Ya know, we really have come along way, Coach. It seems as if just yesterday I was cursing you and your decision to oust Bob Hill—in retrospect, not one of my finer moments, and none-too-fair to you. But, in all fairness, Hill didn’t just look good on the sidelines, it was as if he came from Miami Vice’s central casting. And let’s be honest, Coach, any adolescent at the time would have felt the same way. I’m not proud of the way I acted, but Don Johnson is Don Johnson—and Don Johnson you ain’t.

But, see, I didn’t get it back then. I was just a punk kid, prone to the superficial. Nuance was lost on me. I knew what I was seeing and I knew there was more to the game than putting the little orange ball in the hole, but I was immature. Irrational, even. I was a fanatic in the worst sense of the word: passionately ignorant.

So even as I saw my hero, The Admiral (have-you-seen-his-biceps?!?), David Robinson, getting unfairly taken apart by the media, Bob Hill was still Don Johnson. And, really, so what if he watched a team zone-up his star defensively on one end while tasking his own to defend the opposition’s (Olajuwon) one-on-one at the other? Crockett had his pros and cons—apparently  devising  half-court defensive schemes would fall into the latter. (But, man… he sure knew how to dress, and his hair was spectacular.)

Thankfully, and appreciatively, though, you never held that against me. You truly were a gentleman, often allowing my criticisms and inflammatory rhetoric to simply roll off your back. It went in one ear, and out the other. Had I not known any better, I would have believed my words had fallen on a deaf ear or were simply inaudible. But I did know better. You were the better man, above it all—a mountain of a man—and for that you should be commended—I will truly never understand how it is you’ve managed to put up with me for all these years or how you managed to stay focused on the task at hand as I berated and/or questioned your tactics from the comfort of my home. But you did, and because of that—just days away from the fourteenth anniversary of Hill’s firing (Dec. 10, 1996)—we can both look back and laugh. We really have come a long way, Coach.

The San Antonio Spurs improved to an NBA best 17-3, matching their best start in franchise history (2007-2008 season) by beating the New Hornets 109-84.

Unlike their two first meetings, this one was a blowout. The Spurs never trailed and even led by 38 points at one point in the game.

Let's take a look at the numbers that stood out in this Spurs' recent win.

58.6 - The Spurs shot a blistering 41-70 (58.6%) from the field and held the Hornets to just 33-75 (44%) field goal shooting.

50 - San Antonio made 11-22 (50%) of their 3-pointers while the Hornets just made 3-8 (37.5%).

46 - The Spurs won the inside battle outscoring the Hornets 46-40 on inside points.

29 - The Spurs shared the ball well, they had 29 dimes for the game compared to 22 for the Hornets.

25 - The Spurs' 25 point win is their largest margin of victory this season.

19 - Tony Parker had a game-high 19 points and added six assists, three rebounds and two steals
 for the Spurs.

16 - Chris Paul led the Hornets with 16 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two steals.

13 - Richard Jefferson added 13 points and four rebounds for the Spurs. David West and Trevor Ariza had 13 each for the Hornets.

11 - Tim Duncan had 11 points, nine boards and two block shots in just 19 minutes of action. George Hill and Gary Neal added 11 points a piece for the Spurs.

10-8 - DeJuan Blair had 10 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes.

7 - The Spurs are 7-0 when they make at least 10 three-pointers for the game.

0 - Matt Bonner scored 14 points on 4-5 shooting from behind the arc and had zero turnovers for the game.

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal had 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and one steal in 33 minutes of action. While Tiago Splitter had five points two rebounds and one steal in 18 minutes. 

What's Next? The Spurs will host the Golden State Warriors at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on Wednesday.

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Even though San Antonio Spurs rookie James Anderson is still out of the line up nursing an injury, it certainly hasn't stopped him from giving back to the local San Antonio community.

Anderson took time out to help the San Antonio Food Bank sorting out food to make sure there is enough for the holidays:

"It means a lot, you know, just giving back and it's something I look forward to continue to do," said the San Antonio Spurs' rookie guard James Anderson. (source kens5.com)

Sure Spurs fans may be caught up in the team having the best record in the NBA and playing some of their best basketball in recent years, it's nice to see Anderson put things in perspective and see helping others is what truly matters in life.

SPURS:

Coach Gregg Popovich was ejected from the game with 1:10 left in the third quarter.

The San Antonio Spurs entered the final period with a 15 point deficit but never gave up, San Antonio leaned on their defense and got a 107-101 come from behind victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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

89.2 - The Spurs went to the line a lot and they delivered. They made 33-37 (89.2%) of their free throws while the Wolves made 20-25 (80%) from the foul line.

59 - The Timberwolves crashed the boards, out-rebounding the Spurs 59-37.

36 - The Spurs used a strong fourth quarter to get back and win the game, they outscored the Timberwolves 36-15 in the final period.  

