The Riverwalk: Quest for Four (San Antonio Spurs)

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The Spurs traveled to the prestigious Madison Square Garden to face the new-look Knicks. Both teams struggled in the first quarter with the score at just 15-14, away team.

Knicks needed a spark, assumingly from Carmelo Anthony, but the star player only added 10 points on 5-13 shooting. New addition Arron Afflalo gave the home team five more than Melo, but the Spurs simply scored better.

Tim Duncan had 16 points and 7 rebounds, with Andrei Kirilenko chipping in 17 points of his own. There was not much excitement in this one as the Spurs picked up an easy road win.

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The Spurs got a first look at the #3 pick in the NBA draft and Jahlil Okafor played well for the 76ers, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. It was San Antonio that dominated the game for three quarters, however. The 76ers went down with a fight, cutting the lead to 3, but it was too late as the Spurs iced the game at the free throw line.

In the fourth quarter rally, former Kings draft pick, Nick Stauskas scored 21 points including a contested 3 over two Spurs defenders that cut the lead to just 3. Kendall Marshall distributed the ball nicely for the home team with 12 assists, also adding 15 points. Prospect Nerlens Noel jammed in 11 points and yanked in 9 rebounds.

But the Spurs were stronger and consistent. New Spur Ray Allen nailed 16 points, Tiago Splitter had a double-double and Manu Ginobili chipped in 12 points with 7 assists in Tony Parker's stead, who struggled with turnovers from the outset.

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The 8-0 Spurs visited the 7-0 Wizards, and both teams proved why they were undefeated. The Wizards capitalized on a rocky start by the Spurs, but the defending champions have become the masters of the comeback. This game would culminate in a tale of two halves.

The Spurs erased the 10 point deficit to tie the game by halftime and the second half was theirs. It became clear that Washington's stars, John Wall and Bradley Beal, were having bad games and turning the ball over only helped San Antonio's recovery.

Speaking of recovery, Tyrus Thomas (who has been a nice role player so far) filled in for Andrei Kirilenko, whose hamstring injury came against the 76ers, scoring 11 points. Manu Ginobili had 20 points, Boris Diaw contributed 14 points and Ray Allen gave 12 of his own.

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A weary Spurs team nearly lost its undefeated streak in Salt Lake City, but two clutch 3s by Ray Allen affirmed why he was now a Spur and a clear path foul (2 shots and possession) on Kawhi Leonard sealed the victory for San Antonio in front of a wild crowd.

The Spurs offense ran better than lately, outscoring Utah 21-10 in the first quarter. It was troublesome defense that let the Jazz back into the game, outscoring San Antonio 22-12 before halftime.

The second half remained tight due to 17--seventeen!--turnovers by the Spurs and Utah's stars doing well in response, Gordon Hayward with 19 points and Trey Burke one less with 7 assists. Kawhi Leonard stalemated Hayward with 19 points of his own and Tony Parker almost did likewise to Burke, with 14 points and 7 assists. In the middle, Tiago Splitter (9pts/9rebs) was two shy of another double-double.

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The Boston Celtics are always an exciting adversary due to the team's rich history. In a clash of past and present dominance, the Spurs would rely on future star Kawhi Leonard (28 points) and win after a strong second half.

Failing to find a rhythm in the first half, the Spurs had to deal with tough by the Celtics whose Avery Bradley finished with 17 points. In doubt, the champs turned to Tony Parker (23 points/7 assists) and soon a flow was established on the court.

San Antonio went on to win the final two quarters 19-30 and 22-33, with Boston struggling due to hard-nose defense, especially by Danny Green who held Bradley to 7-19 shooting. Ray Allen had 11, Ginobili had 10, Duncan had 8 and Splitter neared a double-double.

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In this rematch of opening night a war of attrition was fought, with Tim Duncan (30 points) leading the Spurs to a narrow victory. Both teams struggled to score, and Mike Conley (32 points) weathered the storm for Memphis, despite not shooting well (12-27).

Things seemed better early as San Antonio got off to a hot start, though Grizzlies stayed within 4 points after one quarter and actually led by halftime. Spurs would edge Memphis 28-23 and and 24-21 in the second half en route to a tough win.

Prospect Ray McCallum hit some clutch 3s in the second half and San Antonio's defense forced turnovers. A "dagger" shot was out of grasp, with every marksman missing late, until Tony Parker made a tough layup to obtain a 3-PT lead in the final minute. After being intentionally fouled, Duncan made a pair of free throws which minimized the impact of a late 3 by Mike Conley.

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In a likely preview of the NBA Finals, the Spurs and Cavaliers faced off. A neck-and-neck showdown from start to finish, including overtime, saw both teams giving it all on the court.

LeBron James, however, spent much of this game on the bench due to rare foul trouble. Though he did make an impact upon reentering the game, his impact was stifled with just 10 points and 6 assists.

It was Kevin Love (14pts/10rebs) that would have the memorable play of the game, as a three pointer over two Spurs went through the twine at the buzzer, forcing an extra period of play after Cleveland resorted to intentional fouling. Though the Spurs would dominate overtime (15-6), the spent Cavaliers certainly made them earn this victory.

Kawhi Leonard nearly had a triple-double (19pts/9rebs/5asts), Manu Ginobili had 16 points with 4 assists, and Tim Duncan, still hot after the game with Memphis, had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tony Parker had 16 and Danny Green got a trio of steals to accompany 15pts. Efficient team play gave Spurs the advantage and tough defense held Kyrie Irving (21pts/11asts) to 8-20 from the field.

On the losing side, Anderson Varejao had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Iman Shumpert had 13 points, but only shot 6-16 due to Green's defense.

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Spurs built an early lead but the fierce Pelicans (without Jrue Holiday) stuck around, with Anthony Davis succeeding at lots of put back points from offensive rebounds despite a quiet night (10pts/11rebs).

Pelicans took lead back early in 4th quarter mostly due to Tyreke Evans (19pts/8rebs) and also a 3pter by Eric Gordon (5-21), but it was Ray Allen that nailed a 3 in the clutch to reclaim the lead for San Antonio. Struggling, New Orleans couldn't score against the Spurs defense in the final 2 minutes and the Spurs survived.

Austin Daye (14pts/4 3PTers) was remarkably productive, but Manu Ginobili poorly ran the floor during the run by New Orleans, before hitting an apologetic 3. Otherwise, Tony Parker (18pts/7asts) and Tim Duncan (19pts/6rebs) turned back the clock early on with a stellar pick & roll exchange. Kawhi Leonard (20pts/6asts/5rebs) as usual was solid on the break, but had a kink in his shot, yet still nearing a triple-double.