ducks
05-20-2005, 05:44 PM
Spurs battered and bruised but ready for conference finals
By T.A. BADGER, Associated Press Writer
May 20, 2005
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs are battered and bruised after their six-game playoff series with the Seattle SuperSonics. They're determined to be ready, however, by the time the Western Conference finals start.
The Spurs eliminated the SuperSonics on Thursday night when Tim Duncan banked in a short runner with less than a second remaining, and now they await the winner of the Phoenix-Dallas series.
``This series was really tough, really long,'' Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. ``We're tired, bummed out. Tim has a bad ankle. I have some contusions, but that's part of it. We're going to play in the conference finals and we're very happy.''
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Duncan, who missed all but one of his first 13 shots Thursday, tweaked his left ankle in the fourth quarter. Ginobili, who assisted on the game-winning shot, bruised his thigh early in the game after a collision with Damien Wilkins and was later thrown to the floor by Seattle's Danny Fortson.
With those nagging injuries, it's no wonder the Spurs are rooting for the Mavericks to force a Game 7 with the Suns, which would be played Sunday.
``We have at least 72 hours (to rest),'' Ginobili said. ``Forty-eight more hours would be great.''
Duncan rolled his ankle when he came down on Nick Collison's foot after being fouled on a drive to the basket. He sat under the Spurs' basket holding his left foot and grimacing, but stayed in the game. He paced up and down the court while waiting to take his free throws to make sure the ankle didn't tighten up.
``I wanted to finish the game,'' said Duncan, who missed a dozen late-season games with a sprained right ankle. ``I wanted to be there for my team, although they might have been better without me the way I was shooting the ball.''
Actually, Duncan, who finished with 26 points, improved his shooting after injuring his ankle. He finished the game by making five of his final eight attempts, and his 14-for-17 performance at the free-throw line was far better than normal.
``Great players continue to compete,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ``A lot of players who have bad games let it get to them because it becomes all about them ... but Timmy understands he has a responsibility to that whole group and his leadership and continued competitiveness is important.''
That competitiveness also showed on defense on Seattle's final possession of the night.
With 0.5 seconds left, Antonio Daniels inbounded the ball to Sonics star Ray Allen. The 6-foot-11 Duncan got his hand up high to contest Allen's long desperation shot, which glanced off the rim as time expired.
``It's funny how situations guys will become more focused when physically they're not there as they would like to be,'' Spurs guard Bruce Bowen said. ``I think that's something tonight he showed in the fourth quarter, that he's more focused and he hit some big shots for us.''
Duncan said he had a defensive flashback to an almost identical scenario in Game 5 of last year's second round. With 0.4 seconds remaining, Derek Fisher of Los Angeles made a game-winning shot after Duncan had buried a long, falling-down jumper to give San Antonio what looked like a certain victory over the Lakers.
``I knew they'd have to run somebody to that side, get somebody to that corner or that side of the floor to get it up quick enough,'' he said of Thursday's final play. ``I just wanted to get over there, have my hands in the air.''
By T.A. BADGER, Associated Press Writer
May 20, 2005
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The San Antonio Spurs are battered and bruised after their six-game playoff series with the Seattle SuperSonics. They're determined to be ready, however, by the time the Western Conference finals start.
The Spurs eliminated the SuperSonics on Thursday night when Tim Duncan banked in a short runner with less than a second remaining, and now they await the winner of the Phoenix-Dallas series.
``This series was really tough, really long,'' Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. ``We're tired, bummed out. Tim has a bad ankle. I have some contusions, but that's part of it. We're going to play in the conference finals and we're very happy.''
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Duncan, who missed all but one of his first 13 shots Thursday, tweaked his left ankle in the fourth quarter. Ginobili, who assisted on the game-winning shot, bruised his thigh early in the game after a collision with Damien Wilkins and was later thrown to the floor by Seattle's Danny Fortson.
With those nagging injuries, it's no wonder the Spurs are rooting for the Mavericks to force a Game 7 with the Suns, which would be played Sunday.
``We have at least 72 hours (to rest),'' Ginobili said. ``Forty-eight more hours would be great.''
Duncan rolled his ankle when he came down on Nick Collison's foot after being fouled on a drive to the basket. He sat under the Spurs' basket holding his left foot and grimacing, but stayed in the game. He paced up and down the court while waiting to take his free throws to make sure the ankle didn't tighten up.
``I wanted to finish the game,'' said Duncan, who missed a dozen late-season games with a sprained right ankle. ``I wanted to be there for my team, although they might have been better without me the way I was shooting the ball.''
Actually, Duncan, who finished with 26 points, improved his shooting after injuring his ankle. He finished the game by making five of his final eight attempts, and his 14-for-17 performance at the free-throw line was far better than normal.
``Great players continue to compete,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ``A lot of players who have bad games let it get to them because it becomes all about them ... but Timmy understands he has a responsibility to that whole group and his leadership and continued competitiveness is important.''
That competitiveness also showed on defense on Seattle's final possession of the night.
With 0.5 seconds left, Antonio Daniels inbounded the ball to Sonics star Ray Allen. The 6-foot-11 Duncan got his hand up high to contest Allen's long desperation shot, which glanced off the rim as time expired.
``It's funny how situations guys will become more focused when physically they're not there as they would like to be,'' Spurs guard Bruce Bowen said. ``I think that's something tonight he showed in the fourth quarter, that he's more focused and he hit some big shots for us.''
Duncan said he had a defensive flashback to an almost identical scenario in Game 5 of last year's second round. With 0.4 seconds remaining, Derek Fisher of Los Angeles made a game-winning shot after Duncan had buried a long, falling-down jumper to give San Antonio what looked like a certain victory over the Lakers.
``I knew they'd have to run somebody to that side, get somebody to that corner or that side of the floor to get it up quick enough,'' he said of Thursday's final play. ``I just wanted to get over there, have my hands in the air.''