Spurs Update

Your San Antonio Spurs have gone 5-1 since my last update. We stand at 42-12 at the all-star break, and that's good for the best record in the NBA.. 2½ games clear of Oklahoma City, who have lost 2-straight, and 4 ahead of Miami.

Here are the current standings, and here is a look at the complete Spurs' season schedule, of which the following screenshot is taken.


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The hiccup in Detroit can only be attributed to a Pistons squad who wanted it more. They shot well, and out-rebounded us 49-33. Tim and Manu had both missed a bunch of games, and Tony & Stephen Jackson even missed 1 and 2 respectively, but the last one in Cleveland saw the big-3 playing together for the first time in weeks. Tim & tony will get their quick minutes during this all-star weekend, and that'll be that. Pop's coaching, so I'd be surprised to see either of them on the floor for more than about 10-12 minutes each. Matt Bonner and Kawhi Leonard, on the other hand, I expect to have coming out parties this weekend. Then we'll be back on the road to finish up the rodeo road trip.

Spurs Update

Apparently with our win earlier tonight, Gregg Popovich is guaranteed the job of coaching the West in the All-Star game. And this is a great honor! It's only been 9 games since my last update, but this is another good place to post one. Not only because of the All-Star coach deadline, but because it also marks the end of the January schedule for San Antonio: a month in which we went 12-3.

More importantly, we've strung together 9-straight since the loss @ Memphis.

Screenshot from here

Tony is back to form. Tim has sat for 4-straight games, due to a sore knee. Tiago Splitter has been incredible during this stretch, averaging 14.3 ppg, 8 rpg, and shooting 65%! Also during this 9-game streak, Aron Baynes made his season debut. In only a few appearances, he's already showing why he might just be the BIG we've needed this whole time. So yeah, DeJuan Blair's days might be numbered. Sorry buddy.

This 9-game winning streak should improve to 10 right before we go on our annual rodeo road-trip. By the way, a win Saturday would increase our home record to 22-2. Yikes! This year's rodeo trip lasts from Wednesday, Feb. 6 to Sunday, Feb. 24, and encompasses 9 games. Five of those opponents have losing records, so I expect nothing worse than 6-3, but 7-2 is more likely.

Sitting pretty at 37-11 right now, best record in the NBA, PPG scored 3rd overall, PPG allowed 6th overall, and a scoring differential of 8.4 - tied with OKC for tops. We also lead the league in assists per game, are 4th in assist-to-turnover ratio, 2nd in total shooting %, #1 in opponent 3-pt%, and 3rd in shooting defense.

Like a well-oiled machine, we are rolling.. smoooothly! But this is business as usual for us right about now.

All stats from ESPN.com

The Eagles - Seven Bridges Road

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Spurs Update

Spurs drop two straight for the first time in a long time...

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No worries, though. We've played a TON of road games (and have gone 11-4 so far, with a 7-2 home record).. this is like our third road trip of 7 days or longer, and it's only December. And the annual "rodeo road trip" is still coming in Feb. Now that we're getting all these road games done-with, we'll be winning a crap-load of home games, while other teams are going out and losing on the road. We just looked tired tonight (19 turnovers, 7 missed FTs, and the Blazers were sharp). Also Damian Lillard. That guy is the rookie of the year for sure.

I'm So Confused!

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Metallica - Fight Fire with Fire (LIVE)

in Nickelsdorf, Austria - With a bonus "Escape" warm-up session on the road.


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...and I think I enjoyed watching the practice session more than the live song. James subtly changed the riff, and it's wayy cool!

I Hit a Raccoon (OC)

So yeah on my drive to pick up my wife from the airport, I hit a raccoon. I had exactly 1 second to react, and let me tell ya', this guy must've wanted to die. I didn't run him over, but rather hit him with the under-carriage of the car. I had a second to hit the brakes, but it didn't matter, and I didn't exactly slam them on. Never go into serious evasive maneuvers for anything smaller than a deer, I think, right? It's not like I could've anyway. It was very loud, and took forever - it seemed like I dragged him a half-mile or so.

A few minutes later everything that I could still hear underneath the car was gone, and the next thing I notice is the A/C isn't cooling any more. Great!

The body damage (yeah it's only a wimpy little bumper) is one thing, and our $50 deductible is cool! But how huge of an issue is this A/C thing?

This A/C thing:

Damn raccoon! I'm pretty sure it was a raccoon - it was bigger than a cat. And I saw the markings of a raccoon. I hope it wasn't someone's dog!

The crazy thing is on the way back, I slowed down and looked around exactly where I remember hitting it. I had to clear my conscience. But I never found anything. The way it sounded, I would've expected it to be lying there in a gigantic pile of nasty. Oh well..

