San Antonio Spurs: For Old Time Sake | 2k13 Association

Simulated the two Suns games. Hilariously we won both despite the fact that I forgot to adjust the lineups to re-insert a now 100% Tony Parker and place Monroe in the starting line-up.

The player re-signing deadline has passed and the Spurs did nothing regarding Stephen Jackson and DeJuan Blair, as neither player was interested in an extension at the moment.

Also simulated the following games:

Spurs vs. Kings - W
Spurs vs. Pistons - W
Spurs vs. Bulls - W
Spurs vs. Blazers - W

Will be playing the Thunder game probably tonight, will post a preview probably definitely tonight. Will most likely also play the Miami game from this month but probably no others...

I will update the ROTM/POTM and maybe a few other things but not the standings or team stats until april.

As of March 9th the Heat clinched their playoff berth. Funnily enough, they clinched it on the 8th in real life this year (correct me if I'm wrong).

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Ldoi69x.png[/IMG]

how do you get those stuff, projected starters and game notes? also the tweets and the writeups?

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/uXoNQUQ.png[/IMG]
POTG: Tony Parker

Recap:
Heartbreak in San Antonio...almost.

A bricked jumper with 5 seconds to go from Kevin Durant with Manu Ginobili in his face played right in to the hands of Greg Monroe. Knowing his team was up by one point, he passed the ball up to Ginobili and nobody on the Thunder could catch him for the foul.

The Spurs should count themselves lucky for beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 89-88 after being outscored 22-13 in the fourth quarter.

"Guys were making mistakes I've never seen them make before. I mean we were feeling so good coming off of the third quarter and the offense was clicking perfectly, but the life was sucked out of us in the fourth." a relieved Gregg Popovich told reporters after the game.

Tony Parker was San Antonio's hero. He scored a game-high 28 points.

"We were 5 games up on the Thunder in the West heading in to tonight and we were really hoping as a team to widen the gap. I put it all out there and it was a little close for comfort, but good. Still good" Parker said after the game.

Kevin Martin shouldered the load for the Thunder, proving to be a tough problem for the Spurs to solve when paying so much attention to Durant and Westbrook. He scored 22 points (4-8 from 3) and dished 5 assists.

The Thunder stayed in it thanks to their 10-19 three point shooting. The Spurs decided to take a more mid-range and post-game focused approach, putting up only 3-9 from 3 but getting 22 attempts at the free throw line (capitalizing on 18).

This brings the season series 2-1 in favor of the Spurs. San Antonio will seek their 50th win of the season and their 11th straight in Minnesota tomorrow.

[QUOTE=CarlosBoozer]how do you get those stuff, projected starters and game notes? also the tweets and the writeups?[/QUOTE]
i do the tweets and writeups all myself, as the most talented writer on insidehoops.

the rest of the stuff is resources available on operationsports.

March 14, 2013

Spurs beat Mavericks 96-93 behind Parker's 21, winning their 50th game of the season.

March 15, 2013

Spurs clinch playoffs.

March 17, 2013

Spurs clinch best divisional record.

March 29, 2013

Spurs blow out Clippers 90-65. This brings their record this month to 12-1, with just 1 game to go against the Miami Heat in San Antonio. The Spurs have outscored their opponents 92.6 to 77.8 down the stretch of March, a 14.8ppg difference.

March 30, 2013

The San Antonio Spurs sign Troy Murphy for the rest of the season with a $1.48m contract.

Murphy played in 59 games for the Lakers last year. He averaged 3.2ppg and 3.2rpg in 16.2mpg.

He will be available tomorrow against the Heat however it is speculated unlikely that Popovich will put him into the 12 man rotation.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/JvenLHE.png[/IMG]

Spurs get beat 89 - 73

[QUOTE=Mr. I'm So Rad]Spurs get beat 89 - 73[/QUOTE]
Not quite what happened.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/yMDDPqP.png[/IMG]
POTG: Tony Parker

Recap:
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Miami Heat 103-99, handing the Heat their 10th road loss of the season.

