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Heat headed to Boston after ousting the Bulls, 112-91

MIAMI — The chants started raining down in the fourth quarter. “We want Boston,” the Miami Heat crowd kept shouting, over and over. The fans got their wish. And a rematch of the last two Eastern Conference finals awaits in Round 1 this year. Miami — even with Jimmy Butler sidelined for several weeks with a sprained knee — is back in the playoffs. Tyler Herro scored 24 points and was an assist shy of a triple-double, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 21 points and the Heat grabbed the last spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs by beating the Chicago Bulls 112-91 in a play-in ...

NBA playoffs are finally here. LeBron James says, ‘it’s a sprint now’

There’s a 64-win team in Boston that ran away with the league’s best record. The defending champions in Denver, a group that won 57 games. A fearless young bunch in Oklahoma City, whose No. 1 seed was no fluke. A trio of Villanova alums in New York, who turned the Knicks into a real contender. And, once again, there’s LeBron James, too. The NBA playoffs are about to begin with the Celtics and Nuggets the heavy favorites — at least according to BetMGM Sportsbook — to collide in the Finals, and no shortage of teams have realistic belief that they can win the whole thing as ...

Israelis grapple with how to celebrate Passover while many remain captive

The Associated Press JERUSALEM—Every year, Alon Gat’s mother led the family’s Passover celebration of the liberation of the ancient Israelites from Egypt thousands of years ago. But this year, Gat is struggling with how to reconcile a holiday commemorating freedom after his mother was slain and other family members abducted when Hamas attacked Israel. Gat’s sister, Carmel, and wife, Yarden Roman-Gat, were taken hostage in the Oct. 7 attack. His wife was freed in November but his sister remains captive. “We can’t celebrate our freedom because we don’t have this ...

‘It’s wide open’ is the theme as NHL’s Stanley Cup begins

AP Hockey Writer General manager Don Waddell likes how his Carolina Hurricanes finished the season, winning 16 of their final 21 games. He knows it means nothing now. “Your points get erased and you all start with zeroes,” Waddell said. “Playoffs are a different time. That’s what’s great about the NHL. Once you get to the playoffs, it’s wide open.” This year more than many in the recent past. Unlike last year, when Boston broke league records for the most wins and points in a season, there is no clear favorite to hoist the Stanley Cup. Carolina, Florida, defending ...

NFL draft has potential to set a record for most players on offense selected

AP Pro Football Writer The NFL draft will be offensive. We’re not talking about hurt feelings. This draft has the potential to set a record for most offensive players selected in the first round. No draft has seen more than 19 players on offense chosen in the first round. That happened three times, most recently in 2009. Many draft experts are predicting more than 20 offensive players will go in the first round and some have up to 25. The AP’s final mock draft had 22 going in the first round, including 10 offensive linemen, six wide receivers, five quarterbacks and one ...

NCAA will now allow transfers to be immediately eligible

NCAA athletes will be immediately eligible to play no matter how many times they transfer — as long as they meet academic requirements — after the association fast-tracked legislation Wednesday to fall in line with a recent court order. The NCAA announced the Division I Council’s decision becomes official Thursday when its meeting adjourns. The change still needs to be ratified by the DI Board next week, but that is expected. The new rules will go into effect immediately, though in reality they have already been enacted through a lawsuit filed late last year. Transfer ...