A year ago, the Spurs front office looked like geniuses when they acquired the services of then free-agent Roger Mason Jr. With injuries to key players (Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker) at the time, he emerged as one of the best offseason pickups in 2008.

In his first year as a Spur, he went on to provide good production at the two guard spot as he averaged 11.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 82 regular season games at 30.4 minutes of playing time. He also shot the ball well, connecting 42.5 percent from the field, 42.1 percent behind the arc and 89 percent from the foul line.

He even got the moniker "Big Shot Rog" because of his penchant for hitting game winners during the regular season. Most notably against the LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns and the LA Lakers.

However, once the post season started against the Mavericks, his numbers went down to 6.6 points, 1.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds in five games as the Spurs were bounced out in the first round of the playoffs in 2009.

At the start of this season, with the Spurs key players back healthy, and with the offseason acquisitions of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess, things looked good for the Spurs. It could also mean a better year for Mason, because according to Coach Popovich most Spur plays better during their second year.

Not for Mason, the lack of minutes has limited his production and has affected his confidence. In 79 games this season, his averages are 6.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 19.2 minutes action. His shooting percentages also went down, 38.9% from the field, 33.3% from the 3-point area and 79.4% from the free throw line.

He also demanded to be traded at the trade deadline because he felt that the lack of playing time has affected his performance. The Spurs tried to grant his wish but to no avail. He will remain a Spur at least for the remainder of the season.

As the Spurs meet the Mavericks once again in a first round playoff series, Roger Mason Jr. has fallen out of the rotation. So far, he is scoreless in four playoffs games against the Mavs and he hasn't been given much time to prove his worth. He is only averaging 5.3 minutes per game including a 1-minute outing in game three and did not play in game four.

But the fact remains, Manu is playing well right now, George Hill has been solid and is recovering nicely from an injury and Tony Parker has embraced his off the bench role and the Spurs are playing good basketball with Mason virtually not a part of it.

The only way for Mason to earn more minutes is to make his shots when given the chance and maybe make a hustle play or two when he is on the floor. He has to make the Spurs realize that he really wants to help the team win.

The problem for Mason? Back in March he asked for more minutes and didn't take advantage of it when given the chance. Now in April, as the Spurs are trying to get past an old foe to further advance into the playoffs he might not get another chance.

What are your thought? Does Mason deserve more minutes in the playoffs? Where should his minutes come from? Or is he better off warming on the Spurs' bench? Tell us what you think.

On Tim Duncan’s 34^th birthday, the Spurs needed a strong start to game 4 to inch closer to pushing Dallas to the brink of elimination, they did not get that start. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili shot a combined 2-15 from the field in the first half and only produced 4 points, all from Ginobili, who decided not to wear a protective mask to protect his broken nose.

The game looked like it was going to be another offensive struggle for Dallas when they missed their first four shots, but they got back on track getting Caron Butler the ball often, just as Coach Rick Carlisle said that he would do. The two teams went back and forth for most of the quarter with each team getting their own small runs, Dallas with a 6-0 run and San Antonio with a 7-0. Butler chipped in 6 points in the first quarter, matching his point total for all of game 3, while George Hill made two 3 point shots from the same spot after the Spurs did not make any at all in game 3. San Antonio held a 3 point lead at the end of the first quarter, 20-17.

After a slow start from both teams early in the 2^nd, Dallas went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead 27-24. After a Antonio McDyess 20 foot jumper Dallas went on another 8-0 run to push the lead to 35-26 and forcing Coach Greg Popovich to call a time out to stop the run and talk it over. Coming out of the time out, Ginobili made a 4 foot runner to stop the bleeding, only to see Dallas go on another 8-0 run and then push the lead to 15 points, 43-28. The Spurs were getting out rebounded, outscored and simply outplayed. Had it not been for the great play of George Hill, he scored 13 points, the Spurs could have easily been down by 20 plus points. Dallas outscored the Spurs 31-17 in the 2^nd quarter and held the lead at the break, 48-37.

We will never truly know what Popovich said to the Spurs during the halftime break, but whatever he said lit a fire in the Spurs players, especially DeJuan Blair and Hill. Blair’s numbers were not great but all of the hustle plays that he made in the 3^rd quarter definitely made a big impact on how the Spurs got back into this game. Tim Duncan scored his first two points of the game on two made free throws early in the 3^rd quarter, after shooting 0-7 from the field and 0-2 from the free throw line in the first half. The Spurs were running on all cylinders in this quarter and definitely in tune as far as their defense goes. San Antonio outscored Dallas 29-11 in this quarter which included a run of 15-0 and 26-6 overall. Things started getting heated in this quarter as Dirk Nowitzki picked up a technical foul for pushing Blair in the back after they got tangled after a free throw shot. A few moments later, Richard Jefferson was accessed a flagrant one foul on Nowitzki and the two teams exchanged some words before referees broke everyone up and got the situation under control. After all of the madness the Spurs held the lead at the end of 3 quarters, 66-59.

