Spurs of the Moment

I can’t figure out what Pop is doing with the starting lineup. Why in the world would he start DeJuan Blair at center? I’m not saying that lost the game, but it sure didn’t win it. OKC came into San Antonio and snapped the Spurs’ would-be-winning-streak on their own home floor last night. Part of the problem was Ginobili’s hammy acting up, which cost him the entire 4th quarter. Also, it didn’t help that Richard Jefferson played 35 minutes and took only four shots – making only one. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant dropped 25 on him, so it’s not like he was so busy on defense keeping their leading scorer in check. Personally, I think McDyess needed to be in the game more – he should’ve started and he should have played more than 19 minutes. I mean it’s not like he was in foul trouble or anything (one foul all night). And what’s with giving Bogans only 17 minutes? I don’t know, maybe it’s a double-Ewing Theory type of thing with both Duncan and Parker returning. It may have something to do with the Spurs going 3-of-18 from downtown. It may even be partially due to the Thunder shooting nine more free throws. Either way, I’m just going to try and forget about this one.

Spurs Relevant Stat Lines
Tim Duncan: 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks. Welcome back, Tim. A double-double right away should alleviate any worries about that ankle bothering him anymore.
Tony Parker: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 turnovers. Welcome back, Tony. Please force Westbrook into at least one turnover next time.
George Hill: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals. Well, so much for fading away once Tony returns.
Antonio McDyess: 10 points, 6 rebounds. Not a whole lot else, but he was 4-of-5 from the field and probably should have played more than 19 minutes.

Thunder Relevant Stat Lines
Kevin Durant: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block. I expected Durant to get his, seeing as he is probably one of the five best players in the NBA right now. Top 10 at least.
Jeff Green: 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks. Green is an underrated player, but I didn’t expect a double-double last night.
Russell Westbrook: 19 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds. This is why they didn’t draft Rubio. He also had 0 turnovers.
Nenad Krstic: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks. Still a serviceable big man, and look at the numbers on defense – 2 steals and 3 blocks. OKC had 10 blocks last night to SA’s 3.

Coyote Ugly: Manu Ginobili
Not because of the 0-for-8 from the field. After all, he still managed to rack up 7 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. No, it was ugly to watch him with yet another injury sitting out the crucial 4th quarter. I hope this injury doesn’t linger, because we need his energy out there and his ability to get to the free throw line in close games.