Read More: Tim Duncan (F – SAN), Gregg Popovich (H – SAN), San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers

Gregg Popovich’s persistent resting of Tim Duncan is paying serious dividends Friday night. The San Antonio Spurs veteran sat out of Wednesday’s win over the Sacramento Kings and the rest appears to be doing him good. He’s been the best player on the floor for his team against the Los Angeles Lakers, and his performance is the biggest reason the Spurs lead 56-52 at halftime.

Duncan is 8-12 from the field and leads all scorers with 16 points to go along with five rebounds and two blocks. Tony Parker is also having a fantastic night with 11 points and seven assists, while Manu Ginobili has 10 points off the bench. Andrew Bynum has been the biggest star for the Lakers, with 12 points. Kobe Bryant has looked a bit rusty, and he’s 2-6 from the floor with seven points in his first game since April 6.

San Antonio is shooting 58 percent from the floor to LA’s 45 percent, but the Lakers are getting to the free throw line at a much more consistent clip. Their 13-14 performance from the charity stripe is keeping the game close. San Antonio has committed a lot of fouls and they might run into a bit of foul trouble in the second half if they’re not careful. Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter both have three personals.

For more, check out SB Nation’s Spurs blog Pounding the Rock and our Lakers blog Silver Screen and Roll.

The NBA regular season is coming to a close. Sixteen of the league’s top teams are gearing up for the playoffs while the 14 remaining teams are looking forward to an early offseason. The Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder all have the big names and superstar talent, but they do not have the playoff experience that the San Antonio Spurs have. The Spurs currently sit atop the Western Conference standings, yet they often get overlooked despite their proven track record.

To start off, the Spurs have a balanced offense that excels in the half court, but can play up-tempo when needed. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are capable of playing either style while remaining the focal points of the offense. The Spurs’ Big Three will always get their share of points, however, the bench and supporting cast will be the difference maker. Danny Green has played well in his third year and contributes in all areas on offense, while Matt Bonner and Gary Neal pose as excellent three-point shooters. The Spurs do not have a prototypical starting center, but DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter make a nice tandem in the frontcourt playing alongside Duncan. Newly-acquired Boris Diaw, Stephen Jackson and Patty Mills can also make small contributions in limited action.

The Spurs score an average of 102 points per game and are third in field goal percentage and second in three-point shooting percentage. Anyone is capable of playing well in the Spurs offense, so opposing defenses cannot key-in on a specific player. In the West, only the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets score more bench points than San Antonio.

Perhaps a major edge that the Spurs have over the NBA title favorites is their coaching. Gregg Popovich has become one of the winningest coaches of all time in his 16 years as head coach. Having coached 181 playoff games, Popovich has a .597 win percentage. Erik Spoelstra, Tom Thibodeau, Scott Brooks and Mike Brown are all exceptional head coaches, but Popovich has a longer track record of making deep runs in the playoffs.

If the Spurs have a weakness, it’s their lack of size and defense. Duncan and Splitter are their tallest players standing at 6’11” and are not premier defenders. Without a shot blocker protecting the rim, the Spurs give up 96.35 points per game while allowing opponents to shoot just over 45 percent from the floor. If they match up with the Los Angeles Lakers or Memphis Grizzlies, the Spurs will be at a disadvantage facing their low-post scorers. It will be up to Popovich and his staff to mask this weakness.

Still, the Spurs have a legitimate shot at winning their fifth NBA championship with their depth and coaching experience. San Antonio emphasizes the team concept on both sides of the floor more so than any other contender. They may be overlooked by the media and might not have the same star power as the Miami Heat or Oklahoma City Thunder, but that is completely fine with Popovich. The Spurs will just sit back and let their play do the talking.

Sources:

basketball-reference.com

espn.com

hoopsstats.com

nba.com

Travis Chan is a longtime football, basketball and baseball fan. He is also a contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. You can follow him on Twitter @Travischan1.

T.J. Ford, shown when he was with the Toronto Raptors in 2006, announced Monday that he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from basketball. (UPI Photo/Christine Chew) 

SAN ANTONIO, March 12 (UPI) — San Antonio Spurs guard T.J. Ford said Monday he is retiring as a player and will take a look at other opportunities to stay in the sport.

Ford said he is still physically able to play, despite having gone through years when his doctors advised against it, but a game last week when he wound up face down on the floor, unable to move, led him to his decision.

“After last Wednesday, I felt that being on the floor and being in that position and that scenario of being on the floor one too many times, I felt that was enough for me and my basketball career,” Ford told sportswriters.

“So I definitely will be retiring and that was my last basketball game you guys will see me play.”

Ford said the Spurs management has invited him to remain with the team to “help out and mentor.” He said he would use the opportunity “to see if that’s a route I want to take some day.”

Ford, 28, had his playing time limited due to a series of neck and spine issues.

“While this was a tough decision to make, it is what is best for me and my family at this time,” Ford said in an earlier statement.

“I have been blessed to play alongside wonderful teammates for great coaches and organizations from high school, to college, to the NBA. Regardless of what the future holds, I will carry the experiences, the friendships and the memories with me forever.

“The support I’ve received from family, friends and the fans has been humbling and I am looking forward to evaluating my professional options following this season.”

Ford was a first-round pick in the NBA draft by Milwaukee in 2003 and averaged 11.2 points, 5.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds over 429 regular-season games.

Ford played three seasons with the Bucks before joining Toronto for two years and then Indiana for three. He signed with San Antonio this season but injuries limited his play to 14 games.

Ford collected several Player-of-the-Year honors in 2003, his second and final season as a collegiate player at Texas.

Memphis, in the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history, had been swept in each of its previous three appearances.

The 12 consecutive playoff game losses before picking up a win is an NBA record.

With that out of the way, the Grizzlies can focus on chasing another piece of history. Memphis is looking to become the fourth No. 8 seed ever to defeat a No. 1 seed, and just second to do so since the first round expanded to a seven-game series.

The Grizzlies got off to a good start stealing Game 1 in San Antonio, becoming just the 10th No. 8 seed to win Game 1 of the first round.

They still have a long way to go as only two of those previous nine teams were able to translate that Game 1 win into a series victory.

The Grizzlies took the lead for good on a three-point field goal by Shane Battier. That was fitting since Battier is the only member of the current Grizzlies to have played in each of the teams’ previous 12 playoff games, during his first stint with the franchise.

It came shortly after the Spurs had used a 13-to-2 run to turn a seven-point Grizzlies lead into a four-point deficit.

During this stretch the Grizzlies missed four free throws, making it appear Memphis’ playoff futility would continue.

But in the final minute Memphis regained its composure ending the game on a 7-0 run.

Instead it was the Spurs playing without Manu Ginobili, their best fourth-quarter scorer during the regular season, who looked new to the playoffs.

So what exactly does this mean for the Spurs in 2011?

Not much – assuming Manu Ginobili is able to return healthy. This is a familiar position for San Antonio who has now lost the series opener in five of its last seven first round playoff series.

The Spurs have come back to win the series on three of those four occasions.

This loss just shows how important Ginobili is to the Spurs, especially against Memphis.

Game tape has shown with Ginobili in the lineup this season, the Spurs averaged 108.9 points per 48 minutes against the Grizzlies, and outscored Memphis by 26 points while he was on the floor.

Without him though, San Antonio shot under 40-percent from the floor, and was outscored by 39 points.

Throughout Ginobili’s career San Antonio is just 1-5 in the playoffs without him, so it is vitally important he return, and soon.