Game Blog: Spurs vs Cavs - Mar 26

[phxspurfan]

I don't see how were in this game with Duncan and Hill combining for only 25

[ezau]

Shit fuck. We just need to hold and that's it. This is going to be ours

[Blackjack]

Just what we need ... Pop finding justification for Bogans down the stretch . . .:lol

[ffadicted]

Amazing Hill

[RedsLakers24]

Way to go hill

[Spursox]

OK..C'mon Duncan, let's not have any fairy layups this time..Throw that down!

[DesignatedT]

hill playing nice defense.. damnit bogans... about to be the hero :lol

[cnyc3]

Good D Hill

[DPG21920]

Bogans had a great look. Damn it.

[Death In June]

You dont get much more wide open than that....

[hitmanyr2k]

Ginobili should have taken that shit to the rim. Bogans isn't gonna hit those 3's all the time.

[biziofromdowntown]

Goood Bogans!!!

[DPG21920]

Milk the clock and get a good shot. Perfect.

[cnyc3]

Timmay

[RedsLakers24]

Timmy

[bigdog]

Yesss.

[ffadicted]

Timmy D!!!!!

[blkroadrunners]

Great game. I'm lovin it.

[Spurs Brazil]

Tim Duncan!!!!!!!!!!!

[DPG21920]

Manu and Tim making the winning plays on both ends!

[ElNono]

Lets close this shit

[tomtom]

HOly shit clutch play after clutch play

[ffadicted]

MANU GINOBILI!!! OH MY GAWD!!!!!

Doing everything

[Chieflion]

We are finally able to come up with stops in crunch time!!!!!!

[biziofromdowntown]

Damn Manu!!!!!! great D!!!!!!

[WildcardManu]

fucking manu charged up the team with his energy

[DesignatedT]

yes manu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Manudona]

Manu!!

[DPG21920]

I love Manu.

[cnyc3]

Man Hickson has hops

[ezau]

Yes Timmy!!

[blkroadrunners]

Nice D by Bogans.

[DPG21920]

Score here. Manu at the line.

[biziofromdowntown]

Yeahhhhhh take this!!!

[RedsLakers24]

Thats Game

[Spurs Brazil]

Yes Manu!

[phxspurfan]

That rest for Manu in the 3rd was key

[timtonymanu]

i need to predict more blowout losses because the Spurs always prove me wrong.

[biziofromdowntown]

Manu ice blood

[ElNono]

Manu played the entire 4th?

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Wrong. Spurs are actually playing very well despite missing a key player. Their defense is getting better (besides the turn overs and transition), RJ is playing better, Manu is playing great. If TP can come back rested and playing a bit better, that will be the most we have had the key components playing well together all year.

They are in every game during a brutal stretch, it is relevant. They are not as far off as you like to make them out to be. They are especially not "laughable". I said they could make a run, not win a title.

I think we're already on the run you describe, and I don't see another gear unless Parker comes back 100% fit (unlikely given that pf takes 2+ months to heal at the very least).

Still, this run we're on for the last 10-15 games, fueled by Manu and George, is great to watch.

I never said or implied the team was "laughable". I was laughing at you. Not in a nasty way though. I appreaciate your optimism. :)

[Shastafarian]

I think we should trade Manu. Dude straight up sucks.

[manubili]

vamo que ganamoo

[CFH]

Manu doing it all!!!

[Spurs Brazil]

Manu played the whole 4th

Maybe he should play the whole 4th against LA too

[Danny.Zhu]

Finally a quality win.

[Michi_Germany]

YES! Great game!

[Fermixalot]

45 secs......plz

[biziofromdowntown]

James sucks!!!!!!!!

[Manudona]

LOL at Manu clapping like another fan in the arena

[TIMMYD!]

Fuck yeah!

Maybe I should not watch the games more often so that we win!

[ElNono]

Pop lighting up Centerpiece... Centerpiece smiling...

