River Walk Chronicles ♦ ///

[KidJustin]

i'm really digging the playoff bracket presentation

[chaim]

It will be hard against Hornets. When will you write about season awards winners?

[Mavs4Life]

I don't think this match up should be too hard. Spurs in 5.

[Bucket]

Nice to see Timmy with double-double.
I think Spurs in 5.
Thunder in 5.
Celtics in 4.

[kibaxx7]

Playoffs Preview: (1) Spurs vs. (8) Hornets
nba.com/spurs/beat | April 15th, 2011

SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs, at 63-19, open the NBA Playoffs this Sunday, April 17, by hosting the New Orleans Hornets, at 41-41. The Spurs sweeped the season series 4-0. We gotta be honest here: we expected the Spurs to go through a transition phase; not miss the playoffs altogether, but still be a good enough to make the postseason and scare the top contenders. Remember they were the 7th seed last year. Instead, they defied everyone's expectations (yet again) and finished as the 1st seed in the Western Conference and also share the best record in the league with the Miami Heat. The four-team offseason trade that sent Richard Jefferson to Chicago and brought Corey Maggette from Golden State paid its dividends. The Hornets had a 37-45 record last year and did miss the playoffs, but Chris Paul & Friends worked on their chemistry and were a scary team at some point in the regular season. A key deal in the trade deadline was the acquisition of Antawn Jamison from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are clearly rebuilding, accepting Peja Stojakovic's gigantic 16M expiring contract in exchange.

The Spurs had a great season: the team melted very quickly. San Antonio's Big 3, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, got injured at least once each this year, but remained healthy for most of it; and they had a favorable schedule, with (note this) 8-, 6-, 11- and 10-game winning streaks, clinching the top seed in the West: the team is clicking on all cylinders. One could say the Spurs had a “mini-rebuilding”: TP, Manu and TD are, of course, leading the team, along with Maggette and DeJuan Blair in the starting lineup; this five players surrounded by great role players in George Hill, Larry Hughes, Gary Neal, James Anderson, Drew Gooden and Tiago Splitter. Splitter flourished really quickly and is in contention for the 6th Man of the Year award; Neal and Anderson's potential will really be seen next year, but both of them, along with Hughes and Hill can come in and hit the occasional 3-pointer. But the X-factor is Duncan: every single Spurs fan is hoping to see him go full tilt, he had more rest this year than last season.

The Hornets will take on San Antonio in the first round. As said, the Spurs won all four contests, but still, any team led by Paul seems like a tough out. Some people think a player like Emeka Okafor will give us problems; however, he averaged a career-low 8.8 points per game this year, but along with 10.9 rebounds per game, his best rebounding average since 2006-07. In our opinion, it's the fact their wing play gives San Antonio some trouble. Trevor Ariza seems to like playing versus the Spurs (13 ppg in four matches), and also is a pesky defender; in Okafor, David West and DJ Mbenga they got some size to disrupt San Antonio's bigs. And the Spurs will have to watch out for the shooting duo of Marcus Thornton and Marco Belinelli. Collectively, they can give the Spurs some issues. Playoff games are totally different and, Jamison didn't play with the Hornets against the Spurs. He will give the team some great energy as the team's new sixth man.




♦ 2010, October 30 --- NOH @ SAS --- Duncan, Maggette post big games; Spurs take down Hornets: Nevermind that the New Orleans Hornets began the night leading the Southwest Division, nor that their division rival San Antonio Spurs entered as the NBA's hottest team following a 29-point triumph. The Spurs took off giving furious chase in the first half and easily cooled off the Hornets in the last period, 91-71. Tim Duncan scored 10 of his 15 points in the first period, when the Spurs made 10/15 shots on the way to a 23-16 lead, and reserve guard George Hill took the scoring in the third period as Manu Ginobili became the 2nd Spur in as many games to get an injury; a lower back strain, the same exact injury James Anderson suffered 3 days ago against Indiana. “We were so on edge. We knew coming in that they've been playing really well,” said Spurs sophomore DeJuan Blair, who scored 12 points and grabbed ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season. “They defend the ball, and they're in our division. They came here undefeated, and we wanted to come out and handle our business. I think it made a big difference us jumping in early.” (Read More ... )

