“La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu’il n’existe pas.” -Baudelaire
Kobe Bryant’s early exit and Pau Gasol’s overall absence dampened the enthusiasm that would normally follow a 20 point win by the Spurs over the Lakers. But even before back spasms made Bryant a non-factor, a 23-year-old second year point guard [...]

This is it. Tonight is the ultimate measuring stick, although previous results lead us to believe this team is still coming up short. Every move made over the last season and a half was done with the Los Angeles Lakers in mind.
Last season, the Spurs were able to take the first game against the Lakers, [...]

The best thing written after the Finals was by Bill Simmons. He’s earned a long quote, but you can find the full piece here.
I’m all for appreciating Kobe’s greatness; it’s just that my colleagues sold the wrong angle. Since he squashed the Chicago deal, Kobe has won MVP, All-Star MVP and Finals MVP awards; he [...]

The Spurs had no business winning last night’s game. The loss was deserved. The Lakers buried the Spurs in the first quarter, outscoring the home team 35 -17 and crushing them on the glass. In the opening quarter alone, the Lakers grabbed 4 offensive rebounds.  Of those 4, 3 boards led to immediate baskets. And [...]

In the lead up to nearly every Lakers-Spurs game, I get the same question from countless people: How are the Spurs going to stop Kobe Bryant now that Bruce Bowen is no longer as effective as he used to be? This question is based off of two myths: Once upon a time Bowen actually shut [...]

It’s bewildering, if you don’t stop to think about it. You wonder, “Can that be right?” But then, after a few moments reflection, you begrudgingly acknowledge that it must be true. Andrew Bynum has outdunked the entire Spurs team by a count of 85 to 34. On his own, the Lakers center is +51 [...]

As a Spurs fan, it is somewhat heretical to act as if anything other than the postseason has any substantive value. The regular season exists so that the postseason may, and the postseason exists so that a champion may be crowned. Of all franchises, few are as unwaveringly teleological as San Antonio.
And then a game [...]