Really Tim Legler? The Spurs Aren't Making the Playoffs? Really?

Tim Legler is a moron.

I had a whole rant worked up, but it's not even worth it. Seriously, do these "analysts" even watch basketball?

The Spurs are making the playoffs. Lock it.

Actually, It's Pronounced 'Me-lee-wah-kay', Which Is Algonquin for "The Good Land"

Another night, another Eastern Conference team, another convincing victory. Excluding the last 5 minutes of the first half, this was another thoroughly dominant performance by the Spurs. We won pretty much every statistical category, and we just outworked and outhustled a good team playing good basketball. Every Spur that made it on to the court contributed positively, and we played an impressive team game.

What I Liked:

--Tim Duncan. How can you not love Tim? He played another beautiful game, controlling the game on both ends of the floor and giving us exactly what we need when we needed it.

--Matt Bonner catches fire. It's nights like these that explain his permanent spot in the rotation and why he is so valuable to our team. When he is hitting open 3s, we have an unstoppable offense.

7/8ths of a good defensive game. For all but 6 minutes of this game, we played pretty stout defense. We limited them to quarters of 18, 24, and 24, and we were on our way to another low scoring quarter (and a complete blow out) if it weren't for those last 6 minutes of the 1st half, when our offense went cold and our defense got lazy, allowing them to go on a 12-0 run and get back into the game. But what I was most impressed with was our ability to contain Brandon Jennings. We stifled him all game long, forcing him into some bad shots, and never allowing him to get himself or his team in rhythm.

--2nd unit domination. The second unit came into the game to start the 2nd quarter, and quickly pushed the lead to 15 points. When the 1st unit came back in, the Bucks made their run to take a one point lead into half. At the end of the third quarter, the 2nd unit again (with Tim Duncan this time) pushed the lead to 19, and the Bucks never had another run in them. This is the production we were all hoping for (and expecting) after that amazing opening night performance. But with injuries and rotation tinkering, we were never able to get a consistent rhythm and feel for the games. But with Bonner and Mason, Jr. both finding their shots, and Hill's confidence surging, we have the makings of an extremely potent second unit. This will be important when we face teams like the Lakers and the Nuggets, who have very good starting units, but weaker second units. A lot of our games may be won or lost in the 2nd unit this season.

--Same starting line-up. Having a consistent starting line-up will be important for getting the rhythm of both units comfortable, and to help set our rotations.

--Aggression. The Bucks shot 50% from the floor, making 41 field goals to our 40. They made 7 3 pointers to our 10. That's a slight edge, but not a huge one. Where did the overwhelming margin of victory come from? Try these numbers: 9-14 and 22-26. That was the free throw disparity. We shot 12 more free throws, and made a whopping 13 more. That tells me that we were being aggressive, attacking the rim, and not settling for contested jump shots. I like to see numbers like this. Another number I like to see: +17. That was our rebounding margin.

What I Didn't Like:

--1/8th of a bad defensive game. Already covered above. If not for the last 5 to 6 minutes of the 1st half, this could have easily been another 30 point game in the 4th quarter.

--The fast break. We all know Tony Parker is a one man fast break. In the offseason, he was joyous at having a running mate in Richard Jefferson. Unfortunately, it seems like TP has done too much one-man fast breakin'; the boy doesn't know how to finish a fast break with runners, and others don't really know how to run with him. Whenever TP takes off for the races and someone else is coming with him, it can look awfully clumsy and awkward. Whenever Parker passes, it seems like it's foreign and against his better judgement. Which it is. Hopefully he'll figure this out as the year goes on.

Game Ball:

I have to give it to a red hot Red Rocket. He poured in 23 huge points. But he also pulled down 6 boards, handed out 2 assists, and finished a team high +26.

Looking Forward:

We have Golden State at home on Wednesday, then we're in Houston on Friday. Golden State is unquestionably the most dysfunctional team in the league, and we usually beat them. It'd be nice to keep a little momentum going into Friday's game against the Rockets, a team that we always play close no matter what the standings or the stakes. They are off to an impressive start of this year, epitomizing selfless, hard-working basketball. As always, this should be a hard-fought game.

Tim Duncan should be the biggest factor for us in these 2 games. Neither team really has anybody to guard him, and he could continue his streak of putting up gaudy statistics, racking up lots of points, boards, and assists. I'll also be watching for consistency in the rotation. These could be two wildly different ball games, with one of the worst defensive teams and one of the best defensive teams in the league. But I expect consistent defensive effort from our team in both games.

Also keep an eye on Manu. He may be ready to return this week, but Pop may hold him out for an additional game or two.

I'll be out of town over the long weekend for Thanksgiving, so I may not get prompt recaps of these games posted, but I do plan on watching both games, and I will post my thoughts at some point near the end of the holiday weekend.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

This Tony Parker Kid Ain't Half Bad After All

Ahhhhhh. We can all breathe a sigh of relief, for one game at least. That was a thorough butt-whooping, and the most complete game we've played to date.

I actually had to watch the game on an illegal feed in Chinese (when games are on NBA TV, League Pass Broadband doesn't show them, so if you don't have NBA TV, you're SOL), so with the blurry-ish screen and non-English commentary, it was hard for me to glean specifics from the game. The players were white and blue blobs, respectively. In a way, it was refreshing to see the moving parts and inner workings of the game without the names and faces. Sort of like seeing the forest, not the trees.

The most important thing to take away from this game is the importance of Tony Parker. No player that means as much to his team probably receives as much flak from the team's most loyal supporters. Parker is a popular and easy target amongst the Spurs' faithful, and it's easy for us to lose sight of just how good he is. Yes, he has a propensity towards ball-hogging, and he is a score-first point guard. But our offense doesn't need a traditional PG, per se, and Parker, regardless of size or position, is an extremely efficient offensive weapon, and that will always have value. It's true that he has not gotten off to the best start this season, but there is an adjustment period for both Parker and the new players. But when his game is on, we get what we had last night: a completely dominant offensive performance. We could literally get anything we wanted at any time. In fact, despite our gaudy offensive numbers, we actually missed quite a few wide open shots and could have easily had 10 to 20 more points.

So before we start trading away Parker and giving the keys to the offense to Hill, let's remember just how good of a player Parker is. He's so good that the plan coming into this season was to shift the focus of the offense off of a 2-time league MVP widely considered (already) to be one of the greatest to ever play the game, and on to him. That's probably a pretty good player, no?

Game Ball:

I'm going to give co-honors to Parker and Duncan. Both had sick all-around numbers. 16 pts, 9 reb, 7 asts for Duncan; 17 pts, 6 rebs, and 8 asts for Parker and an absurd +31. In fact, both probably would have had triple-doubles if it wasn't for the ineptitude of the Wizards; neither player really had to play in the last 10 minutes of the game. And more than the numbers, the two were running the pick and roll to perfection. When those two get rolling in the PnR, there is nothing an opposing defense can do.

