Spurs Visit The Valley Of The Sun

I don't want to watch the game between the San Antonio Spurs [28-16] and the Phoenix Suns [33-13] because I might curse the fans. Nah! Just kidding!.. The Spurs visit the Suns tomorrow. Suns fans are still outraged with the Spurs because of what happened during the Western Conference semis. I'm not sure if the Spurs will win this game. They [Spurs] lack offensive edge on their previous games and Tony Parker, I'm guessing, will be out with an injury. Plus, the Suns have h-o-m-e-c-o-u-r-t advantage and the fans will no doubt "boo" the Spurs esp Robert Horry. But I don't think it'll really bother Big Shot Rob. "It won't bother me a bit," Robert Horry on the upcoming Suns game. The Spurs have lost three games in a row and it's really starting to worry me because I don't know how they'll win against the Suns. Grrh!

All-Stars Coming

Enough of the distressing loss of the San Antonio Spurs to the Seattle Supersonics. Hmmm.. Let's switch to the upcoming 2008 NBA All-Stars at New Orleans in February 15-17. Kevin Garnett topped the voting with 2,399,148 votes. KG plays for the East now. But I'm rooting for the West!.. Ha-ha! Not only because Tim Duncan starts as a forward but for the reason I think the West is better. The Eastern Team includes Kevin Garnett [Boston], LeBron James [Cleveland], Dwight Howard [Orlando], Jason Kidd [New Jersey], & Dwayne Wade [Miami]. The Western Team includes Carmelo Anthony [Denver], Tim Duncan [San Antonio], Yao Ming [Houston], Kobe Bryant [LA Lakers], & Allen Iverson [Denver]. The East coach will be Doc Rivers of the Boston Celtics. There is still no definite coach for the West but I think it'll be Byron Scott of the New Orleans Hornets. So, which team are you cheering for this coming All-Star Weekend? Will LeBron James be able to defend his All-Star MVP title?

Just Got Tagged

I have no idea what it means to get Tagged until my TL tagged me. Now I know what it is and so here's my list!..

5 Things Found in my Bag
1. cellphone
2. eyeglasses
3. tumbler
4. umbrella
5. coin purse

5 Things Found in my Wallet
1. lots of new 20pesos
2. atm card
3. postal id
4. a card from a good friend of mine
5. coins

5 Things Found in my Room
1. books
2. a world map
3. a couch
4. pc
5. rechargeable lamp

5 Things I’ve Always Wanted To Do
1. go to where my friends are, miss them a lot
2. to travel the world
3. to watch nba games, courtside
4. to get a puppy
5. i've always wanted to swim, i'm scared of drowning

5 Things I am Currently Into
1. saving money to buy a bday present for a good friend
2. reading John Grisham's The Client
3. trying to understand about the things that've happened
4. trying to refocus from my favorite team's losing streak, grrrh!..
5. Stardust

5 People to Tag on this Meme
1. Shammy
2. LaniLane
3. Christelle
4. Bendyk
5. Yona

Difficult Times Lie Ahead

After losing to the New Orleans Hornets [32-12], the San Antonio Spurs [28-15] has to deal with another loss against the Utah Jazz [27-18]. The Spurs' game against the Hornets was troublesome. Very troublesome. The Hornets were shooting 3's and the Spurs clearly wasn't shooting well with 10.0% beyond the arc. Peja Stojacovic looks like he's just in practice and most of his 3's look effortless. I watched the game, okay. So, I witnessed the downfall of the Spurs to the Hornets. "It was a really big win for us," said Chris Paul. Enough with the Hornets-Spurs game. Let's just go down to Spurs visit to the EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT.

The Utah Jazz overpowered and handed the San Antonio Spurs' second straight loss, 97-91. The Spurs really have a serious problem offensively. Tony Parker, I think, was someplace else with only 5 pts. "(Tony) definitely doesn't have the same explosion. He's still trying to find his total focus back and get his heel healthy," said Gregg Popovich. Manu Ginobili [29 pts] and Tim Duncan [26 pts, 11 rebs] did great but wasn't really enough to win against the Jazz. Carlos Boozer had 23 pts, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Deron Williams had done his job very well with 11 pts and 14 rebounds. The Jazz played really physical this time against the Spurs.

