Spurs might rest Duncan, Ginobili during back-to-back games

[loveforthegame]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA031306.5D.BKNspurs.notebook.813a50d.html

Spurs notebook: Spurs might rest Duncan, Ginobili during back-to-back games

Web Posted: 03/13/2006 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he will consider sitting Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in the second game of the team's four remaining back-to-backs if the players look fatigued.

"That's the classic dilemma: You want to keep going to win the division, but what's more important? Being healthy or winning the division?" Popovich said. "So each of those situations will have to be judged by how you think Timmy's body or Manu's body are."

Duncan has struggled when having to play on consecutive nights, averaging 14.4 points on 38.8-percent shooting in the second game of the team's 12 back-to-backs. His right foot feels better, but he looked particularly slow Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs' fourth game in five nights.

Popovich said Duncan's and Ginobili's "level of juice" will determine whether he decides to rest them. He's also concerned about making sure Robert Horry and Michael Finley are fresh for the playoffs.

Popovich isn't sure the Spurs' tight Southwest Division race with Dallas should be the team's priority. The winner will likely get the Western Conference's top playoff seed with the other team dropping to fourth.

"We've had the best record in the league and not gotten there (to the NBA Finals)," he said, "and not had home court and gotten there."

Making it too easy: Several Rockets said they were disappointed by defensive breakdowns in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, when the Spurs finally started to penetrate and get easy shots around the rim. Forward Juwan Howard was especially upset about a play in which Ginobili drove down the lane for a dunk with just over a minute left.

"That's not allowed," Howard said. "Especially the way we play defense. We're supposed to cut off penetration and not allow them to lay the ball in. In that stretch, we did not."

Double trouble: Rockets center Yao Ming scored only eight of his 25 points in the second half, and he blamed the drop-off on the Spurs' aggressive double-teaming after the break.

"Usually, even when people come and double-team, I still can see what happens on the floor and find the open man," Yao said. "But (Sunday) in the second half, particularly with Bruce Bowen, his finger was almost in my eye. And I (couldn't) see. And I (couldn't) make quick decisions."

Size matters: Duncan was asked how it felt to go against the 7-foot-6, 310-pound Yao, who outweighed him by 50 pounds.

"Ask Nazr (Mohammed) that question," Duncan said. "He was the guy limping off the court after trying to slow him up."

Mohammed, the Spurs' starting center, gives up even more weight (60 pounds) to Yao than Duncan. Yao presents a big problem at both ends of the court, but Mohammed managed to get five shots in over him.

"You do have to get sort of creative," Mohammed said. "He's long, so you've got to try to out-quick him to the basket and sort of put him in jail so he can't use his length so much."

Missing McGrady: The Rockets are awaiting results of MRI tests taken on the back of All-Star forward Tracy McGrady.

Trainer Keith Jones said the results were sent to a specialist in California. Team doctors will consult in the next few days to determine treatment.

The Rockets believe McGrady will miss at least five weeks.

[Leetonidas]

So that's what Bruce does. He puts his finger right near your eye and then you can't see anything but his prints. Good tactics.

[Chris]

Good article with some nice quotes. What's up with T-Mac always getting injured? Could be another Charmin represenative...

[SenorSpur]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA031306.5D.BKNspurs.notebook.813a50d.html

Spurs notebook: Spurs might rest Duncan, Ginobili during back-to-back games

Web Posted: 03/13/2006 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he will consider sitting Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili in the second game of the team's four remaining back-to-backs if the players look fatigued.

"That's the classic dilemma: You want to keep going to win the division, but what's more important? Being healthy or winning the division?" Popovich said. "So each of those situations will have to be judged by how you think Timmy's body or Manu's body are."

Duncan has struggled when having to play on consecutive nights, averaging 14.4 points on 38.8-percent shooting in the second game of the team's 12 back-to-backs. His right foot feels better, but he looked particularly slow Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs' fourth game in five nights.

Popovich said Duncan's and Ginobili's "level of juice" will determine whether he decides to rest them. He's also concerned about making sure Robert Horry and Michael Finley are fresh for the playoffs.

Popovich isn't sure the Spurs' tight Southwest Division race with Dallas should be the team's priority. The winner will likely get the Western Conference's top playoff seed with the other team dropping to fourth.

