While the San Antonio Spurs will face the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Quicken Loans Arena there will be at least one familiar face waiting for them tonight.

Cavaliers small forward and former Spur Alonzo Gee will be getting the starting job tonight against his former team and after the Spurs big loss to the Memphis Grizzlies last night, Gee knows the Spurs will be quite upset:

"They're going to be pretty upset,'' Gee said of the Spurs. "They're going to be fired up to come in and play hard and try to get a win so they're going to be ready to play tonight."

"It was going to be tough regardless of whether they won or lost. We've just got to be ready to play and just come and give 100 percent." (cleveland.com)

Gee started the season with the Spurs but was released and has done a solid job for the Cavaliers off the bench. This season he has averaged 3.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, started six games for Cleveland. He has posted season-highs in scoring with 12 points against the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.

Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott had this to say about Gee and his development:

"He’s not as nervous or thinking as much offensively,'' Scott said. "He’s just kind of going with the flow of the game. When he has his opportunities to take it to the basket or take a jump shot he has done that, so I think he’s been pretty patient offensively, but aggressive as well. That’s something I want him to continue to do.''

The San Antonio Spurs own the NBA's best record at 49-11. They have gone on 12 and 10 game winning streaks, are 2-0 against the Los Angeles Lakers, have split the two meetings with the Dallas Mavericks, and are 3-0 versus the Oklahoma City Thunder this season.

Undoubtedly, the Spurs are the best in the NBA and in Texas.

But don't tell that to TNT's Charles Barkley who has been insistent all season long the Spurs are not the best team in the NBA or in the state of Texas.

Well it seems the Chuckster is at it again, this time saying the Mavericks can beat the Spurs, and even puts the Lakers above the San Antonio.

Oh and just for good measure, Barkley feels the the Thunder can beat the Spurs in the playoffs.

Though he does mention the Spurs do lack size, which Spurs fans tend to agree, it seems Barkley may need to re-evaluate his thoughts about the Spurs.

“Well, see the problem is that is one of the reasons I can’t predict a winner right now because the way it ends right now I think Dallas can beat the Spurs but I am not sure that they can beat the Lakers and right now they are scheduled to play in the second round of the playoffs.  I got Dallas and the Lakers ahead of the Spurs to be honest with you.  To be honest with you, if the season ended today I think Oklahoma City can beat the Spurs because I think the Spurs are a little overrated to be honest with you because I think they play very hard, they play very smart but I think they are missing a big guy to be honest with you.  Tim Duncan is struggling on the downside of his career but I just don’t think they don’t get enough easy baskets because their two best players are Parker and Ginobili, and I love Ginobili, but I believe in jump shooters being your go-to guy to be honest, that was my only knock on Oklahoma City.  I always tell people you don’t win with jump shots.  They have gotten better around the basket defensively but I think Dallas and the Lakers are the two best teams in the West.”  (sportsradiointerviews)

Alright Spurs fans time to chime in with your thoughts. You think Barkley makes good points about the Spurs or is he just full of it?

“George didn’t have a good game. Timmy didn’t have a good game. I didn’t have a good game,” said San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili after his team fell to Memphis (34-28) tonight 93 to 109.

This was the Spurs' first game without starting point guard Tony Parker, who is out  for the next two-to-four weeks with a strained calf muscle. 

“He is a very important part of who we are,” Ginobli said after the game.

That was especially apparent after tonight's loss.

George Hill started in place of Parker and scored as many points (6) as he had turnovers (6). Hill wasn’t the only starter who struggled in the game. None of the Spurs starters scored in double digits. In fact, only Gary Neal, who was returning from concussive symptoms, was able to score more than 10 points.

The Spurs opened the game with a Ginobili to Blair alley-oop layup. Ginobili and Hill wowed the Grizzlies' crowd with two half-court bounce passes that were 20 plus feet long.

The Spurs had seven turnovers early in the game and would keep the trend going throughout the night. Richard Jefferson had a pass intercepted by Memphis guard Mike Conley for an easy two points. Conley would continue this routine through the game as he ended the game with three steals.

Role players Chris Quinn and Tiago Splitter came off the bench and immediately scored a combined seven points for the Spurs. Ginobili closed the first quarter by driving to the left side of the paint and converting an “and one”  with three seconds left as the Spurs trailed the Grizzlies 30 to 32.

