Thanks to the predictability of the Spurs, I actually sound pretty smart right now. I said they would finish with a record of 57-25, and right now they are 53-24. I think they will finish the season 56-26, so I actually came pretty close.

Looking at the preview, the two weaknesses I pointed out, age and injury risks, also came true. Age has seemingly caught up with the Spurs at times, with opponents looking fresher and quicker. This is especially true for Robert “Where’s my cane?” Horry, who has not done much this year. The injuries, however, are what really strike me as interesting. While the Big Three avoided the major injuries that I feared, all three dealt with some ailment throughout the year, which the Spurs haven’t had in the past. Even when Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were “healthy” at times, they were really less than 100% and it showed. More than the age factor, I think these nagging injuries led to the Spurs struggles because they haven’t had the same consistency as in past years, and players like Michael Finley played more minutes than they should have.

The one area I really failed was with my championship predictions. Like many others around the Internet, I thought Chicago would contend for a championship. Oops. I also didn’t give Boston enough credit, saying that the champion would come from San Antonio, Dallas or Phoenix. If I rewrote that today, I would say the champion would come from one of Detroit, Boston and seemingly any team out West.

All in all, I feel pretty good about my prediction. Mostly I was helped by the reliability of the Spurs. Even in a supposedly down year, they are going to come close to my predicted record of 57-25, which is a joy for Spurs fans to know. Even in the Spurs down year, they are pretty darn good.

That’s fine.

I am writing this because something had to be said. I am tired of listening to people blow everything Bruce Bowen does out of proportion. This latest incident with Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets is a great example. In a physical game between division rivals, things got a little heated, and Bowen and Paul had an altercation. Immediately after the game, all the talk was about how Bowen kneed Paul in the chest to knock him down, adding further proof to the argument of Bowen as a dirty player. Here is the video that circulated on the Internet.

From this video angle, it looks pretty obvious that Bowen kneed Paul back to the ground. When I saw the video, I was disappointed with Bowen. But I kept hearing talk of a different angle that showed Paul hitting Bowen in the nether regions and Bowen never making contact with Paul. Here is that video.

After watching that video dozens of times, here is what I see.

When Paul is on the floor and Bowen is straddling him, Paul seems to hit him once on the inner thigh while going for the ball. I don’t think this was intentional by any means, just part of the game. Then Paul actually makes contact with Bowen’s crotch while going for the ball. Once again, I don’t think it was intentional by any means, but Bowen does get hit by Paul’s hand. Then Bowen reacts like any normal male by flinching his legs and trying to clear away whatever or whoever hit him. He definitely didn’t make any contact with Paul here. Then after the whistle is blown, Bowen does move his leg towards Paul, but I think the second video shows that there was either no contact or minimal contact at most. Paul then flops to the ground as if kicked hard.

Of course, both players acted like they never touched each other, which was annoying and unnecessary, but I find Paul’s reaction interesting. If I had just been kicked in the chest while on the ground, I would have been furious and probably acted angry. Paul put his hands behind his back and looks around with big eyes like he was trying to play innocent. Why didn’t he act upset? I’m not sure if this means anything, I just thought it was an interesting reaction.

I also can’t help but wonder why Bowen was suspended for this incident. If he would have been suspended for anything, it should have been when he kicked Ray Allen in the back. That was an obvious one from any angle and it also came after the whistle. This incident doesn’t have an angle that shows conclusively that Bowen kicked Paul. What makes this one worse than the other? The only solution I can think of is backlash from fans and media who have been after Bowen for years. Stu Jackson and the rest of the league officials knew that if they didn’t suspend Bowen, various markets (cough::Phoenix, Dallas::cough) would complain loudly. It would have been bad publicity for the NBA, and that’s the last thing David Stern wants right now.