Spurs' Annual Rodeo Trip SUM is DIFFICULTY
The Jazz, Sonics, Suns*, Pacers, Wizards, Knicks, Celtics, Raptors, Cavaliers road games all sum up to the difficult times that lie ahead for the San Antonio Spurs. I am also expecting that when the Spurs meet the Washington Wizards, Agent Zero will be back on his jersey.

Gregg Popovich on Kyle Korver

The Number Is 15

Yes, I'm a bit late in posting this entry but I just want you all to know that the San Antonio Spurs stretched Miami Heat's losing streak to 15. The San Antonio Spurs [28-13] defeated the Miami Heat [8-33] yesterday, 90-89. The Heat had the lead during the first half and that lead remained until the end of the 3rd quarter. But not for long my friends. Spurs' Manu Ginobili drove his way into the basket with only 36.5 seconds left during the 4th quarter and it unbelievably went into the basket. Remember what I wrote on my previous entry about how flexible Manu is whenever he drives his way into the basket? Such a magnificent display of athleticism! Manu Ginobili finished the game with 18 pts, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. Tim Duncan had another double-double finishing with 30 pts and 11 rebounds. The Heat had the last possession but Dwayne Wade was throttled [literally throttled] by the Spurs "D."

"I thought we might run out of gas but we didn't." - Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs coach

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New Orleans Hornets - San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs [28-13] will soon face their Southwest division rival, the New Orleans Hornets [30-12], at the AT&T Center. The Hornets are at top of the Western Conference and they are doing fine on their road games with an impressive 15-5. The home record of the Spurs is fine 20-4, I just hope their offensive edge will get back. But I think that'll be a problem with Brent Barry out due to a strained calf. I don't know what to say about the Hornets because I honestly haven't seen their games. So, I guess this is going to be the first time I'll be seeing them [Hornets] play. "You could have said before the season they were favorites to make it to the playoffs. But to lead the conference? That is hard to say," Ginobili on the Hornets.

Let the New Orleans Hornets play jazz at the AT&T Center

Melvin Ely, former-Spurs, will receive his 2007 NBA Championship ring from the San Antonio Spurs

Picking West Reserves Won't Be Easy

Surprise Surprise!

The truth hasn't sinked in yet. The Toronto Raptors [23-19] defeated the Boston Celtics [33-7] to 114-112! The difference my only be two points but for the Raptors it's one great win against the top Eastern Conference contender. I wonder what's going on on the Celtics locker room? Hmm. Let's get down to the numbers, okay. 5 Celtics are in double-figures which include Kevin Garnett [26 pts], Paul Pierce [19 pts], Ray Allen [19 pts], Tony Allen [15 pts], and Rajon Rondo [14 pts]. On the other side of the court, comes Chris Bosh and Anthony Parker each with 23 pts. Jose Calderon ate something really good for he had 24 pts and 13 assists, his season-high I guess. Carlos Delfino also poured in 15 pts for the Raptors win against the Celtics 114-112. "It was really important to beat them - so we could see if we could. We knew how to play them after already playing them three times.'' - Jose Calderon

"We're better." - Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers

Took The Wind Out Of Our Sails - Phil Jackson

Great game for the Spurs!! The LA Lakers [27-13] lost to the San Antonio Spurs [27-13] 103-91. The Lakers seem to be turning the ball over too much with 22 turnovers. Kobe Bryant scored 29 pts, with an impressive 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. Ronny Turiaf poured in 14 pts along with Sasha Vujacic and Lamar Odom's 11 pts. The Spurs are slowly getting back into their rhythm. Tim Duncan was simply outstanding with 28 pts, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Manu Ginobili, as always, played great contributing 12 pts, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 8 steals. He's probably one of the reasons why the Lakers turned the ball over a lot. Tony Parker was subtle putting in 16 pts. Michael Finley and Brent Barry had 11 pts apiece. And whoa!! the Afr-I-CAN Ime Udoka added 18 pts [season high] and a block. "It takes a spark like that to change a game. You struggle so much to score points, and you work hard on defense to make something like that happen and it takes the air out of the other team, especially when you're at home," Duncan said. All in all, the Spurs played great and I just hope that tomorrow they put the Miami Heat on ice to freeze!.. Brrhhh!