The Spurs nearly choked away a lead that was once at 16 after the Heat went on several scoring runs, however the play of [B]the[/B] Big Three (not Bosh, Wade, James) halted the Heat.

Tony Parker led the way with an astonishing 31 point 9 assist game on 12-16 shooting from the field.

"When the teams with the two best records meet up, you know it'll be a good game. I'm happy I was able to play the way I did down the stretch along with the rest of my team who I think did a great job." Parker said.

Lebron James and Dwyane Wade combined for 50 points, however Chris Bosh scoring just 6 points in 25 minutes on 2-5 shooting from the field was a hindrance for the Heat. Proving that although the Heat generate lots of points in the paint from drives, their lack of post-up game can be killer, especially against a team like the Spurs.

Greg Monroe had a quiet 6 points on 2-3 shooting from the field in 22 minutes, however the emphatic one handed dunk on the fastbreak with seconds left was the icing on the Spurs cake of victory.

Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan combined for 38 points, shooting 74% from the field to help anchor the win.

The Spurs winning streak extends to 8, and they will look to continue it against the Grizzles in Memphis tomorrow for their first game in the month of April.

Simulated the following games:

Spurs @ Grizzlies - W
Spurs vs. Magic - W
Spurs @ Thunder - L
Spurs vs. Hawks - W

Will be playing the Nuggets game, then maybe the Lakers game. Otherwise, it's almost playoff time!

Updated the POTM/ROTM

I'll update team stats and league standings after the Nuggets game. Then I'll do it one more time before the playoffs begin.

If you're curious, the Spurs are set to face the 8th seed Clippers if the playoffs started today. Clippers are 37-40

April 7, 2013

The San Antonio Spurs have signed veteran small forward Maurice Evans for the remainder of the NBA season. He will debut for the team April 10, when the Spurs visit the Denver Nuggets.

Also, the Spurs will be resting Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili for the remainder of the season (5 games), citing a sore left knee for Ginobili, back sprain for Duncan, and a sore neck for Parker.

Actually I lied, I'm not going to play the Nuggets game, or any other regular season games. Sorry :oldlol:

Spurs @ Nuggets - L
Spurs vs. Kings - W
Spurs @ Lakers - L
Spurs @ Warriors - W
Spurs vs. Wolves - W

Finished season 63-19.

Going to update stuff on the front page before finishing simulating the day, then I'll cover seasonal awards and etc.

Posted the bracket, as well as all of the NBA regular season awards. so PLEASE read the front page stuff.

i will make first round playoff preview however you cant access previous season results because this game is designed really badly so i wont be able to mention the season series unfortunately and i'll be working with very little information.

[U]Series-by-Series First Round Matchups Preview
[/U]
[B]Western Conference:
[/B][B]1. San Antonio Spurs vs. 8. Sacramento Kings[/B]
The team that held number one in the West for practically all of the season against the team that barely slipped in by the end. I honestly can't give the Kings even one win. It's playoff time in San Antonio and with the Big Three still looking sharp, I see San Antonio sweeping this series. However, so this preview isn't boring, I'll throw two storylines in for this series. The first is the battle between DeMarcus Cousins and Greg Monroe. Just two draft picks apart in the 2010 draft, these two bigs are some of the brightest at the center position, with similar numbers. Cousins averaged 15.3ppg, 8.8rpg, and 1.3bpg, while Monroe averaged 14.7ppg, 8.6rpg, and 0.9bpg. Seeing these two guys go at it could very well be the best thing this series has to offer. The second storyline is Tony Parker. Averaging 20.1ppg and 5.4apg on the season, people assumed Parker could slip into an All-NBA team this year. It's very arguable he should have made it over one of Curry (3rd team), Irving (2nd team), or Ellis (3rd team). Tony may feel that extra edge due to the "snub" and take it all out on the Kings.

[B]Fun Fact:[/B] Of the 29 other teams in the NBA, Tony Parker averaged his least number of PPG against the Kings, and his highest number of APG. Although 3 games is a small sample size, it's an interesting thing to note.

