TORONTO -- NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday night that, after a heated exchange involving a Utah Jazz fan and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook back in March, he spoke with the Jazz and thanked them for how they handled its aftermath.

"I did speak directly to that team, to the entire team," Silver said at his annual news conference ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. "I wanted to make sure they were satisfied with the way it was handled. They seemed to be satisfied, as well.

"I told them that, that I appreciated the way that they had handled it and that it was not going to be tolerated in the NBA, and that we also appreciated the way they had come together with management and ownership of that team. I felt their response was spot on."

The incident, which happened on March 11, resulted in the fan being permanently banned from the arena and Westbrook being fined $25,000. Silver said he thought that the environment inside arenas has improved during his tenure, though there remains room for improvement.

"I think there's always more we can do, and I think standards in society have changed in terms of what's appropriate for people to say," Silver said. "As I've said before, I think there is a legitimate expectation that you buy your ticket, you go into an arena, I'm only searching for the right word, call it heckle, that people would say, yes, you're allowed to yell and scream when a guy's on the free-throw line or whatever else. But then there's something else that we call it hate speech, which is clearly impermissible. And I think the issue is, you know, if we just made a list, we know we wouldn't capture everything, and there's some aspect of you know it when you see it, and there's also some words that otherwise aren't incendiary, it's the way they're said or if they're said in a threatening manner.

"And so we spend a lot of time talking to security people, ushers in arenas, and a lot of our arenas or most arenas now they even put up text hotlines so that a fellow fan can communicate to the arena if somebody next to them is bothersome. So I think, as I said, there's more we can do, but we're very focused on it."

Silver also said the league wasn't worried about getting involved in how the Jazz handled the situation in Utah because of the respect he has for the team's ownership, and how he knew it would address it.

"In terms of Utah, you know, I did not see a need to step in, only because we have such tremendous confidence in the Miller family, and Gail Miller as the principal owner, I thought by her taking the court prior to the following game, speaking directly to the people in that community and saying, 'This does not represent our community,' I think that was much more powerful than me issuing a statement from all the way across country in the New York," Silver said. "And again I think they handled it very well."

The commissioner touched on several other topics during his 20-plus minute news conference, including:

• Silver said his level of confidence was "high" that there won't be another situation like the one discovered within the Dallas Mavericks of ongoing mistreatment of female employees within any of the remaining 29 NBA teams. "In terms of my level of confidence, it's high," Silver said. "We put in place several procedures post that incident in Dallas, and that includes regular direct reporting from the teams, confidential hotlines, analyses in conjunction with the league office on the hiring practices of each team. So you can never have absolute certainty, but I believe that if there was another situation like that it would have come to our attention." He also said that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had paid about half of the $10 million he had pledged to donate to women's groups in the wake of the culture of sexual harassment that was discovered within his organization. "In terms of the $10 million, the last I looked, and my information may be a little bit old, he had donated $5 million of the $10 million so far," Silver said, "and was working with the league office on his plan for contributing the additional five million."

• Silver reiterated for the latest time that the NBA is "not in expansion mode at this time." He did, however, expand on what would, in the future, get the league to consider expanding outside of its current numbers of 30 teams in 28 markets. "At the end of the day, from a league standpoint, you're in essence selling equity in your overall league, and you're selling a portion of the growth opportunity outside of that market," Silver said. "You're selling the growth opportunity in Africa, and I think what we would be looking at is whether if we're expanding, not necessarily the short-term benefit of an expansion fee, but is it additive over the long-term? Is that franchise adding something to the footprint of the league that the 30 current teams don't? So that's in essence would be the analysis." That would seem to be the latest indication that if the league was to expand, it would be more appealing to expand to an international market -- like Mexico City -- before domestic ones.

• Silver also said he isn't concerned about Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's ability to run the team going forward after recently suffering a stroke. "I'm not concerned about his ability going forward. I, of course, am concerned with his present condition," Silver said. "I mean, I don't know a lot more, but obviously it's public knowledge that he has a medical condition. So our thoughts and prayers are with Dan and his family, and we're just wishing that he has a complete recovery, and I have no reason to believe he won't."

TORONTO -- When the Raptors convened in Vancouver for training camp in September, Pascal Siakam wasn't assured of being the team's starting power forward. Fast-forward eight months, and he was not only starting, but starring for Toronto in the franchise's first NBA Finals game.

Siakam's sensational all-around effort -- he finished with 32 points on 14-for-17 shooting to go along with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks -- powered a balanced Toronto attack that lifted the Raptors to a 118-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night.

"I think obviously getting some easy buckets in transition, something that I haven't really been able to do all playoffs, and I think just being able to run and getting easy baskets at the rim," Siakam said when asked what keyed his Game 1 performance. "And then, from there, just playing, just playing whatever defense gives me. That's why I always say, kind of play off of that and whatever is open, just taking it with confidence and believing in myself."