28 - Michael Beasley had a game-high 28 points for Minnesota.

25-18 - Kevin Love had a monster game, he scored 25 points and grabbed 18 boards but still it wasn't enough to get a Wolves win.

22-10 - Tim Duncan filled the stat sheets with 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four blocks and three steals.

20 - George Hill provided the needed spark off the bench, he scored 20 points and grabbed a crucial rebound with 1:02 remaining. Tony Parker snapped out of his shooting slump and had 20 points and five assists for the Spurs.

16 - The Spurs were better in transition as they outscored the Wolves 16-7 on fast break points. Manu Ginobili scored 16 points for the Spurs.

15-10 - Richard Jefferson added 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in 36 minutes of action.

13 - Ginobili went 1-10 from the floor but made 13-13 from the foul line, including the go ahead free throws with 1:13 remaining. The Spurs have won 13 consecutive games against the Timberwolves.

0 - Jefferson and Hill did not turn the ball over while playing 34 minutes or more. The Timberwolves are 0-10 against teams above .500 so far this season.

Rookie Watch: Gary Neal had three points, one rebounds and one steal in 10 minutes of action. Tiago Splitter was scoreless but had two assists and two rebounds in eight minutes of playing time.

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

Follow Robby Lim on Twitter @RobbyLim21

Boston Celtics' Marquis Daniels reflected on his younger days growing up and playing basketball in an interview with CSNNE.com. In the interview he mentioned his favorite player was San Antonio Spurs' legend David Robinson:

"So my favorite player, up until I was about 9 years old, was [San Antonio Spurs great] David Robinson," Daniels told CSNNE.com. "I had the number 50 jersey and everything."

Pretty flattering for Robinson; however, my only gripe is he was Daniels' favorite player up until he was nine years old? Come on Daniels. Robinson should be your all-time favorite player. Robinson was one of the NBA's most dominant players and his basketball resume is something any player wishes they owned.
 
Regardless, this is a nice compliment from Daniels and like Robinson, I should just be thankful someone considered a Spurs legend as one of their favorites.

The San Antonio Spurs look to shake off the loss to the lowly Los Angeles Clippers as they face the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The last time these two teams met, it was a thrilling overtime victory for the Spurs who were down double-digits at one point.

To talk about the game tonight, I once again turn to a fellow blogger here at Bloguin, Dave from TWolves Blog -- the best Timberwolves blog on the Internet.

To check out the Q&A I did for his blog for tonight's game, click HERE.

In this Q&A Dave gives his take on the game, what went wrong for the Wolves in the last game against the Spurs, takes credit for Tim Duncan's recent play, and much more.

Jeff: The Timberwolves had the Spurs on the ropes in their last meeting. What went wrong for the Wolves against the Spurs?
 
Dave: Not to make sour grapes here, but the Wolves really should have won that last game. Wes Johnson's "foul" on Gary Neal shooting that three (WHY HIM???) at the end of game was an officiating atrocity. Other than that, we can't stop fast guards like Parker and BatManu. We just can't. And of course, they both carved us up. And you guys shot a ton of free throws. Other than those things, the Wolves basically did everything right...

What did the Wolves do right to put a scare in the Spurs during their last meeting?
 
... continuing on, the Wolves limited the Spurs shooting (39% from the field, and 10 of 32 from three point land!), kept Duncan in check (he looked like he was on the decline ;-), as well as out-rebounded and out-shot the Spurs. One honestly could not have asked for a better effort from the Wolves. I certainly did not in a billion years see that coming, against the then 12-1 Spurs.
 
Beasley struggled, but Love and Darko (huge stud!) had their way with the Spurs bigs. I think I predicted that beforehand, but I was still mostly shocked to see how well our guys played against yours. Wes Johnson also played a good game too. That rookie has potential. He's no "Franchise Guy", but he'll be a solid piece for years to come.
 
In your recap of the last meeting between these two teams, you wrote: "Duncan. Man, he's just not the same. He's still good of course, but not what he once was."

Please do not say you are one of those who count out Tim Duncan. Did you not see his triple double against the Golden State Warriors and would you like to retract that statement?
 
I will take full credit for reverse cursing Duncan into remembering who he was. How about that? Ha!
 
Go look at his boxscores before the Wolves game, and then after. He really turned it on. Or maybe he just need a little while to get into the flow of the season? That could be entirely possible as well.

Enough about the last game, let's focus on the game tonight. Seems the Wolves can hang with the Spurs, what adjustments should the Wolves make in this game?
 
We just need to defend Parker and BatManu and prove that our guards all don't have a bunch of sand stuck in their you-know-what's.  I fully expect Love and Darko to play well again, as I like the match-ups of the bigs.
 
Basically... stop Manu. He's a beast.

What is the key matchup in tonight's game and your prediction. 
 
