bigbendbruisebrother
05-27-2005, 02:28 PM
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-suns-spurs&prov=ap&type=lgns
Spurs' offense grows with Ginobili
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
May 27, 2005
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- When Manu Ginobili joined the San Antonio Spurs three seasons ago, he was a backup and offense was an afterthought. That club was all about defense and did it so well it won the championship.
These days, the Spurs are two wins from returning to the NBA Finals and they can still play great defense. The difference: Ginobili is now a starter and, not so coincidentally, San Antonio's offense is a lot more fun to watch.
Ginobili has become a force in the final minutes of games and a highlight always waiting to happen. Consider what he's done just in his last four games, the first two closing out Seattle in the second round, the last two giving the Spurs a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals.
Back in the starting lineup after eight games as a super sub, Ginobili scored 39 points in Game 5 against the SuperSonics, then in Game 6 whipped a pass to Tim Duncan for the series-winning shot with 0.5 seconds left. Ginobili capped the first quarter of Game 1 in Phoenix with a 52-foot bank shot, then guided a decisive 9-2 run in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
In that rally, Ginobili assisted on two baskets and scored two, including a reverse layup that featured some behind-the-back wizardry on his way to the rim.
``He's so creative,'' Duncan said.
After three straight road games, the Spurs finally return home Saturday night and Monday night. While fans will be anxiously awaiting to see what Ginobili's next trick will be, the bigger news will involve the Suns.
Injured guard Joe Johnson practiced Thursday and said he expects to be in the lineup for Game 3.
``As of right now, I don't think there's anything that could keep me off the court,'' Johnson said. ``But I don't want to speak too soon because anything could happen.''
Wearing a protective mask, Johnson had a full workout, including a scrimmage. It was the most he'd played since breaking a bone near his left eye in a face-first crash to the floor in Game 2 of the conference semifinals against Dallas on May 11. The final hurdle appears to be a doctor's evaluation on Friday.
Even without Johnson, the Suns have been scoring well over 100 points. The surprising thing is that the Spurs have been able to top them.
Slowly but surely, coach Gregg Popovich has given Ginobili more free reign. He's now comfortable putting the ball in Ginobili's hands, especially in crunch time, because he knows the 6-foot-6 forward can do so many things: hit a long jumper, drive to the basket, draw fouls or make a smart pass.
``I think it was gradual, but steady,'' Ginobili said of his growing role. ``I started doing the little things that every team needs. That was the way to gain Pop's confidence (and) to show your teammates that you are a team player, that you don't care about the stats, that you want to make them better, too, and that you just care about winning.''
Ginobili was rewarded last summer with a $52 million, six-year contract. Since then, he's led Argentina to a gold medal at the Olympics and made his first All-Star team.
``That's just a natural progression for a good player,'' Popovich said. ``As a player matures in the league and understands the system and gets comfortable, if he's good enough, he becomes a go-to guy.''
Ginobili actually is in his 10th year of pro basketball, having spent three in Argentina and four in Italy. He was on his way to consecutive MVPs in the Italian League when Suns coach Mike D'Antoni first saw him.
D'Antoni, who had done some scouting for San Antonio, even talked to Spurs officials about Ginobili before they took him with the second-to-last pick in the 1999 draft.
``I just thought Ginobili was somebody special,'' said D'Antoni, who also saw Ginobili score a career-best 48 points against Phoenix during the regular season. ``He's tough, he's smart, he's quick. He's got it all, and at big moments he plays big. Those are things you don't teach.''
Spurs' offense grows with Ginobili
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
May 27, 2005
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- When Manu Ginobili joined the San Antonio Spurs three seasons ago, he was a backup and offense was an afterthought. That club was all about defense and did it so well it won the championship.
These days, the Spurs are two wins from returning to the NBA Finals and they can still play great defense. The difference: Ginobili is now a starter and, not so coincidentally, San Antonio's offense is a lot more fun to watch.
Ginobili has become a force in the final minutes of games and a highlight always waiting to happen. Consider what he's done just in his last four games, the first two closing out Seattle in the second round, the last two giving the Spurs a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference finals.
Back in the starting lineup after eight games as a super sub, Ginobili scored 39 points in Game 5 against the SuperSonics, then in Game 6 whipped a pass to Tim Duncan for the series-winning shot with 0.5 seconds left. Ginobili capped the first quarter of Game 1 in Phoenix with a 52-foot bank shot, then guided a decisive 9-2 run in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
In that rally, Ginobili assisted on two baskets and scored two, including a reverse layup that featured some behind-the-back wizardry on his way to the rim.
``He's so creative,'' Duncan said.
After three straight road games, the Spurs finally return home Saturday night and Monday night. While fans will be anxiously awaiting to see what Ginobili's next trick will be, the bigger news will involve the Suns.
Injured guard Joe Johnson practiced Thursday and said he expects to be in the lineup for Game 3.
``As of right now, I don't think there's anything that could keep me off the court,'' Johnson said. ``But I don't want to speak too soon because anything could happen.''
Wearing a protective mask, Johnson had a full workout, including a scrimmage. It was the most he'd played since breaking a bone near his left eye in a face-first crash to the floor in Game 2 of the conference semifinals against Dallas on May 11. The final hurdle appears to be a doctor's evaluation on Friday.
Even without Johnson, the Suns have been scoring well over 100 points. The surprising thing is that the Spurs have been able to top them.
Slowly but surely, coach Gregg Popovich has given Ginobili more free reign. He's now comfortable putting the ball in Ginobili's hands, especially in crunch time, because he knows the 6-foot-6 forward can do so many things: hit a long jumper, drive to the basket, draw fouls or make a smart pass.
``I think it was gradual, but steady,'' Ginobili said of his growing role. ``I started doing the little things that every team needs. That was the way to gain Pop's confidence (and) to show your teammates that you are a team player, that you don't care about the stats, that you want to make them better, too, and that you just care about winning.''
Ginobili was rewarded last summer with a $52 million, six-year contract. Since then, he's led Argentina to a gold medal at the Olympics and made his first All-Star team.
``That's just a natural progression for a good player,'' Popovich said. ``As a player matures in the league and understands the system and gets comfortable, if he's good enough, he becomes a go-to guy.''
Ginobili actually is in his 10th year of pro basketball, having spent three in Argentina and four in Italy. He was on his way to consecutive MVPs in the Italian League when Suns coach Mike D'Antoni first saw him.
D'Antoni, who had done some scouting for San Antonio, even talked to Spurs officials about Ginobili before they took him with the second-to-last pick in the 1999 draft.
``I just thought Ginobili was somebody special,'' said D'Antoni, who also saw Ginobili score a career-best 48 points against Phoenix during the regular season. ``He's tough, he's smart, he's quick. He's got it all, and at big moments he plays big. Those are things you don't teach.''