Welcome all San Antonio Spurs fans to the first "Views From The Couch" piece for here at Project Spurs!

I began writing the "Views From The Couch" column on November 19, last year. You can see volumes 1-6 here. The idea was to give a general analysis after every five games, regarding the Spurs play.

I’ve decided to tinker the column a bit now that I’m writing for Project Spurs. So, the new changes will be for me to post "VFTC" every Monday and discuss the games from Monday-Sunday each week. One quick note: In "VFTC" I like to use some jokes, so read it with the idea of getting a few chuckles. So, tighten your seat belt if you’re driving while reading this, or actually, stop your vehicle, park and just read. We need to be safe on the roads!

The Spurs just went 5-0 in the last five games. This included three games on the road, one back-to-back and one game against a Good Team. Four of the teams they played had losing records and the only Good Team they played, was missing two of its stars. Still, some of these teams put up a fight against the Spurs.

The Past Should Be Revisited

• @ Indiana Pacers: this was a close game throughout; the Spurs fell behind 15 pts at one time and entered the fourth quarter down 11 pts. @Courtside tweeted this in the fourth: “The Spurs are down 9 in the 4th to a team with a Furnace-A-Game Giveaway.” Defense helped the Spurs get this win, by holding the Pacers to just 12 pts in the fourth quarter.

• @ Minnesota Timberwolves: Once the Spurs were up by 16pts during this game, the Timberwolves never had a chance of coming back. @Suga_Shane tweeted “Why does it feel like Minnesota and San Antonio have played each other 27 times this season?” With this win, the Spurs swept the Timberwolves for the season; the Timberwolves won’t have a chance to make the playoffs, unless they move to the Eastern Conference.

• @ Milwaukee Bucks: This game was on the second night of a back-to-back, where the Spurs haven’t been so good this season. The Spurs came out sloppy early, and were down 10pts in the first half. Things got chippy between Cory Maggette and George Hill, I tweeted: “Really Maggette? Stepping up to George Hill? Ask Bean, Hill doesn't care who you are, he won't back down. #Spurs” Defense saved the team on a night when shots weren’t falling, by holding the Bucks to 13 pts in the third and 18 pts in the fourth quarter. Ersan Ilyasova likes to sing his version of “The Killers” song ‘Human’: “Are we human? Or are we vampires?”

• Dallas Mavericks (Good Team): Dirk Nowitzki missed his ninth straight game and it really showed how the Mavericks have been slumping without him. The Spurs led by 15 pts at halftime and the game was pretty much over from there. I tweeted “Halftime: #Spurs lead 57-42. Every player from both teams has left to the locker room except Brian Cardinal. He has to sweep. #JanitorDuties”. Tim Duncan also had a statement for Father Time.

By The Numbers

• Record: 34-6, #1 in the entire NBA.
  
  
• AT&T Center: 21-2
  
  
• Opponents House: 13-4
  
  
• Vs. The Mighty West: 23-3
  
  
• Vs. The lowly East (I will keep calling the East this until all eight playoff seeds have +.500 records): 11-3
  
  
• Vs. Southwest Division opponents: 6-2
  
  
• Vs. Good Teams (Good Teams: All eight West playoff teams & Boston, Miami, Chicago, Orlando, Atlanta, New York): 13-5
  
  
• Gunslinging (times scored over 100 pts): 26/40 games
  
  
• Lowest points scored: 85 pts in Loss to Los Angeles Clippers
  
  
• Most points scored: 124 pts in Win vs. Houston
  
  
• Quality Wins (Win by +10 pts): 11 times
  
  
• Blowouts (Win by +20 pts): 5 times
  
  
• Closing Time (Games decided by five pts or less): 9-2
  
  
• Scoring average: 104.6 ppg
  
  
• Hold opponents to: 96.8 ppg
  
  
• Victory Margin: +7.8 points

Top 5 Players

• Manu Ginobili: 18.9 ppg, 4.7 ast, 1.8 stl, 31 mpg, 1.0 identifying UFO spacecrafts
  
  
• Tony Parker: 17.2 ppg, 7 ast, 1.4 stl, 33 mpg
  
  
• Tim Duncan: 13.8 ppg, 9.3 rbd, 2blk, 29 mpg
  
  
• Richard Jefferson version 24.2: 12.8 ppg, 3 PT 42%, 31 mpg
  
  
• George Hill: 11.1 ppg, 1 stl, 28 mpg
  
  
• Honorable Argentinean: Manu Ginobili

Manu was the leading scorer in four of the last five games averaging 19.8 ppg (25 pts vs. Indiana, 21 pts vs. Minnesota, 19 pts vs. Minnesota, 23 pts vs. Milwaukee, 11 pts vs. Dallas.)

