Spurs Buford earns 2013-14 NBA exec of year award

SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio Spurs general manager RC Buford has been named the 2013-14 NBA Executive of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.

Buford assembled a roster this season that featured six players averaging double figures in scoring and eight players averaging 20-or-more minutes.

The Spurs clinched homecourt advantage for the 2014 postseason by virtue of having posted the league's best record at 62-20 (.756). San Antonio was the only team to record 30-plus wins both at home (32-9, .780) and on the road (30-11, .732), and the 2013-14 campaign marked the 15th consecutive season that the Spurs posted 50-plus wins -- an NBA record. Of the 16 teams that qualified for this year's playoffs, San Antonio was the lone team with only one Top 10 draft pick on its roster.

"I'm extremely happy for RC Buford to have won this award, which is both absolutely deserved and long overdue," said Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich. "His knowledge of the rules, basketball expertise and keen eye for talent have served the Spurs organization well for a very long time. It has been a personal pleasure to be at his side during this period."

Buford, now in his 23rd season with San Antonio and 12th as general manager, is the third Spurs executive to receive the award. Bob Bass was honored in 1989-90 and Angelo Drossos won it in 1978-79.

One of Buford's biggest moves heading into 2013-14 took place on July 10, 2013, when the Spurs signed free agent Marco Belinelli. The seven-year NBA veteran enjoyed his best season, averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting a career-best .485 (337-695) from the field and .430 (126-293) from three-point range which ranked fifth in the NBA.

San Antonio also re-signed guard Manu Ginobili and center Tiago Splitter to multiyear contracts in July and secured guard Patty Mills and forward Boris Diaw with player options.

Since making the move to the front office in the summer of 1994, Buford has been a central figure in shaping the Spurs roster by with international talent. At the start of the 2013-14 season the Silver and Black had a roster made up of 10 international players, the most in NBA history. The current roster is comprised of nine players born outside of the continental United States, which leads the NBA.

During his tenure as general manager, Buford has played an integral role in keeping the Spurs core of Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan together. As a trio the "Big Three" have played 675 games together and have amassed 498 wins, second in NBA history behind the Celtics trio of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish (540 wins).

The longstanding trio has been fortified in recent years with the additions of Boris Diaw, Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills (third seasons with the team), as well as Danny Green and Tiago Splitter (fourth seasons with the team).

Buford also holds the title of President of Sports Franchises for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, presiding over the WNBA's San Antonio Stars, the NBA Development League's Austin Toros and the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League, in addition to the Spurs.

Buford totaled 58 points and received nine first-place votes from a panel of his fellow team basketball executives throughout the NBA. The Phoenix Suns' Ryan McDonough finished second with 47 points (five first-place votes) votes and the Portland Trail Blazers' Neil Olshey finished third with 34 points (five first-place votes). Executives were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

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Grizzlies seal stunning upset by eliminating Spurs

(Reuters) - The Memphis Grizzlies sealed a stunning upset of top-ranked San Antonio in the first round of the NBA playoffs on Friday, beating the Spurs 99-91 to clinch their series 4-2 at the FedEx Forum on Friday.

"I'm pleased with where we are, but not satisfied from the perspective that we have an opportunity to do something really special," said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.

"Not a lot of people knew about us coming in, but we certainly have made some noise and turned some heads and gotten some attention that probably wouldn't have been given to us if we had lost this series.

"We would have just been another No. 8 seed losing to the No. 1 seed. But I'm pleased with the way it turned out."

San Antonio scored the first points of the game but a 12-0 run by Memphis forced the Spurs to chase the Grizzlies for much of the encounter.

Despite trailing by as many as 12, San Antonio managed to grab the lead briefly at 80-79 with 4:39 remaining in the fourth quarter on a jump shot by Antonio McDyess.

However, they were unable to contain Zach Randolph down the stretch.

Randolph scored 17 of his game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter. He also had 11 rebounds while Marc Gasol had a double-double with 13 rebounds and 12 points.

"I couldn't have played any better D (defense)," said McDyess who covered Randolph.

