El Conclusión: San Antonio Spurs 101, Dallas Mavericks 100

Took a while to get his feet under him offensively, but he looked like the same ol’ Timmy D to the naked eye. Of course, we’re all waiting to see whether things have changed from mid-range after a miserable shooting performance in 2013-14; tonight, eight of his 10 shots came from inside the paint, and the other two — both makes — came from about 10 feet on the left baseline. On top of that, the 13 boards in 30 minutes give you a good idea of how he’s feeling physically, and he hit a few big shots down the stretch. Good start for the 38-year-old.

Matty was the only Spur who didn’t log a single start during the regular season last year, but he got the start in the 2014-15 opener with Tiago Splitter nursing a sore calf. San Antonio played well defensively while he was in the game, but Bonner was completely ineffective in this one. But, as it normally is with rhythm guys, he’s gonna need a little time to warm up.

Parker looked fresh. This wasn’t beautiful basketball by any stretch, as most looked fairly sloppy, but Tony was probably the best player on the court in this one. His four 3-pointers were the most he’s hit in a game since April of 2004, and he’s never gone 4-for-4 from deep in his career. His last 3-pointer came with 1:07 remaining in the game with the Spurs down two points, and it proved to be the game-winner.

Just picking up where he left off. He didn’t have that automatic stroke going necessarily, but he hit the first shot of the season with a pull-up jumper, and his final 3-pointer put the Spurs up by seven points with 3:27 remaining. Green is obviously better as Leonard’s running mate on the wing, but it’s clearly looking like another year of 3-point barrages for the San Antonio sharpshooter.

I thought Belinelli was really smooth on both sides of the ball. It’s just one game, but he seemed to have a better grasp on what the Spurs want to do both ways, which is impressive considering how quickly he caught on last year. As it is with most players who come to San Antonio, Marco might be looking at an even more efficient second season.

With Splitter out, the big man saw 18 minutes of action. Signed to a new contract in the offseason, Baynes will likely have a larger role this season. He had a few moments, but was generally just a guy out there. He wasn’t a negative, though, and that’s all you can ask at this point.

Boris was sloppy and a little rusty, but man he abused Dirk on several different occasions off the dribble and did his usual filling of the box score. It’s only one game, but Bobo didn’t seem indifferent after signing a nice, lucrative contract. Nonchalant, yes, but that’s just Diaw. Hopefully Dirk’s ankles are OK tho. Honestly man, this guy is such a good player.

There’s nothing spectacular about Cory Joseph, but if he plays good defense, runs the offense, and hits the occasional shot, he’ll be everything the Spurs need while Patty Mills rehabs. Cory hit three of his four shots and boasted the team’s best net rating in 17 minutes. That’s cool with me.

Manu had a terrible offseason, then showed that basically means poo-ish. That fall-away 3-pointer was classic, and the guy found his way to the basket like he always have. Again, it’s opening night, and these dudes need to find their footing, but what am I talking about here? 20 points in 28 minutes for the 37-year-old…yeah he’s alright. The Spurs were 25.3 points better per 100 possessions when he was on the floor.

WHYYYYYYYYY????? Ahhh, we’ll see him soon.

Not only is the beard amazing, but those shots of Pop on the bench, surrounded by Ettore Messina, Ime Udoka, Jim Boylen, Becky Hammon, Chip Engelland, and Chad Forcier, looked more like scenes from a gangster flick in the back room of a smoky bar than a shot of an NBA coaching staff.