Looking Forward:

The Milwaukee Bucks roll into SA Monday night. As most regular followers of the Spurs know, the Bucks seem to have our number. It's hard to know why. Unlike the Thunder, they aren't overly athletic (something that gives us a problem). They just give us fits. And they're off to a surprising start this year behind the amazing play of rookie PG Brandon Jennings. I'm actually very excited to get to see him play live for the first time this year. Should be a good battle and a good challenge for our defense. We've actually been playing really good defense in the last 2 weeks. This has sort of been lost amidst the losing streak. But it's been more a failing of our offense rather than our defense in the last three losses. I hope to see the strong defensive play and intensity keep up.

Pay attention to the starting line-up. I think we're getting closer to locking in the starting line-up. We've got Parker, Jefferson, and Duncan for sure; I think McDyess will stay in the starting line-up, and I feel that Bogans will stay there, too. He's a very good defensive player that is actually a good offensive player, too. He fits into our system perfectly, and if he continues to give us good minutes, we will be a good team. More importantly, it does feel like a rotation is starting to come together.

Unfortunately, right now Blair is not a featured part of that rotation. It seems like his inability to play solid defense and to fully grasp our defensive schemes is hurting his chances to get on the court. With the improved play of Ratliff, it's going to be hard for him to see the court. Many people would like to see him playing ahead of Bonner, but Bonner gives us a very specific skill (3-pt shooting) that no other big gives us and that Pop really values.

Now if we could only find a way to get Finley out of the rotation.

Hey, I Wonder What This Shiny Red Button Labeled "Panic" Does

Kelly Dwyer astutely points out what is very obvious to most fans: we are missing our 2nd and 3rd best players. That will wreak havoc with any team, but especially a team that relies on 3 very unique and gifted players. This is what makes games like last week's win over Dallas a mirage of sorts: yes, we can win (and play beautiful basketball) shorthanded; but in the end, you need your stars and best play makers down the stretch of close games to win those games.

This isn't to take anything away from Richard Jefferson or George Hill. They are both great players and will play vital roles for us this year. But when you ask players better suited as tertiary stars or stud role players to step into the role of superstar, it can get dicey. George Hill is coming into his own as a great player, and is a better-than-adequate back up PG. But it's too much to ask him (right now) to run the offense in the last 5 minutes of a close game, create his own shots and shots for other players, and guard the other teams best player. His best moments are usually born from the spectacular plays of Ginobili and Parker.

It all creates a domino effect, where everybody has to play a level or two higher than they are best suited for. Parker goes down, and Hill steps in as starting PG. Where this hurts us most is not in the drop off from Parker to Hill, but from Hill to our next PG (in the case of last night's game, Mason, Jr.). I've been really impressed with Roger's improved floor game this year, but I still don't think he is suited to be a PG of any sort. This hurts him and it hurts the team. He is a deadly shooter (and the expansion of his ball handling abilities will only help this, much like they have for Matt Bonner this year), but when he's asked to run the point, it removes the best part of his game from the team. So now we have a below average point guard (where we used to have a good PG in Hill), and we're without one of our best shooting guards. Double whammy. This is what allows Finley to play 24 minutes. (That, and Pop's apparent undying love for him, which can only be matched by Bella's love for Edward. What, Twilight references are no good?)

This all played out in the last five minutes of the game. Utah had their best players on the floor, and their two studs running their money play over and over again, and we could not stop it. We had our best play makers in street clothes, forcing Duncan to shoulder the offensive load, and players unaccustomed to these moments trying to win us a ball game. And we didn't.

Look, we're playing hard, we're playing tough, and we're growing as a team, slowly figuring each other out. If you watch the games, you know that we're getting better, even if the results of our efforts aren't shown in the standings. This doesn't take the sting out of losing, or our of our 4-6 start. But it might keep us off the ledge. At least for another week or two.

What I Liked:

--Tim Duncan. Another Herculean effort in a loss. He led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and +/-. He played 39 minutes and he left it all on the floor.

--Keith Bogans. He continues to impress me. His individual D is the best on the team. He guarded Deron Williams better than George Hill. And his offensive game is good. Not great, but not bad. It's good. I don't cringe when he shoots (I'm looking at you, Theo Ratliff), and I don't cringe when he puts it on the floor (I'm looking at you, Finley and Bowen).

--Defense. We are definitely improving on the defensive end of the floor. We held the Jazz to 90 points, and contested everything. It certainly didn't help that the game was being called tight, and every little foul was putting players on the line. There's still some things to fix (cough*rebounding*cough), but we're headed in the right direction.

--Theo Ratliff's block party. That's why we brought him here. His block on Boozer in the 3rd was particularly nice.

--Roger Mason, Jr.'s shooting. Nice to see it return. Think of how good he could be with his shooting form back and not being asked to run the point for the team.

What I Didn't Like:

--Offense. Not heading in the right direction. We're running into each other. We're playing too much one-on-one. We're not moving the ball, we're not moving players, we're not attacking the rim, we're not being patient. We have players RUNNING INTO EACH OTHER! Did I mention that already? All this added firepower and we're still struggling to put points on the board.

--George Hill, foul machine. Yes, things we're being called tight. Yes, young players rarely get the benefit of calls. But he has to play smarter, and know when to back off a bit. Especially when he's starting for Parker, we need him on the floor. He got two really quick fouls in the first and had to come out of the game much earlier than we would have liked.

--Rebounding. I should just copy and paste this for every game, huh?

--Start of the fourth quarter. We had fought tooth and nail to be tied going into the fourth. Then we started the quarter with a few really bad possessions (though we were aided by some good Mason, Jr. shooting), and dug ourselves into a hole that we were never able to get out of.

--3-pt shooting. 4-20 = bad.

--Free throw shooting. We've never been known for outstanding free throw shooting, but we shot only 15 for 23 last night. That's a lot of points to leave off the board in a tight game. It's scary when Duncan is your most reliable free throw shooter.

Game Ball:

It'd be criminal to give it to anybody other than Tim Duncan.

Looking Forward:

We have Washington at home on Saturday night. They are off to a struggling start, as well, but they are coming off a big win against Cleveland, and are also boosted by the return of Antawn Jamison (who had a huge night against Cleveland). This should be a good game, and if recent history is any indication, a tough one. At this point, what game isn't tough for us?

It appears that Manu will be out for at least a week. Parker is listed as day-to-day, so maybe we'll have him back. It's tough to get a feel for what the rotation will be like with star players missing, but we should keep an eye on the minutes of some of the fringe players, like Hairston. He's gotten real minutes in the last two games, and I've been encouraged by what I've seen, if not blown away. Also keep an eye on Blair's minutes, as they seem to be dropping, probably because of his inability to fully grasp the defense at this point. We know that Pop will always sacrifice offense for defense.

