A comparatively weak Sunday sports schedule on television included an unexpected bonus in the NBA game between San Antonio and Dallas, won by the Mavs 101-100 in overtime. The way it played out was just plain fascinating.

Piquing my interest when I tuned in midway through the third period was the sight of former UNC Tar Heel Danny Green sharing the point guard duties in an all-substitute Spurs’ lineup. I have pulled for Green since 2003 when as a member of the St. Mary’s (Manhasset, L.I.) team he played in the first Holiday in the Pines tournament at Pinecrest.

St. Mary’s coach, Tim Cluess (now the head coach at Iona), was invited to the event by his friend, then-Pinecrest athletic director Bill Permakoff. St. Mary’s won the tournament and Green, a junior, who was leaning toward Syracuse at the time, was the MVP. Eric Maynor of Hoke County, now on the injured list for the Oklahoma City Thunder, also played in it.

The second-round draft choice of Cleveland in 2009, the 6-foot-6 Green was waived by both the Cavs and San Antonio in 2010 before being picked up again by the Spurs late in the season. He was playing in Slovenia during the lockout with an NBA-out clause before the Spurs brought him back again.

Based upon his performance so far this season, and especially in Sunday’s game, he may have found a home.

Backing up rookie Kwahi Leonard, as the replacement for the injured Manu Ginobli, Green has been averaging 20 minutes and eight points per game after seeing action in a total of just 28 games in his first two years in the league.

With his team trailing the Mavs 67-49 in the third quarter, Spurs coach Greg Popovich had to be thinking about Monday’s back-to-back game on the road at Memphis when he pulled all of his starters. Green entered the game with second year players Gary Neal, Tiago Splitter and James Anderson, and veteran Matt Bonner, with 2:44 remaining in the third quarter.

The five played the final 19:44 (including the overtime) except for a brief defense-offense switch between Bonner and Leonard. Green’s second three with 8:58 remaining in the game gave the Spurs their first lead, 72-71, since the first quarter. The subs scored the Spurs’ final 51 points of the game, gaining a nine-point lead at one point before the Mavs rallied at the end of regulation.

With 1:29 remaining, Green blocked a shot under the Mav basket, preserving an 89-85 Spur lead. But with :00.5 on the clock, Jason Terry tied the game up with a jumper. That left just enough time, almost, for Green to be a hero.

After a Spur time out, he received a pass on the baseline and sank a jumper that was originally called good. But after the replay review it was waved off and the teams went to overtime.

“I thought it was good, but I guess it was too good to be true,” Green said.

Out came the same iron-man five for the overtime.

“These guys got us back out of a hole,” Spurs great Tim Duncan said. “You ride with what’s going good. It was the right call.”

With 1:18 remaining, Green made like Derrick Rose (Bulls), only with a much bigger first step, when he roared down the lane for a layup and a 98-95 Spurs’ lead. Four points in a row by Terry, who finished with 34, mixed in with a basket by Neal, made it 101-100 Dallas.

After a time out, the Spurs inbounded the ball with 10.2 seconds remaining. The pass was knocked away from Bonner. Green saved the ball from going out of bounds, but his forced three-point attempt was off the mark.

Green finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three steals and just one turnover. He scored 11 points in 30 minutes on the court in the Spurs’ 83-73 bounce-back win at Memphis on Monday.

Green’s size and skill-set have always made him kind of a “tweener” in terms of where he fits in as a pro. His ability to handle the ball was always a plus for him as a swingman for the Tar Heels. But watching how comfortable he was taking the ball to the hoop, as well as just taking care of the ball in crunch time, was an eye-opener.

When the Spurs went ahead by nine with five minutes remaining in regulation, you might have thought Popovich would go to some fresh legs to close the game out. Some commentators criticized him for not doing that. He said afterward he never considered making the move.

The Spurs’ coach obviously understands team-building and the big picture. While stars like Duncan and Tony Parker applauded their efforts, the subs got to experience how much faith their coaches and teammates have in them.

That Dallas won the game was more about the defending NBA champions rising to the occasion than the Spurs losing it.

On the Next Level

UNC Pembroke centerfielder and Pinecrest graduate Josh Haley has been named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Rawlings Pre-season All-American Team.

The senior batted .354 for the Braves a year ago, leading the Peach Belt Conference in total bases (125) and at bats (229). He was second on the Braves in runs (61) and hits (81). He also knocked in 43 runs, had 24 multi-hit games and stole 29 bases in 31 attempts.

The Braves open the season with a doubleheader at Anderson (S.C.) on Saturday.

Former Pinecrest basketball player Ken Spencer of St. Augustine’s College has been named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men’s Basketball Coach of the Week.

The Falcons upset Winston-Salem State 61-55 on Saturday in Raleigh, snapping the eight-game winning streak of the team coached by his former Pinecrest teammate Bobby Collins. Spencer was an associate head coach under Collins before coming to St. Augustine’s in 2010.

Both teams suffered tough losses on Monday. The Falcons (11-8, 6-3 CIAA) fell to Livingstone 64-61 on a buzzer-beater. The Rams (15-4, 7-3) were defeated 76-70 by Johnson C. Smith. The Falcons and Rams square off again in Winston-Salem next Monday.

Covenant College (Ga.) senior basketball player Margaret Cross got off to a slow start in her specialty, shooting the three. It was only a matter of time, and after the holidays the former O’Neal star found the touch.

During a recent eight-game stretch, the 5-foot-6 guard had games of 22, 21 and 19 points, increasing her second best on the team scoring average to 10.4 points per game. In a 69-44 loss to Sewanee on Jan. 9 she was seven-for-seven from behind the arc, scoring 21 points.

With 174 threes for her career, and seven regular-season games remaining, she has a chance to go over the 200 mark for her career.

A familiar face in a new place is former Pinecrest baseball player Andrew MacDonald at Elon. The left-handed pitcher was 3-0 at UNC-Pembroke as a college freshman and 5-3 a year ago at Lenoir Community College.

He joins a Phoenix squad that won the Southern Conference title in 2011. The schedule that begins with a home game against Akron on Feb. 17 includes games with defending national champion South Carolina, UNC, East Carolina and Wake Forest.

Saint Michael’s College men’s soccer junior Eric Parziale, a Pinecrest graduate, was one of 92 student-athletes across seven sports selected for a Northeast-10 Conference Academic All-Conference honor for the fall semester. Parziale was among 17 men’s soccer players to earn the accolade, as at least one member of his program has drawn the laurel for seven straight years.

Also an active member of the men’s tennis team during the fall, Parziale appeared in 15 of his soccer squad’s 17 contests, drawing seven starts on the defensive side of the ball.