Spurs Update

Finishing out the 2011-2012 NBA regular season with 13 games in 19 days, and 4 games in the last 5 days (geeeez), the Spurs traveled to both Phoenix and Golden State for the final two games. After complete warm-ups prior to Wednesday's game in Phoenix, it was decided that Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili would fly back to San Antonio, and not play these two games. However, We're also missing Gary Neal due to a sore shoulder from a great pick set by Kurt Thomas Monday against Portland. What was the most surprising, however, is that Gregg Popovich decided to fly back with them. So without four of our top players, and our head coach, Assistant Coach Mike Budenholzer would take the reigns for these two.

Both games were close most of the way, as the Suns were set finishing up with a winning record, but the Warriors were set on giving the youngsters some serious experience.

Wednesday the Suns even gave Nash a final hoorah late in the 4th-Q, down by only a few. It could be his last game in Phoenix, but who knows. At least the home crowd was prepared. So he came in the game, and promptly turned it over, after a pretty decent 8 pts., 7 asst., and 3 reb. in only 17 minutes. Shannon Brown and Sebastian Telfair led them in scoring with 21 & 20 respectively, but our energy was too high, and the Spurs pulled out WIN #9 in a row, 110-106. Patty Mills & Tiago Splitter both registered career-highs with 27 & 26 respectively, while FIVE others contributed 10 or 9 each. Here's the boxscore..
Splitter was huge - Image Source (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

Thursday night in Oakland, the Warriors started 5 rookies - marking the first time in NBA history any team has ever done so. They had started 4 rookies against us just 10 days ago, but this was unprecedented. Close all the way just as it was the
Mills had back-to-back career games - Image Source (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

previous night, the Spurs would capitalize on a few too many Warriors' late mistakes, despite being out-shot 52% to 44%. Patty Mills was again the hero as he bested his new career-high from last night by 7. He had 34 pts., 12 asst., and 5 boards in 43 solid minutes. DeJuan Blair & James Anderson followed with 22 & 19. It was Mills' two straight threes with the score tied at 95, and about 5 minutes left, that would ultimately do in the Warriors on this last day of the regular season. The Spurs' 107-101 WIN was the 10th straight win, as we were not only the only team with a double digit winning streak this season, but we wrapped it up in style with THREE of them (11, 11, 10). Here is the boxscore..

The San Antonio Spurs finish the 2011-2012 regular season with a record of 50-16, and will have home-court advantage over everyone except the Chicago Bulls, who also finished at 50-16. Thankfully, our first game is Sunday at Noon. I'll be back with more amazing regular-season stats later! WooHoo!

Here are the FINAL NBA standings for 2011-2012:

Click for clarity..

Source (ESPN.com)

Spurs Update

Thursday night the Spurs hosted the Memphis Grizzlies for the 4th and final time this year. The race is tightening, but we've beaten the Grizzlies 3 times already. Tim Duncan (28 & 12 on this night) would continue to turn back the clock, as he and the guys come out strong. The Spurs did well containing the Grizzlies' interior play - a weakness exposed the night
Image Source (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

before by the Lakers. But Duncan guaranteed a better performance, and he certainly delivered. Spurs ended the 1st-Q with a 10-4 run (27-21).

For most of the 2nd-Q, we would hold a small lead while the starters rested, until about the 5½ minute mark, when Conley hit a three to give them the lead 37-36. But that wasn't all. We were scoreless for almost 6 minutes, during which Memphis scored 13 straight to change the game (44-36, Memphis). Duncan & Diaw would be the ones to bring us back, however, as some tight D and several key shots brought the half to an end - down by just 4, 49-45: a Spurs 13-1 run!

This time it was the 3rd-Q which proved to decide the game, for the most part, as Duncan would score 14 in the quarter. Everyone was back to sharing the ball at this point again, and lock-down D allowed a 13-5 Spurs run to end the 3rd-Q with an 8-pt. lead, 82-74. But the run continued - Manu & Bonner increased our lead to 14, as most of the rest of the final quarter, we maintained a small 5-8 point lead. What a perfectly bad time for a 5-minute Spurs' scoring drought. OJ Mayo hit a shot to bring them to within 2 at 94-92 with 2:54 left. Sigh.. Suddenly the game was on again.

