Game Blog: 12/23/08 - Spurs vs. Timberwolves

[timtonymanu]

is Joe Crawford reffing tonight? the T-wolves get all the damn calls.

[Spurs Brazil]

Duncan hacked.

And the stupid ref give the ball to Wolves

[boutons_]

Spurs 4 -13 in 4th qtr, game at risk, starters back in to salvage

[Johnny RIngo]

LOL when is Spurs gonna learn to put away crappy teams away for once.

This is like the 4th time they let the T wolves back in it.

It's not just the crappy teams. Spurs seem to do this against just about everyone. Despite all the championship experience, Spurs have a nasty habit of choking away big leads.

[Brazil]

Not doing that great with them.

at least we stop the bleeding

[Spurs Brazil]

Tp!!!!!!!

[timtonymanu]

thank you Tony!

[Reck]

Tony Parker saves us again.

[Austin_Toros]

i cant stand it when mike fin misses open jumpers

[timtonymanu]

god take out Finley!

[Spurs Brazil]

Fuck, Manu hurt

[timtonymanu]

why does Pop continuously play Finley over Mason?

[Jobbs]

hope Manu is ok

[timtonymanu]

nvm i see Mason's in.

[Spurs Brazil]

Tp!!!!!!

[timtonymanu]

Duncan block

[duncan228]

Duncan nice block!

[pawe]

boom headshot by TD!

[Brazil]

finish this fucking game

[Spurs Brazil]

Td!!!!!!!!!!!

[Reck]

We will not lose to a hack team!

[duncan228]

Big basket by Duncan, nice feed from Parker.

[Ice009]

Great pass from Tony.

[timtonymanu]

good job timmy!

[Brazil]

TD from TP

[pawe]

Tim Duncan - maximum efficiency with minimum effort

[Austin_Toros]

why does Pop continuously play Finley over Mason?

pop needs to play mason more!
i dont know why he doesnt

[Ice009]

What happened to Manu? I didn't see the play. Is he OK?

[xtremesteven33]

i knew something was wrong with Manu.

hopefully its nothing serious.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Only one question - WTF IS FINLEY STILL DOING ON THE FLOOR???

We went to him 4 plays in 5 possessions, he missed them all, and surprise surprise, that's when the Wolves made their run. Why does Pop continue to act like Finley is a prime time player?

If we lose this we deserve to.

Fuck Finley. He should be playing no more than 15 mins, and Mason should get 30+.

[Brazil]

Has Fin made a shot in the second half ? why POP always chosing him over Mase ?

[Spurs Brazil]

Manu is back

[Ice009]

Yeah I know. I thought that after Finley missed a couple of shots Pop should have benched him there and then. I don't know why Pop leaves him out there that long.

[Reck]

Manu go sit your ass down.

WTF stop making does fucking passes on a close game.

[Brazil]

fuck manu fuck

[timtonymanu]

this game is making me nervous

[024]

ginobili comes in and commits a turnover.

[JohnnySixString]

this game is making me nervous


Odd, it's just pissing me off. :bang

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

77-85 Tim Duncan enters the game for Kurt Thomas
9:18 77-85 Michael Finley misses 19-foot jumper
9:18 Kevin Love defensive rebound 77-85
9:04 77-85 George Hill shooting foul (Kevin Love draws the foul)
9:04 Kevin Love misses free throw 1 of 2 77-85
9:04 Minnesota offensive rebound 77-85
9:04 77-85 Tony Parker enters the game for George Hill
9:04 Kevin Love makes free throw 2 of 2 78-85
8:45 78-85 Michael Finley misses 16-foot jumper
8:44 Brian Cardinal defensive rebound 78-85
8:36 78-85 Matt Bonner shooting foul (Sebastian Telfair draws the foul)
8:36 Sebastian Telfair makes free throw 1 of 2 79-85
8:36 Sebastian Telfair makes free throw 2 of 2 80-85
8:11 80-85 Michael Finley misses 25-foot three point jumper

and then he missed another a possession later.

:pctoss

[timtonymanu]

thank you tony!

[Spurs Brazil]

Tp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brazil]

TP is saving our ass tonite

[Ice009]

CLUTCH bucket by TP. Great shot!

[Brazil]

6-9 on the jumpers !!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

So where are all the Parker haters tonight?

