USA MAN'S BASKETBALL OLYMPIC TEAM ARRIVES FOR CAMP I LAS VEGAS

 LAS VEGAS (AP) — There’s something that Kobe Bryant once said that has stuck with U.S. men’s Olympic basketball coach Steve Kerr and seems especially important now.

It was about how other nations have made big strides in basketball, how the gap between the rest of the world and the U.S. is closing and how that’s been a great thing for the NBA. And Bryant’s response, paraphrased, was basically, “so what?”

His point: If everyone else is getting better, then the U.S. better find ways to do the same.

“Maybe we’ll show that one to the guys,” Kerr said. “I love that. And it has to be our attitude this summer.”

After months of planning, it’s time for the U.S. Olympic team — one that will go to the Paris Games later this month seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal — to take the floor. The first practice for the squad is Saturday, the start of a four-day training camp before its exhibition opener against Canada on Wednesday.

Players began arriving Thursday in Las Vegas; Stephen Curry was the first to check in for camp, perhaps underscoring how anxious he is for what will be his first Olympics. The 12 players have all known each other for years, but the task of becoming a team starts in earnest Saturday.

“I feel like it starts when it gets there, because that’s when you really see each other eye-to-eye,” said Bam Adebayo, who is seeking his second gold medal after winning one at the Tokyo Games three years ago. “You have those conversations, you have those many conversations within what we’re going through, what we’re trying to do. And that’s when it’s time to really be honest about what we want to do.”

That part is easy: Win gold.

The how-to-do-it part, that’s the key.

Last year brought another humbling World Cup experience for the U.S.; after finishing seventh in 2019, the Americans were fourth at Manila. But the argument — or justification, for lack of a better word — for those stumbles was that the U.S. wasn’t sending the best possible roster to those tournaments. Getting the big names like Kevin Durant and LeBron James for the Olympics, that’s one thing. Getting them for the World Cup and asking them to represent their country in back-to-back summers, that’s something else.

Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards were on that World Cup team last summer and were picked for this Olympic team as well.

“Obviously, last year we didn’t do what we wanted to do,” Haliburton said. “And that was frustrating because any time you get to represent USA Basketball, the expectation is to win. And we weren’t able to do that.”

This team was put together with a very different ending in mind. James is back on the Olympic team for the first time since 2012 and seeking a third gold, Durant is going for what would be a men’s Olympic record fourth basketball gold, and five other players — Adebayo, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis — each have one. The first-time Olympians are Haliburton, Edwards, Curry, Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid, someone who the U.S. convinced to play despite a strong push by France for the Philadelphia star to represent the host nation in Paris.

As far as choosing a starting lineup, good luck.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Kerr said. “I’m guessing that all 12 players on this roster will be in the Hall of Fame someday. So, how do you pick five out of 12? The idea is, you find combinations that click, and you find two-way lineups that can be effective at both ends. Our big job in Las Vegas is to find five-man combinations that fit and to just ask all 12 guys to fully commit to the goal of winning a gold medal no matter what it looks like, no matter who’s playing.”

The Americans play their first exhibition against Canada in Las Vegas, then have games at Abu Dhabi (against Australia and Serbia) and London (against South Sudan and Germany) before the Paris Games start. The U.S. opens Olympic play July 28 against Serbia and will also have group games against South Sudan and the winner of Sunday’s qualifier in Puerto Rico — either Mexico, Lithuania, Italy or Puerto Rico.

“We’ve got 39 days or so to get locked in to go get this gold medal, 12 amazing, talented guys ready to come together for one goal,” Curry said when he arrived to check in for camp. “I’m hyped for it all.”

CELTICS BEAT MAVERICKS 105-98, TAKE 2-0 LEAD IN NBA FINALS AS SERIES HEADS TO DALLAS

AP

 BOSTON (AP) — Jrue Holiday led the scoring. Derrick White added a chase-down block. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown pitched in, too — with their passing and defense.

The Mavericks can stop worrying about who Boston's best player is. Everyone is contributing to the Celtics' quest for an unprecedented 18th NBA championship.

Holiday had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and White sprinted down the court to swat away the Mavericks' last chance on Sunday night as Boston beat Dallas 105-98 to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

Tatum made up for a rough shooting night with 12 assists and nine rebounds to go with his 18 points. Brown scored 21 with three steals, White had 18 points and three steals, and Payton Pritchard’s only basket of the game was a banked half-courter to beat the third quarter buzzer and give Boston an 83-74 lead.

“That’s why they are the No. 1 team in the NBA with the No. 1 record,” said Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who scored 32 with 11 rebounds and 11 assists — the first NBA Finals triple-double in Dallas franchise history. “They have a lot of great players. Basically, anybody can get off.”

