Basketball

DALLAS (AP) — Kyrie Irving is a year away from having the option to leave the Dallas Mavericks, and at that point would be closing in on his longest stint anywhere since asking out of Cleveland, where he was drafted, in 2017.

The Dallas Wings have been struggling this year, with injuries taking a major toll. The team has dropped eight straight games and plays six of its next seven on the road.

Michael Jordan needed seven seasons to win his first title. LeBron James needed nine seasons and two futile trips to the NBA Finals before he became a champion. Shaquille O’Neal got swept in his first finals.

BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum put his hands behind his head, with TD Garden fans standing on their feet cheering around him, and took it all in. Walking to the bench, he wrapped both arms around Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla. The journey was complete.

BOSTON (AP) — In 2008, the Celtics ended a 22-year championship drought led by a Big 3. Sixteen years later, they did it again following the play of a dynamic duo.

BOSTON (AP) — Kristaps Porzingis returned for the Boston Celtics just in time to help them win an NBA championship.

BOSTON (AP) — Short jumpers rolled off the rim and 3-pointers went in and out. Even free throws were a challenge for Luka Doncic in the clinching game of the NBA Finals.

Luka Doncic's first trip to the NBA Finals didn't result in his first championship. That said, the Dallas star most definitely left his mark on these playoffs.

Joe Mazzulla has been called weird. He’s been called a sicko. He’s been called crazy. Those comments weren’t coming from critics or haters directing anonymous insults toward the coach of the Boston Celtics.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas tourism chief Steve Hill said he will interview Tuesday with the lead investigator who is examining whether WNBA rules were broken when sponsorship deals were offered last month to Las Vegas Aces players.