AT&T CENTER -- Before the playoffs started, an hour before their last game of the regular season, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich intimated who the Spurs were over the last month of the regular season would not be the team that opened up a playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

In Game 1 the Spurs shook off a month's worth of rust and bandages, riding a dominant defensive performance and a well-timed scoring burst from Manu Ginobili to victory. The Spurs looked better, but one game does not a trend make. 

“I thought that was the first time in a while that we looked like the team that played the first 70 or so games defensively. We had done a good job of getting into that top tier of defensive teams, and then for a variety of reasons it dissipated," Popovich said before Game 2. "But that was our best defensive performance in a while and I’m anxious to see if that’s really our team or not."

In systematically ripping a depleted Lakers team apart in ways the 102-91 final margin doesn't do justice, the San Antonio Spurs began answering some of the questions surrounding the team heading into the playoffs.

AT&T Center – It’s game two in the opening round of the NBA playoffs between the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers. With the Lakers involved in a playoff series, what more drama could have been added to a series where the injured star declared not to tweet from home anymore because he was becoming a distraction?

How about a player who was supposed to be out for the rest of the season, making a surprise comeback just in time for game two, where the Spurs hold a 1-0 series lead.

That was the case on Wednesday evening as Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni said center Jordan Hill, who had been recovering from left hip surgery, was cleared to play against the Spurs as early as Wednesday.

In the locker room, Hill himself said he was surprised the surgery allowed him to recover so quickly. “I thought it was over for the season,” said Hill. Even Hill’s teammates were surprised to hear the news that he could be available for their series.

On the opposite end of the arena, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovcih conducted his pregame interview in a livelier fashion than usual. How open was Popovich to questions? The interview lasted at least 10 minutes long and he discussed a variety of topics from his own players, when Tim Duncan might retire, how he felt about the Cleveland Cavaliers hiring Mike Brown, and more.

The matchup of the game for Game 2 will be between San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker and Los Angeles Lakers' Steve Blake.

Tony Parker ended Game 1 with 18 points, but it wasn't a vintage Parker-like performance. He looked a step slow and still may be bothered by the ankle injury he suffered weeks ago and Steve Blake took full advantage of that. Parker shot 8-21 from the field that game and was constantly hounded by Blake on the defensive end. Tony's drives were slow and predictable with him showing the ball and getting it knocked away or stolen by Blake. Even Parker's decision making was off in Game 1 and an example of that was Blake coming from behind and blocking a shot with Parker not checking if there was defensive help coming. While Parker was off last game, this matchup will likely decide which team will win. If Blake can hold Parker to a bad shooting night again, the Spurs may be in for a long series since we may not see vintage performances from his other Big 2 partners in Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan.

What Parker must do on offense:

The Los Angeles Lakers may have found the blueprint to impeding Tony Parker; the problem, of course, is executing the game plan consistently. 

The San Antonio Spurs (1-0) will host the Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) in Game 2 of the 2013 NBA playoffs first round in San Antonio.

The Spurs won Game 1 in San Antonio 91-79 to take an early series lead. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 18 points off the bench. Tony Parker recorded 18 points, 8 assists and 3 steals while Tim Duncan had 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals. Dwight Howard paced the Lakers with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks with Pau Gasol finishing with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Lakers will have forward Jordan Hill available tonight after three months of rehabilitation for hip surgery. Hill averaged 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Lakers before his injury.

And as the Spurs look to take a commanding 2-0 lead int he series before the scene shifts to Los Angeles, here are five things to watch for during tonight's game:

• Spurs' Parker, Manu Ginobili and Duncan combined for 53 of the Spurs' 91 points in Game 1.

• When falling behind 0-1 in the opening round, the Lakers are 4-9 (Los Angeles era only).

After the disappointing performance in Game One, the Los Angeles Lakers were back at practice yesterday making adjustments for Game 2 tonight. Following practice, Steve Nash and Steve Blake took a few moments to chat with the media regarding tonight's contest against the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs probably won a game they shouldn't have in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

They dominated the Lakers while only shooting 37% (32-85) while the Lakers shot 41% (30-73). The biggest difference for the Spurs was the 3-point shooting with the silver and black outshooting the Lakers 31% (7-22) to 20% (3-15) and the bench production with the Spurs bench pouring in 40 points to the Lakers' 10.

The long range shots helped the team, but that's an aspect of the game they can't rely on for the entire series, let alone for the entire playoffs. While the Spurs defeated the Lakers in Game 1, there's four (two offensive, two defensive) adjustments the Spurs could make to possibly defeat the Lakers easily in the next game at the AT&T Center.

#1)  Make the Lakers one dimensional

Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant had the same advice for Mike D'Antoni in "post, post, post!". Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard shot a combined 53% (15-28) from the field this game with Gasol playing 43 minutes and Howard playing 41 minutes. Although this is probably the best strategy for the Lakers, it's also the most demanding with those two in the game resting less than 10 minutes for four quarters.

The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers will resume their first round series tonight in San Antonio as the Spurs hope to take a 2-0 lead before heading to Los Angeles for Game 3. There is no doubt it will be a battle tonight and when the scene shifts to L.A., as the Lakers will be quite motivated to prove they can survive without Kobe Bryant.

But even if the Spurs advance to the second round, the teams will be tougher, the battles on the court will be more intense, and for San Antonio, this playoff run will once again test the veteran core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker as they hope to bring home another title before this golden era of the franchise comes to an end.

So what better way to get the blood going for this year's Spurs' playoff run than to combine the much-anticipated new Star Trek movie with Spurs basketball. Check out this video mashup of Spurs' highlights with clips from the new Star Trek movie from our friends at News 4 San Antonio. To sum it up, this is beyond cool. It's freaking awesome!

For a team with an older core barely limping into the playoffs with a banged up roster, rest between playoff games is about the best thing you can ask for.

After a physical Game 1 on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs’ elder statesmen were likely pleased to hear that their next game wouldn’t come until tonight, providing two full days of rest to heal their ailing bodies.

Tim Duncan, I’m sure, is glad he had an extra day of rest before he goes to battle against Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol tonight in the AT&T Center.

For Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has had to deal with his team being fined after resting players early this season, and has had to manage minutes along with more than a handful of injuries, he chalked it up to being lucky.

San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker wasn't himself when he played against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday afternoon.

Parker has been a step slow since his ankle injury in the regular season and has not caught up to his former MVP-like play, especially with his 8-21 shooting. His counterpart, Steve Blake, got the better of him on the defensive end with steals and blocks which may have brought up fears that Parker isn't close to being fully healthy for the stretch run for the fifth championship in the franchise's history.

With his fans second guessing the health of their starting point guard, Gregg Popovich gives us an update on his health and how he's doing on a day to day basis. Check out the video below to hear Pop's comments.