Mavericks at Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are coming off a dominating performance in the NBA Finals and are hoping the title window is open for at least one more season. The Spurs will begin their title defense by hosting the rival Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. The Mavericks may have put up the best challenge to San Antonio in the playoffs last spring, forcing a Game 7 on the road before the Spurs earned their spot in the semifinals with a 119-96 victory.
Dallas battled to the final game of the regular season to earn its No. 8 seed last season and made significant roster enhancements over the summer to ensure an easier road in 2014-15, bringing in veterans Tyson Chandler, Jameer Nelson and Chandler Parsons. “I think offensively we’ll be fine,” returning star Dirk Nowitzki told reporters, “We’ve got a lot of playmakers out there.” San Antonio returns its core trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker in search of the franchise’s first back-to-back titles.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (2013-14: 49-33): Chandler is back with the franchise after leaving as a free agent following the 2010-11 championship and returns to his familiar spot in the middle of the defense and as a pick-and-roll finisher on the offensive end. Parsons, imported from the Houston Rockets for $46 million, and Nelson are just beginning to figure out how to work with returning starters Nowitzki and Monta Ellis. “When we get that ball movement we’re a dangerous team because all five guys are clicking out there,” Chandler told reporters. “We’re still learning, we’re still trying to figure out each other, but it can definitely be explosive offensively.”
ABOUT THE SPURS (2013-14: 62-20): San Antonio did not make any splashes in free agency, instead valuing familiarity with coach Gregg Popovich’s system while counting on another leap forward from budding star Kawhi Leonard. The reigning NBA Finals MVP was kept away from the team late in training camp due to pink eye and will miss the opener. “I think physically it’s different when you get on the court,” Popovich told reporters of Leonard’s conditioning after missing practices and games. “… He’ll be out of shape, but he won’t be horribly out of shape.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks G Raymond Felton (high ankle sprain) will need to wait until he’s healthy to begin a four-game suspension stemming from gun charges.
2. San Antonio C Tiago Splitter (calf) is unlikely to play in the opener.
3. Dallas F Charlie Villanueva, who averaged 34 games the last three seasons with Detroit, made the team’s 15-man roster.