Basketball Wiretap

The Portland Trail Blazers have narrowed their head coaching search to three finalists, though the process has been delayed by the Carolina Hurricanes' run to the Stanley Cup Final. Team owner Tom Dundon also owns the Hurricanes, who are currently facing the Las Vegas Golden Knights for the NHL championship.

Sources tell The Stein Line that Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook and Blazers acting coach Tiago Splitter remain under consideration. Two previously identified finalists, Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy and Utah Jazz assistant Mike Williams, did not advance.

Portland launched its coaching search after Chauncey Billups was arrested last October amid a federal investigation. Splitter took over as interim head coach and guided the Blazers to the seventh seed in the Western Conference, marking the franchise's first playoff appearance since Damian Lillard's initial departure in 2023.

Lillard is set to return to Portland next season, giving the Blazers renewed optimism about competing in a deep Western Conference. The franchise has also signaled interest in acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo as part of a potential roster upgrade.

The Dallas Mavericks are focusing their head coaching search on NBA assistants, with several prominent candidates drawing official interest. Former head coach Terry Stotts is also expected to receive an interview, per sources.

Dallas has registered or plans to register formal interest in Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, Toronto Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, Boston Celtics assistant Tony Dobbins and Miami Heat consultant Noah LaRoche.

Stotts, who previously coached the Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks and once served as a Dallas assistant, is guaranteed a meeting with the club. Former majority owner Mark Cuban had previously recommended Stotts strongly for Jason Kidd's staff. Stotts recently departed his assistant role under Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors and is only pursuing head coaching positions at this time.

While the Mavericks have expressed interest in collegiate options Jon Scheyer and Dusty May, sources indicate an NBA hire remains the more probable outcome.

The search is being conducted by new general manager Mike Schmitz alongside Masai Ujiri. Sources within league coaching circles expect Ujiri to cast a wide net, potentially exploring candidates from European leagues and the women's game. Ujiri followed a similar broad approach after the 2022-23 season when he replaced Nick Nurse with Darko Rajkovic with the Toronto Raptors.

The Houston Rockets revealed new uniforms on Wednesday that draw directly from the franchise's iconic red-and-yellow look worn during their back-to-back NBA championship seasons in 1994 and 1995. The redesigned kits uniforms debut during the 2026-27 season.

The updated uniforms restore the "Championship Yellow" trim across Houston's home white, road red and alternate black jerseys, reviving the color scheme associated with Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon's title-winning teams. Pinstripes are also featured across all three versions.

Rockets vice chairman Patrick Fertitta connected the redesign directly to sustained fan demand.

"We heard our fans... ketchup and mustard is back!" said Fertitta. "From the time my family bought the team in 2017, we've heard from countless fans about how deeply these colors are tied to memories of Rockets basketball. We wanted to create something that celebrates the generations of fans who built Rockets basketball while inspiring the next generation of Rockets fans."

The uniforms also incorporate the "Dunkstronaut" logo, which the franchise describes as blending nostalgia with innovation while connecting the club to Houston's identity as Space City.

The white and black jerseys will display "Houston" across the chest, while the red road uniform will read "Rockets."

The NBA is investigating an exchange between Jalen Brunson and courtside fans during the final minute of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, sources confirmed to ESPN. The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 Wednesday night.

The incident occurred with 29.4 seconds remaining while teammate OG Anunoby was shooting free throws. Brunson, visibly agitated, spoke twice with crew chief Scott Foster during and after the game. He did not address the matter with reporters postgame.

Chris Haynes of Prime Video first reported the league's investigation.

The confrontation did not affect Brunson's performance. He finished with 30 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter without a turnover, as New York erased a 14-point third-quarter deficit. The Knicks have now won 12 consecutive playoff games, 11 by double figures, posting a plus-272 point differential over that stretch, the best in the NBA's 80-year history across regular season and postseason play.

The investigation arrives alongside a separate fan conduct matter from Game 1. The NBA issued a lifetime ban Thursday to a fan who ran onto the court during play attempting to take a selfie with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. A second individual also received a permanent ban for their involvement.

Fan behavior has drawn increased league attention in recent years. The NBA distributed a memo to all 30 franchises at the start of this season demanding consistent enforcement of its Fan Code of Conduct.

"It is critical that teams and arenas vigorously enforce the Code of Conduct and not tolerate any misconduct that impacts our players, fans, or otherwise disrupts the game," the league stated.

Jalen Brunson scored 30 points and the New York Knicks overcame a 14-point second-half deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night in San Antonio at Frost Bank Center.

Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 18 points and 12 rebounds, while OG Anunoby added 17 points. The Knicks closed the game on an 11-0 run to secure the road victory.

The win extended New York's postseason winning streak to 12 consecutive games, matching the second-longest single-postseason run in NBA history. The 1999 Spurs and 2017 Warriors each hit that mark before claiming championships.

Brunson delivered 13 of his points in the fourth quarter alone, including a spinning jumper while falling to the floor with 38 seconds remaining that effectively closed out San Antonio.

"He's a gamer, man," said Knicks coach Mike Brown. "In the biggest moments, he shows up. That's what MVPs are supposed to do."

Victor Wembanyama posted 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs but shot just 6-for-21 from the field in his Finals debut. Stephon Castle contributed 17 points, with Julian Champagnie and Dylan Harper each adding 16. Champagnie and Harper scored most of their points in the first half. 