Important Note: Marcus Thornton is expected to be out another 1-2 weeks with a seperated shoulder.

[B]Prediction: Spurs win over Kings 4-0
[/B]
[B]4. Denver Nuggets vs. 5. Los Angeles Clippers
[/B]It felt like just yesterday I was raving about how the Clippers are the biggest disappointment of the season, and it really wasn't too long ago. They shot up to the 5th seed late in the season. With Caron Butler a definite "no" for the remainder of the playoffs, and DeAndre Jordan still suffering from a Strained Hamstring, the Clippers haven't caught a break from the injury bug all season. Chris Paul was only able to play 54 games all season, and he should hope to make up for it in this first round. Kosta Koufos tore his MCL late in the season, which was a big shame for the Nuggets, as he had solidified himself as the starting C for the team. However McGee seems to have replaced him nicely (averaging 12.3ppg and 7.0rpg in the month of April) and this may not be as big of a factor as Butler's Torn MCL. The home court advantage is what pushes the Nuggets over for me in the series, however I would not be surprised if Chris Paul made me call this one wrong.

[B]Prediction: Nuggets win over Clippers 4-3.
[/B]
[B]3. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 6. Portland Trail Blazers
[/B]The Lakers are one of the hottest teams coming into the post season, getting their 10th straight win in their final game (vs. Rockets) of the season. Portland's youth, energy, and Rose Garden provides a hindrance for L.A., however it looks like Kobe and co. are peaking at the right time. Plus, everyone is healthy. Watch for the Lillard/Bryant match-up, which will surely be entertaining, however I don't see Portland pulling the upset.

[B]Prediction: Lakers win over Trail Blazers 4-1.
[/B]
[B]2. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 7. Dallas Mavericks
[/B]This match-up could be very interesting (especially for a 2-7) if it wasn't for the fact that Dirk Nowitzki is still suffering from a Strained MCL. Although he's listed as day-to-day, every game he's absent from in this series will kill the Mavericks. Not to mention, the Thunder are my pick to take the West (more on that as the playoffs roll on) and I think they'll have no problem handling the Mavs. The off-season additions were nice, Dallas, but you were dealt a rough hand in the first round.

[B]Prediction: Thunder win over Mavericks 4-0.
[/B]
[B]Eastern Conference:
1. Miami Heat vs. 8. Atlanta Hawks
[/B]At first glance of the Hawks roster, you might think an 8th seed in the East is pretty peculiar. Be that as it may, this match up will be a tough one to watch if you're a Hawks fan (or a Heat hater, which is far more likely). Jeff Teague, Josh Smith, and Ivan Johnson are all expected to miss this series at least with a variety of injuries. Although the team is still solid even in the absence of them, solid won't cut it against the defending champs. It'll take unbelievable play from Horford, Williams, and whoever else decides to show up combined with horrendous play from the Heat's Big Three.

[B]Prediction: Heat win over Hawks 4-0.
[/B]
[B]4. Brooklyn Nets vs. 5. Boston Celtics
[/B]Coming off of his worst statistical season since his rookie year, Rajon Rondo, the man Boston hoped to be their future post Big Three (man, how many big threes are there?) has a lot of explaining to do. He should hope to get the chance to explain how the Celtics beat the Nets, but it'll be tough. I feel as though both of these teams have had big underperformers and injury issues through the season, so seeing them match up in the first round is quite interesting. For the sake of having a lower seed win a series, I'll put my faith in the more experienced Celtics. My confidence in this pick is lower than Rondo's three point percentage.

