Spurs showcase superior offense to win yet another title, sweep Philadelphia 76ers 130-136 (4-0).

James Harden (42 points) willed the 76ers to a 1-PT lead, then Joel Embiid (36 points, 16 rebounds), finally erasing a seemingly insurmountable cushion lead by the Spurs. The two teams had been in a neck-and-neck scoring war all game long, with San Antonio unable to break open any early lead. Danny Green hit 5 threes to help cut the deficit, finally finding his stroke, but the trouble is, Buddy Hield never lost it. 

He had 26 points, bombing six threes and a clutch dagger late, as did Brandon Ingram (24 points) off a slick pass from the sensational M-V-P, Dejounte Murray (26 points, 9 rebounds, 16 assists). Andre Drummond had 19 rebounds, including a lead-protecting swat on both James Harden & Joel Embiid late in the final minutes. Fred VanVleet stepped up to open the 4th Quarter, finishing with 17 points.

Philly went back down by 4 points with time ticking away on their championship aspirations, then Tobias Harris & Tyrese Maxey missed 3PT chances in the final seconds, before Murray iced the game at the free throw line. The Sixers faithful stayed as some left for the exit during the championship celebration for the away team, as Philly came up short in sending this series back to San Antonio for a Game 5.

In defeat, the 76ers should be commended for figuring out a scheme that worked. Unfortunately, this Spurs team just had too much arsenal from the perimeter, with league M-V-P, Dejounte Murray, hammering home dunks as the leader of the road villains. This marks the 14th consecutive championship victory for San Antone, a league-best 19th as a professional basketball organization, as the Spurs relish their status as the winningest ball club ever.

The Philadelphia 76ers have now gone 0-4, meeting the Spurs in 4 of the past 5 NBA seasons, which is no small feat, though it would be sweeter with a title. Two of the meetings ended in four games, with the other two going the length of 5. Ben Simmons has come and gone from the Sixers, and the newer duo James Harden & Joel Embiid have had some sizzling showdowns with the Spurs, but it has yet to lead to a championship, begging the question of what is the missing factor in cracking the code of the Spurs. Other teams like the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers & Memphis Grizzlies have taken this team to the brink of elimination in a 7 game series over the years, but Philadelphia has not come close, winning just 2 games out of 18.

For the Spurs, the timeless question will be "how can this dynasty get even stronger?" as the offseason unfolds. Coach Popovich & R.C. Buford have some decisions to make with free agents and will need to respond strongly to moves made by the league's 29 other teams.

The Finals: Spurs edge 76ers for pivotal 3-0 lead in thriller, 147-141.

San Antonio came in with its firepower, hitting 21 threes, but Philly finally put together a strong game making 15 of their own from deep. Both teams shot above 50%, but the Spurs drew more free points at the charity stripe, making all but one.

The Spurs scorched Philly, 46-29 in the 1st Quarter, then 45-39 in the second for a huge halftime advantage. With series control on the line, the 76ers made a valiant comeback in the 3rd Quarter, 41-29, then eeked out more points in the final period, 32-27, but they needed 39 to carry the day. They got very close, but never took the lead in Game 3, trailing by as large as 25 points.

Joel Embiid had 25 points with 9 rebounds, 3 steals & 2 blocks. Tobias Harris had 23 points, with James Harden dishing 10 assists to go with 22 points (still cold, 2-7 3PT). Tyrese Maxey had 13 points, 6 rebounds & 10 assists. Danny Green continued a cold shooting series, going 3-11 from 3PT range.

For San Antonio, Brandon Ingram officially entered the Finals MVP conversation with 35 points, 8 rebounds & 5 assists. Buddy Hield was no slouch, dropping a fiery 27 points on seven bombs from distance. Dejounte Murray had 22 with 6 assists. Kevin Love had 16 points, 9 rebounds in a nice effort. Andre Drummond had 14 rebounds.

