Earlier in the season, the Spurs rode an eleven game winning streak to first place in their division.  Over the past few days, a four game losing streak has taken San Antonio out of first, and dragged them down to third place in what has been the most competitive division in the NBA.  The streak was finally broken against the woeful Chicago Bulls, but with the playoffs just around the corner, the Spurs need to be ratcheting up their game, not letting it get loose. 

Three of the four losses did come against teams who all have a legitimate shot at winning the title this year, but those were also games which could have sent a strong message to the rest of the league that San Antonio is ready to defend their title, and that teams should be on notice.  Instead, the Spurs did send a message, but not the one that they probably wanted. 

The game that started the slide was against division rival, New Orleans, who is currently in first place in the division.  In this game, the Spurs simply had no answer for Chris Paul, who exploded for 26 points and 17 assists, to lead the Hornets to the comfortable 100-75 victory.  David West also blew up San Antonio for 29 points and 10 rebounds.  Tony Parker and Tim Duncan each had 24 points, but no one else helped out. 

Next up was a visit to Detroit and an always tough game with the Pistons.  Again, Parker and Duncan were the team leaders, scoring 26 and 20, respectively, but no one else was there to pick up the slack.  Ginobili had a bad game, only managing 9 points.  One bright spot for the Spurs was that they did manage to hold the Pistons to 11% shooting from beyond the arc.  For Detroit, Antonio McDyess grabbed 17 rebounds to easily lead both teams in that category.  The Pistons outrebounded San Antonio 51-39, and won the game 84-80. 

Against the surprising 76ers, the Spurs ran into a team playing for a spot in the playoffs, and sporting a .500 record.  Although Manu Ginobili regained his form, and scored 22 in the game, it wasn’t enough to counter Andre Miller’s season high 32 points and 7 assists.  Duncan had an off night, only scoring 16 points and getting 6 rebounds.  Tony Parker led the team with 27 points and 5 assists.

With three road losses, the Spurs finally were back home, but unfortunately they were playing host to the Boston Celtics.  Early in the game, it looked like San Antonio was going to run Boston out of the building, building a 22 point lead at one point.  Unfortunately for Spurs fans, the final score read Celtics 93, Spurs 91.  Manu Ginobili did all he could, scoring 32 points, but Duncan again had an off-night, as he only scored 10 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.  Tony Parker added 17, but no one else scored in double digits. 

The Spurs had to go on the road to Chicago to do it, but they finally got back on track against the Bulls with a powerful 102-80 victory.  Tim Duncan broke out of his funk, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, and Tony Parker came through with 23 points.  At one point, San Antonio led by as many as 28, and had a 22-4 run.  Chicago’s fans were booing throughout the game, which must have sounded like music to the ears of the Spurs. 

With the conference race so close, losing a few games can have an enormous effect.  Coach Popovich said before the Chicago game that San Antonio was 2 games out of first and 2 games out of 8th.  The race is certainly a close one, and another streak like the last one could really damage San Antonio’s seeding in the playoffs. 

San Antonio remains in first place in their division, and have won 8 of their last 10 games. Unfortunately, those two losses were back to back defeats coming in their last two games to potential playoff teams, Phoenix and Denver. The Spurs are just half a game behind the Lakers for having the best record in the West, but the race is as tight as it has ever been with 8 teams being within 5 games of the lead. Compare that to the East, where only the Celtics and Pistons are within 4 games of each other, and Orlando is in third place, but remain 10 games back.

The Spurs also have division foe, Houston, breathing down their necks. The Rockets have won an incredible 18 straight games, even after losing Yao Ming for the season. Houston and New Orleans are both just one game back of San Antonio.

The Spurs started out the month of March with back to back games against the New Jersey Nets—one game in Jersey, and then two nights later, a rematch in San Antonio. The Spurs entered the month on an eight-game winning streak, and after sweeping both games against the Nets, took the streak to double digits. In the first game, Tony Parker was brilliant, scoring 25 points, while dishing out seven assists and grabbing 8 rebounds. In the second game, it was Duncan who came up big, scoring 29 points and corralling 12 rebounds. The game was far from pretty, but the Spurs are well-known for winning those types of games. In fact, aside from Duncan, San Antonio was close to awful on the offensive end, shooting 33% from the field. Their defense was the difference in allowing them to get the 81-70 win, as they held the Nets to 4-17 shooting from behind the arc, and out-rebounded New Jersey, 52-42.

