duncan228
04-23-2009, 12:08 PM
'Attack mode' pays off for Parker, Spurs against Mavericks (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Attack_mode_pays_off_for_Parker_Spurs_against_Mave ricks.html)
Miguel A. Castro - Express-News
After losing their opening round game against the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs came back to deliver a blowout against the Mavericks to tie the first round series 1-1.
Their 105-84 defeat of the Mavericks on Monday, April 20, show the Spurs simply can keep their cool.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker scored 38 points and now the series switches to Dallas for Game 3.
“I just wanted to be in attack mode every single play, even if it wasn’t to score,” Parker said. “I wanted to be aggressive at all times.”
Instead of panicking over the loss of Manu Ginobili for the remainder of the season, the Spurs instead responded by rallying to win five of their final six games in the regular season.
The late push was good enough to catapult them from fifth to third in the Western Conference standings, giving them home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“It was a tough season,” Parker said April 15 after the team’s regular-season finale. “There were a lot of ups and downs. At the end of the day, we got the third seed, and that’s what we wanted.”
But as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
Sure, the upside to having the No. 3 seed is that the Spurs won’t have to face a familiar foe, the Los Angeles Lakers, until the conference finals.
That is, of course, if they can get there first.
Losing the first game against the Mavericks didn’t cause any panic.
“That was part of the game plan, to make other guys beat us, and they did,” said Spurs forward Drew Gooden. “You’ve got to reward the Mavs for that.”
Then again, this is a best-of-seven game series and the Spurs have faced this kind of adversity before.
Since Tim Duncan joined the franchise in the 1997-98 season, the Southwest Division champs have lost their first round opener at home four times before going on to win the series.
What should give fans more comfort is that three of those times the Silver and Black went on to win an NBA title.
While Duncan enters the playoffs averaging 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, it is Parker who leads the team in scoring (22.0 per game) and assists (6.9) heading into the postseason.
“It’s been his best year,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of his point guard. “He’s carried us.”
While the duo will be a key in the four-time NBA champions making a deep playoff run, there’s no doubt they could use Ginobili on the floor.
Instead, the guard — who averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 44 games during the regular season — will watch his team fight to get out of the first round as he recovers from his ankle injury on the sidelines.
“At this point, unfortunately, (Ginobili) has nothing to do with this except support off the court, and that type of thing, which he will do,” Popovich said before Game 1.
Miguel A. Castro - Express-News
After losing their opening round game against the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs came back to deliver a blowout against the Mavericks to tie the first round series 1-1.
Their 105-84 defeat of the Mavericks on Monday, April 20, show the Spurs simply can keep their cool.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker scored 38 points and now the series switches to Dallas for Game 3.
“I just wanted to be in attack mode every single play, even if it wasn’t to score,” Parker said. “I wanted to be aggressive at all times.”
Instead of panicking over the loss of Manu Ginobili for the remainder of the season, the Spurs instead responded by rallying to win five of their final six games in the regular season.
The late push was good enough to catapult them from fifth to third in the Western Conference standings, giving them home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
“It was a tough season,” Parker said April 15 after the team’s regular-season finale. “There were a lot of ups and downs. At the end of the day, we got the third seed, and that’s what we wanted.”
But as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
Sure, the upside to having the No. 3 seed is that the Spurs won’t have to face a familiar foe, the Los Angeles Lakers, until the conference finals.
That is, of course, if they can get there first.
Losing the first game against the Mavericks didn’t cause any panic.
“That was part of the game plan, to make other guys beat us, and they did,” said Spurs forward Drew Gooden. “You’ve got to reward the Mavs for that.”
Then again, this is a best-of-seven game series and the Spurs have faced this kind of adversity before.
Since Tim Duncan joined the franchise in the 1997-98 season, the Southwest Division champs have lost their first round opener at home four times before going on to win the series.
What should give fans more comfort is that three of those times the Silver and Black went on to win an NBA title.
While Duncan enters the playoffs averaging 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, it is Parker who leads the team in scoring (22.0 per game) and assists (6.9) heading into the postseason.
“It’s been his best year,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of his point guard. “He’s carried us.”
While the duo will be a key in the four-time NBA champions making a deep playoff run, there’s no doubt they could use Ginobili on the floor.
Instead, the guard — who averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 44 games during the regular season — will watch his team fight to get out of the first round as he recovers from his ankle injury on the sidelines.
“At this point, unfortunately, (Ginobili) has nothing to do with this except support off the court, and that type of thing, which he will do,” Popovich said before Game 1.