Finally, let's keep an eye on who guards whom. The Wizards have 3 tough match-ups in Arenas, Jamison, and Caron Butler. By position, the defense against them would be Hill, Duncan, and Jefferson (Jamison is their PF, Butler their SF). Obviously, I don't think we'll see that. I'd like to see Bogans guarding Arenas, Jefferson guarding Butler, and Hill guarding Jamison. Jamison is only 6'9", and has a similar build to Durant. And we all know how well Hill did against him.

And most importantly, stay away from that panic button...for now.

Update: Check out this really great article on Pop at si.com. I love articles like this, and they make me love Pop even more. He is the rarest of breeds: a great coach who is probably an even better person. As those who know like to say, he gets it.

The Curse of Drew Gooden

Sometimes the game can turn on a single sequence. Up 2 in OT, George Hill drives the lane. The ball is bouncing around the rim, and Duncan has a chance to tap it in, giving us a commanding 4 point lead and momentum. Instead, Duncan leaves the tap short, the Mavs grab the board, Duncan trips over his own feet, And Nowitzki gets a layup at the rim and a foul. And like that we're down 1, 5 point swing, huge momentum shift, ball game.

We played valiantly. To say we played well might be a tough sell. We were very sloppy with the ball, and had to scratch and claw for every point. But we played with passion and energy, and we had every chance to win a game that we really had no right winning. Both teams were down key players, but we were down 2 of our 3 best players, our best crunch-time scorer, and (easily) our 2 best ball handlers. It showed with poor execution on offense (especially in the last 2 minutes of the game) and an absurd amount of turnovers (18 to Dallas' 5).

In the end, we had our chance. But our opportunity to secure the win fell about 2 inches short. Sometimes, that's all it takes.

What I Liked:

--Defense. If only we could play Dallas all the time, we'd easily be the best defensive team in the league. We held them to 40% shooting, and really stifled them in the last quarter. We didn't give up easy points inside (on first possessions, at least), and we contested every shot. It seems like we've decided that Nowitzki is going to have to beat us one-on-one. I like the call. He scored almost half of Dallas' points tonight, yet we still almost won. I'd rather Dirk go for 41 and the freeze out the rest of the team, then Dirk go for 20, but have 3 other players go off for 20 as well.

--George Hill running the offense. When he sat down with his fourth foul, our offense totally fell apart. When he came back in, things shaped up. He is coming into his own as a PG, and has a natural feel of what to do and what the team needs. Plus, his shooting is so good, that he can spot up from anywhere on the court and make it, meaning other defenses have to respect his shooting.

What I Didn't Like:

--Anybody else running the offense. Actually, I think Mason, Jr. did an OK job in the first half. But in the second half he got a little careless with the ball. But he was being aggressive, and had a few nice attacks into the paint. But Michael Finley should not be allowed to dribble the ball...ever. And Jefferson needs to be more assured in his passes. Like I said, this is bound to happen when 2 of our best ball handlers aren't in the game.

--Rebounding. Again, we gave up way too many offensive boards. 17, to be exact. They got 22 more shots than we did, and had a crucial Dirk tip-in with under 10 seconds left in regulation because nobody put a body on him. The big issue is that when a player attacks the rim, Duncan will usually come over to help. Because he's so good, Duncan will usually alter or affect the shot so that it misses. But because Duncan came over to help, the weak side of the basket is now unprotected, and either Duncan' man or the other big sneaks in and grabs the rebound. Rebounding is a team effort, and we need the weak side players to step in there and help secure the board. I can't stand watching us unable to finish defensive possessions.

--The ugly numbers. 18 turnovers. 17 Dallas offensive rebounds. 8 Dallas steals to our 1. 46 points in the paint to our 22. That last one is particularly annoying. It appears that Dallas made a concerted effort to shut down the paint and the lanes to the rim, and, for the most part, we let them. I'd like to see us be more aggressive, and let our offense dictate what it does, rather than reacting to the other team's defense.

Observations:

--It was nice to see Hairston get some quality minutes. He had a couple nice attacks at the rim (one was overturned by a traveling call that seemed dubious in real time). It seems unrealistic to expect him to earn important minutes this season, but it'd be nice to see him get some comfort on the floor so that he can be a reliable deep bench and situational player.

--Hill sure does seem to miss a lot of lay-ups at the rim. He'll have to ask Tony what the secret is to getting those balls to spin in. Once he can consistently convert his drives, he'll be an almost unstoppable offensive player.

Game Ball:

This is a tough call, as nobody really stood out with an all-around great performance. Duncan put up great numbers and carried us for stretches, but his shooting was poor and missed a couple of gimmes that might have won the game for us. I'm going to go with McDyess, whose jumper was locked in at the endgame, giving us some critical buckets, and whose defense on Dirk in the end was very good, especially that block that allowed us to tie the game and send it to OT. It's also nice to see him get more comfortable with the team and get a glimpse of what we can expect from him when the games really start to matter.

Looking Forward:

We have a quick turnaround as the Jazz come to San Antonio Thursday night. Here's hoping we get revenge for our worst loss of the season. There are no must-wins, but it would be really nice to get this one, as we've fallen below .500. While it's still very early, I'd hate to lose touch with the teams at the top of the Conference. I don't expect Parker to be playing, and I bet Manu will be held out as well. So we'll go to war with the same team we had tonight. After logging heavy minutes tonight, we'll be tired; but we'll be hungry, and I hope we'll be aggressive. I like our chances.

The Ugly Truth

I just finished watching The Ugly Truth, a crappy romantic comedy that was neither romantic nor a comedy. I didn't once laugh out loud, I felt no empathy for the characters, nor did I believe any of their emotional growth. It was predictable, unengaging, and frankly, the two leads were both pretty unlikeable. What's more depressing is that I watched this movie alone, without my girlfriend, on a Saturday night.

And it was still better than watching that Spurs game.

Now that's an ugly truth.

What I Liked:

--George Hill. Definitely my favorite Spur of the night. He was our second highest scorer with 18, but he really killed it on the defensive end. He took his turn guarding Kevin Durant in the second quarter and, giving up at least 5 inches, shut him down. He was able to front him, and with those long arms denied the entry pass (even stealing one of them). I just love watching him play, and hope we see a lot more of him as the season progresses. He played a lot of minutes alongside Tony Parker tonight, which is going to be important, because we'll need Hill's defense out there in crunch time, but not at the expense of Parker's playing time.

--Tim Duncan. No rust on that ankle. He had a typical Duncan-esque game with 22pts, 10 rebs, and 3 asts and 2 blocks for good measure. And he threw it down. 3 times. Always a rare site to see Duncan slam. Normally I wouldn't care; but with all the injury concern, it is nice to see him active and athletic.

