Spurs vs. Magic Previews

[duncan228]

Orlando Magic at San Antontio Spurs: Game preview (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-magic-spurs-preview-0402-20100401,0,6183347.story)
Magic look to sweep San Antonio for second season
By Brian Schmitz
Orlando Sentinel

RECORDS: Magic 52-22 (heading into Thursday's play); Spurs 45-29.

MAGIC UPDATE: Orlando faced the Mavericks in Dallas on Thursday night….The Magic have seven games left on the regular-season schedule, with the finale on Wednesday, April 14, against the Philadelphia 76ers at Amway Arena. . . The Magic, who swept the Spurs last season for the first time in franchise history, are 1-0 against them this season. … Vince Carter led Orlando to a 110-84 rout of the Spurs on Mar. 17 at home. Carter had 24 points and Rashard Lewis added 20. . . The Magic will have one more back-to-back remaining this season. They face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday, April 11 and the Indiana Pacers on Monday, April 12.

SPURS UPDATE: San Antonio is coming off a win against the Houston Rockets at home. … The Spurs not only want to avenge a loss to the Magic this season, but are thinking about the playoffs. They are trying to avoid finishing with the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference — they are currently battling with the Portland Trail Blazers for the dubious position — and a first-round series against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. San Antonio is within striking distance of the fifth or sixth seed. … PG Tony Parker (broken hand) is still out for the Spurs, but could return before their regular-season ends April 14 against Dallas.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: It is the Magic playing in a back-to-back situation this time. The Spurs lost to the Magic in the second game of a back-to-back in mid-March, but should be rested tonight. They also are motivated to vacate the No. 8 playoff spot. Tim Duncan had a career-worst shooting game (1-of-10) in Orlando, but don't expect it to happen again. The Magic have to muster enough energy on the defensive end.

[timtonymanu]

its obvious: a must win.

Hopefully Tim plays much better than he did the first game.

[Ditty]

anyone have tickets for tommorows game that are willing to sale?

[jason1301]

I so want the Spurs to win this game, they killed us last time! Manu had a brilliant game but the rest of the team struggled really bad.

[duncan228]

Orlando (53-22) at San Antonio (45-29) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2010040224)
Game info: 8:30 pm EDT Fri Apr 2, 2010
TV: SUN, KENS
By Kate Hedlin

The San Antonio Spurs suffered an ugly loss to the Orlando Magic last month with Tony Parker out due to injury.

While Parker isn’t ready to return, the Spurs have showed they can put together a good offensive performance without him.

On Friday, the Spurs host the Magic, who are looking to win their fourth straight and close in on securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

San Antonio (53-22) is 9-5 and averaged 101.9 points since Parker suffered a broken right hand, slightly above its season mark of 101.1 per game. However, the Spurs have had some tough losses during that stretch, including a 110-84 defeat to Orlando on March 17.

Richard Jefferson (20 points) and Manu Ginobili (18) were the only San Antonio players to score in double figures and Tim Duncan particularly struggled, finishing with a season-low five points on 1-of-10 shooting.

Duncan and the Spurs looked much better in their last game - a 119-102 win over Houston on Wednesday, their third win in four games. George Hill scored a career-high 30 points and they shot 56.8 percent, bouncing back after a 90-84 loss to league-worst New Jersey on Monday.

Hill, who is averaging 12.7 points this season, has been scoring 16.6 points per game since Parker went down.

“He’s got some big shoes to fill without Tony playing,” Ginobili said of Hill, who added seven assists and five steals. “He’s doing a great job of getting the team to play, scoring, playing ‘D’ against the best opponents. He’s been huge for us.”

Keeping Hill going is especially key as San Antonio tries to overtake Portland for seventh in the Western Conference standings. The Spurs, who can clinch a playoff berth wit a victory coupled with a loss by Memphis to New Orleans on Friday, are fighting with Oklahoma City and Portland to avoid a first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.

It won’t be easy for San Antonio, which also visits the Lakers on Sunday, as the surging Magic have won 14 of 16. Orlando has allowed only two of those opponents to reach 100 points, with only one doing so in regulation.

Orlando is coming off a 97-82 win over Dallas on Thursday, holding the Mavericks to 38.3-percent shooting. Dwight Howard finished with 17 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots.

