Ah, the San Antonio Spurs. Once they were great. Really, truly great. Four NBA titles great.
Now they are the biggest play-off disappointment in NBA history.
The mighty Spurs, best record in the Western Conference - best record in the league for most of the season - were summarily dismissed by a young Memphis Grizzlies team that went 46-36 in the regular season but were not scared of San Antonio, who won 61 games yet became only the second No 1 seed to get ousted in the first-round by a No 8 seed. If the Spurs were embarrassed they hid it well.
"We were hoping at some point that they would fold under the pressure, make some mistakes, and they didn't," San Antonio's Tim Duncan said. "They did the exact opposite." Duncan is one of the greatest power forwards of all time, but he is 35 and averaged just 12.7 points per game against Memphis. He looked old. The Spurs looked old, and you might think this is the perfect time for an overhaul, a reinventing of the Spurs.
Except Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Duncan and Gregg Popovich, the coach, are under contract for next season. The Spurs won 61 games. Their core returns.
But the Spurs as we once knew them, as we thought we knew them this season, are no more. They captured their last title in 2007.
Since 2009, they have a 7-14 play-off record. They have won just one play-off series in the past three years. And they just wasted a 61-win season.
sports@thenational.ae
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May 20, final
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Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
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Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
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Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars