duncan228
11-20-2009, 12:55 AM
Jazz break through against Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Jazz_break_through_against_Spurs.html)
Jeff McDonald
Over much of the past week, Richard Jefferson has heard enough about how hard the Spurs have been playing.
He's heard enough about how well they have been competing, and how much progress they are making.
After yet another narrow defeat — this one a 90-83 loss Thursday to a Utah team that hadn't won in San Antonio since “Friends” was the hottest show on TV — Jefferson was in no mood to talk about another close-but-no-cigar.
“It's not about competing,” Jefferson said. “It's about winning.”
The loss was the Spurs' third in a row, and the third in a row to come down to the wire.
A night earlier, they lost in overtime in Dallas. Before that, it was a three-point loss at home to Oklahoma City.
Thursday, the Spurs didn't lead for a solitary second of the final three quarters, and twice trailed by 10 points or more, but hung around long enough to have a chance. They simply couldn't cash in, floundering without a field goal for the final 2:12 while the Jazz — behind the lethal pick-and-roll combo of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer — salted the game away.
Williams finished with 21 points and 10 assists for Utah, which entered its own private Temple of Doom on Thursday on a quest for consistency. With the victory, the Jazz (6-6) are proud owners of their first two-game winning streak of the season.
For the third game in a row, Tim Duncan did his best to spark the Spurs. He scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and this fell into a familiar pattern. The Spurs are now 0-4 when Duncan tops 20 points.
“It was another great effort,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I was really pleased with the tenacity and perseverance. Unfortunately, we didn't make some plays and Utah got the win.”
In that, maybe the Jazz were just due. Before Thursday, the Jazz hadn't won within the San Antonio city limits since Feb. 28, 1999, an expanse of 20 games.
The Spurs called the Alamodome home then. Utah's leading scorer that night, with 30 points, was a future Hall of Famer named Karl Malone.
Playing the role of a poor man's Mailman on Thursday, at least down the stretch, was Boozer.
Twice in the final 31/2 minutes, the Spurs closed within a basket and Boozer answered with a three-point play off Utah's deadly pick-and-roll.
After a 3-for-14 start, Boozer finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, helping to put another feather in the cap of his Hall of Fame coach.
“It's nice from my standpoint to get a win in this building,” Utah's Jerry Sloan said, “before I die.”
The Spurs will just take another win soon, anywhere and anyhow. They are now 4-6. Record-wise, it is the worst 10-game start of the Duncan era.
Still, Duncan didn't have to think long to recall a season that started rockier than this one. The Spurs began the strike-shortened 1999 season 6-8, a skid out of the gates that nearly earned Popovich a pink slip.
“That almost cost somebody his job, didn't it?” Duncan said. “I think it turned out all right.”
Indeed, after that listing start, the Spurs won 31 of their final 36 regular-season games, then won their first NBA title. It's too early to predict such a dramatic turnaround for the Spurs this season, especially with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili still battling injuries.
“If the playoffs started tomorrow,” Duncan noted, “I think we'd be in trouble.”
Popovich, for one, would prefer the Spurs forget their record altogether.
“We have to keep our heads up and not worry about record,” Popovich said. “Just worry about improvement and understanding, rather than record.”
In the next breath, though, Popovich indicated how difficult forgetting such details can be.
“We do know what our record is,” he said. “We won't forget.”
*******************
Slideshow.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/Spurs_83_Jazz_90_111909.html
Jeff McDonald
Over much of the past week, Richard Jefferson has heard enough about how hard the Spurs have been playing.
He's heard enough about how well they have been competing, and how much progress they are making.
After yet another narrow defeat — this one a 90-83 loss Thursday to a Utah team that hadn't won in San Antonio since “Friends” was the hottest show on TV — Jefferson was in no mood to talk about another close-but-no-cigar.
“It's not about competing,” Jefferson said. “It's about winning.”
The loss was the Spurs' third in a row, and the third in a row to come down to the wire.
A night earlier, they lost in overtime in Dallas. Before that, it was a three-point loss at home to Oklahoma City.
Thursday, the Spurs didn't lead for a solitary second of the final three quarters, and twice trailed by 10 points or more, but hung around long enough to have a chance. They simply couldn't cash in, floundering without a field goal for the final 2:12 while the Jazz — behind the lethal pick-and-roll combo of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer — salted the game away.
Williams finished with 21 points and 10 assists for Utah, which entered its own private Temple of Doom on Thursday on a quest for consistency. With the victory, the Jazz (6-6) are proud owners of their first two-game winning streak of the season.
For the third game in a row, Tim Duncan did his best to spark the Spurs. He scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and this fell into a familiar pattern. The Spurs are now 0-4 when Duncan tops 20 points.
“It was another great effort,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I was really pleased with the tenacity and perseverance. Unfortunately, we didn't make some plays and Utah got the win.”
In that, maybe the Jazz were just due. Before Thursday, the Jazz hadn't won within the San Antonio city limits since Feb. 28, 1999, an expanse of 20 games.
The Spurs called the Alamodome home then. Utah's leading scorer that night, with 30 points, was a future Hall of Famer named Karl Malone.
Playing the role of a poor man's Mailman on Thursday, at least down the stretch, was Boozer.
Twice in the final 31/2 minutes, the Spurs closed within a basket and Boozer answered with a three-point play off Utah's deadly pick-and-roll.
After a 3-for-14 start, Boozer finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, helping to put another feather in the cap of his Hall of Fame coach.
“It's nice from my standpoint to get a win in this building,” Utah's Jerry Sloan said, “before I die.”
The Spurs will just take another win soon, anywhere and anyhow. They are now 4-6. Record-wise, it is the worst 10-game start of the Duncan era.
Still, Duncan didn't have to think long to recall a season that started rockier than this one. The Spurs began the strike-shortened 1999 season 6-8, a skid out of the gates that nearly earned Popovich a pink slip.
“That almost cost somebody his job, didn't it?” Duncan said. “I think it turned out all right.”
Indeed, after that listing start, the Spurs won 31 of their final 36 regular-season games, then won their first NBA title. It's too early to predict such a dramatic turnaround for the Spurs this season, especially with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili still battling injuries.
“If the playoffs started tomorrow,” Duncan noted, “I think we'd be in trouble.”
Popovich, for one, would prefer the Spurs forget their record altogether.
“We have to keep our heads up and not worry about record,” Popovich said. “Just worry about improvement and understanding, rather than record.”
In the next breath, though, Popovich indicated how difficult forgetting such details can be.
“We do know what our record is,” he said. “We won't forget.”
*******************
Slideshow.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/Spurs_83_Jazz_90_111909.html