Game Blog: Spurs @ Hawks - April 5

[timtonymanu]

I see the turnovers in crunch time are still around. Thankfully the Hawks choked that possession.

[Obstructed_View]

Manu wanting the ball and TP is like no way.

:lol can't blame him.

[Borosai]

Manu is becoming a liability with less than a minute to go in games.

[Juggity]

I can't believe anyone ever seriously considered trading away Tony Parker

[dbestpro]

Isn't this the best team in the NBA? You would think we were a lower seed the way some of you guys panic around here geeeez

You are only as good as your last basket.

[Brazil]

TP needs to take over this end of season for us

[LakerHater]

Tony lookin really good down the stretch these last couple of games!!

[Chomag]

Isn't this the best team in the NBA? You would think we were a lower seed the way some of you guys panic around here geeeez
Can you honelty say they are playing like the best team in the NBA watching this game?

[Fireball]

7 Spurs players have 4+ Rebounds ... good team effort on the glass

[Reck]

Good win.

Worried there for a sec but we pulled through.

[Creation88]

Manu has been terrible in the final 3 mins lately.

[Fireball]

Im starting to think we should let Tony have the ball in crunch time....Manu has been turnobili lately in crunch time.

well it was Tony who lost the ball against Andre Miller ... but I agree that it should not only be Manu to have the ball in crunch time ... TP earned it

[GSH]

The stupid foul by Dyess, the step-back 3 and the careless turnover by Manu... they look like deer in the headlights. And they're about to face teams in the playoffs that can put on a lot more pressure than this. Now the Spurs have a reputation for this, they're going to bring it hard in the last few minutes.

[TampaDude]

Give it up, Hawks...this one's over...

[dbestpro]

Manu has been terrible in the final 3 mins lately.

Manu gets a pass because he lead us through the valley of turd towers.

[Spurs Brazil]

Big win. Tony was amazing, Hill defense was great. Manu was key in the 4th and TD solid all around game

Just need to take care of the bad teams and we'll get the #1

[Brazil]

TP 6-6 at the FT line !

[4>0rings]

Didn't notice....pic?Right behind the gatorade container, white shirt black lettering.

[Spurologist]

I can't believe anyone ever seriously considered trading away Tony Parker

just wait until tp has a subpar game....at least 1 trade tp thread guaranteed by some idiot

[Fireball]

Manu gets a pass because he lead us through the valley of turd towers.

true as well :toast

[Chomag]

Thankfully these hawks have basketball IQ of a rock.

[Russ]

Yeah!!

[Obstructed_View]

Go injured opponents Go!!!

[TiMMeH*faN*frOmNY]

Can you honelty say they are playing like the best team in the NBA watching this game?

I've been watching this team since they broke New York's heart in 99 and honestly Pop is the Greatest coach ever imo...He'll have this team ready for the playoffs and HONESTLY I cant wait to play the FAKERS in the WCF... Yeah we had a 6 game losing streak , so what every team fucks up once and a while...we beat atlanta tonight, the win against LA wont even matter...GSG

[TampaDude]

Spurs WIN, 97-90!!!!! It's a winning streak!!!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!

GO SPURS GO!!!!!

[DesignatedT]

pretty decent amount of spurs fans there. good win

[Brazil]

stat of the night Tiago DNPCD

[Chomag]

Big win. Tony was amazing, Hill defense was great. Manu was key in the 4th and TD solid all around game

Just need to take care of the bad teams and we'll get the #1

#1 Wont mean much if the spurs continue to play the way they have been playing..

[mexpurs21]

lol @Hawks' fans chanting "airball" @their own team

[tdunk21]

good win....

[Spurologist]

SAC on the back2back tomorrow

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

I can't believe anyone ever seriously considered trading away Tony Parker

So underrated

[Bito Corleone]

Im starting to think we should let Tony have the ball in crunch time....Manu has been turnobili lately in crunch time.
Tony is underrated in the clutch tbh. Averages about 24 points on 50% shooting per 48min according to his "clutch" stats.

Check out his clutch numbers (http://www.82games.com/0506/05SAS1E.HTM)

[Mugen]

Good win.

But any game where the Turd Tower lineup gets extended minutes and the Spurs win is horrible for this team in the long term.

The Brown Lining to this Spurs victory, if you may.....

[GSH]

I've been watching this team since they broke New York's heart in 99 and honestly Pop is the Greatest coach ever imo...He'll have this team ready for the playoffs

There's only 4 games left. They're as ready as they are going to be.

[TiMMeH*faN*frOmNY]

Timmeh 6-8 tonight...still killing em...when you on the court, it feels like Timmeh didnt miss a shot

[Chomag]

I've been watching this team since they broke New York's heart in 99 and honestly Pop is the Greatest coach ever imo...He'll have this team ready for the playoffs and HONESTLY I cant wait to play the FAKERS in the WCF... Yeah we had a 6 game losing streak , so what every team fucks up once and a while...we beat atlanta tonight, the win against LA wont even matter...GSG

Wow, slow down there. My question to you was about this game.