"We've had the best record in the league and not gotten there (to the NBA Finals)," he said, "and not had home court and gotten there."

Making it too easy: Several Rockets said they were disappointed by defensive breakdowns in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, when the Spurs finally started to penetrate and get easy shots around the rim. Forward Juwan Howard was especially upset about a play in which Ginobili drove down the lane for a dunk with just over a minute left.

"That's not allowed," Howard said. "Especially the way we play defense. We're supposed to cut off penetration and not allow them to lay the ball in. In that stretch, we did not."

Double trouble: Rockets center Yao Ming scored only eight of his 25 points in the second half, and he blamed the drop-off on the Spurs' aggressive double-teaming after the break.

"Usually, even when people come and double-team, I still can see what happens on the floor and find the open man," Yao said. "But (Sunday) in the second half, particularly with Bruce Bowen, his finger was almost in my eye. And I (couldn't) see. And I (couldn't) make quick decisions."

Size matters: Duncan was asked how it felt to go against the 7-foot-6, 310-pound Yao, who outweighed him by 50 pounds.

"Ask Nazr (Mohammed) that question," Duncan said. "He was the guy limping off the court after trying to slow him up."

Mohammed, the Spurs' starting center, gives up even more weight (60 pounds) to Yao than Duncan. Yao presents a big problem at both ends of the court, but Mohammed managed to get five shots in over him.

"You do have to get sort of creative," Mohammed said. "He's long, so you've got to try to out-quick him to the basket and sort of put him in jail so he can't use his length so much."

Missing McGrady: The Rockets are awaiting results of MRI tests taken on the back of All-Star forward Tracy McGrady.

Trainer Keith Jones said the results were sent to a specialist in California. Team doctors will consult in the next few days to determine treatment.

The Rockets believe McGrady will miss at least five weeks.

Depending on the opponent, perhaps Pop should consider resting them both during the first game of a back-to-back.

[cs100]

The Rash strikes again. I think they should rest Tim on one night and Manu on the next depending on the team and matchup.

3/17 Phoenix - rest Tim
3/18 @ Houston - rest Manu

3/21 Golden State - rest Manu
3/22 @ Denver - rest Tim

4/4 @ Utah - rest Manu
4/5 Sac - rest Tim

4/16 @ Minn -rest Manu
4/17 Utah - rest Tim

I'm just guessing here. What do ya'll think??

[Leetonidas]

They should only be rested againsted Utah and Sacramento.

[mavsfan1000]

San Antonio wants that 4 seed as well. :lol They want to avoid the Queens

[Dre_7]

Im just glad there are no B2Bs in the playoffs!!!

[timvp]

Good idea by Pop. Actually, I wouldn't be against playing Duncan and Manu in only 50% of the remaining games.

[DesiSpur_21]

The Rash strikes again. I think they should rest Tim on one night and Manu on the next depending on the team and matchup.

3/17 Phoenix - rest Tim
3/18 @ Houston - rest Manu

3/21 Golden State - rest Manu
3/22 @ Denver - rest Tim

4/4 @ Utah - rest Manu
4/5 Sac - rest Tim

4/16 @ Minn -rest Manu
4/17 Utah - rest Tim

I'm just guessing here. What do ya'll think??


:tu

[WalterBenitez]

Manu could be replaced by either Brent or Mike ... but what about TIM?

[Solid D]

The Spurs sent doubles on Yao from every direction in the 2nd half. There were lots of "blind side" attempts for takeaways, too. Parker, Bowen, and Gino all tried it. Tim even poked the ball away a la Karl Malone on a post feed or two when he was taking his turn with Yao. Ming got lots of attention after his 17 first-half points.

Resting them in b2bs may be the best option.

[Bruno]

San Antonio wants that 4 seed as well. :lol They want to avoid the Queens

Try again :
- Kings will likely finish with the 6 or 7 seed. The 8 seed will likely be Lakers or Memphis.
- Clippers (5th seed) are a better team than Kings, Memphis or Lakers. They are deep, solid, talented and Brand/Kaman is the best starting PF/C duo in the league.

