CosmicCowboy
05-03-2005, 08:41 AM
thomas george
Talk not cheap for Spurs
By Thomas George
Denver Post Staff Columnist
They read, they watch, they listen. The San Antonio Spurs are alert. Aware. Informed.
The Spurs heard the Nuggets diss Manu Ginobili. They caught it when the Nuggets said they would pack the paint and shut down, maybe knock down, driving Spurs. They understood what the Nuggets meant when they said they had not yet played their best hoops, and if not for the officiating in Game 3 might have entered Game 4 on Monday night with the series lead.
They yawned.
Tim Duncan said something about how, with the yapping, the Nuggets needed to give themselves some hype.
Tony Parker said it best. Pro athletes are often less forthcoming when admitting how much attention they pay to newspapers, radio and TV, of absorbing what emanates from the opposing locker room.
Parker had no shame.
"You pay attention," he said. "You hear a little bit of it. You know what they are saying. You know what they are thinking. You don't let it bother you. You keep doing your thing. It's nice to be in the know. But you still make things your way."
And there it is - few mind games can be won against the firmly convinced, the rock-solid assured.
The Spurs present five players on their roster who have won at least two NBA championships.
No Nugget has won one.
The Spurs for three straight games in this series have displayed their ability to more consistently rebound, shoot, defend and finish. It is the finish part that gives them a 3-1 series lead after slaying the Nuggets 126-115 in overtime at the Pepsi Center.
After edging the Nuggets in smarts, execution and confidence one more time.
This was easily the best-played game of the series, and the Spurs won it in a tingling environment that they handled with cool. They are a cool team, period, with Duncan setting the standard with his even, measured approach.
Here was a perfect example:
In the final 3.8 seconds of the first half, the Spurs allowed Earl Boykins to dribble the length of the floor and Duncan, standing with arms stretched, allowed him to scoop and score from underneath the basket. That cut the Spurs' lead to 57-51. The quiet smirk, the twisted lip that Duncan offered afterward was as calm as it was cool.
He simply walked off the floor.
And then he returned and helped make sure the Spurs won the third quarter. And helped make sure they were winners by contributing a game-high 39 points and composed leadership.
The Nuggets had only half this season to build the success and temperament and confidence of their current crew. The Spurs have been at it for seven seasons with Duncan, tested and true.
In these past three playoff games, that difference has showed.
Before the tip, Nuggets guard Andre Miller was talking about his team's approach.
"Our attitude is good," he said. "We're pretty positive. We've got veterans on our team. We've got our heads up. We can compete with this team. We've had our ups and downs in the series. They've had theirs."
But the Spurs exude valor in dealing with those ups and downs and then finish what they start. That trait comes with time, with experience, with a unit getting the same message from its franchise and coach in October that it receives in May. That, of course, did not happen for the Nuggets, with three head coaches and a jumbled roster this season.
San Antonio played four quarters and the overtime as if it knew the Nuggets would crack just enough. The Spurs exhibited respect for the Nuggets but more than that, a gripping, powerful ability to embrace pressure, to execute with flair in the middle of it.
It will not, but we can hope this series reaches seven games. The longer the Nuggets are exposed to the Spurs, the longer they sniff 'em and bump and roll with this bunch, the more they will grow.
Seasoning comes in just these types of postseason games in hot, packed arenas under heavy glare. Even in such tough losses, the Nuggets should gain strength.
They are rubbing elbows with the type of stability, finishers, class and cool that they, too, want to become.
It is a chic, sophisticated neighborhood. The Nuggets, heads spinning, are learning that.
Staff writer Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or [email protected].
Talk not cheap for Spurs
By Thomas George
Denver Post Staff Columnist
They read, they watch, they listen. The San Antonio Spurs are alert. Aware. Informed.
The Spurs heard the Nuggets diss Manu Ginobili. They caught it when the Nuggets said they would pack the paint and shut down, maybe knock down, driving Spurs. They understood what the Nuggets meant when they said they had not yet played their best hoops, and if not for the officiating in Game 3 might have entered Game 4 on Monday night with the series lead.
They yawned.
Tim Duncan said something about how, with the yapping, the Nuggets needed to give themselves some hype.
Tony Parker said it best. Pro athletes are often less forthcoming when admitting how much attention they pay to newspapers, radio and TV, of absorbing what emanates from the opposing locker room.
Parker had no shame.
"You pay attention," he said. "You hear a little bit of it. You know what they are saying. You know what they are thinking. You don't let it bother you. You keep doing your thing. It's nice to be in the know. But you still make things your way."
And there it is - few mind games can be won against the firmly convinced, the rock-solid assured.
The Spurs present five players on their roster who have won at least two NBA championships.
No Nugget has won one.
The Spurs for three straight games in this series have displayed their ability to more consistently rebound, shoot, defend and finish. It is the finish part that gives them a 3-1 series lead after slaying the Nuggets 126-115 in overtime at the Pepsi Center.
After edging the Nuggets in smarts, execution and confidence one more time.
This was easily the best-played game of the series, and the Spurs won it in a tingling environment that they handled with cool. They are a cool team, period, with Duncan setting the standard with his even, measured approach.
Here was a perfect example:
In the final 3.8 seconds of the first half, the Spurs allowed Earl Boykins to dribble the length of the floor and Duncan, standing with arms stretched, allowed him to scoop and score from underneath the basket. That cut the Spurs' lead to 57-51. The quiet smirk, the twisted lip that Duncan offered afterward was as calm as it was cool.
He simply walked off the floor.
And then he returned and helped make sure the Spurs won the third quarter. And helped make sure they were winners by contributing a game-high 39 points and composed leadership.
The Nuggets had only half this season to build the success and temperament and confidence of their current crew. The Spurs have been at it for seven seasons with Duncan, tested and true.
In these past three playoff games, that difference has showed.
Before the tip, Nuggets guard Andre Miller was talking about his team's approach.
"Our attitude is good," he said. "We're pretty positive. We've got veterans on our team. We've got our heads up. We can compete with this team. We've had our ups and downs in the series. They've had theirs."
But the Spurs exude valor in dealing with those ups and downs and then finish what they start. That trait comes with time, with experience, with a unit getting the same message from its franchise and coach in October that it receives in May. That, of course, did not happen for the Nuggets, with three head coaches and a jumbled roster this season.
San Antonio played four quarters and the overtime as if it knew the Nuggets would crack just enough. The Spurs exhibited respect for the Nuggets but more than that, a gripping, powerful ability to embrace pressure, to execute with flair in the middle of it.
It will not, but we can hope this series reaches seven games. The longer the Nuggets are exposed to the Spurs, the longer they sniff 'em and bump and roll with this bunch, the more they will grow.
Seasoning comes in just these types of postseason games in hot, packed arenas under heavy glare. Even in such tough losses, the Nuggets should gain strength.
They are rubbing elbows with the type of stability, finishers, class and cool that they, too, want to become.
It is a chic, sophisticated neighborhood. The Nuggets, heads spinning, are learning that.
Staff writer Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or [email protected].