Pounding The Rock: FanPosts

The view from the upper bowl of EnergySolutions Arena (game observations)

2009-11-06T21:35:58Z

It was not a great game to be at for a Spurs fan. The late start time at least gave me a chance to show up early and, hopefully, snag a sig from my namesake. However, after leaving work a little late, needing to gas up, grab some grub, drive about an hour, park and walk maybe 3/4 mile, and pick up tickets at will call, there was no chance for an adult fanboy's dream to come true.

Was this an ominous sign for what would occur during the game?

Nah, I don't believe in that stuff.

The game, as you probably know, was competitive for a good chunk of the first quarter. The rest of the way, the lead seemed to hang in the 10-14 point range. There are some good things and some bad things that happened -- from our "Spurs fan perspective," it was mostly bad.

This is what I noticed (before looking at any box score):

Boozer was really, really good. He rebounded, hit jumpers, channeled his inner Hakeem Olajuwon with a couple of fadeaways, and maybe even showed some Duncan-like play. I say this at the risk of committing blasphemy. Oh, and speaking of Duncan, Boozer's usually much-maligned defense, combined with LOTS of help D, really helped limit Timmy.

Duncan looked like he struggled physically. Whether it's age, health, or a combination of the two, he did not look quick or sharp. There must have been five instances where he either got blocked, stripped, or tied up for a jump ball.

Parker was dominant in the first half. There were moments when he literally was a one-man fast break. A 1-on-4 fast break, even. And getting three-point plays while he was doing it. In the second half, however, things changed.

DeJuan Blair is a man. This guy was born in 1989. Nineteen eighty-nine! I was there -- at the game, not at DeBeast's birth -- with a buddy (he was rooting for the Jazz, but he's chill. By the way, I was sitting close to several Spurs fans, so that was decent), and we were looking at both teams' rosters and noticing that we were older than plenty of the players. My buddy couldn't believe he was older than all of the Jazz players except for a couple. But the number that jumped out was 1989.

Speaking of Blair, he really just manned his way around inside. Defensive rebound? Check. Offensive rebound? Check. Putback with three guys surrounding him? Check. Spin around a bigger, slower defender and use the rim to shield himself from the defense, then finish with a reverse lay-in? Check. Seriously, if you give this cat close to 35 minutes per game, he is a strong contender for Rookie of the Year.

Deron Williams is an outstanding ballplayer. But we all knew that. Still, he doesn't get the compliment of being called "otstanding."

NBA Live 10 Simulation: Week 3 POLL

2009-11-06T16:35:04Z

Week three of the regular season we have three games but Monday night will be out of the question for me as I dont' get home till late and won't be able to get the game up in time.

All three games are at home this week. Monday (Toronto), Wednesday (Dallas) and Saturday (Oklahoma City).

So with that said we do have two other choices and I feel that I know which one will be the landslide.

Vote away!

Poll

Which game you want simulated for week three?

NBA Live 10 Simulation: Regular Season : San Antonio Spurs at Portland Trail Blazers

2009-11-06T16:05:54Z

What's up everyone! I am back with this week's winning pick for the Simulation. Last night was a tough night for us on the floor as we all painfully watched our beloved Spurs get taken down by the Jazz. No fear, we are undefeated when I am doing these sims so we SHOULD win tonight.

Just some notes before the jump. I do play these games out in full to get the most realistic stats that I can so I know it truly isn't a 'simulation' as that would mean cpu vs cpu and let it play out that way.

As I am a fan of NBA LIVE 10 I do like to play out some of the games but will in the future do the cpu vs cpu.

You can check out my previous simulations by clicking here.

The good stuff now follows. Enjoy and comment please.

The starting lineups for the game:

My biggest concern going into this game was speed. Portland has that on their side. Though we have Tony Parker and his match-up with Steve Blake is to our advantage. Brandon Roy and Michael Finley. Finley wouldn't be much of a factor in this game as Manu played 27 minutes.

Another concern for me in the game was that of LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, their twin towers. Oh, remember the days of Timmy and David..........okay sorry.

