Game Preview #24: Indiana Pacers @ San Antonio Spurs

by Tim C. on Dec 19, 2009 1:13 AM CST in Game Previews & Recaps Comment 30 comments

I wish I could find something interesting and witty to write here, but I just can't. The Spurs have been underperforming, and now comes a home game against a team that would appear to be a cupcake. That's not neccessarily a good thing, and I've got a bad feeling about this.

Indiana Pacers @ San Antonio Spurs
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
When: December 19, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time
Watch: My35 (San Antonio); FSN(Indiana)

How They Stack Up


10-4	Home	6-6
3-6	Road	3-9
101.9	Offense	98.0
97.2	Defense	102.0
48.0	FG%	43.5
38.9	3-pt%	32.1
74.7	FT%	76.8
42.5	Rebounds	43.2
14.9	TOs	16.2
6-4	Last 10	3-7
Won 1	Streak	Lost 1
3rd, Southwest	Position	5th, Central


Country/Time Zone	Game Time
Argentina	10:30 PM
West Coast	5:30 PM
Philippines	9:30 AM
Central Europe	2:30 AM
Palestine/Egypt	3:30 AM
East Coast	8:30 PM
CapHill's Liquor Cabinet	6:30 PM
Perth, AUS	9:30 AM
Tokyo, JP	10:30 AM
Sydney, AUS	11:30 AM

Spurs (13-10)	Matchups	Pacers (9-15)
Tony Parker Meh	Point Guard The Tony of last year seems to have disappeared, and the new Tony seems slow, clumsy, and unsure of himself. Ford has been pretty good(and healthy), but Tony is still putting up better numbers, despite not looking like himself. Despite my UT bias, I have to go with Tony here. Advantage: Spurs	TJ Ford Knocking on Wood Constantly

Keith Bogans DOOM	Shooting Guard Bogans had a good game against the Dubs, and has a pretty easy positional matchup tonight. However, I'd be shocked if he doesn't end up guarding Ford. With Tony guarding him, Rush should have an easier go of it, but he's still a terrible shooter. Keith might even provide some occasional offense tonight. Advantage: Spurs	Brandon Rush Terrible Shooter

Richard Jefferson Meh	Small Forward RJ's been playing better of late, scoring at least 17 in 4 of the last 5 games. Dunleavy is a good shooter who doesn't do much of anything else. RJ should win this, but it's still a little too early to tell if he's really "getting it" yet. Until then, it's a tie. Advantage: Neither	Mike Dunleavy Not The Coach

Tim Duncan 20/10	Power Forward In case you didn't know, Timmy always gets the white box. This season, he's as good as ever, and nobody's been able to stop him. Troy Murphy is a decent player, and probably underrated, but he's completely out of his league tonight. Advantage: Spurs	Troy Murphy 13/9

Antonio McDyess Meh	Center Dice has been MIA lately, and he says he always starts the season slow. As long as we get the guy that played in Detroit last year by season's end, I'm OK with that. In the meantime, Hibbert is definitely outperforming him. Advantage: Pacers	Roy Hibbert Token Big Man

DeJuan Blair BAM	Bench & Role Players Dahntay was a good free agent pickup for the Pacers, and in addition to his defensive reputation, he's even scoring this year. However, we have DeJuan, Manu, George, Matt, and the rest of the best bench in the league. This is another box that might be permanently in our favor. Advantage: Spurs	Dahntay Jones Good Pickup

Gregg Popovich Great Coach	Coach O'Brien is a good coach, and he's been around the league for quite a while, so he must be doing something right. But he isn't Pop. Pop, by the way, is going for his 700th win tonight. Advantage: Spurs	Jim O'Brien Good Coach
	images via yahoo.com

	Other Factors
Intangibles
With Granger out, it makes us really glad that Finley is the only injured Spurs at the moment. ::knocks on wood:: Advantage: Spurs
Mojo
The turnovers have to stop. Luckily, the Pacers seem to give it away even more than we do. That's not something to be proud of, Spurs. Advantage: Neither
Winner
Let's see... a sub-.500 team missing their best player. If you know your Spurs history, you know that this is a recipe for disaster. And this team is actually due for an epic letdown. Prediction: Pacers win.

