Sit back and enjoy some photos and some snarky comments from games 1 and 2 while you wait for tonight's game.

Here's a cool shot of the commandos coming down from the ceiling on the Go Spurs Go banners. This likely wasn't shown on TV.

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A few random photos from games 1 and 2 for you to enjoy while we wait for game 3. Let's begin with Chris Paul and Manu facing each other down on the court. The level of concentration is high, very high.

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I put together an album of Manu photos from this season for @InfoManu, and thought some of you might enjoy them, too. Some made it onto PTR in various albums, but many did not. The site, @InfoManu, is on both Facebook and Twitter, and is done by four of us, three from Argentina and me. Follow us!

View the whole album here: Exclusive Manu Photos Enjoy them while we wait for Tuesday's game.

There's no time like Playoffs time at the AT&T Center. People settle into their seats earlier. They are on their feet for introductions. Crazy costumes abound, faces are painted, and more signs are seen in the stands. Hearts are lighter, and voices are louder. And the old building gets spruced up with some new wall decor on the outside. The first part of this post takes you on a tour of the outside banners; the second part has a few photos from game 2. For more pics of the first two playoff games, check these albums: Game 1 and Game 2

Flying over the parking lot, suspended from a tall crane, is a GO, SPURS, GO flag.

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Voting will end on May 25, so keep on pounding the rock until then. This afternoon a new French photo surged from 6th to 2nd place. I had been keeping an eye on him for the past week. Let's give him a good Pounding this evening. Over the past few days the other Frenchman has been slowly narrowing the gap by about 800 votes so keep those votes coming - he managed a 700-vote day early in the voting to surge into the lead. Thanks so much, Pounders! Just click on the link (Janieannie's pic), mouse over the photo, and click +1 to vote. Janieannie's pic

The crowd at the AT&T Center settled in their seats earlier than usual for this game. After the humiliation suffered at the hands of the Lakers in the previous matchup in San Antonio, the fans wanted their revenge. The decisive win over LA at Staples Center on Tuesday fueled the fire. The Coyote, attired in a suit and tie after announcing on the lighthouse that he was running for President, exhorted the crowd to get even louder (and with a sizable Lakers crowd on hand, louder was definitely needed).

Kudos to whomever does the Coyote's costumes.

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In the short time between games, I have only 2 pics and one great story from the first of two against the Jazz. And I'm also asking for 2 seconds of your time again to vote for my pic in FIBA's contest. Click on the link JanieAnnie's photo, mouse over my pic and click +1.

How much does Stephen Jackson love being back in San Antonio? Here's your answer:

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The Spurs rolled over the Hornets last night: season high 128 points, 72 points in the first half, 82 points scored by the bench. The Spurs also had 5 guys from the bench in double figures, and 19 points was the most points scored by any Spur in a balanced attack (you'd expect someone to have 20 or more in a game with 128 points) To find out what $11,000 has to do with anything, you'll have to read the post!

Oh, one more number: 2 - just a little one. For 2 seconds. For 2 clicks. That's how long and how much effort it takes to vote for my photo in FIBA's photo contest. Click on the link JanieAnnie's photo, mouse over the photo, and click on the +1. Let's catch those French pro sports photographers! Vote every day from now until May 25.

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Both the Spurs and the Pacers were wearing throwback jerseys from their days in the old ABA. Seeing my Spurs in red, white and blue took some adjusting, but I liked the Pacer's bright blue uniforms. One bit of trivia to come out was that the Spurs were briefly known as the Gunslingers before the investor group settled on Spurs - Put THAT on the front of a jersey! BTW, if you like this jersey, it can be yours from the NBA's site for around $90.

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Click on this link - FIBA Photo Contest and mouse over my photo - click on the +1 to vote.I've updated the link to take you directly to my photo. It take 2 clicks to vote! It's now a matter of national pride! Mine is the only non-French photo with a chance of winning, and all those French photos were taken by noted professional sports photographers in France. Let's win one for the amateurs! Voting continues until May 25, so I'm hoping to wear him down.

During the Bruce Bowen retirement ceremony, this image was projected on the lighthouse in the arena: Robinson, Duncan, Parker, & Ginobili. I'm only sorry I wasn't in an area where I could have gotten this shot from ground level with my camera.

