DeJuan Blair | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

Pop to Spurs’ Blair: ‘Just be who you are’

By Jeff McDonald

DALLAS — For Spurs center DeJuan Blair, the American Airlines Center will always be home to fond memories.

At All-Star Weekend here in 2010, he had 22 points and a record 23 rebounds in the rookie-sophomore game, punctuating his performance with a dunk off the backboard glass.

Later that year, with Tim Duncan sitting out the final game of the regular season, Blair detonated for 27 points and 23 rebounds in a loss at Dallas.

Somewhere deep inside him, Blair believes, the free-spirited player responsible for those moments still exists.

“I’ve just got to find him,” Blair said. “Be DeJuan Blair again.”

That was precisely the message coach Gregg Popovich was trying to impart when he dispatched the struggling Blair into a recent game with the instructions: “Just be who you are.”

“All players are different,” Popovich said. “If Tiago Splitter tried to do what Kevin Love does, he’d probably be pretty unsuccessful. If we tried to get DeJuan Blair to play like Tiago, he would be unsuccessful.”

As the Spurs return to Dallas today for a matinee against the NBA champion Mavericks, the 22-year-old Blair remains on a path of self-rediscovery.

Blair sums up Popovich’s “just be who you are” order in two words: “Energy and rebounding.”

At times, Blair’s play has become a tad too conventional, as if he is attempting, at 6-foot-7, to play center like a 7-footer. The joy that once garnished his game is gone.

In his third NBA season, Blair is averaging a career-best 10.4 points, but his rebounding numbers — once the best aspect of his game — are down to 5.8 per game.

The Spurs’ two most recent games provide stark contrast of good Blair and bad.

In a 105-83 win over Atlanta on Wednesday, Blair erupted for 13 of his 17 points in the second half, scoring on putbacks and pick-and-rolls and finishing fast breaks for his highest-scoring night since New Year’s Eve.

Two nights later, in a 87-79 loss at Minnesota, Blair went scoreless in 15 minutes, 22 seconds, ceding playing time to the 6-foot-11 Splitter, a more traditional NBA big man.

“The thing with DeJuan, we just want him to be consistent,” point guard Tony Parker said. “Some nights, he has it. Some nights, it looks like he’s having a hard time. When you’re young, that’s the hardest thing, to be consistent every night.”

Popovich, in part, blames himself for Blair’s ongoing identity crisis. He believes he has given Blair too much information, too much coaching, paralyzing his formerly freewheeling center with the fear of making mistake.

“You try and coach him, and you screw him up,” Popovich said.

In that, Popovich compares Blair to Manu Ginobili, a non-traditionalist who also balked at being bridled earlier in his career.

“After a while, I had to learn to be quiet and let him play,” Popovich said. “With DeJuan, he’s an instinctive player. He’s not going to play placing his feet in certain spots, and this is your move. It’s better to let him play and you get his full effectiveness.”

Though Blair acknowledges a tendency to over-think things on the court, he won’t say he’s been over-coached.

“I don’t believe in that,” Blair said. “You can never take too much in. I’m still young. I’m still learning.”

However it comes, Blair is seeking to revive the unorthodox, bull-in-a-china-closet playing style that hallmarked his All-American collegiate career at Pittsburgh, as well as his first two seasons in the NBA.

“I’m just going to play,” Blair said. “I’m finding my groove. I’m going to get there.”

The player who more than once turned the American Airlines Center into his own personal playground is still in there, somewhere. Blair just has to let him out.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Duncan no All-Star? Don’t tell the Hornets

By Mike Monroe

When the Spurs played the Hornets in New Orleans on Jan. 23, a well-rested Tim Duncan turned back the clock and authored his best game of the season, a 28-point burst of energy punctuated by a game-winning hook shot.

Facing the Hornets again Thursday, this time after a hard win over Houston the night before, Duncan proved he can still dominate a game while weary. In 22 minutes and 28 seconds, he produced an extraordinarily efficient 19 points and nine rebounds, helping the Spurs secure a 93-81 victory.

When Duncan wasn’t torturing the shorthanded Hornets in the post, backup big man Tiago Splitter was doing the same, making 7 of 9 shots and scoring 16.

The Spurs, now 15-9, ran their home-court record to 12-1.

Before the game there was speculation aplenty that Duncan might not suit up for the Spurs’ fourth in five nights. Coach Gregg Popovich had vowed he wouldn’t let Duncan play all four games in such a compressed stretch.

Even when Popovich an? nounced Duncan would be in his starting lineup there was concern about how much the 13-time All-Star would have left in his legs.