Keys To The Game

Defense - The Spurs have a real chance to address some of their defensive issues against what should be an easy opponent. Why does that not comfort me? Prove me wrong by bringing it, Spurs.
Aggressiveness - This is simple. The other team is weakened by an injury to it's best frontcourt player, so playing this game in attack mode is exactly what the doctor ordered.
Turnovers - For FSM's sake, Spurs... cut that shit out.

Strength of Schedule

We've had two days off since the win over Golden State, and will have another day off before facing the Clippers. The schedule doesn't give us any excuses for losing for a while.

The Pacers are on a SEGABABA, after getting punked last night in Memphis.

Last Time They Met

The last time we met the Pacers was on April 3 in Indiana, where we won in a shootout, 126-121. Let's hope there's not so much scoring this time.

Some Other Reading

Pacers

Indy Cornrows - Our SBN sister blog for the Pacers. There's some well written stories over there, and there seems to be a pretty good level of participation as well.
Eight Points, Nine Seconds - Here's the Pacers' True Hoop Affiliate. It seems to be updated about as often as 48MoH these days, so... not very often.

Spurs

48 Minutes of Hell: Best damn TrueHoop affiliate out there. Always a must visit Spurs site. Tim V and Graydon seem to be less active there lately, but unlike us, I think they have lives.
Project Spurs: Features live chats, call-in shows and podcasts, with lots of content. Give 'em a try.

Twitter Musings

George_Hill3
What's up tweetas! Back home in SA bout to do some more Christmas shopping wish me LUCK!!

spurs
Check out @ManuGinobili, Antonio, Matt and the Coyote spreading some Holiday cheer at CHRISTUS Santa Rosahttp://bit.ly/8k6Hzo

Nothing else worth sharing (unless you count some more LOLs by Blair), but you can always find all the official Spurs Sports & Entertainment Twitter accounts here: http://twitter.com/spurs/official/members

Where to Tune In

TV

This game will be aired on KRRT 35 in San Antonio, and on FoxSportsnet in Indiana. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on.

Online

As always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. This game is no exception.

Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance.

NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out.

Radio

If you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM).

So there you have it: the Spurs will lose. Or, maybe I'm just trying to work the reverse jinx. Now you're confused, aren't you?

Also, I lost a bet to Lauri, so here is the lolcat I promised to put in the preview:

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Comments

SAS 106
IP 95

by guille on Dec 19, 2009 7:01 AM CST reply actions

Pop got his 700th win against the GSW, I think, Tim. Great preview, despite the sad tone.

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Dec 19, 2009 9:51 AM CST reply actions

he was supposed to but the spurs failed to beat the suns like we were all counting on.

by finn ball on Dec 19, 2009 10:26 AM CST up reply actions

You’re right. The article I read must’ve been mistaken.

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Dec 19, 2009 10:59 AM CST up reply actions

Dwayne Jones of the Austin Toros has gathered 24 rebounds two games in a row.

Just thought I would point that out.

I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.

by Lauri on Dec 19, 2009 12:51 PM CST via mobile reply actions

I predict 18 turnovers for the game….ok ok i’m sorry…i’m not being fair…lets make that number 27

"There are two things in life that should never go together.....those two things are cheese and herpes..." - Santa Claus

by Cello the great on Dec 19, 2009 1:55 PM CST reply actions

By the way, Hipuks, Stardust was awful. You suck.

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Dec 19, 2009 2:56 PM CST reply actions

I was the one who suggested Stardust, which does not either suck.

I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.

by Lauri on Dec 19, 2009 4:32 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

You lie.

The Spurs - now playing like sh*t again!

by Tim C. on Dec 19, 2009 4:45 PM CST up reply actions

Stardust is some awesome sci-fi fun.

by BlaseE on Dec 19, 2009 5:08 PM CST up reply actions

You are all mad. Didn’t you find the dialogue believable at all? It was so corny and predictable…

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Dec 19, 2009 5:55 PM CST up reply actions

it’s allegory! You’re the mad one! YOU!

Mr. Literal Head.