[Ice009]

btw that Manu pass was OK. Al Jefferson got a hand on it. I don't know if you can blame Manu for that TO.

[Spurs Brazil]

Spurs doing a bad job on D. Too much fouls.

Wolves 32FTA
Telfair 12FTA. Spurs 20FTA

[Reck]

That was the dagger.

Game over.

[duncan228]

Parker incredible.

[timtonymanu]

Tony Parker!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Juanobili]

Tony the Wolf Killa

[Spurs Brazil]

Tony Parker dagger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Sean conveniently ignoring Finley's 4 misses in 5 possessions earlier this Q

[Southwest Texas Fan]

Somebody mentioned that Manu is hurt. Is there any truth to this.

[Reck]

Tony came through.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Spurs doing a bad job on D. Too much fouls.

Wolves 32FTA
Telfair 12FTA. Spurs 20FTA

Yes, for much of the game.

Last 2 minutes, the D has been excellent.

[fred33]

Eva Longoria Was At The Game??????

[Brazil]

What a great game of TP! maybe some day offs of stupid threads

[anakha]

Eva Longoria Was At The Game??????

Has anyone ever told you your single-minded focus on Eva Longoria is creepy as hell?

[xtremesteven33]

Somebody mentioned that Manu is hurt. Is there any truth to this.



Im assuming something is wrong with him. He doesnt look good.

[Spurs Brazil]

Somebody mentioned that Manu is hurt. Is there any truth to this.

He got out earlier in the 4th because of the ankle but he already back

[duncan228]

Eva Longoria Was At The Game??????

They didn't show her if she was.

[boutons_]

Spur win 2 out of 4 quarters.

[xtremesteven33]

If Parker doesnt make the AllStar team it would be a travesty

[Spurs Brazil]

Spurs don't look happy on the bench

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

What is it about the Wolves? They always seem to make it close some time in the 4th against us.

[timtonymanu]

wtf hill? we're trying to get this game over with. make ur ft's.

[Brazil]

Im assuming something is wrong with him. He doesnt look good.

I agree he doesn't look good but with some chance it's just the recovery process

[Southwest Texas Fan]

What is it about the Wolves? They always seem to make it close some time in the 4th against us.

I was going to mention that. It seems that when we play these guys the score is tight.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Spurs don't look happy on the bench

Nor should they - they made a potential blowout into a close game by letting Finley shoot to much in the 4th quarter.

[Spurs Brazil]

Spurs win 99-93

[Reck]

13 losing streak!

Ownaged.

[timtonymanu]

Spurs win, but disappointing game.

[Brazil]

Spurs don't look happy on the bench

???

[duncan228]

Final: Spurs 99, Timberwolves 93 (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/spursworld/2008/12/game-blog-spurs-vs-timberwolve.html)
By Joe Alexander

Roger Mason Jr. made the first basket of the game and the Spurs led the rest of the way in a 99-93 victory over the Timberwolves.

The Spurs led by as many as 16 points, but the Timberwolves made it close late when the Spurs didn't shoot well in the fourth quarter.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 36 points, including 10 in the last 5:14 of the game.

FOURTH QUARTER

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker have combined for the Spurs' last eight points. They lead 93-88 with 2:16 left.

The Spurs missed 8 of their first 10 shots of the fourth quarter. They are hanging on to an 87-80 lead with 5:53 left.

It looks like Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is trying to rest his key players. Four of the Spurs' five starters began the fourth quarter on the bench. The Timberwolves, however, hit two 3-pointers early in the quarter and the Spurs lead 85-77 with 9:34 left.

THIRD QUARTER

Tony Parker had 11 points and three assists in the third quarter and the Spurs take an 83-67 lead into the final period.

Bruce Bowen still has his shot. He just nailed a 3-pointer and the Spurs lead 77-65.

The Timberwolves cut what had been a 15-point Spurs lead down to one. The Spurs held on to the lead and a Tony Parker basket put them in front 65-60.

Roger Mason Jr. got the Spurs untracked with a 3-pointer with 10:28 left in the third quarter.

The Timberwolves scored the first seven points of the second half. Combined with their late first-half surge, they had a 16-2 run.

SECOND QUARTER

Tony Parker had 15 points and four assists to lead the Spurs to a 48-40 halftime lead. The Timberwolves had a 9-0 run late in the half to keep it close.

