Hello and welcome to the Evening News.
As the Finals continue, we’ll keep you updated every evening. What’s happening today?
Here’s the latest from around the league:
Clippers turn down Celtics’ trade offer, Rivers’ future unclear
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Los Angeles Clippers have called off trade talks with the Boston Celtics.
The two teams had been negotiating toward a possible mega deal involving Kevin Garnett and Doc Rivers since Friday and appeared to be on the verge of completing the trade last night. 
While the Celtics had relented on their demand for Eric Bledsoe to be included in the trade, the Clippers wouldn’t compromise on the Celtics’ plea for two of LA’s future first round picks in the trade.
Moreover, Los Angeles was hesitant to commit over $50 million dollars combined to Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett.
It remains to be seen whether Rivers will return to the Celtics next season. As one source tied to Boston ownership and Rivers told Yahoo! Sports, “You don’t just move on from this and act like nothing happened.”
After Ray Allen’s departure from the Celtics left an insurmountable bridge between the sharpshooter and the Boston fans, it’s hard to believe that Rivers would return to an inevitable rebuilding project in Boston with open arms after he ultimately tried to force his way out over the weekend.
The Clippers will carry on with their coaching search and plan to interview Brian Shaw, Lionel Hollins, and Byron Scott in the coming days.
According to several sources, the Clippers are extremely high on each of the candidates, making it easier for the team to walk away from the trade with their heads held high.
Russell Westbrook off of crutches
Russell Westbrook posted a video to his Vine account in which he emphatically states 
“I’m back!” after throwing his crutches into a pool.
“No more of those thangs!!!! Time for some work!!!! #whynot,” the post read.
Westbrook injured himself in Game 2 of the Thunder’s first round series against the Rockets. He had surgery to repair his right knee’s lateral meniscus tear on April 27.
While no timetable has been set for his return to the court, doctors consider Westbrook’s lack of dependence on crutches as a big milestone in his rehab.
Stephen Jackson sounds off on Gregg Popovich
In an interview on ESPN’s Highly Questionable, Stephen Jackson told Bomani Jones and Dan LeBatard why he thought the San Antonio Spurs decided to cut him: 
“To me, (Gregg Popovich) only cares about three guys, and the rest of the guys just fit in wherever you can.”
Jackson played in 55 games with the Spurs but was abruptly waived by the team on April 12, just weeks before the playoffs. The Spurs replaced Jackson on the roster with Tracy McGrady.
Jackson was allegedly unwilling to concede that Danny Green was deserving of the minutes he had earned ahead of Jackson in the rotation. Jackson’s constant gripes about playing time made him a nuisance to Popovich.
“When you disrespect me, or I feel like I’m wronged in any type of way, and you feel like I should be the bigger person, I might not be because this is my life and I choose to make the decisions, just the way Pop made the decision to cut me off his team.”
While he added that he has “total respect” for Popovich, he respectfully disagreed with his coach’s evaluation of talent.
“I’m the type of guy that, when it’s time for me to hang up and I actually can’t play any more, I’ll be the first to say that. I have a lot of basketball still left in me.”
