Standings are CLOSE with 3 games to go!

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Spurs are 19-3 since February 25th. In our last three games we took down Curry and the Warriors, Westbrook and the Thunder, and Harden & the Rockets. None of the three "MVP" candidates went off, and more importantly, the Spurs are on a serious ROLL! Completion of a home and home with Houston tonight IN Houston. We win this game, and we have a great chance at the #2 seed!

BooYah!!!1


UPDATE: Here it is 1 day later!

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Memphis has games 3 games left: @ Clippers, @Golden State, and vs. Indiana.

Spurs only have 2 games left: vs. Phoenix, and @ New Orleans.

GSG!

Still Creeping Closer & Closer

Update to We're Closing In!, with 19 games to go..

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Spurs have withstood a 4-game losing streak since that post further down the page, and are surely coming into playoff form. Tony Parker looks MUCH closer to 100%, and the offensive ball movement that blew everyone away during last year's Finals is showing its presence again, finally! Defense has been solid, and yet is still getting better all the time.

I've said it most of the season -- That #3 seed is still ripe for the taking!

We're Closing In!

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Some Things Never Change

Source: This ESPN poll..

So we win 11-straight, and 12 of 13. We go 8-1 on a 9-game road trip, and come home at 24-10 at the "half-way" point. Then we play a hard-fought game against one of the best teams in the league, and lose by 7, and suddenly a majority of the nation thinks we're not contenders? That's OK - they've said the same thing every single year that I can remember - even between 1999 & 2007. And yeah every season since '07 we're "washed-up".. we're in "rebuilding mode".. we're "so old" that our only weapons are our canes.

Once again, I just laugh at them all.

Are You Ready For Some Basketball?

Yep! It's time. It's also only pre-season games, but hey - we've got pro basketball to watch, and first up for my Spurs are the Rockets in Houston tonight at 7.

This could very well be Tim Duncan's final season, and that's enough reason to get it started already. This should get you pumped up:

Via

No Gloom Here

The final sentence in a Spurs Nation article titled "Sobering SI story predicts gloom for Spurs after Memphis series loss" goes as follows:


"...Does Spurs Nation believe the rest of the country has been too quick in writing the obituary for the Spurs’ dynasty?"


Of course they have. The only issue with our roster is Richard Jefferson... SIGH!

We are a couple of young, athletic 6'7"-6"9" guys from a perfect roster. Tim's got another year or two. Splitter, Neal, Anderson, and Blair will all be better next season. And of course, Da'Sean Butler is a perfect 6'7" compliment to step in and contribute some sweet defense and athleticism.

Sign a middle-of-the-road big man to back up Tim, Tiago, and DeJuan.. and it's all complete.

No doubt in my mind this team will be fine for a while.

Not So Fast Mr. Bucher

Ric Bucher is an NBA reporter for ESPN.


Click for clarity..                                                                                                                         Via

From Popovich's Exit Interview:

Reporter -- "Do you anticipate a lot of changes with this team.. next year, in terms of the roster?
Popovich -- "Well there's always gonna be, you know, some changes, but... we never get drastic in that sense, and start thinking.. Somebody asked me yesterday, 'you know we lost, so are we gonna blow it up'? I mean, you know, that's just the most preposterous attitude to have right after you lose, because 29 teams lose."

A-hem, 56-13 when Duncan went down (went on to win that game, by the way), so that's 57-13 (81.4% - still on pace for 67 wins..) before the 6 game-skid, the first 4 of which Duncan did not play. Duncan looked surprisingly sharp in his first game back against Boston (20 & 13 on 8 of 12 shooting in 33 minutes), and followed that up with another strong showing in Houston - on a back-to-back - with 23 & 13 on 9 of 16 shooting in 36 minutes. Both were losses (the Rockets in OT), but look at the situations and opponents.

We then went on to win 4 straight again (for the 9th time this season), and then give some key players some rest in the last two games. Manu injuring his elbow perhaps really only cost us that game, and game-1 against Memphis, because in my opinion, he played lights-out in that series. As Sean Elliott quoted on several occasions during the series, and of course I'm paraphrasing from my memory of the broadcasts, "this is one of the best individual playoff performances you will ever see."


I can explain 'that series' very succinctly: We ran into a buzzsaw! Before likewise resting their own players in the final two games, the Grizzlies were playing some of the best basketball in the league, and beating good teams in the process. Aside from the fact that we didn't shoot well the entire series - a tribute to the Grizzlies defense, the series exposed a major weakness for our team - young interior athleticism.