I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.

by Lauri on Dec 19, 2009 6:29 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

I know it’s allegory! It’s obvious, childish, moralistic allegory, that’s all.

Pacing was ridiculously slow, all the twists predictable, and the acting was atrocious. I mean, I love the woman who was the star, but the male lead was so bad. Thank FSM for De Niro and Pfeiffer.

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Dec 19, 2009 7:01 PM CST up reply actions

All righty then. Sorry, Hipuks, don’t watch Stardust. Apparently, it’s atrocious.

I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.

by Lauri on Dec 19, 2009 7:07 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

I honestly thought it was very, very boring. But Hipuks can make his own mind, I’m not a movie critic.

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Dec 19, 2009 7:12 PM CST up reply actions

By the way, I wasn’t trying to antagonize you. I was joking, even though I honestly didn’t like the movie. Do I need to use smilies more often?

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Dec 19, 2009 7:31 PM CST up reply actions

No, not at all! I’m not antagonized.

I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.

by Lauri on Dec 19, 2009 7:34 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

Neither do I.
:)
Wait nevermind. What I meant was, I already saw the movie. I thought it would be pretty lame but I ended up liking it. It’s like a fantasy with a wink and nudge.
I also saw Once Upon a Time in America, which lead me to read about it on Wiki, which led me to find Once Upon a Time in the West, which means I should watch that too.

"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"

by Hipuks on Dec 20, 2009 2:43 AM CST up reply actions

I knew you had said you liked it… Hurray for my memory.

Anyway, you suck.

Bone breaking? -340
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Dec 20, 2009 10:19 AM CST up reply actions

Guess what I got? Terma Serrano. I have discovered it tastes great with coke.

"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"

by Hipuks on Dec 20, 2009 10:48 AM CST up reply actions

It certainly was corny, but it was good fun though…

...Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is forty five.

by alamobro on Dec 20, 2009 3:39 AM CST up reply actions

If I'm not mistaken...

Spurs have 13 wins? Also the Phx “massacre” wasn’t last night as shown in the time zones (sorry to nitpick an otherwise xlnt preview;)

Honestly. You kids today, with your hippity-hop music and your Twiddle. - Lauri

by p2cat on Dec 19, 2009 4:06 PM CST reply actions

Playing at home after two days off, against a below .500 team on the second night of a back to back, who are missing their best player.

And somehow we’ll lose. Or the game will be way too close for comfort.

by r21x on Dec 19, 2009 4:43 PM CST reply actions

Eerily prescient.

Consider the gun jumped
5 in 10

by jollyrogerwilco on Dec 20, 2009 1:07 AM CST up reply actions

Spurs will win by more than any game so far this season. I don’t care about reverse jinxes or any of your other voodoo. Spurs by 25 plus.

Aren’t Rush and Bogans both Kansas players? I might be wrong but thought I’d throw that Big 12 bite out there.

TJ Ford is the only major UT player I didn’t see play in person last year so I’m psyched for this game. Durant, Aldridge, Augustin, and Gibson are the others I counted. Sorry, Mo Evans and Royal Ivey but you two don’t count. Mihm was hurt, and I don’t even think he is in the league now. Hopefully, I didn’t forget anyone.

by BlaseE on Dec 19, 2009 5:15 PM CST reply actions

Bogans went to Kentucky.

The Spurs - now playing like sh*t again!

by Tim C. on Dec 19, 2009 5:33 PM CST up reply actions

oh yeah….did a Spur go to Kansas?

by BlaseE on Dec 19, 2009 11:18 PM CST up reply actions

Not exactly the team you can make a statement win out of, but I’ll take whatever wins we can gather.

Also, I just watched Avatar and it’s epic. Not the greatest story but damn, the visuals were crazy. I didn’t watch it on 3D because my friends bought tickets for the wrong cinema so I’ll probably watch it again.

The Roleplayer's Realm

by silverandblack_davis on Dec 19, 2009 5:25 PM CST reply actions

Tim, I’ve found something else to blame you for, Bonner’s injury :(

by xman130 on Dec 20, 2009 1:05 AM CST via mobile reply actions

That’s what I thought too.

"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50

by theonlyromeo on Dec 20, 2009 7:39 PM CST up reply actions