Spurs VS Thunder (Game 3)

Spurs Lead Series 2-1

The Spurs came through as they took back home-court advantage. They looked great defensively and fought to the end.

Defensively, the Spurs were sound. They gave Westbrook the shots they wanted him to take. As a result, Westbrook ended up shooting 32.3% from the field. The Spurs also did a great job containing Kevin Durant as they limited his shot attempts by squashing him in the pick and roll. Westbrook and Durant had a combined total of 10 turnovers due to the Spurs defense. The Spurs as a team only had 8 turnovers.

Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge were amazing for their respected teams. They played with heart and scored at will. They both had a combined 55 points. I don't see how a team could even stop these two. And when you throw in the fact that Tony Parker was playing great, you really can't beat them. Tony Parker had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Russell Westbrook has been very lackadaisical on defense and really allowed Tony Parker to score. Tony Parker took 11 uncontested shots and made 7 of them. He took only 3 contested shots and didn't make 1. Westbrook has played horrible defensively and that defense will not win you games.

The Spurs are in control of the series and the effort from Westbrook isn't helping them. I'm sure the Thunder wish they still had D.J. Augustine because they could sure use a talented point guard like him right now.

Spurs VS Grizzlies (Game 3)

Spurs Lead Series 3-0

This was the best Spurs VS Grizzlies game we have seen in this series. It was close throughout the whole game. The Grizzlies fought and they really battled through this game. I'm sure Dave Joeger is proud of what the team did.

First, I'd like to point out that Zach Randolph finally had that 20 point game. He played well which really helped out the Grizzlies. Matt Barnes also had 17 points. This team just wanted to win. They had a total of 18 second chance points. They just battled their way to the finish line.

There was just one problem. They Spurs could get production from anyone no matter who they put in. 10 players on the Spurs registered at least 2 points. The Grizzlies don't have a deep bench, and they couldn't afford to keep their bench in the game. The starters go too tired and fatigue set in. The Spurs didn't have that problem simply because they have such a great bench.

I think this series will be a sweep. I don't think there is much the Grizzlies can do to win a game in this series. Matt Barnes guarded Kawhi Leonard and Kawhi had 32 points. They just can't stop this Spurs offense. The Grizzlies had a great night, but they still couldn't mangage to grab a win. 

Fantasy Fridays: Defensive Players

A good fantasy team needs offense. No doubt, but a great fantasy team needs great offensive players that can provide great defense at the same time. That is why we are going to count down the top ten offensive player that play great defense, so you can have a great balance of offense and defense this fantasy season.

10. Stephen Curry: While you are probably like, "this man is a defensive play", take a look at the stats. Stephen Curry lead the league in steals total last year, so if you had him, you were most likely winning the steals column. Stephen Curry won't give you much blocks, but he certainly will give you multiple steals and a lot of offense to back that up.

9. John Wall: This man is a high flying point guard who can block your shot better than any other point guard. Not to mention his intense speed will track down every bad pass. This man averaged 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks and that will certainly improve going into next season. Expect John Wall to be playing lock down defense and producing a lot on the offensive end.

8. Rudy Gobert: He is a wonderful defensive player. Last season he averaged 2.3 blocks and 0.8 steals. The main problem with Gobert is he doesn't have much offense to back him up. If you pick him up, note that he won't be too productive on the offensive end.

7. Nerlens Noel: 1.9 blocks and 1.8 steals his rookie season. The only problem is, can he still produce those numbers with Jahill Okafor there. I honestly think his offensive numbers will be little and his defensive numbers will be hard for him to top. But I could be wrong.

6. Serge Ibaka: 3rd in the league in steals. This man can put up points and guard multiple positions. Not to mention he only averages 2.1 fouls per game. Serge Ibaka is an underrated defender and has some offense to back him up.

5. DeAndre Jordan: Yeah, grab this man. While he doesn't have a lot of offense, he has a whole lot of other things (free throws not one of them). This man can rebound, but his defense is stupendous. He averaged 2.2 blocks per game and 1 steal per game last season. If this doesn't impress, I honestly don't know what will.

