Where would the San Antonio Spurs be this season without Kawhi Leonard? To answer my own question, probably out of the playoff picture. In a Western Conference where the 8th-seeded New Orleans Pelicans are seven games over .500, the Spurs are 33-16 with Leonard and just 9-9 without him. Leonard leads the team in scoring, defensive rating and minutes per game. There’s an immense difference in Leonard’s stats in Spurs wins and losses, to the point where an off night can torpedo
It’s that time of year, as a popular collegiate tournament takes over the hoops spotlight. Good luck with your brackets! The final month is always “silly season” in the NBA — players get shut down early on bad teams and rested frequently on good teams, just in time to affect the playoffs in traditional Head-to-Head fantasy leagues. [Read more…]
Although LeBron James only went back to Cleveland this past offseason, it is now a very distant memory for most that he was with the Miami Heat last season and won two championships with them overall. Simply put, most are over it and accept the fact that he decided to go back home. There is one guy with the Heat organization who is still scratching his head about James’ decision, though, and his name is Alonzo Mourning. Mourning explained his feelings on James’ departure and provided
What a strange NBA Tuesday. Anthony Davis got double-teamed, so Quincy Pondexter and Omer Asik were the best Pelicans to own. James Harden had an off-night (just 4-14) and Donatas Motiejunas stepped up to lead the Rockets. To my surprise, the Spurs didn’t rest anyone, yet they somehow lost to the Knicks. [Read more…]
The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued on Tuesday, March 17 with a slate of five games featuring 10 competitive teams. There was a tremendous performance by an embattled player, a number of vital victories in the postseason picture and a shocking upset. This is how it all transpired. [Read more…]
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the few teams in the league that almost never loses to terrible teams, especially when the calendar reads March. The playoffs are nearing and this is the time of the year when they really clean up their act and dominate with crisp execution. [Read more…]
The San Antonio Spurs lost to the New York Knicks 104-100 in overtime on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was not happy with his team’s performance. In a short yet purposeful postgame statement to the media, Popovich bashed the way the Spurs played and complimented the way the Knicks played to earn just their 14th win of the season. “We didn’t respect the game, we didn’t respect our opponent,” Popovich said. “It was a pathetic performance. And I
The envelope for the MVP of the 2015-15 NBA season, please…. There’s a hush in the hall as the camera pans over the anxious faces of Steph Curry, James Harden, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, LaMarcus Aldridge, John Wall, Kyle Lowry, Derrick Favors, Eric Bledsoe, Boogie Cousins–yes, extra security is standing by in case he doesn’t win–and the entire Atlanta starting five with their arms entwined, befitting their status as a collective entry. Oh, and Kobe Bryant! The standards aren’t