The Spurs' schedule is about to get tough

Anyone who's been reading this space for a while knows that there's one time of the NBA season that's like Christmas for me, no matter what time of year it actually is: when the Spurs play the Portland Trail Blazers. See, that's when I have an excuse to reach out to one of my favorite humans on the planet, Dave Deckard of Blazers Edge. Sure, the Fraternizing with the Enemy discussions are the most fun I have blogging, but every time Dave and I get together to do one, they never fail to transcend the format.

And now's the perfect time to start talking with him because it's the last relatively quiet stretch that the Spurs will have for a while. Once San Antonio makes it into next week, the schedule takes a turn -- and it doesn't let up until the first week of January. See what I mean?

I know that the Nuggets are only 9-11 at the moment, but it's a road game in Denver which means you get to breathe mile high air. That makes it thin. Which means fatigue and stuff if you're not acclimated. Oh, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I've already started talking to Dave as a lead-up to next week's two-games-in-five-nights between the Spurs and Blazers, and this time I've decided to give you guys a front row seat through the proceedings. Through the magic of ReplyAll, this page will automatically update every time Dave or I post a new reply. And there's a new function at the bottom of the conversation that allows you to sign up to be notified every time the conversation continues.

Enough prelude, let's get to it.