SPUR-EVER: Ten Titles

The Spurs won a historic 10th consecutive NBA Championship, but suffered through two seven-game wars against the Utah Jazz & Los Angeles Lakers, with the latter definitely slated to be a continuous playoffs foe in that regard. R.C. Buford & Coach Popovich will once again have their hands full, minds cramming over possibilities for roster moves, and reasonably in retrospect questioning those made in the past. This season marked the exit of Patty Mills, beloved Australian sniper, as Dejounte Murray officially took the point guard mantle left by Tony Parker. Brandon Ingram had another great season, and at least the Spurs have their two best players well-defined in those roles moving forward, despite the sprained elbow injury scare for Ingram that forced him to miss all but the last game of the Clippers series. Also gone however is the prospect project that was Skal Labissiere and hopeful acquisition of T.J. Warren, which paid off last season with a championship victory, but it...

Coach Tim Duncan shared reception of the Larry O'Brien trophy, symbolizing a 10th consecutive championship run for the stellar San Antonio Spurs, after a blowout affair in the city of brotherly love. "This counts as six, right?" Duncan joked with Coach Pop as the celebration ensued, with championship hats, shirts, speeches and champagne bottle splashes to follow. Dejounte Murray embraced Ben Simmons at halfcourt once the buzzer sounded, having seen Finals MVP Brandon Ingram ignite for 34 points, shooting early with confidence as the Spurs ended the 1st Quarter up 25-14, the crowd stunned. Cold shooting did in Philly once again as it had in Game 1, with the onus of a necessary 3-1 comeback too much for the first time finalists to bear. They sneaked within 15 points, but the lead grew to 32 at one point, as a firestorm of perimeter proficiency shot forth from Joe Harris, J.R. Smith & Nik Stauskas whenever Philly gained any signs of momentum. "We've had...

The 76ers fell short, going down 1-3. A close game turned into a comfortable margin as the Spurs won the 3rd Quarter 31-19, but the Sixers desperately tried to pull off a second marvelous stunner as they did in Game 2, but fell short, as J.R. Smith's 3PTer kept the lead at bay, if just only so. Philadelphia won the 4th Quarter 38-28, but it wasn't enough, now facing a 1-3 deficit. The Spurs shot only 44%, with Ingram only scoring 16 (7-19, 2-7 3PT), a stark contrast to the strong showing he had in the Game 2 defeat. Taurean Prince had 15 points, a welcome spark in this close chiller. Smith had 14, and Dejounte Murray scored 13. Tobias Harris finally had a strong game, leading Philadelphia with 31 points, splashing 5-10 from long distance. Joel Embiid also had 22 points, 21 rebounds. But Ben Simmons went cold, yet again, finishing with 8 points & 10 assists. He also had six turnovers. Josh Richardson & Mike Scott combined for 20 points, but outside of those two, ...

"We had 'em shook," Ingram told reporters. The Spurs won the 1st Quarter 15-24, but Philly would win the next two by a narrow margin (27-26; 26-24) making for a close finish. That is, before the Spurs erupted and closed this game out, a furious run to take a 2-1 lead in the Finals. Brandon Ingram was great with 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals. Murray had 22 points, 10 assists & 5 steals of his own. J.R. Smith had 12; Taurean Prince with 11; Mozgov with 10 points, 11 rebounds. Jarrett Allen had 15 rebounds with 3 blocks. In the loss, Josh Richardson had 22 points. Al Horford had 18 points, 12 rebounds. Joel Embiid dominated the glass with 23 rebounds & 16 points. Ben Simmons had 12 points, 10 assists with 8 rebounds. Tobias Harris, though, shot 2-8. The flurry started with 2:34 on the clock, in what at the time was a 2 point game after a missed free throw by Al Horford, as Taurean Prince hit the wing 3PTer. On the next play, Allen soared in and swatted Tobi...

Philly evened the Finals tonight, as Embiid dominated. Joel Embiid had 20 points, 20 rebounds & 3 blocks as Philadelphia narrowly overwhelmed the Spurs, who had looked great all game long, crumbling late as San Antonio struggled to put it all together into a victory. Tobias Harris had 17 points. Ben Simmons had 21 points, 17 assists. Al Horford chipped in 15 & 7; Josh Richardson had 14. The 76ers surged in the 4th Quarter, 39-28 to pull off the comeback. In the loss, Brandon Ingram had 33 points with 3 steals, shooting nicely. Dejounte Murray even had 26 points, 7 rebounds & 7 assists. Jarrett Allen had 13 rebounds with 7 mighty blocks, but San Antonio's shooters went cold. Another universe, another outcome, just didn't happen.

