Spurs Roundtable Week One: Healthy and Movin' on Up

The Spurs followed a colossal collapse against the struggling Detroit Pistons last Tuesday, with a 108-91 rout of the Chauncey Billups-injected Denver Nuggets. Two nights later, the Spurs spanked Don Nelson's defenseless Golden State Warriors 123-88 at home.

Seven Spurs’ players tallied double figures in the wire-to-wire domination, and Manu Ginobili wasn't one of them.

The first seven buckets in that slaughter-fest were easy inside scores, including a baseline flush from a supposedly over-the-hill Michael Finley, who dropped 10 pounds before training camp. It shows.

After an abysmal and alarming 1-4 start, the Spurs are 12-4, and they should smash the comatose Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder this weekend.

In perhaps the greatest show of guts this season, the Spurs knocked off a feisty Dallas Mavericks team on the road in a double-overtime slog, then returned home, fighting exhaustion, to edge a youthful, and athletic Atlanta Hawks 95-89. 

Dirk Nowitzki scored 35 points, most of them in the first three quarters, but he choked in the clutch with another disappearing act. He missed an uncontested lay-up late in the fourth quarter.(Mark Cuban ordered a replay on the arena screens to see if there was a foul and there wasn't.)

He missed other looks, and backed away from physical contact when it mattered most.

The Mavericks rode heroic efforts from future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, who nearly triple doubled, and J.J. Barea, who scored 17 of his 21 points after the third period. 

Proof positive that Nowitzki played like a coward and a choke artist—again? Mavs coach Rick Carlisle threw credible post defenders Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop at Tim Duncan, and neither could stop him in the fourth quarter or overtime. 

The Spurs stopped Nowitzki’s scoring field day with—Tony Parker, Michael Finley and Roger Mason? Ouch!

The team faces perhaps its toughest back-to-back of the season next week. Wednesday, the Spurs will head to N'awlins to face the team they ousted in a second round game seven mere months ago, then will fly to Orlando to battle Dwight Howard's surging Magic.

It would be nice if the Spurs could escape New Orleans with a W—and no additional trouble from Super Hugo or the tarmac at Louis Armstrong International Airport.

So, what are the Spurs doing this month?

The team is movin' on up, and as Gregg Popovich tinkers with his rotation, it looks poised to invade the NBA’s early title triumvirate. Will the Spurs soon join the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics as championship favorites?

Anyone who shrugs off the notion isn't paying attention.

Now, onto the weekly roundtable:

What was the most impressive thing about the Spurs this week? 

Robert Kleeman: The decisive win over Denver will prove important later in the year.

Since Chauncey Billups’ arrival, Denver looks like a team with newfound direction and a chance to win a playoff series. The Nuggets should scare a lot of folks, and Billups deserves mention in the MVP discussion.

I also applaud the Spurs for hanging tough in a brutal back-to-back. I would not have blamed the Spurs for dropping either game.

The Mavs may sport fatal flaws, but that does not change how well they match up with the Spurs. The Hawks were hungry to escape the Texas triangle with at least one win.

You can't fault the team's effort since the Motown meltdown, even if the defense in the last two games has lacked, and the Spurs have positioned themselves for a mid-year run at the third or fourth seed. 

Claudio Cabrera: The most impressive win of this past week for the Spurs, on paper, looks like their rout at Denver and the way they dominated a team that was hot since the exchange of Iverson for Billups.

But if you've watched the Nuggets throughout the years, they have at least 10-15 games per season which you think they should win, but don't.

Not only do they not win, but they also fail to show up and lose in embarrassing fashion. But the biggest win of this past week was the double overtime thriller up the road in Dallas.

The Spurs and the Mavericks have always had battles throughout the years, and despite the Mavs not being the same 2006 NBA Finals team, they still give the Spurs trouble with their size, versatility and depth. 

It was impressive that the Spurs won a game no one would've criticized them for losing, but they also won in hostile territory. 

Amanda Robertson: Ginobili, Parker, and Duncan all dropping 20+ against our challengers, the Nuggets.

 

What area needs the most work? What are the team's biggest issues? 