Doncic, who was listed as questionable to play less than two hours before the opening tipoff, had his 10th career playoff triple-double. But he scored only three points in the fourth, converting a three-point play with 1:15 left as Dallas scored nine in a row to cut a 14-point deficit to 103-98.

After Derrick Jones Jr. blocked Tatum's dunk attempt, White ran down the court, joining with Brown to block P.J. Washington's potential dunk. Brown made a layup at the other end, and then Doncic missed a one-footed, running floater from 3-point range with 28 seconds left, ending Dallas' last chance at a comeback.

“It’s not all on him. It’s a team,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said of Doncic, who had been battling chest, knee and ankle injuries. “He put us in a position. He was really good tonight. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get over the hump. We’ve got to find someone to join Luka and (Kyrie Irving) in that scoring category.”

AP

Games 3 and 4 are Wednesday and Friday in Dallas; Boston has not lost on the road this postseason. It was the ninth time the Celtics have won the opening pair in the NBA Finals: They have won the previous eight, and have never been forced to a Game 7 in any of them.

A day after Kidd attempted to sow dissension in the Celtics locker room by calling Brown — not Tatum, an All-NBA first-teamer — the team's best player, Boston showed why it doesn't matter. The two All-Stars combined to make 2 of 12 3-point attempts, but filled up the box score in other ways.

“How they play together is sacred, and something that can’t be broken,” Holiday said. "I don’t prefer one or the other, I prefer both. Because they’re both superstars, and they're showing it on the biggest stage in the world.”

Kristaps Porzingis limped his way to 12 points for top-seeded Boston. Tatum was 6 for 22 shooting and 1 of 7 from 3-point range; the Celtics were 10 for 39 from long distance overall.

“I’m really tired of hearing about one guy or this guy or that guy and everybody trying to make it out to be anything other than Celtic basketball,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “Everybody that stepped on that court today made winning plays on both ends of the floor.”

Unlike their 107-89 victory in Game 1, when Boston went 7 for 15 from 3-point range in the first quarter to sprint to a 17-point lead, the Celtics missed their first eight attempts from long range on Sunday. Dallas led the entire first quarter.

AP

Tatum was scoreless in the first and had only five at halftime, when he was still 0 for 3 from 3-point range. Boston was still just 5 for 30 from long distance when Pritchard banked in a half-courter at the third-quarter buzzer to give Boston an 83-74 lead.

That excited the crowd, which previously had spent most of its time serenading Irving with boos — and semi-vulgar chants. Before the game, the scoreboard showed Irving's postgame quote from Game 1, where he said he thought the crowd would be louder.

The fans roared.

Irving, who scored 16 points, has lost 12 games in a row against the Celtics.

“A little disappointed in myself not being able to convert a lot more of my opportunities in the lane,” he said. “My teammates look for me to convert a lot of shots and lessen the burden not only on Luka but the entire team.”

- JIMMY GOLEN

CELTICS COMPLETE SWEEP OF PACERS, PUNCH TICKET TO FINALS

USA TODAY Sports 

 Derrick White had missed 7 of 8 3-point attempts when he found himself open in the right corner of the floor in the final minute of a tie game with an NBA Finals berth at stake.

He watched Jaylen Brown handle the ball and was just waiting for his Boston Celtics teammate to deliver a pass. Once Brown did just that, it was White's turn to make a play.

"Just was trusting that JB is going to make the right play like he has this entire year," White said. "I got a good look and wanted to stay in the shot and knock it down."

White drained the 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and the Celtics finished off a four-game sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals with a 105-102 victory on Monday night at Indianapolis.

"It's a credit to him," Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said of White. "He's another guy who has short-term memory. The last (missed) shot doesn't bother him, he plays with a sense of presence."

Brown scored 29 points and Jayson Tatum added 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists as the top-seeded Celtics landed a spot in the Finals for the second time in the past three seasons.

"It's been nothing but a grind," Brown said. "We didn't skip no steps all season. We have a bunch of great guys in this locker room. We have a bunch of tough guys and our coaching staff and front office has been great. Now we want to take it to the next step."

Andrew Nembhard had 24 points and a playoff career-high 10 assists for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who lost in the East finals for the eighth time in nine trips. Indiana's only victory was over the New York Knicks in 2000.

Boston overcame a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter while once again playing better basketball down the stretch.

A defensive breakdown by the Pacers left White standing alone in the right corner on the decisive shot. Brown, who was named the MVP of the series, spotted him and his pinpoint pass was on the mark, and White's shot swished through the net.

Nembhard missed a 3-pointer with 33.6 seconds left and Tatum got the rebound. Indiana decided not to foul, and Tatum missed a trey with 8.3 seconds remaining. But Jrue Holiday collected the offensive rebound with 4.7 seconds left, and the Celtics ran out the clock.

It was Boston's second straight comeback win in Indianapolis. The Celtics overcame an eight-point deficit with 2:38 left in Game 3 to post a 114-111 victory. Boston trailed by as many as 18 in that contest.

