Spurs Utterly Dominate Knicks

What do you expect when the worst team in the league plays the reigning NBA Champions on their home court?

Said Stephon Marbury, New York's top scorer, who managed only 2 points on 1-for-9 shooting, "They pretty much did whatever they wanted to do in the second half."

• Michael Finley made a season-high five three-pointers, and finished with 22 points in 22 minutes.
  
• The Spurs shot a season-best 62.5% from the field.
  
• The Spurs scored a season-best 39 points in the third period.
  
• Tony Parker had as many assists as the entire Knicks team.

Cavs Can Beat The Best

Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers, once again, proved that they can beat the best teams in the NBA, at least at home. Cleveland is an impressive 14-2 against winning teams, and that count now includes the San Antonio Spurs, who they beat by 14.

But what about against teams who are under .500? They're just 5-5, and LeBron James knows that's not acceptable.

"We have to grow up," James said. "We can't keep beating Phoenix, Detroit and San Antonio and then lose to sub-par teams."

James covered Tony Parker, the Western Conference player of the week, for most of the night and Parker struggled, shooting 2-for-7 for four points with four assists and seven turnovers.

Spurs #1 and #2 in Latest Rankings

For the first time since Nov. 14, Marc Stein ranks the Spurs #1 in ESPN's Power Rankings:

San Antonio, not Dallas, is the team from Texas that bumps the Detroit Pistons. The Mavericks were a likely candidate after a 13-game win streak and a 36-point spanking of Miami, but the Spurs have capitalized on Dallas' setback Friday at Denver to claim the league's longest active win streak -- with nine consecutive victories, a 6-0 start on their annual eight-game eviction by the rodeo and just one 20-point game from Tim Duncan in that span. There's a reason we've been saying any team but Detroit would trade their problems for San Antonio's.

Spurs have found more than cohesion and momentum on their Rodeo Road Trip. They've also found the old Manu, who sure looked like his All-Star self in Indy.

This is great news for all of us at SpursDynasty, but what Stein says about the Mavericks, his #2 team, gives me reason to pause: "The anti-Heat? Dallas is 6-1 in its showdowns with San Antonio, Detroit, Phoenix and Miami, averaging 105.7 ppg and holding those teams to a mere 89.7 ppg."

Steve Kerr thinks that his former Spurs teammates are not quite the best yet.

Was I tempted to drop the Pistons from the rankings' top spot for the first time since the start of the season? Not at all.

Yes, the Spurs are on fire and are sure to occupy some other folks' No. 1 spot, but not mine. The two whippings Detroit gave San Antonio earlier this season are still fresh in my mind, so something more drastic than a couple of Pistons losses will have to happen for me to flip-flop the two teams.

Spurs and Pistons on Diverging Paths

One game. That is all that now separates the 40-10 San Antonio Spurs from the 41-9 Detroit Pistons. But the two best teams in the NBA now appear to be on diverging paths, since getting off to to the best starts in their respective franchise histories.

Today both the Spurs and the Pistons played in nailbiters. But while the Spurs came back from 5 points down with 1:35 left to beat the Pacers, the Pistons squandered a 7-point lead with 4-1/2 minutes left to lose to the Miami Heat. (You may recall, the Heat lost to the Mavericks last Thursday by 36 points.)

While the Spurs have won 9 games in a row and the last 13 out of 14, the Pistons have lost 4 out of their last 8 games, since having their 11-game winning streak ended by the New Jersey Nets. (You may also recall, the Pistons lost last Sunday to the Indiana Pacers, who lost to the Spurs today.)

The Spurs are known as a team that gets better as the season progresses. As for the Pistons, they appear to be on a different path.

Walton and Durham Talk Manu

These exchanges between Jim Durham and Bill Walton were overheard during last night's Spurs-Nets game on ESPN:

DURHAM: So, if you shoot it better than anybody else, and you defend it better than anybody else, what's left?

WALTON: The championship.

DURHAM: [Laughter] There you go.

WALTON: Which they already are. And they're a better team this year. The addition of Finley, the addition of Van Exel, the maturation of Nazr Mohammed, the explosion of Tony Parker ... the only thing that hasn't been great this year has been this guy, Manu Ginobili.

* * *

WALTON: I liked it when Manu had his hair a little bit longer.

DURHAM: Really? How 'bout when Duncan had his hair a little bit longer?

WALTON: Oh, I loved that. I like the 'fros. I remember I used to have a 'fro. Big red curls ... orange when I was a youngster.

* * *

WALTON: With Manu Ginobili -- who is without question one of my favorite players in the league -- this is a guy who sees things that few others do. And sometimes he sees things that aren't there.

RECOGNIZE, HATAS...Le Penetracion!

Some bitches gonna get penetrated at this year's All-Star Game:

And as usual (yawn), some playas is gonna get played by the Big Easy:

*I'm crazy basketball-head man! I have a basketball for a head! That's crazy! Now gimme some candy!

Personally, I'm glad to see TP get this recognition. He's really taken strides this year despite all the potential distractions, and he's been the most consistent player on the team. One of the best indicators of his progress is that he's been knocking down his jump shot when teams focus on denying his penetration, especially in the 4th quarter. I've always known he's clutch (since I've watched just about every damn game he's played the last few seasons), but most NBA fans don't know it because in the past he's always taken a backseat to TD and Manu down the stretch of close games. This year, with Manu and TD hampered by injuries, he's really stepped up, and it's a beautiful thing to see - like his 32 points and 13 assists against the Raptors with TD out and Manu struggling. We here at SpursDynasty are officially proud of you, Tony.

Vive Le Roi!

* Unfortunately, I can't claim credit for this caption - it was the winning submission in a recent caption contest on the Spurs Daily Blog, which I didn't even know about until today. For you young punks who don't know your classic Sandler, that's from an early 90's SNL skit. Anyway, check out the Daily - there's some good shit on there.

Tony Parker Is an All-Star

Liz Robbins writes in The New York Times ("Parker Gets All-Star Nod and Needed Validation"):

Tony Parker worked the red carpet two weeks ago and appeared on "Oprah" this week with his companion, the actress Eva Longoria. He is a budding rapper in France, his home country, and has won two N.B.A. championships in his first four seasons as the San Antonio Spurs' point guard.

But something was missing from his sudden success and celebrity. At age 23, Parker sought validation that he belonged among the league's elite.

Parker beamed while taking congratulatory cellphone calls over a cup of tea at the Four Seasons in Manhattan as the Spurs rested before tonight's game against the Nets. He was ready to celebrate the achievement of a goal he set during last year's All-Star Weekend. He was in Las Vegas, where he was feeling left out and losing money at the casinos.

"I was hurt, deep inside," Parker said. "I never talk about it because I was kind of sad because the whole coaching staff went and I was the only one of the big three left out." His teammates Tim Duncan and Manu Ginóbili were on the All-Star team.

"I wanted to make sure this year that I played well enough that there was no discussion," Parker added. "They had to take me."

Parker's 19.7 points and 5.9 assists made him an obvious choice to be a reserve. Parker is second in the league with a .551 field-goal percentage, boosted by his signature teardrop layup. He averages 12.2 points in the paint, sixth best in the league, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

With Duncan and Ginóbili struggling with injuries, Parker's consistency has kept the Spurs (38-10) in the hunt for the top spot in the West. "He's having a phenomenal year," Nets Coach Lawrence Frank said Wednesday. Although every scouting report says the 6-foot-2 Parker will penetrate, "he's still able to do it," Frank said. "He's lightning quick."

After winning two titles, Parker still wanted to prove his value to the Spurs. Last summer, they hired a shooting coach, Chip Engelland, and sent him to Paris to work on Parker's outside shot.

"He told me the Spurs had some concern whether I would still improve or stay the same player and if I was hungry enough," Parker said, adding that they were worried that dating Longoria would hurt his motivation.

"I told Chip right away that I'm ready to work because I want to get to that next level," Parker recalled saying. "I want to go to the All-Star Game. The championship is great, but I want recognition, too, as a basketball player."

Parker said: "Pop told me: 'You deserve it, you worked hard. But it's just the beginning. You can be the best point guard in the league.' "

Parker listed John Stockton, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd as standard-bearers. That did not make it any easier in 2003, when the Spurs recruited Kidd, who was then a free agent. They wanted Parker and Kidd to play together.

"I saw it slowing down my improvement as a point guard," Parker said. "There was no way; I would have to be traded."

