duncan228
01-17-2009, 11:24 PM
Spurs poised for strong finish (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_poised_for_strong_finish.html)
Mike Monroe
When the season began 11 weeks ago, the most pessimistic of Spurs fans just hoped to get through the first half of the season with a winning record.
During the summer, Robert Horry retired; Brent Barry jumped ship; Tiago Splitter re-signed with the Spanish League's Tau Ceramica; Manu Ginobili's left ankle required surgery; Corey Maggette told the Spurs they didn't have enough money available; Ian Mahinmi's ascension as the athletic big man capable of giving Tim Duncan some help in the post was sidetracked by a severe ankle sprain; and George Hill's summer-league shooting had Gregg Popovich thinking about sending him to South Ossetia.
And this was before Tony Parker sprained his left ankle so badly in the fourth game of the season that the initial diagnosis predicted he would miss at least one month.
Somehow, by Tuesday night, the Spurs will be at the midpoint of their season with no fewer than 25 victories and at, or near, the top spot in the Southwest Division.
They also will have a lineup that figures to improve significantly in the second half of the season for easily discernable reasons:
- Ginobili's incremental return to being the All-Star caliber player who led the Spurs in scoring just one season ago.
Only recently have we seen the explosion returning to Ginobili's game, and not yet on a sustained basis. As his conditioning returns, it is reasonable to expect him to be the real Ginobili by the final month of the season.
- Roger Mason Jr.'s continuing education in the Spurs' way of doing things at both ends of the court.
The team's key free-agent acquisition has been much better than most anticipated, in part because he has learned the Spurs' complicated defensive scheme more quickly than most newcomers. He admits he has a long way to go before he understands everything.
By the stretch run, he should be much closer to complete knowledge. Plus, he already understands Popovich's dictum that good shooters must take good shots any time they have them.
- The ongoing development of Matt Bonner's comfort level as a member of the starting lineup.
Bonner's self-effacing nature is endearing, but the NBA is all about swagger. The sooner he manifests some bravado, the better off the Spurs will be.
- Hill's understanding of the difference between the college game and NBA play.
Popovich swore on draft night that Hill would immediately make the Spurs better at both ends of the court. He was not wrong. But Hill occasionally seems overmatched, not by individual opponents, but by the circumstances of the game. This is a nitpick, of course, and something the rookie seems equipped to overcome.
That the Spurs' schedule has been less taxing than that of other elites is undeniable. Their victory over the Lakers on Wednesday was their first over a team considered a true title contender.
Their seven home losses are a worry. They have just embarked on the most daunting portion of their schedule, with 17 of 23 on the road.
That's plenty for the pessimists to chew on between now and April. But after half a season, the Spurs' glass, while not exactly brimming, is still way more than half full.
Mike Monroe
When the season began 11 weeks ago, the most pessimistic of Spurs fans just hoped to get through the first half of the season with a winning record.
During the summer, Robert Horry retired; Brent Barry jumped ship; Tiago Splitter re-signed with the Spanish League's Tau Ceramica; Manu Ginobili's left ankle required surgery; Corey Maggette told the Spurs they didn't have enough money available; Ian Mahinmi's ascension as the athletic big man capable of giving Tim Duncan some help in the post was sidetracked by a severe ankle sprain; and George Hill's summer-league shooting had Gregg Popovich thinking about sending him to South Ossetia.
And this was before Tony Parker sprained his left ankle so badly in the fourth game of the season that the initial diagnosis predicted he would miss at least one month.
Somehow, by Tuesday night, the Spurs will be at the midpoint of their season with no fewer than 25 victories and at, or near, the top spot in the Southwest Division.
They also will have a lineup that figures to improve significantly in the second half of the season for easily discernable reasons:
- Ginobili's incremental return to being the All-Star caliber player who led the Spurs in scoring just one season ago.
Only recently have we seen the explosion returning to Ginobili's game, and not yet on a sustained basis. As his conditioning returns, it is reasonable to expect him to be the real Ginobili by the final month of the season.
- Roger Mason Jr.'s continuing education in the Spurs' way of doing things at both ends of the court.
The team's key free-agent acquisition has been much better than most anticipated, in part because he has learned the Spurs' complicated defensive scheme more quickly than most newcomers. He admits he has a long way to go before he understands everything.
By the stretch run, he should be much closer to complete knowledge. Plus, he already understands Popovich's dictum that good shooters must take good shots any time they have them.
- The ongoing development of Matt Bonner's comfort level as a member of the starting lineup.
Bonner's self-effacing nature is endearing, but the NBA is all about swagger. The sooner he manifests some bravado, the better off the Spurs will be.
- Hill's understanding of the difference between the college game and NBA play.
Popovich swore on draft night that Hill would immediately make the Spurs better at both ends of the court. He was not wrong. But Hill occasionally seems overmatched, not by individual opponents, but by the circumstances of the game. This is a nitpick, of course, and something the rookie seems equipped to overcome.
That the Spurs' schedule has been less taxing than that of other elites is undeniable. Their victory over the Lakers on Wednesday was their first over a team considered a true title contender.
Their seven home losses are a worry. They have just embarked on the most daunting portion of their schedule, with 17 of 23 on the road.
That's plenty for the pessimists to chew on between now and April. But after half a season, the Spurs' glass, while not exactly brimming, is still way more than half full.