Prior to tonight's tip-off between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat, the Spurs announced Tony Parker has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of March 7-13.

In that week, Parker helped the Spurs maintain their league-leading record (54-12) and the Spurs went 3-0. He also led the Spurs in scoring with 23.7 points last week.

Breakdown of what Parker did last week:

March 9 vs. Detroit: Scored 23 points to go along with 7 assists and 4 steals in a 111-104 win over the Pistons.

March 11 vs. Sacramento: Tallied 27 points and 6 assists in a 108-103 win over the Kings.

March 12 @ Houston: Posted 21 points to go along with 6 assists and 3 rebounds in a 115-107 victory over the Rockets.

This is the second time this season Parker has received this honor. He last received the honor for the week of December 13-19, 2010.

Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

The San Antonio Spurs (54-12) will be looking to sweep the season series face the Miami Heat (45-21) for the last time this regular season in Miami.

Currently, San Antonio has a four-game winning streak against Miami including a two-game sweep last season. The last time these two teams met, it was a 125-95 win for the Spurs over the Heat which left many questioning if Miami has what it takes to beat the elite teams in the NBA. In that game, eight Spurs scored in double figures, led by Manu Ginobili with 20 points, Matt Bonner with 18 points (6-7 3FG) and Tim Duncan posted 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Since then, Miami was able to beat the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies but a win tonight against the Spurs would speak volumes for Miami.

Speaking of the Heat loss in San Antonio, Chris Bosh hasn't forgotten about that:

"We want to redeem ourselves,'' Chris Bosh said.

"They beat the crap out of us,'' Bosh said. "And it was on (national) TV. Everyone saw it. My friends starting asking me what happened and they don't even watch basketball.

To discuss tonight's matchup, I once again turn to friend of Project Spurs, Surya Fernandez of Hot Hot Hoops. The best Heat blog on the Internet. In this Q&A, Surya talks about the Heat's crying incident, the Heat versus elite NBA teams, the Spurs huge win against the Heat in San Antonio and more.

Jeff: You know I got to ask this, the whole Miami Heat players crying fiasco. Why in the world would Spoelstra say that to the media? What's your take?

Surya: I have no idea why Spoelstra would say that. He's usually so polished with the media so it was very surprising to hear that sitting right in front of him. He said a couple of players were crying, not the whole team, but there's no explanation as to why he couldn't simply explain that they were very upset over the game and leave it at that.

The Heat finally beat an elite NBA team, the Lakers. What did they do differently in that game versus other games against other elite teams?

Seems the San Antonio Spurs did not keep guard/forward Othyus Jeffers after his 10-day contract was over.

Jeffers is back with the Iowa Energy of the D-League and played yesterday for the Energy in a win over the Erie Bayhawks:

And Othyus Jeffers, just back from a 10-day callup to the San Antonio Spurs, made the next two baskets to cement the win, the second on a rim-rattling dunk after Erie inexplicably left him unguarded. He finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. (desmoinesregister.com)

To be boastful is to talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one’s achievements, possessions and abilities. 

Enter last summer: Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade, forward LeBron James and San Antonio Spurs forward Tiago Splitter.

Wade: “(We are) Arguably the best trio to ever play the game of basketball.”

James: “We gonna make the world know that the Heat is back!”

James: “We gonna challenge each other in practice. Once the game starts, oh man, it’s gonna be easy.”

Splitter: “I don’t want to pass this moment never.”

Is it ok to be boastful? The answer just depends on the context you use it in. In Wade and James’ case, they were boasting last summer about joining forces on the Miami Heat (45-21) and gushing about how they would win multiple championships together.

Tiago Splitter was being boastful about signing with the San Antonio Spurs (54-12).

What’s the difference? You have two players claiming to be part of the best “trio” ever, they may need to have a conversation with: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman or any of the Lakers or Celtics historic “trios”.

On the other side you have one player excited to be part of a winning organization.

The Award The Heat Gave Themselves

The Miami Heat came into the 2010-2011 season by unanimously being handed the “Most Hated Team” award even before the season began.

LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh flirted with Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles (Clippers). They held Cleveland and Toronto hostage. The result, a free agent decision for all three to play in Miami, Florida.

The after effects were abysmal for the Raptors (fifth worst team in the NBA today) and Cavaliers (worst team in the NBA today).

The “Big 3” or “Heatles” as James coined them, began the season with high hopes as they went 25-9 from October to December.

Meanwhile, across the Gulf of Mexico, there was a team in Texas that added three new pieces as well. However, there was no giant ‘Welcome Rally’ for a European league MVP named Tiago Splitter, a young scorer from Stillwater named James Anderson and an unknown American rookie from over seas named Gary Neal.

