Teams in the NBA playoff races aren’t the only ones watching scoreboards this time of year. Take the Philadelphia 76ers, for example. The Sixers lost their first 17 games, were mathematically eliminated from the playoff race nearly a month ago and almost certainly will lose 60-plus games for the second straight season. But GM Sam Hinkie and the rest of the Sixers’ front office are tracking the results of other games almost as closely as their own. That’s because Philadelphia could have
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
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
It happens every spring: The snow melts, the birds start chirping, the cherry trees eventually blossom … and the Spurs start looking their best. We have gotten a small sample size of it over the first few days of March, and with five weeks now remaining in the season, I will be so bold as to predict that San Antonio will finish with one of the top four records in the West and end up defending their title in Game 1
Rebuilding franchises conjure up a wide spectrum of emotions. They prompt hope for a brighter future, frustration that wins will likely be hard to come by in the immediate future and, sometimes, disappointment that tangible progress isn’t being seen quite quickly enough for increasingly rabid fan bases — specially in this instant gratfication digital era. Orlando is an interesting case study. The Magic have what seems like a decent enough young core in shooting guard Victor Oladipo, double-double machine Nikola Vucevic,
If you’re a grown man and you’ve ever been to Cirque du Soleil, you’re not alone. However, you should still feel alone. San Antonio Spurs crafty forward Boris Diaw posted a photo on Thursday night of his viewing of the Canadian entertainment company. Canadian, yes, but still French to me. [Read more…]
Just 52 games into the NBA season — not yet at the All-Star break, and the Orlando Magic have unloaded a sizable amount of talent. That’s coaching talent. Thursday’s breaking news was that of Magic CEO Alex Martins and GM Rob Hennigan had decided to cut ties with head coach Jacque Vaughn and assistants Wes Unseld Jr., Brett Gunning and Zack Guthrie. Assistant coach James Borrego will take over as interim head coach. [Read more…]
The San Antonio Spurs won their fifth title last year when they routed the Miami Heat in five games. It was the fifth time that Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan visited the President at the White House. The first time they did, Bill Clinton was in office. So overall, Duncan and Pop have met and have photographs with the last three Presidents of the United States. That’s pretty awesome if you ask me. [Read more…]