After Going 8-0 in the playoffs, the Spurs faced the up and coming OKC team. This team was obviously young, lacked a true lowpost presence, and was beatable ( Spurs won season series 2-1). The Spurs jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, but this time it was slightly different. In the first 2 games of the last few series the Spurs manhandled their opponent. In game one verses the Thunder, the Spurs were knocked back in the first 3 quarters, until the offense of Ginobili and the defense of Stephen Jackson bailed them out for a late victory. In game two, the Spurs returned the favor and got out to a convincing lead. The Thunder never gave up and fought back only to lose by 9. The end of game 2 spelled possible trouble for the rest of the series. After defensive adjustments by the Thunder and poorly timed meltdowns from Spur role players the Thunder won four games straight and ended the Spurs season and advanced to the NBA Finals.

All in all a very succesfull season for the Spurs. The young guns contributed much more than expected and gave the Spurs a reason to believe in the future. With Tim Duncan’s hefty contract coming off the books and a good chance he’ll resign for significantly cheaper, the Spurs have an opportunity to pick up better, mentally tougher role players to replace some of the ones that didnt fair well.

Tim Duncan -  17 pts  9.8 rbs  2.3 blks

The numbers look good, but the reality is that Duncan got those numbers by playing more minutes than he usually does. The lowpost defense of Kendrick Perkins and shotblocking ability of Serge Ibaka had Duncan playing indecisive and at times soft. Kevin Garnett of the Celtics shoots jumpers without hesitation, for a while Duncan did just that. In the WCF, Duncan hesitated and was unsure of what he wanted to do. Eventually Duncan ran out of gas (most notably in the second half of game 6).

Kawhi Leonard – 8.8 pts 7.3 rbs

Leonard did pretty much everything you can ask from a rookie, especially in this series. He did his best to defend Kevin Durant. He played a lot of power forward next to Duncan at center but still held his own on the boards. More amazing is the circumstances he did it in. During this series, lineup changes were made because most of the role players couldn’t handle the pressure that OKC was throwing at them, which lead to DNP-CD’s and limited minutes for them. Because of this, Leonards minutes were increased (41 minutes in game 6 / 30 min avg for series) and he performed well.

Boris Diaw – 5.8 pts 4.8 rbs

Diaw didnt really do anything negative in the series, he also didnt do much positive as well. Basically he didnt do much of anything. His basketball IQ and passing really didnt lead to much production; some games he rebounded well, others he didn’t. He wasn’t running around making poor plays, but he wasn’t a difference maker and simply ate up minutes this series.

Tony Parker – 21.5 pts 6.3 ast

Parker against Westbrook was a key to the Spurs winning this series. Westbrook at times forces the issue and forgets about his teammates (Durant in particular). If Parker simply ran the show and didnt make it a one on one game I figured the Spurs would be poised to win. In games 1-2 and 6 Parker went after Westbrook, the problem was that more than half the role players that Parker had at his disposal during the regular season went missing in action. Parker had to work a lot harder in the latter part of the series and although he had a sensational first half in game 6 (21 pts 10 ast/ finished with 29 pts/12 ast) he along with the remaining Spurs got tired and worn down by the athletic Thunder.

Manu Ginobili 18.5 pts  3.3 ast 3.8 rbs

After coming off the bench for most of the season and playoffs, Ginobili – being one of the few Spurs that had heart – started game 5 of the series. Manu immediately had an impact and poured in 34 pts, but it wasn’t enough for the Spurs to win the pivotal game 5. In game 6 Ginobili played more minutes than he was used to and didnt have alot to give en route to a 107-99 loss to the Thunder. While his scoring in the series was up and down, Ginobili did what he could in other areas of the game as usual. However, like many of the Spurs ballhandlers/playmakers the length and athleticism of the Thunder forced him into  ill-advised turnovers.

