San Antonio Spurs

[MalditohoN]

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lets just all hope that both duncan, ginobili and gooden are healthy, be sure that parker can hit crucial free throws down the stretch!

[menderouv]

lets just all hope and make sure ok sila paduong playoff it doesn't matter what position we are (#2, #3, etc.) way tay kawala we are meeting the best teams in the league. we'll just do our best and execute those play well

[tackielarla]

Manu is coming back on Friday vs the Clips.

[MalditohoN]

gudluck spurs!

[tackielarla]

Spurs close, but ...
Jeff McDonald

Heading into tonight’s game against the Warriors, the Spurs have dropped three of their past four by a combined eight points. In doing so, they’ve dropped from first place in the Southwest Division and second in the West by the narrowest of margins. Staff writer Jeff McDonald takes a hard glance at the Spurs’ white-knuckle week:

March 16: Thunder 78, Spurs 76

The Spurs had a 17-point edge in the first half and an 11-point lead in the second against Kevin Durant and the Thunder, but by the fourth quarter, it all had vanished. Oklahoma City took its first lead of the game on Chucky Atkins' 3-pointer with 7:37 to play and hung on as Tony Parker missed two shots in the waning moments, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer deflected by Thabo Sefolosha.

Friday: Celtics 80, Spurs 77

After a back-and-forth three quarters, this one came down to free throws for Tim Duncan and the Spurs. They went 0 for 6 from the line in the final 2:32, with Parker missing four foul shots in the last 48.6 seconds that could have tied the game. Those misses allowed the defending NBA champion Celtics to escape with a victory.

Sunday: Rockets 87, Spurs 85

Parker and the Spurs led by as many as seven points in the fourth quarter, but a series of defensive lapses allowed the Rockets to regain the lead. Yao Ming found a wide-open Luis Scola for a go-ahead layup with 11.2 seconds to go, and Matt Bonner missed a 3-pointer at the horn for the Spurs.

[depechebox]

butalo a bitaw free throw aning TD... labi na ila home court.

bang naapsan na sila sa houston sa 2nd spot..

ni maayo man hinoon ang houston na wala si T mac.. toing

looks like tagak gihapn ni ang Spurs sa LA.. di ni sila kalosot sa LA basta di sila Healthy

or basin sakit na ang tuhod hehehe


naunsa naman ni sila ngano sige mani ka injured ila key player..

[tackielarla]

Nail-biters make Spurs grit their teeth
Jeff McDonald

Just before another Spurs game came down to another final shot Sunday afternoon, center Matt Bonner cornered the nearest referee with a timely question about time.

“I asked if I had time to catch and shoot with .3 seconds,” Bonner said. “He said I could.”

Quick on the draw, Bonner unloaded a 3-pointer in the mandated blink of an eye, but it bounced off the rim, securing an 87-85 victory for Houston at the AT&T Center.

That Bonner needed a refresher course on that particular section of the NBA rulebook at all is symbolic of the Spurs' season of late.

The Spurs have dropped three of their past four games by a combined eight points, a stretch of frustration that has sent them tumbling from their perch atop the Southwest Division by the narrowest of margins.

The Houston game was just the third verse of the same final-seconds song.

In an 80-77 setback to the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics, the Spurs missed six free throws in the final 2:32 — including four by Tony Parker in the last 49.8 seconds — that would have given them a lead or tied the game.

In a 78-76 loss at Oklahoma City, the Spurs squandered leads of 17 and 11 points, ultimately falling when Parker had a desperation 3-pointer redirected at the final horn.

The Spurs are now 10-6 in games decided by three points or less, after starting the season 9-2.

The past nerve-wracking week has been enough to make even the youngest Spurs players go prematurely grey. Heaven knows the toll it is taking on their already silver-haired coach, Gregg Popovich.

“I think it's going to make his hair go from white to colored again,” Bonner cracked.

Thanks to the recent string of close calls, the Spurs now find themselves fighting to at least secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Heading into Monday's slate, the Spurs were in third place in the Western Conference, just a game ahead of fifth-place New Orleans.

If nothing else, the Spurs could use a drama-free night tonight, when the 25-45 Golden State Warriors visit the AT&T Center. If history holds, it should be — the Warriors have lost 20 straight in San Antonio.

“We're concerned with playing well, we're concerned about closing out games,” guard Roger Mason Jr. said. “At the end of the day, we want to put ourselves in the best position. If we take care of what we're supposed to do, we'll be OK.”

The white-knuckle week has given rise to a mixed reaction in the Spurs locker room.

There is the frustration of knowing they are about three plays away from winning eight of their past nine. But there is also the satisfaction of knowing that, despite what the standings say, they have actually been playing fairly well.

“The feeling is that we're almost there,” Bonner said. “It feels like we're playing hard and making steps forward. Just a few plays here and there are making the difference.”

In a development that must warm Popovich's heart, the Spurs have been playing particularly well on defense.

Since the All-Star break, the Spurs lead the NBA in points allowed (87.9) and rank second in field-goal percentage defense (42.. They haven't allowed an opponent to crack 90 points in five games.

“(Defense) is what we're howling about between now and playoff time,” Popovich said. “We'll score enough points. We just have to play good ‘D.'”

The Spurs' most recent stomach-churning loss testifies to how fine a line that can be.

Up until the final three minutes or so against Houston, they had produced another stellar defensive performance, and led by seven points.

Then, the Spurs let Shane Battier free for a 3-pointer, and let Luis Scola loose for back-to-back layups off passes from Yao Ming. The second Yao-to-Scola hook-up proved to be the game-winner, putting the Rockets ahead 86-85 with 11.2 seconds left.

Bonner, of course, had a chance to salvage the Spurs' fortunes. After his potential game-winner clanged, Bonner crumpled to the ground in breathless disbelief.

“I thought it was in,” Bonner said.

Like the Spurs themselves for the past week, it was close. But not good enough.

[MalditohoN]

all you need is a ginobili and everything would change...

[menderouv]

butalo a bitaw free throw aning TD... labi na ila home court.

bang naapsan na sila sa houston sa 2nd spot..

ni maayo man hinoon ang houston na wala si T mac.. toing

looks like tagak gihapn ni ang Spurs sa LA.. di ni sila kalosot sa LA basta di sila Healthy

or basin sakit na ang tuhod hehehe


naunsa naman ni sila ngano sige mani ka injured ila key player..

hey, naay nasaag na laker fans diri ai.

watch out lang pag mag meet ang spurs ug lakers. remember last playoff. hapit na mapildi ang lakers. banga lang ang ref kay wala nitawag foul kay fisher.

di na mahitabo karon. spurs will have their own sweet revenge.

[tackielarla]

Spurs-Warriors today! Believe!