duncan228
01-15-2009, 01:51 AM
Bonner's clutch pass seals win for Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Bonners_clutch_pass_seals_win_for_Spurs.html)
Mike Monroe
Spurs center Matt Bonner prepared for his Wednesday night starting assignment against the Lakers by watching lots of game film of the Spurs' playoff series against the Lakers last spring.
He did not see himself on the court in the film, and the thought he would play a key role Wednesday night made him nervous, in a good way.
“I got a few butterflies,” he said.
Bonner could not have predicted he would wind up in the most nerve-jangling situation in the game — trigger man on the in-bounds play Spurs coach Gregg Popovich drew up with his team trailing 111-109 with 12 seconds remaining.
Bonner's hard pass to Roger Mason Jr. in the left corner set up Mason's winning shot, and it came but an instant before the five seconds he was allotted expired.
Bonner had to improvise when the Lakers disrupted the play Popovich had drawn up.
“The play was to get Manu the ball at the top,” Bonner said, “and he never got to the top.”
Ginobili said he ran into Mason as he tried to get open, and then discovered no good route to get to the spot where he was supposed to catch Bonner's pass.
“Kobe (Bryant) was with me,” Ginobili said of his attempt to get free. “I think I ran into Roger at the beginning. Then, I saw Kobe going over the top, so I tried to flare, but it was a bad decision, because Matty was guarded, and was not going to risk a full-court pass.”
Bonner said Mason did a good job of finding an open spot in the left corner.
“There wasn't a Plan B,” he said. “Roger made a great catch on a pass I just had to whip it in there as hard as I could.
“I think it caught Derek Fisher a little off-guard too. Roger got in front of him and got the ‘and one.' It was an amazing play.”
In the house: Former Spurs and Lakers star Robert Horry had a seat for Wednesday's game in Spurs general manager R.C. Buford's box in the stands behind the Spurs' bench. “Big Shot Rob” paid a visit to his former teammates in their locker room after the game.
Worth noting: After the Orlando Magic hit an NBA-record 23 3-pointers against the Kings on Tuesday night, Popovich decided his club hadn't done as badly as he thought in its Sunday night loss to the Magic. The Spurs gave up only 14 triples to the Magic.
“All kinds of stuff happens in 82 games,” Popovich said of Orlando's 3-pointer barrage in its victory in Sacramento.
Odom returns: Lakers forward Lamar Odom, who had experienced soreness in his right knee because of a bone bruise, played for the first time in a week in the Lakers' 105-100 victory over the Rockets on Tuesday night. He reported no problems after logging 12:39 on Tuesday.
“It didn't fall off,” he said of his sore knee, “and if it had, I just would have put it back on and played. I'm just like Humpty Dumpty.”
Mike Monroe
Spurs center Matt Bonner prepared for his Wednesday night starting assignment against the Lakers by watching lots of game film of the Spurs' playoff series against the Lakers last spring.
He did not see himself on the court in the film, and the thought he would play a key role Wednesday night made him nervous, in a good way.
“I got a few butterflies,” he said.
Bonner could not have predicted he would wind up in the most nerve-jangling situation in the game — trigger man on the in-bounds play Spurs coach Gregg Popovich drew up with his team trailing 111-109 with 12 seconds remaining.
Bonner's hard pass to Roger Mason Jr. in the left corner set up Mason's winning shot, and it came but an instant before the five seconds he was allotted expired.
Bonner had to improvise when the Lakers disrupted the play Popovich had drawn up.
“The play was to get Manu the ball at the top,” Bonner said, “and he never got to the top.”
Ginobili said he ran into Mason as he tried to get open, and then discovered no good route to get to the spot where he was supposed to catch Bonner's pass.
“Kobe (Bryant) was with me,” Ginobili said of his attempt to get free. “I think I ran into Roger at the beginning. Then, I saw Kobe going over the top, so I tried to flare, but it was a bad decision, because Matty was guarded, and was not going to risk a full-court pass.”
Bonner said Mason did a good job of finding an open spot in the left corner.
“There wasn't a Plan B,” he said. “Roger made a great catch on a pass I just had to whip it in there as hard as I could.
“I think it caught Derek Fisher a little off-guard too. Roger got in front of him and got the ‘and one.' It was an amazing play.”
In the house: Former Spurs and Lakers star Robert Horry had a seat for Wednesday's game in Spurs general manager R.C. Buford's box in the stands behind the Spurs' bench. “Big Shot Rob” paid a visit to his former teammates in their locker room after the game.
Worth noting: After the Orlando Magic hit an NBA-record 23 3-pointers against the Kings on Tuesday night, Popovich decided his club hadn't done as badly as he thought in its Sunday night loss to the Magic. The Spurs gave up only 14 triples to the Magic.
“All kinds of stuff happens in 82 games,” Popovich said of Orlando's 3-pointer barrage in its victory in Sacramento.
Odom returns: Lakers forward Lamar Odom, who had experienced soreness in his right knee because of a bone bruise, played for the first time in a week in the Lakers' 105-100 victory over the Rockets on Tuesday night. He reported no problems after logging 12:39 on Tuesday.
“It didn't fall off,” he said of his sore knee, “and if it had, I just would have put it back on and played. I'm just like Humpty Dumpty.”