Published: Dec. 31, 2011 at 11:52 PM

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Published: Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 9:18 p.m. MST

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Published: Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 11:33 p.m. MST

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SAN ANTONIO: The San Antonio Spurs, not quite ready to be written off as too old and too slow to claim an NBA crown, routed the Los Angeles Clippers 115-90 on Wed­nes­day.

Manu Ginobili scored 24 points, leading six Spurs players who scored in double figures.

DeJuan Blair added 20 and Richard Jefferson chipped in 19. Tony Parker scored 14 points with nine assists, Tim Duncan scored 10 with eight rebounds and James Anderson added 12 off the bench as the Spurs shot 56.3% from the field.

The Spurs also made all 15 of their free throws, but coach Gregg Popovich said defence was the key to victory.

“Shots went in tonight,” Popovich said. “That’s what happens. Some nights they don’t drop. Tonight the best part of our game was defence.”

And that’s what was lacking for the Clippers, coach Vinny Del Negro said.

“Give San Antonio credit – they were cutting hard, they were moving the basketball, we were very stagnant,” he said. “We weren’t physical. We weren’t contesting shots…

“We played terrible, just from start to finish tonight,” Del Negro said.

“We had a little glimpse in the second quarter, I thought we did some good things. But they jumped on us in the third and we were just chasing them the rest of the game.”

The Clippers have been touted as a potential new power in the Western Conference after the arrival of All-Star point guard Chris Paul to team with Blake Griffin, the explosive talent who earned Rookie of the Year honours last season.

Griffin led the Clippers with 28 points, while Paul scored 10 on 3-of-10 shooting.

The Spurs, long a Western Conference force, won 61 games last season but were surprised in the first round of the playoffs by a young, energetic Memphis team, sparking predictions that the team led by 35-year-old Duncan and featuring 34-year-old Ginobili and 29-year-old Parker had passed their prime.

In their first two games of this lockout-shortened season, however, the Spurs have now beaten both Memphis and the Clippers.

San Antonio led by as many as 12 points before Griffin capped a Clippers surge by soaring for a basket that knotted the score at 52-52 late in the second quarter.

A Ginobili three-pointer saw the Spurs take a 58-54 lead at half-time, and San Antonio took firm control in the third period, when they out-scored Los Angeles by 21 points to take a 96-71 lead.

The comfortable victory meant Popovich was able to give his stars some rest. Duncan played 25 minutes, Parker 26 and Ginobili 27.

“You wouldn’t trade it,” Popovich said of the luxury of resting his veterans for significant minutes.

It could prove especially important in the hectic, lockout-shortened season.

“It was a good night for us, and to get some rest was surely welcome,” Popovich said.

In New Orleans, Jarrett Jack had 21 points and nine assists in his regular-season debut, and New Orleans dominated in their home opener, beating the winless Boston Celtics 97-78.

Danny Granger scored nine of his 21 points in the fourth quarter as Indiana Pacers beat the Raptors 90 to 85. Paul George had 18 points, David West scored 14 and Roy Hibbert had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

At Auburn Hills, Michigan, rookie Kyrie Irving had 14 points and seven assists to help Cleveland Cavaliers beat Detroit 105 to 89, spoiling the Pistons’ first home opener with new owner Tom Gores.

Meanwhile Joe Johnson led another balanced attack with 18 points as as Atlanta beat Washington 101 to 83.

At Denver, Nene scored 25 points, reserve Al Harrington had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Denver rolled over the Utah 117 to 100.

At Charlotte, North Carolina, Dwyane Wade hit a bank shot over Gerald Henderson with 2.9 seconds left to lift unbeaten Miami over Charlotte 96 to 95.

In the other games Oklahoma City beat Memphis 98 to 95, Golden State beat New York 92-78, Philadelphia routed Phoenix 103 to 83, Atlanta beat Washington 101 to 83. — Agencies

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CBSSports.com wire reports
Dec. 28, 2011

SAN ANTONIO — The Los Angeles Clippers might be the talk of the Western Conference right now, but the San Antonio Spurs showed they still have plenty of life left.

Manu Ginobili scored 24 points and DeJuan Blair added 20 to lead the Spurs to a 115-90 win over the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Blake Griffin scored 28 points for the Clippers, while Chris Paul was held to 3-of-10 shooting and finished with 10 points.

Richard Jefferson added 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting for the Spurs, who have won 17 straight home games against the Clippers, a streak that dates to Jan. 31, 2002. Tony Parker scored 14 points, James Anderson 12 and Tim Duncan 10.

