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5 things to watch in Game 4 of the NBA Finals

By WTOP Staff

TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer

MIAMI (AP) — The Spurs are old.

Tim Duncan is 38, Manu Ginobili is 36, Tony Parker is the youngster in San Antonio’s star trio at 32.

Though it’s still their team, soon it will belong to Kawhi Leonard, who was 6 when Duncan played his first game with San Antonio and won’t turn 23 until later this month.

Leonard already has the quintessential San Antonio qualities down pat: Show up, work hard, play hard, win often, don’t say much, call it a day.

His star shone brightest in Game 3 of the finals against the Miami Heat on Tuesday with a 29-point breakout. And after that win, the Spurs will try to take a 3-1 series lead when the matchup resumes Thursday in Miami.

“I don’t think you’re ever going to get him to sit down and expound on a whole lot of things,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He just wants to do his job. He wants to be a great player and go home. That’s basically who he is.”

It’s still hard to believe Leonard wasn’t exactly burdened by huge expectations when joining the Spurs.

“I just knew I wasn’t going to get the ball right away or just be a focal point with these great players on the team,” Leonard said. “But now I just try to play my game and go out there and be aggressive.”

He’ll be a focal point of the Miami defensive plan on Thursday. And here’s five other things to know going into Game 4 of the NBA Finals:

___

MUST WIN FOR MIAMI: Miami’s season cannot end Thursday. But if the Heat lose Game 4, the Spurs can safely go ahead and order that fifth championship banner. Only eight teams in NBA history have successfully rallied from 3-1 deficits, and none of those eight did it during the finals.

IMPROVING SPURS? Not many teams could open a game 19 for 21 from the field, beat a two-time defending NBA champion by 19 points on the road in a finals matchup, then say they have to do better — and mean it. Such is life with the Spurs. Manu Ginobili said the Spurs saw “many mistakes” on the tape of Game 3. “The thing is that we masked it with making so many shots. … So the mistakes you made kind of faded away,” Ginobili said.

THE HEAT STREAK: For whatever reason, losses bring out the best in the Heat at playoff time. Miami has won its last 13 games immediately following a defeat in the postseason, the most recent of those victories coming in Game 2 of this series. Those 13 wins have come by an average of 14.4 points, and six of them have been absolute blowouts of 18 points or more.

SCORING SPURS: When San Antonio won its first NBA title, the Spurs had exactly two games of 100 points or more in that postseason run. They have 14 already in these playoffs, going 12-2 in those games. When not scoring at least 100 so far in this postseason, the Spurs are a mere 2-5.

HOT HEAT: Miami is shooting 49.8 percent so far in these playoffs, putting the Heat on pace for the best postseason field-goal percentage since Orlando shot 49.9 percent in 1996. Among teams that won at least one series, the last to shoot better than 50 percent in a postseason was the 1991 Chicago Bulls, who connected on 51.4 percent of their shots on the way to Michael Jordan’s first championship.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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