It’s a shame that Bowen’s streak of 500 consecutive starts has to end this way. He plays harder than most players in the NBA, always facing the other teams best player. To start 500 games in a row at his age is amazing. His is also a great story. He was not as physically gifted or as naturally talent as others, but he out-worked his competition. The reason he is so good at defense, Kobe has said that Bowen defends him better than anybody else, is his tenacity and focus to his job. Does Bowen toe the line between hounding defense and dirty play? Yes. And at times, like the play with Ray Allen, he crosses that line. Mostly he just plays hard defense, not allowing players to stay within their comfort zones. He is the type of player that you hate to play against but love to have on your team, and that’s important to remember.

I don’t expect many people, if any, to all of a sudden say, ‘Yeah David, you’re right. I’ve been wrong about Bowen all along.’ Most people already have their mind made up. However, before going on a rant about how dirty this play was, look at both videos and consider what happened. Think about if Bowen was on your favorite team’s roster. I would almost guarantee that you would love the guy.

San Antonio actually held an eight point lead at halftime and were playing okay basketball, but was outscored 34-19 in the third quarter and 29-23 in the fourth quarter. Things started to fall apart in the third quarter when Pop couldn’t find a lineup that worked well together. He tried shuffling different players around, but nobody could score. Denver pushed the lead to 15 early in the fourth quarter and San Antonio never could fight its way back into the game.

My biggest concern with the Spurs showing was their lack of effort in the second half. One play sticks out in my mind that displays this. In the fourth quarter, a Denver guard took a three, which bounced high off the rim. Four Spurs players passively went for the rebound, while Eduardo Najera came running in from outside the 3-point line to tap the ball away for an offensive rebound. Four Spurs and not one boxed out or went high for the rebound. At this point in the fourth quarter, San Antonio was not completely out of the game, but afterwards I knew that there was no way they would win.

Two Spurs showed up to play: Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Duncan had 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, nine rebounds and four blocks. Ginobili had 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting. However, neither did much in the second half. Duncan had 14 points at halftime and Ginobili had 17.

The Nuggets deserve credit for their defense. Outside of Marcus Camby, the Nuggets are not known for their defense, but they defended well. In the third quarter they used a zone defense to frustrate the Spurs. It didn’t help that Michael Finley was 2-of-8, but I digress. Denver played aggressive defense, not allowing Tony Parker (4 points, 2-of-7) easy penetration. I don’t think Denver can play this kind of defense consistently, but they did a good job on Friday. San Antonio also hurt themselves with senseless turnovers. They had 16 on the night, five from Parker. There were too many telegraphed passes picked off and too many dumb mistakes.

Joey: Many different players struggled throughout the game, but Tony Parker was maybe the worst. He seemed afraid to attack the basket knowing that Marcus Camby was inside. He finished with four points, six assists and five turnovers.

There was a purpose to all this madness. Over the next 24 days, the Spurs play 14 games, of which nine are against teams with winning records. Eight of them are on the road. Against the Pacers, who have the scary lineup of Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Jeff Foster, Danny Granger and Travis Diener, the Spurs were able to rest key players. Nobody played more than 30 minutes, and eight different players played more than 20. Pop even decided to limit his time, arguing with a ref until ejection. It was like Pop did not care about the game. I don’t think he would have minded if the team lost. Seriously.

This season, more than ever, Pop has thrown strange lineups on the court, partly because of injuries, but partly because that’s who he is. Pop doesn’t stress about wins or losses in January or December, and it’s hard to blame him after the Spurs struggled throughout both months and still have the best record in the West. With Matt Bonner playing in the first quarter in a long time, it looked like a midseason game for Pop. I can’t blame him, considering that the next four games are against conference rivals.

Even with Duncan struggling from the field, the Spurs had no trouble with the Pacers, using runs of 14-4 and 12-5 in the third quarter to break it open. Manu Ginobili was the star against Indiana, scoring 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting, and Tony Parker added 19 on 6-of-8 shooting. In Bonner’s 25 minutes, he had 15 points and four rebounds, but also five fouls. Earlier in the season, it looked like Bonner would earn consistent minutes, but Pop has soured on his play. With Duncan, Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas and Robert Horry ahead of him, I don’t expect Bonner to play much tonight against the Denver Nuggets or against other playoff teams.

