"In a season that has produced 19 different Spurs starting lineups, including one that had team captain and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Tim Duncan coming off the bench, nothing qualifies as a surprise.

For Richard Jefferson, a starter through nearly all of his first eight NBA seasons and a starter in the first 39 Spurs games this season, a recent demotion to the bench is easier to take just by glancing quickly at the locker next to his at the AT&T Center.

It belongs to Manu Ginobili.

"No, it's not hard at all to accept," Jefferson said. "I just want to win. You look at a guy like Manu, who's been All-NBA, one of the best players in this league, and he comes off the bench.

"Starting isn't a pride thing. I didn't start (against Oklahoma City on Wednesday), but I was in the game at the very end. That's been the situation most of these games I haven't started since the All-Star break. As long as I earn those minutes to be in at the end of the game, I'm happy."

Indeed, Jefferson was on the floor through the entire fourth period of Wednesday's victory over the Thunder, logging 31:34 for the game.

Finley's return: Both feet shoved into a tub of ice water, veteran forward Michael Finley shivered a bit as he discussed equally icy, 0-for-5 shooting in Wednesday's game against the Thunder."