"We never say die," Tatum said. "These were some tough games we had to play in, and we always find a way to figure it out. It's different guys every single night and we sacrifice in order to reach our ultimate goal."

Holiday had 17 points and nine rebounds and White added 16 points, five steals and three blocked shots for the Celtics, who will face either the Dallas Mavericks or Minnesota Timberwolves in the Finals.

Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 10 rebounds and T.J. McConnell added 15 points for Indiana. Aaron Nesmith scored 14 points and Obi Toppin added 12.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) missed his second straight game.

"The level of fight was tremendous all the way through this," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said of his team. "Circumstance never fazes them one way or the other. They were in this to win every possession that they could and any game that they could.

"A lot of respect to our players and how they conducted themselves in the series."

The Celtics shot 44.9 percent from the field, including 14 of 44 from 3-point range.

Indiana made 46 percent of its shot attempts and was 10 of 29 from behind the arc.

McConnell scored six points in 64 seconds early in the fourth quarter to give the Pacers an 89-82 lead. A three-point play by Nembhard made it 94-85 with 8:57 remaining.

After Boston moved within four, Nesmith made back-to-back baskets to give Indiana a 98-90 lead with 5:56 to go.

The Celtics answered with an 8-2 run, moving within 100-98 on Holiday's three-point play with 3:54 remaining.

Brown's runner tied the score at 102 with 2:40 left.

Tatum scored 16 points before halftime as Boston led 58-57 at the break. Nembhard also tallied 16 points in the first half.

The Pacers took an 83-80 advantage into the final stanza but were outplayed by Boston down the stretch of a close game for the third time in the series. Indiana lost Game 1 in overtime.

"It's hard because I think when you look at all those games, we were right there," Siakam said. "It stings and it's hard because I know how hard we work.

"It's heartbreaking losses after heartbreaking losses. ... It doesn't matter how good we played. We didn't get it done."

- Reuters 

CELTICS SURVIVE PACERS IN OT TO TAKE GAMES 1 OF EAST FINALS

 The Indiana Pacers came into Boston and pushed the Celtics to the brink on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Indiana was up by five with just under two minutes left in regulation, but Boston found a way to force overtime before going on to win 133-128 to open the best-of-seven series on a high note.

Now the top-seeded Celtics will try to win Game 2, something they haven't been able to do this postseason. They failed to go up 2-0 on the Miami Heat in the first round, then had to settle for a 1-1 series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the semifinals.

"We just gotta be prepared," Boston star Jaylen Brown said. "We know it. We've seen it. We've been hearing it. Now we just have to come out and execute and be better. We will."

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals is scheduled for Thursday in Boston.

Jayson Tatum collected a game-high 36 points and 12 rebounds in Boston's Game 1 victory against Indiana. He scored 10 points in overtime, including five straight that gave the Celtics a 127-123 lead with 42.9 seconds to play.

Jrue Holiday added 28 points and Brown finished with 26 for Boston.

Andrew Nembhard canned a 3-pointer to put the Pacers up 115-110 with 1:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, but then the Celtics took over.

Holiday converted a layup and Brown sank two free throws to get Boston within one, 115-114, with 57.4 seconds to go. Nembhard stemmed the tide with a jumper, and Indiana took its 117-114 edge into what was originally supposed to be the game's final seconds.

But Brown knocked down a trey from the corner, knotting things at 117 with 6.1 seconds on the clock. Indiana star guard Tyrese Haliburton missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, sending the contest to overtime.

Three free throws from Haliburton in the extra session put the Pacers ahead 123-121 with 1:46 left, but Tatum answered with a three-point play, and the Celtics never gave up the lead the rest of the way.

Haliburton had 25 points and 10 assists. Pascal Siakam finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the sixth-seeded Pacers, who received 23 points from Myles Turner.

"Our guys just need to concentrate on fighting the way they fought in (Game 1) from start to finish, and we'll be back Thursday," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "We did a lot of good things that we need to continue to do. We've been a tough-minded and resilient team, really for almost the entire second half of the year. We have to continue with that and come back in here on Thursday night."

Indiana made 9 of 10 free throws in the game. Boston was 24-for-30 from the foul line.

The Pacers committed 22 turnovers that led to 32 Celtics points.

The Celtics led 34-31 after one quarter, and it was 64-64 at halftime. The Pacers used a 9-0 spurt to pull within four points, 92-88, late in the third quarter, and they trailed 94-93 entering the fourth.

"They scored a lot of points in transition," Brown said. "We gotta clean that up. We want to get them in a half-court game as much as possible.

"Defense is where we have to hang our hat. We have to make sure we execute on defense and the majority of it is transition -- getting back in transition. No layups. Gotta run."

- Reuters