The Finals - Spurs win NBA Championship; close out Raptors, 106-85. (4-0)

In quiet "Spurs"-like fashion, the Spurs won the NBA Title.

The Raptors had their best game of the series, with the lead up for grabs in the 3rd Quarter, but the Spurs regained control and succeeded at a 4-0 stranglehold to this series.

Once again, the Spurs came out strong winning the first quarter 33-18. Toronto would recover somewhat in the 2nd Quarter, but the Spurs won the third 28-21 and held off the desperate home team 22-14 in an unremarkable final period that had most fans heading for the exits, an underwhelming turnout to the team's first trip to the Finals during the era of dominance by LeBron James.

Pau Gasol played well in the Finals.

The Spurs shot 50% and claimed the glass 46-31, including 10 second chance opportunities that crippled any hopes for momentum by Toronto. Both teams were sloppy, but the Spurs had 11 steals and 9 blocks. In the season-ending defeat, Kyle Lowry had 25 points, making 4/7 from long range.

DeRozan's Raptors got swept in four, one-sided games.

DeMar DeRozan had 19 points, but went 0-3 from long range. Norman Powell went scoreless from the field and Serge Ibaka's presence was not felt on the boards, finishing with only 13 points. Toronto's bench was not much help, either, and their other starter, CJ Miles, shot just 2/8. Its young big men, Poetl & Siakam, had a relatively quiet night, making the outcome a near certainty.

Pau Gasol had 26 points with 13 rebounds on 84% shooting. Despite Kawhi Leonard's heroic play throughout the playoffs, Gasol took the Finals MVP honors once again with 2 blocks. Leonard had 22 points with 4 steals. Iman Shumpert capped off a strong Finals performance with 14 points, 3 steals and 7 rebounds. Jeremy Lamb had 8 points, Davis Bertans had 6; Bismack Biyombo denied 3 blocks with 7 rebounds. Patty Mills had 17 points, making a trio of daggers from deep.

Coach Popovich & Tony Parker did it again!

A season that saw prospects improve, the old guard challenge the new, and everything else in-between comes to its rightful close: a 7th championship in 8 seasons for the ageless Spurs.

The Finals - Spurs pummel Raptors, 113-83 (3-0)

The Raptors suffered a blowout at home, scoring poorly.

The Raptors fell victim to the ice age in Game 3, shooting poorly from all parts of the court. Meanwhile, the visiting San Antonio Spurs pummeled Toronto with long-range excellence, splashing in 17 three-point daggers. The Raptors shot 34% overall, a staggering deficiency. They lost the opening quarter 28-11, and the other three quarters that followed. San Antonio dominated the boards 58-41, pouring it on as Toronto did the rest of basketball well with few turnovers.

It's hard to lose by thirty points in your own arena, in a game that is ideally meant to renew a team's chances in a playoff series, especially when the opposing team's best player (Kawhi Leonard) had a 1-9 start from the field. The Raptors just kept missing shots inside, outside...with a sigh. Meanwhile, Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Spurs had a foreboding start to the game on a 12-0 run. Mario Hezonja and Davis Bertans burned the Raptors for a quartet of 3PT blows, the visitors roughing up Toronto on every drive. Bismack Biyombo hoarded glass with 13 rebounds and 2 blocks for 8 points. Patty Mills had 8 points with 9 assists, making two long shots. Rudy Gay had six points. Kyle O'Quinn had 5 blocks and 7 rebounds, stifling any comeback chances down low. Dejounte Murray carved up the defense with 12 points inside, making a 3PTer as well and nabbing 1 steal.

Iman Shumpert was in the zone tonight, '3 & D' personified.

Iman Shumpert had 18 points, blocking Fred VanVleet's 3PT attempt, catching the loose ball and nailing a 3PTer of his own. He made four 3PT shots in this game, on 63% shooting overall. Davis Bertans finished with 17 points, getting the active slot over the struggling Bryn Forbes.

Late in the game, Mills whipped a pass to Jeremy Lamb in the corner for three more points, who also made two shots in isolation for 9 points with 2 feisty blocks to boot. Kawhi Leonard went 1/10 overall in just 9 minutes, pulled after the cold start and never truly granted re-entry due to the blowout.

In the loss, Kyle Lowry went 3/12 for 15 points and 1/4 from long range. Serge Ibaka had a decent night with 13 points and 12 rebounds, swatting 4 blocks. DeMar DeRozan went 4/11 (10 points, 5 assists) and CJ Miles went 4/16 for 10 points. Norman Powell went 3/17--everybody was frozen as the Spurs seize control in this series en route to a seventh championship in eight seasons. Will the Raptors thaw as a unit and refuse to fall at home in Game 4? Only time will tell...but their reward for that outcome would be a return visit to San Antonio.

