Not long before the San Antonio Spurs were set to tip-off against the Minnesota Timberwolves last weekend, coach Gregg Popovich found out that Manu Ginobili and Marco Belinelli were not going to be available because of injuries. Camo Chargers Jerseys .It was the latest in a series of unexpected obstacles that have gotten in the Spurs way during their first title defence since the 2007-08 season.Manu was a surprise losing him. Losing Bellie today makes us, you know, a little bit paranoid, Popovich confessed before the Spurs easily dispatched the lowly Wolves, 108-93.Paranoid? The Spurs? In January?The Spurs have spent almost 20 years turning the NBAs regular season into nothing more than a six-month warmup for the playoffs.They manage minutes, develop bench players and set recovery times from injury with an eye not on winning games in the regular season, but making sure the team is adequately prepared and rested for the 2 1/2-month post-season grind.Popovich has perfected the art of the 82-game ramp-up, never getting overly concerned about how the team is playing in winter so long as they are progressing to where they need to be come spring time. And thats easy to do when the Spurs also own the best regular season winning percentage in the league over the past decade.But after the Spurs took their game to heights rarely seen in steam-rolling through the playoffs and beating the Miami Heat for the franchises fifth championship last June, they are in the unfamiliar position of chasing the pack.They are 23-15, good for just seventh in the powerful Western Conference and three games behind sixth-seeded Dallas.We had that tough schedule last month, and we put ourselves in a hole. Its a long season, and its time, weve got time to fight back, Tim Duncan said. But weve got to start now. Weve got to start focusing, concentrating on racking up the wins no matter where it is whether its home or on the road or whoever its against.They have dealt with a litany of injuries that has really prevented them from finding any kind of a groove this season. The Spurs went 8-10 in December — the first time in the Duncan era that they lost more games than they won in a month. And it has injected an uncommon sense of urgency in a team that rarely sweats the standings this early in the season.Every game is going to mean something, Popovich said. Were disappointed were in the position we are. We lost some games we could have won. And we were just injured at the wrong time. December was a heck of a month for us schedule-wise, and being injured at that time was tough.Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter and Tony Parker have all missed big chunks of time with injuries while Manu Ginobili and Belinelli have suffered the nagging, more minor variety.If we knew who was out, that would be good, Popovich said. But its been someone different every night. If we knew a few guys would be out for three weeks, then you can get into a rhythm with that group. But we havent been able to do that because it seems like its different people every other game.After beating the Timberwolves on Saturday night, the Spurs have won four of their past five games. A win in Washington on Tuesday would give them their first three-game winning streak in more than a month.A modest achievement like that is hardly something these level-headed Spurs would celebrate. But their uneven start to the season, and the incredible level of competition in the Western Conference playoff field this year, has put them in this position. So as they have done so many times before, they are adjusting their approach, and trying to ramp things up a little earlier than they normally would.We need to get on a rhythm, get some chemistry going, guard Danny Green said. And putting some games together would be nice.___Follow Jon Krawczynski on Twitter: http://twitter.com/APKrawczynski Pink Chargers Jerseys . - PGA Tour rookie Tony Finau shot a 9-under 63 at Del Monte and had a two-stroke lead over Billy Andrade and Lee Janzen of the Champions Tour after Thursdays opening round of the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational. Uchenna Nwosu Stitched Jersey . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. http://www.officialchargersnflauthenticshop.com/derwin-james-stitched-jersey/ . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario.MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United unearthed a potential star of the future and perhaps had one last glimpse of a great of its recent past in a 3-1 win over Hull on Tuesday that kept alive the teams chances of European football next season. Highly rated striker James Wilson, 18, marked his senior debut for United with predatory strikes in either half, setting the deposed champions on their way to a victory in their final home game of a forgettable Premier League campaign. Ryan Giggs -- at the other end of the age spectrum at 40 -- came on for his 963rd, and possibly final, appearance for United in the second half and set up fellow substitute Robin van Persie for the clinching third goal in the 86th. Giggs, taking charge of his third game as Uniteds interim manager following the firing of David Moyes last month, has not decided whether to take his distinguished playing career into a 24th year next season. And his future as a coach at United is uncertain while the club searches for Moyes replacement, which is likely to be current Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal. An emotional Old Trafford also bade farewell to defender Nemanja Vidic, who is joining Inter Milan in the summer after more than eight years at United, on a night that had an end-of-era feel to it. Wilson, though, offered positive signs for the future as part of a youthful lineup that included another debutant in 20-year-old forward Tom Lawrence. Addressing supporters in a short speech on the pitch after the final whistle, Giggs said: "You have seen a little glimpse of the future, and this is what this club is about. We never stand still. We always give youth a chance, and we try and play attractive football." Vidic began on the bench after accepting a memento from United great Bobby Robson before kickoff but was a 22nd-minute substitute for Phil Jones, who came off with a shoulder injury sustained in an aerial collision. Elite Chargers Jerseys. Giggs said Jones, who was expected to be in Englands World Cup squad, had been taken to hospital and that it "didnt look great." Big things are expected of Wilson, who has played for England Under-16s and Under-19s and has scored 19 goals for Uniteds Under-21 team this season. And he showed his strikers instincts just in the 31st, reacting quickly to Marouane Fellainis nod-down from a free kick to slam a left-foot shot low into the net from the edge of the six-yard box. When he slotted in a rebound from a similar distance after Fellainis shot was parried out by goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic in the 61st, Wilson was on course to emulate Wayne Rooneys feat from 2004 of scoring a hat trick on his debut. He was substituted three minutes later, however, but the Old Trafford crowd will surely be seeing more of him. Giggs entered to rousing applause in the 70th and showed flashes of the brilliance that has illuminated Old Trafford since 1991. With the home fans chanting "Keeper, let it in," Giggs had a long-range free kick tipped over by Jakupovic in injury time -- perhaps bringing to an end his run of scoring in every Premier League season since its inception in 1992. Hull, which is safe from relegation, halved the deficit in the 63rd minute through Matty Fryatt but the match ended on a sour note with David Meyler appearing to stamp on United winger Adnan Januzaj. The incident was not seen by the referee and any retrospective punishment could lead to Meyler missing the FA Cup final against Arsenal on May 17. "I have not seen the stamp but I have seen his leg," Giggs said, "and it is bad. It is a joke." 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