"I keep running it back in my head and I don't think I could have done different. He hit some really freaking tough shots. I didn't think there was any way they could go in and I'd look up and he'd made them.

"To see that happen, when you had ground and played as tough a defense as you could, it hurts. At the same time, if he's going to make those types of shots with the type of defense I played, you have to accept it."

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points, and Manu Ginobili scored 16.

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Heat and Thunder win opening playoff rounds

(Reuters) - The Miami supporting cast helped the Heat survive one final run from the Philadelphia 76ers to hold on for a 97-91 victory on Wednesday that advanced them to the next round of the NBA's playoffs.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder also advanced after a 100-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets while the San Antonio Spurs escaped elimination with a 110-103 overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Reserve Joel Anthony made two free throws to put Miami up by three with 16 seconds left as the Heat narrowly avoided another fourth-quarter meltdown -- Philadelphia went on a 10-0 run in the final 82 seconds to win Game Four -- to wrap up their best-of-seven series 4-1.

The Heat had allowed a 10-point fourth-quarter lead to be cut to just one on Wednesday but they made nine of their 10 free throws in the final three minutes to ensure they advanced to a second round clash with the Boston Celtics.

"It was very difficult (to finish the series)," Dwyane Wade told reporters after scoring 12 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter. "That team (Philadelphia) is resilient.

"We knew it was going to be that way. That team got us ready for the next round."

Chris Bosh finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds while LeBron James had 16 points, but it was the 20 points the home team got off the bench from Mario Chalmers that proved vital.

Philadelphia's starting lineup had dominated their Miami counterparts throughout the series, outscoring them 78-46 before either side made their first substitutions, which continued on Wednesday as they opened an 11-point lead in the first quarter.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra changed tactics and started the second half with reserves Chalmers and Anthony, with Chalmers' contribution proving invaluable.

The guard made two of this six three-pointers in the third quarter, one of which began a 7-0 run that helped Miami to a 72-67 lead heading into the final period.

Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala scored 22 points each for the 76ers.

In Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant carried his team with 41 points as the Thunder erased a nine-point deficit in the final four minutes to clinch the series 4-1 and advance to the next round.

The Thunder went on a 9-0 run to tie the game with 1:50 left, then Durant, the NBA's leading scorer during the regular season, made two free throws to put his team on top 98-97 before adding the clinching jumper.

Denver's Arron Afflalo missed a three-point attempt as time expired. Afflalo finished with a team-high 15 points and Kenyon Martin added 14 and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets.

The Thunder will meet the Spurs or Grizzlies in the next round after San Antonio's Gary Neal made a last-second three-point shot to send their game into overtime.

The Spurs then saved their season by scoring the final seven points of the game to prevail 110-103 and reduce their series deficit to 3-2.

Manu Ginobili scored 33 points and Tony Parker added 24 and nine assists.

The Grizzlies, who had shocked the NBA by putting the WestWesternen Conference top-seeds on the brink of elimination, held a 97-94 lead with less than two seconds to go in regulation when Neal made his shot.

Zach Randolph had 26 points and Mike Conley finished with 20 for Memphis.

Game Six is on Friday in Memphis.

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Portland rally stuns Dallas, others leave it too late

(Reuters) - The Portland Trail Blazers, led by Brandon Roy, overcame a 23-point deficit to stun the Dallas Mavericks 84-82, while late rallies by the San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls and Denver Nuggets fell short.

Roy scored 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter including the game-winning basket with 39.2 seconds left, thrilling the fans at the Rose Garden, and leveling the best of seven series at two home wins each.

The Trail Blazers survived two missed three point attempts by the Mavericks in the closing seconds.

"It still doesn't feel real yet. Just an unbelievable game, the comeback," said Roy who underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in mid-January.

"With everything I've been through this season, it all came into that moment there on the court, when guys were grabbing me and cheering me on. It was real special."

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 18 points for Portland and Gerald Wallace recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 20 points.

In Memphis, the eighth seeded Grizzlies hung on for a 91-88 win over the San Antonio Spurs to grab a 2-1 lead over the Western Conference's top seed.

