McDonald: Another stubbed toe for Spurs

[duncan228]

Another stubbed toe for Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Another_stubbed_toe_for_Spurs.html)
Jeff McDonald

CLEVELAND — Manu Ginobili rose from his chair, grabbed his bags and headed for the nearest exit.

This part of his night, at least, went better than the last time he departed Quicken Loans Arena. This time, he didn't limp.

Still, Ginobili left Cleveland with more regrets in the aftermath of the Spurs' 97-95 loss to the LeBron-less Cavaliers on Monday. For one, he regretted his left foot — the one across from the right distal fibula that betrayed him here a season earlier — was an inch too long.

“It sucks,” Ginobili said.

With Tony Parker missing the first game of what could be the rest of his season, Ginobili earned his second start and did everything he could to try and will the Spurs to what would have been their fifth consecutive victory.

Ginobili had 38 points — his most in more than two years — made 7 of 11 on 3-pointers, had seven rebounds and five assists and made almost every play the Spurs needed.

Except the biggest one, which Ginobili missed even as he made it.

When he didn't step back quite far enough on the 3-pointer that would have evened the score at 93 with 14.9 seconds left, did it symbolize the Spurs' season? Or simply make up for Jason Richardson's missed dunk?

Ginobili was celebrating the apparent game-tying shot, which came between two Cavs, until he looked at official Joey Crawford. What he saw stopped the celebration.

“I saw Joey saying it was a two,” Ginobili said, “and he looked pretty convinced.”

Replays later confirmed Ginobili's toe was on the line.

“A good call,” Ginobili said.

The Spurs left Cleveland convinced it never should have come to that.

With LeBron James, the NBA's leading scorer, sitting out for rest purposes, Shaquille O'Neal sidelined after thumb surgery, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas 14 days from being eligible to re-sign, the Cavaliers were shorthanded.

When Antawn Jamison left in the third quarter with knee tightness, and the Spurs were ahead by eight, the game was there for the taking.

Instead?

“We gave one away,” Tim Duncan said.

Perhaps the Spurs (36-25) should be used to this. They've also lost games to the Lakers without Kobe Bryant and Denver without Carmelo Anthony.

Jamison and Mo Williams each had 17 points for Cleveland, but it was role players such as Jawad Williams and Delonte West who helped the Cavs become the league's first 50-win team.

Starting for James, Williams had 13 points, including three straight jumpers in the third. West pumped in 16 points, 10 in the fourth. They helped Cleveland move to 1-7 without James in the past three seasons.

In the midst of a LeBron-like surge of his own, Ginobili couldn't get the same assistance.

George Hill, who slid from shooting guard to fill in for Parker, had 23 points. The rest of the Spurs combined for 34.

Roger Mason Jr. was 1 of 10 and missed all eight of his 3-pointers — including a wide-open one that could have tied it with 3.9 seconds left.

“A nightmare of a game,” Mason said.

Antonio McDyess was 2 for 8. Richard Jefferson, backsliding after his 18-point night at Memphis, was 1 for 3, his only field goal coming on a dunk. Duncan managed 13 points and threw away two crucial passes in the fourth quarter.

“We need to play better,” Mason said. “Manu's not going to be able to win games by himself.”

That didn't stop Ginobili from trying. Much of his night mirrored his 46-point performance against Cleveland on Feb. 13, 2008, the last time the Spurs defeated the Cavs. Until Monday, he'd topped 38 just once since, in a 44-point outburst at Minnesota eight days later.

“He's a competitor,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, shaking his head. “He's just ridiculous.”

This was vintage Manu, closer to the Cleveland moment he enjoyed two seasons ago than last season. By a toe, it wasn't enough.

[tp2021]

“Manu's not going to be able to win games by himself.”

That didn't stop Ginobili from trying.

And that's why I love him. no homo

[timtonymanu]

And that's why I love him. no homo

because he knows he has teammates that will lose the game for him. It's like Manu was playing against two teams tonight.

I love Manu for his swagger. I wish some players on the team had that too.

[Obstructed_View]

I won't blame Manu for treating the remainder of this season as an audition for the teams that are going to throw money his way. He's certainly gone after the way Pop's fucked up a roster that was loaded with talent and promise.

[TDMVPDPOY]

“We need to play better,” Mason said.

WE as in who?

[#2!]

WE as in who?

Kind of makes me appreciate Richard's willingness to put the blame for his play on himself first (though he did eventually, and indirectly, share some with Pop).

BTW can anybody tell me (without just saying he has no balls) why Richard only took 3 FGAs? He had 9 boards which tells me there must have been some effort on his part.

