Kori Ellis
04-24-2005, 12:20 AM
Banged-up Spurs say they're ready to make a strong run at a championship
Web Posted: 04/24/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA042405.1C.BKNspurs.nuggets.adv.2095cbb8b.html
A year ago, the Spurs rolled into the playoffs. They had won 11 consecutive games. They hadn't lost at home in almost seven weeks.
They trounced Memphis by 24 in their opener and went on to sweep the Grizzlies. They took the first two games against the Los Angeles Lakers.
They never won again.
"Seventeen in a row!" Tony Parker said. "Everybody was playing well; everybody was making shots. Suddenly, it just changed. We can't even understand why we played bad."
The Spurs return to the playoffs tonight at the SBC Center. Not rolling but limping. Their two-time MVP is grinding on a bad ankle. Their starting center likely won't play in the opener. Neither will one of their top perimeter defenders.
They haven't won more than three consecutive games in seven weeks. They're trying to work in a 32-year-old who hadn't played a single game this season until three weeks ago. The center they picked up in a midseason trade now starts.
Oh, and their first-round opponent? The Denver Nuggets have gone 25-4 since the All-Star break.
All of which leaves the Spurs feeling ... good?
"It's funny, I have as much confidence as last year," Parker said. "This year was not the same strong finish, but I think our bench is stronger. We're more experienced. We learned from our mistakes last year."
What the Spurs learned is the 17-game winning streak didn't matter. Nor did the gaudy home record or the 50 points Parker scored in the first two games against the Lakers. What counted was the next game.
"We're more ready mentally," Manu Ginobili said. "I can't point why. I just feel it.
"I just feel this team has the potential to make it to the (NBA) Finals."
For the Spurs to accomplish that goal, they're going to have to first get out of the first round. Starting on their own floor should help. Since March3, 2004, they've gone 55-4, including the playoffs, at the SBC Center.
Denver accounted for one of this season's three home losses, beating the Spurs on March 12 with Tim Duncan and Ginobili sidelined with injuries. After hiring George Karl as a midseason coaching replacement, the Nuggets have surged into the playoffs with the fifth-best post-break record in NBA history.
Karl, with former Spurs coach Doug Moe at his side, has returned the Nuggets to their run-and-gun days of glory. Their stable of big men — Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, Nene and Eduardo Najera — all run the floor well, making them frequent beneficiaries of Andre Miller's lob passes. Backup point guard Earl Boykins further quickens the pace.
"Their transition, at this point, is better than anybody's in the league," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's a lot to say when you look at a team like Phoenix."
Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, who has shot only 34.4 percent in eight career games against the Spurs, also isn't a wide-eyed playoff rookie anymore. Most of Denver's core endured last season's first-round loss to Minnesota. Signing Martin, who twice has been to the Finals, further enhanced Denver's experience.
"Confidence is part of the game," Karl said. "Right now we're probably a team that has some confidence. They have confidence because of their experience, but they don't have confidence because of how they've played the last couple of weeks."
Much of the Spurs' recent troubles are related to health, particularly that of Duncan. When Duncan sprained his right ankle March 20, the Spurs held the Western Conference's top playoff seed as well as the league's best record. They've gone 9-8 since.
Duncan played cautiously after returning for the final four games of the regular season but said Saturday his ankle is improving. Keeping him healthy is essential for any lasting success.
"I'm happy for the pressure. It's great," Duncan said. "Luckily enough, we have a heck of a team here that doesn't just rely on me. People believe, in that respect, that I will make that much of a difference. I hope I will."
Said Parker: "He can't do everything, but when he's out there, people are scared of him anyway. He's still Tim Duncan."
Ginobili and Parker, who each averaged more than 16 points this season, are better equipped to lead the team when Duncan isn't on the floor. Provided they can remember everybody's names.
Nazr Mohammed, acquired from New York for Malik Rose on the day of the trade deadline, has averaged 9.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while starting for Rasho Nesterovic the past six games. Glenn Robinson, signed April4, has helped offset the loss of Devin Brown, who isn't expected to play in either of the first two games.
"It is what it is," Popovich said. "Of course, we'd rather be on a roll and have the same people playing for the last month. But that wasn't the case. That's tough. Nobody cares."
