Game #71 Preview: Spurs @ Nuggets - A taste of life without Duncan

I trust that certain bench people will respond to Pop’s tongue lashing. This reminds me of last year’s first game in the playoffs: ‘I think we have to have more people step up and play worth a damn,’ the Spurs coach said. ‘We had a lot of guys play like dogs. Please BAM, step-up. I’ve got my eyes on you…..yes, you Matty, Georgie and Gary. Oh, and I hope Blair and Splitter each get a double double.

It will be interesting to see if this is indeed Tiago’s first legitimate start. Wow, I hope this one is on league pass.

Positive and right on Big…. It would behoove Pop to “forget” about offense but think and talk only defense.

Depending on who your sources are, Afflalo and Lawson might be out tonight as both are day-to-day. That puts certified knucklehead J.R. Smith in the starting lineup and verified good player Raymond Felton at point guard.

With that, I’ll happily take the backcourt of Parker and Ginobili.

Is it Noche Latina tonight?

Great song selection. Chris Cornell is the man

I’m so excited – SiMA and I are going to the game tonight. The last time I attended a Spurs-Nuggets game at the Can, it was a blowout in the Spurs favor. I’m not expecting that result again, but I am looking forward to the enthusiastic booing of Manu.

I am with bad feeling for this game…Hope we don’t lose by 20+in nacional TV again

I don’t think this qualifies as a THIGAFONI. Isn’t it the 3rd game in 5 nights?

Aren’t you going to tell us who said that?

The game will be also shown in ESPN Latin America

http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/sports/tvlistings/deportes/

I am cautiously optimistic about this game….
I believe in the silver and black, with or without GPFOAT, but the thuggets are gonna be tough, our bench is tired and isn’t playing like Val Kilmer’s Iceman, and the fact that they are playing in high-altitude denver spells worse trouble than a bull in a china shop

Btw, Timothy Varner over at 48MoH wrote a fantastic article about Duncan’s injury.

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/what-to-expect-from-the-duncanless-spurs#more-13364

He thinks we can go .700 without Duncan and the only prioblem being the Duncan’s conditioning.

Holy crap! I just realized that you gave the winner to the Nuggets Not that I don’t disagree, but I think this might be the first time all year.

Great preview 50. I share the same unease about this game. But I’m just hoping that with an up and down style, Manu and Tony will have room to run and the shooters will be able to hit shots.

And sign me up for 10 meaningless points for your quote by Albert Pike. It was a great quote by the way. I coach high school baseball and am a big fan of giving good quotes for motivation and to help the guys. So nice job working that into the preview.

Hopefully, giving the spur to the Nugs is some sort of reverse-psychological-mojo-ploy on your part Big50. Good preview sir. I don’t see it mentioned here that this is the LATE game tonight – 9:30 Spurs time.

I don’t like seeing that image of Timmy. I know he’ll be okay but that’s too much of a reminder of how bad it was in the moment and could’ve been long term.

This will be a difficult game to win. It’s not easy to sweep a good team 4-0 for the season, especially with TD not playing, and with Denver playing their best ball of the season. No panic at the final score regardless of outcome. However, we have defeated Denver already once without Hill and once without Bonner.

Thank you Big50 for the picture of Melo above. I needed a new profile picture to replace the one I had of Melo in happier days.

I’m already tired of people saying that Duncan’s injury will mean that ____ will step up.
Because the Spurs are so young and talented, you can this for several players.
But what’s actually going to happen, we’ll have to see. Hopefully this opportunity will do for Blair and Splitter what last year’s injury to Tony did for G. Hill.

Could be wrong, but my guess is that the Spurs get blown out. It’s tough emotionally losing your defensive anchor, and going on the road to Denver only makes things tougher. Hopefully they can rebound vs. Portland, provided L. Aldridge doesn’t score 40 again .

