"When Richard Jefferson turned down $15.2 million to become a free agent this summer, most observers thought he was crazy. When he agreed to take a longer-term deal to return to a situation in San Antonio that at times last season seemed untenable, some thought he'd gone certifiable.

Turns out, there was a motive behind Jefferson's madness. Good, old-fashioned human pride.

"I didn't want to bail out and say I couldn't do it," Jefferson, 30-year-old small forward said Thursday, after the Spurs rallied to beat Houston 111-103 in their preseason finale.

And so Jefferson spent the summer following the most miserable season of his career working directly with coach Gregg Popovich, taking "thousands" of shots in an otherwise empty gym, aiming to prove that whatever he's asked, he couldn't say he couldn't do it.

The fruits of that work have been on display throughout the preseason, if you knew where to look. Thursday, they practically slapped 15,356 fans at the AT&T Center in the face.

Saving his best preseason game for last, Jefferson hit 5 of 7 shots — including 3 of 4 3-pointers — for 16 points, as the Spurs overcame a deficit after three quarters to dump the Rockets.

The only 3-pointer Jefferson missed came at the end of the third quarter, when he fired up a 41-foot Hail Mary at the horn.

Popovich doesn't expect Jefferson to be a 3-point demon in his second season in San Antonio. The other things Jefferson did Thursday, when every move meant something and every step seemed purposeful — Popovich believes these things can stick around when the regular season opens next week.

"He's making quicker decisions and is stronger at the rim," Popovich said. "He's followed through on what he's worked on all summer."

With Popovich giving his starters something approaching a regular-season workload Thursday, the Spurs found much to be pleased about — though defense wasn't one of them."