--Antonio McDyess. When he's hitting that 15 foot jumper, our offense can be really, really good. He's still hitting his stride, but I like his energy and his competitiveness.

--2nd Quarter Defense. We held them to 21 points, shut Kevin Durant down, and played smart and aggressively.

What I Didn't Like:

--Tony Parker. He pressed. He was probably a little rusty. He seemed out of sorts. Parker is a great player, and he carried our team offensively last year. But we don't need that any more. We have great offensive weapons on our team, and we need to find a way to use them all. And that's a point guard's duties. Right now, Parker is a ball stopper, and our offense runs better when he is not on the floor. We talk about all the time it's going to take for the team to gel, and to figure each other out, and most of that burden falls on Parker. He needs to figure the team out, and he needs to get everybody involved. His forays to the hoop are great and create a lot of things for us, but, unlike last year, that's not always our best bet on offense. We retooled this offseason so that Parker wouldn't have to be all of our offense. Jefferson only got 4 shots tonight, and was never in sync. In a close game when our offense is struggling, that is unacceptable. Right now I think we're a better team without Parker.

--3-pt shooting. Sometimes it's as simple as one shot. In our wins, we're hitting our 3 balls; in our losses, we're not. Some of it is just luck and hot or cold shooting. But when we're hitting our 3s, it's because we're getting wide open shots within the flow of our offense from ball movement and aggressively attacking the rim. When we're missing our 3s, it's usually because we're taking bad shots, forcing the issue, not making the extra pass. Rather than the success of our offense being a function of our 3-point shooting, it's the success of our 3-point shooting being a function of our offense, and how effectively we're running it.

--Rebounds, points in the paint, and 2nd chance points. We were beat pretty handily in all 3 categories. It's a theme on the season. These are 3 categories that we need to win or neutralize in every game, and we're not.

--Transition defense. Most of our defense was bad. But we gave up some easy points in transition tonight. On one embarrassing sequence, we let James Harden drive straight to the hoop unimpeded. I know nothing about basketball, but I know the first real of transition D is stop the ball. Other times I would look down to write a note about something we did on O, and when I looked up, they had scored already.

--Michael Finley, 17 minutes; Roger Mason, Jr., 4 minutes. I know Roger is in a shooting slump. But I actually think he's playing a more complete game now. His handle is much improved, and he's confident running the offense. He had a gorgeous pick and pop with McDyess in his 4 minutes of play. And he seems eager to to be a more complete player and compete hard. We all know about Pop's love affair with Finley, but he is becoming a huge liability out there. Yes, his jumper is smooth and reliable. But he gets torched on defense, and I don't trust him dribbling the ball more than 5 feet, and I don't trust him passing in transition. He had a few passes picked off that he shouldn't have even been attempting (he got lucky on one that was kind of picked off, but then fell right in Hill's hands, who then took it in for the slam). His court vision is seriously impaired. What does Finley give us that Mason, Jr. doesn't? The only way to get Roger out of his slump is to let him get some confidence in a game.

--Manu. Kind of a stinker of a game. He didn't shoot well (and by that I mean he didn't hit any shots). He had some nifty passes, a few of which led to Duncan slams. But he just didn't seem to have it, and he didn't play in the fourth quarter with the game in the balance (usually the time when he shines). The report is that he tweaked a hamstring, but man, did he look dejected on the bench in the 4th. I'm particularly concerned that Tony and Manu are having difficulty playing together. Something to monitor.

Observations:

--It's early in the season, and there is plenty of tinkering to be done. But right now we just have too many good players and players that need playing time. Right now we're running 11 players deep, and have at least 10 that probably deserve at least 15-20 minutes a game. Most great teams usually only play an 8 to 9 man rotation, with spots 10-12 to be used in emergency and specialty duty only. This is going to be Pop's greatest challenge this year: who gets the minutes, and who gets the short end of the stick. Players thrive on consistency in both their playing time and who they're playing with. Right now we have a ton of talent on the floor, but nobody seems entirely comfortable.

Game Ball:

--Could very easily go to George, but I'm giving it to Duncan. He slammed it three times, was our best and most consistent offensive player, and he looks good with a newly shorn head.

Looking Forward:

We get 3 more days off, then have Dallas and Utah back to back on Wednesday and Thursday (at Dallas, home against Utah). The Dallas game will be a fun rematch after just playing them last Wednesday. It will be fun to see how both teams respond. I anticipate Dallas coming out hard early, looking to avenge their poor showing on our floor last Wednesday. Let's see if we can absorb their first blow and stay in the game, and maybe steal one late. We're still looking for our first road win, and this would be a great one to get.

Utah has not one in San Antonio in like 37 years. It's a fact; you can look it up. Deron Williams is away from the team for personal reasons, and they are in a constant state of turmoil. Hopefully we can keep the streak alive.

Pay attention to Tony Parker, and his role in the offense, and if we actually play better when he's not on the floor. Always keep an eye on the rotation, and who is getting minutes when and with whom. I wouldn't be surprised to see Hill get a start in one of these games. A starting line-up of Duncan, Parker, Hill, Jefferson, and McDyess/Blair would be interesting. With his long arms, Hill can guard PGs all the way up to finesse PFs. Having him on the floor with Parker gives us another ball handler, and allows both to handle and play off the ball (remember, George was a 2 guard in college, and Parker plays very well off the ball). Manu could check in for Geoge about the 7-minute mark, then Hill could come back in for Parker near the end of the 1st/beginning of the 2nd.

Just a thought, if you're reading, Pop.

(Call me.)

I'm Not One to Jump to Conclusions, But Clearly Duncan and Parker are Holding Us Back

Ah. Last night's game was like catching up with an old friend you haven't seen in a long time. And you don't even realize how long it's been until you're finally sitting down face to face, rehashing the old stories, laughing at the same silly inside jokes that cracked you up years ago. And you're so overjoyed to be with this person that you know so well; and yet you're happiness is tinged with sadness, because you realize that life has kept moving on, and you don't see this friend as much, and maybe this friend will never be a consistent part of your life again, and the best times are all behind you.

Whoa. That metaphor went a lot farther than I planned.

Last night's game was fun. Even more fun than the Raptors game. This is probably how one can test his or her true bona fides as a Spurs fan: do you prefer ugly, defensive struggles that have almost no style points and leave you physically and emotionally drained when they're over? Yes. Then you're a Spurs fan. Come on in, sit down.

That was easily our best defensive effort in a long time. We bodied up, we contested shots, we grabbed rebounds, and we played with a fierceness and an urgency I haven't seen from the team yet this season. Let's hope this portends good things, and isn't fleeting glimpse of a long forgotten past.

