manubili
01-02-2006, 06:23 PM
Super sub carries Spurs: Ginobili has 20 points vs. the Nuggets
Web Posted: 01/01/2006 12:25 AM CST
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
DENVER — George Karl spent a full 10 minutes of his team's Saturday morning shootaround taking his players through some defensive twists that had one goal: keeping Spurs point guard Tony Parker out of the paint that night.
SPORTS
(Brian Pierro / Associated Press)
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich talks with Lafey Armontrout, his high school freshman basketball coach, while signing autographs after Popovich's number was retired at Merrillville (Ind.) High School.
Spurs 98, Nuggets 88
# Ginobili carries Spurs past Nuggets
# Notebook: Weather threatens New Year's Eve plans
# Box: Spurs 98, Nuggets 88
NBA beat
# Mike Monroe: Suns' resilience has been nice surprise
# NBA power rankings
# Run and gun: 76ers offer little rest for weary Iverson
# NBA starting five: Many happy returns
Parker, after all, entered the game leading the NBA in points in the paint, statistical territory ordinarily reserved for the likes of Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal. Parker came into the game shooting 53.8 percent from the field, fourth in the league, because most of his shots have come on drives to the basket. Few teams have been able to keep him from getting there this season.
"Tony's the guy I'm most concerned about," Karl said a few minutes after the walk-through. "Their offense is more tilted towards him right now. It will balance out when (Manu) Ginobili is back and in shape. But Parker has gotten better. His penetrations are a problem.
"Post-ups and penetrations. That's what we've got to worry about tonight."
Consider balance restored to the Spurs' penetrating duo.
Presume Ginobili is getting in shape, too.
It was Ginobili getting to the rim, and under Karl's skin again, rather than Parker, in a 98-88 Spurs' victory that sent them into 2006 with a 24-7 record, best in the Western Conference.
Coming off the bench for the third time after missing eight games with a sprained right foot, Ginobili played the kind of frantic basketball that made him a villain in Denver during the Spurs-Nuggets playoff series last spring.
Nuggets fans boo him whenever he touches the ball, but Ginobili blocked out the jeers and scored 20 points and handed out eight assists.
"It's kind of fun," Ginobili said of the nasty vocal response from Denver's fans, who took their cue from Karl after he complained about Ginobili's style of play during the Spurs' 4-1 first-round playoff series victory. "It doesn't happen everywhere, and the reason why they do it is a very good one. Yeah, I enjoy it."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has tried to ease Ginobili back into his typical regimen of playing time since his return from the injury. He had hoped to play him no more than 25 minutes Saturday. By game's end, Ginobili had logged 24:39.
"We really had to monitor Manu's minutes," Popovich said. "But we really needed his energy out on the court."
Ginobili said he got no more tired than he typically does in Denver's high altitude.
"Here," he said, "you always get tired at the beginning, but after that I felt pretty good. I am doing better than I thought I would after two weeks basically sitting."
The Spurs needed Ginobili's energy in the first half to offset the rare combination of sub-par play from both Parker and Duncan. Each made only one of four shots in the half.
Duncan, at least, got his game going in the second half. He made seven of 12 shots and scored 19 in the half. That included making all five of his second-half free throws, to go with his 4 for 4 foul shooting in the first half.
"Persistence, I guess," Duncan said. "I just stuck with it. I finally got a shot to go down there in the third, a post feed and quick shot, and that started it. So it was more persistence than anything."
But Ginobili was the true catalyst for Denver's victory, just as he had been the key to the Spurs' four victories over the Nuggets in last year's playoff series.
"Ginobili had the best game he's played since coming back," Karl said, "and as the game went on, it seemed like they got stronger and we got weaker."
Primarily because of Ginobili, the Spurs' bench had one of its most productive games of the season, totaling 44 points.
"We got some good minutes from our bench guys," Popovich said, "and we needed them."
Ginobili had to take several turns defending Denver's Carmelo Anthony, too, and helped limit Anthony, who entered the game averaging 29.6 points in December, to 8-for-22 shooting.
Ginobili also had one of the game's biggest defensive plays, knocking the ball out of the hands of Denver's Earl Boykins and starting a Spurs' fast break that he finished himself, turning it into a three-point play that wiped out Denver's biggest lead of the game, six points, and blunted the Nuggets' momentum after they got off to a good start in the third quarter.