Philly now moves into precarious, sadly familiar territory against the Spurs in the NBA Finals, on the brink of season-ending elimination.

The Finals: Spurs hold off 76ers in Game 2, 115-126. (2-0)

Dejounte Murray led the Spurs in Game 2 with 19 points, with Andre Drummond's double-double of 17 points, 13 rebounds, with 4 blocks, shoring up the interior. Kevin Love contributed 10 boards with 17 points also, hitting 4 threes. Fred VanVleet had 16, as did Brandon Ingram, with 12 from Buddy Hield.

San Antonio won the first three quarters, 36-23, 30-29, 31-26, before a late run by Philly (37-29) made for some excitement, albeit too late. For Philadelphia, Joel Embiid had 24 points with 14 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey had 19 points & 11 assists. James Harden was cold from 3PT range (1-7), but finished with 19 points. Tobias Harris had a strong showing with 18 points, 17 rebounds.

The Finals: Spurs destroy 76ers in Game 1 as Murray nets triple-double, 93-139. (1-0)

The NBA Finals began with two familiar foes in what kicked off a 3rd meeting between the San Antonio Spurs & Philadelphia 76ers. It didn't take long to see the uphill battle Philly has to overcome if they want to knock off the dynastic title king that is San Antone, going down early 10-0.

 Sadly for the Sixers, it only got worse from the outset, as the Spurs led by as many as 49 points throughout, with Philly never once seizing a higher score. By the end of it, Dejounte Murray had earned a triple-double, establishing dominance in his league M-V-P season, orchestrating a near-perfect strategic offense to win Game 1. Murray finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds & 17 assists, carving up the passing lanes and stifling James Harden (13 points, 3 turnovers).

The Rest:

 Joel Embiid had just 10 points in limited action once the score was completely out of reach. Buddy Hield had 20 for the Spurs, hitting six threes. Brandon Ingram had 19 points with 5 steals. Trey Burke splashed in 17, with Kevin Love's 16 and Otto Porter, Jr's 15 points doing the job off the bench.

The Spurs eviscerated the Sixers in the 2nd Quarter, 45-17.

San Antonio's resilience prevails, as Spurs hit next gear to regain lead in Game 4, win 145-125 (4-0).

The Spurs came out to a 33-21 advantage after quarter one, then kept up momentum, only to lose the lead as time ticked down in the 3rd Quarter. Fred VanVleet went off at that point, finishing with 25 points, 10 assists on 7 threes. Memphis had vaporized a 23-PT lead and seized a 1-PT statement, only for it to slip away. San Antonio's lead grew back to double-digits as the Grizzlies realized it was folly to fight the bombardment from long range by the Spurs, who seemed destined for the NBA Finals yet again.

The Spurs had only six turnovers, led by Buddy Hield's 32 points, who hit the dagger in the 4th Quarter as San Antonio pulled its starters. Hield splashed in a deadly 10 three-pointers. Dejounte Murray had 19 points & 10 assists, hitting a statement slam late in the 4th. Brandon Ingram had 18 points, with Kevin Love's 15 points off the bench. Trey Burke had 15 points, hitting 5 from long range.

Against his old team, Brandon Clarke had 12 rebounds. Drummond had 9 with 2 blocks.

In defeat, Ja Morant had 35 points with 12 assists, hitting six threes. Jarren Jackson, Jr finally had a big-time game, albeit too late, with 28 points & 12 rebounds. Kyle Anderson chipped in 14 points. Steven Adams had 12 rebounds. In the victory, the Spurs topped their previous mark in Game 2, this time connecting on a team-record 30 shots from 3PT distance, a testament to their unrivaled firepower.

Spurs withstand early storm by Memphis, win Game 3 132-116. (3-0)

The Grizzlies came out hot, thirsting for a victory to climb out of an 0-2 hole, but it was not to be, as the Spurs got a 30-piece from Trey Burke, who hit a new career-high 10 shots from 3PT territory (his previous being 8). The Spurs led by 10 after the 1st Quarter, then by 20 at halftime. The Grizzlies tried to come back, but San Antonio controlled the lead until the final buzzer.

