tlongII
03-26-2011, 01:13 AM
http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/index.ssf/2011/03/trail_blazers_mind-boggling_co.html
http://media.oregonlive.com/nba_impact/photo/spmanujpg-267949b9e558b747.jpg
Steve Novak's inbound pass with 0.9 seconds left gets by Manu Ginobili, setting the stage for the Blazers to pull off the victory.
Was San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich testy after his team’s 98-96 loss to the Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden on Friday?
His Spurs had the ball and a four-point lead with 40 seconds left when somehow, some way, the Blazers pulled out an improbable win. So it might have been predictable when a reporter asked him after the game what his emotions were, and he answered:
“That’s a silly question.”
San Antonio (57-15) still has the NBA’s best record by a wide margin, but was playing its second consecutive game without injured All-Star forward Tim Duncan. On Wednesday, they played a tight back-and-forth game at Denver before losing 115-112.
On Friday, the Spurs seemed to have control of the game in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 10 points. After being burned by Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge for 40 points in Portland’s 99-86 home win on Feb. 1, San Antonio bottled up Aldridge, holding him to 14 points.
“I thought we did the best job we’ve done in while” on Aldridge, Popovich said. “I thought in general, our defense was pretty good.”
With the Spurs leading 93-90, Aldridge missed two free throws with 1:40 left. Manu Ginobili seemed to hit the clincher, a three-point shot with 1:21 left to put San Antonio up by six. Ginobili, the Spurs’ All-Star shooting guard, carried San Antonio with 21 points and seven assists.
“He’s somebody we always look to in those situations, and he had a great game,” Popovich said. “He just played his heart out.”
Although Andre Miller cut the lead to 96-92 with a layup, the Spurs seemed safe, even after Ginobili missed a three-point attempt with 49.9 seconds left. The Blazers’ Nicolas Batum missed his own three-point shot with 47.9 seconds left, and San Antonio seemed ready to put the win away as point guard Tony Parker dribbled the ball upcourt.
“The only time I thought it was almost over was when we got the stop with about 40 seconds to go,” Ginobili said. “That’s when I though, ‘OK, we have it.’”
But they didn’t. Miller stunned Parker near midcourt by stealing the ball from him and racing downcourt for a layin just ahead of two chasing Spurs players, cutting Portland’s deficit to two. Then, Ginobili had the ball stolen by Wesley Matthews, and after Matthews missed a layup attempt, Nicolas Batum got the rebound and was fouled with 0.9 seconds left. He made two free throws to tie the game at 96-96.
“Down the stretch is the most important time, and we turned it over twice in a row,” Popovich said. “With a four-point lead, and the ball, we turned it over. Then with a two-point lead, we turned it over. That was the ballgame.”
Not quite. After a timeout, the Spurs got the ball at midcourt, and Steve Novak attempted to throw an inbounds pass near the basket, but it went out of bounds without touching a Spurs player.
Popovich was asked about the play’s execution.
“Yeah, we wanted to throw it straight out of bounds without anybody touching it,” he said, before adding that the turnover was not Novak’s fault.
The Blazers then got their turn, and incredibly, scored as Andre Miller threw a perfect pass near the rim to Batum, who dunked for one of the most dramatic baskets the Rose Garden has ever seen.
“We said that we were going to switch everything, and there was never really a pick,” said Parker, who had 15 points but also committed eight turnovers. “It was just a great play from Portland.”
The loss gave San Antonio back-to-back losses for just the second time this season. The Spurs, who still have a five-game lead on the Lakers for the best record in the Western Conference, play at Memphis on Sunday before returning home to play the Blazers again Monday, with a chance to avenge a loss that could linger.
“One of the worst I’ve had in the NBA,” Ginobili said of the defeat. “Three turnovers in 40 seconds – crazy. And bad defense, too. We gave them two layups. Unacceptable.”
http://media.oregonlive.com/nba_impact/photo/spmanujpg-267949b9e558b747.jpg
Steve Novak's inbound pass with 0.9 seconds left gets by Manu Ginobili, setting the stage for the Blazers to pull off the victory.
Was San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich testy after his team’s 98-96 loss to the Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden on Friday?
His Spurs had the ball and a four-point lead with 40 seconds left when somehow, some way, the Blazers pulled out an improbable win. So it might have been predictable when a reporter asked him after the game what his emotions were, and he answered:
“That’s a silly question.”
San Antonio (57-15) still has the NBA’s best record by a wide margin, but was playing its second consecutive game without injured All-Star forward Tim Duncan. On Wednesday, they played a tight back-and-forth game at Denver before losing 115-112.
On Friday, the Spurs seemed to have control of the game in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 10 points. After being burned by Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge for 40 points in Portland’s 99-86 home win on Feb. 1, San Antonio bottled up Aldridge, holding him to 14 points.
“I thought we did the best job we’ve done in while” on Aldridge, Popovich said. “I thought in general, our defense was pretty good.”
With the Spurs leading 93-90, Aldridge missed two free throws with 1:40 left. Manu Ginobili seemed to hit the clincher, a three-point shot with 1:21 left to put San Antonio up by six. Ginobili, the Spurs’ All-Star shooting guard, carried San Antonio with 21 points and seven assists.
“He’s somebody we always look to in those situations, and he had a great game,” Popovich said. “He just played his heart out.”
Although Andre Miller cut the lead to 96-92 with a layup, the Spurs seemed safe, even after Ginobili missed a three-point attempt with 49.9 seconds left. The Blazers’ Nicolas Batum missed his own three-point shot with 47.9 seconds left, and San Antonio seemed ready to put the win away as point guard Tony Parker dribbled the ball upcourt.
“The only time I thought it was almost over was when we got the stop with about 40 seconds to go,” Ginobili said. “That’s when I though, ‘OK, we have it.’”
But they didn’t. Miller stunned Parker near midcourt by stealing the ball from him and racing downcourt for a layin just ahead of two chasing Spurs players, cutting Portland’s deficit to two. Then, Ginobili had the ball stolen by Wesley Matthews, and after Matthews missed a layup attempt, Nicolas Batum got the rebound and was fouled with 0.9 seconds left. He made two free throws to tie the game at 96-96.
“Down the stretch is the most important time, and we turned it over twice in a row,” Popovich said. “With a four-point lead, and the ball, we turned it over. Then with a two-point lead, we turned it over. That was the ballgame.”
Not quite. After a timeout, the Spurs got the ball at midcourt, and Steve Novak attempted to throw an inbounds pass near the basket, but it went out of bounds without touching a Spurs player.
Popovich was asked about the play’s execution.
“Yeah, we wanted to throw it straight out of bounds without anybody touching it,” he said, before adding that the turnover was not Novak’s fault.
The Blazers then got their turn, and incredibly, scored as Andre Miller threw a perfect pass near the rim to Batum, who dunked for one of the most dramatic baskets the Rose Garden has ever seen.
“We said that we were going to switch everything, and there was never really a pick,” said Parker, who had 15 points but also committed eight turnovers. “It was just a great play from Portland.”
The loss gave San Antonio back-to-back losses for just the second time this season. The Spurs, who still have a five-game lead on the Lakers for the best record in the Western Conference, play at Memphis on Sunday before returning home to play the Blazers again Monday, with a chance to avenge a loss that could linger.
“One of the worst I’ve had in the NBA,” Ginobili said of the defeat. “Three turnovers in 40 seconds – crazy. And bad defense, too. We gave them two layups. Unacceptable.”