Spurs blow out Blazers for 3rd straight time, lead series 3-0
Another night, another game where the San Antonio Spurs were simply too much for the Portland Trail Blazers. Just like in the first two games of the series, the Spurs opened up a comfortable lead early and more or less cruised from there, save for a few brief bursts from the Blazers and their raucous Moda Center faithful.
In the end, the Spurs won 118-103 extending their series lead to 3-0 and putting the Blazers on the brink of elimination. Over three games, the Spurs have outscored Portland by 56 points, and it's simply unclear what the Blazers can do different to change their fortunes.
Star Performer
Tony Parker continued his dominant series, scoring 29 points on 12-of-20 shooting and adding five assists. The ease with which he's been able to carve through the defense has been a confounding work of basketball artistry, and he's now averaging 26 points and 8.3 assists in the series on 52.4 percent shooting.
It's also worth appreciating Tim Duncan, who moved into fifth on the NBA's all-time playoff scoring list with a 19-point night.
Turning Point
Stuck 20 points at half, the Blazers roared out to a 17-4 run to begin the third quarter, trimming the lead to just seven points, an attainable goal with about 19 minutes left to play. Unfortunately, they'd get no closer, and a 9-0 run by the Spurs midway through the fourth moved the margin back beyond 20 points.
Highlight Reel
The highlights were mostly from the victors in this one, including the highest-arcing shot we can remember, courtesy of Parker, and a beautiful outlet pass from Duncan to Kawhi Leonard:
But it wasn't just the stars getting it done. The author's all-time favorite player, Boris Diaw, was also contributing with some nifty offensive work:
And if a 3-0 series deficit isn't painful enough, there was also this bone-crushing Tiago Splitter screen at midcourt, nothing new for the Spurs:
If you're starving for Blazers highlights, well...the stadium looked cool, and they gave out stuffed snakes. There was also this, which was pretty cool:
FANTASTIC tribute to Dr Jack Ramsay by a couple of Blazers fans pic.twitter.com/E6hZCxesfI
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) May 11, 2014
Quote of the Game
We're going to double down with a pair of Gregg Popovich quotes, as the Coach of the Year stays killing us with that dry wit.
Popovich on whether any critters were seen in the Spurs' locker room "We expected a beaver but we didn't see one."
— Anne M. Peterson (@AnnieMPeterson) May 11, 2014
"He's the head of the snake" -- Pop on Parker. That troll.
— SB Nation NBA (@SBNationNBA) May 11, 2014
(For context: The Blazers found a snake in their locker room before Game 2.)
Series at a Glance
Game 1: SAS 116, POR 92 (Spurs lead 1-0)
Game 2: SAS 114, POR 97 (Spurs lead 2-0)
Game 3: SAS 118, POR 103 (Spurs lead 3-0)
Game 4: Monday, May 12, 10:30 p.m. (TNT)
Game 5*: Wednesday, May 14, TBD (TNT)
Game 6*: Friday, May 16, TBD (ESPN)
Game 7*: Monday, May 19, TBD (TNT)