For what it's worth, Ja Morant had a much better game with 32 points & 11 assists. Steven Adams had 20 points, 12 rebounds with 3 steals. Jarren Jackson, Jr had 16 points with 3 blocks, but Dillon Brooks shot 5-14 and just 1-5 from 3PT range.

Not far behind Burke was Buddy Hield, who hit 8 threes for 28 points with 3 steals. Brandon Ingram had a solid 21 points with Fred VanVleet's 16 helping maintain the lead. Dejounte Murray had 7 assists, with Drummond scooping up 19 rebounds with 3 blocks.

Memphis now finds themselves in a 0-3 hole, unable to stop San Antonio's perimeter firestorm. The Spurs hit 26 from downtown this time, leading by as many as 23 points, spoiling a nine-turnovers game by Memphis.

Spurs smoke Grizzlies at home, go up 2-0 in Western Conference Finals.

The Grizzlies, who once took San Antonio to a seven-game war, got emphatically stomped in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals, which saw the Spurs hit a team-record 27 3PT shots.

Ja Morant is arguably the more athletic point guard than Dejounte Murray, reminiscent of Murray years ago before the dynasty organization left behind by Tony Parker began to give "DJ" the reins of the future. Memphis would never let Morant go and he can expect a giant payday when his rookie contract ends.

In Game 1, the Spurs scorched Memphis in the opening quarter, 42-21, winning the game 109-128 and leading by as much as 32. Dejounte Murray had 20 points, 7 assists & 7 steals. Trey Burke splashed in 20 points, going 4-5 from deep range. Buddy Hield dropped 18 points, with VanVleet & Ingram combining for 28. Andre Drummond had 14 rebounds. Brandon Clarke had 9 & 7 against his old team. Ja Morant had 14 points, 10 assists, going 5-13 from the field. Desmond Bane scored 18, with Dillon Brooks' 17 points on 6-15 shooting just nowhere near enough to make a run at the upset. Steven Adams devoured the glass for 18 rebounds in defeat.

The Grizzlies did not expect the tenacious defense by the Spurs, however, as they had a staggering 26 turnovers in Game 2. They led by a single point only once in Game 2, losing badly 106-144. This Spurs team is not of the same perimeter shooting caliber as the team Memphis took to 7 Games, and it is already apparent two games into this series for the western conference crown. Memphis is scoring just fine by themselves, but they've got to figure out a way to stop or slow down the Spurs, who had 43 fast break points in Game 2. Morant had an awful 9 turnovers, finishing with 18 points.

Morant did not receive much help from his teammates, with Dillon Brooks having 6 turnovers, three of them coming in the 1st Quarter and on the first possession (since Memphis won both jump balls). Steven Adams continues to be a presence down low, scoring 10 points with 11 rebounds in Game 2. But Jarren Jackson, Jr has done very little to resemble the awesome play that saw this team hand San Antonio one of its only 3 defeats this season. In that game, Jackson, Jr, had 33 points & 11 rebounds with 4 blocks. Jackson had just 8 points in Game 2 and that will not do the job. Jackson had 20 in Game 1.

The Spurs were led by Fred VanVleet, whose 31 points on nine 3PT bombs helped establish dominance early. Buddy Hield contributed 21, with Dejounte Murray nearing a triple-double of 20 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists & 5 steals. Brandon Ingram had 19 points, with 16 coming from Trey Burke and 26 from Otto Porter, Jr. & Kevin Love. Andre Drummond had 11 rebounds with 3 blocks.

As the series shift to Memphis, the Grizzlies are hoping to play better and resemble that team (which is mostly intact, roster-wise) that took the champions to the brink last season and won that regular season game despite 41 points by Dejounte Murray.