The Spurs would run their winning streak to 11 games against the Indiana Pacers two nights later. Ginobili scored 28 in the 108-97 win, and Tony Parker added 19. San Antonio’s perimeter defense was again strong, holding Indiana to just 3-19 from behind the arc. Although the game was close at the half, San Antonio came out with a 14-4 run to start the second half, and went up by as much as 23, before clearing the bench to close it out. It was a rough game, and Coach Popovich was ejected in the second period for arguing a call.

The next night took the Spurs to Denver, who although not playing phenomenal basketball lately, are always a tough out. Apparently, coming one night after the tough bout with the Nets, a game in the Mile High City was too much for San Antonio, who lost 109-96. Although Tim Duncan came through with 23 points and 9 rebounds, the Spurs didn’t have an answer for The Answer, Allen Iverson. Iverson scored 29 points and Carmelo Anthony had 25. For the Spurs, it was a rough night on both ends of the court, as they saw their 11 game winning streak come to an end. Although Ginobili had 24 points, Tony Parker had his worst game in weeks, only managing 4 points, and turning the ball over 5 times. Bruce Bowen was the only other Spur to score in double digits.

Two nights later, the Spurs traveled to Phoenix to take on the new look Suns, who were eager to test themselves, and their new, old center, Shaquille O’Neal against San Antonio. Fans of both teams know that when these two teams get together, things are likely to get rough, and in the past, the Spurs have managed to be a little rougher than the Suns. The game was close until the final minutes, but the defense of O’Neal and Stoudamire, combined with some sloppy play by Tim Duncan, allowed the Suns to get the 97-84 win, and give the Spurs a two game losing streak. Ginobili scored 22, but also missed some big shots in the last minutes to help give Phoenix the win. After having a terrible game against Denver, Tony Parker came back strong, scoring 21 and dishing out 5 assists. San Antonio also did not shoot well from the floor, only managing 34% shooting, while Phoenix shot 45%. San Antonio also was outrebounded 52-44.

With the season winding down, San Antonio and the Lakers remain in a fight for the best record in the West, although there is hardly any room for mistakes. Losing the last two games to potential playoff foes could be reason for concern, as the Western arms race that took place just before the trading deadline is now starting to take shape. The good news for Spurs fans is that the injury bug that seemed to bite every other week has apparently moved on, and San Antonio now boasts its full complement of healthy players. The race is on!

The Spurs tough season continues, and the injury bug has continued to bite the team.  In fact, it is beginning to look like San Antonio may be the unluckiest team in the league.  Tony Parker is now out for the second time this season, this time with bone spurs.  Parker missed several games in December with a sprained ankle, and this time is expected to be out until after the All-Star game.  It’s not like the guard position is one in which the Spurs are particularly deep.  They did recently sign Damon Stoudamire, but in his 12th year in the league, he is certainly on the tail end of his career, and has not put up particularly stunning numbers in quite some time.  Manu Ginobili is an All-Star at the G/F position, but the Argentine has had his own health issues this year as well.  Top that off with Brent Barry being out with a torn calf muscle, and the Spurs look more like a M.A.S.H. unit than an NBA Finals contender. 

Even so, the team has managed to persevere through the injuries, and remains in the thick of the hunt for first place in the Southwest Division.  Currently, Dallas and New Orleans are tied for first, while San Antonio remains just a game and a half out of the lead.  Much like the stock market recently, the Spurs have been a volatile team. Over the past five games the team has lost to some terrible teams, and beaten some of the best.  Whether or not anyone wished to go long with this team right now is their decision. 

On Jan 28, the Spurs traveled to Utah to began a brutal road schedule that features nine straight road games.  They certainly didn’t get off of the right foot, losing to the Jazz 97-91.  The game was a physical, brutal game-the kind the Spurs usually win-but despite terrific performances by Ginobili and Duncan, the Jazz and their tough defense prevailed.  San Antonio turned the ball over 20 times and only shot 25% from behind the arc.

Next up on the western road trip was a visit to the lowly Supersonics.  Normally a trip to Seattle is the cure for any team’s losing ways, but the Sonics turned the tables on the Spurs and broke their own 14 game losing streak.  Kevin Durant, the 19 year old rookie from Texas, hit a jumper with 30 seconds left in the game to give the Sonics the win.  Ginobili missed a three pointer with less than 5 seconds left that would have sent the game into overtime.  Just before the game, Coach Popovitch benched Tony Parker indefinitely. 