Parker said he was grateful for the Spurs' faith in him and for his life in San Antonio. He has been dating Longoria for a year and a half. They met in the Spurs' locker room, where she visited with her father after a game.

"She's been great, helping me understand my life and bringing the best out of me," Parker said. "When you date a girl like that, it's a lot of responsibility and making sure she's happy. She's worth it."

Popovich has allowed Longoria on the team plane for some trips and allowed Parker to surprise her at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 29, an off-day. That is a testament to the trust Parker and Popovich have developed, Buford said.

"I just think it's part of his maturation," Buford said. "Eva's been very supportive of him, and she has not been a distraction to him."

If anything, Parker's outside interests have allowed him a break from thinking nonstop about basketball. At All-Star Weekend, Parker will unveil five songs from his album, due in September, and perform with the rappers Fabolous and Booba.

The three collaborated on one song, "Top of the Game." Now Parker can say he belongs there.

Death to those who insult AlKiwi (peace be upon Him)!

Recently, this crude depiction of Spurs player Sean Marks (all praise is due to AlKiwi) appeared in an Oakland newspaper:

We in the Kiwi community are sick of being inundated with images of violent and uncoordinated New Zealanders. The most glaring example of this is that celebrated piece of Hollywood blasphemy, The Lord of the Rings, which was simply a smear campaign against New Zealand orchestrated by the infidels at New Line Cinema. They're counting on the simple, uncritical minds of the masses to accept their presentation of New Zealand as a haven for goofy, curly-haired fanatics wielding swords:

This constant reinforcement of tired and inaccurate stereotypes by the mass media must be stopped. Such stereotypes are simply not true, as Sean Marks has proven repeatedly, now that he has finally had a chance to play significant minutes. Against the Blazers last week, Sean (to Whom all credit must be given) had 7 rebounds in 15 minutes. Against the Warriors, we here at SpursDynasty watched him rack up 8 key points in 12 minutes. And finally, against the Raptors last night, he had 16 points, including a thunderous putback dunk, along with 5 rebounds, some nice passes, and a block on Antonio Davis. And he's done all of this without committing any suicide bombings or being photographed in any awkward positions. But you won't hear about that in your biased Western media. Ptah!

I hereby declare a SpursDynasty fatwa against those who continue to insult AlKiwi, Sean Marks (all blessings and praise be upon Him). Not only will you burn in the eternal fires of damnation in the next world, but I will also ensure that you suffer horribly before you pass from this world.

Could Spurs be the 4th Seed?

I know it seems improbable. The Spurs are on a 6-game winning streak, have won 9 of their last 10 and are on pace to have the best record in franchise history.

Yet there it is, the Spurs are currently the 4th seed in the Western Conference

I know, I know, it's way to early be thinking about this. But who would have thought it possible, even just a month ago, that the Mavericks would be playing such great ball? They've won 12 straight and are now 1/2 game ahead of the Spurs.

Even though the Pistons are attracting speculation about whether they can win 70 games this season, they've lost 3 of their last 5 and are just 1-1/2 games ahead of the Mavericks and 2 games ahead of the Spurs for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs.

As we all know, the second half of the season is typically when the Spurs crank it up a notch. Let's see if the Mavericks and Pistons can keep it up.

My Detroit Daydream

While Detroit has the NFL on its mind today, I'm daydreaming of the NBA and what I'd like to see happen in the Eastern Conference between now and May.

Since the Pistons have lost two of their last four games, I'm feeling much better about the Spurs chances of beating them, should they face each other in the 2006 NBA Finals.

Last Tuesday the Pistons lost to the New Jersey Nets, who played a lot more like the team that lost to the Spurs in the 2003 NBA Finals than they have of late.

And yesterday the Pistons lost to the Indiana Pacers, despite a poor performance by recent acquisition Peja Stojakovic and the fact that Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Tinsley and Austin Croshere didn't play due to injuries.

Suddenly the Pistons look vulnerable instead of a shoo-in to win 70 games. Their path to the NBA Finals should be anything but a cakewalk.

If the playoffs started today, and top seeds advanced, the Pistons would first face the Washington Wizards, then the Cleveland Cavaliers, followed by the Miami Heat or, even better, the New Jersey Nets, and finally the San Antonio Spurs.

My daydream is that the standings will basically remain unchanged over the next three months and that the Pistons end up facing the teams that match up best against them: the Wizards, Cavaliers, Nets and Spurs.

