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Magic hire Sean Sweeney as team’s coach. He’ll stay with Spurs through the NBA Finals

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Sean Sweeney was formally named coach of the Orlando Magic on Monday after the sides struck an agreement in principle last week.

Sweeney, the associate head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, will remain with that team through the conclusion of the NBA Finals. The Magic will introduce Sweeney at some point after the finals between the Spurs and New York Knicks.

“We’re excited to welcome Sean to the Orlando Magic family,” Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said. “Sean brings a tremendous work ethic and a high degree of intensity that set the tone for everything he does. Sean’s attention to detail and his ability to communicate and teach the game clearly stands out. He’s grounded in competitiveness and accountability, while also embracing a modern, creative approach to coaching.”

The 41-year-old Sweeney will replace Jamahl Mosley, who was let go by the Magic after five seasons and three consecutive first-round playoff exits. Mosley has since been hired as coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Sweeney is a defensive guru, widely considered one of the brightest young coaches in the league on that side of the ball. In his lone season with the Spurs, he turned what was a porous defense a year ago into one of the league’s most airtight — his scheme centered around Victor Wembanyama, the unanimous winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award this season.

Sweeney will join the Magic after one season with the Spurs. He spent the previous four seasons as an assistant in Dallas, and had past stints on the staffs of Detroit, Milwaukee and Brooklyn — actually starting with the Nets as a video coordinator when the team was in New Jersey.

The Minnesota native played one season at Green Bay before transferring to the University of St. Thomas, where he was a three-year starter.

“Happy for Orlando, and happy for us as he’s in the Eastern Conference,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said last week.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Jalen Brunson scores 30 and Knicks finish on 11-0 run, steal Game 1 from Spurs with 105-95 win

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The New York Knicks' winning streak lives on, and they struck first in the NBA Finals. Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the finals on Wednesday night. OG Anunoby had 17 points for New York — which has won 12 consecutive playoff games, the seventh team to have such a streak in NBA history, and is the third to do it in a single season. Brunson scored 13 points in the fourth, only six fewer than San Antonio managed as a team in that quarter, and sealed it with a spinning jumper while falling to the court with 38 seconds left. “He's a gamer, man,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “In the biggest moments, he shows up. That's what MVPs are supposed to do.”
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