Spurs overcome fierce late-spark Celtics in Game 4 of the NBA Finals to win 15th consecutive Championship, as Dejounte Murray wins Finals MVP.

As the San Antonio Spurs embarked on their 14th defending champions-hip run, soon came some exciting moments that made for great basketball between the silver-and-black squad and some fierce rivals.

First came the Golden State Warriors & Los Angeles Lakers, then some new competition from the Denver Nuggets and finally the Boston Celtics, who broke through as the Eastern Conference Champions, having prevented the Milwaukee Bucks or Philadelphia 76ers from facing the Spurs again on the grandest hardwood stage. It only took 16 games, catapulting the Spurs dynasty into their best season output ever!

The Celtics should be proud for making it this far, but still have a thing or two to learn about the difference in making it to the Finals and winning the Finals, something these dynastic Spurs know plenty about, as they promptly reigned supreme, winning a 15th consecutive title.

In the first two games, Jayson Tatum had a rough start as the best player on the other side, making it a cruise for San Antonio. It was in Game 3 and Game 4 that saw Boston take sizable leads, and there was a very real threat of the Spurs needing a 5th game to finish off the Celtics. Ultimately, Fred VanVleet's clutch play and Julius Randle's impact sparked San Antonio past Boston on the scoreboard and their experience kept them ahead to the final buzzer, too powerful for Boston. To no surprise, Dejounte Murray won Finals MVP honors.

A historically great season is in the books for the San Antonio Spurs!

There's just something about Spurs culture. When every new acquisition has a career high (or close to it) outing for the silver-and-black squad, that speaks to the tremendous training staff and high expectations that come with being a Spur. This season, San Antonio annihilated the competition with a 79-3 win/loss record, as they accomplished last year, but this time with an even longer win streak that eclipsed 60+ games. The season ended with a trio of close games between Golden State, Denver & Dallas, but nobody could fell the giant win streak of the Spurs.

In individual accomplishments, Cam Reddish had a career-high scoring night, with Gary Trent Jr drawing close, and Buddy Hield had a new career-high. Best of all, Dejounte Murray scored a phenomenal 80 points and shattered Scott Skiles' past record with 31 assists. Fred VanVleet also netted a new career-high with 64 points.

The cherry-on-top was Andre Drummond showing promise as a long range shooter, while still being dominant on the glass and on defense. While Dejounte Murray was in the conversation for Most Valuable Player again, Giannis Antetokounmpo took home the honors.

Cam Reddish shines as Spurs cruise past Pistons again, 118-84.

"Killa Cam" Reddish has shown marked improvement over this last stretch of games, scoring 9 points, then 13, and then erupting for 23 tonight against the Pistons. He is doing better on defense, which is a must in Coach Pop's system and will keep earning him playing time, given Reddish's height and 7'1" wingspan. In tonight's win, Cam had 2 blocks and 5 rebounds in a nice blend with his well-known shooting ability, hitting 5 threes and finishing the night with +21 in the box score for his team.

In another strong showing, Julius Randle saw some time at center once Andre Drummond ran into foul trouble. Randle also had 23 points, with 8 rebounds & 3 blocks. Drummond redeemed himself with 15 points & 21 rebounds, not to forget 5 impressive blocks against the green Pistons shooting attempts. 

Leading the Spurs night in and night out, Dejounte Murray had 19 points with 7 assists & 3 steals.

In defeat, the Pistons were led by star Cade Cunningham's 19 points & 11 rebounds, but Detroit shot just 40% overall, with 13 turnovers and losing the battle on the glass, big-time, and the fast break as the Spurs improve to 34-3 on the season, with two road games in the rear-view and five left on the horizon.

Spurs overcome Grizzlies in heated clash, 120-110 in Memphis.

The Spurs got leveled by the Grizzlies more than once, falling behind by double-digits, only to persevere and benefit from their long range threats in Fred VanVleet (18 points, 6 threes) & Buddy Hield. In the end, it was San Antonio standing tall, on the road, victorious over a timeless rival.

Highlight plays included VanVleet's spark from deep, Buddy Hield (26 points, 8-14 3PT) exchanging three-point bombs against Desmond Bane (20 points, 6-8 3PT), Julius Randle (17 points, 10 rebounds, 3-7 3PT) pulling up from deep on the fast break to take a sizable lead, Drummond (17 points, 15 rebounds) crashing through the net with a fierce dunk on the pick and roll, and Dejounte Murray swiping the ball free from Ja Morant (22 points, 13 assists) and hammering it home downwind.

The Grizzlies kept within 6 points in the final minute and had a chance to make things dicey once more, but the Spurs defense stood pat after taking a large advantage in the final few minutes of the 4th Quarter.  San Antonio's perimeter savvy came through in the clutch, scoring a total of 24 shots from long range.

It was a spectacle to behold as Dejounte Murray attempted to lock up ex-teammate, Brandon Ingram (25 points), as he hit a tough layup over Steven Adams (7pts/10rebs) down low with the free throw and 12 assists, finishing with 19 points & 3 steals. He carried his team through a ten-point swing, and the Spurs ultimately won this one by 10, their biggest separation all game long.

A fierce match-up undoubtedly awaits the Spurs two more times this season, with an exciting playoff duel on the horizon most likely. The Spurs improve to 32-3 on the season, towering over the league as the new-look roster continues to gel and strengthen through marquee match-ups.