The Bench

Stephen Jackson – 11.8 pts 61% 3pt fg

It had been a decent run in the playoffs for Jack, but when the chips were down he rose to the occasion. In game 1 Kevin Durant needed to be held in check and thats exactly what Jackson did. On the defensive end he got “Nasty” with Durant and hit a momentum shifting three pointer and helped the Spurs win game 1. In game 6 he showed true grit. With the Spurs bench cut in half due too poor play, Jackson logged big minutes and produced 5/6 from behind the arc and refused to go down without a fight. He jawed with TNT analyst and Thunder assistant coach Mo Cheeks, and gave it his all. It’s no secret why the Spurs traded for him.

Gary Neal – 6.5 pts 48% 3pt fg

Neal, battling illness for the latter part of the series, did what he could. He shot well, but the athletic Westbrook and the veteran Derek Fisher got the best of him. Going forward, hopefully his ballhandling and defense will improve next season.

The Spurs bench had been so dominant in the regular season and playoffs, which helped to keep the big 3′s minutes down.  Tiago Splitter struggled with his free throws and overall play. Dejuan Blair could barely get playing time, and all this left too much on Duncan’s plate. Most notable however, was the decline of Danny Green and Matt Bonner. Green is a streaky shooter, but he was also hesitant and unsure of himself. His minutes were starting to dwindle after game 2 and by game 5 he was out of the starting lineup seeing spot minutes off the bench. His defense wasn’t bad, but his indecisive play on offense cost him. As for Matt Bonner who was key in this series because of his ability to draw out the Thunder’s big men once again came up short in pressure situations. For Matt Bonner its been four straight years of solid regular season play and in those same four seasons, terrible outings in the playoffs. Pop usually allows Bonner to work himself out of funks, but this time he pulled the string. Bonner played 2 minutes in game 4, 50 seconds in game 5 and was benched in game 6. The Spurs may try to part ways with the red rocket for a more reliable playoff shooter.

It was a succesful season, but the Spurs have many big decisions to make. It starts with who to keep and who to get rid of. Duncan will most likely resign for cheaper allowing the Spurs to get a quality playoff performer. Is there another draft day trade in the works for San Antonio? Will Danny Green be resigned? Will Matt Bonner be dealt? Time will tell.

Sweeping the Jazz is one thing, but playing the Clippers who have big guys that are more athletic and a point guard who is arguably the best in the league is a different story altogether. The combination of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan had the Los Angeles Clippers dubbed “LOB CITY”. The Spurs with their own combination of fundamentals, experience and execution had them dubbed “unbeatable” by many in the national media. It was simply a matter of Skills over Hops in the Spurs 4-game sweep of the Clippers.

Tim Duncan -  21 pts / 9.2 rbs

Step through, upfake, reverse pivot, turnaround jumper and last but not least the bank shot. Tim Duncan told Blake Griffin to take a seat, because class was in session. Duncan did good work on the boards and made sure to take away the easy buckets that Griffin and Jordan get off of Cp3′s penetration. But offensively was where Duncan did most of his damage. All the athleticism of Griffin and Jordan had no chance to match the Fundamentals and skill of the greatest power forward ever.

Kawhi Leonard 10 pts 6.6 rbs 2 stls

Leonard shined in this series more so than the last. Given the assignment to guard an ailing Caron Butler worked to his advantage. He did a decent job there, but defending Chris Paul was where Leonard showed promise of being an outstanding defensive player. Cp3 and all his dribbles couldn’t shake the 6-7 Leonard. In addition to his defense his shooting from 3-pt range continues to be vital to the Spurs success.

Boris Diaw 7.5 pts 6.2 rbs

In the very first game of the series, Diaw outmuscled the big men of the Clippers to a game high 12 rbs. For the rest of the series Diaw played smart and grounded “Air Griffin”.

Tony Parker 17.3 pts 7.8 ast

Playing against Chris Paul has always inspired Parker to raise his game. In his second series against Chris Paul, Parker went after him from the tip and either outscored or handed out more assists than Paul. In game 1 he  struggled scoring but still handed out 11 ast. In the pivotal game 3 with it being nip tuck in the first 2 quarters(Spurs down by 24) Parker helped the Spurs win with a 23 pt/10 ast effort .