Listen To Malik Rose

 For a few of the road games, Malik Rose has been doing commentary in Sean Elliots place. In the national circuit, Sean Elliot is seeing as one of the most biased announcers in sports. Malik Rose tops Elliot by saying sentences like “For the Spurs to come back all the way down, I know they’ll come back and win, they got this!” But listening to Rose these last few games I’ve learned two very valuable things from him: 1.) Rose portrays the knowledge that the Spurs use in their system. He will say terms like “Player X just made a Rim-Run.” “We used to do those all the times in practice, etc.” I’ve noticed some words like this; so if you’re a big basketball IQ person, Malik really provides some in depth terms that the pros use. 2.) Malik is really good at dissecting opposing players; he will explain a play thoroughly enough, that he gives you a quick glimpse into what that players next move was and his usual habits and tactics. So, try to push his bias aside and gain some knowledge from Malik.

Is The Offense Slowing Down?

Looking at the last five games, the Spurs only averaged 97.8 ppg. In two of those games, they were down double digits and had to make comebacks to win. In the five games, the Spurs only topped 100 pts twice. They only averaged 10 fast break points through the last five games. You have to remember, they were playing four opponents with losing records and in the Milwaukee game, it was on the second night of a back-to-back; but why couldn’t they put up 100 pts easily, on four bad teams? I know it’s just five games that I’m basing this question on, but could this be a sign of a future occurrence to come? I really hope the team isn’t starting to lose its energy or maybe opponents have found ways to slow down the new high-powered offense? Regardless of the reasoning for the let down in offense, the defense is really starting to ratchet itself up by holding teams to 89.4 ppg these last five games. And if you recall, the defense helped the Spurs make a comeback against Indiana and Milwaukee.

What We Learned

These last five games taught us that this years Spurs team is buying into the “Play four quarters of basketball” concept; being down double digits twice and winning both games on the road shows the team has the mental toughness to say “OK, things aren’t going our way right now, but if we keep playing for four quarters, we’re going to have a chance at the end.”  The team also knows how to ”take care of business.” When they had a big lead on the Timberwolves, they didn’t let them have chance of coming back. The Spurs knew Dallas was wounded without Butler and Nowitzki, so they came out attacking and just took care of Dallas in “another day at the office” format.

The Week Ahead

The Spurs play four teams this week from Sunday-Saturday. The week also features one back-to-back. Three of the teams ahead are Top 15 teams in the NBA.

Game 41. Sunday, 1-14-11. Denver Nuggets (Good Team): The Nuggets are #12 in the NBA at 25-16 and have gone 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Spurs are 2-0 thus far against them, but Carmelo only played in the first meeting. He’s currently in the midst of all the trade rumors, @PeterBurnsRadio has the best idea on how to solve Carmelo's problem: “How to make NBA interesting: #Knicks #Nets game on Feb 12. Winner gets Carmelo. I'd watch.” Oh and you seriously need to read my fellow writer Robby Lim's gameday preview for tonight's Spurs-Nuggets game. I hear he is Nostradamus at predicting the final outcome of the game.

Game 42. Wednesday, 1-19-11. Toronto Raptors: The Raptors are #25 in the NBA at 13-27 and have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games. This shouldn’t be difficult for the Spurs, because Chris Bosh left the Raptors looking like the town in “Jumanji” after all the elephants stampeded through it.

Game 43. Friday, 1-21-11. New York Knicks (Good Team): The Knicks are #13 in the NBA at 22-17 and 5-5 in their last 10 games. Wilson Chandler had 31pts in the last game against the Spurs, and New York is one of the FEW teams to defeat the Spurs this season. Let’s hope the Spurs can even the series.

Game 44. Saturday, 1-22-11 @ New Orleans Hornets (Good Team): The Hornets are #11 in the NBA at 25-16 and 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Spurs are 2-1 in the series against the Hornets. What’s the over/under on number of times David West smiles during this game? Two? One? Negative three?

(All stats used as of 01-15-2011)

Photos D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images, okgscene.com

Follow Paul on twitter! @24writer

As reported earlier this week by Project Spurs' Michael De Leon, the San Antonio Spurs have officially signed Larry Owens from the D-League:

The San Antonio Spurs today announced they have signed forward Larry Owens from the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League to a 10-day contract. Owens is the second call-up of the 2010-11 D-League season.

Owens, a 6-7 forward, has spent the past two seasons with the 66ers. This year he has started in all 23 games for Tulsa, averaging 12.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31.1 minutes while shooting .462 (108-234) from the field, .373 (25-67) from three-point range and .743 (52-70) from the foul line. He’s scored in double figure 18 times, including a season-high vs. Iowa on Nov. 26. Owens recorded a double-double in the season opener with 16 points and a season-high 13 rebounds at Bakersfield on Nov. 19. (source spurs.com)

SPURS:

• San Antonio Spurs' Matt Bonner will be out of action for tomorrow's game against the Denver Nuggets reports Express News' Tim Griffin:

Spurs forward Matt Bonner will miss Sunday’s game against Denver with a sore right knee.

Bonner injured the knee late in the second quarter of the Spurs’ 101-89 victory over Dallas. He scored six points on a pair of 3-pointers in 7:54 of playing time before the injury.

