Spurs of the Moment

There are only three games tonight, and none of them Spurs games, but I just feel like commenting and making predictions.

Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Friends vs Boston Celtics
This is the most eagerly anticipated game of the year and I hope Boston slaps these cats silly.
Prediction: Boston wins 95-87

LA Lakers vs Houston Rockets
The Lake Show begins their quest for another ‘ship. Yao Ming returns. All of the Kobe fanatics and all of China will be watching this game.
Prediction: Lakers win 110-98

Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trailblazers
The game no one will be watching. Who will step up in place of Amare? This might actually be the closest game, who knows? And maybe if the Lakers blow out the Rockets more people will switch over to watch this one.
Prediction: Phoenix wins 112-109

Tim Duncan is not getting respect from some of the so-called experts in sports media.

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The Spurs defeated the Mavs 97-87  and won the series 4-2. The Suns finished off the Blazers last night 99-90 and will be the next team the Spurs face.

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The NBA Playoffs are ready to start and the bracket is below along with my thoughts on each round and my own predictions all the way to the NBA Finals. If I am wrong then so be it, but if I get it right I need proof that I “knew it all along” so here goes…

First Round
Western Conference:
LA Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder > LA Lakers
This has the potential to be one of the funnest matchups in a long time. Durant is the youngest scoring champ in NBA history and is going against one of the best players the league has ever seen. It has all the makings of one of those classic “pass the torch” matchups. The only problem is that it isn’t. The Thunder just aren’t there yet and will be lucky to win a game against a well coached Lakers team who will make quick work of the young OKC squad. Scott Brooks is on his way as a fine coach, but this is where the real lessons are learned and the happy-to-be-in-the-playoffs-Thunder are going to get a quick, not-so-subtle lesson in humility. Still, I think that Durant and company will make this an entertaining series and Kobe has no shortage of fans or haters (me included) to keep things extra interesting. Prediction: Lakers in 5

Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz > Utah Jazz
The Nuggets are falling apart and have lost their coach and their mojo over the past month. They are 6-7 in their past 13 games and got pummeled in a blow-out loss against Phoenix in their season finale. Coach Karl is expected to miss at least the first round of the playoffs which means he is basically going to miss the playoffs. However, the Jazz don’t exactly inspire much confidence either, especially after the way they lost in their season finale, also against the Phoenix Suns. I think that neither team is a serious contender but they will battle eachother to a near standstill before one ultimately prevails  over the other only to get ousted in the next round. Prediction: Jazz in 7

Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trail Blazers > Phoenix Suns
The Suns are on a mission right now after thrashing both Denver and Utah in the past week en route to a 14-2 finish. The Blazers are likely going to be without their leading scorer and best overall player, Brandon Roy. The Blazers have shown that they can meet many challenges over the course of the season, but this is the end of the line for Portland. They can only hope that next year Greg Oden doesn’t get another case of janky-knees or pose for anymore risque pictures. Prediction: Suns in 5

Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs > San Antonio Spurs
Oh boy. Revenge or Repeat? I say revenge for the Spurs. The Mavs made a nice little blockbuster deal during All-Star Weekend, but Caron Butler is not having quite the impact he was expected to. He’s no slouch, and is miles better than the inconsistent, injury-plagued, blitzed out of his mind Josh Howard, but he is not taking this team to the next level – at least not yet. Haywood has probably had a bigger impact for the Mavs. Still, after the Mavericks went on their 13 game win streak shortly after the trade, they came back down to earth and started looking mortal again. Can they win it all? Certainly, but they are known more for blowing up for no apparent reason than winning championships. Enter the Spurs. San Antonio has been slowly but surely integrating several new players into the Spurs system and while the results were not so great early on, they are now showing signs of being a legit contender. They can absolutely upset the Mavericks and anyone else in their path. Last year the Spurs didn’t have Manu Ginobili for the playoffs, and this year he returned to form in a big way and got a $39 million contract extension to boot. George Hill’s defense will factor in as well. He won’t stop Kidd from getting his fair share of assists, but he can keep the point guards for the Mavs from running amok. I’ll do a more in-depth preview of this matchup, but for now let’s just say that this matchup has “upset” written all over it. Prediction: Spurs in 6

