Game Blog: Blazers @ Spurs - Dec. 12

[blkroadrunners]

Back 2 Backs for Timmy

[CFH]

Nice find by Parker to Blair

[crc21209]

Damn, sweet pass from TP to Blair!

[Spurs Brazil]

Good job by TD and Blair in that run

[pookenstein]

nice job countering the little blazers run

[crc21209]

GREAT D by Blair, bad fast break on the other end.

[CFH]

Damn, Hill lost the handle

[blkroadrunners]

Damn, Blair has some quick hands

[BanditHiro]

sweet jesus nobody can hang on to the basketball

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Anyone see that hot milf leaning over in the crowd?

[crc21209]

Flagrant on Przybilla come on that dirty SOB!

[DrSteffo]

OMG sloppy

[crc21209]

He's not even going for the ball at all....

[blkroadrunners]

wtf Priscilla

[angelbelow]

Uh-oh, the shoulder?

[BanditHiro]

blazers are just trash want to injure everybody because they are injured themselves

[CFH]

Anyone see that hot milf leaning over in the crowd?

Awwwwwwwww yeah :hat

[Spurs Brazil]

that should be a flagrant

[crc21209]

OK WTF Pryzbilla....

[duncan228]

Getting chippy.

[BanditHiro]

just get that piece of trash out of the game along with aldrige for having such a shit head for a teammate

[Spurs Brazil]

Fuck Przybilla, SOB

[crc21209]

It's not our fault you're used goods now Pryzbilla don't take it out on us...:lol

[Cant_Be_Faded]

So lucky Tony is tough as nails.

[LeCrab]

blazers are a dirty team.... they have already been in alot of fights this season

[BanditHiro]

here we go just going to post us up

[ducks]

god parker takes so many bad shot sin the lane it's not even funny... He needs to pass if his hand is hurting

takes alot less for\ce shots then manu

[crc21209]

The Spurs just look to be taking it easy to me because if they had their full foot on the gas this could easily be a 20-point blowout....

[angelbelow]

Blazers are playing pretty big. Roy Matthews and Batum. Its affecting our offense and not making our defense look good.

[Capt Bringdown]

TP's shot has vanished

[BanditHiro]

The Spurs just look to be taking it easy to me because if they had their full foot on the gas this could easily be a 20-point blowout....

they have been cruising all season long

[ducks]

Blazers shooting less then 43%

[crc21209]

Dice's jumper is off right now...

[howbouthemspurs]

Nothing wrong with cruising

[CFH]

Shit, Blazers shouldn't have gotten a 3 there

[crc21209]

Haha Fuck you Rudy! :lol

[blkroadrunners]

Hill and 1

[CFH]

Hill AND 1!

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

george!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!wooot!!

[ace3g]

what a play by Hill!!

[jimo2305]

kinda chilling watching hill walking by manu after that layup :p

[Cessation]

damn hill pulling the manu moves, nice and 1

[ducks]

TP's shot has vanished

T. Parker G 27:59 5-14 M. Ginobili G 23:14 4-10 D. Blair C 17:20 1-5 R. Jefferson F 27:05 1-3 T. Duncan F 25:54 4-10

parker is your bitch but according to that all of them are shooting poorly

[crc21209]

Good foul Manu....

[howbouthemspurs]

That was a world class move by george hill !!!

[Spurs Brazil]

Hill is fucking GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!

[DrSteffo]

just wow Hill is amazing!

[BoricuaCJA]

George Hill!!

[pookenstein]

George Hill!!!!!! 3Point play

[crc21209]

CLASSIC Manu drive....:tu

[CFH]

Manuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

[DPG21920]

Again, Manu is almost guaranteed points at the end of a quarter in an iso situation.

[ducks]

up 12 after 3

[Capt Bringdown]

+2 for the quarter.
Some stops and a run and this one might be in the books.

[DesignatedT]

our defense has looked a lot better today.

[pookenstein]

Anyone see that hot milf leaning over in the crowd?


Yeah. Nice rack...

[WeNeedLength]

George hill 20 pts on 6 shots. Someone needs more shots!