[B]Prediction: Celtics win over Nets 4-3.
[/B]
[B]3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Philadelphia 76ers
[/B]New York is a 3 seed while they pay a guy $65.10 million to cheerlead. Having the league's best scorer in Carmelo Anthony helps, but I can honestly say that this team impressed me this year. If it wasn't for the fact that Andrew Bynum can't spell or stay healthy, I'd honestly edge the 76ers over the Knicks. I have confidence in Carmelo and/or J.R. not shooting the lights out for 7 straight games, and with a frontcourt older than their last championship, the Knicks would be prone to getting dominated by Bynum. Andrew is expected to miss another 2-4 weeks with a broken finger, which is really a shame. I can't see the 76ers in this state defeat the Knicks, and Carmelo is a man on a mission.

[B]Prediction: Knicks win over 76ers 4-2.
[/B]
[B]2. Chicago Bulls vs. 7. Milwaukee Bucks
[/B]Monta Ellis may have it all, but the Bulls know how to stop it all. This series will simply be a case of defense over offense (especially with the Bucks not having Brandon Jennings...wait...maybe that'll be a good thing). Derrick Rose didn't quite have an MVP-caliber season (20.6ppg, 5.8apg, 4.5rpg in 76 games), but he'll be feeling the same pain Tony Parker feels not being on an All-NBA team. Eyeing up one of the guys who beat him (Ellis), I think Rose will play it up in the playoffs. If Larry Sanders constantly denies Rose at the rim and shots are falling, the Bucks may do better than what I'm giving them credit for.

[B]Prediction: Bulls win over Bucks 4-1.
[/B]
After the first round look for my article recapping what I got right/wrong and why, and then look forward to my second round preview. Enjoy NBA basketball!

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/mKLyq5Q.png[/IMG]

Get hyped! It's playoff time!

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POTG: Manu Ginobili

Recap:
The San Antonio Spurs sent a message to the Sacramento Kings, and the other 14 teams in the playoffs with a 101-65 blowout in game 1.

Manu Ginobili led the way for the Spurs with 22 points and 5 rebounds on 9-13 shooting from the field.

"We've been very well rested heading in to today and I think that showed. We can't take them lightly just because of a big win, and we'll come just as hard next game as we came today." Ginobili said post-game.

Tyreke Evans did his best to shoulder the load for the Kings (19 points, 5 rebounds 8-16 from the field) however he was their only true bright light. An especially large problem for the Kings was DeMarcus Cousins. Matched up against Greg Monroe, not only did he only score 5 points and grab 3 boards on 1-6 from the field, but he gave up 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks (7-9 fg) to Monroe.

San Antonio's balanced and high percentage attack will need to be addressed in the remaining games of this series. However the Kings aren't the strongest defensive team in the NBA so they'll most likely have to try to match the Spurs offensively.

Game 2 will be playing in San Antonio on April 21.

I wont do a game preview for each game in this series, unless things get closer than I'm expecting...

I fully plan on dong game 2 today and potentially game 3, so expect that.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/OLVqUCQ.png[/IMG]
POTG: Tony Parker

Recap:
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Sacramento Kings 101-86 to bring them up 2-0 in the best of 7 series.

Tony Parker led the way with 26 points and 6 assists.

"They played a good game and fought very hard but down the stretch our execution on both ends of the floor was superior." Parker said post-game.

Isaiah Thomas played his heart out for the Kings, scoring 30 points (6-8 three pointers), and adding on 5 assists and 3 steals. However like game one, the Kings top contributor was relatively alone, and there was not enough contribution from any one else.

The Spurs won the rebounding battle and that played into their hand for the victory. Tim Duncan led the game with 12 rebounds.

Game 3 will bring both teams to Sacramento, where the Kings will hope to win their first game of the series.

jesus what a blowout, just rest the starters :roll:

^ Haha. I thought about resting them but it seemed too unrealistic

I actually played game 3 yesterday but for some reason I forgot to post it all up. I'll have to do that some time later today.

I should hopefully have game 4 done today as well.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/gMnTH7a.png[/IMG]
POTG: Greg Monroe

Recap:
A popular saying in the game of basketball is "live and die by the three". When the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Sacramento Kings 93-86 and went up 3-0 in the first-round series, that popular saying couldn't be any more true.

