^^^ I'm told we think that last one is actually Tinsley.<br>
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Here's my game report:<br>
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My final day in San Antonio.<br>
My seat was in Section 14, Row 4, which is the first row of seats after the 2 courtside seats (don’t ask me why it isn’t Row 3) in the corner between the visitors bench and tunnel. I met up with <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Ryvin1</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> (Raul), he graciously donated one of his season tickets for me to see this game, thanks! I got to hear all about his experience at Horry’s poker tournament this past summer and how he wiped out Robert … twice.<br>
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I said hi to <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Tony Parker</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> as he was leaving the court, he gave me a hug and said, “You leave tomorrow, right?” referencing back to our conversation on Saturday. I said yes and he said, “See you in March.”<br>
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<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Manu Ginobili</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> cut his hair so I commented to him, “Nice hair Manu.” He kinda smiled glancing up but then recognized me and said hi. I said hi to <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Robert Horry</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> as well but once again he used the visitors tunnel and I was by the Spurs tunnel so I didn’t talk to him. I did and stop greet the ushers that I had met the other night and assured them that I didn’t bring my notebook this time so I can’t lose it under the stands again.<br>
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I was walking around back towards my seat when I heard someone mention yesterday’s Tip-Off Luncheon to <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Brent Barry</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> to which he responded, “Well, they haven’t killed me yet so I think we’re okay.” I told Barry he did a good job as well.<br>
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Raul and I were talking with <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Blondie</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> (Jackie) and <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Spurloca</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> (Crystal) when Tony’s father walked by. One thing to know about me is that I may be shy but I am fearless. I chatted with him for a few moments and shook his hand but no one else ventured over. Very nice gentleman.<br>
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The good thing about watching games in San Antonio is that I’m not the only one cheering for the Spurs out here. I’m so used to watching games in enemy territory, be it either Los Angeles or Phoenix, that it’s nice to be a part of the crowd and fun when the visiting team turns around to give you a “look” while you’re cheering. It’s even nicer when the Spurs win but it’s just pre-season.<br>
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It’s amazing how easy it is to lose all concept of what the score is but after a while I noticed that the Pacers seemed to hit every shot and the Spurs weren’t. I thought we were in for a good night when I saw Duncan hit a jumper that he would normally hit as a bank shot. The first quarter kept it pretty close ending with Horry scoring on a layup (thank goodness, he was scoreless on Saturday) to bring the score to 25-21, San Antonio lead.<br>
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Then the 2nd quarter happened. It seemed every shot went in for Indiana and none for the Spurs, except for Tim Duncan. Through most of this and the next quarter Duncan accounted for more than half of the Spurs points. There were 2 seconds left on the clock before halftime, coming back from a timeout, Tony Parker had the ball and was poised to shoot …… but didn’t. He didn’t get the shot off and half-time came with Indiana leading 57-43.<br>
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I take a little responsibility for Finley’s performance. I called him a ball hog the other night, shooting every time he touched the ball, and tonight even I was begging him to shoot. He took 8 shots in the game, making 2 of them, but definitely could have taken more.<br>
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Ginobili seemed out of the game, unfocused. You could see what he wanted to do but his body just wouldn’t perform, he blew several layups that he would normally make with no problem. Nesterovic played his role well, though the stat sheet may not reflect it. I really like Oberto and am anxious to see how he develops. He has a little problem catching the ball at times and is turnover prone because of that, but he seems to be a very intelligent player and has a good feel for the Spurs system already. He ended the night with 10 points on 5 of 6 shooting, the second highest scorer for San Antonio.<br>
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The 3rd quarter didn’t seem to bring any more happiness than the 2nd quarter with the Spurs finding themselves down by as many as 21 points. Horry sparked a come-back attempt with a 3-pointer at the 4:19 mark, prompting Indiana to take an immediate timeout. All of a sudden Oberto was finding himself alone under the basket and his teammates were finding him for an open layup. This happened on three consecutive plays! The Spurs ended the quarter cutting into the lead but still down 71-77.<br>
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They just couldn’t close out those final points and Indiana charged ahead, seeming to hit every shot. Sean Marks eventually came into the game and showed off a nice dunk to give us something to cheer for. About halfway through the quarter, a couple that was sitting courtside got up to leave. I asked if they mind if we take their seats, they didn’t so Raul and I watched the rest of the game courtside. Anthony Johnson sat directly in front of us and we listened to the players chat on the bench. For the record, Scott Pollard needs a stylist and a hair dresser, or at the very least a mirror. His long stringy hair was accented by a pair of thick-framed glasses which matched his 70’s-style brown suit. Yikes!<br>
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Indiana has a good team and they were definitely the better team tonight, taking the game 97-86. Duncan was the high scorer in the game with 29 points and made 9 of 10 free throws. I looked through the Spurs shop for a bit, buying a new sweater and book, then a group of us headed out to have dinner at Jim’s.<br>
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Ahhh, dinner at Jim’s. You have to love waitresses that hate their jobs. We waited patiently for a good 40 minutes to get our food, because, afterall, there were some complicated dishes: a bowl of fruit, a club sandwich and, of course, my toast. What she stated was holding up our dinner was actually the blueberry pancakes, apparently they were still growing the blueberries.<br>
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So when we tried to add an order of mozzarella sticks and the waitress informed us that it ‘may take a while’, we had to laugh. According to her, we actually got our food quite quickly considering the tall cook just arrived so they were backed up. Did we care to hear an explanation? Nope. Not interested.<br>
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Oh well, all’s well that ends well and around 2am is when we finally parted ways. It was wonderful meeting everyone, thanks for your hospitality in welcoming me once again to San Antonio!<br>
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