The Spurs hit 45 of 80 shots from the field while limiting the Clippers to 29-of-74 shooting. San Antonio led by only four points at halftime but outscored Los Angeles 38-17 in the third quarter to take control.

“Our defense in the second half was great,” Ginobili said. “They couldn’t get lobs. They scored under 40 in the second half. We were pretty good on defense. We moved the ball, and everybody scored.”

San Antonio outscored Los Angeles 57-36 in the second half.

“They tore us apart in that third quarter,” Griffin said. “Our defense needs to be better, and it can get better. The good thing about the mistakes out there is that they are easily correctable.”

While Blair didn’t limit Griffin’s scoring, he was able to do enough offensively to nearly offset him.

“I try to read them,” Blair said. “They’re very athletic. They jump high. I jump a little bit, but I’m undersized, so I just try to read them. Just look for schemes to get around the taller defenders. I watch a lot of Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, try to get a low shot. But I’m doing great with what I’m doing.”

The Clippers weren’t able to get closer than 19 in the fourth quarter. After DeAndre Jordan’s free throw made it 98-79, Ginobili hit a 3-pointer then found Blair for a short jumper to put the Spurs up 103-79.

“They’re dunkers,” Blair said while laughing when asked about the Clippers being called Lob City. “But, yeah, not tonight.

The Spurs hit 16 of 21 shots in the third, with Parker scoring 10 on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. Anderson converted a three-point play with 0.3 seconds left in the quarter to give San Antonio its biggest lead of the game at that point – 96-71.

“We were down four, and I look up to see we are down 68-58 at one point,” Paul said. “We are going to practice tomorrow and figure out what we did right and figure out what we did wrong. First things first, we need to start with me.”

The Spurs led 58-54 at halftime behind 16 points from Ginobili, who hit 4 of 6 attempts from 3-point range in the half.

Blair added 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Jefferson had 10, including a pair of 3-pointers. Griffin had 16 points in the first two quarters and scored all but four of those points on either layups or dunks.

San Antonio led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but the Clippers went on a 16-4 run and tied the game 52-all on Griffin’s dunk with 47 seconds left in the half.

The Spurs led 26-19 entering the second quarter after holding the Clippers to 8-of-22 shooting in the first. The Clippers jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Ginobili responded by scoring the next nine points. Ginobili sandwiched two 3-pointers around three free throws after he was fouled by Chauncey Billups on a 3-pointer.

I’m kind of surprised,” Ginobili said of the team’s 2-0 start. “I didn’t think that the team was ready to have two games like this — to be so solid defensively. We’re looking sharp, but I don’t want to get too confident. I don’t think it’s fair or it’s true. We still have a long way to go. It just so happened we played two very good games.”

Notes

• Jordan hit 4 of 6 free throws. He went 4 of 12 in the opener against Golden State.
• Since Dec. 10, 1997, the Spurs have won 47 of 52 against the Clippers.
• The Spurs are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2008.
• The big win allowed the Spurs to rest several key players. Duncan played 26 minutes, while Ginobili and Parker played only 27.
• Caron Butler and Mo Williams each had 12 points for the Clippers. Billups had 11. Ginobili hit 5 of 8 3-pointers and 7 of 7 free throws.

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Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

SAN ANTONIO (AP)

The Los Angeles Clippers might be the talk of the Western Conference right now, but the San Antonio Spurs showed they still have plenty of life left.

Manu Ginobili scored 24 points and DeJuan Blair added 20 to lead the Spurs to a 115-90 win over the Clippers on Wednesday night.

Blake Griffin scored 28 points for the Clippers, while Chris Paul was held to 3-of-10 shooting and finished with 10 points.

Richard Jefferson added 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting for the Spurs, who have won 17 straight home games against the Clippers, a streak that dates to Jan. 31, 2002. Tony Parker scored 14 points, James Anderson 12 and Tim Duncan 10.

The Spurs hit 45 of 80 shots from the field while limiting the Clippers to 29-of-74 shooting. San Antonio led by only four points at halftime but outscored Los Angeles 38-17 in the third quarter to take control.

”Our defense in the second half was great,” Ginobili said. ”They couldn’t get lobs. They scored under 40 in the second half. We were pretty good on defense. We moved the ball, and everybody scored.”

San Antonio outscored Los Angeles 57-36 in the second half.

”They tore us apart in that third quarter,” Griffin said. ”Our defense needs to be better, and it can get better. The good thing about the mistakes out there is that they are easily correctable.”

