What’s wrong with the Spurs?



34-19.

 That was the San Antonio Spurs record before the All Star Break  began. 4 games later , their record stands at 34-23. The team’s currently sliding on a 4 game losing skid (second one this season) , and needs help. It’s odd to say this , but The San Antonio Spurs are struggling right now , heavily struggling. The team’s healthy , or at least looks healthy for the most part. They had the All Star Weekend to take time off and get some rest , but yet they’re only 2 games ahead of the number 8 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Standings , and we all know how easy it is for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to get the Thunder rolling.  So with the Playoffs right around the corner , what exactly is wrong with the defending NBA champions? 

 
Tony Parker  

 Head Coach Gregg Popovich said it pretty clearly when he said a couple of days ago this season that the team has no chance of repeating as champs if the 4x Champion Point Guard Tony Parker doesn’t play like we’re used to seeing him play. Although Parker did have a nice performance against the Los Angeles Clippers last thursday in the Spurs first loss since coming back from All Star Break (21 points , and 13 assists) , he’s clearly been struggling. Here’s what he put up in the next three losses against Golden State , Utah , and Portland.

• Golden State – 2 points , 6 assists , 0-4 FGM
• Utah – 5 points , 4 assists , 2-9 FGM
• Portland – 2 points , 4 assists , 1-8 FGM

So clearly the bad playing of Tony Parker is a big factor in the Spurs recipe for disaster.Parker has been called “the head of the snake” , and the snake being the Spurs offense. Parker being one of the Spurs top 3 players , he HAS to get back to playing well , and leading this team on offense , or this team has little to no chance of winning a playoff series , let alone an NBA Championship. Parker’s struggles on offense most likely could be to the fact that he’s missed a lot of time , and isn’t 100% healthy.Whether that’s true or not , he’s definitely not 100% playing like the real Tony Parker.
 

Rough Rodeo Road Trip  

 Usually the Spurs have been pretty good on their yearly “Rodeo Road Trip” , which is usually when they figure themselves out as a team right before Playoff time , but this time it’s different. The Spurs already lost 5 out of the first 7 games on the Road Trip , and only have two more left. Which automatically means they’ll have a losing record on this year’s rodeo road trip. Now , they did have to play 3 amazing teams after returning from the break. The Clippers and Trail Blazers have been two of the leagues best teams year round , and of course the Warriors have been the NBA’s BEST team all season , but the Spurs also lost to the Utah Jazz … let’s not forget that. Maybe this Spurs team is just REALLY bad on the road this year. After all , their home record : 20-7 , and their road record : 14-16. That makes sense , but it’s not good considering the fact this team most likely will have to play a lot of road playoff games. Reason being , their the 7th seed as of now …

 

Age  

 Maybe this is the year. Every year the Spurs haters , and doubters say THE SAME STUFF.

“They’re too old.”

We hear it all too much , but could they be finally right? Think about it , the Spurs have played in the NBA Finals in 2013 , and 2014. That’s A LOT of games , plus they were in the Western Conference Finals the year before that too. So that’s 82 games in the regular season , gotta win best of 7 each playoff series , so by the team the season ends , if you’re in the Finals , you’ve played close to 100 games.Okay now do that at ages over 35. Because that’s what Manu Ginobili , and Tim Duncan have done. Both guys can still ball , but those legs have to be pretty worn out. Age has to be a small part of the Spurs struggles right now. 

 

No Motivation  

 After losing the 2013 NBA Finals that they should’ve won , San Antonio was on a mission to get back and win it for real the year after that, which is exactly what they did.That was their motivation.Now half of the players seem like they have no motivation to win at all. Not naming anyone in particular , but some guys seem like they have the “we won last season” mentality. So they got their 1 ring , now they could care less , which is VERY un-Spur like. I don’t know , just seems like a possibility. 

 

Bottom Line : 

This team still has some time to figure itself out , and does have a few easy games , but still has to play good against teams like the Mavs , Blazers , Warriors , and teams like that , that they’ll most likely see in the postseason. Parker has to get back to how he played in the past , Kawhi Leonard has to play like the Super Star he is , and the bench has to do their part. But most importantly , the team has to get back to playing the Spurs basketball we all know and love to see every night , because right now this isn’t it.

