bigbendbruisebrother
04-28-2005, 02:38 PM
From http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=sk-blog042705&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Kerr's points: Solo artists
By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
April 28, 2005
San Antonio 104, Denver 76
The Denver Nuggets knew what was coming. They just couldn't do anything about it.
The San Antonio Spurs have had three days to fume about their Game 1 loss, and Gregg Popovich got back to basics to lead them to their Game 2 victory. San Antonio focused on what it does best – shutting people down – and got great play from Tony Parker and Tim Duncan to even the series at 1-1.
Popovich made a surprise move, placing Brent Barry into the starting lineup for Manu Ginobili, and it paid off. Pop wanted to match up better with the Nuggets' rotation, so by starting Barry on DerMarr Johnson, it allowed Ginobili to come off the bench and cover Earl Boykins.
The strategy worked, but mainly because the Spurs came out so focused. Parker, who was outplayed by Andre Miller in Game 1, scored 17 points in the first half, helping the Spurs to a 31-point lead. Barry made all four of his threes, and Tim Duncan looked like himself again, making 11 of 15 shots and scoring 24 points. Defensively, San Antonio controlled the game, holding Denver to just 36-percent shooting. The Spurs were angry and they played like it. Their defensive intensity was incredible. The Nuggets looked and played like a team that was happy to have a split.
The key for Game 3 for Denver will be more emotional than strategic. The Nuggets now have to match San Antonio's energy and use their home crowd to feed their offense. The key to the series is Parker, and Denver has do what it did in Game 1 – keep him out of the lane, and make him work at the defensive end.
This series has now really begun, and the Spurs must go to Denver and win at least a game. They're an experienced team that has been in this situation before, so they won't be intimidated. They have to continue to stop Denver's guards, like they did in Game 1, and get good play from Parker and Duncan. The fun is just starting.
Kerr's points: Solo artists
By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
April 28, 2005
San Antonio 104, Denver 76
The Denver Nuggets knew what was coming. They just couldn't do anything about it.
The San Antonio Spurs have had three days to fume about their Game 1 loss, and Gregg Popovich got back to basics to lead them to their Game 2 victory. San Antonio focused on what it does best – shutting people down – and got great play from Tony Parker and Tim Duncan to even the series at 1-1.
Popovich made a surprise move, placing Brent Barry into the starting lineup for Manu Ginobili, and it paid off. Pop wanted to match up better with the Nuggets' rotation, so by starting Barry on DerMarr Johnson, it allowed Ginobili to come off the bench and cover Earl Boykins.
The strategy worked, but mainly because the Spurs came out so focused. Parker, who was outplayed by Andre Miller in Game 1, scored 17 points in the first half, helping the Spurs to a 31-point lead. Barry made all four of his threes, and Tim Duncan looked like himself again, making 11 of 15 shots and scoring 24 points. Defensively, San Antonio controlled the game, holding Denver to just 36-percent shooting. The Spurs were angry and they played like it. Their defensive intensity was incredible. The Nuggets looked and played like a team that was happy to have a split.
The key for Game 3 for Denver will be more emotional than strategic. The Nuggets now have to match San Antonio's energy and use their home crowd to feed their offense. The key to the series is Parker, and Denver has do what it did in Game 1 – keep him out of the lane, and make him work at the defensive end.
This series has now really begun, and the Spurs must go to Denver and win at least a game. They're an experienced team that has been in this situation before, so they won't be intimidated. They have to continue to stop Denver's guards, like they did in Game 1, and get good play from Parker and Duncan. The fun is just starting.