Ben Simmons played his first NBA Finals game. Wary after a seven-game showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs narrowly led the Philadelphia 76ers 24-23 after the first quarter, then struggled as the home team went on an 11-1 run. Joe Harris continues to be a spark for San Antonio, hitting a three at the half as the Spurs led 44-43. The Spurs held the lead 71-68, going into the fourth quarter, as Ben Simmons whiffed on a buzzer 3PT attempt, the potential-heavy star still not quite confident in his jumpshot. The Sixers paid for it, as the Spurs went on an 8-0 burst to open the final period but they clawed back within a point. Knowing their roles, Dejounte Murray & Brandon Ingram took charge for San Antone, strengthening the lead back to ten, a display that featured Ingram blocking the big man, Joel Embiid (20 points, 17 rebounds; 3 blocks), and next a slick exchange in an alley-oop pass to Murray by Ingram. The slender-man star hit a step-back jumper over Al Horford (...

The Lakers finally succumbed tonight. In a topsy-turvy series that saw the road team win 5 out of 7 games, the Spurs won 1 of that 7 with a big run in the third quarter, 37-26. They came out strong also, winning the 1st Quarter 28-19. LA fought back to win the second, 31-23. Despite losing the 4th by 22-26, the Spurs held on for the disappointing victory that broke the hearts of Lakers fans packed inside the STAPLES center. Anthony Davis commanded the Lakers with 32 points, 18 rebounds. LeBron James had 25 points, 7 assists. JaVale McGee had 11 points, 16 rebounds. LA didn't get much help beyond that, with Green, KCP & Rondo tallying a combined 19 points. On the other side, San Antonio's brightest Spurs stepped up big in the clutch: Brandon Ingram had 28 points with 9 rebounds and 2 steals, hitting four threes & Dejounte Murray had 26 points, 6 rebounds & 9 assists with 3 steals. Joe Harris came through again, with 15 points. J.R. Smith had 11, Mozgov had 15 r...

Somehow, someway, Anthony Davis would not let the Lakers go down tonight. He had 40 points, 18 rebounds, 6 blocks. LeBron James had 31 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists. JaVale McGee continued to be a pest down low with 17 rebounds and 12 points with 4 blocks. Danny Green & Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for 25 points. A free throw mini-war ensued in the closing seconds, as the Spurs tied the ball game and KCP missed a tough shot at the buzzer. Could the Spurs rally and end this series? Joe Harris had a flash-bulb chance late, just barely missing the 3PTer at the buzzer--a would-be game-winner, series-ending shot. Instead, this series returns to the city of angels after the quarters were split 29-27, LA; 23-29, SA; 24-25, SA; 30-25, LA & 20-18, LA in OverTime. The Lakers shot 49% to 48% by the Spurs, in a game that had San Antonio bury 15 three-pointers. They even won the fast break 30-20 and crushed LA's bench, 47-18. The Lakers won the paint though, 76-54. The Sp...

LeBron shot 3-13 tonight. Anthony Davis stormed off the court once the buzzer sounded, clearly upset about the outcome that saw the Spurs go up by 16 during a cold shooting spell in the third quarter. Taurean Prince had a comeback spectacle with 20 points, 2 steals on an 8-12 stroke. Dejounte Murray had 14 points with 7 assists, nabbing 2 steals. Brandon Ingram dropped 14, P.J. Tucker for 13, J.R. Smith for 12 with Mosgov & Allen corralling 20 rebounds with 3 blocks. The Spurs went 30-14 over LA in the third quarter, allowing its stars to rest the 4th. Anthony Davis poured his heart out for 30 points & 13 rebounds. KCP went a cold 4-13, finishing with 11. LeBron had his worst game of the post-season with 10/7/6, 4 turnovers on 3-13 shooting. JaVale McGee's effort earned him 10 points, 17 rebounds. Dwight Howard & even Lebron were targeted by the Spurs, missing free throws down the stretch. The Lakers had an awful 15 turnovers, compared to only two by San Antone. ...

The Spurs redeemed an awful performance at home in Game 3, with a fantastic effort to win back the home crowd and even the series. They went up by 13 early, leading 16-30 after quarter one. Defensive pressure was tremendous, a far cry from Game 3, forcing a backcourt violation and only 13 assists by the Lakers. The Spurs went up 54-29 soon, as P.J. Tucker hit a three-pointer, with Brandon Ingram playing wonderfully. Timofey Mosgov was a terror down low, starting in place of Jarrett Allen whose play has been less than desired so far, as 8 points & 9 rebounds were chipped in by the Russian giant. He swatted James, stole the ball at one point also. P.J. Tucker hit a buzzer-beater to end the 3rd quarter also, and Jeremy Lin hit two three-pointers. J.R. Smith had a "no hard feelings" moment, hitting a dagger over LeBron James from way deep. Joe Harris splashed one next, as the Spurs led a towering 68-33 at halftime, eventually going up by forty 84-44 late, leading 62-92 af...

