Truth is a slippery fish. We have a strong desire to pin things down with understandable chunks of information. We want to give things a name to neatly define what they are. But things are complicated. We may not like it, but that's just the way the world is. Why is Europe's economy on the brink? Why did my girlfriend dump me? Why do Adam Sandler movies do so well at the box office? These important questions all require rather complex answers, but we usually feel much more comfortable with simple answers, smoking guns.

Why are the Spurs so good? I have read plenty of smoking guns on that one. It seems that lately everyone has their pet theory. Like any overly-simplified answer, there is an element of truth in each of them, but there really is no easy answer to that question. Like most really good things, the Spurs are kind of complicated.

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San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Clippers

Game 1, AT&T Center
May 15, 2012, 8:30 Spurs Time
TV: TNT - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

So let me get this straight: there is a game tonight? An honest to goodness game? And the Spurs are playing in it? Am I dreaming? I'm not? Awesome! No more debates about who we prefer the Spurs' opponents be! No more watching lackluster Eastern Conference offenses that are really and truly offensive! No more hanging around on loser threads and making lists of top ten movies just to pass the time!

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I recall him at last season's end
Reluctantly leaving the floor,
His shoulders slumped in final defeat,
His silent fans contemplating retreat,
Another inglorious campaign complete
Like so many others before.
Five years with a champion's heart pounding strong
Without earning a championship more.

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San Antonio Spurs @ Golden State Warriors

ORACLE Arena
April 26, 2012, 9:30 Spurs Time
TV: TNT - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

Well, this has been an interesting regular season, hasn't it? It draws to a close tonight in Oakland. Many of us may have a hard time focusing on this game without peeking ahead to the first round of the playoffs. But somehow I feel that the Spurs themselves will not be looking ahead, or behind. They have shown a remarkable ability over the course of this season, and particularly over the last month, to approach each game with a great deal of focus. They don't seem to get too rattled by the score, the opponent, the standings, who is sitting this one out, who is starting. They also don't seem at all worried about some freak accident altering their destiny. They just go about their business, calmly eviscerating another team before heading back to the locker room for cookies and milk.

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San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Lakers

AT&T Center
April 20, 2012, 8:30 Spurs Time
TV: KENS, ESPN - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

So stop me if you've read this one before, will you? I'm not sure what else there is to say about Spurs versus Lakers, except that it's happened an awful lot lately. I know they say familiarity breeds contempt, but we pretty much already have contempt for the Lakers, so this scheduling is rather over doing it, if you ask me.

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San Antonio Spurs @ Utah Jazz

EnergySolutions Arena
April 9, 2012, 8:00 Spurs Time
TV: Fox SW - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

Ha, ha, what a cush write-up this is going to be, I thought to myself. Heck, I can just copy and paste Joe deLarios' awesome preview from Sunday, slap my name on it, pour myself a cup of Joe, call it a night. Those dang PtR readers are so blissed-out on Spurs giddiness right now, Kool-Aid practically seeping from their sweat glands. They aren't going to remember what they read twenty-four hours ago!

Well, there is that whole integrity thing to consider. Self respect, honesty, blah, blah, blah. Yeah. And on second thought, my pal Joe basically said all the good stuff yesterday, leaving me grasping for something, anything, to say about this second meeting with the Jazz in two days. Joe. I thought we were friends, bro.

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San Antonio Spurs @ Boston Celtics

TD Garden
April 4, 2112, 7:30 Spurs Time
TV: FOX SW - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

Tonight the Spurs will face one of their toughest recent tests, as they play on the road on the second night of a back-to-back against a rested Celtics team that is surging at just the right time of the season. Folks who have written off the Celtics as too old are about as numerous as those who have written off the Spurs, but anybody who watched this Boston team spank the Heat the other day in front of a jubilant Garden crowd knows this will be a tough team to reckon with. Never mind that they were missing one of their big four, sharpshooter and longtime Spurs friend Ray Allen. Boston has had a lot of injury issues this season, but Doc Rivers and his savvy veterans, especially Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo, have fought through and are currently sitting at fourth place in the Eastern Conference, on a five game winning streak and winners of seven of their last ten. And unlike the Bulls, Heat, and Magic, these Celtics have been to the mountaintop and actually, you know, won a title. The Celtics know how to get the job done when games really start to matter.

