duncan228
11-28-2008, 11:41 PM
Updated version.
Spurs at full power (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_at_full_power.html)
By Mike Monroe
The Spurs are 4-0 with Roger Mason Jr. as their starting point guard, but Mason knows a demotion is coming.
Tony Parker was back in uniform for Friday's 109-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at the AT&T Center. Mason was certain that by the time the Spurs landed in Houston after a postgame flight, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would have Parker's name penciled into his starting lineup for tonight's game against the Rockets.
“Tony is an All-Star,” said Mason, who led the Spurs with 20 points Friday.
Indeed, Parker looked every bit the two-time All-Star and 2007 NBA Finals MVP in his first game action since suffering a grade-two left ankle sprain during a Nov. 7 loss to Miami. In 16:33, Parker scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and added seven assists.
Parker had wanted to play in Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls, but Popovich, always erring on the side of caution, made him wait one more game.
“You know Pop,” Parker said. “He wanted me to be very careful and take my time.”
Popovich made Parker wait until the start of the second quarter against Memphis to take the floor. When he got there, he wasted no time showing his coach there were no lingering effects from the ankle sprain and no rust on his game.
The first time Parker touched the ball, he drove to the middle of the lane, waited for the defense to collapse on him, then pitched the ball out to Matt Bonner, wide open 20 feet from the basket. Bonner drained the uncontested shot.
Parker crossed over on Kyle Lowry on his next trip, but was whistled for charging into Grizzlies rookie Marc Gasol.
After making his first shot of the game, a 20-foot jumper, Parker drove to the rim, but passed to Bonner for a reverse layin.
By the time he finished off a five-possession comeback tour with a perfect bounce pass to a cutting Fabricio Oberto for a layup, the Spurs coaches were looking at one another and suppressing grins.
“Tony did a fine job,” Popovich said. “He really moved the basketball well and made great decisions. His rhythm looked good. He's back.”
Mason was happy, too.
“He's going to get a lot of attention out there, and I love that,” said Mason, who made 4 of 6 3-point attempts. “Put all the attention on Tony and Manu (Ginobili) , and it's great for us — George (Hill) and Fin (Michael Finley) and me. It opens up the floor for everybody.”
Having missed the preseason and the first 12 regular-season games, Manu Ginobili's comeback tour is taking longer to complete, but he was pretty effective in his third game since returning against the Grizzlies on Monday. In fact, Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni must be getting tired of Popovich using his team, which features the NBA's youngest starting five, as lab rats.
On Friday, the Grizzlies almost found their way through the maze. With rookie guard O.J. Mayo scoring 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies were within three points of the Spurs with seven minutes remaining.
Three steals — two by Spurs forward Ime Udoka, one by Hill — turned the momentum back to the Spurs.
“Ime and George both made some steals and hustle plays, some great rotations defensively,” Popovich said. “It was a six or seven-point game, and this is the NBA. Those things can turn sour. But two or three steals right there ended the game, and those two guys were the ones responsible.”
Spurs at full power (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_at_full_power.html)
By Mike Monroe
The Spurs are 4-0 with Roger Mason Jr. as their starting point guard, but Mason knows a demotion is coming.
Tony Parker was back in uniform for Friday's 109-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at the AT&T Center. Mason was certain that by the time the Spurs landed in Houston after a postgame flight, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich would have Parker's name penciled into his starting lineup for tonight's game against the Rockets.
“Tony is an All-Star,” said Mason, who led the Spurs with 20 points Friday.
Indeed, Parker looked every bit the two-time All-Star and 2007 NBA Finals MVP in his first game action since suffering a grade-two left ankle sprain during a Nov. 7 loss to Miami. In 16:33, Parker scored 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and added seven assists.
Parker had wanted to play in Wednesday's game against the Chicago Bulls, but Popovich, always erring on the side of caution, made him wait one more game.
“You know Pop,” Parker said. “He wanted me to be very careful and take my time.”
Popovich made Parker wait until the start of the second quarter against Memphis to take the floor. When he got there, he wasted no time showing his coach there were no lingering effects from the ankle sprain and no rust on his game.
The first time Parker touched the ball, he drove to the middle of the lane, waited for the defense to collapse on him, then pitched the ball out to Matt Bonner, wide open 20 feet from the basket. Bonner drained the uncontested shot.
Parker crossed over on Kyle Lowry on his next trip, but was whistled for charging into Grizzlies rookie Marc Gasol.
After making his first shot of the game, a 20-foot jumper, Parker drove to the rim, but passed to Bonner for a reverse layin.
By the time he finished off a five-possession comeback tour with a perfect bounce pass to a cutting Fabricio Oberto for a layup, the Spurs coaches were looking at one another and suppressing grins.
“Tony did a fine job,” Popovich said. “He really moved the basketball well and made great decisions. His rhythm looked good. He's back.”
Mason was happy, too.
“He's going to get a lot of attention out there, and I love that,” said Mason, who made 4 of 6 3-point attempts. “Put all the attention on Tony and Manu (Ginobili) , and it's great for us — George (Hill) and Fin (Michael Finley) and me. It opens up the floor for everybody.”
Having missed the preseason and the first 12 regular-season games, Manu Ginobili's comeback tour is taking longer to complete, but he was pretty effective in his third game since returning against the Grizzlies on Monday. In fact, Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni must be getting tired of Popovich using his team, which features the NBA's youngest starting five, as lab rats.
On Friday, the Grizzlies almost found their way through the maze. With rookie guard O.J. Mayo scoring 15 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies were within three points of the Spurs with seven minutes remaining.
Three steals — two by Spurs forward Ime Udoka, one by Hill — turned the momentum back to the Spurs.
“Ime and George both made some steals and hustle plays, some great rotations defensively,” Popovich said. “It was a six or seven-point game, and this is the NBA. Those things can turn sour. But two or three steals right there ended the game, and those two guys were the ones responsible.”