Parker lilfts Spurs over Grizzlies and into the NBA Finals

The San Antonio Spurs have done what very few teams have done before.  The Spurs completed the sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the fifth time in 14 seasons.  The Spurs last visit to the finals was in 2007 when they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers for their fourth title.

“Honestly, it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve been to this point,” PF Tim Duncan said Monday night after the Spurs victory. “We’ve been on the verge of kind of getting here. We still feel like we were in contention, but we can’t get over that hump. To get over that hump and get back in the Finals, it’s an amazing feeling, honestly.”

Point Guard Tony Parker scored a game high 37 points on 15-21 shooting and seemed most happy about the newest Spur to join the squad, Tracy McGrady and his quest to go to the NBA Finals.

“Tracy McGrady is going to the NBA Finals,” Parker said as he passed the former All-Star after the game.

Tickets for the NBA Finals are on sale now so be sure to get out and support your Spurs!

 

Report: Spurs sign Brown to non-guaranteed deal

The Spurs have signed journeyman forward to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, according to .

Brown (6-foot-8, 235 pounds) was originally drafted in the second round by Charlotte in 2009. He was picked up by the Knicks after the Bobcats waived him midway through his second season. Brown, 25, returned to Charlotte last season, averaging 8.1 points (51.8 percent shooting) and 3.6 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game. His 14.7 PER was just a hair under the weighted league average. The bad news — it came while playing for one of the worst teams in history.

Writer’s note: I consider myself a pretty educated NBA fan, but I literally cannot tell you a single thing about Brown other than his stats look fairly decent for a castoff type. His (admittedly dated) scouting report at  describes an athletic, undersized tweener who lacks polish. Here’s a more recent assessment from something called .

At any rate, I certainly like this pickup better than the corpse of Tracy McGrady, who reportedly worked out with the Spurs earlier this week. Maybe he’ll thrive in a winning atmosphere — provided he makes it through training camp, of course.

Report: Spurs will meet with Howard

Fresh off last week’s reported tryout of Tracy McGrady, the Spurs will look at another past-his-prime former standout to potentially flesh out their bench. Yahoo Sports’ Marc Spears that Josh Howard will be in town today for a meeting with the Spurs. Spears doesn’t say what the meeting will entail — tryout, contract negotiation, or merely a friendly lunch.

Like McGrady, Howard has seen better days. Now 32, he’s four years removed from his lone All-Star season in 2007-08, during which he averaged 19.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. It’s been a slow but steady decline since then, culminating with his departure from Utah after averaging 8.7 points in 43 games last season.