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Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - We take things for granted, and not necessarily in a bad way. One of the things we as an NBA world have taken for granted is the greatness of the San Antonio Spurs, though is it actually taking it for granted when this group has been so successful for so long? Theyve earned so much of our respect that no matter what, we universally agree theyll always be fine. Though that concession comes with an important caveat - so long as Pop patrols the sideline, Timmy patrols the paint, Tony patrols the point and Manu patrols the bench. All pegs are in place for San Antonio, yet is it fair to question the Spurs now as theyve lost five of their last six, including three of those at home? They are 18-12, which is respectable, but thats seventh in the Western Conference. They are two games out of the eighth spot in the conference and three from being lottery-bound. Can you believe that? Are the Spurs really in danger of missing the playoffs? At this stage of the game, its too early to make any judgments, but the reality is, yes, they could miss the postseason in the ultra-loaded Western Conference. Nothing is a guarantee in the west. One minute, the Phoenix Suns look dreadful and destined for a return to the lottery. Now, theyve won four straight and are semi-comfortably a game ahead in the race for the eighth seed. The Oklahoma City Thunder made up a 5 1/2-game deficit for the final spot in less than two weeks when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook finally played together. At the heart of the problem is that the Spurs arent built to battle for a postseason berth - they are built to contend for titles. Theres a huge difference. Head coach Gregg Popovich has been able to maximize his players performances in the postseason so brilliantly because hes been able to rest his aging guys during the regular season. The Spurs are older than the Golden Girls cast, so thats both wise and necessary. Tim Duncan (38), Manu Ginobili (37), Matt Bonner (34), Boris Diaw (32) and Tony Parker (32) are not children. On top of counting the inner rings, or drivers license showing their age, this group has a lot of tread on the tires from prolonged runs in the playoffs. Pop has strategically benched them throughout recent seasons. The players need it and Popovich could afford to do it considering the Spurs were always near the top of the standings. If the Spurs remain in a three- or four-team hodgepodge for the final two spots out West for the remainder of the season, one game makes the difference. Can Popovich sit Duncan, et al considering the value of each contest? Hard to say. Pops a mad genius -- equal parts mad, equal parts genius. I still think hell sit his guys, but theres nothing guaranteed to these Spurs. Thats possibly another major issue facing San Antonio and Popovich brought it up after a disappointing Christmas Day loss at home to the Thunder, who were without Durant. I think we floated around like were entitled, so that was disappointing, he said. Thats a new dilemma for the Spurs. Never during this epic run of titles would anyone believe the Spurs felt entitled to anything. Their professionalism is the thing of legend. Maybe its not whats going on with the Spurs, but there is something missing from this group. Perhaps its a hunger issue, or it could be injuries. Parker has missed time and Patty Mills, who was huge in the championship run, hasnt played yet, although hes clear for 5-on-5 work. The big setback is Kawhi Leonard. His hand is in bad shape and theres no timetable for return. Of course Kawhi is huge for us. He was the MVP of last seasons Finals. We need him, Ginobili said after the Thunder loss. But they were missing Durant. No excuses. There are no excuses for the Spurs, but theres reality. Age could be catching up. That seemed like a far-fetched problem entering the season after they steam-rolled the Miami Heat in the Finals. Watching them dissect the Heat like terminal Kermits was breathtaking. We didnt want to see it end, nor would a loss to Father Time be expected. But, Father Time is undefeated as they say. No one wanted to believe it after the precision we watched in June. Injuries arent excuses, theyre explanations. The core group of Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Leonard, Diaw and Danny Green havent spent much time together on the floor. Duncans play has been tremendous, but his minutes have been high during December. He has sat out four times since the start of the month, but of the 10 games hes played in December, hes logged over 32 minutes eight times and over 39 minutes three times. To be fair, there were two triple-overtime marathons in there, but thats still a heavy workload for a 38-year-old. The sad part is, Tim Duncan comes out and plays every night. We cant find a group around him that can consistently compete and execute, Pop said on Thursday. Its got nothing to do with schedule and injuries. Every schedule for a Western Conference team is brutal. Almost every team is already hampered by injuries. The Spurs just arent themselves right now. Theres plenty of time to remedy it, but their current plight is something to keep an eye on. Nagging injuries dont get any better for guys in their 30s. Trust me, I cant sit up straight anymore. If Popovich cant get these guys some rest throughout the season, the Spurs chances at a first-ever repeat could be in jeopardy. Fighting for a playoff berth is no way for this team to prepare for a title defense. Theyll have nothing in the postseason. Pop and company have earned our faith. I believe theyll get it all together, but theres no reason to take anything for granted when it comes to the Spurs and the Western Conference. RANDOM THOUGHTS - Resting Kobe Bryant wasnt a masterful stroke of genius, it was common sense. Not only is Bryant 36 years of age, and coming off two major leg injuries a year ago, but over his last seven games, hes shooting a roasting- hot 31.6 