Tiago Splitter | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

Spurs’ second half hinges on health

At some point tonight, T.J. Ford is expected to slip on the No. 11 Spurs jersey again.

What happens next is almost secondary to him.

“It will feel good to be in a uniform,” said Ford, the backup point guard who has missed 24 of 34 games with a torn left hamstring. “If it’s just me shooting some layups in a layup drill, I’ll take that.

“Little baby steps.”

Having endured the annual rodeo trip, and having enjoyed the annual All-Star break, the Spurs return to the ATT Center for the first time in 25 days tonight against Chicago and the NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, Derrick Rose.

They open the season’s second half content with a 24-10 record but aware that it means little without a momentum-gathering second half to serve as a springboard into the playoffs.

The chief obstacle to that goal could be a laundry list of nagging injuries that began to pile up just before All-Star Weekend.

Out since Jan. 10, Ford appears the safest bet to return tonight.

“I’d like to get him a few minutes, if I can,” coach Gregg Popovich said.

The rest of the Spurs’ walking wounded remain in doubt.

Star guard Manu Ginobili (strained oblique), reserve guard Gary Neal (strained hamstring) and backup center Tiago Splitter (strained calf) practiced to some degree Tuesday. Ginobili will not play tonight, while Neal and Splitter are designated as game-time decisions.

Rookie forward Kawhi Leonard (strained calf) did not practice and is not expected to play against the Bulls.

All of those injuries are considered minor. By the end of the seven-game homestand, it is conceivable the Spurs could be back at full strength for the first time since just after New Year’s Day.

“We need everybody ready to go and at full strength,” said point guard Tony Parker, fresh off his All-Star turn in Orlando, Fla. “If not, we aren’t going to go anywhere.”

Not all injury list inhabitants are created equal, of course.

Ginobili’s return is most critical — and his increasing brittleness must be alarming for a team that has hitched its postseason fortunes to the oft-injured star.

The 34-year-old Argentine was four games into a comeback after missing 22 games with a broken left hand when he strained an oblique muscle Feb. 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

All told, Ginobili appeared in just nine games during the first half. The Spurs were 17-8 without him but to a man recognize their title hopes are dead on arrival unless Ginobili returns to health and to form.

“We’re not going anywhere without Manu at 100 percent,” Parker said.

The team on the opposite sideline tonight can sympathize. Chicago’s chances of toppling the Miami “Big Three” in the Eastern Conference hinge on the health of Rose, who has been playing with a bad back.

Ginobili, meanwhile, hasn’t been completely whole for an entire postseason since 2007, perhaps not coincidentally the year of the Spurs’ most recent championship.

He was playing on a bum right ankle in 2008, missed the entire 2009 playoffs with a stress fracture in the same ankle, suffered a broken nose in a 2010 first-round series against Dallas and played last season’s Memphis series with a broken elbow.

With back-to-back maladies this season, Ginobili’s teammates are cautiously optimistic he is all injured-out.

“If he gets another one, he’s definitely cursed or something,” Parker said.

“You can’t have three injuries in a row. It’s impossible.”

For now, the Spurs remain in the familiar state of waiting for Ginobili to return from injury.

Tonight, they will at least get Ford back from the shelf. In a second half that will be built on baby steps, that will have to do.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

On Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Six quick takes: Why Pop’s decision was the right one

Sure, the 11-game winning streak was fun while it lasted.

But the NBA is all about positioning for the playoffs. And playing starters for extended minutes in February doesn’t make much sense, particularly when injuries and back-to-back games start piling up during the most difficult road trip of the season.

Gregg Popovich can’t be faulted for resting Tim Duncan and Tony Parker in his team’s 137-97 blowout loss Tuesday night at Portland.

The Spurs are already struggling without Tiago Splitter, Manu Ginobili and T.J. Ford. Those injuries led to Duncan playing nearly 79combined minutes in his last two games. You don’t ask a 35-year-old player to play those minutes and then demand much on the back end of a back-to-back.

During the month of February, Parker has played at least 38 minutes in five games. His minutes in the last two games ranked among his top 11 games of the season. It made sense to give him a chance a night of rest on Tuesday night, too.

“Those guys are out and I can’t run our other guys into the ground,” Popovich told reporters after the game. “When it’s time for them to rest based on the schedule and the time they’ve been playing, that’s what’s got to happen if you want to put some money in the bank for later.”

The Spurs were going to have trouble in Portland anyway after bringing a six-game losing streak at the Rose Garden before Tuesday’s game. They had failed to break the century mark against the Blazers in 13 straight games. If Popovich was going to pull back on the reigns in any game during the Rodeo Road Trip, Tuesday’s game made the most sense of any to concede.

“Every team is going to do this at some point with this season,” Popovich said. “Tonight was our night.”

After a day off the Spurs should be about as well rested as possible playing at the end of a nine-game road trip Thursday night in Denver. The Nuggets will play Wednesday night, so the Spurs get an edge there. Parker and Duncan should be ready to go if asked. It will be the last game before the All-Star break.

The Spurs will have a better chance of winning Thursday night in Denver than Tuesday night in Portland.

Popovich’s personnel movements only helped his chances.

Here are a few other quick takes from perhaps the best example imaginable why a running clock is needed in the NBA when a margin is greater than 30 points in the fourth quarter.