With Golden State doing everything it could to try to slow down Kawhi Leonard -- he finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists but shot 5-for-14 from the field -- that created room for Siakam to take advantage of the attention directed at Leonard.

That's certainly what he did -- especially in the third quarter. Siakam didn't miss a shot in the period, going 6-for-6 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free throw line to score 14 points, matching a 13-point quarter from Stephen Curry as Toronto parried away the Warriors' typical third-quarter surge and prevented them from reclaiming control of the proceedings.

"I think he played an amazing game obviously, but he got out in transition and our transition D was horrible, and I let him get in a rhythm in the first half, first quarter really," Warriors forward Draymond Green said.

"So I got to do a better job of taking his rhythm away, and I will, but he had a great game. But that's on me."

Siakam's success in that quarter, as well as throughout the game, saw him return to what had made him a breakout star this season, and the likely winner of the league's Most Improved Player Award: his aggression and creativity at both ends.

"The way they played him tonight, they were helping off of him and he was just able to get to his spots and get to his spaces cutting behind them, and made some 3s," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry told ESPN. "One thing about [Siakam] is he's going to keep playing and keep working no matter what.

"He's just going to keep working. He's had a couple games where he didn't play as well against Giannis [Antetokounmpo in the Eastern Conference finals], but tonight he played well."

Siakam did struggle at times against both the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals and the Milwaukee Bucks because of the massive length of Sixers center Joel Embiid and Bucks center Brook Lopez (plus Antetokounmpo).

Golden State, for all of the brilliance Green brings to the court defensively, lacks that same kind of intimidating defensive presence. And Siakam looked like a new man with the freedom to attack, knowing he wasn't in danger of getting his shot blocked or altered.

And, as a result, the Raptors looked like a team more than capable of winning three more games in this series, and winning the team's first NBA title.

"I thought his composure was great," Raptors coach Nick Nurse told ESPN. "He'd get to a spot and he'd wait and get on balance, he'd upfake, he'd turn, get the angle and move it to where he needed to move it.

"He got some cuts, he made some 3s, he did a little bit of everything. When he's hitting the 3-ball he really gets fired up. He banged in a couple early, got out a couple runouts, couple putbacks. That's how you get 30-whatever ... [doing] a little bit of everything."

That phrase -- doing a little bit of everything -- has been what has made Siakam such an integral part of what Toronto has tried to do all season. He has become a jack-of-all-trades at both ends -- shooting, driving and passing offensively, and taking on whatever assignment is necessary defensively -- essentially serving as Nurse's Swiss Army knife at either end of the court.

While he was a nice piece of the bench for the Raptors last season, that he would become this good this soon wasn't something anyone could've predicted when this season began. But ever since that training camp in Vancouver, Nurse has encouraged Siakam to be himself on the court -- to play through mistakes, to try things, to play with confidence at all times.

"It definitely helps a lot," Siakam told ESPN, of the freedom with which Nurse has allowed him to play. "When you get minutes and you have the trust of the coaches and guys just letting you play your game and be yourself, it definitely helps."

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Kyle Larson is returning to USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship competition for rounds two and three of the 15th edition of Indiana Midget Week.

Larson will compete on Wednesday at Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway and Thursday at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind.

Larson, a five-time Monster Energy Cup Series winner and recent victor of the Monster Energy All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, will drive the Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian No. 97 in the pair of Midget races.

Larson’s first USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature win came during Indiana Midget Week in 2011 at Bloomington Speedway. He won again in 2012 at Kokomo Speedway and again in 2013 at Gas City. His two most recent Indiana Midget Week victories both came at Montpelier Motor Speedway, in 2016 and ’18.  Larson finished runner-up in the Indiana Midget Week standings in 2011, six points shy of Bryan Clauson.

Larson will be joined on the Indiana Midget Week tour by teammates and series regulars Logan Seavey, the defending USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget champion, as well as Tucker Klaasmeyer, Tanner Carrick, Jesse Colwell, Holley Hollan and the returning Tanner Thorson.

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Tanner Thorson, who suffered serious injuries in a highway crash on March 4, will return to the cockpit of a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget in time for the start of the 15th annual edition of Indiana Midget Week June 4-9.

Thorson will make his return to the Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian team for the upcoming six-race mini-series aboard the Walker Filtration-sponsored No. 98.  The team reunites after a successful run that resulted in 12 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature wins and the 2016 series championship.

Two of Thorson’s 12 series victories came during Indiana Midget Week, including his first triumph in 2015 at Gas City I-69 Speedway and in 2016 at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Ind.  Among other notable victories for the Minden, Nev., native are the Turkey Night Grand Prix in 2015 and the Gold Crown Midget Nationals in 2015 and 2016.

Thorson was injured earlier this year in a multi-car incident on Highway 99 in Modesto, Calif.  Thorson underwent surgery for a broken left arm and right foot and also sustained a cracked sternum, broken ribs and a punctured lung.

