Everyone might remember that I was slighty cranky and pessimistic during my last preview. It's amazing what a four-game winning streak will do for a person's disposition. Especially when it includes a road win against a very scrappy team!
I almost forgot, but tonight is "David Robinson Tribute Night", so put your favorite memory of The Admiral in the comments.
We are playing the Sixers tonight, a team currently thinking about bringing Iverson back into the fold. The Sixers need backcourt depth, Iverson is loved in Philly, and he could start, so it may not be a bad match. Although I don't really like AI's style of play, I respect his hard play, and he deserves more than to see his career end in such an ignominious manner.
Now back to the Spurs.
For your listening pleasure, I present the following:
Yes, I'm happy about the Spurs lately and expect them to put an additional shine on their play tonight. I hope that tonight provides some opportunities to continue integrating the newbies into the system. The Spurs need the roster to be at full strength for the next week. Maybe we'll even get some MH sightings tonight!
 Philadelphia 76ers @ San Antonio Spurs Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: November 29, 2009, 6:00 PM Spurs time Watch: FSNSW
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 Tony Parker Veteran |
Point Guard Louis Williams is out 6-8 weeks with a broken jaw - ouch! Even before this event, I would have given the white box to Tony, but now he gets to face a rookie. Even though Holiday is known as a defender from his college days, he ain't seen nothing like the speed of Frenchy. The Sixers' backup is now Royal Ivey. Despite what Lauri might say, not all former Longhorns are the same. George should own this battle. Advantage: Spurs |
 Jrue Holiday Rookie |
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 Keith Bogans Defense |
Shooting Guard I love what Bogans has brought to the team in terms of defense. Another case of the boxscore not showing his value. I'm not ready yet to anoint Bogans as Bruce Jr., but he sure has changed been a worthwhile signing. However, tonight the Bogeyman goes against a bigger, more athletic player in Iguodala. Andre is averaging over 18 ppg, so in this one case, I think offense wins over defense. Advantage: Sixers |
 Andre Iguodala Offense |
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 Richard Jefferson Realized |
Small Forward To repeat what Tim said before the last game, "RJ has been solid for us, if a little reserved in most games." RJ has his best success when he's driving to the hole, but for some reason he is not always aggressive. Young has eerily similar statistics to Jefferson. He is spoken of having great potential, but hasn't found it yet with this struggling Sixers team. I'm calling it a draw. Advantage: Tied |
 Thaddeus Young Unrealized |
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 Tim Duncan All-Time Great |
Power Forward Timmeh is Timmeh, as we've all seen this season. It amazes me that he can still be underappreciated and underestimated. Crazy Main Stream Media. Brand is still struggling to get back to his pre-injury self. Plus, he pulled his hammy last week - I'm not sure if Elton will even be playing. His backup is Jason Smith, who played at Colorado State. That's all you really need to know. It's not even close. Timmeh FTW! Advantage: Spurs |
 Elton Brand Not so much |
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 Antonio McDyess Beast-like |
Center SAM has really stepped up his game lately. He has been playing great, physical defense and hitting the boards. And he has the sweetest mid-range jumper - it makes me want to cry. In my mind, Dalembert is Marcus Camby 0.5. Same type of player, without the stats. The Sixers also have very little depth in the frontcourt, as Speights is also out with an MCL. Dice should prevail. Advantage: Spurs |
 Samuel Dalembert Kinda Wimpy |
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 Manu Ginobili He's back (hopefully) |
Bench & Role Players All indications are that Manu will be playing against the Sixers, especially with Mason going down in the last game. Mason's injury comes at a bad time, as he seemed to be hitting his stride again. The Sixers have had a lot of injuries lately, greatly reducing the depth of their bench. Manu alone gives us the advantage, but even if he doesn't play, Hill and company should make the Sixers fear the BAM. Advantage: Spurs |
 Jason Kapono The Sixers' Bonner |
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 Gregg Popovich Way Over .500 |
CoachJordan had a little success with the Wiz, but was still under .500 for his tenure. The Sixers thought that was good enough to hire him this summer. Pop has had a LOT of success with the Spurs, and I guess the FO thinks that's good enough to keep him around. ;-) Seriously, except for maybe Sloan and/or PJax, is the white box ever NOT going to be around Pop? Advantage: Spurs |
 Eddie Jordan Below .500 |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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The Sixer' roster is decimated by injuries, more so than the Spurs. The return of Manu could give the team an additional lift. Advantage: Spurs |
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Mojo |
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The Spurs are on a nice little run, and the Sixers aren't. Advantage: Spurs |
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Winner: Spurs |
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| The Spurs need another victory before hitting a tough stretch of the schedule. Expect them to come out ready to play.
Prediction: Spurs win.
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleWe'll be playing on one day of rest, coming off of our first road win of the season. This game marks the beginning of a tough week for the Spurs. After tonight, the Spurs are at home versus Boston,and Denver, and then on the road again at Utah. Fortunately, there will be no SEGABABAs in this stretch. The Sixers are coming off a home loss to the Hawks, but also with a day of rest. This is the first game of a road SEGABABA for the Sixers, with a Monday night game at the Mavericks. Last Time They MetOur last meeting with the Sixers was Jan. 16 of last season. We lost 109-87 even with the Big 3 playing. We rebounded and shot poorly. They did not. Let's hope that old beats (relatively) young this time around. |
Some Other ReadingSixersLiberty Ballers - The Sixers' SBN blog. Wayne and jsams hung out at Summer League - gotta respect that level of commitment. Philadunkia - The TrueHoop blog for the Sixers. One of the coolest logos/mastheads I've seen on a sports blog. Has a similar vibe to PtR. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: Best damn TrueHoop affiliate out there. Always a must visit Spurs site. Twitter Musings
manuginobili Probably the best win of the season so far. Great job against a tough team on the road.
Look at that wonderful grammar from the Argentine! You can also find all the official Spurs Sports & Entertainment Twitter accounts here: http://twitter.com/spurs/official/members |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired by FSNSW. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on. OnlineAs always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games 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. NBA 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). |