Kori Ellis
05-11-2005, 02:22 AM
Spurs' trust rewarded
Web Posted: 05/11/2005 01:00 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA051105.1C.BKNgamer2.2617aa49c.html
If Tony Parker learned anything from last season's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, from the way all those yellow jerseys shadowed him, from the criticism he absorbed, it's that sometimes, like it or not, you just have to pass the ball and trust your teammates.
And trusting one's teammates, Parker is quick to add, is a lot easier when their names are Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
With Ginobili scoring 28 points, Duncan 25 and Parker 22 — Brent Barry chipped in with his best Bruce Bowen impersonation — the Spurs beat the Sonics 108-91 at the SBC Center on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
"It's not just (Parker)," Sonics point guard Luke Ridnour said. "It's all of them. They just keep coming."
As a result, the Spurs will fly to Seattle today on the heels of a six-game winning streak. The Sonics jetted home late Tuesday, still searching for a solution to the Spurs' defense.
Ray Allen, who was questionable to play after spraining his right ankle Sunday, led Seattle with 25 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the contributions of the Spurs' Big Three. Effectively using small lineups, the Sonics clawed within eight points late in the second quarter and nine in the third. Each time the Spurs had an answer.
"This team is not Sacramento," Sonics center Jerome James said. "This is a much more defensive-minded team."
The Sonics promised they would make adjustments after Sunday's 22-point loss, the first of which wasn't hard to notice: Their uniforms went from green to yellow.
Seattle made a few other changes that weren't cosmetic. After darting through the Sonics for 29 points in Game 1, Parker found a crowd waiting for him nearly every time he tried to get into the lane. On pick-and-rolls, Seattle's big men pushed him out farther and stayed with him longer. He also received a welt on his head during one drive to the rim.
"They did a good job to collapse inside and really make sure there were no easy baskets," said Parker, who handed out seven assists.
Parker expected such. He also was correct in his assumption the extra attention Seattle paid him would open more opportunities for Ginobili and Duncan.
With Parker sucking in the defense and the Sonics also concerned about his own penetration, Ginobili buried a pair of 3-pointers in the first half, as well as a toe-on-the-line 23-footer. He missed only one of his seven shots in the half.
Antonio Daniels' 3-pointer with 3:17 remaining cut what had been a 17-point deficit moments earlier to 91-81. Ginobili followed by taking the ball to the basket to earn a pair of free throws.
"Both Manu and Tony love to go to the basket and put their heads down and get into your paint," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "It is basically like playing two point guards. I thought we did a better job on Tony, but Ginobili got loose.
"You just can't stop one guy."
In addition to getting his right ankle treated, Allen spent part of Monday debating whether he had been maimed by Bowen. His complaining apparently didn't go unnoticed: Bowen was limited to 17 minutes because of foul trouble, only five in the first half.
With their top perimeter defender out, the Spurs used Barry and Ginobili to guard Allen. Barry, who helped close out the victory with a late 3-pointer and also grabbed seven rebounds, stayed on the floor for almost the entire second half.
"He did a good job defensively," coach Gregg Popovich said of Barry. "That's not usually how one would label him."
Likewise, the Spurs' team defense lived up to its reputation. Seattle made only one 3-pointer in the first half, giving the team only three through the first six quarters of the series. One of those was the 70-footer Nick Collison threw in at the third-quarter buzzer in Game 1.
"We try to get people who shoot threes well off the line as much as we can," Popovich said. "Oftentimes it works well for us. Some nights it doesn't."
While the Spurs clamped down defensively, Parker, Popovich said, played "like a consummate point guard."
Duncan pounded Seattle inside. Ginobili attacked.
"Tim has been playing good, Manu has been playing good, Tony has been playing good," Robert Horry said. "It's basically pick your poison."
Web Posted: 05/11/2005 01:00 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA051105.1C.BKNgamer2.2617aa49c.html
If Tony Parker learned anything from last season's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, from the way all those yellow jerseys shadowed him, from the criticism he absorbed, it's that sometimes, like it or not, you just have to pass the ball and trust your teammates.
And trusting one's teammates, Parker is quick to add, is a lot easier when their names are Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
With Ginobili scoring 28 points, Duncan 25 and Parker 22 — Brent Barry chipped in with his best Bruce Bowen impersonation — the Spurs beat the Sonics 108-91 at the SBC Center on Tuesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
"It's not just (Parker)," Sonics point guard Luke Ridnour said. "It's all of them. They just keep coming."
As a result, the Spurs will fly to Seattle today on the heels of a six-game winning streak. The Sonics jetted home late Tuesday, still searching for a solution to the Spurs' defense.
Ray Allen, who was questionable to play after spraining his right ankle Sunday, led Seattle with 25 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome the contributions of the Spurs' Big Three. Effectively using small lineups, the Sonics clawed within eight points late in the second quarter and nine in the third. Each time the Spurs had an answer.
"This team is not Sacramento," Sonics center Jerome James said. "This is a much more defensive-minded team."
The Sonics promised they would make adjustments after Sunday's 22-point loss, the first of which wasn't hard to notice: Their uniforms went from green to yellow.
Seattle made a few other changes that weren't cosmetic. After darting through the Sonics for 29 points in Game 1, Parker found a crowd waiting for him nearly every time he tried to get into the lane. On pick-and-rolls, Seattle's big men pushed him out farther and stayed with him longer. He also received a welt on his head during one drive to the rim.
"They did a good job to collapse inside and really make sure there were no easy baskets," said Parker, who handed out seven assists.
Parker expected such. He also was correct in his assumption the extra attention Seattle paid him would open more opportunities for Ginobili and Duncan.
With Parker sucking in the defense and the Sonics also concerned about his own penetration, Ginobili buried a pair of 3-pointers in the first half, as well as a toe-on-the-line 23-footer. He missed only one of his seven shots in the half.
Antonio Daniels' 3-pointer with 3:17 remaining cut what had been a 17-point deficit moments earlier to 91-81. Ginobili followed by taking the ball to the basket to earn a pair of free throws.
"Both Manu and Tony love to go to the basket and put their heads down and get into your paint," Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "It is basically like playing two point guards. I thought we did a better job on Tony, but Ginobili got loose.
"You just can't stop one guy."
In addition to getting his right ankle treated, Allen spent part of Monday debating whether he had been maimed by Bowen. His complaining apparently didn't go unnoticed: Bowen was limited to 17 minutes because of foul trouble, only five in the first half.
With their top perimeter defender out, the Spurs used Barry and Ginobili to guard Allen. Barry, who helped close out the victory with a late 3-pointer and also grabbed seven rebounds, stayed on the floor for almost the entire second half.
"He did a good job defensively," coach Gregg Popovich said of Barry. "That's not usually how one would label him."
Likewise, the Spurs' team defense lived up to its reputation. Seattle made only one 3-pointer in the first half, giving the team only three through the first six quarters of the series. One of those was the 70-footer Nick Collison threw in at the third-quarter buzzer in Game 1.
"We try to get people who shoot threes well off the line as much as we can," Popovich said. "Oftentimes it works well for us. Some nights it doesn't."
While the Spurs clamped down defensively, Parker, Popovich said, played "like a consummate point guard."
Duncan pounded Seattle inside. Ginobili attacked.
"Tim has been playing good, Manu has been playing good, Tony has been playing good," Robert Horry said. "It's basically pick your poison."