Blackjack
11-02-2009, 01:22 AM
Jefferson's breakout is bat-obscured (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Jeffersons_breakout_is_bat-obscured.html)
By Jeff McDonald - Express-News
Poor Richard Jefferson. The Spurs' new small forward finally enjoyed a prime shooting night for his new team — and it was obscured by a bat.
After starting the season 4 of 16 from the field, Jefferson enjoyed a breakout performance in the Spurs' 113-94 victory over Sacramento on Saturday night, hitting 7 of 8 shots en route to a 21-point performance that surpassed what he had scored in the first two games.
Afterward, however, all anybody wanted to talk about was Manu Ginobili's takedown of a wayward bat at the AT&T Center.
For Jefferson, life since the June trade from Milwaukee has been about adjusting — to a new team, a new role and the occasional Ginobili highlight.
“It's a situation where, in the past, you're playing 40 minutes a night, you're getting 20 touches,” Jefferson said. “Here, you don't need a lot of shots. You just need to be efficient. That's something that will take a little getting used to.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has urged Jefferson, a career 17.7 points-per-game scorer, to be more aggressive offensively. Though that part of the adjustment remains a work in progress, Popovich was pleased with what he saw in Jefferson's third outing.
“After 15 or 20 games, he'll feel a lot more comfortable than he does now,” Popovich said. “He'll know what people do, and they'll know what he does, and I'll know how they fit with our players. I thought he was much more aggressive (against Sacramento) and much more decisive with the things he did.”
One place Jefferson's aggression has been noted — the foul line. His 16 attempts tie Ginobili for the team lead in that category.
In praise of D: On the surface, the Spurs' rout of the Kings looked at lot like their season-opening plastering of New Orleans. On second thought, Popovich enjoyed the victory over Sacramento more, because unlike against the Hornets, the Spurs' defense got better as the game progressed.
After giving up 30 points in the third quarter to Sacramento, the Spurs held the Kings without a field goal for the first 41/2 minutes of the fourth. The Kings finished shooting 44.6 percent after flirting with 50.
“We didn't want to end the game being sloppy,” Popovich said. “It was good to see that group continue to execute in the fourth quarter. That was the best part of the game for me, besides Manu's catch.”
Another day of rest: With four full days before Thursday's game at Utah, Popovich gave his team another day off Sunday.
Thanks to the quirky early-season schedule and new practice routine, the Spurs have not had a mandatory workout since the regular season began.
By Jeff McDonald - Express-News
Poor Richard Jefferson. The Spurs' new small forward finally enjoyed a prime shooting night for his new team — and it was obscured by a bat.
After starting the season 4 of 16 from the field, Jefferson enjoyed a breakout performance in the Spurs' 113-94 victory over Sacramento on Saturday night, hitting 7 of 8 shots en route to a 21-point performance that surpassed what he had scored in the first two games.
Afterward, however, all anybody wanted to talk about was Manu Ginobili's takedown of a wayward bat at the AT&T Center.
For Jefferson, life since the June trade from Milwaukee has been about adjusting — to a new team, a new role and the occasional Ginobili highlight.
“It's a situation where, in the past, you're playing 40 minutes a night, you're getting 20 touches,” Jefferson said. “Here, you don't need a lot of shots. You just need to be efficient. That's something that will take a little getting used to.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has urged Jefferson, a career 17.7 points-per-game scorer, to be more aggressive offensively. Though that part of the adjustment remains a work in progress, Popovich was pleased with what he saw in Jefferson's third outing.
“After 15 or 20 games, he'll feel a lot more comfortable than he does now,” Popovich said. “He'll know what people do, and they'll know what he does, and I'll know how they fit with our players. I thought he was much more aggressive (against Sacramento) and much more decisive with the things he did.”
One place Jefferson's aggression has been noted — the foul line. His 16 attempts tie Ginobili for the team lead in that category.
In praise of D: On the surface, the Spurs' rout of the Kings looked at lot like their season-opening plastering of New Orleans. On second thought, Popovich enjoyed the victory over Sacramento more, because unlike against the Hornets, the Spurs' defense got better as the game progressed.
After giving up 30 points in the third quarter to Sacramento, the Spurs held the Kings without a field goal for the first 41/2 minutes of the fourth. The Kings finished shooting 44.6 percent after flirting with 50.
“We didn't want to end the game being sloppy,” Popovich said. “It was good to see that group continue to execute in the fourth quarter. That was the best part of the game for me, besides Manu's catch.”
Another day of rest: With four full days before Thursday's game at Utah, Popovich gave his team another day off Sunday.
Thanks to the quirky early-season schedule and new practice routine, the Spurs have not had a mandatory workout since the regular season began.