What I Liked:

--Keith Bogans...who knew? This may just be a 3 game aberration. But if not, this guy can play. I've been overwhelmingly impressed with his defense. He is strong and quick, and can guard smaller guards (Jason Terry, JJ Barea) and bigger forwards (Dirk, Josh Howard). He even had a sweet block. But the real surprise has been his offense. His 3-point stroke is sweet, and fits in with our game plan perfectly. But his handle isn't half bad, and he seems to have a good feel of what to do in any certain situation: make the extra pass, drive and dish, take the shot. And he has the athleticism to actually be a threat in the open court.

--Antonio McDyess, welcome to the season. Finally, a breakout game of sorts for McDyess. I was never worried about a slow start from him; we all know why he's here. But last night he set the tone defensively with his superlative work on Nowitzki. That may be the best defense I've seen a Spurs player play on Dirk, and that's saying something. And he was pesky, getting steals and deflections, along with rebounds. We also finally got a look at that gorgeous jump shot, as he stuck enough 15 footers to keep the defense honest.

--Richard Jefferson. He carried the offense last night, accounting directly for almost 1/3rd of our points. He did more than just score, though, dishing out assists, grabbing rebounds, breaking down the defense, and playing almost the entire game (41 minutes). RJ has indirectly benefited greatly from Bogans increase in playing time, as he now doesn't have to worry about guarding the best wing on defense. His defense is getting better, but he's also being asked to do less, which may be for the best. Bogans isn't a liability on offense, so it doesn't hurt us to have him out there. And Jefferson has shown that he can be special on offense.

--Matt Bonner, 6th man of the year. I like Bonner coming off the bench. It suits him. It allows him to play the role of game changer. He can come in, hit a couple of big 3s, get the crowd and team fired up, and not worry about being the starter and guarding the other teams post player. I think he feels more confident in that role, as well. He also serves as a good change of pace, defensively. Bonner has some physical limitations, but he doesn't lack for effort. I'm always impressed with how he competes defensively. I thought he did a very good job on him limited time guarding Dirk.

--Ending quarters. At the end of each quarter, we made great plays. Mason, Jr. drove and dished to a wide open Bogans in the corner for a game-tying 3 at the end of the 1st; Manu hit a sick deep 3 at half to really open up the lead; and we played some great D to end the 3rd quarter, allowing us to go into the 4th up by 15. The final margin was 9, and those 3 plays can account for an 8 point swing (netting 6 and saving 2). Sometimes, that's where games are won and lost.

--Defense. We played it last night...finally.

What I Didn't Like:

--Free throw shooting. We missed a bunch of free throws, especially Jefferson. We need to convert free points. Obviously.

--Beating the zone. Dallas switched to a zone D near the end of the 3rd, and stuck with it for most of the 4th. In the first 9 minutes of the 4th quarter, I believe we scored only 4 points, letting them crawl back into the game. Luckily, we continued our great D, and only gave up 15, so we still clung to a 4 pt lead. But we were clearly struggling against the zone. There are 3 things needed to beat a zone: patience, attacking, and shooting. We actually were patient, making the extra pass, and finding the wide open players. However, we were much too passive against the zone, settling on perimeter passing and rarely putting any pressure on the heart of the zone. When we did attack, we got good looks. It just didn't happen enough. And our shooting went ice cold, making it impossible to convert any possessions. The shooting will come, but we definitely need to be more aggressive attacking zones when we see them.

Observations:

--George Hill is a player. He took a critical offensive board away from Dirk, who easily has 8 inches on him. He stuck a huge jump shot in the end game, when Dallas was making their final push. He has a swagger about him this year, and he looks unafraid on the court.

--Despite the bad numbers, I continue to be encouraged by Roger Mason, Jr.'s play. He is in a bit of shooting slump. But his handle looks so much better, as does his quickness and comfort in the system. The play at the end of the 1st quarter is pretty emblematic: last year, he would have dribbled to a spot about 3 feet behind the 3-pt line and put up the shot; this year, he drove towards the basket, collapsed the defense, and dished perfectly to Bogans so he had an easy, wide open, catch and shoot.

Game Ball:

Lots of candidates, but I'm giving it to Antonio McDyess. He helped us out huge on both ends, made a ton of plays that don't show up in stats, and anchored our defense. He played great D on Dirk, a phenomenal offensive talent. He can be a great help to Duncan in the interior, especially if we go up against the Lakers, where we'll need to counter Odom, Gasol, and Bynum.

Looking Forward:

We get a couple of days off, and then we play OKC at home on Saturday. Don't sleep on the Thunder. They gave us fits last year, and they're only getting better. They have a tough, dynamic, scoring PG, and a prolific scorer in Durant.

Obviously keep an eye on the starting line-up, as it changes every night. Continue to monitor playing time, and see who keeps earning it (Bogans) and losing it (Finley). Keep an eye on who guards Durant. With his size and speed, he is a tough cover. I'd expect Jefferson or Bogans to have first crack at him, but don't be surprised to see Hill on him. In the Blazers game, Pop had Hill guarding the much taller Outlaw at the end of the game. With his wingspan, he has the ability to guard much taller.

Finally, keep an eye if Tony or Tim comes back, and how the team readjusts to having one or two stars back. Often, when star players come back from time off, the team suffers, because the players that had stepped up in their stead now relax and expect the returning star to carry the team to victory. It is vital that we continue to get the inspired play from Bogans and Jefferson and Manu that we've been getting, while incorporating Tim and Tony back into the flow.

And if Tim and Tony can't fit in, who needs them?

(We do.)

Let the ballot stuffing begin

The official 2010 NBA All-Star ballot was unveiled today in Dallas, and there are five Spurs listed. Here are their numbers after six games played:

• Manu Ginobili (17.5 PTS, 2.7 REB, 4.2 AST, 1.0 STL)
  
• Tony Parker (14.8 PTS, 4.0 AST)
  
• Tim Duncan (14.6 PTS, 11.8 REB, 1.6 BLK)
  
• Richard Jefferson (15.3 PTS, 4.0 REB, 3.0 AST)
  
• Antonio McDyess (6.2 PTS, 4.6 REB)

Now we all know that All-Star voting is not based on merit, but simply on popularity. You know what to do. Vote early and vote often.

Fans will be able to vote daily for the All-Star Game starters in a variety of ways, including: at each NBA arena; in 20 languages on NBA.com; and through mobile phones by texting the player's last name to 6-9-6-2-2 ("MYNBA"), via Web2Go on T-Mobile phones or wap.nba.com for any wireless carrier. A T-Mobile-branded All-Star Balloting widget will also be available on NBA.com so that fans can "drop" the widget on their blogs or social network pages allowing others to vote directly.

Paper balloting will continue through January 10, while wireless balloting and voting on NBA.com will conclude January 18. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010.

Matt Bonner Dunks, Creates Irreconcilable Paradox, Destroys Existence

We were due for a good revenge game. A game when a scorned player sticks it to his former team, making them regret ever letting him go. Matt Bonner went all Brett Favre on the Raptors' asses last night, raining 3s and even exploding for a monster dunk.

