Spurs no strangers to closing out on the road

Written by Michael A. De Leon on .

Spurs HeatThrough four playoffs series this postseason, the San Antonio Spurs have now only lost four games total. Sweeps in the opening round and Western Conference Finals mean the Spurs’ only losses have come at the hands of the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat.

4 losses.

The Spurs will look to end the playoffs tonight with that same number as they enter a crucial Game 6 in Miami.

There’s nothing easy about closing out a series on the road, but the Spurs have been here before and have a 100 percent success rate in closeout games on the road.

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Five players in play for Finals MVP, Green the lone standout

Written by Paul Garcia on .

With the San Antonio Spurs ahead 3-2 in the NBA Finals over the Miami Heat, it’s safe to begin looking at who a potential Finals MVP for the series could be if the Spurs win the title in six or seven games, or the Heat force a seventh game and win the championship.

The numbers provided below come from NBA.com/stats are only taken from the averages through the five NBA Finals games.

If the Spurs win the Championship

  • Danny Green: 18 points (10.6 FGA), 66% shooting from 3-point range, 1.6 blocks

“Danny Shoot Ball” is what Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said about Green back in early January, and that’s exactly what Green’s continued to do at an even higher rate through five games in the Finals.

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It's now or never for the Spurs

Written by John Karalis on .

During the San Antonio Spurs' title chase, John Karalis of Red's Army will be contributing to Project Spurs.
 
There’s an amazing statistic that’s been floating out there for a little while.  It’s truly indicative of the San Antonio Spurs’ dominance in the Tim Duncan era.  You’ve heard it before, but it’s still breathtaking every time you hear it again. 
 
The Spurs have never trailed in the NBA Finals. 
 
Ever. 
 
EVER!!
 
That’s insanity.  But it could also be history if the Spurs don’t win tonight. 
 
That’s right.  No matter what ridiculous debates you might have seen today, tonight is the most must-win game of the season for the Spurs.  If they lose this, they can forget it.
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The 'Effort' Narrative

Written by Aaron Preine on .

Sports media is the most polarizing, glorified, and over-valued arm of all the journalistic outlets.

Yet, it only exists in this nature because you (and I), the fan, continually create an overwhelming demand of all things sports-related. Think about where media coverage was in both 1993 and 2003. Journalists dominated in both decades with the only difference being the Naughts-era expansion of virtual data and small-scale blogging. Now fast-forward to the sports world of 2013 - instant access to a tremendous amount of resources on almost everything a fan could ever care about.

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By the numbers: Green's hot three point shooting vs. Heat

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green has been putting on one of the best three point shooting displays in recent history of the NBA Finals.

From breaking Miami's Ray Allen's Finals record by connecting on 25 three points to currently shooting a whopping 65% from the three point line, Green is definitely leaving his mark on these Finals and quite possibly, garner some votes for NBA Finals MVP.

Here are some eye popping stats (via Basketball-Reference) on Green's three point shooting performance through five games:

• Green has connected on 25 out of 38 three point shots which has him shooting 65% from behind the arc

• In San Antonio, Green went 16-24 from the three point line (66%) and in two games in Miami, has made 9-14 (64%)

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Adam Hanga close to deal with Baskonia

Written by Trevor Zickgraf on .

Adam HangaSan Antonio Spurs 2011 draftee Adam Hanga's future in Europe has been up in the air since his season ended.  His contract with Assigna Manressa is up and Hanga won't be re-signing with the team.  It looks like Hanga has found a new team and the name of that team is one Spurs fans are familiar with, whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen.

According to European sports site Kirolmania, Hanga is set to sign a four year deal with Saski Baskonia in the Spanish ACB League.  I spoke with Hanga's agent, Giorgos Dimitropoulos, late last week and he said the deal isn't done yet but there's a good possibility it happens.  Hanga just finished a fantastic season with Manresa, showing real improvement in his game.  The 6'7" Hungarian swingman finished the season averaging 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  The end of his season was strong as well, as he picked up a league MVP of the week award in late April.

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Report: Davis Bertans tears ACL, will undergo surgery

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

As Project Spurs reported recently, Partizan forward Davis Bertans suffered a right knee injury in a game versus Crvena Zvezda in the Serbian League Finals. It was a non-contact injury to his right knee and he was on the court in considerable pain.

An MRI was done and according to Euroleague.net, Bertans did sustain a tear his ACL in his right knee. He is expected to undergo surgery this week.

"It is a difficult situation", said Partizan head coach Dusko Vujosevic. "Davis took it pretty hard, but I am sure he will come out of this even stronger. Our club is behind him." 

Bertans will likely miss the Eurobasket tournament this summer for Latvia in Slovenia and could could miss the entire 2013-14 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Regular Season. This also ends any chance he could have played for the San Antonio Spurs at this summer's NBA Summer League.

Check out the video of Bertans' injury.

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Video: Spurs-Heat Game 5 Postgame Press Conferences

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

Did you miss any of what the San Antonio Spurs or Miami Heat had to say after their Game 5 clash? Well if you did, you are in luck. Our friends over at News 4 San Antonio have you covered.

Here is what Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Coach Popovich and Spoelstra had to say about Game 5 before the scene shifts to Miami for Game 6 tomorrow.

Tony:

Tim

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Pop's move to start Ginobili may have turned the tide

Written by Rey Moralde on .

During the San Antonio Spurs' title chase in the 2013 NBA Finals, Rey Moralde of The No Look Pass will be contributing to Project Spurs.

At first glance, it seemed foolish of Coach Gregg Popovich that he would start Manu Ginobili. After all, the "small ball" line-up seemed to play into Miami's hands. While others charged that the move really reeked of desperation, it is the NBA Finals and you have to pull out all the stops here. And, boy, did Manu pull out all the stops.
 
It seemed more than just a countermove to Miami's starting line-up that had included Mike Miller in the last two games. And when Tiago Splitter was taking on Dwyane Wade in the perimeter, a change had to be made (remember Game 4 when Gary Neal got in the game early after Miami exploited that match-up). Ginobili had been in a bad slump; he's shot less than 40 percent in the postseason and had only scored 17 total points in the previous three games. This move was basically to get Ginobili warm from the start.
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Video: Meet LeBron James' flopping coach

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

Needless to say, Miami Heat's LeBron James not only has a reputation as arguably the best player in the NBA, but he also has a reputation as one of the most prolific floppers in the NBA. His flop may even be better than San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili's.

From passing glances from an opposing player's arm which causes LeBron great agony to a light tap of a player's hip leading him to fall to the court in a heap, James has perfected the art of flopping like no other. But where did LeBron perfect this tactic? Who taught him the art of flopping?

Well Coach Frank Calhoun that's who!

Check out this hilarious sketch comedy for Cleveland's (of course it would come from Cleveland) "Rizzo Show" which gives Heat and Spurs fans Coach Calhoun, Lebron's flop sensei including some of Calhoun's moments as as the original flopper.

Also, Coach Calhoun prides himself in showing Ginobili how to flop but considers LeBron his prize pupil of all time.

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