Danny Green 12.2pts 4rbs

Being 1 of 3 players that had the assignment of guarding the elusive Chris Paul, Green along with Leonard and Parker, shut down the penetration of Paul and contested every shot. Like Leonard, Green lit it up from 3-pt range shooting over 40%.

The Bench

Manu Ginobili 14.2 pts 4.5 ast

After going through a slump in the first round, Ginobili appeared to be closer to his normal self. With a 22 pt outburst in the first game Ginobili was able to get back on track offensively leading to him scoring in double figures in all 4 games. Not to be ignored was his playmaking (4.5 ast). With the Clippers quick guards hounding backup point guard Gary Neal  at times,  Ginobili quarterbacked the Spurs 2nd unit.

Tiago Splitter  7.2 pts  84% fg

After having solid outings in games 3 and 4 of the first round, Splitter took on a new challenge of banging with physical LA. Splitter held his own. While his shooting percentage from the free throw line has to improve for him to be a valuable asset in the fourth quarter of games, Splitter’s field goal percentage was an incredible 84%; This showed his basketball IQ. Being able to shoot such a high percentage against some of the most physical and athletic big men in the business is a credit to his craftiness around the basket.

Gary Neal 8.2 pts  47% 3pt fg

Neal was harrassed at times by the quick backcourt of the Clippers, but managed to put up points. Neal shot a good percent from deep and made timely baskets. He’s having trouble on the defensive end, but hopefully being matched up with Derek Fisher in then next round will be a reasonable defensive assignment for him.

Stephen Jackson and Matt Bonner found themselves riding the pine for a nice portion of the series. Both had their moments; Jackson did well in game 4 by making plays for others off the dribble and Bonner has sprinkled in a few buckets. The increased production of both Kawhi Leonard and Boris Diaw took the majority of minutes available next to Duncan in the frontcourt. The Thunder team is deep and has shotblockers, so expect to see Bonner play more of a role in drawing out the bigs (especially Ibaka). As for Jackson, his length along Leonard’s will be very important in containing Durant.

AT&T Center

Spurs vs Thunder

Tim Duncan F Serge Ibaka

Kawhi Leonard F Kevin Durant

Boris Diaw C Kendrick Perkins

The Thunder and the Spurs are pretty evenly matched, however the Spurs have a lowpost presence and multiple scorers and shotmakers. The experience factor and the their ability to “easily” score in the halfcourt will give them the winning edge.

Looking at the evidence of the last two articles, it would seem that if Tony Parker were simply in another system, and also without the creative services of Manu Ginobili, then he would be a top point guard – someone you can build your team around and win with. However, it’s not nearly that simple or true.  Two significant factors separate Tony Parker from guys like Steve Nash and Chris Paul: 1) Decision Making/Court Vision, 2) Perimeter Shooting.                  

Decision Making 

When Nash, or Paul, or anybody for that matter, runs a pick-n-roll, they always have options. What is done with those options usually shows the difference between a true point guard and a scoring point guard. In Dallas, when Nash would run a screen and roll with Nowitzki, a switch in defenders would normally be the result. What would Nash do with his options? He would wait for Dirk to establish good position mid-post (about 15 feet out) and pass him the ball. That would allow Dirk to take uncontested mid-range jumpers, because he was being guarded by the other team’s point guard. For Nash, giving up the ball to Dirk on a switch opens up even more (easy) options for him. If he gets the ball back from Dirk,  he can pass to an open teammate due to the defense shifting because of the mismatch Dirk has. Or he can take the open jumper since his taller, less mobile defender is probably sagging back due to his driving ability. Chris Paul does the same thing with David West. In each situation with Nash or Paul, they make decisions that don’t always get them assists, but give the main scorers on their team (Dirk/West) easier circumstances to operate under.            