♦ 2010, November 28 --- SAS @ NOH --- Parker wins duel against CP3; Spurs back on winning ways: Midway through the second quarter against the San Antonio Spurs, the Hornets already trailed by eleven. Unable to mask his frustration, Chris Paul throwed his empty Gatorade bottle to the floor in anger during a timeout. In the third, a back-court violation called on New Orleans left Paul shaking his head, as he was unable to understand what had happened to his team. By the time the game was over, after the Spurs posted a 100-85 victory, Paul wasn't the only Hornet who was frustrated. “Something has to happen right now because we can't afford to lose contests like this one,” David West said. “You've got to impose your will early in the game and we couldn't do that. We got beat badly at home because of it.” West had a double-double for New Orleans with 14 points and 14 boards. After a slow but back-and-forth start, the Hornets were unable to match the Spurs' energy throughout the game. While they fought back from a 8-point deficit, and even led 30-25 in the second quarter, they fell apart as the Spurs posted a 11-0 run for a 36-25 score. Trailing by seven points at the break, a 32-point third period for San Antonio gave Gregg Popovich's team a 16-point advantage going into the last 12 minutes. (Read More ... )

♦ 2010, December 5 --- NOH @ SAS --- Duncan, Ginobili, Spurs outduel Paul, Hornets in thriller: There's nothing like the swagger. The San Antonio Spurs are again on a winning streak after beating the New Orleans Hornets in a 100-97 thriller in which Tim Duncan scored 20 points, including two jumpers in the final minute. Duncan, who also grabbed 15 rebounds, said: “You win games like this when you play well and never lose your focus. Our confidence was high going into the game, now it's much higher after this win.” And why not? With the Hornets up by 10 at halftime, they looked as if they were going to cruise to an easy win, but Hornets forward David West cringed as the Hornets began to fritter away their lead. “I'm proud of that run we had, but I think from the beginning of the game they were the aggressors. They came out playing physical. We had our lead at halftime, but then they came back. I think sometimes we wait to get hit like that before we go out there and hit somebody.” The Spurs seized control with a spectacular third quarter in which Duncan, with foul trouble, played just three minutes and didn't score in the Spurs' 25-14 onslaught. Manu Ginobili carried the Spurs over his shoulders and scored 11 of his 19 points in that period, to surge past New Orleans and lead by the minimum going into the last 12 minutes. It was back and forth the rest of the night. (Read More ... )

♦ 2011, January 22 --- SAS @ NOH --- Parker, best Maggette of the season step up for Spurs to top Belinelli, Hornets: Corey Maggette was perfect from the floor on a night when his team showed plenty of flaws. Maggette shot an impressive 10-for-10 from the floor and scored 24 points for a +22, helping the San Antonio Spurs beat the New Orleans Hornets 102-92, despite, once again, almost blowing a 22-point third-quarter lead. Maggette also grabbed six rebounds, making 2-of-2 treys and 2-of-2 from the foul line, for the Spurs, who have won seven of their last eight. After controlling the offense all night and frustrating New Orleans' defense, Maggette capped his night by swatting a floater by Chris Paul three rows deep into the stands. “That's the player we traded for in June,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, with a huge smile on his face. “I hope as the season progresses, he keeps getting better, but to be honest, there's not much to improve with a statline like that.” Tony Parker had 17 points and 11 assists, while Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili had 13 points apiece. The Spurs were up by 22 early in the third, but their cushion slipped away and the Hornets had two separate 8-0 runs to cut the deficit to 5. “They really caught fire in the third,” Parker said. “But we were able to get it done. We did a good job when it mattered the most.” (Read More ... )

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Facebook | Twitter | Texting | Podcast | MySpace | LinkedIn

[kibaxx7]

CP3 is gonna go berserk... trust me

Hopefully not. He struggled against me...

i'm really digging the playoff bracket presentation

Yep, looks really cool, props to Justine

It will be hard against Hornets. When will you write about season awards winners?

