Before the San Antonio Spurs tipped off against the Golden State Warriors, Gregg Popovich got asked if he was that dreaded word again. He was asked if he was "happy" with the team's play going into the playoffs this season.

Happy is not a word that coaches usually respond to. But… this is probably the least… let me put it a different way. We’ve been playing better most any other year going into the playoffs, compared to this year.

The team has been faltering down the stretch this season, but at least in past years they had something to fall back on. With the team using more of a balance tilted more to the offensive side of the ball, the Spurs have not only been having trouble scoring without Tony Parker but also having a hard time defending when the pressure is to make up what they've lost on both sides of the ball. (Blogs.MercuryNews.com)

Pop also made it known whether it was just a team issue or a health issue.

We take a break from the Tracy McGrady-Spurs news to bring you this nerd-tastic photo.

When San Antonio Spurs fans learned of big man Aron Baynes heading to the Spurs, the Internet blew up with references between his last name and of "Bane," the villain of Batman lore. Some fans even photoshopped the famous Bane mask on Baynes' face but it seems he might prefer another villain's mask.

Baynes showed off his new mantelpiece which combines a Spurs team cap with, wait for it, a mask of Star Wars villain Darth Vader!

Check out the epic photo of what might be considered the most awesome mantelpiece ever!

Glad to be a Spur. It will be an honor to play for this great organization and the amazing city of San Antonio. -- Newest Spur Tracy McGrady (via Facebook)

The biggest news in San Antonio isn't the San Antonio Spurs' struggles on offense without Tony Parker. In fact, the big news on Tuesday may have been the cure for that problem. The team has agreed to terms with Tracy McGrady, adding a ball handler, shooter, and scorer to the team that was desperately needed.

When Parker was out of action during this past stretch, the San Antonio offense struggling was an understatement. With the exception of the most recent game against the Golden State Warriors, the Spurs have not been able to crack 100 points in those games. The 33-year old McGrady brings a different element to this Spurs team, regardless of his 5.3ppg in 16mpg with the Atlanta Hawks last season.

If you’re frustrated by the San Antonio Spurs’ recent performance and are worried about their chances entering the playoffs, Matt Bonner has provided you with a little something to laugh about.

Bonner takes on an alter ego as “Coach B” to teach the fundamentals of the game in a video series that I am just now learning about. Apparently there are quite a few of these videos.

In a recent episode, Bonner visited Chicago’s iO Theater, which is one of the best improv venues in the country, and was a starting point for many comedians you’ve seen on Saturday Night Live.

Tracy McGrady has agreed to join the San Antonio Spurs according to Yahoo! Sports.

@WojYahooNBA

Tracy McGrady will sign with the San Antonio Spurs for the rest of the season, league sources tell Y! Sports.

This is likely with the injuries that have plagued the team this season with Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, and the release of Stephen Jackson. McGrady adds some offense for the struggling Spurs. It is also worth mentioning that T-Mac is playoff eligible since he has not played in the NBA this season.

Every person that has participated in sports has, at some point or another, hit a wall in which their body has appeared to reach its limits. This is true even for those not particularly athletically blessed. Anyone with an inkling of competitive spirit knows the triumphs and tribulations that come with pushing past those limits. 

This is what makes a marathon particularly compelling.

There are few things in life that human beings willingly subject themselves to as physically and spiritually taxing as the 26-mile trek from start to finish. For those participating in Monday's Boston Marathon, the finish line should have marked one of their lifetime achievements. Instead, two explosions left a completely different mark altogether. 

It is often said that the worst in humanity often brings out the best in humanity, and Monday was no different. If the marathon is supposed to embody the human will overcoming, the immediate reaction to Monday's events showed us more. 

There were stories of marathoners, who by all rights should have had nothing left, pushing past the finish line and straight to hospitals to volunteer to give blood. There were emergency responders and civilians alike, ignoring their own survival instincts, and running towards the blast zone to save lives even as the potential for more danger remained a very real possibility. 

In this space we follow and write about basketball because the players involved let our imaginations run wild. In life we get caught up reading about the actions of these more ordinary people because they inspire. 

Following their lead but not nearly living up to their actions, people from all over the country have flocked to see how they can help. It's in our nature. 

With that in mind a few basketball artists have committed to donating all proceeds from their prints for the month of April towards Boston relief funds. Expecting a long playoff push from the Spurs, I will be donating all proceeds from April through the end of the playoffs. It's admittedly not much, but every little bit counts. 

The San Antonio Spurs have a number of problems heading in to the playoffs.  Most of them revolve around the fact that their two best guards can't make lay ups at the moment because of various injuries.  However, the injuries and recoveries of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have created trickle down problems for the rest of the Spurs' roster.

Chief among those problems is the play of Tiago Splitter.  Overall, Splitter's play this year has been great, but the last six weeks or so, Splitter's offensive production has taken a dip.  That dip has coincided with injuries to Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.  In the last 20 games, all of those since Parker went down with an ankle sprain, Splitter is shooting 48.4 percent from the field, which is down from his season average of 56 percent.

I think Splitter's poor shooting over the last six weeks is directly related to the absence of Parker, Ginobili or both.  As many of us know, Splitter is a terrific pick-and-roll player and makes a living of diving to the basket when rolling off screens.

Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs are closing in on playoff season and it couldn't come sooner for the Frenchman. During his French radio show, (via French site RMC Sport), Parker discussed which team he'll like to meet in the playoffs, Kobe Bryant's injury, and more.

When asked if Parker still gets the same excitement every year when the playoffs approach, his response was predictable.

For the Spurs, each season is important because it's not known how long Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili will still be playing. Tim has been incredible this year and it shows in his eyes that he still wants to win a title.

Parker was also asked who he'd prefer to see in the postseason between the Houston Rockets or the Golden State Warriors.

Former San Antonio Spurs video coordinator Will Voigt’s attempt at eliminating his former employers’ D-League affiliate in the D-League playoffs came up short as the Austin Toros swept the number one team in the D-League, the Voigt coached Bakersfield Jam.

After upsetting the Jam in the series-opening game with 113-107 win, it appeared the Jam would be sending the series to a third game, but the Toros’ late rally lead by Lester Hudson and Tre Kelly erased a double-digit deficit and gave the Toros a 114-107 win.

Jam head coach Voigt was recently mentioned in a post by Ric Bucher on Sulia as yet another offspring of the Spurs looking to come back and haunt them, albeit through the D-League.

Coming into the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors on Monday, a depleted San Antonio Spurs squad looked like it had a chance to pull an upset as the Spurs were down 90-87 with 9:15 remaining.

Then a young developing star by the name of Stephen Curry would catch fire by putting up 11 points in a stretch of four minutes as the Warriors went on a 19-0 run to put themselves ahead by 20 points, and the result ended up being a 116-106 loss for the Spurs.

Curry finished the night with 35 points and seven-made 3-pointers, while Gary Neal (25 points) and Patty Mills (23 points) did what they could to carry a Spurs team minus Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, and Boris Diaw. But, missing their star power, the Spurs just couldn’t keep up with the Warriors in the fourth when Golden State had its explosion.

Considering it was a back-to-back game after falling to the Los Angeles Lakers the night before, the Spurs’ offense finally looked like it found some cohesion as the team was able to score 27 or more points in all but the third quarter.