Court Vision

We all know Nash and CP3 have court vision, but the point is that you can basically take four other guys in the NBA (at their respective positions) and put them with Nash or CP3 and it’s almost guaranteed they’ll get that team to 100 pts by the end of four quarters. What about Tony Parker? Parker always looks to score off a pick-n-roll, even if there is a switch in defenders. This takes away easy post-up/scoring opportunities for players that are bigger and don’t get plays run for them (Splitter, Blair, and Jefferson). Also, players don’t cut to the basket because Parker either doesn’t see them or is not comfortable making the pass.  In transition, Parker usually gets the ball and looks to take it all the way for the “score” even if there aren’t favorable numbers. Because of that, players that can score in transition (Jefferson, Anderson, and former Spur George Hill) don’t get easy opportunities since the ball-handler is so far ahead of them. (Note)  When Ginobili handles the ball on the break, several players get a chance and have scored (Blair, Hill, and Jefferson especially).                                    

Perimeter Shooting

Point guards that have a consistent midrange jumpshot are generally harder to stop than point guards that are lightning quick. Also, when running the most basic of NBA plays (Pick-n-roll / Isolation for a post player) the other players on the floor don’t have to be big perimeter threats. Example: Jose Calderon from the Toronto Raptors is one of the most underrated point guards in the NBA. Why? He is slow, somewhat skinny and isn’t a great one-on-one player. However, over the last 4 seasons Jose Calderon has averaged 11 points per game ( 40% 3PT FG, 48% FG overall) and 8 assists per game (only 1.8 turnovers per game). Calderon runs a lot of pick-n-rolls, as does every point guard. Because of his shooting ability, however, he has a lot more options than a point guard that is simply quick. In addition to driving for a layup or kicking out to a 3-point shooter, when the defense goes under a screen he can knock down jumpers pretty much all night. If the defense traps him he can make the outside-in pass to the player that set the screen for an easy dunk or 10-foot jumper. All of that is accomplished simply because he a can knock down shots.

What about Tony Parker? To start, many Spurs fans complain about other players besides Parker; two players in particular - 1) Richard Jefferson 2) Matt Bonner. Why is Richard Jefferson not a very consistent scorer on the Spurs? (a player who averaged 20 points per game before joining the Spurs) or Why does Matt Bonner get heavy minutes? (a frontcourt player who is arguably the worst defender and definitely worst rebounder on the team). The answer is Tony Parker’s shooting ability. Parker, like many point guards in the league, is fast but has a jumpshot that comes and goes. YES, Parker does have the ability to get to the rim and score around 20 points while shooting a high percentage. ONLY WITH THE RIGHT SPACING. That’s why Richard Jefferson, a player who was known to slash, dunk, and get many trips to the free throw line is relegated to shooting 3′s from Bruce Bowen’s corner. Matt Bonner is a one-dimensional player who would normally get minutes only in special situations or when someone is injured. Just look at the minutes that guys like Brian Cardinal and Steve Novak get. Add to that the fact they don’t get big contracts or stay on a team very long. Because of Parker’s need for space to drive, Bonner is essential to helping the offense flow when it’s being run by Parker. What happens to Parker when guys back off, stay home on shooters, and allow him to take jumpshots all game? Look what happened to Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose during the conference finals.

The Truth: Parker is not a top point guard, he is an above average point guard. One San Antonio talk show host referred to Parker as a “20 (points) and 5 (assists) guy”. Tony Parker has above average skills in certain areas. For him to be a top point guard, he has to fill the holes in his game. Namely, his shooting from the perimeter must be a lot more consistent. He also needs to be a more willing passer. Nothing spectacular, but simply giving the ball to players in areas that they can operate. So, while Parker is not a guy you wanna build a championship team around, he is still an important piece for the Spurs if they ever want to win a championship again.

If I told you that the Spurs went to Oklahoma City, played without Tony Parker, got hit with 45 points from Kevin Durant, got out-rebounded, and shot a poorer percentage from the floor and the free throw line than the Thunder – and still won – would you believe me? Well, that is exactly how it played out last night. Some things defy logic.

Maybe it was the fact that they only had nine turnovers to OKC’s 12. Maybe it was the three-point shooting: 8-of-25 for the Spurs compared to 2-of-13 for the Thunder. It didn’t seem much like the defense – OKC had eight extra free throw attempts, and had eight blocks and five steals compared to only two blocks and three steals for San Antonio. The Spurs were even outscored in the paint and on fast break points.