4. Hassan Whiteside: Wait! I know what will impress if DeAndre failed to. Hassan Whiteside. 2 years ago you said, "who the heck is Hakeem Wildseem?" No, Hassan Whiteside. Yeah, nobody knew him really until the Heat played the Bulls and he showed us his Hassan Wildside as he had a triple-double with 12 blocks, on a nationally televised game that night. Geez, talk about a major attention disorder. Okay, yeah, he was 2nd in blocks last year, but when you switch the table from per game to per 36 minutes, who is first? (well actually Sim Bhullar, who averages 13.4 blocks per 36 minutes and 13.4 rebounds and 13.4 points per 36 minutes) But the point is, Whiteside is 4th with 3.9 blocks. And Whiteside will probably get a minutes increase, so expect numbers like that.

3. Draymond Green: This is a Hassan Whiteside like player. Nobody knew him, and then, BAM! He is a superstar playing for a championship team. What is so great about Green? Well, he averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per game last season. No big deal.Well, guess what Green, that is one big deal. And now fantasy players are going to be all over you for your offense and defense as well as your 8.2 RPG even though you are a 6'7" PF.

2. Kawhi Leonard: It's time to become an all-star for Kawhi Leonard. His offense is great, but we all know that his best strength is defense. What else can I say. This man lead the league in steals and also did a great job in the blocks department. Kawhi is a defensive guy.

1. Anthony Davis: Of course it's Davis. He lead the league in blocks averaging 2.9 per game and also averaged 1.5 steals. Not to mention the man averaged 24.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG (seems a little low in the rebounds for Anthony Davis though) to back up his defensive numbers. What else do you need!

Fantasy Friday: Small Forwards

Small Forwards can be great players to have on your team. If you remember, there were actually 3 Small Forwards starting for the East in the 2014 All-star game. There are a lot of great Small Forwards and you must pick them wisely. Hopefully, this article with help you with that problem. So without further ado, here are the top ten NBA fantasy Small Forwards for the 2015-16 season.

10. Luol Deng: This man is slowing down. No doubt. But he will be a big influence on the upcoming season for the Heat. What does he have to offer you say? Maybe a steal or an assist? Well, he will give you about 5 RPG and 14 PPG. That's it? Well, he is a good shot selection. He will give you about 35% from three. But the main thing is he shoots a high FG%. Really high. Infact, he has a FG% of 46.9% and shoots over 50% from inside the three point line. This veteran player will give you some scoring and great shot selection.

9. Nicolas Batum: He had an off-season last year but I expect him to get back on track with his new team. You might say that Batum is getting too old but the fact is that he is only 28 and if Batum was going to have a breakout season, this would be the season. Last year he dipped down to 9.4 PPG after he averaged over 13 the year before, scaring fantasy owners. But with a change of scenery, Batum could be a great fantasy player seeming that he is a great rebounds and can pass the ball well. Not only that, he is a great defender with his length. Batum would be a great guy to pick up for your fantasy team.

8. Chandler Parsons: Parsons is going into only his 5th season in the NBA. He averaged over 15 PPG last season and I wouldn't be surprised if he raised that this upcoming season. Let's face it, Dirk is getting old, and he can't keep taking on this big scoring load, someone is going to have to take a little weight off. And Parsons is the man. He will provide few turnovers and will give you great shooting.  Parsons is a great offensive player and would be a great addition to your team.

7. Gordon Hayward: He is perhaps the best player that is not yet an all-star. He averaged 19.3 PPG last season and he lead his team in a great second half of the season run. Hayward is most likely going to be snubbed in your fantasy draft so pick him up now!

6. Andrew Wiggins: After almost averaging 17 PPG last season in his rookie campaign, Wiggins is looking to make the all-star team this season as the game will be held in his native homeland, Canada. Wiggins was a dominant figure on offense last season for the Timberwolves but he also was a big help on defense, taking on big guys like James Harden and LeBron James. He proved he could guard them both, blocking both of them when the Wolves played them. Wiggins will provide some defense but will bring a boat load of offense to whoever has him.