While Blair didn’t limit Griffin’s scoring, he was able to do enough offensively to nearly offset him.

”I try to read them,” Blair said. ”They’re very athletic. They jump high. I jump a little bit, but I’m undersized, so I just try to read them. Just look for schemes to get around the taller defenders. I watch a lot of Charles Barkley and Karl Malone, try to get a low shot. But I’m doing great with what I’m doing.”

The Clippers weren’t able to get closer than 19 in the fourth quarter. After DeAndre Jordan’s free throw made it 98-79, Ginobili hit a 3-pointer then found Blair for a short jumper to put the Spurs up 103-79.

”They’re dunkers,” Blair said while laughing when asked about the Clippers being called Lob City. ”But, yeah, not tonight.

The Spurs hit 16 of 21 shots in the third, with Parker scoring 10 on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. Anderson converted a three-point play with 0.3 seconds left in the quarter to give San Antonio its biggest lead of the game at that point – 96-71.

”We were down four, and I look up to see we are down 68-58 at one point,” Paul said. ”We are going to practice tomorrow and figure out what we did right and figure out what we did wrong. First things first, we need to start with me.”

The Spurs led 58-54 at halftime behind 16 points from Ginobili, who hit 4 of 6 attempts from 3-point range in the half.

Blair added 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Jefferson had 10, including a pair of 3-pointers. Griffin had 16 points in the first two quarters and scored all but four of those points on either layups or dunks.

San Antonio led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but the Clippers went on a 16-4 run and tied the game 52-all on Griffin’s dunk with 47 seconds left in the half.

The Spurs led 26-19 entering the second quarter after holding the Clippers to 8-of-22 shooting in the first. The Clippers jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Ginobili responded by scoring the next nine points. Ginobili sandwiched two 3-pointers around three free throws after he was fouled by Chauncey Billups on a 3-pointer.

I’m kind of surprised,” Ginobili said of the team’s 2-0 start. ”I didn’t think that the team was ready to have two games like this — to be so solid defensively. We’re looking sharp, but I don’t want to get too confident. I don’t think it’s fair or it’s true. We still have a long way to go. It just so happened we played two very good games.”

Notes: Jordan hit 4 of 6 free throws. He went 4 of 12 in the opener against Golden State. … Since Dec. 10, 1997, the Spurs have won 47 of 52 against the Clippers. … The Spurs are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2008. … The big win allowed the Spurs to rest several key players. Duncan played 26 minutes, while Ginobili and Parker played only 27. … Caron Butler and Mo Williams each had 12 points for the Clippers. Billups had 11 . Ginobili hit 5 of 8 3-pointers and 7 of 7 free throws.

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Read More: Chris Paul (G – LAC), Manu Ginobili (G – SAN), Blake Griffin (F – LAC), San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Clippers at San Antonio Spurs, Dec 28, 2011 5:30 PM PST

For a while, it looked like the Los Angeles Clippers were poised to end their long losing streak in San Antonio. Then the third quarter happened. The San Antonio Spurs used a huge third quarter to pull away from the Clippers 115-90 on Wednesday night, the 17th consecutive loss in San Antonio for the Clippers.

Blake Griffin scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds in defeat for the Clippers, who fell to 1-1 on the season.

The Clippers erased a 14-point Spurs lead in the second quarter, but ultimately trailed by four at halftime. The Spurs blitzed Los Angeles with a 38-17 third quarter to blow the game wide open. San Antonio had six different players score in double figures, led by 24 points from Manu Ginobili.

The last win for the Clippers in San Antonio was a 90-85 triumph on January 31, 2002. Since then they have lost 17 straight road games to the Spurs, by an average margin of over 15 points per game. The Clippers are 1-26 in their last 27 games in San Antonio.

Chris Paul had 10 points and nine assists for the Clippers. The Clippers return home to host the Chicago Bulls in their home opener Friday night at Staples Center.

For more Clippers news and information, be sure to read Clips Nation.

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Published Tuesday, December 27, 2011 12:22 AM

Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — Manu Ginobili never saw the Memphis Grizzlies play that badly in the playoffs, and is pretty sure he won’t again.

But the San Antonio Spurs will take it.

Ginobili scored 24 points and San Antonio ran away from what barely resembled the up-and-coming Memphis team that stunned the 61-win Spurs in the first round last season, beating the Grizzlies 95-82 on Monday night.