• Houston Rockets head coach Rick Adelman say San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is the Coach of the Year:

"Right now, they're still the best team in the league. They're so efficient. They played together so long, especially (Tony) Parker and (Manu) Ginobili.

"Pop has those guys playing well. He has his role players playing well off the bench. They shoot the 3s well. They just take advantage of what you give them." (chron.com)

• Tomorrow night the Spurs will face the Miami Heat who will be without center Zydrunas Ilgauskas after being released from a Miami hospital Sunday following treatment for a foot infection. (espn.com)

• The Spurs will face the Miami Heat tomorrow for the last time in the regular season and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra says fatigue and emotions were causes for the Spurs annihilation of his team in the first meeting in San Antonio:

"That was an emotionally fatiguing day for us after coming off the Orlando game," Spoelstra said. "It's not an excuse. Our guys were ready and (the Spurs) played extremely well. They moved us around as much as any team has." (southflorida.sun-sentinel.com)

• Spoelstra also went on to praise the Spurs:

"Every year, they're there and they're the epitome of a championship franchise," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We've always had the ultimate respect for them and what they've been able to accomplish. This year, it's probably little bit of a surprise how well and how efficient they've played … They've already been tested through adversity. They've been through playoff battles. They've been through all the ups and downs." (southflorida.sun-sentinel.com)

• Heat's Dwayne Wade says the Spurs are not boring:

"San Antonio is not perceived to be sexy, they're perceived to be boring. Teams don't look at it as a bigger game, but as a player you respect it."

Wade pointed out there is nothing vanilla about the how the Spurs play. They can easily turn into an exciting team when guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili dictate a fast pace.

"Their style isn't boring," Wade said. "…They get it, they go." (southflorida.sun-sentinel.com)

• With the NBA playoffs nearing, RedsArmy.com is keeping an eye on the Spurs and other teams who are expected to make the post-season.

• Express News' Tim Griffin shares some notes from the Spurs-Rockets game.

Hit the jump to read how you can win free ticket to the Spurs-Portland Trail Blazers game in San Antonio, more from tomorrow's Spurs-Heat game, Spurs-Dallas Mavericks, and more

Tomorrow night the San Antonio Spurs will visit Miami to take on the Heat in the last regular season meeting between these to teams.

In the first meeting in San Antonio, the Spurs left the Heat in shambles, beating them by 30 points on national TV. Now the Heat will look to return the favor and Chris Bosh hasn't forgotten what the Spurs did to the Heat in San Antonio:

"We want to redeem ourselves,'' Chris Bosh said.

"They beat the crap out of us,'' Bosh said. "And it was on (national) TV. Everyone saw it. My friends starting asking me what happened and they don't even watch basketball.

"They're a good team. They're the best in the league (record-wise). That can be another step for us. Like I said, the fact that they annihilated us last time, you've got to keep that in the back of your mind." (sun-sentinel)

The Heat are coming off a big win over the Memphis Grizzlies 118-85, including a win over the Los Angeles Lakers last week. The Spurs are coming off wins against the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets.

Tomorrow's contest should be much closer between the Spurs and Heat unlike their first meeting. Should be a great game for all NBA fans.

The San Antonio Spurs (54-12) opened up their three game road trip with a win over their division rivals the Houston Rockets (33-34) on Saturday night. After gutting out a win Friday in San Antonio against the Sacramento Kings, the Spurs were able to execute plays down the stretch and get key stops in the last 2 minutes as they defeated the Rockets 115 to 107. 

Tony Parker (21 points) and Manu Ginobili (19 points) led the way for a combined team effort as eight players scored in double figures. Antonio McDyess made a major impact with 12 points and 12 rebounds as he got the Spurs going early.

McDyess began the game by making two of his trademarked 18-foot jump shots from the top of the key as the Spurs began with an early seven to two lead.

Tim Duncan made an inbounds steal then converted a 17-foot jump shot to help the Spurs build on their lead. Matt Bonner came into the game and scored on two straight possessions with two light jump hooks.

Ginobili closed the quarter with an “and-1” contorted layup between three Rockets players. At the end of the first, the Spurs led 36 to 25.

In the second quarter, Gary Neal (10 points) made a 15-foot fade away and then a three pointer with a hand in his face for an early five points. Rockets guard Goran Dragic (10 points) sliced up the Spurs interior defense but his shooters couldn’t make the wide-open shots.

The Rockets went on an 8-0 run to cut the Spurs lead to 50-45 late in the quarter. McDyess grabbed an offensive board and made a put back to stop the run as he became the first Spur in double figures.

The Spurs ended the quarter on a 7-2 run sparked by a Ginobili three pointer and two finger rolls by Parker. The Spurs lead the Rockets at halftime 59 to 49 after the Rockets outscored the Spurs 24 to 23 in the second quarter.