I really can’t say how they managed to win this one, but the Spurs played good enough in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to hang on for the win. Of course, they had some help from Russell Westbrook’s goof on an inbounds in the waning moments, not to mention that OKC 2-of-13 from downtown – none more devastating than Thabo Sefolosha’s miss in the final seconds. Popovich says he is proud of the team for this win and called it “one of the finest wins” of the season. The big reason for that is because it was the second in a back-to-back after that gut-wrenching loss in Atlanta on Sunday night. The Spurs showed some heart last night, and despite being out-played in numerous areas of the game, they still managed to win. That just goes to show that it’s not all about all those other numbers, just the ones at the end of the game: 99-96 – Spurs.

Notable Spurs Stat Lines
George Hill: 27 points, five rebounds. He was the high scorer for the Spurs, but no assists? That’s not gonna get it done on most nights.
Manu Ginobili: 21 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block. As usual, Manu had a nice all around game and continues to excel since joining the starting unit.
Tim Duncan: 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one block. No double-double is a shame – then again, no one had a double-double last night. The assists are nice though, and he only had one turnover.
Roger Mason: 13 points, four rebounds, four assists. Well, look who decided to show up. I am afraid to get too attached since he could easily disappear for the next month, but Mase gets his props for now. He was 5-of-11 from the field including 3-of-7 from downtown, and he didn’t have a single turnover.

Notable Thunder Stat Lines
Kevin Durant: 45 points, eight rebounds, one assist, three blocks. You can’t blame him for the one assist when he teammates were clanking wide open shots off the rim. Durant was awesome last night going 15-of-24 from the field and 14-of-15 from the line.
Jeff Green: 16 points, six rebounds, two steals. Green had an OK game, nothing special – especially since they didn’t win.
Russell Westbrook: 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, one block. The Thunder needed a little more out of Westbrook last night than they got.
Serge Ibaka: 10 points, eight rebounds, three blocks. This guy should be starting over Krstic – period. At least he gets more minutes.

First off, the Spurs did the unthinkable and beat the Nuggets on Thursday night 111-92. It was a road win, a win against a playoff team, and great way to go into the All-Star Break. In other words, it completely defied logic, or at least my significantly lowered expectations. That makes the Spurs 3-2 on the Rodeo trip, and the next three games are against weaker teams, so they should be able to come back to San Antonio with the (minimum) 6-2 record I’d hoped for as well as a win over at least one of the three playoff caliber teams. At this point I will be happy with that scenario.

As for the All-Star festivities, the Celebrity game was terrible. When I am thinking about the merits of Common winning the MVP then you know something is wrong. Not that Common is bad or anything, but he came in late along with Chris Tucker due to the weather, and instantly gave his team a halfway decent scoring option. Mark Cuban, by the way, was BAD. And I mean bad meaning bad, but I guess that’s why he pays people to play for him. He should have just quit after he went 0-for-7 and left to wrap up the pending trade with the Wizards. The MVP went to Michael Rappaport as sort of a joke about him “shutting down” Terrell Owens. Of course, this is the Celeb game so the award, not to mention the game, means nothing. It looked like it was in a high school gym.

Last week I said that I thought the Rookies would win the Rookie Challenge this year after a seven year drought, and I was happy to get that one right. I was off on the MVP though. It was a pretty fun game to watch simply because I got to see Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, Johnny Flynn, Brandon Jennings, and DeJuan Blair run amuck against the Sophs. The Sophomore team had no answer for all those speedy guards slashing to the rim all night long, which was probably why Tyreke Evans won the MVP on the strength of 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. Personally, I voted for DeJuan Blair, but not just because of my Spurs bias. Blair finished with 22 points, 23 rebounds, and 4 assists and was the reason the Rookies were able to out-rebound the Sophs 52-42. He also had the best play of the night when he threw the ball off the backboard to himself and slammed it (niiiice). And yes, I think he was robbed of the MVP. Russell Westbrook had 40 points for the Sophs. A few side notes: I’m not sure how I feel about Jennings trying to bring back the “Gumby”; I am a little amazed at how many basketball people are still unaware of Blair’s lack of ACLs; Nate Robinson is actually not a bad “extra” announcer, and I got a kick out of him commenting on the game almost to himself; Pau Gasol looks like Gargamel with a beard.