Eastern Conference:
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls > Cleveland Cavaliers
The Bulls barely managed to make the playoffs, and while their epic series against the Celtics showed a lot of promise, the only promise they have this year is a swift execution. Cleveland is the favorite in the East if not the league and will dispatch the Bulls quickly and with authority. Prediction: Cavs in 4

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat > Boston Celtics
The Celtics are nowhere near the dominant team they were a few years ago when they were NBA champs. The Big Three are older, slower, and a little bit rickety. Even Doc Rivers is hinting at bailing out before it gets worse next season. They just aren’t the same squad. Bill Simmons blames Rasheed Wallace to an extent which is probably about accurate, although I think it’s more an effect than a cause. The cause is that they simply aren’t as hungry, aren’t as desperate, and aren’t as good as they once were. Having said that, the Miami Heat have very little chance of advancing. As hopeless as I think the Celtics are when it comes to winning it all this year, the Heat are not any better. Can they upset the Celtics? Certainly. Will they? I think not. Prediction: Celtics in 7

Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks > Atlanta Hawks
I don’t really like Milwaukee, but I like Brandon Jennings. He won’t be able to win this for the Bucks though. Atlanta has a veteran point guard in Bibby who will run all over the Bucks who really don’t have anyone on the team that’s playoff tested unless you count Jerry Stackhouse or Kurt Thomas  – and I don’t. John Salmons has a little bit of experience with Chicago, but that won’t be enough to overcome the Hawks. Atlanta wants everyone to know they are for real, and they are not going to let the Bucks stand in their way. Prediction: Hawks in 6

Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Bobcats > Orlando Magic
The Charlotte Bobcats are making their first playoff appearance with Larry Brown leading the charge. They have the coaching and the personnel to flat out embarrass the Orlando Magic if they don’t come with it. I still don’t see it happening though. The Bobcats are good, but Orlando has too many weapons at every position and even an injury to one of the Magic’s key players probably wouldn’t be enough to derail them this early on. They need to focus on this opponent and this round though, or they will be taking an early vacation. Prediction: Magic in 6

Second Round
Western Conference:
LA Lakers vs Utah Jazz > LA Lakers
The Lakers will be well rested and the Jazz will be out of their element in this round. Aside from Deron Williams at point guard, the Jazz have no favorable matchups in this round and he won’t have an easy day with everyone from Fisher, to Kobe, to Artest pushing him around. Prediction: Lakers in 6

Phoenix Suns vs San Antonio Spurs > San Antonio Spurs
I don’t know why, but for some reason the Spurs always own the Suns. Maybe God hates the Suns or maybe just likes the Spurs – I don’t know. Maybe the fix is in. Either way, the Spurs almost always beat the Suns and this will be no different. Prediction: Spurs in 6

Eastern Conference:
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics > Cleveland Cavaliers
This is where the wheels fall off for Boston. This will be the last time the Big Three play in a series together, the last time Boston is considered a true contender, and hopefully the last time we are forced to look at Rasheed Wallace’s man-boobs. One can only hope. Prediction: Cavs in 6

Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic > Orlando Magic
Orlando can smell the NBA Finals by this point and will be itching to get to Cleveland without being battered too much. That’s too bad though because the Hawks will give them everything they can handle. Atlanta has a good team, but not a great team, but they can take another step in the right direction in this series. Prediction: Magic in 7

