milkyway21
03-10-2005, 01:41 AM
...:wtf. YOU LOST TO THE SPURS TWICE THIS SEASON(& ALMOST TONIGHT),YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL THEM CHICKENS
Phoenix ties top mark as Duncan and Ginobili watch
Web Posted: 03/10/2005 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
PHOENIX — Robert Sarver, millionaire banker and Phoenix Suns rookie owner, apparently also knows his way around a barnyard. As the Spurs took the floor for Wednesday's tip, Sarver flapped his arms and shouted, "Chickens!"
Sarver looked at Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, both dressed casually in jeans instead of their usual game-night attire, and tried to wave them onto the court. The Spurs shrugged. If the Suns are going to beat them at full strength, they'll have to wait until the playoffs.
Phoenix delivered a 107-101 victory in front of the sellout crowd of 18,422, but the Spurs didn't walk out of America West Arena with their heads down. Though coach Gregg Popovich elected to rest his two All-Stars while Suns forward Amare Stoudemire scored 44 points, the team put up a considerable fight.
"Just because Timmy and Manu aren't playing that doesn't mean we can't compete," said Tony Parker, who scored a season-high 30 points. "I'm not even surprised it was close."
The Suns' victory in the teams' third and final regular-season meeting moves them into a tie with the Spurs for the NBA's best record at 47-14. The Spurs had clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker by winning the first two games.
Popovich didn't want to play Duncan on back-to-back nights after he sprained his right ankle Sunday. Ginobili, Popovich said, needed rest because of nagging hip, shoulder and groin injuries, the latter of which surfaced after Tuesday's victory over New Jersey.
"It's obviously not great timing because of who we're playing, but that's got to be secondary to the big picture," Popovich said before the game. "Without (Duncan) and Manu being whole come playoff time, we should plan a summer vacation real quickly."
Perhaps not that quickly. The Spurs trailed by as many as 15 in the first half before clawing back to tie at 66-66 with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Using a small lineup for much of the game — Devin Brown and Bruce Bowen began the second half as the two forwards — the Spurs were still within three points with a little more than three minutes to play. Tony Massenburg and Parker missed point-blank shots in the closing minutes, and the Suns were able to corral a loose rebound that led to a wide-open dunk for Stoudemire with 1:19 remaining.
"I thought the guys gave a great effort and competed hard and played to win," Popovich said. "I thought they did a good job."
The absence of Duncan and Ginobili, who scored 48 points in the teams' previous visit here, left the Spurs with 10 players in uniform, though Popovich had no intention of playing center Nazr Mohammed, who missed his fourth game because of a strained groin.
While Duncan lobbied unsuccessfully to play, Ginobili said he knew for much of the past week he would have to miss at least one game because of his mounting injuries and fatigue.
"The last (game) was really hard to get my body going," Ginobili said. "We have to think more about the future than today."
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni also has expressed concerns about preserving his team's health, particularly that of Steve Nash, who has been nursing a tender hamstring. The Suns lost a starter midway through the first quarter when Quentin Richardson suffered a mild concussion after Brent Barry knocked him to the ground driving to the basket.
Still, the Suns had hoped to face the Spurs at full strength because it would provide a good measure of their progress. Afterward, they weren't quite sure what to think.
"We wanted their big guns out there," Suns forward Shawn Marion said. "It takes a little momentum (from) you when they're not playing, but at the same time we went out and got the win and that's all that matters."
Barry (37), Brown (37) and Mike Wilks (20) all logged their most minutes of the season. Parker scored all of his points in the first three quarters before fatigue caught up to him.
"Me, personally, I ran out of gas in the fourth quarter," Parker said. "I had no legs."
The Spurs thought they learned something in the loss.
"It lets us know we can trust in the system to keep us in ballgames," Barry said. "If we defend properly and make an effort to do the things we're supposed to do, we can play with anybody."
...WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE PLAYOFFS!
Phoenix ties top mark as Duncan and Ginobili watch
Web Posted: 03/10/2005 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
PHOENIX — Robert Sarver, millionaire banker and Phoenix Suns rookie owner, apparently also knows his way around a barnyard. As the Spurs took the floor for Wednesday's tip, Sarver flapped his arms and shouted, "Chickens!"
Sarver looked at Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, both dressed casually in jeans instead of their usual game-night attire, and tried to wave them onto the court. The Spurs shrugged. If the Suns are going to beat them at full strength, they'll have to wait until the playoffs.
Phoenix delivered a 107-101 victory in front of the sellout crowd of 18,422, but the Spurs didn't walk out of America West Arena with their heads down. Though coach Gregg Popovich elected to rest his two All-Stars while Suns forward Amare Stoudemire scored 44 points, the team put up a considerable fight.
"Just because Timmy and Manu aren't playing that doesn't mean we can't compete," said Tony Parker, who scored a season-high 30 points. "I'm not even surprised it was close."
The Suns' victory in the teams' third and final regular-season meeting moves them into a tie with the Spurs for the NBA's best record at 47-14. The Spurs had clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker by winning the first two games.
Popovich didn't want to play Duncan on back-to-back nights after he sprained his right ankle Sunday. Ginobili, Popovich said, needed rest because of nagging hip, shoulder and groin injuries, the latter of which surfaced after Tuesday's victory over New Jersey.
"It's obviously not great timing because of who we're playing, but that's got to be secondary to the big picture," Popovich said before the game. "Without (Duncan) and Manu being whole come playoff time, we should plan a summer vacation real quickly."
Perhaps not that quickly. The Spurs trailed by as many as 15 in the first half before clawing back to tie at 66-66 with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Using a small lineup for much of the game — Devin Brown and Bruce Bowen began the second half as the two forwards — the Spurs were still within three points with a little more than three minutes to play. Tony Massenburg and Parker missed point-blank shots in the closing minutes, and the Suns were able to corral a loose rebound that led to a wide-open dunk for Stoudemire with 1:19 remaining.
"I thought the guys gave a great effort and competed hard and played to win," Popovich said. "I thought they did a good job."
The absence of Duncan and Ginobili, who scored 48 points in the teams' previous visit here, left the Spurs with 10 players in uniform, though Popovich had no intention of playing center Nazr Mohammed, who missed his fourth game because of a strained groin.
While Duncan lobbied unsuccessfully to play, Ginobili said he knew for much of the past week he would have to miss at least one game because of his mounting injuries and fatigue.
"The last (game) was really hard to get my body going," Ginobili said. "We have to think more about the future than today."
Suns coach Mike D'Antoni also has expressed concerns about preserving his team's health, particularly that of Steve Nash, who has been nursing a tender hamstring. The Suns lost a starter midway through the first quarter when Quentin Richardson suffered a mild concussion after Brent Barry knocked him to the ground driving to the basket.
Still, the Suns had hoped to face the Spurs at full strength because it would provide a good measure of their progress. Afterward, they weren't quite sure what to think.
"We wanted their big guns out there," Suns forward Shawn Marion said. "It takes a little momentum (from) you when they're not playing, but at the same time we went out and got the win and that's all that matters."
Barry (37), Brown (37) and Mike Wilks (20) all logged their most minutes of the season. Parker scored all of his points in the first three quarters before fatigue caught up to him.
"Me, personally, I ran out of gas in the fourth quarter," Parker said. "I had no legs."
The Spurs thought they learned something in the loss.
"It lets us know we can trust in the system to keep us in ballgames," Barry said. "If we defend properly and make an effort to do the things we're supposed to do, we can play with anybody."
...WE'LL SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE PLAYOFFS!