Robert: The frontcourt production alongside Tim Duncan is the obvious area of concern. Do the Spurs have enough alongside Duncan to grind with the teams that beefed up their frontcourts to better handle—gasp—Duncan?

The Spurs recent history without David Robinson says yes.

The team won two titles since Robinson's retirement with Oberto, Nazr Mohammed, Rasho Nesterovic, and Fransisco Elson as key cogs in the forward-center rotation.

However, even with Matt Bonner's increased production, I am not convinced the team has enough down low to outmuscle four consecutive playoff opponents. 

Tiago Splitter's decision to stay in Europe still stings. He looks like the missing piece to this team becoming as deep at every position as the Lakers and the Celtics. I will give Kurt Thomas some benefit of the doubt after his injury. The Spurs need a lot more from him. 

Claudio: The frontcourt. Fabricio and Kurt have given us nothing. I'm still praying Ian Mahinmi improves down with the Austin Toros and can contribute somehow this season.

If not, we need to make a trade because as well as Matt has played, we won't sniff the Conference Finals with him starting.

We need a shot blocker. We can't have Tim swiping at stuff all the time and getting into foul trouble. Oberto and Thomas have turned into backups.

They are not worthy of starting. Our frontcourt will forever be the problem until a move is made.

Amanda: The second half of the game needs work. We get sloppy, lazy and make careless mistakes. Also, trusting Manu Ginobili too much. He's still not 100 percent, yet everyone seems to throw balls at him for big shots like he normally has when healthy. As we saw in our loss to Detroit, his stats were 4-11 and 1-6 from three-point land.

What player(s) deserve special recognition for their performances this week?

Robert: I was going to trumpet Matt Bonner and Michael Finley providing some unexpected offensive firepower. Then, Tim Duncan played his 999th and 1,000th career games, including the playoffs, and there was no way I could not recognize him for his imprint on the two victories.

He scored 10 points in the two overtimes in Dallas, and totaled 32 points and 14 rebounds. Then he jousted with Atlanta's collection of capable bigs, and tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Never take greatness obtained through luck for granted. The Spurs were the beneficiaries of dumb lottery ball luck in 1997, and fans owe every success since then to Duncan. He looks like the reason the Spurs can still compete for championships, every bit as dominant and smart as the day he first wore a San Antonio uniform.

Claudio: It's easy to pick Duncan, who is averaging 23 and 13 in December. But, I will go with good ol’ Matt Bonner. I used to cringe when I saw this kid in games last year. But, the confidence Pop seems to have in him, and how he finally understands the system, has done wonders for the Spurs.

In the month of December, he’s averaged close to 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 60 percent shooting from the field. No one expects Matt to be an inside force, but this type of production is better than anything else we are getting up front besides Duncan. If we can trade for a nice big and have Matt come off the bench, our bench with Mason, Hill, Bonner and Finley will rival the Lakers.

Amanda: Tony Parker. He has posted outstanding numbers for coming off an injury. In three games: 18 points, five assists; 22 points, eight assists; 17 points, eight assists. Not 55 points, but still great enough for Spurs fans to rejoice.

 

The Spurs drafted a guy from a little-known university who already looks like one of the 10 best picks from this draft. What do you think of George Hill thus far?

Robert: I know more about the place in Russia where Popovich says he might have sent Hill had his 2-25 summer leage clangfest continued than I did about this kid when David Stern called his name. 

I also trusted that Pop and R.C. Buford were not playing a cruel joke on the team's fans with the selection. I knew the Spurs had found another late round gem when summer league coach Mike Budenholzer threw Hill on rookie scoring machine Mayo in one of the Las Vegas games.

Though Hill missed all of his shots, he harangued Mayo into a 5-17 performance. I love his toughness, that he refuses to back down and the way he absorbs things like a sponge.

Against the Bulls at home a few weeks ago, Andres Nocioni clubbed him on a drive to the basket. Hill shrugged off the foul and did not accrue a technical.  

The next trip down the floor, he drove right at Nocioni and finished the three-point play. He has a lot of work to do—finishing more and-1's close to the basket, defending without falling for veteran fakes and other pro nuances. He will learn them. ESPN now ranks him fourth on its list of top rookies, ahead of Michael Beasley and Greg Oden.

