 15th year to get to 82, it really says a lot. It says a lot about him. But once... [More]