duncan228
03-07-2010, 12:57 AM
I wasn't sure if this should go in the big thread. Please merge if it belongs there. :)
Spurs' Parker breaks shooting hand (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Spurs_Parker_breaks_shooting_hand.html)
Jeff McDonald
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The hour was late. Time was running out. Nothing anyone tried seemed to be working.
So Gregg Popovich stood up in the middle of the Spurs' malfunctioning charter plane around midnight Saturday morning and announced perhaps his most popular coaching decision of the season.
“I said, ‘Everybody go home and get some sleep,'” Popovich said. “Players were out of there in a millisecond. They didn't even ask questions.”
Their Friday travel plans delayed by a broken light on the plane's wing, the Spurs — rested, refreshed but a little bit rushed — arrived in Memphis about six hours before tipoff Saturday.
That proved just enough time to dust off the Grizzlies 102-92 at the FedEx Forum, extend their winning streak to four games and provide a springboard into Monday's contest at Cleveland.
The victory, however, came at a high cost for the Spurs. Tony Parker would have been better off had the team's Saturday flight been canceled, too.
Parker fractured his right hand scrambling for a loose ball in the final seconds of the first half and could miss the remainder of the regular season.
Shortly after a win that should have been celebrated — the Spurs (36-24) haven't had a streak this long since the end of December — Manu Ginobili talked in somber tones about the loss of the team's All-Star point guard.
“It's devastating,” Ginobili said. “I'm not saying we were turning the corner, but if we had a chance, it was with the whole team healthy.”
Spotted a 10-point lead at the half with Parker in the lineup, the Spurs held on to win by the same margin without him. Their bench did most of the heavy lifting, outscoring Memphis' 66-15.
Richard Jefferson led with 18 points, Ginobili had 15 of his 17 in the second half, and Matt Bonner scored 13 points, made 4 of 7 on 3-pointers and played surprisingly pesky defense against Memphis All-Star Zach Randolph.
Randolph came in averaging 20.9 points and 11.9 rebounds but finished with 15 points and seven boards.
“Matt Bonner was fantastic,” Popovich said. “He showed really good poise and good patience playing someone who really is one of the best scorers in the league. I was really proud of him.”
It was another strange night in a strange season for the Grizzlies (32-31), who followed an 11-game home winning streak by losing eight straight.
The Spurs' day began in stranger fashion. Scheduled to fly from San Antonio after Friday's home win over New Orleans, the Spurs arrived at the airport to find their plane grounded.
Lest his team wind up spending the night on the tarmac, as it did in New Orleans after Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals in 2008, Popovich made the snap decision to send everybody home.
The new flight time: 11 a.m. Saturday.
“We figured it'd be better to let them go to bed, instead of waiting there until 2 in the morning for them to say we couldn't go,” Popovich said.
To a man, Popovich's players agreed with the decision. Still, Ginobili said the change in routine affected him.
“It took me three quarters to start feeling a little bit ready,” Ginobili said.
A mini-Manu run in the third quarter helped beat back one Memphis charge, and his fingerprints were all over the Spurs' final push. In the last 5:53, Ginobili twice forced his way to the line, found Tim Duncan for a basket and tossed in a 20-footer.
Ginobili's only regret was the same as many of his teammates'. They only wished Parker had been around to help them finish the game.
Now, the Spurs move forward, in the midst of a tight Western Conference race, hoping to do again what they did Saturday — win without their starting point guard.
“Nobody's going to do for us what he does, “but we're going to have to get it done,” Duncan said.
Spurs' Parker breaks shooting hand (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Spurs_Parker_breaks_shooting_hand.html)
Jeff McDonald
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The hour was late. Time was running out. Nothing anyone tried seemed to be working.
So Gregg Popovich stood up in the middle of the Spurs' malfunctioning charter plane around midnight Saturday morning and announced perhaps his most popular coaching decision of the season.
“I said, ‘Everybody go home and get some sleep,'” Popovich said. “Players were out of there in a millisecond. They didn't even ask questions.”
Their Friday travel plans delayed by a broken light on the plane's wing, the Spurs — rested, refreshed but a little bit rushed — arrived in Memphis about six hours before tipoff Saturday.
That proved just enough time to dust off the Grizzlies 102-92 at the FedEx Forum, extend their winning streak to four games and provide a springboard into Monday's contest at Cleveland.
The victory, however, came at a high cost for the Spurs. Tony Parker would have been better off had the team's Saturday flight been canceled, too.
Parker fractured his right hand scrambling for a loose ball in the final seconds of the first half and could miss the remainder of the regular season.
Shortly after a win that should have been celebrated — the Spurs (36-24) haven't had a streak this long since the end of December — Manu Ginobili talked in somber tones about the loss of the team's All-Star point guard.
“It's devastating,” Ginobili said. “I'm not saying we were turning the corner, but if we had a chance, it was with the whole team healthy.”
Spotted a 10-point lead at the half with Parker in the lineup, the Spurs held on to win by the same margin without him. Their bench did most of the heavy lifting, outscoring Memphis' 66-15.
Richard Jefferson led with 18 points, Ginobili had 15 of his 17 in the second half, and Matt Bonner scored 13 points, made 4 of 7 on 3-pointers and played surprisingly pesky defense against Memphis All-Star Zach Randolph.
Randolph came in averaging 20.9 points and 11.9 rebounds but finished with 15 points and seven boards.
“Matt Bonner was fantastic,” Popovich said. “He showed really good poise and good patience playing someone who really is one of the best scorers in the league. I was really proud of him.”
It was another strange night in a strange season for the Grizzlies (32-31), who followed an 11-game home winning streak by losing eight straight.
The Spurs' day began in stranger fashion. Scheduled to fly from San Antonio after Friday's home win over New Orleans, the Spurs arrived at the airport to find their plane grounded.
Lest his team wind up spending the night on the tarmac, as it did in New Orleans after Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals in 2008, Popovich made the snap decision to send everybody home.
The new flight time: 11 a.m. Saturday.
“We figured it'd be better to let them go to bed, instead of waiting there until 2 in the morning for them to say we couldn't go,” Popovich said.
To a man, Popovich's players agreed with the decision. Still, Ginobili said the change in routine affected him.
“It took me three quarters to start feeling a little bit ready,” Ginobili said.
A mini-Manu run in the third quarter helped beat back one Memphis charge, and his fingerprints were all over the Spurs' final push. In the last 5:53, Ginobili twice forced his way to the line, found Tim Duncan for a basket and tossed in a 20-footer.
Ginobili's only regret was the same as many of his teammates'. They only wished Parker had been around to help them finish the game.
Now, the Spurs move forward, in the midst of a tight Western Conference race, hoping to do again what they did Saturday — win without their starting point guard.
“Nobody's going to do for us what he does, “but we're going to have to get it done,” Duncan said.