[DesignatedT]

bogans laughing and pop yelling at him :lol

[DesignatedT]

Manu played the entire 4th?

yes.

[ffadicted]

Best game/win of the season coming at the end of March, typical spurs lol

[DesignatedT]

i cant believe duncan came in with 3 minutes left in the 4th lol something seriously must be wrong with those knees

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Actually, DPG, if there is another gear in this team above the level they are currently playing I think it will come from Tim. If he can find early season form again, things could be interesting. Right now he looks exhausted.

[ezau]

Wow. This is perhaps the best win all season long. I dunno, we're really doing well in this stretch facing very good, quality opposition. I couldn't care less what their record is as far as they play this way.

[DPG21920]

Finally a quality win.

They just beat OKC who trounced LA.

[biziofromdowntown]

do it Manu!

[ffadicted]

what the fuck

[DesignatedT]

jefferson and hill - brilliant

[Man In Black]

i cant believe duncan came in with 3 minutes left in the 4th lol something seriously must be wrong with those knees
No, not at all. He actually was up to the scorekeepers to check in at 5 mins but there was no break in the action until the 3 minute mark. Ain't nothing wrong with his knees, he just needs rest to be TIMMAH!

[RedsLakers24]

OMG What are the spurs doing?

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Ugh. Gotta eliminate these rookie mistakes.

[ElNono]

Oh boy

[DPG21920]

Actually, DPG, if there is another gear in this team above the level they are currently playing I think it will come from Tim. If he can find early season form again, things could be interesting. Right now he looks exhausted.

I agree and although I am worried about him, he looked worse last year and still had a very good playoff series.

[ezau]

It's tough for Duncan to carry the team defensively while having to score against top-level big men in successive games. He still pulled if off tonight though and I'm happy with his performance

[Refocus]

Is this really happening..

[ShoogarBear]

WTF was THAT??????

[biziofromdowntown]

fuck

[tomtom]

wow -_-

[Spurs Brazil]

damn

[Danny.Zhu]

Wtf...

[DesignatedT]

hairston gave up that dunk- missed rotation just so every1 knows.

[hitmanyr2k]

The Spurs always have to make it interesting :lol

You know Spurs fans are having T-Mac flashbacks right now.

[CFH]

Come on now, can't choke it away.

[murpjf88]

one of the worst closing teams in the league.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

They just beat OKC who trounced LA.

...although the Fakers are on a road b2b.

[biziofromdowntown]

no shit pleaz

[ElNono]

Keep it on a 2 possesion game

[Warlord23]

Assuming they don't fuck this up, I'll take the win, but it took a heroic effort by Manu and some great shots by Tim. Our roleplayers need to step up for us to have any chance on the road

[Danny.Zhu]

the spurs always have to make it interesting :lol

you know spurs fans are having t-mac flashbacks right now.

lol.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

one of the worst closing teams in the league.

That's my major concern for the playoffs.

[blkroadrunners]

Close.

[ElNono]

Shit

[DPG21920]

yikes :lol

[cnyc3]

Make this Hill

[RedsLakers24]

WOW The spurs got lucky

[Libri]

Manu and Tim making the winning plays on both ends!

I don't know about you but for me it's a privilege to see Manu play.

[ElNono]

Come on Georgie

[phxspurfan]

I don't want to watch this

[DesignatedT]

hill is about to blow this shit .... really?

[cnyc3]

Ok 1 of 2 hill

[Sisk]

Freeeeeeee throws

[Manudona]

C'mon Hill

[DPG21920]

Hill, you are killing me. Fumble the ball out of bounds, then almost lose it again, then miss FT's.

[Chieflion]

Damn it, make your freebies.

[RedsLakers24]

it would be funny if the spurs loose

[Death In June]

45 minutes for hill. Wish we had a 3rd string pg.

[DesignatedT]

wow i think that was a charge... james going in there out of control

[phxspurfan]

Hooray refs!

