I'll Be Home For Christmas

I am back home in Iowa for Christmas, so I have been unable to watch the last few games. From what I've read, it sounds like we put together two really solid back to back performances, even if it was against middle of the road competition. I have the games saved to watch as family time calms down, so hopefully I can get some general thoughts posted in the next few days.

Looking forward, we have a pretty easy slate of games over the next week. The game against Miami on New Year's Eve will be a nice test for us, but the real challenge awaits on Jan 8th, when Dallas comes to town. Two games later, we have our first game against the Lakers. Those two games will be our next benchmark games to see where we really stand.

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy Holiday season.

Go Spurs Go.

It's Better To Burn Out Than To Fade Away

I don't have the time nor the inkling to delve into this game. I have to finish laundry, then pack, then sleep for like 3 hours, then wake up at 3am to catch a shuttle to the airport to hop a flight into the eye of a hellacious winter storm.

The extremely shorthanded Blazers, playing their fourth road game in five nights, played with more energy, more heart, and more passion. Missing their best player (Roy), most of their best supporting cast, and reaching to the depths of their bench, they completely outclassed us on our floor. In the end, it was too little, too late, as we made one final surge to climb within 2 with 27 seconds left. We got the stop we needed but could not secure a rebound. Ballgame.

Let's get down to brass tacks: we are not a very good basketball team. This game was a litmus test for us (and if you don't think Pop wanted it bad, just check out Duncan's playing time in the second half), and again we failed. Despite four elite offensive players, we have no flow or rhythm to our offense. Everyone is afraid to shoot; we pass up open jumpers time and time again to drive into double teams and make poor outlet passes that very often result in turnovers. We can't even run a fast break properly. The glory of our defensive dominance fades further and further into the rear view mirror everyday. We got torched by an undersized second year guard playing in only his second week of meaningful burn. Time and time again we are unable to secure critical defensive rebounds. We are getting by on reputation and Duncan alone. That's it. Nobody else is having a season worth remembering.

Unless something changes soon, we will continue to beat the sub-.500 teams, continue to lose to playoff teams, finish in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference, and be summarily swept out of the playoffs with a whimper, not a bang.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some laundry to attend to.

Well, I Could Be Wrong, But I Believe A Clipper Is an Old, Old Wooden Ship That Was Used During the Civil War Era

Now that was a fun game to watch. No really spectacular individual games, but top to bottom, it might have been the most consistent team performance of the year. Every player seemed to have it going to some degree, and we got a showcase of the best of each player (and a strong dose of the unexpected, especially from Mason, Jr. and his attacking game and Ratliff and his remote semblance of an offensive game).

The boys over at 48MoH beat me to the punch in pointing most of this out. It was nice to get a convincing win in which we didn't give up a huge lead, or have a horrendous quarter, or turn the ball over recklessly, or get totally abused on the glass (though we did give up a few too many offensive rebounds), or make any dumb mistakes. We just executed, played hard, played smart, and wore down an inferior team over the course of a game. The Clippers didn't play poorly; but this is how the Spurs win. Our stuff versus your stuff, whoever blinks first loses; and we never blink first.

Wednesday night is our next great test, another chance to go up against a playoff-caliber team and see where we stand. A win will be great. But it's more important to see how we play, how we compete, and how we execute; and if the game is in the balance late in the fourth, who will blink first?

A Win is A Win is A Win is A Win

The narrative of tonight's game played out like so many games this season. We play well for most of the first half, but slip a bit heading into intermission. Then we come out and play an atrocious third quarter, completely giving the game away. Finally, we make a strong push in the 4th quarter.

Thankfully, this time our push was enough, just barely getting us over the hump and allowing us to escape with a one point victory. Honestly, we played very good for 2 3/4 quarters; we played poorly for 1/4 of a quarter (the last 3 mins of the second, when they went on an 8-0 run and crawled back into the game); and we played atrociously for 1 quarter. Setting aside the third quarter, though, I thought we played smart and hard on the defensive side of the ball. They scored 46 of their 99 points in a 15 minute span, which means over the other 33, they only scored 53, which is very good. On offense we were pretty bad (and Sean Elliott made some astute observations about our ball movement and hesitation in decision making), but we were aggressive, tallying 18 offensive rebounds and 38 free throws (though we shot horrendously from the foul line). Basically, we did just enough to win.

