So, the Spurs are to face the champions tonight. The Mavericks. The Spurs will be without cult hero Manu "Batman" Ginobili. It’s clear that San Antonio misses it’s beloved star. Losing to the T-Wolves is bad enough, but then to drop a second straight game against the hapless Warriors would be darn near unbearable. Fortunately, Tony Parker, the Big Fundamental and RJ 3.0 saved the Spurs from being .500 six games into the season. Pop’s crew now sits at 4-2 heading into the back end of a back to back against their North Texas Rivals. The good news? Mavs are on a SEGABABA as well.
So what about those defending champs? The team that thought it could…and I guess they finally did. I suppose in the grand scheme of things I’m happy for the Mavs, mostly because they’re from Texas, my friends that are fans were happy and for Dirk Nowitzki, a deserving champ to be sure. That said, nothing feels better than popping the champs in the teeth, unless they happen to be a hated in-state rival (even better when they have Jason Terry on their team...or the fact that Cuban is rooting for them).
This Mavs team isn’t what it was when they hoisted the trophy back in June. When you lose your best interior defender and rebounder as well as your best bench guard (as much as it pains me to say that) then you add a very over priced (at any price) old player to an already very old team you can’t say that you’re the same team. They did make a nice move by picking up Lamar Odom after the failed trade between NOLA, Houston and the Lakers.
One has to believe, as it’s being thrown about quite a bit in the media, that Mark Cuban is playing for next year’s FA market. I’m sure Cuban would love to lure Dwight Howard and/or Deron Williams to Big D. It would be quite the coup if he could pull it off.
The Mavs aren’t exactly playing like the defending champs so far this season. Sitting at 3-4 after beating the Suns last night at home. Dallas is trying to recover from an ugly season opening loss to the Heat. From my limited knowledge the Mavs main problem is the main problem they’ve always had. Defense. The Mavericks currently rank 27th in scoring defense as well as 27th in rebounding. The loss of Tyson Chandler is clearly hurting this team. That said, they did just beat up Western Conference favorites, the Thunder, holding them to 87 points and keeping the Suns under 90 as well.
The Spurs on the other are right in the middle of the pack as far as scoring defense at 12th in the NBA giving up just over 94 points a game. Their offense, much like last season has been clicking nicely. San Antonio is 7th in scoring and 5th in assists per game. Of course James Anderson, Danny Green and Gary Neal among others will need to step it up in the absences of Manu. The offense will clearly miss Manu, but the defense will also miss his spark and play making ability. I expect to see a lot more of Rookie Kawhi Leonard this game with the heavy minutes the Spurs starters logged last night.
Despite the hard fought victory over Golden State last night, I like the Spurs to come out and take it to the Mavs. I predict an early lead for the Spurs and some sort of Mavs comeback to make it close late. The advantage then lies with the Spurs be being at home and having the better defense. Should be a good one.
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NBA Stats Cube Lineup Comparison Here. Here is some Mavs perspective: Mavs Moneyball
As always Tony must dominate Fisher, and 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.
0 recs | 97 comments
Nice write-up, Big 50. I do feel optimistic about the defense, although right now it is just middling. We did get lit up by the Timberwolves, and for three quarters by the Warriors. Still, the Spurs are showing spurts of really good defense, where they are stopping penetration into the lane, blocking and deflecting the ball, and contesting shots. It’s not consistent yet, but there have been minutes of intense defense that I don’t ever remember seeing last season. Blair, Splitter, and yes, Bonner, are helping protect the paint much better. I’m especially proud of the progress Blair has made, staying on the floor and not committing the silly fouls that many of us have remarked on. Duncan showed last night that he can still be a great defender. (Maybe Pop should coax an official to make a horrible call or two each game?) And I think Green, Anderson, and Leonard are all three going to be above average defenders, or maybe much better than that. Maybe the numbers don’t show it yet, but I am very encouraged.