[DPG21920]

it would be funny if the spurs loose

Not really :lol

[Manudona]

what a bs call

[hitmanyr2k]

If the Spurs were to fuck around and lose this game it would be the nail in the coffin for the season. That would just kill the team emotionally I think.

[tomtom]

wow how was that a block

[Spurs Brazil]

fuck refs

[Refocus]

lol Refs are SHITTING on Hairston.

[ffadicted]

WAHT THE FUCK

LeWhistle.... that wasn't even close to a block

[Sisk]

charge. good play by hairston.. fuck that call

[DPG21920]

Malik getting the shaft again.

[Warlord23]

Hairston is getting bent over by the refs no matter what he does

[The_Dude]

He was still moving, but barely.

[timtonymanu]

If we lose, Im putting this on Hill.

[blkroadrunners]

Specially when you get all tick tack calls, they do not call you on travelling, they allow you to hit every part of the opponents body and still call it a block...

That too x 2.

[ffadicted]

This is fucking stupid

[DesignatedT]

please get open manu. wtf

[CFH]

Come on refs, you can't be serious with that call...

[DesignatedT]

If we lose, Im putting this on Hill.

dont worry. this place will go into complete meltdown mode..

[tomtom]

does hairston really have 4 fouls in 4 minutes

[bigdog]

Damn. Bogans going to the line.

[ShoogarBear]

Oh. Shit.

Keith Bogans.

[DesignatedT]

:lol the game rests in centerpiece' hands

[Johnny RIngo]

Actually, DPG, if there is another gear in this team above the level they are currently playing I think it will come from Tim. If he can find early season form again, things could be interesting. Right now he looks exhausted.

Agreed. TP was a monster in last year's playoffs and we still got beat down by the Mavs. We're only going as far TD is able to go.

[DPG21920]

Centerpiece. If he misses, God help him on ST.

[ElNono]

Bogans is stupid

[Shastafarian]

If you were ever gonna make FTs Centerpiece, make these

[DesignatedT]

bogans has ice in his veins

[Obstructed_View]

He was still moving, but barely.

Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to set your feet in order to draw a charge.

[cnyc3]

Centerpiece.

[DPG21920]

I am glad he did not try and get it to Manu. Too much margin for error imo.

[ShoogarBear]

LMAO LeBron

[bigdog]

LMAO LeBron

[biziofromdowntown]

Great bogans!!!

[DPG21920]

Manu with the great play.

[blkroadrunners]

Clever Manu, clever.

[hitmanyr2k]

Bogans clutch. Lebron :lol

[Spurs Brazil]

FUCK James

Ball game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!

[Libri]

I didn't realize that Bogans had so little attempts at the free throw line, 38 attempts.

[Sisk]

Manuuuuuuu

nice james!

[ElNono]

Manu touched it

[RedsLakers24]

LOL Lebron wanted a call there

[tomtom]

Good win

[timtonymanu]

Bogans clutch FT's.

I dont hate you as much tonight.

[ShoogarBear]

I guess that could have been a foul on Manu.

[ffadicted]

lol LeTrip

[biziofromdowntown]

James sucks again

[hitmanyr2k]

Ginobili got away with one there. Definite foul lol.

[DPG21920]

Manu got away with a little one there.

[Cherry]

Lol james!!!!

[SpurCharger]

How many fuckin free throws we gonna miss??? this is Retarted!!

[Obstructed_View]

bogans has ice in his veins

Yeah, if there's one game-on-the-line situation where I'm okay with Bogans, it's having him shoot free throws.

[The_Dude]

Make up call?

[DesignatedT]

god hill sucked tonight.... SUCKED.

[ezau]

Game`

[phxspurfan]

haha Sean: "Manu MAYBE gets a little bit of arm but that isn't a foul in MY book!"

[CFH]

Manu with his tricks. :lol

[biziofromdowntown]

here we are Spurs!!!

[ElNono]

Execution...

[The_Dude]

LOL Lebron wanted a call there

Well, it was technically a foul...

[biziofromdowntown]

I've to say: "Thank u Bogans tonight!"

