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The Orlando Magic have re-opened negotiations with teams other than Brooklyn Nets for Dwight Howard, a league source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher... The Nets have been trying to acquire the Magic's star center but need other teams to help facilitate the blockbuster trade. Sources told ESPN.com on Monday the Nets and Magic were cautiously optimistic the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers would help them facilitate a four-way trade to send Howard to Brooklyn.

A person with knowledge of the deal said Thursday that New York Knicks restricted free-agent guard Jeremy Lin and the Houston Rockets have agreed to terms on a four-year contract offer. The person told The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the team hadn't officially announced the deal. Lin can sign the offer sheet with Houston on July 11, and the Knicks will then have three days to match the offer.

Jason Kidd would also be invaluable as a mentor to Jeremy Lin, the Knicks’ precocious 23-year-old point guard, assuming they can keep him.

Best in the country and No. 1 and 2 in the NBA draft. The celebration goes on for Kentucky's kids. The Wildcats became the first school to have the top two picks and tied a record with six players taken overall Thursday night. After the New Orleans Hornets made the long-expected selection of forward Anthony Davis with the first pick, Charlotte followed by taking fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Once Anthony Davis slips on a Hornets hat above basketball's most celebrated eyebrow Thursday night, the NBA draft really starts. Davis will head to New Orleans with the No. 1 pick, even if the college player of the year is reluctant to guarantee it. After that, nobody can be sure what will happen.

With series MVP LeBron James leading the way with a triple-double, the Heat finish off the Thunder 121-106 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, now 2011-12 NBA champions.

It's there every day for LeBron James and the Heat - the sting of last year's NBA Finals loss. Two more wins and it will be a distant memory. James had 29 points and 14 rebounds, and the Miami Heat took a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals with a 91-85 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. Dwyane Wade had 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Heat, who were in this same position through three games last year, then didn't win again against the Dallas Mavericks.

Kevin Durant delivered the fourth quarter LeBron James never could last year. So forget those NBA Finals jitters at the start. Durant and the young Thunder showed they have already figured out how to finish. Durant scored 17 of his 36 points in another nightmarish final period for James and his team, leading a Thunder storm that overwhelmed the Heat and gave Oklahoma City a 105-94 victory over Miami in Game 1 on Tuesday night.

The Miami Heat's win over the Boston Celtics to reach the NBA finals has drawn the highest preliminary television rating for an NBA playoff game on cable since records started being kept in 2003.