duncan228
01-14-2010, 01:05 AM
‘Gods' smile on Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Gods_smile_on_Spurs.html)
Jeff McDonald
OKLAHOMA CITY — As Spurs forward Richard Jefferson watched his team's fortune swing back and forth in the span of 11.3 seconds Wednesday night, his mind became no place for children.
From the time the ball inbounded to the time he hit the winning jumper in the Spurs' 109-108 overtime victory over Oklahoma City, exactly eight expletives entered his head, signifying events both positive and negative.
Manu Ginobili had a shot for the lead but passed it up (expletive!); he's going to throw to Antonio McDyess, but McDyess isn't looking (expletive!); the ball is headed out of bounds (expletive!); Ginobili dove into the first row after it (expletive!); he saved it to George Hill (expletive!); Hill dished it to Jefferson (expletive!); the shot clock is running down (expletive!); the ball went through the net (expletive!). Jefferson's 13-footer with 9.1 seconds left in overtime capped the wildest sequence in a wild game, giving the Spurs a hard-earned victory at the Ford Center that left coach Gregg Popovich muttering a few things as well.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you to the basketball gods,” Popovich said, “for allowing us to win.”
The victory, which came less than 24 hours after their trouncing of the Lakers, was the Spurs' 14th in the past 19 games and second in a row against over-.500 teams.
To get it, the Spurs (24-13) had to be lucky. But they also had to be good.
Rookie “center” DeJuan Blair, all 6-foot-7 of him, was the latter. Afforded a bigger role when Popovich decided to rest Tim Duncan on the second night of the back-to-back, Blair responded with 28 points and 21 rebounds, both season highs.
In doing so, Blair became the first NBA rookie to post a 20-20 game since Duncan had 26 points and 21 boards in a March 22, 1998, game against Phoenix.
In a way, it was a lot like college for Blair, who is one of two players in Pittsburgh history to post multiple 20-20 games. Except it wasn't.
“In college, everything came easy,” Blair said. “This was much harder.”
As difficult, Blair had to watch the final 3:07 of OT from the bench after fouling out.
“I just looked at the scoreboard,” Blair said. “I couldn't watch.”
Scoreboard-watching was stomach-churning enough. The Spurs had already blown a 19-point lead, and squandered a nine-point edge in the final 4:03 of regulation.
“We got tired in the second half,” said Tony Parker, who scored 22 of his 28 in the first half. “We hung in there.”
The Spurs were down 108-107 with 20.4 seconds left. Whatever Popovich drew up in the huddle to get the game-winner, this wasn't it.
Ginobili drove baseline looking for McDyess, who wasn't looking. The ball slipped from Ginobili's hand and headed out of bounds. Ginobili dove after it and saved the ball blindly to Hill in the corner.
Hill dished to Jefferson, who at that point had Andrew Dice Clay cursing in his head.
“I looked up and saw the shotclock click from two to one,” Jefferson said. “So I just raised up and shot it.”
Jefferson's second post-halftime field goal put the Spurs ahead by one. On the Thunder's final inbounds play with 4.1 seconds left, Keith Bogans denied Kevin Durant — who had 25 of his 35 points after half — forcing the ball to Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook's 16-footer hit back iron as time expired.
“I told Keith he won the game for us by keeping the ball away from Durant,” Popovich said.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks disagreed. He thought the game was won by a player who did not score a point from the field.
He pointed to Ginobili's save.
“He was 0 for 10, and he made the biggest play of the game,” Brooks said. “Basically won the game for them.”
“That's why they call it a game,” Popovich said, “because all kinds of crazy things can happen. And crazy stuff did happen.”
Jeff McDonald
OKLAHOMA CITY — As Spurs forward Richard Jefferson watched his team's fortune swing back and forth in the span of 11.3 seconds Wednesday night, his mind became no place for children.
From the time the ball inbounded to the time he hit the winning jumper in the Spurs' 109-108 overtime victory over Oklahoma City, exactly eight expletives entered his head, signifying events both positive and negative.
Manu Ginobili had a shot for the lead but passed it up (expletive!); he's going to throw to Antonio McDyess, but McDyess isn't looking (expletive!); the ball is headed out of bounds (expletive!); Ginobili dove into the first row after it (expletive!); he saved it to George Hill (expletive!); Hill dished it to Jefferson (expletive!); the shot clock is running down (expletive!); the ball went through the net (expletive!). Jefferson's 13-footer with 9.1 seconds left in overtime capped the wildest sequence in a wild game, giving the Spurs a hard-earned victory at the Ford Center that left coach Gregg Popovich muttering a few things as well.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you to the basketball gods,” Popovich said, “for allowing us to win.”
The victory, which came less than 24 hours after their trouncing of the Lakers, was the Spurs' 14th in the past 19 games and second in a row against over-.500 teams.
To get it, the Spurs (24-13) had to be lucky. But they also had to be good.
Rookie “center” DeJuan Blair, all 6-foot-7 of him, was the latter. Afforded a bigger role when Popovich decided to rest Tim Duncan on the second night of the back-to-back, Blair responded with 28 points and 21 rebounds, both season highs.
In doing so, Blair became the first NBA rookie to post a 20-20 game since Duncan had 26 points and 21 boards in a March 22, 1998, game against Phoenix.
In a way, it was a lot like college for Blair, who is one of two players in Pittsburgh history to post multiple 20-20 games. Except it wasn't.
“In college, everything came easy,” Blair said. “This was much harder.”
As difficult, Blair had to watch the final 3:07 of OT from the bench after fouling out.
“I just looked at the scoreboard,” Blair said. “I couldn't watch.”
Scoreboard-watching was stomach-churning enough. The Spurs had already blown a 19-point lead, and squandered a nine-point edge in the final 4:03 of regulation.
“We got tired in the second half,” said Tony Parker, who scored 22 of his 28 in the first half. “We hung in there.”
The Spurs were down 108-107 with 20.4 seconds left. Whatever Popovich drew up in the huddle to get the game-winner, this wasn't it.
Ginobili drove baseline looking for McDyess, who wasn't looking. The ball slipped from Ginobili's hand and headed out of bounds. Ginobili dove after it and saved the ball blindly to Hill in the corner.
Hill dished to Jefferson, who at that point had Andrew Dice Clay cursing in his head.
“I looked up and saw the shotclock click from two to one,” Jefferson said. “So I just raised up and shot it.”
Jefferson's second post-halftime field goal put the Spurs ahead by one. On the Thunder's final inbounds play with 4.1 seconds left, Keith Bogans denied Kevin Durant — who had 25 of his 35 points after half — forcing the ball to Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook's 16-footer hit back iron as time expired.
“I told Keith he won the game for us by keeping the ball away from Durant,” Popovich said.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks disagreed. He thought the game was won by a player who did not score a point from the field.
He pointed to Ginobili's save.
“He was 0 for 10, and he made the biggest play of the game,” Brooks said. “Basically won the game for them.”
“That's why they call it a game,” Popovich said, “because all kinds of crazy things can happen. And crazy stuff did happen.”