Honestly, I'm OK with just barely beating a pretty mediocre team missing their best player at home. When building towards a championship, there are things bigger than wins and losses. You have to learn how to win close games, how to close out teams in the playoffs, how to pull out victories even when everything is seemingly working against you. Tonight was the first time all season that I felt like our team was able to eke out a close win, to do everything that was necessary down the stretch of a close game to pull out the victory. It was the first time that we felt like a team in the endgame. It was a reminder of the Spurs of the last decade, the team that just knew how to win.

Bill Simmons has a theory about winning championships: it's all about reps. You just have to do things enough times to really learn how to do them, including winning (and winning close games). The Spurs have an abundance of talent this year, but a deficiency in reps. Jefferson and Hill and Blair and McDyess and Bogans and Mason, Jr. haven't been through the battles, haven't had to execute down 1 with ten seconds left in a do or die game. This team needs more close games, more games that allow them to learn about each other and to learn to trust each other. They need more reps with each other.

I'm not saying I want more close games like this against the dregs of the East; but it is nice to finally see us win a close game. Ah, the memories.

Looking Forward:

The Clippers come to town Monday night. We just beat them in LA last week pretty handily. Let's hope for the same Monday. We really need to capitalize on this stretch of games over the next few weeks and build up our wins.

Golden State Can't Be Bothered With Such Things As "Position" And "Height"

We won another game that we should have won. Big whoop. Duncan dominated yet again. Yawn. We turned the ball over 20 times. Lame, but not surprising.

The Warriors started out with Radmonivic (more or less an oversized small forward) guarding Duncan, Maggette (a 2/3 combo, I would imagine) guarding McDyess, and Monta Ellis (an undersized guard, period!) guarding Richard Jefferson. What is there to even say about this? This is like some other sport, a very close cousin of basketball. You have to admire the steadfastness to the belief. We will put a killer offensive line-up out there--all speed and finesse--and see who can score the most, defense be damned.

Look, this was another game we should have won (and need to win to keep our record respectable). And we did. I don't really care about these games any more, other than in my pure enjoyment of watching the Spurs play. From here on out, we need to start proving ourselves against quality, playoff-caliber teams. Our next chance at that is next Wednesday when Portland comes to town.

Observations:

--It's nice to see Roger Mason, Jr. getting some more playing time and making the most of it. I do think he belongs in the rotation because his shooting can keep us in games, as we witnessed Tuesday at Phoenix.

--Blair is making a strong case that he deserves more and more of McDyess's minutes. I have high hopes for McDyess, but right now he's struggling. I still believe he'll round into form as the season rolls on. But until then, Blair is playing like a beast and growing smarter and more confident with each game.

Looking Forward:

We host Indiana on Saturday night. This should be a W; this better be a W.

Bench Reminds Starters that There Is Indeed A Game Scheduled Tonight

With about 8 minutes left in the 3rd quarter and trailing by 20, Pop called a timeout. I'd like to think he was as fed up as I was by the lack of energy, execution, and urgency from his starters. He subbed in Ginobili, Bonner, Mason, Jr., and Hill for Parker, Bogans, Jefferson, and McDyess. Only Tim Duncan stayed on the court. Over the next 8 minutes, the Spurs' bench plus Tim Duncan methodically cut that 20 point lead down to 1, playing swarming, stingy defense, and efficient offense.

Unfortunately, we were unable to sustain the effort, and in the fourth quarter the Suns pulled away yet again. It is so hard to come back from 20 down, get over the hump, and then get the win. It takes so much energy just to get all the way back, that once you do, you sort of congratulate yourself and let up for just a moment. And when you do, the other team can easily regroup and push back.

There's a lot to dissect from this game, but there are 3 main points I'd like to focus on.

1. Inability to win the big game. I've talked about this a little in the past few weeks, and this game only helps make the point. It's not so much that we didn't win tonight, but more so how we started the game, playing without any fire or overwhelming will to win. We just can't beat the good teams. We're 9-1 against teams below .500, and 3-9 against teams .500 or better. And those 3 wins are Dallas, Houston, and Milwaukee. Only the Dallas win stands as a truly impressive win. We win the games we should, and lose the ones we should. That is not championship basketball.

2. Rebounding. I know we've talked a lot about this in the past, but I'm specifically referring to Tim Duncan. Although his rebounding numbers are pretty steady this year and consistent with his career, it just seems that he has trouble securing contested rebounds. Amar'e Stoudemire got the best of him several times tonight, leading to a lot of 2nd chance points. I don't exactly know what to make of this, nor do I really know what the problem is. I know he finished with 14 rebounds tonight. But when watching the games, there's just something not quite right.