San Antonio began what could be Tim Duncan’s final season with a satisfying bit of payback but otherwise didn’t read much into the victory. Take Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, who utterly bullied the Spurs in that playoff series but combined for just 23 points this time.

“Zac was off. He didn’t have of these games in the playoffs,” Ginobili said. “That happens the first game of the season. We all need time to get back in shape. “

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 19 points and 10 rebounds in his first game in nearly 10 months. Gay missed the end of last season with a bad left shoulder, including when Memphis knocked out the top-seeded Spurs.

Yet even with the full starting lineup that Memphis would’ve preferred in last year’s playoffs, the Grizzlies still remained winless on opening night since the franchise left Vancouver in 2001.

Not quite the start the NBA’s breakout team of last season had in mind.

“We didn’t play very well. We did turn the ball over alot, but we didn’t guard,” Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. “We didn’t guard them in the pick in roll. We gave up transition points. It was not a very well-played game by us at all.”

The Grizzlies committed 24 turnovers. Randolph had 10 points and six rebounds and Gasol had 13 and six. In the playoffs series against the Spurs, Randolph averaged 21.5 points.

It’s not like the Spurs got any bigger to defend the Grizzlies’ big frontline. DeJuan Blair, the 6-foot-7 center deemed too ineffective by coach Gregg Popovich to even play Games 5 and 6 against Memphis, was back in the starting lineup.

The Spurs have precious few alternatives: forward Antonio McDyess officially retired in training camp, and they haven’t added a big man to replace him. Yet San Antonio was helped by 7-footer Tiago Splitter, who didn’t look as lost as he did as rookie against Memphis last season.

“He was really solid,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He stayed in good position, he blocked shots and he rebounded. He was real special tonight.”

Mike Conley had 11 points and seven assists for the Grizzlies. Memphis led by one at halftime but were blown out in the third quarter after shooting just 29 percent from the floor.

Despite the loss, Gay was satisfied with his return.

“It’s kind of bittersweet we lost, but it good that I’m healthy and I can get out there and play,” he said.

Richard Jefferson, once thought to be a goner in San Antonio under the NBA’s new amnesty clause, added 14 points for the Spurs. Duncan had 10 points in 22 minutes as the challenge of rationing the 35-year-old’s minutes in a compressed, grueling schedule began.

Duncan is playing in the final year of his contract but hasn’t said whether this will be his last run for a fifth title.

If Duncan and the Spurs have one last championship run left in them, there was no better first test than Memphis. The bigger and quicker Grizzlies gave the aging Spurs fits in the playoffs last April even without Gay, who had been Memphis’ second-leading scorer.

For opening night, at least, San Antonio showed it can still keep up.

Leonard can take some credit for that. The 15th overall pick brought a jolt off the bench in the third quarter when the Spurs opened up a 19-point lead despite trailing at halftime. Leonard had six points during the stretch, including hitting a corner 3-pointer after catching a nifty behind-the-back pass from Ginobili.

Leonard is the centerpiece of what the Spurs are calling their youth movement — seven of their 13 players have fewer than three years of experience. But the face and fortunes of the franchise still firmly belong to Parker, Ginobili and Duncan, who started their 10th season together.

Notes: Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III watched the game with some of his Baylor teammates. The Bears are in town to play Washington in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday…Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones, who owns a home in San Antonio, sat courtside with Spurs owner Peter Holt. …The Spurs remain without G Gary Neal after the second-year backup had his appendix removed during training camp.

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SAN ANTONIO — At times, the Grizzlies looked like they were just getting acquainted with each other. And that’s because they were, with a rotation that counted on a couple of players who joined the team in the last 72 hours.

Then there were times — too many for the coaching staff to stomach — when the Griz just stumbled and miscarried on both ends of the court.

Instead of looking like the squad that gelled into a playoff darling last season, the Griz opened the 2011-12 season Monday night in ragged fashion and with a 95-82 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the AT&T Center.

At the crux of the Grizzlies’ problems were 25 turnovers and uninspired defense.

“It’s frustrating because we know what we’re capable of,” Griz forward Rudy Gay said after finishing with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. “With the talent we have in this room we can play with anybody and we didn’t show it.”

Manu Ginobili’s 24 points led the Spurs, who also enjoyed a 15-point, seven-assist outing by Tony Parker.

In a rematch of the teams’ 2011 first-round playoff series, the Spurs were methodical. The Griz, however, showed they need more time to re-establish chemistry even though they returned the core players.

