The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Philadelphia 76es 97-89 last night, extending their winning streak to 5. The Spurs are now 9-6. So far as winning streaks go, the current run is nothing to brag about. The Spurs have played 4 of 5 at home, beating Washington, Milwaukee, Golden State, Houston and Philadelphia. Prior to [...]

Via The Onion: Immediately after releasing a 12-foot jump shot Tuesday night, Spurs center Tim Duncan called out the angle necessary for the ball to bank off the backboard and into the basket. “Forty-six-point-seven degrees,” said the airborne Duncan, also noting the ball’s initial upward velocity of 14.4 meters per second after a moment of [...]

Marcus Haislip saw his first action of the season Wednesday night against the Warriors. He played 4 minutes, scoring two points but not making a mark in any other basic statistical category. A quick scouting report from the game would tell you that Haislip was completely unassertive on the boards and played a handful of [...]

NBA Stats I never know what to say after we play the Warriors. Golden State plays a game so tenuously tied to what I identify as “basketball,” that one of these days I fully expect Anthony Morrow to begin shooting at the wrong basket, because the defense is “out of position,” or for Corey Maggette [...]

In my recap of Monday’s Bucks-Spurs game, I touched on one of the team’s more controversial topics: The talent and usage of Matt Bonner. There are a proud few who claim that his ability to spread the floor and gaudy advanced statistics speak to his importance to the team, even if his vanilla-flavored style isn’t [...]

NBA Stats After blowing a substantial first half lead late in the second quarter, the Spurs regained control during the third and cruised to 14 point victory over Milwaukee Bucks, a franchise which has given us an inexplicable amount of trouble during the Tim Duncan era. A quick glance at the traditional box score paints [...]

A couple quick thoughts prior to the game. Despite the fact that Milwaukee always gives San Antonio fits, the Spurs are expected to beat the Bucks this evening. The Spurs are giving 9 points in the spread, which is strange considering Milwaukee’s 8-3 record. The deteriorating Washington Wizards provided San Antonio an opportunity to “get [...]

Yes, that’s a double entendre. Jeff McDonald is reporting that Tony Parker is doubtful for this evening and Manu Ginobili won’t play. I’m concerned about Tim Duncan. He played 41 minutes last night in a toughly fought battle with Dallas. Tonight he must run through the gauntlet that is the Utah Jazz. And that knee [...]

So far as losses go, the Spurs played reasonably well in their OT defeat against the Mavericks. For the second time this season, San Antonio held Dallas to a low shooting percentage: The Mavericks finished the game 40% from the field and 17.6% on triples. Their eFG% was 41.5, a full eight points below their [...]

Even though San Antonio and Dallas played one another just last week, that game is already ancient history. The Spurs were without Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in their first go-round with the Mavs, and Richard Jefferson led the team with 29 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. With Parker and Duncan back in the [...]

You know what they say about a team’s final five being more important than its starting five. Well, that’s all true. In a perfect world, one free of foul trouble and injury concerns, a coach finishes the game with his best five players on the floor. Through 8 games, George Hill is unquestionably the Spurs’ [...]

During the offseason, I suggested that the Lakers had begun a movement of super-contenders by changing the model for winning an NBA championship from 3 stars and a bunch of role players to a 5 star, get-out-our-way template. To make this thesis work, I considered Andrew Bynum a star player. Many readers took exception. “Andrew [...]

Ed. Note: After the games Tim and I have been posting charts like the one below. For those of you who are not familiar, the four factors were developed by basketball statistician Dean Oliver. Their purpose is to indicate who shot the ball well (effective field goal percentage), who took care of the ball (turnover [...]

Although the tactical details of basketball can be rather complicated, the underlying strategy is surprisingly simple. At a certain point, it is merely a question of number and proximity.

I never want to win an NBA Coach of the Year award. Rick Carlisle. Avery Johnson. Sam Mitchell. Byron Scott. All got the award and then, within two years, the axe. Mike D’Antoni lasted a bit longer before he got the boot, and both he and Carlisle landed on their feet (although coaching the Knicks [...]