 Still have faith in my Spurs , Go Spurs Go! 

A.B

Who’s your Guy? 2015 NBA MVP Leaderboard



Lebron James or Kevin Durant? For a couple of seasons now that’s what the NBA MVP race has usually been. Lebron of course has 4 Regular Season MVP’s , and KD won his first MVP last season. But this season , we could be looking at a new name for our NBA Most Valuable Player. 

 All though there’s still a lot of games left to the season , Oklahoma City Thunder Super Star Kevin Durant has missed a ton of games , and from the looks of it could miss a couple more. So unless KD starts averaging around 35 points per game , and 10 assists per game, he probably won’t repeat as MVP.And Cleveland’s Lebron James has been called “the best basketball player on earth right now” , but his numbers haven’t looked the same as to when he was in Miami. Lebron has still been great , but not as great as were used to seeing. So if these two guys most likely aren’t getting MVP , who will? Here are a couple of players I think could potentially win 2015 NBA Regular Season Most Valuable Player :

 Golden State Warriors PG , Stephen Curry : Curry currently leads the NBA in Steals , is 5th in assists , and is 7th in scoring , averaging 23.6 ppg. Curry has proven this season that he’s the best Point Guard in the NBA. He’s led the Golden State Warriors to the best record in the NBA , and they show no signs of slowing down. Curry’s game has been centered around his ridiculous three point shooting game , but now the league’s recognizing him as a great passer , terrific ball handler , and as a team leader. Curry has taken the league by storm , and he’s only  26 years old. It wouldn’t surprise me , if Stephen Curry won the 2015 MVP. 



 

New Orleans Pelicans PF , Anthony Davis : Me being a Tim Duncan fan , it’s easy for me to recognize a great Power Forward when I see one. And Anthony Davis is quickly becoming a great Power Forward. Davis has basically carried the Pelicans to be in possible playoff contention , and has done a lot to give them a winning record of 28-27. Although I don’t see the Pelicans making the playoffs this season , if they did Davis should be crowned MVP. Davis is 5th in scoring and averages 23.9 points per game , and leads the NBA in blocks (2.67 b.p.g). Davis is already becoming one of the faces of the NBA , and is already a top 3 Power Forward in today’s league. 



 

Oklahoma City Thunder PG , Russell Westbrook : With Kevin Durant being out for a lot the Thunder’s games , the team’s been letting Westbrook take control , which isn’t a bad thing. Westbrook’s helped a great deal into the fact that the team’s sitting at the 8th seed in the Western Conference , without Russell Westbrook the Thunder would be nowhere that spot. He’s second in scoring , averaging 26.2 ppg , second in steals , and leads Point Guards in the Rebound category. Westbrook did win MVP of this years NBA All Star Game , but he could win Regular Season MVP too. 



 

Los Angeles Clippers C , DeAndre Jordan : It may come as a shock to some , but DeAndre Jordan has been playing pretty good basketball this season. He’s first in rebounds , top 5 in Field Goals , and top 3 in blocks. Jordan’s played a huge role for his team this season , and could maybe win MVP? It’s unlikely , but he definitely should be a top MVP candidate. 



Houston Rockets SG , James Harden : Since the season began , Harden’s played lights out basketball , leading the Rockets to a top seed in the West. He’s been unstoppable ALL Season , and will most likely only get better. He currently leads the league in scoring with 27.2 points per game , has the most assists for any Shooting Guard , and is also tied for third in steals. Harden has shown that he’s the NBA’s best Shooting Guard , and that EVERYBODY should Fear the Beard. In the end , I ultimately think James Harden will win the MVP award this season , and it would be well deserved.      



The 2015 NBA season still has a lot left into it , and it should have an exciting finish to it , especially in the MVP category. 