The Magic have much less pressure on them when it comes to postseason seeding. They are currently in second place in the East with a 4 1/2-game lead over third-place Atlanta. They have seven games remaining, which includes a three-game homestand beginning Monday against also-rans Memphis, Washington and New York.

“We know how good we are,” said Jameer Nelson, who scored 14 points. “We’re not cocky or overconfident or anything, but we know we can beat anybody when we play our game. We played great defensively, pushed the ball and got good shots when we needed to.”

Howard is giving the Magic good reason to feel confident. Thursday was his second 20-rebound game in the last four contests. He’s averaging 20.2 points and 17.8 rebounds the last five games and has 17 blocks over that span.

Howard, though, did struggle against the Spurs last month, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes.

The Magic have won three straight over San Antonio, holding the Spurs under 100 points in each victory.

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

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Dwight Howard Orl 18.6
Tim Duncan SA 18.0

Rebounds
Dwight Howard Orl 13.3
Tim Duncan SA 10.2

Assists
Jameer Nelson Orl 5.3
Tony Parker SA 5.7

[FeZZy]

Let's kick some DISNEY WORLD MAGIC ASS!

[siraulo23]

Go Spurs Go

[Manu-of-steel]

Howard is a tough match up for anyone. But we did a good job on him the last time we met. Hope TD picks up his game so we'll have a good fight.

[DesignatedT]

magic winning today is a good thing. they could be a little more "content" on there road trip

[lennyalderette]

dont know what it is but for the past two years i just have a terrible feeling about our chances everytime we play the magic!!!!

[lennyalderette]

i know what it is now Dwight "giant" Howard hes too freaking big, hes a bad mo fo

[Danny.Zhu]

They play b2b. A must win for us.

[Danny.Zhu]

They play b2b. A must win for us.

[TJastal]

If Air France has another 24 pt 6-6 from beyond the arc type game the spurs will be in deep trouble.

[Stringer_Bell]

I like our chances, I still think that with all the talent and depth they have Orlando is the biggest disappointment this season. They are beatable on this run and in this town, let's get it!!!!

[Solid D]

Time Warner Cable doesn't show the Spurs game (KENS ch 5, 105 HD) game in their programming guide. This impacts pre-planned dvr/recording. Maybe they will fix that later today.

[urunobili]

Air France is one of my favorite role players in the NBA... this game is a gr8 measuring stick for the Spurs... we'll see what we're made of at this stage of the season... ORL is playing fucking gr8 ball right now...

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Fri. Apr 2
Orlando @ San Antonio: Scott Foster; Tony Brown; Gary Zielinski

[ace3g]

Time Warner Cable doesn't show the Spurs game (KENS ch 5, 105 HD) game in their programming guide. This impacts pre-planned dvr/recording. Maybe they will fix that later today.

I have dish network and the game isn't on any of the channels either?

[Express-News]

I have dish network and the game isn't on any of the channels either?

Go to our site and you'll be able to follow the game................... wait a minute.... never mind, we suck too.

[Creation88]

did i hear that Tim and Manu are gonna rest?

[duncan228]

Orlando Magic (53-22) at San Antonio Spurs (45-29) (http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/02/1560165/orlando-magic-53-22-at-san-antonio.html)

The Eastern Conference power Orlando Magic finish up a quick two-day tour of Texas on Friday, when they face off with a San Antonio Spurs team hoping to clinch their 13th straight postseason berth.

Memphis is seven games behind San Antonio in the Western Conference with just eight to play. A Spurs win tonight coupled with a Memphis loss against New Orleans would officially send San Antonio to the postseason party. San Antonio will also clinch with a loss if both the Grizzlies and Houston also lose.

The Spurs crept closer to the playoffs with a 119-102 blowout win over in- state rival Houston on Wednesday. George Hill dropped in a career-high 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting in that one as San Antonio rebounded from an ugly loss at New Jersey in its previous game.

After wins over Cleveland and Boston, the Spurs were surprised by the league- worst Nets, 90-84, on Monday. Manu Ginobili missed that setback with back spasms, but returned to donate 18 points and 10 assists on Wednesday.

"I'm kind of surprised that I'm doing so well and my back didn't bother me at all," Ginobili said. "I'm very happy."

Tim Duncan ended with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Richard Jefferson added 19 points in the victory against Houston.

