Wow.  Incredible last couple of games by Manu, weren't they?  After re-watching his highlights from the Minnesota game, I finally figured out who Manu reminds me of and why we love him so much.  He's simply unguardable when he plays like this.  The brilliance of Manu is that no one, not even he himself, knows what's coming next.  Here's to Manu getting a contract extension that would make him a Spur for life.

The last time I posted was April 16th, what seems like eons ago, when I casually predicted an easy series victory over the Mavs...in 5 games. Yes, that was an idiotic prediction, even knowing full well that Manu was out and that Timmy was hobbled, and that we had no role players to speak of. Still, I was shocked at how easily the Mavs disposed of us...in 5 games! I sunk into a deep funk after that, quite sure that Pop and RC would persist in their silly ways of signing the most unathletic and unwanted role players out there and ignoring all those who criticized the Spurs as old and slow.

I perked up a bit when the Jefferson trade happened, smiled when I saw that Manu was going to be healthy for a change, thrilled when we signed McDyess and Ratliff, and became positively ecstatic when we drafted Blair. I obsessively followed every Spurs move, blog post, expert review, and player interview over the summer. By the time this evening came around, I had worked myself into a lather, eager to see my team in action and whether our revamped team would live up to some small percentage of the dizzying expectations of SpursNation. Lofty expectations can be tricky because anything short of meeting them can run the risk of depressing you.

What I did not expect, however, was that my expectations would be vastly exceeded by the Spurs' performance against the Hornets in Game 1.

That. was. a. damn. good. win.

Not perfect, but who the hell cares. 17 point win against a good team. All 12 players that suited up played, with 11 scoring. 6 players had double digits, and 3 more with 9 points. No one had to play for too long. Heck, the game was practically over mid-way through the second quarter. Some semblance of defense reappeared for the first time in years. Manu began looking his old self in the second half. Blair had a f&@king double-double. McDyess with those sweet jump shots. Bonner shooting the 3 with abandon. Mason shooting the 3 with abandon, even from nearly half-court. Finley looking perky out there. George Hill being efficient. Timmy being a rock out there. And Tony carving up the Hornets defense. And, Richard Jefferson slashing to the lane repeatedly and finding the open guy.

Yes, Jefferson. The first time he caught a pass from Tony and shot into the lane, I almost thought I was watching some other team. I got so used to seeing only Tony being able to do that and everyone else doing their pathetic impression of dribble penetration when they got the ball--I'm looking at you, Mace--that I forgot how much easier things get when people are athletically gifted and can break down a defense at will. The revelation to me was Jefferson's passing and setting up easy baskets...evidenced by the 5 assists, seemingly all to Blair.

Blair. Great positioning under the basket, and more importantly, fabulously soft hands. He is just a beast around the basket. He is still a rookie, though. Bad defensive footwork and far too much mindless swatting at the ball got him 5 fouls. Still, I was thrilled to see Pop playing him all those minutes. I don't care that he's 6-7, I think he can still guard the 4 or 5 positions if only because he is built like a refrigerator and no one will be able to dislodge him easily. Not one of those namby pamby energy efficient models either. I'm talking old school, all iron and steel hunks of metal refrigerators. He's just not quick enough to guard the SFs of this world.

McDyess reminded me how beautiful it is to have a big man that can rebound and score from 17 feet away. He's still got that sweet jump shot. His defensive rotations looked outstanding to me. It's just a matter of time before he supplants Bonner as the starting Center. I sure hope Pop is just bringing him along slowly. Because Bonner has no business playing Center. Anywhere, any league, any country. He is a pure shooter only. Like Mason.

Ah, Mace. Those one dribble, off balance 3 pointers are back. Except for the times when he dribbled more than once and forgot that he is not Tony Parker. Mace, listen to me. Thou shalt not drive to the basket. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not do anything but shoot.

Finally, Manu. You can tell that his spirit is willing but the body still needs conditioning. His signature flops to take charges looked awful. He almost took a full second after the initial contact to begin his flop. And as we all know, it has to be a seamless hit and flop for it to work. But, Manu looked awesome when he drove to the basket and broke several ankles along the way.

All said, a great start to the season. There are only 4 really top tier teams in the league this year: Lakers, Spurs, Celtics, and Magic, in that order. For now. The Cavs looked just awful both yesterday and today.

GO SPURS!!!!

1. Cancel out Josh Howard.  Howard will get his 25.  Mace has to put up close to 20.  Plus, Bowen and Udoka need to guard JH most of the game.  Neither Finley nor Mace can defend him.

