Tonight's preview: Washington @ San Antonio

October 22, 7:48 PMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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Leaving Europe Behind
The Washington Wizards have had a tough road if you look at injuries.  But in addition to team health concerns, the team's recent venture through Europe also adds an element of wear, and perhaps a blow to team morale after leaving for the States having been swept handily by the New Orleans Hornets in back-to-back games. 

If you look at tonight's game preview over at NBA.com (8:30 pm ET on Comcast SportsNet), you'll notice the Wizards are marked down as 0-2 at home.  While they have only played once at the Verizon Center this preseason, Washington's game in Barcelona, Spain, counted as a "home" game as well. 

The 1-4 Wizards will look for home-team support on October 29th when they open the new season at the Verizon Center against the New Jersey Nets.  But before we get there let's check out the Wizards opponent tonight, the San Antonio Spurs.

A Dynasty Test?
Some might say the 3-2 San Antonio Spurs are outdated (the "roster" link seems to be; DerMarr Johnson still a Spurs player?).  They lost in the postseason last year and looked as if a shadow of a former "dynasty."  However, this alternate year could be their year.  The Spurs haven't been able to win a Playoffs Finals two years in a row, but are always there the following year.  After losing their first two preseason match-ups, the Spurs have gone on a 3-0 streak, most recently having beaten the Indiana Pacers. 

The Washington Wizards will have to either control Tim Duncan, should he play, or control Tony Parker.  The Wizards are getting healthier each day, and should be able to throw a multitude of guards at Parker to interrupt his rhythm, and make him play defense.  Inside, the Wizards have not yet proved to be consistent.  Etan Thomas leads the defensive charge this preseason, playing tough while not turning the ball over or picking up poor fouls, and hopefully Nick Young will recover soon for some extra offensive power.

Lean and Green
The return of Antawn Jamison means an extra court leader for Caron Butler to bounce off of, and Juan Dixon off the bench is a great boon for the Wiz.  Up front, the reserve team is still a bit inexperienced, with Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee, but they are making strides.  The Wizards cut the Johnson & Johnson connection, after dropping Taj McCullough early in the preseason, and are now down to the 15 we should see for the 2008-09 regular season.