Obviously Duncan is having another amazing year, and it's hard to fault him for much when he's more or less carrying the team. But right now I don't have confidence that he is going to snag the critical rebound late in games, and that's a feeling I want back.

3. The Bench Conundrum. The bench clearly and unequivocally outplayed all starters not named Tim Duncan tonight. It wasn't even close. Look at the +/- of the other 4 starters: -22, -19, -28, -12. Compare that to the bench: +3, +13, +1, +1, +15, -6. The bench scored 49 to the starters 55 (34 of which belonged to Duncan). But you don't need numbers; you just need eyes. The game turned when Pop benched the starters, and turned back when most of the starters re-entered the game.

This poses a lot of difficult to answer questions: is our bench actually better than our starters? Are our starters really not that good? Should we make some changes to our starting line-up to get better players on the court sooner and for longer periods?

It's great to have a good bench. But ultimately, your best players and best line-ups need to be on the court the most. And right now, it appears as if we're starting games with inferior line-ups, which gets us into early deficits, and giving the majority of minutes to our least productive players. That is not championships basketball.

Game Ball:

Ducan deserves it. He had a monster game and willed us back from the dead. But I'm giving it to Roger Mason, Jr. He finally got some playing time, and capitalized with 19, 5 rebounds, and a gaudy 5 of 8 from downtown. Without his shooting, we probably would have been down by 30 instead of 20 when we made our push. Nice to see our big shot back.

Looking Forward:

A quick turnaround puts us up in Oakland tomorrow night facing the Warriors. Playing the Warriors is unlike any other experience in basketball. It's hard to really prepare for anything, because the Warriors probably don't even know what they're going to do most of the time. They don't play with any semblance of control, plan, or care.

They're also ripe for a trap game. Anybody on that team can go off for 40 points on any given night and single-handedly will them to victory. After tonight's defeat, I hope we're ready for them.

Some Theft:

Spurs have a game against the always friendly Suns tonight. I recently got my teacher certification, and one thing they harped on in the two week class is this: steal everything; lesson plans, styles of teaching, homework assignments. If it works, steal it.

So here's some stuff that works:

Pounding the Rock's preview of tonight's game is here.

48 Minutes of Hell has an interesting piece on Tony Parker's new role. Not roll, you French food enthusiasts.

And finally, Dejuan Blair needs some more Twitter Followers--let's help out the 'would be rookie of the year if he played with a crappy team', er rookie.

And beyond the Spurs, if you need some fictional basketball from your internets, you can read my short story, Most Valuable Player, at my blog. It's related because the ball goes in a basket, and it is the only time I will ever pimp myself.

Wait...What? I've Had NBA TV This Whole Time?

So apparently I have NBA TV. Who knew? I've never had digital cable before, and I just assumed I wouldn't have NBA TV. But I was so frustrated to see that tonight's game was on NBA TV (and thus not on League Pass) that I figured I'd at least check to see if I had it. Imagine my surprise when I found myself watching the 4th quarter of Game 3 of the Nets-Celtics series from 2002.

Imagine my total lack of surprise at watching the Spurs let a 26 point 2nd quarter lead slip all the way down to 7 midway through the 3rd, before putting the clamps down and running away with the game in the 4th, ultimately winning by 25. Again, it was one bad quarter that let the other team back into the game. This time, it was the 2nd quarter, in which we gave up 33 points. In the other quarters, we gave up 23, 19, and 15.

Overall, it's tough to sustain large leads in NBA games. There's just too much talent and too much time. So in a way, I'm glad that the Clippers made a move, and I'm glad that they did it in the 2nd, giving us time to regroup at half time and come out focused. All things considered, this was a really good win for us. We played great O, moving the ball, getting great looks, and having 6 players score in double figures; and we played strong D for most of the game, contesting shots and just stifling their offense, especially in the second half. We gave up a few too many offensive boards (14), and although we kept the turnovers down (13), we had 3 in the last 3 possessions of the first half, really allowing the Clippers come back.

The real story of the game--and an emerging story from the season--is the play of our bench. Our bench leads the league in pts/game (averaging right around 42). Tonight our bench outscored their bench 57-32, and was responsible for really blowing the game wide open in the 4th quarter. 20 of the Clippers bench points came from Baron Davis, who normally starts. (He had the flu.) Do the math, and that tells you that the score of the starters was 53-58.