[TampaDude]

Tony is underrated in the clutch tbh. Averages about 24 points on 50% shooting per 48min according to his "clutch" stats.

Tony 4-4 at the stripe to seal the deal. CLUTCH!!!!! :hat

[timtonymanu]

Good win.

But any game where the Turd Tower lineup gets extended minutes and the Spurs win is horrible for this team in the long term.

The Brown Lining to this Spurs victory, if you may.....

This

[Giuseppe]

If Joe Johnson isn't the poorest excuse for an NBA player I'm a monkey's ass.

[timtonymanu]

Now don't let Sacramento play over their heads tomorrow. Take care of the scrub games.

[DesignatedT]

Good win.

But any game where the Turd Tower lineup gets extended minutes and the Spurs win is horrible for this team in the long term.

The Brown Lining to this Spurs victory, if you may.....

So I'd say about 90% of this seasons wins have been horrible for us.

[ShoogarBear]

pretty decent amount of spurs fans there. good win

About 25-50% of a crowd at any Hawks game is going to be cheering for the other team. I don't know if there is such a thing as a Hawks fan.

[GSH]

pretty decent amount of spurs fans there. good win


My daughter was there and said that there were a lot of Spurs fans. She ran into two people we know.

[ShoogarBear]

If Joe Johnson isn't the poorest excuse for an NBA player I'm a monkey's ass.

Conditional unnecessary.

[TampaDude]

I'll take horrible win over a beautiful loss any day.

[Mugen]

So I'd say about 90% of this seasons wins have been horrible for us.

Not really....

The Blair/Bonner lineup wasn't used much til recently when the losses started to pile up....

"2nd Best big" :lmao

[Spurs Brazil]

Spurs 1-7 3PT

[TiMMeH*faN*frOmNY]

Wow, slow down there. My question to you was about this game.

I think they played a good game, we kept em at 90, we were on the road and Atlanta had won 3 straight at home I believe

edit: Summary: looks like the best team in the A to me

[Fireball]

If Joe Johnson isn't the poorest excuse for an NBA player I'm a monkey's ass.

Joe Johnson this or that, but you are still a monkey's ass ...

[timtonymanu]

Spurs 1-7 3PT

very interesting stat. I love how we took advantage of the lane today.

[ShoogarBear]

Spurs 1-7 3PT

That's actually a good thing, because also 22-26 FTs.

[pad300]

Luke Walton
Sasha Vujacic
Steve Blake
Derek Fisher (now that he's old; he was decent in the day)


I'm a monkey's ass.

[Strategic]

Who said the Spurs can't beat an Eastern playoff team on the road?

[TiMMeH*faN*frOmNY]

very interesting stat. I love how we took advantage of the lane today.

We need to do this consistently and it starts with Tony Parker. When are 3 isnt falling (Which will happen at least once in the playoffs and we all know Bonner goes Houdini on us as usual) we need to get to the basket

[Spurs Brazil]

Do you think Pop will rest Dice tomorrow?

[GSH]

Luke Walton
Sasha Vujacic
Steve Blake
Derek Fisher (now that he's old; he was decent in the day)


Brian effing Cardinal.

[ShoogarBear]

Do you think Pop will play Tiago tomorrow?

[Giuseppe]

Luke Walton
Sasha Vujacic
Steve Blake
Derek Fisher (now that he's old; he was decent in the day)

:rolleyes

[Giuseppe]

Brian effing Cardinal.

At least he'll face his own rim on offense. That f'in' Johnson, that SOB didn't even have the common decency to square up on offense.

[Spurs Brazil]

Do you think Pop will play Tiago tomorrow?

Probably not. If Dice sit we'll see a 3 man rotation, maybe Novak as the 4th big or small ball :lol

[Pauleta14]

I'll take horrible win over a beautiful loss any day.

:lol

"Hum, this was a beautiful loss, too bad!"

[ElNono]

If Joe Johnson isn't the poorest excuse for an NBA player I'm a monkey's ass.

You kinda are... enjoy your turd sandwich...

[ElNono]

Great win... especially since we've been lacking in closing out games... good execution at the end.

Only black spot was Tiago DNP-CD imo

[silverblk mystix]

Now when Tiago plays and looks winded...you can point to games like this...

bittersweet season...even the wins-though sweet- are tinged with frustration at how Pop just doesn't give a shit about developing a player they waited years to acquire...

Pop not developing a TD/Tiago combo is just letting the NBA and particularly the lakers OFF THE HOOK!

Mark my words---this will haunt the spurs in the playoffs.

[TampaDude]

Spurs were down 11 at one point and didn't fold. Good job, guys!

[Ditty]

Was at the game quite a lot of spurs fans, after the game "go spurs go" chants all over the arena, if you think the at&t center crowd sucks wow the hawks crowd sucked way more.