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San Antonio Spurs @ Sacramento Kings

Power Balance Pavilion
March 28, 2012, 9:00 Spurs Time
TV: Fox SW, NBATV - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

I had a rather strange feeling of deja vu last week at the Minnesota game watching the Spurs take the floor with Stephen Jackson on the wing. A lot has happened in eight years, Lord knows I myself have gone through numerous changes along with the rest of the world, yet here before my eyes was nearly the same team as the one that closed out that championship season. Same coach, same players, same arena. Weird. They didn't really look any older, either. Jackson captured the sentiment quite well a couple of days later, sounding like a prodigal son who has found his way home again, and openly appreciating the unchanging nature of the Spurs franchise. I bring this up now because I am trying very hard not to take all that for granted. I'm trying to remember how rare that is, nearly unheard of. If you don't believe me, look no further than the Sacramento Kings. Ten years ago, the Kings were a whisker away from representing the West in the NBA Finals. They had a loaded roster, one of the best coaches in the business, raucous fans, fun-loving young owners. What more could a small market team want? The Kings were on the brink.

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San Antonio Spurs vs Minnesota Timberwolves

AT&T Center
March 20, 7:30 Spurs Time
TV: Fox SW - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

Tonight the Spurs franchise honors one of its greatest, as they raise Bruce Bowen's number 12 into the AT&T Center rafters. Mrs. quincyscott and yours truly will be there in person on a rare date, the rareness of which you will only understand, dear reader, if you have very small children crawling around your home. We will enjoy this game and the ceremony, and try to resist calling the babysitter every fifteen minutes. For their part, the Minnesota Timberwolves would love to spoil those festivities, just as they did two days ago on the night Golden State chose to honor one of its greats, Chris Mullen. Not that Rick Adelman's team really needs any extra incentive to get up for this game. With a month or so left in the season, the Wolves are on the outside of the playoffs looking in, and every game becomes a must win for them. Having already won their first two games with the Spurs, and coming off a close victory Monday night, Minny should be both hungry and confident tonight.

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San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets

AT&T Center
March 4, 2012, 8:30 Spurs Time
TV: Fox SW, ESPN - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

I never have been a George Karl fan, but I am starting to come around on that. Sure, he has a grating sideline personality, but many coaches do. It's best to look past such things and focus on what his teams actually do, how they play and interact with each other, how they grow under his guidance. I am not fond of the frenetic style of play of Karl's teams, but my goodness, they play. Karl routinely puts a team on the floor that is energetic, full of confidence and optimism regardless of the score, and just hard to beat. This I admire. He's done it for a long time, and he's done it everywhere he goes. Hats off, George Karl.

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San Antonio Spurs @ Portland Trail Blazers

Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
February 21, 2012, 8:00 Spurs Time
TV: Fox Southwest - RADIO: 1200 WOAI

Well some people are breathing sighs of relief that Manu isn't hurt too badly, and other folks are sighing with worry over the fate of Tiago. To be fair, there are some who sigh no matter what Tiago does, so this may have nothing to do with his calf and everything to do with the sparkles. Two weeks without those two may feel like an eternity. This is a tough stretch, no doubt about it. The Spurs are on the road, homesick, short-handed, facing some very good teams. Would I rather our Spurs were 100% healthy? You bet. On the other hand, I think every team in the league has had to deal with the injury issue. And I guarantee I know one group of fans that will not be shedding any tears for the Spurs' injury problems. Of all teams, the Portland Trailblazers don't want to hear it, and I don't blame them. That's a long-suffering set of fans over in Oregon, and my hat's off to them. The Blazers are always a tough and worthy opponent. So let's get it on!

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San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies

FedExForum
February 6, 2012, 7:00 Spurs Time
TV: Fox Southwest - RADIO: 1200 WOAI

OK kids, so this here is the part of the Venn diagram where the big red LWM circle overlaps the little green RRT circle, forming a brownish, non-symmetric lens of maximum difficulty. Now, while circle RRT is of a fixed and known size, the exact circumference of circle LWM is somewhat hypothetical. Conceivably, the overlap could transform into a full circle as RRT becomes entirely engulfed by LWM. Pity the thought, because the Spurs have certainly struggled away from home this season, and this month's road odyssey is by no means a cakewalk. Of the nine games, six are against very tough opponents. If there were ever a point in the season that it would be ideal for Manu Ginobili to return, this would probably be it. Are the Spurs ready to do this thing without him?

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San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks

American Airlines Center
January 29, 2012, 5:30 Spurs Time
TV: ESPN - RADIO: 1200 WOAI, 1350 KCOR

On the road again, but not too far from home, today the Spurs visit the defending champion Dallas Mavericks.

There, that wasn't so bad to read, was it? That last part of the sentence took me a while to type, but once I did it, I discovered that the ground did not swallow me up and the earth continued right on rotating as if everything were normal. Who would have thought?

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San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat

AmericanAirlines Arena
January 17, 2012, 6:30 Spurs Time
TV: Fox Sports SW, NBATV - RADIO: WOAI

These are interesting days to be a Spurs fan, people. What with the compressed season, dealing with injuries like just about every other NBA squad, a youth movement, and various members of the Big Three giving us stunning reprises of their glorious prime selves, this is by no means boring. The season has been full of surprises so far, which is perhaps what we should have expected for the season that almost wasn't. Tonight the boys in black roll into Miami, and face a dangerous Heat team that is the odds on favorite to win it all this season, only right now they are not exactly dominating the competition. The Heat have an injury bug themselves, and have (Surprise!) lost three straight games. What gives?

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San Antonio Spurs vs Denver Nuggets

AT&T Center
January 7, 2012, 7:30 Spurs Time
TV: Fox Sports SW - RADIO: WOAI

Well it was oh so nice for the NBA schedulers to give the Spurs a night off, don't you think? It must have felt like a mini vacation. I hope the boys in black got their beauty sleep, because tonight begins a pretty challenging weekend, hosting the Nuggets tonight and then visiting the Thunder less than twenty-four hours later. These are definitely the two toughest games of the LWM so far. Should be loads of fun. Let's get to it, shall we?

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San Antonio Spurs @ Houston Rockets

Toyota Center
December 29, 2011 7:00 Spurs Time
TV: Fox SW - RADIO: 1200 WOAI

So here we are, the tail end of the first of many back-to-backs. And the opponent is pretty darn familiar already. Let's take a moment to remember what a very different opponent this almost was before Houston, along with the Lakers and NOLA, got Sterned. I still think that that original deal was a good one, one that benefited all teams. Don't get me wrong, I have no interest in seeing Dwight Howard and Chris Paul in a Laker uniform together, but still. Houston would have been a very different squad with the acquisition of Pau Gasol, no?

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photo by Bartosz Krzewinski

We open on a vast expanse and pan across miles and miles of ice and snow: exterior shot of the North Pole. It seems to be either dawn or dusk, and there is not a living thing in sight. The pan continues for a reveal of Jim's Coffee Shop, a smallish exterior with most of the structure underground. There is a neon sign that proudly states "24 hours" and a smaller, hand painted sign with the addendum "Open 364 days a year, closed on Dec 26th for private party."

As the shot nears the restaurant, a large group of figures can be seen around a humongous table (or maybe several tables that have been pushed together) and we can begin to discern voices; one in particular. It is an aged voice, full of both energy and cynicism.

SFX: The camera seems to pass through the window, and we are now inside Jim's Coffee Shop, joining a meal, and a conversation that's been going on for quite a while. We can't see everyone present, but we do hear the main voice continuing his diatribe.

