Back on December 4, I wrote the following,

When a team is playing well, it typically moves from lesser to greater certainty as the season progresses. All the big questions that lead the season find a satisfactory resolution in a sharp player rotation, efficient scoring, and a defense that can, at least, get the necessary stops that winning requires. Those things come together, [...]

Wayne Winston, who served as a statistical consultant to the Dallas Mavericks for the last nine years, and is the author of Mathletics, was kind enough to explore a handful of Spurs-related questions with me. Over the next few days I’ll put up a series of short posts detailing the more salient moments of our [...]

Last week we ran a series of features exploring three options for the Spurs: Make no move; make a minor roster move; and make a major roster move. There was supposed to be one more- a post arguing that we should make moves focused on future seasons- that for various reasons was never published. After [...]

For the first time this season, the Spurs look like a team that can consistently beat quality opponents.  Last night’s advanced box score tells the story in numbers, but the game also gave rise to a few developing trends. I’d like to use this recap to highlight this game’s place in that context.

With around 7 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Spurs found themselves ahead by 12. The previous play had featured a nice back-to-the-basket move by DeJuan Blair, and after Peja Stojakovic dribbled into a 16-foot spin-around fadeaway miss (not the shot the Hornets want Peja taking), Duncan secured the rebound and San Antonio was [...]

In today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, there’s a lengthy piece on hometown kid DeJuan Blair’s first few months in the NBA. It’s a good read and there are some fun details about Blair’s life outside basketball, like how he’s renting out Tony Parker’s old house and is a recurring dinner guest of the Parkers.

Well before the 2009 draft, I was talking on the phone with my brother from another mother, whose sensual voice you hear narrating the above video. At the time we both agreed that, behind Griffin, DeJuan Blair would be the second best big man in the entering rookie class. As of right now I’m feeling [...]

Ah yes, the second night of a back-to-back. In previous years, tonight would treat us to a game where the Spurs would show their age and wear down late in the contest. Sloppy plays would occur and fans would thank their lucky stars that there are no back-to-backs in the playoffs.
But since infusing some young [...]

DeJuan Blair started for the Spurs last night against the Los Angeles Lakers. He finished it too. In between? Nada.
Blair played the first five minutes of the game before being substituted for Antonio McDyess. He didn’t step on the floor again until there were just a couple of minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and [...]

Rob Mahoney of Two Man Game has written a piece for Hardwood Paroxysm about the difficultly of assigning positions to some players. Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair play prominently in the discussion.
I’m not saying that Duncan is a power forward, and I’m sure as hell not saying he’s a center. What I am saying is [...]

Yesterday I ran a piece that attempted to point out an obvious development that some have missed: Tim Duncan is playing very well this season. Some want to qualify this by saying Duncan is receiving less double-teams, to which my response is “so what?” and “is he really?” Honestly, I’m not sure that assertion is [...]

Thanks to the magic of Twitter, we needn’t worry about the condition of DeJuan Blair, who took a nasty fall in last night’s game. He tweets he’s fine.

The Spurs beat the Celtics on the boards 55-32. A plus 23 rebounding edge is usually enough to secure a victory, but not last night, and not against the Celtics.
The Spurs may have won the rebounding battle, but they lost in every other phase of play. The Celtics controlled the game from the outset.
“It’s a [...]

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Philadelphia 76es 97-89 last night, extending their winning streak to 5. The Spurs are now 9-6.
So far as winning streaks go, the current run is nothing to brag about. The Spurs have played 4 of 5 at home, beating Washington, Milwaukee, Golden State, Houston and Philadelphia. Prior to those [...]