San Antone: Seeking Nine Rings

Kevin Durant and Draymond Green argued heatedly during a timeout. Kevin Durant had 31 points by halftime, putting the Warriors post-season on his back and then some, tallying 50 by the final buzzer, the outcome not to his liking despite a 63-60 lead at the split. Spectators inside AT&T Center clapped and cheered as Durant and fellow Warrior Draymond Green had a heated exchange during a timeout. This timeout came after Patty Mills got the whistle on a 3PT attempt that splashed through the net, sparking a 14-4 run by the Spurs, putting them up 90-102 not a minute into the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Spurs met every survival effort by the Warriors with their own desire to cap this series and take on their newest rival, the Milwaukee Bucks, in a Finals rematch of last year. The Bucks will be ready, having been swept by the Spurs in last year's NBA Finals, and having been tested by the Philadelphia 76ers in a six-game war to claim the Eastern Conference crown. Giannis &

This game got ugly fast, as a furious Spurs team wasted zero time in establishing control. Dejounte Murray had 32 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a masterful display with 4 steals, slashing to the basket and finally hitting perimeter shots to secure the lead, going 3/4. The Spurs led by thirty points before long, despite the Warriors trying to trim it down, but San Antonio kept replenishing it throughout. T.J. Warren had one hell of a game, with 27 points, the other fist beating the Warriors down in the first quarter. The Spurs led 73-48 at halftime, the crowd @Oracle in uneasy silence. Meanwhile, the Spurs won every quarter: 39/22, 34/26, 36/35 & 39/37. Kevin Durant had 37 points, with Steph Curry's 31 points to boot, but the fourth quarter became a formality in folly as the Spurs calmly awaited the final buzzer, heading back home to try and end this series. Patty Mills contributed 16 points, whilst Avery Bradley nearly earned a triple-double of 15 points, 7 reboun

A blitz by Golden State near the end of the third quarter, capped off by Klay Thompson's 3PTer at the buzzer, carried the Warriors through the fourth quarter, fending off the anxious Spurs. Prior to the collapse, San Antonio had won the third quarter 40-26, but it was Golden State going 42-26 in the final period. The Spurs had a 2-PT shield for a moment, but Kevin Durant and Steph Curry delivered in the clutch to the roar of the crowd at #Oracle. Patty Mills did his best to carry the Spurs on a night that saw Brandon Ingram go 5-19, making eight 3PT shots for 26 points, but the Spurs surrendered one to the Warriors tonight once it became clear the clock was nearly empty and the lead only kept growing. In the loss, T.J. Warren scored 21 points. Dejounte Murray had 16 points, but went 0-4 from long range. Dragan Bender scored 12 points.

Golden State had no chance tonight. In a contrast to Game One, the Warriors were the team struggling to make shots in the first quarter. They fell into an early hole on the scoreboard and were never able to recover. The Spurs won every quarter in scoring: 17-39 , 27-29, 28-33 & 27-30. San Antonio went up 13-27, prompting one of Coach Kerr's timeouts, but it did not stop the 17-0 swing. T.J. Warren capitalized the huge run with a 3PT dagger at the buzzer, finishing quarter one with 16 points. Brandon Ingram got going, then Patty Mills (20 points, 3/4 3PT) lit up Golden State's defense, the Spurs up 30-55. This trend continued, a beat-down halved by Mills hitting another long ball for the 44-68 advantage. T.J. Warren did not relent against the Warriors, nailing a 4-PT play, closing his performance with 28 points and 2 steals. The Spurs went up by 30 points once Brandon Ingram (16 points) stole the ball for the big dunk on the other side of the court. Cue the bench, an

