Not bad, guys, not bad. Yes, it was the Wizards, and yes, it was at home, but that W counts just as much toward the standings as the W we earn on the road against a championship contender (don't worry, we'll get one someday). Now we just need to amass a few more, starting with a win against the Milwaukee Brandons.
Yeah, remember how excited you all were when you traded for me? How 'bout now? I'm getting there, right?
Rage contributed 15 and finally looked comfortable. Theo was strong. Tony was brilliant, and so was Timmy, and what else is new? Those performances all contributed to the win, but I know what gave us that extra edge last night. . . .
How Roger got his groove back.
He's an English bulldog, 8 weeks old, and he was the eighth in his litter, so Mase named him Ocho. And then hit 3 of his 5 attempted three-pointers in addition to contributing 6 assists and 3 rebounds.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww weeee!
All right, reverie over--moving on. The Bucks give us fits. We need to beat them. We need to rout them. I'm feeling all business about this game, so let's jump right into the preview.
 Milwaukee Bucks @ San Antonio Spurs Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: November 23, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time Watch: Fox Sports Southwest
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 Tony Parker Resurgent |
Point Guard Tony is back, and, as Tim noted in the QuickCap, he's even playing defense. Let's hope he keeps the trend going, as Brandon Jennings has generated more buzz the last week or so than any other player in the NBA. Someone at Yahoo sure needs to hook the guy up with a new photo, though. Advantage: Tie |
 Brandon Jennings ROY |
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 Keith Bogans Boogie fever |
Shooting Guard Bogans has a bit of a size advantage over Bell and has shown slow but fairly steady improvement from game to game. No doubt he would like to show his old teammates in Milwaukee a thing or two. Still, Bell scores more points per game and has a stronger defensive presence. Give Bell the slightest of edges in this match-up. Advantage: Bucks |
 Charlie Bell Seems a nice enough fellow |
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 Richard Jefferson Where did you get those big, big ups and those tiny, tiny ears? |
Small Forward Rage gets to play against his old team. Delfino did score 21 points on November 18th, but those 21 points were against the Nets. Give the white box to RJ. Advantage: Spurs |
 Carlos Delfino To comply with new NBA regulations, every game must include at least one Argentine player. |
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 Antonio McDyess He's Dice |
Center With Bogut out for the Bucks, we need to take advantage of this mismatch. McDyess should be able to overpower this guy. Should be. Advantage: Spurs |
 Dan Gadzuric He's Dutch |
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 Tim Duncan Always and forever |
Power Forward Even though Ilyasova has been quite good, racking up a double double in his last game (against Memphis), Yahoo hasn't seen fit to give him a picture on his player page. But ain't no one better at this job than Timmy, so it doesn't matter anyway. Advantage: Spurs |
 Ersan Ilyasova Turkish Delight |
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 Michael Finley Old Man River |
Bench & Role Players Among the many excellent posts in just the last 24 hours on PtR, there have been several exploring the reasons for having Finley and Bonner continuing to play so many minutes. Advantage: Bucks |
 Luke Ridnour Mild-mannered point guard |
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 Gregg Popovich The Duke of the NBA |
CoachScott Skiles is almost certainly leading a playoffs-bound team this season. But until the Bucks get there, Pop is still the winner in this category. Both coaches have had their hands full in the early going, with injuries necessitating adjustments and flexibility. Advantage: Spurs |
 Scott Skiles Has experience beating the Spurs |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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| Jefferson will certainly be fired up to play well against his old team. It sure would be nice to have Manu back. Then again, the Bucks are missing Bogut. Advantage: Neither |
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Mojo |
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Click here for mojo. Advantage: Spurs |
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Winner: Spurs |
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| I think that Pop and the guys who have been around a while are tired of losing to this team. And I think everyone will be eager to prove that we're capable of beating this sort of team, a team that, like OKC, is young, talented, and confident. Prediction: Spurs win. |
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleWe've had a day of rest and we're at home, which is much better than having one of those endless 4-day breaks between games. The Bucks have only lost three times, so let's just hope they're due.
Last Time They MetThis is our first time to see the Bucks this season. Last year they swept us, out-rebounding us in those two games 90 to 66. According to the media notes, Milwaukee is one of only two NBA teams we don't lead in our all-time series. Like I said--the Bucks give us fits. |
Some Other ReadingBucksBrew Hoop - The Bucks' SBN blog. Yeah, you better believe they're having a good time this season. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: Odd that they haven't updated since the 19th. Holiday season takes its toll? The (sort of) Daily TwitterGood afternoon Twitter World. I think today is jus gonna b a movie day! Thinking bout seein precious and blindside! Think that's a plan!!!! Feeling much better already // Ya me siento MUCHO mejor. Los primeros 2 días dolía bastante. #rogersfashiontip of the day. Always make sure your sneakers are clean, nothing gives a better first impression then clean sneakers. hey facebook world!!big win for us it felt good to be back!!salut facebook world grosse victoire pour nous ca... http://bit.ly/4EPVvg "Blind Side" a really good and inspirational movie!!! I love it I think everybody should attempt to c it I went to the movies by my selfLOL You can also find all the official Spurs Sports & Entertainment Twitter accounts here: http://twitter.com/spurs/official/members |
Other things of possible interestYeah, so this Twilight/New Moon/sparkle vampire business. I love Cleolinda Jones (not her real name). She read the books and saw the movies so I don't have to. Her thoughtful (and often hilarious) recaps R00L. You can find links to them all here, as well as links to her favorite links, among them Growing Up Cullen, in which two friends use IM to reimagine Edward as "a pissed off 40 year old housewife." |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired by the Fox Sports Network. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel (Fox Sports Southwest or Fox Sports Wisconsin). And of course, there's always League Pass. OnlineAs 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. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance. Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
Finally, and apropos of nothing, thanks to djturtleface of Straight Outta Vancouver for pointing me toward this gem: