duncan228
11-30-2009, 12:52 AM
No bologna: a still relevant duo (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/No_bologna_a_still_relevant_duo.html)
Buck Harvey
Michael Finley doesn't read Matt Bonner's sandwich blog. He figures his locker is close enough to Bonner's.
“I can go straight to the source,” Finley said.
He did Sunday evening. Then, asked if he had gotten any recent sandwich tips, Finley and Bonner joked about a particular turkey recommendation.
This isn't all they share. They've gone from starters to the bench, and Sunday brought them together again.
Then, they mattered.
Finley and Bonner are opposites in wardrobe, in careers and in nearly everything else. But they've moved together recently, and this was true this season when they changed lockers and literally got closer. Finley came from across the room, while Bonner moved down from where he used to dress near Tim Duncan.
Bonner took Brent Barry's old space, which fits. Bonner replaced Barry as the Spur with the best sense of humor.
Bonner flexes his goofy wit on spurs.com. There, he's “The Sandwich Hunter,” with the following tagline: “The Quest for the Hoagie Grill.”
That's still not good enough for him. “I'm looking for formal status in the sandwich community,” Bonner said.
He says he can expand into burritos and burgers, but, to quote him, “sandwiches are my bread and butter.” Bonner recommends various vendors on his blog while also addressing philosophical issues.
Such as: Why are sandwiches so underrepresented in Sicily?
It's a running joke, and maybe they need some levity. Last season, Finley and Bonner started and, when things went wrong, they symbolized a franchise in need of some speed.
This season, Bonner went to the bench the night before Finley did, and neither one has gotten back. It makes sense. Given the personnel, the Spurs are better served with a starting group that emphasizes defense.
Besides, if Bonner is a 6-foot-10 Steve Kerr, is that such a bad thing?
Bonner sees the positives in not starting. He likes the game to settle down as he watches how the other team is defending.
Finley says something similar but is more telling of someone who starred for a decade. “You have to believe in the rotation,” he said. “You can't be bitter. You use it to your advantage.”
So they've adjusted in their own ways, and mostly in the background. The bigger news has been around them — from Manu Ginobili limping to DeJuan Blair showing potential to Duncan being himself.
Still, as Gregg Popovich said Sunday, “Three-pointers seem to be an important part of what every team does.”
It might be the most vital number on a stat sheet.
The 76ers' coach, Eddie Jordan, said he wanted his team to contest the shot. Finley didn't see that. “They were daring us to shoot,” he said.
Finley took the dare. He clumped together three 3-pointers early in the second quarter, and the Spurs went from being down two to being up seven.
“Players feed off that,” said Bonner.
So do coaches. Popovich inserted Bonner into the lineup in the final seconds of the first half, and Bonner threw in a 23-footer.
He and Finley were 7 of 11 from 3-point distance. These are shooting numbers that determine games, and here's another: Bonner is shooting just under 50 percent from 3-point range for the season.
“We tried to stay out on Bonner,” said Jordan, “and he got loose on us.”
It made sense, really. The Sandwich Hunter should do well against Philadelphia — where the term “hoagie” originated.
Bonner might blog about that. Or he could tell us that the Spurs are deeper now, with better athletes, but there will be a lot of nights when long-range shooting will mean as much as anything.
No matter how you slice it.
Buck Harvey
Michael Finley doesn't read Matt Bonner's sandwich blog. He figures his locker is close enough to Bonner's.
“I can go straight to the source,” Finley said.
He did Sunday evening. Then, asked if he had gotten any recent sandwich tips, Finley and Bonner joked about a particular turkey recommendation.
This isn't all they share. They've gone from starters to the bench, and Sunday brought them together again.
Then, they mattered.
Finley and Bonner are opposites in wardrobe, in careers and in nearly everything else. But they've moved together recently, and this was true this season when they changed lockers and literally got closer. Finley came from across the room, while Bonner moved down from where he used to dress near Tim Duncan.
Bonner took Brent Barry's old space, which fits. Bonner replaced Barry as the Spur with the best sense of humor.
Bonner flexes his goofy wit on spurs.com. There, he's “The Sandwich Hunter,” with the following tagline: “The Quest for the Hoagie Grill.”
That's still not good enough for him. “I'm looking for formal status in the sandwich community,” Bonner said.
He says he can expand into burritos and burgers, but, to quote him, “sandwiches are my bread and butter.” Bonner recommends various vendors on his blog while also addressing philosophical issues.
Such as: Why are sandwiches so underrepresented in Sicily?
It's a running joke, and maybe they need some levity. Last season, Finley and Bonner started and, when things went wrong, they symbolized a franchise in need of some speed.
This season, Bonner went to the bench the night before Finley did, and neither one has gotten back. It makes sense. Given the personnel, the Spurs are better served with a starting group that emphasizes defense.
Besides, if Bonner is a 6-foot-10 Steve Kerr, is that such a bad thing?
Bonner sees the positives in not starting. He likes the game to settle down as he watches how the other team is defending.
Finley says something similar but is more telling of someone who starred for a decade. “You have to believe in the rotation,” he said. “You can't be bitter. You use it to your advantage.”
So they've adjusted in their own ways, and mostly in the background. The bigger news has been around them — from Manu Ginobili limping to DeJuan Blair showing potential to Duncan being himself.
Still, as Gregg Popovich said Sunday, “Three-pointers seem to be an important part of what every team does.”
It might be the most vital number on a stat sheet.
The 76ers' coach, Eddie Jordan, said he wanted his team to contest the shot. Finley didn't see that. “They were daring us to shoot,” he said.
Finley took the dare. He clumped together three 3-pointers early in the second quarter, and the Spurs went from being down two to being up seven.
“Players feed off that,” said Bonner.
So do coaches. Popovich inserted Bonner into the lineup in the final seconds of the first half, and Bonner threw in a 23-footer.
He and Finley were 7 of 11 from 3-point distance. These are shooting numbers that determine games, and here's another: Bonner is shooting just under 50 percent from 3-point range for the season.
“We tried to stay out on Bonner,” said Jordan, “and he got loose on us.”
It made sense, really. The Sandwich Hunter should do well against Philadelphia — where the term “hoagie” originated.
Bonner might blog about that. Or he could tell us that the Spurs are deeper now, with better athletes, but there will be a lot of nights when long-range shooting will mean as much as anything.
No matter how you slice it.