I want to see if the Spurs have any legs tonight, especially Duncan. It’s good that the Mavs are also on their second game in two nights, and I’m glad we are at home!
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
I’m especially proud of the progress Blair has made, staying on the floor and not committing the silly fouls that
He had 5 PF the game before 2 last nught a little better but still a PF magnet.
Titletown99030507d - January 5, 2012
In the 6 games so far this season, Blair is averaging 24 minutes, 14 points, hitting 50% from the field, 7 rebounds, with 3.5 fouls and 1.3 turnovers. That is a damn good six game stretch, with career high stats across the board. If he plays like this all season, he will be our most improved player.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
I lied: career personal foul average is 2.7. Still, don’t think I would consider him a foul magnet.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
more relevant stat would probably be PF average per minute
Kondor - January 5, 2012
That would be scary to look at.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
Pop doesn’t look at this stat before finishing his first bottle of the day.
Kondor - January 5, 2012
His foul rate is at 5.1 per 36 minutes. That’s terrible. It’s also gotten worse from his 4.4 per 36 minutes a season ago.
silverandblack_davis - January 5, 2012
A change, at least. hahahahahah… cries
grego21 - January 5, 2012
I’d argue Green is already an above average defender.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
I agree. I was not really high on Green, offensively, but I thought he was an okay player last year. This season, however, I’ve been impressed on how he made the most in his limutes of action. I just read his page in Wikipedia, and I must say that he had a great run with UNC.
day_late_friend - January 5, 2012
Yep. People often forget him due to the star power on UNC. He was a big part of the team, even if he wasn’t getting the pub. He fits exactly the Spurs.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
I agree Big50 – Leonard saw very little playing time last night. i expect him to play a lot tonight and maybe even on Dirk. Neal needs to come along and all though &erson is a baller, he needs to play more efficiently to be effective.
Joe deLarios - January 5, 2012
I am excited to see how Popovich guards Dirk. Maybe a combo of Jefferson, Green, and Leonard.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
I want to believe Kawhi would be perfect for this.
Sh!fty - January 5, 2012
BELIEVE!
J.R. Wilco - January 5, 2012 via iPhone app
Yes
KD1 - January 5, 2012
Surely Pop will mix it up and we’ll see some Blair, Bonner and Splitter on him as well. You never want a guy like Dirk to get used to one type of defender.
Big50 - January 5, 2012 via mobile
Absolutely.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
agreed
Joe deLarios - January 5, 2012
He didn’t deserve to play so yeah…
grego21 - January 5, 2012
::shudder::
Never again. Never again.
Tim C. - January 5, 2012
I’d rather the Mavs go back to back than see the Lakers or Heat win it.
Manuwar - January 5, 2012
I would rather anybody win than any of the above. Dirk has his token ring now.
LionZion - January 5, 2012
Realistic preview Big except for one thing…We are on fire.
indiancharlie - January 5, 2012
Tim C. - January 5, 2012
Wow, that was fast. I think it was the right move, but I did not think they would pull the trigger.
When I first read about the Cousins incident, my inclination was to blame the player. But after reading some more details, I really think Westphal was the culprit there. He basically made up stories and aired dirty laundry in the media rather than handling it like a professional. He has a history of public confrontation with players, so I guess it shouldn’t be that surprising. I wonder who will coach them now.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
It was the right move. After two years, the team STILL doesn’t have an identity and that’s on the coach. The Kings will only get better as their young talent gets better.
CapHill - January 5, 2012
Cousins is going to be such a cancer his entire career. I say their young talent suffers as long as Cousins is part of the equation.
Manuwar - January 5, 2012
But Westphal could have been part of the problem too. … I recall him having issues in past jobs.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
Keith Smart is the interim coach now.
KD1 - January 5, 2012
he was Dubs coach before, right?
Kondor - January 5, 2012
Yeah. He stinks like poo
Manuwar - January 5, 2012
I’m just going to leave this right here….