Game Ball: Ginobili played efficient basketball, attacking the basket for his 28 points. While his perimeter game fueled his recent stretch of high-scoring games, this one came from driving to the basket.

A big part of the victory was Tim Duncan. The Big Fundamental had two subpar games over the weekend, but he had a vintage Duncan game on Tuesday with 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He also made 7-of-9 free throws. A look at his shot chart shows that Duncan attempted only five shots that were 10 feet or further from the basket, which is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, Duncan possesses a good jump shot, especially from the angle when he can use the backboard. However, he is the most skilled offensive big man within 10 feet from the basket, and when he faces players like Josh Boone, Nenad Kristic and Stromile Swift, he should have no problem scoring. On Tuesday, he demonstrated these skills with spin moves, drop steps and a feathery soft touch around the rim.

It was important that Duncan had such a strong offensive showing because Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili weren’t. Parker shot okay percentage-wise, making 3-of-6 shots. Of course all three came on layups or runners, so I wouldn’t call it good shooting. Ginobili, on the other hand, flat out struggled with his shot, going 3-of-11. Only one of those makes came from outside of a few feet. Sometimes we forget that Ginobili is human. I know, shocking isn’t it? He will have these type of games.

This was the second game in a row that the Nets and Spurs played, which is kind of strange. I know it happens occasionally throughout the regular season, but not that often. Fortunately, the Nets aren’t that formidable of an opponent and the Spurs were able to win both games despite not a dominant performance in either game. They won’t have that luxury after playing Indiana on Thursday. Starting on Friday, March 7 and ending Friday, March 14, the Spurs play Denver twice, Phoenix, New Orleans and Detroit. That is a killer stretch of five games in seven days. Four of those are also on the road.

Game Ball: This one was easy. Duncan was the only player who really played well. He will earn this almost every time he puts up 29 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

• It’s a good thing Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker had good outings because Tim Duncan had two disappointing games. He had averages of 34 minutes, 11 points, 10 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, 2.5 assists and 32% shooting. Some might point to his 37.6 minutes per game in January and 37.4 minutes per game in February as the cause of his recent slump, but I’m not one of those people. Duncan has been highly consistent these past two months and was due for a couple bad games. He’s human, they happen.

• Ginobili looked good as a starter against Milwaukee and then as a sub against New Jersey. Against the Bucks, he had 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including the winning shot from 20-feet that touched only net. With Michael Finley and Kurt Thomas starting against New Jersey (more on that later), Ginobili returned to his role coming off the bench. He had modest numbers of 17 points, four rebounds and three assists. I expect Pop to use him in both roles depending on matchups. An unselfish player, Ginobili doesn’t care where he starts the game because he knows that he will be on the court at the end.

• Parker looks like he is shaking off the rust. When he first returned, his jump shot looked flat and his shooting percentage wasn’t great. Over the weekend he averaged 25.5 points on 61.8% shooting, six assists and a steal. Against New Jersey he flirted with a triple-double, scoring 25 points, dishing seven assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Of course Eva got jealous and put an end to that.

• Sorry for that lame joke. I couldn’t help it.

• Kurt Thomas didn’t put up great numbers in his first start with the Spurs, but he once again show promise. In 17 minutes against New Jersey, Thomas had 6 points on 3-of-8 shooting, nine rebounds, two steals and one block. All three of his field goals came outside of the paint on jump shots. Pop wants to help Thomas find his spot within the Spurs system and the best way is to start him, especially against weaker teams like New Jersey. He has already shown his rebounding acumen, grabbing nine rebounds on two occasions, both in less than 20 minutes, but he needs work on the offensive end. It will take some time for him to understand how to play with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, but I have confidence that he will figure it out.

• Amazingly, the Bucks are 10-7 against the Spurs over the last nine seasons. When I was on the phone with my dad Saturday afternoon, I said the Spurs should easily win. Like any wise father, he reminded of me of the Spurs struggles with Milwaukee. What is it with Dad’s and being right?