Despite the fact that the Spurs shot a poor 47% from the field (compared to the 51% of the Kings), their 5-10 shooting from three was what did it for them. That combined with Sacramento's 3-12 from beyond the arc.

San Antonio saw no standout performance from any one player. Although Greg Monroe was named player of the game, his 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks on 41% from the field was nothing compared to the individual performances the Spurs saw from Ginobili and Parker in games 1 and 2.

Monroe didn't even win his positional battle when looking purely at the stats. DeMarcus Cousins had 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks on 50% from the field.

Stephen Jackson had one of his best games of the season coming off of the bench. He scored 14 points on 5-8 shooting to lead San Antonio's bench to outscore Sacramento's 30-19.

"I gotta go out there and get mine when I'm called on. Tonight I did what was needed of me and now we're in a great position." Jackson said post-game.

If Sacramento didn't feel the pressure of facing the number 1 seed before, they surely will now being down 0-3 in the series. Game 4 is set for April 25 in Sacramento.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/3tNGbqJ.png[/IMG]
POTG: Greg Monroe

Recap:
How do you come back after getting outscored 35-15 in the first quarter? Well if you ask the Sacramento Kings, they won't have the answer. They were knocked out of the playoffs following the 96-70 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs completed the sweep thanks to two players in particular: Greg Monroe and Tyreke Evans.

Greg Monroe gave the Spurs a game high 18 points and 12 rebounds on 57% from the field (much better than his 41% from the previous night) to aid the victory.

Tyreke Evans gave the Kings 9 points and 7 rebounds on 2-12 from the field (1-5 from 3) to aid the San Antonio Spurs victory.

"I wasn't too happy with my play the other night despite being named player of the game, so tonight to get the same honor in the last game of the sweep and play better really did it for me." Monroe said post-game.

Surely all the blame doesn't fall on Tyreke's shoulders. This series was a case of the experienced one seed crushing the inexperienced eight seed.

Like most blowout victories, the Spurs saw the better end of many aspects of the game. Fast break points (20 to 10), points in the paint (50 to 26), and bench points (25 to 17) brought the Spurs straight to the top.

The Spurs will enjoy some rest back in San Antonio, where they will await the winner of the Nuggets-Clippers series, a series currently tied up at 2-2.

The brooms are brought out in Sacramento! :rockon:

I will write a recap of the first round/preview of the second. Chances are it'll be cut a tad short as I don't want to write up too too much. I hope to play the first game in the next series today as I don't have much to do but after that writing combined with the writing I'm about to do I don't know if I'll have it in me to put that much time into this today. We'll see.

First Round Recap:

[B]Spurs vs. Kings
What I predicted: Spurs 4-0
What happened: Spurs 4-0
[/B]
Not much to say here. I actually watched all of the games in this series just because of the Cousins-Monroe match up. I was not disappointed with that as both players played quite equally and showed that they are the future. However everything else was rather lackluster.

[B]Nuggets vs. Clippers
What I predicted: Nuggets 4-3
What happened: Nuggets 4-3
[/B]
Alright! 2 for 2 baby! I love back and forth basketball like this and what I caught of these games was so worth it. Blake Griffin shone in every game but game 3, but I was left with something to be desired for the rest of the team

[U]Second Round Preview:
[/U]
[B]Eastern Conference:
San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets
[/B]
I feel as though the best way to describe this series is that the Denver Nuggets are good and deep, but the San Antonio Spurs are better and deeper. The Nuggets will need to force turnovers and be very efficient on the break, while denying either the Spurs inside or outside game. I think Denver

Warriors didnt make the playoffs:facepalm

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POTG: Tony Parker

Recap:
It was a quiet, low scoring night in San Antonio as the Spurs beat the visiting Denver Nuggets 82-71 to take a 1-0 series lead.

San Antonio won thanks to crushing defense in a slow paced game. They limited Denver to just 41% from the field. Danilo Gallinari had a near empty 6 point and 3 rebound game on 1-15 shooting from the field (1-7 from three). His poor play and high usage helped the Spurs substantially.