I love having such a strong bench, and it's a great relief especially given the last few years of having a fairly mediocre bench (Ginobili excluded). But there is something to be concerned about when relying upon your bench for so much of your offensive workload: the playoffs. In the playoffs, rotations shorten, starters' minutes increase, and the importance of the bench is diminished. One could argue that the Spurs could break the mold and continue to play the bench large minutes and still get the same production. But as other teams curb their rotations and increase their starters' minutes, our bench will no longer be playing against the other teams bench--they'll be playing against the starters. One of our great advantages will have suddenly become a disadvantage.

This is obviously no concern for panic just yet. And obviously everything I say about our bench disregards Ginobili, since he is a starter in all ways except actuality. But this is something to watch as the season progresses and as the rotation becomes more set.

Observations:

I love listening to the Clippers broadcasters, because they love the Spurs. Seriously, it's like a 3 hour sensual massage with a happy ending. You almost feel dirty watching.

Game Ball:

It's a tie between Ginobili and Blair. Ginobili really sparked us in the first half, hitting huge 3s, making sick assist passes, and being his usual disruptive and brilliant self. Blair also had a strong game, snagging huge boards on both ends of the floor and giving us 14 points. His basketball IQ is high, and he has a very innate understanding of spacing and movement. Let's hope that he's alright after that scary landing.

Looking Forward:

We play the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. This is a big game. We need a win over a good team. Phoenix is playing surprisingly well this year. Oh, and there's a little history between these two teams.

We always seem to have their number, especially when it counts. Obviously. But this game is especially important for me. I want to see us beat a team that is currently either equal or better than us. I want to see us extend our winning streak to 4 games. And I want to feel like we're starting to take positive steps forward. Every time I think we might be improving and gelling, we have a set back. We've won 3 in a row (after 3 dispiriting losses), but we need a statement win. Beating Phoenix in Phoenix (and handing them their first home loss) would be said statement.

Quarterly Report

Decent win against the Bobcats last night. The game had many of the positives and negatives of the young season on full display. We dominated for 3 quarters, but let them back in with one horrendous quarter. Tony Parker had 10 assists, but 7 TOs. Ginobili scored 20 in the first half, and 2 in the second. We shot 60% from the floor, but turned the ball over 28 times.

I'm happy to get the win and move to 11-9. We finally have our first road trip of the season, though it's only a 3 game West Coast swing. The game Tuesday night in Phoenix will be the most critical (and the best gauge of the team).

Being 20 games in, I thought I'd take a look back at some of my pre-season thoughts and see where we are a quarter into the regular season.

1. Tim and Manu's health: Tim is as great as ever, quietly having one of his most efficient seasons ever. But he started last season the same way. The real test of Tim's health will be in the last quarter of the season, if his knees hold up. As for Manu, his ankles seem to be fine, but other parts of his body aren't cooperating. He's already missed time with hamstring and groin issues. Let's hope that's just early season rust (and rust from a long layoff) being worked out, and that he'll stay healthy moving forward. Without him healthy, we have no shot.

2. Tony Parker's offensive dominance: Tony is having a good season, but not a great one so far. I think all Spurs fans are a bit surprised at just how difficult the adjustment of so many new pieces has been. A lot of that falls on Tony. When you have such prodigious talent and an inane ability to score, yet are surrounded by amazing talent as well, it can be tough to negotiate when to do what. In the last few games, he seems to be getting a better handle on things, and his assist numbers are rising, as is the scoring output of Jefferson and Ginobili. Ultimately, I think it boils down to this: does Tony Parker care more about winning, or more about appearing to be a great player?

3. Return to defensive prowess: This has been up and down. Some games we're defensive behemoths; some games, we have to outscore the Raps and the Kings because we can't get stops to save our lives. In big games, our defense appears to be mostly there (and our offense lets us down). But I have yet to see a game in which we dominate tip to buzzer defensively.

4. The new pieces: So far, both Jefferson and McDyess have been varying degrees of disappointing. Jefferson, especially, seems to be struggling to fit in. Again, in the last two games, there have been signs of this turning around, as he is scoring more and in the flow of the offense. His growing comfort in our offense is of tantamount importance. McDyess has shown us flashes of what he can bring to the team, but he's a slow starter. I'll save total judgement on McDyess until the last half of the season. But I'm definitely expecting things from him that he hasn't consistently delivered yet. For me, the biggest surprise so far has been the play of Keith Bogans. He is our best man defender, he plays hard, he has a good offensive game, and he seems to be figuring out the team's schemes very well.