Big50 - January 5, 2012
without Chandler and to a lesser extent, Stevenson, this is what the Mavericks are reduced to
Joe deLarios - January 5, 2012
Well, I hope you are right about that.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012 via mobile
We’ll see if the Silver and Black can take advantage of the weaker interior defense
Dallas is ranked 10th in league for allowing points at the Rim
Spurs are ranked 7th in preventing points at the Rim
Let’s keep it in the Paint!
Joe deLarios - January 5, 2012
Manu is one of our main threats to get to the rim, so I’m concerned about being able to exploit this. Obviously Duncan and Parker have to attack there, but we are also going to need Anderson, or Jefferson, etc., to do some slashing.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
I was thinking Tiago and Blair as well
Joe deLarios - January 5, 2012
Blair should go at Dirk early to try to get him in foul trouble.
Edg5 - January 5, 2012
I liked Tiago’s flush last night. But he is still pretty bumbly on the offensive end.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
bumbly, yes
Joe deLarios - January 5, 2012
Haha
KD1 - January 5, 2012
LOL I love this
doubleteapot - January 5, 2012
Just got some floor seats for tonight. Long trip from Degobah, but ready for tonight! GSG!
Spurs Yoda - January 5, 2012 via mobile
Can’t you just send your hologram?
Just drive safe, and make sure Chewie fixed the hyperdrive.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
Lol, thanks. One of my favorite lines in all of starwars is.
Chubacka “Rooooooooaararararararara”
Solo “yeah, i dont think the empire had wookies in mind when they build these(empire shuttle)”
Spurs Yoda - January 5, 2012 via mobile
Here is one of mine:
Luke: (whiny voice) “But I was going over to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!”
Yeah, that George Lucas sure knows how to write dialogue.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
One day i need to have a ptr contest to come with spurs yoda for a floor seat with me. The gf has to give up her seat though.
Spurs Yoda - January 5, 2012 via mobile
Spurs favored by 2, so this is a, “Teams are essentially even, Spurs are at home and get the 2 point bump” spread.
Fred Silva - January 5, 2012
yep – 2 point bump for home court
Joe deLarios - January 5, 2012
Here is some good news:
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
Well, the “successful” and “six weeks” parts are pretty good, anyway.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
Thats really good news. I predicted his return for march 7th, but maybe we could see him back before March.
Spurs Yoda - January 5, 2012 via mobile
I’d like him to be back by February 23rd for the Nuggets game, but that’s strictly for selfish reasons.
CapHill - January 5, 2012
Oh, hey, I’m previewing the Nugs this weekend. Any insights from where you sit?
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
I haven’t seen a lot of them, but they are crazy deep. Their 11th player is Kosta Koufas. They picked up Rudy Fernandez and Corey Brewer for a song prior to the season. With Ty Lawson and Andre Miller, they are just running – I’m not sure that Karl is even calling plays. Even Al Harrington is ballin’.
That run they went on after the Melo trade? It’s bled into this year.
CapHill - January 5, 2012
Thanks. I have respect for what they are doing. A lot of teams would have caved after the ordeal Anthony put them through, but they have shown a lot of resourcefulness.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
like them much better w/o melo and jr smith. they finally seem to be an unselfish team and its paying off for them
5280spurs - January 5, 2012
Getting rid of JR was addition by subtraction. 5280spurs? I take it you live in the Denver area. Welcome to PtR.
CapHill - January 5, 2012
Although, if they kept Wilson Chandler….
grego21 - January 5, 2012
they are a dangerous, under the radar team
Joe deLarios - January 5, 2012
agreed
5280spurs - January 5, 2012
Interesting
Spurs Yoda - January 5, 2012 via mobile
I thought it was hiliarious that one guy lastnight in the quick cap was callinG For Parkers head. I hope he saw the express news article today titled, “Parker lifts Spurs over Warriors”.
He wanted Parker for Nash. Lol. Lets trade our best asset at 29, to get a point guard that matches Tims age. LMAO
Spurs Yoda - January 5, 2012 via mobile
Yeah, I shuddered at the thought.
quincyscott - January 5, 2012
Who also has a bad back.
