duncan228
03-21-2009, 01:59 AM
Thoughts on a Spurs giveaway (or a Celtics takeaway) (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/03/thoughts-on-a-s.html)
By Jeff McDonald
Random thoughts on the Spurs-Celtics, while wondering if anybody other than Ime Udoka picked Portland State to win a game in the NCAA tournament ...
* Caliber of opponent aside, last night's game paralleled the Spurs' loss at Oklahoma City earlier in the week. Decent-sized second-half lead, frittered away by correctable and/or fluky mistakes late in the game. Most notable: Six consecutive missed foul shots down the stretch. This one hurts, too, given what else happened in the Western Conference on Friday -- Houston, New Orleans, Utah were all winners. The Spurs now lead the division by half a game and are clinging to second place in the West by the same narrow margin.
* Another bad night from 3-point land (4 of 17). It marked the third consecutive game the Spurs had made fewer than 25 percent of their 3-point tries. They lost two of them. Gregg Popovich has always said his team needs to hit its 3-pointers to be championship-caliber. The past three games are a case in point. Still, the Spurs lead the NBA in 3-point shooting at 39.4 percent. You have to think at some point they will revert to their average.
* It might be time to rethink the Roger Mason experiment at backup point guard. Mason is game for whatever Popovich asks him to do, but he doesn't look quite comfortable in that role. Mason had three turnovers against the Celtics, including a critical one that led to a Ray Allen dunk at the quarter horn. Of course, if Mason isn't the backup point, then who? Popovich seems wary of handing the reins to rookie George Hill in the postseason, and Jacque Vaughn hasn't played meaningful minutes since November. The answer might be a guy currently sporting a sports coat -- Manu Ginobili.
* Speaking of Manu ... talked to him very briefly in the locker room before the game. That in itself was a tad surprising. Usually, the walking wounded hide out in the training room during pre-game media availability. Anyway, Ginobili says he has experienced no unexpected pain in his sore ankle since returning to practice and plans to petition Popovich to let him do more. Popovich maintains it will be about a week before he begins to consider the possibility of inserting Ginobili into a game.
* Kendrick Perkins is a talkative soul. He spent a good portion of the game yapping at Tim Duncan. With the way he was playing volleyball with Duncan's shots, maybe he had a right . After one such swat, Perkins whirled to the Boston bench and crossed his arms to signal an "X." Whatever that means. Not sure when Perkins became so loquacious. Some believe Kevin Garnett -- the league's king of trash talk -- has rubbed off on him. "He didn't used to be that way until he got with KG," one Spurs player told me.
By Jeff McDonald
Random thoughts on the Spurs-Celtics, while wondering if anybody other than Ime Udoka picked Portland State to win a game in the NCAA tournament ...
* Caliber of opponent aside, last night's game paralleled the Spurs' loss at Oklahoma City earlier in the week. Decent-sized second-half lead, frittered away by correctable and/or fluky mistakes late in the game. Most notable: Six consecutive missed foul shots down the stretch. This one hurts, too, given what else happened in the Western Conference on Friday -- Houston, New Orleans, Utah were all winners. The Spurs now lead the division by half a game and are clinging to second place in the West by the same narrow margin.
* Another bad night from 3-point land (4 of 17). It marked the third consecutive game the Spurs had made fewer than 25 percent of their 3-point tries. They lost two of them. Gregg Popovich has always said his team needs to hit its 3-pointers to be championship-caliber. The past three games are a case in point. Still, the Spurs lead the NBA in 3-point shooting at 39.4 percent. You have to think at some point they will revert to their average.
* It might be time to rethink the Roger Mason experiment at backup point guard. Mason is game for whatever Popovich asks him to do, but he doesn't look quite comfortable in that role. Mason had three turnovers against the Celtics, including a critical one that led to a Ray Allen dunk at the quarter horn. Of course, if Mason isn't the backup point, then who? Popovich seems wary of handing the reins to rookie George Hill in the postseason, and Jacque Vaughn hasn't played meaningful minutes since November. The answer might be a guy currently sporting a sports coat -- Manu Ginobili.
* Speaking of Manu ... talked to him very briefly in the locker room before the game. That in itself was a tad surprising. Usually, the walking wounded hide out in the training room during pre-game media availability. Anyway, Ginobili says he has experienced no unexpected pain in his sore ankle since returning to practice and plans to petition Popovich to let him do more. Popovich maintains it will be about a week before he begins to consider the possibility of inserting Ginobili into a game.
* Kendrick Perkins is a talkative soul. He spent a good portion of the game yapping at Tim Duncan. With the way he was playing volleyball with Duncan's shots, maybe he had a right . After one such swat, Perkins whirled to the Boston bench and crossed his arms to signal an "X." Whatever that means. Not sure when Perkins became so loquacious. Some believe Kevin Garnett -- the league's king of trash talk -- has rubbed off on him. "He didn't used to be that way until he got with KG," one Spurs player told me.