duncan228
02-24-2009, 11:57 PM
I'll update this if they do.
Edit: Updated below.
Parker's plenty for Spurs in win (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Parkers_plenty_for_Spurs_in_win.html)
Jeff McDonald
No Tim Duncan. No Manu Ginobili. No problem for the Spurs.
Tony Parker — the only star left for the Spurs — had 37 points and 12 assists to lift the Spurs to a resounding 93-76 victory over the stunned Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center.
Parker had 18 of his points in the first quarter, as the Spurs pulled out to a 32-19 lead and never looked back.
Ginobili missed his fourth consecutive game with a stress reaction in his right ankle. Duncan, meanwhile, was a late scratch after experiencing pain in his right knee during warmups.
Turns out, the Spurs were able to win Tuesday with a Big One and his supporting cast.
In lieu of Duncan, the Spurs got productive nights out of the rest of their big men. Kurt Thomas, who drew the start in Duncan's slot, had 10 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Matt Bonner scored 11 points, and Fabricio Oberto added six.
Michael Finley had 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Spurs.
Bonner was instrumental in limiting Dirk Nowitzki to just 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting, but he had help. The Spurs double-teamed and bullied Nowitzki all night.
Josh Howard had 19 points to lead Dallas, but was 5 of 17 from the field. This was a theme for the Mavericks.
Wilting in the face of the Spurs' physical defense, Dallas shot just 34.2 percent.
When things got especially dicey for the Spurs in the fourth quarter, it was a former Mav who pulled them through.
Finley hit three 3-pointers in a two-minute span to put the Spurs ahead by 16 points with 7:42 to play.
With Duncan and Ginobili out, Oberto received plenty of playing time off the bench. The big man played 25 minutes, 28 seconds and had five rebounds.
Updated:
Parker's plenty for Spurs in win
Jeff McDonald
Manu Ginobili sat behind the Spurs bench in a black blazer. Tim Duncan remained behind the scenes, ostensibly because blazers have never fit his fashion sense.
The Spurs’ Big Three was reduced to a Big One on Tuesday night at the AT&T Center.
When that Big One is Tony Parker in the midst of a Minnesota flashback, it is more than enough.
Parker, the Spurs’ last star standing after Duncan sat out with a sore right knee, tossed in 37 points, doled out 12 assists and generally carried his team to a stunning 93-76 victory over Dallas.
“I love these opportunities,” Parker said. “I’m not saying I want to play every game like that. But if it’s one or two games, you show what you can do.”
At home for the first time since Jan. 31, the shorthanded Spurs (38-17) needed everything Parker could muster.
Ginobili missed his fourth straight game with a stress reaction in his right ankle. Duncan began experiencing pain in his right knee after warmups and was a late scratch as well. His status for tonight’s game against Portland is uncertain.
That left it to Parker to somehow find a way to beat the Spurs’ Interstate 35 rivals.
Parker, who had been in a shooting funk since the All-Star break, got started early. He made nine of his first 10 shots for 18 points in the first quarter, as the Spurs raced to a 32-19 lead.
From his spot on the sidelines, George Hill, Parker’s backup, sensed he had seen all this before.
“I thought it was going to be a 55-point night again, I honestly did,” Hill said. “Because the way he started was the exact same way he started at Minnesota.”
Parker eventually cooled off, finishing 15 of 32 and battling leg cramps in the fourth quarter. Still, he ended with his highest point total since Nov. 5 in Minnesota, when he pumped in a career-best 55 points in the Spurs’ double-overtime victory.
“Our mind-set was to put the ball in Tony’s hands,” Kurt Thomas said, “and let him do his thing.”
The Spurs also got big nights from three big men charged with producing some semblance of Duncan’s production.
Thomas, starting in place of the Spurs’ 11-time All-Star, had 10 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Matt Bonner chipped in 11 points. Fabricio Oberto, in his longest stint since Nov. 16, added six points and five rebounds.
Michael Finley added 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in a two-minute span of the fourth quarter to help the Spurs put the game away.
The Spurs blitzed and battered Dirk Nowitzki, bullying him into a 5-of-15 night.
Josh Howard led Dallas with 19 points, but made just 5 of 17 shots. This would be a theme for the Mavericks, who shot 34.2 percent from the field and made just 3 of 19 3-point tries.
“Overall, team defense is what allowed us to have an opportunity to win,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Parker played his part, too.
Popovich called his All-Star point guard a “super stud” Tuesday night. Rick Carlisle, Popovich’s counterpart in Dallas, might as well have called Parker his worst nightmare.
The Mavericks (33-23) scrambled to find an answer for Parker’s speed-racer drives, to no avail.
“We tried many different things against him,” Carlisle said. “Including throwing the kitchen sink at him.”
Among Parker’s many skills, add one more: The ability to dodge flying faucets.
If a kitchen sink couldn’t stop Parker, the triumvirate of Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea and Howard stood no chance.
Later, Carlisle called it “42 minutes of an ass kicking,” leading one to wonder which six his team actually bothered to show up for. Most of the time, it was Parker’s foot administering the beating.
“We really just let one guy kill us,” Nowitzki said.
It was a stirring victory, but the Spurs don’t want to live this way. They would rather see Duncan and Ginobili in uniform than in blazers.
“Everybody knows without Tim we’re not going to win a championship,” Parker said. “But for one game we can win.”