[ezau]

LBJ wanting another call. Fuck him

[Obstructed_View]

I think the Spurs can beat anyone in the league except the Lakers.

The only thing that kills them against the Lakers is too much stupid.

[phxspurfan]

LOL @ Spurs clock operators

[ShoogarBear]

Holy crap, LeBron.

[Obstructed_View]

Malik with the daggaaaaaaaaaah.

[cnyc3]

Thc!!!!!!!!

[tomtom]

Hairstonnnnn!

[ElNono]

We win!!!

[blkroadrunners]

Malik w/ the exclamation point!

[DPG21920]

Bron drains a sick 3 and the Spurs finally do something cool with the inbounds.

[timtonymanu]

Fuckin nice last 4 seconds

Malik with a dunk!!!

[ffadicted]

What a fitting ending! :)

[DesignatedT]

:lol hairston



big win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

go spurs go :flag:

[Danny.Zhu]

I think the Spurs can beat anyone in the league except the Lakers.

And Mavs.

[CFH]

Hairston with the exclamation point :lol

[biziofromdowntown]

Loooooooooool Hairston keepin last buckets!!!

[Spurs Brazil]

Win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[peskypesky]

yeah, baby!!! some fight left in these dogs!!!

[bigdog]

Good win.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Great win. :)

[Obstructed_View]

Malik w/ the explimation point!

That was absolutely unbeavable.

[Death In June]

I was happy with RJ this game. Hopefully he'll be able to play this consistently from now on.

[DesignatedT]

thank god we have duncan inbound the ball.. RJ or someone else would have found a way to fuck it up

[Sisk]

what a great way to end this game.

[peskypesky]

Spurs have the ability to make the Cavs look flawed.

[WeNeedLength]

And Mavs.


And Jazz.

[siraulo23]

Spurs Win1!!!!!!!!!!!!

[duncan228]

Great ending.

[tothrowed]

Lmao i luv how this game ended malikkkkkkkk lmao did yall see duncan get mad at malik for dunking the ball

[DPG21920]

Spurs roll tonight.

Yeah buddy, rollin like a big shot.

[blkroadrunners]

That was absolutely unbeavable.

:lol I made a boo-boo.

[peskypesky]

also the Lakers have the biggest frontline in the NBA and Kobe too

yep. that Laker front-line is formidable. and the Mamba ain't too bad either.

[Mal]

Good win, healthy Manu is freaking great

[TD 21]

Best win of the season, even though they prolonged it longer than it had to be. This was Bogans best game as a Spur, Duncan played well (and only played 26-27 minutes) and Ginobili is back to being arguably the best closer in the league.

[Come_On_Now]

Congratulations Spurs! Ya'll are looking really good as of late. Gonna be a hell of a playoffs. Congrats again!

[easy7]

Hell yeah, bougus finally showed up.

[DesignatedT]

Good win, healthy Manu is freaking great

now if we can just get a healthy parker...

[peskypesky]

SuperManu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jimo2305]

spurs will win..

book it!

omg.. u're so f'in smart dude... way to have heart in your team after all this.. wow guy.. lol

[Obstructed_View]

:lol I made a boo-boo.

:lol :lol :lol

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[peskypesky]

Congratulations Spurs! Ya'll are looking really good as of late. Gonna be a hell of a playoffs. Congrats again!

thanks! i like fans who can give props to their opponents.

[Danny.Zhu]

Best win of the season, even though they prolonged it longer than it had to be. This was Bogans best game as a Spur, Duncan played well (and only played 26-27 minutes) and Ginobili is back to being arguably the best closer in the league.

Yet keep in mind that Shaq and Z didn't play tonight.

[raspsa]

As expected, the Spurs were able to surprise a lot of people tonight. This team's unpredictablity can be counted upon and tonight it ended in a good result. Bogans had a solid game and was steady in the clutch. Manu, what more can you say about this guy? Good to see Blair get some confidence back.
For Cleveland, what happened to Jamison ? He basically disappeared in the 4th. I really enjoyed James sprawling on the floor though.. play of the game for me.