According to first-hand accounts, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did not throw a single chair in the halftime locker room Wednesday night. Unbelievably, he did not curse.... @ MySanAntonio

"They [Spurs] knock down two big 3s that gave them a cushion that they were able to play from the rest of the game.'' - Kobe Bryant

Manu Ginobili on being the Spurs Sixth Man

Cavs-Nuggets-Suns

And so the Cleveland Cavaliers [21-18] have avenged themselves against the San Antonio Spurs [25-12] yesterday, 90-88. LeBron James yielded 27 pts, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks. Three other Cavs were in double figures, Zydrunas Ilgauskas [17 pts], Anderson Varejao [12], and Daniel "Boobie" Gibson [11 pts]. On the Spurs' area, the Big Three were the only ones in huge numbers. Tim Duncan, were in double-doubles again with 20 pts, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Tony Parker poured in 23 pts, 6 assists, and a black eye! Parker, though he said he's shooting 200 free throws a day, missed two crucial free throws with only 29.4 seconds remaining. The i-wish-6th-man-of-the-year Manu Ginobili had 31 pts, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. There would've been an overtime, but Manu's shot during the remaining seconds just didn't went into the rim. And so the win goes to Cavs 90-88. "At times we're defending well and we can't score. At times we're scoring well but were not defending. It's a little bit of everything," said Duncan.

Have I told you I'm quite interested with the Denver Nuggets? Now you know. =) The Denver Nuggets [23-15] won 120-109 against the Utah Jazz [22-18]. The Jazz' "D" didn't even hurt the Nuggets , in fact it's the other way around. Marcus Camby alone throttled the Jazz. Camby had his season-high, 11 blocks, and 24 rebounds. Right on the offensive end of the Nuggets came Linas Kleiza with 41 pts [season-high]. "It was definitely a special night. I will remember this night for the rest of my life,'' said Kleiza. Allen Iverson poured in 28 pts and Carmelo Anthony added 23 pts. Camby's defensive numbers are overwhelming, I wouldn't be surprised if he's going to be the best Defensive Player this season. Oh I haven't really forgotten the Jazz. Deron Williams was the Jazz' leading scorer with 23 pts and 12 assists. Carlos Boozer had 18 pts and 11 rebounds. While Mehmet Okur [???] and Kyle Korver each had 16 pts.

Poor Kwame Brown, booed by Lakers fans. I don't wanna know the story 'cause honestly I don't have any sympathy for the Lakers. Hey don't be offended, I'm just trying to express what I feel here. I'm glad the Phoenix Suns [27-12] won 106-98 against the LA Lakers [26-12] after losing two straight to the Lakers. Steve Nash had a whopping 20 assists, such an unselfish player. 6 out of 7 from the Suns lineup were in double-figures, including Shawn Marion with 20 pts and 16 rebounds. The Lakers were shooting poorly with only 37.9 field-goal percentage while the Suns restored their offensive edge with 51.9 fg%. It's good that the Suns are back on top of the Pacific division and the Lakers on their rightful place. "It was very important. They beat us the first two times out, but we got this one tonight. That's all that matters now. We've got Minnesota tomorrow. It's one win. We still have a long way to go," said Marion.

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Wild about the Western Conference??

The Showdown

The King and the Big Fundamental face off at the AT&T Center today. The Cleveland Cavaliers [20-18] faces the San Antonio Spurs [25-11] first time this season after they were swept during last season's NBA finals. So, how will King James & Co. win? Now that the Spurs are finally complete. We'll find out soon!.. ;-)

The Phoenix Suns [26-12] visits the Staples Center to attempt a win against LA Lakers [26-11]. If the Suns win, then, they're back to top. But if they lose, they'll stay 2nd to the Lakers in the Pacific div and probably 5th in Western Conference [pls, correct me if i'm wrong]. The last time the Suns faced the Lakers, they lost. Will the Suns turn it over this time? Or, will KB24 carry the Lakers to a win even without Andrew Bynum?

Another game that everybody should check out today is the clash between "the neighbors," Utah Jazz [22-17] and Denver Nuggets [22-15]. The Jazz are playing better defense now, but will they be able to execute that big "D" well to the fast-paced style of the Nuggets?