The accident occurred while Thorson was on his way back home to the Tri-C Motorsports team’s Sacramento, Calif., shop after competing in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car events at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In the first two events of the 2019 USAC National Midget season, Thorson finished ninth on the opening night of Winter Dirt Games X at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla., and seventh in the second event where he charged from 24th to seventh to earn hard charger honors.

“I’m back!  Excited to get back with these guys for my comeback/race week,” Thorson said in an Instagram post earlier Thursday.

I’m Back! Excited to get back with these guys for my come back race/week! @USACNation @KeithKunz pic.twitter.com/J378L4yf00

— Tanner Thorson (@Tanner_Thorson) May 30, 2019

Inter Milan have appointed former Juventus and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, the club announced on Friday.

Conte's replaces Luciano Spalletti, who was sacked after two seasons with the club. The Nerazzurri finished fourth in the Serie A standings on the final day of the season thanks to a 2-1 win over Empoli, qualifying for the Champions League.

Conte is also reunited with highly regarded former Juventus chief executive Beppe Marotta. The pair worked closely together to lead Juventus to three consecutive league titles between 2011 and 2014 before Conte left to manage Italy and then Chelsea, where he won the Premier League title in his first season and ended his second with triumph in the FA Cup.

? | OFFICIAL

Antonio Conte will be Inter's new Coach!#WelcomeAntonio pic.twitter.com/kFk8tktl7z

— Inter (@Inter_en) May 31, 2019

Conte has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea last summer, due in large part to a lengthy and acrimonious legal battle which only ended this month with a Premier League manager's arbitration tribunal ruling in his favour.

Chelsea have been ordered to pay Conte around £9 million -- the amount owed for the final unfulfilled year of his contract at Stamford Bridge -- and the Italian, now free to resume his career, has returned to Serie A.

Conte's blend of touchline passion and winning tactics made him hugely popular with the majority of Chelsea supporters, but his relationship with the board became damaged beyond repair, highlighted by his repeated public and private complaints about transfer policy.

He also clashed with Diego Costa and David Luiz, while others began to grow weary of his methods. In the wake of Chelsea's FA Cup win in 2018, Willian obscured Conte in a team celebration photograph posted on his Instagram account.

Conte's refusal to resign unless the final year of his contract was paid in full, coupled with Chelsea's delay in securing Maurizio Sarri from Napoli as his replacement, created an ugly public standoff that resulted in him leading the first few days of preseason before being sacked on July 13.

Chelsea withheld Conte's compensation, claiming that several of his actions -- including his decision to inform Costa by text message that he was no longer in his plans -- had led him to breach his contract.

Meanwhile, sources have told ESPN FC that Conte argued that Chelsea's delay in sacking him resulted in him missing out on potential job opportunities elsewhere, with Paris Saint-Germain appointing Thomas Tuchel and Real Madrid turning to Julen Lopetegui prior to his departure.

ST. LOUIS -- Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist has been suspended for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final for delivering an elbow to the head of Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk.

The NHL's department of player safety announced the suspension Thursday after a hearing with Sundqvist, who was assessed only a two-minute minor penalty for boarding for the hit that knocked Grzelcyk out of Game 2 and possibly longer.

Sundqvist and Grzelcyk are each out for Game 3 on Saturday. Grzelcyk didn't travel with the Bruins, and coach Bruce Cassidy said the 25-year-old was in concussion protocol and considered day-to-day.

"I know they're trying to get those hits out of the game," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said. Either Steven Kampfer or John Moore will go in for Grzelcyk.

While some Bruins players were reluctant to weigh in on the hit, former Blues captain David Backes was critical in the aftermath of Wednesday's Game 2.

"It's from behind, elevated, into his head, into the glass," Backes said. "If that's a two-minute penalty, I think there's going to be a shortage of defensemen in this series by the end of it. That's in somebody else's hands. That's something I think if I'm making that hit, I'm probably watching from the bleachers for a few."

Losing Sundqvist is another blow for St. Louis, which had already been without injured forward Robert Thomas and defenseman Vince Dunn.

"He's a big part of our team," captain Alex Pietrangelo said about Sundqvist. "He plays big minutes night in and night out and in every situation."

Blues coach Craig Berube didn't want to elaborate on Thomas' status but said upon landing that Dunn was close to returning after missing five games for a puck to the face. He gave no indication whether Zach Sanford would step in to the vacant forward spot or if St. Louis might instead dress seven defensemen.

After Robby Fabbri stepped in for Thomas in the Blues' Game 2 overtime victory and defensemen who had sat out are now contributing, Berube isn't worried about his team's depth in this situation.

"It's been a big factor, for sure, not only in the playoffs but throughout the last month or two in the season," Berube said. "Our depth is tremendous on the back end and up front. We use everybody. It's been very important."