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The Sports Network
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - It's tough to write an obituary for a team
that wins 61 games during the NBA's regular season but that didn't stop a
number of my peers from declaring the aging San Antonio Spurs dead on arrival
after they were exposed by a younger, far more athletic Memphis bunch in last
season's Western Conference quarterfinals.
In fact, many believed the window had officially slammed shut on the Tim
Duncan-era in the River City, at least when it comes to championships.
Fast forward to Wednesday night and the Spurs looked anything but done. Tony
Parker was brilliant, exploding for 37 points to go along with eight assists
as San Antonio held off the much-improved 76ers, 100-90.
"Tony Parker was amazing tonight to say the least," Sixers coach Doug Collins
said after watching the French star torch his team. "He had that ball on a
string, and we were just trying to do our best to keep him corralled, make him
shoot jump shots and we just never could get him under control."
Duncan added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio
but it was Gregg Popovich's bench that really shined. Gary Neal made all four
of his three-pointers and netted 18 points, while the emerging Tiago Splitter
tortured Philadelphia inside, shooting 7-for-10 for 15 points.
In fact the Spurs' bench, lightly regarded before the season started, more
than held it's own against the vaunted Sixers reserves that include two Sixth
Men of the Year candidates -- Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young.
"Our history here is really bad so it's a huge win for us, Parker said. "We
are going in the right direction. The young guys are improving. They are
playing better on the road. They are playing with confidence."
It wasn't like the Spurs were going to turn into a lottery team overnight as
long as Duncan and his long-time supporting cast of Parker and Manu Ginobili
were still around. But, a lockout-shortened 66-game season short on off-days
and practice time didn't figure to be the friend of any veteran group with
significant mileage on its legs.
That said, here we are in the second week of February and San Antonio is at
the top of the Southwest Division and among the top seeds in the conference
after winning six straight and starting their annual Rodeo Road Trip at 2-0.
And it's all been done without Ginobili, who has been gone for a little over a
month with a broken left hand.
It's not often that losing an All-Star can help in the long run but Ginobili's
absence along with Duncan's age has almost forced Popovich to integrate new
blood into his lineup, most notably Splitter, Neal and rookie Kawhi Leonard.
"We felt [building a bench was necessary] with our guys getting a little
older," Popovich said "We have shown confidence in them from the get-go, throw
them out on the floor and let them see what it's like, and let them make
mistakes. Get on them when necessary and love them when necessary."
Splitter, the former Euroleague star, has seen his numbers increase in
every statistical category from his pedestrian rookie season. Through 27
games, the Brazilian is averaging 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, while shooting a
team-best 62.3 percent from the field.
"He didn't develop anything with us," Popovich said when asked about
Splitter's improvement. "He's always had it, he just didn't play last year.
He's been doing what you saw tonight for I don't know, the last seven or eight
years. That's who his is. He's just a blue-collar kind of guy that a coach
loves. Fundamentally sound and balanced. He doesn't have a lot of skills but
his basketball IQ is off the charts."
Leonard wasn't much in Philly on Wednesday but has more often that not
provided the type of athleticism that has been lacking at times in San
Antonio. Neal, meanwhile, helps space the floor with a sweet stroke.
"This is a world championship team and organization," Collins said. "Pop is a
great coach. They string you out. They get you in pick-and-roll and put three-
point shooters on the floor. Neal came in and really hurt us tonight."
The Spurs have now officially weathered the storm minus Ginobili, compiling a
15-7 mark without the Argentine star as he prepares to return to the lineup,
perhaps this weekend in New Jersey.
"Before you know it, we will get Manu back and we can start rolling," Parker
said.
The team's current trip could have been the type of roadblock to derail the
season considering how the Spurs started away from the AT&T Center. But, after
getting out of the gates at 0-5 as the visitor, San Antonio has now won five
of seven away from South Texas.
Before the trip ends the Spurs will have visited nine different cities and
traveled nearly 8,000 miles. When they arrive back in the Alamo City on Feb.
29, we should all know if the club is still a serious contender in what is
shaping up as a watered-down West.
My guess is the Spurs have improved their depth enough to have one last rodeo
in them come playoff time.
"Tony and Tim have been great in this stretch," Popovich said. "The bench has
surprised us all. Those guys are playing really well for us and that's what is
allowing us opportunities to win."
The Sports Network