The Finals - Spurs fend off Raptors, 103-112. (2-0)

Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan went at each other.

It was the steal by Kawhi Leonard (19 points, 6 steals) on DeMar DeRozan (14 points, 7/18 shooting) that decided the outcome of this chippy, close game two showdown. The Raptors were clearly playing better, having found their perimeter shot, shooting 55% from long range and making a bunch to tie the game late at 101-101.

An early block on DeRozan by Bismack Biyombo (9 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks) led to an easy 3PTer for Pau Gasol (27 points, 8 rebounds), then it happened again, Gasol getting hot early again like in Game 1. Jakob Poetl and Serge Ibaka again were fierce down low, Poetl finishing with 14 points and 12 rebounds, Ibaka with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Kyle Lowry was the spark of the almost-upset with 26 points and 11 assists, making four 3PTers to keep Toronto within striking distance.

The Spurs had another strong opening quarter, leading 30-18, but only 51-43 at halftime due to an 11-3 run led by DeRozan. The Claw had another highlight dunk over the smaller Lowry in the second quarter, but the Spurs struggled otherwise, letting Toronto get close. The Raptors nearly took the lead to begin the 3rd Quarter as Norman Powell made a 3PT shot. But it was Iman Shumpert's excellent play and effort on both ends that powered the Spurs home to a 2-0 series edge. On a nice cut play, Shumpert freed himself up for a 3PTer in the corner courtesy of a slick pass by Mills. Leonard would steal the ball from DeRozan and launch the ball up to Biyombo for a devastating alley oop slam.

The Raptors return home, nearly getting the 1-1 split.

The lead would grow back to 12 points here, 10 points there, but the Raptors late surge would nearly spoil the home stand by the Spurs, were if not for a big slam by Kawhi and then a strong layup by Shumpert, followed by Rudy Gay (12 points) crossing up the big man Poetl for the easy jumper. DeRozan would try to answer, but was swatted down hard by Biyombo at the basket. Gasol would hit a 3PTer, but Lowry also would, bringing about the tie.

After having the ball stolen from him, DeRozan fouled Leonard, forcing free throws. After a jam by CJ Miles to cut the lead back to four points, Kawhi Leonard would catch a hurried pass up court and bury the 3PT dagger.

The Finals - Spurs handle Raptors, 86-119 (1-0).

The Finals got underway tonight.

The Finals. Where Amazing Happens.

The game opened to Bismack Biyombo swatting a jump shot by DeMar DeRozan and a steal by Iman Shumpert on Lowry leading to a nice layup. Lowry hit a 3PTer, but then was blocked again at the rim by Biyombo. Kawhi Leonard caught a nice pass by Patty Mills for the corner three-pointer, the Spurs going on an 18-0 blitz after a 10-0 run by the Raptors, putting the road team down 33-14 after one.

Pau Gasol had a solid game with 22 points and 6 rebounds on 60% shooting, showing off the full arsenal, playing with Mills well for easy drives on outlet passes, drawing the and-1 foul opportunity. Dunking past Serge Ibaka, Pau had himself a feel-good night. Mario Hezonja came off the bench at the PF position again, netting 19 points and making a trio of 3PTers and shots at the basket, speeding around Ibaka at times more often than being blocked.

Pau Gasol shone for the Spurs in this game.

Spurs fans in attendance enjoyed this 1-0 beat-down.

For Toronto, Kyle Lowry trimmed the lead to 48-59 by halftime, as San Antonio got sloppy with the ball, and Pascal Siakam (10 points, 5 rebounds) and Jakob Poetl (12 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks) showed off their size down low for Toronto, team defense improving and starting to flow for scoring chances. At halftime, DeRozan & Lowry combined for 18 points, but had a hard night following the break. Kawhi Leonard would dupe the Raptors twice with a pair of steals for easy, open 3PT attempts on the wing when he wasn't swatting DeRozan's prayer over the triple-team defense upon driving toward the Spurs basket. A separate block by Biyombo led to a nice 3PTer by Patty Mills, and Shumpert got his licks in too from long range, hitting back-to-back bombs in the second half. Shump was a pest to Lowry all game long, obtaining 4 steals and causing all but one of Lowry's turnovers. Lowry finished with 18 points, as did DeRozan, combining for 36 points but going 11/33 overall together, making only two of eight 3PT attempts.

