Wire NBA

The potential trade that would bring Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers to the Clippers has been harder to kill than Jason Voorhees.

PHILADELPHIA - It is the curse of superstardom, of living on Olympus and occasionally taking a walk down the hill and not the other way around. We love it when a guy comes out of nowhere to momentarily wow the world, but the god who has been around forever and ever and kept slipping on the rocks on the summit, well, we see warts where they are and imagine them sometimes where they are not.

One of the most entertaining NBA Finals series will come to a close Thursday night as the host Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs conclude their exhaustive battle for the title.

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LeBron James isn't just the most-debated basketball player on the planet. Through the magic and mayhem of the 2013 NBA Finals, we now know he's the most-debated headband wearer, the most-debated receding hairline sufferer, and the most-debated living sports legend who gets picked on incessantly on the planet.

Go Miami Heat.

Dwyane Wade, who has dealt with a right knee injury throughout the postseason, now has an issue with his left one after banging knees with Manu Ginobili in the first half of Game 6.

The new Kings majority owner, Vivek Ranadive, has said he wants to make DeMarcus Cousins an international superstar.

After their disappearance from the court during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the Heat's vital accessories are making their voices heard in the Twitter-sphere.

Danny Green left his man and lunged for the rebound. Tony Parker was a step late in recovery.

Stewart Arroyo realized he made a mistake when he heard a roar coming from AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday night.

As dramatic as it was, Tuesday's Game 6 escape act by the Heat could be reduced to nothing more than a largely forgotten footnote if Miami doesn't finish off the Spurs in Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.

Welcome, South Florida, to the gates of sports heaven. Immortality is one win away. This is Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

As they await Game 7 of the NBA Finals, San Antonio players said Wednesday they will not allow themselves to be dragged down emotionally by the disappointment of squandering a five-point lead with 21 seconds left in Game 6, when they had a chance to close out the series.

The Shot That Changed Everything found the perfect hands. Nobody who ever played basketball has made more three-point baskets than Ray Allen, after all. You know how shooters say they are sure the moment the ball leaves their hands if the shot is good? That they know it by instinct and feel?

If the Miami Heat wins Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals ...

Chase Tapley shrugs. He has no illusions about his prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft. He smiles. He has no problem with the possibility of playing overseas. He laughs. He anticipates auditioning again next month at the Las Vegas Summer League and pushing, again and again, for the upset.

This week of all weeks, this month of all months, just what the Texas Rangers didn't need:

There's really no way to top what happened Tuesday night.

You mean we have to do it again?

The 76ers have decided not to hire a head coach before the June 27 NBA draft, but that might not be as risky as some think, an NBA source said.

You wouldn't write a review of a movie after the first reel. You certainly wouldn't care to read one.

As if Miami's ultimate showdown with San Antonio tonight for the NBA championship weren't already sweet enough, here's some sugarcoating from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

The conversation has shifted again, and for LeBron James, it is briefly for the better.

After everything fell apart for San Antonio, the Spurs came together, spilling out their emotions at a team dinner in the wee hours Wednesday.

By the time this week concludes, the Cavaliers should have a clear plan regarding the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. All five candidates under consideration will visit Cleveland Clinic Courts this week, including Kentucky's Nerlens Noel on Thursday.

At the end, there was Chris Bosh at the crossroads of Karma and Destiny staring at Danny Green in the corner readying to launch the final shot.

10. Shane Battier: "After walking through the desert of solitude & missing shots for eons, I encountered an oasis & the tranquil waters of 3s."

For months, Dwyane Wade has played through the pain of a sore knee.

Ray Allen hears it every day.

By winning Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the Heat did the league a couple of favors.

Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan is returning to the Utah Jazz to become a senior basketball adviser for the franchise.

That spot in the corner, so full of magic Tuesday night, was where Ray Allen walked again early Wednesday afternoon, roughly 15 hours after his miracle shot from there resuscitated the Heat season.

The days of riding a bicycle home from AmericanAirlines Arena are gone.

Devastated after failing to capture the NBA championship, Spurs players found some comfort in food and conversation while dining out as a team after Tuesday night's Game 6 Finals loss in overtime to the Heat.

They came scurrying down a hallway into their locker room, the Heat did, streaming into a new life.

Former longtime Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan is returning to the team as a consultant.

Mark Jackson is the Zen Don Nelson - similar Golden State Warriors success, much less frantic financial agitation.

He is the best player in the game and this is the best moment in his sport.

Through heartbreaking losses and hair-raising victories, through Game 7s of the NBA Finals and Game 46s of the regular season, through contract extension after contract extension, what has defined these San Antonio Spurs more than anything else is the simple fact that they stick together.

LeBron James could not sleep after Game 6.

Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri announced Wednesday that Dwane Casey will remain the team's head coach for the upcoming 2013-14 season.

The NBA Draft provides a sense of optimism, an opportunity for the feeble to rise and rebuild into legitimate title contenders.

It will be known as the LeBron James Headband Game.

Muthu Alagappan arrived at Stanford University with his heart set on attending medical school, and he still hopes to become a doctor someday.

The Miami Heat were so close to elimination from the NBA championships that the team noticed officials bringing yellow tape out to block off the court for the Spurs' trophy presentation. But a couple of big 3-pointers later and powered by LeBron James' fourth-quarter surge, the defending champions stayed alive, edging San Antonio 103-100 in overtime. Game 7 is in Miami on Thursday, the NBA's first do-or-die game to determine its champion since the Lakers beat the Celtics in 2010. Here are some of the best images from Game 6:

The sly smile on Erik Spoelstra's lips said it all. If only this once, the Miami coach couldn't wait to field questions.

When LeBron James' greatness almost wasn't good enough, officials began preparing for a San Antonio celebration.

With the Heat's season on the line Tuesday night, Miami needed something big out of Mario Chalmers.