The Grizzlies seized control of the game early with a 14-4 surge spanning the first and second quarter, but needed a rare three-point basket from Zach Randolph with 41.9 seconds secure the victory.

Randolph led the Grizzlies with 25 points while the Spurs were led by Manu Ginobili's 23 points.

In Indianapolis, the Chicago Bulls blitzed the Pacers in the final four minutes but were unable to complete the comeback falling 89-84.

Chicago outscored the Pacers 18-3 over a 3:30 span to move to within one point at 85-84 with 15.3 seconds but Danny Granger, who led the Pacers with 24 points, hit two critical free throws extending the Pacers lead back to three points.

Chicago's Carlos Boozer missed on a clear three point attempt on a broken play with three seconds remaining and Granger hit two more free throws to finish the game.

Joakim Noah led Chicago with 21 points and 14 rebounds and Rose scored 15 points and had 10 assists.

In the late game, the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounded from a dismal third quarter for a 97-94 win over the Denver Nuggets to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The Nuggets outscored Oklahoma City 24-15 in the third quarter to take a 73-71 lead into the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to victory in the fourth quarter with 13 of his 23 points.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 26 points and Kenyon Martin, Nene, and J.R. Smith scored 15 points each for Denver.

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Lakers and Spurs even series 1-1, Thunder up 2-0

(Reuters) - The Los Angeles Lakers came alive following their disappointing playoff opener to grind out an 87-78 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday and level their best-of-seven series 1-1.

The San Antonio Spurs also tied up their first round series 1-1 with the Memphis Grizzlies while the Oklahoma Thunder went 2-0 up over Denver.

The defending champion Lakers were shocked in their series opening loss on Sunday when New Orleans point guard Chris Paul ran riot, but they returned with a strong defensive effort and now head to New Orleans for Game Three on Friday.

Andrew Bynum led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds and Lamar Odom added 16 to offset poor performances from Kobe Bryant (11 points) and Pau Gasol (eight).

"I was just trying to be aggressive defensively," Bynum told reporters. "If I play hard defensively, sometimes we get some stops, some good luck and get transition baskets."

Los Angeles established a six-point halftime lead and were up seven after three quarters before stretching their lead to 15 in the fourth where they held off the Hornets.

New Orleans was limited to just 39 percent shooting. Trevor Ariza scored 22 and Paul had 20 for the visitors.

The Spurs, top-seed in the Western Conference, had to once again fight to earn their 93-87 triumph.

They trailed by three points at half-time but were inspired by Argentine shooting guard Manu Ginobli who missed the opening game of the series through injury but returned with 17 points.

But San Antonio kept their cool and George Hill made sure of the win with four points with free throws.

Sam Young top scored for the Grizzlies with 17 points.

The Thunder comfortably took a 2-0 lead in their series against the Denver Nuggets with Kevin Durant scoring 23 points and Russell Westbrook scoring 21 in the 106-89 win.

The Thunder took charge from the outset and had a 26-point lead early in the second quarter as they secured their second win before the series moves to Denver on Saturday for Game Three.

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Spurs' Duncan sprains ankle in win over Warriors

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Manu Ginobili scored 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs got a scare when Tim Duncan sprained his left ankle in a 111-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Duncan would be out "a while" but didn't have a timetable.

The injury looked potentially serious as Duncan lay on his side, clutching his foot with both hands, for more than a minute. The 34-year-old All-Star steadied himself with the help of trainers while limping off the court.

Ekpe Udoh led Golden State with 15 points. It was Udoh's foot that Duncan appeared to be trying to avoid while landing awkwardly after hitting a short jumper in the first quarter.

Tony Parker added 17 points and 15 assists.

Until now, Duncan has avoided the aches and injuries that have hampered him in recent years. He's been so surprisingly durable that he's only missed one game. That was Saturday against Charlotte — when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn't want to risk Duncan injuring himself on the second night of a back-to-back.

Popovich's biggest fear happened two nights later instead.

The Warriors made a run at the Spurs run with Duncan out. Golden State trailed 64-58 in the third after a burst that left Popovich furious. His frustration cost him a technical foul, barking at official Leroy Richardson over a perceived foul on Richard Jefferson that wasn't called.

