Manu20
05-25-2005, 10:31 AM
Manu School
By Marc Stein, ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/dailydime?page=dailydime-050524
AP
Duncan and Parker, two-thirds of the Spurs' terrific trio, were less spectacular than Ginobili, but no less effective.
PHOENIX -- They came to the desert, home of the most fearsome fast break since Showtime, and twice reached the magical Hundred Point Plateau faster than the run-and-gunners did.
They had Manu Ginobili, in the crucible of Game 2 crunch time, deciding that was a fine time to break out one of his circus-layup specials, maybe the best one he has ever uncorked given the stakes and circumstances.
They even attracted the fan interest of Eva Longoria, who was spotted at this faraway road game hanging on the arm of Tony Parker's father, desperate to be a part of it all.
Boring?
You still think the San Antonio Spurs are boring?
"I don't know how anyone could call us that," Robert Horry counters.
Horry, as you know, is usually dead-on this time of year, and it's tough to see how anyone could dispute him now. Thanks to Horry and Ginobili and Parker -- and that Tim Duncan fellow -- Team Duncan has just produced two playoff performances that looked pretty enthralling from press row.
They're performances, true, that have probably killed off this promising series far earlier than any neutral fan could have hoped. For that, though, you don't bash the Spurs. You applaud them.
Isn't it time to acknowledge these Spurs' ability to not just win but entertain? All those years of bemoaning their lack of personality or sneering at their small-market, defense-obsessed identity have given way to Ginobili, with a one-point lead and less than two minutes to play, snaking through the paint with a behind-the-back move and reverse lay-in that you can't even try to describe without the benefit of several replays.
Go ahead. Follow the lead of a dejected Steve Nash. After amplifying his MVP worthiness with a playoff-record fourth straight game of at least 25 points and 10 assists -- eclipsing the previous playoff record of three in a row shared by a couple guys named Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson -- Nash did some marveling of his own.
"The last two games they have been phenomenal at making big shots in the fourth quarter," Nash said after his 29 points and 15 assists couldn't dent the Spurs' confidence.
"At some point you've just got to congratulate them."
Said Horry: "How can people say we're boring? We've got one of the fastest guys in the league (Parker) playing point guard. We've got one of the craftiest guys ever (Ginobili). Is it just because nobody's got commercials?"
Horry then took a fun swipe of his own at Duncan, pointing out that "even when Tim does a commercial, all he does is stand there."
You can understand why they're feeling so loose. Capitalizing on the absence of Joe Johnson, San Antonio has turned its considerable experience advantage and a 2-to-1 edge in playmakers -- Parker and Ginobili vs. Nash -- into a 2-zip vice grip on this series. The Spurs' fourth quarters here were almost flawless; Phoenix, meanwhile, didn't even shoot a fourth-quarter free throw on Tuesday.
And with three days of rest before Saturday's Game 3 back in Alamo Country?
Right.
It would seem that the only thing that can keep the new, flashy Spurs out of the NBA Finals now is another serious ankle twist or turn for Mr. Just Stands There.
By Marc Stein, ESPN.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2005/dailydime?page=dailydime-050524
AP
Duncan and Parker, two-thirds of the Spurs' terrific trio, were less spectacular than Ginobili, but no less effective.
PHOENIX -- They came to the desert, home of the most fearsome fast break since Showtime, and twice reached the magical Hundred Point Plateau faster than the run-and-gunners did.
They had Manu Ginobili, in the crucible of Game 2 crunch time, deciding that was a fine time to break out one of his circus-layup specials, maybe the best one he has ever uncorked given the stakes and circumstances.
They even attracted the fan interest of Eva Longoria, who was spotted at this faraway road game hanging on the arm of Tony Parker's father, desperate to be a part of it all.
Boring?
You still think the San Antonio Spurs are boring?
"I don't know how anyone could call us that," Robert Horry counters.
Horry, as you know, is usually dead-on this time of year, and it's tough to see how anyone could dispute him now. Thanks to Horry and Ginobili and Parker -- and that Tim Duncan fellow -- Team Duncan has just produced two playoff performances that looked pretty enthralling from press row.
They're performances, true, that have probably killed off this promising series far earlier than any neutral fan could have hoped. For that, though, you don't bash the Spurs. You applaud them.
Isn't it time to acknowledge these Spurs' ability to not just win but entertain? All those years of bemoaning their lack of personality or sneering at their small-market, defense-obsessed identity have given way to Ginobili, with a one-point lead and less than two minutes to play, snaking through the paint with a behind-the-back move and reverse lay-in that you can't even try to describe without the benefit of several replays.
Go ahead. Follow the lead of a dejected Steve Nash. After amplifying his MVP worthiness with a playoff-record fourth straight game of at least 25 points and 10 assists -- eclipsing the previous playoff record of three in a row shared by a couple guys named Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson -- Nash did some marveling of his own.
"The last two games they have been phenomenal at making big shots in the fourth quarter," Nash said after his 29 points and 15 assists couldn't dent the Spurs' confidence.
"At some point you've just got to congratulate them."
Said Horry: "How can people say we're boring? We've got one of the fastest guys in the league (Parker) playing point guard. We've got one of the craftiest guys ever (Ginobili). Is it just because nobody's got commercials?"
Horry then took a fun swipe of his own at Duncan, pointing out that "even when Tim does a commercial, all he does is stand there."
You can understand why they're feeling so loose. Capitalizing on the absence of Joe Johnson, San Antonio has turned its considerable experience advantage and a 2-to-1 edge in playmakers -- Parker and Ginobili vs. Nash -- into a 2-zip vice grip on this series. The Spurs' fourth quarters here were almost flawless; Phoenix, meanwhile, didn't even shoot a fourth-quarter free throw on Tuesday.
And with three days of rest before Saturday's Game 3 back in Alamo Country?
Right.
It would seem that the only thing that can keep the new, flashy Spurs out of the NBA Finals now is another serious ankle twist or turn for Mr. Just Stands There.