Let me begin by apologizing for this late post.  I've been traveling, moving, and simply busy.  Plus, the Spurs are not treating my Stat of the Games very well.  How about a win when it's my turn, guys?  After the jump, the aforementioned stats.

Continue reading this post »

More photos » by D. Clarke Evans - NBAE/Getty Images

At least Timmeh had the right idea. (Photo by D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)

Browse more photos »

Well, none of us want to talk about it, but it can't be ignored.  The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to have our Spurs' number.  This is an attempt to figure why they beat us this time.

As much as the Thunder seem to always give the Spurs nightmares, some troubling trends appear when confronted with actually watching this game as it happened.  Some of the same problems that have caused us to lose other game were apparent in this game, but more frightening is that an adjustment made by the Spurs seemed to exacerbate one of those problems.  Some of the issues are with the mental side of the game, but what's worse is that collectively, the Spurs didn't seem to have the heart required to win a game against a young, hungry team like OKC.  Follow me beyond the jump for incoherent rambling disguised as analysis.

Continue reading this post »

I'm so hostile right now.  Well, I was hostile at the end of the game, a 101-98 loss.  I hate losing games like this one.   We got out-executed, or as Pop said, "Oklahoma City had more guys play better."  Honestly though, I don't think you really have to dig too deep into the stats to understand how we lost this one.  We more or less played them to a draw, and they had a couple things go their way.  They had 2 more offensive rebounds than we did, but they outscored us 20-4 on second-chance points.  They also got to the line quite a bit more than us.  Especially in the second half, when we only got to the line 4 times.

Of course, I will dig deeper.  It felt to me like we got beat like a red-headed step child.  Or, how about killed by a Red-Headed Stranger?

Photos by JanieAnnie

Continue reading this post »

We cleared an important hurdle by beating the Mavs in convincing fashion and got just a wee taste of delicious revenge as a bonus. The Oklahoma City Thunder pose a test of a different sort. Now is no time to let up. If we win this one, we have our first 3-game winning streak of the young season. I'm ready for it--you're ready for it--are the Spurs ready for it?

Hell yeah!

That's the spirit, Cubits.  Timmy, hug the basketball, and let's make the jump. Oh, that's right . . . you can't. How insensitive of me. Well, just hug the basketball, then, and let some of these new guys carry that weight for a while.

Still the man.

Continue reading this post »

Whew!  Now that was more like it.  A fourth quarter offensive collapse -- 13 points, missed free throws -- 10-19, and tough defense -- Mavs shot 35%.  It's almost like I was watching a Spurs team.  I love me some ugly 92-83 wins.

After the terrible defensive performance against the Raptors, and against a Mavs team that had put up 250 points in its last two games, I would have had three points of emphasis coming into tonight's game if I was Gregg Popovich.  After the game, I would have put an A++ next to each one.

These guys all played well.

As always, photos by JanieAnnie

Continue reading this post »

Continue reading this post »

[Updated, with matchups]

Are you not entertained??? Well I am, after I watched the replay twice.  But as many have mentioned, although a win is a win, you can't help but feel a little bit empty after a game like that, where we allowed a Euro team to drop 124 points on our home floor.  A Spurs defense without its fangs is kinda similar to Stephon Marbury without the tattoo on his head. It just doesn't sound or look right. Okay, maybe the Starbury analogy is pretty bad, but you get the point.

After the Portland game where we failed miserably, we face our 2nd true test of this young season, facing off against bitter Texas rival the Dallas Mavericks.  We need our old championship defense back. I saw it awhile ago and took a photo of it:

Time to awaken the sleeping giant.

Continue reading this post »

This isn't a real recap, per se, but merely an excuse to show you more of jannieannie's wonderful pictures for this game.

However, I just remembered that my first real post was a running diary of a Spurs/Raptors game, so I decided to waddle in nostalgia and try my hand at one of those again. Fortunately ILP has an archive for the latest games, so I can easily relive last night's fun. (If you missed the game, drop me an e-mail.)

Fasten your virtual seatbelts, and join me after the jump.

Continue reading this post »