Spursman
05-13-2005, 12:37 PM
Seattle 92, San Antonio 91
The Spurs have one weakness: free throw shooting. Their woes at the charity stripe cost them Game 3 in Seattle Thursday night.
The Spurs have no one to blame but themselves. They out-shot the Sonics, made six more three pointers and had four more assists. They even had one more free throw attempt than Seattle. Unfortunately for Gregg Popovich's club, the Spurs made just 19-of-34 free throws, while the Sonics made 28-of-33 and left with the win.
Seattle's main adjustment in this game was emotional. They came in with an edge that was missing in the first two games, and they were extremely physical. Each time Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker came in the lane, the Sonics were there to knock them down. Perhaps the rough play got to the Spurs guard tandem, as they missed four free throws apiece.
San Antonio now must wait until Sunday to play Game 4, so it will be a long couple of days for the Spurs. Of course, that's plenty of time to practice free throws. But Popovich will also undoubtedly let his team know they have to do a better job on the boards and keep Seattle to one shot per possession.
The playoffs are all about momentum and energy, and the Sonics had more of an edge in Game 3. Jerome James, who made all seven of his shots and scored 15 points, said in a postgame interview that he has "no respect for the Spurs." Granted, James may have gotten caught up in the heat of the moment, but if San Antonio needed any other reason to come back strong Sunday, James just gave them one.
The Spurs need to play with energy and fire while making their free throws, and that will put them in good shape. But now that they're playing a Seattle team that has some life in it, things will get a little tougher.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpbmdmam0wBF9TAzI1NjY0ODI1BHNlYwN0 bQ--?slug=sk-mourningsglory051205&prov=yhoo&type=lgns (Link)
The Spurs have one weakness: free throw shooting. Their woes at the charity stripe cost them Game 3 in Seattle Thursday night.
The Spurs have no one to blame but themselves. They out-shot the Sonics, made six more three pointers and had four more assists. They even had one more free throw attempt than Seattle. Unfortunately for Gregg Popovich's club, the Spurs made just 19-of-34 free throws, while the Sonics made 28-of-33 and left with the win.
Seattle's main adjustment in this game was emotional. They came in with an edge that was missing in the first two games, and they were extremely physical. Each time Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker came in the lane, the Sonics were there to knock them down. Perhaps the rough play got to the Spurs guard tandem, as they missed four free throws apiece.
San Antonio now must wait until Sunday to play Game 4, so it will be a long couple of days for the Spurs. Of course, that's plenty of time to practice free throws. But Popovich will also undoubtedly let his team know they have to do a better job on the boards and keep Seattle to one shot per possession.
The playoffs are all about momentum and energy, and the Sonics had more of an edge in Game 3. Jerome James, who made all seven of his shots and scored 15 points, said in a postgame interview that he has "no respect for the Spurs." Granted, James may have gotten caught up in the heat of the moment, but if San Antonio needed any other reason to come back strong Sunday, James just gave them one.
The Spurs need to play with energy and fire while making their free throws, and that will put them in good shape. But now that they're playing a Seattle team that has some life in it, things will get a little tougher.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpbmdmam0wBF9TAzI1NjY0ODI1BHNlYwN0 bQ--?slug=sk-mourningsglory051205&prov=yhoo&type=lgns (Link)