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If that doesn't get you in the proper mood to celebrate the incredible display of sports mastery that we witnessed last night, then nothing will. I know, I'm probably acting like a spoiled brat Spurs fan, someone who can't appreciate a good thing when I have it because I always focus on the negative, but I'm ok with that. 

The Spurs started off strong and took a 9-3 lead to start the game. Apparently, a 9-3 lead is all you need to win a basketball game, because we decided that we had done what we came to do, and took the rest of the game off.

Good job guys, you can relax now. 

Orlando then went on a 16-4 run to end the quarter. At some point during this run, I think San Antonio attempted a lay-up, but I can't be certain. If they did, I'm sure it was an accident, as that behavior was not repeated again until sometime in the Raptors game next Saturday.

Orlando defenders continued to drop off our ballhandlers, daring them to shoot jumpers. This strategy worked to perfection as Tony Parker went 1-10 in the first half, by my unofficial count, 7 of those misses were jumpers that hit the front of the rim, a clear sign of tired legs. 

The highlight of the second quarter (and possibly the game) was Plainview's take-down of Brian Cook that caused the refs to call a foul on Cook for trying to occupy the same space as God. 

Lowlight of the second quarter was Tony Parker getting hit in the face by Keith Bogans and lying on the floor like a pile of dirty laundry while Orlando shot (and luckily missed) a wide open 3-pointer.

One of these is Mr. Longoria's response to getting hit in the face, one them is Plainview's response. 

Spurs go into halftime down 44-29. At this point San Antonio had scored 42 points in the last three quarters combined.

The third quarter was a continuation of what happened during the first half, until about three minutes left. At that point, we went on a mini-run to get the lead down to 13. I think we all started getting sucked back in to the game until back-to-back turnovers by GInobili and Mace Windu ended the quarter. I find myself trying to justify a 13 point deficit, thinking things like, "it could be a lot worse," "we are playing a SEGABABA." 

The bright point of the game occurred at the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth quarters. Some hard play by our Manu and the scrubs (especially Thomas and Udoka) and some really bad decisions by Orlando allowed us to whittle the deficit to six. Surprisingly, Tony Parker's man, one Jameer Nelson, scored two straight baskets to end all hope. 

On the bright side, the second unit showed a lot of composure down the stretch, and really outplayed our starters for most of the game. I am probably one of the biggest optimists here, and therefore I don't think we have to worry to much about what we saw last night from Tony Parker. He basically did all the things poorly that he usually does, without the good things that he usually does. It won't last folks. I expect a bounce back tonight against Toronto.

3 Stars:

3: Kurt Thomas: Actually hit jumpers and grabbed offensive rebounds

2: Manu Ginobili: The only one of our big three who looked like he cared. The way he through his body around was fantastic. 

1. Jameer Nelson: No Spur deserves this spot and he played outside his mind. 

P.S. Sorry I didn't publish this earlier, I realized to late that I hit the "save" button instead of the "publish" button. It's a good thing they don't make you get a license for these things.