"I was bad tonight," Wembanyama said. "It's not more complicated than that."

The Knicks also made history Wednesday, becoming the first team to defeat San Antonio in a Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Spurs had gone 6-0 in such games previously. New York has now won seven straight road playoff games by double digits, the longest such stretch in league history.

Game 2 is scheduled for Friday night in San Antonio with the Spurs favored by 5.5 points.

"We have a long way to go," Brunson said.

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The Dallas Mavericks have had exploratory conversations with Jon Scheyer of Duke and Dusty May of Michigan for their head coaching vacancy. Scheyer recruited and coached Cooper Flagg at Duke.

Both Scheyer and May are entrenched in the college game at their respective schools, but there has still been outreach to determine whether there is any mutual interest.

Scheyer has maintained Duke's position as the preeminent collegiate program following the retirement of Mike Krzyzewski and the transitions into the NIL era.

May led the Wolverines to the national championship this past season in just his second year with the school after being hired from Florida Atlantic. 

Masai Ujiri is searching for a new head coach after parting ways with Jason Kidd.

In Adam Silver's opening remarks with his press conference before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, he addressed how he views the current state of the league's parity as a matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks guarantees they will have their eighth unique champions over the past eight seasons.

"Where we see the league today in terms of the great level of competition, this will be our eighth different champion in the last eight years," said Silver. "I've talked about parity of opportunity over the years. It doesn't mean that we necessarily are looking to have a different champion every year, but we want to ensure that for the 30 teams in this league, regardless of the size of their market, they all have an opportunity to compete.

"I think that's what we're seeing with these two teams. Obviously you have one of our largest markets and one of our smallest markets, but what they have in common is strong management, a winning culture, and of course great team basketball. You know, I'm thrilled just about the anticipation around this competition."

Beyond the eight champions in eight years, the NBA has had the maximum eight different teams in the Finals over the past four years. 

The NBA's collective bargaining agreement of 2023 introduced a second apron, which instituted severe penalties for teams well beyond the luxury tax.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that the league's investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and potential salary cap violations is approaching a resolution, though he stopped short of setting a specific timeline for its completion.

Silver spoke before Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals in San Antonio. The probe is being conducted by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which began its work in September.

"I don't have a specific timeline on when they will be completed," Silver said. "I think it's clear they are far along. I think those reports are -- reading all the time from people who are being interviewed by them, and I think they understand that you could keep going on and on, but I think we are close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up, because you also need finality. The team has to understand what situation they are going to be operating under, and so do the other 29 teams. So that's where things currently stand."

The inquiry centers on whether the Clippers funneled money to star Kawhi Leonard through his $28 million endorsement agreement with Aspiration, a green banking company that also held a $300 million, 23-year sponsorship deal with the franchise. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who invested $60 million in Aspiration, has denied prior knowledge of Leonard's arrangement.

Aspiration has since declared bankruptcy. Co-founder Joe Sanberg was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud.

Silver addressed whether Sanberg's sentencing would influence his decision on potential discipline.

"My job is to follow the facts," Silver said. "Findings will be made by this independent firm. That's presented to me. It's then ultimately my role to determine what the appropriate discipline, if any, should be meted out based on their findings."

Silver emphasized that the independent firm's conclusions and his disciplinary determination represent two distinct processes.

The New York Knicks entered the NBA Finals as underdogs at 36 percent and left Game 1 as slight championship favorites, rallying from a double-digit second-half deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 Wednesday night and flipping the title odds dramatically in their favor.

San Antonio entered Game 1 at 64 percent on Polymarket to win the championship and surged as high as 73 percent during the second half before New York took control. The Knicks now sit at 52 to 53 percent to claim their first title since 1973, needing three wins from the remaining six games.

San Antonio remains a 5.5-point favorite for Game 2 on Friday and would reclaim series favoritism with a victory to level things at 1-1.

Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with 18 points and 12 rebounds, matching Victor Wembanyama's physicality throughout. Josh Hart contributed just three points but delivered a commanding supporting effort with 15 rebounds, six assists, and four steals, giving Jalen Brunson room to take over offensively down the stretch.

Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks but shot 6-of-21 from the floor and committed six turnovers. De'Aaron Fox struggled alongside him, finishing with seven points on 3-of-13 shooting and missing all four three-point attempts.

The Knicks have not lost in more than 40 days entering the series, having dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs by an average of 23 points per game.

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league is moving forward with plans to launch NBA Europe, revealing a 16-team structure that will include 12 permanent franchises and four open slots available to any European club through a modified promotion and relegation format.

"The structure is in place," Silver said. "So what we are planning to launch is, essentially, a 16-team league, 12 permanent franchises, and then the ability for, frankly, any club in Europe to play in in those remaining slots. So a modified open league or modified closed league, depending on how you want to look at it."

Silver said prospective franchise groups include both existing European clubs and newly formed organizations looking to establish teams in cities without top-level basketball currently.

"Some are existing franchises that play in Europe, and then there's groups that are coming together and want to launch teams in cities that don't have top-level basketball right now," he said.

The league's relationship with the Euroleague, European club basketball's premier existing competition, remains a work in progress. Silver indicated the NBA prefers to find a path toward integration but is prepared to proceed independently if necessary.

"In terms of the Euroleague, discussions are ongoing with them. It's our hope that we can find a way to integrate these operations with the Euroleague, but we will move forward either way," Silver said.