Monroe: Blazers Pound Spurs Early

[duncan228]

Edit: Updated article in post #3.

Blazers pound Spurs early (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Blazers_pound_Spurs_early.html)
Mike Monroe

PORTLAND, Ore. — Tim Duncan returned to the Spurs lineup for their game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night at the Rose Garden after missing the previous three games.

There you have the extent of the positive news for the Spurs from a night of complete humiliation.

The Blazers’ domination in their 102-84 victory was so thorough that Duncan got to spend the entire fourth quarter resting the sore knee that had sidelined him all last week.

Because the Spurs have another game tonight, in Los Angeles against the Clippers, the most optimistic of the team’s fans also may deem this good news, but Duncan would have preferred a game that required his presence to the end.

Portland led by as many as 29 in the first half; the Spurs came no closer than 19 in the second.

It was the second straight loss for the Spurs (39-19).

Sunday’s outcome was determined in the first four minutes of the second quarter, when the Blazers extended a 12-point first-period lead to 25 with a 13-0 run. The only question thereafter: Just how large would the final margin be?

Portland’s dominance of the first half was stunning in its totality. After making 14 of their 24 shots in the first quarter while building a 33-21 lead, they made their first five shots of the second quarter.

By the time Duncan went to the line for two free throws with 7:20 left in the period, the Spurs already trailed by 25 points. Duncan made one of two foul shots, the first Spurs point of the period.

By intermission, the Trail Blazers had amassed 64 points, the highest one-half point total of the season against the Spurs.

Their shooting in the second period was even better than in the first period: 11 for 17, 64.7 percent.

[poop]

lol yes, it easy to Pound the spurs early when you use a frontline of Oberto and Bonner to confront a line of explosive young athletic black dudes.

i would have never expected them to rip rebounds from our hands and dunk on our heads lol.

[duncan228]

Updated, quotes.

Blazers roll early, pound Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Blazers_pound_Spurs_early.html)
Mike Monroe

PORTLAND, Ore. — Kurt Thomas has been in the NBA for 14 seasons, but he can’t recall the last time he saw an entire arena execute “the wave” as elegantly as the sellout crowd at The Rose Garden did on Sunday night.

A relic of 1980s and ’90s sporting events, that rolling, section-by-section exercise in self-adulation has been passé in the new millennium.

But so thorough was the Portland Trail Blazers’ 102-84 domination of the Spurs, most of the spectators who hadn’t already opted for a head start out of the parking garages managed to keep the thing going on five round trips.

“I thought we were playing in Europe,” Thomas said. “It was very impressive.”

Spurs captain Tim Duncan had another take on the throwback cheer, which began with 3:40 remaining in what became the Spurs’ second straight loss.

“I think they were bored,” he said.

Sunday’s game lost drama early in the second quarter. Having made 14 of their 24 shots in the first period, when they matched the highest opening-quarter point total of the season against the Spurs, the Blazers made their first five shots of the second.

By the time Duncan went to the foul line for a pair of free throws with 7:20 left in the first half, the Spurs still were waiting for their first points of the period and Portland led by 25.

Former UT star LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 of his game-high 26 points by intermission. He and fellow high scorer Brandon Roy weren’t needed much in the second half. Aldridge played only the first minute-and-a-half of the fourth quarter.

Duncan was playing for the first time in a week, and the effect his return had on his teammates was open for debate. The Spurs had beaten the Blazers in San Antonio on Wednesday without him.

“Maybe, in the back of our minds, we thought that would carry over,” said guard Roger Mason Jr. “We have to realize the Blazers are playing great at home, and they’re going to be amped up for the game.”

Mostly, the Blazers were intent on keeping Tony Parker from replicating his Wednesday night production, when he scored 39 points and handed out nine assists, leading Blazers coach Nate McMillan to compare him to a roadrunner.

“In the game at San Antonio, we didn’t do a good job of protecting the paint, and thus let Tony maneuver at will,” McMillan said. “Tonight, I thought we closed that up.”

Indeed, Parker made only 6 of 15 shots as the Blazers dared him to shoot from the perimeter. On this night, he was 0 for 7 from outside 10 feet, including an airball 3-point attempt.

It wasn’t the Spurs’ 41 percent first-half shooting, or even Portland’s 61 percent first-half shooting, that most annoyed coach Gregg Popovich.

His team’s mental approach to the game left him with a clenched jaw.

“To start the game that way against a team you had beaten pretty good recently was quite disappointing,” he said, “because it shows a possible laissez-faire attitude, in a way.

“I would have expected us to come out knowing we were in for a hell of a battle. I’m not sure we came with the approach, or respect, that we needed.”

Duncan spent the entire fourth quarter on the Spurs’ bench, ice bags already on his knees, watching the wave and ruminating on a mini-comeback that had been a flop.

“Obviously, we didn’t play the way we wanted to,” Duncan said. “We got our butts kicked in just about every facet of the game.

“Whether it be someone’s focus or not, I’m a player. I’m with these guys. There’s no pointing fingers, except at yourself.

“I’ll take the blame for it. I had a terrible night.”

[Marcus Bryant]

Blazers pound Spurs early. Leave a C note on pillow afterwards.

[crc21209]

Blazers came out jacked and ready to play, Spurs were flat and looked as though maybe they felt they had it in the bag already. Sometimes these "kick-in-the-ass" games are good for them. They'll bounce back.

[Ice009]

Tim always takes the blame. This is Tim's team. I can't recall anyone else saying the blame is on themselves much except Tim. Well I am sure Manu and Tony would have said it too.

Everyone else has to step up right now. No time to screw around. We got out asses handed to us and the race in the West is starting to get tighter. Gotta focus every game.

[TDMVPDPOY]

this game was clearly over by half time, yet a certain someone on the blazers team was still in the game padding stats

[Spork KIller]

You suck!

[Mavs<Spurs]

You suck!

Will the Phoenix Suns make the playoffs?

Probably not.


At the Suns very best, the Spurs consistently knocked them out !


Enjoy your one win.

:lmao

[SenorSpur]

The manner in which the Spurs "laid down" and allowed themselves to be beaten was about as stunning as the rout itself.