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100-93 Spurs
Ginobilingering Back Issue
Manu Ginobili will miss the game tonight against the Thunder. It would have been really helpful if he was able to play -- and not just because he’s really good at basketball. With James Harden now starring for the Rockets, the Thunder’s bench is in disarray. They would have had a very difficult time dealing with Ginobili. Now? The benches are about even.
Although Ginobili’s sore back will keep him out of the home opener, it doesn’t sound like it’s a serious injury. Expect to see the Argentinean future Hall of Famer in the next couple games.
Managing Minutes
Pop is famous (and sometimes infamous) for how he manages minutes. Considering that Tim Duncan and Tony Parker had to carry the team to victory last night, will Pop give his Big 2 extra rest tonight? It’s quite possible.
Then again, Duncan is in such great shape that Pop may feel confident that he can handle his usual 32-35 minutes. And remember, this isn’t a condensed season; Pop won’t have to be as rigid with his monitoring this year.
As for Parker, he still needs some work to get into shape and regain his rhythm. He’s young enough that even Pop will probably play him 35-38 minutes if needed.
Kawhi’s Encore
At times last night, Kawhi Leonard was a stud. He took over the game and single-handedly destroyed any momentum the Hornets had gained. However, his production came in spurts. Leonard did well but it was far from a complete game. Tonight will be a better test of where he stands.
Leonard will have a great test against Kevin Durant. We saw what he could do against the lumbering perimeter players on New Orleans. Will Leonard show growth in his ability to slow Durant? That’s asking a lot but it’s something that needs to happen if the Spurs are to have hope against OKC in the playoffs.
Bigmen Question Marks
Last season the Thunder figured out that Diaw was a lot less dangerous when they left him wide open. Will Diaw shoot enough to keep the Thunder honest?
Oklahoma City neutered Tiago Splitter in the playoffs by switching pick-and-rolls. Will Splitter be able to make the Thunder pay if they go back to that strategy?
Pop went away from using a second bench bigman in the final two quarters of the opener and instead utilized small ball next to Splitter. Is that a solution we’ll see once again tonight?
Prediction
Yes, it's early in the regular season and nothing much can be learned from this contest. That said, the Spurs have more riding on this game. They have the motivation and they'll have a home crowd ravenous for revenge. It's not going to be easy but I think the Spurs got this one -- final score 106-99. If San Antonio can get this win, this would be a quality confidence boost.
Post your prediction in this thread. A correct prediction gets a spur.
100-93 Spurs
Spurs 102
Thunder 96
Second game of a back-to-back. No Manu. It's still OKC -- and they're making their season debut.
OKC 97 SA 91
Spurs 96
Thunder 104
OKC 106
SA 97
Thunder: 97
Spurs: 110
I would be very surprised if we don't see more Patty. He can score, should be rested overall and is the usual burst against a team like OKC you need.
Thunder 109 - Spurs 95
Spurs 104 - 99 Thunder
Spurs-105 Thunder-103
Thunder 101
Spurs 95
Spurs 95 Thunder 91
Thunder 109
Spurs 95
Spurs 98
Thunder 95
Thunder 105
Spurs 98
Spurs 102-100
Spurs 106
OKC 102
Yup, Diaw needs to shoot the ball! He's a fine shooter, I don't know why he doesn't take the wide open looks he gets. Come on Boris, there's unselfish, and there's destructively unselfish, be the former not the latter.
Spurs 101
OKC 97
Spurs 98
Thunder 91
This game will be interesting to see how K-Mart fits in with the Thunder. Spurs solid team all around.
man of little faith
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