bigbendbruisebrother
04-28-2005, 12:02 PM
Hope this hasn't been posted yet: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/bharvey/stories/MYSA042805.1C.COL.BKNharvey.21e5b2d37.html
Devin Brown's locker is next to Tim Duncan's, so he's seen the issue firsthand.
And Brown says: "Tim's been in a shell."
This comes from walking on eggshells. Trying to avoid another painful sprain, Duncan has been playing like a man on a high wire juggling balls; the balls don't matter as much as falling does.
Brown says the shell was there for Game 1, and he thinks the shell was still there before Game 2. But then Duncan made his first two shots Wednesday night, the second one a forceful jump hook. More telling to Brown, Duncan started talking to his teammates the way he always did before.
"All of us on the bench went, 'Uh-oh.'"
The Nuggets likely said the same, as did everyone who wondered if The Sprained Ankle had opened up the Western Conference. Forget the altitude and the tension that will be in Denver.
If Duncan is back, isn't everything still possible?
George Karl acted Wednesday night like a man who wonders. He knew the Spurs would respond, and he told his Nuggets to brace for that.
What followed, then, was what Karl called a "win with a statement."
It was also a win with assorted benefits. Gregg Popovich gambled with his starting lineup, partly because there wasn't any chemistry to lose. It had disappeared long ago with the falling bodies.
Had the Spurs gone flat, Popovich still would have heard about it. Who changes lineups after one game? Isn't that a sign of desperation?
As it was, the move seemingly changed all dynamics. The switch got shots for Brent Barry and plugged into Manu Ginobili's fire off the bench, which isn't a bad combination. Don't expect this rotation to change.
And when Tony Parker reacted to a bad game with his usual fire, the blowout allowed Popovich to give minutes also to both Brown and Rasho Nesterovic. Was there a better way to work the two back?
Now the Spurs have two more days to rest with a sense that they really are what Karl says they are. "The best basketball team in the league," Karl called them.
A lot of these Spurs weren't around in 2003, when they made a habit of responding to losses. And that's why an emotional film session after Game 1 helped create a bond. Several players got up and spoke, and those in the locker room say the exchanges helped the mood of the team.
But Duncan wasn't one of those who spoke. That's not him. He's always been more of a nurturer than a vocal leader, and his attitude Wednesday told of that.
Asked if he was angry after falling behind 1-0 in the series, Duncan said with a smile, "I don't get angry."
Kenyon Martin railed at everyone Wednesday night when things went bad. When Duncan struggled with his ankle, he instead was privately consumed by it.
Thus, the shell.
Brown understood. "Imagine every time you look up for a rebound or a shot," said Brown, "you want to be looking down."
Duncan said Wednesday night the ankle still "gets fatigued" as the game goes along. But no one noticed. He looked marginally slower on a few defensive possessions, but otherwise he was the two-time MVP again.
One sequence in the second quarter showcased his health. Duncan first threw in an 18-footer to extend the Spurs' lead to 51-25. He then forced Carmelo Anthony into a miss, starting a fast break. And when Barry missed a floater, Duncan was running behind, aggressive as a trailer, dunking with the miss.
After the dunk, he appeared to be staring at a Nugget. Was he?
Duncan shrugged. "I wasn't looking at anybody. Just hanging out."
That sounded like the old Duncan, too, another sign that will make Brown and the Spurs feel better.
"From everything I could tell," Brown said, "Tim has been focused. He's been ready to play. But he hasn't been able to forget about everything and just play. There's a difference."
Did losing the first game change that? Or has Duncan's ankle come around in time?
Brown knows only this. "Tonight he was him."
As they say around the league, uh oh.
Devin Brown's locker is next to Tim Duncan's, so he's seen the issue firsthand.
And Brown says: "Tim's been in a shell."
This comes from walking on eggshells. Trying to avoid another painful sprain, Duncan has been playing like a man on a high wire juggling balls; the balls don't matter as much as falling does.
Brown says the shell was there for Game 1, and he thinks the shell was still there before Game 2. But then Duncan made his first two shots Wednesday night, the second one a forceful jump hook. More telling to Brown, Duncan started talking to his teammates the way he always did before.
"All of us on the bench went, 'Uh-oh.'"
The Nuggets likely said the same, as did everyone who wondered if The Sprained Ankle had opened up the Western Conference. Forget the altitude and the tension that will be in Denver.
If Duncan is back, isn't everything still possible?
George Karl acted Wednesday night like a man who wonders. He knew the Spurs would respond, and he told his Nuggets to brace for that.
What followed, then, was what Karl called a "win with a statement."
It was also a win with assorted benefits. Gregg Popovich gambled with his starting lineup, partly because there wasn't any chemistry to lose. It had disappeared long ago with the falling bodies.
Had the Spurs gone flat, Popovich still would have heard about it. Who changes lineups after one game? Isn't that a sign of desperation?
As it was, the move seemingly changed all dynamics. The switch got shots for Brent Barry and plugged into Manu Ginobili's fire off the bench, which isn't a bad combination. Don't expect this rotation to change.
And when Tony Parker reacted to a bad game with his usual fire, the blowout allowed Popovich to give minutes also to both Brown and Rasho Nesterovic. Was there a better way to work the two back?
Now the Spurs have two more days to rest with a sense that they really are what Karl says they are. "The best basketball team in the league," Karl called them.
A lot of these Spurs weren't around in 2003, when they made a habit of responding to losses. And that's why an emotional film session after Game 1 helped create a bond. Several players got up and spoke, and those in the locker room say the exchanges helped the mood of the team.
But Duncan wasn't one of those who spoke. That's not him. He's always been more of a nurturer than a vocal leader, and his attitude Wednesday told of that.
Asked if he was angry after falling behind 1-0 in the series, Duncan said with a smile, "I don't get angry."
Kenyon Martin railed at everyone Wednesday night when things went bad. When Duncan struggled with his ankle, he instead was privately consumed by it.
Thus, the shell.
Brown understood. "Imagine every time you look up for a rebound or a shot," said Brown, "you want to be looking down."
Duncan said Wednesday night the ankle still "gets fatigued" as the game goes along. But no one noticed. He looked marginally slower on a few defensive possessions, but otherwise he was the two-time MVP again.
One sequence in the second quarter showcased his health. Duncan first threw in an 18-footer to extend the Spurs' lead to 51-25. He then forced Carmelo Anthony into a miss, starting a fast break. And when Barry missed a floater, Duncan was running behind, aggressive as a trailer, dunking with the miss.
After the dunk, he appeared to be staring at a Nugget. Was he?
Duncan shrugged. "I wasn't looking at anybody. Just hanging out."
That sounded like the old Duncan, too, another sign that will make Brown and the Spurs feel better.
"From everything I could tell," Brown said, "Tim has been focused. He's been ready to play. But he hasn't been able to forget about everything and just play. There's a difference."
Did losing the first game change that? Or has Duncan's ankle come around in time?
Brown knows only this. "Tonight he was him."
As they say around the league, uh oh.