Kenny Atkinson went through a winless preseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers and wondered if his team would be any good.

With a chance to close out their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, the Houston Rockets instead delivered a playoff flop to end their season.

Fred VanVleet combined for 55 points in the last two games to lead the Houston Rockets back from a 3-1 deficit and force a deciding Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors in their first-round playoff series.

It was Dec. 4, 2021.

Jrue Holiday of the Boston Celtics has won the NBA’s sportsmanship award for the second time, making him the fifth player in league history to win that trophy in multiple years.

The Golden State Warriors missed a chance to clinch the best-of-seven series on the road and they gave some momentum right back to the Rockets as red-hot Houston ran away for a 131-116 victory to stave off elimination.

Fred VanVleet scored 26 points, Amen Thompson added 25 and the Houston Rockets avoided elimination with a 131-116 rout of the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series.

Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels has been voted the NBA’s most improved player.

Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick saw the urgency he was anticipating while his team practiced before what could be its final game of a tumultuous season.

Warriors star Jimmy Butler sat out for Game 3 as Golden State took a 2-1 lead in its first-round playoff series against Houston and became a cheerleader for Stephen Curry while offering expertise to others while on the bench.

Jimmy Butler has repeatedly referred to Stephen Curry as Batman to his Robin.

Warriors forward Jimmy Butler is listed as questionable for Game 3 of Golden State’s first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets after he sustained a pelvic contusion in a frightening fall during Game 2.

It’s now reasonable to think that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third in this season’s balloting for the NBA MVP award.

Houston faced the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs four times between 2015-19 and each time the Rockets were sent packing.

The Houston Rockets have been one of the NBA’s more surprising teams this season.

Amen Thompson hit a game-winning floater with 0.7 seconds left and finished with 33 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier has been suspected one game for his role in an on-court altercation that occurred earlier this week.

The NBA has suspended Houston’s Amen Thompson for two games and Miami’s Terry Rozier for one game over their roles in a skirmish in the final moments of the Rockets-Heat game on Sunday night.

Rockets forward Amen Thompson threw Heat guard Tyler Herro to the floor to trigger an altercation that resulted in six ejections in the closing minute of Miami’s 104-100 victory over Houston on Sunday.

Tyler Herro scored 27 points before being one of six people ejected after a fight in the final minute of the Miami Heat’s 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night.

Winning the NBA Cup won’t bring a championship parade to Oklahoma City or Houston or Atlanta or Milwaukee.

Joe Mazzulla was thrust into a job he didn’t expect to have following former Celtics coach Ime Udoka’s suspension just days before the start of training camp last season.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid says he won't force himself to play more games to meet the NBA MVP requirement if he's not healthy enough to play.

The Celtics' rollercoaster season ended a round short of a return to the NBA Finals.

When a generational talent like Victor Wembanyama comes along, it’s clear that he would make any team that he’s with better in a multitude of ways.

Ime Udoka is everything the Houston Rockets were looking for in a coach, and owner Tilman Feritta insists they aren’t concerned about the behavior that led to his year-long suspension from the Boston Celtics.

Ime Udoka has been hired as the new coach of the Houston Rockets, a source familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press.

Nick Nurse has been fired as coach of the Toronto Raptors.

The Boston Celtics have named Joe Mazzulla their full-time head coach, removing the interim tag he has held throughout the season after stepping in for Ime Udoka.

Jacque Vaughn was thought to be just the temporary solution when he started coaching the Brooklyn Nets in November.

The Brooklyn Nets have made Jacque Vaughn their head coach, promoting Steve Nash’s replacement instead of hiring suspended Boston coach Ime Udoka.

Steve Nash is out as Brooklyn Nets coach after a disappointing start and more controversy surrounding Kyrie Irving.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 35 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 126-117 in the opening game of the NBA regular season.

Marcus Smart has been in Boston long enough to appreciate what Bill Russell meant to the Celtics, the city and the country.

The Celtics were supposed to enter the preseason as one of the favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference on the heels of their surprise run to the NBA Finals last season under rookie head coach Ime Udoka.

The Boston Celtics suspended coach Ime Udoka for the upcoming season after a months-long investigation by an external law firm that found multiple violations of team policies.

The Boston Celtics have suspended coach Ime Udoka for the 2022-23 season.

As the Utah Jazz spent time talking to candidates to become their next coach, Will Hardy quickly rose to the top of their list.

A person with knowledge of the negotiations says Boston Celtics assistant Will Hardy has accepted an offer to become the coach of the Utah Jazz.

The Celtics made an NBA Finals run nobody saw coming, going from a team that was three games under.

Stephen Curry and the Warriors have been within a game of clinching a championship in three of Golden State’s previous five trips to the NBA Finals during his 13-year NBA career.

The wear and tear from back-to-back seven-game series seems to be taking its toll on the Boston Celtics at the worst possible time.

The Boston Celtics couldn’t make a 3-pointer to start the game and found themselves in a deep hole.

The Boston Celtics realize they must find an answer to Stephen Curry and do a better job making things difficult for the two-time MVP.

