The San Antonio Spurs have a way of doing this to teams.

What has worked for the Miami Heat against other squads doesn’t fly against the savvy of Gregg Popovich. The Spurs unveiled their method to confine the late-game play of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and it paid off in their 92-88 Game 1 victory of the NBA Finals Thursday night.

San Antonio didn't dazzle with complexity, but their defense clamped down late in the game by limiting open looks near the rim. James finished with just six points in the second half and 18 points total, his lowest of the postseason. He did secure a triple-double, adding 18 rebounds and 10 assists, but he was playing into San Antonio’s hands nonetheless. 

Just like the Spurs did in the 2007 Finals, when LeBron was with Cleveland, they emphasized an interior shell to protect against his high-percentage points in the paint.

Read More »390

George Karl won the Coach of the Year Award after winning a Denver Nuggets' franchise-record 57 games this past season.

The response from the ivory tower?

Hmmmm, yeah, think we're going to pass.

Karl was seeking an extension to the one year remaining on his contract, but rather than a year as a lame-duck coach, Nuggets management relieved him of his duties Thursday.

Read More »59

Now just three weeks away from the 2013 NBA draft, the entire first-round landscape is still a mess. 

Most of these prospects don't know if they're going top five or top 25. 

Workouts are currently in full force, with some players making stops in different cities every night of the week. Stocks seem to fluctuate based on the time of day and whom you speak to. 

The closer we get to June 27, the better idea we should have of who's going where.

Read More »3

Sergey Karasev has quietly become a major player in the 2013 draft game.

After leading Russia's strongest league in scoring before shooting 49 percent from three during Eurocup, Karasev became a name to watch for entering the predraft process. 

He followed a strong week of practices at this year's Nike Hoops Summit with a win over U.S.A., a team consisting of projected top-10 picks in June 2014. 

Watching him compete, you just got the sense that he belonged. 

Read More »7

Michael Jordan and Joe Montana never lost the big one. They played in six NBA Finals and four Super Bowls, respectively, and their teams finished a combined 10-0. When it comes to legacy, perfection is unassailable. How can anyone argue that, say, Magic Johnson (who went 5-4 in the Finals) or Tom Brady (3-2 in Super Bowls) are superior champions?

LeBron James vs. Tim Duncan, a matchup of arguably two of the best 10 players ever, falls into this same dynamic. The two will face off in the Finals for the second time, with Duncan looking to bring his championship series record to 5-0 as James tries to avenge his 2007 loss to the San Antonio Spurs and even his personal NBA Finals record at 2-2.

Duncan's pedigree is unquestioned. One blemish on his resume—especially losing a Finals few expected him to reach at age 37—won't change anything.

Paul Flannery, with a sentence in a column for SB Nation perfectly summed up how the viewing public sees the future Hall of Famer.

Read More »16

If Kobe Bryant were in Mitch Kupchak's shoes, he'd have to do much more than just pick which kinds of players he wants to populate the Los Angeles Lakers' roster and crunch the numbers accordingly. So much of being a general manager in the NBA is about the ABCs of Salesmanship—Always Be Closing.

It's no wonder, then, that Kobe wants the Lakers to be the last ones to make their pitch to Dwight Howard before the All-Star center rules on his own free agency this summer, as he told Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles:

Bryant, though, doesn't seem overly concerned by the possibility of Howard's departure because, like anyone with a good mind for personnel decisions (particularly one in charge of the Purple and Gold), he understands that there will always be opportunities to lure big names to LA down the road:

Of course, a line like that isn't going to entice Dwight to stay. He doesn't want to be told that he's replaceable, that there are plenty of fish in the sea and, therefore, that he's welcome to swim off to wherever he pleases. In all likelihood, Howard will be expecting a supercharged rendition of the fawning and pampering with which any elite high school athlete would be welcomed on his recruiting trips. 

Read More »61

Outwardly, it’s the NBA's version of the Odd Couple.

Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra, at least by eye and ear, couldn’t be any more different.

Popovich charms with his fear-provoking wit, and guides his team on the pulpit of nearly two decades of success.

Spoelstra is 22 years younger, still gels all of that dark hair, and he's steering a look-what-I-found dynasty awarded to him by Pat Riley.

Read More »199

At this point in the process, prospects are finding themselves eating dinner in a different city every night of the week. 

They move from one workout to another, hoping to catch the eye of the general manager overseeing the drills. The ones who make a statement typically receive a second interview for a workout later in the month. 

NBA draft departments are now working their boards, putting together rankings and plans for every possible scenario. 

And for most, it's likely still a mess at the top.

Read More »75