Joe Harris started in place of Taurean Prince, but had a rough showing for it on 4-11 shooting. The Spurs shot a record-low 24% at one point, getting trounced in the second quarter 35-15. The Lakers led 63-34 at halftime, then 93-67 after three quarters. Anthony Davis commanded 31 points & 18 rebounds, with 3 blocks. LeBron James had 21 points, 7 assists. Dwight Howard surprised with 16 points, 16 rebounds. In the loss, Brandon Ingram led San Antonio with 29 points on a 10-18 night with 4 steals and 2 blocks, trying to will the Spurs back into the mix. Dejounte Murray had 16 points, but shot 6-19. LA crushed the Spurs 77-37 on the boards, just showing how badly the Spurs were shooting.

LeBron scored 12 points in the final quarter. LeBron James had a quiet 10 points, until the 4th Quarter when he erupted for 12 more, as the Lakers shot 17-19, stunning the Spurs and eradicating an 11-PT lead to even this series. LA shot 54%, to 40% by San Antone. They won the 3rd Quarter, 24-17 and 38-29 the 4th Quarter. Anthony Davis dominated with 28 points & 15 rebounds. James finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds & 14 assists. Danny Green, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope & JaVale McGee combined for 34 points. Dejounte Murray struggled to lead the Spurs offense, dishing only one assist and scoring 21 points. Brandon Ingram went a cold 7-16 for 15 points. J.R. Smith had 12 points, but went 4-11. Joe Harris kept the Spurs in it with 16 points, shooting well, but Taurean Prince shot 1-10.

The Lakers rallied, but fell short in Game 1. Brandon Ingram got two clutch blocks on LeBron James, spoiling the King's triple-double. A quick flurry by the Lakers nearly buckled the Spurs out of contention early, but they withstood the powerful scoring salvo to come back and seize control with a 52-49 halftime yield. Dejounte Murray blocked Danny Green's 3PT attempt, dishing the ball smartly all game long to P.J. Tucker, J.R. Smith & Avery Bradley for clutch makes from beyond, nearly earning a double-digit lead to begin the fourth quarter, 82-73. The Lakers fired up the comeback effort, but the Spurs clamped down on D highlighted by Mosgov swatting LeBron's jump hook attempt. Despite the loss, the Lakers dominated the glass overall and nearly blew out San Antonio in quarter one, a worry that will definitely linger into Game 2. This game was won by strong performances by Brandon Ingram & Dejounte Murray. The biggest takeaway is San Antonio finally defeating the ...

It was like deja vu for Spurs fans tonight, as they witnessed Brandon Ingram will the Spurs to a victory in Game 5, as he had done in Game 7 v. Utah before spraining his elbow. There were worries about Ingram's return disrupting chemistry, given the promising contributions by Prince & Tucker in his absence. The compromise was Ingram coming off the bench and unleashing the scoring power the Spurs had missed for the first four games of this series v. Los Angeles. Always exciting, Ingram was tasked with guarding Kawhi Leonard for spells. He came into the game after a 13-25 opening by the home team, as it became clear that LA was struggling to make shots. Taurean Prince had made two threes, and Tucker one. Joe Harris got going next, making it 23-40, then 31-50 at halftime. Ingram's first points came off a fierce fast-break throw-down, 50-67 after the third quarter. The Clippers, especially Kawhi Leonard, defied the end to their season and championship aspirations, sur...

Kawhi did his best, but P.J. Tucker's 3PTer did in LA. The Spurs led 20-17 after one, but Lou Williams kept the Clippers in the mix early. Still, San Antonio clutched a 9-PT spread, as Derrick White dove for the loose ball to spark a 14-4 run that included two 3PTers by Joe Harris. Timofey Mosgov swatted the ball, leading to a 3PTer by Taurean Prince, and soon the Spurs were up 62-47, then 70-57 after the third. In dramatic fashion, Kawhi Leonard put the Clippers on his back and tied the game with a couple minutes to spare, queuing P.J. Tucker to get a slick pass from Dejounte Murray on the right wing, splashing the clutch 3PTer for a three-point lead once more. Patrick Beverley hit a layup, and Murray missed one of two. The Spurs smartly fouled Beverley next, not risking a 3PT chance, and Patrick hit 1-of-2. Redeeming himself, Murray made both free throws. Having a cold series, Paul George missed the corner 3PT tie attempt as the buzzer sounded, sending the series back to ...