We win the tip and first thing I wanted to do was establish Duncan down low to try and get the bigs in foul trouble. Duncan would pace us in the first period hitting the teams first six buckets. This didn't come from down low. I had Duncan out by the free throw line, elbow, to be exact and nailed three straight jumpers with him from the same spot.

Later they would jump that spot and then was able to find my shooters on the perimeter. Richard Jefferson was one that caught on fire along with Duncan. I would use Jefferson's speed against Martell Webster whom is a good defender. Would take Jefferson off the dribble and nail some key jumpers as well as get Jefferson open on the wings for a pump fake and slam.

Matt Bonner would nail one of his four threes on the night.

What would be key after the first period, by the way we took a 28-22 lead after one, would be the play of our bench. Matt Bonner came off and simply shot lights out from the three point line. Hitting 4 of 5 and finishing with 12 points.

Manu Ginobili would pace the bench with 16 in 27 minutes. He went 6 for 11 from the floor and 4 of 5 from the free throw line.

DeJuan Blair would get into the act as he finished with 5 points and 5 rebounds. George Hill added 4, Roger Mason added 6 and Theo Ratliff with 8.

Starters played a lot of minutes and were led by Tony Parker who played 40. Parker finished with 16 points on 8 of 19 shooting.

Jefferson would celebrate with Manu after he finishes a play while getting fouled.

Jefferson finished with 14 points. Michael Finley added 7 but had his hands full with Brandon Roy who finished the game with 20.

Just a couple of stats from Portland. They outrebounded us 54 to 45. LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden combined for 28 of them.

Final score would be the good guys 102 and the Blazers 92.

Box Score and Stats

Video Highlights

More Coverage

Pounding the Rock's Game 5 Preview

Spurs vs Trail Blazers coverage

Blazersedge

Sit Courtside at the Toros Game of Your Choice

2009-11-06T03:56:18Z

If you live in Austin or plan to visit it any time between now and April, go, fly as fast as your fingers will take you, and bid on this package: four (4) courtside seats to a Toros game (your choice!) and a chance to meet and have your picture taken with the players. Not only would it be an awesome thing to win, but you will be helping a truly worthwhile cause. All proceeds from this auction will benefit CPI, a nonprofit organization here in Austin that helps break the cycle of crime by providing support and services to nonviolent offenders making the transition from prison back into society.

The Toros are owned and operated by our beloved Spurs, and I would like to thank them for this generous gift as well as for being such a class organization. CPI is a cause near and dear to my heart, so I'd like to thank you, too, dear reader, for your attention and support. And check out the other items up for auction, including original art, jewelry, and everything else from kayaking to to train rides.

Ginobili vs. Dracula, Chapter 2

2009-11-05T03:47:12Z

Thursday's game against the Jazz felt longer than a day away. The Spurs were looking forward to rigors of practice. Popovich earned the right to challenge them. He did not even have to yell anymore. The team felt like it was running the break across a limitless court.

Popovich's new afternoon practice schedule was based on research by the Sleep Clinic at Stanford University. Pop and Assistant coach Hank Egan each had books and papers littering their desks: Biorhythms and the Concept of Time, Axiomatic Frequencies and Seasonal Change, Theories of Fruition, Metric Analysis of Subconscious Pre-Memory, Dreaming Beyond Meta-REM ...

Pop kept the older texts at home: leather bound and printed black letter folios, Latin manuscripts quilled in red ink, a prisoner's journal of mirror writing, papyrus and old stones, a meticulously notched ivory staff ...

"I have a feeling that bat didn't actually get into the arena on Halloween by itself," Richard Jefferson said. RJ shook his head and tried to push the uneasy feeling out of his mind. The team was stretching, getting ready for a shoot-a-round. Timmy missed a trick three and the team laughed as the rebound caromed off RJ's head. RJ just stood facing west, staring through the walls of the practice facility.

He saw nothing. Darkness.

* * * * *

In an abandoned church off IH 10, a tender mouth licked the last bit of Beno Udrih's blood from her fingers. Her thirst sated, for now.