In the first minute of the 4^th quarter Eduardo Najera was charged with a flagrant two foul on Ginobili and ejected from the game. A couple minutes later Blair was charged with a flagrant one foul on Jason Kidd and it seemed like the game was being called under a magnifying glass at this point. The referees did not want another melee to happen like the one that happened in Indiana in 2004 and with good reason. These two teams have too much on the line to risk any of their key players to get suspended. After the teams got back to playing the Spurs went on a 12-2 run to push their lead to 13, 84-71. Dallas would not go away without a fight, the Mavericks answered with a 13-2 run of their own to get right back in the game and put the score at 84-86 in favor of the Spurs. After a much needed 3 point basket from Ginobili put the Spurs lead at 5, Jason Terry answered right back with a 3 pointer of his own to put the score at 87-89, Spurs with :57 seconds to go in the game. Ginobili got fouled while making a attempt to drive in the lane and knocked down two crucial free throws to put the Spurs back up by 4 points with :42 seconds to go. Nowitzki missed a 14 foot jumper with :28 seconds to go but Ginobili and Kidd both grabbed the ball and a jump ball was called. After Manu miss jumped on the jump ball, he knocked it out of bounds to give Dallas the ball back, down 4 with 22.7 seconds to go. After a Dallas time out, Jason Kidd missed a 3 and Jefferson grabbed the rebound and got fouled. Jefferson made the two free throws to put the game at a 2 possession game and Dallas came down the court and missed another 3 point shot and the game was over. The Spurs got a very crucial victory in this game, 92-89, and extended their series lead 3 games to 1.

Game Notes

• Tim Duncan only scored 4 points, a career playoff low, on 1-9 shooting and 2-4 from the free throw line but still managed to grab 11 rebounds.
• George Hill had a career playoff best 29 points and carried the team when the “Big 3” struggled during most parts of the game.
• 3 flagrant fouls(DeJuan Blair, Richard Jefferson, Eduardo Najera) were called and one player(Eduardo Najera) got ejected from the game.
• After being down 3 games to 1, only 8 out of 190(4.2%) teams have come back to win the series, the last team to do it was Phoenix against the Lakers in 2006.

DeJuan Blair only played a total four minutes and 19 seconds in the Spurs Friday night victory over the Mavericks, but in that short amount of time, Blair displayed exactly why he was the steal of the 2009 draft. He might have finished the game with only two points and five rebounds, but that stat line doesn't really tell the story of how Blair effected this game.

Of the the five rebounds Blair collected, three were offensive. The Spurs were able to convert his offensive rebounds into second chance points, scoring on two of the three offensive rebounds. Blair was extremely active in the paint, diving for loose balls, and bringing down rebounds with a great deal of intensity. Blair did however miss two easy lay-ups.

Blair has played on big stages before. He helped the Pittsburgh Panthers win the Big-Eat conference tournament in 2008. And in 2009, he had a double-double in the Panthers loss to Villanova in the Elite Eight, which was voted one of the best March Madness games of the decade. (http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12813697/march-madness-games-of-the-decade-villanovapitt-at-no-8) Playing in such huge moments has helped Blair become the confident player we see on the court.

For the second time this series, Tim Duncan played over forty minutes. And don't expect him to start playing any less. Eventually Duncan could slow down at the end of the series, giving Blair an opportunity to play more. But no matter how tired Timmy might become, when the game is on the line, he will be in the game. So let's continue to see how many minutes Pop continues to play Duncan. With this match-up being tremendously physical, Blair might have the chance to play more in the next couple games.

Tim Duncan continues to be a steady presence for the Spurs as led the team in scoring for the 3rd straight time in this series with 25 points, Manu Ginobili played with a bandage across his nose and scored 11 points in the fourth quarter and Tony Parker made clutch baskets down the stretch on his way to a 23 point outing in an off-the-bench role.

And just like that and the San Antonio Spurs now hold a 2-1 series lead over the Dallas Mavericks in their 1st round playoff matchup. But how did the Spurs gutted this one out? Here are some numbers to crunch on.

Field Goal Shooting

San Antonio Spurs: 48.7% (37-76) vs. Dallas Mavericks: 44.7% (34-76)

For the third straight game, the Spurs shot better from the field against the Mavericks a trend that should continue if Dallas can't find an antidote on how to stop Tim Duncan from dominating inside the paint.

