San Antonio Spurs

[HarryPotter25]

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/307/files/2015/10/willie-cauley-stein-lamarcus-aldridge-nba-preseason-san-antonio-spurs-sacramento-kings.jpg Parker scores 23, Spurs continue dominance over Kings

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) The offensive weapons are plentiful for the San Antonio Spurs, who continue to produce double-digit victories as they waltz through the NBA schedule at a franchise-record pace.

Tony Parker scored 10 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and the Spurs beat the Sacramento Kings 108-92 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.

The Spurs, with five championships since 1999, are off to their best start with a 48-9 record. They shot nearly 52 percent Wednesday and their deep and talented bench had 44 points.

"I feel like we have more weapons (than in the past), but if we don't win a championship it won't mean anything," Parker said.

The veteran point guard made 11 of 17 shots and had six assists for an unselfish team that has a knack for finding the open man for a high-percentage shot.

"It's tough to defend them because they don't have a one-man ego person. I mean that team is a team," Kings coach George Karl said.

"Their bench pretty much beat us. They have a lot of weapons."

The Spurs took the lead for good with just over 4 minutes left in the third quarter, then pulled away in the fourth in winning for the ninth time in 10 games. San Antonio continued its dominance against the Kings, beating Sacramento for the 35th time in 39 games.

Kawhi Leonard had 18 points and Danny Green 16 for the Spurs. Kyle Anderson scored 14, while LaMarcus Aldridge struggled offensively but played solid defense on DeMarcus Cousins, and finished with nine rebounds and five blocks.

Leonard, the Spurs' leading scorer, had missed the previous three games due to tightness in his left calf. He started the game and missed his first five shots, but got going in the second quarter with seven points.

Cousins had 21 of his 22 points in the second half and added 10 rebounds for the Kings, who had their three-game win streak snapped. Both Darren Collison and Quincy Acy had 15 points, Willie Cauley-Stein scored 12 and Rajon Rondo had seven points, 18 assists and eight rebounds.

It was an extremely slow start for Cousins, who typically struggles against the Spurs' well-orchestrated defense. A frustrated Cousins, who had 39 and 37 points in his previous two games since the All-Star break, missed all 10 first-half shots.

"You hope he misses shots and has an off night," Leonard said. "We packed the paint against him and showed a lot of hands when he had the ball."

Cousins' first field goal came on a dunk early in the third quarter. He made his first six shots in the third, including four dunks and a 3-pointer. He had 16 points in the quarter, helping the Kings cut the lead to 76-70.

Three jumpers by David West and a corner 3-pointer by Leonard highlighted a 15-2 run to open the fourth quarter and give the Spurs a 91-72 advantage.

"They capitalized off our missed shots and we didn't get back in transition in those moments," Rondo said. "That's what they do and that's what they did the last time they were here. It repeated itself again tonight."

RIVALRY REMEMBERED

Parker played his final game in the former Arco Arena on Wednesday. Next season the Kings will be in a new arena in downtown Sacramento.

"It was a huge rivalry back in the day when they had CWebb (Chris Webber), Peja (Stojakovic), (Mike) Bibby and Vlade (Divac)," Parker said. "Arco Arena was one of the loudest in the NBA. We had a great rivalry with Sacramento for many years."

TIP INS

Spurs: Tim Duncan was scoreless with two rebounds in 12 minutes. ... The Spurs are 5-1 in their "rodeo" road trip with two games remaining. The eight-game road trip is caused by the annual rodeo at AT&T Center.

Kings: Sacramento shot 31.5 percent in the opening half. ... Rondo has recorded 10 assists or more 38 times this season. He made a 3 at the buzzer to end the first quarter to pull the Kings within 25-24. ... Ex-Spur Marco Belinelli continued his shooting woes, missing all five shots and going scoreless.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Visit Utah on Thursday.

Kings: Host Clippers on Friday.

[Labuyo]

Manu is reportedly close to being back sooner as opposed to later.

 

Here's hoping he recovers fully and gets his groove completely back and clicking in time for the playoffs.

 

Is this the year that David West and Andre Miller get their rings?

I do hope so.

[Jcj]

Go spurs!

Go spurs!

Go spurs!

[Labuyo]

With Kevin Martin in Silver and Black, I'm guessing Butler will be waived.

[Soraoi_empire]

Sobrang dami powerhouse teams sa West, tipong pangchampionship caliber tlaga. Nakaka-sad lang kasi isa lang sakanila papasok sa NBA finals kaya matira matibay na lang talaga. Samantalang sa East, hindi ko naman minamaliit, pero sino ba threat sa Cavs? Raptors? Heat? Boston? Hawk?