percent from the field. Plus, Bryants shooting percentage has declined over the last four games from 35 percent to 26.7 percent. The problem is, sitting Kobe frequently isnt a great plan since theres no long-term youngsters to take a look at and build for the future. - Anderson Varejaos absence isnt quite crippling for the Cavaliers. They can go small with Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson in the middle, but theyll need a more stable, true big man at some point. - Maybe Jermaine ONeal will have a bidding war for his service. Most assume hell go to the Dallas Mavericks, who also need a true pivot man, but the Cavs should inquire. I imagine Kosta Koufos will be on Clevelands list as well. - Im very happy to see that John Wall is ahead of Kyrie Irving in All-Star voting. Same goes for Marc Gasol in the Western Conference. Its early returns, but this is an encouraging start. - Josh Smith made the easy choice. More money, starting role, playing with his best friend and playing for a title made the Houston Rockets the obvious landing spot. - Movie moment - I loved sitting around the dinner table with my family on Christmas Eve talking about their favorite movies of the year. Sure, I saw one movie in the theater - Planes: Fire & Rescue 2, but it was comforting knowing my father saw, and liked, Gone Girl and St. Vincent. Hes the same man who didnt see a movie in the theater from Dragnet to Charlie Wilsons War, a span of 20 years, and now hes the family Ebert. - TV moment - New record - SIX viewings of A Christmas Story this year. You used all the glue on purpose! Mike Green Jersey .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday. Curtis Joseph Jersey . A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court said his girlfriend told police they got into the argument early Thursday at his suburban Minneapolis home. http://www.hockeyredwings.info/authentic...d-wings-jersey/. The former central defender calmly nodded it down and quietly went about celebrating a win with his staff. For a man who has had a lot on his shoulders this season, it was an appropriate moment. Ted Lindsay Jersey . Toronto ended an 0-4-0 skid with Sundays shootout win over visiting New Jersey, but the club could have a difficult time making it two victories in a row tonight. The Maple Leafs have dropped three straight and 11 of the last 12 regular- season meetings against Boston overall and the Bruins have claimed six straight in Beantown. Brendan Shanahan Jersey . The New York State Supreme Court only partially dismissed the lawsuit, meaning the case could be headed for trial. The tour announced a year ago that Singh would be suspended for saying in a Sports Illustrated story that he took deer antler spray, which was believed to contain the banned substance IGF-1.IMATRA, Finland -- Canada lost more than just its final preliminary-round game at the world under-18 hockey tournament Tuesday. Kirill Pilipenko scored in the shootout to earn Russia a 3-2 win over Canada, the defending champions first defeat at the event. But the Canadians also lost forward Brayden Point to an upper-body injury in the first period thats expected to sideline him for the reminder of the tournament. Russian Danil Vovchenko drove Point head-first into the boards at 7:23 of the first. Vovchenko received a five-minute major for checking from behind and a game misconduct on the play. "Thats a huge loss for our side," Canadian team coach Kevin Dineen said. "Hes a big part of so many facets of our game. "He plays on both of our special teams and centres the top line. Hes a big loss but thats the advantage, we have other people to fill roles." Point had an assist in Canadas four preliminary-round games but the five-nine, 160-pound Calgary native recorded 36 goals and 55 assists in 72 games this season with the WHLs Moose Jaw Warriors. Pilipenko scored on Russias first shot of the shootout against Canadian goalie Mason McDonald. But it was all the offence the Russians needed as Canadas Conner Bleackley, Jared McCann and Jake Virtanen all couldnt beat goalie Alexander Trushkov. Trushkov replaced Maxim Tretiak, the grandson of legendary Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak, to start the shootout. "Thats tournament hockey," Dineen said. "Obviously were disappointed it ended like that but you take a breath, look at the big picture and say our team earned points in all four games annd finished first in our side of the pool.dddddddddddd" Vladislav Kamenovs power-play goal with 35 remaining in regulation forced overtime. Mathew Barzal and Travis Konecny scored for Canada (3-0-0-1, 10 points), which still finished atop Group A despite the loss. The Canadians will resume tournament action Thursday in a quarter-final game against Switzerland. Ivan Nikolishin had the other goal for Russia (1-0-2-1, eight points), which needed a win in regulation over Canada to finish first in Group A. Konecny opened the scoring at 1:49 of the second period before Nikolishin replied just 27 seconds into the third. Barzal put Canada ahead 2-1 at 7:40 before Kamenov converted on the man advantage at 19:25. Dineen, who led the Canadian womens team to Olympic gold in Sochi, Russia, said he was pleased with his teams defensive play against Russia, especially with the man advantage. The Russians finished 1-for-5 on the power play. "I really give our guys credit . . . they came out and guys were blocking shots, making plays along the boards," Dineen said. "I give the Russians a lot of credit, they really did a good job with their possession game and created a lot of chances. "Obviously your goaltender has to be extremely large and Mason played a whale of a game for us." McDonald likely earned himself the start for the Canadians in the quarter-final game. He stopped 29 shots as Russia outshot Canada 31-25. "Mason McDonald was the player of the game," Dineen said. "I think its going to be pretty hard for us to pull away from him. "He played a heck of a game." 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