Ordinarily, a team on a two game losing streak does not want to go to Phoenix to try to break it.  The Spurs, however, seem to have a sense of poetic justice.  Having had their hearts broken by a game winning shot late in the game against Seattle, San Antonio had a bit of their own magic brewing against the first place Suns.  With 30 seconds left the Spurs’ Duncan banked in a basket, and Ginobili made four free throws in the final seconds to give San Antonio a much needed win, and break the streak.  They won the game in typical Spurs style, by clamping down on defense, holding the high-powered Suns to their lowest point total of the year, 81 points. 

After the grind-it-out game against the Suns, San Antonio went on an offensive bender against the Pacers.  This game was a tale of two halves.  In the first period, Indiana shot a scorching 78% from the field and in the second 68%, but the game remained tied at the half.  After the break, the Spurs ratcheted up the pressure, and held Indiana to just 18% shooting and 9 points in the third period, on the way to the 116-89 blowout.

Against Washington the next night, the Spurs got a lift from an unlikely source.  Robert Horry, who has hit enough game winning shots in his career to have earned a spot in Spurs’ fans hearts forever, didn’t hit the game winning shot in this one.  He just scored 9 points in less than 4 minutes to ignite the run that sealed the game.  The crafty veteran only has 41 points on the year, but showed that he still can offer something to the team.  The Spurs’ inside presence was the difference, as Duncan scored 23 points and pulled down 9 rebounds, and Oberto scored 10 points and corralled 11 rebounds. 

With all their injuries, the Spurs remain a mystery.  Other teams in the west are making bold moves.  The Lakers have traded for Pau Gasol, and the Suns have acquired Shaq.  San Antonio has plugged Stoudamire into its rotation, which brings some needed experience and depth to the point guard position, but the streak of injuries must cease for the team to have any chance of defending their title as NBA champions.

The Spurs choppy season continues, and as the team struggles to overcome the injury bug and regain its championship form of last season, San Antonio finds itself sinking in the standings.  A team who possessed one of the best records in the league during the early part of the season, now finds itself in third place in one of the most competitive divisions in the NBA.  The good news is that San Antonio finally has everyone healthy and can now focus on regaining the chemistry that has been lost. 

San Antonio is 3-2 over their last 5, with the three wins coming over Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, the NBA's version of the Sisters of the Poor.  The two losses were against stiff competition—Cleveland and Houston--and were close games, even though the Spurs came up just short.

Minnesota is the worst team in the league, having only notched 6 wins so far this season.  The Spurs were able to have their way in the 105-88 win.  San Antonio actually trailed by a point at halftime, but started the second half with an 11-2 run and the game was all but over.  Manu Ginobili led the team with 22 points, and Tony Parker added 21 more.  Duncan had a quiet game, only scoring 15 points and 9 rebounds, but added 3 blocks to make his presence felt on the defensive end.

Up next, Philadelphia traveled to San Antonio for what would seem to have been another fairly easy win, but the 76ers had other plans.  In the end, the Spurs managed to pull off the 89-82 victory, but Philly held the lead several times in the last quarter.  For the first three quarters of the game, Ginobili was simply awful, going 0-6 from the field.  In the final period, he was simply unstoppable, hitting four three pointers, and scoring 14 points in the fourth.  Duncan had 18 points and 16 rebounds in the effort. 

Against the Cavs, the Spurs were looking to keep dominating the team that they swept in the finals last year, but LeBron James had other ideas.  James was good for 27 points in the contest, and his squad played tough defense all night.  One Spur that the Cavs couldn’t stop, was Manu Ginobili, who scored 31.  Tony Parker scored 23, but uncharacteristically missed two free throws with less than an minute left, which would have tied the game.  For all of Ginobili’s heroics, though, he too couldn’t come through in clutch time, as he missed a three to win the game as time expired. 

Two nights later brought a chance for redemption against the resurgent Houston Rockets.  Again the Spurs were involved in a game that came down to the final seconds, and again they came up short, losing 83-81.  San Antonio didn’t have an answer for Yao Ming, who scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds.  San Antonio had owned the series recently, having won 8 of the last 13.  Tim Duncan had an All-Star caliber game, pouring in 24 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, and San Antonio actually outrebounded the Rockets 37-32, but were terrible from the free throw line, shooting 57%. 

