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  1. #1
    99/03/05/07/14 Spurs Brazil's Avatar
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    http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailyd...t&lid=tab2pos1

    Spurs Refuse To Play Blame Game
    By Marc Stein | ESPN.com
    LOS ANGELES -- The Spurs typically refused to blame their fall-from-ahead Game 1 loss on the faulty plane that forced them to spend several hours after their Game 7 victory Monday in New Orleans on the runway waiting for the repairs that could get them here.

    Manu Ginobili, furthermore, refused to blame his 3-for-13 shooting struggles in Game 1 on the fingernail on his shooting hand that was apparently torn off Wednesday night ... or the ankle injury that's been bothering him for a while.

    "I have a couple issues, but nothing that bad that can justify the way I played today," Ginobili said.

    "The hand is all right. It's just a nail. My ankle is bothering me, [but] I don't want to talk about that. That's not the reason I played so bad."

    The Spurs can only hope. The schedule for this series certainly won't provide many opportunities to heal up, as Lakers coach Phil Jackson noted beforehand.

    "Where we are playing every other day," Jackson said, "I think [L.A.'s lengthy rest after eliminating Utah] is going to work to our advantage, because we'll have a little reserve to work from."

    This much we know for certain: San Antonio will no longer use the charter company that it's been flying all season. Champion Air was already scheduled to cease its operations at month's end, but the Spurs have begun making alternate arrangements for their trip home Friday night after Game 2.

    "So we stayed on the plane -- big deal," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, clearly growing weary of discussing a subject that he initially referred to as "the plane debacle."

    San Antonio's players and staffers were forced to try to sleep on the team plane because there was no hotel in New Orleans that could accommodate them at such a late hour. But as Spurs guard Brent Barry said, "We weren't roughing it by any stretch."

    Another subject Popovich has quickly grown weary of addressing is his initial reaction to the Lakers' Feb. 1 acquisition of Pau Gasol from Memphis, when he suggested that a league committee should be formed to prevent such lopsided deals.

    "It was a joke," Popovich said during his pregame media session Wednesday. "You've got to have a life. I made a joke about it. I wasn't upset about it. I just made a joke."

    Tim Duncan then went out and routinely abused Gasol's one-on-one coverage before L.A. eventually mixed in some intermittent double-teams which helped hold San Antonio to just 13 points -- and no assists -- in the fourth quarter.

    The Lakers' comeback from 20 points down to take the series opener prompted guard Derek Fisher -- still known as Mr. Point Four in the Alamo City for the shot he threw in at the buzzer to beat the Spurs in Game 5 of the teams' second-round matchup in 2004 -- to offer this disarming reminder: "There is no script to an NBA basketball game."

    Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here.

  2. #2
    Big Mo MoSpur's Avatar
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    I don't care if they don't want to blame the whole plane thing on the loss. Its obvious they were tired last night by the way they plaed in the 4th quarter. One day in between games one and two doesn't help much neither.

    Time to manu the heck up and go out and win.

  3. #3
    No darkness Cry Havoc's Avatar
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    When you think about how horribly Manu played, and the fact that the Spurs were about as unrested as a team has ever been for a playoff game, combined with a horrible shooting 2nd half, the fact that we only lost by 4 says a lot about our ability to control the game. Had we hit just a COUPLE shots to put pressure on their offense, we win Game 1.

  4. #4
    Believe.
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    Just the way a champion should be. No excuses. Just win.

  5. #5
    Don't stop believin' Dex's Avatar
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    Manu Ginobili, furthermore, refused to blame his 3-for-13 shooting struggles in Game 1 on the fingernail on his shooting hand that was apparently torn off Wednesday night ... or the ankle injury that's been bothering him for a while.
    Ow.

  6. #6
    keep asking questions George Gervin's Afro's Avatar
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    When you think about how horribly Manu played, and the fact that the Spurs were about as unrested as a team has ever been for a playoff game, combined with a horrible shooting 2nd half, the fact that we only lost by 4 says a lot about our ability to control the game. Had we hit just a COUPLE shots to put pressure on their offense, we win Game 1.
    Haven't you heard this series is OVER

  7. #7
    PhillyGirl 1Parker1's Avatar
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    I find it hard to believe the Spurs couldn't muster enough energy for a game like this, this late in the playoffs. These are professional athletes, I don't care how old they are. This late in the season, if anything, since u know what's on the line, the adreneline should get you over the top.

  8. #8
    Truth, justice, and the NBA
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    Yeah, the Lakers had a lot more to lose in losing Game 1, and esp losing Game 1 in a blowout. They stormed back like they had some pride, which we all know they have in abundance. But the fact remains, for three quarters the Lakers got owned, and that's only gonna get worse. If the Spurs can own the Lakers on a poor night's sleep with a hobbled Manu, just think about how bad it will be when the Spurs have a good night's sleep and Manu is pissed off from playing so badly? I can't wait.

    It blows me away that as poorly as the Spurs shot the ball for a quarter and a half, they STILL ALMOST STOLE GAME ONE. Lakers should be very, very worried.

  9. #9
    Believe. ManuTastic's Avatar
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    If the Spurs can own the Lakers on a poor night's sleep with a hobbled Manu, just think about how bad it will be when the Spurs have a good night's sleep and Manu is pissed off from playing so badly? I can't wait.

    It blows me away that as poorly as the Spurs shot the ball for a quarter and a half, they STILL ALMOST STOLE GAME ONE. Lakers should be very, very worried.
    My thoughts exactly. If Finley and/or Manu had just hit a couple more shots, i.e, just had decent nights as opposed to crap ones, this game goes the other way. THAT should scare LA plenty.

    Parker clearly owns Fish, Duncan obviously owns Gasol, Berto is D'ing up Odom pretty good.
    But here's a tip Pop: Udoka can't guard Kobe.


  10. #10
    Kori's nightmare SpurOutofTownFan's Avatar
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    I like the fact the pundits and lakers fan think they got this one.

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