San Antonio Spurs

Paine: LeBron James' clutch start

Neil Paine examines the five biggest trends of the playoffs so far through the lens of the Heat-Pacers series. While the numbers point toward Indiana winning Game 6, LeBron James has distinguished himself as the most clutch superstar through two rounds.

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

ESPN NBA analyst Magic Johnson talks about the state of the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Heat-Pacers, Thunder-Spurs, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

Vitale: Thunder-Spurs should be great

Dick Vitale may be known for his love for college hoops, but he can't help but get excited about the Western Conference Finals matchup between the Thunder and the Spurs.

First Cup: Thursday

Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: The Celtics are not expected to have Avery Bradley for the rest of the season because of a left shoulder injury. A source close to Bradley told the Globe that the percentile is in the "high 90s" that Bradley will be shut down and will perhaps need surgery.

Wednesday Mini-Bullets

Ramona Shelbourne with a great profile on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers at the end of another disappointing season: "The circle of people Kobe Bryant trusts is small and getting smaller.

Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs look like the teams to beat in NBA playoffs

TeamRankings: Debating Garnett vs. Duncan

Based on their career arcs and statistics, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett could be seen as equals. But that doesn't tell the full story. Austin Link of TeamRankings.com writes that there's only one way to settle this: a meeting in the NBA Finals.

Palmer: Five breakout players for 2012-13

Chris Palmer offers his top five playoffs breakout players.

Parting Shot: Give Popovich Credit

Bob Ryan reflects on Gregg Popovich's coaching job in San Antonio and thinks he deserves more credit.