The last 2 minutes were tight, but everything seemed to go our way, as our BIG THREE were all working like a well-oiled machine, and Timmy continued his dominance. Almost all our shots fell, and we got the stops we needed. Manu hit all 6 final-minute FTs in Memphis's foul-mode to clinch the 4-0 SWEEP of the Grizzlies with the 107-97 WIN. Here is the boxscore.

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After a nice day of rest, the team took the court Saturday night to face a Phoenix Suns squad, who won in Houston on Friday, in the comfy confines of our AT&T Center. This one featured a spectacular start by the home team, and to be honest, it was nearly over after one quarter. We jumped out to a 21-4 lead before a Phx timeout, and then poured it on with ultra-high intensity to take a 35-13 1st-Q lead.

The Suns would finally start to maintain the pace (coming to within 17 at 47-30), but an 11-0 run peaked our lead at 28, but became 62-38 at
Image Source (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

halftime. Since Phoenix was so far behind, Pop started Manu for the 2nd-half, in the hopes that he, too, could sit while the bench closed it out. Word surfaced that Steve Nash & Grant Hill would not return due to injury tweaks, and with that, we went up 27 again (74-47). But by 3rd-Q's end, Suns closed to within 19 (84-65).

Phoenix continued to fight back, and after outscoring us by 5 in the 3rd, they would do the same in the 4th, but it was too little too late. We shot 53% for the game and 9 of 18 from three. Everyone got in on the action once again, as all 13 Spurs had double-figure minutes, and everyone scored. The dominating 105-91 WIN sealed the Spurs' Southwest Division Championship. But yeah - we've got much, much larger goals. My man Timmy was definitely the #1 factor for these two games. Already playing younger than his years, I believe he got a little wake-up call.. Thanks, Andrew Bynum! We'll see you Tuesday! Here's the boxscore..

Our second B2B2B is Mon-Tues-Wed. all on the road against Golden St., the Lakers, and Sacramento. All eyes are on you, Pop! I expect minimal minutes out of Tony, Manu, & Tim for the first one.

Spurs Update

Spurs @ Phoenix, 3/26/12

We begin a back-to-back tonight in the land of the Phoenix Suns. Patty Mills is finally in uniform, as is everyone else, except for Tiago Splitter. Jackson is apparently going to be held out for "rest". It's an odd decision in my opinion, but I'm not Pop.

So our big-3 are in full-force for the first time in a while, and it's a good thing. It's always a good thing. Timmy continues to turn back the clock with his play this season. He would score 11 of our first 13 out of the gates.. but Shannon Brown, starting in place of Grant Hill, also gets off to a HOT start. By the end of the 1st-Q, it's Shannon Brown 14 - Tim Duncan 13. (Spurs 29 - Suns 28).

Spurs would momentarily pull away, but Shannon Brown would not let up. Then Sebastian Telfair would follow Brown's lead, as he would go off for 12 straight
Image Source (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Suns' points in the 2nd. But Kawhi Leonard, Timmy & Tony would keep us ahead, despite some late Marcin Gortat heroics. Our lead was 5 at the half: 62-57.

Just as I was expecting Pop to pull some crazy personnel magic to begin the 3rd, it didn't happen, but Phoenix went on a 14-4 run instead. But now down 5, 71-66, Manu & Timmy would do what we do best - more pick 'n' roll, as each would score 7 over the next 4 minutes or so. But Gortat, Nash, and Brown got theirs as well.. 80-79 1:57 left in the 3rd-Q. Hakim Warrick would enter and score 6 straight for the Suns, but after an 84-83 lead after 3-Qs, Tony Parker would make 6 straight, and then a Boris Diaw jumper quickly gave us the 9-pt. 96-87 lead.

With 7 minutes to go Kawhi would nail a nice three.. and then a sweet defensive stop later, Timmy would lay it in from a Manu assist. 103-91, now. But too late for the Suns, foul mode began, and Tony made them pay. We finished off the WIN 107-100, and it's onto Sacramento later tonight. Timmy had a night to remember with 26 & 11, and Tony had 24 & 7 asst. But Manu & Kawhi had great games under the radar: 13-5-5 and 14-7 respectively. Wow our guys are kicking it!

Kudos to a career-high 32 for Shannon Brown, and a 21-14 game from Gortat, as Nash had 16 & 8. Good game guys!

Oh Well..