Everybody still overlooking the Spurs: "Ain't nobody got nothing to say about a forty degree day"

They're 46-9, which means the San Antonio Spurs are on pace for 69 wins, or, in other words, the second-most regular season wins in NBA history. But still, nobody talks about them. They're like a forty degree day.

"Ain't nobody got nothing to say about a forty degree day," said Stringer Bell once, while admonishing his muscle for failing to complete orders. "Fifty brings a smile to your face. Sixty? Shit, niggas are damn near barbecuing on that motherfucker. Go down to twenty, niggas get their bitch on, get their blood complaining. But forty? Nobody gives a fuck about forty. Nobody remembers forty."

But why are the Spurs a forty degree day? Why is nobody talking about them, even though they've got a chance (a long shot, still, I know) to win 70 games? These aren't your old, walk-it-down-the-court-and-pass-it-to-Tim-Duncan Spurs. Gregg Popovich wants them to run, and they do (well, with the 13th-fastest pace in the NBA, they run to an extent). They're the sixth-highest scoring team in the league. Manu Ginobili is, and always has been, one of the league's most exciting and creative players. His whirling forays to the hoop often end with his defender in a daze. He's fearless. He never stops working. And hell, he even started last night's game -- the very first play -- with a between-the-legs bounce pass to DeJuan Blair.

The Spurs even have off-court drama. There was Tony Parker's messy separation from Eva Longoria, which occurred because Parker screwed around with Brent Barry's wife. (Speaking of Barry, and this is quite a distance removed from talking about his wife's cheating tendencies, he has the most sneaky exciting highlight tape ever. I'm not even kidding.) George Hill sent text messages of his junk, long before Brett Favre did. Okay, so there's not much other drama. Tim Duncan isn't exactly the world's most news-worthy superstar, and Matt Bonner's not going to grab headlines any time soon. Shouldn't the on-court product be enough? Watching this team play could make Kendrick Perkins smile.

Do you not like teams that run-and-gun? Do you not like a team whose point guard is a blur in transition, who can finish among the trees from all angles? Whose shooting guard can leave you bedazzled on any given play, who swipes bats out of mid-air, and who looks a little like Andy Garcia? Whose small forward once did this? Whose power forward eats small children, and rebounds, for breakfast? Whose center is the best power forward ever to play basketball? Whose top sub is a 24-year old, long-armed Gumby who developed three-point accuracy to go with his impressive physique? Whose backup wing never got drafted, spent time playing professionally in Turkey, Italy and Spain, scores buckets in bunches, and -- according to his coach -- plays no defense whatsoever?

Maybe San Antonio just picked the wrong year to dominate the regular season. Miami bought itself a headline-hogging so-called Super Team, and Los Angeles, as the two-time defending champion, will receive plenty of attention no matter how many times they lose to the Bobcats. The Celtics are busy defying age, and the media can't ignore that. And Blake Griffin's busy posterizing unsuspecting fools and earning the hearts of all humans who pay any attention.

Maybe fans just can't forget the bland Duncan days. After receiving bank-shot torture for years, fans can't forgive San Antonio. I'm not a "bored by Duncan" type of guy myself. Where other people see boring plays, I see beauty, I see basketball fundamentals and footwork that took decades to develop. But I can see why people didn't like Duncan, whose highlight reel isn't nearly as exciting as Brent Barry's. And I can see why they still hold it against San Antonio, why they still give the Spurs the "boring" stigma, even if these new-look Spurs are anything but.

Maybe we just don't trust the Spurs. They haven't seriously contended in years, and maybe we still don't believe this 46-9 start. At some point, we think, Manu or Parker will get hurt. Or Duncan will completely tail off. Or Gary Neal will remember why he went undrafted. Or teams will start using Blair's lack of height against him. Or Cinderella's clock will strike midnight. Or the Spurs will pinch themselves, and it won't hurt, and none of this will be real.

The Spurs, despite Usain Bolt-ing their competition out West, continue to get overlooked. They continue to be perceived as nothing more exciting than a forty degree day.

But me? I don't believe the lack of hype. I'm starting to barbecue in this motherfucker.