Her lithe hand carefully moved the candle from the alter and smoothed the front page of the San Antonio Express News that her tight fist had crumbled but moments before. No one dared strike her like that -- not even him, her master. To add insult -- the hand sanitizer, the rabies shots. She was the one dirtied by the contact! The Argentine lived in filth. Rodents nested in his laundry.

She loathed Ginobili, but ... she could not help but return to the tender way he cradled her in his hand, carrying her to the locker room. No one had ever held her like that, not even her master.

* * * * *

A halo of arriving flights circled above LAX in concentric patterns. None were given permission to land. Only a single black Leer jet descended through the smog and screeched to a halt on the tarmac. An ebony casket shifted slightly in the jet's hold. The dark prince glanced at his Blackberry. An email from Phil Jackson glowed in the darkness. "Welcome to Los Angeles."

Nov. 4th Other Games Thread

2009-11-04T21:11:45Z

I'm bored and thought I'd make this post. 10 games tonight...

* Suns @ Magic: This one is tough. Annoying team or a team that could have home court advantage in the finals. I don't like the Suns not having a loss so go Magic.

* Heat @ Wizards: Go Fab's Wizards....

* Pistons @ Raptors: I kind of like both teams this year....I'll root for the Pistons though...

* Nuggets @ Nets: Go Nets, easy

* Pacers @ Knicks: Go TJ Ford and the Pacers

* Celtics @ Wolves: Go Wolves

* Lakers @ Rockets: Please Rockets...Lakers coming off that overtime win still look sloppy so hopefully Ariza lights Artest up

* Mavs @ Hornets: Go Hornets. I think it makes us look better if they start winning and I can't root for the Mavs unless it directly and explicitly benefits the Spurs.

* Hawks @ Kings: Go Kings. We already beat them so it raises our SOS so far. Its a West bottom feeder vs a East second tier team too.

* Grizzlies @ Warriors: Go Warriors. They are just more fun to root for.

Those are my picks. Agree? Disagree? Have better reasons?

Poll

Who do you want to win tonight?

WatchSpurs

2009-11-03T16:06:48Z

This was inspired by boredom and a comment from 'the little o' in response to the excellent BatManu wallpapers with which silverandblack_davis has favored us. So, credit and blame where it's due. Since it's early in the season, I think we could all use a little hyperbole - plus a reverse jinx, to counter all the positive energy around this year's team. We've compared the boys in black and silver to everything else under the sun; why not to the most dysfunctional team of them all?

If you haven't read 'Watchmen', go do that. If you've only seen the movie, go read the book. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you ... the WatchSpurs

Tim Duncan - Dr. Manhattan

The Superman is real, and he is a Spur. Timmy's been called cold, unemotional. Even inhuman. He's strangely unloved by the media, despite being by far the greatest ever to do what he does. He is obsessed with the fundamentals of his universe, and making love to him is like being with three men. Only he can save us.

Tony Parker - Rorschach

I know, I wanted Manu to be Rorschach too, but it just ain't the case. Tony is the one who relentlessly takes the fight to the enemy - he's just a little guy, but he will throw himself into mortal danger on principle. His penetration cannot be stopped, he cannot be kept out. He's the leader of our offense. And he talks strangely. He's Rorschach.

Manu Ginobili - The Comedian

Life's a jest, and Manu knows it. Unpredictable, mercurial - you think you know him, he seems like a nice guy, and then he goes and torches the other team to the ground. Manu does not care who you are. Manu does not care what you've done. Manu will do what he wants and take what he wants, by force if necessary. He will kill a defenseless animal or break an opponent's ankles, and he'll do it with a smile on his face.

Richard Jefferson - Ozymandias

On the team, but not of the team - Rage is still something of an outsider. He's still something of an afterthought, but we ignore him at our peril. We know he's got the tools to be horrifically destructive, but our opponents won't recognize them until the damage is done.

