"Unlike many of his NBA counterparts, Spurs point guard Tony Parker admits to looking at the standings almost every day.

What he's seen so far in this topsy-turvy, lockout-truncated season has shocked him.

Lose in overtime in Dallas, drop from third in the Western Conference to ninth. Win the next night in Memphis, jump from ninth to sixth and one game out of fourth.

What the turbulence has taught him is, this season more than most, the standings watching that has become part of his daily routine is an exercise in futility."