Kori Ellis
06-23-2005, 12:19 AM
Mike Monroe: Duncan must lighten up on himself, let teammates shoulder some of load
Web Posted: 06/23/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/mmonroe/stories/MYSA062305.5S.BKN.COLmonroe.36e7a66e.html
San Antonio Express-News
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says players on his team have to learn to get over themselves.
By that, Popovich means individuals in the organization, at every level, must understand they are nothing special; rather, they are part of a team that sometimes can produce special results.
Tim Duncan is the embodiment of get over yourself, the emotionless star who deflects attention and revels in team success.
But if the Spurs are going to get over the enormous hump that is the Detroit Pistons, Duncan must get over something else: the sense that everything bad that happens to the Spurs is his fault.
Duncan must play like the two-time Finals MVP that he is, but he also has to trust that if he misses a shot or a free throw — and that is especially vital — a teammate can pick him up. Duncan has to lighten up on himself before he can loosen up and play his MVP game.
Coach of the Year Mike D'Antoni says Game 7 is about "hearts and brains and ice water in the veins." Both the Spurs and Pistons have plenty of heart. The Spurs played smarter in Game 5; the Pistons in Game 6.
That leaves the ice water.
Drink up.
SHOOTING OFF
24 thoughts about Game 5
Danny Crawford, another ref on Larry Brown's personal hate list.
No 'Fro for Ben; it's cornrows tonight.
6:31, 1st quarter: Horry enters and gets a half-standing, half-sitting ovation.
2:53, 1st quarter: Pistons up 18-14. Still think they'll be down from Game 5?
End of 1st, and we're tied ... Game 5 just goes on and on.
9:45, 2nd quarter: First big run of game, 7-0, belongs to Pistons.
P.A. man Stan Kelly is to Pistons mike man John Mason as Tom Hanks is to Samuel L. Jackson.
7:53, 2nd quarter: Spurs attempt their first free throw of game.
7:25, 2nd quarter: R. Wallace a personal and Billups a technical. Are Pistons losing their cool?
6:45, 2nd quarter: Uh-oh, Duncan misses his first free throw of game.
5:56, 2nd quarter: Crawford whacks Brown with a tech. Is this getting personal?
City shown in a contest is ID'd on scoreboard as "Okalhoma City." What state is that in?
1:11, 2nd quarter: A Beno Udrih sighting!
No Beno turnovers but two Beno misses.
8:20, 3rd quarter: A three-shot possession nets a 3-pointer for Parker.
7:05, 3rd quarter: As Duncan protests, Billups calmly nails a 3-pointer over him.
Pistons seem to be going much harder to the glass.
11:23, 4th quarter: Rasheed draws his fifth personal.
8:12, 4th quarter: Mohammed has a one-footer, shoots it three feet.
7:06, 4th quarter: A Spurs timeout, and Ginobili gets a breather.
5:18, 4th quarter: It's crunch time, so Ginobili's break time is over.
2:22, 4th quarter: Duncan scores his first back-to-back basket of the game.
Ginobili is forcing the action way too much.
This one is over and SBC Center is silent.
ALTERATIONS
You want to know what adjustments are left for Game 7?
Let's go straight to the Coach of the Year.
"It's Game 7 of The Finals," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It's not about adjustments. It's about hearts and brains and ice water in the veins."
D'Antoni, whose Suns were vanquished in the Western Conference finals by the Spurs in a series with an entertainment quotient much greater than the slog-it-out NBA Finals, said Games 5 and 6 came down to two players who found ways to make shots: the Spurs' Robert Horry in Game 5 and the Pistons' Richard Hamilton in Game 6.
"That's what Game 7 is going to come down to, too," D'Antoni said. "Somebody is going to find a way to make some big shots. I just don't know who that is going to be. Everybody is going to play hard, and it's going to be more about who makes the smart plays and who is not afraid to take big shots."
PLAYER REPORT
Lindsey Hunter
Detroit's defensive specialist off the bench played Game 6 on a very sore right ankle. He wasn't as aggressive offensively as he was in Game 4 or Game 5, but the ankle didn't seem to affect his defense. There is no way he's going to let it affect him in Game 7.
Manu Ginobili
Ginobili was visibly drained after Game 6. There is a whole summer of rest awaiting after Game 7. He won't be saving his energy for anything tonight.
Tim Duncan
Nobody is worried about his sprained ankles any longer. Rather, Duncan's fragile psyche, especially at the foul line, is a major concern. Will it be 15-of-15 Tim or 4-of-11 Tim? The title could be determined by the difference.