Duncan wasted no time proving he felt good. He scored seven points in a first quarter when his teammates made only 6 of 16 shots and had 11 by halftime.

Teammate Matt Bonner knew Duncan was on his way to a standout game.

“He was wicked spry out there,” Bonner said, flattening his vowels as only a New Englander can.

Duncan could sense fatigue, not in himself but in the legs of his perimeter-shooting teammates.

“I just felt I had to be aggressive, try to attack them a little bit,” he said. “We didn’t have shots falling from the outside or shoot the 3-ball real well, so opportunities were there and I just took them when I could.”

As he had in Wednesday’s comeback win over Houston, Duncan did most of his scoring against the Hornets in the low post. Only two of his eight shots were launched outside 10 feet, and his aggression around the basket put him on the foul line for seven free throws, all of which he converted.

“He feels really good,” Popovich said. “He feels like he’s got a good balance and that’s always a good sign when he wants the ball down on the block.”

Even with Duncan dominating inside, the game was close going to the fourth quarter because the Spurs were horrid from beyond the 3-point arc. They missed 13 of their first 14 long-range attempts; Bonner clanked his first four.

A 71-68 lead at the start of the fourth grew quickly to nine points because the Spurs locked down their defense and allowed just one Hornets basket in the first 4:20 of the period.

By the time point guard Tony Parker whipped a wraparound pass from the top of the key to a wide-open Bonner, alone outside the 3-point line on the left side, the momentum of the game decreed Bonner’s first hit from long range.

Popovich understood the importance of his team’s defensive excellence in crunch time.

“The defense generated offense for us as the game went on into the fourth quarter,” he said. “I thought Tony was really good in the second half forcing the issue, and I thought Tiago had a great run there, defensively and offensively, and the two of them really got us going, and that was it.”

Thursday’s victory means the Spurs will take a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s game against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in their final home game before playing nine straight on the road.

mikemonroe@express-news.net

– Photos by Billy Calzada

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Spurs 93, Hornets 81: Feb. 2, 2012

Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs shoots over Carl Landry of the New Orleans Hornets during NBA action at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Richard Jefferson of the San Antonio Spurs dunks during first-half NBA action against the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Spurs guard Tony Parker penetrates as the New Orleans Hornets defend during NBA action at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Danny Green of the San Antonio Spurs shoots over Carl Landry of the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

DeJuan Blair of the Spurs, right, shoots over Emeka Okafer of the New Orleans Hornets during NBA action at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs (9) shoots a layup as Emeka Okafor, left, of the New Orleans Hornets, and Trevor Ariza, right, defend on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs dunks after stealing an inbound pass from Carl Landry of the New Orleans Hornets in the second half at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Tiago Splitter of the San Antonio Spurs (22) battles Carldell Johnson of the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Tiago Splitter of the Spurs shoots over Gustavo Ayon (15) and Al-Farouq Aminu of the Hornets during NBA action at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs greets teammate Tony Parker with a pat on the head during a timeout of their game against the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan signals to his Spurs teammates during their game against New Orleans on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

The San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancers perform during a timeout at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

San Antonio Spurs fans are jubliant as the Spurs pull away to a 93-81 victory over the New Orleans Hornets at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Matt Bonner (15) of the Spurs defends Marco Belinelli of New Orleans looks to pass off during NBA action on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan (21) and Spurs teammates leave the court after their 93-81 victory over New Orleans on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

DeJuan Blair, right, and Tim Duncan of the Spurs go through a pre-game ritual before their game against New Orleans at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Tim Duncan of the Spurs hangs, as is his custom, from the rim when the lights are turned down for players introductions at the ATT Center on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-NewsNew Orleans Hornets at San Antonio Spurs (San Antonio Express-News)

Game rewind: How the Kings confounded the Spurs

Without Manu Ginobili and T.J. Ford, the Spurs have a surprisingly narrow margin of error — even against an opponent that they seemingly shouldn’t have much trouble with.

That was the case Friday night at the ATT Center, where the Spurs were stunned by Pacific Division bottom feeeder Sacramento in a disappointing 88-86 loss.

The Spurs don’t lose many games like Friday’s shocker at home. It was the first time the Spurs were defeated by a likely lottery-bound team at the ATT Center since losing to Milwaukee on Dec. 30, 2008.

As Tony Parker said, it was a strange night.

The Spurs had a seemingly safe 84-78 lead and momentum with less than 4 minutes to play.

But from that point, they couldn’t make a field goal and Sacramento escaped with what unlikely standout John Salmons called their “biggest victory of the season.”

Here’s how they were able to steal the game from the Spurs.

