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San Antonio Spurs 08-09' X's 5 Redemption Thread

Spurs, Popovich make right moves to down the Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah coach Jerry Sloan thinks the Spurs have one of the smartest teams in the NBA.

“They've got guys who have been together and know what they're doing and how to take advantage of any mistake that you make,” Sloan said before Tuesday's Spurs-Jazz game at Energy Solutions Arena. “They make the game look pretty simple.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich thinks Sloan needs to spend more time watching the Spurs.

“I appreciate the compliment on behalf of my players, my staff, my family and the whole world,” Popovich said, “but if he was in San Antonio for a while he would get just as upset as I do at what goes on out on the court.”

After what Sloan saw in another long look at the Spurs on Tuesday night, he isn't apt to change his mind.

By the end of the game, the Spurs may not have qualified for basketball's version of Mensa, the high IQ society, but they had played smart enough to get a 106-100 victory, their 30th of the season.

Popovich's tactical genius played a part in this one. Calling a 20-second time out after a Jazz turnover with 2.9 seconds left in the first half, he drew up an out-of-bounds play to get Matt Bonner an open 3-point shot.

Using Manu Ginobili and Roger Mason as decoys on cuts around the 3-point circle, the play worked to perfection. Bonner nailed the triple and sent the Spurs to halftime with a 50-49 lead.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_Popovich_make_right_moves_to_down_the_Jazz.html
 
Spurs visit at critical time for Phoenix

Spurs 30-14

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Suns 25-18

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PHOENIX — There’s a snippet of game tape that Suns coach Terry Porter considers X-rated.

The final second of the Spurs’ Christmas Day victory over the Suns has been banned from pregame viewing as Porter prepares his team for tonight’s rematch against the Spurs at US Airways Center.

Videotape of Roger Mason Jr.’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Spurs a 91-90 victory serves as the shortest horror film in Suns history.

“I don’t want any part of that,” Porter said after a Wednesday morning practice session.

Mason’s shot turned what seemed a certain victory into a crushing defeat for Porter’s team, but the Suns have had problems this season that supersede that loss.

Porter’s more conservative offense met with resistance from players accustomed to scoring in seven seconds or less under Mike D’Antoni. A trade that sent popular teammates Raja Bell and Boris Diaw to Charlotte in mid-December left some players unhappy.

More recently, three bad losses on a six-game road trip that ended with a tough victory over the hapless Wizards had Steve Nash wondering if the season was nearing a crisis point.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_visit_at_critical_time_for_Phoenix.html
 
Saturday: Hornets (28-15) at Spurs (31-14)

Hornets 28-15

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Spurs 31-14

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David West's return to the lineup wasn't enough to lift the New Orleans Hornets past the NBA's worst defensive team.

With a similar performance in San Antonio, the final score might not be so close.

The Hornets will try to rediscover their shooting touch while visiting the defensive-minded Spurs on Saturday, as the Southwest Division's top two teams square off for the second time this season.

West, named to his second Western Conference All-Star team this week, had missed five games due to back spasms before Friday's night home matchup with Golden State.

Four of the games West missed were at home and the Hornets (28-15) won all four - the last three by double digits. With West back in the lineup New Orleans didn't figure to have much trouble with Golden State, which came in allowing a league-worst 111.8 points per game.

The Hornets led 27-19 after one quarter, but couldn't find their offense the rest of the night. Chris Paul had 31 points and West added 12 points and 15 rebounds in his return, but New Orleans shot 29.8 percent in the final three quarters of a 91-87 loss.
 
Spurs 106, Hornets 93 Finley, Ginobili headline Spurs' rout

Michael Finley still has fond memories of playing in his first All-Star Game.

“I remember playing with Dr. J and those guys,” Finley said.

It is a typical old-guy joke from one of the Spurs' vast collection of old guys.

Finley, an All-Star in 2000 and 2001, won't be going to Phoenix for this year's event, nor did he ever expect to be. Now a 35-year-old role player, Finley's All-Star days are in the rearview mirror.

For 15 minutes of a Southwest Division showdown Saturday night, however, Finley partied like it was the year after 1999.

Dusting off the picture-perfect jump shot that will be the lasting snapshot of his career, Finley pumped in 16 of his 20 points in the first half to help lift the Spurs to a 106-93 victory over New Orleans at the AT&T Center. He made his first six shots, including four 3-pointers, as part of a 28-8 run that gave the Spurs control early in the second quarter.

