The San Antonio Spurs are off a best start in recent years and there are many reasons for this. Richard Jefferson is playing better in his sophomore year, Tony Parker is having a career season in the assists department, DeJuan Blair is beginning to settle in his starting role, Matt Bonner is hitting his shots and their bench got deeper.

All this has made the Spurs a better team than a year ago but they will not be 8-1 after nine games if Manu Ginobili has not been playing phenomenal.

Ginobili has scored at least 20 or more points in six of the Spurs' nine games and currently leads the team with 21.3 points per game and is second in assists at 4.3 per ball game. Not only that, his 40.6% 3-point shooting and 92% clip from the foul line are career bests.·

But more than just numbers, Ginobili has always provided the Spurs the extra punch that pushes them to the next level. What do I mean? Here are a few examples.

Against the Phoenix Suns, Ginobili made a critical pass that translated into a Jefferson 3-pointer late in the fourth period and then he sealed the game by making the final free throw of the game. Spurs win 112-110.

Three nights later, the Spurs found themselves trailing against the Houston Rockets 113-111 with 16 seconds remaining on the clock. Never giving up, Ginobili fouled Courtney Lee to send him to the foul line and put him under pressure. Lee missed both free throws. On the ensuing play, Manu made a 17 footer to send the game into overtime and the Spurs eventually won the game.

On the road against the Charlotte Bobcats, the Spurs looked headed to a fourth quarter collapse as the hard-fighting Bobcats made a 7-0 run to cut the Spurs' lead to 93-91. Ginobili again rose to the occasion, he made a driving layup with 4.9 seconds left that clinched another Spurs win.

If that wasn't enough, in a close game against the Thunder, with the Spurs needing some separation, Manu scored five straight points and handed an assists to a hot-shooting Matt Bonner mid-way in the final period for another 3 pointer. At that point, the Oklahoma City Thunder were done and never recovered from a 13 point deficit.

Simply put it. When Manu plays like Manu, the Spurs are better. Sure, the Spurs are still a good team with Parker, Duncan or even Jefferson at the helm. But with Manu weaving some magic, the Spurs are definitely a tougher team to beat.

• A dispute between Time Warner Cable and Sinclair Broadcasting Group over programming might affect San Antonio Spurs fans in San Antonio looking to catch a game on The CW if the dispute is not resolved by January 1, 2011:

The contract is set to expire Dec. 31, which could leave viewers without Fox shows such as “Glee,” “House” and the upcoming season of “American Idol.” Football fans could miss the start of the NFL playoffs and the end of the season, including the Dallas Cowboy's last regular-season game set for Jan. 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles. San Antonio Spurs fans also could be affected, losing almost a dozen games that are broadcast on The CW after the start of the new year. (source Express News)

• With the NBA struggling financially and a possible lock-out looming, the Spurs organization seems to be staying afloat financially unlike most of the NBA franchises:

“This year, we’ll see a leveling to slightly up from last year,” said Rick Pych, president of business operations for the company that owns the Spurs and three other sports franchises.

The team does not expect to pay a luxury tax on its payroll like last year and believes its finances will improve in step with the city’s economic rebound, which has been stronger than most cities.

Pych said that the team is off to a strong start and optimistic about the future.

That’s not the outlook for all NBA teams. (source Express News)

• In the Spurs latest win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Matt Bonner had a spectacular shooting night from the three-point line hitting 7-7. When asked what made him be so accurate from the three-point line, he credited a turkey sandwich!

Former San Antonio Spurs player Alvin Robertson spoke on the accusation of him playing a part in a sex-trafficking ring involving a 14-year-old girl.

"I didn't do anything wrong," said Robertson about recent arrests for allegedly violating a protective order and accusations of human trafficking.