A.B 

A.B. 2015 Western Conference Predictions

The first half of the 2014-2015 NBA Season has wrapped up , so I thought I’d give my predictions for the rest of the season , predicting the un-predictable Western Conference , including their predicted record for the season. I’ve looked at each teams schedule , and this is what I came up with : 

 

1. Golden State Warriors (63-19)

 

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have been a top 2 team basically all season. If they keep playing like the way they’re playing , this team should wrap up home court advantage , with an impressive 63-19 record.  



 2. Memphis Grizzlies (58-24) 

 
If Memphis can keep playing the terrific defense Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph have supplied them , then I think they’ll cook to a 2nd seed.  

 

3. Houston Rockets (57-25) 

 
James Harden has been playing like an MVP. Don’t think that’ll stop , Houston should cruise pretty well , and Harden will win MVP.  

 

4. Portland Trailblazers (56-26) 

 
Don’t think they’ll be “amazing” but they’ll be good enough to get a top 4 spot. 4 seed it is. 



5. San Antonio Spurs (56-26) 

 
The best has yet to come for Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs this season , think they’ll get hot and will stay hot. Will be tied with Portland , but that won’t be a problem for the black and silver.  



 6. Dallas Mavericks (53-29) 

 
The addition of Amar’e Stoudemire should help Dallas , but they still have a lot of injuries to deal with. 



7. Los Angeles Clippers (52-30)

 

For some reason , I just see them struggling a little bit , which will  be huge for the rest of the season.  



 8. Oklahoma City Thunder (49-33) 

 
At the end of the day , Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook aren’t gonna miss the playoffs. Only way that happens if one them’s hurt again , think they’ll be close all year with the Suns , but they’ll reach the playoffs.   

 So there ya have it , just my predictions for the rest of the regular season for the Western Conference standings. I do have picks for after that , but we’ll save that for another day , possibly before the actual playoffs. 

Follow me on twitter : https://twitter.com/AlexWBergeR

Thanks!

 A.B.

Spurs Report Cards (All Star Break)

As the NBA season goes into its “All Star Weekend” , it also means the season’s a little more than half way over. So I decided to grade some of the players on of course , The San Antonio Spurs.

Point Guards : 

Tony Parker – It hasn’t been a great year for TP , although he’s spent much time in the “injured” category , he has done some playing , some good and bad. Lot of turnovers from the star PG , however it’s obvious that Parker’s gotten his 3 point game up from previous seasons. If San Antonio wants to get back to the level they were at last season , they’ll need a better Tony Parker for the rest of the season. Grade : B- 

Patty Mills – Patty did spend most of the season hurt , but when’s played , he’s played extremely well. Patty’s defense tenacity is huge for the Spurs and will need to be huge in the future as well. Patty should keep improving from here on out. Grade : A- 

Cory Joseph – Not many NBA teams can say they have a good 3rd string Point Guard , then again not many teams are the Spurs. When Patty was hurt , Co-Jo did an amazing job filling in for him , his play type has seemed Tony Parkerish this season , meaning I’ve seen a lot of T.P in C.J this year. Great season so far for Joseph. Grade : A+ 

Shooting Guards : 

Danny Green – The TARHEEL TRIPLE has had a great year not only behind the 3 point line , but in the blocks category. Green is know for his tremendous shooting ability , but is know getting recognized as one of the leagues premire shot blockers. Grade : B+ 

Manu Ginobili – Manu’s still got it. As simple as that. Manu continues to wow us with his perfect passes , ball tricks , and shooting of course. He’s had his flaws this year , but at the end of the day , Ginobili still does his job and comes through when the team needs him. Grade : B 

Marco Belinelli – The Italian sharp shooter also has had the injury bug this season , but has improved his defense this season and is getting better every game in all areas. Plus his game winning jumper vs the Pacers was pretty sweet. Grade : B- 

Small Forwards / Power Forwards : 

Kawhi Leonard – The KLAW just keeps getting better and better as his career moves along. He’s proven to be the biggest part of this team , as his all around talents seperate the Spurs from a good team , to a great one. Grade : A 

Tim Duncan – The old man plays like he’s a young man. TD still finds a way to get it done at 38 years old. Tim’s been basically a walking double-double every night , doing his part making sure the team gets the win. Grade : A+ 