But the Spurs — and Popovich — quickly settled down.

San Antonio ended the quarter on a 20-9 run to blow the game back open. Rookie Tiago Splitter, the 7-footer who got his first NBA start in place of Duncan on Saturday, filled in again for his idol and finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Steve Novak scored 13 points and Jefferson had 12 for the Spurs.

Acie Law and Dorrell Wright scored 14 apiece as the Warriors dropped their fifth straight. Golden State played a night after getting pummeled at Dallas by 28 points, and have one stop left in Houston on Wednesday before returning home Friday to host Toronto.

The loss assured Golden State a 14th straight season without a win in San Antonio. Put another way, the Warriors have never won in San Antonio since Duncan was drafted in 1997.

But Golden State has given the Spurs two Duncan scares this season.

In January, Duncan fell to the floor and cringed for about a minute during a 113-102 win at Golden State. He was diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee and returned to the game.

That wasn't the case this time. He limped off the court with the help of trainers and did not return.

The AT&T Center fell quiet when Duncan crashed to the court and reached for his foot. Parker was one of the first players over to check on him; Parker then turned and winced at Popovich, who was standing in front of the Spurs bench with his hands in his pockets and watching his two-time MVP writhe on the ground.

Before Saturday, Duncan had been the only Spurs player to start the team's first 68 games. Even though his role has greatly diminished and his averages are at career lows, Duncan remains a big reason why the Spurs (57-13) are on pace to surpass their franchise record of 63 wins set in 2005-06.

Notes: Parker tied a season high in assists. ... Spurs F DeJuan Blair didn't play after spraining his left wrist in Saturday's win over the Bobcats. Blair is expected to return Wednesday.

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Bosh, Wade push Heat past Spurs

(AP)  MIAMI – Chris Bosh scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, and Dwyane Wade scored 29 as the Miami Heat avenged their worst loss of the season by rolling past the NBA-leading Spurs 110-80 on Monday.

LeBron James finished with 21 points, eight assists and six rebounds for the Heat, who have won three straight and moved within two games of Eastern Conference front-runners Boston and Chicago. Miami lost 125-95 in San Antonio on March 4, the midpoint of a five-game slide that now seems all but forgotten after wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies and now the Spurs.

Tony Parker scored 18 points and Tim Duncan added 14 for the Spurs, who had won 15 of their last 18 against Miami.  

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Spurs stop slumping Knicks for 8th straight win

(AP, GMAnews.tv) - SAN ANTONIO — DeJuan Blair says he no longer thinks when he plays. It's exactly what the San Antonio Spurs, who've built championships on brains, want to hear.

Blair had 18 points and 13 rebounds in his usually spry and rambunctious fashion, and the Spurs took revenge on the slumping New York Knicks to win their eighth in a row, 101-92 on Friday night.

"I'm just not thinking," said Blair, explaining his third double-double in his last four games. "I was thinking too much at the beginning of this season."

Tim Duncan had 21 points and 16 rebounds, Tony Parker added 21 points and 13 assists, and the Spurs avenged one of only six losses this season. That was in New York earlier this month, when the Knicks wore out the NBA's top team and put up a season-high 128 points on them.

New York sputtered in the rematch and tumbled to a fifth consecutive loss, despite moving Ronny Turiaf back into the starting lineup over Wilson Chandler.

The switch didn't instantly pay off like coach Mike D'Antoni wanted. Moving Turiaf off the bench made the Knicks bigger, but it didn't help New York against Duncan and the undersized but indefatigable Blair who, at just 6-foot-7, has been San Antonio's starting center all season.

"Got to win a game. That's all it is," Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said. "We're fine, we're fine. We're in a slump, but we'll be all right."

Stoudemire's night summed up the Knicks' struggles. The starting lineup change moved Stoudemire back to his preferred position of power forward, but he scored 18 points on a dismal 8-of-25 shooting and had his streak of 20-point games snapped at 26. He also had 15 rebounds.

Raymond Felton led the Knicks with 23 points.