Game analysis: The Spurs fell behind early to an athletic Sacramento team and played from behind for the first thre-plus quarters of the game. And after they reclaimed the lead late in the game, San Antonio didn’t have the firepower needed to put the game away.

Where the game was won: After leading by nine points late in the fourth quarter, the Kings appeared ready to give the game away after Parker’s jumper gave San Antonio an 84-78 lead with 3:51 left. But two clutch jumpers by Salmons and a go-ahead 22-foot jumper by Tyreke Evans with 47.2 seconds left gave Sacramento the lead. Their defense did the rest as Tiago Splitter and Danny Green missed short jumpers on the Spurs’ final two possessions.

A little earlier … The Spurs employed a 12-2 run over the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter to take a 74-73 lead on Splitter’s acrobatic reverse layup with 9:52 left for their first lead of the game.

Player of the game I: Evans battled his way out of a recent slump as he scored 23 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished off seven assists in a strong all-around effort.

Player of the game II: After being dinged earlier in the second half, DeMarcus Cousins returned to wreak havoc for the Kings in a strong 17-point, 13-rebound effort that also included four steals. But his biggest play might have been the way he altered Green’s attempt to tie the game on San Antonio’s final possession.

Player of the game III: Parker provided team-high totals of 24 points and six assists, including the basket that gave the Spurs their largest lead of the game at 84-78. But after that, he disappeared down the stretch with no field-goal attempts and one turnover during the rest of the game.

Most unsung: After missing four of his earlier five shots, Sacramento’s Francisco Garcia told Kings coach Keith Smart to stick with Salmons in the final minutes. Salmons, who came into the game shooting a frigid 35.1 percent, rewarded that confidence by hitting two clutch jumpers that set the stage for the Kings’ upset.

Did you notice: The Spurs had trouble containing Sacramento speedy big men Cousins and Jason Thompson from the opening moments of the game. It got worse as the Spurs’ offense sputtered in the opening minutes with five missed shots and a turnover before Parker’s sank San Antonio’s first basket with 9:10 left in the first quarter. “Honestly, I think they came out slow,” Cousins said. “We jumped on them quick and they played catch-up most of the game.”

Did you notice II: With Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair resting, the Spurs didn’t hesitate to run their offense through Splitter for large stretches of the game. The result was a 10-point, seven-rebound effort from Splitter as he produced a season-high plus-14 plus-minus score.

Stat of the game: The Spurs shot 37.8 percent from the field. It was their second-lowest field-goal percentage of the season, eclipsed only by a 37.6 percent shooting effort at Houston on Dec. 29.

Stat of the game II: Despite coming into the game ranked fifth in the NBA in 3-point percentage, the Spurs clanked to a 5-for-25 effort (20 percent) that continues a recent slump. In their last four games, San Antonio has hit 22 of 86 from 3-point territory for 25.6 percent. And in Friday’s game, the Spurs missed 14 straight 3-pointers at one stretch before Richard Jefferson connected with 10:37 left in the game.

Stat of the game III: The Spurs saw their nine-game home winning streak to start the season snapped. It was their longest home winning streak to start the season since 2007-08, when they won their first 13 home games.

Weird stat of the game: After hitting their first 15 foul shots, the Spurs finished the game at 90.5 percent. Sacramento hit 57.9 percent as the Kings sank 11 of 19 foul shots. That difference between the two percentages (32.6 percent) has only been topped five previous times in games where the Spurs lost since 1985-86. The largest difference and most recent occurrence came last season in Boston when the Spurs hit 94.1 percent from the foul line and the Celtics hit 53.3 percent in a game the Spurs lost, 105-103.

Weird stat of the game II: Jimmer Fredette’s only basket of the game, a 3-pointer with 9:46 left, gave Sacramento a 40-25 lead. It is the largest deficit for the Spurs in any game at the ATT Center so far this season.

Quote of the game: “They just never went away during the whole game, and we couldn’t hit a shot,” Parker on the Kings’ ability to stay ahead for most of the game.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs play the back end of a back-to-back Saturday night in Houston with an approaching road game Monday at New Orleans. Those games will start the Spurs’ most brutal road stretch of the season with 14 of their next 18 games away from the ATT Center. Sacramento plays in Memphis Saturday night and will visit Portland on Monday.

Injuries: Ginobili missed his 11th game after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal. Ford missed his sixth game with a torn left hamstring. Sacramento played without forward-center Chuck Hayes (dislocated left shoulder). And Cousins was briefly treated in the locker room during the third quarter after he described “seeing stars” after jostling with Blair and Kawhi Leonard for a loose ball.