duncan228
03-24-2009, 11:40 PM
Warriors make Spurs work for win (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Warriors_make_Spurs_work_for_win.html)
Jeff McDonald
The plan was for Tim Duncan to take it easy. Play him a few minutes in the first half, let the Spurs build a lead against a hapless foe and save his cranky knees for the trip to Atlanta.
There was just one problem with that plan. Somebody forgot to run it by the Warriors.
They forced Duncan back into the game, forced him to expend energy, forced him to give nearly 20 minutes in the second half.
When it was all over Tuesday night, the Spurs had their scoreboard victory – a desperately needed 107-106 win that, of course, went down to the final horn. The Warriors, however, had a moral victory.
“At least we made them play with Duncan,” Golden State coach Don Nelson said. “We forced them to put him back in the game so they had to beat us with their best.”
To get by the pesky Warriors, who hadn’t won in San Antonio since Duncan was at Wake Forest, the Spurs needed every ounce of their All-Star power forward in a back-and-forth fourth quarter.
And then some.
Roger Mason Jr. provided the winning points, sinking the go-ahead 18-footer with 30.9 seconds to go, and the Spurs (46-23) survived more fourth-quarter free throw woes as well a buzzer-beating heave from Monta Ellis.
The triumph ended a two-game losing streak for the Spurs, and stopped their recent run of late-game bad luck. With it, they briefly climbed back into a tie with Houston for the Southwest Division lead – and left the AT&T Center eyeing sole possession depending on the outcome of the Rockets’ late game at Utah.
Before Tuesday, the Spurs had lost three of their last four by a combined eight points, all of them coming down to the buzzer.
“It’s definitely a relief,” said Mason, who had 24 points. “Those last couple of games stunk, and we had nobody to blame but ourselves.”
Tony Parker scored 30 points and handed out 10 assists to help the Spurs break their slide. Duncan, who per Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s plan logged just 4:34 in the first half, added 10 rebounds, made 11 of 13 free throws and took over a key stretch of the fourth quarter.
Still, when Kalenna Azubuike drove for a layup, and put the Warriors ahead 106-105 with 30.9 seconds, the Spurs couldn’t help but recall similar games given away of late.
Mason answered with a jumper. Neither the game nor the bad flashbacks ended there.
Ellis, guarded tightly by Parker, missed a 21-footer with 5.5 seconds left. Kurt Thomas rebounded for the Spurs, was fouled and promptly gave the sold-out home crowd a case of Boston déjà vu.
Aiming at the same basket where five days before the Spurs had gone 0-for-6 from the foul line in the final 2:32 against the Celtics, Thomas clanked both free throws. That gave the Warriors, still down just a point, new life.
Declining to call time out, the Warriors shuffled the ball to Ellis, who had already scored 27 points. However, he could get no closer than 30 feet before launching a prayer.
That heave was too close for the Spurs’ comfort, hitting the back of the rim, slightly off center.
“Well, it’s a win,” Popovich said. “We’re obviously going through a rough patch. We can’t seem to sustain what we’re trying to do offensively.”
In the end, Golden State (25-45) extended its rough decade in San Antonio, losing for the 21st consecutive time here.
At least the Warriors made the Spurs work harder and longer than they wanted to. Especially Duncan.
With Duncan ailing, Popovich seemed to have come up with a creative way to rest him. He played Duncan the first 4 ½ minutes of the game, and sat him the rest of the half.
Had the Spurs been able to put away the Warriors early, perhaps Duncan would be fresh enough to play in the second game of a back-to-back tonight in Atlanta.
Instead, the Warriors ripped that plan up and gave the Spurs a new one. Ahead 54-52 at intermission, Golden State kept the game close enough in the second half to keep Duncan in it.
That had to be good enough for the Warriors.
Jeff McDonald
The plan was for Tim Duncan to take it easy. Play him a few minutes in the first half, let the Spurs build a lead against a hapless foe and save his cranky knees for the trip to Atlanta.
There was just one problem with that plan. Somebody forgot to run it by the Warriors.
They forced Duncan back into the game, forced him to expend energy, forced him to give nearly 20 minutes in the second half.
When it was all over Tuesday night, the Spurs had their scoreboard victory – a desperately needed 107-106 win that, of course, went down to the final horn. The Warriors, however, had a moral victory.
“At least we made them play with Duncan,” Golden State coach Don Nelson said. “We forced them to put him back in the game so they had to beat us with their best.”
To get by the pesky Warriors, who hadn’t won in San Antonio since Duncan was at Wake Forest, the Spurs needed every ounce of their All-Star power forward in a back-and-forth fourth quarter.
And then some.
Roger Mason Jr. provided the winning points, sinking the go-ahead 18-footer with 30.9 seconds to go, and the Spurs (46-23) survived more fourth-quarter free throw woes as well a buzzer-beating heave from Monta Ellis.
The triumph ended a two-game losing streak for the Spurs, and stopped their recent run of late-game bad luck. With it, they briefly climbed back into a tie with Houston for the Southwest Division lead – and left the AT&T Center eyeing sole possession depending on the outcome of the Rockets’ late game at Utah.
Before Tuesday, the Spurs had lost three of their last four by a combined eight points, all of them coming down to the buzzer.
“It’s definitely a relief,” said Mason, who had 24 points. “Those last couple of games stunk, and we had nobody to blame but ourselves.”
Tony Parker scored 30 points and handed out 10 assists to help the Spurs break their slide. Duncan, who per Spurs coach Gregg Popovich’s plan logged just 4:34 in the first half, added 10 rebounds, made 11 of 13 free throws and took over a key stretch of the fourth quarter.
Still, when Kalenna Azubuike drove for a layup, and put the Warriors ahead 106-105 with 30.9 seconds, the Spurs couldn’t help but recall similar games given away of late.
Mason answered with a jumper. Neither the game nor the bad flashbacks ended there.
Ellis, guarded tightly by Parker, missed a 21-footer with 5.5 seconds left. Kurt Thomas rebounded for the Spurs, was fouled and promptly gave the sold-out home crowd a case of Boston déjà vu.
Aiming at the same basket where five days before the Spurs had gone 0-for-6 from the foul line in the final 2:32 against the Celtics, Thomas clanked both free throws. That gave the Warriors, still down just a point, new life.
Declining to call time out, the Warriors shuffled the ball to Ellis, who had already scored 27 points. However, he could get no closer than 30 feet before launching a prayer.
That heave was too close for the Spurs’ comfort, hitting the back of the rim, slightly off center.
“Well, it’s a win,” Popovich said. “We’re obviously going through a rough patch. We can’t seem to sustain what we’re trying to do offensively.”
In the end, Golden State (25-45) extended its rough decade in San Antonio, losing for the 21st consecutive time here.
At least the Warriors made the Spurs work harder and longer than they wanted to. Especially Duncan.
With Duncan ailing, Popovich seemed to have come up with a creative way to rest him. He played Duncan the first 4 ½ minutes of the game, and sat him the rest of the half.
Had the Spurs been able to put away the Warriors early, perhaps Duncan would be fresh enough to play in the second game of a back-to-back tonight in Atlanta.
Instead, the Warriors ripped that plan up and gave the Spurs a new one. Ahead 54-52 at intermission, Golden State kept the game close enough in the second half to keep Duncan in it.
That had to be good enough for the Warriors.