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It seemed like a quaint throwback, perfectly aligned alongside the 1990s nostalgia that seems to drive just about every website these days Toronto Raptors center Bismack Biyombo, a Congo native, had recently taken to emulating Basketball Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo’s famous finger wave after blocking a shot. Biyombo and several media outlets always make a point to report that Mutombo (a fellow Congo native) gave the young Raptor center his blessing : “Once [Mutombo] gave me permission to use his finger wag, I just want to leave his legacy,” Biyombo said. Now Dikembe, according to TMZ at least , claims that things aren’t exactly that cut and dry: "I don’t know when did that conversation took place," Mutombo said ... "Him and I need to talk this summer.” "He claim in the newspaper and everywhere he said I gave it to him. I said, Did I gave him? Was it family? Cosign? But you know what, he’s a young man, man, I let him enjoy the fame. He’s making me famous!” “I will see him in the Congo this summer so him and I will talk back home with nobody around us.” There is no video or audio of the interaction with TMZ , Mutombo wasn’t filmed at LAX or anything, so it’s hard to tell if Mutombo is speaking with tongue placed firmly in cheek. It’s hard to believe that Mutombo, who is as gracious and sublime a gentleman off court as he was dominant on the court, would genuinely be offended by Bismack showing tribute. Deadspin later found a tweet that seems to confirm as much : "He doesn't need my permission to do (the finger wag)," Mutombo said. "Bismack is my youngest brother. I have nothing to be mad at him." — Mike Mazzeo (@MazzESPN) May 25, 2016 Continue to Article

May 25, 2016 11:51:am EST

While everyone clamored for a sequel between Steph and LeBron, the Thunder have aimed for their own rematch. Continue to Article

May 25, 2016 2:51:am EST

Down 2-0 to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, there seemed to be little hope left for the Raptors. After two games in Toronto the series is heading back to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday night and is all even at 2-2. What happened? How did Toronto rebound from two embarrassing losses to beat the Cavaliers in back-to-back games? It's all in the details. ALL-STARS DOING WORK The Raptors aren't going to win many games, regardless of their opponent, when Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are not performing up to their All-Star capablities. DeRozan was adequate in Game 1 and 2, but Lowry certainly wasn't at his best, shooting 29% from the field and going 1-for-15 from three. That all changed in Toronto. Lowry scored 20 points (7-for-13) in Game 3 and 35 (14-for-20) in Game 2 while DeRozan went for 32 (12-for-24 and 14-for-23) on both nights. So what changed? Not much, except that the shots started falling. Lowry went 8-for-15 on similarly quality shots from three and DeRozan attacked the rim even harder (10.5 drives per game in wins vs. 8.5 per game in losses), scoring on 75% of his drives as opposed to 30%. ROLE PLAYER UPRISING The NBA game can often be broken down, simplistically, as such: how did the stars play? If the star matchups between the two teams are something close to a draw, then it can be up to the role players to stand out and Bismack Biyombo and Patrick Patterson gave the Raptors a much needed boost. Biyombo had a historic Game 3 , grabbing 26 rebounds, and followed that up with a strong Game 4. Patterson proved to be the difference-maker on defence in stopping a Cavaliers lineup that was rolling and stepped up with some timely shots. CHANGE IN STRATEGY In the first two games of the series, Toronto made it their defensive priority to limit Cleveland's three-point opportunities. That resulted in the Cavaliers scoring 56 and 50 points in the paint on their way to two blowout wins. Heading into Game 3, the Raptors opted to change their strategy, deciding to protect the paint and challenge the Cavaliers to convert from beyond the arc. It worked. Biyombo had seven blocks across both games and Cleveland shot 27-for-82 (33%) from three in Game 3 and Game 4. Most notably they went 12-for-38 on wide-open shots, where the closest defender is at least six feet away. Will that continue? The odds are against it, but it was the difference in the two Raptors' wins. NO LOVE WHEN CAVS GO OT No player was more off his game for the Cavaliers than Kevin Love. Love shot a combined 5-for-23 and was 2-for-11 on those aformentioned wide-open looks. His shooting struggles saw him stapled to the bench in the fourth quarter of Game 4 as his team rallied. Cleveland can still win Game 5, and the series, with Love in a slump, but that puts more of a focus on James and Kyrie Irving to create their own offence. More NBA coverage from Yahoo Canada Sports: - - - - - - - Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports . Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr Continue to Article

May 24, 2016 7:00:pm EST