[Libri]

Best win of the season, even though they prolonged it longer than it had to be. This was Bogans best game as a Spur, Duncan played well (and only played 26-27 minutes) and Ginobili is back to being arguably the best closer in the league.

Not easy making those free throws at the end, especially since he has had very few attempts.

[Josepatches_]

also the Lakers have the biggest frontline in the NBA and Kobe too

Yeah,we saw them tonight against the Thunders.

Today was only one regular season game.That doesn't mean that we are better than the Cavs.

We won against Lakers too this year

[Mal]

now if we can just get a healthy parker...


Yeap. Spurs should win, to keep Parker recovering with relax about post season appearence

[WeNeedLength]

Yet keep in mind that Shaq and Z didn't play tonight.


Big Z DID play... LOL.

[TIMMYD!]

Yet keep in mind that Shaq and Z didn't play tonight.

Z did play.

[Rene]

Awesome game for the Spurs tonight! Death to Cleveland!

[Obstructed_View]

now if we can just get a healthy parker...

His plantar fascia is getting lots and lots of recuperation right now. If the 22 and 6 Tony Parker of last year suddenly shows up, I like the Spurs' chances against anyone.

[DPG21920]

2cjv7hEAytU

[Obstructed_View]

Yet keep in mind that Shaq didn't play tonight.

Parker >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Shaq

[ulosturedge]

Yeah Spurs played good tonight. There biggest problem is defense and ending games the way they start them. They played good defense in the 2nd half though, and they didn't fizzle out in the 2nd half like in the Lakers game.

Have to give the Spurs credit in bouncing back from a tough loss against the Lakers. We might not have the consistency but the Spurs sure aren't giving up on themselves this year. If they go down this year they will go down fighting!

:toast

[senorglory]

just came here to say this: Woo Hoo!

[easy7]

Spurs are getting ready to rape some people when Tony comes back...

[carina_gino20]

That was an awesome last play. :lol

[easy7]

Now I know how the Mavs' fans feel when they win a first round playoff. YEAHHH

[jimo2305]

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/66l1ch.gif
aww hellz yea.. lets enjoy dis night before its ova lol

[nbaman99]

One Name- Manu Amazing Ginobli. Sign this guy right now.

[santymrc]

one name- manu amazing ginobli. Sign this guy right now.


+1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

[alchemist]

Was Duncan getting on Malik for getting that last dunk? :lol

[timtonymanu]

Was Duncan getting on Malik for getting that last dunk? :lol

yeah i saw that. cant blame malik. his ppg is the lowest on the team.

[jimo2305]

lol yea.. gotta love duncan :lol

[Ice009]

Great win.

These types of game are good learning experience for the young guys. It might have been good that Manu didn't get the ball at the end to shoot the free throws as it gave some other guys like Hill a chance to take those shots. Hopefully that helps them in the long run.

Still too many rookie mistakes at the end and during other points of the game as Ruff said, but it is still a great win.

[jimo2305]

would yall say the center piece pulled his weight today? lol

my sig's 1 for 1 on good games by the center piece.. i shall sport it again when theres an important game :p

[duncan228]

Updated.

Ginobili, Spurs halt Cleveland’s 8-game win streak (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010032624&prov=ap)
By Paul J. Weber

Tim Duncan walked out of the locker room with a slight limp. Tony Parker and his broken hand sneaked out way earlier.

Manu Ginobili made sure they left with a win. A big one.

Ginobili scored half of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, and San Antonio beat Cleveland 102-97 on Friday night, ending the Cavaliers’ eight-game winning streak that began with a home victory over the Spurs earlier this month.

“It means we’re not that far from the best,” Ginobili said. “Of course, it’s just a game, and at home. But it makes us feel better.”

After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, Ginobili was still stung that the Spurs couldn’t beat both conference leaders back-to-back. But in what will likely be the worst regular-season for the Spurs in the Duncan era, they’ll take this one.