Free throw Attempts

San Antonio Spurs: 26 vs. Dallas Mavericks: 15

The Mavs capitalized on their foul shots making 14-15 (93.3%). The Spurs on the other hand made just 20-26 shots (76.9%) but it was a marked improvement from Game 2 where they only made 63.6% of their free throws.

3-Point Field Goal Percentage

San Antonio Spurs: 0.0% (0-7) vs. Dallas Mavericks: 40.0% (8-20)

The Spurs became just the fourth team since 2000 to win a playoff game without making a 3 pointer. The Mavs perimeter shooting kept them in this game, Jason Terry made 4-8 from behind the arc.

Rebounding

San Antonio Spurs: 36 vs. Dallas Mavericks: 36

The Spurs and the Mavs looked to have a draw on the rebounding department, but the Spurs had the edge in offensive rebounding 12-8. DeJuan grabbed 5 rebounds, 3 of them coming from the offensive end in just 4 minutes of action.

What's next?

The Spurs did the a good job in taking the series lead, but their work is not done yet. They still need two wins to advance into the next round. The main thing for the Spurs right now is focus, they should realize that the Mavs will not give up that easily. Game 4 is on Sunday in San Antonio, where they have a great chance of taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Adjustments are what make the playoffs so great. Any team can flop a game, watch some tape, figure out what they need to do, and do it. But what separates a good team from a great team is that teams ability to execute the adjustments on court. That's why the spurs have been one of the best teams of the last decade. Gregg Popovich is one of the best coaches there is when it comes to playoff adjustments.

So, with the Spurs being heavily out rebounded in game one, maybe Pop would give DeJuan Blair more minutes and opportunities to secure the glass. Blair did get more minutes, just not a lot more. Blair played eight minutes in game one. In game two played a total of ten minutes and 51 seconds.

Blair's game two statline: zero points, four rebounds.

Blair missed all four of his shot attempts and of his four rebounds, one was offensive. He did however, in his limited minutes, play great defense on Brendan Haywood, and was extremely active in the paint on both ends of the court.

Tim Duncan is in full on playoff mode and is taking no prisoners. Watching Duncan play right now is a thing of beauty. As long as Timmy has that hunger in his eyes, it doesn't seem like Blair will get a lot of minutes. But that doesn't mean he wont get some in another series. The Mavericks front court is huge and could easily over power Blair in the post. Blair might have a huge heart and play physical ball, but eventually the size of the Mavericks will wear him down. Like always, it will be up to Duncan to carry us. And we Spurs fans are perfectly fine with that.

In his column for La Nacion, Manu Ginobili announced today that he will not be playing in the FIBA World Championships in Turkey this Summer, which kicks off August 28.

According to Cronica Online (through Google translation), Manu listed the arrival of his twin babies, expected in June, and the recent contract extension he signed with the Spurs as reasons for his decision.

Después de unos días de debate interno y poner en la balanza mi familia, la cabeza y el corazón, llegó la hora de tomar una decisión sobre la participación en el Mundial. Siempre creí que lo correcto era decirle al técnico los planes ni bien los tuviera decididos para que arme el equipo sabiendo con quién puede contar y con quién no. Por eso, creo que es el momento de hablar sobre mi futuro con la selección nacional.

He llegado a la dura conclusión de que, hoy por hoy, lo mejor para mí y mi familia, es no jugar el Mundial de Turquía.

After being injured in the 2002 World Championships and 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Manu decided that he could not play three straight years with the Argentine National Team and have enough time to get his body ready for the NBA season.

Manu also said that this decision is also a way of him prioritizing or choosing to keep his body in condition for the 2011 Qualifier and 2012 Olympics.

This is great news for Spurs fans, who have seen a resurgence from Manu since early March. Through the first two games of the playoffs, Manu is averaging a career playoff high 24.5 points, 5 assists 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.

Jeff and I went live after the Spurs game two win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Aside from talking about Richard Jefferson finally showing up and Tim Duncan absolutely abusing the Mavs bigs, they broke down the game quarter-by-quarter, took a look at the individual player and team stats, took calls and live chat questions and gave our keys for game three.

Our next live show will be this Sunday as Jeff and I will be in person from Fatso's Sports Garden on Bandera to preview game three starting at 2:30 p.m.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download

Spurs guard George Hill finished third in Most Improved Player award voting, the NBA announced today.

Houston Rockets guard Aaron Brooks won the award in a landslide, finishing with 403 votes and Thunder swingman Kevin Durant tied with Hill for second place. Both players received 101 votes.

Hill, who averaged 12.4 points 2.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game this season finished with seven first place votes, 17 second place votes and 15 third place votes.

Hill will likely get the start as the Spurs take on the Mavs in game three on Friday night in San Antonio.