duncan228
12-26-2008, 11:01 PM
Mason a cog in Spurs' machine (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Mason_a_cog_in_Spurs_machine.html)
By Mike Monroe
Just two months into his career with the Spurs, the team's last-tick hero of their Christmas Day victory over the Suns feels fully immersed in the team's ethos.
Roger Mason Jr. answered questions about his buzzer-beating 3-pointer that lifted the Spurs to a 91-90 victory over the Suns for a little more than two minutes Thursday afternoon. Then he watched a dozen reporters scurry off to quiz Tim Duncan as he emerged from a room at the rear of the team's cramped quarters in US Airways Arena.
Mason smiled as he watched the exodus from his locker stall, then talked a little more about gaining a sense of belonging as a Spur. Then, he immediately turned his focus to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at the AT&T Center.
“I'm trying to earn my stripes here,” Mason said after he became an excuse-me afterthought for media types fighting for microphone position around Duncan. “These guys are champions, so it's a tough sell, but anything you can to do contribute to us winning a championship is what I want to do.”
If the Spurs end up with a favorable playoff berth because they have one more win than one of their Western Conference rivals, Mason will know his game-winner was just such an important contribution.
His understanding of the Spurs way of thinking was embodied in his approach to getting focused for another game, against the 10-19 Grizzlies — a team the Spurs already have defeated twice, but already on his mind less than an hour after Thursday's victory.
“It's not going to be hard at all to get ready for that game,” he said. “We've got a good thing going right now. This game was sweet, because it was on Christmas Day and on national TV, but we all know what the ultimate goal is. These guys have been there before, so for all of us it's back to business against Memphis.”
Business for the Spurs this season has included firing up 599 3-point shots in 29 games, and making 39.9 percent of those.
Even after they missed their first six in Phoenix, the Spurs' 3-point shooters kept at it. By game's end, they had made 6 of 17, including Mason's game-winner.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich understands the offensive dynamic that his long-distance shooters can create. His 3-point shooters are so dangerous that defenses dare not leave them unguarded, as the Suns learned when Jason Richardson left Mason to help defend a Tony Parker drive.
His shooters understand their looks from long range are optimized by Parker's penetrations and Duncan's post presence.
For Mason, learning how to position himself to optimize his 3-pointers has been a process.
“Early in the season,” he said, “I didn't know how to play with Tim, so I wasn't getting any 3-point shots from him. Really, when (Parker and Ginobili) were out, I was getting a lot of my shots on my own, using pick and rolls and creating my jump shot.
“Now, I'm starting to figure out Tim and his spots, so I'm getting them from Tim and also from Tony now.”
Matt Bonner — in his third season with the Spurs but his first as a starter — said getting Parker and Ginobili back in top form after their injury troubles has benefited the 3-point game.
“It's a combination of both Tim's presence and Tony's penetrations, and you can't forget Manu. He's a great penetrator, as well. We're starting to figure out how to penetrate and kick, penetrate and kick, and eventually someone is going to be wide open.”
On Thursday, the wide-open someone was Mason.
By Mike Monroe
Just two months into his career with the Spurs, the team's last-tick hero of their Christmas Day victory over the Suns feels fully immersed in the team's ethos.
Roger Mason Jr. answered questions about his buzzer-beating 3-pointer that lifted the Spurs to a 91-90 victory over the Suns for a little more than two minutes Thursday afternoon. Then he watched a dozen reporters scurry off to quiz Tim Duncan as he emerged from a room at the rear of the team's cramped quarters in US Airways Arena.
Mason smiled as he watched the exodus from his locker stall, then talked a little more about gaining a sense of belonging as a Spur. Then, he immediately turned his focus to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at the AT&T Center.
“I'm trying to earn my stripes here,” Mason said after he became an excuse-me afterthought for media types fighting for microphone position around Duncan. “These guys are champions, so it's a tough sell, but anything you can to do contribute to us winning a championship is what I want to do.”
If the Spurs end up with a favorable playoff berth because they have one more win than one of their Western Conference rivals, Mason will know his game-winner was just such an important contribution.
His understanding of the Spurs way of thinking was embodied in his approach to getting focused for another game, against the 10-19 Grizzlies — a team the Spurs already have defeated twice, but already on his mind less than an hour after Thursday's victory.
“It's not going to be hard at all to get ready for that game,” he said. “We've got a good thing going right now. This game was sweet, because it was on Christmas Day and on national TV, but we all know what the ultimate goal is. These guys have been there before, so for all of us it's back to business against Memphis.”
Business for the Spurs this season has included firing up 599 3-point shots in 29 games, and making 39.9 percent of those.
Even after they missed their first six in Phoenix, the Spurs' 3-point shooters kept at it. By game's end, they had made 6 of 17, including Mason's game-winner.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich understands the offensive dynamic that his long-distance shooters can create. His 3-point shooters are so dangerous that defenses dare not leave them unguarded, as the Suns learned when Jason Richardson left Mason to help defend a Tony Parker drive.
His shooters understand their looks from long range are optimized by Parker's penetrations and Duncan's post presence.
For Mason, learning how to position himself to optimize his 3-pointers has been a process.
“Early in the season,” he said, “I didn't know how to play with Tim, so I wasn't getting any 3-point shots from him. Really, when (Parker and Ginobili) were out, I was getting a lot of my shots on my own, using pick and rolls and creating my jump shot.
“Now, I'm starting to figure out Tim and his spots, so I'm getting them from Tim and also from Tony now.”
Matt Bonner — in his third season with the Spurs but his first as a starter — said getting Parker and Ginobili back in top form after their injury troubles has benefited the 3-point game.
“It's a combination of both Tim's presence and Tony's penetrations, and you can't forget Manu. He's a great penetrator, as well. We're starting to figure out how to penetrate and kick, penetrate and kick, and eventually someone is going to be wide open.”
On Thursday, the wide-open someone was Mason.