Kori Ellis
06-15-2005, 02:24 AM
Buck Harvey: The other side of stardom: Ginobili as the series target
Web Posted: 06/15/2005 12:52 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/bharvey/stories/MYSA061505.1S.COL.BKNharvey.e6db680.html
San Antonio Express-News
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Welcome to stardom, Manu.
Two months ago you could have played as you did Tuesday — and you did sometimes — and no one would have said much.
That was the beauty of your rise from the second round in the draft. No one expected you to be Kobe.
But then you took over in the playoffs, amazing with every frenetic drive, and you crossed a line. You became too good. You made covers of magazines, as well as the lead on sports pages across America, which is why Game 3 hits you as no game has yet.
Normally Tim Duncan and his 5-of-15 shooting would have been the story.
Today, you are.
The Pistons should be. They played like the defending champions that they are. The Wallaces were beasts, Tayshaun Prince showed up and Rip Hamilton came off screens, faster and cleaner, beating Bruce Bowen to spots.
"We figured out," Larry Brown said afterward, "how hard we have to play."
But the Spurs made it easier, too, and you started it all. Inbounding to begin the game — after a Detroit violation on the opening tip — you threw a pass that Ben Wallace saw coming all the way from Buenos Aires.
Steal, fast break, dunk, a Spurs foul and a three-point play.
Had you punted the ball into the stands, the crowd wouldn't have gotten any crazier.
Then came the usual pain for El Contusion, when one of your thighs took another hit. You try to prevent these injuries, but the elastic thigh pads you wear aren't thick enough. Ever think of football equipment?
You needed armor Tuesday. You fell to the floor a minute into the game, and you limped off looking the way Duncan did here in March.
Duncan was out for six weeks. You came back in and were never the same.
Was the injury a factor?
"A little bit. It was hard for me to come back into the game after being on the bench for a couple of minutes. My leg gets cold. But I just didn't play well. It's not a matter of finding excuses. I just didn't make shots. I turned the ball over a lot. That's it."
That's it, all right. You ended with one more point than turnovers, but even that sounds better than it was. You got two points off Detroit technical fouls.
One turnover came late in the third quarter, when the Pistons began a surge. And another came early in the fourth, when Gregg Popovich actually asked you to do more.
Isn't this another sign of stardom? Your coach doesn't care if you are struggling.
Popovich, getting nothing from Beno Udrih, moved you to point guard to give Tony Parker a rest. But another turnover followed, Chauncey Billups scored on a fast break and Detroit went up by nine points.
You struggled at times in the regular season, such as in April when injuries were also bothering you. A 1-of-8 night in a loss to Denver was one, a 1-of-9 night in a loss in Dallas was another.
No one said much of it then. But Tuesday, you were escorted to the Finals podium, and when the Pistons were interviewed they were asked about you.
What did you do to stop Ginobili?
"We just tried to pressure him," Hamilton said. "We just didn't want him to get out front, allow him to dribble, you know, allow him to make plays for his teammates."
Brown, asked the same, put it in better perspective. "I don't know if it was about holding Ginobili. I think, as a whole, we defended great."
Meaning: The other Spurs, outside of Parker, also struggled.
But your status doesn't allow for perspective, and you said as much Tuesday. "It's way much more attention than I would like. You know, I'm a calm guy. I like to rest and don't think about anything else. We talk too much about the way I play or things like that. Of course, I'm happy because I have been playing well, and I've got to be satisfied because of that. But I'm trying not to think a lot about what people are saying."
People are saying different things today.
But that's what happens on this stage. Fame changes expectations, and this is part of the next step in your career.
You will hear this, too.
About how stars usually react after bad games.
Web Posted: 06/15/2005 12:52 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/bharvey/stories/MYSA061505.1S.COL.BKNharvey.e6db680.html
San Antonio Express-News
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Welcome to stardom, Manu.
Two months ago you could have played as you did Tuesday — and you did sometimes — and no one would have said much.
That was the beauty of your rise from the second round in the draft. No one expected you to be Kobe.
But then you took over in the playoffs, amazing with every frenetic drive, and you crossed a line. You became too good. You made covers of magazines, as well as the lead on sports pages across America, which is why Game 3 hits you as no game has yet.
Normally Tim Duncan and his 5-of-15 shooting would have been the story.
Today, you are.
The Pistons should be. They played like the defending champions that they are. The Wallaces were beasts, Tayshaun Prince showed up and Rip Hamilton came off screens, faster and cleaner, beating Bruce Bowen to spots.
"We figured out," Larry Brown said afterward, "how hard we have to play."
But the Spurs made it easier, too, and you started it all. Inbounding to begin the game — after a Detroit violation on the opening tip — you threw a pass that Ben Wallace saw coming all the way from Buenos Aires.
Steal, fast break, dunk, a Spurs foul and a three-point play.
Had you punted the ball into the stands, the crowd wouldn't have gotten any crazier.
Then came the usual pain for El Contusion, when one of your thighs took another hit. You try to prevent these injuries, but the elastic thigh pads you wear aren't thick enough. Ever think of football equipment?
You needed armor Tuesday. You fell to the floor a minute into the game, and you limped off looking the way Duncan did here in March.
Duncan was out for six weeks. You came back in and were never the same.
Was the injury a factor?
"A little bit. It was hard for me to come back into the game after being on the bench for a couple of minutes. My leg gets cold. But I just didn't play well. It's not a matter of finding excuses. I just didn't make shots. I turned the ball over a lot. That's it."
That's it, all right. You ended with one more point than turnovers, but even that sounds better than it was. You got two points off Detroit technical fouls.
One turnover came late in the third quarter, when the Pistons began a surge. And another came early in the fourth, when Gregg Popovich actually asked you to do more.
Isn't this another sign of stardom? Your coach doesn't care if you are struggling.
Popovich, getting nothing from Beno Udrih, moved you to point guard to give Tony Parker a rest. But another turnover followed, Chauncey Billups scored on a fast break and Detroit went up by nine points.
You struggled at times in the regular season, such as in April when injuries were also bothering you. A 1-of-8 night in a loss to Denver was one, a 1-of-9 night in a loss in Dallas was another.
No one said much of it then. But Tuesday, you were escorted to the Finals podium, and when the Pistons were interviewed they were asked about you.
What did you do to stop Ginobili?
"We just tried to pressure him," Hamilton said. "We just didn't want him to get out front, allow him to dribble, you know, allow him to make plays for his teammates."
Brown, asked the same, put it in better perspective. "I don't know if it was about holding Ginobili. I think, as a whole, we defended great."
Meaning: The other Spurs, outside of Parker, also struggled.
But your status doesn't allow for perspective, and you said as much Tuesday. "It's way much more attention than I would like. You know, I'm a calm guy. I like to rest and don't think about anything else. We talk too much about the way I play or things like that. Of course, I'm happy because I have been playing well, and I've got to be satisfied because of that. But I'm trying not to think a lot about what people are saying."
People are saying different things today.
But that's what happens on this stage. Fame changes expectations, and this is part of the next step in your career.
You will hear this, too.
About how stars usually react after bad games.