Milwaukee Bucks forward Drew Gooden has a favorite memory from the time he spent with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2008-'09 season.
"They had a crazy stat there that every game they had 100 points, they won," said Gooden. "When they scored 100 points, they were like 19-0 or something like that."
Crazy indeed, but you know what? The Spurs are lighting up the scoreboard again in getting off to the best start in franchise history.
Through their first 14 games, the Spurs were averaging 108.00 points per game, their highest-scoring average since 1987-'88 and second in the league to the Los Angeles Lakers (111.5). Not bad for a Spurs team that not too long ago was known as one of the more boring teams in the league because of its methodical style of play that regularly produced scores in the 80s and 90s.
But this season Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, who are both playing some of the best basketball of their careers after signing contract extensions, have been igniting the pedal-to-the-metal attack and Richard Jefferson has been enjoying a resurgence after suffering through a down season a year ago.
The Spurs scored at least 100 points in 10 of their first 14 games despite Tim Duncan's scoring numbers being way down and George Hill still trying to reach the level of play that allowed him to finish second to Houston guard Aaron Brooks in last season's most improved player balloting.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has picked up the pace this season, both on the fast break and getting into the half-court offense faster.
"All of those things help initiate pace," said Popovich. "Our guys have been pretty disciplined about it most of the time."
Said Jefferson: "Pop has been pushing the pace since preseason. It opens things up for everybody."
San Antonio possibly gave an indication of things to come when it won 19 of its final 27 games last season to finish at 50-32 and record its 11th straight 50-victory season.
The Spurs have generally the same roster as they did a year ago but they have been healthy this season and have not had to integrate new players into the system as they were doing last season at this time.
This is a team that trailed Minnesota by 21 points in the third quarter last week but rallied to win in overtime.
"All of us feel really good right now," said Duncan, who is playing a career-low 29 minutes per game. "This is the best I've felt in a couple years. Manu is playing great. Tony is playing awesome. Richard's acclimated to what we're doing and what we've asked him to do. Everybody's feeling good."
Or as Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said last week, "We're seeing them at their best."
The finest
Boston center Shaquille O'Neal has played on many very good teams over the years in Orlando, the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami, Phoenix and Cleveland but he says the Celtics team he is on now takes a back seat to none of them.
"This is a great team, the best I've been on," said O'Neal. "They've got a lot of great weapons on this team, so on any given night anybody can be the leading scorer. . . . Yes, it's the best team. As far as players, as far as guys being really close. I know we've only been at this for two months but hopefully the outcome will be a good one."
A high price
Atlanta signed Joe Johnson to a six-year, $124-million contract over the summer but he's gotten off to a slow start and the Hawks are wondering if a sore left hand has something to do with it.
Hawks coach Larry Drew suspects the hand is bothering Johnson more than he is letting on, but Drew doesn't plan on holding Johnson out of any games to rest it. Johnson got hit in the hand during a preseason game and the injury is aggravated when he gets hit there in games. He has worn a protective glove in some games but Johnson says the injury is nothing major and is just something he has to play through.
Rose, Bulls grind on
The Chicago Bulls' victory over Phoenix, in which they overcame a 23-point, first-quarter deficit, was their third on their seven-game circus trip and assured them of their best record on the trip since the championship years of the 1990s.
"We're the type of team; we're grinders and we're never going to stop," said point guard Derrick Rose . "We can be down 20 points, 30 points. We never want to be in that situation, but if we're forced to be in that situation by the way we're playing, we're going to come back."
He's outta here
Jason Williams, who is third on Orlando's depth chart at point guard behind Jameer Nelson and Chris Duhon, was thrown out of the game against Miami in what was his second ejection in the six games in which he had played this season.
Williams got the heave-ho when he was called for traveling and then, seconds later, threw the ball at Jamaal Magloire . Williams had been in the game for 41 seconds. Nelson also got ejected with 39 seconds left after he picked up his second technical for trash-talking with Eddie House .
"I congratulated Chris afterwards for being the only one who didn't get thrown out," said coach Stan Van Gundy .
The bright side
The bad news for the Lakers players was that they had to practice on Thanksgiving Day, but the good news was that coach Phil Jackson ran his team through the traditional light-hearted scrimmage that he calls the "Turkey Trot."
The scrimmage pits the players 6-foot-4 and under against the team's big men and it's something Jackson has done since his coaching days in Chicago.
"Instead of having a serious practice, we have a fun practice in which there is a lot of levity," said Jackson. "We still try and get something accomplished because that's part of what we do whenever we take the court."
Don't be late
The Heat Index has apparently cooled in Miami as the Heat has started a "Fan Up" promotion which encourages fans to show up to games on time and be in their seats at tip-off and well, you know . . . support the team.
