The San Antonio Spurs have officially kicked off the Rodeo Road trip with a visit to Portland last night in a loss to the Trail Blazers.

That was just game one of a nine games on the road for San Antonio, and with that being said, here are a few facts about the Spurs' annual road trip:

• Spurs will visit nine different cities over the course of 17 days.
• Since moving to the AT&T Center, the Spurs Rodeo Road Trip record is 44-20 (.688) (winning percentage prior to current road trip).
• Last season, the Spurs went 4-4 on the trip.

Breaking down the mileage:

• San Antonio to Portland - 2,493 miles.
• Portland to Los Angeles - 824 miles.
• Los Angeles to Sacramento - 360 miles.
• Sacramento to San Antonio - 1,455 miles.
• San Antonio to Detroit - 1,228 miles.
• Detroit to Toronto - 206 miles.
• Toronto to Philadelphia - 337 miles.
• Philadelphia to Washington DC - 120 miles.
• Washington DC to Newark - 197 miles.
• Newark to Chicago - 704 miles.
• Chicago to San Antonio - 1,041 miles.
• Grand total: 8,965 miles.

"He had a decent game, didn't he? We held him to 40 or 35. I stopped counting. He was great."

Those were the words from San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich regarding Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

After starting the game with a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, the Spurs looked like they were beginning their annual Rodeo Road Trip on the right path. Little did the Spurs know, a former Texas product would lead his team to a 99-86 victory over them.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 40 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in what he considers the Trail Blazers (26-22) best win of the season.

"It has to be. This is the best team in the league. This is big for us, coming off two losses," Aldridge said.

He could not be stopped. Whether it was hitting his consistent 18-foot jump shot, grabbing an offensive rebound for a simple put back, or effortlessly using his height and athleticism to catch easy lobs over the Spurs' smaller defenders.

After opening the game with a 7-0 run to start, San Antonio struggled to make a shot and get in any sort of rhythm. The Spurs went 9-23 in the first quarter and trailed the Trail Blazers 24-22 to end the first.

In the second quarter, DeJuan Blair and the Spurs' role players sparked the team with some much-needed energy as the team scored 30 points in the second quarter. Blair had 14 points and 11 rebounds going into halftime. Right before the half, Manu Ginobili hit a step back three pointer to send the Spurs into halftime with a 52-47 lead and strong momentum.

In the third quarter, the game got sloppy. Both teams were having inconsistent possessions at a time and had trouble connecting on any baskets. The Trail Blazers were fortunate to score 24 points in the quarter and hold the Spurs to just 19 points. The game was tied 71-71 going into the fourth quarter.

The difference in the game came in the fourth quarter; with big plays coming from LaMarcus Aldridge, guard Wesley Matthews (21 points on 50% shooting) and point guard Andre Miller (18 points and 9 assists), the Trail Blazers used the Rose Garden’s mass energy to score 28 points in the fourth quarter and hold the Spurs to just 15 points. With 2:30 left in the ball game, San Antonio coach Popovich pulled the starters and let the bench finish the game. He’d seen enough.

After having strong momentum heading into the locker room at halftime, the Spurs offense struggled mightily as the team was only able to score a combined 34 points in the second half. Credit Portland’s defense for holding the Spurs' "Big Three" of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to a combined 38 points. With the loss, the Spurs fell to 40-8 on the season.

Next for the Spurs is a Thursday night matchup in Los Angeles against the defending champion Lakers.

Notes

• Spurs point guard Tony Parker had one of his worst games of the season only scoring 6 points (3-11 FG) in 32 minutes of action.
• Spurs rookie Gary Neal is in a shooting slump for the first time this season. Neal went 1-7 for 2 points against the Rockets on Saturday and finished 1-6 for 3 points tonight against the Trail Blazers.
• The Spurs perimeter defense did a fine job holding Portland to 15% shooting from behind the arc; however, the interior and mid range defense allowed the Trail Blazers to shoot 51%.

Follow Paul on twitter: @24writer

The San Antonio Spurs started their annual Rodeo Road Trip on the wrong foot, losing to a badly depleted Portland Trail Blazers team 99-86.

What are the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' recent loss? Let's find out!

