Game #29 Preview: Spurs @ Magic
by CapHill on Dec 23, 2010 10:01 AM CST
in Game Previews
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PrintDespite the wondermous winning streak, I imagine that Pop is not overly excited about the defense. Although I'm loving the offensive juggernaut, I wouldn't mind seeing a full 48 minutes of defense one of these days. A jaunt to the East Coast isn't conducive to flipping the switch, but playing an offensively-challenged team might be.
Your musical selection for tonight:
Due to the recent turnover in the Magic's roster, the Preview contains mondo uncertainty. At least this time, I have a good reason for my hackishness.
Pop's post game audio -- Click here Manu's post game audio -- Click here Tiago's post game audio -- Click here Neal's post game audio **FEATURING JRW ON THE LAST QUESTION!!** -- Click here Post game audio (courtesy of JRW):
 San Antonio Spurs @ Orlando Magic Watch: TNT
By the Numbers
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Lineups
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Lineups
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Matchup Analysis
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Winner |
Starters
PG: Tony should be able to take advantage of the lack of corporate defensive knowledge by Orlando. Nelson will have to step up and lead his new teammates.
SG: Redick has worked hard to turn himself into an NBA player. And he can be deadly from beyond the arc. But we're talking about Manu, whose productivity has been otherworldly this year.
SF: Richardson still has game - heck, he proved it in the playoffs last year. But he's on a new team in a new system, and we all saw what that did to RJ last year. Jefferson continued his renaissance with another efficient performance last night - more alley oops please!
PF: I don't know what to make of Blair this year - his Jekyll and Hyde act is perplexing. Turkeyglue has not been good since leaving Orlando, but he thrived while there and knows the system. Put this down as a tie because I don't have any idea what to expect from either player.
C: Howard showed us last time that he's significantly upgraded his offensive skill set. But does he now have the requisite shooters surrounding him? Timmeh continues plugging away and will need to carry a bit more of the load tonight to counteract the tired legs of Tony, Manu and RJ.
Bench
Bass has been good this year; Arenas has not since joining the Magic. Bonner, Neal, Quinn and Splitter have been stellar, even without George.
Coaching
Pop is Pop. SVG is not Pop and probably just trying to figure out a rotation.
Intangibles
Orlando is in disarray, losing 4 in a row. San Antonio has discovered two more weapons (Neal and Splitter).
Mojo
We have Manu and BAM.
Prediction
A SEGABABA on the East Coast usually spells doom for the Spurs, but the Magic haven't had time to figure out all of their new pieces.
Key(s) to the Game
Key 1 - Tired Legs. The bench is going to have to play some minutes for Tony, Manu and RJ, who all logged over 35 minutes last night.
Key 2 - Interior Defense. Howard is the known threat. Shutting him down is necessary.
Other Reading
Spurs
Nuggets
Orlando Pinstriped Post (SB Nation)
Following Along
TV
TNT
Radio
WOAI 1200AM; Audio League Pass [streaming]
Online
As always, NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area.
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. You can also shoot an email to poundingtherockmail@yahoo.com (IMPORTANT: Please include your PtR username in the email for reference) for further assistance.
107 comments
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4 recs |
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Comments
Double-digit streaks are nice, but it’s time to buckle down and see what this team is really made of. The toughest two weeks of the season begins tonight: Magic, Wiz, Lakers, Mavs, Thunder, Knicks, and Celtics all in a row. Hold onto your butts.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Dec 23, 2010 10:14 AM CST reply actions
HELL YES!! these are the two weeks I have been waiting for. Its gonna be a bumpy ride but I have a great feeling the Spurs will give us something to smile about. BRING IT ON! Magic, Lakers, Mavs, and Celtics…..this is gonna be a GREAT test for our Spurs.
"Dear prescription drug commercial,
It's nice to know that even though I have genital herpes, I can still go fishing.
Sincerely, thanks for giving me peace of mind."
by Cello the great on Dec 23, 2010 10:26 AM CST up reply actions
Interesting stat: The Spurs are 15-0 when Bonner scores at least six points.
(",)
by day_late_friend on Dec 23, 2010 10:32 AM CST reply actions
We’re also still undefeated when we score 100 or more points, or in any game Quinn plays.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Dec 23, 2010 10:45 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Haha, I’d imagine that we have a lot of these weird stats since we’ve only had 3 losses. I guess we’re still not used to hearing that . . . only 3 losses. . . .
