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Dallas is ground zero for one of America’s most historic conspiracy theories. Just half a mile from the grassy knoll where John F Kennedy was assassinated on 22 November 1963, sits the American Airlines Center – the newest site of Dallas conspiracy lore.

While this year’s NBA draft lottery took place in Chicago on Monday night, the heart of the drama haunts Dallas. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison’s career lives to see another day after his team improbably beat 1.8% odds to land the No 1 pick in this year’s draft – which they will almost certainly use to pick Duke phenom Cooper Flagg, one of the most talented college players in years. The 6ft 9in wing will presumably usher in the first full season of Dallas’s post-Luka Dončić era. Mavs fans almost have to laugh, or maybe raise a very suspicious eyebrow. With the NBA’s four worst teams (Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, and New Orleans Pelicans) all taking a nosedive in the lottery, the storyline is tailor-made for a grand conspiracy theory.

Related: The Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade is shocking, franchise-altering and bizarre

The Mavs’ decision in February to trade away Dončić garnered widespread conjecture around the franchise’s owners, the Adelson family, tanking the team to eventually move them to their home base of Las Vegas, where they could add an NBA team to their casino empire. There were also theories around the NBA’s disappointing ratings and what a prodigy like Dončić could do in Los Angeles. Those theories were only amplified by the poor return the Mavericks got in return for Dončić, already widely considered a future Hall of Famer. Online speculation quickly connected Harrison, NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Lakers GM Rob Pelinka in a shadowy quid pro quo: send Dončić to one of the NBA marquee franchises, the Lakers, where he would play alongside the league’s biggest name, LeBron James, and Harrison would be rewarded with the No 1 pick. It’s a tale fit for any great sports conspiracy.

In the real world, Mavs fans have had a hell of a year. They watched their team, which had reached the NBA finals less than a year before, blown apart by their general manager as Dončić, a beloved superstar who had no desire to leave the city, was shown the door. And on the way out, Harrison and the organization disparaged Dončić’s name, weight, commitment and tenure at every turn. Injuries broke apart any hope the fanbase had of reclamation this season, which ended with a disappointing play-in tournament exit. Now, they have a chance at a silver lining, and more importantly, a new chapter in the dismal story Harrison had started to write for the franchise.

There’s a chance the Mavericks could trade the pick, perhaps as the centerpiece in a deal for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is reportedly open to leaving the Milwaukee Bucks. But Dallas fans need the healing only a homegrown star can provide. Drafting Flagg would give Mavericks fans someone with them from the beginning of his career to rally behind, with the same kind of seismic potential Dončić once brought. Trading the pick for another star, in yet another attempt to manufacture a contender through trades, wouldn’t mend the wound left by Harrison’s unraveling of the Dirk Nowitzki-to-Dončić handoff – one that symbolized more than two decades of Mavs continuity. Flagg offers a clean slate, one that finally anchors the present and future after Harrison mortgaged most of the team’s draft capital in the Dončić era.

Mavs fans never deserved Harrison’s mismanagement. The lottery win was a near-impossible stroke of luck. Before Monday night, Mavericks fans braced for a bleak future. Anthony Davis, the return centerpiece for Dončić, has struggled with injuries since arriving. Kyrie Irving is expected to miss the first half of next season recovering from an ACL tear at age 33.

Harrison has been public enemy number one since trading Dončić to the rival Lakers in February. Chants calling for his firing have erupted across Dallas, from college basketball games and concerts to Medieval Times. He avoided his usual seat at the Mavs’ arena. He delayed holding a press conference until forced by Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont. The coffee shop where Harrison and Pelinka first discussed a Dončić trade has marked the infamous table with “Luka was traded here” on a laminated strip. But on lottery night, Harrison was seen leaping with joy when Dallas secured the first pick. Rumors were already swirling that Dumont wanted to bring in a seasoned executive to assist him on basketball decisions. It’s safe to say winning the lottery has saved his job although the blame doesn’t stop with him. He was hired by Mark Cuban, retained by Miriam Adelson, and empowered by Dumont.

Now Harrison and the Mavs have an unexpected chance to rebuild trust with their fans. The Mavericks have historically built through the draft, from Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman in 1981 to Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Jalen Brunson, and Dončić. Harrison may be too steeped in his own arrogance to see that. His many tone-deaf comments on the Dončić trade revealed a staggering lack of understanding of the fanbase that pays his checks.