Duncan Comes Through in the Crunch

This is pretty amusing: "The Nestle Crunch Time Stat was designed by the NBA and Nestle to provide an innovative way to measure 'Crunch Time' performances."

I don't know what the people over at Nestle know about basketball, but Tim Duncan definitely came through in the crunch against the Warriors last night.

With the Spurs up one and the shot clock winding down, Tim Duncan took a pass from Tony Parker, dribbled once and launched a jumper in traffic from just inside the free-throw line. Nothing but net; Spurs up three with 1:44 left. The Warriors made it a one-point game again, but Duncan's two free throws with 10.2 seconds left closed it out. Duncan earned nine Nestlé Crunch Time points for his efforts.

For what it's worth, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are both ranked in the top 15 on the Nestle Crunch Time leader board, along with three Dallas Mavericks and two Phoenix Suns.

Spurs and Pistons on Collision Course

Sean Deveney writes in The Sporting News:

Such is the twisted logic of an expected dynasty that anything short of utter annihilation of opponents somehow feels flat. Make no mistake; that's what the Spurs are: an expected dynasty. San Antonio took the NBA title last season with an impressive playoff run that revealed the Spurs to be as capable of fast-breaking with the Suns and Nuggets as slugging it out with the Pistons. Adding veterans Nick Van Exel and Michael Finley -- former All-Stars with 120 playoff games combined -- to the core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker gave the Spurs an unfair head start.

As the Spurs drubbed the Bobcats in their 42nd outing of the season last week, the first game of San Antonio's second half, Spurs general manager R.C. Buford reflected on the half-season gone by. "We're 31-10, and in most years we'd be really excited," Buford said. "But we still have a lot of room for improvement."

Even Buford seemed deflated by his team's 10 losses despite the fact 14 other Western Conference G.M.s gladly would have swapped spots. But the disappointment is there because the Spurs, though playing well, did not dominate as expected over the first half of the season.

Brace yourself -- because that's about to change. The Spurs typically save their best for the second half after using the first half to test different lineups and give opportunities to new players. How the Spurs tighten their rotation, sharpen their defense and execute their offense with even deadlier efficiency will shape the rest of the season. That's how coach Gregg Popovich wants it. "This is definitely a Pop thing," says an opposing general manager. "He wants his team to lay low, let others get the attention, then turn on the heat in the second half into the playoffs. This happens every year."

All of that should have hoops fans atwitter because when San Antonio does begin to dominate, the NBA will have two finely tuned machines racing on a collision course to a repeat of last year's classic, hard-fought Finals -- a rematch of the Spurs and Pistons. While the Spurs muddled their way through the West in the first half, the Pistons were the only dynastic-looking NBA team. Under new coach Flip Saunders, Detroit has set up a compelling second half drama -- the quest for 70 wins or, possibly, the league record of 72.

Teams expected to threaten the Pistons and Spurs have been mostly mediocre and injury-plagued. The Suns have played well but aren't championship contenders without Amare Stoudemire, and the Nuggets have struggled without big men Kenyon Martin and Nene. The Rockets have dealt with Tracy McGrady's balky back and Yao Ming's foot injury, which have dropped them from championship contenders to lottery participants. Only the Mavericks have been impressive in the first half, finally playing a tough brand of defense -- though they must show they can maintain the "D" in the playoffs.

That's not to say the Pistons and Spurs have a free ride to a June meeting, of course. The Pistons must maintain their first half excellence, and the Spurs must ramp up their efforts -- all while avoiding major injuries. San Antonio already has been dealing with Duncan's plantar fasciitis and Ginobili's nagging ankle injuries but has remained afloat because of Parker, who has put up two stunning stats as a point guard: He is second in the league in points in the paint and third in field-goal percentage.

The Pistons and Spurs are on course for what looks to be inevitable -- another championship collision.

Spurs Ready to Dominate the Warriors

Last April, with four of their top eight players injured, having just lost to the Mavericks in an embarrassing blowout and then come back to win a double-overtime game in L.A. against the Clippers the night before, the Spurs came to Oakland to play the Warriors. A certain group of Spurs fans made the trip to Oakland Coliseum to support their Spurs - even though with the Spurs exhausted from the night before, with Tim and Manu out, and with the Warriors on an 8-game winning streak, we expected them to get their asses handed to them.