Leonard shot 3-11, scoring only 6 points. The Clippers couldn't make a shot at home, losing badly after a 15-3 early deficit. Dejounte Murray hit a layup, Avery Bradley splashed a 3, then Tucker hit one, and the Spurs were up 43-22. LA began to lose the ball, going down 56-34 at halftime. Bradley stole it, Murray dunked it, then Bradley hit another 3. Nik Stauskas got the green light next, burying LA with four threes. Once the outcome was certain, the Spurs rested the stars. Murray had 14 points, 5 assists & 3 steals. Taurean Prince got the start at SF, finishign with 13 points & 2 steals. Jarrett Allen continues to be a problematic force in the paint, tallying 12 points, 11 rebounds & 4 blocks. Avery Bradley had 11 points, 5 rebounds & 5 assists. P.J. Tucker continued to frustrate Paul George (19 points, 7-16) for 10 points, 6 rebounds & 5 assists. J.R. Smith chipped in 10 points. The Quarters 1st: 27-16, Spurs 2nd: 29-18, Spurs 3rd: 26-16, Spurs 4t...

Lou Williams won it for the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard had 22 points, 7 rebounds & 6 assists as the Clippers broke even in Game 2, despite a 6-23 showing by Paul George (14 points) and a fifteen point advantage early by the Spurs at home. Dejounte Murray came up small in crunch time, going 6-16 overall for 19 points, with 3 turnovers. J.R. Smith tied the game late after LA finally took the lead, making it 98-98, only for Sweet Lou Williams to nail the clutch floater. The Spurs missed on the next possession, but after Patrick Beverley made both free throws, Jarrett Allen hit two also. With the game in contention, Montrez Harrell (who had missed some earlier in the game) hit both free throws, prompting a desperate 3PT attempt by Nik Stauskas (0-5 FG%) to misfire. In some redeeming quality, Taurean Prince dropped 20 points, but P.J. Tucker also went 0-5. Joe Harris had 17 points, but couldn't hit from long range in the second half when the lead dwindled. Jarrett Allen had 15 ...

The Jazz have acquired Jordan Clarkson. Fresh off a narrow defeat in a seven-game series with the defending dynastic champions, the Utah Jazz have already begun chasing higher aspirations for next season. Going to the Cavaliers is Dante Exum, who had one nice performance out of seven for the Jazz against San Antonio, and in his wake arrives Jordan Clarkson, the former Lakers prospect. Exum has the longer contract, with spotty injury history, so it's a win-win for both teams. Cleveland acquires another prospect with not too long of a deal, and Utah gets a shorter contract with more consistent contribution. Clarkson has one year left on his deal, with two for Exum, who is three years younger than Clarkson.

Leonard dropped 30, but LA lost by 20. Feeling some semblance of unity and vision with Ingram on the sidelines, the Spurs were burdened further by an awful start despite Avery Bradley's first-possession steal and layup. Two things paid off for them: defense and patience. Spur-fection eventually got going, with Harris & Stauskas splashing threes, holding close in the first by 12 (27-15). Tucker stuck with George all game long (15 points, 6-22), with P.J. scoring 7 points and 5 boards. The bench came on strong, sparked by the fight from J.R. Smith in the first quarter, getting the veteran start at the 3 slot, tasked with being a consistent presence for Leonard to acknowledge. Smith would go on to score 18 points, with player of the game honors, hitting 4-6 from long range with 3 steals. Dejounte Murray's touch was off this game, but he managed 3 points (3-13, 2-2 3PT) and showed some perimeter promise. Timofey Mosgov was a force down low, with 14 rebounds and 7 points...

The Spurs found a way to win Game 7. Game 7 -- something that has only happened now three times over the course of nine championship runs for a total of 37 playoff rounds. It'd been four seasons since the Jazz were ousted by the Spurs 4-1, most undeniably taking a pound of flesh from the champions in this series, becoming only the third team to push the dynasty to a final four quarters. Before tonight, the Spurs had only gone seven games with the Mavericks & Trailblazers in years past, with the Pelicans stretching them to six games four seasons ago. "They scared the crap out of us. We did win, right? You're sure? No, in all seriousness, I want to congratulate Coach Snyder on a tremendous season with the Jazz, and boy did he ever light a fire in those guys. They gave us their best, and brought something close to ours just for us to make it out of this round in seven great games of basketball. We have got to do better, but I'm proud of our resilience tonight an...