San Antonio (37-6) won its 17th straight at home, but the Spurs won't see much of the AT&T Center between now and March.

Having finished this perfect four-game homestand, San Antonio plays 12 of its next 13 on the road, largely thanks to its annual Rodeo Road Trip that begins Feb. 1 in Portland.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who admonished his defense after the Knicks ran them up and down the floor in New York on Jan. 4, was in a better mood this time after holding New York to just 38 percent from the field.

"The bigs tonight, especially Timmy and DeJuan, were fantastic with Amare," Popovich said

Turiaf had 10 points and 10 rebounds in his return to the starting lineup, but Chandler was ineffective off the bench. The Knicks' second-leading scorer this season scored just six points.

It was the third double-double in four games for Blair, who scored 22 in a victory over Toronto on Wednesday. Blair was 8 of 12 from the floor, none bigger than his twisting, driving layup with 5:44 left that had an exasperated D'Antoni signaling timeout.

"I love playing pick-and-roll with him," Parker said. "He's running to the basket and his timing is great."

New York had shaved a once 14-point deficit down to four just moments earlier. It was as close as the Knicks would get, and left New York tasked with trying to avoid matching its season-high losing streak on Saturday night against Oklahoma City.

D'Antoni hoped a shake-up to the starting lineup would pay immediate dividends.

He changed up the starting five, in part, because the Knicks had been 5-1 with the lineup of Turiaf, Stoudemire, Danilo Gallinari, and Landry Fields and Felton in the backcourt.

D'Antoni said he was just trying what worked before.

"We are playing like when we started coming out of the 3-8 start," D'Antoni said. "We play this hard and good things will happen."

Manu Ginobili scored 16 points and Gary Neal added 10 off the bench for the Spurs. 

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Winless Rockets lose Brooks, fall to Spurs in OT

SAN ANTONIO (AP)–  Tony Parker had 21 points and 14 assists, including seven points in overtime, and the San Antonio Spurs kept the Houston Rockets winless with a 124-121 victory Saturday night. The Spurs are off to their first 4-1 start since the 2007-08 season.
The only NBA team without a victory this season, the Rockets (0-5) are off to their worst start since 1999. They might have more troubles ahead, too, after point guard Aaron Brooks was carried off the court at halftime with an injured left ankle.
Brooks came down on Manu Ginobili's foot after heaving an errant halfcourt shot at the buzzer. He did not return to the game, and results of X-rays taken in the locker room weren't immediately available.
Ginobili scored 28 points, and the Spurs withstood three 3-point tries by the Rockets in the frantic final 14.3 seconds of overtime. Richard Jefferson added 22 points and was 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point line.
Kevin Martin led the Rockets with 24 points. Luis Scola had 20, and shot the last of a trio of missed 3-pointers that
 Houston was able to attempt while the scrambling Spurs couldn't corral a rebound.
Tim Duncan shook off a miserable first half and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
With the Rockets already saving Yao Ming for Sunday's game against Minnesota, the injury to Brooks left them without two starters for the second half. It almost didn't matter.
The Rockets had two chances to put the Spurs away in the final 16.8 seconds of regulation, but Courtney Lee missed two free throws that would've pushed the lead to four and rookie Ishmael Smith missed a potential game-winning runner with 2.8 seconds left.
Shane Battier added 14 points for the Rockets.
Before arriving in San Antonio, the winless Rockets could take some comfort in losing to four teams that were a combined 18-3 entering Saturday, including unbeaten New Orleans and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Silver linings in this loss might be tough to find. Brooks had 18 points before writhing on the court while his teammates trotted to the locker room without the club's third-leading scorer.
Towering over Brooks on the court in a blazer was Yao, who didn't play on the first night of back-to-back games. Faced with choosing between Yao defending San Antonio's pick-and-roll or Minnesota's Darko Milicic, Rockets coach Rick Adelman preserved Yao for the Timberwolves.
"I don't know if it's right or not," Adelman said.
The Rockets are putting strict limits on Yao's minutes to try and keep the injury-plagued star healthy for a full season. The 7-foot-6 center is averaging 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

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