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Anger, Angst, and Attitude

So, here we go.  Good feelings gone.  Let's just start with some tunes to sum up the suckitude.

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Have you ever seen the movie Let it Be, the documentary about that Beatles album? It's ok if you haven't; it's pretty hard to find, and the surviving Beatles have chosen not to release it on DVD. That's probably just as well, because it's kind of a depressing movie if you're a Beatles fan. Everyone is getting pretty long in the tooth for a rock and roll band. None of the boyish enthusiasm of Hard Day's Night or Help! anywhere to be seen. It looks like real drudgery. They are all cranky with each other, brooding, and the sessions are a struggle. Nobody seems to be in sync. If you listen to the entire album today, you're likely to enjoy a hit or two, but find that many of the songs are uneven and forgettable. When it was recorded, nobody in the group was pleased with the results, and the project was shelved; perhaps never to be released. At that moment, the Beatles were out of gas. They had stopped doing live performances, they seemed to be falling apart, and they were making second-rate music. Most fans, journalists, and maybe even The Beatles themselves, believed the band was finished.

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Oh Maverick, why do I hate thee so? Looking objectively over this intense set of feelings I harbor about you, I have to admit that this animosity is not entirely... rational. Maybe making a little list and examining each entry can help me enter a more enlightened place when it comes to the Mavs. Clarify some things. Won’t you join me? This may be good for both of us.

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Well, looks like I am one of the lucky few to recap a Spurs loss this fine season.  A rather successful road trip ended on a sour note.  This really isn’t a game I care to relive, but I will do my best, fellow Pounders.  My three year old crawled out of bed and sat in my lap for the last minute and thirty-seven seconds of this one, and helped me realize that things just aren’t that bad, life goes on, etc.  Thanks, AJ.

I took notes on stuff I noticed as the game went along.  But somewhere late in the third quarter I ate my pencil, so things get a little iffy after that.

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Here we go.  Three weeks of @ signs for the boys in black.  After a nice one game home stand and a classic Yeehaw teaser, complete with crooning and wayback photoshopping, it's time to actually kick off this year's Rodeo Road Trip.  What to expect this year? Honestly, who knows?  This has traditionally been the turning point for a lot of Spurs seasons, when the boys finally start getting their act together.  This season?  If you are like me, you long ago gave up making any predictions about these Spurs.  I'm just enjoying all the surprises and taking each game as it comes.  Let's get to it, Spurs fans!

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The other day, I sat down and made myself watch the replay of the last Knicks, Spurs game.  This was not a fun exercise, for some reason.  Amidst the carnage of the last really bad game the Spurs have played, I started thinking about how pretty that court is.  Do they film Knicks games through some special lens that evokes nostalgia in the TV audience?  Perhaps this magical lens is ground from unicorn horn, polished with the sweat of Willis Reed.  You have to admit that there is a certain glow about Madison Square Garden, all the more so now that so many of the classic old arenas have been replaced by fancy new, corporatized, skybox-studded, glam domes.  

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think the Spurs have a great home.  Beats the heck out of watching a basketball game in the cavernous Alamodome.  Giant Blue Curtain, I do not miss thee.  By all accounts the team loves working and playing at AT&T Center, and it’s a great place to watch a game, take the family.  All the same, I do have a soft spot for the old Hemisfair Arena.  Sure, you had a pretty good chance of sitting behind a concrete pillar that blocked out half the court.  Maybe it was something of an eyesore, and it wasn’t lit all that well.  But there was an intimacy about Hemisfair that’s hard for a more modern facility to recapture.  And there was history.  That’s where the San Antonio Spurs began.  Where Gervin, Silas, and a young Robinson roamed.  Where the Baseline Bums were at their rowdiest.  That’s why, as wonderful as the Spurs home is, it’s  a shame that Hemisfair no longer exists.  It would be awesome to still feel the echoes of those bygone teams.

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