[#2!]

Oh man, the stats say he didn't even attempt a FG until the 4th quarter! WTF??

[Spurs Brazil]

“A nightmare of a game,” Mason said.

Your game is a nightmare


“We need to play better,” Mason said.

You need to play better. Stop blaming others and play some

[ElNono]

“He's a competitor,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, shaking his head. “He's just ridiculous.”

Calling Bogans your 'centerpiece' and being unable to play him because he gets burned by Jawal Williams is ridiculous, Pop...

[smeagol]

We lost because of Manu. He should've taken two steps back instead of one on that shot with 14s to go . . .

[gospursgojas]

Calling Bogans your 'centerpiece' and being unable to play him because he gets burned by Jawal Williams is ridiculous, Pop...

I hate bogans and how much pop uses him as much as the next guy...but bogans 6'4 and williams 6'9. He shouldn't have been guarding williams in the first place. Williams scored 6 straight pts and sparked the cavs' run. That I blame pop for

[carina_gino20]

We lost because of Manu. He should've taken two steps back instead of one on that shot with 14s to go . . .

:lol I like the way you think, smeagol.

[spursfaninla]

No one noticed that Jason Richardson is mentioned earlier in the article as missing a dunk? When did JR join the cavs?

Author made "the JR-RJ" slip.

shame.

[whottt]

No one noticed that Jason Richardson is mentioned earlier in the article as missing a dunk? When did JR join the cavs?

Author made "the JR-RJ" slip.

shame.

He's talking about the dunk Jason Richardson missed last time the Suns played the Spurs that would have tied the game.

[DAF86]

BTW can anybody tell me (without just saying he has no balls) why Richard only took 3 FGAs? He had 9 boards which tells me there must have been some effort on his part.

Because Tony didn't pass him the ball... wait.

[Johnny RIngo]

Calling Bogans your 'centerpiece' and being unable to play him because he gets burned by Jawal Williams is ridiculous, Pop...

That "centerpiece" quote about Bogans is going to go down as one of the stupidest things to come out of Pop's mouth.

[ducks]

We lost because of Manu. He should've taken two steps back instead of one on that shot with 14s to go . . .

manu should have learned from kobe
does he not watch other teams play or is he to busy facebooking

[HarlemHeat37]

manu should have learned from kobe
does he not watch other teams play or is he to busy facebooking

:rollin

[Blackjack]

Calling Bogans your 'centerpiece' and being unable to play him because he gets burned by Jawal Williams is ridiculous, Pop...

I'm guessing Juwad became Juwal after playing against Bogans and realizing he didn't want a 'D', and what it is supposed to stand for, associated with his name . . .

[smeagol]

manu should have learned from kobe
does he not watch other teams play or is he to busy facebooking

:tu

[ElNono]

I'm guessing Juwad became Juwal after playing against Bogans and realizing he didn't want a 'D', and what it is supposed to stand for, associated with his name . . .

LOL... I honestly already forgot his name... Now that I think about it... that sad indeed... :lol

[OldSilentHill]

I won't blame Manu for treating the remainder of this season as an audition for the teams that are going to throw money his way. He's certainly gone after the way Pop's fucked up a roster that was loaded with talent and promise.

LOL at you trying to say Manu played good because he´s thinking on his wallet instead of playing good because he´s in good health and love the Spurs and have a lot of respect to its fans. :lol

[pjjrfan]

The beauty of Manu's game is that he always plays to win the game he is in. His is the passion of that guy on the court who refuses to lose cause he doesn't want to leave the court. I don't think that Manu's basketball DNA will allow him to showcase his talents for a bigger paycheck, because the guy on the court last night is the same guy from the last 7 years. injuries or not the effort from Manu is always beyond a 100%

[pjjrfan]

LOL at you trying to say Manu played good because he´s thinking on his wallet instead of playing good because he´s in good health and love the Spurs and have a lot of respect to its fans. :lol

good take, to add to that I would say that Manu's love for the game itself is what makes him so special.

[raspsa]

The FO would be fools not to move heaven and earth to re-sign this guy.

[Obstructed_View]

LOL at you trying to say Manu played good because he´s thinking on his wallet instead of playing good because he´s in good health and love the Spurs and have a lot of respect to its fans. :lol

LOL at your lack of reading comprehension. I said that I won't blame Manu for doing that from this moment forward. He's apparently the only one trying to win and the entire team let him down against the Cavs. The insult was aimed at everyone NOT named Manu.