LeBron James had 27 points for Cleveland, but the Cavs watched their second-longest winning streak slip away with six scoreless possessions down the stretch.

James misfired twice and turned the ball over on half of those possessions. His frustrating fourth quarter included tumbling to the baseline after losing the basketball—when Ginobili, fittingly, hooked his left arm around to knock it away.

“I’ve seen every coverage before, so I’ve got past the frustration stage,” James said. “They did a good job of keeping bodies in front of bodies, sometimes double-teams, sometimes trapping.”

James had 11 points in the fourth, but it was Ginobili’s quarter. He shot 4 of 7, including two 3-pointers and a stretch of four straight Spurs baskets.

It was the third 30-point game for Ginobili since being forced into the starting lineup this month when Parker broke his hand March 6.

Two nights later, the Cavs began their winning streak with a 97-95 win over the Spurs in Cleveland. They hadn’t lost since.

Ginobili’s 38 against the Cavs weren’t enough to beat Cleveland that first time around. But 30 did the trick this time.

“He’s the reason they’re still above water even after Tony went out,” James said.

Since Parker went down, Ginobili is averaging 23.8 points and has carried the Spurs to a 7-4 mark without their starting pointing guard. Parker isn’t expected to return until the playoffs.

“With Tony down, he’s got the ball in his hands a little more, He’s a playmaker,” said Duncan, who scored 16. “If you can put the ball in his hands and let him get comfortable, these are the results you get.”

Richard Jefferson also had 16 for the Spurs, and George Hill had 14.

Antawn Jamison scored 24 points and J.J. Hickson added 20 for Cleveland. James also finished with 10 rebounds.

Beating the Cavs gave the Spurs one of their best wins in what will likely be their worst season in the Duncan era.

Excluding the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, San Antonio has never won fewer than 53 regular-season games since drafting Duncan in 1997. But that’s now in jeopardy.

The Spurs (43-28) can only afford to lose once in their final 11 games to avoid their worst regular-season record since 1996-97, when they last missed the playoffs after winning just 20 games. They’re in better shape this time—but need to be careful.

San Antonio is seventh in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of Portland.

The schedule only gets slightly easier for the Spurs, who go to Boston on Sunday. The Celtics are one of eight winning teams still ahead for the Spurs, including another round with the Lakers and Orlando.

NOTES: Cavs F Anderson Varejao left the game in the first half with a sore hamstring and did not return. … The Cavs face their final West opponent—at least for the regular season—Sunday against Sacramento.

[kaji157]

Refs favored Manu all game....



Beat that Ducks!

[Obstructed_View]

Was Duncan getting on Malik for getting that last dunk? :lol

Why the fuck would you get on a guy for dunking the ball? What was he supposed to do, stand there and wait to be fouled?

[timtonymanu]

Why the fuck would you get on a guy for dunking the ball? What was he supposed to do, stand there and wait to be fouled?

Pop had Tim on a voodoo curse.

I dont get why he got mad either. Malik barely plays. Might as well up his 1 ppg stat.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's the NBA code..I see it all the time where vets get mad about it..Juwan Howard was yelling at Rudy Fernandez and another Blazer for doing something similar earlier in the season..

Duncan also always talks to Hairston on the bench, assuming he teaches him some shit, he probably knows Pop won't be happy about it and telling him not to do shit like that..

[alchemist]

Why the fuck would you get on a guy for dunking the ball? What was he supposed to do, stand there and wait to be fouled?
Huh? I saw Duncan giving Malik a stern talk after the end ended that's why I pointed it out.

[alchemist]

Now I know how the Mavs' fans feel when they win a first round playoff. YEAHHH
the Mavs turn into a HOFer team whenever they play the Spurs unfortunately.

[Manu20]

Props to bogans for playing a hell of a game:toast

[senorglory]

Tim Duncan walked out of the locker room with a slight limp.

oh, man.