In the NBA, nothing cures a two game losing streak like a trip to Charlotte to visit the struggling Bobcats, and the latest trip resulted in a 95-86 Spurs victory.  The Spurs offense has been off lately, but the team seemed to find its footing against Charlotte.  The team shot nearly 50% from the field, and although no one broke the 20 point barrier, Parker, Finley, Duncan, Ginobili, and Udoka all scored in double figures.  In fact, Francisco Elson was the only Spur not to score in the game. 

Although San Antonio has slipped to third place in the division behind Houston and New Orleans, they still are only 1.5 games out of first, and still have the sixth best record in the West.  If the Charlotte game is any indication of what is to come, the Spurs may regain their spot atop the division soon.  Of course, all San Antonio fans know that the team is built for the post-season, and a few injuries and losses won’t matter to this team once the playoffs start.

The Spurs are back and are on fire!  For what seems like the first time this season, the team finally has all of its parts back and it shows.  Tony Parker finally returned to the court after a long absence, and although he has not quite regained his pre-injury form yet, he has been playing and as a result, the Spurs have won 6 in a row, and 9 of the last 10.  In addition, San Antonio has regained first place in the Southwest division, although the race, which features four teams within 2.5 games of the lead, remains the tightest in the league.  Rivals, New Orleans and Dallas remain just one game back, while Houston is 2.5.

After their Rodeo Road Trip followed by the All-Star break, the Spurs were happy to get back to the friendly confines of their home court.  The game against the Charlotte Bobcats was the first they played at home in three weeks, but the end result was the same as when most teams visit San Antonio…a Spurs win.  The game certainly wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the home team did get the 85-65 win.  Manu Ginobili lead the team with 18 points, and Duncan had 15 rebounds.  San Antonio completely dominated the glass, 54-38, and the tough Spurs’ defense held the visitors to only 28% shooting from the field.  Tim Duncan had an off night scoring, only managing two baskets, but made up for it on the other end of the court with 5 blocks.

Minnesota is one of the worst teams in the league, so a close game might not have been expected.  Expectations and reality, however, are often vastly different.  It took a heroic effort by Ginobili to escape Minnesota with a win.  In addition to his 44 points, the Argentine hit the game winner with just over 6 seconds left on the clock to get the victory.  Any other night, Tim Duncan’s 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists would have been the story, but Ginnobili stole the headlines with his performance.  The game also marked the return of Tony Parker, who played sparingly, and scored 8 points. 

Just before the trade deadline ended, the Spurs made a move to try to keep up with the arms race that is going on in the West.  San Antonio added Kurt Thomas to the line up.

The next game up for the Spurs brought division rival, New Orleans to town, and a game between two teams tied for first in the division.  The Spurs had rough patches in the game, at one point going 8:30 without hitting a basket, but managed to get hot at the right time to pull out the 98-89 win.  Ginobili continued his hot shooting, scoring 30, while Duncan added 25 points and 11 rebounds.  The Spurs shot 100% from the free throw line in the game.

The game against the Hawks was the first game featuring Kurt Thomas in a Spurs’ uniform, and although the veteran only played 13 minutes, he showed why he was brought in by scoring four points and grabbing 9 rebounds.  Tim Duncan led the Spurs to the 89-74 victory by scoring 23 points and 10 rebounds.  Tony Parker continued to regain his form, playing 28 minutes and scoring 15 points and dishing out 9 assists. 

The Spurs have finally gotten everyone healthy and have put a run together since the All-Star break to regain the division lead.  Fans have to feel relieved to have Tony Parker back in the line up, and excited to see what Kurt Thomas can bring to the table.  If the Spurs are to defend their championship this year, it will perhaps be the toughest road they have faced.  Western rivals have upgraded, with Dallas bringing in Jason Kidd, the Lakers getting Pau Gasol, and the Suns trading for Shaquille O’Neil.  Hopefully, the Spurs’ injury problems are all in the past, and the team can continue to keep up the winning ways it has established since the break. 

 

The NBA’s preseason is underway, and that means that the 2008 season is just weeks away!  The biggest question for the Spurs during the offseason has been, and continues to be the ankle of Manu Ginobili.  Manu’s ankle has been an issue for much of the last year, culminating in the Olympics injury which required surgery last month.  Ginobili is expected to miss the entire preseason, and perhaps as much as two months of the regular season. 

The good news for the Spurs and their fans is that Ginobili was recently seen at the team’s training facility with no limp, no crutches, and with no protective boot.  Although it’s still too early to tell exactly when he’ll be back, Ginobili is hoping to be ready for the first game of the regular season. 