Last season, it also didn't matter.
Web Posted: 04/24/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA042405.1C.BKNspurs.nuggets.adv.2095cbb8b.html
A year ago, the Spurs rolled into the playoffs. They had won 11 consecutive games. They hadn't lost at home in almost seven weeks.
They trounced Memphis by 24 in their opener and went on to sweep the Grizzlies. They took the first two games against the Los Angeles Lakers.
They never won again.
"Seventeen in a row!" Tony Parker said. "Everybody was playing well; everybody was making shots. Suddenly, it just changed. We can't even understand why we played bad."
The Spurs return to the playoffs tonight at the SBC Center. Not rolling but limping. Their two-time MVP is grinding on a bad ankle. Their starting center likely won't play in the opener. Neither will one of their top perimeter defenders.
They haven't won more than three consecutive games in seven weeks. They're trying to work in a 32-year-old who hadn't played a single game this season until three weeks ago. The center they picked up in a midseason trade now starts.
Oh, and their first-round opponent? The Denver Nuggets have gone 25-4 since the All-Star break.
All of which leaves the Spurs feeling ... good?
"It's funny, I have as much confidence as last year," Parker said. "This year was not the same strong finish, but I think our bench is stronger. We're more experienced. We learned from our mistakes last year."
What the Spurs learned is the 17-game winning streak didn't matter. Nor did the gaudy home record or the 50 points Parker scored in the first two games against the Lakers. What counted was the next game.
"We're more ready mentally," Manu Ginobili said. "I can't point why. I just feel it.
"I just feel this team has the potential to make it to the (NBA) Finals."
For the Spurs to accomplish that goal, they're going to have to first get out of the first round. Starting on their own floor should help. Since March3, 2004, they've gone 55-4, including the playoffs, at the SBC Center.
Denver accounted for one of this season's three home losses, beating the Spurs on March 12 with Tim Duncan and Ginobili sidelined with injuries. After hiring George Karl as a midseason coaching replacement, the Nuggets have surged into the playoffs with the fifth-best post-break record in NBA history.
Karl, with former Spurs coach Doug Moe at his side, has returned the Nuggets to their run-and-gun days of glory. Their stable of big men — Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, Nene and Eduardo Najera — all run the floor well, making them frequent beneficiaries of Andre Miller's lob passes. Backup point guard Earl Boykins further quickens the pace.
"Their transition, at this point, is better than anybody's in the league," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's a lot to say when you look at a team like Phoenix."
Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, who has shot only 34.4 percent in eight career games against the Spurs, also isn't a wide-eyed playoff rookie anymore. Most of Denver's core endured last season's first-round loss to Minnesota. Signing Martin, who twice has been to the Finals, further enhanced Denver's experience.
"Confidence is part of the game," Karl said. "Right now we're probably a team that has some confidence. They have confidence because of their experience, but they don't have confidence because of how they've played the last couple of weeks."
Much of the Spurs' recent troubles are related to health, particularly that of Duncan. When Duncan sprained his right ankle March 20, the Spurs held the Western Conference's top playoff seed as well as the league's best record. They've gone 9-8 since.
Duncan played cautiously after returning for the final four games of the regular season but said Saturday his ankle is improving. Keeping him healthy is essential for any lasting success.
"I'm happy for the pressure. It's great," Duncan said. "Luckily enough, we have a heck of a team here that doesn't just rely on me. People believe, in that respect, that I will make that much of a difference. I hope I will."
Said Parker: "He can't do everything, but when he's out there, people are scared of him anyway. He's still Tim Duncan."
Ginobili and Parker, who each averaged more than 16 points this season, are better equipped to lead the team when Duncan isn't on the floor. Provided they can remember everybody's names.
Nazr Mohammed, acquired from New York for Malik Rose on the day of the trade deadline, has averaged 9.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.8 blocks while starting for Rasho Nesterovic the past six games. Glenn Robinson, signed April4, has helped offset the loss of Devin Brown, who isn't expected to play in either of the first two games.
"It is what it is," Popovich said. "Of course, we'd rather be on a roll and have the same people playing for the last month. But that wasn't the case. That's tough. Nobody cares."
Last season, it also didn't matter.