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 […]
about 1 month ago
· 5 reads
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 […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads
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 […]
about 1 month ago
· 3 reads
The noise inside Target Center swelled with every passing minute Friday night, the kind of playoff atmosphere designed to rattle inexperienced teams. Anthony Edwards started for the first time since he returned from a knee injury he suffered in the second round against the Denver Nuggets and every basket he scored sent the crowd into […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads
After Minnesota closed within 102-100, Victor Wembanyama, as part of a 16 point fourth quarter masterpiece, captained a 13-8 finish, and San Antonio righted the wrongs of their earlier free throw shooting woes to put away the Wolves 115-108. With Anthony Edwards inserted into the starting lineup for game 3, it was a tale of […]
about 1 month ago
· 3 reads
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 […]
about 1 month ago
· 6 reads
My discussion with Thilo Widder from Canis Hoopus continues as the series shifts from San Antonio to Minneapolis all tied up at 1-1. Before Game 1, we discussed how the Spurs would need to be prepared for the Timberwolves’ size advantage. Then, after a last second loss in which the Spurs got little offensive help […]
about 1 month ago
· 5 reads
Anissa McLaughlin, wife of San Antonio Spurs guard Jordan McLaughlin, recently visited KSAT 12 to discuss how her and the family have embraced San Antonio. “We love it here. The community is just incredible,” she said. “Everyone’s so welcoming, so warm. It just feels like family every time I meet somebody new.” McLaughlin posts on […]
about 1 month ago
· 8 reads
After a 133-95 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Two, the San Antonio Spurs will head to Minneapolis looking to steal a game and regain home-court advantage. Much like they did in round one of the playoffs, the Spurs head into Game Three with a bit of uncertainty. The Timberwolves are undefeated at home […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads
After dropping Game One to the Minnesota Timberwolves, there was a lot of talk about the demise of the San Antonio Spurs. Some ESPN commentators even suggested they could be swept in the series. The young team responded with a resounding 133-95 victory over the Wolves, where every player but one scored a point. It […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads
Every now and then, you see something that’s just hard to put into words. A specifically timed (and context-dependent) moment of humor. An unusual sequence of events. A coincidence bordering on a glitch in the Matrix. And one of the first things you do is look around and see if anyone else is around to […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads
All wins count the same, and Minnesota still has reason to feel good. (After all, they now go back to Minneapolis knowing that holding serve at home will win them the series.) However, on a deeper level, I think that the nature of this victory could significantly alter the mindset of both teams. In the […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads
Coming off a heartbreaking Game 1 defeat, the Spurs eyed revenge against the Minnesota Timberwolves for Game 2 of their Western Conference Semifinals series. Carter Bryant returned from his ankle injury, so the Spurs were back at full strength. After a tough shooting first quarter for both teams, the Spurs managed to take a seven-point […]
about 1 month ago
· 3 reads
Game 1 went down to the wire, the Spurs lost on a missed Champagnie buzzer beater. Afterwards, there was no heads hung, no self deprication, just an urgency to watch film and make the necessary adjustments before heading into Game 2. Matthew Tynan of Corporate Knowledge reported that Spurs legend Gregg Popovich sat in on […]
about 1 month ago
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The Spurs lost a close Game 1 on a missed Julian Champagnie buzzer-beater, and it seems it was the wakeup call they needed. San Antonio demolished the Timberwolves in Game 2, outexecuting them and outhustling them en route to a 133-95 win. At halftime, the visitors had only scored 35 points, and the biggest lead […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads
The San Antonio Spurs had their backs to the wall, so they had a Game 7 mentality from tip-off, and they cruised their way to the finish line against the ravenous Minnesota Timberwolves. The Spurs are now going on tour and the winner of a Game 3 in a best of seven series when it’s […]
about 1 month ago
· 2 reads
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. A lot of writers say that a series doesn’t become interesting […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads
Before Game 1 against the Minnesota Timbwolves, I chatted with Thilo Widder from our sister site Canis Hoopus about how the Spurs would need to get more creative on offense to counter the Wolves’ size advantage. We saw that play out in a tight, defensive-minded Game 1 loss for the Spurs, so today, we discuss what […]
about 1 month ago
· 4 reads