Conference Finals
Western Conference:
LA Lakers vs San Antonio Spurs > LA Lakers
I want to be wrong. I want so desperately to be wrong, but I just don’t see it happening. The Spurs can beat the Lakers, but I fear that Artest and Kobe will harass RJ and Ginobili too much. I don’t think the Spurs can really account for Gasol and Bynum. The keys to this series for the Spurs will be the play of Tony Parker and George Hill at the point guard spot, and whether or not McDyess and Blair can neutralize Bynum at the center spot. The Spurs can beat the Lakers, but probably not four games out of seven. I just hope the Spurs batter the Lakers enough to weaken them for the Finals. Prediction: Lakers in 7

Eastern Conference:
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic > Cleveland Cavaliers
This is where the Magic are going to miss Hedo Turkoglu’s play-making ability. The Cavs defense is going to smother the Magic and do to them what they should have last season – knock them out of the playoffs. Prediction: Cavs in 6

NBA Finals
LA Lakers vs Cleveland Cavaliers > Cleveland Cavaliers
Kobe wants to repeat, but not as much as LeBron wants to win his first title. Kobe doesn’t have the same motivation that he had in previous seasons since Shaq left town, but LeBron has all the motivation in the world. Also, Shaq will surely enjoy snatching a championship away from Kobe. This is LeBron’s year and that’s all there is to it. The Cavs all know that if they don’t win it all, LeBron could walk. If they do win it all, there is no way LeBron walks away. Everyone in Cleveland knows this. You know it. I know it. The Lakers know it… and there is nothing they can do about it. Prediction: Cavs in 7

Well, in an update to my earlier statement that I think Pop should rest several key players tonight, it appears that the Spurs’ coach has every intention of doing the exact opposite. Shows what I know… I think. As Coach P puts it…

“We just go into the game to play it,” Popovich said after the Spurs’ morning shootaround at American Airlines Center. “There are other factors that help determine what seed you’re going to be that you don’t control, so the best thing to do is just continue to try to be the best team you can be by the time the playoffs start.

“If it’s Dallas, it’s Dallas. If it’s somebody else, it’s somebody else. You really can’t control everything, so there’s no sense trying. Just do your best. That’s what you can control.”

So I guess that’s that. Now part of me wants the Mavs to take control early so that Pop will be forced to rest guys anyway, but that desire is over-ridden by the notion that the Spurs coming to play their best basketball as usual – and losing in a blowout – would be a bad taste to go into the playoffs with, especially since they’d be playing the same Mavs team. So now we are left to hope for a Suns win tonight in Utah or the Blazers to lose to Golden State that so we don’t get stuck with a Utah-Spurs first round series that will probably = first round exit. I’m not trying to be a pessimist or anything, but let’s face it, the Jazz have had the Spurs’ number all season and I don’t see that changing next week.

The Spurs have one more regular season game tonight and it’s against the Dallas Mavericks… of course. Still, the Spurs could face one of three different teams in the first round, and it’s anybody’s guess who that team will be. Let’s look at the different possible scenarios.

These are the current Western Conference Standings, with the ones in blue being pretty much stuck where they are:

Here are the key matchups tonight:

San Antonio Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns @ Utah Jazz
Portland Trail Blazers vs Golden State Warriors

So here are the possibilities:
Scenario 1) If San Antonio loses tonight or San Antonio wins andPortland wins, then the Spurs stay in the 7th seed and face the #2 seed. The #2 seed is Dallas if the Spurs lose, but if the Spurs win and Utah wins their game against Phoenix tonight then the Jazz will move into the #2 slot. So basically, in this scenario, the Spurs play the Mavs in the first round if the Mavs win tonight, or they’ll face Utah if the Jazz beat Phoenix and the Spurs beat Dallas and Portland beats the Warriors tonight. I think I would prefer the Mavs to Utah since the Jazz swept the season series, so  if I’m Coach Popovich I am seriously considering resting everybody.

Scenario 2) If San Antonio wins and Portland loses then the Spurs will move up to the #6 seed and play the #3 seed, which would end up being Dallas unless the Suns beat the Jazz, then the Spurs are off to Phoenix. I’d take that matchup since the Spurs always own the Suns, but it’s a little more improbable.