"He's the ultimate zone buster." – Bill Land on Gary Neal
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Dec 23, 2010 11:03 AM CST up reply actions
Orlando is a top notch team, I don’t care what their record is. They lost some depth behind Howard, but otherwise got better. And I worry about how much the Spurs have left after last night. The bench is going to have to come through again tonight.
All these GIFs are breaking my browser.
by quincyscott on Dec 23, 2010 10:38 AM CST via mobile reply actions
It’s a good thing that Dice played for less than 3 minutes and Duncan less than 30. Let’s put Howard into foul trouble early in the game.
(",)
by day_late_friend on Dec 23, 2010 10:43 AM CST up reply actions
i remember thinking this when we saw so little of dice…ive been screaming at pop through my tv to give us more spittle so I was glad he got so much time but last night i was like…hmmm hes saving dice for tomorrow
give us more spittle
Only Tony gets the Spittle, but Pop has not really been in his face so much this year.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Granted that Howard is still fairly young, but this is their 4th game in 6 days and he has put in over 40 minutes in each. Turkoglu is not so young, but put in 74 minutes in their back-to-back on Monday/Tuesday. I’m thinking that perhaps rather than giving all of the players a day off yesterday to rest up for tonight’s game, Orlando had to practice in order for the new players to see what they’re supposed to be doing.
Good points. It’s possible that both team will be a bit exhausted, but only one may have confusion. Could get sloppy and our guys will need to win a mudder, old-Spurs style.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
Yeah i think this was a very good trade for Orlando, and with more time togther on the court and in practice they could really be a deep team.
You know, I thought Orlando did well in this trade at first, but now I’m not so sure. Looking at their frontcourt, they traded away two of the 4 guys that were in the regular rotation, and didn’t get any PF’s or C’s back. Granted, Hedo can probably take Lewis’s minutes, but he’s not as quick, and even his shooting’s been questionable this year. I think they need another big, if only to spell Bass and Howard for a while.
Free Tiago Splitter!
They’ve got a lot of pieces to put around Howard, but it seems there’s a big gap while Howard is out of the game now. Early in the season he seemed to be having problems with foul trouble limiting his minutes some. It looks like the last time it happened was their game against the Clippers when he had 5 fouls and played 25 minutes, though that is the one game they won out of the last nine games (of course they had Gortat to play 24 minutes back then).
They need at least one more trade, which they should complete by this afternoon so that they have at least 2 of their regulars missing tonight.
+1
I agree but there last game Earl Clark the young dude from the university of Louisville who they got in the trade gave them good minutes off the bench at the 4. They are real high on Ryan Anderson also but i think he is hurt. Lewis doesn’t bring as much to the table as Hedo does for them not to mention he was getting paid way to damn much. They might struggle early on to get points when Howard is out of the game but I think over time they will be fine with Arenas and Richardson out there gunnin’
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
by gunnin' gervin on Dec 23, 2010 3:04 PM CST up reply actions
Bonner, Neal, Quinn and Splitter have been stellar, even without George.
There is also this big smiley fellow in the middle. He may be aging but is still deadly and should be rested after playing just a few minutes last night.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Big smiley fellow, haha. I thought of BLOLair first when I read that.
"He's the ultimate zone buster." – Bill Land on Gary Neal
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Dec 23, 2010 11:05 AM CST up reply actions
Amazing how well “big smiley fellow” describes Blair, Splitter and McDyess. Duncan and Matt are the only 2 bigs that really dont emote much.
Bonner with the nice box out!
by SpursfanSteve on Dec 23, 2010 1:18 PM CST up reply actions
I wish he’d get in a couble of “robots” in here and there… oh… he does that throughout the game. :(
can't forget Matty, if you did you'd feel gyped
like your sandwich ain't a sandwich without Miracle Whip -me
I love the big smiley fellow, but he hasn’t been playing a lot of minutes lately. I expect he’ll get significant burn tonight. Honestly, if Dice didn’t play until the last month of the season (just to get in shape for the playoffs), I’d be fine with that.
With all due respect, gentlemen, we're not as crazy as she is.