With two blocks in last night's loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan has now passed Alonzo Mourning and is now in the top 10 career blocked shots list.

Duncan is now four blocked shots away from eclipsing Robert Parish for ninth place.

1. Hakeem Olajuwon             3830
2. Dikembe Mutombo            3289
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar         3189
4. Mark Eaton                       3064
5. David Robinson              2954
6. Patrick Ewing                    2894
7. Shaquille O’Neal                2732
8. Tree Rollins                       2542
9. Robert Parish                    2361
10. Tim Duncan                  2358

Tony Parker is expected to miss two to four weeks after suffering a strained left calf last Saturday night.

Playing their first game without starting point guard, the San Antonio Spurs (49-11) were sloppy and committed 22 turnovers in the game.

The Memphis Grizzlies took advantage of Parker's absence and poor ball handling by San Antonio to defeat the Spurs 109-93. 

Here are some of the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' loss.

93.8 - The Grizzlies were nearly perfect from the free throw line, making 15-of-16 (93.8%) of their foul shots. The Spurs on the other hand just made 17-of-23 (73.9%) of their free throw attempts.

62 - Memphis mauled the San Antonio from the inside, outscoring the Spurs 62-34 on inside points.

52.8 - The Grizzlies shot a blistering 47-of-89 (52.8%) from the floor while holding the Spurs to 34-of-77 (44.2%) shooting from the field.

42 - Memphis edged San Antonio in the rebounding department 42-39.

27 - The Grizzlies beat the Spurs on transition 27-11 on fast break points.

• The San Antonio Spurs will face the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow and with Antawn Jamison out with an injury, the Cavaliers will be starting Samardo Samuels:

Samuels has played well the last few games, so Scott is rewarding him by starting him Wednesday at home against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. He replaces Jamison, who could miss the rest of the season following successful surgery on his left pinky Tuesday morning. (cavs.ohio.com)

• Also, the Cavaliers will start JJ Hickson at center versus the Spurs tomorrow night:

Technically perhaps, J.J. Hickson will be listed as the Cavaliers' starting center Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs. That's where he's played for 21 games this season, and where he's had the most success. (cleveland.com)

• Draft Express did a retrospective on Spurs' DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal:

Proving his worth as an offensive rebounder, space-carver in the lane, and an active cutter off the ball, Blair is the perfect complement to the Spurs' stable of talented scorers, as he creates extra possessions on the glass, sets hard screens on the perimeter, and provides a good target for easy shots around the basket. Unsurprisingly, Blair embraced this role from his first day in the league, and it's a big reason why he's managed to be so successful so quickly.

It hasn't been a completely smooth road for Neal getting to where he is, as some of his stops overseas have been less successful than others, but he's done a great job maturing and coming to a better understanding of the team concept in the last four years. He's now been thrust into arguably the most team-oriented offense in the league, and he's embraced it well, taking full advantage of his first shot in the NBA.

• The Spurs' D-League affiliate Austin Toros, made a trade with the Erie Bayhawks. Project Spurs' affiliate site Toros Nation has the report:

Yesterday, the Toros traded rookie Jermaine Beal to the Erie Bayhawks as part of a three-team deal that will net them a third round selection in the 2011 D-League Draft.

• Express News' Tim Griffin talks about the Spurs' core players.

• ProBasketBallTalk has the Spurs ranked number one in their Power Rankings:

1. Spurs (49-10, Last Week #2). No deadline moves for this group, nor should there have been. They are 6 games up on the Mavericks and Celtics for best record in the league, and they will not be caught. They are going to have home court for as long as they last in the playoffs.

Hit the jump to read about Matt Bonner making fun of himself, an argument why Manu Ginobili should be the NBA MVP, the pros and cons of former Spur Dennis Rodman in the Basketball Hall of Fame and more.

With all signs pointing to free agent point guard Mike Bibby signing with the Miami Heat, it seems the San Antonio Spurs have expressed interest in Carlos Arroyo who was waived by the Heat to make way for the arrival of Bibby:

Indeed, the gloom may be limited for Arroyo, who has attracted interest from the San Antonio Spurs, who will be without sidelined starting point guard Tony Parker for two to four weeks due to a calf injury. (sun-sentinel.com)

As the report states, with the injury to Tony Parker, the Spurs would be looking for a point guard seeing how Parker will be out two to four weeks.