Kawhi Leonard was the brightest spot in an otherwise dismal one for the Spurs in his best professional game. Leonard erupted for team-high totals of 24 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. He was as active and hustling during his latter minutes at the end of the game as at the beginning. Popovich has to be charged thinking about the opportunity to work with Leonard during the summer, building his offensive game and his strength on an otherwise intriguing skill set. Leonard can become a special player under Popovich’s tutelage.
Two days ago, Eric Dawson was a member of the Austin Toros and hoping for a chance at the NBA. He received more of an early opportunity than he probably ever would have expected when he arrived with the Spurs, notching nearly32 minutes in his career debut and scoring nine points. The Spurs still need some depth inside and Splitter will be out of action for a couple of weeks. Dawson will have a chance to show what he can do during that time.
James Anderson’s wishes to be traded probablyo didn’t get much of a lift as he struggled through a miserable shooting effort. And when his shooting is struggling, Anderson sometimes goes into a funk defensively that harms his entire game. If he’s going to get a shot somewhere in the NBA, he needs to make the most of opportunities like the one he had on Tuesday night.
Even if they were playing the Spurs’ junior varsity team, Portland made a complete turnaround from earlier in the season. The Trail Blazers were struggling offensively, hitting only 32.9 percent from 3-point territory and ranking 18th in the league. They hit 53.6 percent of their 3-pointers in the first quarter to effectively blow the game open and never looked back.
Even with the huge lead, Gerald Wallace and Wesley Matthews were surprisingly playing early in the fourth quarter with the game already settled. Matthews hobbled off the court early in the fourth quarter with a sprained ankle. It should have made Portland coach Nate McMillan realize the ramifications of playing his top players too much in blowout games. If he needed any rationale, maybe he should have looked at Duncan wearing a suit along the Spurs’ sidelines for inspiration.

Parker fuels rare triumph in Philly

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Spurs 100, Sixers 90: Feb. 8, 2012

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker celebrates after scoring against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) drives against Philadelphia 76ers’ Jrue Holiday in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair, left, fights for a loose ball with Philadelphia 76ers’ Elton Brand (42) in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) goes up for a shot as Philadelphia 76ers’ Elton Brand (42) defends in the first half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) goes up for a basket as Philadelphia 76ers’ Andre Iguodala, top right, and Elton Brand (42) defend in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, right, talks to Tony Parker(9) as they play against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) defends as Philadelphia 76ers’ Lou Williams (23) goes up for a shot in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

Philadelphia 76ers’ Thaddeus Young (21) scores against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Gary Neal, , front left, drives against Philadelphia 76ers’ Lou Williams, behind, in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker, right, goes up for shot as Philadelphia 76ers’ Jrue Holiday (11) defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tiago Splitter (22) has his shot blocked by Philadelphia 76ers’ Lavoy Allen in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Wednesday, Feb., 8, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Spurs won 100-90. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr ) (AP)

By Jeff McDonald

PHILADELPHIA — The name has changed over the years, from the CoreStates Center to First Union Center to Wachovia Center to the Wells Fargo Center.

Informally, the building had also been known as Spectrum II and Stack’s House, after Jerry Stackhouse, the team’s star when the place was built in 1996.

None of the name changes were enough to fool Tony Parker.

For as long as he’s been with the Spurs, the arena the Philadelphia 76ers call home might as well have been the Temple of Doom.

“Our history is really bad here,” Parker said. “We played so bad in Philly. I figured we had to get a win here sometime.”

Behind the kind of performance from Parker that channeled a pint-sized Philly scoring star of a bygone era — Allen Iverson — the Spurs thwarted the 76ers 100-90 on Wednesday, ending a string of helplessness in the City of Brotherly Love.

Parker scored 37 points, which would have been a season high if not for the 42 he dumped on Oklahoma City on Saturday, to help the Spurs run their season-best winning streak to six games.

Before Wednesday, the Spurs had won an NBA championship more recently than they’d won a game in Philadelphia. The win broke a string of four straight road losses to the 76ers.

It was just the Spurs’ third victory in the building now known as the Wells Fargo Center in the last 11 years.

“We always joke there’s something in the water here,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before tipoff. “Every time we’re here, we get put back on our heels. We can’t score a basket. Defense just swarms us, and we seem to give in.”

None of the above happened Wednesday, as the Spurs (18-9) moved to 2-0 on their annual rodeo trip, with games against Eastern Conference dregs New Jersey, Detroit and Toronto just ahead.

In what might be their final game without injured guard Manu Ginobili — who Popovich said could return against the Nets on Saturday — the Spurs produced perhaps their most impressive victory of the season.

Gary Neal added 18 points for the Spurs, hitting all four of his 3-pointers, and Tiago Splitter picked-and-rolled to 15 as the Spurs beat back the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers (18-8) on their home floor.

Tim Duncan contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds for his third consecutive double-double, while the Spurs reached 100 points against a Sixers team that came in allowing a league-low 86.6 on average.

“We kind of played consistently,” said Duncan, whose team owns the NBA’s longest active win streak. “They hit some shots that kept them in the game. We stuck with it and got our defense to start working for us. We’re starting to play the way we want to play.”

As has often been the case recently, Parker carried the Spurs when it mattered.

Though Wednesday’s scoring binge won’t do much for Parker’s All-Star chances — reserve ballots were due Tuesday, with results to be announced tonight — no Western Conference coach who voted for him is apt to regret it.

Parker was a perfect 13 of 13 from the line against the 76ers, a testament to an offensive aggressiveness he sustained throughout. He also had eight assists.

“He had that ball on a string,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said. “We just never could get him under control.”

When the game teetered in the third quarter, with the Sixers taking a brief lead and ghosts of Philadelphia failures past howling, Parker took over.

At a timeout early in the second half, Popovich hit Parker with familiar marching orders.

“He thought it was a good moment to be aggressive,” Parker said.

Parker responded by scoring 11 points in the quarter’s final 9:21, and the Spurs took a 75-67 lead into the fourth.

Half an hour later, with Parker as a guide, the Spurs walked out of their Temple of Doom with a road victory that felt better than most.

“Our history here hadn’t been very good,” Duncan said. “We needed this win.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net

– Associated Press photos