5. Kawhi Leonard: Averaging 16.5 PPG last season for the Spurs, Kawhi proved why he was the 2014 Finals MVP. He had shown that he could score well and this next year, he is looking for his first all-star appearance. However, it isn't Kawhi's scoring that makes him stand out to fantasy owners. Kawhi averaged 7.5 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.8 Blocks, and 2.3 Steals while only averaging 1.5 Turnovers last season. If he improves even more next season, expect Kawhi to be one of the ultimate fantasy players.

4. Carmelo Anthony: When Injuries struck last season, Carmelo went down and averaged only 24.2 PPG. Carmelo is now 31. He is obviously on the decline. While he will give you scoring and rebounding, his numbers will most likely start to drop. Another thing is if he can stay healthy. His health has proved to be questionable every year. That is why I put him at 4.

3. Rudy Gay: He averaged a career high of 21.1 PPG last season and I expect it to get even higher this next season. Gay is a great Defensive player that will also help a little in the assist and rebound department. Unlike LeBron James though, Rudy Gay is a great shooter. He is going to give you threes and will do a lot of scoring. Scoring is Gay's main category. If you need a scorer, Gay will show you the way.

2. LeBron James: He averaged 25.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, 6 RPG, and 1.6 steals last season, LeBron is a stat machine. However, he will hurt you in turnovers and shooting. To be fair, LeBron is not the best shooter and that is the main reason why he is not the best Small Forwards in fantasy. However, he is a really great player to have on your fantasy team. Most likely he will be taken very early on though, so I don't think you will be able to get him at a good position.

1. Kevin Durant: KD is not nice. Leading the league in score for 3 consecutive years is not nice. Shooting way above average from FG, 3, and FT is not nice. Being an above average defender and averaging 1.2 steals and 1 block over his career is not nice. Being a great overall player by averaging 3.5 APG and 7 RPG over his career is not nice. KD may have injured last season, but in all of his other seasons, KD never missed more than 8 games. That's not nice. Let's face it KD is not a nice player... Unless he is on your fantasy team. 

So, are you going to listen too me. I don't know. I honestly don't care how you run your fantasy team. I'm just trying to help. You might choose Andre Iguogala as your first pick. I would say that is a stupid decision, then with my luck, Iggy would have a 24 PPG, 9 RPG, 6 APG, 1.6 Blocks, and 2.3 steals per game season. Then you would tell me I was wrong and I would feel like an idiot. So, I'm just going to save the time and just not even care how you run your fantasy team and let you do what you want. These are just who I think will be the best small forwards for the NBA fantasy in the 2015-16 season. So go ahead and listen to me or take Iggy, I don't care. Take some chances and have some fun this fantasy season. See you next Friday fantasy lovers.

Will Coach Popovich be Able to Make a Player out of Jimmer Fredette?

"Jimmer Fredette Kings" by Mike - Flickr: (2013-12-21) Kings at Magic 33. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Jimmer Fredette is going into his sixth NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs. In the 2011 draft, he went 10th and was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks. He was later traded to the Sacramento Kings. His rookie season was an okay season with the Sacramento Kings. He averaged a good 7.6 PPG, 1.8 APG, and shot 36.1% from the 3 point line. While Fredette looked like he was on track, his second season was about the same as the first. Jimmer shot about 41% from the 3 point line in his second season, while shooting over 150 three pointers. Jimmer still only averaged about 7 PPG though. His 3rd season with the Kings, he only averaged 5.9 PPG. He did however shoot 49.3% from the 3 point line but he only shot 73 threes. While his offense wasn't improving, his defensive rating was an average of 108.25 out of those three seasons! After the Kings saw no improvement in Jimmer's offense and seeing that he couldn't play defense, they traded him.

Jimmer was traded to the Bulls where he played only 8 games. Tom Thibodeau, the head coach of the Bulls at the time, was a defensive coach and couldn't work with Fredette. Jimmer averaged only 4 PPG and shot only 36% with the Bulls.

