In last night's San Antonio Spurs obliteration of the Miami Heat, Heat center Erick Dampier was tossed from the game when he shoved Spurs' Tony Parker while Parker was going up for a layup in the third quarter. Fortunately, Parker - who just returned to action after suffering a calf injury - got back up and he and the Spurs continued their onslaught of the Heat.
Today, the NBA fined Dampier $10,000 for the shove.
Seems Julius "Dr. J" Erving is picking an old ABA team to head to the NBA Finals this season.
The NBA and ABA legend is picking the San Antonio Spurs to come out of the Western Conference and face the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals this June. Aside from his pick of the Spurs, he also compliments the Spurs on their ways of running an NBA franchise.
While many wouldn't argue with his pick for the Western Conference champs, I do question him picking the Magic. But hey, who am I do argue with Dr. J?
I wonder what the Boston Celtics fans at Reds Army have to say about this.
Since the last "Views From The Couch," the San Antonio Spurs have gone 5-1 during that span. They began with: a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, a win over the new look New Jersey Nets, a win at home in which they lost one of their stars against the Memphis Grizzlies, a loss in Memphis by 16 points against the Grizzlies, a win in Ohio against the Cleveland Cavaliers and concluded with a blowout of the Miami Heat by 30 points. 
What Happened in Memphis?
After watching the game, it seemed that the Spurs looked out of flux on offense. Passes were a step late, guys weren’t in the right spot to receive a pass and everyone seemed to be using a different playbook before the game. The 22 turnovers were too much to overcome. The lack of defense was another issue. Memphis was able to score over 20 points in each quarter and shot over 50% without any three pointers. The worst part? One of Memphis’ best players (Marc Gasol) got ejected in the first half and the Spurs still had no chance at winning.
Watching the game, I’ll say it’s excusable considering the Grizzlies have only lost eight home games and the Spurs were playing their first game without Tony Parker.
After the game; George Hill, who struggled (6 points and 6 turnovers) put the loss on himself. Even though the loss wasn’t Hills fault, he still felt responsible for his poor play; but as Ginobili had said, the entire team had a bad night. Hill avenged himself by scoring 22 points the next night in a win against the Cavaliers.
The "Heatles" Concert Tour Visits the AT&T Center
The Heat visited San Antonio for the first time and were given a surprise before the game even started. After losing at home against the Orlando Magic, (in which they let a 24-point lead slip away.) the Heat came to San Antonio ready to get back on the winning track. They thought it would be easy with the Spurs missing Tony Parker. Then, moments before the game began, the Spurs announced Parker's injury had healed and he would be starting.
From the opening tip and Manu's first layup in traffic, you could see the Spurs were just going to exploit the horrendous Miami defense. And did they exploit it? Yes they did. They made a franchise record 17 three pointers and had eight of their players score in double figures. Every single player that got any minutes with the Spurs scored at least once in the game. The Spurs ended up winning by 30 points (125-95) and the win also capped their highest scoring output of the season. Before the Heat game, the Spurs previous high in points was 124 in a overtime game against the Houston Rockets.
There had been a lot said in the media over the last week, from Charles Barkley continuing to say the San Antonio Spurs are overrated, to a certain Dallas Mavericks forward talking about having to go through the Los Angeles Lakers, not the Spurs, to get to the NBA Finals.
If there ever was a time to earn respect, it would be to win against a top-tier team.
That top-tier team was the Miami Heat, who were 43-18 before both teams tipped at 8:30 p.m. CST last night.
The same Heat who have an entire section dedicated to them on ESPN, the same Heat who have been penciled in as NBA champions ever since the cameras went off and the telecast of "The Decision" ended.
James and his super friends came into the AT&T Center yesterday and left with a new respect for the Spurs.
"They played extremely well. This is a team that’s clicking on all cylinders right now," Heat forward Lebron James said. "Everyone on the team has confidence Tim Duncan all the way down to the last guy off the bench. We saw tonight why they are the best team in the league.”
The Spurs, who re-inserted Tony Parker into the starting lineup, got started early, with Manu Ginobili getting things going on the offensive end and Matt Bonner leading the Spurs with four three-pointers through the first quarter.
The Spurs ended the quarter up 36-12 and never looked back.
