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What's up with the Spurs?
I asked my friend Matthew Tynan from Pounding the Rock:
So with basically the same roster intact from last year, I guess things are going as well as expected thus far. The continuity is evident but there are some apparent differences from last season. Gregg Popovich spoke ad nauseam about improving the defense from last year to this, preaching through training camp about it being the key factor in accomplishing their goal of returning to the Finals. And the defense has been better, though not by much. The difference between the starters and the bench defensively is chasmic, the reason for which being the play of Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard. With Tony Parker struggling a bit and Manu Ginobili being virtually nonexistent as he continues to rebound from back spasms, Duncan's play has been unreal. He's putting up better numbers in more minutes per game than he has in years, and physically he looks like the Timmy of five years ago. Or whatever. San Antonio still has a way to go to be the team they were at the end of last season, but you have to expect a resurgence from Parker (because he probably just has something in his eye right now) and hopefully a healthy Ginobili. So in conclusion, Tim Duncan is good, San Antonio is playing well, Leonard is like the only Spur to ever have braids and it's 2012, and everybody is happy I guess. Except Pop.
And one more interesting little note from Matt:
Spurs are 7-1, but they could be dancing around .500 had they not played well in close games. Spurs have won 4 games in the final minute....3 of those games won by 3 points or less.
Meet the New Spurs?
Nando de Colo- Nando's biggest adjustment since arriving from overseas has been learning that the detonation of fireworks and other small explosives is considered a flagrant type two foul in the NBA rulebook.
Pascal 2200- Pascal is a French-speaking robot the Spurs enlisted to make Nando de Colo feel more welcome and chaperone him around San Antonio. Tony Parker and Boris Diaw each attempted to fill this role, but Tony had other obligations and Boris got both himself and Nando stuck in quicksand for almost 36 hours.
Adventures in Impersonating Stephen Jackson on Omegle!
You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
Stranger: hey
You: hi
Stranger: what MCS?
You: mcs?
Stranger: yes
Stranger: a guy right now was saying that
You: maybe MCs like rappers?
You: i'm an MC
Stranger: maybe
Stranger: i thought
Stranger: but
Stranger: really
Stranger: u are a MC?
You: yeah a great one
You: best in the league
Stranger: what league
Stranger: ?
You: the league
You: NBA
Stranger: nice
Stranger: i went only to one NBA game
You: what was it
Stranger: well
Stranger: 2009
Stranger: warriors VS blazers
Stranger: oracle arena
You: no shit! warriors!
You: i was probably in that game
Stranger: beb 12
Stranger: feb*
You: lets see
You: oh shit yeah
You: i had 20 points that night
You: nellie fuckin ran me ragged
You: i didnt shoot well but we won
Stranger: wait
Stranger: u are a player
Stranger: ?
You: hell yeah i am
Stranger: well
Stranger: is the first one that i speak with
You: well congrats man you're speaking with the best
Stranger: man
Stranger: i remember that night
Stranger: my uncle took me, my brother and my cousin
Stranger: was like a dream
You: did you have a good time?
You: we got you that win
You: monta lit it up down the stretch
Stranger: of course i had a good time
Stranger: when i went to usa
Stranger: it was on my list
You: you a dubs fan?
Stranger: sorry about my ignorance
Stranger: but what a dubs
Stranger: ?
You: oh sorry man don't worry bout it
You: warriors
You: dubs like W
Stranger: oh
Stranger: well
Stranger: i'm from brazil
Stranger: and i don't follow the NBA
Stranger: but
Stranger: if is to me to twis to someone
You: brazil!
Stranger: now
You: do you know my guy tiago
Stranger: he play in nba
Stranger: ?
You: yes
You: he's a big blonde guy
You: always has his mouth open
You: gets hurt a lot and sucks at free throws
Stranger: there 3 who play
Stranger: i think
Stranger: 3 brazilians
You: yeah he's one of them i thin
You: he's from somewhere in south america
Stranger: tiago splitter?
