The San Antonio Spurs (2-0) began the season on the road and so far have come away with 10 plus point wins in their first two games. Last night against the Sacramento Kings, the Spurs were outplayed early but rebounded to grab a 102-94 win.
“(Kings) Coach Joerger’s . . . got them playing defense after one game already the way they played defense in Memphis,” Popovich said. “That’s because he knows what he’s doing, and it’s a tribute to those guys to pick that up and jump in and buy in all of a sudden.”
The San Antonio Spurs began their quest for a sixth title with a commanding performance against the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday night with a 106-74 playoff opener. The Spurs were led by Kawhi Leonard’s 32 points but it was the team defense (13 steals and nine blocks) that set the tone for the night.
“I got some easy shots going into that transition, getting some layups and dunks,” Leonard said. “That’s how you get in rhythm, for my teammates as well. If they’re able to get an easy layup, they’re just going to gain more confidence.”
A day later, the NBA announced that Leonard was named the Defensive Player of the Year award for the second consecutive season, becoming the first non-center to win the award back to back award since Dennis Rodman did it back in 89-90, 90-91.
The Spurs take the court tonight looking to go up 2-0 against the Grizzlies who are hoping his young team gets some valuable experience going up against the Juggernaut Spurs.
“We’ve got some young guys that are going to get better,” Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger told the team’s official website. “We will go back and watch the video and come back and try to get a little bit better and look for making a bigger dent.”
Franchise prepares for 33rd foray into the NBA Playoffs
–The San Antonio Spurs have distinction of being the only former ABA Team to have ever won a championship, much less five of them. Beginning Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs will embark on their 33rd attempt to reach the pinnacle of the NBA, the battle for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Last night, the Spurs reserves, a lineup of Boban Marjanovic, Kyle Anderson, Danny Green, Andre Miller and Matt Bonner defeated the starting line up for the Dallas Mavericks 96-91 with Marjanovic matching a career high 22 points along with 12 boards.
Boris Diaw made his return to the court after sitting out with a minor injury the past few games. He liked what he and his teammates were able to accomplish against the A squad of the Mavericks.
“Obviously we’ve got great guys and great Hall of Fame’rs and starters, (Tim, Tony, Manu, Kawhi, LaMarcus and David West all stayed in SA) but the support cast has been doing a great job all season,” Diaw said.
“A lot of fun,” said Danny Green, the only San Antonio starter to play. “We got a chance to get the young guys out there, move the ball a little bit, push the pace, try something different. It’s always fun to win when you’ve got your old guys sitting out.”
“(Kings) Coach Joerger’s . . . got them playing defense after one game already the way they played defense in Memphis,” Popovich said. “That’s because he knows what he’s doing, and it’s a tribute to those guys to pick that up and jump in and buy in all of a sudden.”
