• Former San Antonio Spurs player Chuck Person was known for his offensive skills but it seems he has a lot to do with the Los Angeles Lakers huge win against the Spurs yesterday and the Lakers improved defense:

"We kind of gave Chuck Person dedicated moments in practice to really work on our defense," Jackson said. "He's been good with the guys and handled it really well. We've taken extra time defensively in practice rather than doing as much execution offensively as we have in the past." (latimes.com)

• After yesterday's loss to the Lakers, Manu Ginobili shared his thoughts on the Spurs' performance:

• Seems it wasn't just the Spurs who suffered at the hands of the Lakers. Check out this Spurs fan getting tackled by Ron Artest.

• NBA.com caught up with Spurs' great David Robinson and here is what he had to say about playing with someone who can post double-doubles nightly:

Jonah Ballow: How important is it to have a player like that – who can post double-doubles on a nightly basis?

David Robinson: Unbelievable, there's no way you're going to get to be a good team unless you have reliable leaders, consistent leaders, and he's been that for that team, so at least it gives him kind of a good starting block to get back in the mix of all the top tier teams.

• With the Spurs celebrating Noche Latino night wearing the "Los Spurs" jerseys this past week, RedsArmy.com says let's celebrate all cultures in the NBA with some fantastic pictures. A must see!

• Former Spur Bobby Simmons to sign with the D-League's Reno Bighorns.

Hit the jump to read about Spurs' head coach having a fitful night after the loss to the Lakers, George Hill's and DeJuan Blair's new show, The Onion poking fun at Tim Duncan once again, small vs big NBA markets, and more.

Here is something to get your mind off yesterday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Last month, it was announced the two Marvel characters picked for the San Antonio Spurs were the Silver Surfer and Wolverine for the NBA-Marvel Comics super hero inspired clothing line, artwork, and accessories for each NBA team.

Well, check out the Spurs-Silver Surfer tee-shirt:

Alright Spurs fans what do you think? Like it? Don't like it? Waiting to see how the Spurs-Wolverine line of clothing will turn out?

It's hard to imagine San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili would be playing at a high level this season and being named a 2011 Western Conference All-Star after suffering ankle injuries in seasons past, considering his age and commitments to playing in international competition for Argentina which brought on wear-and-tear and exhaustion.

However, for Ginobili it's not the physical, it's the mental that matters and it's what keeps him going game-in and game-out:

“Basketball is not just about your legs. You have to use your head, your experience, be responsible, respect your opponents,” Ginobili said. “The season isn’t won by (the squad) that beats three or four teams, but the one that defeats everybody,” he said.

Luckily for the Spurs and their fans, he chose not to play this past summer in Turkey at the World Championships for Argentina to rest and be with his children.

That rest has proven invaluable for the Spurs as he is leading the team in scoring at 17.8 points, is averaging 30.8 minutes per game and has helped the Spurs to an NBA-leading record at 51-12.

But let's not forget Spurs fans, after this NBA season is over, he will be playing in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship in Mar del Plata, Argentina for the Argentina national team this summer and is looking forward to it:

“I’m really looking forward to it and playing at home after 10 years will be great. We’re all very excited and it’s going to be a great championship,” Ginobili said.

This will be a concern for the Spurs and their fans considering that the Spurs are primed to make a deep playoff run, the amount of time he is seeing on the court this season, and knowing his international play this summer will only add to his wear-and-tear.

Let's just hope he comes back from the tournament injury-free, well rested, and hopefully looking to defend the NBA title for the Spurs next season.

(source laht.com)

After coming off a huge win against the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs were expected give the Los Angeles Lakers a fight yesterday. Instead, the Lakers routed the Spurs, snapping their home-winning streak at 22, winning 99-83.

After the game, Lakers' Andrew Bynum, who finished with 17 rebounds and four points, had this to say about the Spurs' starters according to the LA Times:

In a town noted for having no quit, Andrew Bynum added yet more embarrassing commentary on San Antonio's collapse.

He said the Spurs' "starters definitely quit.''

First, the Spurs were shooting ridiculously cold (36% for the game) while the Lakers were shooting ridiculously hot (46.7% for the game) and before they knew it, it was a huge lead for the Lakers. It happens.

Second, this is a veteran squad lead by a head coach who knows it's a marathon and not a sprint and this loss, though terrible, won't mean a thing in the post-season. Every team in the NBA has a game like this. Remember, the Spurs were once blown out in a game during the 2005 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons and still went on to win the title.

Third, Bynum just gave the Spurs' starters a healthy amount of locker room material for their next meeting in Los Angeles next month.

See you in LA Bynum!

Box Score | Advanced Stats | GameFlow

Just two days after the San Antonio Spurs embarrassed the Miami Heat at the AT&T Center on national television, the Los Angeles Lakers came into San Antonio on a six-game win streak and turned the tables, giving the Spurs their 12th loss of the season 83-99.

The Lakers came out on fire, with several players getting started early while the Spurs struggled.

With 8:35 remaining in the first quarter, Tony Parker hit a jumper that tied the game at 8-8, and that's about as close as it would get for the Spurs for the remainder of the game.

The Spurs would only score five more points that quarter and didn't score at all on the final four minutes as the Lakers went on a 12-0 run to end the quarter up 21 points 34-13.

It wouldn't get much better from there as the Lakers outscored the Spurs in the next two quarters, while the Spurs bench did their best to make the final score respectable in the fourth.

The Spurs were lead in scoring by Gary Neal's 15. Tony Parker and George Hill added 14 apiece. The loss to the Lakers gave the Spurs just their third home loss of the season.

