The San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets are facing off in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Amidst two of the top 3 MVP candidates meeting in dramatic fashion, one of the key highlights of the series is the coaching battle. Perhaps the greatest coach in the history of the NBA meets perhaps the greatest offensive minded coach of all-time. Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets have their teams poised to advance

The San Antonio Spurs are the first seed in the Western Conference. Kawhi Leonard has asserted his dominance over the NBA and is now a legitimate MVP candidate with a strong chance of winning. The Spurs' reserves, as showcased a few nights ago, outclassed the Golden State Warriors second unit in a battle of the benches. Patty Mills remains a 6th Man of the Year candidate and, all the while, Pau Gasol has returned to the lineup. With so much tremendous success mounting at the

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Washington Wizards in overtime, and LeBron hit one of the best shots of his career. A turnaround,fade-away, three-point, bank shot to send the game to overtime. It was a great shot, but where does it rank among his career late game shots? 10. Baseline winner against the Wizards Another one from the vault, 2006 playoffs, but just like the layup against the Pacers this is impressive. Through the traffic and just before the

That question is entirely subjective. If you view Kawhi Leonard as a top 5 player in the NBA, and the best two way player in the league, then he is justly acclaimed. Leonard is a different kind of beast in every facet of the game. From his quiet emergence on the NBA scene to his premature NBA Finals MVP award, Leonard has exemplified poise, maturity, improvement, attention to detail, and execution. Every year, he has found a flaw in his game, and has drastically improved it.

The San Antonio Spurs currently sit at 30-8 on the season. Their current record is good for second place in the West, 2.5 games behind the ever-so-imposing Golden State Warriors. Thus far, the Spurs’ offense has clicking on all cylinders, for the most part. Kawhi Leonard has elevated his game for yet another season and Pau Gasol has been a seamless fit in San Antonio’s free flowing offense. Patty Mills and David Lee have been great coming off the bench, with the latter rejuve

The Boston Celtics entered the 2016-2017 NBA season as a projected top 3 team in the Eastern Conference. The NBA season has yet to reach full swing, but as we enter the month of December, the Celtics are now at 11-8. While the .579 winning percentage is not shabby by any measures, Boston has had some early struggles. The prime contributing factor to the rather sluggish start can be attributed to the health of Al Horford. The veteran All-Star big man was brought in during the

Kawhi Leonard is primed for an MVP caliber season. Fresh off of finishing 4th on the KIA MVP ladder last season, Leonard wasted no time duplicating such level of play. Against the heavy favorites, Leonard sported 35 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and an impressive 5 steals on Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. On the season through 5 games, Leonard is averaging 28.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3 steals. Opening night, the Warriors had no answer for Leonard

The San Antonio Spurs are clearly the second fiddle in the Western Conference this season. With the addition of Kevin Durant and several other key role players, the Golden State Warriors are the favorite to make it to their third straight NBA Finals. And while the Spurs seem like the only other viable team that has a shot of taking down the new super team, they have their deficiencies as well. Every team in the NBA, no matter how great, always endures its fair share of trials

With the way the NBA offseason transpired, the level of competition, or lack thereof, is at an all-time low. Or is it? Los Angeles Clippers sharpshooter JJ Redick said it best when he stated that, in the previous 6 seasons, we have seen 5 different NBA champions. That has ensued under the reign of the Miami super-team(s), and the 73-9 Warriors. Therefore the conclusion that the Golden State Warriors, with the addition of Kevin Durant, are the automatic winners, may be a preco

*Photo via Boston.com The Boston Celtics accomplished a great deal in free agency. They didn’t land the one prized possession: Kevin Durant, but either did 29 other NBA franchises.Only one team could snag the perennial all-star, and that happened to be the Golden State Warriors. But no need to mope in Boston, they landed a great consolation player in Al Horford. Adding to the Celtics tremendously deep and youthful roster, Horford fills the void of a defensive big man with an

*Photo via USA Today The San Antonio Spurs, notorious for their identity and under the radar transactions, have strung together an offseason that has quietly revitalized the gaping holes in their roster. San Antonio was successful in snagging 2-time NBA champion Pau Gasol in free agency, more than making up for the impending retirement of future hall of famer Tim Duncan. Gasol, unsuccessful in making the playoffs this past season, tested the free agent market, looking to take