At least I am pretty sure that’s how it all would shake out, so if you were able to keep up with that, then we are rooting for a Utah loss at Phoenix so that regardless of who wins the Spurs-Mavs game tonight, the Spurs don’t face the Jazz. The Spurs face off against the Mavericks at 7 pm CT, a good 2.5 hours before the other two games start on the West coast, so maybe resting Duncan, Parker, Hill, and Ginobili, and preparing for the Mavericks is the way to go.

The Spurs pummeled the Timberwolves last night 133-111 for their 11th straight 50-win season. Unfortunately, this does not mean a high playoff seed in the West where 50 wins is barely  enough to get a team into the playoffs.

Eight Spurs players scored in double figures led by Keith Bogans with 17. You know it’s an easy game when Bogans is the high scorer on the team. McDyess sat this one out and Matt Bonner started at center, but no starter played more than 23 minutes. The Spurs shot 14-of-26 from downtown and were 58% from the field. They also had 12 turnovers to the Wolves’ 19. Ramon Sessions had the games lone double-double with 13 points and 10 assists off the bench for Minnesota.

Playoff Matchups
The Spurs play the Mavericks on Wednesday in what is very possibly a first round preview. Here’s the deal: If the Spurs lose to Dallas OR beat Dallas and Portland beats Golden State, then the Spurs will face Dallas in the first round. If the Spurs win in Dallas AND the Blazers lose to the Golden State Warriors on the same night, then the Spurs move a game ahead of Portland and will face the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz or Phoenix Suns in the first round. Denver is currently in 3rd with a half game lead on Utah and Phoenix. That 3rd spot is up for grabs though as Utah plays Golden State and Phoenix still, Phoenix plays Denver and Utah, and Denver plays only Phoenix. Honestly,  I would take any of those three teams over the Mavs or Lakers in the first round, but the Spurs’ first round fate is only in their hands so much. Of course, now that I think about it, if the Spurs beat the Mavs then Dallas could conceivably drop to 3rd place depending on how the Denver/Utah/Phoenix scenarios play out. This is getting too complicated for only two days left in the season. I’ll revisit this tomorrow.

Now the question is if Coach Popovich will resign himself to facing anyone but the Lakers and rest some key players on Wednesday when Dallas possibly rests some of their players.

I’m going to try not to go crazy. I’m going to try to be coherent. I’m going to try to stay optimistic. I am most likely going to fail at one or all of those things. This Spurs season is getting depressing. Read more »

First off, Mason’s agent is trying to clarify that Mase is not demanding a trade, but is simply “open” to one. The reason, of course, is due to minutes. I’ve been saying all year that Mason should start at shooting guard if not Ginobili, but Pop stubbornly stuck to Keith Bogans for several months. Now George Hill is starting next to Parker, and while he is getting better and is coming along defensively, he is still undersized and I don’t recall him hitting any game winners like Mase did several times last season. According to the San Antonio Express News:

“One league executive said he expects the Spurs to make overtures at the Miami Heat, who are shopping a number of players, including power forward Udonis Haslem and small forward Dorell Wright.”

My response: Huh? Read more »

The Spurs lost to a Lakers team that was missing arguably the best player in the game right now and their starting center. They may as well have lost to Pau Gasol and four lucky fans last night. Gasol had some ridiculous numbers with 21 points, 19 rebounds, eight assists, five blocks, and a steal. Ron Artest had 18 points, and Lamar Odom had a double-double with 16 and 10. For the Spurs, the usual players showed up – Duncan (16 points, 15 boards), Parker (20 points, 8 assists), and Ginobili (21 points). The tandem of Antonio McDyess and DeJuan Blair had 15 points and 14 rebounds… not too bad. George Hill was a non-factor, and Richard Jefferson…. oh boy.

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