[leemajors]

San Antonio wants that 4 seed as well. :lol They want to avoid the Queens

avoid the kings to play the clip?

[NCaliSpurs]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA031306.5D.BKNspurs.notebook.813a50d.html

Forward Juwan Howard was especially upset about a play in which Ginobili drove down the lane for a dunk with just over a minute left.

"That's not allowed," Howard said. "Especially the way we play defense. We're supposed to cut off penetration and not allow them to lay the ball in. In that stretch, we did not."




Does anyone else think this is ironic given his history of "cutting off" dunkers in San Antonio?

I still have some hate for Juwan.

[nkdlunch]

Duncan yes. But manu why?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

This is going to seriously fuck with my fantasy basketball playoff push.

:lmao

Good idea overall. I would rather Tim or Manu sit four games now than be 50% in the playoffs.

[FromWayDowntown]

It's a difficult balance to strike. As long as the Spurs are tied with the Mavericks, you can afford to rest those guys occasionally because the Spurs still have one game left with Dallas and still have a tiebreaker advantage. If the Spurs are within 1 game on 4/7, they control their own destiny in terms of winning the division and seizing that #1 seed.

I still think #1 is more important to Dallas than it is to San Antonio, but I'd rather the Spurs take it anyway.

[austinfan]

Duncan yes. But manu why?

My thought exactly. Manu's game is all about the feel, the touch, the rhythm that builds up from playing games night after night. In fact, I think that's what's thrown him off this season--that he hasn't been able to get a rhythm going for any length of time (and I think his downtime over the summer also contributed). I don't mean you play him 48 minutes, but drastically reduce his time on the court? I'm not so sure that's a great idea.

Now, Tim, on the other hand, yes, that I agree with.

[FromWayDowntown]

My thought exactly. Manu's game is all about the feel, the touch, the rhythm that builds up from playing games night after night. In fact, I think that's what's thrown him off this season--that he hasn't been able to get a rhythm going for any length of time (and I think his downtime over the summer also contributed). I don't mean you play him 48 minutes, but drastically reduce his time on the court? I'm not so sure that's a great idea.

I don't disagree with that. Yesterday, we saw Manu finally break down a guy in the lane and create more room to get to the rim. It's been a while since he's done that effectively. Manu showed glipses of having one of those typical Manu games yesterday -- doing a bit of everything: points, rebounds on both ends, assists, defense (though he still didn't shoot the ball well).

I wonder how much of that, though, is the rhythm of playing every other day or so and how much is that his body is starting to feel a bit better.

[ambchang]

Duncan has struggled when having to play on consecutive nights, averaging 14.4 points on 38.8-percent shooting in the second game of the team's 12 back-to-backs. His right foot feels better, but he looked particularly slow Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs' fourth game in five nights.

Popovich said Duncan's and Ginobili's "level of juice" will determine whether he decides to rest them. He's also concerned about making sure Robert Horry and Michael Finley are fresh for the playoffs.

What is the Spurs record on back to backs so far? What about Detroit and the Mavs? I have a feeling that the Spurs will play quite well in the playoffs, given that there will be no b2b games, and that every player will have enough time to rest and preparation for the opposition.


Making it too easy: Several Rockets said they were disappointed by defensive breakdowns in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game, when the Spurs finally started to penetrate and get easy shots around the rim. Forward Juwan Howard was especially upset about a play in which Ginobili drove down the lane for a dunk with just over a minute left.

"That's not allowed," Howard said. "Especially the way we play defense. We're supposed to cut off penetration and not allow them to lay the ball in. In that stretch, we did not."
I suppose he wants to throw Ginobili on the floor and injure him on purpose like he did to Derek Anderson.


Double trouble: Rockets center Yao Ming scored only eight of his 25 points in the second half, and he blamed the drop-off on the Spurs' aggressive double-teaming after the break.

"Usually, even when people come and double-team, I still can see what happens on the floor and find the open man," Yao said. "But (Sunday) in the second half, particularly with Bruce Bowen, his finger was almost in my eye. And I (couldn't) see. And I (couldn't) make quick decisions."

Size matters: Duncan was asked how it felt to go against the 7-foot-6, 310-pound Yao, who outweighed him by 50 pounds.