Kawhi Leonard was the high-point man with 23 points on 9/11 shooting and knocking in 4 of 5 long shots with 4 steals. Serge Ibaka had 10 points with 13 rebounds and 1 block. A spin move past OG Anunoby led to a highlight smash over Siakam, as the San Antonio crowd showered Kawhi with "M-V-P!" chants. A steal by Leonard on the next play would lead to a 3PTer by Jeremy Lamb. Kyle O'Quinn played well behind Biyombo, banging home 12 points and 8 rebounds with 4 blocks. O'Quinn had a few nice put-backs as well, swiping the ball from Poetl in the closing seconds to put in the layup.

Holding Toronto beneath 100 points, the Spurs earned the feel-good 1-0 lead tonight.

Western Conference Finals - Leonard eliminates Durant, 121-118 (4-0)

Kawhi Leonard hit a 3PTer at the buzzer to win the West.

On the brink of elimination, the Golden State Warriors came out firing on all cylinders, going up by 12 points early. A huge 42-33 final quarter by the Spurs made the unlikely possible for the Spurs, playing the road villain in this game. They got close enough to make every Warriors fan uneasy in the stands, the score 59-52: Golden State at halftime, but just 79-85 heading into the be-all, end-all quarter. Mario Hezonja got them within 6 points at the buzzer, splashing in the 3PTer.

After a steal by Leonard led to a jumper for Tony Parker to tie the score at 85, the French floor general hit a 3PTer next, thanks to Mario Hezonja's steal, granting the Spurs an 91-88 advantage--a brisk turn of events to begin the quarter.

Klay Thompson was a lethal weapon in the final quarter.

Meanwhile, Klay Thompson caught fire for 27 points, making shot after shot after shot. "It seems he never misses those catch-and-shoot opportunites," Mike Breen remarked from the commentary booth. Iman Shumpert played Thompson hard each time, making his own shots in response, a whip pass by Tony Parker giving Shump a 3PTer on the wing, the ball splashing through the net to make it 107-101.

Pau Gasol would draw a foul making a layup, notching 20 points on the night, pouring on pressure for the home team. Kevin Durant would make a put-back dunk and two more jams on top of that one, watching Zaza Pachulia's layup cut the lead down to just a single point. Kawhi Leonard would make both free throws in crunch time, and Golden State took a final timeout. The inbound to Durant led to a swarm by a double team, the ball escaping into Steph Curry's hands beyond the 3PT marker. Curry would get trapped, with San Antonio scrambling back to Durant in the corner, whose shot would go in.

The ever-clutch KD nearly saved the day for his team.

118-118, with 4 seconds left on the clock.

"You can't just let your team self-destruct here in these clutch moments," Jeff Van Gundy spoke on the sidelines. The inbound pass to a streaking Kawhi Leonard, who would then bump into Durant, blocking off the drive attempt, would free up the agile Leonard just enough to rise to the side of Durant, stepping past his long frame, as Klay Thompson also offered a hand to contest the shot.

The ball went in.

Kawhi Leonard led his team to the NBA Finals...once again.

After intense replay deliberation, the referees would put .4s back on the clock. A desperate inbound to Curry, whose shot misfired, followed and Golden State's season was officially over. In this epic war, Kawhi Leonard had 26 points and shot 4/8 from long range with 2 blocks. Both teams shot over 50% from the field, with the Spurs making one more three-pointer than the Warriors. An overtime period looming, that one extra make was The Claw's and it caused just enough separation of victory.

Mario Hezonja turned in another strong game with 22 points on 7/14 shooting. Pau Gasol had 7 rebounds also, as Jeremy Lamb delivered 15 points showing off his athletic repertoire. Iman Shumpert had 12 points; Patty Mills had 10 points with 6 assists and Tony Parker chipped in 7 points with 4 assists during that 4th Quarter upswing for San Antonio. Their season and championship aspirations at a premature but fair close, Steph Curry had 16 points and 11 assists; Draymond Green had 12 points with 2 blocks; Zaza Pachulia gave 14 points with 11 rebounds and Kevin Durant's 26 points and game-tying 3PTer will be remembered in unison with Klay Thompson's masterful 27 points that included a handful of long range strokes. The Warriors missed four free throws, but the two top seeds in the west combined for just 13 turnovers.

Ousting King James from his Eastern Conference Throne, DeMar DeRozan's Toronto Raptors await the Spurs, eager for their first Finals and to serve as the final defiance for the defending champions, posing a fresh challenge to San Antonio's conquest.

The Raptors finally bested the Cavaliers, 4-2, to reach the NBA Finals.

Western Conference Finals - Spurs persevere in Oakland, win 117-109 (3-0).