The other story from the game was one Mr. Emmanuel Ginobili. Oh my. Talk about a return to form. His final stat line was a ridiculous 36-4-8 with 4 blocks and a steal to boot, finishing a team high +21, all in 32 minutes. And that doesn't even really tell the story of last night's game. Ginobili completely owned the game and willed the Spurs to victory. He probably left at least 5 to 8 assists on the floor from missed field goals or fouls. He came up with two gigantic blocks in the endgame. He ran the offense and sparked the defense, and refused to lose. He was the Manu of old, the great player that all Spurs fans openly love and pine for, the magician that has made him the most popular player in San Antonio over the last 5 years.

Oftentimes it can be beneficial for teams to play without their best players. It forces everyone to play harder and to trust in themselves and their teammates more. They must play aggressively and selflessly. In the case of the Spurs, I think it will also help speed up the learning curve, both in understanding the system and in developing chemistry. Initiation by fire, if you will. The offense looked especially good last night. We were being aggressive, we were passing, and we were competing and playing for each other.

There's not much need to talk about last night's "defense". Sometimes you get caught up in that type of game, when every shot is falling, and both offenses are just clicking. The important thing to take away from last night's game isn't that we gave up 124 points; it's that we scored 131. We don't want to make a habit of giving up that many points, but at least we know that we have the offense for these types of games now. Also, with the game in the balance, we tightened the screws just a little bit, and played better defense down the stretch, allowing us to close the game out for the win.

Looking Forward:

We play the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. If there's a team I dislike more in the NBA, I'm not sure who it is. I want to crush them. Unfortunately, regardless of whatever extenuating circumstances may occur, they always play us tough. So we should be prepared for a tight, ugly game. I'm not sure if Duncan or Parker will be playing, but I'm not really too concerned about that. To be honest, I wouldn't be upset to see the team battle without them again.

Pay attention to the rotation and who continues to earn big minutes and important minutes. Pay attention to who guards Nowitzki. He always seems to give us fits, and is a very tough cover for us. We've had success with Bowen on him in the past. Will Bogans play on him? McDyess?

We're in the midst of a giant homestand. Over at Project Spurs, they've talked about the importance of coming out of the first half of the season with a good record. I touched on that a bit in my season preview. So while Wednesday night's game is not must-win by any means, it would be nice to get the W, to get above .500, to try to start gaining a little momentum, and kick those Mavs asses.

The Rip City Ripping

I love watching NBA games live. It gives you such a unique perspective and feel for the game. You can better understand the flow of the action and how certain players impact the game positively and negatively. When you remove yourself from the constant stat updates and the announcers dictating the narrative of the game, you can start to see things that you maybe haven't noticed before. Spacing. Rotations. Passing lanes and angles. The pure athleticism and artistry of the players.

Last night's game started much as the previous night's game in Utah. We played even for about 6 minutes, then let the other team go on a run to close out the first quarter. The first quarter ended with us down by 15; the game ended with us down by 12. We were +3 over the rest of the game (and really, much more than that, as the Blazers inflated their lead in the last minute with free throws). Doug Collins likes to say that basketball is a first quarter game. Sure, the excitement and the highlights happen in the 4th, and that's when games are won. But games can be lost in the 1st. In Utah we were down 10 in the first, and lost the game by 14, meaning they outplayed us by just over a point a quarter the rest of the way. In both games, the difference was the first quarter.

Does that tell us anything of significance? Are we coming out flat? Is it the starting line-up? Are we sacrificing too much by not starting our best players? There has definitely been much debate amongst Spurs fans about who should be starting. I'm okay with Bonner starting for now. He spreads the floor and can give us points in bunches if his shot is falling (which is wasn't last night). McDyess has been a proven quantity off the bench in his career and can excel there. Blair is a rookie, and despite his prodigious talents, still has a lot to learn about the Spurs' system. Bonner knows the system and plays his butt off. He doesn't always have the athletic abilities needed, but he never lacks in effort.

Michael Finley is another story. I argued at the beginning of the season that I felt Roger Mason, Jr. should be starting. I feel he gives us the same shooting that Finley does, but also gives us better ball handling, better defense, and better athleticism. Plus, Mason, Jr. is a rhythm and a confidence player, and excels in a starting role.

Last night, however, Popovich started Keith Bogans. I was happy to see Finley removed from the starting line-up, but a bit puzzled to see Bogans in there.

What I liked:

--Bogans in the starting line-up. I thought he played really well. We've talked about Jefferson having to fill Bowen's role, but maybe Bogans is our next Bowen. Far and away, he played the best D of the night, stifling Brandon Roy and taking him out of the game for long stretches. And he did it in much the same way Bowen used to, by playing ball denial defense and preventing players from getting to their favorite spots on the floor. On top of that, he showed some offensive punch, hitting a 3 and running a fast break. It's not clear how much offensive game he has, but it certainly appears to be more than Bowen ever did.

--Jefferson's O. 6 games in, he is showing increased comfort in the offense. And he's doing what we've needed for years: he's driving into the lane, and either finishing at the rim, drawing the foul, or both. He had a wicked slam dunk in the fourth quarter last night (and I was about 20 rows up from it). And he led the team with 8 free throw attempts. Plus he showed a little nastiness last night, and we always like to see that.

--McDyess starting to wake up. In a recent chat, Hollinger said that McDyess is a notorious second half player. I'm not really worried about his slow start. I have every confidence in the world that he'll be there when we need him. But last night was promising, seeing him hit a bunch of midrange jumpers on the pick and pop. He was definitely part of the team that helped spur the comeback, and was one of the few players whose shot actually looked good last night.

--Roger Mason, Jr. He looks different this year. He is handling the ball with a marked increase in skill and confidence. He is playing active. I think he is earning himself more minutes, and I hope we see it. Plus he led the team (tied with Ginobili) in assists.

--Second half defense. It actually started to look like something resembling the defense similar to what we've played in years past. We forced a few shot clock violations and desperation shots, had some turnovers, and just made life difficult for them. Halfway through the 4th, they had 75 points, meaning we held them to 24 points in about 18 minutes. Not bad. However...

What I Didn't Like:

--Offense. We were careless with the ball. We put up some ill-advised shots. We were ice cold from outside. And we're just not fluid yet. We had several opportunities to make game changing baskets in the fourth, and we were just never able to. Our most reliable endgame player is still shaking off rust, and looks very scattered and inconsistent.

--Two way Ginobili. Down the stretch, Ginobili was in charge of running the offense and guarding Brandon Roy. That's just too much for him right now. He was unable to do anything with Roy, and Roy was able to put the nails in the coffin in the last few minutes, ruining our comeback attempt. I would have rather seen Bogans or Hill on Roy. (Though I thought having Hill guard Outlaw was quite the interesting choice. And it worked. With his long arms, Hill is able to guard players much taller than him and still do very well.)