"Ask Nazr (Mohammed) that question," Duncan said. "He was the guy limping off the court after trying to slow him up."

Mohammed, the Spurs' starting center, gives up even more weight (60 pounds) to Yao than Duncan. Yao presents a big problem at both ends of the court, but Mohammed managed to get five shots in over him.

"You do have to get sort of creative," Mohammed said. "He's long, so you've got to try to out-quick him to the basket and sort of put him in jail so he can't use his length so much."

Everybody said Yao sucks earlier on in the season, and yet it is getting more and more apparent that it was the injury he had that was slowing him down earlier in the season. This guy is for real.

[FromWayDowntown]

Everybody said Yao sucks earlier on in the season, and yet it is getting more and more apparent that it was the injury he had that was slowing him down earlier in the season. This guy is for real.

Yao was great yesterday until he ran out of gas in the second half. I'm not really sure why Van Gundy was insistent on playing 41 minutes; I guess he figured the Rockets had no chance if Yao was on the bench. Still, I'd think the Rockets chances to make a late run would have been better if Yao had spent 5 minutes or so on the bench in that second half. I couldn't recall Yao sitting at all after the 2nd quarter.

[boutons_]

Yao has greatly stepped his game since coming back.

Can a 7'6" guy ever be in good enough shape to play NBA iron-man minutes?
What's his problem with conditioning that has him pooping out late in games?

[Rummpd]

All I know is that Wilt Chamberlain at 7 foot and I believe 1 inch played every friggin minute of a whole season.

Kareem played big minutes at 7'2".

Yao just has never seemed to have the stanima and apparently it is not from trying - he is a work out fiend according to Rockets reports.

That is why when Motumbo was productive last year he was so valuable, Rockets need to groom a good back up for Yao to keep his minutes under 40.

[Please_dont_ban_me]

On the Pop show today coach said it's a possibility. Just a "feel" thing.

Didn't sound like he was definately planning on it or anything, though.

[cs100]

What is the Spurs record on back to backs so far? What about Detroit and the Mavs? I have a feeling that the Spurs will play quite well in the playoffs, given that there will be no b2b games, and that every player will have enough time to rest and preparation for the opposition.

This is as of Sat, 3/11/06

Detroit 17 back to back: 12-5 70%
Phoenix 13 back to back: 9-4 69%
Dallas 14 back to back: 9-5 64%
Miami 11 back to back: 7-4 63%
Spurs 12 back to back: 3-9 25%

We are the worst of the top five teams in the league at wins on the second game of back-to-backs.

[Fabbs]

Everybody said Yao sucks earlier on in the season, and yet it is getting more and more apparent that it was the injury he had that was slowing him down earlier in the season. This guy is for real.[/QUOTE]

Yao Haters are pretty clueless. Jeff Van Gundy knows zero about offense. You have to figure that in.

[SequSpur]

This whole bullshit excuse shit is pissing me off.

Straight up, stop the fuckin excuses, the Spurs just aren't showing up for their back to back games.

They've lost some easy games that without Duncan and Manu, they should've won.

Bullshit crybaby crap.

[boutons_]

"Spurs 12 back to back: 3-9 25%"

I'm pretty sure it's 4 -8, 33% (I won't verify now), but it still sucks.

Spurs last year were 8 - 9 in B2B.

Spurs horribleness on B2B is pretty weird, this year and last.

It's probably more mental than physical, since other top teams can stay above .500.

Maybe the Spurs have some common negative attitude about B2B that needs fixing, but probalby too late this year (unless HCA races motivate them).

If the Spurs had just managed to go 6-6 this season, they would be tied with Pistons, and +2L on the Mavs.

[Josh810]

San Antonio wants that 4 seed as well. :lol They want to avoid the Queens
Are you ever aware of how retarded some of your statements are?

[zocool16]

this might sound foolish but im still hoping that we can get homecourt over detroit

[TMTTRIO]

Please don't flame me for this since I'm one of Manu's biggest fans but since he's been playing pretty badly lately (it's been hard to watch) and we want to still rest him a little bit should we be having him come off the bench like we end up doing every year?

[doldrums]

Funny about Manu. although his offense was putrid yesterday, he played very well defensively.