"I believe I'm getting unfavorable treatment because of my status and association with the Spurs," said Robertson. (source woai.com)

This isn't his first time he has had issues off the court. In August 1997, he pled no contest to four misdemeanor charges of abusing a former girlfriend and was sentenced to one year in prison. He spent a month in jail in 1990 for beating his then-wife and was arrested again in San Antonio in 2007, on a variety of charges, several related to domestic violence.

It is unfortunate he is remembered for his off the court issues than on the court success.

Robertson played with the Spurs from 1984-1989 before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for forward Terry Cummings. He is also one of four players in NBA history to record a quadruple-double (20 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals against the Phoenix Suns on February 18, 1986) and the only player to do so with steals as the fourth category. He was also a four-time NBA All-Star, and a former winner of the NBA's Most Improved Player Award and Defensive Player of the Year Award.

The San Antonio Spurs started the season on the right foot. They emphasized on winning more ball games early and they have.·Nine games into the season, and the Spurs are off to a great start.

The Spurs have won seven straight, and have surpassed their longest winning streak·from last season. However, with the exception of the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder, the quality of opponents they defeated along the way is in question.

At 8-1, the Spurs are currently second in the league, but there could be a bit of fool’s gold in their near perfect record.·After Sundays' 117-104 victory over the Thunder, the Spurs have defeated teams with a combined record  of 23-42.

Their lone loss came at the hands of the New Orleans Hornets who remains the only unbeaten team in the NBA.

Now, they will face a stretch of games against four playoff teams from last season that will start against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

Their upcoming games will definitely provide·the Spurs a better gauge on how they measure up against the league's better teams. But this is for sure, the Spurs are playing good basketball early this season especially on the offensive end.

In nine games, the Spurs are currently 5th in assist-to-turnover ratio and offensive efficiency rating and are also using their running game more than ever. They are averaging 99.2 possessions per game, good for 6th in the entire league.

It looked like the Spurs are mixing it up more on offense and are not relying heavily on their "grind-it-out" type of play which is a good thing. They are now using varied offensive sets, plays and pacing to keep the opposing defense guessing.

On the defensive end, the Spurs aren't that bad either. They are currently ranked 8th in defensive efficiency rating and 5th in effective field goal percentage.

The Spurs took advantage of thier easy early season schedule and that will help them in the long run. Considering how close the Western Conference has been in previous seasons, it's always a good thing to pile up some early season victories.

This team is taking care of business so far and a win is a win. With the way things go in the NBA, especially in the West, every win counts. The Spurs may not be playing great basketball yet, but they are playing good enough to win ball games and that is the most important part -- winning.

What are your thoughts? Are you impressed with the Spurs' play early on?

Playing the second night of a back-to-back, the San Antonio Spurs (8-1) came out flat during the opening quarter and found themselves trailing 66-61 at half time against the Oklahoma City Thunder (5-4).

However, the second half was a different story. The Spurs outscored the Thunder 56-38 in the second half and extended their winning streak to seven games.

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

89.5 - The Spurs didn't have a good shooting night from the floor, but they went to the line a lot and made 34-38 of their free throws (89.5%), including 11-11 from Manu Ginobili.

55·- The Spurs continued their hot streak from the outside making 11-20 (55%) of their 3-pointers while the Thunder only made 4-13 (30.8%) from beyond the arc.

45 - The Spurs out rebounded the Thunder 45-36, eleven coming from DeJuan Blair.

35·- The Spurs outscored the Thunder 35-24 in the final period to turn a close game into a rout.

24 - Tony Parker scored a game high 24 points·and added five boards, three assists and a steal.

23 - Kevin Durant had a season-low 23 points for the Thunder and committed five turnovers.·

18·- The Spurs outscored the Thunder by 18 points in the second half and Richard Jefferson added 18 points, three rebounds, a steal and one block for the Spurs.

7 - Matt Bonner scored 21 points off the bench and went a perfect 7-7 from behind the arc. Blair scored 7 points in-a-row, on a tip in, a steal for a fast break layup and a 3-point play to tie the game at 68 all in third quarter. Jefferson made all his 7 shots from the stripe and the San Antonio Spurs have·won 7 straight games.

