Splitter: 'I know I’ve got to be stronger and smarter'

Written by Paul Garcia on .

AT&T Center – One part of being in the NBA Finals is that for players, it seems like there’s a lens dissecting each of their individual games. LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh were the biggest targets under the lens before Game 4 because they hadn’t been producing like they promised they would two years ago when joining forces.

With Miami’s “Big 3” finally playing like the team that said it would win six championships on Thursday, the lens has now moved on the San Antonio Spurs who are tied with the Heat 2-2 in the NBA Finals. Their two players gaining attention for inconsistent play are two of their South Americans, Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter.

While much has been written about Ginobili’s disappearing act in these Finals over the last two days, Splitter’s name is also gaining attention, as he seems like a weak link against Miami on both sides of the ball.

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Did Diaw's play in Game 4 earn him more minutes?

Written by Quixem Ramirez on .

Boris Diaw didn't play a single minute in the San Antonio Spurs' 113-77 victory in Game 3. He was the only Spur that didn't leave the bench.
 
His first action in Game 4 came with 3:15 remaining in the second quarter. Miami held a 45-38 lead. The Heat retained possession on a jump ball and Diaw drew Dwyane Wade on the perimeter. Wade skirted by Diaw on a quasi pick-and-roll with Chris Bosh, who barely made contact on the screen, and found him for an easy lay up.
 
On the ensuing possession, Tim Duncan lofted a contested 19-footer and Diaw tussled for offensive rebounding possession, forcing Wade to throw an errant elbow. The referees called the foul and Diaw made both free throws on a broken possession.
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Spurs Roundtable: What's going right and wrong for Spurs heading into Game 5? (Video)

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

On this episode of the Project Spurs-News 4 San Antonio, Spurs Roundtable, Project Spurs' Jeff Garcia, Humberto Cervera and Project Spurs' NBA Finals contributor Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily discuss what is going right an wrong for the San Antonio Spurs so far in the Finals heading into Game 5.

Is it simply just turnovers? Is it the Miami Heat defense? 

To finish off the series, the panel discusses the poor play from Manu Ginobili and put Tiago Splitter in the hot seat.

All this and much more on this episode of the Spurs Roundtable.

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Fixing Tiago Splitter's Offensive Woes

Written by Jose Grijalva on .

The San Antonio Spurs have appeared really good in two games of the NBA Finals and have looked really awful in the two others which have been losses for the team. One of the main reasons why they've looked good has been Tiago Splitter and his play. During the losses, Splitter has looked awful. In fact, he looks like a completely different player.

Splitter is averaging 5.8ppg with a disappointing 2.8rpg against an extremely smaller Miami Heat lineup. Even with Miami's "bigs" in the game, Splitter has an advantage (or should have) in the rebounding and defense department, especially on the offensive end also.

The most noticeable aspect of his game that looks awful during Games 2 and 4 have been on the offensive end and trying to score in the paint. Tiago has not only been stopped from scoring in the paint, he's gotten blocked....and pretty badly at that. The blocks have also came from Miami's smalls in small lineup. LeBron James has been known to block shots, but Dwayne Wade and Mike Miller blocking a 6'11" center's shot easily isn't acceptable.

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Magic Johnson: I love everything about Tim Duncan

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

For 16 seasons, San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan has amassed an NBA resume that would make any NBA player envious. From four NBA titles, two NBA MVPs, countless All-Star appearances to three NBA Finals MVP trophies, there is no doubt he is destined to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Currently, his Spurs are in the thick of things with the Miami Heat as they battle for the 2013 NBA crown and should Duncan get title No. 5, his legacy will only grow beyond what it is today.

Recently, NBA great Earvin "Magic" Johnson spoke with the media via a conference call and gushed over Duncan and his position among the greatest of all time. Needless to say, Magic has nothing but love for the "Big Fundamental" and says should he win a fifth championship, Duncan dominates this generation.

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America wants the Spurs to beat the Heat

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

The San Antonio Spurs find themselves in a 2-2 series tie with the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals with Game 5 looming.

And aside from the die-hard fans that pack the AT&T Center and flood the streets of San Antonio after every win, it seems America also is cheering on the Spurs to beat the Heat.

According to Public Policy Polling, 32 percent of those surveyed wanted the Spurs to win the Finals while 20 percent selected the Heat. The polling came as part of a larger poll dealing with other political issues of the day.

PPP broke the numbers down further and found that among voters who supported Barack Obama, the Spurs were favored by a 28-25 percent margin, while Mitt Romney voters supported San Antonio by a 37-15 percent margin.
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Now you can be one of the Spurs' 'Big 3'... sort of

Written by Jeff Garcia on .

Have you ever wanted to hit a soft bank-shot like Tim Duncan? Perhaps hit the teardrop shot on your way to the rim? Or maybe hit your defender with a euro-step like Manu Ginobili?

Well you can still do that but good look seeing through these Spurs head tee shirts.

Local San Antonio business Ace Screen Graphics has been printing out tee shirts where a San Antonio Spurs fan can simply flip the shirt over their haed and viola, they now have the face of Manu, Tony or Timmy over their head!

Damien Velasco, a graphic designer, came up with the idea for the shirts. He first put them in the spotlight while cheering for the Spurs at the Westlakes Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Tuesday night.

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Coach Popovich reveals Spurs’ biggest weakness

Written by Paul Garcia on .

With their NBA Finals series tied at 2-2, the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat decided to give their players an off-day with a two-day layoff before Game 5 on Sunday.

Instead of meeting with the media in person, San Antonio Spurs head Coach Gregg Popovich and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra decided to field questions Friday via conference calls. Popovich, whose in person interviews can sometimes be less than a minute, actually produced really insightful responses via the call. Here are some key responses from Popovich about his team and the Heat.

Coach Popovich on Tony Parker’s availability for Sunday’s Game 5

“He'll be fine.”

Coach Popovich on Manu Ginobili’s struggles in the playoffs, and more notably NBA Finals

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Changing of the (shooting) guard

Written by Michael A. De Leon on .

If you’ve followed the NBA Finals from the San Antonio Spurs’ side closely, you will have no doubt read more than a few articles about Manu Ginobili not quite being the same Manu we’ve normally seen, aside from a few bright spots in Game 3. You’ve also likely read quite a bit about Danny Green and his emergence from a guy that couldn’t stick on a team to Finals hero.

There seems to be a bit of a shift happening with the Spurs. While Green will never replace Ginobili, and while he was named a starter, that’s always been due to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s strategy of having a strong player come off the bench with the second unit.

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Spurs' response will be everything for Game Five

Written by Philip Rossman-Reich on .

During the San Antonio Spurs' march in the 2013 NBA Finals, Philip Rossman-Reich of Orlando Magic Daily will be contributing to Project Spurs.

An old Dwyane Wade commercial used to say “Fall down seven times, get up eight.”
 
The idea of the ad campaign was a very simple one for the athlete. It is not how you get knocked down, but how you respond when you get back. After a Game Three thrashing that saw him disappear for much of the second half, Dwyane Wade and the Heat should keep this in mind.
 
After all, the San Antonio Spurs did their part in responding to their own Game Two defeat leading the entire way after the Heat dominated and decimated the Spurs in Miami with a fast-break onslaught. San Antonio returned the favor in hitting an NBA Finals record 16 3-pointers.
 
Miami came back with a strong 109-93 victory Thursday in Game Four. Wade made his own bounce back, scoring 32 points and looking like his old Finals MVP self in the process.
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