Game Preview: Spurs @ Heat

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Sitting at 6-1 since February ended, the Spurs have escaped the Ides of March in relatively good shape. Now if they can just survive the rest of the month.

If the month so far has been a confidence building warmup, tonight marks the beginning of a hellish stretch run that pits the Spurs in 12 games against playoff teams, five sets of back-to-backs, and the only remaining two home stands a Lakers/Cavaliers, Rockets/Magic treat.

Fortunately, the Spurs have been quietly working their way into shape.

“Our last month has been our best basketball, I have a better idea who should be on the floor and a better idea who plays well with each other,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Turnovers are down, we’re shooting better and more people are playing well.”

As simplistic as it might seem, a better idea of “who plays well with each other” lately would be Manu Ginobili with anyone else. Especially Richard Jefferson (via the Express-News):

When it comes down to it, Richard Jefferson doesn’t care if he starts or comes off the bench for the Spurs.

His only request of coach Gregg Popovich: As much time alongside Manu Ginobili as possible, please.

“I think Pop is still trying to find that magic, to get everybody on the same page,” Jefferson said before Monday’s practice at AmericanAirlines Arena. “Playing with Manu definitely helps.”

Having rejoined the ranks of elite shooting guards, tonight Ginobili faces off against one whose game closely resembles his own. Dwyane Wade is a frenetic do-it-all guard whose nose for contact often raises questions of durability.

The similarities don’t end there. Both are free agents after this season and both are leading 7th-seeded playoff teams hoping to put together one more run at final playoff positioning after rough starts (via ESPN.com).

“Coming out of the All-Star break we expected to go on a run,” Dwyane Wade told the Heat’s official Web site. “We looked at our schedule and we understood that the toughest part was behind us.”

As noted earlier, the Spurs don’t share that luxury. It will be tough road ahead and while the Spurs have shown signs of putting things together, it’s not been the first time it has appeared so this season.

“We don’t get excited about playing well or playing badly, we just try to figure out what we have to do to get better and things that have to be improved and keep our focus on that,” Popovich said. “And in the end, whatever we are, we are.”

  • OneWing

    For those outside of San Antonio, this game appears to be an NBA TV exclusive. So as much as I really, really want to watch this game, I don’t think I’m gonna get the chance.

  • Gary

    Long live the streams

  • John

    I posted this a couple of days ago in the Garrett Temple thread, but it looks more appropriate here:

    Now we get to the teeth of our schedule. If we can go 4-3 in our remaining games against Cleveland, the Lakers, Orlando, Denver, and Dallas, I would be ecstatic. Tough games still to come against Boston, Atlanta, OKC and Phoenix, too, and I feel like we’ve really got to go 3-1 or 4-0 in those games to restore any confidence that we might be able to hang with the other contenders come playoff time.

    The interesting thing is, how high do we want to climb? 5th (or even maybe 4th) seed means we probably get Utah, a team that swept us this year, and then the Lakers in the 2nd round. Dallas and Denver look like no picnic, but I’d rather take my chances with them and give us a little more time to work Tony back into the rotation before we (hopefully) get to play the Lakers. The honest truth is that we probably still have a hard time making it out of the first round at all, but assuming our goal is to still win a title at this point, it looks like the 6-7 seeds is where we want to be.

    Hollinger’s little machine says we’re the 4th best team in the league right now. That’s probably grossly overstating our case and obviously doesn’t completely take into account a certain All-NBA PG that we’re missing, maybe we’re better than our record reflects. In any case, I’m sure Timmy isn’t interested in just competing for the second round at this point in his career, so we might as well keep our eyes set on the big prize, regardless of what our odds look like right now.

  • Phoebus

    agreed, the 6 or 7 seed, even if it means “losing ground” down the stretch, is the best position for the spurs come May. Timmy and Parker still probably have a lot to take out on the Mavs from the ’06 and ’09 playoffs, and the Nuggets are led more by Billups than Karl. Which is to say Pop becomes a larger advantage than usual.

    Better to see the Lakers late, even though facing the Spurs is probably all the motivation Kobe needs. Though if the Spurs are even in the WCF, its a far different team than now.

  • Mr. Anonymous

    …Random question: is Graydon dead?

    I swear he hasn’t wrote an article in aaagggeees.

    And, the world is ending. Manu/TD are 1-8. And we’re winning. Somehow. Because of RJ. It can’t last.

  • VP of Common Sense

    These Los Spurs guys are pretty good…

    Much better than those crappy Spurs we use to have.

  • VP of Common Sense

    Rogelio Mason is sabotaging Los Spurs..

  • idahospur

    I don’t think there is a team in this conference I want to face come playoffs, just a few teams I would like to beat. The team is playing well, and winning more than losing, which should build momentum. Personally, I would rather take on Lakers before WCF, the refs will be giving them the title at that point. I’m also sure the league wants a Lebron/Kobe Finals.

  • Greyberger

    The playoffs in the west will be pure brutality this year and the only seeding I’d root for would be against Portland… and they appear to be destined for the 8th seed and a whupping by the Lakers.

    Utah, OKC, Dallas, Denver – pick your poison! We all have our prejudices and opinions about which team would be easier or the better match-up (I’d face the Suns, myself) but I think we’d all agree that the competition will be stiff in all three western rounds.

    As for the Lakers, I suppose it’d be better to meet them in round 2 or the WCF for the sake of getting Tony back into the swing of things. We’ll certainly need him in top form to beat LA.

  • Bushka

    “Rogelio Mason is sabotaging Los Spurs..”

    golden

  • idahospur

    The man needed to take this team to the Finals is Manu. He plays well, this team wins. Everyone else gets their job done when Manu dominates.

  • John

    I’m just shaking my head that SPURS fans are suggesting that the refs are in on a big pro-LA conspiracy when our titles exhibits A, B, C, and D on why it’s not rigged. Also, they wanted Kobe-LeBron last year–even planned their whole marketing plan around them–and it didn’t happen. Sure Kobe gets his share of superstar calls, but cmon.

  • DieHardSpur

    The only way i think it is rigged is that we never, and I mean never get nationally televised. Unless we are playing a top tier team. Which i believe we fall into that category… Just sayin’!

  • OneWing

    Nationally televised tonight vs Orlando. Orlando isn’t a particularly popular or large-market team. They are just good.

    Defensive game plan for tonight? Put Richardson on Carter. Not because RJ can defend him, but because you hope “bad Vince” will appear and shoot the Magic out of the game.

  • John

    Actually I always look at those kinds of things at the beginning of the year, and we were 7th in the league in national TV games, behind the Cavs, Magic, Lakers, Celtics, Nuggets, and Suns. Doesn’t seem unfair since those were the 4 conference finalists, the previous champ, and the highest scoring team in the league.