The Pelicans decided to give Jimmer a chance, signing him to a 1 year deal. Jimmer had his worst season yet. With the Pelicans, he averaged 3.6 PPG, 1.2 APG, and only shot 18% from the 3 point line! Even though he shot horrible, he did however, improve his defense a little bit. It wasn't much, and it still wasn't good, but he did lower it to 104.9. The Pelicans saw that they didn't want Fredette and didn't bother to sign him.

"Popovich cross armed - Cropped-2" by Popovich_cross_armed_-_Cropped.JPG: Zereshk derivative work: Edgars2007 (talk) - This file was derived from: Popovich cross armed - Cropped.JPG: . Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Jimmer was signed to a 1-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs this summer. The question for everyone is will Coach Gregg Popovich be able to get Jimmer to become a better player. Jimmer has not been able to improve and people are hoping that he will be able to get better with the Spurs this season. The only problem facing Jimmer, is that 3 people from the Spurs are going to get cut. Jimmer having experience, could be able to make the team, but it will be tough. He is going to have to play extra hard if he is going to be able to make it.

Even if Jimmer makes the team, he won't get much time and he might not even play at all. Take a look at the bench depth at the guard positions.

PG- Tony Parker (starter), Patty Mills (bench)
SG- Danny Green (starter), Manu Ginobili (bench), Ray McCollum (Res.), Jonathan Simmons (Res.)

As you can see, with 7 guards on the team, Jimmer might not get any playing time at all.

Coach Popovich might be able to make Fredette a team player. If he can do that, Jimmer would have a spot in the NBA as a great bench player of even a starter. Fredette has to realize though that this could very well be his last chance in the NBA. Whether the Spurs play him, or send him to the D-league, he has to play his best. Coach Popovich has to help him and show him his defensive tips. And with last year's defensive player of the year, Kawhi Leonard, he might be able to really help Fredette with defense. With the Spurs being a team that gets everyone involved in their offense, this would be a great place for Jimmer to start over at. That is, if he can make the team.

Clippers VS Spurs (game 2)

Final Score: Spurs win 111-107



Series Tied 1-1

An Overtime win for the Spurs is a win. Duncan had a great game and so did Leonard. They just played a great game. They got some stops and won it. Why? Patty Mills was part of it. He had a great game with 18 points. He always seems to come out around playoff time. They played Spurs basketball. Tony Parker needs to step it up though. He only had 1 point in the game and 5 assists. He needs to step it up if this team is to keep winning.

The Clippers on the other hand could use Jordan to make more Free Throws. He only shot 35% from free throw and shot 6-17 from the line. Next they need to be able to finish the game. They missed two crucial possessions to put the game away, but instead it went into overtime where they lost. The last thing, they need more from the bench. The Spurs have a large bench while the Clippers bench has Jamal Crawford. Besides Crawford, the bench for the Clippers scored 6 points. That is not enough and I fear that the Clippers will run out of gas and loose this series.

With the series tied, who will take the advantage in San Antonio?

Clippers VS Spurs (game 1)

Final Score: Clippers win 107-92



Clippers lead series 1-0

This was a game where the Spurs got a look at what the Clippers are capable of. Blake Griffin and Chris Paul were dominant over this Spurs team. Let's take a look at the Clippers first

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul had a combined total of 58 points. These two players alone had over half their team's points. They have to keep looking to them. You know that Greg Popovich will be looking to contain both of these players so Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are going to have to find some more ways to score in a best of 7 series. There is really nothing you can do with DeAndre Jordan's free throws. He shot 5-12 from the free throw line which is below 50%. My suggestion is to get DeAndre more touches in the post and get him to score. This will get him going and it will make the Spurs more hesitant to foul. Other than that, they just need to keep going with their offense and defense.

The obvious for the Spurs is that they need to stop Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. You can't let two players score over 50% of their scoring. They also need more scoring. The most points of a player was 18 by Leonard. The next player had only 11 who was Duncan. There was a lot of one v one in that game with the Spurs offense. They just didn't look like the Spurs. Last is that Diaw and Green need to make shots. Those players combined shot 4-23 from the field and 1-12 from the 3 point line. They need to produce well if this team is going to see them winning in this series.