As far as the offseason is concerned, the team should look fairly similar to the one of the last few years, except for some minor changes in the supporting cast.  One of the key players that will be missing from this year’s version is Brent Barry.  A new addition to the team is George Hill at point guard.  Hill is the team’s draft pick from this year’s draft, and the team hopes that he can become a reliable option at point guard.  If Hill’s first summer league game is any indication of what is to come, the Spurs will have a back up for Tony Parker.  In that first game, Hill scored 17 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, and outplayed OJ Mayo. 

Another addition to the team is Roger Mason, Jr.  Mason’s four-year career has been spent bouncing from team to team, before having a breakout season for the Wizards last year, filling in for the injured Gilbert Arenas and starting 9 games.  Mason averaged 9 ppg, shot 44% from the field, 40% from behind the arc, and 87% from the free throw line.

The Spurs got off to a rocky start in the preseason, dropping their first two games to division rivals Houston and New Orleans.  Recently, San Antonio has managed to even up their record by going on the road to beat Detroit and Cleveland. 

One issue working against the Spurs is their age.  San Antonio has managed to keep their core together, but age is certainly something that will be a factor at some point in the future.  Tim Duncan is 32, Bruce Bowen is 37, Ginobili is 31, and Finley and Kurt Thomas are 35.  Parker is still a spry 27, but the Spurs certainly need some of their young talent to step up and begin to take on active roles. 

While age is an issue, the one thing that San Antonio can always count on to keep them in every game is their defense.  Bowen, Duncan, and Kurt Thomas are tough, hard-nosed defenders that should be able to help the Spurs stay in the hunt until Manu Ginobili returns. 

San Antonio has won at least 56 games for an amazing 8 straight years, and are hoping to keep that streak going.  This year will be a test in that regard.  Starting the season without Ginobili, or with a recovering version, will require other players to step up and fill in.  Last year, injuries caused most of the Spurs’ top players to miss significant time, and the results showed.  The team was never able to play with consistency and as a result, failed to meet their lofty expectations.  Time will tell if this year will be different.

Spurs Drop Season Opener Against Phoenix, Oberto Out

 

 

The Spurs kicked off their season Wednesday night, but someone may have forgotten to tell the team that the games count from here on out. Although, on the other hand, the team didn't have a particularly stellar pre-season either, so they might as well get started with the real games. The idea behind the pre-season is to practice working together and knock off the rust from the summer. The idea is to get better through practice. Unfortunately for the Spurs, the team's pre-season record was 3-4, so hopefully they weren't practicing bad habits. After dropping the first game of the season to Phoenix, 103-98, one has to ask.

The Suns have a new coach this year, as ex-Bucks coach, Terry Porter, was tapped as the head man after Mike D'Antoni left to go to the Knicks. As all Spurs fans know, Phoenix is a heated rival, and many times have the teams met in the playoffs, with the Spurs usually getting the best of the match ups. While Phoenix may have some new wrinkles this year, especially on the defensive side of the ball, San Antonio's tried and true game of tough-as-nails defense and a powerful inside scoring should be much the same as it has been the last few years. Of course, with Manu Ginobili out until mid-December, someone else will have to step up and fill in the missing defense and scoring in the meantime.

In the season opener, the Spurs defense was not up to its usual standards, as the team allowed five Suns' players to score in double digits, allowed the team to shoot almost 50% from the field, and 40% from behind the three point line. As expected, the Spurs Big 2 did most of the damage, with Tony Parker and Tim Duncan each scoring 32. Roger Mason did his best to come off the bench with a Ginobili impersonation, and logged 12 points and 4 rebounds, but it wasn't enough in the end. Kurt Thomas, Udoka, and Jaques Vaughn only managed 2 points each. Bruce Bowen didn't score. As a team, the Spurs shot fairly well from the field (50%) and adequately (33%) from behind the arc, but the Spurs also got a bit of unfortunate news when Fabricio Oberto felt a flutter in his heart and was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. He missed the season opener and is being monitored daily. If things go as planned, Oberto is expected to return next week.

We all know that the NBA season is long (from October to June, seriously?) and getting off to a great start is not all that important. Finishing it is, and there are months and months to go before things get decided. The key for the Spurs is to keep afloat and in the division mix until Ginobili gets healthy.

