There are also certain things that Mason has not heard any Spurs veteran talk about and that, too, is part of the culture.

A division title?

"You don't ever hear them talk about it," Mason said.

In that silence, there is a statement.

"It's great for playoff seeding, but that's not our goal," Tim Duncan said. "Our goals are much bigger than that."

Indeed, the Spurs have won an NBA title (in 2007) more recently than their last division crown (in 2005-06), and nobody within the organization seems to be complaining. Still, with the Southwest Division still very much up for grabs as the regular season creeps toward its final throes, the Spurs figure they might as well take aim at what's there.

The Houston Rockets visit the AT&T Center this afternoon, half a game back and one win away from ending the Spurs' 74-day stay atop the division standings.

For the Spurs, who have not trailed in the division sinceJan. 6, maintaining that lead would be nice. Nicer still would be holding on to the second seed in the Western Conference, which would ensure home-court edge at least until the conference finals.

Most importantly of all, to Popovich at least, will be judging how the team gels going forward.

He views the regular season as just the process by which a team prepares for the postseason. That is another tenet of Spurs culture.

"There's more intensity, more awareness of what needs to be done," Mason said. "This time of year, they're used to getting geared up for the playoffs."

In years past, the Spurs would be firing on all cylinders by now, full steam ahead toward the postseason. This season, they are battling injuries (Manu Ginobili has missed 17 straight games with a sore ankle, Duncan is wrestling with gimpy knees) and are working in a new and important rotation piece in Drew Gooden.

That has made the prospect of peaking toward the playoffs a difficult one. It has put them behind their typical schedule.

"We've had some up-and-down games, playing well and not playing well," Duncan said. "We just want to be consistent coming down the stretch here."

Still in the process of figuring themselves out, the Spurs have lost three of their past six games heading into today's Interstate 10 showdown with the Rockets.

They have beaten just one team this month that is currently destined for the postseason - coincidentally, the Rockets. The Spurs' 88-85, grind-it-out victory in Houston last Saturday ranks as their most Spur-like in weeks.

The Spurs aren't big on must-win games in March - again, it's part of the culture. But, on the heels of a three-point loss to Boston on Friday, today's rematch with the Rockets certainly qualifies as one they would especially like to win.

"It's a big game now," said point guard Tony Parker, who scored 25 points against Boston but missed four free throws in the final minute. "Just to show how we're going to bounce back."

In the NBA, there is a fine line between a swoon and success.

Had the Spurs held on to a 17-point lead in Oklahoma City and made a few free throws down the stretch against the Celtics, they might be entering today's game on a four-game winning streak and with a more comfortable cushion in the conference race.

"Just continuing to improve and be ready by playoff time is the point," Popovich said. "And if you're not ready by the time the playoffs come, tough. You just go play that way."

The top spot in the Southwest Division, for the time being, will be on the line today at the AT&T Center. For the Spurs, the stakes are higher than that.

"We've kind of been building up to this," Mason said. "Throughout the year, Coach Pop has been talking about gearing up for the playoffs, and this time right now. It's not like a switch just goes on. You've prepared throughout the year. Now things start to turn up a bit."