Edit: Updated below.
Parker's plenty for Spurs in win (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Parkers_plenty_for_Spurs_in_win.html)
Jeff McDonald
No Tim Duncan. No Manu Ginobili. No problem for the Spurs.
Tony Parker — the only star left for the Spurs — had 37 points and 12 assists to lift the Spurs to a resounding 93-76 victory over the stunned Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center.
Parker had 18 of his points in the first quarter, as the Spurs pulled out to a 32-19 lead and never looked back.
Ginobili missed his fourth consecutive game with a stress reaction in his right ankle. Duncan, meanwhile, was a late scratch after experiencing pain in his right knee during warmups.
Turns out, the Spurs were able to win Tuesday with a Big One and his supporting cast.
In lieu of Duncan, the Spurs got productive nights out of the rest of their big men. Kurt Thomas, who drew the start in Duncan's slot, had 10 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Matt Bonner scored 11 points, and Fabricio Oberto added six.
Michael Finley had 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Spurs.
Bonner was instrumental in limiting Dirk Nowitzki to just 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting, but he had help. The Spurs double-teamed and bullied Nowitzki all night.
Josh Howard had 19 points to lead Dallas, but was 5 of 17 from the field. This was a theme for the Mavericks.
Wilting in the face of the Spurs' physical defense, Dallas shot just 34.2 percent.
When things got especially dicey for the Spurs in the fourth quarter, it was a former Mav who pulled them through.
Finley hit three 3-pointers in a two-minute span to put the Spurs ahead by 16 points with 7:42 to play.
With Duncan and Ginobili out, Oberto received plenty of playing time off the bench. The big man played 25 minutes, 28 seconds and had five rebounds.
Updated:
Parker's plenty for Spurs in win
Jeff McDonald
Manu Ginobili sat behind the Spurs bench in a black blazer. Tim Duncan remained behind the scenes, ostensibly because blazers have never fit his fashion sense.
The Spurs’ Big Three was reduced to a Big One on Tuesday night at the AT&T Center.
When that Big One is Tony Parker in the midst of a Minnesota flashback, it is more than enough.
Parker, the Spurs’ last star standing after Duncan sat out with a sore right knee, tossed in 37 points, doled out 12 assists and generally carried his team to a stunning 93-76 victory over Dallas.
“I love these opportunities,” Parker said. “I’m not saying I want to play every game like that. But if it’s one or two games, you show what you can do.”
At home for the first time since Jan. 31, the shorthanded Spurs (38-17) needed everything Parker could muster.
Ginobili missed his fourth straight game with a stress reaction in his right ankle. Duncan began experiencing pain in his right knee after warmups and was a late scratch as well. His status for tonight’s game against Portland is uncertain.
That left it to Parker to somehow find a way to beat the Spurs’ Interstate 35 rivals.
Parker, who had been in a shooting funk since the All-Star break, got started early. He made nine of his first 10 shots for 18 points in the first quarter, as the Spurs raced to a 32-19 lead.
From his spot on the sidelines, George Hill, Parker’s backup, sensed he had seen all this before.
“I thought it was going to be a 55-point night again, I honestly did,” Hill said. “Because the way he started was the exact same way he started at Minnesota.”
Parker eventually cooled off, finishing 15 of 32 and battling leg cramps in the fourth quarter. Still, he ended with his highest point total since Nov. 5 in Minnesota, when he pumped in a career-best 55 points in the Spurs’ double-overtime victory.
“Our mind-set was to put the ball in Tony’s hands,” Kurt Thomas said, “and let him do his thing.”
The Spurs also got big nights from three big men charged with producing some semblance of Duncan’s production.
Thomas, starting in place of the Spurs’ 11-time All-Star, had 10 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Matt Bonner chipped in 11 points. Fabricio Oberto, in his longest stint since Nov. 16, added six points and five rebounds.
Michael Finley added 16 points, including a trio of 3-pointers in a two-minute span of the fourth quarter to help the Spurs put the game away.
The Spurs blitzed and battered Dirk Nowitzki, bullying him into a 5-of-15 night.
Josh Howard led Dallas with 19 points, but made just 5 of 17 shots. This would be a theme for the Mavericks, who shot 34.2 percent from the field and made just 3 of 19 3-point tries.
“Overall, team defense is what allowed us to have an opportunity to win,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Parker played his part, too.
Popovich called his All-Star point guard a “super stud” Tuesday night. Rick Carlisle, Popovich’s counterpart in Dallas, might as well have called Parker his worst nightmare.
The Mavericks (33-23) scrambled to find an answer for Parker’s speed-racer drives, to no avail.
“We tried many different things against him,” Carlisle said. “Including throwing the kitchen sink at him.”
Among Parker’s many skills, add one more: The ability to dodge flying faucets.
If a kitchen sink couldn’t stop Parker, the triumvirate of Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea and Howard stood no chance.
Later, Carlisle called it “42 minutes of an ass kicking,” leading one to wonder which six his team actually bothered to show up for. Most of the time, it was Parker’s foot administering the beating.
“We really just let one guy kill us,” Nowitzki said.
It was a stirring victory, but the Spurs don’t want to live this way. They would rather see Duncan and Ginobili in uniform than in blazers.
“Everybody knows without Tim we’re not going to win a championship,” Parker said. “But for one game we can win.”