George Hill - The Nite Owl

Last year during the preseason it's like he'd forgotten who he was - poor shooting, tentative game management, almost like he'd forgotten who he was. Now he's wearing the uniform that makes him who he is, and he's busting out a set of tools that our opponents don't know how to counter. Best of all, he's finally getting his numbers up again.

DeJuan Blair - The Silk Spectre

He never wanted to be a late-round draft pick. It's not his fault that he fell all the way to the Spurs. But what the hell - he's here now, and he's got a big ol' chip on his shoulder. Some punks are gonna get beat down. And let's be honest ... we'd all hit that.

Oh ... and if somebody with artistic talent were able to create a WatchSpurs wallpaper, it would have a permanent home on my desktop. FYI.

George Hill: Tony Parker 0.99?

2009-11-03T10:03:14Z

SaSleepless likened George Hill's performance to that of Tony Parker during his early years. It had me thinking whether our back-up point guard's first (almost) two years in the league really compares favorably to that of our current starter. Let's use our bat senses and take a look.

Stats, from http://www.basketball-reference.com.

First Year

Rookie Season Highs:

TP - 22 points (24 in the Playoffs), 10 assists (9), 10 rebs (5), 5 stls (2), 5 TOs (4)
GH - 23 points (9 in the Playoffs), 8 assists (2), 11 rebs (4), 4 stls (2), 4 TOs (2)

Per 36 minutes, Rookie Season:

TP - 11.2 pts, 5.3 ast, 3.1 rebs, 1.4 stl, 2.4 TO
GH - 12.4 pts, 3.6 ast, 4.5 rebs, 1.3 stl, 2.1 TO

This shows us that Tony Parker and George Hill's rookie seasons were almost identical. Of course, if we used averages, Tony would eat George's lunchbox (yes, lunchbox). But we all know this is skewed, since Parker played 29 and 34 minutes during his first and second years in the league, while Hill was only managed 16 and 20, respectively (Why, Pop? Why?). In the playoffs, we know Pop almost didn't play George, but relented and ended up using the rookie guard 19 minutes per game, in four games. In comparison, a rookie Tony Parker played 34 minutes per game in his first playoffs.

In the regular season, Hill was a slightly better scorer and rebounder. Parker, on the other hand, was a whole lot better in passing. Some George Hill ~~worshippers~~ fans would point out (I love puns) that George was a shooting guard in college instead of the 1 Pop wants him to play.

Hill also appears to be the more consistent rookie, scoring-wise. Parker scored just 2 or 3 points in eight games where he played at least 20 minutes. Hill only, um, accomplished that 3 times. Sure, Tony had more opportunities to suck because he played 20 minutes or more most of the time (72 of 77 games played), while George rarely cracked twenty (14 of 77 GP). Still, if you're given at least twenty minutes most of the time, you should get into a good enough rhythm and should be afforded plenty enough opportunities to score more than 2 or 3 points. You shoot the ball once, that's two (or three) points. You get fouled while driving to the basket, that's at least one more point. Now do both (or either) again, and that's more than 2 or 3 points.

Parker shows to be the more consistent passer as a rookie though. The numbers are the opposite of scoring. In games where he played over 20 minutes, Tony had 0 or 1 assist in only 3 games. George did it eight times. Again, for an NBA guard, it shouldn't be too difficult to tally more than 1 assist. Here's the secret to doing it: Look for an open teammate. Pass him the ball. Pray that he makes the shot. Now, do it again, and that's more than 1 assist in a game.

Forgive me for the chop. And for the left alignment.

Second Year

Sophomore Season Highs:

TP - 32 points (29), 13 assists (6), 8 rebs (8), 4 stls (3), 6 TOs (6)
GH - 15 points, 4 assists, 5 rebs, 2 stls, 2 TOs

Per 36 minutes, Sophomore Season:

TP - 16.5 pts, 5.6 ast, 2.8 rebs, 0.9 stl, 2.6 TO
GH - 19.2 pts, 3.0 ast, 5.4 rebs, 2.4 stl, 2.4 TO

Yes, Hill has only been a few (three) games into his second season, but since SaSleepless brought it up, I still looked at their numbers during their second year. As a sophomore, Hill still figures to be a better scorer, but looking at his season high, one can say that Tony was more explosive. Hill is a way better rebounder, but TP was a way better passer. Hill also plays the passing lanes better than his practice nemesis.