[Spurs Brazil]

Great move by Manu to finish the 3rd

Let's start the 4th strong and give TD another 4th quarter of rest

[FkLA]

I knew Roy had declined with the injury, but wow he looks like a scrub out there...kinda sad.

[howbouthemspurs]

All the points are going to the Guards these day i guess.

[ducks]

George hill 20 pts on 6 shots. Someone needs more shots!

most of his shots were threes

[janetcn12]

Wow, George you r fucking hot...

[Pauleta14]

Say I'm a TP homer, but for a 10 years all star veteran with 3 rings and MVP of the finals, Tony doesn't get ANY respect from ANY ref in the league!!!!

I found that really amazing ...

[CFH]

Manuuuuuuuuuu!

[blkroadrunners]

Batum w/ that garbage shot

[crc21209]

Is Pryzbilla trying to fuck everyone on the Spurs up? :lol

[CFH]

Damn last second shot by Batum

[ducks]

Say I'm a TP homer, but for a 10 years all star veteran with 3 rings and MVP of the finals, Tony doesn't get ANY respect from ANY ref in the league!!!!

I found that really amazing ...

gets as much respect with the refs as he does here

[CFH]

Make your free throws

[howbouthemspurs]

Just give the ball to Manu!

[ohmwrecker]

Bonner dorking up the proceedings . . . again.

[crc21209]

:lol At Rudy trying to get fancy there!

[CFH]

Good defense

[Osnofa]

Ball -> Manu/Hill -> Win

[Brazil]

lol TP second best rebounder of the team right now

[crc21209]

Just another sloppy day game for the Spurs as always...

[LeCrab]

Say I'm a TP homer, but for a 10 years all star veteran with 3 rings and MVP of the finals, Tony doesn't get ANY respect from ANY ref in the league!!!!

I found that really amazing ...
Parker and the spurs never get calls because they don't bitch and cry about every play like kobe.....

[Osnofa]

Ball -> Manu/Hill -> Win

ups, both fucked up :(

[LeCrab]

Once again dice and bonner does not work.....

[howbouthemspurs]

Hill is doing his best manu impression...... and hes not bad

[pookenstein]

don't get sloppy now. good timeout pop.

[jestersmash]

Just another sloppy day game for the Spurs as always...

Just another butterfingers night for McDyess, to be honest. He might be a little rusty given that his minutes have been inconsistent as of recent.

[DPG21920]

I hope TP's hand is ok. Hopefully the Spurs can buy about 3 more minutes with Tim on the bench. Bring him back around the 5 min mark.

[crc21209]

Dice with the jumper finally! :tu

[CFH]

Dice J

[howbouthemspurs]

Good block Bonner!! .. u got robbed!

[pookenstein]

Anyone see that hot milf leaning over in the crowd?

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

Nice

[pookenstein]

that looked like a clean block by matt

[crc21209]

Gary Neal's floater is fucking money...:tu

[ace3g]

Neal floater!!!

[CFH]

Floater by Neal

[DPG21920]

Is that true? Tim hasn't played the entire 4th in the last 3 games?

[crc21209]

Matthews picking up the garbage WOW.

[Osnofa]

C'mon, at least give Splitter a shot...

[CFH]

Nice cleanup by Dice

[pookenstein]

neal with it

[Libri]

Gary Neal's floater is fucking money...:tu

I don't remember if he has missed a floater.

[crc21209]

68 points for the Blazers with 5:50 to go in the 4th, this is more like the Spurs D.

[Pauleta14]

That was a usefull miss by Tony, nice tip by Mc Dyess!

[Osnofa]

Wow, just imagine if Bonner got the rebound :o

[Spurs Brazil]

Neal 3PT shot is off but it's good he can do other things

[Nathan89]

Gary Neal's floater is fucking money...:tu

This. Earlier he missed one and I couldn't remember him missing one all year.

[Pauleta14]

Parker and the spurs never get calls because they don't bitch and cry about every play like kobe.....


I agree regarding the spurs in general, but Tim and Manu get way more respect/calls!

[crc21209]

TD in now....

