duncan228
12-23-2009, 01:47 AM
Blazers represent opportunity for Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Blazers_represent_opportunity_for_Spurs.html)
Mike Monroe
These are the facts of the Spurs' recent surge to five games above .500:
- Since losing three games in a row and sliding to .500, they have won six of their last seven games.
- Their lone loss in the last seven came against the only above-.500 team they faced, the Phoenix Suns, on Dec. 15.
- In fact, the Spurs are 2-9 this season against teams that are now .500-or-better, while going 13-1 against teams with losing records.
Tonight's opponent at the AT&T Center, the Portland Trail Blazers, represents another opportunity for the Spurs to measure themselves against a good team.
“We haven't been very successful so far this year (against teams over .500),” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “Playing Portland is going to be a good challenge. They're a good team and beat us over there (in Portland on Nov. 6). They have talent, youth, legs. I think it is about time we beat a very good team.”
“You could look at it and say that (it's important to beat a good team),” he said, “but it's important to get better. You could come out and play a flawless game and still lose to a quality team; you could do things right, but they hit shots and things happen.
“Yes, it's very important to start beating these teams, one, but it's also important to get better over the course of the season. We're starting to do that, bit by bit, slowly but surely.”
Richard Jefferson understands the natural tendency to want to prove something against a good team.
“This is something that is for us,” he said. “On that road trip we were glad to get two out of three, but we were really looking at that Phoenix game as a game we wanted to win. Now we have another opportunity against a quality team that's coming in here.”
Measuring ‘D': The Spurs have given up an average of 95.1 points over the past seven games, but Ginobili will wait a while before declaring the team's defense is returning to an acceptable level.
“It will be more fair to give an evaluation once we've played three of four of the best teams in the league,” so (the Portland game) is going to be a good one.
“We've still got a long way to go. Sometimes rotations are not quite there and we forget parts of the game plan. So there are things we've still got to work on, but when we start facing more talented opponents, we'll have a better view of what's going on.”
Mike Monroe
These are the facts of the Spurs' recent surge to five games above .500:
- Since losing three games in a row and sliding to .500, they have won six of their last seven games.
- Their lone loss in the last seven came against the only above-.500 team they faced, the Phoenix Suns, on Dec. 15.
- In fact, the Spurs are 2-9 this season against teams that are now .500-or-better, while going 13-1 against teams with losing records.
Tonight's opponent at the AT&T Center, the Portland Trail Blazers, represents another opportunity for the Spurs to measure themselves against a good team.
“We haven't been very successful so far this year (against teams over .500),” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “Playing Portland is going to be a good challenge. They're a good team and beat us over there (in Portland on Nov. 6). They have talent, youth, legs. I think it is about time we beat a very good team.”
“You could look at it and say that (it's important to beat a good team),” he said, “but it's important to get better. You could come out and play a flawless game and still lose to a quality team; you could do things right, but they hit shots and things happen.
“Yes, it's very important to start beating these teams, one, but it's also important to get better over the course of the season. We're starting to do that, bit by bit, slowly but surely.”
Richard Jefferson understands the natural tendency to want to prove something against a good team.
“This is something that is for us,” he said. “On that road trip we were glad to get two out of three, but we were really looking at that Phoenix game as a game we wanted to win. Now we have another opportunity against a quality team that's coming in here.”
Measuring ‘D': The Spurs have given up an average of 95.1 points over the past seven games, but Ginobili will wait a while before declaring the team's defense is returning to an acceptable level.
“It will be more fair to give an evaluation once we've played three of four of the best teams in the league,” so (the Portland game) is going to be a good one.
“We've still got a long way to go. Sometimes rotations are not quite there and we forget parts of the game plan. So there are things we've still got to work on, but when we start facing more talented opponents, we'll have a better view of what's going on.”