duncan228
11-05-2008, 04:31 AM
Some post game quotes.
Spurs stuck in the blocks (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/33871219.html)
By Jeff McDonald
In the locker room after the game, the longest-tenured Spur sought out one of the newest, and attempted to ease his mind.
Yes, Tim Duncan assured Roger Mason Jr., the Spurs actually do win every now and then.
“That’s just Tim Duncan’s humor,” said Mason, the former Washington Wizard.
It was gallows humor, fitting for this season so far.
Odds remain high the Spurs aren’t going to finish the year 0-82. It only seemed that way during the lowest moments of Tuesday night’s 98-81 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center, which dropped the Spurs to 0-3 for the first time in their NBA history.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points, Jason Terry chipped in 29 and the Mavericks had their way with the Spurs for most of the game — in the paint, on the glass and from the perimeter.
The last time the Spurs began a season with three consecutive defeats, the year was 1973, they were playing in the ABA, and Duncan had yet to be born.
“It’s uncharted territory for us,” Duncan said, striking a serious note. “We’re 0-3. We’ve played some bad basketball so far. What can you say?”
It would be funnier for the Spurs, if it weren’t also true. After narrow defeats against Phoenix and Portland to start the season, Tuesday’s pratfall felt like a step backward.
Tony Parker scored 22 points, and Duncan added 19. They’ve been the Spurs’ two leading scorers in each of their first three games. A night after taking a back-alley beating in a 19-point home loss to Cleveland, the Mavericks improved to 2-2 without trailing for the final 3½ quarters.
Only two minor problems caused the Spurs their Watergate-era flashback: In the first half, they couldn’t put the ball in the basket, and couldn’t keep the Mavs from doing the same.
Dallas shot 55.8 percent from the field in the first two quarters. The Spurs shot 35.9. That line in the halftime box score looked like a lopsided election result.
By half, the Mavericks were ahead 54-36, and the Spurs were in a hole they couldn’t get out of.
Another telling statistic: The Mavs won on the boards 45-34, the first time they’d outrebounded an opponent all season.
“They just simply kicked our butts on the boards,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They were more focused and energetic.”
Making his first start of the season, Terry did what he wanted, often turning Bruce Bowen — or whoever else the Spurs threw into his path — into a traffic cone.
His 3-point play with 2:02 to go in the first half, on which he weaved past three Spurs before finishing with a layup and drawing a foul on Matt Bonner — gave Dallas a 15-point lead.
Down by as many as 23 in the third, the Spurs put together a modest comeback, keyed by a rookie. With 9:35 left in the game, George Hill swished a floater over DeSagana Diop for his first NBA field goal, pulling the Spurs within nine.
Moments later, Hill hit a couple of free throws to carve the Spurs’ deficit to 80-73. He finished with 11 points in his NBA debut.
From there, Nowitzki took over. In the ensuing 11-2 run that would seal the game for Dallas, Nowitzki had nine points — one more than he scored in 32 minutes the night before.
“It’s the NBA,” Mason said afterward, “and it was one of those nights.”
The trouble for the Spurs is that they’ve had three of those nights, and here is where they are hoping history stops repeating itself.
The Spurs opened that history-making 1973-74 season at 0-4. They will aim to avoid the same fate tonight, when they play at Minnesota.
Whatever happens, Mason knows his new team eventually will wiggle its way into the win column, more often than not. After all, he’s heard rumors they do that around here.
“These guys are champions, so they know how to bounce back,” Mason said. “I don’t think anybody’s going crazy yet, but there is a sense of urgency.”
Spurs stuck in the blocks (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/33871219.html)
By Jeff McDonald
In the locker room after the game, the longest-tenured Spur sought out one of the newest, and attempted to ease his mind.
Yes, Tim Duncan assured Roger Mason Jr., the Spurs actually do win every now and then.
“That’s just Tim Duncan’s humor,” said Mason, the former Washington Wizard.
It was gallows humor, fitting for this season so far.
Odds remain high the Spurs aren’t going to finish the year 0-82. It only seemed that way during the lowest moments of Tuesday night’s 98-81 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center, which dropped the Spurs to 0-3 for the first time in their NBA history.
Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points, Jason Terry chipped in 29 and the Mavericks had their way with the Spurs for most of the game — in the paint, on the glass and from the perimeter.
The last time the Spurs began a season with three consecutive defeats, the year was 1973, they were playing in the ABA, and Duncan had yet to be born.
“It’s uncharted territory for us,” Duncan said, striking a serious note. “We’re 0-3. We’ve played some bad basketball so far. What can you say?”
It would be funnier for the Spurs, if it weren’t also true. After narrow defeats against Phoenix and Portland to start the season, Tuesday’s pratfall felt like a step backward.
Tony Parker scored 22 points, and Duncan added 19. They’ve been the Spurs’ two leading scorers in each of their first three games. A night after taking a back-alley beating in a 19-point home loss to Cleveland, the Mavericks improved to 2-2 without trailing for the final 3½ quarters.
Only two minor problems caused the Spurs their Watergate-era flashback: In the first half, they couldn’t put the ball in the basket, and couldn’t keep the Mavs from doing the same.
Dallas shot 55.8 percent from the field in the first two quarters. The Spurs shot 35.9. That line in the halftime box score looked like a lopsided election result.
By half, the Mavericks were ahead 54-36, and the Spurs were in a hole they couldn’t get out of.
Another telling statistic: The Mavs won on the boards 45-34, the first time they’d outrebounded an opponent all season.
“They just simply kicked our butts on the boards,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They were more focused and energetic.”
Making his first start of the season, Terry did what he wanted, often turning Bruce Bowen — or whoever else the Spurs threw into his path — into a traffic cone.
His 3-point play with 2:02 to go in the first half, on which he weaved past three Spurs before finishing with a layup and drawing a foul on Matt Bonner — gave Dallas a 15-point lead.
Down by as many as 23 in the third, the Spurs put together a modest comeback, keyed by a rookie. With 9:35 left in the game, George Hill swished a floater over DeSagana Diop for his first NBA field goal, pulling the Spurs within nine.
Moments later, Hill hit a couple of free throws to carve the Spurs’ deficit to 80-73. He finished with 11 points in his NBA debut.
From there, Nowitzki took over. In the ensuing 11-2 run that would seal the game for Dallas, Nowitzki had nine points — one more than he scored in 32 minutes the night before.
“It’s the NBA,” Mason said afterward, “and it was one of those nights.”
The trouble for the Spurs is that they’ve had three of those nights, and here is where they are hoping history stops repeating itself.
The Spurs opened that history-making 1973-74 season at 0-4. They will aim to avoid the same fate tonight, when they play at Minnesota.
Whatever happens, Mason knows his new team eventually will wiggle its way into the win column, more often than not. After all, he’s heard rumors they do that around here.
“These guys are champions, so they know how to bounce back,” Mason said. “I don’t think anybody’s going crazy yet, but there is a sense of urgency.”