• San Antonio Spurs' Gary Neal summed up today's huge loss to the Los Angeles Lakers:

"They hit us in the mouth from the beginning and by the time we realized it, it was the ninth round and we were down on the scorecard," Spurs guard Gary Neal said. (woai.com)

• Dallas Mavericks' Jason Terry relishes the under-dog role while the Spurs get more of the attention:

“People didn’t predict us to do much before the season and they’re not predicting us to do much now. We’ll continue to relish that [underdog] role and play with a chip on our shoulder. That’s the only way to fly.” (cleveland.com)

• RedsArmy.com is keeping an eye on the Spurs as a possible Boston Celtics-Spurs NBA Finals could happen in June.

• Former Spurs' player Alonzo Gee - now with the Cleveland Cavaliers - had this to say about his former teammate Gary Neal:

“He worked really hard,” Gee said. “He can really shoot the ball. I knew he was going to do really well, especially in the system that he’s in.” (cleveland.com)

Hit the jump to read about the Spurs and advanced metrics, the Austin Toros, trades the Lakers didn't make and more.

San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan spoke on facing the Los Angeles Lakers today in what could be a preview of the Western Conference Finals.

Former Lakers great Earvin "Magic" Johnson is in San Antonio and with today's huge contest between the Spurs and Lakers, Magic gave his thoughts on the Spurs crushing the Miami Heat and asks the Spurs to be "nice" to his Lakers.

(video woai.com)

The San Antonio Spurs (51-11) will face the Los Angeles Lakers (44-19) today in San Antonio as the Spurs will look to send a message to the Lakers that it's the Spurs who rule the West.

The Spurs are coming off a 125-95 win over the Miami Heat and will be looking to clinch the season series against the Lakers. Currently, the Spurs hold a 2-0 regular season series lead. The Spurs last win against Los Angeles was a thrilling 89-88 win sealed with a game-winning tip-in by Antonio McDyess in February.

The Lakers are coming off a 92-84 win against the Charlotte Bobcats and will be looking to get a win at the AT&T Center - a place where the Spurs are seemingly unbeatable at 29-2. The Lakers are also playing better basketball since the All-Star break and are currently on a six game winning streak.

For the series, Spurs' Tony Parker is averaging 22 points while DeJuan Blair averages 9.2 rebounds against the Lakers.

To talk about today's contest, I turn to friend of Project Spurs Rey Moralde of The No Look Pass a great site on the Internet for all things Lakers and more. Click HERE to read the Q&A I did for Rey.

In this Q&A, Rey talks about the Lakers improved play, if the Lakers are still the team to beat and more.

Jeff: Seems after the All-Star break the Lakers are playing more consistently. What has been the difference?

Rey: They are way better defensively. Even when they struggled offensively against Charlotte last night, they held them to 84 points and under 40 percent shooting. When they beat Oklahoma City, they held them to 31 points in the 2nd half. While they struggled early against Minnesota, they held them to 34 in the 2nd half. So they're getting it done on the defensive end.

Also... it looks like Ron Artest has found his groove. Sure, he only scored 5 points against the Clippers and 6 against Minnesota but he's finally playing topnotch D again. And if you're looking for that signature game from him this season, the one against Portland was it: 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists.

If these two teams do meet in the Western Conference Finals, how do you see the series ending?

• The San Antonio Spurs will face the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow and Lakers' Shannon Brown says there's a good chance the Lakers and Spurs will meet in the playoffs:

"It's a good chance of it," Shannon Brown said of a potential Alamo-Hollywood showdown in the postseason. "We can't continue to give them confidence to know that they can come out and they can play with us and they can beat us. When we go in there Sunday it's going to be a dogfight." (espn.com)

• Lakers coach Phil Jackson talks about the mindset the Lakers need to have entering tomorrow's contest with the Spurs:

"If we play Sunday like we did [against the Bobcats], we're not going to be in the contest, there's no doubt about that," said Jackson. "But, we find a way against that team, we find a way to play against them and we'll compete." (espn.com)

• Lakers' Derek Fisher sprained his elbow against the Charlotte Bobcats but Lakers coach Phil Jackson says Fisher will be OK for tomorrow's game:

"I think he'll be ready," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "He's strong as an ox. He's got enough strength to probably hold it together."

Fisher declined to talk to reporters after the game other than to say "Yep" when asked if he felt all right. (latimes.com)

• Spurs' George Hill talks about facing the Lakers tomorrow:

• MVPTexas.com talks about the Spurs making winning the norm:

One of the good things about an 82 game season is that teams have enough time to work out the kinks, recover, go into a slump, recover, suffer a few injuries, and then still be healthy enough to make a good run in the post season.

It is not uncommon to see many teams in the post season go through any of the above situations. While being consistently good during the season would be nice teams know it is unlikely. However, for the San Antonio Spurs that is exactly what they have been.

• Former Spurs player Dennis Rodman is a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame and former Spur and Hall of Famer David Robinson had this to say about playing against Rodman:

“He was annoying,” Robinson said. “He just would be in your shorts all the time, always there with you. He was a very, very strong guy — a little bit undersized at times, but he never let it stop him. He had relentless energy, and he had no fear.” 

• RedsArmy.com is keeping a close eye on the Spurs as the playoffs are fast approaching.

Hit the jump to read about a former Spurs' scout passing away, the Spurs offense, and more.

San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan usually let's his game do all the talking on the court but in last night's annihilation of the Miami Heat, Duncan told his fellow teammates it was over in the first quarter.

Check out the video of Duncan saying it was game over.