duncan228
12-14-2008, 11:52 PM
Ginobili's quick move helps Spurs cling to win (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Ginobilis_quick_move_helps_Spurs_cling_to_win.html )
By Jeff McDonald
Manu Ginobili is not a football guy.
He's been an in-season resident of Texas long enough to know its place atop the state's sports culture. He's knows what a touchdown is. He knows, by the pained look on Tim Duncan's face almost every Sunday, that the Chicago Bears are a frustrating team to support.
But Manu Ginobili is not a football guy.
“He's a fútbol guy,” Duncan says of his Argentine teammate.
Yet with the Spurs' path to an eventual 109-104 victory over reeling Oklahoma City getting too close for comfort Sunday night at the AT&T Center, Ginobili made a football play.
He went deep.
Duncan, playing the role of sandlot quarterback, took the ball out of the basket after Kevin Durant's hook shot brought the Thunder within two with 29.5 seconds left, reared back and found a streaking Ginobili on the other end of the court.
Ginobili converted that TD pass into a layup, and drew a foul on the safety he had burned, Desmond Mason. The ensuing point-after free throw gave the Spurs a five-point edge, finally putting a kibosh on the Thunder's spirited second-half charge.
Dissecting the game-sealing play later, Duncan sounded like a quarterback.
“I saw him breaking a little late and just lofted it out there,” Duncan said.
Ginobili, meanwhile, sounded a little like a football guy. Specifically, a wide receiver.
“I was really wide open,” he said.
The victory was the sixth in a row for the Spurs (15-8), who have taken over sole possession of first place in the Southwest Division.
Tony Parker had 22 points, Duncan totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh straight double-double and Matt Bonner matched a season-high with 17 points as the Spurs built a 26-point first-half lead, then nearly lost it in the second.
Before Sunday's game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich warned his team about respecting the opposition, regardless of the Thunder's record (2-22 going on 2-23).
The Spurs responded by making 15 of their first 24 shots, including 7 of their first 10 3-pointers. Had Ginobili not had a toe on the line when firing his jumper to beat the horn, the Spurs would have equaled a franchise record for 3-pointers in a quarter.
The Spurs held a 39-19 lead after the first quarter, but to Popovich, the big early lead was fool's gold.
“It's always the worst gift a team can get,” Popovich said. “This is the NBA, and there's a 24-second clock. Rarely does (a lead) stay like that.”
In the second half, the Thunder flashed the form that, a night earlier, had allowed them to stick around in a 103-99 loss at Dallas.
Jeff Green had 33 points to lead Oklahoma City, while Durant, the former one-year college wonder at Texas, had 28 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Together, they combined to make the Spurs sweat until the final buzzer.
Green's dunk with 1:49 to play brought the Thunder within three. Duncan answered with a 17-foot jumper on one end, and followed with the defensive play of the night on the other.
Durant spun baseline for a shot, but Duncan got a hand on it for his only block, then tight-roped the baseline to keep the ball in play.
“They had been making shots on me all night,” Duncan said. “I finally got a finger on one.”
Parker followed with two free throws, and the Spurs were ahead 106-99 with 37.9 seconds left.
Oklahoma City wasn't done. Green knocked down a 3-pointer, Ginobili missed two free throws, and when Durant wheeled back at Duncan with a left-handed hook, the Thunder were within 106-104.
Then, Ginobili went deep. Duncan threw a Sam Bradford-esque rainbow, which was something the Oklahoma City fans could appreciate.
“I saw everybody close to the bucket, going for the rebound, and I just ran,” Ginobili explained later. “It was a good read by TD.”
After TD had thrown his TD, a long bomb to a fútbol guy, the Spurs had the victory.
By Jeff McDonald
Manu Ginobili is not a football guy.
He's been an in-season resident of Texas long enough to know its place atop the state's sports culture. He's knows what a touchdown is. He knows, by the pained look on Tim Duncan's face almost every Sunday, that the Chicago Bears are a frustrating team to support.
But Manu Ginobili is not a football guy.
“He's a fútbol guy,” Duncan says of his Argentine teammate.
Yet with the Spurs' path to an eventual 109-104 victory over reeling Oklahoma City getting too close for comfort Sunday night at the AT&T Center, Ginobili made a football play.
He went deep.
Duncan, playing the role of sandlot quarterback, took the ball out of the basket after Kevin Durant's hook shot brought the Thunder within two with 29.5 seconds left, reared back and found a streaking Ginobili on the other end of the court.
Ginobili converted that TD pass into a layup, and drew a foul on the safety he had burned, Desmond Mason. The ensuing point-after free throw gave the Spurs a five-point edge, finally putting a kibosh on the Thunder's spirited second-half charge.
Dissecting the game-sealing play later, Duncan sounded like a quarterback.
“I saw him breaking a little late and just lofted it out there,” Duncan said.
Ginobili, meanwhile, sounded a little like a football guy. Specifically, a wide receiver.
“I was really wide open,” he said.
The victory was the sixth in a row for the Spurs (15-8), who have taken over sole possession of first place in the Southwest Division.
Tony Parker had 22 points, Duncan totaled 20 points and 12 rebounds for his seventh straight double-double and Matt Bonner matched a season-high with 17 points as the Spurs built a 26-point first-half lead, then nearly lost it in the second.
Before Sunday's game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich warned his team about respecting the opposition, regardless of the Thunder's record (2-22 going on 2-23).
The Spurs responded by making 15 of their first 24 shots, including 7 of their first 10 3-pointers. Had Ginobili not had a toe on the line when firing his jumper to beat the horn, the Spurs would have equaled a franchise record for 3-pointers in a quarter.
The Spurs held a 39-19 lead after the first quarter, but to Popovich, the big early lead was fool's gold.
“It's always the worst gift a team can get,” Popovich said. “This is the NBA, and there's a 24-second clock. Rarely does (a lead) stay like that.”
In the second half, the Thunder flashed the form that, a night earlier, had allowed them to stick around in a 103-99 loss at Dallas.
Jeff Green had 33 points to lead Oklahoma City, while Durant, the former one-year college wonder at Texas, had 28 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Together, they combined to make the Spurs sweat until the final buzzer.
Green's dunk with 1:49 to play brought the Thunder within three. Duncan answered with a 17-foot jumper on one end, and followed with the defensive play of the night on the other.
Durant spun baseline for a shot, but Duncan got a hand on it for his only block, then tight-roped the baseline to keep the ball in play.
“They had been making shots on me all night,” Duncan said. “I finally got a finger on one.”
Parker followed with two free throws, and the Spurs were ahead 106-99 with 37.9 seconds left.
Oklahoma City wasn't done. Green knocked down a 3-pointer, Ginobili missed two free throws, and when Durant wheeled back at Duncan with a left-handed hook, the Thunder were within 106-104.
Then, Ginobili went deep. Duncan threw a Sam Bradford-esque rainbow, which was something the Oklahoma City fans could appreciate.
“I saw everybody close to the bucket, going for the rebound, and I just ran,” Ginobili explained later. “It was a good read by TD.”
After TD had thrown his TD, a long bomb to a fútbol guy, the Spurs had the victory.