Winning the draft lottery at such odds takes either a miracle or a grand conspiracy. Knowing what to do with the gift you’ve been given should be a no-brainer. We have a little over a month to find out what kind of leader Harrison chooses to be.

The Knicks mounted a second-half comeback in front of a frenzied Madison Square Garden crowd, securing a Game 4 win over the Celtics and a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Here's how the NYC back pages reacted...

Here's our @nydnsports back page. @nyknicks#knicks@nba@APSE_sportmediahttps://t.co/bYtvRCKUiUpic.twitter.com/lAvzSNu5EW

— Back Page Guy NYDN (@BackPageGuyNYDN) May 13, 2025

The back page: SHOCK & ROLL!

Knicks a win from ousting champs
Celts star Tatum seriously Injured

Read more: https://t.co/guYIFL958epic.twitter.com/0UHWkKJTTa

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 13, 2025

I’m gonna go get the papers, get the papers: back page edition. pic.twitter.com/NuXFmO3fPf

— Robert Shields (@rshields37) May 13, 2025

The ‘gut punch' of Steph's injury with Warriors' season on the brink originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Not much longer after Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum let his emotions out on the Madison Square Garden floor, grabbing at his right leg and needing a wheelchair to exit the arena, Steph Curry sat on the sidelines Monday night and watched his Warriors lose a third straight game without him against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals.

Damian Lillard tore his left Achilles in the first round. The top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers have seen their best players deal with multiple injuries in the second round and are one loss away from their season ending early. Injuries aren’t why the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in the first round, but it was revealed after that LeBron James sustained a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee in the last game. 

They’re inevitable, and they’ve taken down other players in these playoffs. Injuries are a cruel part of the game, no matter a player’s age. Tatum is in his prime at 27 years old, but will likely miss all of next season and there’s no telling what a serious injury will do to someone’s career long term.

Listening back to the end of Curry’s first comments after his Grade 1 left hamstring strain, the sting cuts a little deeper. 

It starts with admitting that this injury is “more frustrating” than when he had to miss playoff games in the past.

“Every opportunity I have now, you don’t want it to be wasted on an injury,” Curry said.

He recognized that other players have dealt with worse injuries than him. That he’s lucky and thankful to even have an opportunity to return. Positivity has to be the main focus of long and lonely rehab days. Reality also can’t be completely ignored. 

“Injuries are always hard emotionally, just because you know none of this is guaranteed to be back in this environment or in the playoff experience,” Curry continued. 

It was how he answered a follow-up question to that answer in closing his availability that has to make watching the last three games so infuriating for him. Curry knew. 

He knew that he was feeling himself in Game 1, bouncing around Minnesota’s home court at the Target Center. He knew that the Warriors could beat the Timberwolves, and once the Warriors make it that far, he likes his chances. Curry had just rattled off 14 points in the fourth quarter 48 hours prior in Houston to again crush the Rockets’ fan base in Game 7, and he was then up to 13 points in 13 minutes against the Timberwolves. 

Steph was rhythm and flow, tapping into his powers before the pain he felt in the back of his left leg might as well have been stabbing at his heart. 

“You fight through the last two months of the season, a hard first round, you get to a Game 7 – the way that we were playing and the way that I was playing individually that first half, I was starting to feel really, really good about where we were at,” Curry said. “And then you kind of get a gut punch like that.” 

Steve Kerr said Curry was “crushed” when he saw him at halftime of Game 1. Reports have tears trickling down his face. Steph knows. 

That he’s 37 years old and greatness always has an expiration date, even as he keeps pushing back the goal posts. Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy went all-in at the NBA trade deadline, acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat. Butler is 35, as is Draymond Green. 

This is it. Curry, Butler and Green’s contracts are all lined up through the 2026-27 season for one last run. Each year, the mountain becomes steeper to climb, and an injury is only another hurdle in the obstacle course they’re navigating at this point of their careers. 

Curry will be re-evaluated Wednesday, the same day of Game 5 with the Warriors’ backs against the wall and one loss away from the door being shut on their season. Curry never expected to play Game 5, and nobody within the Warriors is going to ask him to rush an injury as a savior. 

