Kori Ellis
06-19-2005, 01:13 AM
Spurs notebook: Conspiracy theory? Food for thought
Web Posted: 06/19/2005 10:06 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA061905.4S.BKNspurs.notebook.226ee963.html
Could the Spurs' troubles in Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals be something they ate?
More to the point, could it be something someone put in something they ate?
Pistons backup forward Darvin Ham raised the issue Saturday and insisted he was not being jocular.
"You know everybody in the city is against you," said Ham, the former Texas Tech star. "So this three-game stretch, for the visiting team, is murder. You have to worry about what you eat, and not because the food is not good. No, it's because you're eating in Detroit, and you are a Spur, and it works vice-versa.
"You'd be surprised how serious people take this game right now. And gambling being what it is, a lot of people put money on this stuff, and they want to protect their investment. So if they're in the restaurant business and they're serving, say, Tim Duncan, you never know what might happen. I'm serious, man."
Ham said it was no picnic for the Pistons being in San Antonio for Games 1 and 2. Just getting back in their downtown hotel became a chore.
"There's no love for you in that (opposing) city," Ham said. "After we lost that first game in San Antonio, I thought their fans were having a victory parade right outside our hotel. It was bananas, man. They were blowing their horns and waving 'Go Spurs Go' flags. We had to have police officers around our bus just to get back in the hotel."
Video enlightenment: Brett Brown, the Spurs' director of player development, unexpectedly helped lighten the team's mood.
The Spurs' film session began with clips of Brown's 1979 state championship game at South Portland (Maine) High School. While Brown, in his words, had a "decent" game in South Portland's victory, the Spurs' video staff didn't use the most flattering of footage.
Brown usually tells the players if they're going to miss a shot, they better not miss short. Glenn Robinson estimated Brown went 3 for 15 in the footage the team saw Saturday.
And almost every shot Brown missed, he missed short.
"I hadn't even seen that video in 26 years," Brown said. "But if it helps us win, I'm proud to be the butt of jokes."
After about five minutes of watching Brown, the Spurs got around to viewing the really ugly stuff: their 102-71 loss on Thursday. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't any happier with the performance than he was two nights earlier.
"There's kind of a giddiness to him that he's anxious to see what we're going to do come Sunday," Brent Barry said.
Popovich said he wouldn't have described himself as "giddy."
"A bonus check makes one giddy," Popovich said. "A glass of fine wine that's bought cheaply makes me giddy. I'm trying to think about what would make one giddy on the court ... and the only thing that would make my giddy get up would be a win."
Full staff: Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo is expected to be at tonight's game. Carlesimo flew home after Game 4 to be with his wife, who had to be hospitalized after recently delivering the couple's second child.
On the attack: Popovich said he hopes to have Tony Parker attack more than he did Thursday.
"The last two games, I think, have been more about what's between the ears and what's in the chest," Popovich said. "With Tony, it's between the ears."
Cheering role: Forward Glenn Robinson said he's not worried about whether he'll play tonight. The 11-year veteran has averaged just 4.7 minutes during the first four games of the Finals and was the only Spur not to play in Game 4.
"I'm not worried about that," Robinson said. "I'm here, and I'm available to help out in any kind of way."
Laborious stuff: Bruce Bowen replaced Malik Rose as the team's player-representative to the players' union after Rose was traded in February. Bowen said he had kept up, via e-mail, with developments in the ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union.
"I'm really secure in the fact they will work as hard as they can to get something done," he said.
Web Posted: 06/19/2005 10:06 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA061905.4S.BKNspurs.notebook.226ee963.html
Could the Spurs' troubles in Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals be something they ate?
More to the point, could it be something someone put in something they ate?
Pistons backup forward Darvin Ham raised the issue Saturday and insisted he was not being jocular.
"You know everybody in the city is against you," said Ham, the former Texas Tech star. "So this three-game stretch, for the visiting team, is murder. You have to worry about what you eat, and not because the food is not good. No, it's because you're eating in Detroit, and you are a Spur, and it works vice-versa.
"You'd be surprised how serious people take this game right now. And gambling being what it is, a lot of people put money on this stuff, and they want to protect their investment. So if they're in the restaurant business and they're serving, say, Tim Duncan, you never know what might happen. I'm serious, man."
Ham said it was no picnic for the Pistons being in San Antonio for Games 1 and 2. Just getting back in their downtown hotel became a chore.
"There's no love for you in that (opposing) city," Ham said. "After we lost that first game in San Antonio, I thought their fans were having a victory parade right outside our hotel. It was bananas, man. They were blowing their horns and waving 'Go Spurs Go' flags. We had to have police officers around our bus just to get back in the hotel."
Video enlightenment: Brett Brown, the Spurs' director of player development, unexpectedly helped lighten the team's mood.
The Spurs' film session began with clips of Brown's 1979 state championship game at South Portland (Maine) High School. While Brown, in his words, had a "decent" game in South Portland's victory, the Spurs' video staff didn't use the most flattering of footage.
Brown usually tells the players if they're going to miss a shot, they better not miss short. Glenn Robinson estimated Brown went 3 for 15 in the footage the team saw Saturday.
And almost every shot Brown missed, he missed short.
"I hadn't even seen that video in 26 years," Brown said. "But if it helps us win, I'm proud to be the butt of jokes."
After about five minutes of watching Brown, the Spurs got around to viewing the really ugly stuff: their 102-71 loss on Thursday. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't any happier with the performance than he was two nights earlier.
"There's kind of a giddiness to him that he's anxious to see what we're going to do come Sunday," Brent Barry said.
Popovich said he wouldn't have described himself as "giddy."
"A bonus check makes one giddy," Popovich said. "A glass of fine wine that's bought cheaply makes me giddy. I'm trying to think about what would make one giddy on the court ... and the only thing that would make my giddy get up would be a win."
Full staff: Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo is expected to be at tonight's game. Carlesimo flew home after Game 4 to be with his wife, who had to be hospitalized after recently delivering the couple's second child.
On the attack: Popovich said he hopes to have Tony Parker attack more than he did Thursday.
"The last two games, I think, have been more about what's between the ears and what's in the chest," Popovich said. "With Tony, it's between the ears."
Cheering role: Forward Glenn Robinson said he's not worried about whether he'll play tonight. The 11-year veteran has averaged just 4.7 minutes during the first four games of the Finals and was the only Spur not to play in Game 4.
"I'm not worried about that," Robinson said. "I'm here, and I'm available to help out in any kind of way."
Laborious stuff: Bruce Bowen replaced Malik Rose as the team's player-representative to the players' union after Rose was traded in February. Bowen said he had kept up, via e-mail, with developments in the ongoing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union.
"I'm really secure in the fact they will work as hard as they can to get something done," he said.