duncan228
01-27-2009, 01:03 AM
Ailing Jazz's sour notes could soothe Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Ailing_Jazzs_sour_notes_could_soothe_Spurs.html)
Mike Monroe
SALT LAKE CITY — This is the place where the Spurs actually won a game in a relatively recent Western Conference finals.
Leaving Los Angeles after a loss that had Manu Ginobili questioning their collective will, the Spurs landed here Monday to prepare for tonight's game against a Jazz team with the same core elements as the outfit they defeated at Energy Solutions Arena on May 28, 2007, on their way to the NBA title.
Given their two-plus years of hardwood heartache on the Lakers' home court, including the three losses in last year's Western finals that ended their quest to defend their 2007 NBA championship, the change of venue alone ought to help their mind-set.
Playing a team missing two of its key contributors also may help restore the Spurs' confidence after a 99-85 loss on Sunday afternoon. That result left them six games behind the Lakers in what seems much less a race for the top Western Conference seed as a scramble for positioning behind them.
“Obviously, they're out in the front and they're the best team in the West right now,” All-Star forward Tim Duncan said after Sunday's game in L.A., where the Spurs stayed before flying to Utah. “I don't know if anyone is going to be able to catch them. Bottom line is that everyone else is jockeying for position, so we'll continue to work in that respect, and however it ends, it ends.”
The Jazz are far more concerned with merely qualifying for a playoff berth than jockeying for position behind the Lakers. With All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer having missed 33 games, and not expected back until after the All-Star break in mid-February, the Jazz find themselves ninth in the West. A three-game losing streak has left them just five games over .500 at 25-20.
The Spurs, meanwhile, cling to their belief that an opponent's problems, or lack thereof, are immaterial. It always is about how they manage to adhere to the principles that produce their own version of success.
Catching the Lakers?
That is about being the best Spurs they can be, too.
“Anything is possible,” said forward Michael Finley after Sunday's loss. “(The Lakers) are playing great ball so far this year, but it's an 82-game season. We just have to worry about what we can do, and not worry about the Lakers and their record.”
What the Spurs didn't do to their satisfaction on Sunday was follow a defensive game plan designed around double-teaming the post, while rotating to dangerous perimeter shooters.
After limiting their previous four opponents to 40.2 percent shooting, the Spurs gave up 46.4 to the Lakers, who got too many open looks out of double-teams.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been looking for consistency of effort and execution before declaring his team on a track towards defensive excellence, but he understands there will be occasional slippage.
“It's a long journey,” Popovich said. “It's easy to say that, but it's true, especially when you've been there quite often. A lot of our guys have heard it for a lot of years. They get pounded about defense, defense. So for people to seem a little bit laissez-faire about it at certain points in the season would seem to be a little natural. So I have to pick my spots, when I should jump on them, or when I should let it ride.”
Popovich also understands the grind of 82 games better than most. Ginobili didn't like that the Spurs seemed to “call it a day” after the Lakers took a double-digit lead early in the third quarter, but Popovich took advantage of the big deficit to get some rest for key players. Both Duncan and Tony Parker sat on the bench through the entire fourth period.
“It's a long season,” Popovich said afterwards. “We weren't going to win that game at that point.”
No Spurs player saw more than 29 minutes, 14 seconds on the court Sunday.
Mike Monroe
SALT LAKE CITY — This is the place where the Spurs actually won a game in a relatively recent Western Conference finals.
Leaving Los Angeles after a loss that had Manu Ginobili questioning their collective will, the Spurs landed here Monday to prepare for tonight's game against a Jazz team with the same core elements as the outfit they defeated at Energy Solutions Arena on May 28, 2007, on their way to the NBA title.
Given their two-plus years of hardwood heartache on the Lakers' home court, including the three losses in last year's Western finals that ended their quest to defend their 2007 NBA championship, the change of venue alone ought to help their mind-set.
Playing a team missing two of its key contributors also may help restore the Spurs' confidence after a 99-85 loss on Sunday afternoon. That result left them six games behind the Lakers in what seems much less a race for the top Western Conference seed as a scramble for positioning behind them.
“Obviously, they're out in the front and they're the best team in the West right now,” All-Star forward Tim Duncan said after Sunday's game in L.A., where the Spurs stayed before flying to Utah. “I don't know if anyone is going to be able to catch them. Bottom line is that everyone else is jockeying for position, so we'll continue to work in that respect, and however it ends, it ends.”
The Jazz are far more concerned with merely qualifying for a playoff berth than jockeying for position behind the Lakers. With All-Star power forward Carlos Boozer having missed 33 games, and not expected back until after the All-Star break in mid-February, the Jazz find themselves ninth in the West. A three-game losing streak has left them just five games over .500 at 25-20.
The Spurs, meanwhile, cling to their belief that an opponent's problems, or lack thereof, are immaterial. It always is about how they manage to adhere to the principles that produce their own version of success.
Catching the Lakers?
That is about being the best Spurs they can be, too.
“Anything is possible,” said forward Michael Finley after Sunday's loss. “(The Lakers) are playing great ball so far this year, but it's an 82-game season. We just have to worry about what we can do, and not worry about the Lakers and their record.”
What the Spurs didn't do to their satisfaction on Sunday was follow a defensive game plan designed around double-teaming the post, while rotating to dangerous perimeter shooters.
After limiting their previous four opponents to 40.2 percent shooting, the Spurs gave up 46.4 to the Lakers, who got too many open looks out of double-teams.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been looking for consistency of effort and execution before declaring his team on a track towards defensive excellence, but he understands there will be occasional slippage.
“It's a long journey,” Popovich said. “It's easy to say that, but it's true, especially when you've been there quite often. A lot of our guys have heard it for a lot of years. They get pounded about defense, defense. So for people to seem a little bit laissez-faire about it at certain points in the season would seem to be a little natural. So I have to pick my spots, when I should jump on them, or when I should let it ride.”
Popovich also understands the grind of 82 games better than most. Ginobili didn't like that the Spurs seemed to “call it a day” after the Lakers took a double-digit lead early in the third quarter, but Popovich took advantage of the big deficit to get some rest for key players. Both Duncan and Tony Parker sat on the bench through the entire fourth period.
“It's a long season,” Popovich said afterwards. “We weren't going to win that game at that point.”
No Spurs player saw more than 29 minutes, 14 seconds on the court Sunday.