[crc21209]

Neal 33333333333333333

[colargol]

That was a usefull miss by Tony, nice tip by Mc Dyess!

it shoul'd be an assist...:)

[CFH]

Chooo Chooo 3!

[DPG21920]

Neal 3PT shot is off but it's good he can do other things

Neal shitting all over ST.

[crc21209]

If we score here, get TD out.

[Death In June]

Portland announcer: Dallas has played a much more difficult schedule than san antonio...

[CFH]

Dice with the steal, he has really stepped it up in the 4th

[Osnofa]

Neaaaaallll

[Brazil]

Neal shitting on the blazers

[DrSteffo]

Neeeeaaaal 3

[Tp9gospursgo]

Gary Neal!

[pookenstein]

again. neal with it

[janetcn12]

By the look of it, this gonna be another win for Spurs. Go spurs Go

[crc21209]

Hill with a MAN's drive there, nice....

[crc21209]

Portland announcer: Dallas has played a much more difficult schedule than san antonio...

My ass.

[DPG21920]

Tim again on the boards :tu

[Capt Bringdown]

Hill with a MAN's drive there, nice....

Yeah, that's what you need to do when the D's not giving you much: attack the rim.

[crc21209]

TD to TP backdoor....beautiful! :tu

[CFH]

Parker!

[janetcn12]

Neal is my man

[duncan228]

Hope that's it for Duncan.

[Libri]

TD to TP backdoor....beautiful! :tu

That was a textbook play.

[DesignatedT]

wow. I didn't see this coming. blowing them out of the building.

[Ikstomi]

where is splitter???

[Spurs Brazil]

great pass TD

[biziofromdowntown]

Damn, Neal is delivering

[Pauleta14]

That was old school Timmy Tony.......nice

[ducks]

getting dn=onuts

[pookenstein]

what a pass by timmy.

[pookenstein]

and that's a wrap :toast

[janetcn12]

Classic Timmy

[Rito3d30]

classic 2 men game by TD and TP

Matthews got schooled

[siraulo23]

manu and tim playing less than 30 mins

great

[DPG21920]

Wow, great game for the Spurs. Taking care of business. Lets get some of these role players confidence.

[Ikstomi]

where is splitter???


jinx :blah

[Libri]

where is splitter???

He barely got in.

[DPG21920]

Spurs just need to run clock here...

[ducks]

he had to get tp donuts

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Pop doesn't play Splitter against teams that have size

[DesignatedT]

missed shot.. give up a layup

[janetcn12]

Blazers is no challenge..

[biziofromdowntown]

Quinn in!

[CFH]

Neal 3!

[biziofromdowntown]

That' huge by Neal

[angelbelow]

Another solid win. The starters didnt over play and we got the blow out.

[Osnofa]

Great pass by Splitter :]

[kjhip1]

I know this will prolly sound repetitive but this year's Spurs seem to have that pedigree that the past championship teams have had...Big difference from the way they play but also the way they wear down teams..We always have problems with athletic teams like Portland however, this year they just seem to be playing smarter...I know we have a tougher schedule coming up but I like our chances alot better then I did last year closing out this year and going into next...Instead of sputtering in the 2nd half they have the cold blooded shooters who are not afraid to fire...I cant wait to see them against Boston, LA, and the Mavs...

[crc21209]

We're really going to see what the Spurs are made of these next 10 games guys:

Wed 15 vs Milwaukee (Always give the Spurs fits)
Thu 16 @ Denver (2nd night of a back to back IN Denver)
Sat 18 vs Memphis (Always play the Spurs tough as well)
Mon 20 vs Phoenix (Need I say more? :lol)
Wed 22 vs Denver (Denver again)
Thu 23 @ Orlando (2nd night of a back to back IN Orlando, tough)
Sun 26 vs Washington
Tue 28 vs LA Lakers (1st game against LA this year)
Thu 30 @ Dallas (1st game for the Spurs IN Dallas this year, payback time)
Sat 01 vs Oklahoma City (OKC's picked it up this year)

[DPG21920]

Spurs point differential is crazy right now.