They executed offensively and defensively enough to frustrate the Heat. The first quarter deficit, and the Heat's inability to score at will proved to be a hole to deep to dig out of.
By the time the last seconds ticked off the clock, the Heat had their third straight loss and the Spurs had a dominant 30-point win, 125-95.
Eight Spurs finished in double figures, led by Ginobili's 20 points and the Spurs set a record with 17 three-pointers made.
In Retrospect
Jeff Garcia talked to Surya Fernandez of the excellent Hot Hot Hoops blog and got his thoughts before last night's game.
"Ginobili. He's too smart and crafty not to wear down his defender, which should be Wade. If he gets it going, I'm not sure how the Heat will respond because they don't have a lockdown perimeter defender (like a Bruce Bowen) to come off the bench to relieve Wade. Their guards off the bench are shooters like Eddie House and I don't see Mike Bibby defending Ginobili."
"This is the toughest back-to-back set for the Heat, especially after the emotionally draining loss last night to the Magic. The Spurs should win the game but the Heat might be extra motivated to prove their doubters wrong and if the Big 3 are firing on all cylinders they can be unstoppable."
Fantasy Focus
Tony Parker is back, and if you've had him buried on your roster, he proved last night that he does not need to be brought back slowly. He's ready, he'll get his starting minutes back, and his 15 points and eight assists should be enough to get your attention, considering it was his first game back.
Quoteable
“We basically got blitzed right from the beginning, we made a little bit of a run there at the end of the second quarter. But, they outplayed us, blitzed us, and there’s nothing really else to say.” - Heat coach Erik Spolestra.
Tweeting the game
"El Heat got whooped by Los Spurs last night @KingJames and co better dial their La Talents up." - @per_dm.
"Further proof that $ doesn't always by happiness!!!" -@katemdempsey.
It's March, and its time to start focusing on the playoffs and our potential roadblocks to Banner 18. Every day we'll bring you what's making news in enemy territory. This way we know what they're up to when it comes time to take 'em out.
Project Spurs: "Right now the San Antonio Spurs are at 50-11 for the 2010-11 season, and are 18 games ahead of the two teams tied for the ninth seed (Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz). The magic number for the Spurs is now just three, meaning three Spurs wins, or a combination of Spurs wins and the other two teams posting losses, would clinch a playoff spot for San Antonio."
Project Spurs: "I understand the Lakers are the defending champs and own the crown but shall I remind Nowitzki and Terry the Spurs are 2-0 against Los Angeles. Also, it's the Spurs the Mavericks are chasing for the number one seed and not the Lakers." (redsarmy.com)
The Spurs and Celtics were the last of the old guard, but in the last four months both have chosen to merge with the league's offensive trend. San Antonio is defending less vigorously than in any of its four championship years, yet the 50-11 Spurs have dominated the standings by running whenever possible and attacking from the perimeter. Coach Gregg Popovich doesn't always like what he sees, but he is embracing the evolution of his team because it is working. His Spurs are winning. (SI.com)
"In 05-06, we made that change and said, 'OK, if we can get an extra rebound, if we can make some extra free throws, if we can do things differently down the stretch, we'll be able to pull those games out,' because we were in so many," Wade said. "That's the difference between us being like the San Antonio Spurs, and having the same record as them, and us being 43-17. Eventually you figure it out and you're able to change it.(bellinghamherald.com)
It's yin and yang, hot and cold, bungee jumping and reading a book. For form against function, it might as well be Brooklyn Decker vs. Black & Decker.
After all, what do Miami and San Antonio really have in common except salsa? Even then, one dances to it and the other puts it on chips. (nba.com)
After hosting the Bobcats in Hollywood, the Lakers, who are 21-8 in the City of Angels and seeded third in the West, will hit the road for four tough games against San Antonio, Atlanta, Miami and Dallas. (wusa9.com)
Once the Spurs decided that they wanted to play with the same passion and intensity that the Cavaliers were working with, Cleveland just couldn't hang.