Mario Hezonja was the spark of life in this 3-0 victory.

Mario the marksman came through for the Spurs in this game, sparking the road team as they tried to stifle the Warriors. Meanwhile, the home crowd was amped-up and not wanting to let their Warriors go down 3-0. Alas, that would happen but not without some dramatic moments.

The surprising highlight was Hezonja's lights-out shooting display, scoring a mighty 35 points and crashing in seven long-range daggers into the heart of the Bay Area tonight.

The Warriors whiffed time and time again in the 1st Quarter, going 5-26 overall, missing every kind of shot imaginable. The Spurs opened on a 12-4 run with five fierce blocks early-on, leading 47-41 at halftime, the result of Klay Thompson getting hot and draining a trio of bombs from distance. Then the brutal screen came by Kyle O'Quinn, freeing up Hezonja for that sniper shot. Moreover, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry fired back showing their combined proficiency from deep waters. Patty Mills joined the fun after a steal by Kawhi Leonard set him up on the perimeter, then Mills dished a pass to Mario for another crushing 3PTer in the corner after the Spurs forced a deflection. Hezonja would strike deep again in the closing seconds from the other corner to all but end this 3-0 spectacle.

Steph Curry was determined to fight until the end, willing the Warriors within eight points by the final buzzer, but they just didn't have the strength to stop San Antonio from engaging in this blow-for-blow shootout, a sign of things to come.

Patty Mills made a fade-away 3PTer for good measure, polarizing the crowd as Biyombo roamed the paint hunting for blocks and establishing his fearsome defensive presence down low. Kawhi Leonard jammed home a runaway dunk, Hezonja made an aggressive layup with the free throw and Iman Shumpert shot back at the Warriors during their failed rally. Mario leapt at Durant, blocking his 3PT attempt late, and then Kyle O'Quinn posterized lil' Steph Curry for a monstrous dunk, making the free throw, having been fouled by Curry (despite Steph being the one falling to the hardwood). Hezonja took the load off Leonard in this game, The Claw finishing with only 16 points.

A/N: A power outage took place just after the game ended, wiping out all memory of stats... 😶

Western Conference Finals - Spurs subdue Warriors, 87-106. (2-0)

Patty Mills & Kawhi Leonard were a tough duo to beat tonight.

The Spurs held the Warriors to under 100 points, a daunting feat by itself. The win included another solid showing by Kawhi Leonard, collaborating with Patty Mills on sharp passes, exchanging smart 3PT attempts.

Golden State got within striking distance a few times, shooting better than in Game 1, but mostly due to the strong play by Kevin Durant. However, the Spurs led 67-47 at halftime and 78-63 going into the final quarter. San Antonio's defense was key, forcing steals and forming opportunities on the fast break to the delight of the home crowd, watching its team go up 2-0 in the series.

Strategy in hand, Coach Kerr called a timeout, but Davis Bertans swiped the ball from Kevin Durant and hit a 3PTer to tighten the knot in the collective gut of Golden State. Mills hit another 3PTer to give the Spurs a 102-80 lead.

The Spurs held the Warriors scoring low again, by ten more points too, making a worrisome streak for the Warriors that are used to scoring easily in triple digits. Kawhi Leonard connected with Jeremy Lamb on a 3PTer, swiping the ball from Golden State, winning the second quarter 32-19. San Antonio one-upped in shooting percentage from the field tonight, also winning rebounds and defensive plays. Kawhi finished with a strong 27 points, a double-double of 10 rebounds, with 5 steals. Mills had 20 points, making four three-pointers. Rudy Gay had 15 points and 10 rebounds with four steals of his own, as Iman Shumpert chipped in 13 points with 2 steals. Jeremy Lamb and Pau Gasol combined for 18 points, aided by Bismack Biyombo's 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

"We're homeward bound now. It's all good," Curry told reporters.

Durant finished with 23 points, but just 2-8 from long range. Steph Curry had just 16 points, dishing out 6 assists on 6/18 shooting. Klay Thompson went 3-8 in a quiet night, chased by Leonard all game long in switches. Draymond Green put together 11 points and 12 rebounds, a solid double-double.

The series now shifts to California in the Bay Area, with Golden State looking to make a comeback, lest they take on the hardship of a potential 0-3 deficit. The Spurs will look to do just that, knowing the psychological and practical power that a 3-0 advantage gives a team in a series. Even if things get tight again like we saw in the OKC Thunder match-up, San Antonio takes comfort in knowing it only needs to win 2 more out of the following five games to hoist the Western Conference crown, whereas the Warriors would need to best the Spurs in four of those five games, no easy task.