[LeCrab]

Did you see that pass from splitter :wow

[siraulo23]

wtf splitter shooting the technical

[Refocus]

Good ol fashioned ass-whoopin'.

[CFH]

Can't handle a rebound :lol

[janetcn12]

Wrap it..Win, Win, Win. Go Spurs Go.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

lol that johnson dude is a joke

[TIMMYD!]

Armon Johnson took 8 shots in 3 minutes. :lol

[DPG21920]

Tough back to back coming up. Great stuff from the Spurs today all around.

[Ikstomi]

20-3

[Libri]

We're really going to see what the Spurs are made of these next 10 games guys:

Wed 15 vs Milwaukee (Always give the Spurs fits)
Thu 16 @ Denver (2nd night of a back to back IN Denver)
Sat 18 vs Memphis (Always play the Spurs tough as well)
Mon 20 vs Phoenix (Need I say more? :lol)
Wed 22 vs Denver (Denver again)
Thu 23 @ Orlando (2nd night of a back to back IN Orlando, tough)
Sun 26 vs Washington
Tue 28 vs LA Lakers (1st game against LA this year)
Thu 30 @ Dallas (1st game for the Spurs IN Dallas this year, payback time)
Sat 01 vs Oklahoma City (OKC's picked it up this year)

I hope they don't look past Washington.

[howbouthemspurs]

Good solid win for the spurs! Great D!

[janetcn12]

Can't believe this is another win.

[Spurs Brazil]

Good win, Hill with a great game

[quentin_compson]

Spurs looked like they were having fun out there, and it sure was fun to watch.

:flag:

[SpursPreacher]

The defense secured this one today.

[crc21209]

I hope they don't look past Washington.

Washington will definitely be a trap game since it's sandwiched between Orlando and the Laker game....

[Nathan89]

Did everybody see Blair try to take a rebound from Udoka. I hate guys who are all about the stats. I hated Finely because he would never take a shot at the end of the quarter and I hate Blair for taking rebounds from his teammates. What a great player oh I love this guy.:rolleyes

Nice win though.

[KaiRMD1]

Damn, Tiago had the same minutes as Quinn & Ime.

[janetcn12]

Great game G. Hill.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

The upcoming schedule is pretty daunting.

Hope we can rise above it.

[pookenstein]

Good solid win for the spurs! Great D!

this.

[itzsoweezee]

good win in an ugly game.

[crc21209]

The upcoming schedule is pretty daunting.

Hope we can rise above it.

+1. Just brought that up and posted the next 10 games, should be fun to watch. :tu

[Chieflion]

Couldn't catch most of the game. Good win nonetheless. Holding the Blazers to 78 points and all. They are basically a scrub team at this point and the Spurs needed to take advantage of such teams.

[NASpurs]

Portland looked kind of tired tbh but a win is a win. Good sloppy old-school-Spurs game.

[Ikstomi]

Did everybody see Blair try to take a rebound from Udoka. I hate guys who are all about the stats. I hated Finely because he would never take a shot at the end of the quarter and I hate Blair for taking rebounds from his teammates. What a great player oh I love this guy.:rolleyes

Nice win though.


he couldnt see udoka

[spurs1990]

We're really going to see what the Spurs are made of these next 10 games guys:

Wed 15 vs Milwaukee (Always give the Spurs fits)
Thu 16 @ Denver (2nd night of a back to back IN Denver)
Sat 18 vs Memphis (Always play the Spurs tough as well)
Mon 20 vs Phoenix (Need I say more? :lol)
Wed 22 vs Denver (Denver again)
Thu 23 @ Orlando (2nd night of a back to back IN Orlando, tough)
Sun 26 vs Washington
Tue 28 vs LA Lakers (1st game against LA this year)
Thu 30 @ Dallas (1st game for the Spurs IN Dallas this year, payback time)
Sat 01 vs Oklahoma City (OKC's picked it up this year)

I think Spurs should always win home games and they'll be favored to do.

They'll lose to Orlando and Dallas on the road. 28-5.

[Osnofa]

Nice win. Now we have to get ready for the difficult back to back.

22-3, here we go (at least).