In their second seasons, Hill still looks like the more consistent scorer. In the three games he played this season, George scores 9, 8, and 15 points. He played more than twenty minutes in the first and second games. Incidentally, in the second game, he played less than twenty, and the Spurs lost. Hear that, Pop?

Unfortunately, in that one game that Hill played only 17 minutes, he also had 0 assists. Only once did Parker have 0 assists in his sophomore season--and that was in the playoffs, not the regular season, which we are comparing.

Summary

SaSleepless was right. Tony and George are quite similar stat-wise during their first two years in the league, which only means one thing: Pop hates the French. Otherwise, why be tough on Frenchie yet loving to the IUPUI-ie?

Interestingly, comparing their first two years, George Hill seems to have out-Parkered Tony in his forte, scoring. And surprisingly, young Tony was better than his back-up is now when it comes to assists--which many people claim is the Frenchman's weakness.

Yes, we need our point guards to score. But primarily, we need them to handle the rock and dish it out to open teammates. George Hill is a slightly better scorer than first-to-second-year Tony Parker, but he still doesn't do one of his primary responsibilities--passing--as well as his counterpart did. Sure, Parker still turns out to be the better point guard. But heck. Just to be at the point where we're comparing our reserve PG to a player who would turn out to be an All-Star is very encouraging. And Hill's numbers aren't just similar to Tony's when he was new, George actually does compare favorably to Parker. And that is just...wow.

Maybe that Gregg Popovich does know what he's talking about.

You mean this isn't like ICQ?

2009-11-03T03:25:07Z

Just because there's a minimun words limit

Hey there. This is a bit messy, but I didn't know what else I could do. This post will be gone before you know it.

I need some help. If someone reading this has International League Pass and feels like giving me a hand with something, please drop me a line at dmenendez@gmail.com.

Thankew.

Blair, Hill continues to impress...

2009-11-03T03:10:29Z

By Robby Lim
A Blessed All Souls day to everyone! Forgive me for not making my own recap on the Spurs-Kings game. And in case you guys missed it, Manu swats a bat out of Midair. Just great, like they say; the legend on Manu continues...

Now on to the topic. With 3 regular season games under their belt, the Spurs reminded us of the familiar. We still have the 'Big Three'. Manu is regaining his old form, Tony is still Tony, and Duncan remains one of the best bigs in the game.

This new-look Spurs is arguably the most talented roster during the Duncan era. And early in the season, signs are encouraging.

Except for that downer in Chicago, the Spurs had displayed it's balanced attack on offense. The defense still needs some work, but the fire power on this new lineup is so obvious. A team with a good mix of youth, experience and athleticism.

George Hill is making his mark. He's showing everyone that he can really play. No he's not your typical backup point, his assist total may not wow you. But his tenacity on defense will.

Not only that, this guy can score; he's averaging 11.7 points, 3 rebounds, 1.33 steals and 1 block so far in just 20 minutes per game. I could also argue that he deserves more minutes, but that's another matter.

Another player to no surprise, has been playing fairly well. Although not as impressive like in his preseason games, DeJuan Blair has been steady.

On his debut, he posted a double-double 14 points and 11 boards. Yes he's still foul prone averaging 4 fouls per game, but that's because he's still adjusting.

In my opinion, his ability to defend the paint will improve a lot as the season goes on. And for a rookie an average of 8.3 points, 8.3 boards and 1.3 assists on 70% FG shooting ain't that bad right?

The Spurs are not impressive on their first three games... But I'm not discourage at all. This team is not yet in tip top shape.

Jefferson has to earn his paycheck, Mason has to find his shooting touch and at least in my opinion the rotation is not yet set (the starting lineup in particular).

With a lot of time and room for improvement, I'm optimistic enough that we could see a better team by mid February or March. For now, seeing the new guys fit into the system and watching our young guns grow and develop are enough reasons to get excited...