It's all pretty simple to me. Duncan's got another year on his contract, and I don't expect him to quit on next season. Dice will likely retire, but other than that, we'll have pretty much the same 9-10 guys next year. And yes, I think we add one young athletic big body. Imagine how much confidence Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter will have after a full off-season! James Anderson will also have an entire healthy off-season, as will DeJuan Blair going into his 3rd season. And in case no one paid attention, we also signed 2010 NCAA West Virginia sensation Da'Sean Butler, and he will help us a ton.

An immediate overhaul?? Not for a while, my friend.

Grizz

As far as I'm concerned, this team is now the favorite to hoist the trophy for 2011. That's all I have to say right now.

Yeah - He's Pretty Important

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Still not the game we have waited to see.. It's been a while since we've had a game shooting 55%+, and when that happens it's gonna be a Spurs blowout. Our defense is still not ever gonna be the same without Bruce Bowen. Pop has pretty much tried everything, but RJ is just nowhere near the defender that Bruce was. I really wish Anderson and/or Da'Sean Butler were ready to go NOW. Both are "considered" shooting guards, but both are just about a proper size to play the small forward. Each has pretty good defensive skills. I'm just sayin'..

Tiago needs to play! C'mon Pop.. With all the minutes that Blair and McDyess have logged together, you need to give Tiago some minutes with Tim. Yeah he needs minutes period, but alongside Timmy would be great to see. Why not give these guys a chance? When the team needs a lift, put some other guys in.. let 'em launch it, see if it helps. Green, Anderson, Novak... If it doesn't, then take 'em right back out. What have you lost? Hopefully not a huge opponent run, but I doubt it.

NBA 2011: Here's What Remains

The NBA playoffs are right around the corner - Action begins Saturday, April 16. A lot has already been determined regarding seeds, and a lot remains to be decided. For this post my focus is going to be on the Western Conference. Will there be an Eastern Conference Post? Probably not.

Onward!

San Antonio has clinched the #1 seed. The Lakers, Mavericks, and Thunder have clinched home court advantage in the first round (i.e. no worse than a 4-seed). OKC apparently owns the tiebreaker with Denver since I heard it announced following their win last night that they had clinched no worse than #4 - especially since these two play tomorrow night for the 4th time this season, and OKC up 2-1.

The rest is where it gets complicated. Denver has a strong grip on the 5-seed, barring worse than a 2-2 finish in their last 4. This is a good time to visualize what's left:


Click to enlarge!

Obviously with Portland, New Orleans, and Memphis within a game and a half of each other, a lot can happen. But Memphis can take a lot of fate into their own hands since they still get to play both Portland and New Orleans. Not only that but New Orleans has to go to Dallas, and Portland has one more game against the Lakers.

Chances are the Spurs/Lakers game next Tuesday will be a bench-fest. I fully expect Popovich to start resting starters, and giving the bench some experience. Yeah the franchise best record of 63-19 is within reach, but after that stupid 6-game losing streak, it cannot be broken - only tied. Steve Novak, Danny Green, and Da'Sean Butler need time!

I also expect the Lakers to begin resting people. They have hobbled off the court this week - trying to catch the Spurs - and lost. Denver is the only other team who I think might take it a little easy over this next week - since they're fairly settled into the 5-seed. Everyone else will be going all-out! And it's gonna be great!

The Lakers probably don't want to face Portland. So I expect them to take it easy against them, and if they lose - that's one more step towards avoiding them. But it's conceivable that Dallas could still overtake LA for that #2 seed with only 2 games separating the two. I actually think Memphis has an easier final 4 games than New Orleans - which means I expect them to vault into the #7 spot or even the #6 spot - depending a lot on today's game between LA and Portland.

As a Spurs fan, all three of these teams in the 6-8 spots beat us twice, (Portland 2-1, Memphis 2-2, and NO 2-2), but the Hornets, having lost David West for the season, prove to be our best first round match-up.

We shall see what happens! Pay attention!

Is There Nothing He Can't Do?

San Antonio Spurs' guard Manu Ginobili showing off never-before-seen skills on Halloween night in San Antonio vs. the Sacramento Kings.

Jordan’s Night To Remember Turns Petty

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But Thank You David!