During halftime of the Rookie Challenge the NBA held the first “Dunk In” between DeMar DeRozan and Eric Gordon to see which one would get the fourth and final spot in the Dunk Contest. DeMar won with ease. He walked out, did one of those pass-thru-the-legs-in-midair dunks, then waited for Eric Gordon to make a dunk after about 89 attempts. Since each player gets two dunks, DeMar did a second, relatively tame dunk and waited for DeMar to miss 96 more attempts before catching an oop from OJ Mayo that he finally managed to slam home. If you can’t tell by the tone of this writing, DeMar is in the contest tomorrow.

I’ll post the Blair dunk video and/or highlights from the night as soon as I can find some online.

DeJuan Blair was chosen to participate in the Rookie Challenge.

The Sophomores have won for seven straight years, but I think this Rookie squad could win it this year. A few names missing from the Rookie team that will likely rub a few fans the wrong way are Ty Lawson and DeMar DeRozan, but I can’t really argue with the guys they picked. Of course the top two picks in the draft, Blake Griffin and Hasheem Thabeet, won’t be participating. Griffin’s knee is busted and he’s out for the season while Thabeet is just plain busted. My guess for MVP is either Brandon Jennings if the Rookies win, or O.J. Mayo if it’s the Sophs.

 Here is the entire Rookie Team:
Omri Casspi (Kings)
DeJuan Blair (Spurs)
Stephen Curry (Warriors)
Tyreke Evans (Kings)
Jonny Flynn (Timberwolves)
Taj Gibson (Bulls)
James Harden (Thunder)
Brandon Jennings (Bucks)
Jonas Jerebko (Pistons)

Here is the Sophomore Team:
Michael Beasley (Heat)
Marc Gasol (Grizzlies)
Danilo Gallinari (Knicks)
Eric Gordon (Clippers)
Brook Lopez (Nets)
Kevin Love (Timberwolves)
O.J. Mayo (Grizzlies)
Derrick Rose (Bulls)
Russell Westbrook (Thunder)

The Spurs defeated the OKC Thunder in OT last night 109-108 despite playing without Tim Duncan. It’s not that Duncan was hurt or anything, but Pop decided to rest him after he played 40 minutes the night before. Have no fear, DeJuan is here! Blair, who only played seven minutes in the previous game, played 31 minutes in this one and had a MONSTER game with 28 points and 21 rebounds before fouling out. The biggest play of the night, however, belonged to Manu Ginobili. With the Thunder up one and mere seconds left in the overtime period, an errant pass went off McDyess and Manu saved it with a ridiculous diving pass to George Hill in the corner who found Richard Jefferson for the game winning shot. Nine seconds left. Thunder miss. Game over. All is right with the world. Peep the video below to see for yourself.

Highlights

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Game Stats

- The Spurs had 13 turnovers last night which is still not great but at least it was less than the Thunder’s 16.
- The Spurs had a 50-45 rebounding edge over the Thunder. This may have been the difference in the game.
- The Spurs shot 45.3% from the field, 66.7% from the free throw line (16-of-24), and 31.8% from downtown (7-of-22).
- The Spurs had 56 points in the paint, but also allowed 54 from the Thunder. I will attribute some of that to the lack of Duncan in this game.
-The Spurs led by as many as 19 points, so while it was nice to see a great play that essentially won the game, we can’t overlook the fact that the Spurs let the Thunder claw their way back into this one in the first place.

Here is the part where I break down the interesting stat lines from the game from a fantasy basketball and an NBA fan’s perspective.

