San Antonio Spurs

[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

[ppdd]

Nice win by SAS vs Grizzlies

they are now tied with the '95-'96 Bulls for best home start (37-0)

 

SPURS INJURY REPORT – 3/25/16
Posted: Mar 25, 2016

The following players are out for tomorrow’s Spurs-Thunder game:
LaMarcus Aldridge (rest) Tim Duncan (rest) Manu Ginobili (rest) Kawhi Leonard (right quad contusion) Tony Parker (rest)

[HarryPotter25]

Spurs Are Not Far Behind The Historically Dominant Warriors

The Warriors have understandably been receiving most of the media attention for their play. But their historic season has been overshadowing another team that has been having a nearly equally dominant season. This is not surprising as the media has been overlooking this team for years. This team is the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs currently possess a 60-11 record, putting them only four games behind the Warriors. Perhaps even more impressive though is their record since Dec. 1. The Spurs started the season 14-4 and have since gone 46-7. This gives them the same amount of losses as Golden State in that span. Comparing the team statistics of the Warriors and the Spurs demonstrates how dominant they have been.

When it comes to offensive efficiency, both teams are in the top three in the league. The Warriors average 112.7 points per 100 possessions while the Spurs are third with 108.9, putting them just behind Oklahoma City for second place. This proves that both are extremely productive on the offensive end. Both teams also shoot the ball extremely well.

The Spurs are first in the league with a 48.8% field goal percentage and the Warriors are just behind them with a 48.7%. The Warriors do have a slightly better true shooting percentage though (59.2% vs 56.7%) which can be accounted to their higher three-point percentage (41.5% vs 38.3%). On the offensive end of the court, it seems the Warriors and Spurs are top two when it comes to nearly every relevant statistic and this is a huge reason why they are having such dominant seasons.

One major similarity on offensive between the Warriors and the Spurs is their unselfishness. From the eye test alone, one can see that both teams pass the ball multiple times a possession, moving it from end of the court to the other to find the open man. This is a huge reason why both teams are extremely efficient when it comes to scoring. The assist ratio statistic helps exemplify their ball movement. Assist ratio gives the percentage of team possessions that end in an assist and it’s not surprising that the Warriors and Spurs are the top two teams at 20.6 and 19.2 respectively. It is not just offense where the teams excel though.

When it comes to defense, the Warriors are definitely an elite team. The Warriors are fifth in the league with a defensive efficiency of 100.6, meaning they give up 100.6 points every 100 possessions. The traditional stats also show the Warriors as an elite team defensively, as they are third in opponent’s field goal percentage (43.5%) and tied for second in opponent’s three-point percentage (32.9%). The defense is anchored by last year’s Defensive Player of the Year Runner-Up Draymond Green. The Warriors ability to switch on-ball screens allows them to remain at an elite level of play despite the fact that Green is only 6-8 and plays the center position.

The defensive end of the court is where the Spurs can claim to be better than the Warriors. The Spurs boast a league best 95.5 defensive rating, 3.4 points better than second-place Atlanta. The gap between them is the same as the gap between the Hawks and 10th place Cleveland. They are also first at opponent’s field goal percentage and tied with Golden State for second at opponent’s field goal percentage.

The Spur’s defense is anchored by 2015 Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard and his ability to hound opposing wings. Tim Duncan helps anchor the paint and with Danny Green and Tony Parker on the team as well, this team has the formula for a historically good offensive and it shows. The Spurs defense is so good that they are actually posting a better point differential than the Warriors (12.2 vs 11.2). If the season ended today, this would be the best point differential of all time.

The Golden State Warriors have understandably been the talk of the league. Their performances on both sides of the court have put them in prime position for setting the single-season wins record. The San Antonio Spurs have quietly been having a equally good season. The two powerhouses are on a crash course for a Western Conference Final series for the ages in May.

[Labuyo]

Here's some news courtesy of Capt. Obvious.

 

 

With their playoffs seeding pretty much locked in, the Spurs are in full rest and recovery mode at this stage of the season.

 

We're looking at more minutes and reps for the B team as well as the new oldies in Miller and Martin.

[GTO15]

Let's go spurs!!!

[Guiness]

Tony Parker thinks Gregg Popovich will rest starters

 

SAN ANTONIO -- The Spurs face the Golden State Warriors twice more in the regular season, but point guard Tony Parker has predicted that coach Gregg Popovich won't use any of the front-line contributors in those meetings.

"I think no one will play [against the Warriors]," Parker said on his French radio show, which was translated by News 4 San Antonio. "To Pop, the most important thing is that the players are rested for the playoffs. As for first place, he does not care. For us, the end of the regular season is a good time to rest. That's why we play hard throughout the season, trying to win the most games possible, to find ourselves in this situation of luxury. We are sure we will be the second seed and we can all rest before the playoffs."

Popovich held out injured forward Kawhi Leonard during Friday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies and rested Danny Green along with reserves Patty Mills and Boris Diaw. Then during a loss at Oklahoma City on Friday, the Spurs hit the court with just 10 active players as Popovich used Kyle Anderson, Mills, Diaw, Green and rookie Boban Marjanovic as Parker, Tim Duncan, Leonard and Manu Ginobili didn't even make the trip.

At shootaround Wednesday morning, when asked if Popovich cares about the home record, Parker said, "Are you seriously asking me that? He doesn't care at all."

Headed into the win over the Grizzlies on Saturday, the Spurs knew they needed to capture only one more victory to secure no worse than the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Western Conference playoffs. Throughout Popovich's tenure, the coach starts to rest players once the Spurs secure their postseason seeding.

"This is the earliest [the Spurs have had a seed locked], for sure," Parker said. "Me personally, I always like resting. It doesn't bother me. I think Pop does a good job. He's got a good feel for it. I don't think it's going to hurt us."

San Antonio has won 37 consecutive games at home, which ties the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the longest home winning streak to start a season in NBA history.

The team announced Monday that Leonard is probable for Wednesday's matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.

"He's smart," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told CSNBayArea.com of Popovich. "They're locked into the No. 2 spot and there's no danger of anybody catching them from behind. And they're not trying to set any records. I will be interested to see if they rest guys at home. Do they want to go undefeated at home?"