“I was open and my teammates found me, and I made the most of those opportunities,” said Finley, who enjoyed his first 20-point game since Dec. 30.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Finley_Ginobili_headline_Spurs_rout.html
 
Monday: Spurs (32-14) at Warriors (15-33)

Spurs 32-14

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Warriors 15-33

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The San Antonio Spurs begin their annual "rodeo" road trip with some room atop the Southwest Division standings. They have a good chance to increase that margin considering the struggles of their next opponent.

The Spurs begin an eight-game road trip Monday when they visit the Golden State Warriors.

While the AT&T Center is taken over by a rodeo show, San Antonio (32-14) will travel to both coasts during this road trip that goes through Feb. 21. The Spurs began this trip in 2002-03 when the rodeo moved to the AT&T Center from the Freeman Coliseum, and they have traditionally done well during it, going 35-13 over the previous six seasons, including 6-3 in 2007-08.

"The guys said they've had some success, so there's a little bit of pressure," said guard Roger Mason Jr., who is in his first season with San Antonio. "I want to be a part of a winning road trip."

The Spurs will face teams from both conferences during this trip, with five of the opponents currently below .500. They'll also face Denver, Boston and Detroit before returning home on Feb. 24 to face Dallas.

http://www.nba.com/games/20090202/SASGSW/preview.html
 
Spurs kick off road trip with OT victory....

OAKLAND, Calif. — For the past few games, Manu Ginobili has played with a singular focus: Get to the foul line.

“It's an easy two points, without having to sweat too much,” Ginobili said. “It helps you get into a groove a little bit.”

The Spurs didn't escape Oracle Arena without a sweat Monday night. But, thanks in part to Ginobili's work at the foul line, they escaped with a victory and are certainly in a groove.

Ginobili scored a season-high 32 points, getting 11 of them on free throws, as the Spurs kicked off their rodeo road trip in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Golden State 110-105 in overtime.

Tim Duncan matched his season high with 32 points and added 15 rebounds before fouling out in the extra period. Tony Parker scored 23 points for the Spurs, who won their fourth in a row. In combination with New Orleans' loss to Portland, it allowed the Spurs (33-14) to open up a four-game lead in the Southwest Division.

It was Ginobili who kept the Spurs afloat during a Warriors outburst in the third quarter — he scored 17 of his points in that frame — and, ultimately, Ginobili who sent the game to overtime.

True to his pregame plan, Ginobili forced the extra period from the foul line. With the Spurs behind by two in the late seconds, Ginobili drove at Golden State shot-blocker Ronny Turiaf, initiating contact and drawing a foul call that had the Warriors' bench howling.

Ginobili — who earlier in the game had his streak of made free throws stopped at 40 — sank both of them to knot the game.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Spurs_kick_off_road_trip_with_OT_victory.html
 
Big Three a Big Zero tonight

No Tim Duncan. No Tony Parker. No Manu Ginobili. That's all that will be missing from the Spurs' lineup tonight at Denver.

A night after the Spurs expended so much energy to get past Golden State in overtime, coach Gregg Popovich just informed the gathered media that he plans to rest each and every member of his Big Three.

The decision on Ginobili comes with a bit of an injury concern. He suffered a left hip contusion taking a fall against the Warriors. With three days off after tonight, Popovich felt it was best to give him the night off.


As for Duncan and Parker, the Spurs' top two scorers? They're just getting the night off "for a variety of reasons," Popovich said.

"Parker makes the All-Star team, becomes hard to deal with, so we're going to sit him and teach him a lesson," Popovich joked. "Duncan says he wants to renegotiate his contract, so I said, 'Sit, I'm not talking to you.' "

Though Popovich wouldn't say so, it's worth wondering if this new and not-so-improved rotation is meant to send a message to the league scheduling wizards, who sent the Spurs to Denver by way of Oakland.

After Monday's overtime win, the Spurs did not lay their heads on their pillows in Denver until close to 4 a.m. Ragged and facing an uphill battle against the Nuggets anyway, Popovich has apparently opted to steal an extra day of rest for his most important players.

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/02/big-three-a-big.html
 
Right Now..

Spurs 33-14

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Nuggets 31-16

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It looked like the San Antonio Spurs’ marathon road trip was about to get off to a rocky start against the worst defensive team in the NBA, but the team’s three stars made sure that wouldn’t be the case.

Escaping with a win in Denver could be considerably more difficult.

A night after needing overtime to pick up their fourth straight victory, the Spurs will try to win for the ninth time in 10 games on Tuesday when they visit the Nuggets, who are happy to have their superstar back on the floor.

San Antonio’s “rodeo” road trip has been a major success over the past six seasons, as coach Gregg Popovich’s team has gone 35-13 on the annual journey since 2002-03.

This year’s eight-game trek began at Golden State on Monday, and the Spurs (33-14) found themselves down 89-77 with less than nine minutes left to the defensively challenged Warriors.