--Jefferson's D. As good as his offense is looking, his defense is looking equally as bad. He's not playing denial defense. He's letting players beat him around the corners and to the hoop and then hoping for bailout help from one of the big men. And he doesn't seem to be playing D with energy or passion. I imagine this is why Pop gave him the early hook last night and seemed to light a small fire under his ass. On offense. I'm sure if this keeps up, Pop will be ripping him a new one. But we need Jefferson to play good D. Perhaps Bogans and Hill can be our real perimeter stoppers, but Jefferson has to be on the floor for his offense, so his defense better be valuable as well.

--Offensive boards. Is this going to make it here every game? I sure hope not.

Observations:

(I'm starting a new section for things that are neither good nor bad, but still need voice.)

--I like the slimmed down Duncan, and feel that the long term benefits are immeasurable. But he was getting pushed around by Oden and Pryzbilla last night, and seems to be unable to hold his ground against bigger opponents.

--One bad thing about seeing a game live: you miss out on injuries. Parker left the game with an ankle injury, but I had to have a friend from San Antonio text me with the official diagnosis. Luckily, it's not too bad, and I think a week off will do both Parker and Hill some good. Parker looks sluggish, and Hill could use the reps.

Game Ball:

I'm giving it to Bogans. He finished +4, played outstanding D, played within himself on offense, and showed that maybe he could be another free agent signing coup.

Looking Forward:

We have a very home-heavy schedule coming up. In fact, we don't leave the state of Texas again until Dec 7th (we have two road games, one against Dallas and one against Houston). Hopefully we can use these games to get our act together and get some wins on the board. Toronto comes to town Monday and Dallas on Wednesday. Both teams are playing well and should give us good games.

Pay attention to the starting line-up and if Bogans stays there. Pay attention to the rotation. Pay attention to Hill, and how he plays as the starter and who backs him up. Pay attention to how many offensive boards we give up, and if there are any answers to shore up our rebounding. Pay attention to our energy when we start the game.

We now sit at 2-3, undefeated at home, and completely defeated on the road. To be honest, I'm most interested to see how we do on the road, so the games against Dallas and Houston will be the most intriguing to me.

A Tale of Two Cities

As in San Antonio, and every other city in the Association.

Granted, it's a very small sample size, but at the moment, we look unbeatable at home, and like complete horse manure on the road. I know we're the Spurs, and we're not supposed to get worked up about early season games, and we're building towards something bigger. Plus, we're adding in a bunch of new pieces, and it's going to take much longer to gel as a cohesive unit this year. I get all of that. But what is so disturbing about these first 2 early road games is how uninspired and uninterested we look. We're playing with no intensity and no passion. We're playing lazy, making haphazard defensive rotations (if we're making them at all), and not working to get the best shots on offense. We're playing too much one-on-one, not trusting our passing and execution. I can handle a loss on the road, especially in SLC, where the Jazz are historically good. But it's the manner in which we lost, playing meekly and without fight.

I know all the talking points, and I know not to get so worked up about an early season loss. There were plenty of factors working against us: the long layoff after only 3 games, the Jazz coming out strong at home, needing something to prove, the daunting prospect of two tough road games on back to back nights. I guess what I want is to feel like the team is playing as hard as I am rooting. Is that too much to ask?

What I Liked (this will probably be a short list):

--DeJuan Blair. He showed his usual game, nabbing offensive boards for some cheap putback points. But he also flashed some signs of a more refined post game, finishing off some drives at the rim. If he can be a reliable post player as well as our garbage man, he will definitely earn plenty of minutes playing behind and with Duncan.

--Parker's aggressiveness. He tore it up in the second quarter, attacking the rim at will, drawing And-1s or free throws. He kept us modestly close in the first half, allowing at least a glimmer of hope at halftime.

--Hill's offense. He had two great drives to the rim that he just couldn't convert. The ball simply rolled off the rim. I remember this happening to him a bunch last year, as well. When those start dropping for him, he'll be an even deadlier player.

What I Didn't Like:

--Our energy. I touched on this in the opening. But we didn't seem all that interested in competing hard.

--Our defense. It actually looked decent in the first 6 minutes. We had active hands, and we're getting lots of deflections and contested passes and shots. But we gave up 32, 28, and 33 points in consecutive quarters. We made poor rotations. We didn't help at the rim (on several occasions, our wings got beat to the rim and then looked back in disgust after the basket went in as if to say "where the hell was my help?"). We played reactive defense, allowing them to dictate the tempo and control of the game, only trying to stop them once they were exactly where they wanted to be.

Jefferson, in particular, seemed a bit helpless out there. If he's our new stopper, we could be in trouble. I believe he has it in him, but he's not showing it yet. What made Bowen so great was that he did his work before his opponent got the ball. He never allowed his player to their comfort spots, and always made them make plays out of their comfort zone. Jefferson needs to work at this.

--Manu. He had a stinker game. He turned it over, forced the issue, and just didn't look good. Obviously, we're giving him some time to find his legs and his game. He's going to have good games and bad games. But I'm still going to point out the bad ones, especially when he turns the ball over with 26 seconds left in each of the first 3 quarters. Just bad. With Hill emerging, I'd like to see him handling the ball a bit more with the second unit, and allow Ginobili to play off the ball a bit more. Our second unit offense can be a bit predictable with Ginobili at the top of the key.

--14 assists. Our assists seem to be way down from years past. Some of this can be attributed to more driving and attacking the rim, rather than taking as many jump shots (which is good). But this low number also indicates that we're not playing as fluid of offense as we have in the past, and that we're not trusting each other and making the extra pass. I expect this to change as the season progresses.

--Important baskets. 3 times in the 4th quarter we had chances to cut the lead to under 10. Single digit deficits are huge mental barriers; if you can get it under 10, that gives you the belief that you can come all the way back. 3 times we had it at 11, with possession. Each time we didn't convert, and then Utah came back and scored, pushing the lead back to 13 or 14. Those are backbreaking moments.

--Offensive rebounding. Although we ended up posting more offensive boards than they did, it certainly didn't feel like it. We're giving teams way too many second opportunities, and they seem to be converting on all of them. There is nothing more disheartening then playing good defense, getting a stop, and just not finishing the possession with a rebound. It's a total momentum builder for the other team and spirit killer for us.

Game Ball:

I was planning on starting a new section where I give out a game ball to the most deserving Spur, but after tonight's game I'm not sure anybody on our team deserves it. So I'm going to give it to Carlos Boozer, who looked like late 80s/early 90s Karl Malone out there, tearing through our defense, and even playing some good defense of his own (something he is not known for).

Looking Forward:

Tonight we play The Blazers in Portland. They are off to a slow start, and some people here are starting to worry. They have all the talent in the world, but some of the pieces just aren't fitting together right. It should be a good game of two teams with early results not matching lofty expectations who both really want a statement win.

