Holiday, 76ers knock off Celtics, force Game 7

PHILADELPHIA — The buzz at the begin was for Allen Iverson’s ceremonial return. Yes, the Sixers are speaking about Game 7 — and they are taking this improbable postseason run back to Boston. Holiday scored 20 points, and Brand had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Sixers to an 82-75 victory over the Celtics on Wednesday night that tied the Eastern Conference semifinals. No team has won consecutive games in a series in which neither team has played ...

PBT: Holiday follows Rondo’s script to lead 76ers

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, for Philadelphia 76ers fans Game 6 Wednesday night was Kate Upton on the beach in Fiji. For the rest of us — especially Boston Celtics fans — it looked a lot more Joan Rivers. But what matters to Sixers fans are the results and the 82-75 Philly win ties the series at 3-3 and forces a Game 7 in Boston on Saturday. Philadelphia came in with a good defensive plan that ...

Heat roll, take 3-2 lead over banged-up Pacers

MIAMI — Suddenly, the road back to the Eastern Conference finals no longer looks daunting for Miami. Not after the Heat left the Pacers beat up and banged up. LeBron James scored 30 points, Dwyane Wade added 28, and the Heat moved a win away from the NBA’s final four with a 115-83 victory over the hurting Pacers on Tuesday night, a game where three flagrant fouls added more chapters to an already-physical series and Indiana watched starting forwards Danny ...

LeBron, Heat torch wounded Pacers, lead 3-2

Wade also stars as Miami rolls 115-83, moves within one game of Eastern finalsIssac Baldizon / Getty Images Contributor Miami’s LeBron James makes a three-point shot against Indiana on Tuesday. updated 11:36 p.m.

Westbrook, Durant lead OKC in ousting Lakers

OKLAHOMA CITY — With the Oklahoma City Thunder just starting to come to life, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant did not need to take a break. They will have enough time to rest as they get ready for a second straight trip to the Western Conference finals. Westbrook scored 28 points, Durant added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the two All-Stars skipped their usual rest periods to power the Thunder ahead in the second half for a 106-90 win ...

Celts fueled by Bass — yes, Bass — in Game 5

In Game 3, Doc Rivers went with a lot of small ball and not enough Brandon Bass, and after the loss stated he regretted it. Brandon Bass scored 18 of his 27 points in the third quarter — Bass alone outscore the Sixers 18-16 in the third — and that sparked a 101-85 win that gives the Celtics a 3-2 series lead. “I think it all started for us on the defensive end,” Bass stated after the game. “We were ...

Spurs reach West finals after sweep of Clips

LOS ANGELES — Tim Duncan scored 21 points, Tony Parkeradded 17 and the San Antonio Spurs rallied in the final minutes tobeat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-99 on Sunday night, closing outthe series 4-0 and advancing to the Western Conference finals. The Spurs extended their winning streak to 18 games and theirplayoff record to 8-0, tying the third-best postseason streak infranchise history. Daniel Green and Gary Neal added 14 points each, and Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter had 11 each ...

Red-hot Dodgers rally past Cardinals

updated 10:23 p.m. ET May 20, 2012 LOS ANGELES – Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke connected for his first major league homer, a go-ahead, three-run shot in the seventh inning against his dad’s former team, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night. Kyle Lohse granted three runs and 11 hits over 5 2-3 innings with four strikeouts and left with a 5-3 lead. But rookie Elian Herrera started the Dodgers’ ...

Durant’s tiebreaking 3 gives Thunder 3-1 lead

LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook scored 10 of his 37 points during a stirring fourth-quarter comeback, Kevin Durant added 31 points and hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder seized control of the second-round series with a 103-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 on Saturday night. Serge Ibaka scored 14 points for the second-seeded Thunder, who took a 3-1 series lead and moved to the brink of their second straight ...

PFT: Kitna goes from QB to high-school teacher

With the Minnesota Legislature officially signing off over a week ago on a new stadium for the Vikings and the Minneapolis City Council less than a week from applying (or not) its official approval to the project, Governor Mark Dayton recently explained his support for the effort in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio.