The early bus is not the cool kids' bus. It is typically the preferred mode of transportation for broadcasters, assistant coaches and out-of-the-rotation players in need of extra work. Not for head coaches.

But Popovich was on board for a reason. He and his assistants gathered Hairston and the rest of the seldom-used players, and offered a hint of what was to come later against Denver.

"They told me I was going to get some minutes, and to be ready," Hairston said.

It wasn't long before Hairston realized the reason for his impending increased workload. With his team still feeling the effects of a grueling overtime victory at Golden State the night before, Popovich had decided to rest Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Michael Finley.

Everybody else would be playing more than usual. And Hairston was a part of "everybody else."

The merit of Popovich's decision to play short-handed - and essentially ribbon-wrap for Denver the playoff tiebreaker - was a point of argument across the Internet and national airwaves Wednesday.

To Hairston, a rookie, there was no debate. He was all for it.

Making just his third NBA appearance, Hairston logged 20 minutes off the bench in the Spurs' closer-than-expected 104-96 loss. He scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and - little more than a week removed from the Development League - was the team's second-leading scorer behind Roger Mason Jr.

Leaving the Pepsi Center, Hairston finally felt like an NBA player.

"You gotta to love it," Hairston said. "This is what you work your whole life to get."

It will likely be a long time before Hairston sees as much action in an NBA game again. On a normal night, one in which his head coach does not opt to pretend it is the preseason, Hairston would line up behind Ginobili, Mason, Finley, Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka on the wing.

Yet for Hairston, just slipping on a Spurs jersey is cause for celebration at this point.

Initially acquired from Phoenix in a draft-day swap of second-round picks in June, Hairston - a 6-foot-6 swingman from Oregon - was the Spurs' final cut in training camp.

He landed, unattached, with the Austin Toros, the Spurs' affiliate in the D-League, where he averaged 21.1 points in 23 games. That was enough to earn Hairston a spot in the D-League All-Star Game, to be played during the NBA's All-Star Weekend in Phoenix.

More importantly for Hairston, it was also enough to earn him a second shot at the NBA. The Spurs, who had always valued his defensive prowess, re-signed him Dec. 22, then called him up on Saturday.

By Tuesday night in Denver, Hairston was recording his first NBA points with a slam dunk on his first NBA field-goal attempt - the Basketball equivalent of hitting a home run in your first major league at-bat.

Hairston's most profitable experience against the Nuggets came in defending the prolific Carmelo Anthony for several stretches. Anthony got the better of that battle - he scored 35 points, after all - but for Hairston, it was a good day of on-the-job training.

"It's a tough assignment to go against Carmelo Anthony, but he did fine," said Mason, who assisted on Hairston's inaugural NBA basket. "He wasn't intimidated. He played hard."

Hairston also drew praise from one of his fellow passengers on the early bus.

"I thought Malik was very aggressive," Popovich said. "Played good defense. Wasn't afraid to take it to the rim. I thought he played a fine all-around game."

Mason invitation official: Mason has been officially invited to participate in the NBA's 3-point shootout on All-Star Weekend, the league announced Wednesday. The Express-News first reported Mason's selection in Sunday's editions.

Mason will join a field that includes two-time defending champion Jason Kopono of Toronto, Indiana's Danny Granger, Orlando's Rashard Lewis, Atlanta's Mike Bibby and Miami's Daequan Cook.