But San Antonio closed regulation on an 18-6 run - including four Manu Ginobili free throws in the final minute to tie the score - and won 110-105 in overtime despite Tim Duncan fouling out.

Ginobili finished with 32 points, and is averaging 28.0 points in his last three games. He’s 35-of-36 from the free-throw line.

“(Ginobili) is really finding his stride and been playing great the last five or six games,” said Duncan, who also had 32 points. “It looks like he’s feeling good about it and is getting back to the basket a lot more which is only going to help us.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009020307&prov=ap
 
Spurs-Celtics: Old champs take shot at new champs

Spurs 33-15

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Celtics 42-10

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BOSTON — When the Spurs walk into the TD Banknorth Garden this morning, they will be sure to take notice of the redecorating job the building's primary occupants undertook over the summer. A 17th Boston Celtics championship banner will be hanging in the rafters, accentuating the feng shui.

The Spurs might also notice an addition to the Celtics' traditional green-and-white uniforms — a nice, big invisible bull's-eye where the numbers should be.

Spurs forward Tim Duncan, owner of four NBA titles himself, knows this look well.

“It's definitely different being the defending champion,” Duncan said. “People come in every night, and you've got a target on your back. It doesn't matter who it is or what team you're playing, they're always going to bring their best against you.”

Especially if that team happens to be the previous NBA champion.

The Spurs, the league's 2007 title-winner, resume their rodeo road trip today with a high-noon showdown against the newly crowned Celtics.

It is a red-letter date the Spurs have had circled on their calendar in Celtic green for some time now, ever since Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Co. officially supplanted them as king of the NBA hill last June.

“It's going to be a great game, a great challenge,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said. “We're going to be very motivated, and they're going to be very motivated.”

As if the Spurs needed more in the motivation department.

Much of the basketball-playing world already seems to have ordained an NBA Finals rematch between the Celtics and Lakers. No matter that the Spurs are still very much in the conversation among the league's elite.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs-Celtics_Old_champs_take_shot_at_new_champs.html
 
Yea Spurs next couple games should be W's...My thing is if they can pick up another big before the deadline,it would be nice.March is the time the Spurs usually start stepping up the defense and hitting on all cylinders,so it would be in time for that.

The Spurs stay away from injuries during the critical next few months and I see big possiblities.
 
Tuesday: Spurs (34-15) at Nets (24-28)

Spurs 34-15

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Nets 24-28

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A night off for the San Antonio Spurs' three stars paid major dividends in their latest game, a victory over the NBA champions during which the Spurs were at their best during a fourth-quarter comeback.

San Antonio hasn't needed too many late surges when it's faced the New Jersey Nets in recent years.

The red-hot Spurs continue their eight-game road trip Tuesday looking for their 13th straight victory over the Nets, who hope to have Vince Carter back in their lineup.

Coach Gregg Popovich's decision not to play Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker last Tuesday in Denver raised some eyebrows, and San Antonio (34-15) went on to lose after needing overtime to win in Golden State the night before.

No one's questioning that decision anymore after the third game of the Spurs' annual rodeo road trip. Trailing by three with 45 seconds left in Boston on Sunday, San Antonio went on an 11-0 run and knocked off the Celtics 105-99.

"It's hard for the oldest team in the NBA to feel fresh,'' Popovich said. "It was a beautiful win for us, against the NBA champions and on the road makes it even sweeter.''

http://www.nba.com/games/20090210/SASNJN/preview.html
 
Wednesday: Spurs (35-15) at Raptors (20-34)

Spurs 35-15

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Raps 20-34

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With the way they started the season, it looked like the San Antonio Spurs might be out of the playoff picture by the All-Star break.

Instead, they’re about to head into it looking more like a title contender.

In their final game before the break, the Southwest Division-leading Spurs go for their 11th win in 13 games on Wednesday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors, who are coming off their first victory in two weeks.

San Antonio (35-15) lost its first three games this season en route to a 2-5 start, but this veteran group led by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili has steadily improved as the season has progressed.

After defeating Boston 105-99 on Sunday, the Spurs topped New Jersey 108-93 on Tuesday. San Antonio’s offense has come on strong lately, as it’s averaging 106.4 points on 48.9 percent shooting in its last seven games, up from 90.5 points on 40.9 percent shooting in its previous six.

That boost has come from an unlikely source—Matt Bonner has suddenly given Gregg Popovich’s team another scoring option.

On Tuesday, Bonner had 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Bonner, who played his first two NBA seasons with Toronto before being traded to the Spurs in June 2006, has totaled 45 points in his last two games after averaging 7.0 points in his previous nine.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009021128&prov=ap
 
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