“We’re not going to Superman this thing,” Draymond Green said. “If he’s in a place where he can play, I’m sure he will. Him and Rick [Celebrini] and everybody will figure that out. But we don’t need Superman.

“Gotta play the long game. If he can, we know he will. But there’s no pressure. We’ve got to figure out how to win whether he plays or not.” 

Steph has worn the colors of Superman under his Warriors threads and tied an invisible cape countless times. He has his Robin now, but everybody knows who Batman is. Butler was brilliant in a five-point Game 3 loss that was the Warriors’ chance to steal a game and extend the series, furthering the probability Curry comes back, and wasn’t the same Monday night in their Game 4 loss. 

For as great as it is to see Jonathan Kuminga regain his strength in Curry’s absence, he isn’t going to carry the Warriors past the Timberwolves. Brandin Podziemski is shooting historically bad this series, Buddy Hield’s scoring has amounted to empty points and Moses Moody has a total of six points and one made shot in the last five games. 

There’s always the possibility the Warriors defy the odds. Nothing is definitive with Curry’s injury or what will happen the rest of the series, starting Wednesday night in Minnesota. The three-day break the Warriors get between Game 5 and Game 6 could be found money for Curry’s recovery. 

Yet nothing changes the gut punch Curry, the Warriors and the rest of the basketball world is feeling right now. 

The album isn’t the same as it once was. A Steph Show, though, is still second to none.

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NBC Sports adds Vince Carter to NBA broadcast team as a studio analyst originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Another Basketball Hall of Famer is joining NBC.

One day after announcing Michael Jordan would be a special contributor, NBC Sports revealed Tuesday that Vince Carter will be a studio analyst next season.

“I could not be more excited and appreciative to have the opportunity to be a part of the historic return of the NBA to NBC and now Peacock,” Carter said. “I am truly looking forward to joining Melo in the studio and the rest of the broadcast team overall, as we embark on bringing NBA fans best-in-class coverage of the league they love.”

Carter will be in the studio one or more nights per week alongside Carmelo Anthony, who will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. Carter was inducted last year with the class of 2024.

Aside from Carter, Anthony and Jordan, NBC has made several other hires with the NBA returning to the network for the first time since 2002. Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford will be lead game analysts, while Mike Tirico and Noah Eagle will be play-by-play announcers.

Throughout his 22-year career, Carter was an eight-time All-Star who was known for his emphatic dunks. His iconic moments include winning the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest and jumping over 7-foot-2 France center Frédéric Weis in a dunk at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Carter played for eight teams: the Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks.

More hires for the NBA on NBC team are expected to be announced in the coming days and months ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Championship to uncertainty: Tatum injury changes everything for Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

No matter how long you’re around this game, it’s still absolutely jarring just how quickly things can change in the NBA.

One moment it feels like everything is lining up for the Boston Celtics to fight their way back to the championship stage. An instant later, the team is on the brink of elimination and starting at an impossibly murky future.

Everything got flipped upside down for the Boston Celtics with 2:58 remaining in Monday’s Game 4 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Jayson Tatum crumpled to the floor clutching his right ankle as Boston fumbled away another double-digit, second-half lead.

The visuals seem to suggest everyone’s worse fear: a potential ruptured Achilles and the possibility that Tatum could be sidelined until the 2026-27 season.

Boston’s title hopes were already slipping away in the fourth quarter before Tatum’s injury. The Celtics were scrambling to avoid a 3-1 hole, and yet things went from bad to so much worse.

Before we get too deep in the future weeds, let’s state the obvious: The Celtics have to somehow dust themselves off and put their entire focus on keeping their 2024-25 season alive with Wednesday’s Game 5 at TD Garden. You can’t win three games on Wednesday, but you can win one.

The Celtics are 16-3 without Tatum since the start of last season, including a gritty Game 2 win over the Magic in the opening round of these 2025 playoffs. There is more than enough talent to remain competitive, though it’s understandable if players’ heads are spinning after watching Tatum get helped off the floor. It doesn’t help that Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Sam Hauser have all battled their own ailments this postseason.

