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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On Diaw's defense of LeBron James

Written by Quixem Ramirez on .

There are plenty of players more qualified than San Antonio Spurs' Boris Diaw to defend LeBron James. Many have comparable athleticism (Paul George, Andre Iguodala), many have long arms to shut off his driving angles (Kawhi Leonard), and many have length (Kevin Durant) to bother his shot. The best defenders have a combination of the aforementioned attributes.
 
But even the most qualified defenders, the "graduates" of the LeBron James defensive academy, struggle in plugging the many facets of James' game. He's too well rounded -- he can destroy any competent defender with a quick drive to the bucket or, with one brilliant cross-court pass, he can start a comparably deadly series of help rotations.
 
Diaw, meanwhile, is six-foot-8 -- James' height -- but he's laterally challenged and rarely guards players of All-NBA talent.
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Like family, Spurs never lost faith in Ginobili

Written by Paul Garcia on .

AT&T Center – On Thursday when the San Antonio Spurs fell to the Miami Heat in Game 4, some fans and even media members were all asking a similar question, what’s wrong with Manu Ginobili?

In the locker room and on the podium however, Ginobili’s teammates remained confident and had faith that Ginobili would come out of his shooting slump in the series.

“I have a lot of confidence in Manu,” said Tony Parker Thursday night. “I just know he’s going to have a big game soon.”

“I have not lost confidence in Manu,” added Gary Neal after the Spurs had faced defeat Thursday.

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Report: Spurs, CSKA Moscow to play an exhibition game

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

With the San Antonio Spurs' 2012-13 season coming to a close this week, plans are already in motion for exhibition play heading into next season.

According to Sportando.net, the Spurs and Russian club CSKA Moscow are in talks to hold an exhibition game this fall according to Manu Ginobili's former coach and current CSKA coach Ettore Messina.

"Manu Ginobili was one of my players with Kinder and I am still in contact with him. Then there is coach Gregg Popovich, whom I consider a friend" said Ettore Messina. We are discussing the modalities of the game. I hope that the game will take place" said CSKA Moscow head coach.

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Video: Danny Green's record breaking three pointer

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

San Antonio Spurs' Danny Green has been on a tear in the NBA Finals versus the Miami Heat from the three-point line.

Aside from his shooting performance in Game 3 when he nailed 7-9 from long range, in Game 5, Green did it again with a spectacular shooting performance connecting on 6-10 from the three-point line and finishing with 24 points to pace the Spurs to the win.

But aside from showing off his shooting stroke, Green also broke Heat's Ray Allen's Finals record for the most three pointers in the Finals. Relive that golden moment one more time.

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Game 5: What went right, and other statistical nuggets

Written by Quixem Ramirez on .

What went right: The San Antonio Spurs pushed the ball often -- off makes, misses and free throws. Each transition possessions starts with the Spurs bigs. They have to make effective outlet passes to their guards, and more than a few transition buckets were generated by a couple of three pass sequences in which the ball barely (if at all) touched the hardwood. Boom, boom, boom, bang. The ball whirred from each destination to the next with little dribbling in between, giving Miami's defense little time to adjust.
 
Tim Duncan beat his man to the spot often, and had plenty of shot clock to utilize because San Antonio transitioned to their offense quickly. A deadly combination. And even when the Heat plugged their first few options, the Spurs scored 18 points on 14 possessions in which they took at least 20 seconds off the shot clock (hat-tip to Couper Moorhead of Heat.com). Miami just had no chance.
 
What went wrong: Turnovers. San Antonio made a concerted effort to dictate the pace, which also means they had more chances to screw up. The byproduct was 18 turnovers, which the Heat turned into 16 points. It could've been much worse though; Miami missed seven transition attempts, and LeBron James in particular butchered a few of these prime opportunities. These turnovers almost mired an otherwise excellent offensive game so cleaning up these mistakes should be a point of emphasis.
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San Antonio Spurs 114, Miami Heat 104: One. More. Win.

Written by Jesse Blanchard on .

AT&T CENTER--In the two days off following one of the worst playoff performances of his career, all Manu Ginobili could hear were a series of dire questions. What was wrong with his game? Did he have anything left in the tank? Was it time to retire? Ginobili admitted some lackluster performances this season allowed some doubts to creep in him mind. In his last appearance of the season at the AT&T Center, however, the questions subsided.

Leaving San Antonio with a thrilling 24-point, 10-assist performance, the only sounds Ginobili heard in the San Antonio Spurs 114-104 victory were the thousands of fans screaming his name.

Ma-nu! Ma-nu! Ma-nu!

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Video: Duncan puts Mario Chalmers on a poster

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

The San Antonio Spurs got Game 5 against the Miami Heat with a bang with a slam dunk by Tim Duncan on Mario Chalmers.

Early in the first quarter, Duncan got free from Chris bosh, caught the pass and went right to the rim only to put Chalmers on a poster. Looks like TD will be sending royalty checks to Chalmers.

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Video: Pop and Duncan's bond

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

They been together for 16 seasons and have led the San Antonio Spurs to four NBA crowns (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) and are in the midst of trying to capture No. 5 versus the Miami Heat.

Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan have forged a bond like no other coach and player have in recent NBA history and ESPN spotlighted their bond in a video that encapsulates them perfectly.

From former Spurs coach PJ Carlesimo, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, Bruce Bowen to Pop and Duncan themselves check out what they had to say about Pop and Timmy.

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5 things to watch: Spurs vs. Heat Game 5

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

The San Antonio Spurs (14-4) will look to close out their 3-game home stand in the 2013 NBA Finals with a win tonight as they host the Miami Heat (14-6) in the AT&T Center in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

The Spurs are coming off a 109-94 loss in Game 4 in San Antonio. The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan, who finished with 20 points and 5 rebounds. The "Big Three" of Miami combined for 85 points while LeBron James finished with 33 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Dwyane Wade added 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals. The Heat outscored the Spurs in the second half 66-44.

Tony Parker is expected to play for the Spurs tonight despite a strain to his right hamstring which he says can tear at any moment.

And as the Spurs hope to take a 3-2 lead before heading to Miami, here are five things to watch for in tonight's contest:

• The winner of Game 5 has gone on to win 7 of 10 series since the 2-3-2 Finals format.

• Should the Spurs win tonight and with the series shifting to Miami for Game 6, the Heat are a perfect 6-0 after a loss during the postseason.

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