• The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers will face off tomorrow and Lakers’ Andrew Bynum says 
he will give it a go despite an injury:
Andrew Bynum said he would try to play against San Antonio (40-8) despite a bone bruise in his left knee, and the Lakers will try to reduce the 6 1/2 -game-difference between the teams in the Western Conference standings.
“He looked like he was ready,” [Phil] Jackson said of Bynum. (source latimes.com)
• The Portland Trail Blazers may have beaten the Spurs last night, but Portland coach Nate McMillan knows a winner when he sees one:
“That organization has been consistent,” Portland coach Nate McMillan says. “Some would call it a dynasty.” (source portlandtribune.com)
• Speaking of the Trail Blazers-Spurs game from last night, did you catch Manu Ginobili’s fake on Trail Blazers’ Dante Cunningham? Check it out:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rvK3Ys2umE&w=421&h=254]
• A dream NBA Finals matchup would be the Spurs vs. the Boston Celtics:
With all due respect to David Stern, Pat Riley, Miami’s Big Three, Kobe Bryant, Phil Jackson, everybody at ABC and the millions of NBA fans who are dying to see a Miami Heat-L.A. Lakers Finals, we’ve got a better championship series waiting for you in June.
Boston-San Antonio.
That’s right, Celtics versus Spurs.
What’s that, if you’re forced to watch those two teams, you won’t need Sominex to help you get some sleep?
Sure, Boston-San Antonio wouldn’t have the glitz or glamour of a Lakers-Heat Finals and the first-ever June showdown between Kobe and LeBron. We have to admit, we’re rooting for that matchup because we’d like to see at least one Finals pitting the game’s top two players. As far as sheer entertainment goes, who wouldn’t want to see Lakers-Heat, especially with a lockout looming only a few weeks after they put the balls away for the season? (source msn.foxsports.com)
• After the recent drug violation by Memphis Grizzlies O.J. Mayo, the Spurs are careful to what their players intake to avoid the same issue as Mayo is dealing with:
The Spurs regularly distribute dietary supplements to players, part of the conditioning regimen that falls under the purview of strength and conditioning coaches Mike Brungardt and Chris White. But each product has been thoroughly vetted.
Along with the vitamins and minerals, they dispense advice.
“We meet with every player individually and go over all supplements we use, which we’ve obviously researched, even visited the labs to make sure everything is up to snuff,” Brungardt said. “When we have the first team meeting of the year, we address the fact we want all of them to use only supplements we’re providing. If they have something else they want to use, they have to make us aware of it so we can make sure it’s safe and not to use anything at all they got over the counter.
“It’s just too risky, and that’s something we re-emphasize a couple of times each season.” (source Express News)
• NBA.com recently discussed which team is best in the NBA. Seems it mainly came down to the Spurs or the Celtics. Here is an excerpt:
David Aldridge: The Spurs. Right now? Absolutely. But in June, the Lakers are still my favorite. I haven’t learned much over the years, but one thing I have learned is that you dismiss defending champions at your peril. L.A. is struggling to find its A game during the regular season, but when the playoffs start, and it’s just one opponent, and Phil Jackson and Jim Cleamons and Frank Hamblen and Brian Shaw can zero in and take away what you want, and Kobe is Kobe, and the Lakers’ 21 feet of big men are healthy and engaged, I’ll take L.A. until further notice.
Steve Aschburner: So this is trick juxtaposition, eh? The best team in the league, in my opinion, is the San Antonio Spurs. Their record, their maturity, their knack for taking care of business in all circumstances are unsurpassed. But they aren’t my favorites to win The Finals – that would be the Boston Celtics. Boston is a little shaggier in the regular season, with injuries making for some funky lineups and rotations. But these guys know the window is closing on them in a way even the Spurs don’t face, and they won’t be forgetting how close they came last June.
• Express News’ Tim Griffin discusses how many Spurs will make the All-Star squad.
• The New Zealand basketball team Southland Sharks signed guard Jordan Lawley and Lawley compares his game after Spurs Manu Ginobili:
The Southland Sharks have nabbed the man they hope will solve their outside shooting woes from last season.
American import Jordan Lawley signed with the franchise yesterday and will arrive in Invercargill next month.
Lawley said his playing style was similar to San Antonio Spurs’ star Manu Ginobili and that he had a strong inside and outside game. “I’m known for my three point shooting and I’m a Manu Ginobili kind of slasher to the hoop. I like to create a couple of highlight reels,” he laughed. (source stuff.co.nz)
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