"The Spurs had yet to play the Timberwolves in their first game of 2012 on Monday night, so the loss of leading scorer Manu Ginobili to a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand was still half a day away.

Point guard Tony Parker watched as Ginobili put up a few final jumpers at the team's morning shootaround at the Target Center, then took a seat and discussed how vital Ginobili had been to a 3-1 start Parker deemed encouraging.

There was improvement still to be made on defense, the three-time All-Star said, but the team's offensive efficiency early on after such a short training camp had been better than anyone expected."