This wasn't the big bounce-back game that the Spurs and their fans were likely hoping for, with the team roaring out of the gate following that trouncing by Memphis and sticking it to a lesser team. San Antonio didn't defend well, and it was caught looking several times in the first half as the Cavs made the tougher play around the rim. Cleveland couldn't check these Spurs on the other end, though, and the Spurs piled on in that second half. (Ball Don’t Lie)
You can't call Real Salt Lake the San Antonio Spurs of Major League Soccer -- not yet, anyway. The Spurs keep needing to expand their trophy case, with four NBA titles since 1998. RSL has nothing like that. (SI.com)
There is still much work left to figure out their seeding, as the Dallas Mavericks still are on their tails for the Southwest Division lead.
But nailing down a playoff berth would be a big start. (Tim Griffin)
ESPN.com breaks down which team - San Antonio Spurs or Los Angeles Lakers - presents the Dallas Mavericks the bigger challenge.
I'm sure Chris Broussard will eat his words when the Spurs whoop the Mavericks again in the playoffs.
The San Antonio Spurs (50-11) will face the Miami Heat (43-18) for the first time this season at the
AT&T Center and look to continue their winning ways in San Antonio. The Spurs have won 21 straight home games.
The Spurs are coming off a 109-99 win against the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers led by George Hill's 22 points. The Spurs also have won three straight games against Miami including a two-game sweep of the Heat last season.
For the Heat, they are coming off an embarrassing 99-96 loss to the Orlando Magic blowing a 24 point lead. Miami will be itching to prove they can beat the NBA's number one team and erase memories of last night's debacle.
To talk about tonight's contest, I turn to friend of Project Spurs Surya Fernandez of Hot Hot Hoops. The absolute best Heat blog on the Internet.
in this Q&A, Surya talks about the off season additions of LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Heat closing out games, which Spur concerns him and more.
Jeff: The Heat made a big splash in the off season acquiring LeBron James and Chris Bosh. How would assess their development now that they had time to develop chemistry?
Surya: This might not be a good time to ask me this question after their horrific meltdown last night against the Orlando Magic. Looking back at the season as a whole though, there's a reason why LeBron James is one of the leading candidates for MVP consideration. His skill set is so unique the Heat need every facet of it to earn a victory. He's such a force that I think it's more of a question of whether his teammates have truly learned to play with him and not the other way around. His trust in his players is still a work in progress, as is this team. Once he settles into a comfort zone with the team and he can really start to click together with Wade, the Heat can be unstoppable.
Chris Bosh has struggled as of late, especially in big games, but through the first half of the season he was arguably their most consistent player. He still gets lost a bit in the offense because LeBron and Wade have the ball so much but his short absence due to injury last month showed how important he is to the offense with his spacing and passing ability. The Big 2 attract so much attention from opposing teams' defense that the mid-range jumper will always be there for Bosh so it's up to him to nail them. I honestly thought he had more of a post-up game with his back to the basket but as soon as he receives a pass in that kind of a position he'll just swing around and use his footwork to get free or create contact while penetrating. Bosh has been good but you wonder how much better this team would have been with someone who plays the position a bit more traditionally and with power like Carlos Boozer does.
The Boston Celtics seem to have Miami's number and are 3-0 against the Heat. Do you feel this Heat team can beat the Celtics come playoff time or are you hoping to avoid Boston at all costs?
The San Antonio Spurs, today, announced that they have signed forward Steve Novak for the remainder of the season.
Novak was on his second 10-day contract after being originally called up from the Reno Bighorns on February 8.
Novak, a 6-10 forward, has appeared in eight games for the Spurs, averaging 2.5 points in 6.1 minutes per game, while shooting .462 (6-13) from the field and .444 (4-9) from three-point territory.
At the same time, the Spurs also officially announced they have signed Othyus Jeffers from the Iowa Energy to a 10-day contract.
Jeffers, a 6-5 guard/forward, has appeared in 37 games with the Energy this season, averaging 21.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.95 steals in 38.4 minutes while shooting .480 (276-575) from the field, .295 (13-44) from three-point range and .741 (22-293) from the foul line. He’s led the Energy to a D-League best 30-10 record, reaching double figures in scoring in all 37 games he’s appeared in. Jeffers has registered 17 double-doubles on the season, including a 32 point, 18 rebound performance at Tulsa on Nov. 26.
Jeffers scored 14 points in 20 minutes for the Western Conference in the D-League All-Star game last month, was a D-League leader in points, and rebounds well for his size, having two 12 rebound games in his last three games with the Energy.