[ducks]

spurs beat dallas book it

[DesignatedT]

tough games wed/thurs.

[janetcn12]

Can't wait for the next game which I think will be daunting. GSG

[ChuckD]

Portland looked kind of tired tbh but a win is a win. Good sloppy old-school-Spurs game.

They played Friday, same as us.

[Spurs Brazil]

Hill will compete for the 6th man of the year

[ChuckD]

Washington will definitely be a trap game since it's sandwiched between Orlando and the Laker game....

It would be a trap game if WAS wasn't a team that will pick in the top 5 again. They're really bad. The Clippers are bad but have a ton of talent. Outside of Wall, Washington is lacking in that department.

[LeCrab]

One thing i took from this game is dice & bonner can not play together... have to get that fixed... it should be blair/duncan, blair/dice, splitter/bonner, bonner/duncan....

[DPG21920]

It would be a trap game if WAS wasn't a team that will pick in the top 5 again. They're really bad. The Clippers are bad but have a ton of talent. Outside of Wall, Washington is lacking in that department.

Blatche has some talent. McGee does as well. Not really offensive, but shot blocking/rebounding/defensive talent.

[crc21209]

Blatche has some talent. McGee does as well. Not really offensive, but shot blocking/rebounding/defensive talent.

+1. Those two guys have been pretty solid this year, add Wall into the mix, and they CAN be dangerous.

[Pauleta14]

Did everybody see Blair try to take a rebound from Udoka. I hate guys who are all about the stats. I hated Finely because he would never take a shot at the end of the quarter and I hate Blair for taking rebounds from his teammates. What a great player oh I love this guy.:rolleyes

Nice win though.

:nope

Nothing malicious there, why do you think we call him the "Beast"?

He just needs to be fed...:lol

[NASpurs]

They played Friday, same as us.

3 games in 4 days with a depleted injured team. I'm surprised they were in a winning streak tbh.

[DPG21920]

Even Nick Young has shown flashes. But they still have a long way to go. All teams have some young players that show things from time to time, but there is more to building a legit team.

[LeCrab]

Is alonzo gee still starting for the wiz?

[crc21209]

Is alonzo gee still starting for the wiz?

Lately no, Thornton returned and took back his starting spot.

[duncan228]

Post-game Portland coach Nate McMillan calls Spurs "best team in the league right now."

[duncan228]

Pop on Duncan finally appearing in 4th: "He put himself in. He ignored me. ... He’s been hard to coach for a long time. Nobody knows that."



Duncan's retort: "It’s going to get tougher as the minutes continue to drop. I'll be unbearable on the bench."

[duncan228]

Some post-game quotes.


Spurs coast past Blazers for 5th straight win (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010121224)
By Paul J. Weber

Tim Duncan left the bench and headed toward the scorer’s table midway through the fourth quarter. Surely, the San Antonio Spurs were in trouble and calling on their All-Star bedrock to once again save them.

Not really.

Duncan had eight points and 13 rebounds in his 1,000th career regular-season game, but the Spurs hardly needed him while cruising to a fifth straight win with a 95-78 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

George Hill scored 22 in the fourth straight blowout for the Spurs, who improved the NBA’s best record to 20-3. They were well in control when Duncan re-entered the game with six minutes left to log his fist fourth-quarter appearance in four games.

So what was the deal, anyway?

“I think (coach Gregg Popovich’s) philosophy this year is to try not to play me in the fourth quarter at all, whether we’re winning or losing,” Duncan said. “I think he thinks our team is better without me out there. I’ve been trying to disprove him at some point.”

Wesley Matthews scored 17 points for the Trail Blazers, whose winning streak was halted at four games. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 16 and Marcus Camby added 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Trail Blazers lost for the first time since ending a demoralizing six-game skid that included a players-only meeting, coach Nate McMillan saying his team wasn’t “responding to him” and Aldridge and others publicly supporting their head coach.

Portland, while disappointed, took this loss much easier.

“I thought we, as a unit, were staggered,” McMillan said. “We didn’t have the movement and they were physical and trying to disrupt the timing.”