Our support was rewarded with an incredible game and an historic victory for the Spurs: they became the first team in NBA history to win two multi-overtime games on consecutive nights.

Rasheeb Shrestha wrote a nice account of the game for FullSportPress.com:

The passion of the crowd was unbelievable – every time the Warriors would make an exciting play, the entire lower level would rise to their feet and literally jump up and down with their arms raised high above their heads. Amazingly, they sustained their enthusiasm from the opening tip to the final buzzer of the second overtime. The arena was about 90% full – not bad for a 31-45 team – and almost all of the crowd was made up of middle class to lower middle class folks.

There were a few Spurs’ faithful sitting in our section, and the Warriors’ fans didn’t take it easy on us.

“Who the heck is number 34? You see, that’s why you guys ain’t winning it this year – I can’t recognize half your team.”

“Tony Massenburg is number 34.”

“Tony Mas-SEN-burg? Oh, I’ve heard of him – he’s a scrub.”

When Brent Barry went to the free throw line early in the fourth quarter someone shouted, “You’ll never be your father!” That was referring, of course, to Warrior great Rick Barry.

When a Spurs fan wearing a Tony Parker jersey five rows in front of us stood up and cheered a Parker basket a little excessively in the third quarter, all hell broke loose. Soon, a chant of “Parker Sucks!” resonated throughout the entire section. And as the duel between the Warriors’ Baron Davis and Parker escalated in the fourth quarter and into the overtime sessions, the chant escalated with it.

It wasn’t until Parker hit his game-winning layup in the second overtime when the chanting finally stopped. As we made our way to the exits, I spotted the fan with the Parker jersey.

“So Parker sucks, huh?” I said. He turned towards me, noticed I was wearing a Spurs beanie, and gave me a high five.

As we left the arena, I realized that this is the feeling I had been looking for when I made plans to go see MSG six months before. After all was said and done, I learned that the arena doesn’t make the atmosphere – the fans do. Now granted, Warrior fans have a lot more to be excited about than do Knick fans these days. However, I have been to many sporting events in my life – including playoff games - and this was by far the best experience of them all.

We all know what that Spurs team went on to accomplish - even with Tony Massenburg on the bench.

Tonight, history repeats itself. The Spurs come to Oakland in the middle of a long road trip, with the Pistons dominating the league and the Mavericks challenging them for homecourt advantage in the West. Once again, they will be looking to make a statement about their readiness to fight for the title. And once again, a certain Spurs fan will be there to witness it, wearing his Tony Parker jersey, and cheering each basket excessively along with his fanatical crew.

A Trade in the Making?

Sure the Spurs are playing great ball right now. In fact, at 36-10, they're off to the best start in franchise history and the Rodeo Road Trip is off to a good start. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are both having All-Star seasons and Manu Ginobili is playing again, and playing well.

But if I know anything about this organization, there will be a trade. Why?

1. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili aren't healthy.
   
2. Neither Rasho Nesterovic nor Nazr Mohammed have stepped up to be the big man that the Spurs need in the middle, at least not consistently.
   
3. The Mavericks are a legitimate contender. They've beaten the Spurs and Pistons, currently have the longest winning streak in the league at 10 games, and are determined to win the Southwest division after barely missing out on home field advantage to the Spurs last season.
   
4. The Suns are playing great ball, even without Amare Stoudemire.
   
5. The Pistons are the favorites right now.

"In the West, if you go to Phoenix, if you go to Dallas, privately those teams are rubbing their hands together a little bit, thinking, ok, Duncan is a little vulnerable, Ginobili is a little bit shaky, maybe we can get the Spurs. Nobody says that about the Pistons."
-Marc Stein, "NBA Coast-to-Coast, Jan 31, 2006

I don't have a clue as to who the San Antonio Spurs will trade, or trade for, but the trading deadline is three weeks from today, and I'm certain there is a trade in the making.

Spurs No Longer Best in the West?

Say it ain't so, Steve! After having the Spurs ranked second behind the Pistons since shortly after the season started, former Spur Steve Kerr now ranks the Spurs second behind the Dallas Mavericks.

In case anyone has forgotten, the Mavs beat both the Spurs and Pistons earlier this season. These guys are the real deal, and it has a lot to do with another former Spur.