The defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs will open the regular season October 28th against in-state rivals Dallas Mavericks. The Spurs are likely to open the season with reigning Finals MVP Kwahi Leonard on the bench along with center Tiago Splitter who is nursing a calf injury.
Tag: Dallas Mavericks
Spurs ready for Game Two
After dismantling the Portland Trailblazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals 92-116, the San Antonio Spurs are hoping that they can bring the same momentum that took down the Dallas Mavericks and set the tone for the series against the Trailblazers.
Game two, scheduled for tonight, will be a challenge for the Spurs as they know that Portland will come out with a lot of fire.
“The key tomorrow is just match their energy,” Parker said after practice Wednesday. “They’re going to come back and they’re going to be very motivated. The way we handle the win, that’s going to make the difference for us.”
For Portland’s La Marcus Aldridge, a former Texas hoopster, coming out strong will be the key to leaving San Antonio with a win.
“Most of the guys on our team haven’t even been in the second round and they’ve won championships,” said Aldridge, one of the most experienced Blazers who had 32 points and 14 rebounds. “They’ve been here. I think they definitely came out and they let us know how it’s going to be. I think every guy on the team understands that.”
Spurs blast Mavericks out of the playoffs
It was something that most fans and pundits expected before game seven. That is, a blowout. The San Antonio Spurs took full advantage of their home court, pounding the Dallas Mavericks into submission and out of the playoffs with a 96-119 victory.
Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle praised the Spurs after the fight.
“We got hit by a tidal wave early,” Carlisle said in the post conference. “They had their best game today. They’re the best of the best, and they’ve been great for a long time. They’ve got a great chance, obviously.”
Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich readily agrees.
“I’m certainly glad it’s over,” Popovich said in the post conference. “(It) kept many of us up, night after night, trying to figure them out. We’re thrilled, and I think our best game was tonight. We played very, very well, and I think it was one our best games of the year.”
The Spurs next face the Portland Trailblazers in the Western Conference Semi-finals. The Trailblazers closed out the Houston Rockets in six games and none more exciting than the buzzer-beater shot by Damian Lillard to end the series, the first time since 1997 where John Stockton of the Utah Jazz did the exact same thing to the Rockets.
“It was a hell of a win,” Portland Coach Terry Stotts said after the game. “I don’t know that it could have been any more dramatic.”