Hornets Extra: Spurs vs. Hornets

San Antonio Spurs(23-16) vs. Charlotte Hornets(15-24)

Time Warner Cable Arena

Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.

Television: SportSouth

Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)

Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): SA leads series 34-14 all-time

The Charlotte Hornets will begin their season long 4-game homestand at "The Hive" tonight as they welcome in the reigning NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.  The Hornets have been on a roll recently, winning 5 straight games, and the lights-out play of Kemba Walker, who was recently named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.  San Antonio is coming off a loss last night at the hands of John Wall and the Washington Wizards on the road.

Scouting the Spurs

The defending champions are in the midst of a road trip, which included a stop in Washington last night, where they lost to the Wizards.  Of course, when you play the Spurs, you have of course, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, not to mention head coach Gregg Popovich.  San Antonio is one of the top tier teams in the NBA, and they will look to get back in the win column this evening in Charlotte, as they square off against the Hornets.

Scouting the Hornets

Charlotte will begin its season long 4-game homestand at Time Warner Cable Arena this evening with a visit from the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.  Charlotte comes in winners of 5-straight games, with a bulk of their success coming by way of Kemba Walker, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week recently.  Word is that Lance Stephenson is expected to return to the lineup for Charlotte tonight after missing the last few weeks with a groin strain injury.  It won't be no easy walk in the park for the Hornets, as they look to make it 6 straight wins tonight, when they battle the Spurs inside "The Hive".

Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)

Saturday: Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Monday: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Charlotte(2:00 p.m.)
Next Wednesday: Miami Heat vs. Charlotte*(7:00 p.m.)
Next Friday: Charlotte @ Cleveland Cavaliers(7:30 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division game

NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.

30 Teams in 30 Days: San Antonio Spurs

We continue our three-day weekend in Texas in our "30 Teams in 30 Days" NBA season preview series by making a stop in San Antonio to see what's the 411 with the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, as they begin their quest to repeat as champions once again this season, with a talented, veteran lineup.

Last season's record: 62-20(1st in Southwest Division and Western Conference; Def. DAL 4-3 in Western Conference 1st Round; Def. POR 4-1 in Western Conference Semi-finals; Def. OKC 4-2 in Western Conference Finals; Def. MIA 4-1 in NBA Finals)

Head Coach: Gregg Popovich(19th season, 967-443)

Arena: AT&T Center(18,581)

Website: Spurs.com

When you talk about teams that have a tradition of great players, you think of the San Antonio Spurs, who had a lot of great names that donned the Spurs uniform for many years, including George Gervin and David Robinson, to the three men that have built the Spurs over the last decade and a half, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.  These three were indeed the driving force for last year's edition of the Spurs to finish first in not only their own division, but in the entire Western Conference with a 62-20 mark, and going through Dallas in the first round, Portland in the Western Conference Semi-finals, and taking down the Thunder of Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals, setting up the showdown everyone would be talking about, the rematch against the Miami Heat and the big three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade in the 2013 NBA Finals.

After the series was tied up at 1 game a piece, San Antonio would take the next three games en route to winning it all, and to add another piece of championship hardware to the AT&T Center lobby.  This season, many predict the Spurs to repeat again as champions, with of course, Tim, Tony, and Manu leading the way, and Gregg Popovich entering his 19th season on the bench in San Antonio, with a solid group ready to contribute and to hopefully deliver another title to San Antonio this season.

Upcoming team previews in the "30 Teams in 30 Days" series:

• Sunday: Dallas Mavericks
• Monday: Oklahoma City Thunder
• Tuesday: Denver Nuggets
• Wednesday: Utah Jazz