Blair Sings!

2009-11-02T22:22:42Z

Hey Spurs Fam,

Long time listener, first time caller. Just wanted to share this piece on DeJuan that I wrote for the San Antonio Current, S.A.'s alt-weekly newspaper. Not sure if I'm posting this the right way so pardon my rookieness. Below are the links to the article and to the music. Enjoy.

Peace.

http://www.sacurrent.com/columns/story.asp?id=70635

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idWavslp5b8&feature=related

The Road to the Championship Starts Febuary 3

2009-11-02T06:46:54Z

Defense first priority offense 2 priority:

As we start the season, the Spurs are 2-1. Obviously our offensive game has increased with players like McDyess, Jefferson, and an improved Hill, not to mention a healthy Manu. I could go on about how our offense has improved, but what I'm considerd about is the defense. Right now I think we are making great progress with defense, when you consider the amount of new players we have and that everybody is trying to develop chemistry. They are not great on defense, but they are not horrible either. No team has scored more than 96 on us, so we are in good shape right now. The Spurs next games are going to be back to back against Utah then Portland. We will need great defense to beat those teams. Then we will need to be just as good come February 3.

Why February the 3rd?

Normally the 2nd half and the start of the rodeo road trip is when the spurs make their push. Over the past 5 seasons, the spurs have gone 116-53 in the 2nd half of the season. Something else that might get your attention is that we probably have the hardest 2nd half schedule of any team in the NBA. We will have only 12 home games and 24 road games. These road games can be a blessing in disguise. Any one can win at home, but the road is where real men win. Look at every NBA champion, and they all have something in common: they could win on the road when it mattered most. Then look at every NBA dynasty, and they had a good defensive minded team. Put defense and road wins together in your game, and then you have a very good team.

Who will we be playing?

Those of you who are thinking it is going to be just an easy cake walk in the 2nd half have another thing coming. The teams we are going up against will not go away so easily. We will be going up against 20 possible playoff teams, some which I pick to make the playoffs. Then we will be playing 16 teams that will most likely not make the playoffs. Then you got the 8 title contenders in the 20 playoff teams which consist of the Lakers,Cavs,Magic and Celtics. This can be very good or very bad for the spurs. All in all, this will be a real test for the silver and black.

How will it all play out:

The Spurs can't expect to keep scoring 100 every game at home this season. It will be very important to develop team chemistry and Defense before the playoffs. Those games are the perfect opportunity to develop all of that. By the time the all star break is over, the Spurs will probably have their rotation set. I am expecting the Spurs to frustrate us, and have a lot of miscommunication on plays till about 25 too 35 games into the season. Right now we are allowing opponents 94 ppg and 45.34FGP. The spurs have shown stints like in the 2 and 4 quarter against Chicago or were they kept the Horents scoreless for quit a while. I really do believe this team, when it comes together, will be a real force to be reckoned with. All of that waiting could pay off come June if the men in black are back in the finals once again.

Ginobili vs. Dracula, Part 1

2009-11-01T16:05:43Z

GINOBILI v. DRACULA

PART 1

It all began on Halloween night. The Spurs hosted the Kings at the SBC Center when an errant bat flew from the rafters, interrupting the game. The Kings coach ineffectually swatted at it with his clipboard. Rugged Spurs rookie DuJuan Blair shrieked as it approached the Spurs' bench. The vetern players and crowd of 10,000 watched as the hapless bat flew past Manu Ginobili. As if he were rising up to block Dirk Nowitzki, Manu reached up and snatched the bat out of the air, rendering it unconscious with his swift attack. The entire arena chanted his name as the dazed bat was taken back to the locker room. At Coach Popovitch's nod, Spurs trainer Will Sevening rushed to administer sanitizer to Ginobili's hands. The Spurs went on to crush the Kings 113-94 behind Tony Parker's 24 points and 7 assists, but all anyone could talk about was Ginobili and the bat.

