Steal and Alley-Oop Leave Bucks One Win From an N.B.A. Title

By BY JONATHAN ABRAMS from NYT Sports Jrue Holiday’s daring decisions sealed a victory for Milwaukee in Game 5, giving the Bucks a 3-2 series lead over the Phoenix Suns.https://nyti.ms/2VMGQ7i

Steal and Alley-Oop Leave Bucks One Win From an N.B.A. Title

By BY JONATHAN ABRAMS from NYT Sports Jrue Holiday’s daring decisions sealed a victory for Milwaukee in Game 5, giving the Bucks a 3-2 series lead over the Phoenix Suns.https://nyti.ms/3hMAjlG

A Free-Throw Expert’s Advice for Giannis: Just Shoot It

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star, has frustrated fans and opponents with his drawn-out free-throw routine that often ends with a miss.https://nyti.ms/2UjclFL

A Block to Remember Evens the Series for the Bucks

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports Deandre Ayton seemed to be wide open next to the basket. Giannis Antetokounmpo had other ideas.https://nyti.ms/3B6nGcR

Suns Find the Open Man: It’s Usually Devin Booker

By BY JONATHAN ABRAMS from NYT Sports “If Book shoots it, I expect it to go in,” Chris Paul said after Phoenix took a 2-0 lead over Milwaukee in the N.B.A. Finals.https://nyti.ms/3e18HqR

A Star’s Return Is Not Enough as the Bucks Fall to the Suns

By BY JONATHAN ABRAMS from NYT Sports Giannis Antetokounmpo came back from injury, but the Suns beat the Bucks, 118-105.https://nyti.ms/3ysKxNF

Rachel Nichols Out for N.B.A. Finals Coverage on ABC

By BY KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports Comments made by Nichols that were caught on tape caused tremendous upheaval within ESPN over the past year. Nichols, who is white, suggested that a Black colleague, Maria Taylor, had been selected for a marquee job because of her race.https://nyti.ms/3yttYkF

What it Means to Be Clutch in Basketball’s Biggest Moments

By BY JONATHAN ABRAMS from NYT Sports Legends are made in the N.B.A. finals, which begin Tuesday. Basketball players who have come through in high-stakes moments like this explain how they did it.https://nyti.ms/36dqxCw

Bucks Beat Hawks and Advance to the N.B.A. Finals

By BY SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports Milwaukee was playing without its injured star, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks will face the Phoenix Suns in the finals.https://nyti.ms/3dJ6pfF

After Years of Heartache, the Ball Is Finally Bouncing the Suns’ Way

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports Phoenix is the first team to the make the Finals after missing the playoffs for 10 straight seasons.https://nyti.ms/3yeFEaI

Phoenix Suns Headed to First N.B.A. Finals in Almost 30 Years

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports This will be the first trip to the finals for the Suns’ veteran leader, Chris Paul, who scored 41 points in the series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.https://nyti.ms/2SFBeL5

The N.B.A. Champion May Literally Be the Last Team Standing

By BY SOPAN DEB AND MARC STEIN from NYT Sports Injuries to stars have dominated and reshaped the playoffs, raising questions about the legitimacy of winning it all this year in a weakened field.https://nyti.ms/2Trr1C9

Anthony Davis and the Lakers Are Back on Their Feet

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA from NYT Sports In Los Angeles, a star absorbs a few blows as he delivers shot after shot, leading the Lakers past the Suns.https://nyti.ms/34nM4Ye

Why Being a Knicks Fan Hurts So Good

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA AND SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports Knicks fans used to disappointment are now reveling in a season of joy. “God forbid, if we win, we are going to burn this city down,” one famous fan said.https://nyti.ms/349LHQV

Why Being a Knicks Fan Hurts So Good

By BY SCOTT CACCIOLA AND SOPAN DEB from NYT Sports Knicks fans used to disappointment are now reveling in a season of joy. “God forbid, if we win, we are going to burn this city down,” one famous fan said.https://nyti.ms/3u6JYqc

Harthorne Wingo, 1970s Knick With Much-Chanted Name, Dies at 73

By BY RICHARD SANDOMIR from NYT Sports The bench player with the unusual name became a favorite of the team’s fans, who filled Madison Square Garden with cries of “Wing-o! Wing-o!”https://nyti.ms/3pl9zdu

From Kobe to LeBron: Tragedy and Triumph in the N.B.A.

By BY MARC STEIN from NYT Sports A year that began with the deaths of two N.B.A. icons could not end soon enough, marked by heartache along the way but also small moments worth celebrating now.https://nyti.ms/34UPcLX

The 2020 Moments When Sports Made Sense

By BY THE NEW YORK TIMES from NYT Sports Sports were not a simple salve for the events of 2020, but they still provided some moments of joy, levity and shared humanity.https://nyti.ms/3pDWZWb

K.C. Jones, Celtics Standout as Player and Coach, Dies at 88

By BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN from NYT Sports As a defense-minded guard, he played on eight consecutive championship teams. He later found success leading the team from the sidelines.https://nyti.ms/3rszhy3

Tom Heinsohn, Champion Celtic as Player and Coach, Is Dead at 86

By BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN from NYT Sports His blood always ran green: eight titles with Boston as a Hall of Fame forward and two as head coach followed by a three-decade career as a die-hard Celtics broadcaster.https://nyti.ms/32zer5n