SAN ANTONIO – For the longest time, the San Antonio Spurs seemed so full of precision, so superior, so . . . invincible. Fifty days. That’s how long the Spurs went without losing a game. Before them, only three teams in NBA history had winning streaks of 20 or more games. They became the fourth. Included in that streak was eight straight in the playoffs. That number stretched to 10 when the Spurs handled the Thunder without significant problems in the first
Well, if that wasn’t a perfect game, I don’t know what is. And it wasn’t just Serge Ibaka going 11-for-11 from the field. It was Kevin Durant scoring 18 of his 36 points for the Thunder down the stretch, it was the Thunder looking wiser than their years by answering every San Antonio basket in the fourth quarter with one of their own, it was Oklahoma City’s bigs exposing a gaping hole in the Spurs’ defensive capabilities down low. It was a
Remember how Tim Duncan turned back the clock in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals and served a facial dunk on Serge Ibaka? Well, Ibaka decided a little payback was in order, and did more or less the same dunk against Duncan in Game 4, with a little more flair as he cuffed the ball before throwing it down: (via youtube user 1jzo) The shot-blocking artist was more than just a defender in this game, shooting a flawless 11-of-11 from the field
Time for a look around at what’s happening today in the NBA. We’ll be doing this every day from now on, right around 7-8 p.m. EDT. Doc Rivers was irate for receiving a technical foul in Game 1 against the Miami Heat for simply saying “Come on Eddie” to referee Ed Malloy, and rightfully so. From Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston: “I know mine wasn’t (deserved). I can tell you that much,” said Rivers, whose team got hit with three individual technicals, a
In the biggest game of the season for the Boston Celtics, the Big Four took a back seat to the Other One. All of the attention in Boston rightfully goes to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. They are the only four players remaining from the team’s last championship in 2008 and comprise perhaps the best quartet in the NBA. They are the reason the Celtics are still in the title hunt when most felt their window of
Two years ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder were the upstarts who gave the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers a serious run for their money in a first-round series that lasted six tough games. The Lakers emerged primarily on the strength of their veteran core and extensive postseason experience, while the Thunder went through growing pains that all young teams have. This time, the Thunder – two years wiser and perhaps still not at their ceiling – are the favorites, while
Tyson Chandler was awarded the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. But you know what, I think Serge Ibaka should have gotten it. Click on the video above to find out why, and insert your comments in this post or into the DPOY post from yesterday. CineSport’s Tara Petrolino and SheridanHoops.com’s Chris Sheridan discuss this, along with the Heat vs. the Knicks, and the Grizzlies’ win over the Clippers in Game 2. //
