Larry Brown Sports

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker decided to have a little too much fun at a Halloween party this year, and now they are hearing about it from all angles. As you can see from the photo above that was posted on Reddit and quickly made the internet rounds, Parker and Duncan dressed up as characters from “The Avengers” and held fake guns to the head of a person dressed as NBA officiating veteran Joey Crawford.

Many people thought the bit was violent and in poor taste. Parker and Duncan were not made available for comment on Monday, but teammate Manu Ginobili didn’t think the costumes were a big deal.

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Leandro Ginobili, the older brother of Spurs star Manu Ginobili, has a reputation in Argentina for being honest and outspoken. He is a media personality, as he writes for the Spanish newspaper Ole and does color commentary for a state-owned TV station. And he doesn’t think much of the Spanish national basketball team.

After Brazil defeated Spain 88-82 on Monday, Leandro took to Twitter to blast the Spanish team for what he perceived to be throwing the game. Since it was their last game before the knockout round, Ginobili believes Spain lost intentionally to avoid playing the US later in the week. According to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype.com, the tweet roughly translated to calling the Spanish players “pussies.”

“If you understand just a little bit about basketball, it should be clear that Spain didn’t want to win the game,” Ginobili told HoopsHype.com. “I would be OK with giving the main guys on the team a break, but not with the attitude displayed. When you’re 5-6 points behind with two minutes to go and you don’t foul and you play long possessions, that’s strange, right?

“Spain has been the top FIBA team for the past five years, but they put a stain on the sport. Their attitude was uncalled for.”

If Spain’s plan was to avoid Team USA until a potential matchup in the gold medal game, it worked. They defeated France on Wednesday in the quarterfinal — although one of their players had to get punched in the man region in the process — and will face Russia in the semifinal on Friday. As for whether or not giving less than 100% to avoid the best team in the tournament would be cowardly, that’s up for you to decide. The idea is to win a gold medal, so perhaps the Spanish team was simply doing what they thought gave them the best chance to accomplish that goal.

H/T I am A GM

Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are accustomed to winning basketball games together, but on Tuesday only one of them will be victorious when France takes on Argentina at the Olympics. Such is the joy of Olympic basketball. Argentina’s Ginobili and France’s Parker will likely find themselves guarding one another in London, and Ginobili says he already has a strategy in mind.

Parker, who suffered an eye injury after the NBA season ended during a nightclub brawl involving rappers Chris Brown and Drake, has been wearing protective goggles during play. According to Spurs Nation, Manu is planning to use that to his advantage.

“Go right up to him and go ‘whooo!’” Ginobili said while demonstrating how he would blow air out of his mouth. “That should fog up his goggles.”

Sounds like a simple strategy that just might work. Unfortunately for France, Ginobili may not even need gimmicks to keep Parker at bay. The Spurs star was 4-for-11 shooting with four turnovers during France’s loss to the USA over the weekend, and he admitted that the month he had to take off of basketball after the eye injury has left him “totally out of shape.”

Having seen how much zip Ginobili is capable of putting on a pass, I’d be worried about not being able to see basketballs that are flying my way at close to the speed of light if I was Parker.

H/T The Basketball Jones

The Spurs are just two wins away from their fifth trip to the NBA Finals, but this almost wasn’t this case, as the team reportedly considered making big moves last summer that would have altered the franchise’s future. Acccording to the New York Post’s Peter Vecsey, Spurs brass was willing to part ways with stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in an effort to get younger and healthier:

Spurs management called around the league to let the right people know that every player was touchable, exempting Tim Duncan. Owner Peter Holt, team president/coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford were committed to honor Duncan’s reign of scandal-drama-free excellence (four titles) over 14 seasons until he decided not to play for pay anymore.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, I must reemphasize, were available for the appropriate equity.

Well, then.

This is obviously striking because Parker and Ginobili are two of the biggest reasons why San Antonio, just coming off a 20-game win streak, is the favorite for many to win it all this season. But apparently the Spurs, frustrated by a hugely disappointing first-round exit last season, felt they needed to consider all options. Looking back, no Parker or Ginobili likely means no 20 straight wins, no best record in the league and no shot at the title.

Luckily, the Spurs didn’t have the onions to pull the trigger on any deals. Not so delighted are the Thunder, Heat and Celtics.

H/T I am a GM
Photo: Brendan Maloney-US PRESSWIRE

Manu Ginobili already has a reputation for being a well known flopper. James Harden is an emerging flop artist. So when the two collided in the fourth quarter of Game 1 between the Spurs and Thunder on Sunday night, they both went down as if a grenade had gone off in the area.

Ginobili got the foul call, so I guess his veteran reputation helped in the situation. He also was the best player in the game, going for 26 points on 9-14 shooting. It’s pretty obvious he’s what the Spurs were missing when they lost to the Grizzlies in the first round last year.

Chest bump Black Sports Online

Manu Ginobili may have a career as a left-handed reliever when his NBA playing days are over, if his pass to Matt Bonner on Friday night is any indication. The Spurs guard threw the hardest pass I’ve ever seen in a basketball game and it went to Bonner for a fourth-quarter assist against the Lakers. The stadium scoreboard listed the pass at 102 mph, but scouts sitting behind home plate said that was a slight exaggeration and had him clocked at 99. Lakers coach Mike Brown planned to counter the hard-throwing lefty with a right-handed pinch hitter off the bench.

Video via Eye on Basketball

The Spurs miraculously came back to beat the Grizzlies in Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs Wednesday evening in what had to have been the best game of the postseason thus far. The Spurs were down by three with under 10 seconds left and staring elimination in the face. This is the same San Antonio team that earned the top spot in the Western Conference, has won three titles with their core three, and whose window was closing. But for at least a day, the basketball gods ensured the Spurs legend would live on.

Check out these amazing shots made by both Manu Ginobili and Gary Neal that helped send the game to overtime. These two shots are every reason why it’s awesome to be a sports fan — skip ahead to the two minute mark in the video:

After such a crushing defeat in Game 5, I really wonder who has the more difficult task to conquer. San Antonio needs to win two more games to win the series while Memphis only needs one. Will they be demoralized after blowing a chance to clinch the series and advance? Will they be able to recover? Will the Spurs carry the momentum they gained from the thrilling comeback for the rest of the series? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s what makes watching these playoffs so darn exciting. I do have to tell you, I would favor the Spurs at this point. If Memphis can clinch the series, they will have accomplished a more impressive feat even though they’re ahead in the series.