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"The Spurs did a great job of loading and building a crowd behind Bruce as he contained me," LeBron James said.

"Our offense let us down and we couldn't stop [Clippers guard Sam Cassell]. Give them credit, they defended well. Our offense, for whatever reason, just wasn't clicking at all, and we just didn't play well." - Mike D'Antoni, Suns coach, on Clippers-Suns game

Another Sluggish Start

I've always hated the San Antonio Spurs' sluggish starts and 2nd half comebacks. Yesterday, the San Antonio Spurs won against the Philadelphia 76ers, 89-82 with their usual slow-moving style. They won I know but I wasn't impressed about their 39.5 field goal percentage that's very close to their previous 31.9%. Manu Ginobili, as usual, was great and poured in 4 3-pointers during the 4th quarter [his only field-goals, thefirst 6pts were free throws] to secure the 89-82 win for the Spurs. "I was feeling good with the shots, they just weren't falling in. I guess I just needed one," said Ginobili. Tim Duncan added 18 pts, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks. Michael Finley and Tony Parker each had contributed 14 pts. As for the Philadelphia 76ers, who were shooting very poorly too, were only shooting 38.2%. Good thing Manu got his shooting tempo back in time and stepped up from the rest of the Spurs. "..And he's firing away anyway, and they go down for him. So he felt it. And he gets one to go down, he gets two to go down. All of a sudden he's on a hot streak and you want him taking those shots,'' Duncan said.

>>>Wizards makes it two over the Celtics
The Washington Wizards had beaten the Boston Celtics two times this season even with the absence of Agent Zero. "We always seem to come back strong when our backs are against the wall. We did it Saturday night and we did it tonight in a tough road game. To beat these guys in back-to-back games considering how they've been playing is something special.'' Antawn Jamison said.

I Was Wrong

Okay, so I was wrong in expecting that the San Antonio Spurs would win against the Detroit Pistons and coach Gregg Popovich a 600th win. The San Antonio Spurs are 23-11 dropping behind the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, LA Lakers, & Portland Trailblazers [!!!]. The game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons proved that the Pistons want to put an end to their losing streak. "We could lose five or six games in a row, but we're the type of team, we don't hang our heads and walk around moping,'' said Rasheed Wallace, who collected 23 pts, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The Pistons outscored the Spurs during the 1st half. As for the Spurs, well, they're still trying to get into their rhythm with 43.3% shooting percentage that's much better than 31.9%, right? "This is a good team. I think, in my opinion, this is one of the teams we'll see in the finals,'' Wallace said. "So, it's always a good game with us and San Antonio.''

“It's still basketball, it's still a game we all love. It's still a matter of going out there and having fun,” said Michael Finley. Righteous, that is. But the truth is I'm starting to get distressed and desperate. I know I shouldn't be looking at the standing just yet, but the Spurs are now on 5th spot. The Spurs have to get back into their rhythm. They don't have back-to-back games this month, so, they better get back soon or they'll be knocked out soon by New Orleans Hornets & Denver Nuggets.

Antonio McDyess said “just walking” into the AT&T Center last year “made me sick to my stomach.”
"Perseverance, I guess that's the word. We are a veteran team, and we showed that tonight in the way we erased a blowout." said Rasheed Wallace.

Feels Like 2005

Have I ever mentioned that one of my favorite Eastern Conference teams is the Detroit Pistons? [maybe on my previous blog] Anyways, I like the Pistons buy hey I'm a loyal San Antonio Spurs fan, so, I go for the Spurs. The Detroit Pistons visit the AT&T Center to face the San Antonio Spurs, first time this season. Both teams lost to their previous games, the Pistons to the Dallas Mavericks while the Spurs to the Golden State Warriors. Both, the Pistons and the Spurs are good defensively but both are having difficulty on the offensive end. Watching these teams clash for the first time this season feel like visiting the memory of the 2005 Finals. Hmmm.. Can't wait to go home and watch NBA Live!.. Thank goodness there's the NBA Live to replay the highlights of the day's games.

Herrmann: the Piston to watch out for
Pistons-Spurs Stats @ NBA.com
Spurs not worried about standing, for now
Ginobili off the Bench??