I've entered a photo (my avatar for PTR) in a photo contest sponsored by FIBA. If I get the most votes, I win a Tissot watch. Look for the photo here: FIBA Photo Contest: Basketball is Everywhere, and give me a vote. Click on Gallery, then on Most Voted, and scroll through until you see it. Click on the +1 to vote. You can vote once every 24 hours - voting continues for about six weeks I think.

The hand in the photo belongs to Cody Doolin, who was then the point guard for the Westlake HS basketball team. I convinced him to get in the bottom of an empty ball cart and then piled the balls on top of him. He was giggling the whole time. Cody is now the starting point guard for the University of San Francisco Dons.

Not much to say here, but I did get a few good pics in the Clippers game. Let's start with another pretty dunk by Timmy - not the rattle-the-rim, hang-on-for-dramatics for which Griffin is known, but effective and crowd pleasing nonetheless.

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Well, actually it was the first quarter and 2/3 of the second quarter before the Spurs woke from their slumber to go on a 21 - 9 run and close a 16 point deficit to 4 at the end of the first half. But I'll leave the game analysis to Matt and others. Here's a few photos from the night of Manu's return to the AT&T Center floor after more than two months of being MIA.

I didn't get a shot of Timmy dunking tonight, but instead got his block of Faried, definitely clean, with some help from Bonner.

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It felt good to be back in the arena, and the atmosphere was like a playoff game. The Spurs fans were ready to cheer, and they were only encouraged further by the very large and vocal contingent of Bulls fans. I'm not sure I've ever heard that much noise from a visiting fan base, including when the Mavs or Rockets come to town. All traces of the rodeo were gone inside the arena - the air was fresh and breathable. The only patch of turf with rodeo remains was the media parking lot, which had been covered with a foot of hay and served as a feed lot for cattle.

Tim Duncan took a while to get going in this one, but he did throw down a couple of pretty dunks - nothing as athletic as Blake Griffin - but they brought the crowd to its feet nonetheless.

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Manu wrote a new column for the Argentine newspaper La Nacion in which he talks about returning from his injury. Here's a translation, with a tip of the hat to Latin D for his assistance.

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In honor of Manu's imminent return, here's a comic look at the contrasting fashion of TJ Ford and Manu as they sat together behind the bench. TJ started off rockin' the suit and tie, but as time has progressed he has come around the Manu's casual chic look. Here's my six-frame take on what was said the first night they sat together: Manu in black velveteen sport coat, jeans, and open-collared shirt, and TJ in a light brown suit with coordinating shirt and tie.

Be sure to read how this all worked out on the Road Trip at the end of the post.

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There wasn't much to see last night, but one picture begged for a caption. After Pop's very animated night on Wednesday, he was only slightly more subdued in his actions, but still as intense with his words. I had several pictures of the Silver Dancers in a really, really tacky outfit of white shorts with black chaps over them, but, sorry, no pics of cheerleaders on PTR - just use your imaginations. (You have to click on the title to see the full picture - not sure what happened with the editing program for SB Nation.)

I sat behind the Spurs bench tonight, not the best place to view a game if you're only 5'2" tall and a certain 6'6" shooting guard is sitting in front of you (on a three inch cushion), but I wanted to post just a few quick pics. The first is for all you fans of Matt Bonner as he grabs a crucial rebound late in the game, on his way to a team high 10 for the night.

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With games coming so fast and furious and the front page so full of stories, it's been counterproductive to do any photo posts lately, but this photo taken of Tim's knee brace during shootaround Wednesday should be of interest.

During games the brace is covered with a sleeve, so you would not see this unless you were in the AT&T Center around two hours before game time. I have watched him warmup other times this season and never noticed it, so it may be new. It reminds me of the skeleton shoes he wore early last season.

Basquet Plus, from Argentina, Interviewed Manu before the game in Miami. Here's what he had to say, translated by FIBA's website:

Manu's photo of his hand, taken Jan. 19 - from @manuginobili

[Editor's note: Picture of the hand, and comments from Manu follow.]

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Tony and the MOB you ask? Men Off the Bench, my new name for the young 'uns who came in and played the roles of heroes at various times during this one. Tiago gets the nod as the man most likely to wear the Supermanu cape in this game - 5 of 5 shooting, 4 of 7 free throws - and 9 of his points came near the end of the third quarter when the game seemed to be slipping away from the Spurs.

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No snarky captions from the Nuggets game, just some pics of pretty shots by various Spurs.

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