Dejounte Murray absolutely willed the Spurs to a close victory. What began as an early display of dominance by the road team, next turned into 1-PT suspenseful exchange of leads, then finally ended with the home team earning the 1-0 advantage in this series. Dejounte Murray tenaciously drove inside and carried the Spurs to a win tonight, finishing with 34 points and icing the turbulent contest at the free throw line once Golden State was forced to foul. To reach that point of desperation, Klay Thompson (8 points, -13 on the game) missed a would-be game-tying corner 3PT attempt, as Brandon Ingram (30 points, 9/12 - 2/4 3PT) raced down the court to contest the attempt, crashing to the floor amidst the camera crews and front row spectators. He did just enough to help make the deadly sniper miss in the clutch, with just 6secs left on the clock. Despite Kevin Durant (35 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists - 15/25) hitting clutch shots to tie the game and take those 1-PT leads, both Ingram

Kawhi Leonard will be a Clipper next season. The Lakers season in retrospect: a rare injury (groin) to the otherwise superhuman LeBron James, the failed attempt to trade for Anthony Davis that caused an inferno to team chemistry, as the Golden State Warriors devoured the Lakers in the first round. Now, it gets worse as Kawhi Leonard has chosen to play for the other team @S T A P L E S Center. The other shoe to drop came in the form of a disgruntled Paul George , who played fabulously against the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, but was eliminated early alongside Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder. Time will tell if Westbrook also goes elsewhere this summer, as the Thunder receive Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (a point guard prospect) in the trade, along with Danilo Gallinari and six draft picks which would appear to signal a desire to rebuild the team. Losing Leonard is a severe blow, but the Lakers should be fine as they were finally able to acquire Anthony Davis fro

Houston's duo played well, yet was eliminated. The Rockets fired everything to begin this game, in an 0-3 hole, led by James Harden pouring in 21 points and causing two fouls for Avery Bradley. Sloppy turnovers put the Spurs down by fifteen plus early, but San Antonio weathered the firestorm by Houston by amping up defensive intensity and showcasing its own perimeter talent, trimming the lead to 29-33 and all-but erasing any momentum for Houston. Joakim Noah blocked Chris Paul, leading to the flashy dunk by Dejounte Murray with the whistle. Austin Rivers tried to beat the shot clock, but fell short and Noah's hook shot gave the Spurs the 36-35 advantage, the crowd coming down off that high until its team woke up again, only for T.J. Warren to hold off the wave with 12 points. JR Smith hit a buzzer beater, fading away on the wing to give the Spurs an unthinkable lead at halftime 63-61, as if the first quarter flurry never took place, with Bradley overcoming foul trouble

Patty Mills hit seven 3PT shots. A defensive three-seconds violation was called on Joakim Noah (11 points), as Chris Paul made the free throw, then James Harden woke up and put the Rockets up 8-0. The Spurs did not buckle, instead launching their own salvo in the form of Brandon Ingram, hitting four 3PT shots in the first quarter. Ingram and Harden would carry out a duel from there, both scoring 16 points and 19 points respectively in just the first quarter. The Spurs took the lead 41-35, surging from 3PT territory on 8-9 (88%) shooting, 69% overall from the field to Houston's 68%. The Rockets quick-pace offense was paying dividends early, but the Spurs consistently hung with them, nabbing six steals as it quickly devolved into a solo performance by Harden (47 points, 19/30). Before long, the Spurs went up by a large margin, leading 82-63 at halftime. T.J. Warren hit a 4-PT play, the Spurs went on an 8-0 run, forcing more turnovers, and were boosted by a solid team effort.

James Harden struggled his way to 27 points. James Harden air-balled his first three-point shot attempt in Game 2, giving Chris Paul the chance to take charge with 20 points in the first quarter. Dejounte Murray met him in turn, notching 18 points and hitting from deep. Joakim Noah was given the starting role, capitalizing on a cross-court pass by Murray for the fierce dunk down low, as the Spurs led 33-30 after one. The 14-2 run that followed put the champs up 34-47 at home, as Dragan Bender swatted James Harden to the hardwood and then nailed a 3-PTer on the fast break. The Spurs led 48-63 at halftime. The Beard continued to struggle, missing a wide open pull-up three to start the third quarter. Patty Mills came in firing, splashing 13 points. The Spurs would hold a ten point advantage throughout, fending off mini-runs by Houston, 88-97 the score going into the fourth quarter. The Spurs erupted in the final period, despite Harden finally heating up. Avery Bradley hit a three,