In age of Linsanity, Spurs’ streak soars under radar

TORONTO — “Linsanity” left the Air Canada Centre less than 24 hours before the Spurs arrived Wednesday, but the buzz had not.

The topic of Jeremy Lin — New York Knicks point guard, international sportsman, Sports Illustrated cover boy, curer of the common cold — came up before and after the Spurs escaped with a 113-106 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

A night earlier on the same floor, Lin capped off an amazing comeback, an amazing week, by hitting a game-winning 3-pointer to sink the Raptors.

“It seems incredible,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game.

“There’s no bigger story than Jeremy Lin right now,” All-Star point guard Tony Parker said afterward.

Drawing substantially less attention than Lin’s rocket-ship ride to untold superstardom, but occurring in plain sight in the same building Wednesday, was this: The boring old Spurs, doing what they do best.

The Spurs, forgotten contenders, won their NBA-best ninth in a row, and it wasn’t always pretty.

Parker, doing his best Jeremy Lin impersonation, went for 34 points and 14 assists to steady the Spurs (21-9) through some uncertain moments in the second half, sealing the deal with crucial shoot-or-pass decision-making down the stretch.

With the victory, the Spurs improved to 5-0 on their rodeo trip, ensuring a winning record on the annual trek with four games to play. It is the Spurs’ longest rodeo road streak since opening the 2005-06 edition by winning six in a row.

After starting 0-5 away from the AT&T Center, the Spurs have steadied to 8-8 on the road, applying increasing pressure to first-place Oklahoma City in the Western Conference.

“We’ve won nine in a row,” Parker said of the Spurs’ longest win streak since December 2010. “If nobody talks about it, that’s fine. We’ll keep playing good basketball.”

Pounding the rock has never been as back-page sexy as this imagination-capturing that Lin is doing. The Spurs don’t mind. In fact, there’s a sense Popovich likes it that way.

“Here in San Antonio, (a win streak) really doesn’t mean that much,” said Richard Jefferson, who had 10 points. “Pop still comes in here wanting us to get better. Nothing changes. He’s going to be mad at every timeout.”

True to form, Popovich refuses to lose himself in his team’s recent hot streak.

“I’m going to go ahead and guess we’re going to lose at some point,” he said.

That day wasn’t Wednesday, but it could have been. The Raptors (9-22), though sparse on victories, have been hanging with some NBA big boys of late.

Tuesday night, they nearly became the first team to take down Lin. Then they took aim at the hottest team in the NBA.

After falling behind by 14 to the Spurs, Toronto came back, hitting its first 10 shots of the second half to tie the score.

Ultimately, the Spurs kept their streak alive — and survived 29 points from Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan — the same way they’d won the previous eight. Parker played like the All-Star he is, directing traffic and thriving at the foul line (12 of 12).

“Tony has been carrying this team,” Jefferson said.

The Spurs got further contributions from all over the roster, including 13 points and seven rebounds from Danny Green, 13 points off the bench from Tiago Splitter and three seconds of playing time in the fourth quarter from Tim Duncan. They also got 11 points from some guy named Manu Ginobili, who has played in only three of the Spurs’ last nine victories.

Ginobili’s gradual return to All-Star form, after missing 22 games with a broken hand, is the X-factor for the Spurs. Wednesday’s double-digit effort was another positive step.

“It’s a slow process,” Ginobili said. “At 34, it’s not the same as when you’re 22.”

But some things around San Antonio never change. The Spurs keep winning, keep coming. And it doesn’t seem all that incredible.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Does Facebook Have a BIG Problem?

A definite shift has happened to Facebook in the last few months. It appears the introduction of the new “Timeline” has bought in a new set of algorithms that control the content that we each see. Scroll down through your newsfeed and the majority of content is pictures and videos – personal updates now take a backseat.

This is due to Facebooks “Edgerank” system that determines which content appears in your newsfeed. It also makes assumptions from your previous interactions who your friends are and ranks their importance above others. So replying to random peoples messages makes Facebook think you are best buddies. Hence, there they are, always in your newsfeed. 

Sure there are options to somewhat manage this, but setting them for each person is as confusing as it is time consuming. 

The problem increases the more friends we each acquire. The 500 million or so users that junk up Facebook every day means that, as you increase your amount of friends, the more susceptible you are to Facebook deciding what you should see. What used to be a personalized experience, is becoming lead by the perceived “majority thinking” of the Facebook population.

In this age of unlimited personal choice, is this not exactly what kills businesses?

The record industry suffered because it was so use to determining what you should hear based on the majority. So when the shift in music discovery and consumption came, the labels just didn’t keep up. More and more people are leaving pre-scheduled cable and satellite for on-demand services like Roku. This is because peoples experiences are not determined by the majority, but by the individual, and if they have choice they will take the path that suits them. 

Facebooks heavy-handed managing of you and your friends is making the previously growing world an ever shrinking place. 

And this is the problem Facebook now faces – it has just become too big that it has to somehow limit itself.

When Facebook first came along it seemed we had a new selectivity, a more controlled environment. A look at the facebook newsfeed now, and it is visibly becoming more chaotic each day. In fact, the endless photos covered in cheap text and “funny” quotes make it appear a jumbled mess. The neatness and simplicity has been hijacked, the reality is it is sprawling out of control.

Is this not what started Myspace’s demise? The decreased personalization of the experience.

No wonder Facebook is going public, it must be a sign that the end is near, a peak has been reached, and a shift is coming.

The simplicity that Twitter has with its limited characters and chronological timeline is increasingly appealing to those who want a cleaner experience. Though some may have gawked at in the past as a gimmick, those wanting to see the news of the people they actually choose to follow, may well find it a refreshing and easy alternative to the quagmire facebook has become. Similarly Tumblr, and now Pinterest, offer a much neater photo based experience. Google+ appears to suffer the same problem as Facebook, in that it is just not a succinct enough engine and already feels like it is failing to remain in control.

The past is a great predictor of the future, and just like we change our cars, phones, and even partners every few years, it seems a change in social networks is upon us too. 

Where will you go?

Ron Jaworski is off ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” telecasts

Ron Jaworski moves out of the “MNF” booth. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)When “Monday Night Football” returns this fall, there will be a big change in ESPN’s broadcast booth: Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden will be calling the games.

Ron Jaworski, who signed a five-year contract extension, will move to what the network says will be a “new, expanded multiplatform NFL analyst role.”

Jaworski will appear on the Sunday and Monday NFL “Countdown” shows, “NFL Matchup,” “SportsCenter,” “Pardon the Interruption,” “Mike & Mike in the Morning,” and whatever other shows and platforms ESPN comes up with.

“I am grateful for having the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of working on ‘Monday Night Football’ the past five seasons with Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and so many other talented people behind the scenes who make the show so great,” Jaworski said in a statement released by ESPN, “and I look forward to bringing my passion and knowledge of the game to more fans in more places than ever before on any and all football topics.”

Gruden’s comment on the matter was…interesting. “I understand there are times when players have to put their faith in the coaches and other decision-makers who are trying to position a team for success, and that’s what I’m doing here,” Gruden said. “I have faith in the people I’m working for here at ESPN.  Jaws has taught me so much about broadcasting and nobody works harder.  He also watches as much film as anyone.  I’ll miss working with him on Monday nights, but I’m glad we’re still on the same ESPN team.”