The Rockets started the third quarter with a 5-0 run. Duncan ended the run with a layup from a sneaky McDyess pass. After a Kevin Martin three pointer, the Spurs lead was cut to 61-58 early in the third.

The Spurs lost the lead at the 5:53 mark after leading by 13 points earlier in the game.

• Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott's favorite franchise is the San Antonio Spurs:

To be clear, coach Byron Scott's favorite franchise is the San Antonio Spurs, who draft well, develop their own talent and have won multiple championships. (sacbee.com)

• RedsArmy.com looks at the Spurs as the playoffs are fast approaching.

• The Austin Toros lost to the Texas Legends last night hurting their chase for the number eight spot in the D-League playoffs. Check out the recap at Toros Nation.

• Express News' Tim Griffin shares some quotes the Spurs media relations hands out after the Spurs' win over the Sacramento Kings.

• Former Spurs players Sean Elliott and Brad Lohaus and current Spur Richard Jefferson were ranked number one, four and six respectively as the best players out of Arizona:

No. 1 Sean Elliott, Tucson Cholla: The small forward could score 42 points without breaking  a sweat and sit for the final 10 minutes of the game in high school. He lost out to Mitch Smith and Phoenix Alhambra in the 1985 state semifinals, but Elliott went on to help lead Arizona to the 1988 Final Four. He was a two-time  Pac-10 Player of the Year, was a two-time  NBA All-Star and won a championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs.

No. 4 Richard Jefferson, Phoenix Moon Valley: The 6-7 forward led Moon Valley to a state  championship his senior  year, before  leading UA to the national championship game his junior year in 2001. That team lost to Duke in the final. Jefferson then went into  the NBA,  and, statistically has the best career scoring average in the NBA  (16 points a game) than any Arizona prep player who made it to the top level.

No.6 Brad Lohaus, Phoenix Greenway: The 6-11 center had some memorable court wars in high school  with Alarie, before moving on to Iowa, where he averaged 11 points and seven rebounds his senior year when Iowa lost in the NCAA Elite Eight. He logged a 10-year NBA career. (azcentral.com)

• Danny Ferry, vice president of basketball operations for the Spurs, was at the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament on Friday for the semifinals. (lvrj.com)

• Pounding the Rock shares some photos from the Spurs-Kings game.

• Here is how you can enter for a chance to score some free tickets to the upcoming Spurs-Portland Trail Blazers game on March 28 at the AT&T Center:

1. Follow @TiqFeed_Texas on Twitter.

2. Once you've followed, send out a tweet that says "Follow @TiqFeed_Texas" and include your favorite live Texas sports moment, followed by the hashtag #LoneStarTiqs for chance to win free Spurs tickets.

3. One person who tweets that out will win a free pair of tickets to the March 28 Spurs-Trail Blazers game.

San Antonio Spurs' draftee Nando De Colo was recently profiled by a Spanish television and in particular the topic of his nickname "Aladdin" was brought up.

His nickname came from the Disney movie "Aladdin" due to him looking like the genie portrayed in the movie. In reality they mean the genie and not the human character. Of course his court-play has been "magical" this season shooting 60.4% and scoring 10.8 points for Power Electronics Valencia.

Now try not to laugh when you see him rubbing a lamp for the camera with a "get me out of here" look.

(ht BallinEurope)

The San Antonio Spurs got their 53rd win of the season and their 11th straight against the Sacramento Kings last night beating the Kings, 108-103.

While the Kings were missing Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih, they managed to keep it close, especially in the final minutes. But the Spurs big three of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan proved to be more than the Kings could handle.

James Anderson got the start at small forward with Richard Jefferson being out due to personal reasons, but the pre-game adjustments didn't stop there. Antonio McDyess replaced DeJuan Blair in the starting lineup, which gave the bench some added depth.

Tony Parker finished with 27 points and six assists, and Manu Ginobili had 24 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

The Spurs now have a six game advantage over the Dallas Mavericks and are now 31-3 at home.

Quoteable

“You can’t. You try to make (Ginobili) go right, everybody says to make him go right. You try to double team him at certain times, but he’s seen it all. He’s one of the very best players in the league and he’s particularly great in fourth quarter situations.”  - Kings coach Paul Westphal.

In Retrospect

I had a chance to talk to Zach Harper of Cowbell Kingdom before the game and his prediction wasn't too far off: 

"Kings lose by 12. I think it will be close until the third quarter. Pop will adjust to the Kings and Westphal won't know how to counteract that."

Fantasy Focus

After scoring only six points against the Lakers on Sunday, Manu Ginobili has bounced back with two strong performances since and his three-pointer last night might have been enough to put your team over the top.

Pooh Jeter is also very interesting and may continue to get decent minutes with Tyreke Evans and Beno Udrih out.