New Hardware, an Old Foe, and Familiar Faces
Tonight’s the night many Spurs fans have been waiting for since the schedule was released. The team will receive its championship rings, banner No. 5 will be lifted into the rafters, and Mark Cuban will have to watch it all happen. It’s pretty much the best way fans could’ve thought to celebrate the franchise’s greatest achievement so far.
The game itself is almost an afterthought. The Spurs first opponent is their division rival and one of a handful of teams that is seen by some as next in line for the Western Conference throne. The Dallas Mavericks, the team that pushed the Spurs further than any other team during the playoffs, have retooled and look to be a stronger version of last year’s group. They’ve welcomed back Tyson Chandler and the Dallas cougar community has welcomed Chandler Parsons with open arms. Rick Carlisle showed last spring he may be the Black Adam to Gregg Popovich’s Shazam and we expect Dirk Nowitzki to continue to do Dirk things at least for one more season. Basketball nerds are excited for this team, and if these two meet in the postseason we’ll all be better fans for it.
You’ll recognize all but one Spur on the court tonight. They were all on the AT&T Center floor for the last meaningful basketball game in June. The one guy not getting any hardware will be rookie Kyle Anderson. Otherwise, it’s going to look like the same old Spurs minus a few pieces. Kawhi Leonard (eye infection), Tiago Splitter (calf strain) and Patty Mills (recovering from shoulder surgery) will all be out of uniform. We know Mills will be out until around the Rodeo Road Trip, but Leonard and Splitter’s injuries should be short-term problems.
As a result, the lineup you’re going to see tonight is probably a lot like what we saw the last couple of games of the preseason. Marco Belinelli likely starts for Leonard and either Aron Baynes or Matt Bonner starts for Splitter. Even early in the season, it’s clear Pop wants to keep that bench nucleus intact. Boris is the brains of the bench, Manu is the central nervous system. They help make that machine hum. With those two in, the Spurs can plug in other players. You’ll be seeing a lot of Cory Joseph, you’ll get looks at Anderson and Austin Daye and yes, we’ll find out if Jeff Ayres is any better at catching.
Three big pieces of the rotation are missing tonight, the emotion of receiving their championship rings, a very talented and familiar foe — game one of 82 might not go well. But who cares, tonight’s a celebration. Have some fun and remember everything during the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., but make sure you tune into TNT no later than 6:30 to catch the ring and banner-raising ceremony.
