You can see the disappointment in Tim Duncan’s face. You can hear the frustration in Manu Ginobili’s voice. When members of the 2012-13 San Antonio Spurs look back at this season they will play the “what if” game. What if we made our free throws down the stretch? What if we grabbed two more defensive … [Read more…]
Game 7. NBA Finals. There’s nothing better in the sport of basketball. It’s a winner-take-all contest to decide which team takes home the Larry O’Brien trophy. The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs are arguably the two best teams in the NBA the last three seasons and we finally get to see both in … [Read more…]
Ray Allen expects to make every shot. That’s the mentality of one of the greatest 3-point shooters in NBA history. When Allen got the ball with seven seconds left and Miami down by three to San Antonio in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, the basketball gods must have been smiling on the Heat because … [Read more…]
Gregg Popovich is old enough to be Erik Spoelstra’s dad. If the 2013 NBA Finals came down to experience and guile, Popovich would win hands down if you put a wager on basketball. You can bet US fans will pick Pop in a heartbeat. Popovich, 64, is the Garry Kasparov of coaches. He may be … [Read more…]
When Manu Ginobili ever decides to retire from the NBA, he’ll go down in basketball history as one of the greatest to play the game. He’s a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer who belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of international players who changed the NBA landscape, a short list that includes Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker. … [Read more…]
Every basketball fan who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s has an unbelievable Doctor J story. I have mine, too. Julius Erving was my first basketball hero. Before Jordan, LeBron, and Kobe, there was Dr. J. He was Michael Jordan before Michael Jordan. Most of the spectacular dunks and aerial artistry we see in … [Read more…]
LeBron James claims he’s 50 times better the player he was in 2007 when his Cleveland Cavaliers were swept by Tim Duncan’s San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. Based on what we’ve seen so far through three games in the 2013 NBA Finals, LeBron needs to be 100 times better. If LeBron was 50 … [Read more…]
The Miami Heat didn’t just lose a game Tuesday night, they were annihilated. They got punched so hard on the chin they fell flat on their face like Manny Pacquiao in the fourth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. The Spurs rained three after three after three on the Heat and finished with a NBA Finals … [Read more…]
The Heat game plan for Game 2 was simple: wear down Tony Parker. Mario Chalmers heard the message loud and clear, as the fifth-year pro kept Parker busy on defense by being more aggressive because the best way to slow down a great scorer is to make him play defense. Chalmers drove to the basket … [Read more…]
Heading into the 2013 NBA Finals the topic of discussion centered around the ages of the veteran-laden San Antonio Spurs. After Game 1, all the talk was about Tony Parker’s unbelievable shot for the ages. With the Spurs ahead 90-88 with under 30 seconds left, Parker drove to his right and nearly lost the ball … [Read more…]