San Antonio continues to toil without point guard Tony Parker, and the former All-Star will miss his 15th consecutive contest tonight. The Spurs have kept their heads above water without Parker, compiling a 9-5 mark, but one of the setbacks was a 110-84 blowout loss in Orlando on March 17.

The Magic, meanwhile, are closing in on the second seed in the East and a Southeast Division crown. Orlando is currently 4 1/2 games clear of division- rival Atlanta with just seven games remaining in the regular season after a very impressive 97-82 win over Dallas last night.

Mickael Pietrus was a perfect 6-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to 24 points off the bench to lead Orlando. Dwight Howard added 17 points and 20 rebounds for the Magic, who have won three in a row and 14 of 16 overall.

Vince Carter had 17 of his 19 points in the second half, while Jameer Nelson donated 14 points and seven assists for Orlando, which has a stranglehold on second place in the East but is a distant six games behind Cleveland for the top seed.

"I thought in the first half we took some very difficult shots, and then I thought on times on drives in the second half," Orlando head coach Stan Van Gundy said after Wednesday's win.

[cheguevara]

payback is a bitch

[OldSilentHill]

In Manu we trust.

Timmy, we can wait for your elite level, we know you are a little tired bec the first half of the season was on your shoulders most of the time, but brings some effort tonight pls!

[duncan228]

Hit the link if you want to vote.


Vote: Is the San Antonio Spurs’ era dead? (http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_magic/2010/04/vote-is-the-san-antonio-spurs-era-dead.html)
Magic Basketblog
Orlando Sentinel

That the San Antonio Spurs will be in the bottom half of the Western Conference playoff bracket is both a sign of the strength of teams out west and how far the Spurs have fallen.

With 45 wins and eight games to go, starting with tonight’s against the Orlando Magic, it’s entirely possible the Spurs finish the season with 50 wins.

It’s also entirely possible they finish as the eighth seed in the west.

This is a sharp turn for a team that has experienced remarkably sustained success since Tim Duncan arrived and Gregg Popovich took over as head coach. The Spurs have won four NBA championships in the last 12 years. If they don’t reach 50 wins this season it will only be the second time in the last 13 years that has happened. The other non-50 win season was in the 1998-99 season, a lockout year, when the Spurs went 37-13 and won the NBA Finals.

Dwight Howard often talks about building that steady excellence in Orlando.

“We all know that any team, you have a three, maybe four year window,” Howard said last week. “You look around the league, every three or four years teams start switching-up guys. … Look at the Spurs they won four with Timmy, they lost a couple years and brought in some new guys but they kept those core guys together to try to bring another championship. We understand that. I want to be here for the long haul and start a legacy here.”

It can’t last forever, though, anywhere. Last year’s first-round exit was San Antonio’s earliest exit from the playoffs since 2000.

Is the Spurs dynasty over?

Vote:
Is the San Antonio Spurs' dynasty dead?

* Yes, they had a good run

* They'll have a few more years of success until Tim Duncan retires

* No, they'll just reload for the post-Tim Duncan era

* Other:


Results at the moment, 64 votes in.

Yes, they had a good run 59% (38 votes)

They'll have a few more years of success until Tim Duncan retires 33% (21 votes)

No, they'll just reload for the post-Tim Duncan era 8% (5 votes)

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_magic/2010/04/vote-is-the-san-antonio-spurs-era-dead.html

[#2!]

Does anyone know if the game will be on in Austin? I know sometimes one of the local stations picks up the game when Kens5 has it on in SA.

[ohmwrecker]

Does anyone know if the game will be on in Austin? I know sometimes one of the local stations picks up the game when Kens5 has it on in SA.
I have AT&T. When I noticed the game was not being offered on my package, I called to see what my options were. They gave me an advanced sports package free for a month and a $50 voucher. I love those bitches! Time Warner sucks my balls!

[duncan228]

Orlando Magic @ San Antonio Spurs (http://howardthedunk.com/2010/04/02/orlando-magic-san-antonio-spurs/)
by: Andrew Melnick

No team in the NBA is playing better than the Orlando Magic. The Spurs have however, been playing pretty well themselves, winning three of their last four games, including victories over two of the league’s elite teams – the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. After a disappointing loss in New Jersey against the Nets (without Manu Ginobili), the Spurs defeated the Houston Rockets 119-102 Wednesday behind George Hill’s 30 points. Orlando defeated the Dallas Mavericks 97-82 on Thursday night.