Boris Diaw – Boris hasn’t been what he was in last seasons Playoffs for the Spurs. He really needs to step it up in the rest of the season , both sides of the ball. C’mon Bo-Bo! Grade : C+ 

Aron Baynes – The Big Banger has had a pretty good year , improving his jump shot , getting more rebounds , and just really good defense. Grade : A- 

Centers : 

Tiago Splitter – When healthy , The Brazilian big man has been a huge part of this Spurs team. His offensive playing has been close to perfect , looking like … Kareem Abdul Jabbar! Yes I said it. Tiago Splitter obviously is nowhere near the level Kareem was , but his hook shots , and foot work have been dazziling! Grade : B 

Matt Bonner – He gets open , drills a three , all there is to it. Couple of misses in the way , but Bonner’s still a pure shooter , and he’a almost automatic when he floats it up in the paint. Grade : C+ 

Pop : Gregg Popovich , who recently won his 1,000th game ever as the Spurs head coach , keeps making brilliant desicions night after night , the brain of the team without a doubt. Grade : A 

 

Some SAS players have really played well half way through the season , and some haven’t heree’s 3 players I’m looking to see improve after All Star weekend :

• Boris Diaw , needs to do a better job in all areas , he’s better than how he’s playing right now.
• Tony Parker , he’s gotta cut down on the turnovers and continue to be the “Head of the snake” of this team.
• Kawhi Leonard , guy’s already amazing , but I want him to be even better!

Have a feeling the Spurs will have a better half of their season , then this one. Certainly hope so at least… Go Spurs Go!

A.B.

Who’s better than who? Popovich or Belichick?

With the San Antonio Spurs edgy 95-93 win over the Indiana Pacers on February 9 , 2015 , Head Coach Gregg Popovich became the ninth NBA head coach in history to win 1,000 games. Joining NBA Head Coach Legends such as Don Nelson , Phil Jackson , Jerry Sloan  , Pat Riley and so many more. However , Another head coach accomplished something else this February too. 

New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots won their 4th Super Bowl together , giving Belichick an even better resumé to being possibly the NFL’s best coach ever. Both guys are masterminds at their position , and will go down as two of the greatest coaches in Pro Sports history , but if we had to decide , who is actually the better coach?

 

Gregg Popovich: 

Since Pop became the Spurs head coach in 1996 , he’s made a huge impact on not only the franchise , but the sport of Basketball as well. In 1999 , Pop won his first NBA Championship , and after June 2014 , he has added 4 more rings to that collection. All 5 of the Spurs championships involved Gregg Popovich as their head coach. Pop’s 5-1 in NBA Finals series , only losing in 2013 to Lebron James and the Miami Heat of course. Pop’s made so many decisions during his career as Spurs head coach that no other coach would make , including resting his star players on nationally televised games. Those decisions did cost Pop a little pocket money , but Pop has proven a method to his madness , and by resting his older players some games , it refreshes them , making them able to play more games down the stretch of the season and more games throughout their career. This tactic has also proven to give them more energy come playoff time. Pop’s most impressive stats however have to be the fact that he’s had 15 seasons with at least 50 wins or more with the Spurs , and also has one of the best coaching win percentages by any head coach.Not to mention that Pop has a winning record against EVERY NBA team he’s ever played against. It’s clear to us that Gregg Popovich is clearly one of the greatest coaches in NBA History , and Pro Sports History , and he still has a few more seasons left in the tank. 

 
Bill Belichick : Much like Popovich , Bill Belichick has always been only about winning championships , and finds a way to do that. Once Belichick became the Head coach of the New England Patriots in 2000 , they’ve been the best team of the era ever since.Grabbing 6 Super Bowl Appearances , and winning 4 of those Super Bowls , Bill Belichick clearly has shown he is one of the NFL’s best coaches ever. 211 regular season wins , 22 postseason wins , give Belichick a bunch of nods , not to mention that since he became the HC of the Pats , they’ve reached the postseason 12 out of 15 seasons. NINE of those playoff seasons the Patriots reached the AFC Championship Game or better.Another impressive part of Bill’s career was when in 2007 he led the New England Patriots to a perfect 16-0 regular season , only to be upset by Eli Manning and the New York Giants in an unbelievable game in Super Bowl XLII. Although Belichick has been questioned of cheating a couple of times in his career , it seems pretty clear that Belichick doesn’t need to cheat in any way to win football games. When Bill Belichick calls it a career , he will be remembered as one of the greatest NFL Head Coaches of all time. 