I won all four games, but it's different now in the playoffs. Award winners will come as playoffs go on.

I don't think this match up should be too hard. Spurs in 5.

I'd say me in 6 games. As I said to Houndy, Paul struggled against me but he'll surely explode.

Nice to see Timmy with double-double.
I think Spurs in 5.
Thunder in 5.
Celtics in 4.

Duncan had a great year Wizards still have Arenas and he makes a great duo with Wall, I think they can steal a game or two from the Celtics.

Thanks everyone for the 15K Views... tomorrow... playoffs starting!!!

phpBB [video]

[Houndy]

Those starting lineup slides are sexy

[Bucket]

Awesome presentation. I really like it.

[Cruzerr]

OMG, I want the starting lineup sliders........ AHHHHHHHHHHH. Damn, good luck !

[shadowgrin]

The player focus in the lineups, IT MOVES!

[Lamrock]

Bet the Spurs wish they had drawn this match-up IRL. Good luck but I'm sure you got this. Starting lineup gif is fucking dope

[Justine.]

Goodluck in the Playoffs! Hope Paul went wild and finish you off

[KidJustin]

Thierry •, the preview is nice as always...but don't kill yourself doing that for all the games! haha

good luck

[Fresh8]

A belated congrats to you for finishing 82 whole games. Good stuff. Although... do you have a social life?

But congrats regardless - you and Hov have raised the bar around here.

[Valor]

good looking recap and preview Thierry, I won't be rooting for you guys though

[hova-]

I don't see the Hornets winning one game because you outplay them on four of five positions. Hoping for some magic from Manu and TD, my fav players on your team.

[Axel The Great]

No doubt that's the best playoff preview I've ever seen in my time here. CP3 will play out of his mind, but I think you'll take this series in 4.

[Mavs4Life]

Are U gonna do a drive to the finals contest?

[kibaxx7]

Manu, Spurs recover from 11-point deficit, close Game 1 in style against Jamison, Hornets
Preview | Recap | Game Info | Full Play-by-Play | Boxscores (NOH :: SAS)
SAN ANTONIO, April 17 -- This is exactly what the New Orleans Hornets -- and the rest of the league -- feared. Manu Ginobili scored 27 points and Tony Parker notched 18 as the San Antonio Spurs bounced back from a 11-point deficit to defeat the Hornets, 110-95, in the opener of their Western Conference first-round series. “We have great weapons on this team,” said Parker. “If you try to double me, then Manu is going to get off. If you try to double him, then I'm going to be there to explode.” Ginobili also grabbed five rebounds and Parker dished eight assists in the victory. “It seemed like there wasn't a lot of space for Manu in the first half. Tony kept us in the game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Then, in the second, when Tony's space went away, Manu found his rhythm and was able to carry us for the triumph.” Tim Duncan contributed with 14 points, eight rebounds and five rejections for the Spurs, who made 41-of-81 shots (50 percent) and 26-of-30 free throws (86 percent).

“Whenever your teammates are hitting like that, you must keep them involved,” said Duncan. “If you do it, it will be an easy match. Honestly, if we keep playing like this, we'll be fine. I'm very confident that we can do it.” Ginobili struggled a little in the first quarter, going 1-of-6 from the field for 4 points, as the Hornets opened a 27-21 edge after one period; they extended it to 34-23 on a jumper by Trevor Ariza in the first minutes of the second quarter. But the Argentinian went through multiple defenders in those 12 minutes scoring 8 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting, as San Antonio climbed within only 1 point, 46-45 at the break. Then he scored 15 points in the second half, shooting 7-of-10. “New Orleans is a team that is normally good at defense. They made my life a little hard in the first moments,” commented Ginobili. “From the second quarter, I started attacking and started putting the ball in the basket.” An 11-2 run to close the third period gave the Spurs a 78-67 lead, and a 18-4 surge to start the fourth frame took the score from a 11-point lead to a 25-point advantage, at 96-71, and San Antonio never looked back again. Coming off the bench, Tiago Splitter and Gary Neal added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for San Antonio. Neal made up for Corey Maggette, who could only score nine points.