• What did Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich have to say about the win over Dallas? Let's find out:

• Aside from lunging into the seats at the AT&T Center in last night's Spurs-Mavericks game, when asked how many Spurs should be at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, Antonio McDyess had a quick, succinct answer:

And when asked how many Spurs should be this time, McDyess didn't hesitate.

“Three,” he said, and everyone knows which three. (source Express News)

• However, as much as McDyess and the rest of Spurs fandom would like to see Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili start for the Western Conference All-Stars, it would appear this will not happen:

• Speaking of All-Stars, check out Duncan posterizing the Mavericks from last night's game:

• The Spurs' Baseline Bums get some recognition and were bringing the noise at last night's Spurs-Mavericks game:

They’re not the same raucous group that harassed game officials and visiting teams at HemisFair Arena for 20 years, but the Baseline Bums still make their presence known at Spurs home games.

What? Another non-classy moment from Dallas Mavericks' Jason Terry during a Spurs game? I know shocking!

In case you missed it from last night's San Antonio Spurs-Mavericks game, Mavericks' guard Jason Terry decided to add to the list of reasons Spurs' fans do not like him with this cheap-shot to Manu Ginobili:

Clearly Terry lowers his shoulder and adds a bit more after the hit but you got to hand it to Ginobili. He could have lost his cool and said something to Terry but he just walked away.

Now I know Spurs fans want to weigh in on this new incident involving Terry and the Spurs. So what do you have to say Spurs fans?

The San Antonio Spurs caught a break, with Dirk Nowitzki still out with an injury, the Dallas Mavericks proved no match to the league leaders.

The Spurs built an early lead and routed the Mavericks 101-89. 

Here are the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' latest win.

79.3 - The Spurs had a huge advantage from the foul line making 23-29 (79.3%) free throws. The Mavericks made just 11-18 (61.1%) of their foul shots.

52 - San Antonio owned the boards, outrebounding the Mavericks 52-39.

46.2 - The Mavericks shot the ball well from the 3-point area making 6-13 (46.2%) three-pointers. The Spurs connected on 6-16 (37.5%) from beyond the arc.

45 - San Antonio hit their shots from the field, they made 36-80 (45%) of their field goals. The Mavericks weren't bad either, making 36-83 (43.4%) field goal attempts.

18 - Tony Parker set the tone on offense leading the Spurs with 18 points and six assists. DeJuan Blair had a great game, he registered a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

16 - Tim Duncan had another solid performance scoring 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in just 24 minutes of action. 

13 - J.J. Barea and Dominique Jones scored 13 points a piece from the Dallas bench.

6 - Matt Bonner scored six points in just eight minutes and was not able to play in the second half because of aggravating an injury. Antonio McDyess provided a boost from the Spurs' bench with six points and 10 boards.

0 - For the third straight game, Duncan did not commit a single turnover. Richard Jefferson had seven points and five rebounds and zero turnovers in 30 minutes of action.

Rookie Watch: Neal scored eight points, grabbed three boards and had two assists in 26 minutes. Tiago Splitter had one point, three rebounds and one assists in 15 minutes of playing time.

What's Next? The Spurs will host the Denver Nuggets at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Sunday.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Ian Mahinmi will be playing with a little extra motivation tonight as he prepares to take on his former teammates, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas.

The last time the Dallas Mavericks played in San Antonio they were down a center because Brendan Haywoodwas suspended. Tonight, the Mavs could be without under-the-weather Tyson Chandler. Either way, Ian Mahinmi said he's looking forward to seeing some minutes against his former team. 

"I know tonight’s going to be minutes for me," the third-year French center said after the morning shootaround. "I’m going to prepare myself and I am looking forward to the game." 

"I like playing here. It’s always good to come back against your former team," Mahinmi said. "You always want to have a good game. Last game I had a good game and we got out of here with a win so it was a great feeling to me."

With Dirk Nowitzki out and the possibility reduced minutes for an under-the-weather Tyson Chandler, Mahinmi should see some playing time tonight possibly playing some spot minutes defending Tim Duncan, who he guarded in Spurs practices for the last few years.

No Dirk Nowitzki. No Caron Butler. No problem for the San Antonio Spurs tonight, according to the latest numbers coming from Acccuscore.

Accuscore has the Spurs as a 73 percent favorite to win tonight's game in the AT&T Center. You can see their full report below. 

The San Antonio Spurs will face the Dallas Mavericks tonight who will be without their star Dirk Nowitzki. This will mark the second time the Mavericks face the Spurs without him. The Mavericks lost to the Spurs 99-93 in December without Nowitzki.

To make matters more difficult, the Mavericks will also be without Caron Butler who might be out for the season after undergoing knee surgery.

"I'm not answering any Dirk questions," Carlisle said after the loss. "We don't have Dirk, so it's not a topic that's worth discussion. We've got to win with the guys we have."

"Dirk increases his workouts every day, and signs are positive," he told the team's official website. "But it's very important that we focus on the guys that we have available at this time and make sure that he gets back absolutely 100 percent healthy." (source cbssports.com)

Currently, the Spurs (33-6) hold a six game lead over the Mavericks (26-11) in the Southwest division.