Griz forward Zach Randolph dominated the Spurs last spring in the postseason but was held to 10 points and six rebounds. He only attempted eight shots with the Spurs effectively crowding the paint.

“They didn’t do anything special,” Randolph said. “We just have to know what we want to do. We’ve got to get our identity. We’ve got to figure out how we’re going to play.”

Griz coach Lionel Hollins agreed, saying the Spurs only employed the same pack-the-paint strategy that the Griz saw most of last season.

“Everybody does,” Hollins said. “They don’t fear us out on the perimeter. … The Spurs came out in the second half and just imposed their will on us.”

The Griz trailed 52-49 with 8:13 left in the third quarter when they lost total control. They got overwhelmed by the Spurs’ 21-3 run, which included 16 unanswered points.

San Antonio took a 19-point advantage and the lead dipped below double digits for only 20 seconds in the fourth quarter. When the Spurs didn’t drive-and-kick for 10 3-pointers, they scored easily off fast breaks.

“We were very active. We crowded things,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We got back in transition and we got our hands on a lot of balls. We did a good job of that and it fueled the break back the other way.”

Credit the Spurs’ defense. But the Griz also just handed over the ball.

“They force the ball, play in a crowd, make bad decisions,” Hollins said of his team’s turnovers.

Point guard Mike Conley started the fourth quarter by losing his dribble to Parker on consecutive possessions.

Tony Allen had four turnovers mostly by losing his dribble in a crowd of defenders. One possession in the third period saw Allen turn a dynamic offensive rebound into an offensive foul. Allen was looking to score while open teammates called for the ball at the top of the key.

“I don’t mind the ones when we’re trying to make the extra pass,” Griz center Marc Gasol said. “The ones we have to cut down on are the ones when we’re trying to go 1 on 4.”

Memphis led 44-43 at halftime after it had led by 10 in the opening period. The Griz undermined 53-percent shooting by committing 15 turnovers in the first half.

“I don’t think we’re playing with the pace we need to play with,” Conley said. “We’re not moving the ball from side to side and there’s indecision with our second and third options. There’s no doubt we have to get better.”

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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN ANTONIO — Manu Ginobili scored 24 points and the San Antonio Spurs got some payback after their stunning playoff collapse last season, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 95-82 on Monday night.

San Antonio began what could be Tim Duncan’s final season with a satisfying win after Memphis upset the 61-win Spurs in the first round last season. Tony Parker added 15 points and seven assists.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 19 points and 10 rebounds in his first game in nearly 10 months. Gay missed the end of last season with a bad left shoulder, including when Memphis knocked out the top-seeded Spurs.

The Grizzlies remained winless on opening night since the franchise left Vancouver in 2001, and this blowout surely wasn’t he NBA’s breakout team of last season had in mind.

Zach Randolph, who utterly bullied the Spurs in that playoff series, had just 10 points and six rebounds this time. Marc Gasol had 13 points and also couldn’t dominate San Antonio’s undersized front line like he and Randolph easily did last April.

And it’s not like the Spurs got any bigger.

DeJuan Blair, the 6-foot-7 centre deemed too ineffective by coach Gregg Popovich to even play Games 5 and 6 against Memphis, was back in the starting lineup. The Spurs have precious few alternatives: forward Antonio McDyess officially retired in training camp, and they haven’t added a big man to replace him.

Mike Conley had 11 points and seven assists for the Grizzlies. Memphis led by one at halftime but were blown out in the third quarter after shooting just 29 per cent from the floor.

Richard Jefferson, once thought to be a goner in San Antonio under the NBA’s new amnesty clause, added 14 points for the Spurs. Duncan had 10 points in 22 minutes as the challenge of rationing the 35-year-old’s minutes in a compressed, grueling schedule began.

Duncan is playing in the final year of his contract but hasn’t said whether this will be his last run for a fifth title.

If Duncan and the Spurs have one last championship run left in them, there was no better first test than Memphis. The bigger and quicker Grizzlies gave the aging Spurs fits in the playoffs last April even without Gay, who had been Memphis’ second-leading scorer.

For opening night, at least, San Antonio showed it can still keep up.

Leonard can take some credit for that. The 15th overall pick brought a jolt off the bench in the third quarter when the Spurs opened up a 19-point lead despite trailing at halftime. Leonard had six points during the stretch and earned animated approval from Duncan, who came into the league when Leonard was barely out of kindergarten.

Leonard is the centerpiece of what the Spurs are calling their youth movement — seven of their 13 players have fewer three years of experience. But the face and fortunes of the franchise still firmly belong to Parker, Ginobili and Duncan, who started their 10th season together.