Yep. He talks about this being his last year because of the aches and pains associated with playing at his age. If we take care of him he will be more effective and may be persuaded to come back next year, assuming there is a next year.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Wow, Cap – nice BABA recap/preview! Here’s hoping the good guys give themselves any early Christmas gift in the form of an easy W…GSG!!!!!
Honestly. You kids today, with your hippity-hop music and your Twiddle. - Lauri
Wow, Cap – nice BABA recap/preview!
Cap is awesome. Rec’d just because I know how hard it had to be to finish both of these last night.
Free Tiago Splitter!
?
I don’t see any reason to question Splitter’s manhood. How is he soft, exactly?
All these GIFs are breaking my browser.
Thought you had seen this before. Probably his stag night. Tradition in some European countries to dress the groom up like a woman and go bar hopping. We did that to a Dutch guy here in the States, it was a blast. And a great way to meet hot women (real ones) by the way, as they will all come ask questions and hang out.
There are also challenges at eat bar, e.g. he had to do a body shot on some girl at one bar, exchange bras with a girl at another bar.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
The ball didn’t seem to mind. It happily rolled of his soft hands and into the rim, even delaying once to enjoy the sight of sexy soft Splitter running back down the court.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
Fuck it, Spurs by 70
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
by spursfan87 on Dec 23, 2010 11:49 AM CST reply actions 7 recs
Lets do this!
On an aside, I just hope Barkley can stop those childish attention-grabbing comments about the Spurs….it looks stupid.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Dec 23, 2010 12:16 PM CST reply actions
Eh, it’s what he does. Inside the NBA is the funniest show on television.
And the Spurs have been on the flattering side of his turrible opinions in the past.
yeah, maybe you are right….either way, more fuel for Timmy to prove them wrong.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Dec 23, 2010 3:06 PM CST up reply actions
Who really pays attention to the content? He says entertaining stuff that makes people laugh, but you are supposed to forget the words within five minutes.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Not his take on the Geico googly-eyes commercial, however. Charles nailed that take and it’s really the definitive one on those commercials. It went something like
Now them commercials with the googly eyes stacks of money? {15 seconds of silence as Charles stares, bleary-eyed, into the camera} They gots to go! It’s gots to go.
Due to Kenny actually admiring the play of the Spurs, it makes for better TV to have Barkley disagree so that they can argue about it and Ernie can laugh at him as the big butt of the joke. As the Spurs keep winning, it also allows Kenny to needle Barkley about it throughout the season. You can bet come March he’ll ask “so you still think the 72-3 Spurs aren’t better than Dallas?” CB: “I don’t think they are, Kenny. What have they done other than win 57 straight? I’m not sure Duncan can do it anymore, but you know I love Gin-o-bi-li. Pop is great but I sill like Dallas. Now give me a Krispy Kreme!”
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
Previews, quick-caps, recaps, Spurs caps, bottle caps are for hacks. You guys are bringing this site down. Quit talking about A game and start talking about THE game.
I never take the high road, but I tell other people to, that way there is more room for me on the low road.
by SinCitySpur on Dec 23, 2010 12:50 PM CST reply actions 2 recs
That was a good movie!
"Rip it and grip it!" -Kevin Costner
by The Augustus on Dec 23, 2010 3:12 PM CST up reply actions
that was a good movie – can only watch it once though
"The A-Train deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Dec 23, 2010 3:37 PM CST up reply actions
Wow! wrinkle free Michael! did father time (and snorting) left a mark on this guy or what?
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Dec 23, 2010 3:17 PM CST up reply actions
dat’s FUNNY1
"An Army is a team. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horse sh*t. The bilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting under fire than they know about f*cking!" -- George S. Patton
by oldtimeyspurfan on Dec 23, 2010 1:23 PM CST up reply actions
Bahahaha!
"A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It’s what happens while you wait for moments that will never come." - Lester Freamon, The Wire
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 23, 2010 6:33 PM CST up reply actions
I just realized something. The Spurs already have half their win total from all of last season before christmas.
Free Tiago Splitter!
by Tim C. on Dec 23, 2010 12:52 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
It’s a festivus miracle!
I never take the high road, but I tell other people to, that way there is more room for me on the low road.
by SinCitySpur on Dec 23, 2010 12:54 PM CST up reply actions
The festivus pole is UP. Now for the airing of grievances!