• Finally, the win against New Jersey made it nine straight wins for the Spurs. They also find themselves atop the West standings. They do this every year, yet people continue to right them off.

The final play of Thursday night’s game against Dallas wasn’t one of those times.

When Dirk Nowitzki set a screen for Jason Terry with less than 10 seconds on the clock and San Antonio holding a two-point lead, Bowen switched onto JET. Using his body to keep enough contact on Terry to make him uncomfortable, but not enough to draw a foul, Bowen shadowed him into the lane. Terry elevated for a 10-foot jumper with just seconds left on the clock. Sure enough, there was old-man Bowen swinging with his right hand to swat Terry’s shot away. After a foul, Michael Finley made one free throw to secure a 97-94 victory.

It’s not too often that regular season games have a playoff feel to them, but this was one of those games. Perhaps it was the new additions of Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas and Damon Stoudemire. The competitive nature of the West probably played a part too. All I know is that this was a fun game to watch. Even if the Spurs lost, it would have been a fun game. It had everything a game between in state and division rivals should. Players were emotional, with Jason Terry picking up a technical after he claimed Bowen tried to elbow him. We also each team’s All-Star forward lead them in scoring.

For San Antonio, this was as close to a statement game as they’ve had all season. With the full roster, there would have been no excuse if they lost. Nobody could point to an injured Tony Parker. It was a chance to show the Mavericks that even with the addition of Jason Kidd, the Spurs are the team to beat in the Southwest Division.

It was apparent from the tip that Tim Duncan was taking this game seriously, scoring nine points in the first quarter. He finished with a game-high 31 points on 12-20 shooting. He also had 15 rebounds and three assists. While Desagana Diop was by no means a Duncan-stopper, I always thought he defended him better than Eric Dampier. This game did not do anything to change my mind. Dallas does not have anybody to defend Duncan. They signed Jamaal Magloire to help, but forgive me if I don’t think Magloire, who couldn’t even consistently crack the lineup in New Jersey, can stop Duncan. If these two teams somehow meet in the playoffs, I predict that Duncan averages close to 26 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

The turning point in the game came at the end of the third quarter. Dallas had extended its lead to 10 at 67-57, but Terry had picked up his technical, and Finley sunk the free throw. San Antonio then went on a 16-5 run to take a 73-72 lead at the end of the third. Finley scored nine points during the run, finishing with 16 points off the bench.

Dallas regained its lead in the fourth quarter, but San Antonio grabbed the momentum during the final 3:44 of the third quarter. Dallas had thrown a punch and the Spur di not back down. Instead they got back up and swung just a little bit harder.
As for the Spurs newest additions, neither played enough minutes to make a significant difference. Thomas only played four minutes, putting together a Francisco Elson-ish line of all zeroes. It was only his second game, so I imagine that Pop wasn’t confident enough in his understanding of the Spurs system to play him extended minutes. Stoudemire played 10 minutes, scoring two points and dishing two assists. While he didn’t play much, he did his job well while on the court, finding Fabricio Oberto on a nice pass and scoring on a runner. It was also nice to see him not try to score, but just run the team, which is what the Spurs need from their backup point guard.

Kidd, the Mavs newest addition, has obviously affected the way Dallas plays. He pushed the ball more than they did before and his passing has rubbed off on his teammates. However, he didn’t push them to that next level. He can’t guard Parker on the defensive end and is not a good shooter. It’s still early, but at least in this game he was not a big enough difference maker.

Game Ball: Remember when people wondered if Tim Duncan had slipped the past couple years? Well, he had a vintage Duncan performance against Dallas, beating his man with various ball fakes and a soft touch around the basket. He also made two free throws with 34 seconds left to break a tie at 94. For a notoriously bad free throw shooter, it was refreshing to see him make the clutch shots.

This means that the Spurs essentially traded Francisco Elson and a first round pick for Kurt Thomas, which is an absolute steal. It also raises questions about whether the Spurs and Sonics agreed on this before the trade, but like I’ve said before, there is no proof for such allegations.

I’ll have more analysis after the Spurs-Mavs game.