5. The Youth Movement: Well, we've gotten younger, but many of the young guys aren't seeing much playing time. Finley is still dominating minutes over Hairston and Mason, Jr. Ratliff is often getting as much burn as Blair. It looks like Pop is still trusting his veterans. But Blair has definitely shown that he can be a huge contributor to a winning team. If he continues to play hard, I think he'll earn Pop's trust and see important minutes down the stretch of the season and into the playoffs.

6. George Hill: Timothy Varner wrote a great piece on George over at 48MoH. Hill has definitely improved, but not quite as much as many hoped or expected. He is finding playing time with Tony Parker, which I think is important. And his long range shooting stroke is reliable now. But I'd still like to see him be more aggressive on offense and defense. He makes some great defensive plays, but seems to get burned easily on basic defensive skills. But he's still only a quarter into his second season; I believe he will continue to improve as the season wears on.

7. Chemistry and Rotation: At least we seem to have our starters set...for now. The rotation has been all over the place, as was to be expected early in the season. It seems like it's beginning to wear on some players. Our depth is a strength right now, but one that can easily turn to weakness. Most playoff rotations are only 8 or 9 players deep, and we have at least 11 players that deserve and expect consistent playing time. Eventually, we need to settle into a consistent rotation and stick with it. As for chemistry, I have been surprised at how long it seems to be taking to find our rhythm on the court. Let's hope it's like most learning curves, where there is very little visible progress until it suddenly all just clicks and the results take a huge jump.

8. The other role players: Mason, Jr. seems to be on the verge of falling out of the rotation. I hope he can find his way back in, because I think he can be very valuable to us with his shooting and confidence. Finley has been removed from the starting line-up, but still gets plenty of minutes because Pop trusts him unconditionally. Bonner is the biggest surprise. He has been playing very well, and shooting extremely well. If he can continue to contribute 10+ points a night, make some hustle plays, and grab a few rebounds, he'll be invaluable going forward.

9. The rest of the West: The Lakers are as dominant as most expected, and they look scary good. The Blazers have had some bad luck and bad chemistry, and seem to be stuck in first gear. The Nuggets look strong and already beat us at home (I did not see that game, so I have no feel for how we played them). The Mavs look better than most expected, and Dirk is having another strong season. The Hornets appear to be headed to the lottery. The Jazz seem to have turned things around a bit, and have our number, already beating us 3 times. But it's still the Lakers; they look unstoppable.

10. The schedule: This may be the biggest cause for concern. We've had a really easy schedule so far, with tons of home games...and we're still only 11-9. I thought that we really needed to jump on our early schedule and get some wins, even as we were building toward the playoffs. Well, that doesn't seem to have happened. We still have a little stretch of very winnable games, so hopefully we can put together a nice little winning streak here and have some cushion heading into our very back-loaded schedule. I actually think a little road trip will be good for us, though. Teams always seem to come together on the road, and we haven't had any road trips yet to really bring us together. It's time to find that camaraderie and chemistry.

11. It's not how you start, it's how you finish: That better hold true, because we haven't started well. And lots of people are writing us off, or not even talking about us. But that's good. I like to be out of the national talk, and be the team that sneaks up on everybody after the All-Star break.

Overall, it's been a pretty frustrating first Quarter. There are some bright spots, but many more reasons for concern. The next 21 games (21 will take us to 41, the true halfway mark) will be a critical period. It's true that we need to finish strong, but we also need to be in a position where a strong finish can mean something. If we come out of the next 21 games at 23-18, then I think we have some real problems. Ideally, we need to put together something more along the lines of a 17-4. Realistically, looking at the schedule, we have 16 games that we should win, and 5 that are up in the air: at Phoenix, Portland at home, Dallas at home, the Lakers at home, and the Jazz at home (our 41st game). These 5 games will be the real barometers of the next set of 21, and will give us the best window into what kind of team we actually have, and what we can actually do. If we can win 3 of those 5 games, I think we have a real shot of making a second half push. If we can go into the 42nd game with a record close to 26-15, I'll be happy. Either way, it'll be fun to watch.

Go Spurs Go.

So This Is What It Feels Like to Root For A Slightly Above Average Team

Great article at Hardwood Paroxysm about the potential fear all teams should feel for the Spurs.