Michael Finley, Roger Mason Jr. and Tony Parker have nine points each. The Spurs are scoring methodically and lead 42-31.

Do you remember the Michael Finley who scored tons of points for the Dallas Mavericks about a decade ago. Sometimes Finley still looks like that. Tonight is one of those nights. He hit his first four shots and has nine points. Mostly, he is getting the ball 15 to 18 feet from the basket and hitting fadeaway jumpers. The Spurs lead 39-29.

The Timberwolves had a spurt early in the second quarter, outscoring the Spurs 6-2. After turning the ball over only once the first quarter, the Spurs turned it over twice in the first three minutes of the second quarter.

FIRST QUARTER

The Spurs shot 57 percent the first quarter, turned the ball over only once and rolled to a 30-21 lead at the end of the period.

The Spurs' offense is taking the Timberwolves apart. Tony Parker, Roger Mason, Tim Duncan and Michael Finley all have multiple baskets in the first nine minutes of the game. The Spurs have led by as many as 13 points and are in front 26-17.

The Spurs hit 6 of their first 7 shots. Michael Finley hit a jumper and a 3-pointer and the Spurs were already in front 13-4 when the Timberwolves called a timeout just over four minutes into the game.

[JohnnySixString]

What is it about the Wolves? They always seem to make it close some time in the 4th against us.

I contribute it more to the Spurs' tendency to stop playing more than anything the wolves are doing.

[SpursPreacher]

Its one of those teams the spurs dont match up well against for some reason kinda like years back when they struggled against g-state for no reason.

[Southwest Texas Fan]

I hope manu is okay because we will need him when we play phoenix.

[jemanuel]

What a great game of TP! maybe some day offs of stupid threads


yesssssss!!! now what hate tony....cmonnnn....fakers too...just love them no matter what....always the best 3... timtonymanu... heart and soul of the spurs...as td mentioned once...it's ok as long as either one of them is on the court...:downspin::downspin::downspin:

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I feel sorry for Al Jeff - he's a warrior, but he plays with a bunch of clueless guys.

Foye is not a PG, but he can't shoot 3s either. Telfair has never quite got it. Gomes has regressed since last year. Love looked good to start but has fallen away. And the one good all-court (shooter, passer, rebounder) they have, Mike Miller, is injured and wasn't fitting in well anyway.

Poor Al Jeff.

[bdictjames]

Parker carried us tonight.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I contribute it more to the Spurs' tendency to stop playing more than anything the wolves are doing.

You mean "attribute".

Yeah, I agree, we just go to sleep... and let Finley shoot. I don't care that he had 13 for the game, you do NOT want Finley shooting off the dribble in the 4th Q when you have TP and TD on the floor!

[jemanuel]

Its one of those teams the spurs dont match up well against for some reason kinda like years back when they struggled against g-state for no reason.


the rationale behind KG leaving and moved to Boston...lol....

[T Park]

You mean "attribute".

Yeah, I agree, we just go to sleep... and let Finley shoot. I don't care that he had 13 for the game, you do NOT want Finley shooting off the dribble in the 4th Q when you have TP and TD on the floor!

4-9

yeah hes just horrible.

Finley was the reason they had a lead in the first half.

6 rebounds as well.

[duncan228]

Parker was great, and Duncan quietly did his thing.

19 points on 9-20
12 boards
5 assists
4 blocks
2 steals

1-1 at the line and only 1 TO

[Brazil]

Message to Tony : KEEP SHOOTING !!!! :)

[Brazil]

Parker was great, and Duncan quietly did his thing.

19 points on 9-20
12 boards
5 assists
4 blocks
2 steals

1-1 at the line and only 1 TO

:lol a litle game for Tim! his consistency still amaze me.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

4-9

yeah hes just horrible.

Finley was the reason they had a lead in the first half.

6 rebounds as well.

Fuck T Park, read what I said. I don't mind him contributing during the game, but when he shoots 4/5 possessions in the 4th Q (3 of those times "creating" for himself) when you have TP and TD killing them, he's playing far beyond his boundaries. I posted the play-by-play, go have a look.

Finley (and poor D) was the reason they made a run - he missed shitty, crappy, fucked up shots on 3 straight possessions, and he should know better. Pass the ball to Tim or Tony for fucksake.

Take your eye patch off and see the truth.

[bdictjames]

Parker was great, and Duncan quietly did his thing.