Edited March 5, 2016 by Soraoi_empire

[Guiness]

All i can say is it was interesting that the Spurs signed Andre Miller and Kevin Martin. I still think this team is the biggest threat to the Warriors. The East is really weak, if you got the Raptors, Celtics in the top 4 seeds. Teams that are more talented like the Bulls and the Heat have been devastated by injuries which dropped them off the contenders list. The only threat that i see against the Cavs making it to the Finals would be the Raptors but i don't see it happening. The East is really weak once again other than the Cavs there is a huge drop off of contenders for the title

 

The West as usual is stacked with the Spurs, Clippers and the Thunder getting their shot at the Warriors who is the number 1 seed but is not totally unbeatable. Those 3 teams have a chance since they have the talent to beat them, its all about the matchups and the gameplan, who you put out there and how to play the Warriors. Once the playoffs start, teams are more locked in defensively. So we'll see.

[HarryPotter25]

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will miss the team's next two games because of a "family medical situation", according to the San Antonio Express-News.

He is expected to miss Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers and Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves before returning for Thursday's matchup with the Chicago Bulls. Assistant coach Ettore Messina will fill in during his absence, according to the report.

Poppovich, the longest tenured coach with the same team in all four of the major professional sports, has been with the Spurs since the 1996-97 season, where he has won five championships. The Spurs are currently second in the Western Conference with a 53-9 record that trails only the Golden State Warriors.

[Big Fundamental]

I hope that with the addition of Andre Miller and Kevin Martin would lead to 6th title of the Spurs. Although it’s not going to be easy, I believe that with this roster, they can beat elite teams in the West like the Warriors, Thunder and Clippers.

[Vegasboy32]

Warriors would repeat

[HarryPotter25]

After leading the Spurs ownership group for 20 years, Peter Holt has announced his retirement and his wife's take over.

 

Under the Holts' leadership, the team has become one of the premier franchises in North American sports. The Spurs have captured five NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014) while qualifying for the playoffs 19 straight seasons. The 2015-16 Spurs have a 54-10 record, the best mark to start a season in franchise history, and are a perfect 30-0 at home, which is the third best home record to start a season in NBA history.

"Our ownership in the Spurs has always been a family affair," said Julianna Hawn Holt. "For many years I've had the desire to take a more active role with Spurs Sports & Entertainment. We felt this was the right time to make this transition. We are very excited about the current Spurs season and the future of the organization."

Spurs Sports & Entertainment owns five sports franchises, the San Antonio Spurs, the San Antonio Rampage (AHL), the San Antonio Stars (WNBA), San Antonio FC (USL) and the Austin Spurs (NBA Development League). In addition, SS&E manages the day-to-day operations of the AT&T Center and Toyota Field. Under the Holts' watch, the organization has grown to over 350 full-time and almost 1,000 part-time employees.

"We've been fortunate to have a wonderful ownership group for the last two decades," said Rick Pych, president of business operations for SS&E. "Peter has provided great leadership. His dedication, vision and management style have allowed all of us to develop, grow and succeed. We thank him for his service to the Spurs and the San Antonio community. All of us are excited about the future of SS&E under the guidance and leadership of Julianna."

The board of managers of San Antonio Spurs, LLC, per the request of Julianna, has appointed Pych as co-CEO.

Renowned for his hands-off approach, Holt served as an ambassador for the San Antonio community, and will be remembered as one of the greatest owners in basketball history. We wish him the best of luck in all of his future endeavors and look forward to supporting the team under Julianna Holt's new leadership.

[Guiness]

Kawhi Leonard has a $94 million contract but can't live without his Wingstop coupons

 

If I became a multi-millionaire athlete — never mind that I would have to grow like two feet and put on 100 pounds — I probably wouldn't look at the menu prices at restaurants.

But Kawhi Leonard is not me. This guy is a San Antonio Spur. And in the most Spurs manner possible, Leonard uses coupons to get free food.

Apparently, the hunger is so great he can't survive without them, according to this Sports Illustrated feature:

 

As if we don't think he can get any more likable than this, the forward also still rocks cornrows and drives a 1997 Chevy Tahoe.

 

"[Leonard] is happy to sponsor Wingstop, which sends him coupons for free wings, so he can feed his Mango Habanero addiction. This winter, after his $94 million contract kicked in, he panicked when he lost his coupons. Wingstop generously replenished his supply."

 

Leonard tells Sports Illustrated: "I don't like to bring attention to myself. I don't like to make a scene."

 

 

 

- i just read this story about Kawhi Leonard being a frugal and thrifty spender. A guy who just got an extension for 94 M and yet still drives an 19 year old SUV and still likes to eat with coupons.

 

I like this story because he shows what a simple guy he is being a multi millionaire and yet still buys food with coupons and drives a 1997 Tahoe.

