Here come the Spurs

Anytime the Spurs come to town, it’s special. There’s more than a little extra involved in the I-35 rivalry, so there’s no point claiming it’s just another regular-season game.

“They’re the defending champions, four-time champions, they’re the best in the league,” Avery Johnson said today after practice. “They’ve been one of the best teams in teams in the league, even during some of the years when they didn’t win a championship.”

He added: “They’re the cut-and-dry favorites. All of us are chasing them. We won’t win a championship tomorrow, but we need to come out physical.”

Johnson compared this kind of game to his days in San Antonio when Michael Jordan’s Bulls or the Shaq-Kobe Lakers would visit.

“It’s human nature,” he said. “Guys should be excited, but at the same time, when that game is over with, we’re going to play Memphis on Saturday.”