[duncan228]

Some post-game quotes.


Spurs end road skid, beat Hawks 97-90 (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011040501)
By Charles Odum

The San Antonio Spurs, determined to end their recent string of road losses, made a fourth-quarter statement against the Hawks.

Tony Parker scored 26 points and San Antonio moved closer to home-court advantage in the playoffs by ending a four-game road losing streak with a 97-90 win over Atlanta on Tuesday night.

The Spurs led only 81-79 midway through the final period before taking control with an 11-3 run.

"Finally!" said Parker, who contrasted the Spurs' strong finish with the team's problems in closing out games in their recent six-game losing streak.

"If we don't learn from those, something's wrong with us," Parker said.

Manu Ginobili had 18 points and Tim Duncan had 17 for the Spurs, who had been 0-6 on the road against Eastern Conference teams which have clinched playoff berths.

The Spurs began the night 2 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

San Antonio ended the six-game losing streak with Sunday's home win over Phoenix. The Spurs took a more important step toward home-court advantage through the Western Conference playoffs by taking their first road win in almost three weeks.

"We were a little shaky the last couple weeks," Ginobili said. "But we are still out there and we are optimistic, but yet I don't feel that we are playing our best basketball right now."

Joe Johnson had 21 points and Jamal Crawford had 20 for the Hawks.

Atlanta's Al Horford said he could see a difference in the Spurs in the final period.

"I think they picked up the tempo a little bit, and it took us out of some things we wanted to run and how we wanted to do it," Horford said. "They're just a great defensive team. They have a lot of guards that just keep attacking you in different ways."

The Hawks were short-handed on their front line. Forward Josh Smith had swelling in his right knee and was not in uniform. Center Jason Collins did not return after suffering a sprained left ankle late in the first half.

With Smith out, Horford moved to forward as Collins started at center.

The injuries only added to the Hawks' difficulties in stopping the drives to the basket by Parker and Ginobili.

"Both guys did a great job of breaking the defense down and getting into the paint," said Hawks coach Larry Drew of Parker and Ginobili. "We did not do a good job of containing the ball.

"We certainly missed Josh. We missed his energy. We missed his athleticism. Josh has a way of erasing some of our mistakes."

Zaza Pachulia took over at center for the start of the second half.

The Hawks led 42-31 in the second quarter before the Spurs closed the half with a 12-4 run to trail 46-43 at the break. Parker had 10 points in the third period as San Antonio pulled ahead.

The Spurs outscored the Hawks 31-25 in the final period.

"We obviously did a better job than we've been doing in that regard," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

"We started out a little flat, but I thought the defense picked up and we got a little more physical and aggressive and that fueled some of our offense."

San Antonio led 81-79 when Atlanta's Kirk Hinrich was called for a flagrant one foul against Ginobili, who made both free throws to start the decisive 11-3 run.

Hinrich had 13 points before fouling out. Horford had 12 points and nine rebounds.

Popovich has 795 wins with San Antonio since 1996, matching Red Auerbach's total with Boston from 1950-66. The two are tied for second all time for the most wins with one team, behind Jerry Sloan's 1,127 with the Jazz.

NOTES: F Marvin Williams was given the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy before the game for his community service. The award is named for the late Hawks center who died on Oct. 15, 2005. ... The Spurs' last road win came on March 18 at Dallas. ... C Etan Thomas appeared in only his 10th game as the injuries to Smith and Collins stretched the Hawks' bench. ... The Spurs took a 39-25 advantage in rebounds while outscoring the Hawks 46-36 in the paint.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011040501

[duncan228]

Oh, and congrats to Coach Pop. :toast


...Popovich has 795 wins with San Antonio since 1996, matching Red Auerbach's total with Boston from 1950-66. The two are tied for second all time for the most wins with one team, behind Jerry Sloan's 1,127 with the Jazz.

[timtonymanu]

It's great to see how fresh Tim Duncan looks. Very different than what we've seen from him the last two seasons. His rest has paid off.

[easy7]

Good game...

[duncan228]

Pop praised Spurs' focus and decision-making down stretch: "We obviously did a better job than we'd been doing."

Manu, on Spurs' mindset in 4Q: "We can’t mess this one up too."

[Sean Cagney]

Serious question: If Pop had the choice, would he rather have a Duncan/Robinson front line or a Bonner/Blair frontline?

I seriously do not want to know this answer, damn :lol:depressed

[Obstructed_View]

I think I mentioned this earlier, but if you put 2011 Pop on the 1998 Spurs, Duncan would have won ROY and 6MOY in the same season.

[Dex]

I think I mentioned this earlier, but if you put 2011 Pop on the 1998 Spurs, Duncan would have won ROY and 6MOY in the same season.

He would've been allowed to shoot threes, too. :downspin:

[Mel_13]

He would've been allowed to shoot threes, too. :downspin:

Dirk Duncan..