Cory Joseph has been impressing so far in the playoffs this season and played above everyone's expectations. When he's not managing the offense off the bench, he's been playing defense against guards and forwards taller than him.

When he was called up by the San Antonio Spurs this past season when Tony Parker got injured, it was believed it was just to fill in a roster spot and not get much playing time behind Patrick Mills, Nando De Colo, and Gary Neal. Instead, Joseph has been leading the pack from those names and he's not looking to slow down.

He's taking advantage of this opportunity since he didn't have that when he first came into the league.

“Your first reaction (going to the minors) is to get a little upset. You want to be playing with your team. But, you want to get minutes. And I understood I was there to learn, be positive and do my best,” Joseph said.

The San Antonio Spurs are still waiting to find out which team they'll face next in the Western Conference Semifinals after dispatching the Lakers in four games in the opening round.

On the other side of the playoff bracket, the Clippers and Grizzlies are duking it out out as Memphis is up 3-2 in the series. However, the Clippers look out of sorts, Blake Griffin is limping and they do not look strong with an elimination-game on the horizon.

However, do not tell that to Lakers' Metta World Peace who thinks the Clippers will meet the Spurs in the West Finals while paying Tim Duncan a compliment.

Metta has been very active on Twitter since the Spurs sent his Lakers on vacation and has sent his thoughts on San Antonio. Here is a sample.

First off, he thinks it will be a Spurs-Clippers West Finals.

San Antonio Spurs draftee Adam Hanga has been racking up the awards with his play in the Spanish ACB League lately.

He was announced as the MVP of the Week and was also named as part of the All-Star five of the week.

His most recent game came on Sunday. In just over 26 minutes of playing time, Hanga managed to finish with 28 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots.

While Hanga wasn’t on the floor long, he displayed a solid offensive and defensive game. He showed off his touch outside and his quick first step and athleticism driving to the rim, even stopping on a dime before he reached the basket to lay up a shot over a taller defender.

When the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, it shouldn't have been a surprise if you saw Aron Baynes start in place of injured center Tiago Splitter.

The team has always depended on their superstars, mainly Tim Duncan throughout every championship, to lead the way, but it's the system that Gregg Popovich established that made it possible. When Baynes made his playoff debut, it was made possible only by the faith Pop has in his coaching philosophy.

"It was a high," Baynes said. "But at the same time there was business in front of me. I had to go out there and focus on what I needed to do, play that game plan. That's what's gotten us to this point right now. That's what I wanted to go out there and focus on, and, yeah, keep it rolling." (Justin Verrier/ESPN.com)

The San Antonio Spurs will have lots of time to practice, rest, heal up nagging injuries and tune up before playing either the Nuggets or Warriors in the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs. They will also have time to kill when they are not on the practice court.

Take guard Patty Mills for example. It seems he is quite "eager" to attend a Selena Gomez concert in San Antonio and start a mosh pit.

Selena Gomez concert in San Antonio???? Put me down for that! #moshpit

— Patrick Mills (@Patty_Mills) April 30, 2013

Obviously, Mills is kidding around but if your a Spurs fans, you got to be liking this.

The San Antonio Spurs closed out their series against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. This earns the team more than a week long rest until their opponent is decided between the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.

This long rest may be beneficial for the Spurs to rest up nagging injuries like Tony Parker's ankle, neck, and whatever else is ailing him. This will also give Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw an opportunity to possibly come back to the team to give it depth so the main rotation won't be averaging 35 or more minutes per game the next game.

The rest may worrisome with the Spurs coming in with momentum after a series sweep against the Lakers. With a week off against competition, the Spurs are in danger of losing the momentum they've desperately needed after finishing off the regular season in a poor fashion. This isn't the only factor either. The opponents for the silver and black play a huge role in this also. The Denver Nuggets were the favorites to win the series against the Golden State Warriors and may carry this series to seven games.

It will be a while before the San Antonio Spurs will be back on the court for the second round of the playoffs and fans may be craving to see their favorite team in action. Fortunately, Manu Ginobili gave a highlight to remember from Game 4 of the opening round series versus the Lakers at the expense of Dwight Howard.

Check out the Lakers and Howard's matador defense allowing Manu to get to the rim in the first quarter and throw down the emphatic dunk on Howard.

When Thunder's Russell Westbrook went down with an injury and was later deemed out for the rest of the playoffs, many pointed to the San Antonio Spurs as the hands-down favorite to come out of the Western Conference and play for the 2012 NBA title. However, former Spurs guard Steve Kerr thought otherwise.

Kerr was a guest on Bloguin's Awful Announcing podcast and he made it clear - the Spurs are the best in the West playoffs even before Westbrook went down with an injury.

Take a listen to what TNT's Kerr had to say about his former team (at the 19:50 point of audio below) including what the Thunder will have to do without Westbrook and why he thinks they'll come out of the West. In a nutshell, he thinks the team is too deep and even feels the Spurs can defeat the Heat should they meet in the NBA Finals.

When Tracy McGrady signed with the San Antonio Spurs, it was a huge surprise.

After averaging 25ppg with Qingdao in the Chinese Basketball Association, it wasn't a huge surprise for his former employer that he got another chance in the NBA.

It's not just another chance either. McGrady not only advanced to the second round, but he's also contending for an NBA championship with a legitimate contender.

Quingado GM Shun Tin commented on McGrady returning to the NBA this season.

We hope T-Mac is playing well elsewhere and can get a championship. It's is a very good thing, and we would like to see it. (hupu.com)

Sunday night was the deadline for early entrants in to the NBA Draft.  Most guys don't waste too much time declaring after the NCAA Tournament ends while others take their time and gauge their odds of being a first round pick or being drafted at all before they declare.  One of the ones choosing the latter was Colorado's Andre Roberson, who waited till late Sunday to make his decision to enter the draft.

The San Antonio native took his time with good reason. Colorado University's Athletic Department reported that Roberson made his decision after meeting with Head Coach Tad Boyle and Athletic Director Mike Bohn to discuss the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee's evaluation of his draftability.  That assessment revealed Roberson was likely a late second round pick and that there are guarantees he will be drafted at all.