duncan228
12-15-2009, 12:10 AM
Pop: No more excuses (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Pop_No_more_excuses.html)
Jeff McDonald
PHOENIX — In the past few weeks, the Spurs have crowned the Kings, battered the Bobcats, and clobbered the Clippers. They have whipped both the Wizards and the Warriors and have 86'ed the 76ers.
On their way to a 12-9 record, the Spurs have feasted — heartily — on a diet consisting mostly of cupcakes. When forced to take on meatier fare, however, the Spurs have mostly choked on it, going 2-8 this season against teams that were over .500 heading into Monday's slate.
“We still need a couple quality wins against quality teams,” forward Richard Jefferson said. “That's something I think we're lacking.”
Tonight in Phoenix, against the 16-8 Suns, the Spurs have a chance to address that hole in their résumé.
They have proven they can dominate the league's dregs, winning their last three games — over Sacramento, Charlotte and the Los Angeles Clippers — by an average of 19 points. Now, the Spurs would like to prove, to themselves as much as anybody, that they can beat the NBA's upper crust.
“There are some teams we haven't played as well as we've liked against,” said Jefferson, who has averaged 19 points during the three-game winning streak. “As we start to get more growth, I think good things will start to happen.”
As has been their annual custom, the Spurs started the season slowly, hovering around .500 while breaking in a bevy of new players.
Before his team boarded its flight to Phoenix, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich served notice that the summertime roster renovation will no longer be considered a viable excuse for poor play against good teams.
“We've given up a lot of games already,” Popovich said. “There are more good teams, and they're too damn good. So while we're trying to get everything in order, we've got to focus a lot better, a lot more quickly. We've taken enough time.”
The Spurs have won eight of their past 11 to scoot above .500, but just one of those wins came against a team with a winning record (Houston). The three losses during that span came to Boston, Denver, and Utah, all in a row.
With that as the backdrop, the Spurs will use tonight's game to gauge their progress against an elite team.
That represents quite a turnabout for the Suns, who spent much of this decade weighing themselves against the Spurs — and whose perennial failure to measure up cost Mike D'Antoni his job after the 2007-08 season.
No longer hampered by a Shaquille O'Neal-sized anchor to drag down their running game, the Suns have returned to the fast-breaking style that made them an offensive circus under D'Antoni. They have won 17 consecutive games at US Airways Center, dating to last season.
With point guard Steve Nash returning to All-Star form, Phoenix has scored 100 points in 35 straight home games, the longest streak in the league.
“It's a very big game for us,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. “As bad as we've been on the road, as bad as we've been against some of the better teams in the league, both of those are motivating factors. It could be a good confidence builder for us.”
First, however, the Spurs have to win.
In their last three entanglements against upper echelon teams, the Spurs were in the game late but couldn't make the one or two plays necessary to win. None of those defeats came by more than seven points.
Heading into Phoenix, those experiences offer the Spurs a modicum of hope.
“It's not like we're getting completely outplayed,” Jefferson said.
“I think as we get a little more familiar as a group, instead of losing those games by two, we'll start winning those games by two.”
By two or by 20, the Spurs will take a win in Phoenix any way it will come.
Jeff McDonald
PHOENIX — In the past few weeks, the Spurs have crowned the Kings, battered the Bobcats, and clobbered the Clippers. They have whipped both the Wizards and the Warriors and have 86'ed the 76ers.
On their way to a 12-9 record, the Spurs have feasted — heartily — on a diet consisting mostly of cupcakes. When forced to take on meatier fare, however, the Spurs have mostly choked on it, going 2-8 this season against teams that were over .500 heading into Monday's slate.
“We still need a couple quality wins against quality teams,” forward Richard Jefferson said. “That's something I think we're lacking.”
Tonight in Phoenix, against the 16-8 Suns, the Spurs have a chance to address that hole in their résumé.
They have proven they can dominate the league's dregs, winning their last three games — over Sacramento, Charlotte and the Los Angeles Clippers — by an average of 19 points. Now, the Spurs would like to prove, to themselves as much as anybody, that they can beat the NBA's upper crust.
“There are some teams we haven't played as well as we've liked against,” said Jefferson, who has averaged 19 points during the three-game winning streak. “As we start to get more growth, I think good things will start to happen.”
As has been their annual custom, the Spurs started the season slowly, hovering around .500 while breaking in a bevy of new players.
Before his team boarded its flight to Phoenix, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich served notice that the summertime roster renovation will no longer be considered a viable excuse for poor play against good teams.
“We've given up a lot of games already,” Popovich said. “There are more good teams, and they're too damn good. So while we're trying to get everything in order, we've got to focus a lot better, a lot more quickly. We've taken enough time.”
The Spurs have won eight of their past 11 to scoot above .500, but just one of those wins came against a team with a winning record (Houston). The three losses during that span came to Boston, Denver, and Utah, all in a row.
With that as the backdrop, the Spurs will use tonight's game to gauge their progress against an elite team.
That represents quite a turnabout for the Suns, who spent much of this decade weighing themselves against the Spurs — and whose perennial failure to measure up cost Mike D'Antoni his job after the 2007-08 season.
No longer hampered by a Shaquille O'Neal-sized anchor to drag down their running game, the Suns have returned to the fast-breaking style that made them an offensive circus under D'Antoni. They have won 17 consecutive games at US Airways Center, dating to last season.
With point guard Steve Nash returning to All-Star form, Phoenix has scored 100 points in 35 straight home games, the longest streak in the league.
“It's a very big game for us,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. “As bad as we've been on the road, as bad as we've been against some of the better teams in the league, both of those are motivating factors. It could be a good confidence builder for us.”
First, however, the Spurs have to win.
In their last three entanglements against upper echelon teams, the Spurs were in the game late but couldn't make the one or two plays necessary to win. None of those defeats came by more than seven points.
Heading into Phoenix, those experiences offer the Spurs a modicum of hope.
“It's not like we're getting completely outplayed,” Jefferson said.
“I think as we get a little more familiar as a group, instead of losing those games by two, we'll start winning those games by two.”
By two or by 20, the Spurs will take a win in Phoenix any way it will come.