NBA FINALS
Kevin Durant scored 38 points in his first NBA Finals game with Golden State, Stephen Curry added 28 and the Warriors rolled to their 13th straight win this postseason by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-91 in Game 1.
With Durant on board, the opener of Cavs-Warriors III was a mismatch as Golden State scored the first 13 points of the third quarter to take a 21-point lead and never looked back.
LeBron James had 28 points and 15 rebounds for the Cavs but also finished with seven turnovers.
Cleveland has lost the opener in the Finals to Golden State for three straight years but did rally to win the championship in seven games last year.
NBA ELIGIBILITY RULE REVISIONS COMING?
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wants the NBA’s draft-eligibility rules changed. To what, he isn’t sure.
Less than a month away from a draft where about 20 players who completed just one year of college will be welcomed into the league, Silver expects the so-called “one-and-done” rule to be modified — somehow — before too long. But in saying that, Silver also acknowledged that even he isn’t certain what makes the most sense going forward.
Speaking before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Silver says the current system is “not working for anyone.” Silver says college coaches and athletic directors are among those not pleased. And he says NBA teams realize the players coming into the league are not getting the kind of training they would expect to see.
ARCHITECT OF PISTONS “BAD BOYS” TEAMS DIES
Jack McCloskey, the general manager who built the Detroit Pistons’ “Bad Boys” championship teams, died Thursday. He was 91.
The Pistons said McCloskey died in Savannah, Georgia. He had fought Alzheimer’s disease.
Led by McCloskey draft picks Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman — all Hall of Famers, along with coach Chuck Daly — and trade acquisitions Bill Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson, Rick Mahorn, Mark Aguirre and James Edwards, the Pistons won NBA titles in 1989 and 1990.
Known as “Trader Jack,” McCloskey helped guide Detroit to nine straight playoff appearances, five Eastern Conference Finals in a row, and three NBA Finals. He was honored in 2008 with a retirement ceremony, where his name was lifted to the rafters.
McCloskey played at the University of Pennsylvania, served in World War II with the U.S. Marines, and played one game in the NBA for the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1952-53 season.
He was Penn’s head coach from 1956-66, coached Wake Forest from 1966-72, and was the Portland Trail Blazers’ coach from 1972-74, going 48-116. He was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers until taking the Pistons’ job, and also worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors.