duncan228
03-01-2010, 01:33 PM
The miracle on ice? It's McDyess' knee (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/buck_harvey/The_miracle_on_ice_Its_McDyess_knee.html)
Buck Harvey
Antonio McDyess talked as some of the other Spurs did. Someone “from above” was looking out for them, he joked Sunday.
Nice thought, albeit one with a few holes. If there is a hoop god watching over the Spurs, after all, was he busy Friday?
Still, maybe McDyess was on to something. A former two-time dunk champ, Jason Richardson, missed an uncontested slam, and über-smart point guard Steve Nash let the clock run out.
Then there was the third quarter when McDyess went down.
And got up.
When McDyess missed a put-back, he wasn't undercut or off-balance. He simply came down on his left leg, hyperextending his knee, and everyone feared the worst.
Including the Suns. Grant Hill, with his own history of pain, stayed behind with McDyess as his teammates sped the other way on a fast break.
Alvin Gentry said he saw the knee “buckle” in front of him, and he felt sick. McDyess, meanwhile, felt something familiar.
“The crazy thing about it,” McDyess said, “my first injury was against Phoenix, and my second injury in the preseason was against Phoenix. I was like, ‘Oh no, not again.'”
Those injuries forced him to miss an entire year, and he was limited to 52 games over three seasons. But after doctors carved spongy bone from his hip to stimulate healing in his knee, McDyess made a remarkable recovery. He missed only nine games in his first four years in Detroit.
Any pain in those seasons?
“Not one time,” he said.
He's rehabbed, and he's iced the knee faithfully. Still, it's been a medical miracle, and that's why recent problems have surprised him. His knee swelled after playing against the Pistons two weeks ago; when he fell Sunday, he thought the worst.
Two teammates helped him leave the floor, but McDyess said he felt better with every step. Later he admitted, “I was more afraid than hurt.”
Spurs doctors looked at him and didn't want him to return, and Gregg Popovich never expected to see him again Sunday: “I thought he was really hurt badly.”
But there was McDyess trotting back, as odd a sight as Richardson missing his dunk.
McDyess ended up playing more minutes than Tim Duncan. And, afterward, the same Hill who had stayed behind felt less concerned for McDyess.
“How many jumpers did he hit in the fourth quarter?” Hill asked.
Three. The last one came with about three minutes left, giving the Spurs an eight-point lead. As Phoenix called time, McDyess punched his fist into the air, showing as much passion as he ever has as a Spur.
This is the McDyess the Spurs wanted last summer. Coaches had been disappointed he couldn't adapt to their rotations more quickly, and they expected his 18-foot jumper to be surer. So when he ended with 12 points and nine rebounds, maybe they felt someone from above was looking out for them, too.
Afterward, Popovich walked through the locker room, and McDyess was still talking to reporters. Popovich made sure to stop.
“Willis,” Popovich said, “don't be late for the plane.”
Willis. As in Willis Reed, the former Knick who once famously limped into the lineup in a Finals Game 7. McDyess smiled broadly.
Popovich had reason to smile, as well. After giving away Theo Ratliff to Charlotte, could his rotations have survived without McDyess?
The knee is still something to monitor. McDyess iced it Sunday, as always, and he said it was still “achy.” He wore a compression wrap as he left the locker room for the plane ride to New Orleans.
“I'm hoping,” McDyess said, “it will be okay tomorrow.”
It might be. Assuming the hoop god isn't busy again.
Buck Harvey
Antonio McDyess talked as some of the other Spurs did. Someone “from above” was looking out for them, he joked Sunday.
Nice thought, albeit one with a few holes. If there is a hoop god watching over the Spurs, after all, was he busy Friday?
Still, maybe McDyess was on to something. A former two-time dunk champ, Jason Richardson, missed an uncontested slam, and über-smart point guard Steve Nash let the clock run out.
Then there was the third quarter when McDyess went down.
And got up.
When McDyess missed a put-back, he wasn't undercut or off-balance. He simply came down on his left leg, hyperextending his knee, and everyone feared the worst.
Including the Suns. Grant Hill, with his own history of pain, stayed behind with McDyess as his teammates sped the other way on a fast break.
Alvin Gentry said he saw the knee “buckle” in front of him, and he felt sick. McDyess, meanwhile, felt something familiar.
“The crazy thing about it,” McDyess said, “my first injury was against Phoenix, and my second injury in the preseason was against Phoenix. I was like, ‘Oh no, not again.'”
Those injuries forced him to miss an entire year, and he was limited to 52 games over three seasons. But after doctors carved spongy bone from his hip to stimulate healing in his knee, McDyess made a remarkable recovery. He missed only nine games in his first four years in Detroit.
Any pain in those seasons?
“Not one time,” he said.
He's rehabbed, and he's iced the knee faithfully. Still, it's been a medical miracle, and that's why recent problems have surprised him. His knee swelled after playing against the Pistons two weeks ago; when he fell Sunday, he thought the worst.
Two teammates helped him leave the floor, but McDyess said he felt better with every step. Later he admitted, “I was more afraid than hurt.”
Spurs doctors looked at him and didn't want him to return, and Gregg Popovich never expected to see him again Sunday: “I thought he was really hurt badly.”
But there was McDyess trotting back, as odd a sight as Richardson missing his dunk.
McDyess ended up playing more minutes than Tim Duncan. And, afterward, the same Hill who had stayed behind felt less concerned for McDyess.
“How many jumpers did he hit in the fourth quarter?” Hill asked.
Three. The last one came with about three minutes left, giving the Spurs an eight-point lead. As Phoenix called time, McDyess punched his fist into the air, showing as much passion as he ever has as a Spur.
This is the McDyess the Spurs wanted last summer. Coaches had been disappointed he couldn't adapt to their rotations more quickly, and they expected his 18-foot jumper to be surer. So when he ended with 12 points and nine rebounds, maybe they felt someone from above was looking out for them, too.
Afterward, Popovich walked through the locker room, and McDyess was still talking to reporters. Popovich made sure to stop.
“Willis,” Popovich said, “don't be late for the plane.”
Willis. As in Willis Reed, the former Knick who once famously limped into the lineup in a Finals Game 7. McDyess smiled broadly.
Popovich had reason to smile, as well. After giving away Theo Ratliff to Charlotte, could his rotations have survived without McDyess?
The knee is still something to monitor. McDyess iced it Sunday, as always, and he said it was still “achy.” He wore a compression wrap as he left the locker room for the plane ride to New Orleans.
“I'm hoping,” McDyess said, “it will be okay tomorrow.”
It might be. Assuming the hoop god isn't busy again.