Boston's Jayson Tatum disappeared in crunch time during the NBA Finals, contributing to paralyzing fourth-quarter scoring drought as the Celtics squandered an opportunity to take stranglehold on the series.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry says there's no doubt that he'll play in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against Boston.

There was a time when the narrative surrounding Jaylen Brown was that he was a redundant player on a Celtics team shaping its identity around budding superstar Jayson Tatum.

Jayson Tatum found his scoring touch after a rare poor shooting night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals but it was the rest of his Boston Celtics teammates who went missing.

In Game 1, Boston showed its resilience.

The last 12 months have been a transformative year in the NBA when it comes to diversity among coaches.

Jaylen Brown is starting the NBA Finals on the road.

The Celtics’ transition from a team that has gone from just outside the top tier of the Eastern Conference to one that's four wins way from the franchise’s 18th NBA championship began the moment Ime Udoka took the microphone at his introductory news conference.

Al Horford is turning 36 this week.

Somewhere, Gregg Popovich must be pleased.

Heat guard Tyler Herro remained sidelined because of a strained left groin as Miami tries to stave off elimination in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 points, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a berth in the NBA Finals, running away after halftime to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 and take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference title series.

The Eastern Conference finals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are as close as can be, heading back to Miami all tied up at two wins apiece.

Celtics point guard and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was ruled out for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami.

The Celtics will be without center Robert Williams III will be out for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Heat due to soreness and swelling in his left knee.

The Boston Celtics got outworked by the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals but returned the favor in Game 2.

Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown each scored 24 and the Boston Celtics dominated the first half to roll past the Miami Heat 127-102 and tie the Eastern Conference finals at a game apiece.

Al Horford and Marcus Smart are coming back.

Things have been working out just fine so far in this postseason for Jimmy Butler and the top-seeded Miami Heat.

Boston will be without two starters for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, with Al Horford entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols and Marcus Smart unable to play because of a mid-foot sprain.

Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra have enormous respect for each other and a bond that stems from their shared history in the sport.

Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 3-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The NBA’s long regular season can be tedious, but make no mistake, it matters.

Jayson Tatum scored 46 points, outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo and making sure there wouldn’t be another Milwaukee Bucks fourth-quarter comeback, and the Boston Celtics beat the defending champions 108-95 to force a seventh game in their Eastern Conference semifinal.

The Milwaukee Bucks want to build off the momentum from a thrilling comeback and the Golden State Warriors seek to put an embarrassing loss behind them as both teams attempt to clinch their second-round series Friday.

Al Horford and Jayson Tatum scored 30 points each and led the Boston Celtics’ fourth-quarter comeback in a 116-108 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that tied their Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and made the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a frantic flurry of shots in the final seconds to beat the Boston Celtics 103-101 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton will miss at least two more games in the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Boston Celtics as he recovers from a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

Jaylen Brown scored 25 of his 30 points in the first half, and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 109-86 to even their second-round playoff at one game apiece.

Game 1 showed that whoever wins the 1-on-1 scoring battle between Memphis’ Ja Morant and Stephen Curry of the Warriors doesn’t mean their team will win the game or their Western Conference semifinal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had his second career postseason triple-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 101-89 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The only team to register a first-round sweep, the Boston Celtics enter their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks loaded with confidence.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and the Boston Celtics rallied from 17 points down to beat the Brooklyn Nets 114-107 and take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and Jaylen Brown had 31 points and 10 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics coast to a 134-112 over the Minnesota Timberwolves and take over the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Luka Doncic returned from a hamstring scare to hit a tying 3-pointer with a 1:21 left, Spencer Dinwiddie made the winner with nine seconds to play and the Dallas Mavericks spoiled Kevin Garnett’s special day by beating the Boston Celtics 95-92 on Sunday.

Gregg Popovich became the winningest coach in NBA regular-season history, getting his 1,336th victory when the San Antonio Spurs rallied to beat the Utah Jazz 104-102.

The Boston Celtics say Hall of Famer Sam Jones has died at the age of 88.

Jaylen Brown scored 34 points and the Boston Celtics beat depleted Cleveland 111-101 on Wednesday night to end the Cavaliers’ winning streak at six.

The Boston Celtics signed 40-year-old Joe Johnson to a 10-day contract Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum scored 16 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter and the Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 117-103.

LeBron James scored 30 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 117-102 in the latest chapter of the NBA’s most storied rivalry.

The Brooklyn Nets beat the Boston Celtics 123-104.

Jayson Tatum scored 37 points and the Boston Celtics beat Los Angeles 130-108 in Lakers star LeBron James’ return.

Julius Randle scored 35 points, Evan Fournier made the go-ahead 3-pointer in the second overtime and the New York Knicks outlasted Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics 138-134.

The Brooklyn Nets look like such a title favorite that James Harden felt the need for a reminder they aren’t a title team.

New Dallas coach Jason Kidd is already thinking of ways to tell Luka Doncic he has help on the roster.

The pandemic and vaccination rates were the talk of the NBA on media day Monday.

Jamahl Mosley has agreed to become the new coach of the Orlando Magic.

A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press that the Boston Celtics have hired Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka to be their new coach.

The Brooklyn Nets had all the shooting and scoring any team could ever want.