Spurs Sans Duncan

Last week when we watched Tim Duncan sprain his ankle, we knew the Spurs would have a tough time. We were also confident they had enough depth to play well without Duncan in the lineup. After they lost to Detroit and then New York, I headed to Indianapolis to see if I could help. To no avail, as you all noticed. I'm back in Virginia. The Spurs are home. They pulled out victories over the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets. Today's Houston game was on ABC, so we got a chance to watch again.

Thankfully, there were no injuries like Duncan's today. Last week, I had to keep covering Her eyes on the replays of Duncan's ankle sprain. It was too close to home for how Her ankles feel when they give out on Her. If I didn't cover Her eyes, She'd sit there and shudder until the image could be cleared from Her mind.

Earlier this week, the Spurs had to put Devin Brown on the injured list. Devin's a local San Antonio guy who is just unbelievable to watch play. He, Ginobili, and Parker are poetry in motion to watch. They play with heart, finesse, and always give 100%. With Duncan and Brown out, the Spurs are challenged.

As I mentioned earlier, the Spurs have depth, and this is one of their strengths. They have a number of guys who can, and do, step up and make things happen. They aren't quite seamless about it, but they come darn close. I've been doubly pleased to see Rasho Nesterovic step up and start delivering. He made some beautiful moves today, and demonstrated a strong ability to contribute.

But for sheer fan power, Ginobili has it all over everyone. He was officially credited with five steals today, but I swear he had thirty. Every single time I looked up, he was taking the ball away from somebody. The most gorgeous play was when he blind-sided Yao Ming and took the ball right out of his hands.

Spurs basketball. It just doesn't get any better. Don't get me wrong, Duncan will be great to have back in the lineup, but the Spurs are not lost without him, either.