OK, If I Must

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Whenever I cross a sign that says "dip", I always reach into my pocket for my can of Skoal... Family isn't usually amused.

Spurs Update

The Spurs visited the Golden St. Warriors on Monday night to start a B2B2B, knowing this game would probably be just a formality in the grand scheme of things. Warriors would start 4 rookies. Doh! Spurs were at full strength. Very similar to the last game vs. Phoenix, we came out hot, and determined. In our highest scoring 1st-Q of the season, 39-24, there probably wouldn't be much doubt with this one.

That lead would be extended to 21 by halftime (70-49), a lead that would continue, with the Spurs' big-three on the bench resting - awaiting tomorrow night in LA - toward the 3rd-Q score of 96-72!
Neal leads the Spurs Image Source (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden St. would actually make a run to come within 18, but the excitement was never as high as it was in the final few seconds of the game. Apparently the fans get free food if the team scores 100 points. So they did what they had to do.. foul.. as if it were a game they were trying to win. But those terrible Spurs prevented it from happening. The final was 120-99, and a good WIN on the road, with the big-3 playing 41 minutes TOTAL. Already given that stat, we shot 39%, no Spur had more than 17 points, and we still scored 120. You gotta believe it. Here's the boxscore..

As it turned out, OKC lost to the Clippers while we were beating the Warriors, so as of now, we own the #1 seed in the West going into the game against the Lakers tomorrow night! And don't let the media mislead you - We were really already in first because we own the tiebreaker with OKC. Now they are effectively behind by two games.

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The very next night in LA, Spurs fans were delighted to hear that Tiago would start the game along side Timmy! It's about time, Pop! Seeking revenge @ the LA Lakers Tuesday night, it felt like a playoff game. The game was very tight for most of the beginning. Early large leads were 6 by LA (very early), and 6 by SA (mid 2nd-Q). Bynum was scoring pretty much at will, but so was Tony Parker. Spurs were also competitive on the boards this time, as this one had the look of a nail-biter so far.

Then something happened. With a 41-39 lead, and 5:41 left in the 2nd-Q, the Lakers would turn it over 5 times and miss 2 shots in 7 possessions, while my Spurs capitalized on 8 straight shots, and an 18-0 run. Our halftime lead was 16: 63-47.

In less than 2 more minutes, Tony & Timmy increased that lead to 23, and the rout was on. It's great when we come out and increase a big halftime lead in the early 3rd-Q, while so often we drop our guard and come out flat. Tony schooled Ramon Sessions most of this game, and our bigs held Bynum off the boards for the most part. Manu
Tony dominated - Image Source (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

was also a force, as he shot 6 of 13 for 15 pts., with 6 boards and 4 assists. When Tony wasn't in charge of creating - Manu was. The end of the 3rd-Q was a scoring fest - 91-70 going toward the 4th.

Lakers brought this to 91-77 quickly with our stars resting. Manu & Gary Neal would continue the aggressiveness, and with an 18-pt. lead Pop brought Timmy back to action. This, along with starting Tiago, and resting the young guys, was a clear sign it was very important for us to get our revenge for the other night's loss to this team. Success.. we ran away with it. Tony Parker's performance, and Pop's coaching were HUGE statements in this nationally-televised game that we aren't screwing around - and beating the Lakers is just as important to us as being helthy for the playoffs. OK maybe not, but we certainly succeeded with our 112-91 dominating WIN.

We shot 60% to their 50%.. Tony had 29 & 13.. Duncan had 19 & 8.. Manu had 15-6-4. Bynum had 21 & 7. Rebounds were 37-37. So yeah.. this was VERY pleasing. Now the other guys are rested to go take care of bidness tomorrow night in Sacramento! Here's the boxscore..

Here's a TINY game review from ESPN:

And their resulting article from their Daily Dime. But the way ESPN configures their links, you won't be able to see this DAILY DIME after the next DAILY DIME is posted, so you may have to look around.

Here are the current NBA Standings after Tuesday night's games.

Spurs Update

This past Tuesday and Wednesday the San Antonio Spurs braced themselves for back-to-back road games at Cleveland and at Boston. We've only had one game in the last five days (two days of rest on both sides), so we should definitely be ready to rumble.

Tuesday night in Cleveland Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard started us off with several early buckets, just before Tony & Tim were successful in most of the next several trips down the floor, as we took an early lead
Image Source (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)

25-16. Manu, Jack, and Neal would pile it on for a 32-18 1st-Q lead. Tiago Splitter would have a great 2nd-Q, and help the Spurs to a 19-point 60-41 halftime lead. This was a quarter that also saw Daniel Green hit 2 more threes for a total of four for the first half!

Anthony Parker would lead a Cavs' charge to open the 2nd half, as they would pinch the lead down to 14. Tony Parker was not to be denied, however, as his 10 early 3rd-Q points, along with James Anderson's 5 would lead the Spurs to a serious 27-point lead (90-63). Enter Patty Mills.