19 points on 9-20
12 boards
5 assists
4 blocks
2 steals

1-1 at the line and only 1 TO

And 0 blocks against. :flag:

[bdictjames]

I think Pop was telling Finley to keep shooting in the fourth. I meant, commanding him to shoot. Much like Bonner in the NO game.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

So, T Park, you think Finley should be the first option during the 4th Q do you? Because that's what I'm talking about. They weren't kickout 3s, or shots with the clock running down, they were bad decisions.

Finley has a role and he should stick to it.

[Spurs Brazil]

I think Pop was telling Finley to keep shooting in the fourth. I meant, commanding him to shoot. Much like Bonner in the NO game.

He had good looks. He just missed

Bruce also took some bad shots and Manu had 2 TOs. I think the whole team got a little sloppy in the 4th

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I think Pop was telling Finley to keep shooting in the fourth. I meant, commanding him to shoot. Much like Bonner in the NO game.

:lol

That's the only credible explanation!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

He had good looks. He just missed

Bruce also took some bad shots and Manu had 2 TOs. I think the whole team got a little sloppy in the 4th

I don't agree. 3 of them were poor - off the dribble.

He's a fine set shooter, and in some cases off the curl, but I do NOT want to see him shooting off the dribble because he sucks at it at this late stage in his career.

[Austin_Toros]

foye has 16 boards!!
and telfair actually did something lol

[benefactor]

Spurs fans and blood pressure problems...a match made in heaven.

On to Phoenix...

[duncan228]

And 0 blocks against. :flag:

Just another night at the office. :)

[HarlemHeat37]

you guys are over-analyzing..we were up by around 15 a few times in the game, and had a double-digit lead for a while..we just fell asleep, which we do often..

[Biggems]

Wouldn't it be fucking awesome if Duncan and Jefferson were our starting front line.

[crc21209]

Hey guys any news on Manu? I was watching the sports segment on WOAI and Don Harris said Manu's same heel he had surgery on was hurting a bit and he was in the back working on it with the trainers after the game. Hope its nothing serious guys. :depressed

[crc21209]

This from ESPN's recap of tonight's game:

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, who missed the first 12 games of the season because of left ankle surgery, limped slightly to the sideline with about four minutes left. But he returned less than two minutes later and played until 15 seconds remained in the game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281223024

[Chieflion]

Wouldn't it be fucking awesome if Duncan and Jefferson were our starting front line.

Ya, when Danny Ainge comes knocking on the door, and starts talking with the front office before the 2007-08 season and asks for Ginobili (instead of Ray Allen, we ask for Al Jefferson, this is something that could have happened.

[jemanuel]

Ya, when Danny Ainge comes knocking on the door, and starts talking with the front office before the 2007-08 season and asks for Ginobili (instead of Ray Allen, we ask for Al Jefferson, this is something that could have happened.

so its justify the fact why ray allen's number is 20, and that's intended for ginobili? btw...i hope manu is ok or else plenty will get anginas for sure...lol

[duncan228]

The winning wall.

http://www.nba.com/media/spurs/wallpaper_081223_1024.jpg

[Manufan909]

Damn highlights didn't show Hills' dunk.

[Obstructed_View]

Damn highlights didn't show Hills' dunk.

NOBODY did. Fox, espn, espn.com, nba.com. Hell, the NBA.com highlights, true to form, craps out in the middle for fear they actually show something "exciting" from the Spurs.

[Spurs Brazil]

Damn highlights didn't show Hills' dunk.

Go to Spurs.com postgame video.

They have the dunk. It's the last thing of the video

[Obstructed_View]

And it wasn't worth the hype.

[T Park]

So, T Park, you think Finley should be the first option during the 4th Q do you? Because that's what I'm talking about. They weren't kickout 3s, or shots with the clock running down, they were bad decisions.

Finley has a role and he should stick to it.

Alot of his shots where against the shot clock.

A couple were wide open shots within the offense.

So now we should have shooters passing up wide open shots cause you don't like them? Not sound offensive strategy.

[T Park]

And it wasn't worth the hype.

Yeah it was a dunk thanks to Ginobili making a great defensive play and pass.

The dunk was ok.

Dunks are overrated.

[mystargtr34]

Its not about dunking for the sake of dunking. Its about being able to get up and finish over long defenders in traffic and draw fouls. Something this Spurs team seriously lacks.