The Spurs stars may be getting old, but their blueprint for winning remains as strong as ever. They were beaten at their own game by former Spurs executive, Sam Presti, this season, but they still have a few more tricks up their sleeve with Erazem Lorbek and Nando De Colo. Since that fortunate day in 1997 when the ping-pong balls magically awarded Tim Duncan to San Antonio, the Spurs have written the instruction manual on how a small market team can achieve
After 66 games of the wildest schedule the league has ever seen, the lockout shortened regular season has finally come to a close. No more four games in five nights or back-to-back-to-backs. The demanding schedule saw many key players suffer devastating and nagging injuries throughout the season. The Hawks and the Clippers will surely feel those losses as they head into the playoffs without Al Horford and Chauncey Billups, respectively. Without a real training camp and preseason, teams with new coaches and players were
OK, so maybe there is a sprinter on the Australian track and field team that is faster than Patrick Mills. Maybe. The speedster who spent two seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and the earlier part of this season in China and Australia was signed Tuesday by the San Antonio Spurs, the fourth addition they have made to their roster this month (Boris Diaw, Stephen Jackson, Justin Dentmon). Mills, a 6-0, 185-pound point guard out of St. Mary’s (CA), was drafted by Portland
I first caught a glimpse of Patty Mills in Shanghai four years ago, and it was a good thing I didn’t blink. The speedster was playing in an exhibition game for Australia against team USA, and twice he outraced Chris Paul downcourt for fast-break layups. That was back when Mills was still playing college ball at St. Mary’s in California, and Mills eventually made it to the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers before signing in China with the Xinjiang Flying