"An Army is a team. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horse sh*t. The bilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting under fire than they know about f*cking!" -- George S. Patton
by oldtimeyspurfan on Dec 23, 2010 1:26 PM CST up reply actions
That is amazing. Thank you for pointing that out!!!
"Rip it and grip it!" -Kevin Costner
by The Augustus on Dec 23, 2010 12:55 PM CST up reply actions
The Augustus’ ‘Neato’ Stat of the Morning:
The Spurs are 15-0 when Mr. Matt Bonner, the Sandwich Man, scores at least six points, courtesy of NBA.com
"Rip it and grip it!" -Kevin Costner
*The Augustus’s
"Rip it and grip it!" -Kevin Costner
by The Augustus on Dec 23, 2010 1:33 PM CST up reply actions
Actually, you were fine the first time. Both ways are correct. English is funny like that.
"He's the ultimate zone buster." – Bill Land on Gary Neal
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on DeJuan Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Dec 23, 2010 1:37 PM CST up reply actions
Truly? Very interesting and quite ridiculous. I have heard advocates argue both sides.
"Rip it and grip it!" -Kevin Costner
by The Augustus on Dec 23, 2010 3:13 PM CST up reply actions
English is confusing
"The A-Train deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Dec 23, 2010 3:38 PM CST up reply actions
Shockingly, day_late_friend was early on that one.
by DrumsInTheDeep on Dec 23, 2010 1:44 PM CST up reply actions
From Fake Pop’s press conference earlier:
@JessicaRedfield: Does Chris Quinn’s mom pick him up after practices and games?
No, but his parents do pay us $12/hr to babysit.
@KOTWM: Can you confirm or deny the existence of Santa?
He’s real. His name is Jerry West, and he gave the Lakers Pau Gasol.
@spursfan_rmj8: What gift are you giving to the players/coaches this year?
I’m not retiring
@spursfan_rmj8: You going to Disneyworld while in Orlando?
If I want to see goofy little creatures, I’ll wait til JJ Barrea comes in town
by greyberger on Dec 23, 2010 2:29 PM CST reply actions 3 recs
Thank you for sharing! This guy is hilarious.
"Rip it and grip it!" -Kevin Costner
by The Augustus on Dec 23, 2010 3:14 PM CST up reply actions
damn that’s nice
"The A-Train deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
by Joe deLarios on Dec 23, 2010 3:38 PM CST up reply actions
His latest:
Press conference over. Got to go, evidently Chris Quinn got in trouble at Disney World for trying to ride Space Mountain again.
I love FakeCoachPop
With all due respect, gentlemen, we're not as crazy as she is.
Turkoglu
I think is going to be a real big match up problem for us tonight. He hasn’t been playing great this season but I have watched the two games he has played since being back in Orlando and he looks a whole lot more comfortable there than he did with the Suns and Raps. The second game they played he looked really good in a close loss. He has a good connection with Howard and him playing Power forward puts us in a bad situation because which big is gonna guard him? I think we can win if we attack Howard and get him into foul trouble and actual guard the three pointer unlike most of the Nuggets game.
One thing i can do...................is FINGER ROLL.
Although they weren’t blowouts, winning the last two games by eight and six points is a good sign coming after those three nail-biter victories.
We’ve been winning games in the second half (sometimes almost losing them there, too). But we haven’t had a good halftime lead since the Bucks game. I wanna see our bench really take it to them during the first rotation and build an early lead.
This one concerns me. Any winning streak of double digits is more likely to end than continue due to the likeliness of an off night. Our guys will be travel tired and playing a team that is due and desperate for a win; as awful as their transition period has been, they were shooting for the tie against Dallas two night ago in the final seconds. They likely win if Hedo hadn’t been rejected by the rim. And we know J-Rich has had recent success when seeing our uniforms.
Tonight should be about the basics; a football style game plan. Strong defense and spreading the ball around on offense. Again, like the game against Phoenix, ball movement is key when playing a team whose new players do not likely have the defensive scheme down.
Let the young legs carry the night. Misters Neal, Quinn, Splitter and Blair need to bring the energy and hustle plays. Dyce went for 6 & 4 in the first game against these guys and barely played last night so this will also be his game. Go Spurs Go! Make it eleven on national TV.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
Steve Nash continues to be awesome.
He posted this video on Facebook tonight. Go enter your guess—I want someone from PtR to be the winner!
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
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