You: yeahhhh that's my dude
Stranger: sometimes pass on sport tv about the brazilian who play in nba
Stranger: so of course i know
You: cool cool
Stranger: but
Stranger: can u tell your name
Stranger: ?
Stranger: if u don't mind
You: yeah stephen
Stranger: of course
You: aka jack
You: aka stack jack
You: aka captain jack
You: aka stephen nasty
You: aka stak5
You: i ran out of akas
Stranger: find it
You: find what?
Stranger: u on google
You: oh
You: you found me?
Stranger: to see u
Stranger: i find a realtalk NY
You: whats it say
Stranger: about u telling to rappers to worry
You: oh yeah rappers should be worried
You: i'm coming for them
Stranger: u start to sing now
Stranger: ?
You: no i don't sing much
You: just rap and ball and make love to pressure and other excellent shit
Stranger: get it
You: i always get it
Stranger: but if u still playing innext year
Stranger: in the next*
Stranger: probably
Stranger: i will wacht a live game
You: i hope so man
You: i'll play next year, don't worry
Stranger: ok
Stranger: send a hug to tiago
You: i dont want to touch that guy but i'll tell him you say whats up
Stranger: i need to go
Stranger: bye
You: bye
Your conversational partner has disconnected.
Rasheed Wallace Snack Tales!
San Antonio, man. This used to be the only spot you could get General Tso's.
General Tso's chicken, yeah.
Yeah I know. You can get that shit anywhere on the street now, but back in like '95 this was the only spot where you could get that chicken. It was hard to find and folks just didn't know about it I guess.
Yeah, it was a whole thing, too. You had to get your own chicken and call up Avery Johnson for the sauce.
I don't know if Avery had a guy or if Avery was the guy but my first year with the Bullets we were here in San Antonio and we were trying to get some snacks. Ledell Eackles sent me out to get some chicken nuggets so I went to McDonald's and got like 80 nuggets for everybody-- me, Ledell, Whitney, C-Webb, Gheorghe.
Yeah, Gheorghe always snacked with us. Just wait and let me finish. So yeah, I came back with the nuggets and obviously I got all the sauces-- barbecue and ketchup and that shit. And I sit down and crack the nuggets open cause I'm hungry from walking all the way to McDonald's and Ledell just slaps my hand and he's like "no rook, we got to wait for Avery."
Yeah so we sat there for like an hour and a half. They made me and Gheorghe and Whit wrestle for a while cause we were the rookies or young guys or whatever and they thought that shit was funny. Whatever. I just wanted my chicken and I was getting impatient. No idea what the fuck we were waiting for, but the guys said it was gonna be worth it. Eventually Avery showed up. Wheeled up on a goddamn bicycle with a basket on it. He pulled this big squeeze bottle out of the basket and was like "how much y'all want?".
Yeah, you know. High-pitched. I don't do a good Avery Johnson impression. But anyway we bought like a few grams of that General Tso's sauce probably.
I don't remember how much it cost but C-Webb gave that little man a lot of money and he fucking doused our nuggets with that sauce.
Oh yeah, it was worth it. I was hooked instantly. I'd never had that shit before. Gheorghe fucking lost his mind, too. Ate so much he puked. Do you have any idea how much chicken sauce it takes to make an 8 foot tall man throw up?
It's not like it used to be. I mean it's great that you can find the stuff everywhere now and it's all pre-made and shit, but it was the best back then. Can't get it like that now. And you had to get it from Avery. He was the guy.
Yeah. Anyway, that's why they call him the Little General or whatever.
How J.R. Smith spent Wednesday Night in San Antonio
looked at instagram
looked at twitter
watched like 20 minutes of that's my boy on demand. it was okay. i didn't fall asleep i just got bored
got starburst and ate the pink ones
looked at the window
looked out the window
looked at a pillow
looked at...a wall
i don't know normal stuff leave me alone
And now you're ready for Knicks-Spurs!