[TimDunkem]

The section I was in was cracking up after that Bonner dunk. :lol

[duncan228]

The Cleveland view.

Manu Ginobili outplays LeBron James down the stretch as San Antonio Spurs top Cleveland Cavaliers (http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/03/manu_ginobili_outplays_lebron.html)
By Brian Windhorst, The Plain Dealer

SAN ANTONIO -- It isn't often these days that the Cavaliers lose, and it is even more rare that LeBron James gets outplayed by an opposing star during winning time.

So Friday night served both as a shock to the system and a learning tool for the Cavs as they gave up a fourth-quarter lead and then the game to the gritty San Antonio Spurs, 102-97, to end an eight-game winning streak.

With both defenses, accomplished outfits in their own right, throwing bodies at them, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili executed calmly while James struggled to find a comfort level.

Ginobili, who has been brilliant for the Spurs during the past month as they've dealt with the loss of guard Tony Parker, scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. Weaving his way through the Cavs' traps and attempts to get people between him and the basket, Ginobili was at his finest.

"Manu's the reason they're still above water even with Tony out," James said. "They have a chance to win when he's out on the court."

James, meanwhile, played unsure and unsteady in the moments when he's usually the opposite. He did manage 11 points in the fourth, but most were in the final moments when the Cavs were behind. When the game was still in doubt, James struggled to set up teammates or get much help when he did make the correct decisions. He finished with 27 points, and it seemed he had to put in twice his normal effort to get there.

"There were a couple of times when we tried to make the home run pass," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "You give San Antonio credit, they were aggressive in most situations."

It is true there's no foolproof way to defend James and, as James himself enjoys pointing out, there isn't a defense he hasn't seen and exploited during his career. But Spurs coach Gregg Popovich knows a thing or two about schemes and how to game plan.

Popovich's strategy Friday was to bring double teams and trap James often when he got into isolation situations, and block his path to the basket with sheer mass.

That, of course, has been tried many times in the past, but the Cavs and James haven't seen it much lately. The result was it forced James to give the ball up, and it forced the Cavs (57-16) to break off plays before they matured, especially when James had to give the ball up before he could make a move.

"I didn't get frustrated, I've gotten past the frustration stage," James said. "But they did a good job keeping bodies in front of bodies and sometimes double teaming and sometimes trapping, and sometimes we didn't find the open man."

Because of this, and because the Spurs (43-28) in general are a strong half-court defensive team, the Cavs' usually potent offense got muddy. The Spurs were able to take them out of their comfort zone and out of their normal routes, pushing the entire operation farther from the basket and seeing the Cavs do everything from set picks to take jumpers much farther out than plays are designed.

That included James, who never seemed to find the command or the flow that he's nearly perfected recently. His jumpers were often unsure and his passes and drives just a little off rhythm.

All of it will be plain for him to see on film, and he'll be studying it because other teams are sure to throw the same sorts of looks James' way for a little while.

It was the kind of night where James really could have used some help. He got some for a while when the Cavs were able to break into the uptempo game they have come to like over the recent weeks.

Forward Antawn Jamison scored 18 points in the first half, benefiting from the attention paid to James. The Cavs also racked up 22 fast-break points, exploiting Spurs turnovers and preventing the defense from getting set up.

But San Antonio cleaned up its act in the second half and allowed just 10 more fast-break points, and four of those came in the final rat-race seconds when the Cavs had to move fast. Jamison managed just six points the rest of the way to finish with 24.

Guard Mo Williams, however, was nowhere to be found. He finished just 2-of-8 with six points.

Forward J.J. Hickson had 14 of his 20 points in the second half and that helped keep the Cavs close, but it wasn't enough.

It did not help the cause that forward Anderson Varejao missed the second half with a sore left hamstring, especially when the Cavs were beaten to several loose balls during the stretch run that Varejao might have tracked down.

The Spurs also got 16 points each from forwards Richard Jefferson and Tim Duncan, but neither were as devastating as Ginobili, who also had six rebounds and six assists.