As for me, I don't know how to feel. It seems that that story line has been written for years about the Spurs. And for the first 8 years of this decade, it seemed to be true. But is it still? The intention is still true in the way that Pop runs the team, in that he views the regular season as a training ground for the post-season. But when was the last time we coiled and sprung? Our championship run of 2007? When was the last time we clearly outplayed and outexecuted a team that was considered elite? It seems like the theme over the last two years has been that we beat the teams we should (for the most part), compete hard most every night, but never get the big win, the signature win. We haven't put together any impressive winning streaks in a while, and we haven't been completely dominant on either side of the ball.

It's all kind of depressing. Are we the proud lion in Autumn? Are we facing a slow slide into mediocrity? Will we one day wake up and find our team to be a .500 team fighting for the 8th seed and the chance to get knocked off by the Lakers or the Blazers or the Thunder?

I don't necessarily believe any of this to be true, but I have to wonder. I do know this: last night, because of a NBA League Pass fuck up (don't even get me started), I ended up watching a big chunk of the Rockets against the Cavs. The Rockets were just handling them, out-executing, out-hustling, out-everything the Cavs, and they were completely stifling LeBron. The Rockets are scrappy and they play hard, but they have a deficiency of overwhelming talent on their team, and they should not completely beat down the Rockets. But, as we all know, those games happen in the NBA.

But as I was watching the game, I realized that I can't conceive of the Spurs doing that to the Cavs. I can't imagine us beating a team that is better than us right now and having "one of those nights". Sure, we can beat the Rockets (and the Kings, and the Wizards, and the Warriors); but not the Cavs, or the Lakers, or the Nuggets. But the difference is that the Rockets can beat the Cavs or the Lakers, even though they might lose to the Warriors or the Kings. They have a chance at greatness, even if they're not.

Us...we're just stuck in mediocrity.

Short thoughts on the Kings/Spurs Game

Pre-Game on Foxsports Southwest:

Can someone tell me the background of Ric Renner's hair?  I imagine it having its own mythological story and magical properties.  Like the Dos Equis most interesting hairpiece in the world. 

1st Quarter:

Jefferson slammed on the opening play--couldn't start it any better, he remained hot. Someone must have slipped some red meat into his cheerios.

Bogans may be on the top of my Spurs "guys I would not fight list." He had back to back threes early.

3:25 mark, Tony's spin move gave me metaphoric vertigo. He had a great night overall.

Blair looks very, very comfortable in the pick and roll. He didn't execute well tonight, but his spacing and knowledge on how to run the play seems 'veteranish'.

2nd Quarter:

Sac-Town took the lead with 6:40 left in the half.

Thompson was getting superstar like calls, and I'm really not even sure if he knows who he is.

With 4 seconds left in the half, Jefferson slams his fourth dunk via a McDyess block.

Sparse 2nd Half Thoughts:

Tyrese Evans is really impressed with himself dribbling. Really impressed.

The Spurs put it away in the second half. They were still bit by the turnover bug, and have some room to improve on the defensive rotation--but at this point, to be picky about a win seems asinine.

Hopefully, with the rest of this month being a fat-guy league softball schedule, they can get things rolling.

Check Please

If the last three games were a microcosm to how far this newly assembled team has come along, then things are really, really terrible. 

You know that moment when you take your car to the shop, and  the mechanic comes out from the garage, wipes his hands on his grease towel and gives you a look of: "this is way worse than anyone would have speculated,"?  What we thought may have only been some squeaks and groans coming from under the hood may actually be a cracked header.  Or it's possible that the engine fell out the bottom completely somewhere on the highway. 

Read more after the jump.

Read more »

3 Game Measuring Stick

The Spurs are doing what they're supposed to do.  They've won five games they were supposed to win and put together a nice 5 game winning streak.  Starting tomorrow they'll have a three game stretch against some elite teams, that won't be all candy and hugs, however. 

Thursday, December 3rd, Boston comes to town.  Boston is currently tied with the Magic for best record in the east, and seems to be gelling well with its new part--Rasheed Wallace.  He also leads the league in technical fouls.  Dogs also bark at night, and banks charge you fees when you overdraft.  If I could interview Sheed however, I would ask him how anything in this league could possibly surprise him so much that it would warrant an emotional response strong enough to keep him from having diarrhea of the mouth.  I know that some teams use techs as an art-form, pulling weight with the refs, but Sheed's reactions just seem infantile and counterproductive.  After 15 years or so, you'd think the man may have seen a thing or two before. 