 

I liked the story so much that i got hungry thinking about Wingstop, i had to go to my local wingstop and get myself some wings. Great tasting wings with different flavors. Thanks Kawhi for making me hungry

 

For everyone's benefit here, Wingstop is a popular chicken wings/ tenders place that has branches all over the US

Edited March 16, 2016 by hahnz

[Duel of Fate]

I got so much respect for Pop and Tje Big Fundamental. But I hate it na the Spurs are becoming this year's Bandwagon team; its like everyone wants to play for the Spurs kahit veterans minimum rate just to be with a powerhouse team and just to win a ring.

 

Or maybe im reading it wrong; maybe the Cavs ARE STILL the bandwagon team and all those opposing to Lebron getting a ring for Cleveland are joining forces. Nagkataon lang GSW at San Antonio ang pwede puntahan lol.

[Andy143]

Kawhi!

[ppdd]

rematch between GSW and SAS

this time, it's on SA homecourt

 

go Spurs go!

[ppdd]

after winning their last game vs Portland, the Spurs now have a (all-time) winning margin vs all the NBA teams ^____^

 

Source: http://stats.nba.com/featured/san_antonio_vs_everybody_2016_03_18.html?ls=iref:nbahpt6e

[Jcj]

Very nice finish spurs.

Very nice finish spurs!!!

[Guiness]

i watched the whole game, gregg popovich is such a great coach. noticed all the adjustments he made. two things that were effective was Kawhi Leonard guarding Green and the switching with the screens which made it difficult for Curry to get any open looks from 3. 1-12 from 3 point range.

 

One more thing was the pace. Last time they played they were having a fast pace game with the Warriors. This time, they slowed it down.

 

What defense they played tonight. Unbelievable. Before the game started, i was already anticipating what adjustments Pop was going to make in this game. I knew he would be able to figure certain things out when it came down on how to guard Curry but also made things difficult for Klay Thompson

Edited March 20, 2016 by hahnz

[Labuyo]

we had last night off and the GSW were on the second night of a back to back.

still an excellent win.

but we need to be able to win at the Bay.

lalo na since they will most likely be the first seed overall.

[Guiness]

Warriors vs. Spurs results: 3 things we learned as San Antonio shut down Golden State

 

The Spurs shut Golden State down and got a huge 87-79 win over the best team in the league.

 

The Spurs got their revenge. After being on the wrong part of a blowout the first time they met the Warriors, they locked down on defense in San Antonio to take the second matchup, 87-79. This was a close game that came down to a few good plays at the end. LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 26 points and 13 rebounds, while Stephen Curry had just 14 points on 4-18 shooting in the losing effort.

After getting mauled at Oracle Arena, the Spurs needed to prove they could hang with the defending champions. The Warriors were without Andrew Bogut and started small with Draymond Green at center. So, Tim Duncan came off the bench for just the third time in his career, with Boris Diaw taking his place. It proved to be a smart decision to match Golden State's strategy. The smaller, more mobile starting lineup made life harder for the Warriors on both ends.

Neither team had its offense going early on, which was a complete departure from how things went the first time around. After dropping 62 points on the Spurs' league-best defense in the first half on Jan. 25, Golden State could only score 37 on Saturday. Danny Green did fantastic work on Curry, San Antonio switched to prevent open looks, and the Warriors had no answers in their half-court offense. Aldridge and Leonard, meanwhile, provided enough scoring to keep the Spurs' offense form sputtering completely.

At the half the Spurs were ahead 43-37, a small lead that would continue to be in the Spurs' favor for most of the second half.

The third quarter was not unlike the first two, with the Spurs playing ferocious defense but the Warriors finding ways to stay close. Curry struggled to get going, so Golden State couldn't take control of the game, but they won the quarter and tied the game at 65. Going into the fourth period, a comfortable win by either squad seemed to be out of the question. This one was going down to the wire.

The two teams traded buckets, unable to create separation. The Spurs were the first to get a two possession lead and made the most of it. Aldridge put them up by five with a little over a minute to go, and that bucket ended up determining the outcome of the game. Curry had a chance to cut the deficit, but one of those long threes that typically finds the bottom of the net missed. The Spurs made no mistakes in the closing moments and took the game.

3 things we learned Gregg Popovich is the king of making adjustments

The Spurs got destroyed in the Bay Area the first time around because they were sloppy and the Warriors are so good that it takes perfection to compete with them when they are focused. Still, there were lessons to learn from that game. Not switching screens and having Tony Parker be the main defender on Curry were not the best ideas. Also, having mobile players is a must to prevent Golden State from getting quality looks.

Pop saw that and adjusted. He sat Duncan and played lineups with just one traditional big man most of the time. He also gave Curry different looks and switched on-ball and even away-from-the-ball screens to prevent the back door cuts that killed them at Oracle. As a result, the defense looked much better this time around and the Spurs had a chance to win the game, unlike on the first matchup.