2. Don't underestimate Kidd's shooting in the fourth quarter.  His shooting has improved this year and he is comfortable taking that shot when he's left wide open.  Don't leave him wide open to double anyone else late in the 4th.

3. True, these aren't the same Spurs without Manu.  But, the Mavs don't have Stack.  That to me is their biggest loss, because now they miss a clutch bench scorer.  I don't see how they can put up enough points to win the series.

4. Keep going to Timmeh, especially late in the game.  No Mav can guard him, least of all Damps.  They're talking up Brandon Bass and how he shut down Yao.  Yeah, that's because Houston usually forgets about feeding Yao late in the game, not because Bass is such a great defender.

5. Tony is unguardable, especially this year.  I think Manu's absence helps him remain aggressive.

6. Make Nowitzki work for his shots.  I'm talking to you, Gooden.

7. Mace needs to continue taking his leaning in shots from a million feet away.  Yeah, even that one where he steps on the 3 point line.  Just, for the love of God, don't drive to the basket.  Just don't do it.  You're no bloody good at layups.

Spurs in 5.  Because Howard's bum ankle will limit how much he can play and Pop will coach circles around Carlisle.

1. sigh.  Manu.
2. After watching the Spurs blow so many huge early leads, does anyone remember that our biggest problem used to be the slower-than-molasses starts?
3. Give credit to Bonner for playing defense with plenty of effort if not skill.  That's about all that can be said about that.
4. Gooden has some very nice scoring moves around the basket.  By around, I mean, within 7 feet. 
   
5. Gooden does not have any scoring moves from more than 7 feet away from the basket.
   
6. Parker is the best layup finisher ever.
7. We need Bowen's three point scoring to return so he stays out there a bit longer.
8. Missing person alert on George Hill.
9. Bonner needs to shoot more. 
   
10. sigh. Duncan.
11. Chris Paul's greatest trick is using his big butt to back into someone running his way and get the foul call.
12. I'm now at the point where I would prefer we just focus on not allowing opponents to score.  Screw this shit.  Losing 55-45 suits me just fine.  There is no silver lining in a 102-97 loss.  How about a lineup of Duncan, Thomas, Bowen, Hill, Parker.  TD and TP ought to be good for 50 points between them.  Might be able to get 15 from the others.  Oh, and no substitutions.  Well, maybe Udoka in for Parker.
13. Who is this Mahinmi guy and why are we taking him around the country?
14. Roger Mason is quite possibly the worst layup finisher in the history of basketball.  I'm pretty sure I've seen assorted grandmas blocking his fastbreak "layup" in game after game.  His 3 point shooting, though, is just beautiful.  Even if he goes through some rough spells, he has my blessing to shoot a million of them.  Just don't drive to the basket, for the love of God.  Shoot from half court if you have to.
    

Some thoughts after watching the "game" against the Clips:

1. Manu is back...sweet Jesus...7 assists, including a nice behind the back zip to TP for a baseline three.

2. The Manu+Gooden second unit could turn out to be something nice.  Especially with the double pick and rolls to set Gooden free.

3. Wassup with Udoka?  I like his play, but he runs like he has broken glass in his shoes.  No speed whatsoever.  And he can't close out shooters.  Almost as bad as Fin at times.

4. Mace is a turdover in waiting.  And I thought Gooden was going to be the weakest mental link.  Mace, my friend, your passing out of the pick and roll is predictable. I can see it about to happen before you actually decide to pass.  And if I can see it...

5. Hill needs to work with Chip Engelland on his jump shot.

6. Gooden is a great rebounder.  Today, he decided to wait that extra moment before passing the ball after grabbing the reb...wise choice...make sure you don't undo your good work by promptly throwing it away.  I suspect Pop may have had something to say about it after the last game.

7. Mason, dear, not to pick on you, but when TP goes to the trouble of running twenty circles around defenders trying to get free, you need to pass the ball a split second before he rounds the corner so he can catch and shoot.  Giving him the ball after he gets to the corner does him no bloody good because his defender would have gotten there by then.

8. Mason, my friend, I love what you bring to the Spurs, but, for the love of God, make up your mind...take a step back and shoot a three, or take several steps forward for a 17 footer.  Ditch this stupid habit of shooting with one foot on the 3 point line.  Just stop it.

9. The Clippers are NY Knicks-West.

10. I wonder whom Sterling yelled at tonight in the Clips locker room.

11. Hope Fab will be ok.

12. Vaughn will be an assistant coach next year.