The only good aspect of New Orleans' game was their shooting from deep. The Hornets made 13-of-19 3-pointers (68 percent) while San Antonio went just 2-of-5. Antawn Jamison, who led the team with 27 points off the bench, was 5-of-6 from 3-point territory. Emeka Okafor and David West, the Hornets' frontcourt, combined for only 15 points, shooting a total 6-of-22 from the field. “It's the game plan as to whether or not they're going to give up those (3-pointers),” said Hornets coach Monty Williams. “That was their choice. They decided to make it difficult for our inside guys, and that worked for them.” Ariza added 18 points, while Marco Belinelli, as a reserve, posted 14 and Chris Paul scored 17 points (3 treys), five rebounds, 13 assists and four steals. Game 2 is this Wednesday, April 20, at San Antonio. “Still, we need to make defensive adjustments for the next contest,” Williams admitted. “They have an inside style of play. We can't be in a position where Parker, Ginobili and Duncan dominate the paint the entire game. We will be in big trouble.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



Video Music :: Booka Shade • “Charlotte”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Facebook | Twitter | Texting | Podcast | MySpace | LinkedIn

[kibaxx7]

Those starting lineup slides are sexy

Awesome presentation. I really like it.

OMG, I want the starting lineup sliders........ AHHHHHHHHHHH. Damn, good luck !

The player focus in the lineups, IT MOVES!

Looks good, eh? Now tell me about the TV...

Bet the Spurs wish they had drawn this match-up IRL. Good luck but I'm sure you got this. Starting lineup gif is fucking dope

It would have been way better IRL.

Goodluck in the Playoffs! Hope Paul went wild and finish you off

He had a nice game this time, also from deep.

the preview is nice as always...but don't kill yourself doing that for all the games! haha

good luck

No, no, I'll do it again for the West Semifinals, not each game

A belated congrats to you for finishing 82 whole games. Good stuff. Although... do you have a social life?

But congrats regardless - you and Hov have raised the bar around here.

My social life sucked a couple of months ago and it looked like the only exit for me was playing videogames. I do have a great social life right now... you saw I struggled posting games lately. ( )

good looking recap and preview Thierry, I won't be rooting for you guys though

It's ok man. The Bulls have a tough series against the Hawks...

I don't see the Hornets winning one game because you outplay them on four of five positions. Hoping for some magic from Manu and TD, my fav players on your team.

I think they will surprise me in one game. You could tell Jamison never played against me, he was unstoppable.

No doubt that's the best playoff preview I've ever seen in my time here. CP3 will play out of his mind, but I think you'll take this series in 4.

Thanks man! IMO, Spurs in 5.

Are U gonna do a drive to the finals contest?

That's a nice idea. I guess I could do a contest but for next season. No point in doing it right now, I wanna finish the season ASAP.

Will try to post Game 2 tomorrow, but unlikely. More social life and more journalism.

[Fresh8]

I'm expecting a sweep from you. So how long will this D last for? Another full season?

[Mavs4Life]

Good win. Not too close, but not too far either.

[hova-]

"The video is not available in your country"

Great win, I was hoping that Manu would come up with something special. The Hornets just aren't good enough and CP3 has to play a tad better to beat you. Great pictures

[Cruzerr]

The Tv is good, but slides are like..awesome !

Another great game by Manu.

[shadowgrin]

Samsung? Eeewww.