"San Antonio chipped at us the whole game," Brown said. "They're a very good execution team; you must play for 48 minutes to beat them. It was a well-played game by both teams and they deserved to win."

*********************

Game reset

SPURS 102, CAVS 97

Game No. 73, at AT&T Center, San Antonio

What happened: The Spurs used smothering double teams on LeBron James and got a huge fourth quarter from Manu Ginobili to end the Cavs' eight-game win streak. James scored eight points in the fourth quarter. But the rally to catch the Spurs, who got 15 points from Ginobili in the quarter, came up short.

The star: Ginobili scored 30 points with six rebounds and six assists.

The co-star: James finished with 27 points and 10 assists.

Highlight: James' reverse dunk off an alley-oop pass from Mo Williams in the first quarter.

Lowlight: Anderson Varejao missed the second half after suffering a left hamstring injury.

-- Brian Windhorst

[Deimosfobos]

"Manu's the reason they're still above water even with Tony out," James said. "They have a chance to win when he's out on the court."


I find it interesting to see how Lebron, and probably the rest of the league, notice the importance of Manu to the Spurs.

[kaji157]

I find it interesting to see how the Lebron, and probably the rest of the league, notice the importance of Manu to the Spurs.

Almost all players respect Manu a lot, A LOT more than the Spurs fans.
LeBron and Bryant top the list of important players that see Manu as a menace.
Maybe because they faced him on NBA level but also FIBA´s.

[Deimosfobos]

Almost all players respect Manu a lot, A LOT more than the Spurs fans.
LeBron and Bryant top the list of important players that see Manu as a menace.
Maybe because they faced him on NBA level but also FIBA´s.

That's true... and made me wonder..
Do the Lakers and/or Cavs have the money to offer a juicy contract to Manu? I'm afraid if a top team offers Manu a decent contract he may be tempted to move to a contender where the main star also loves him if this team doesn't do well in the playoffs (not that Duncan doesn't like Manu, because he does).

[iminol]

so, was it 7th game of series NBA finals 2010?

[Obstructed_View]

Huh? I saw Duncan giving Malik a stern talk after the end ended that's why I pointed it out.

Right. My question is why the fuck would Duncan do that? If the Cavs had all stood back the Spurs would have dribbled out the clock, but when they press, you try to beat it, and when you beat it you score.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I think Malik only dunked cuz he knows he's a poor free throw shooter and he'd rather guarantee two free points as oppose to risking clanking some FT's.

I doubt he was trying to run up the score, though I really liked the dunk as a fitting end to the game :lol

I hope he gets some burn in the Celtics game.

[TD 21]

Yet keep in mind that Shaq and Z didn't play tonight.

Ilgauskas played, Varejao didn't in the second half. You think O'Neal is more important to the Cavs than Parker is to the Spurs? Not even close.


Not easy making those free throws at the end, especially since he has had very few attempts.

Yeah, he was clutch. He also made a huge corner three in the fourth.

Up until the very end, which turned into a prolonged mess, that looked like the Spurs of old in the fourth. Stops on demand (as Pop would say), timely scoring and clutch plays in general.

[DAF86]

We look pretty damn good with our starting lineup. It's unfortunate the bench sucks so bad...

It's funny how when Manu was coming off the bench, the comments were the complete opposite.

Manu is better than what you all think, know it.

[alchemist]

Right. My question is why the fuck would Duncan do that? If the Cavs had all stood back the Spurs would have dribbled out the clock, but when they press, you try to beat it, and when you beat it you score.
:lol Ah my bad, misunderstood your post. Yeah kind of weird for Timmy to react like that but he's cut from the Pop cloth.

[Flux451]

Sean Eliot loved the Malik dunk. No one should hate on the icing.

[benefactor]

Just got back from SA. What a great game. I was going in expecting the worst and they stepped up late and closed them out.

Big props again to Mel for the tickets...best birthday present I got this year by far.