News Flash: Warriors Heading to Playoffs (and the Earth Is Round, Too)

Stop the presses! The Golden State Warriors are going to the playoffs. With a record of 49-9, the team has clinched a berth with a mind-boggling 24 games to play. It sealed the deal on Saturday, Feb. 25, the earliest date ever. Last year’s record-breaking team did not wrap up the playoffs until Feb. 27. Sorry, Sacramento and Portland,…

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In Warriors’ Rout of Cavaliers, a Big Dose of Catharsis

OAKLAND, Calif. — An evening of collective catharsis for many basketball fans here reached its most satisfying apex in the form of a forearm shiver. Midway through the second quarter, Draymond Green, no stranger to contact or controversy, prevented the forward progress of LeBron James by throwing the full weight of his 230-pound frame into the general vicinity of…

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Cavaliers-Warriors Rematch Carries Meaning for Past and Future

OAKLAND, Calif. — No team is immune from the rigors of the N.B.A. schedule, not even royalty like the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers are on their most extended trip of the season, a stretch that has already included five games in five cities. They have persevered through illness, injury, snowstorms and personnel moves to win three of…

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Russell Westbrook: The Triple-Double Machine

Westbrook, the Thunder guard, is dominating opponents thisseason with double-digit averages in points, rebounds and assists. Russell Westbrook needed one more assist for another triple-double in his ruthless campaign across the N.B.A., so he drove the lane and tried to thread a pass to Joffrey Lauvergne, his teammate with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead, the ball bobbled loose for…

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LeBron James Delivered on His Promise in 2016

LeBron James was present at two Game 7 thrillers in 2016 but played in only one of them. It was on the night of June 19 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., where James and the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the N.B.A. Finals. Before bringing the trophy home to Ohio — as…

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