First we heard that he would announce his decision on Tuesday, but Tuesday came and went without any news. Then we heard that he would announce on Wednesday. Now it is Thursday and Brent Barry still has not made a decision.

However, we know that he will end up in either Phoenix or San Antonio.

The draw of each team is apparent. Phoenix desires another three-point shooter and plays a wide open style that Barry could thrive in. He was never a great defender, so that wouldn’t be an issue. He would come in to provide another playmaker and shooter. San Antonio can provide familiarity. Barry already knows the offensive and defensive sets, the players and the community. There would not be a transition period like in Phoenix.

So what should he do?

Phoenix can provide more playing time and opportunity to score, so if that’s what he wants he should sign with the Suns. The Spurs, however, are better suited to win another championship. They’ve done it three of the past five years, eliminating the Suns twice in the process. So he should return to San Antonio if he thinks the Spurs have a better shot at a title, like I do.

San Antonio really makes the most sense. He does not have to learn anything new but can heal and return seamlessly to the Spurs lineup. His family is also in San Antonio and like most Spurs’ families, involved in the community. Don’t underestimate the power of his family. It is also important to consider his calf injuries. He won’t be able to play for another week at least, so there is no real harm in waiting to sign with the Spurs. Even if he could play in a week, he would still need some time to find his shot. Signing with San Antonio gives him three weeks to recover and come back at 100%.

The longer he waits, the better it is for the Spurs. Phoenix is rumored to have interest in Gordan Giricek if he is waived by Philadelphia. If Giricek is waived within the next couple days, it forces the Suns to decide if they want to wait on Barry and risk the chance of signing neither player. If Barry still has not announced a decision by the end of the weekend, I would bet that he will sign with San Antonio. Just a gut feeling.

Ultimately, I don’t think his decision will swing the West to Phoenix or San Antonio. Barry is a nice player but not one that will decide the West. If he decides to sign with the Suns, all Spurs fans should be thankful for his contributions to the team and the community and then wish him luck. Barry, by all accounts, is a respectable man and never shamed the organization in any way.

Oh ya, the other thing the Spurs lose if Barry signs with Phoenix, other than three-point shooting, are his hilarious commercials with HEB. Here are a few for your enjoyment.

First, lets address the five first quarter points. How a team shoots 6% and scores five points, I don’t know. There was sloppiness involved. There was bad shooting involved. There was bad decision making involved. Ultimately, it became nothing more than an interesting trivia tidbit when the Spurs scored 25, 27 and 32 points in the next three quarters.

I was much more interested in how Kurt Thomas played. In his first appearance in the black and silver, Thomas had four points, nine rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 13 minutes. The last time Francisco Elson pulled down nine rebounds was on November 23, so I think we can all see the impact Thomas can have on the Spurs. Tim Duncan has not had another rebounding big man next to him since David Robinson retired. Every other big man, from Rasho Nesterovic to Fabricio Oberto to Nazr Mohammad, was an average rebounder at best. Not Thomas, who should average near 10 boards a game.

He also brings toughness to the post that neither Oberto nor Elson had. Robert Horry has his moments of toughness, but he spends too much time on the perimeter to show it on a regular basis. Thomas is only 6 feet 9 inches, but he has a strong body and plays like a seven-footer. He set strong picks and let the opposing team know that he was around to make their lives harder.

The Spurs also saw the return of Tony Parker. I know, I know. He officially returned a couple games ago, but this was the first game in which he looked like the Finals MVP, finishing with 15 points and nine assists in 28 minutes of play. It’s hard to emphasize how important it is for Parker to play like that. With Ginobili having an off game with 4-of-13 shooting for 13 points, San Antonio needed someone else to contribute offense. Without Parker around, the job falls on a player like Michael Finley or Ime Udoka who is not used to the role. Parker is the third reliable scorer that the Spurs need to succeed.

Game Ball: Tim Duncan has shot well from the charity stripe recently, making 76% in February. Against Atlanta he made 13-of-16, helping him lead the team with 23 points despite taking only nine shots. He also contributed 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.