Web Posted: 06/23/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/mmonroe/stories/MYSA062305.5S.BKN.COLmonroe.36e7a66e.html
San Antonio Express-News
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich says players on his team have to learn to get over themselves.
By that, Popovich means individuals in the organization, at every level, must understand they are nothing special; rather, they are part of a team that sometimes can produce special results.
Tim Duncan is the embodiment of get over yourself, the emotionless star who deflects attention and revels in team success.
But if the Spurs are going to get over the enormous hump that is the Detroit Pistons, Duncan must get over something else: the sense that everything bad that happens to the Spurs is his fault.
Duncan must play like the two-time Finals MVP that he is, but he also has to trust that if he misses a shot or a free throw — and that is especially vital — a teammate can pick him up. Duncan has to lighten up on himself before he can loosen up and play his MVP game.
Coach of the Year Mike D'Antoni says Game 7 is about "hearts and brains and ice water in the veins." Both the Spurs and Pistons have plenty of heart. The Spurs played smarter in Game 5; the Pistons in Game 6.
That leaves the ice water.
Drink up.
SHOOTING OFF
24 thoughts about Game 5
Danny Crawford, another ref on Larry Brown's personal hate list.
No 'Fro for Ben; it's cornrows tonight.
6:31, 1st quarter: Horry enters and gets a half-standing, half-sitting ovation.
2:53, 1st quarter: Pistons up 18-14. Still think they'll be down from Game 5?
End of 1st, and we're tied ... Game 5 just goes on and on.
9:45, 2nd quarter: First big run of game, 7-0, belongs to Pistons.
P.A. man Stan Kelly is to Pistons mike man John Mason as Tom Hanks is to Samuel L. Jackson.
7:53, 2nd quarter: Spurs attempt their first free throw of game.
7:25, 2nd quarter: R. Wallace a personal and Billups a technical. Are Pistons losing their cool?
6:45, 2nd quarter: Uh-oh, Duncan misses his first free throw of game.
5:56, 2nd quarter: Crawford whacks Brown with a tech. Is this getting personal?
City shown in a contest is ID'd on scoreboard as "Okalhoma City." What state is that in?
1:11, 2nd quarter: A Beno Udrih sighting!
No Beno turnovers but two Beno misses.
8:20, 3rd quarter: A three-shot possession nets a 3-pointer for Parker.
7:05, 3rd quarter: As Duncan protests, Billups calmly nails a 3-pointer over him.
Pistons seem to be going much harder to the glass.
11:23, 4th quarter: Rasheed draws his fifth personal.
8:12, 4th quarter: Mohammed has a one-footer, shoots it three feet.
7:06, 4th quarter: A Spurs timeout, and Ginobili gets a breather.
5:18, 4th quarter: It's crunch time, so Ginobili's break time is over.
2:22, 4th quarter: Duncan scores his first back-to-back basket of the game.
Ginobili is forcing the action way too much.
This one is over and SBC Center is silent.
ALTERATIONS
You want to know what adjustments are left for Game 7?
Let's go straight to the Coach of the Year.
"It's Game 7 of The Finals," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It's not about adjustments. It's about hearts and brains and ice water in the veins."
D'Antoni, whose Suns were vanquished in the Western Conference finals by the Spurs in a series with an entertainment quotient much greater than the slog-it-out NBA Finals, said Games 5 and 6 came down to two players who found ways to make shots: the Spurs' Robert Horry in Game 5 and the Pistons' Richard Hamilton in Game 6.
"That's what Game 7 is going to come down to, too," D'Antoni said. "Somebody is going to find a way to make some big shots. I just don't know who that is going to be. Everybody is going to play hard, and it's going to be more about who makes the smart plays and who is not afraid to take big shots."
PLAYER REPORT
Lindsey Hunter
Detroit's defensive specialist off the bench played Game 6 on a very sore right ankle. He wasn't as aggressive offensively as he was in Game 4 or Game 5, but the ankle didn't seem to affect his defense. There is no way he's going to let it affect him in Game 7.
Manu Ginobili
Ginobili was visibly drained after Game 6. There is a whole summer of rest awaiting after Game 7. He won't be saving his energy for anything tonight.
Tim Duncan
Nobody is worried about his sprained ankles any longer. Rather, Duncan's fragile psyche, especially at the foul line, is a major concern. Will it be 15-of-15 Tim or 4-of-11 Tim? The title could be determined by the difference.