Update: As noted in the FanShots by letusrun, San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili will not play tonight due to his thigh contusion.
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Game Time 5:30 p.m. TV: CSNNW
The Trail Blazers just played the Spurs so we're going to forgo the traditional game preview. If you want to read about San Antonio you can find the last game's preview right here. Notable News: In addition to being without Tim Duncan, San Antonio is probably going without Manu Ginobili who suffered a thigh contusion in their last game. Link and video here. In theory that should make the game easier for Portland but the Blazers didn't take full advantage of Duncan's absence during that nail-biting miracle win on Friday. Portland needs to keep the Spurs outside of 10 feet and inside of 23 to be successful, plus remember to drive the ball every once in a while. The Blazers' emotional state following hard-fought losses tends to be poor, turning one loss into two, the second usually a stomach-churning blowout. It's hard to imagine them succumbing to that pattern this late in the season with playoff position on the line and a bevy of talent at their beck and call. Hopefully this will be a bounce-back game and a confidence booster for the underdog should the Blazers and Spurs meet in the playoffs.
Pounding The Rock, as always, is your Spurs hookup. Due to a scheduling snafu there will be no Jersey Contest form for this game. The New Orleans game form won't be available after this game concludes in order to avoid confusion.
Feel free to hash out Blazers-Spurs Part Deux in the comment section, but I also have another question to fill your time. We've seen three of the four potential playoff opponents for Portland in the last week with Dallas a fairly fresh memory as well. Having gotten a close look at all of them now, who would you prefer the Blazers to face in the first round and why? The Spurs, Mavericks, Lakers, and Thunder are your choices. Have at it below! If you wish, make an argument for each team. We've got plenty of time before tip-off and anything beats going over last night's loss again!
--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)