Spurs Down 3-1, Series Hangs in Balance

The Spurs now have their backs totally against the wall, after losing at home to the Lakers to fall behind 3-1 in the series.  The 93-91 loss was a heartbreaker for San Antonio, who now must win three straight to have a chance to defend their championship.  Tim Duncan can’t be blamed for the loss, as he gave a superhuman effort in the loss, scoring 29 points, and grabbing 17 rebounds. 

The big man also added several blocks and assists to try to help his team move forward.  With Manu Ginobili having yet another off night, Brent Barry stepped up, scoring 23 points, and missing a three as time expired, which would have won the game, and tied the series.  There was obvious contact on his shot, but no foul was called, much to the dismay of the Spurs, and the home crowd.

Ginobili was quite simply terrible throughout the game, scoring his first points with just over a minute left in the third quarter, and finishing with 7 points.  He did hit a three late in the game to bring his team to within 4 points, but it was not enough.  Tony Parker held up his end of the bargain, scoring 23 points, but no one else was even a factor for San Antonio.  Michael Finley, Fabricio Oberto, and Kurt Thomas all failed to score.  Robert Horry scored two points, and Bruce Bowen managed seven.  Surprisingly, as a team, the Spurs still managed to shoot 40% from the field, although only 29% from behind the arc.

Again, the Spurs had no answer for the MVP, Kobe Bryant, who scored 28 points and had 10 rebounds.  The Lakers were more balanced in the game, having 4 players scoring in double digits and another with 9 points. 

Although the Spurs only had 8 turnovers in the game, the difference was in the rebounding.  LA outrebounded San Antonio 46-37, many of those being offensive rebounds which led to second chance points for the Lakers. 

San Antonio must win the next game in Los Angeles to allow the series to come back to San Antonio for Game 6, but the Spurs are in as desperate a situation as they have been in their playoff lives.  It is now a one game series, with no room for mistakes.  One loss and the Spurs will once again repeat their history of winning a championship and not being able to defend it the next year.  Let’s hope they can get on a roll and surprise the people who are already counting them out. 

Go Spurs!

After two weeks of play, San Antonio remains tied for first place in the division with the Houston Rockets, although the Spurs got last week off on the wrong foot.  Last Tuesday, the boys in black traveled up the road to face the rival Rockets, and couldn’t come up with the win.  The Spurs did have a four game winning streak at Houston’s home arena before the loss. 

In the game, Tim Duncan was no match for Yao Ming, as the Rocket’s center put up 28 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks.  Duncan had an uncharacteristically off-night, only managing 14 points (on 5-15 shooting) with 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but he also had 5 turnovers.  San Antonio did play well in the contest, shooting over 46% from the field, and making 37% of their 3-pointers, but Houston was just a little better, getting good play from bench players, Bonzi Wells, 14 points, and Mike James, who had 13.  Aside from Manu Ginobili’s stellar 23-point game, San Antonio’s bench only managed 9 points. 

The following night, San Antonio was back at home as the struggling Heat came to town.  Playing without Dwayne Wade, the Heat were no match for the Spurs, who were led by Parker’s 23 points and Ginobili’s 25.  Tim Duncan continued to underwhelm, scoring 12 points and pulling down 8 rebounds.  San Antonio’s bench played well, with Francisco Elson chipping in 12 points, and corralling 14 rebounds in 36 minutes of action.  Shaquille O’Neal scored 17 points, but only managed 3 rebounds for the lowly Heat.

New Orleans had started the season off strong, and were tied with Houston and San Antonio for first place during the first week, so Thursday’s game was an important one.  Tony Parker certainly realized the importance of the game, as he poured in 27 points and dished out 8 assists.  Tim Duncan finally found his stroke as well, scoring 24 points on 11-14 shooting, while grabbing 12 rebounds.  He also had 4 blocks.  The Hornets made a run at the end of the game, but it was too little, too late.  The Spurs moved on with the final score of 97-85, giving New Orleans its second straight loss.

Currently, the Spurs are tied for first in the division with Houston, at 6-1.  New Orleans and Dallas are close behind, while Memphis struggles along with only one win.  Duncan has had a few nights where he hasn’t looked quite like the all-star that everyone knows he is, but the Spurs have still managed to keep rolling.  Ginobili continues to be a demon off the bench, and any questions about Tony Parker being too tired after playing for the French National Team during the off-season have been put to rest.  The speedy Frenchman has been playing lights-out and is averaging over 20 points per game, 37 minutes, and almost 6 assists.