3·- George Hill went 1-10 from the field, but finished the game with 6 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. James Harden also had 3 steals for the Thunder. Tim Duncan and Serge Ibaka had 3 block shots each·for their respective teams.

0 - Duncan only had six points and four boards but did not commit a single turnover in 23 minutes of action.

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal had 5 points, 5 rebounds and one assist in 18 minutes of action and Tiago Splitter had two points and rebounds but committed 3 fouls in just a little over three minutes of playing time.·

What's Next? The Spurs will hosts Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The San Antonio Spurs will look to extend their winning streak to seven games when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Ford Center in Oklahoma for their first set of back-to-backs of the season.

Both teams are coming off victories, the Thunder (5-3) are coming from a 110-108 win over the Portland Trail Blazers last Friday and will look to win their third straight. The Spurs (7-1) are on a six game winning streak and have defeated teams with .500 or below records, their latest victory was a 116-93 blowout against the Philadelphia 76ers.·

Kevin Durant leads the league in scoring at 28.9 points per game and has averaged 27.7 points against the Spurs over his career. In their last game (March 22) against the Spurs, Durant scored 45 points in 99-96 Thunder loss.

The Spurs are off to their best start since 2007-2008 but will have a real test against the Thunder.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

The San Antonio Spurs (7-1) extended their winning streak to six games. They led 39-28 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.

The 76ers (2-8) showed little resistance and appeared tired playing the second night of back-to-backs.

Now, let's check at the stats that stood out in this Spurs' blowout victory.

52 - The Spurs dominated the paint and outscored the 76ers 52-38 on inside points.

47·- San Antonio also controlled the boards on this game, out rebounding the 76ers·47-38.

44.4 - Once again the Spurs made their outside shots, hitting 8-18 (44.4%) from beyond the arc, including 3-5 from Manu Ginobili. The 76ers were also effective from the three point line and connected on 4-9 (44.4%) of their 3 point attempts.·

39 - The Spurs scored a season-high 39 points in the opening period and protected the lead the rest of the way. The 76ers never recovered after falling behind 28-39 and the end of the first quarter.

36 -·The Spurs totally outran their opponents, they scored 36 fast break points compared to just 17 by the Sixers.

24 - Tony Parker had a game high 24 points as he led the Spurs' offensive attack. Tim Duncan played just 24 minutes but had 7 points, six rebounds and a season-high five assist.

21·-·The Spurs continues to share the ball well. They had 21 assists for the game, seven coming from Parker, the 76ers only had 13 assists.

15·- Matt Bonner returned to action coming from an ankle injury, had 6 points and 5 rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time. With rookie James Anderson out with a stress fracture, Alonzo Gee played 15 minutes and had two points and two rebounds.

13 - After starting the season pretty slow, DeJuan Blair seem to be getting his rhythm. He had 13 points and 12 rebounds·for his first double-double of the season.

0·- George Hill had 16 points off the bench and did not commit a single turnover in 21 minutes of action.

Rookie Watch:·Tiago Splitter had·6 points, 3 rebounds, two assists and a steal in 19 minutes of action. Gary Neal had 5 points and 7 boards in 24 minutes of playing time.

What's Next? The Spurs will visit Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder to complete their first set of back-backs for the season.

San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner will be back in action tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers after suffering a sprained ankle in the Spurs home opener.

“It looks like Matty’s going to be available this weekend,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said when asked about Bonner’s availability. (source Express News)

Also former Spurs great James Silas will be enshrined in the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in December.· His jersey is one of six jerseys to be retired by the Spurs. Congratulations Silas. (source Express News)

Speaking of Silas, his son Xavier Silas who plays for Northern Illinois University, received some friendly advice from his father about unwinding and getting his mind off basketball with a round of golf:

It turns out the challenge of hitting an occasional 320-yard drive is designed to keep him from fretting so much about hitting 21-foot shots.