I guess I'd have to say Darko. Just because the team plays so much better when the offense is (effectively) flowing through him in the post.  If he can put up a line similar to last game AND limit Duncan again, I like our chances to make a game out of this.  Notice, I didn't say the Wolves would win. It's in San Antonio. We have won 1 road game in like the past 300 days or something. The Wolves will not win.
 
Our December schedule is brutal. We could go win-less this month.
 
Wolves 95 - Spurs 107.

In an interview with sport360.com, Houston Rockets' legend and two-time NBA champion Hakeem Olajuwon was asked who he would have on his all-time roster and for the power forward positions he selected San Antonio Spurs' forward Tim Duncan:

Following on from those two, Olajuwon picks San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan and "The Mailman" ('cause he always delivered of course) Karl Malone for the power forward position, stating you "can't go wrong with these two".

This is a huge compliment for Duncan coming from one of the greatest big man to ever play the game. Like Olajuwon, Duncan has great foot-work in the paint and is a defensive nightmare for any opposing team.

I can't help to wonder how awesome would've it been to see these two players going face-to-face in the prime of their careers? Who do you think would have won this match-up?

Buy/Watch: George Hill
I'm sure Hill had a decent percent-owned percentage at the beginning of the season then found his way to a lot of watch lists and the waiver wire. He had his share of struggles through the first month of the season adapting to a new role and different minutes, but he's been on a roll as of late. He's scored in double-figures in his last six games. In a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, he shot 7-of-16 from the field for 17 points. While he may not be the best multi-category player, if your team needs scoring help, he may pay dividends and even contribute in assist and rebounding categories occasionally, good enough for your third point guard slot.

Sell: Tony Parker
Before you run off to the comments and rattle off Parker's stats, hear me out. While Parker was, likely for the first time, a two-category stud up until about two weeks ago, he's only scored in double-figures once in the last four games. He seems to be going through a shooting slump and hit rock bottom with a two-point outing against the Clippers. While it may be hasty to dump Parker, especially since you're likely to lose all kinds of credibility, you may want to monitor him over the next couple of games. If he continues to struggle, the best move would likely be to drop one of your bottom of the roster players for another point guard and slide Parker to your third point guard slot.

Are we missing a player that should be highlighted on this list? Let us know by commenting or clicking on the contact link above. 

Before Tim Duncan entered the league in 1997, the San Antonio Spurs never won an NBA title. He was the consensus number one pick at the time and many believed he was the missing piece of the puzzle to the Spurs' championship hopes. Boy, they were right!

Since Duncan came to San Antonio, the Spurs have won four NBA championships and needless to say, he was the driving force behind those four titles. But what was more impressive about those title runs is how San Antonio were never assembled in such a way which translated into instant success. 

Instead of trading for star players or spending a lot of money to put together an All Star cast, the frugal Spurs did it through the draft. They built around Duncan year-after-year and become title contenders year-in and year-out.

The Spurs won their first-ever NBA crown in 1999 as David Robinson and Duncan formed an imposing front-line that was dubbed as the "Twin Towers." That same year, Duncan won his first Finals MVP.

After three years of empty trips to the Finals, they recaptured the title in 2003, with some help from a young French point guard Tony Parker. Duncan was again named the Finals MVP and is already the centerpiece of the Spurs franchise. This gave Robinson the proper send off he deserves, he left the game on top as an NBA champion once again.

In 2005, Duncan embraced some changes, although he remained the anchor of the team's defensive and offensive schemes, he allowed players around him to evolve and develop within the Spurs' system. Most notably Manu Ginobili and Parker. Together they formed a trio that is now known as the "Big Three". With Duncan manning the middle and he and Ginobili making clutch shots in the playoffs and in the Finals, the Spurs won their third title. 

After being ousted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2006, they reach the NBA Finals again in 2007 beating the Phoenix Suns on their own running game during the 2007 Western Conference Finals and then swept the LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers, four games to none. This time, Parker was the star of the Finals while Duncan was happy and contented to get his fourth NBA title.

Last year, the Spurs tried their hardest to surround Duncan with more talent to try to win another NBA crown but it failed.

Now in his 14th season, Duncan is having a career-low in minutes, points and rebounds and yet the Spurs have the best record in NBA at 15-3.

What stands out is how Duncan is taking a backseat but still doing his best to help the team win. Case in point, the recent comeback win against the New Orleans Hornets and his triple-double performance in a rout against the Golden State Warriors. 

From 1999-2007, Duncan has won with different front-court partners. From Robinson to Rasho Nesterovic to Fabricio Oberto and different supporting cast from Sean Elliot to Stephen Jackson to Bruce Bowen to Matt Bonner. The lists goes on and on.

The bottomline is Duncan was able to win with different players, with different personalities , with different playing styles. Ever the chameleon, Duncan will try one more to win it all this season.