Spurs demolish Nuggets by 50, 84-134, then again 121-129 after vengeful blitz by Denver and a season-high by ex-Spur Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

The Nuggets were obliterated early by the Spurs, then late, losing the 1st Quarter by ten points, and the 4th Quarter by twenty-two. Julius Randle had 28 points & 9 rebounds, with 3 steals & 2 blocks. Fred VanVleet was sharp, scoring 24. Dejounte Murray had 18 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists & 8 steals, still a far cry from his career-high last time around. Brandon Clarke had 12 solid points, with Drummond demanding 14 rebounds. T.J. McConnell had 9 points with 9 assists, sneakily swiping 7 steals.

In the brutal defeat, Jamal Murray had 19 points to lead Denver but they shot just 42% and had an awful 32 turnovers, getting dominated down low 64-44.

Ex-Spur, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope dropped a 30-piece in the second game, but so did Fred VanVleet. That isn't to say the Spurs weren't buckled by the 1st Quarter blitz by the Nuggets, who shot insanely from the perimeter, roasting the Spurs by 10 early and finishing the quarter up 37-31. It was a cerebral team-ball display from there, despite a brief comeback in the 3rd by Denver, then an admirable flurry to end the game, ultimately losing by 8, 121-129. San Antonio dominated the Nuggets, 39-28 in the 2nd Quarter, then 33-18 in the 3rd.

Had Denver kept shooting so hotly from 3, it might've changed things, seeing as the Spurs lost two back-to-back showdowns with the Warriors & Suns, but the Spurs defense anchored in the home win, climbing to 13-0 on the season at the AT&T Center. Dejounte Murray had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists with 6 steals and an impressive 5 blocks. Buddy Hield had 20, and Drummond had 20 rebounds with 5 blocks, as well as 14 solid points down low, showing his dedication to scoring this season. Gary Trent, Jr, got hot for 14 points, with Julius Randle salvaging an otherwise chilly performance of his own with 12 points, 6 rebounds & 6 assists (6-15, 0-4 3PT). VanVleet, however, bombed 8 daggers from long range.

In the respectable loss, Denver was led by KCP, who hit 6 threes, going a stellar 11-14 overall. Jamaal Murray scored 19 points with 7 assists, but had 4 turnovers. Aaron Gordon (18 points) had a highlight dunk past Paul Millsap before Millsap got his receipt, by hitting a savvy hook shot over him at the rim. Nikola Jokic had another quiet night with 16 points, 11 rebounds & 9 assists, falling short of a triple-double.

Murray makes history as Spurs right the course and thrash Knicks, 94-153.

Returning home, the Spurs wasted no time in righting the course, coasting to their 20th win on the season, though they would’ve preferred it as their 22nd win. Dejounte Murray dominated the fast break with 30 points, 10 rebounds, 7 steals, soaring to a new career high in assists by dishing 25 on the night in a stellar display of court vision. This playmaking feat puts him in the conversation with the Stockton’s, Skiles’, Kidd’s, Thomas’, Rondo’s and even former Spurs, Johnny “00” Moore, Avery Johnson and John Lucas, the latter being the previous record-holder with 24 dimes.

Buddy Hield was the main benefactor of Murray’s gaze, splashing in 13 three-pointers to score 43 points. Every Spur finished with a plus-score in contributions, obliterating the Knicks by one point less than sixty. San Antonio collectively scored a 295 in the +/- column tonight. Scoring 153 points is the 7th highest total in Spurs franchise history, and nailing 28 three-pointers is the second highest mark in league history.

The Knicks never led in this game, with 21 turnovers, and Jalen Brunson scoring just 16 points. Meanwhile, Drummond had 26 rebounds and 18 points with 5 blocks. Julius Randle had 15 points & 10 rebounds, with Fred VanVleet dropping 20. Jae Crowder notched 12 off the bench.

Spurs lose two close games against Warriors & Suns.

The timeless rivalry of the Warriors and Spurs thrilled NBA fans all over again, as their first meeting caused fireworks. A deadlock for most of the night, Golden State took a sizable lead heading into the 4th Quarter. VanVleet’s heroics (24 points, 8 threes) were a sight to behold, and a the Spurs got within a single point late. But this game belonged to the Warriors, final score of 109-118, led by a 30-PT/12-AS night by Stephen Curry, as the Spurs struggled to score in the clutch with 12 turnovers. In the loss, Randle had 22pts/10rbs, Hield scored 17 (5/12 3PT), Drummond had 16pts/10rbs, and Murray had 10pts/7rbs/12ast.

 

 

Wanting to recuperate, San Antonio found themselves in another dogfight with the Phoenix Suns, who’ve always been formidable throughout the regular season. The Spurs took a 7-PT lead early in the second half, but Devin Booker (36pts) led the Suns to a 120-126 home victory. In the loss, VanVleet had 28 points and Buddy Hield had 23. 

Foul trouble for Murray (17pts/10ast) & Drummond all but sealed this outcome, with Coach Popovich being fined along with Julius Randle (25pts) for questioning the referees in the post-game media conference, with Pop asking why his guys couldn’t get a whistle to save their skins, and Randle straight up going off about three controversial blocking fouls. “So it’s okay for their guys to tackle DJ and Dre if they got the ball, but when we got it, it’s a charge call on a flop. C’mon, man, naw. We’ll see them again.” To Randle’s defense, the Suns shot 36 free throws and the Spurs shot zero, which rarely happens to such an extent.