“It was my dad’s idea,” said Silas, referring to former San Antonio Spurs great James Silas. “I was in the gym a lot and my dad, ‘You should do something that takes your mind off of it.’ (source dailyherald.com)

Pretty sure when your father is an ABA and Spurs great, any advice he gives goes a long way and you should probably listen.

The San Antonio Spurs will look to extend their winning streak to six games when they host the Philadelphia 76ers at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Sixers (2-7) are coming off a 99-90 loss against the Dallas Mavericks while the Spurs (6-1) are on a five game winning streak and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 107-95 on their last outing.

The Spurs should have the advantage over the Sixers who will play their second night of a back-to-back in San Antonio.

Andre Iguodala was back in the starting lineup against the Mavericks after missing two games and scored 13 points. He will join Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday to lead the 76ers' offensive attack. Spurs' rookie James Anderson is expected to be out for two months because of a·stress fracture in his right fifth metatarsal.

KEYS TO THE GAME

SPURS:

Buy: Richard Jefferson

Jefferson was the much-ballyhooed acquisition of the 2009 offseason. A career 20 point per game scorer with high field-goal percentages, you figured you could not pass on him in the bottom end of your draft.

But after a $15 million dollar, 12 point per game season, you knew not to make the same mistake this season.

You probably consider yourself a fantasy guru, you've likely finished in the top three of your leagues the past 5 years, you watch Rick Kamla's fantasy show every year just to balk at some of his choices or draft strategy. You may have even stolen Kevin Durant in the middle of the first round of your draft, picked up Ramon Sessions a few years ago before he became a SportsCenter favorite. You pride yourself on being able to snag key players off waivers.

But there's also this, you're a San Antonio Spurs fan, and now you know exactly what I'm getting to.

As a Spurs fan, you know your beloved Tony Parker shouldn't be taken early because he doesn't have the assist numbers, you know that Tim Duncan may carry the load for your team one night and then he might not play the next night, especially if it's a back-to-back.

You are savvy enough to realize this, but when you see Duncan available in the second round or Parker available in the fourth, your Spurs homerism takes over and your draft strategy goes out the window. Raise your hand if you took Tiago Splitter late in the draft even though he was injured, but convinced yourself that he was a sleeper and was going to pay dividends.

So you know that Richard Jefferson was a bad bet even last year, because he was always the first or second option coming to a team where he'd play fourth fiddle. You knew that his scoring average would take a dip, but you saw his athleticism and you didn't mind sacrificing a few points because he'd likely have a high field-goal percentage.

So this year you stayed away and now some blogger is saying you should take a chance on him again.

But this year is different. Jefferson got back to basics this summer working with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and shooting coach Chip Engelland among others, and it's showing. He is more comfortable on the floor, he's averaged 18.6 points points and 3.7 revounds per game. But, Jefferson isn't looking like just a two-cat player this year. He's been effective beyond the arch, making 53 percent of his threes and shooting 58 percent from the field. His aggressiveness is getting him to the line.

I would probably be accurate in saying that Jefferson has been sitting on the waiver wire in your league all season, but if he continues to consistently put up big numbers, he won't be there for long.

Sure he may regress and have a few bad games, but here's the beauty of it, it's not much of a risk. You can waive one of your bottom of the roster guys, pick up Jefferson and just keep an eye on him. I would especially advise this if you are in a deep league.

The Spurs have been thankful they gave Jefferson a second chance, maybe you will be too.

Sell: DeJuan Blair

Like Jefferson, Blair worked hard all off-season, and that was apparent during the preseason. He played well enough to earn a spot in the starting lineup, but his struggles of late may earn him a spot back on the bench.

This season he's averaged 5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Pop may keep Blair at center a few more games, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him replaced with Antonio McDyess or Tiago Splitter within weeks. Blair's probably a better fit off the bench anyway.

If you picked Blair as a sleeper at the bottom of a deep league, it may be time to look elsewhere.