Dallas may currently be just 5th in the Western Conference, but make no doubt about it, they are the second best team. And had it not been that the Spurs came out on top after seven lead changes in the final 2 minutes 48 seconds of play last night, the Mavericks would be tied for first with the Spurs at 11-4.

Great teams find a way to win, somehow.

The big news last night was that Tony Parker scored a season-high 30 points. Once again, Tony leads the Spurs in scoring with 21.0 PPG in 15 games. It’s astonishing to think that Parker is just 23 years old and is having the best season of his career.

As far as I can tell, taxing the living daylights out of Eva Longoria hasn’t hurt Tony’s game one bit.

The Spurs won without Manu Ginobili, who is out with a jammed right foot. In place of Manu, Michael Finley made his first start, “made his first shot and finished with one point more than Dirk Nowitzki, whose shooting woes continued. Plus, Finley made the free throws down the stretch.”

Does anyone else think that the Spurs are capable of winning 70 games this season? Right now they’re on track to win 65 or 66, but since they’ve only lost to the Bulls, Bullets, uh, I mean Wizards, and Mavericks, it would seem like they’re worst enemies are themselves.

Granted, it’s early, and besides the Mavericks and LeBron James the Spurs have yet to face the best teams in the league, but December is going to be a testing month: Miami (12/7), LA Clippers (12/13), Detroit (12/25), Indiana (12/27).