According to an ad on the team's website, "Fan Up" means "being in your seat for tip-of and staying there until the final buzzer, and making some noise for your Miami Heat."
It also means that "there is nothing fashionable about showing up late."
The promotion offers pre-game discounts on food.
In a zone
The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the better defensive teams in the league and they're doing it by playing a lot of zone.
Dallas held seven straight opponents under 100 points -- its longest such stretch since 2007-'08 -- until Oklahoma City scored 103 in an eight-point loss to Dallas.
The Mavericks have been winning despite averaging almost six fewer points per game than last season. Coach Rick Carlisle says that by playing a zone, the Mavericks are not trying to cover up defensive deficiencies but are playing to their strengths.
"We're trying to be the best zone team in basketball," he said.
A lesson for Lee
Golden State forward David Lee, who has been sidelined with an infection in his left elbow after being inadvertently bitten by New York's Wilson Chandler on Nov. 10, jokes that he's learned a couple things from an ordeal that he's called "very, very scary."
"I've learned that you're better off to get bit by a rabid dog than a human," said Lee, who had two surgeries to clean out the infection and visited three different hospitals.
"Now I know that if I'm in a fight with someone I really don't like, I'm going to bite the (expletive) out of them. When I got to each new ER, people would start scrambling when I said I had a human bite."
Fast breaks
San Antonio's Ime Udoka on playing for the Sacramento Kings earlier this season: "It's not hard to forget that (system). It was a lot of standing around." . . .
Recently signed Erick Dampier joins Magloire, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Joel Anthony to give the Heat four centers. A fifth, Dexter Pittman, was sent to the Development League on Friday. . . .
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra on forward Udonis Haslem, who suffered a foot injury that may sideline him for the entire regular season: "He's an angry, ornery player right now." . . .
After losing consecutive games to New York, Charlotte coach Larry Brown said his team made "mindless" passes and played "like they're strangers." . . .
Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis on why injured guard Jonny Flynn joined the team on a one-game trip to Oklahoma City even though he would not play: "He wanted per diem."
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DOWN THE LANE
THIS WEEK IN THE NBA
The improving Indiana Pacers, who pushed their record above the .500 mark last week, take their show on the road as they open a four-game trip Sunday in Los Angeles against the Lakers. From there, it's on to Sacramento, Utah and Phoenix. "We're a different team," said point guard T.J. Ford. "The environment is a lot better. I think everybody has bought into coach (Jim) O'Brien's system. Everybody is listening. In the past, everybody wasn't listening and questioned a lot of his decisions. Right now, everybody is trusting him and letting him make decisions." The Chicago Bulls will play Orlando on Wednesday at the United Center in their first home game since Nov. 13. Chicago will play eight of its first 11 games in December at home. On Sunday, Portland opens a four-game trip at New Jersey, while San Antonio begins a three-game trip at New Orleans.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Roll out the red carpet. LeBron James takes his talents back to Cleveland with the Heat on Thursday for what will undoubtedly be the warmest of homecomings.
BUCKS WEEK
The Milwaukee Bucks will try to improve their record against Western Conference teams when they travel to Utah on Monday and Denver on Wednesday. The Bucks, who are 1-6 against the West, have lost eight straight in Utah. Orlando wraps up a three-game trip Saturday at the Bradley Center.
QUOTE
"I always have complaints. There's never a perfect game."
Lakers coach Phil Jackson, after a 28-point victory over Golden State.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
With the Dallas Mavericks' offense sputtering, forward Dirk Nowitzki has been shouldering much of the scoring load. He poured in a season-high 42 points, including 15 of Dallas' 32 fourth-quarter points, in an 88-84 victory over Detroit. It was only the third time in franchise history that a player scored at least 40 in a game in which the Mavericks scored less than 90. Nowitzki scored 40 in an 83-77 victory at Portland in 2010 and Mark Aguirre scored 42 in a 101-85 loss at Portland in 1984. "I found a good rhythm," said Nowitzki after the victory over Detroit. "You've got to be in attack mode at all times." Nowitzki followed that up by scoring a crucial four-point play and 34 points in a victory at Oklahoma City.
NUMBERS GAME
Tim Duncan's 13 rebounds against Minnesota gave him 11,467 for his career and moved him past Elgin Baylor into 24th place on the NBA's all-time list.
The Lakers begin the season by playing 20 of their first 28 games against teams that did not make the playoff last season.
The Philadelphia 76ers are selling bricks from the demolished Spectrum for $39.95 each. Plus tax. Plus shipping and handling.
Kris Humphries grabbed 84 rebounds in a seven-game span for New Jersey, the most by a Nets' player in a seven-game stretch since Kenyon Martin had 85 in 2003.
For the sixth time in franchise history, the Lakers had a record of 13-2 or better after 15 games. The only team with more such starts to the season is Boston (12).
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