Kori Ellis
04-24-2005, 12:21 AM
Buck Harvey: Illogical as always, Ginobili is The Reason to believe
Web Posted: 04/24/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA042405.1C.COL.BKNharvey.2095cbc72.html
San Antonio Express-News
Logic says the Nuggets win in 6.
Logic says Tim Duncan won't be what he was earlier in the season, and Glenn Robinson might be.
Logic says the air comes out of the Spurs if the Nuggets get a split in San Antonio — which is also logical considering the state of both teams — then the air comes out of the Spurs' lungs in Denver's altitude.
Logic says the Spurs are asking too much of Nazr Mohammed, especially against Marcus Camby, who has simply been too much.
But then there's Manu Ginobili, with days to rest, illogically spinning right with his left (or the other way around), driving again on the same kind of NBA talent he drove on last summer, doing what got him to Denver in February.
Isn't it logical to see him as The Reason this upset won't happen?
Most around the country think the idea of an upset is illogical. The Nuggets are scary, everyone says, but then most go on to predict the Spurs in the NBA Finals.
That shows the respect the Spurs get these days. They've built such a revered system — one that George Karl himself has admired — that the details don't matter.
But the details do matter. Karl is right when he says this is the time to catch the Spurs.
Never have the Duncan Spurs depended in the playoffs on two newcomers as they will Robinson and Mohammed. Never has a No. 7 seed come in with this kind of half-season momentum. And never has Duncan entered a playoff series mostly worrying about what he might step on next.
Then there's Earl Boykins, who is shorter than Duncan's jeans. Doesn't Boykins win a fourth quarter by himself?
The home-court advantage could help the Spurs, as will Bruce Bowen irritating Carmelo Anthony. The Spurs also benefit by fear; they won't enter this series the way No. 2 seeds usually do in the first round.
But the biggest Spurs edge both on paper and on emotion is something Denver knows all about. Last summer, when trying to find an off-guard, the Nuggets went after Ginobili.
Ginobili had some interest, too. "Denver is a great city," Ginobili said then. "(They have) a very young team, a whole new project around (Anthony) who is going to be one of the top five players in the NBA soon."
And from Anthony then: "If we could get Ginobili, everybody knows what he can do on the court, so it's a no-brainer."
To Ginobili, re-signing in San Antonio was the no-brainer. He simply needed to find his market value, and the Nuggets understood as much. They saw no reason to try to outbid the Spurs.
So Ginobili visited Denver and Utah, then began the long trip back to Argentina. When he stopped at DFW Airport to change planes, there was R.C. Buford waiting to talk.
Ginobili didn't bluff. He told Buford he wanted to stay. So could Ginobili have squeezed more out of the Spurs had he played the franchises against each other?
No one is sure. But the resulting $52 million contract was considered low by others around the league, and the saved cash allowed the Spurs to sign Brent Barry.
As for other leftover money: Denver used its to get Kenyon Martin.
So July turned to August, and Ginobili showed in Athens just how much of a bargain the contract was. The best player on the best team led Argentina to its first medal ever in the Olympics, a gold at that.
It set a standard for the season, culminating with a trip to the All-Star game in Denver. Anthony, absent with the game in his hometown, was as much of a contrast as he was in Athens.
As Anthony rose with Karl, Ginobili fell with injuries. But what was inside Ginobili remained. When his body felt good — when he could be himself — he was still the consummate winner.
Now he gets three days rest, followed by another two after today, followed by another two after Wednesday. More telling, the Nuggets never did find the off-guard they searched for last summer.
So the reason to believe the Spurs will survive? It's Ginobili playing Denver's fast-break game, then operating in the halfcourt. It's Ginobili sacrificing his body, making the plays that win games, finding a way until Duncan is ready.
Spurs in 7?
Logical, because of Ginobili.
Web Posted: 04/24/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA042405.1C.COL.BKNharvey.2095cbc72.html
San Antonio Express-News
Logic says the Nuggets win in 6.
Logic says Tim Duncan won't be what he was earlier in the season, and Glenn Robinson might be.
Logic says the air comes out of the Spurs if the Nuggets get a split in San Antonio — which is also logical considering the state of both teams — then the air comes out of the Spurs' lungs in Denver's altitude.
Logic says the Spurs are asking too much of Nazr Mohammed, especially against Marcus Camby, who has simply been too much.
But then there's Manu Ginobili, with days to rest, illogically spinning right with his left (or the other way around), driving again on the same kind of NBA talent he drove on last summer, doing what got him to Denver in February.
Isn't it logical to see him as The Reason this upset won't happen?
Most around the country think the idea of an upset is illogical. The Nuggets are scary, everyone says, but then most go on to predict the Spurs in the NBA Finals.
That shows the respect the Spurs get these days. They've built such a revered system — one that George Karl himself has admired — that the details don't matter.
But the details do matter. Karl is right when he says this is the time to catch the Spurs.
Never have the Duncan Spurs depended in the playoffs on two newcomers as they will Robinson and Mohammed. Never has a No. 7 seed come in with this kind of half-season momentum. And never has Duncan entered a playoff series mostly worrying about what he might step on next.
Then there's Earl Boykins, who is shorter than Duncan's jeans. Doesn't Boykins win a fourth quarter by himself?
The home-court advantage could help the Spurs, as will Bruce Bowen irritating Carmelo Anthony. The Spurs also benefit by fear; they won't enter this series the way No. 2 seeds usually do in the first round.
But the biggest Spurs edge both on paper and on emotion is something Denver knows all about. Last summer, when trying to find an off-guard, the Nuggets went after Ginobili.
Ginobili had some interest, too. "Denver is a great city," Ginobili said then. "(They have) a very young team, a whole new project around (Anthony) who is going to be one of the top five players in the NBA soon."
And from Anthony then: "If we could get Ginobili, everybody knows what he can do on the court, so it's a no-brainer."
To Ginobili, re-signing in San Antonio was the no-brainer. He simply needed to find his market value, and the Nuggets understood as much. They saw no reason to try to outbid the Spurs.
So Ginobili visited Denver and Utah, then began the long trip back to Argentina. When he stopped at DFW Airport to change planes, there was R.C. Buford waiting to talk.
Ginobili didn't bluff. He told Buford he wanted to stay. So could Ginobili have squeezed more out of the Spurs had he played the franchises against each other?
No one is sure. But the resulting $52 million contract was considered low by others around the league, and the saved cash allowed the Spurs to sign Brent Barry.
As for other leftover money: Denver used its to get Kenyon Martin.
So July turned to August, and Ginobili showed in Athens just how much of a bargain the contract was. The best player on the best team led Argentina to its first medal ever in the Olympics, a gold at that.
It set a standard for the season, culminating with a trip to the All-Star game in Denver. Anthony, absent with the game in his hometown, was as much of a contrast as he was in Athens.
As Anthony rose with Karl, Ginobili fell with injuries. But what was inside Ginobili remained. When his body felt good — when he could be himself — he was still the consummate winner.
Now he gets three days rest, followed by another two after today, followed by another two after Wednesday. More telling, the Nuggets never did find the off-guard they searched for last summer.
So the reason to believe the Spurs will survive? It's Ginobili playing Denver's fast-break game, then operating in the halfcourt. It's Ginobili sacrificing his body, making the plays that win games, finding a way until Duncan is ready.
Spurs in 7?
Logical, because of Ginobili.