The Spurs were led by Tony Parker. He scored 15 points and dished 5 assists on 70% shooting.

Denver's brightest spot was their rebounding. They outrebounded the Spurs by just one board, but had 11 offensive rebounds to the Spurs one. Even with the addition of Greg Monroe the Spurs have still struggled to rebound the ball well, and the Nuggets will need to go at this for the remainder of the series.

Game 2 is set for May 5, 2013 in San Antonio, when the Nuggets will hope to hasten the pace and break the Spurs defense.

The San Antonio Spurs have replaced DeJuan Blair with Troy Murphy in their active line-up for game two of their series against the Denver Nuggets.

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ot8dXQ1.png[/IMG]
POTG - Tony Parker

Recap:
The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets 94-84 to take an important 2-0 lead in the series headed into Denver's 2 game home stand.

The Spurs balanced offensive attack combined with their neutralizing defense left the Nuggets with no answer.

"We haven't been relying on just one guy so far in this series and its really making them [Denver] panic. I feel like if someone on our team is struggling someone is right there ready to sub in and pick up the slack," Gregg Popovich commented.

Andre Iguodala led all scorers with 20 and also grabbed 5 rebounds. As an individual he had the best game however the Spurs proved it's not just about one guy. With nobody else on Denver able to really get it going offensively the Nuggets saw stretches of the game where they were down 20 or more points.

Stephen Jackson led the Spurs bench to outscore the Nuggets 45-24. He had a team-high 14 points on 5-8 shooting.

"I gotta be a spark right off the bench every night and tonight it clicked. My three ball hasn't been great this season so hitting the two I put up was a confidence boost, no doubt," Jackson said post-game.

Heading back home, the Nuggets have a lot of questions to answer. They'll need more from players like Danilo Gallinari and Ty Lawson, and defensively look to shut down a team rather than one or two players, not an easy task by any means.

Probably going to reduce the minutes of Manu and Kawhi next game. Increase those of Jerebko and maybe put in Maurice Evans for Troy Murphy or just put Blair back...Need to give Evans a go this series. Wanted to put in Corey Joseph for Nando but Nando has played well.

Also, Lakers are up 2-0 against the Thunder headed into the 2 games in staples center. Both other series are 2-0 for the home team (miami and chicago). rip hamilton scored 27pts in game 2.

lakers better win, got $5 on the line!

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Bz8czaF.png[/IMG]
POTG: Ty Lawson

Recap:
The San Antonio Spurs were defeated for the first time during this years playoffs, losing to the Denver Nuggets 87-82. The series is now 2-1 in favor of the Spurs.

San Antonio saw good individual performance from Tony Parker and Greg Monroe, who combined for 43 points. However the rest of the team didn't contribute as expected, allowing the Nuggets improved offensive game to capitalize.

Ty Lawson had a strong game for the Nuggets, scoring 22 points, getting 4 rebounds and 3 assists, all while only missing 1 shot all game long.

"This game was crucial to us. Going down 0-3 would have been a tough climb. I really felt the need to step up tonight," Lawson said.

All of the Nuggets 12 players scored at least once, answering back to the Spurs deep performances in games one and two.

San Antonio saw Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have another quiet night. This isn't the first time in the series they haven't performed like they did in the past, however it is the first time it hurt them enough to win.

"Those guys [Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili] are obviously very important to us. They quieted them down and forced other players to step up offensively. That didn't happen as I'd hope and we need to adjust for game 4," Popovich said post-game.

The Spurs were outscored 28-19 in the first quarter. They will look to bounce back in game four.

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Updated bracket. Sorry for the fact it kinda ruins the page. The Thunder will look to do the near impossible coming back from being down 0-3 to the Lakers.

DeJuan Blair and Maurice Evans will replace Nando De Colo and Troy Murphy in the Spurs lineup for game 4.

I'm getting lazier and lazier...don't feel like doing another box score today :oldlol: Just finished playing game 4, will post results and recap and what not