I was a bit surprised to see the Spurs call up a guard/forward, especially with Tony Parker out of commission for a couple of weeks. I don't expect Jeffers to get major minutes, especially playing behind Manu Ginobili, Gary Neal and James Anderson. The Spurs could give Jeffers or Anderson more minutes at small forward, but with a tough schedule starting tonight against the Heat, I wouldn't expect significant minutes from Jeffers.
New Jersey Nets' Ben Uzoh knows San Antonio and the San Antonio Spurs well.
He should. The 2006 Warren High School grad has history and roots here.
Uzoh was the San Antonio Express-News Area Player of the Year, a first-team Class 5A all-state, all-district and all-region selection as a senior and was was named the MVP of District 27-5A his senior season along with taking Warren to the State Championship.
Before he was starring at Warren though, Uzoh spent his childhood watching and idolizing the Spurs and trying to emulate their moves in his driveway.
When I talked to Uzoh prior to last week's Nets game, he had just spent All-Star weekend back in the 210 area code.
"It feels good, it feel's like a homecoming," the rookie guard said. "I haven't been back and haven't played in this city in about five years."
If I was coming back to my hometown after being away even a year, I'd have a laundry list of some of my favorite places I had to see before I left.
Even when I lived 45 minutes away from my hometown, I used to plan to go to all of my favorite places when I visited on the weekends. But for Uzoh, he can soak up all of his hometown and memories of his childhood in one place, the Northside home of Francis and Caroline Uzoh, his parents.
"My house for the most part," Uzoh said. "As long as I'm home that's real big for me. I'm a big family guy."
Uzoh has come a long way from buying tickets to Spurs games at the Alamodome and the AT&T Center.
Instead of being up in the nosebleeds, he's in the visiting locker room and sees the players out on the court.
• The San Antonio Spurs will have a chance to clinch a playoff spot this weekend:
Right now the San Antonio Spurs are at 50-11 for the 2010-11 season, and are 18 games ahead of the two teams tied for the ninth seed (Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz). The magic number for the Spurs is now just three, meaning three Spurs wins, or a combination of Spurs wins and the other two teams posting losses, would clinch a playoff spot for San Antonio. There is still a ways to go to figure out their seeding, though, as the Dallas Mavericks are on a very nice winning streak in the Southwest Division. (associatedcontent.com)
• Spurs coach and 2011 Western Conference All-Star coach Gregg Popovich had a "stirring" speech to the West All-Star rookies. Here is what Minnesota Timberwolves and first time All-Star Kevin Love had to say about Popovich's speech:
Spurs coach Greg Popovich led the meeting, and he was pretty funny. He said, "Guys, we're gonna go out and have fun. We're not really gonna run any sets. We're gonna get up and down. And all of you are gonna play a lot and get good minutes-except for probably Russell, Blake and Kevin. You guys are all f--ked." (sbnation.com)
• With a possible NBA lockout next season and the CBA still not agreed upon by the owners and player's union, it seems former Spur Robert Horry says NBA players should take less money:
“The players will hate me for saying this, but yeah – I think they probably should get less,” Horry told MVP at an NBA Fan Zone event in west London.
“When you have the fans, the people buying the tickets, going through hard times – and they can't do anything to earn more money – then to see these players getting paid so much must be hard.”
“When we had the lockout before, the League was at a peak – there were guys like Jordan, Olajawon, Malone. And it hurt the NBA. So I'm very worried about what might happen if it happens again.
“And you'd think that with something this important they'd be talking all the time trying to work it out. But they [league officials and player representatives] are only meeting once a week!” (mvp247.com)
• Spurs legend David Robinson had this to say about the Spurs record this season:
“Absolutely, I’m surprised,’’ Robinson said of the gaudy 50-11 record of the San Antonio Spurs. “I expected them to be good but the record they have put up is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous. (It’s) unbelievable.’’ (hoopsworld.com)
• The Spurs' D-League affiliate Austin Toros dropped another heart breaker in double overtime last night to the Texas Legends. Check out Toros Nation for the full recap.
Hit the jump to read about Tim Duncan's favorite apps, the impact of bought out players and the Spurs, a former Spur is back in the NBA, the Spurs winning 50 games and more.