Brandon Roy had just nine points on 4-of-16 shooting, and Portland had just three scorers in double figures. The Blazers matched their season low for points while shooting just 38 percent.

Portland’s Nicolas Batum scored just five points on 2 of 9 shooting after going 0 for 7 in a win Friday night at Phoenix.

Roy, who was held to nine points for the second time in three games, said he tweaked his knee early in the game and that it was “a little sore going” the rest of the way. Roy missed three games last month with an injury to his left knee.

“I still got some looks, but I really didn’t have the explosiveness,” he said.

Roy said he expects to play Monday at Memphis.

Manu Ginobili added 18 points for the Spurs, Tony Parker had 14 and reserve Gary Neal added 11. San Antonio improved to 5-0 on its longest homestand of the season and can end it unbeaten with a victory Wednesday night against Milwaukee.

Duncan has lately been watching the Spurs coast along while resting on the bench, where the Spurs want to see their perennial All-Star as much as possible. The last time Duncan was truly essential in the fourth was Dec. 3 against Minnesota, when he finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Remarkably, the Spurs haven’t seen or needed those Duncan-like games during the best start in franchise history. Popovich wants to limit the wear-and-tear on his 34-year-old star, and so far the plan is working: Duncan entered the game averaging a career-low 28.8 minutes.

“As the minutes continue to drop and I’m not in the fourth quarter, I’m going to become unbearable on the bench and pretty much annoy him to the point where he has to put me in,” Duncan said. “That’s my goal.”

Notes: The Trail Blazers have lost five of six on the road. … Although Duncan reached the four-digit milestone Sunday for games played in the regular season, the 34-year-old was appearing in his 1,171st game, counting the playoffs.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010121224

[duncan228]

San Antonio Spurs 95, Portland Trail Blazers 78: At long last, 48 minutes of hell (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/)
by Jesse Blanchard
48 Minutes of Hell

AT&T CENTER–Now 23 games into the regular season, and off to a franchise-best 20-3 start, it’s hard to find fault so far. But today showed the first glimpse of a happy post game Gregg Popovich as the San Antonio Spurs finally looked a little like the San Antonio Spurs.

Earlier in the season our own Timothy Varner stated that the Spurs defense has become less and less about 48 minutes of hell, and increasingly 48 minutes of what the hell (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-fast-break-tea).

For all the talk about steals and pace and new approaches, Popovich claims he still holds true to his simplistic analysis of a game, glancing only at field goal percentage and rebounds. In their 95-78 win over Portland, the Spurs finally produced a box score their head coach can be proud of.

Keep reading → (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/san-antonio-spurs-95-portland-trail-blazers-78-at-long-last-48-minutes-of-hell#more-11807)

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

The Spurs are making it look easy at this point of the season. Look at George Hill contribute to the team with 22 points!

[janetcn12]

Yes, it does look so easy for the Spurs. Hopefully they will up the tempo as the season progresses.

[NASpurs]

Point differential for this week (last Sunday to today)

NO +25
GSW + 17
Atlanta +16
Port. +17
--------------
Differential +18.75

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Point differential for this week (last Sunday to today)

NO +25
GSW + 17
Atlanta +16
Port. +17
--------------
Differential +18.75
It's been just a week of blowouts. And that's good.:toast

[duncan228]

Notes on a scorecard: The Spurs are playing defense like they used to (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/12/12/notes-on-a-scorecard-the-spurs-are-playing-defense-like-they-used-to/)
Tim Griffin

...The Spurs were playing defense almost like during their championship glory days, helping pave the way for a 95-78 victory over Portland.

Forget about all this new-fangled up-tempo running and scoring. The Spurs were making it tough for Portland to score on nearly every possession, although they needed a little early convincing to get there...

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2010/12/12/notes-on-a-scorecard-the-spurs-are-playing-defense-like-they-used-to/

[Dex]

“Absolutely not. What did they score? Like 70-something points,” said Duncan. “That’s 70-something reasons for him to complain.”


:lol Tim knows Pop best.

[concken]

3 games in 4 days with a depleted injured team. I'm surprised they were in a winning streak tbh.

