Becky Hammon and Spurs Win Summer League

It almost seems like whenever the Spurs lose, they still win. They have easily had the best off-season of any team in the NBA. The Spurs have been able to retain Danny Green, Tim Duncan, and Khawi Leonard. In addition to keeping big pieces, they added a beast in LaMarcus Aldridge. What else can go right?? Summer league.

In last night's victory against the Phoenix Suns , we learned a few things from the Spurs in their victory, even if it's Summer League.

1) Defense is heavily pushed:
Last night, the Spurs defense really caused havoc for the Suns.  The Spurs managed to force many turnovers, as they tend to do in the regular season. Their was a span in the third quarter in which the Spurs forced three turnovers in a row,  forcing Phoenix  to call a timeout. The Spurs are good for making runs such as that on a nightly basis.

2) They have found a potential additional player in Kyle Anderson
Summer League MVP Kyle Anderson has been fantastic this entire tournament , averaging 22 points,  and nearly six rebounds. With his 6'9 frame , Kyle Anderson has great handles and very good court vision. His ability to not turnover the ball is partly what attracted the Spurs to Anderson. Only being 21, Anderson can develop into a very solid player for the Spurs in the future.

Kyle Anderson dunking over Oregon defender at UCLA

Last night , Becky Hammon became the first women's coach to win a NBA Summer League Championship, let alone coach in the Summer League. Largely respected by the other coaches on staff, Hammon has been able to make a sizable impact since joining the Spurs staff in 2014. According to Danny Green, Hammon has been able to "give a different perspective for us on the court". Hammon played professionally in the WNBA and overseas for 13 years before becoming an assistant coach.

The Spurs are one of the few teams that throughly scout players both in the US and internationally. This research has allowed them to add players such as Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Khawi Leonard. As we can see, this effort continues to pay off.

NBA Christmas Games Recap

Another day,  another game. Christmas Day is a time in which many SportsWatcherss come together and watch the NBA games as a part of their respected festivities. Whether or not relatives and friends are rooting  for the same team, these particular games have a way of bringing people together. Here's a short recap of all the games played.

1) Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks 

Hosted in New York, the Knicks and Wizards went head- to - head in a east coast battle. As expected, the Wizard handled the Knicks 101-91. John Wall led the way for the Wizards, totaling 24 points and 11 assist. Melo was able to drop 34. The biggest highlight of the game was the scuffle between Wall and Knicks forward Quincy Acy. Acy fouled Wall , in which Wall fell to the ground. After landing on the ground awkwardly, Wall quickly stood up and shoved Acy. Acy then retaliated with a weird half punch towards Wall. The fight was swiftly broken up players and referees.

2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs 

This game was quite the surprise. The Spurs were the favorites in many NBA fans' eyes due to Kevin Durant's injury. In addition, the Spurs were playing at home. The Spurs' game plan would seem simple: stop Russell Westbrook and everything else will fall into place. Unfortunately for the Spurs, everything did not go according to plan. Russell Westbrook went off for 34 points and 11 assist. Westbrook received plenty of help in this game. Serge Ibaka scored 21,  Steven Adams scored 16, Perry Jones scored 16, and Anthony Morrow added 15 off of the bench. In the final quarter, Morrow hit 2 key three pointers to hold off the Spurs. The Spurs were able to keep the game close for the entire 48 minutes, but a key missed three pointer by Manu Ginobli ended their late game push.

3) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat

This was the marquee game of the day. LeBron was returning back to Miami for the first time since he decided to play for the Cavs once again. Many were anxious to see how:
1) the Miami Heat fans would respond to LeBron  
2) how  LeBron would perfom against the Heat
In his first return to Cleveland back in the 2010-2011 season, LeBron exploded for 38 points. Needless to say, his return to Miami was quite the different story.  When LeBron was introduced prior to the start of the game, the crowd reacted with mixed sounds. While there were a few boos , the majority of the noises were cheers. In addition, during the first quarter of the game, the Miami Heat organization played a video thanking LeBron for his time in Miami.  While many expected the actual game to be a blowout, the Heat had other plans.  Dwayane Wade finished the game scoring 31 points, with Loul Deng backing him adding 25.  LeBron was able to hit 30 points, with Kyrie adding 25 points. Much love was seen between LeBron and the Heat players, as he talked to all of them after the game. His bond is especially strong with Wade as they were talking and laughing before, at halftime, and after the game.

4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Chicago Bulls

For the first time since leaving the Lakers , Pau Gasol played against his former team. With Kobe not playing due to "old age" , the Bulls were just too much for the Lakers. While the Lakers were able to keep the game close for the first three quarters, the Bulls were outscored 16-30 in the 4th quarter. Pau Gasol led all scorers with 23 points. Rose added 20, and the future Most Improved Player of the Year Jimmy Butler added 21 points (predicting that award already). Look for the Bulls to be the  biggest threat for the Cavaliers in the playoffs this season. For the Lakers , Wesley Johnson led all scorers with 19 points.

5) Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers

The final game of the NBA Christmas Day games ends with two high powered offenses. Golden State has simply been on a tear this year with the best NBA record: 23-4. The Clippers have been pretty good, with a 19-10 record. While the Warriors have the much better record, the Clippers were able to cool down the Warriors, winning the game (). Chris Paul finished the game with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Both Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan finished the game with double-doubles. Jamal Crawford added 24 points off of the bench. The Warriors had a 4th quarter let down, shooting horribly in the 4th quarter. The Splash Brothers (Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) shot for a combined 11-30.  They were just unable to really get it going tonight.

Another year, another NBA Christmas Day gone. This Christmas was filled with fights, thrillers, love, and make-or-break 4th quarters. Hopefully this level of high quality basketball can continue into the rest of the season.

Step Up Players: Boris Diaw

As we really get into the series, a number of positive things have happened to the Spurs. For one, Ginobli has played much better than he did last season in the NBA Finals. Second, their bench is playing very well overall. The Spurs bench has outscored the Heat's bench by close to 20 points in the last 2 contest.  In order for the Spurs to win the series, one player that will have to step up more is Boris Diaw. Here are a few reasons why:

TONY PARKER

While Tony Parker shredded the Heat last year, the Heat made an adjustment in order to attempt to slow him down this year. Throughout the series, the person that has been guarding Parker is LeBron James. This matchup causes Tony Parker to work harder for his points because LeBron is a 6'9 giant that  has the agility and length to keep up with Parker. When LeBron is not in the game, either Dwayne Wade or Norris Cole is covering him.  While Parker cannot be stopped, this has caused him to not be as effective. The Spurs must make an adjustment to keep him active and involved throughout the whole game. 

TALL TASK

While Parker finds a way to score most points, someone must pick up the slack. The Spurs cannot expect So far in this series, Boris Diaw has had to deal with alot in his allotted time. He has had to cover LeBron, then turn around and try to make plays for the Spurs on offense. With that being said, there are times in the game in which the Spurs have scoring droughts.  When you take a look at the Spurs bench, beside Ginobli, there's no CONSISTENT scorer. Yes , there are many scorers off the bench, but they are not consistent. When you take a closer look at the lost post bench players, Tiago Splitter and Matt Bonner are not going to score alot of points (unless Bonner takes many open 3's). During the periods of the game that Duncan isn't playing, the Spurs need Diaw to produce some points. 

STEP UP TIME

While Diaw has made an imprint on the first two games with his rebounding, defense, and assist, the Spurs need him to score. Boris Diaw, it's your time to step up!

Step Up Players: Mario Chalmers

The first player on the step up list is Mario Chalmers. If the Heat are going to defeat the Spurs, Chalmers will have to play at a very high level.  Here are a couple of in depth reasons why.

PLAYING AGAINST THE BEST OF THE BEST
As most of us know, Chalmers is guarding one of the best point guards in the league in Tony Parker. Granted, Parker does is dealing with a bum ankle, but Parker understands that it's the Finals and he will bring his 'A' game. Throughout this year's playoffs, Parker has averaged 17 points per game and 5 assist. The last three games of the Western Conference Finals, Parker was a scoring machine. Parker averaged 25 points per game. In addition , Miami knows what Parker is capable of. He torched the Heat last year, and at times looked unstoppable. In order for Miami to win, Chalmers must match the intensity of Parker on both defense and offense.


CHALMERS CAN BE CLUTCH
Watching the Heat play throughout the season and in the playoffs, Chalmers is very interesting. He has a tendency to disappear in certain games, then turnaround and make a huge impact on another. One thing that I have to realized about Chalmers that makes him valuable is his ability to step up. Chalmers has a knack for stepping up when his team is against the wall. I've never seen a player who can have a multitude of poor games in a series, then burst for 20-25 points to help his team. While he does has his ups and downs, Chalmers knows how to step up and produce at least one great game for his team.

Throughout his career in Miami, Chalmers has put together a string of performances that his really helped the Heat get to their 4th straight finals.

Many people may not remember this, but Chalmers is the reason that Derrick Rose did not win a NCAA championship back in 2008. With time winding down, Chalmers hit a three to put the game into overtime. In Game 5 of the 2012 playoffs, Chalmers helped the Heat win by pouring in 25 points in which 19 of those points came in the 2nd half. Chalmers has the ability to score and wreak havoc against opposing teams when he plays at his highest level.


                                                                       
GOOD IS ENOUGH
Obviously Chalmers is no Tony Parker. However , if Chalmers can at least play well , the gap in production between the two won't be as large. In a series that has two evenly matched teams, any small increase in production can really hurt and help a team. In game 1, Chalmers was in foul trouble throughout the duration of the game, scoring only 3 points and 1 assist. Parker finished the game with 19 points and 8 assists. That 16 point/ 7 assist gap cannot happen if Miami wants to win this series. Statistically, Chalmers needs to try to get into double figures to go with 4-5 assist. If he can do so, that would be a major counter attack to the production of Parker. While Chalmers doesn't have to play great, good production can make a HUGE  impact on this series.