My Thoughts of the Spurs

Wow, I missed logging on to NBA.com. I just wish it wasn't blocked by the technical department here in our office. Sigh!.. But anyways, I was pissed with how the San Antonio Spurs played against the New Orleans Hornets, Boston Celtics, & Philadelphia 76ers! [with a big exclamation mark] And then, there was the suspension of Bruce Bowen. Argh! Bear with me, okay. I was just annoyed by the fact that the regular season is coming to a close and yet the Spurs are struggling. This is the time where they usually put the pieces of the puzzle and gear up for the playoffs. Am I simply expecting too much from them? I guess I am and I think everybody [Spurs fan] is on the same page as well.

All I think of whenever the Spurs lose is that Pop's rotation didn't work and that's all. But there is no room for error now esp with the tight competition in the Western Conference. I wouldn't be this worried if the Spurs are on the East, you know. Sigh! Don't get too stressed like me, okay. I'm fine. I'll get over this for sure. [maybe I'm just so hooked to basketball] Sigh! Again.

But I'm bringing you some good news, the Spurs have won back-to-back games against the Chicago Bulls and the Sacramento Kings, respectively. Manu Ginobili was back as the 6th man of the Spurs during both games and the game against the Celtics. I am not against this, okay. But I think Ginobili brings a lot of confidence and drive for his team when he goes off the bench. Being on the starting lineup just tires him a lot and the Spur's bench becomes shallow without him. So, I understand this 'strategic' move from Pop.

“I loved it. It gives us our familiarity, our continuity, our personality, our comfort zone. Back the way we were," said Popovich. This is the final starting lineup: Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen, and Fab Oberto. The bench: Manu Ginobili, Ime Udoka, Kurt Thomas, Jacque Vaughn, Robert Horry, Damon Stoudamire, Matt Bonner, Ian Mahinmi, and Brent Barry*. I know many Manu fans [including me] would disagree with this move, but hey Manu isn't complaining that is the sign of his sportsmanship. Let's just support him and root for him to win the 6th Man of the Year award this season.

To make things better for me and for my fellow Spurs fans, watching the Bulls-Spurs game last night made me notice the improvement of Kurt Thomas. He's starting to play the Spurs' way. Honestly, I didn't like him when he was with the Suns. He caused a lot of trouble for the Spurs. But a Spur simply honed his defensive and rebounding skills even more, which makes him an additional threat to opponents. The Spurs' Big Three and a deep bench could help the team survive come playoffs time. And with the upcoming return of Brent Barry, I think the Spurs can start gearing up for the tough battle in the Western Conference. The only concern now is that the Spurs have to win as many games as possible to get a comfortable spot on the playoffs, like having homecourt advantage.

P.S. That is a great idea John!.. =)