87.5 - The Blazers shot very well from the foul line making 21-24 (87.5%) free throws. The Spurs shot a measly 8-15 (53.3%) of their free throw attempts.

37 - Both teams were even in the rebounding department finishing with 37 a piece.

21 - Wesley Matthews added 21 points for the Blazers and was picked for the sophomore squad.

17 - Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 17 points, four rebounds, four steals and two assists.

15 - Tim Duncan added 15 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes for San Antonio.

14 - DeJuan Blair had 14 points and 12 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season, but had only one rebound after the half. He was also selected to join the sophomore squad.

10 - George Hill scored 10 points off the Spurs' bench. Richard Jefferson also had 10 points and three boards in 36 minutes of action.

0 - Duncan and Hill did not commit a single turnover for the entire game despite playing 30 minutes or more.

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal had three points and one rebound in 16 minutes of action and was selected to play for the rookie squad. James Anderson scored three points in only three minutes of playing time and Tiago Splitter had one point in two minutes.

What's Next? The Spurs will visit the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on Thursday.

Follow me on Twitter @RobbyLim21

• The San Antonio Spurs are officially on the annual Rodeo Road Trip and after the game against the Portland Trail Blazers, they will square off against their Western Conference rival Los Angeles Lakers who might be without the services of Andrew Bynum:

The Lakers, losers of four of their last seven games including their last two in a row at home, will be without starting center Andrew Bynum on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets.

Bynum underwent an MRI on Tuesday morning that revealed a bone bruise on his left knee.

A timetable for Bynum's return is uncertain. The Lakers' next game is Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs, who they trail by 7.5 games for first place in the Western Conference.

"It's going to be a day-to-day thing," Jackson said. "Bone bruises are a little bit difficult to just say when guys are going to come back." (source espn.com)

• Charlie Rosen gives the Spurs 1:1 odds at winning the title:

San Antonio Spurs 1:1 -- The only team whose discipline at both ends can compare to Boston's. In the past, San Antonio's postseason success was hugely dependent upon the accuracy of their outside shooting. But Richard Jefferson has found his niche and his jumper, plus the bull's-eye shooting of undrafted rookie Gary Neal has been a significant factor off the bench. The clutch play of San Antonio's old reliables -- Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and (to a lesser extent) Tony Parker -- should not be underestimated. Nor should Gregg Popovich's strategy of limiting his starters' minutes until the minutes really count.

• The Spurs say their goodbyes as the head on the Rodeo Road Trip:

• Spurs' DeJuan Blair is stepping up in his second year according to USA Today:

The NBA announced the rosters for the 2011 Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be played during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

Spurs rookie Gary Neal will be representing the rookie squad while DeJuan Blair represents the sophomores. Spurs assistant coach, Mike Budenholzer, will coach the rookies.

The participants in the Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot.

Joining Evans on the Sophomore team are: San Antonio Spurs center DeJuan Blair, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson, Philadelphia 76ers guard Jrue Holiday, Oklahoma City Thunder forward/center Serge Ibaka, Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings and Portland Trail Blazers guard Wesley Matthews.

Washington Wizards guard John Wall, the top selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, joins Griffin on the Rookie team, which also includes: Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe, Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, New Jersey Nets forward Derrick Favors, New York Knicks guard Landry Fields, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Wesley Johnson, Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe and San Antonio Spurs guard Gary Neal.

Last year in Dallas, the Rookies won for the first time since 2002. San Antonio’s Blair scored 22 points and grabbed a Rookie Challenge-record 23 rebounds in the Rookies’ 140-128 win. His performance marked the first 20-20 game in the history of the Rookie Challenge since the event was added to All-Star Weekend in 2000. Neal’s selection to this year’s game marks the fourth San Antonio player to participate in this event. Tony Parker played in the 2002 Rookie Challenge and Manu Ginobili was selected for the 2003 game as a replacement for Rockets center Yao Ming but did not participate due to injury.

I had a chance to speak with Neal about the possibility of him making the rookie team before Saturday's Spurs-Rocket's game.

"If I'm fortunate enough to make the rookie team, that would be great," Neal said. "It would be an accomplishment for what I've done for the first half of the season."

The full rosters for the Rookie Challenge are available on NBA.com.