Spurs Notable Stat Lines
Tim Duncan: Nada. Zip. Zilch. Pop decided to rest him for this game, which on the one hand is good since it means keeping him healthy for the playoffs, but on the other hand it pisses me off since I had him starting in one of my fantasy leagues. Argh.
DeJuan Blair: 28 points, 21 rebounds (10 offensive), 2 steals, 2 blocks. He needs to work on staying out of foul trouble, but other than that – wow. He also shot 6-of-8 from the foul line which is a nice improvement for him.
Tony Parker: 28 points, 8 assists, 1 rebound. Pretty good game, but he had four turnovers again. *sigh*
Antonio McDyess: 13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist. Aside from nearly mucking the game by not being ready for the Manu pass, he was pretty steady. He seems better fit to come off the bench.
George Hill: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal. Hey, that’s two solid games in a row for Hill. Good thing too since Bogans and Mason weren’t really that sharp last night. Hill ended up playing 40 minutes.
Richard Jefferson: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block. An alright game, but he didn’t do much to keep Durant from going off for 35 points. He gets a pass though since he hit the game winner.
Manu Ginobili: 2 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block. He shot 0-of-10 from the field but had the biggest play of the game with that save. A lesser player would mope around while having an off night, but Manu stepped up with his hustle as evidenced by his assists, rebounds, steals and the save (which won’t show up in the box score).

Thunder Notable Stat Lines
Kevin Durant: 35 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block. He had another great night offensively, but he turned the ball over 7 times. The rest of the team had 9 turnovers.
Russell Westbrook: 25 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds. Nice game from Westbrook who continues to develop into a solid NBA point guard. He just needs to get more consistent with his shot. He shot 9-of-24 from the field (37.5%) and is shooting 40.2% for the season. That is probably the biggest thing holding him back from being among the elite point guards.
Jeff Green: 16 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal. Another good game from Green. Nothing too spectacular, but he is consistent.
James Harden: 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal. He had an alright game, but he is still a little too inconsistent to start in most fantasy leagues. If he ever moves into the starting lineup over Thabo Sefolosha then things may change.

In Other News

-Dirk Nowitzki surpassed the 20,000 points mark last night in a loss to the Lakers.
-Blake Griffin is done for the season since his knee isn’t healing quite right.
-The NBA Cares campaign is addressing the disaster in Haiti, feel free to help here.

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.

The Spurs beat the Thunder by 17 points last night in their second-to-last pre-season game. They pulled away in the second quarter and were up by as many as 28 at one point in the game. The Spurs starters were a perfect 10-of-10 from downtown.

Relevant Stat Lines
Michael Finley: 16 minutes, 20 points, 6-of-7 from the field, including 5-for-5 from beyond the arc … It’s nice to see Fin is still capable of shooting like this. Unfortunately, when he isn’t hitting his shot, he does little else.
Tim Duncan: 21 minutes, 9 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block … Aside from the points, it was an average game for Duncan, but he only took five shots, so no worries there.
Matt Bonner: 17 minutes, 9 points all on 3-for-3 shooting from downtown … Oddly enough, he only missed from closer range.
Tony Parker: 23 minutes, 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-of-11 from the field … Parker is getting back on track and should be fine for the start of the regular season.
Richard Jefferson: 26 minutes, 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block … Ok game, but you kind of expect a little more from the guy who played the most minutes, at least some more rebounds.
Manu Ginobili: 23 minutes, 7 points, 5 assists .. He also had 4 fouls and 3 turnovers, soooo… yeah.
George Hill: 18 minutes, 16 points, 6-of-9 from the field, 3-of-6 from downtown .. great game for Hill because he is showing he can be effective with less minutes now that Parker is playing more. He also had 1 rebound, 2 assists and a steal.
DeJuan Blair: 15 minutes, 17 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block – Blair had the only double-double of the night for either team. He is a definite sleeper this year.

Bogans, Jerrells, Haislip, and Hairston all played less than 10 minutes
Mahinmi and Williams were DNP-CD’s

OKC Players
Durant and Jeff Green were solid, and Westbrook had 9 assists, but still shot poorly – his Achilles’ heel seems to be his shooting touch. One guy fantasy basketball players may not have on their radars is James Harden  (SG), OKC’s top draft pick this year. He had 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 50% from the field including 3-of-7 three-pointers – make sure you are checking for him on draft day.