But since you bring it up, Manu has already said that he probably won't play international ball this summer because he's a free agent and he doesn't want to risk his next contract, so may we dispense with the 'Manu loves the fans and the game more than his paycheck' bullshit, please?

[OldSilentHill]

I won't blame Manu for treating the remainder of this season as an audition for the teams that are going to throw money his way. He's certainly gone after the way Pop's fucked up a roster that was loaded with talent and promise.

Sorry but no. I was quoting this state you wrote. I don´t have to chek all your posts to "see" what you "may" think.

Has pjjrfan wrote here, Manu´s love for the game itself is what´s makes him so special, not his audition strategy cause the Spurs are going wrong. That´s an insult to Manu, a player that you should be greateful for what he brings on court.

PS: speaking about "audition"...if Manu were really in that "mode", he would have tried to made that last 3pts shooter instead of being part of a play to give Mason the responsability :wakeup

[Obstructed_View]

Sorry but no. I was quoting this state you wrote. I don´t have to chek all your posts to "see" what you "may" think.

Has pjjrfan wrote here, Manu´s love for the game itself is what´s makes him so special, not his audition strategy cause the Spurs are going wrong. That´s an insult to Manu, a player that you should be greateful for what he brings on court.

PS: speaking about "audition"...if Manu were really in that "mode", he would have tried to made that last 3pts shooter instead of being part of a play to give Mason the responsability :wakeup

Um, okay. Believe whatever you want, even if it means reading something into my statement. Since I'm the one who wrote it, I know what I was thinking when I did. You don't have to check any of my posts, I explained it. Perhaps you have a problem with English, but the part you bolded means exactly what I explained.

I'm beginning to think the reason the Spurs suck is because we've got little factions of ignorant fans who jump on anyone for questioning anything about coaches or players telling us we need to be grateful for what they've done in the past. Hell, I said something about Manu that wasn't even an insult and I'm being lectured about it.

[OldSilentHill]

I won't blame Manu for treating the remainder of this season as an audition for the teams that are going to throw money his way. He's certainly gone after the way Pop's fucked up a roster that was loaded with talent and promise.

Nop and I´m quoting you again so we dont lose the focus.

You are somehow implying the possibility that he would play well the rest of the season no matter if the Spurs have no chance for a ring, because he has a lot to win being part of the future market.

And of course, your "I won´t blame him" doesnt matter that he nessecary is doing that right now, I give you that. But you are implying that he can do it, like if this were his last championship (lets say that he announces his retirement) he wouldnt play equally well for the rest of the season.

PS: I´m not an expert on english writing, but I can express myself pretty well by talking or writing on french, english, spanish and portuguese, and I´m f****** proud of that, for that which matters to anyone here.

[Obstructed_View]

Nop and I´m quoting you again so we dont lose the focus.

You are somehow implying the possibility that he would play well the rest of the season no matter if the Spurs have no chance for a ring, because he has a lot to win being part of the future market.

And of course, your "I won´t blame him" doesnt matter that he nessecary is doing that right now, I give you that. But you are implying that he can do it, like if this were his last championship (lets say that he announces his retirement) he wouldnt play equally well for the rest of the season.

PS: I´m not an expert on english writing, but I can express myself pretty well by talking or writing on french, english, spanish and portuguese, and I´m f****** proud of that, for that which matters to anyone here.

No, I already explained it. As I said, I deliberately worded it the way I did because I know exactly what I meant to convey. The more you look at it, the closer you get to actually understanding what I meant. Just keep reading it and let me know when you're ready to admit that you were mistaken.

And Manu WILL play well the rest of the season even if the Spurs have no chance for a ring because he has a lot to gain being a free-agent this summer. That's just smart.

[OldSilentHill]

No, I already explained it. As I said, I deliberately worded it the way I did because I know exactly what I meant to convey. The more you look at it, the closer you get to actually understanding what I meant. Just keep reading it and let me know when you're ready to admit that you were mistaken.

And Manu WILL play well the rest of the season even if the Spurs have no chance for a ring because he has a lot to gain being a free-agent this summer. That's just smart.

Whatever makes you happy :lol

I´m going to see Real Madrid vs. Lyon.

Bye, no hard feelings :toast

[Obstructed_View]

Whatever makes you happy :lol

I´m going to see Real Madrid vs. Lyon.

Bye, no hard feelings :toast

Good luck. Hope you don't misinterpret anything in the soccer game that causes you any trouble.

[it's me]

Whatever makes you happy :lol

I´m going to see Real Madrid vs. Lyon.

Bye, no hard feelings :toast

Go Lyon.............