I believe it's 3 games in 4 nights...5 days. but we get your point

[Dex]

Views from the Other Side:



http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2010/12/san_antonio_95_portland_78_spu.html

San Antonio 95, Portland 78: Blazers get up-close look at a true contender
Published: Sunday, December 12, 2010, 3:00 PM Updated: Monday, December 13, 2010, 7:51 AM

SAN ANTONIO -- For the second time this season, the Trail Blazers on Sunday got a peek at what a championship-caliber team looks like, and just like their meeting with the Los Angeles Lakers last month, their encounter with San Antonio was revealing:

The Blazers are not close to even considering themselves a contender in the West.

San Antonio rolled to its NBA-best 20th win in methodical fashion, dispatching the wanna-be Blazers 95-78 at the AT&T Center behind sharp three-point shooting, a huge discrepancy in free-throw shooting and stellar defense.

"We are a ways away from the way that team is playing," Blazers coach Nate McMillan understated.

The Blazers got 17 points from Wesley Matthews and 11 points and 13 rebounds from Marcus Camby, and were within five points midway through the third period, but they never seriously threatened, ending a season-best four-game winning streak.

It wasn't as humiliating as the 121-96 loss to the Lakers in the season's eighth game, but it was every bit as sobering.

Of course, it didn't help that Blazers guard Brandon Roy tweaked his ailing left knee early in the first quarter, which he said greatly affected his confidence for the rest of the game.

Roy, who was coming off one of his best performances of the season on Friday, was reduced to a jump shooter Sunday, and it wasn't pretty. He went 4 for 16 from the field, and many of his misses weren't close. He finished with nine points and six assists in 31 minutes.

Roy did not play in the fourth quarter, and no starter played more than eight minutes in the fourth, as McMillan conceded defeat and saved his key players for tonight's game in Memphis, the Blazers' fourth game in five nights.

Roy was confident that he would play in Memphis, despite the first-quarter tweak and another third-quarter incident with his knee that was more dramatic and noticeable. His first tweak came when he was making a side-to-side juke move while using a screen to get open.

The second tweak came at the tail end of a drive against Richard Jefferson, when he planted, felt a twinge, and lost the ball as he went to the ground. He recovered the ball and continued to play, but he said the sharp pain played tricks with his mind.

"After that, it was hard going to my right," Roy said. "I was a little tentative with my left leg."

Roy said the first tweak robbed him of his "explosiveness" and his "lift."

"But you know, it's something that is going to happen," Roy said. "The good thing about it is, it's not really painful now. A couple of weeks ago, it would linger a little bit longer, whereas now, it just kind of bothers me a little bit. Hopefully, it will be better tomorrow."

What lies ahead today, and beyond, for this team remains the big question. Considered at season's start among the Western Conference elite, the Blazers (12-12) appear to be drifting closer to the West's middle class, playing on a level more like Memphis, Golden State and Phoenix than the Spurs, Lakers or Dallas.

Owner Paul Allen indicated after last season that he is no longer content with making the playoffs, only to be bounced in the first round, and more and more, eyes are looking to see what first-year general manager Rich Cho will do.

Cho last week said he wants to see this group play some more games before deciding on a course of action.

In the meantime, the Blazers are left hoping. Hoping that Roy's knees hold up. Hoping LaMarcus Aldridge can improve even as he is playing heavy minutes. Hoping the bench provides even an ounce of support.

Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum, supposedly the anchors of the bench, have been absent on the first two games of this trip. Fernandez (1 for 9) and Batum (2 for 16) are a combined 3 for 25.

"It's a long season," Roy said. "We have time to improve. We still feel like we can compete with these teams, we just have to find ourselves. We haven't done that yet."

Notes: The Blazers established season-lows for a Spurs opponent in points and field-goal percentage (.379). ... The Spurs (20-3) are off to their best start in franchise history. ... The Blazers were within 57-52 with 6:38 left in the third, but San Antonio went on a 9-0 run. The closest the Blazers got from there was nine, 68-59, with 1:04 left in the third. ... Spurs reserve George Hill scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the first half.

-- Jason Quick

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Bring on the Bucks!