Having already relieved TP for a solid 7 points late in the 3rd-Q, Mills would score another 13 in the 4th for an incredible 20-2-2 line on 8 of 11 shooting (4 of 5 from three). Blair & Neal had super 4th-Q's as well as the lead would balloon to as much as 37. Wow. The Cavaliers were never in this game, although to their credit, they had seven players in double figures - led by Antawn Jamison (15). We out-shot the Cavs 59%-42%, 46-27 rebs., 31-23 assts., and hit 11 of 23 from three - a nice 48%. The 125-90 beatdown WIN was an example of the way we should be beating almost every team right now. Here's the boxscore..

That would be 8 in a row, now.

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Wednesday night in Boston things didn't come quite as easy. The Celtics have been playing very well lately, having won their last 5, and 7 of 8. They would also get Ray Allen back tonight after several games with an injured ankle. Kevin Garnett would come out angry, and make almost everything he put up for the first several minutes. Boston would jump out to a quick 16-11 lead. Resilient, Parker, Splitter, and Jackson would lead the Spurs on a 16-4 run to close the 1st-Q for a
Image Source (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

27-20 lead. But then the Celtics would make the game close again very quickly, as Avery Bradley would nail 11-straight for them. He's a good player. (Former UT product!) The Spurs, however, would go on another serious 14-2 run to take the 36-36 tie to a 50-38 lead. Bonner, Neal, & Duncan were key in this little run. Danny Green would close out the exciting half with a three, and the 59-48 lead.

As fun as this has been so far, the 3rd-Q was probably the worst Q of basketball we've played this season. And it wasn't just us. Boston was "playing along" and supplemented our sloppiness with more sloppiness. For the quarter, it was Boston 16, Spurs 9. Six Spurs' turnovers, many bad decisions, and ...well you didn't miss anything at all if you missed this Q. I think we were scoreless for 8 total minutes in 2 separate stretches of the 3rd.

So holding a 4-pt. lead, the energy for the 4th-Q was.. no different. We continued to turn it over. But the good thing is Boston continued to miss shot after shot, and I remember thinking "how in the world are we up by 13???". Our scoring was spotty, as Boston started to make the shots they got, and would be within 2 at 70-68. After a dominant Splitter drive to take a 77-70 lead, we would again go scoreless for almost 4 minutes. This is the 3rd serious scoring drought of this game, and this is alarming. Manu would finally sink the toughest shot of the season, but a few seconds later, Boston would take their first lead since 18-17 in the 1st-Q (81-79).

After a clutch Duncan jumper, Brandon Bass would again hit a shot to take a 2-pt lead. But Gary Neal nailed the three we were expecting to give us the 1-pt lead at 84-83. A sweet defensive stop later, Timmy would hit 1 of 2 FTs, and then after a second critical D-stop again, Matt Bonner nailed a 10-footer from the block on a crazy pass from Manu, and our lead was 87-83. After a timeout, one of the best shooters in the game, Ray Allen hit the three they needed (87-86), and with 16 seconds, Danny Green missed a three that would've clinched it.

Celtics had one last play, but Paul Pierce missed his fade-away jumper on the drawn-up play. And we got away with one: An 87-86 WIN with a terrible 2nd half that consisted of a measly 28 points. We had 5 guys in double figures, and killed them on the boards 53-39, but 17 TOs, and 7 of 28 from three is no good at all.. not to mention only 17 assists. TP and Manu both had bad games the same night, and we still won, so yeah.. we're lucky tonight. Here's the boxscore..

And that's 9-straight. OKC lost at Miami tonight, so we are now tied in the loss column. Sweet!

Here are the current NBA standings, courtesy of ESPN Dot Com.

The Proverbial Fork in the Road has been Found

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Irony on the Road

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The Atlantic-Norway Ocean Highway

Enlarge!

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Here's some more info about the "Atlantic Ocean Road"..

Music on the Road

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London 2011

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Completely Useless Signs

A lot more completely useless signs here..

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Captain To Base - We Have A Bra Blocking The Roadway

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A what?

A Bra.. a brassiere.

Well pick it up & move it, and get on with it!

Ma'am you don't understand. This one's like ..really big.

You mean like 42 triple E?

No, I mean like 90 meters double swimming pools.

Warning: Boobs Ahead

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Ho Hum

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The intersection of Ho Road and Hum Road in Carefree, AZ is a funny one. And here is a Google Maps link to the intersection. But if you'll look around this little Phoenix suburb, you'll see that they really take pride in their little town. You already know there are roads named Ho & Hum, but take a look at the following picture to see just how cool & relaxed Carefree, AZ is:

Serious Moguls Ahead

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