 
Who’s better than who?

Tough question to answer , considering both coach different sports , but there are many similarities between the two legends. Both men have transformed franchises completely , both men have been to 6 championships. Although Pop has won 5/6 , Bill’s 4/6 are almost just as impressive. But the consistency that Gregg Popovich has shown and given the Spurs is extremely hard to beat. Fifteen 50+ win regular seasons is a hard thing to do in the NBA , and the 5 championships help too. So , gotta give Gregg Popovich a bit of an edge in this debate. I got Pop as just a slightly better coach. Both coaches know how to win with class , and lose with class , and will no doubt go down as some of the greatest coaches in Sports History. 

 A.B.

The Impact of Kawhi Leonard and The San Antonio Spurs

Kawhi after receiving the 2014 NBA Finals Bill Russell trophy.

Since Kawhi Leonard was drafted by the Indiana Pacers and then traded to the San Antonio Spurs on draft night in 2011 , he has proven to be the “next guy in line” and has even been called “the future of the spurs”. Kawhi’s ability to do it all on the court is what makes him stand out from the other Spur players. His quick ability to take a steal and drive it down the court finishing off with a slam , his sharp shooting behind the three point line , and mid-range accuracy , his rebounding skills which make him seem like another Power Forward on the court and allow him to get countless double doubles , and of course his suffocating defense he puts on players , one major name of course , Lebron James. Kawhi had to guard Lebron for most of the 2014 NBA Finals and did as good a job anyone can do while covering James. Leonard exploded for 29 points in Game 3 as the Spurs  crushed Miami 111-92 , and San Antonio took a 2-1 lead , the success of Leonard spread throughout the whole team and the Spurs as we know won the series 4-1 , Kawhi Leonard being named 2014 NBA Finals MVP.

When Kawhi Leonard’s on the court for the Spurs , they always have a better chance to grab a victory. Kawhi really is the whole package , and he’s still younger than 25 years old. Kawhi’s success has been questioned a lot though. It’s said that Kawhi’s only good because of the Spurs system he’s in , which doesn’t matter at all , because it looks like Leonard will play in a Spurs jersey for a lot of his career , probably all of it. Kawhi has already said he wants to play with one team his whole career , so he’d love to remain a Spur.It’s just a matter of money, should be interesting to see after the 2015 NBA Season.

With Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili’s futures coming to an end in less than 2 seasons , Kawhi has already been told by Head Coach Gregg Poppovich that he needs to take more control and shoot the ball more , and also become more of a leader, because one day the team could be followed by Leonard.

With the San Antonio Spurs sitting at 30-18 and currently in 7th place of the Western Conference Standings , we should see Kawhi take more of a role than we’ve ever seen him take , and if the Spurs can stay healthy from now until Playoff time , and if they can start playing anywhere close to how they played last season and get hot , Kawhi Leonard and The San Antonio Spurs will have a good chance of repeating as NBA Champions.

Go Spurs Go! 

BACK ON TOP! A.B’s Super Bowl 49 Reaction

What a finish to the 2014-2015 NFL Season. Super Bowl 49 will probably go done as one of , if not the greatest SB games ever.The game remained close through it all , but in the end only one team could prevail and hoist the Lombardi trophy.

Once the first quarter started , it was clear that both teams were all about defense and no one wanted to give up any type of score.The Patriots missed a huge chance when they were on their best drive of the game so far , and on 3rd down Brady felt pressure so he basically just tossed it to Seattle’s Jeremy Lane and threw a red-zone interception.Luckily for New England , the defense came prepared and ready and didn’t allow Seattle to get anything either. The first quarter was really a quarter of defense as it ended at a 0-0 score.