LaMarcus Aldridge showed up this time

Aldridge was arguably the biggest addition any contender made in the offseason and has made a positive impact in his time in San Antonio. Yet his struggles against elite teams had the Spurs' faithful worried about how he would perform in the playoffs. In the first matchup with Golden State, for example, he was among the worst performers on the court, finishing with five points in nine shots and three turnovers in 25 minutes.

He clearly had something to prove on Saturday and responded well to that pressure, contributing 26 points in a huge San Antonio win. For the Spurs to have a shot against the Warriors in the postseason, Aldridge needs to be the deadly weapon he was during his time in Portland. On Saturday, he showed that he can still be that player, even against the toughest of opponents.

There are two more of these games left!

We had to wait until January to watch the league's two best teams go toe to toe. That patience will be repaid late in the season, as there are still two more matchups between these two teams left in the regular season. We already got to watch a Warriors blowout and a close Spurs win. Who knows what will happen the next time these squads meet.

Neither team has played at full strength. Duncan missed the first matchup, while Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala sat out the second. Hopefully next time around, both teams with be at full force so we get a true preview of a potential Western Conference finals. Even if that doesn't happen, it's obvious by now that Spurs vs. Warriors is must-see TV for NBA fans.

 

[guytalker]

mukhang nabantayan si Curry a... 1 out of 12 from 3 point range

[Brittany]

I love you kawhi ang galing mo talaa loloves hihi

[ppdd]

nice game by the Spurs

they controlled the pace, and without bogut/ezeli/iggy, they controlled the offensive boards and converted the 2nd chance points

nice defense as well, very quick rotation on the picks

nainis lang ako dami nila turnovers, or rather expected ng GSW yung mga drop pass ng Spurs when driving to the paint, kaya nakadami sila ng steals

 

we still have 2 games

next time they meet, it will be on the GSW homecourt. expect GSW to bounce back and defend their home with everything they got.

 

olats lang natalo bigla SAS sa Charlotte.. ampf oh well

[Guiness]

he's right there shouldn't be any concern too much during the regular season unless there are games where you anticipate like the one with the Warriors because the Spurs should get up for those type of games because they will be the one of the teams they will face in the playoffs . The playoffs are the important, there are games where sometimes you get in a lull so it happens.

 

But i'm thinking, those last 2 games they have with the Warriors won't have any more bearing to them because its like 2 of their last 3 games of the season which i think Gregg Popovich will decide to rest his starters and not really put too much effort on those games anymore.

[Guiness]

Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green ruled out of Spurs' bid to tie record

 

SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs will be without Kawhi Leonard, fellow starter Danny Green and two key reserves against Memphis on Friday night when they attempt to match the longest home winning streak to open a season.

Leonard suffered a bruised right quadriceps midway through the third quarter of San Antonio's 112-88 victory over Miami on Wednesday night. His return is unknown, but the injury is not considered serious.

It was the Spurs' 36th straight home victory to open the season, which is one shy of matching the league record set by the Chicago Bulls in 1995-96.

Leonard was injured after being fouled by Heat rookie Justise Winslow on a driving layup. San Antonio's 6-foot-7, All-Star forward remained in the game to complete the three-point play and match his career high of 32 points, but exited thereafter with team trainer Will Sevening following close behind.

"He had to come out when he did because his leg was just ... it was a good contusion so it was just stiff, it wouldn't work," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "So, he had to come out. To put him back in wouldn't have made any sense."

In addition to being without Leonard, San Antonio is sitting Green and reserves Boris Diaw and Patty Mills for rest on Friday.

Popovich routinely rests his veteran players throughout the arduous, 82-game regular season to help them remain fresh and healthy for the postseason.

The Spurs were fined $250,000 by then-NBA commissioner David Stern when Popovich sent Green, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili home for rest on Nov. 29, 2012, rather than having them play Miami in the final game of a six-game road trip.

Stern said the fine was due to a litany of transgressions, but primarily because San Antonio did not alert the league or media of the players' unavailability prior to the game.

Since then, the Spurs have announced in advance which players will rest.

Being without Leonard, Green, Diaw and Mills could be troublesome Wednesday, even though the Grizzlies are without injured starters Marc Gasol and Mike Conley.

Memphis holds a four-game lead over Portland for the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

San Antonio has an 11-game lead over Oklahoma City for the West's second seed and trails Golden State by four for the top seed.

The Spurs have won 45 straight regular-season home games dating to March 2015, which matches the 1995-96 Bulls for the second-longest streak in league history and trails the Warriors' current 51-game winning streak.

[Labuyo]

"trap-game" yung sa Hornets.

 

with the Spurs comfortably sitting as the second seed, malamang mas magfo-focus na sa minutes management si Pop.

 

part of me hopes that the Warriors expend a fair bit of energy trying to get 73wins