Claudio: What more can I say about this kid? I wasn’t too sure about him when we drafted him, but I didn’t know much about him either. IUPUI? You could’ve given me a 100 chances and I wouldn’t have guessed it correctly.

I think he was a smart draft choice because we needed to spell Parker. Since the season began, he’s been a hard-nosed defender, solid pick and roll player, and steady 10-15 points per game scorer when Parker was out.

I think a lot of his success is due to Pop. For some reason, Pop is a god with point guards. I don’t think George would be this good somewhere else. Popovich is going to make this guy into an attractive free agent when his time comes.

Until then, we will continue to see more growth out of George and watch him make a hard push for All NBA Rookie 1st team.

Amanda: George Hill knows how to score, or he's relentless at least. He has those long, lanky arms perfect for rebounds and steals.

Though overshadowed by Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, and O.J. Mayo, Hill does fine playing back up to Tony Parker or filling in at SG. By the end of this season, I'm sure more than one team will wish they had grabbed this versatile player.

Describe your initial thoughts when Corey Maggette spurned the Spurs offer for a $50 million getaway in the Bay Area. With Maggette, there would be no Roger Mason and probably no Michael Finley.

Robert: When he opted to sign with Golden State instead of taking a pay cut to play for either Boston or San Antonio, that said a lot about his character.

He has thus far lived up to his selfish and defenseless reputation and stories out of the Bay Area suggest buyer’s remorse on the part of the Warriors.

Maggette was nailed to the bench at the end of Saturday's beat down, pouting after a 1-10 performance. Mason hit the clutch free throws, and a clutch technical shot, that sealed the win in Dallas. Finley hit three straight baskets that stymied an inspired Hawks rally from a double-digit deficit.

Claudio: My initial reaction to the Corey Maggette offer was that the Spurs had to save face somehow and get somewhat athletic after the old age started to show in the Hornets and Lakers series.

Corey was the best wing player available. Do I think Maggette would've fit in the Spurs system? Probably not.

He has a penchant to go 1-on-5. But, I still understood the move. When he decided to back out and sign with Golden State, I knew he was just a stat guy and was even happier we didn't pick him up.

Amanda: When I first heard the news, I was a bit astounded. Golden State isn't a playoff team, especially in the wild, wild West. But of course, today's game is about the cash not the title. Later in his career, I'd bet Maggette will beg to be traded to another team because he'll be old and ringless.

 

With that, how about Roger Mason, the Spurs spectacular Plan B?

Robert: Mason had been on my radar for two years as a player the Spurs should pick up. I was not convinced, however, after that five-game ouster against the Lakers that his signing would be enough.

Thanks, Roger, for making me look like an idiot.

He still ranks in the top five in three-point field goal percentage and already has 50-plus long-range bombs to his credit. He has shown the versatility to play positions one through three, and his selflessness makes him a dangerous weapon. He gives the Spurs another player the opposing defense must guard when Duncan, Parker, or Ginobili sit.

He knew the Spurs wanted Maggette first and accepted his second place status. When the Maggette pursuit flamed out, he milked the opportunity to play on a perennial contender and has been the ultimate teammate. He defends with tenacity, plays with intelligence and is impossible to root against.

Thank you, Roger. Thank you.

Claudio: I saw Mason at Oklahoma State and never understood how he could score. He wasn't the most athletic player in college, but he managed to get the job done.

I figured he wouldn't survive once he arrived in the NBA. I saw some of the Wizards games with him and he didn't show me much.

When we signed him, I figured it was better than nothing, but wasn't sure how he would produce for us. I guess I was wrong. Mason has been a godsend along with George Hill. After years of Buford, Pop struggling in free agency, and the draft since finding Tony and Manu, they showed us why they contributed to getting us four rings.

Amanda: Well besides the fact that he can explode for 30 when the mood suits him, I love his charisma and exuberance. He shows more perfect balance and sense of time than most four-year veterans do. He has excellent three-point shooting ability and plays like he has been with the Spurs all his life. Roger Mason is the real deal.

 

Look for the next edition mid-next week.