Brady did make up for it , driving the field , and hitting Brandon LaFell for a TD. 7-0 Pats. Seattle however , with a little help from the refs , quickly evened the score at 7 apiece.During the second quarter , there were times when New England     should’ve pulled away , but couldn’t , right before the half the Pats created a beautiful drive which led to an even better throw by Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski , who made a beautiful catch as well , to give New England a 14-7 lead with just 31 seconds left of the half. So Russell Wilson can’t possibly get anything in 31 seconds right?Wrong. Wilson shocked the world by driving down in 31 seconds like nothing , couple of smart plays by Seattle , and an 11-yard TD to Chris Matthews, and the score was 14-14 at HALFTIME.

The Third Quarter.It was an awful quarter for New England , but good for Seattle.On the opening drive of the second half , Seattle notched in a field goal giving them a three point lead.The Pats offense struggled all quarter , and Brady threw another costly interception. And by the time Quarter 3 had finished , Seattle had a 10 point lead with tons of momentum going to the 4th quarter. 24-14.

Now the Fourth Quarter was were the magic happened. The Patriots defense was lights out , holding Seattle to 3 and out after 3 and out. Brady and the Pats offense got on a groove as well on their second drive of the fourth , and with some great passes from Brady to his guys , Danny Amendola caught a 4 yd TD pass , to make the score 24-21 , Seattle lead. Another Three and out , and New England would go on one last drive , Brady led the offense down the field for a 3 yard Touchdown catch by Julian Edelman. Pats lead 28-24!With a little over 2 minutes remaining , The Patriots would need one more defensive stop to win the game , but The Seahawks offense wasn’t going down without a fight. Russell Wilson led Seattle down , when all of a sudden the unthinkable happened. An Another deja vu moment occurred , as Wilson heaved the ball down the field to Jermaine Kearse who basically caught the ball with his legs. Let me say that again , he caught a 33 yard gain pass right in front of the end zone with little over a minute to go , WITH HIS JUGGLING HANDS AND HIS LEGS. An unthinkable catch yet again , which should’ve costed the Patriots a Super Bowl. Notice who gave up the catch and who also tackled Kearse from running into the endzone , CB Malcolm Butler. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000467444/Super-Bowl-Can-t-Miss-Play-Kearse-with-the-kicker

Two plays after that , at the one yard line with around 24 seconds to go , The Seahawks called a play that will be talked about for centuries.As many have said that Marshawn Lynch should’ve ran the ball in, but Russell Wilson stepped back and quickly threw it , but was intercepted at the goal line by … MALCOLM BUTLER!   

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000467461/Super-Bowl-Can-t-Miss-Play-The-Butler-did-it

This would ultimately save the game for New England and give them their 4th Super Bowl Championship in 14 seasons. What an unbelievable game and season for the New England Patriots , 28-24 Pats win Super Bowl 49! Now , Brady was crowned with his 3rd SB MVP award as he threw for 328 yards , and 4 TD’s to 4 different players , but here’s three guys that could have also gotten SB MVP

: 3. Rob Gronkowski. Gronk didn’t have an amazing game , but he did play well , notching 6 catches for 68 yards and one incredible touchdown.

2. Julian Edelman. Julian has shown so much growth since he became a Patriot , and had one great game showing that he wanted the win as much as anyone else did , with 9 receptions for 109 receiving yards , and the game winning Touch Down as well.

And of course ,

1. Malcolm Butler. Butler gave up a ridiculous catch , but also got up and SAVED Kearse from getting into the endzone , and than two plays later of course made the play of his life , intercepting Wilson at the goal line to give the Patriots the victory.

Such a crazy hard fought season for the New England Patriots from the loss in week 1 , and awful loss in week 4 , to the 7 game win streak , to the crazy win against Baltimore , to the crushing victory against the Colts , and now the amazing game that Super  Bowl 49 was , well deserved. Congrats to the New England Patriots , 2015 Super Bowl Champions.