After last nights game, I think the most important things to keep an eye on are our defense on Brandon Roy and the battle of the paint. Jefferson will undoubtedly start on Roy. Roy is a tremendously talented player, an elite wing player, and someone we might have to stop in the playoffs. In the past, we always had Bowen to handle the elite wings of the world. How will Jefferson fare? Will we see any of Bogans, our defensive free agent pick up? Will we see Hill playing important D on Roy?

Watch the paint carefully. They have 2 big centers capable of controlling the paint and hauling in offensive and defensive boards (Pryzbilla and Oden). Can we keep them off the boards? Can we outscore them in the paint? Will we protect the rim against driving guards? I'm surprised we didn't see any Ratliff last need for an injection of rim protection. If things unfold tonight similar to last night, I wouldn't be surprised to see him. (Ratliff played a few years in Portland, and was a fan favorite. At least he was one of my favorites at the time.)

Also, if the game is close in the waning minutes, pay attention to everything: who is on the floor, who is running the offense, what we're doing on offense, what we're doing on defense. We have yet to play a close game, so we haven't been tested in crunch time. It's about time that we are.

The game is on ESPN, but I'll be at the game, about 15 rows up just off the Blazer's bench side basket, in the corner opposite the Spurs bench. I'll be wearing my road Ginobili jersey, which so far, has brought very little luck on the road this year. Hopefully that will change tonight.

Go Spurs Go.

Bat-Man

Are you kidding me? Did Manu really just swat a bat out of midair? That's insane. Anybody who has been around a bad knows how terrifying they are, and how incredibly difficult it would be to just swat one out of the air. But there's Ginobili, sizing it up, then WHAM, out of the air the bat goes. Meanwhile, men who get paid millions of dollars to be strong and tough are cowering in fear.

They also played a game last night. Going into this game I was worried about its trap game capabilities. It's easy to take a lesser opponent for granted, especially playing at home. I wasn't so much worried about losing the game, but more about making it a competitive game for too long.

Luckily, I didn't have much to worry about, as we overwhelmed the Kings with talent and execution and were simply just too good for them. The Kings competed hard, but there is just too much of a talent deficit on that team for now.

What I Liked:

--Jefferson. By far his best game as a Spur. It wasn't just that he scored well, it was how he scored. He was hitting outside jump shots, driving to the hoop and getting to the foul line, and he was working perfectly within the offense. He is looking increasingly more comfortable each game, and I'm very happy with what he is bringing to the team.

--Parker's bounce back. I've stated many times that Parker needs to get off to a good start in a game. When he does, he is virtually unstoppable and competes hard the whole game. But if he gets off to a bad start, it's easy for him to fall out of rhythm and mentally check out of the game. It's a tough balance for him, because he needs to be aggressive and get his points early, but he also needs to keep the offense fluid and everyone else involved. Last night he achieved that balance perfectly, and our offense hummed all night long.

--Ginobili's hair. Love the buzzed look. Now maybe everyone will stop talking about his bald spot, and start focusing on his bat catching skills.

--Blair's passing. I'm more and more impressed every game with Blair. How lucky were we to find a rotation player in the draft? Last night, I was really impressed with his passing ability, from both the low and high post. His offensive game seems more refined than most originally thought, and he can be a legitimate post up option on the 2nd unit.

--Finley's jumper. He is getting older, and is mostly a liability to us on the floor. But he'll be able to hit that jumper off the curl until the day he dies.

--95 points after 3 quarters. We were lucky to get 95 points in a game last year, and now we're hitting it after 3 quarters.

--Bonner and Mason, Jr.'s expanding games. Bonner is putting the ball on the floor and driving and making baskets. He still looks a little awkward doing it; but if he's just good enough that his defender has to somewhat respect it, it will give him even more wide open 3-point shots. And Roger's handle seems to have improved dramatically in the offseason. He actually looks natural putting the ball on the floor and driving to the hoop. And he can actually pass out of his drives now. I'm not saying he should be playing any PG, but it never hurts to have another player who can handle the ball in a pinch.

--Hill's shot. George's shot looks really good right now. I actually believe his shots will go in, which is a lot different than last year.

--Closing quarters. The mark of a great team is how they close out quarters. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but we seemed to play even for the first 8 or 9 minutes of most quarters, and then closed each quarter strong, pushing our advantage each time. Up 7 after the first, up 16 at half, and finally, up 20 after the 3rd, before garbage time kicked in.

--Ratliff's defense. He did what we brought him here to do: protect the rim. He registered 4 blocks, and affected countless other shots.

What I Didn't Like:

--27 and 30. We gave up 27 points in the first quarter and 30 in the third. Granted, in those quarters we scored 34 and 34 respectively, but I'd still like to see us play sharper D, and try to keep teams under 25 or so points a quarter. The rules have been gradually changing to give the offenses every advantage, so maybe it's not realistic to see the lockdown D we've grown accustomed to seeing. But we still need the dedication and commitment to it, so that we can get important stops down the stretch of close games.

--Ratliff's offense. Oh my. "Unpolished" would be a kind word for it. Any offense we get from him is gravy...but still....

--19:17. Our assist to turnover ratio. Still to low. Our offense did look good last night, so the low assist number might be a bit fluky. But 17 TOs is still a little more than I'd like to see.

One final observation, and this goes under neither the "Like" or "Dislike" column. It seems that there is a more concerted effort to hit the offensive glass this year. In years past, once the shot went up, we usually had 3 or 4 players hustling back on D, preventing another team from fastbreaking. However, in last night's game, I noticed a few times when 2 or 3 stayed behind looking at the offensive board. I even saw a few plays when we crashed the offensive glass from the top of the key, rather than hustling back. Obviously, with Blair's special skill in this area, it would make sense for him to do this. But I noticed Bonner doing this. I'm not sure if this is in the game plan, or just an isolated incident, but it bears keeping an eye on.

Looking Forward:

We have 4 days off, then a brutal back to back, facing both Utah and Portland on the road Thursday and Friday.

Pay attention to our energy to start the game. Let's hope it's better than the effort we put out in Chicago. Pay attention to our overall D, and what our commitment to it looks like. And pay attention to the rotation, and who gets crunch time minutes.

Both of these games should be very tough and very close. It will be a great early test for us. Obviously it'd be great to get them both, but a split with 2 hard fought games would be a victory as well.

On a personal note, I will be at the Portland game, sporting my black Ginobili jersey. Every time I go to a Spurs game in Portland, I'm amazed at the number of Spurs jerseys I see, especially considering how rabid and devoted Portlanders are to the Blazers. I was sitting right behind the Spurs bench last year when Finley's jumper rimmed out, giving us our second or third straight loss to open the season. This year, I intend to see the Spurs win.