HoopsHype.com Rumors

Unofficially, the team’s medical staff estimates it could be a week to 10 days for Splitter to return, a timetable that would make him available for most if not all of the second round. “He’s been really special for us,” Popovich said before Saturday’s practice at a gym in Santa Monica, Calif. “Hopefully, we can get him back as soon as possible. Somebody else will have to step in and guard their big guys.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tiago Splitter, Injuries 

Though it left him with blurred vision, point guard Tony Parker seemed unconcerned about a scratch to the white part of his right eye, suffered when Darius Morris reached for a steal midway through the second quarter Friday. “It was a little bit blurry in the second half, it’s a little bit blurry this morning,” Parker said before Saturday’s workout. “The doctors say (Sunday) it should be fine.” Parker made three consecutive jumpers after the poke but said his vision got worse as the game went along. “I was not really seeing the rim,” Parker said. “I asked the doc, ‘I think something’s wrong with my right eye.’” Parker is on a three-day regimen of special drops in the eye to promote healing. His latest injury is opposite the eye scratched in the infamous New York City nightclub brawl last summer and is significantly less severe. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Injuries 

Coach Gregg Popovich says starting center Tiago Splitter is out indefinitely after spraining his left ankle late in the third quarter of the Spurs’ 120-89 Game 3 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. Unofficially, the team’s medical staff estimates it could be a week to 10 days for Splitter to return, a timetable that would make him available for most if not all of the second round. “He’s been really special for us,” Popovich said before Saturday’s practice at a gym in Santa Monica, Calif. “Hopefully, we can get him back as soon as possible. Somebody else will have to step in and guard their big guys.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tiago Splitter, Injuries 

This isn’t just about the Spurs having a plug-and-play piece to replace Tiago Splitter. This is about a moment for Blair to show other teams what they could have had in February, and what they can still get this summer when he becomes a free agent. An audition? “It is,” Blair said. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, DeJuan Blair 

Jeff McDonald: Diaw will have a contact practice this morning, but will not play Game 4. Twitter @JMcDonald_SAEN

San Antonio Spurs, Injuries, Boris Diaw 

Jeff McDonald: Splitter out indefinitely with ankle sprain, Pop says. Could return for Round 2. Twitter @JMcDonald_SAEN

San Antonio Spurs, Tiago Splitter, Injuries 

Against Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker. And in this universe, that can only mean one thing: Final score, 120-89, the worst home playoff loss in franchise history. San Antonio up 3-0 in the series. “I thought our guys played as hard as they could play,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said after. “but they ran out of gas toward the end.” SheridanHoops

Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Mike D'Antoni, Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan 

Starting power forward Tiago Splitter is expected to miss 7-10 days with a sprained left ankle, according to a Twitter post by Express-News columnist Buck Harvey. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tiago Splitter, Injuries 

Buck Harvey: Diaw walked out in a suit. He said it's possible he plays Sunday - needs to prove he can with contact Saturday #spurs Twitter @Buck_SA

San Antonio Spurs, Injuries, Boris Diaw 

A pair of fans got into a brief fist fight as the crowd spilled out of the AT&T Center after the Spurs’ 102-91 victory over the Lakers Wednesday in the second game of their first round playoff series. The fight, shown on video at kens5.com, lasted less than a minute. A Spurs spokesperson told KENS 5 that the organization, which hires off-duty Bexar County deputies to augment security at games, is reviewing the situation. San Antonio Express-News

Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs 

Danny Green: Happy bday to the greatest to ever do it at his position...Timmy D Twitter @DGreen_14

San Antonio Spurs, Danny Green, Tim Duncan 

Olga Jimenez: San Antonio Spurs were interested in signing Andres Nocioni before the playoffs. Twitter

San Antonio Spurs, Caja Laboral, Spain, Andres Nocioni 

Tim Duncan’s sixth-place finish in the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year voting sparked debate in the Spurs’ locker room about the difficulty media members face in choosing a winner for that award. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan 

“It is the toughest award they give away because players don’t vote,” Ginobili said. “It’s the player that (goes) against other players who know. Sometimes the best rebounder is not the best defender; or the best in steals is not a great defender. He just gambles a lot. It could be (an award for players to choose), but it’s been going on for so many years. It’s not that I’m complaining, but probably we do know better than the media.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan 

A guy the Spurs had tried to go away from, came back. Matt Bonner, relegated to comedic relief this season, best known for indie groups and his Red Mamba nickname, found unfamiliar footing. He made shots Wednesday, which is what he does best. But he mostly made Dwight Howard work when he didn’t make him mad. Bonner called it, for those who would like to Google the phrase, “Chumbawamba defense.” San Antonio Express-News

Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Dwight Howard, Matt Bonner 

Janis Carr: D'Antoni: "They are much more efficient than we are." Twitter @janiscarr

Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Mike D'Antoni 

Mike Trudell: Asked Popovich how Duncan does it at this level 16 years in. Said Tim had extremely rare commitment, physically/mentally. Just like Kobe. Twitter @LakersReporter

Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Kobe Bryant, Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan 

No Spur is as entertaining, whether he’s the fictional Coach B or just a man on the street with an opinion. He’s at his best when he’s making fun of himself, and he did last fall when the Spurs were going through some drills with the local boxer, “Jesse” James Leija. Someone joked that all of this must be new to him, and he objected with a straight face. “You don’t understand,” he said. “I grew up in the mean streets of Concord, New Hampshire.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Matt Bonner 

Spurs center DeJuan Blair has agreed to pay back more than $53,000 he owes a local jeweler who let him take merchandise on credit three years ago, lawyers for both sides said. “Mr. Blair thought this was being handled,” his attorney Alex Nava said. “It kind of fell threw the cracks and when he got wind of it he took appropriate actions to take care of the matter as quickly as possible.” San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, DeJuan Blair, Law 

Dwain Price: "He's a huge key with what we do. He's been here a long time and really knows our system." - #Spurs PG Tony Parker on teammate Manu Ginobili Twitter @DwainPrice

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili