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San Antonio Spurs Spurs look forward to returning to championship form
The San Antonio Spurs open the 2000-01 campaign Oct. 31 at home against the defending Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers. Here are a few questions the Spurs will have to address this season, followed by CNNSI.com's perspective on some of those issues. Sports Illustrated's season preview will be posted Oct. 25. CNNSI.com wants to know: 1) Now that Tim Duncan is in the fold for at least three more years, are the Spurs, only one season removed from an NBA championship, ready to challenge the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference? 2) Last season, the Spurs' projected starting lineup played in only 13 games as a unit, with Duncan and Sean Elliott being the most notably absent. Can Duncan return to his pre-injury form, and how much will Elliott, who played last season after undergoing a kidney transplant, be able to contribute? 3) Can the Spurs improve on their 96.1 points per game average from last season without sacrificing any of the defensive intensity that gave them a league-leading 90.2 points allowed?
4) Derek Anderson, expected to replace Mario Elie in the starting lineup, averaged 16.9 points last season for the Clippers. Will his perimeter shooting keep teams from doubling-down on Duncan and fellow Twin Tower David Robinson? 5) How much will the Spurs get from reserves Jerome Kersey, 38, and Terry Porter, 37? The key to San Antonio's season will be how much production it gets from its bench. The Spurs could bring five players with 10 or more years of NBA experience off the bench, and Danny Ferry, who was signed in the offseason as a free agent, will begin his 10th season. Malik Rose and Samaki Walker showed improvement last season, and Antonio Daniels was re-signed as point guard Avery Johnson's backup.
Biggest Offseason Move: The Spurs lost Elie to free agency but were looking for guard help and targeted Anderson from the beginning. However, the team's biggest free-agent move was in-house: re-signing the team's franchise player, Duncan. Circle the Date: The Spurs will play four games in five days in early March, all on the road. After starting the trip at Vancouver on March 5, the Spurs embark on a trek through the Pacific Division, beginning March 6 at Seattle. After an off day, the Spurs play back-to-back at Portland (March 8) and the L.A. Lakers (March 9). Standout Stat: 244 Number of games missed by Spurs players last season. The starting five of Johnson, Elie, Elliott, Duncan and Robinson missed a total of four games in their championship season.
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