Parker, on the other hand, had one of his worst shooting games of the season. He made only three of nine shots and missed both his free throws. :elephant
Web Posted: 01/01/2006 12:25 AM CST
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
DENVER — George Karl spent a full 10 minutes of his team's Saturday morning shootaround taking his players through some defensive twists that had one goal: keeping Spurs point guard Tony Parker out of the paint that night.
SPORTS
(Brian Pierro / Associated Press)
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich talks with Lafey Armontrout, his high school freshman basketball coach, while signing autographs after Popovich's number was retired at Merrillville (Ind.) High School.
Spurs 98, Nuggets 88
# Ginobili carries Spurs past Nuggets
# Notebook: Weather threatens New Year's Eve plans
# Box: Spurs 98, Nuggets 88
NBA beat
# Mike Monroe: Suns' resilience has been nice surprise
# NBA power rankings
# Run and gun: 76ers offer little rest for weary Iverson
# NBA starting five: Many happy returns
Parker, after all, entered the game leading the NBA in points in the paint, statistical territory ordinarily reserved for the likes of Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal. Parker came into the game shooting 53.8 percent from the field, fourth in the league, because most of his shots have come on drives to the basket. Few teams have been able to keep him from getting there this season.
"Tony's the guy I'm most concerned about," Karl said a few minutes after the walk-through. "Their offense is more tilted towards him right now. It will balance out when (Manu) Ginobili is back and in shape. But Parker has gotten better. His penetrations are a problem.
"Post-ups and penetrations. That's what we've got to worry about tonight."
Consider balance restored to the Spurs' penetrating duo.
Presume Ginobili is getting in shape, too.
It was Ginobili getting to the rim, and under Karl's skin again, rather than Parker, in a 98-88 Spurs' victory that sent them into 2006 with a 24-7 record, best in the Western Conference.
Coming off the bench for the third time after missing eight games with a sprained right foot, Ginobili played the kind of frantic basketball that made him a villain in Denver during the Spurs-Nuggets playoff series last spring.
Nuggets fans boo him whenever he touches the ball, but Ginobili blocked out the jeers and scored 20 points and handed out eight assists.
"It's kind of fun," Ginobili said of the nasty vocal response from Denver's fans, who took their cue from Karl after he complained about Ginobili's style of play during the Spurs' 4-1 first-round playoff series victory. "It doesn't happen everywhere, and the reason why they do it is a very good one. Yeah, I enjoy it."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has tried to ease Ginobili back into his typical regimen of playing time since his return from the injury. He had hoped to play him no more than 25 minutes Saturday. By game's end, Ginobili had logged 24:39.
"We really had to monitor Manu's minutes," Popovich said. "But we really needed his energy out on the court."
Ginobili said he got no more tired than he typically does in Denver's high altitude.
"Here," he said, "you always get tired at the beginning, but after that I felt pretty good. I am doing better than I thought I would after two weeks basically sitting."
The Spurs needed Ginobili's energy in the first half to offset the rare combination of sub-par play from both Parker and Duncan. Each made only one of four shots in the half.
Duncan, at least, got his game going in the second half. He made seven of 12 shots and scored 19 in the half. That included making all five of his second-half free throws, to go with his 4 for 4 foul shooting in the first half.
"Persistence, I guess," Duncan said. "I just stuck with it. I finally got a shot to go down there in the third, a post feed and quick shot, and that started it. So it was more persistence than anything."
But Ginobili was the true catalyst for Denver's victory, just as he had been the key to the Spurs' four victories over the Nuggets in last year's playoff series.
"Ginobili had the best game he's played since coming back," Karl said, "and as the game went on, it seemed like they got stronger and we got weaker."
Primarily because of Ginobili, the Spurs' bench had one of its most productive games of the season, totaling 44 points.
"We got some good minutes from our bench guys," Popovich said, "and we needed them."
Ginobili had to take several turns defending Denver's Carmelo Anthony, too, and helped limit Anthony, who entered the game averaging 29.6 points in December, to 8-for-22 shooting.
Ginobili also had one of the game's biggest defensive plays, knocking the ball out of the hands of Denver's Earl Boykins and starting a Spurs' fast break that he finished himself, turning it into a three-point play that wiped out Denver's biggest lead of the game, six points, and blunted the Nuggets' momentum after they got off to a good start in the third quarter.
Parker, on the other hand, had one of his worst shooting games of the season. He made only three of nine shots and missed both his free throws. :elephant