Game 1 - It's a New Season, Praise the Lawd

The last time I posted was April 16th, what seems like eons ago, when I casually predicted an easy series victory over the Mavs...in 5 games. Yes, that was an idiotic prediction, even knowing full well that Manu was out and that Timmy was hobbled, and that we had no role players to speak of. Still, I was shocked at how easily the Mavs disposed of us...in 5 games! I sunk into a deep funk after that, quite sure that Pop and RC would persist in their silly ways of signing the most unathletic and unwanted role players out there and ignoring all those who criticized the Spurs as old and slow.

I perked up a bit when the Jefferson trade happened, smiled when I saw that Manu was going to be healthy for a change, thrilled when we signed McDyess and Ratliff, and became positively ecstatic when we drafted Blair. I obsessively followed every Spurs move, blog post, expert review, and player interview over the summer. By the time this evening came around, I had worked myself into a lather, eager to see my team in action and whether our revamped team would live up to some small percentage of the dizzying expectations of SpursNation. Lofty expectations can be tricky because anything short of meeting them can run the risk of depressing you.

What I did not expect, however, was that my expectations would be vastly exceeded by the Spurs' performance against the Hornets in Game 1.

That. was. a. damn. good. win.

Not perfect, but who the hell cares. 17 point win against a good team. All 12 players that suited up played, with 11 scoring. 6 players had double digits, and 3 more with 9 points. No one had to play for too long. Heck, the game was practically over mid-way through the second quarter. Some semblance of defense reappeared for the first time in years. Manu began looking his old self in the second half. Blair had a f&@king double-double. McDyess with those sweet jump shots. Bonner shooting the 3 with abandon. Mason shooting the 3 with abandon, even from nearly half-court. Finley looking perky out there. George Hill being efficient. Timmy being a rock out there. And Tony carving up the Hornets defense. And, Richard Jefferson slashing to the lane repeatedly and finding the open guy.

Yes, Jefferson. The first time he caught a pass from Tony and shot into the lane, I almost thought I was watching some other team. I got so used to seeing only Tony being able to do that and everyone else doing their pathetic impression of dribble penetration when they got the ball--I'm looking at you, Mace--that I forgot how much easier things get when people are athletically gifted and can break down a defense at will. The revelation to me was Jefferson's passing and setting up easy baskets...evidenced by the 5 assists, seemingly all to Blair.

Blair. Great positioning under the basket, and more importantly, fabulously soft hands. He is just a beast around the basket. He is still a rookie, though. Bad defensive footwork and far too much mindless swatting at the ball got him 5 fouls. Still, I was thrilled to see Pop playing him all those minutes. I don't care that he's 6-7, I think he can still guard the 4 or 5 positions if only because he is built like a refrigerator and no one will be able to dislodge him easily. Not one of those namby pamby energy efficient models either. I'm talking old school, all iron and steel hunks of metal refrigerators. He's just not quick enough to guard the SFs of this world.

McDyess reminded me how beautiful it is to have a big man that can rebound and score from 17 feet away. He's still got that sweet jump shot. His defensive rotations looked outstanding to me. It's just a matter of time before he supplants Bonner as the starting Center. I sure hope Pop is just bringing him along slowly. Because Bonner has no business playing Center. Anywhere, any league, any country. He is a pure shooter only. Like Mason.

Ah, Mace. Those one dribble, off balance 3 pointers are back. Except for the times when he dribbled more than once and forgot that he is not Tony Parker. Mace, listen to me. Thou shalt not drive to the basket. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not do anything but shoot.

Finally, Manu. You can tell that his spirit is willing but the body still needs conditioning. His signature flops to take charges looked awful. He almost took a full second after the initial contact to begin his flop. And as we all know, it has to be a seamless hit and flop for it to work. But, Manu looked awesome when he drove to the basket and broke several ankles along the way.

All said, a great start to the season. There are only 4 really top tier teams in the league this year: Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, and Magic, in that order. For now. The Cavs looked just awful both yesterday and today.

GO SPURS!!!!