Spurs.com recently sat down with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to ask him questions Spurs fans submitted.

Here are a few of the questions that Pop answered:

Question: Has Gary Neal been a surprise to you and the coaching staff with what he is doing on the court?
GP: I don't think it's really a surprise. We knew he could shoot the ball, we knew he is a tough young man. We're pleased what we thought to be true came out once the lights came on. We may occasionally think about someone during the summer or Summer League and the lights come on with the big boys and someone might not do the same things, but he has and we're pleased with that.

Question: Hey Pop, honestly, are you just jealous of Craig Sager's fashion sense?
GP: Absolutely not. My wife would have left me long ago if I dressed like him.

Question: Hey Coach Pop, I know there was a lot of unfair expectations put on Tiago Splitter coming into this season. How do you feel he has handled the transition to the NBA?
GP: He has done a very good job. He is a very frustrated player right now because he is not getting minutes. He comes in before and after every practice and works very hard. Missing training camp really hurt him, for a lot of reasons that are pretty obvious. He has been behind the power curve the entire year but he continues to work and we're trying hard to find him minutes and hopefully he'll be more of a significant factor by the time playoffs come.

For the rest of the questions and Pop's answers, including his four favorite citys to visit on the road, read the mailbag at Spurs.com. 

The San Antonio Spurs kick off their annual Rodeo Road Trip tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Tony Parker admits trips to Portland and Sacramento are not as great as the trip to Chicago while Tim Duncan speaks on improving on team defense.

(video woai.com)

This past week, the San Antonio Spurs gathered three victories as they had a two game road trip and finished with a win at home. The AT&T Center is presently filled with dirt, paraded by ranch folks and tuned to the sounds of Lady Antebellum.

(Advice: READ NEXT SENTENCE IN NASCAR VOICE) So get out your lasso, start twirling it up above your head and send it on out to rope your laptop or desktop computer! It’s ‘Views From the Couch!’ Time!

The Past Should Be Revisited

• @ Golden State Warriors: The Spurs began their two game road trip in “Warriors come out to playyyyyyy” territory; everything was going normal in the first half and then utter silence captured the arena. There was Tim Duncan, sitting down, clutching his knee with just a few minutes remaining in the half. He was helped up by his teammates and was able to walk to the locker room on his own. From that point on, the game didn’t matter. Reporters and viewers stayed quietly tense through the entire half, waiting for any word on Duncan. Then, right before the third quarter, Tim Duncan went onto the court and began shooting warm-up jump shots. After those 18-20 minutes, the entire Spurs Nation could finally exhale. In the third quarter; Antonio McDyess threw down an exhilarating dunk, I tweeted “McDyess used to dunk on those horizontal rims the Aztecs used to use. #OldManSwag”  Duncan finished the night with 16 points and 7 rebounds. He was ok, the Spurs won (holding Golden State to only 44 points in the second and third quarter combined) and everyone could be at ease knowing Duncan would be fine. 

• @ Utah Jazz (Good Team): In the first quarter, @PeterBurnsRadio tweeted “There is no way Kirilenko is cashing in on the Kirilenko Rule with that haircut. No way.” This was a close game throughout; but going into the fourth quarter, the Spurs had a 10-point lead. Utah put up a fight, getting near the Spurs in the last quarter, but the Jazz’s comeback wasn’t enough.

• Houston Rockets: Midway into the first quarter, I wrote, “When does Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis come in for Houston?” This was a close game for two quarters, and then in the third, the Spurs defense held Houston to just 20-points. The Spurs extended their lead in the fourth quarter to finish off the Rockets. After the game fellow writer Nick Kapsis (@Kap10Jack) tweeted “Blair's line: 6-12 FG, 2-2 FT, 14 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST, 3BLK & +12 for the night. 21 years old... Just scratching the surface.”

This past Sunday marked an important date in San Antonio Spurs' history as it was the day the Spurs acquired Spurs' legend George "Iceman" Gervin for $225,000 from the Virginia Squires.

In this News 4 WOAI interview, Gervin spoke on how he became a Spur, including a time where he did not want to come to San Antonio, and his favorite current Spurs player, Manu Ginobili.

(video woai.com)

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