Boston is also on a five game winning streak, so something has to break here.  This is by far the toughest challenge for the newly tuned-up Spurs so far this season.  

Saturday, Spurs are up against the Thuggets Nuggets.

And then on Monday,  Spurs are playing at Utah; a team that has already beaten them twice, and who also may be the best home team in the league.  

This will be the Spurs toughest three team stretch so far in this young season, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this hopefully healthy squad makes due. 

Here's some of my favorite stuff from the internets:

Here's some Richard Jefferson wallpaper from Pounding The Rock's site.

And a punch-you-in-the-face analysis of the Spurs five game streak by 48 Minutes of Hell. 

Also, I knew there was a reason why I love Ball Don't Lie so much, because they speak truth. 

Of course, we also have SecretChord's faithful, stellar recaps after most games, right here on Spurs Dynasty. 

No...more...turkey....

Returned from not one but two Thanksgivings (best. holiday. ever.), only to somehow infect my computer with some malware. Stupid computers. (I love you so much, computer!) I think the problem is almost fixed. Of course, I may just be infecting it worse. You never know with these viruses and such. Luckily, my identity ain't much worth stealing. Unless of course you'd like to pay off my credit card debt for me. Thanks a bunch, hackers!

Some quick thoughts on the last three games, none of which I watched live:

--It's a bummer that Mason, Jr. got injured. It seems like he's finally starting to put it together. All season I've been really impressed with the improvements he has made to his game. His shooting slump has masked the fact that he is a much more complete player than he was last year. Of course, his most valuable skill is shooting, so it's nice to see that coming back. Let's hope the injury is very temporary, and we'll get to see the more complete Roger with his sweet stroke back.

--Who would have thought that the person having the most difficulty adjusting and providing us the least value (as in, quality per dollar of contract) would be Richard Jefferson. He hasn't been horrible; but he hasn't been great. He's had some great scoring efforts for us, and he certainly gives us the possibility of a much more dynamic offensive player at small forward. But mostly he's just been 'meh', which wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that we're spending a small fortune on him for the next few years.

--On the other hand, how about that Keith Bogans cat. Talk about value. I love what he's giving us on both ends of the floor, and I love his role right now. Starter, but reserve minutes. It's also been great to see McDyess start to put it together. In his career, he's always been a slow starter and strong finisher. The Houston game gave us a glimpse of what we can expect from him. Good things. He has picked up the defense and is a pretty seamless fit; and his 15 foot jump shot is dead money.

--We've come a long way in our offensive cohesion...and we still have a long way to go. But at least people aren't running into each other much any more. And Parker seems to be starting to understand what his role needs to be on this team. His assist numbers are good, and he's playing a more complete floor game.

--I like seeing Hill and Parker on the floor together. This gives us two strong ball handlers and two strong drivers on the floor, giving our offense more punch and diversity, thus making it more dangerous. Plus, this allows Hill to guard the more dangerous of the two guards, and Parker can be hidden a little better on D.

--Our rebounding is coming around. Hallelujah.

--Duncan is still the man. Nobody in the national media much cares to write anything other than the party line about Duncan--he's boring but efficient, best Power Forward ever, body breaking down, blah blah blah--always looking for something newer and more exciting. But Duncan is putting together an impressive year and has carried us through these last 5 wins. He is a true champion in that his only concern is the team winning. It's a pleasure and an honor to cheer for him on a daily basis.

Looking Forward:

We have three very important games coming up: Boston, Denver, and at Utah. This stretch of games will really test us and should tell us exactly where we stand in terms of the rest of the league and what we need to work on in the next few months. Wins and losses aren't nearly as important as how we compete (though I'd like to see us get at least two of these games, especially some revenge on Utah). With Ginobili back and the return of a healthy Mason, Jr., there's a strong chance we'll be playing with our full complement of players. Keep an eye on the rotation, who gets playing time with whom, and who closes the games if they're close.

Unfortunately, I'll be out on tour for a long weekend, so I'll miss both the Boston and the Denver game. Lame. And, because both are on national TV, I won't be able to re-watch them later. Double lame. If anybody knows a site that replays nationally televised games, please let me know (you can leave it in the comments). These are two games that I would love to see. But the music calls. Hopefully I'll find a way to re-watch them and be able to post some reflections on them. If not, look for a return to my regular recaps for the Utah game.

Go Spurs Go.