After the game Ginobili nonchalantly said the bat is nothing more than a "mouse with wings". Coach Pop confirmed, "The legend of Ginobili grows". But there are older legends.

Four thousand miles away, a clawed hand flung a remote across a dark chamber in rage.

"A mouse with wings! The legend of Ginobili! -- ha. He is nothing to me but a nuisance and this insult will not go unanswered."

A black cape shrouded the large plasma screen tv. The blare of the Sports Center prattled on. As the flat screen's master left his santum, his firm steps echoed unheard from the walls of the forgotten crypt. Unconcerned with the electric bill, a princely mind focused on one thought only: revenge.

Forgotten in the dark of the abandoned the locker room, the tiny bat resumed consciousness. There were no emptied champagne bottles or any signs of the celebration despite Spurs resounding victory. This was but the third game of the season and the Spurs would only celebrate once the Larry O'Brian trophy was theirs once more. If the WOAI Spurs Round-out Junior intern had only dwadled an instant more after unsuccessfully attempting to interview bench player Malik Hairston, he would have spied a strange glowing mist envelop the massage table. From this mist he would have seen the beguiling leg of an alabaster beauty emerge. In a black cashmere dress, clad in knee length leather boots, and her long dark tresses flowing behind her, the strange beauty floated into the hall. Only the trained eye of an experienced beat reporter would have noticed her limp left arm, dangling like a broken wing. The mechanical eye of the seurity cameras saw nothing.

Only one human heart still thumped in the empty arena. Beno Udrih sat on the visitors bench, face in his hands. "George Hill! Tony Parker! -- hummph! Their glory should have been mine. I should be point guard for the Spurs, not these pretenders." Beno's pride was defiant to the most obvious truth: one whose defenses were week could not long play for the noble Spurs. Inattentive, he could only remember the heat of Pop's umbrage; he never heard the wisdom of his words. So Beno sat, a bench-warmer traded to the worst team in the league. Then he noticed he was not alone after all. A groupie! Or perhaps one of the Silver Dancers? "She cannot resist my Euro charms," he thought, as the bewitching beauty approached.

Only if Beno listened, not just to Pop, but to the wisdom of his Slovenian grandmother who repeatedly warned her vain child about the intentions of certain ladies of the night. If only he listened to his friend Rasho, a dull but steady man, who was careful to always be in by midnight and never partook in the decadent pleasures all too available to even the most mediocre NBA players.

Not a living soul remained in the cavernous arena to hear Beno's fading scream.

NBA Live Week 2 Poll: Binary Decision

2009-10-31T14:56:33Z

I'm posting for Mike on this. He works long weekends and I'd like to have the results for him when he finally gets to see the Sun. We only have two games next week. Thursday at Jazz and Friday at Blazers.

Poll

Who's your choice?

Bulls @ Celtics & Other Action: Friday Night Loser Thread

2009-10-31T01:26:36Z

Da' Bulls look like a joke out there against the mean, green machine. Celtics are in the paint, slashing and putting up jump shots. If they look this good all season then the East is between them and Orlando. The fact that Chicago ate the Spurs lunch last night is just a wait and see until we play them (or another young talented team - Blazers?) and see what changes. Mavs vs Lakers later - Dallas doesn't have a chance. Surprise me, please.

New version of manuginobili.com

2009-10-31T00:05:39Z

New season, new face for Manuginobili.com. That was Manu's idea and here the results:

Changes in the design, new images, windows to FB and Twitter and special seccion for fans wallpapers (so far just my walls, but the idea is to show wallpapers made by many others)

New version of mauginobili.com announced by Manu Ginóbili in Facebook:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Manu Ginobili: Please, check the new version of manuginobili.com and help us improve the page.The multimedia topic in the forums is highly recommended ///

__________________________________________________________________________________________

For Halloween, Coach Should be Pop Vader.

2009-10-30T16:45:37Z

I recently wrote a piece. It was an equivalent of a 6th grade persuasive essay; the kind teachers made you write for the state exams in hopes of keeping their job. (I'm looking for a teaching job in the ATX, by the way.)