This season the eight-year pro has averaged 5.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.

Again, there was a report the Spurs are also looking at former Spur Garrett Temple and are still waiting word from free agent Corey Brewer after speaking to him earlier today.

What are your thoughts Spurs fans?

According to the Washington Post, the San Antonio Spurs are interested in point guard Mike Bibby who was recently bought out by the Washington Wizards:

Portland, Miami, Boston, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers and possibly Denver are believed to have interest in him.

With the recent injury to point guard Tony Parker, it would make sense to bring in Bibby as insurance until Parker returns. He also wants to play for a team in contention for the NBA title so the Spurs would suit him. However, there is also a report the Spurs are interested in former Spur Garrett Temple.

What do you think about Bibby Spurs fans?

While most San Antonio Spurs fans are talking about buyout candidates possibly joining the silver and black, the Spurs seem to be interested in bringing a former player back.

I listed a few names yesterday that the team could bring up from the D-League for a 10-day contract while Tony Parker is out with a strained calf muscle.

One of the names that did not make my list was Garrett Temple, someone Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is interested in, according the the San Antonio Express-News.

One name Popovich confirmed intrigued the Spurs: Garrett Temple, the combo guard who was with the Spurs for the final weeks of the 2009-10 season and went through most of training camp before being waived.

He called Temple “a very interesting name for us.”

Temple was with the Spurs in training camp and played in three regular season games before he was waived, a surprise to many considering Popovich called him his favorite player in training camp.

After Temple was waived, he played for the RGV Vipers, then was traded to the Erie Bayhawks before he was called up by the Milwaukee Bucks for a 10-day contract.

Temple, who is known to be a quick study, made an immediate impact in his first game with the Bucks, finishing the game with eight points, three rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes. 

For more on Temple, be sure to read his Q&A with Jeff Garcia and listen in as I interviewed him on the phone after a Summer League Game in Las Vegas. 

With 23 games remaining, the NBA stretch run is fully underway and the San Antonio Spurs will be looking to close out the regular season on a high note.

To discuss the Spurs and their stretch run, I recently spoke with San Antonio's News 4 WOAI Sports Reporter Humberto "Humbie" Cervera. In this Q&A he speaks on what he expects from the Spurs in their final games, the Dallas Mavericks, his thoughts on Mavericks' Jason Terry, and more. 

Jeff: What are you expecting from the Spurs in the stretch run?

Humbie: I'm expecting a lot of the same. They've found the formula to win games in the regular season. They're a very good team, but what we're all waiting for is if they can play defense to be the BEST team. If they can't they'll just be the Phoenix Suns of yesteryear.

Many point to the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs as the teams to beat but would you say the Dallas Mavericks should be mentioned in that list?

They'll always be one of those teams so long as Dirk (Nowitzki) is there. They've been through too many playoff battles to EVER say the Spurs will just roll right through them.

Speaking of the Mavericks, recently Jason Terry said Dallas can catch the San Antonio whether it be in the regular season or the playoffs. He went a bit further and said he would prefer it to be in the playoffs. Any "kind" words for Mr. Terry?

He's one of my least favorite players in the league first off. Dallas CAN catch them. I could also win the lottery in the near future. Just because something CAN happen doesn't mean it actually will. That's the difference between the Spurs and the Mavs. The Mavs are worried about beating the Spurs and the Spurs are worried about their next championship.

With the regular season nearing the end, what has been your biggest surprise and disappointment from the Spurs?

I still think Gary Neal is the biggest surprise, even more so than the 3 pt accuracy from RJ. The biggest disappointment still has to be the play of Tiago. Spurs brass tried to warn us he wouldn't be spectacular, but we all got our hopes up anyways.

If you can point to one thing right now, what would it be for the Spurs to focus on with their remaining games?

Defense. That's the biggest thing they're all talking about right now. We've had the privilege to see 4 championships come through here and we all know it wasn't because of their great offensive prowess that they pulled that off. If the spurs defense isn't right they could find a wrong matchup and lose as early as the 1st round.