duncan228
01-27-2010, 02:28 AM
Headline changed.
Spurs looking for confidence boost
With Hawks on deck, Spurs circle wagons (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/With_Hawks_on_deck_Spurs_circle_wagons.html)
Jeff McDonald
On the night of Jan. 13, the Spurs left Oklahoma City's Ford Center awash in optimism and confidence. They had just held on for an overtime win over the Thunder, an up-and-coming team that seemed to have the Spurs' number of late, and they had done it without Tim Duncan.
A night earlier, the Spurs had won the first round of their season-long battle against the defending champion Lakers, a 20-point victory at the AT&T Center.
The world seemed sweeter then. The future looked bright. The early-season struggles appeared a thing of the past. The Spurs couldn't have known it, but they'd win just once more over the next 13 days.
Heading into tonight's game against Atlanta, the Spurs are bordering on desperate. They've dropped five of six since leaving Oklahoma, including three in a row at home.
San Antonio, we have a confidence problem.
“Things are moving in the right direction,” Duncan said, earnestly, after Monday's loss to Chicago. “We're just not getting the ‘W' to put a stamp on it. Pills are easier to swallow when you've got a little something with it. That ‘W' would help our confidence, help us start to believe in what we're doing.”
Mired in the midst of their worst home losing streak since 1996-97, the Spurs' greatest enemy now is self-doubt.
They are 25-18, in sixth place of a Western Conference featuring 11 teams over .500.
They still believe in their talent, which on paper was upgraded substantially with the offseason arrivals of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. They still believe in their system, which has hung four championship banners. They still believe everything will be all right.
They just need the wins to prove it.
“We are frustrated,” guard Manu Ginobili said, “but we are going to stick together and do our best to come back and be who we were supposed to be from the beginning.”
The old Jacob Riis quote about “pounding the rock” still hangs framed in the Spurs' locker room, as it has since the day the team moved in.
Now, more than ever, it seems appropriate.
At times these days, it feels as if the rock is pounding back.
“We're playing hard, we're fighting hard,” Duncan said. “Things just aren't going our way.”
None of the Spurs' three losses during the streak — 98-93 to Chicago, 116-108 to Houston, 105-98 to Utah — were particularly lopsided. All of them came down to plays made or missed in the fourth quarter.
All of this is new and not very much fun for the Spurs. They aren't getting the anticipated bang from the buck from Jefferson, who was 1 of 8 against the Bulls, or from McDyess, whose 14-point, seven-rebound finish comprised his best game in nearly a month.
The Spurs aren't shooting well, nor are they defending consistently. During the losing streak, the Spurs are shooting 41 percent, including 29.8 percent from 3-point range. Their opponents are shooting 51.5 percent.
“It's frustrating when you lose games, through the process,” guard Roger Mason Jr. said. “This is all a process for the end of the year, and we understand that. At the same time, you know, we're trying to win games.”
The Spurs receive little respite tonight. At 29-14, the Hawks are one of two division leaders to visit in the final three games of this homestand (Denver is the other).
After that, the Spurs embark on their annual rodeo road trip, with only 12 more home dates left.
“We'll see how our character is,” guard Tony Parker said. “We don't have time to be sad. Nobody cares. It's just us. We're the only ones who can help each other.”
That is where the Spurs stand heading into the final half of this six-game homestand.
Until they begin to win again, they've got nothing but faith and each other.
Spurs looking for confidence boost
With Hawks on deck, Spurs circle wagons (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/With_Hawks_on_deck_Spurs_circle_wagons.html)
Jeff McDonald
On the night of Jan. 13, the Spurs left Oklahoma City's Ford Center awash in optimism and confidence. They had just held on for an overtime win over the Thunder, an up-and-coming team that seemed to have the Spurs' number of late, and they had done it without Tim Duncan.
A night earlier, the Spurs had won the first round of their season-long battle against the defending champion Lakers, a 20-point victory at the AT&T Center.
The world seemed sweeter then. The future looked bright. The early-season struggles appeared a thing of the past. The Spurs couldn't have known it, but they'd win just once more over the next 13 days.
Heading into tonight's game against Atlanta, the Spurs are bordering on desperate. They've dropped five of six since leaving Oklahoma, including three in a row at home.
San Antonio, we have a confidence problem.
“Things are moving in the right direction,” Duncan said, earnestly, after Monday's loss to Chicago. “We're just not getting the ‘W' to put a stamp on it. Pills are easier to swallow when you've got a little something with it. That ‘W' would help our confidence, help us start to believe in what we're doing.”
Mired in the midst of their worst home losing streak since 1996-97, the Spurs' greatest enemy now is self-doubt.
They are 25-18, in sixth place of a Western Conference featuring 11 teams over .500.
They still believe in their talent, which on paper was upgraded substantially with the offseason arrivals of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess. They still believe in their system, which has hung four championship banners. They still believe everything will be all right.
They just need the wins to prove it.
“We are frustrated,” guard Manu Ginobili said, “but we are going to stick together and do our best to come back and be who we were supposed to be from the beginning.”
The old Jacob Riis quote about “pounding the rock” still hangs framed in the Spurs' locker room, as it has since the day the team moved in.
Now, more than ever, it seems appropriate.
At times these days, it feels as if the rock is pounding back.
“We're playing hard, we're fighting hard,” Duncan said. “Things just aren't going our way.”
None of the Spurs' three losses during the streak — 98-93 to Chicago, 116-108 to Houston, 105-98 to Utah — were particularly lopsided. All of them came down to plays made or missed in the fourth quarter.
All of this is new and not very much fun for the Spurs. They aren't getting the anticipated bang from the buck from Jefferson, who was 1 of 8 against the Bulls, or from McDyess, whose 14-point, seven-rebound finish comprised his best game in nearly a month.
The Spurs aren't shooting well, nor are they defending consistently. During the losing streak, the Spurs are shooting 41 percent, including 29.8 percent from 3-point range. Their opponents are shooting 51.5 percent.
“It's frustrating when you lose games, through the process,” guard Roger Mason Jr. said. “This is all a process for the end of the year, and we understand that. At the same time, you know, we're trying to win games.”
The Spurs receive little respite tonight. At 29-14, the Hawks are one of two division leaders to visit in the final three games of this homestand (Denver is the other).
After that, the Spurs embark on their annual rodeo road trip, with only 12 more home dates left.
“We'll see how our character is,” guard Tony Parker said. “We don't have time to be sad. Nobody cares. It's just us. We're the only ones who can help each other.”
That is where the Spurs stand heading into the final half of this six-game homestand.
Until they begin to win again, they've got nothing but faith and each other.