duncan228
01-15-2010, 12:47 AM
Spurs notebook: Ginobili makes pass and gets one (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Spurs_notebook_Ginobili_makes_pass_and_gets_one.ht ml)
Jeff McDonald
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Until the moment he went sprawling into a row of photographers, Manu Ginobili's night at the Ford Center had been a complete bust.
He had missed all 10 of his shots. The only reason he had to go careening into a collection of Canons in the first place was that he was about the blow the Spurs' most important possession of the game.
Down by a point in the final 20 seconds of overtime against Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Ginobili fumbled the ball nearly out of bounds, commenced a Superman dive after it, then flung the ball blindly to George Hill before landing headfirst among photographers on the baseline.
Hill got the ball to Richard Jefferson, whose 13-footer with 9.1 seconds remaining narrowly beat the shot clock and provided the winning points in the Spurs' 109-108 victory.
“We drew all that up,” coach Gregg Popovich joked. “In fact, I thought Manu could have thrown it a little further to Georgie in that corner. We'll have to work on that.”
It was the latest in a series of “plays of the day” that Ginobili has provided the Spurs this season. It also underscored perhaps Ginobili's most underrated basketball skill — his ability to shake off a poor game or sequence to make important plays down the stretch.
Still, Popovich said the Spurs won't be adding the Ginobili dive to the playbook any time soon.
“Manu's save gave us that extra possession, and it worked out,” Popovich said. “It was pure good fortune.”
Hello, Jack: Tonight, ex-Spur Stephen Jackson takes the floor for the first time since setting a career high and Bobcats franchise record with 43 points in Tuesday's victory over Houston.
Acquired Nov. 17 after forcing a trade from Golden State, Jackson has garnered rave reviews from his new team. That doesn't surprise those who played alongside Jackson on the Spurs' 2003 NBA championship club.
“Sometimes, he'll lose his mind, but at the end of the day he wants to win,” Spurs point guard Tony Parker said. “For me, if you want to win, that's all I care about.”
Hairston to Austin: The Spurs have reassigned swingman Malik Hairston to Austin of the Development League. Hairston appeared in 21 games with the Spurs. The move could be a sign Michael Finley, out since Dec. 5 with a sprained left ankle, might be nearing a return.
Night of 1,000 rebounds: DeJuan Blair's 21 rebounds against Oklahoma City allowed him to be a part of an interesting bit of history. Minnesota's Al Jefferson (26), Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert (21) and the Clippers' Marcus Camby (20) also cracked the 20-board plateau.
It marked the first time at least four players accomplished that feat on the same night since Feb. 24, 1978.
Jeff McDonald
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Until the moment he went sprawling into a row of photographers, Manu Ginobili's night at the Ford Center had been a complete bust.
He had missed all 10 of his shots. The only reason he had to go careening into a collection of Canons in the first place was that he was about the blow the Spurs' most important possession of the game.
Down by a point in the final 20 seconds of overtime against Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Ginobili fumbled the ball nearly out of bounds, commenced a Superman dive after it, then flung the ball blindly to George Hill before landing headfirst among photographers on the baseline.
Hill got the ball to Richard Jefferson, whose 13-footer with 9.1 seconds remaining narrowly beat the shot clock and provided the winning points in the Spurs' 109-108 victory.
“We drew all that up,” coach Gregg Popovich joked. “In fact, I thought Manu could have thrown it a little further to Georgie in that corner. We'll have to work on that.”
It was the latest in a series of “plays of the day” that Ginobili has provided the Spurs this season. It also underscored perhaps Ginobili's most underrated basketball skill — his ability to shake off a poor game or sequence to make important plays down the stretch.
Still, Popovich said the Spurs won't be adding the Ginobili dive to the playbook any time soon.
“Manu's save gave us that extra possession, and it worked out,” Popovich said. “It was pure good fortune.”
Hello, Jack: Tonight, ex-Spur Stephen Jackson takes the floor for the first time since setting a career high and Bobcats franchise record with 43 points in Tuesday's victory over Houston.
Acquired Nov. 17 after forcing a trade from Golden State, Jackson has garnered rave reviews from his new team. That doesn't surprise those who played alongside Jackson on the Spurs' 2003 NBA championship club.
“Sometimes, he'll lose his mind, but at the end of the day he wants to win,” Spurs point guard Tony Parker said. “For me, if you want to win, that's all I care about.”
Hairston to Austin: The Spurs have reassigned swingman Malik Hairston to Austin of the Development League. Hairston appeared in 21 games with the Spurs. The move could be a sign Michael Finley, out since Dec. 5 with a sprained left ankle, might be nearing a return.
Night of 1,000 rebounds: DeJuan Blair's 21 rebounds against Oklahoma City allowed him to be a part of an interesting bit of history. Minnesota's Al Jefferson (26), Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert (21) and the Clippers' Marcus Camby (20) also cracked the 20-board plateau.
It marked the first time at least four players accomplished that feat on the same night since Feb. 24, 1978.