The postseason has been tough for Keldon Johnson. Ever since winning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, he’s struggled to maintain the vitality that earned him the league honor. This season the Spurs had seven players average scoring in double figures. *Harrison Barnes was 5 points from the Spurs having eight players in double figs, […]
The noise inside Frost Bank Center started long before tipoff. Fans arrived anxious, restless and desperate to see how the San Antonio Spurs would respond after letting Game 4 slip away in Minneapolis. There had been frustration over Victor Wembanyama’s ejection. Questions about composure. Questions about whether the young Spurs were ready for the weight […]
Three down and one more to go until the Western Conference Finals. Victor Wembanyama made amends for getting ejected two nights earlier with his rampage in the pivotal fifth game of the series against Minnesota. The team’s 3-point shooting also helped them race out to an early lead and control of the boards assisted in […]
Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. The rule against trolling also applies to members of this site […]
The Spurs will have Victor Wembanyama back for a pivotal Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves after he avoided suspension for a Game 4 flagrant foul, but the Spurs’ guard rotation could be shorthanded. De’Aaron Fox was already listed as questionable on yesterday’s injury report with a sore ankle after Ayo Dosunmo rolled up on […]
Now officially the Defensive Player of the Year, it is well known that Victor Wembanyama dominates the paint. His mere presence alone deters shots at the rim because of his length, poise, and instincts around the hoop. But how does he manage to stay in the paint all game? The NBA, unlike FIBA, has a […]
I have a confession. I am obsessed with the Spurs. How many of you know exactly what I’m talking about? My Twitter feed is Spurs- Spurs players, Spurs journalists, Spurs fans, the Jackals, even former Silver Dancers, and some other sports and NBA outlets and pundits. My Facebook feed is constantly populated by Spurs Sixth […]
The San Antonio Spurs did what they needed to do in Minnesota. The Spurs reclaimed home-court advantage with a win in Game Three. After losing a winnable Game Four, 114-109, the Spurs will head back to San Antonio to defend their home court and re-take a series lead. Game Five will be one of intrigue […]
There’s this great trick that Francis Ford Coppolla pulls at the beginning of The Godfather, where he opts to forgo having a narrator and/or title cards to explain the story. It’s a very purposeful move, motivated partly (I suspect) by the popularity of Mario Puzo’s novel. The original novel was quite the financial success it […]
As we all know, Victor Wembanyama was ejected from Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves for elbowing Naz Reid in the throat after he lost his cool early in the second quarter, and rightfully so. It was an unnecessary and potentially dangerous play. We also already know that the league will take no further action, […]
As expected, the NBA will not be taking any further action against Victor Wembanyama after he was ejected from Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves for elbowing Naz Reid in the throat area, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The incident occurred with 8:39 left in the second quarter, after Wemby had grabbed an offensive rebound, and […]
I will attempt to refrain from commenting too much on the play that defined last night’s game and will instead try to focus on the optimistic fact that this young and inexperienced Spurs team very nearly scored a road playoff win against a very good (and extremely desperate) opponent without the support of their best […]
What a game! I kind of inexplicably blacked out 12 minutes into the game and gained consciousness a few moments later to watch the rest of the entertaining wrestling match/basketball game trying to piece together what happened like in the movie Memento. You, fellow readers, get the pleasure of going with me on this journey […]
Sunday evening’s Game 4 in Minneapolis did not go as planned for the San Antonio Spurs. With 8:39 left in the second quarter, Wemby was ejected when his right elbow hit Reid’s throat. Forgetting for a second that, had it been any other player, the elbow would have landed on Reid’s chest, the foul represents a […]
The Western Conference Semifinals between the Spurs and the Timberwolves keeps providing memorable matchups. On Sunday, Victor Wembanyama’s first-half ejection threatened to create a throwaway game, but the Silver and Black responded without their best player and battled to the very end before losing a heartbreaker, 114-109. The series will move back to San Antonio […]
Early in the second quarter tonight, Victor Wembanyama, who was being manhandled by multiple players every time he entered the game, tried to spin his way out of a double bear hug from a couple of Wolves, and caught Naz Reid hard on the neck with an elbow. The referees called this a flagrant foul […]
Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. The rule against trolling also applies to members of this site […]
Here’s the fourth installment of the second round’s Fraterniz With The Enemy, my ongoing, series-long conversation with Thilo of PtR’s sister site covering the Minnesota Timberwolves, Canis Hoopus. J.R. Wilco In the middle of a series that feels like a movie from a director intent on subverting expectations above all else, Game 3 was a […]
Happy Mother’s Day! I realize today is Game 4 and there are options for discussion, but for now, let’s be grateful for those women who enrich our lives. Whether it’s your mother, or the mother of your children, or that nurturing aunt or neighbor, this is a great day to reach out and remind that […]
In Round One of the NBA playoffs, the San Antonio Spurs lost home-court advantage to the Portland Trail Blazers, and then won two road games to take a 3-1 lead. Now the Spurs find themselves in a similar situation, with the chance to go up 3-1 on the Minnesota Timberwolves before heading back to San […]
The San Antonio Spurs once again reclaimed home-court advantage by winning their first road game of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was a tightly contested battle that came down to fourth-quarter heroics. Victor Wembanyama had the best playoff game of his young career, putting up 39 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks on the way […]
The lead never felt comfortable. It was weird. Ungainly. 7-1. Unsightly. 9-1. The offense was ugly. Stilted. 11-1. We were making more shots than the Wolves, sure, but that felt like a technicality. 14-1. Keldon hit a three. We still looked off. There were five minutes left in the first quarter and the Wolves had […]
WOW. I must admit, I did my level-best to enter this game with muted expectations, as I was concerned that the Spurs could be feeling a bit overconfident after their dominant Game 2 win. Furthermore, I felt that Minnesota might be the more desperate and motivated team, as a Game 3 win for them would […]
Coming off a blowout win in Game 2, the San Antonio Spurs traveled to the Target Center to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves for Game 3. The Spurs started the game with lockdown defense, limiting the Wolves to just one point in the first six minutes. After going up by 15, the Wolves, led by […]
History is on the side of the San Antonio Spurs. In a 7 games series, when tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 goes on the win the series 73% of the time. In Game 1, Anthony Edwards came off the bench. After a rapid recovery from a knee hyperextension he gave the Timberwolves a […]