Notes: Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III watched the game with some of his Baylor teammates. The Bears are in town to play Washington in the Alamo Bowl on Thursday…Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones, who owns a home in San Antonio, sat courtside with Spurs owner Peter Holt. …The Spurs remain without G Gary Neal after the second-year backup had his appendix removed during training camp.

That’s all the news for today.

Published Saturday, December 24, 2011 8:22 PM

By PAUL J. WEBER
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — If this really is Tim Duncan’s final season, a perfect ending won’t come easy.

The four-time NBA champion has won just one playoff series in the last three years. Tony Parker himself called the San Antonio Spurs finished as contenders in May, before later walking back that blunt assessment of his own team.

The Spurs didn’t find an upgrade from Richard Jefferson after the lockout, and in a sign of how badly they need big men, couldn’t talk 37-year-old Antonio McDyess into playing another season.

That leaves Duncan, entering his 15th season and the end of his contract, making perhaps his last try for a fifth title with largely the same group that hasn’t come close lately.

“This is basically the same team,” Duncan said. “We have as good an opportunity as anyone else. We have that experience a lot of people are going to work for.”

Duncan arrived at training camp insisting he’s not yet thinking about retirement. He’ll be 36 when the playoffs roll around and will make $21 million this season, behind only Kobe Bryant ($25 million) and Rashard Lewis ($22 million).

The big payday is Duncan’s reward for making the Spurs the winningest franchise in major professional sports the past 14 years, surpassing even the New England Patriots or New York Yankees in winning percentage. Even last year, against all expectations, the Spurs won 61 games and reclaimed the Western Conference’s top seed.

It still wasn’t good enough.

It was easy to read into San Antonio’s first-round loss as more than an upset. The Memphis Grizzlies, quick and big, made the Spurs look slow and small.

Weeks after losing to Memphis in six games, Parker was in Paris telling French journalists that was the last chance for the aging Spurs, whose last title was in 2007. “We will always have a good team but can no longer say we’re playing for a championship,” he said.

Parker later backed away from those remarks, and returned to San Antonio this month with a cheerier outlook.

“A lot of young teams are coming up, so we just have to make sure we can keep up and be competitive,” Parker said. “You have to be positive and you have to believe in your team. I definitely believe in my team. Hopefully we can stay healthy and not have those little bumps like last year.”

If San Antonio does have another run left in them, it’ll be up to mostly the same cast. That includes Jefferson, who survived last week’s amnesty deadline after the Spurs had a chance to part ways with the underachieving swingman who is due $9.2 million this season.

The Spurs courted free agents Caron Butler and Josh Howard. Though after it became apparent Jefferson would make it to opening day, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich defended his starting small forward as an improving defender and reliable 3-point shooter.

“It’s kind of interesting. Everybody always asked about amnesty, and I always wondered why Richard, Richard, Richard,” Popovich said. “As if we didn’t advance in the playoffs because of Richard. I don’t think anybody played great.”

Be that as it may, the Spurs may have landed Jefferson’s eventual replacement in rookie Kawhi Leonard. Selected 15th overall by Indiana, the 6-foot-7 forward was dealt in a draft-day trade for guard George Hill, who was Parker’s backup and a budding star in the Popovich’s eyes.

Yet it was a price Popovich says he was willing to pay. The 20-year-old Leonard brings not only youth and size but a knack for defense, which Popovich is reprioritizing after the Spurs were — rather atypically — better known for outscoring teams than stopping them last season.

Parker (17.5 points per game) and 34-year-old Ginobili (17.4 points) will again drive San Antonio’s offense from the backcourt, and veteran T.J. Ford replaces Hill off the bench. The frontcourt is a larger concern: with McDyess gone, the big men left are 3-point marksman Matt Bonner, undersized 6-foot-7 center DeJuan Blair and 7-footer Tiago Splitter.

Then there’s Duncan. The two-time MVP, whose scoring and rebounding (13.4 and 8.9) were career lows last year, is the only Spurs player left from the 1999 team that won the franchise’s first championship in that lockout-shortened season.

Duncan draws no comparisons to then and now. He just knows the toll awaiting him in the compressed schedule ahead.

“It wasn’t a grind to me then,” Duncan recalled of 1999. “I was running like a deer up and down every day. I wanted to play. But this is going to feel different, I know it.”

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Posted on December 22, 2011 at 7:40 AM

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