We’re all busy people, and it sucks when we finally have time to sit down and watch a basketball game only to find out it’s the Clippers or Bucks tonight. Who needs that kind of aggravation? I know I don’t, so I have compiled the following list of the Top 15 Must-See Games for Spurs fans this season. So mark your calendars, get your tickets, set your Tivo, book your flights, save up your sick days, or whatever you have to do, but do not miss these match-ups.

October 28 (Wed): Spurs Vs New Orleans Hornets
It’s the season opener against a division opponent, and a home game. What else do you need? How about the fact that it’s a nationally televised game on ESPN?

November 11 (Wed): Spurs Vs Dallas Mavericks
The Spurs renew what is possibly the biggest Texas rivalry against a revamped Dallas offense. There’s even a good chance both teams will be healthy enough for all of us to get a good feel for how they really match up.

November 14 (Sat): Spurs Vs Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC is a team to watch out for this year. Quiet as kept, they have a budding star in Kevin Durant, a better-than-you-think point guard in Russell Westbrook, and an underrated coach in Scott Brooks. Durant will soon be mentioned in the same breath as LeBron, D-Wade, and Kobe – you’ll see. Do not miss this game if you can help it.

November 18 (Wed): Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
A week later we meet again in Dallas. You think the Nov. 11 game will be full of fireworks, just wait ’til this rivalry simmers for a week. This isn’t a home game, but it will be on ESPN.

December 3 (Thu): Spurs Vs Boston Celtics
They might not be the reigning champs, but if KG & Co. are all healthy, not to mention the addition of Rasheed Wallace and former Maverick Marquis Daniels, then this will shape up to be a great game against a possible NBA Finals opponent. (I know that sounds presumptuous, but get used to it.)

January 8 (Fri): Spurs Vs Dallas Mavericks
Yes, the Mavericks again. Sorry if it’s getting old, but outside of the Lakers no one in the West poses a greater threat to the Spurs getting another championship than Dallas. There are divisional, home-court advantage, and psychological implications to every Mavs-Spurs game.

January 12 (Tue): Spurs vs LA Lakers
The reigning champs come to town. Kobe, Artest, Gasol, maybe even Andrew Bynum’s bum knees will make an appearance. And let’s not forget Lamar Odom-Kardashian vs Tony Parker-Longoria.

January 29 (Fri): Spurs Vs Memphis Grizzlies
This might be one of the last chances to see a relevant Allen Iverson play against the Spurs. Also, there’s OJ Mayo who is always fun to watch, and finally, the DeJuan Blair-Hasheem Thabeet match-up.

February 8 (Mon): Spurs @ LA Lakers
A Monday night game on TNT against the defending champs in LA. By this time, football season will be behind us so what else are you gonna do to get your Monday Night Sports Fix?

February 28 (Sun): Spurs Vs Phoenix Suns
Is there still bad blood between these two teams? Maybe, maybe not, but it should still be a good game featuring Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, Grant Hill, and Leandro Barbosa. Phoenix will have to find their identity again in order to make the playoffs this year, and this will be a possible playoff preview if they do.

March 24 (Wed): Spurs Vs LA Lakers
Yes, the Lakers again. This time it’s a home game, plus it will be on ESPN. Playoff standings are going to be a bigger deal around this time so every game is going to be critical.

March 26 (Fri): Spurs Vs Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron, Shaq, Mo Williams, Big Z, Anderson Varejao’s Hair, Possible Finals Preview? My only question is why we have to wait until March for this match-up.

April 2 (Fri): Spurs Vs Orlando Magic
Last year’s Eastern Conference Champions are not going to give up their title hopes easily. With the loss of Hedo Turkoglu comes the addition of Vince Carter. In all honesty, I don’t see why they didn’t keep Turkoglu but they overpaid Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat, but I digress. This will be another great game and possible Finals preview.

April 4 (Sun): Spurs @ LA Lakers
Another away game in LA, but this time on good ol’ ABC. There is no reason in the world to miss this one.

April 14 (Wed): Spurs @ Dallas Mavericks
Season finale on the road against Dallas. This could be a critical game in the Southwest Division, the Mavs-Spurs season series, and overall playoff positioning.