Even before the Tatum injury, there were already questions about the future of this core with Boston having a prohibitively expensive roster. Now, if Tatum spends all of next season rehabbing, there could be even more motivation to trim costs with hopes of eliminating some of the second-apron restrictions that were set to hinder Boston’s quest for long-term title contention.

You could sense the reality sinking in for the Celtics as players spoke in Boston’s hushed locker room after the game. Forget the daunting task in front of them in trying to rally out of a 3-1 hole; the team must decide the most prudent path forward this summer. Changes were already coming, and now they feel particularly inevitable.

🔊 Celtics Talk POSTGAME POD: C’s season pushed to the BRINK after losing Game 4, Jayson Tatum to injury | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube

The Celtics are already committed to $228 million in contracts next season. They are nearly $20 million over the second apron, and that’s before addressing a pair of free-agents-to-be in Al Horford and Luke Kornet. The team is currently projected to have a $238 million luxury tax bill, which would push the team closer to a half billion total spend if the roster was maintained.

The big question now isn’t how Boston keeps as much of its title core as possible, but instead, how does the team shed the necessary salary that will allow it to best compete when Tatum is healthy again? Would the team embrace a potentially bumpy 2025-26 with hopes of both stabilizing costs and adding young talent? (Think what the Spurs did in 1996-97 when David Robinson’s injuries begat Tim Duncan.)

The core of this team is wildly expensive. Tatum’s maximum-salary extension kicks in next season, and he’ll earn $54.1 million even if he doesn’t touch the floor. Brown will make $53.1 million in the second year of his max contract. Holiday is slated to earn $32.4 million, while Porzingis is at $30.7 million. Derrick White’s salary spikes to $28.1 million. That’s nearly $200 million on your starters.

Does 39-year-old Al Horford want to come back to a team in transition? Can the Celtics afford to keep Sam Hauser in the first year of his four-year, $45 million extension?

The Celtics must ponder every avenue forward. Do you toss the keys to Jaylen Brown and hope he can keep you competitive without Tatum? Or do you ponder a more jarring roster teardown and the possibility of moving Brown’s bulky salary to best reshape this core?

Chasing titles is a lot more fun than figuring out how it might look the next time the Celtics are in position to do so. We all knew this core had a short window when Brad Stevens made the big-swing moves to add Porzingis and Holiday in the 2023 offseason. We all tried to focus on the current quest to repeat and said we’d worry about those tougher decisions down the road.

The Tatum injury is accelerating those questions.

If the Celtics aren’t able to rally out of a 3-1 deficit — a spot they probably shouldn’t be in, regardless of injury, after fumbling away three double-digit, second-half leads to the Knicks — there will always be a bit of “What if?” with this team. This is a championship squad that won in its first season together but could never quite bottle up that magic again.

It feels a lot like the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. Kevin Garnett’s knee injury in 2009 derailed a team that seemed like it might be even better than the title squad from a season prior. Even if the 2024-25 squad never quite popped to the level of last year’s title team, it felt like the path back to the Finals might be opening, particularly with top-seeded Cleveland on the ropes in its semifinal series against the Pacers.

And yet the Celtics couldn’t get out of their own way even before Tatum got hurt.

All eyes now turn to Stevens, the architect behind this title roster. Stevens made bold decisions to acquire Porzingis and Holiday, shipping out core members in Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III. Even of the heels of a disappointing exit in the 2023 East Finals, those moves hit like gut punches that offseason.

The moves this summer could feel the same. We feel for new owner Bill Chisholm, who soon will finalize a $6.1 billion splurge to purchase the team but potentially will have to navigate Year 1 without the face of his franchise.

This would all be even more difficult if Boston hadn’t raised a banner last year. This core still carved out its own slice of Celtics history by obtaining Banner 18. But it’s also another harsh reminder of just how fast things flip in the NBA, and that nothing is ever promised in a league where things change in a blink of an eye.

Losing a season of Tatum’s prime is particularly infuriating. That it could force the Celtics to further overhaul their roster and take a step back is even more infuriating. You’re left hoping that Tatum comes back even more motivated after the recovery in front of him.

There is still more basketball to be played. The Celtics seem to produce some of their best ball whenever a key member of their core is missing. The task in front of them is daunting.

But maybe not as ominous as what comes next whenever this 2024-25 ride ends.