I’m with you on not having a good feeling, but we have to remember that it IS still the thuggets. We have always called them that instead of “Thugget and friends,” so just because Carmelo is gone and they have one less thug doesn’t mean that they get any less scorn. Yes, the newbies from NY are impressive. Yes, Denver is good in Denver. Yes, like a horribly overrated and pompous broken clock, Karl occasionally does something successful.

But we have Manu Ginobili. If Blair and Splitter body Nene all night and make his job harder while our perimeter players seal off the outside shots, we’ll be okay. If we come out sluggish and slow, it’ll be a long night. I see tonight’s game as big as I saw the Dallas game, strangely. The #1 is still ours to lose, especially over this next stretch, and seeing the other stars and role players show up hungry and disciplined tonight would be HUGE for us.

Not to mention, when Cap and I go to games… the SPURS play like the best team to ever touch hardwood. That mojo alone ought to crash the site today, not just get SA the nod in that catagory.

I’m just trying to decide whether to do a JA-style hodgepodge of pics or a running diary after the game.

im looking forward to these string of games. I CHOOSE YOU TIAGO!!!

I have a simple theory to win today: if Parker and Ginobili combined score 50 points/ 15 assist Spurs beat the Nuggets

Mojo aside, I just don’t buy into any theory that the Nuggets in ANY incarnation this year are blow-out better than the San Antonio Spurs without Tim Duncan. Maybe his loss puts us closer to their level, and they do have home court tonight, but my money is on the Spurs.

when was the last time that the spurs lost the bench matchup?

Winning this game is not as important as Tiago improving and Bonner and Neal unslumping.

I’m feeling like shit, but I’ll watch the game. In the meantime, Boston-Memphis is a great game.

spurs win tonight

Wohooo… sushi and beer… Vamos mis espuelotas, caraja!

God damm Tony, you need to share the magic gatorade, its not fair

Hey League Passers… Boston and the Grizz have a close one going. Gotta go green on this one.

Grizzlies have it.

DAmmit Grizz…. we need you losing.

Grizzlies win.

Coming outta da closet? It was right about time… ;)

Stoudamire 2-16 Knicks losing by 8

TV: ESPN

Tim Duncan stayed behind in San Antonio instead of traveling with the Spurs on their three-game road trip, which begins tonight in Denver. Duncan sprained his left ankle Monday night against Golden State. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said Duncan could miss two weeks but he’s hopeful Duncan will only miss four or five games. "I’m hoping it won’t be (two weeks)," Popovich said. "I won’t know until we get back. He’s still in a boot, so once he gets on the court in a couple of days then we’ll be able to tell." Popovich said the injury won’t keep Duncan from starting the playoffs in a month.

The Spurs will start 6-foot-11 rookie Tiago Splitter at power forward for Duncan. Popovich said the Brazilian is a hard worker and the Spurs don’t have a lot of size to pick from. "Got to go to somebody," Popovich said of starting Splitter. "It’s not like there are 10 choices."

Nuggets point guard Raymond Felton will play after missing the last two games with a sprained left ankle suffered against Orlando on Friday. Denver coach George Karl said he was pleasantly surprised Felton is able to return so quickly. "He looked great in practice yesterday. He was probably the best player on the court. He’s a pretty durable player. When I saw how he was carried off the court I thought it would be a week and it turned out to be a couple of days."

Arron Afflalo will be inactive tonight and Friday as he recovers from a strained left hamstring. He originally hurt it March 5 at the Clippers and missed three games. He admitted he came back too early when he suited up for the last three games of Denver’s Eastern Conference road trip, and he aggravated the injury against Miami on Saturday. After Friday the Nuggets don’t play again until Wednesday and Afflalo said he’s content to wait to return. "I’m not as anxious to get back this time," he said.

– Michael Kelly

Tiago is officially the starter tonight at C.

jmcdonald_saen
Why start Splitter instead of Blair or someone else? Pop: “We’re a small team. We need some size out there.”

Also, new fanshot about Duncan’s timetable will be up in just a moment.

Doesn’t the game start in a few minutes? Where’s the thread?

DH 10-12 from FT, are u kidding me??!!