These teams met just over two weeks ago on March 17th in Orlando. The Magic dominated the game and blew out the Spurs 110-84, holding Tim Duncan to a career-worst 1-of-10 shooting from the field. Vince Carter lead the Magic with 24 points, eight assists and four rebounds.

The Spurs, 45-29, enter the game in a tie with the Portland Trail Blazers for the seventh spot in the western conference and are just three-and-a-half games behind the Phoenix Suns for the fourth seed. Ninth seeded Memphis is seven games behind the Spurs and Trail Blazers, so the Spurs are in no danger of missing the postseason. Orlando is currently the #2 seed in the Eastern conference with a record of 53-22 and now have a four-and-a-half game lead over the Atlanta Hawks. You can add another game on to that lead because the Magic also hold the tiebreaker, because they have won three of their four metings with the Hawks this season.

The Spurs have been very good at home, posting a record of 27-11 there. After Thursday night’s win in Dallas, Orlando is now 23-15 on the road this season.

The Spurs remain without Tony Parker because of his broken right hand.

The Line: San Antonio – 2.5


When these two teams met just over two weeks ago ago, the Spurs kept the game fairly close in the first half before the Magic pulled away in the third quarter, breaking the game wide open and eventually earning a 110-84 victory. All 12 Magic players scored in the game and it was never close after halftime.

Tim Duncan remains the Spurs’ MVP but Manu Ginobili really can dictate how good this team can be. They defeated both the Cavaliers and Celtics last week with Ginobili and then lost a game to the lowly Nets without him. Ginobili is averaging 16.0 points and 4.9 assists per game this season, but he has been playing much better as of late. He scored 22.1 points, dished out 5.8 assists and grabbed 3.8 rebounds per game in the month of March.

Offensively, the Spurs score 101.1 points per game and rank ninth in offensive efficiency (107.0). They give up 96.2 points per game and also rank ninth in defensive efficiency (102.0). That shows you how much of a role luck and matchups can play. The Spurs rank have been more efficienct on both offense and defense and have a higher point differential than the Western Conference’s second seed, the Dallas Mavericks, yet the Spurs trail the Mavericks by four games in the Southwest Division.

Duncan is still the team’s leader in scoring (18.0 per game), rebounding (10.2 per game), and blocks (1.59 per game). He’s been especially good against the Magic in his career, averaging 23.0 points per game on 54.3% shooting from the field and 12.0 rebounds per game.

Richard Jefferson, who has been for the most part, a disappointment this season, has played much better lately, averaging 16.8 points per game over his last four. He’s scoring 12.3 points per game on the season.

George Hill, who scored 30 points on Wednesday, has been a more than adequate replacement for Parker at Point Guard. Hill has started 39 of the 74 games he’s played and is scoring 12.7 points and dishing out 2.9 assists per game.

After the Magic defeated the Spurs two weeks back, Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich offered the Magic some lofty praise.

“I think they are built for championships,” Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich said. “They have everything that it takes. They have all the elements there. It’s a matter of being consistent and focused. I think they have the ability to get it done.”

This should be a very tough game for the Magic. They are not only playing a smart, veteran team, who plays even better at home, but they are on the second night of a back-to-back. The Magic have the better team, but it will take an excellent effort to get a victory.

[ohmwrecker]

I have AT&T. When I noticed the game was not being offered on my package, I called to see what my options were. They gave me an advanced sports package free for a month and a $50 voucher. I love those bitches! Time Warner sucks my balls!
After all that, the channel that the game is on has been blacked out. I'm so angry I could dropkick a kitten.

[Timmy]

Manu had played very well against Magic all the time.Today I hope he can socre 40 points and ten rebounds,of course, the spurs must win

TD wont play so bad as the last time ,dont expect it happen agin,after all,he is a superstar

[YoMamaIsCallin]

After all that, the channel that the game is on has been blacked out. I'm so angry I could dropkick a kitten.

Are you in Austin too?

Here's the scoop with the "sports package" (it's the same on satellite and cable as on U-verse) -- you get all the regional sports networks (the Fox Sports xxxx) BUT the live games are blacked out except for your region.