KD1 - January 5, 2012
Spurs Yoda - January 5, 2012 via mobile
Rec.
indiancharlie - January 5, 2012
You forgot to include Green and Ford.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
GSG!
MikeyKosa - January 5, 2012
While that Stats Cube Lineup comparison looks like a nice feature, the link brought up the Spurs vs the Twolves. It was easy enough to switch the team to the Mavericks, but I haven’t really figured out the right way to adjust the lineup to replace Manu with Anderson. I did mangage to arrive at it (though I’m not sure how I did it). Funny to see that with tonight’s starting lineup for the Spurs, the fg% is only 14% (1-7). That doesn’t seem like enough shots, so is this not adding up the shots taken by each player but using only numbers from when the five are on the floor together.
Alamo - January 5, 2012
This may end up being another close one. I am hoping Dirk will be the one doing the damage for the Mavs, and that Odom remains a disappointment for them, and Mahinmi commits as many quick fouls as possible.
day_late_friend - January 5, 2012
I hate the Warriors front office
So Curry gets injured yesterday, and today there are rumors they are trying to trade him for a one-year rental of Dwight Howard. Of course, the Magic will also want us to take Hedo in the deal, except that we fucking used our amnesty on an expiring contract and will be fucking capped out for the forseeable future if we do this trade. The Warriors better NOT make this trade.
doubleteapot - January 5, 2012
VC Vs RJ
it makes me giddy
2NASHTY - January 5, 2012
Carter, Jefferson, Kidd all on the floor tonight. must be a Nets reunion going on. lol.
RG8907 - January 5, 2012
years back the Marion STAT Nash suns went up against that line up and it was an epic 3OT… and no one a god damn lick of D, and it was awesome.
2NASHTY - January 5, 2012
It’s like a family reunion, but without the drunk uncle!
grego21 - January 5, 2012
I AM the drunk uncle
2NASHTY - January 5, 2012
At least you aren’t the creepy one.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard all week
2NASHTY - January 5, 2012
I aim to please.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
Gotta catch em all!
grego21 - January 5, 2012
well, guys, i will be at the game tonight, and after going to the game last night, i’ll be worn out tomorrow. GSG!
RG8907 - January 5, 2012
Go Spurs!
TDzilla! - January 5, 2012
When you look at the lineups, the thing that stands out for me is how much more experience they have. Of course, everyone knows that the Spurs are long in the teeth, but just look at those Ponies.
Kondor - January 5, 2012
But experience together is not as strong. Without long camp/preseason it still takes time. This is the best time to hit them, before they have time.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
Dirk, Terry and Kidd have just as much combined experience playing together as do Tony and Tim. We have a bunch of noobs too.
Manuwar - January 5, 2012
Oh, of course. I just meant to say that their “experience” isn’t as vast, just yet. In the post season, it’ll be useful, but their team is pretty new. Spurs are a little bit better in terms of experience, even with the newbees.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
With Manu I’d say yes we have more experience but with him out we are forced to rely on a lot of newbies. I think RJ is the most experienced in the Spurs system after Tony and Tim. That’s weird.
Manuwar - January 5, 2012
I think Blair and even Anderson have a decent understanding. Bonner also knows the system.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
SA bench players < Dallas bench players
They should play excellent basketball to outplay dallas bench players. :)
rank - January 5, 2012
Spurs have a nice bench. Honestly, they’ve been more active and consistent than the starters (with the exception of Manu) during the current season.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
I know, i know. But in terms of experience (as what kondor mentioned), odom, terry and carter have the advantage.
rank - January 5, 2012
True. Good point.
grego21 - January 5, 2012
Hi everyone!
I’ve been busy and will be busy this year.
Hope i still have time to visit ptr once in a while.
Good luck spurs on this game!
rank - January 5, 2012
Yo! Thanks for stopping by.
Big50 - January 5, 2012
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