But I got to be honest. If Coach Pop was ever logging onto PTR at home, wearing his snuggie, sipping herbal tea and reading my piece, I'd be quite nervous.

It's not just the perverse pleasure he gets from watching TNT sideline reporters try to hold water, it's the overall vibe of the guy. I respect him. I want no one else as coach. But I'd never fight him. Even if I were spotted an additional appendage, I would never fight him. I couldn't imagine playing for him, because I'm already somewhat intimidated writing goofy blogs about him.

All I'm saying is that I fear his throat choking clench, even without the Force. I truly believe that if he were ever upset with me, my six foot five legs would be kicking a la Dance Dance Revolution 17.

You wonder what Blair and Hill, young guys who may have a long career in the black and silver, think of such a presence as a boss. This isn't Taoism being preached, this is Art of War.

I've always dreamed of interviewing three people at the same time. The selection of the three may qualify me for some type of masochist, but I still think it would be the best three part JJ Tyler Special ABC could ever drop a dime for.

1: Tommy Lee Jones

2: Coach Pop

3: Cormac McCarthy.

I've never seen an non-akward interview with any of these people.

I know number one and three are somewhat friends. I wouldn't be surprised if number two fits in there somewhere. There just seems to be a mutual amount of curmudgeonry, and geographically they're close enough to form a sort of Captain Planet of disdain for those who waste their time.

Happy Halloween everyone. Lookign forward to Saturday night.

Bigtime Loser Thread

2009-10-30T02:59:07Z

Yeah, we lost. And now, we're still losers for hanging out here. Get over it.

Next up: Nuggets-Blazers. Will George Karl have a heart attack? Will Greg Oden's osteoporosis catch up with him? Will SiMA finally get a dryer to go with his washing machine?

Let's find out.

A Few Thoughts from the Game

2009-10-29T20:55:28Z

I apologize if i accidentally say that which has already been stated, but these are things I feel I must speak of.

First off, it's a great sign of what may be to come when the Spurs beat a better team than the Lakers beat on their opening night, and by a far better margin. And we didn't even have a ring ceremony for some extra momentum. (and by ring ceremony I mean Kobe high-fiveing old Lakers for about 30 minutes)

Second off, I can't see the Hornets meeting anybody's expectations. From what I saw, they look like they might not even make playoffs. Without Chris Paul they're nothing. Of course i may be getting ahead of myself, after all it's only game 1. But I think we could see the ~~Suns or~~ Thunder taking their spot in the playoffs.

For those who said Finley's got nothing left, I say ha! 10 points in 21 minutes including 2 of 4 from 3-point range. Finely deserves his starting spot, especially after a very iffy performance by Mason. Plus he's also got the versatility to play the 2 and 3 spots and some savvy defense. Though not flashy whatsoever, Finley is solid and looks like he could be a key player and depth guy this year.

Blair is a beast, we all know that, but Duncan's starting to fall off the map. 9 and 12, no blocks, very un-Duncanlike numbers. He didn't show much on defense either but he was solid enough. Perhaps it's just because the year's only started, maybe it's his knee, I don't know. But whatever it is, it scares me.

Final Thoughts:

Manu is back, though is shooting stroke is still sloppy and inconsistent. Look forward to seeing him back into form throughout the year.

TP is like god now. Like god. We all know that title still belongs to Manu.

RJ was disappointing, but he seems a little uneasy when he's out there shooting, hurried. I'm sure he'll gte a lot better as the year goes on.

I'm so stoked that McDyess has turned out to be the player that I've wanted in San Antonio for years. Very nice shooting stroke, great D, he is who I thought he was. I like him much better than Rasheed.

Thanks for readin ya'll.

Fantasy Basketball

2009-10-29T17:22:30Z

Curious if there some fellow Spurs peeps have any openings in their fantasy basketball leagues?

I will be a rookie in the fantasy basketball world but i have been playing ff for a few years now.

Need to make this post at least 75 words long or it won't be published. Anyone out there know how to make a small AC electric motor?

if this is not the right place to post this - sorry!