Mr.Bottomtooth
10-22-2006, 10:49 AM
Riley unhappy with effort against Spurs
LexisNexis; C. Perkins; Palm Beach Post
Sunday, October 22, 2006
SAN ANTONIO — After the first real test of the exhibition season, the Heat gets a grade of incomplete.
That's not because the Heat, which chose to rest starting power forward Udonis Haslem, lost 103-93 Saturday at San Antonio.
The incomplete is because the Spurs, who didn't start guard Manu Ginobili but gave him plenty of playing time, were at full strength and looked every bit like a team with a full complement of options.
"I thought we were really poor in the second period," coach Pat Riley said of the second quarter, when Miami was outscored, 32-20. "They didn't bring it tonight."
Miami (1-4) saw the return of guard Dwyane Wade and center Shaquille O'Neal, both of whom sat out Friday's 96-95 loss at Memphis. Wade had 23 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes, and O'Neal, who went 6-for-10 on free throws using his new one-handed shooting technique, finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes.
But San Antonio, seeking redemption from last season's Western Conference semifinal loss to Dallas, had more than enough answers. The Heat, which trailed 55-39 at halftime, cut its deficit to 56-50 midway through the third quarter behind its starting lineup of Wade and Gary Payton at guard, James Posey and Antoine Walker at forward and O'Neal at center.
San Antonio, under the direction of 10th-year coach Gregg Popovich, countered with Ginobili and Tony Parker in the backcourt, Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan at forward and Francisco Elson at center, and it turned out to be a winning combination.
"They're one of the great teams in the league the last seven or eight years," Riley said.
The Spurs, still a deep threat as their 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) shooting on three-pointers attests, didn't make any big off-season changes. Along with the aforementioned players, San Antonio welcomed back guards Michael Finley and Beno Udrih, forwards Robert Horry and Brent Barry and center Fabricio Oberto, the 6-foot-10 Argentine who didn't play much a year ago but seems much improved. He joins former New York center Jackie Butler, a 6-10 free agent signee now in his third year.
It could be argued that the Spurs, who are seeking their fourth title in nine years, were a Ginobili foul away from advancing to the NBA Finals, or at least the conference finals. Ginobili's infraction against Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki with 21 seconds left in Game 7 allowed Nowitzki to complete a three-point play, tie the game at 104, and eventually take a 119-111 victory.
"We have the capability of being a better team," guard Michael Finley said. "Everybody has that mind-set."
Back to the future: With guard Jason Williams expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season while recovering from knee surgery, Payton will again be relied upon heavily, and Riley wants to squeeze more out of the 17th-year veteran.
"I'm trying to get him back a little bit to where he was when he was thinking dominant," Riley said, adding that Payton began to defer when he went to the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in 2003.
"When he went to Boston, he started to play a little bit more of his game, and then when he came down here last year, he was really deferring to Dwyane and everybody," Riley said. "We're going to put him in situations where he can be Gary Payton a little bit."
LexisNexis; C. Perkins; Palm Beach Post
Sunday, October 22, 2006
SAN ANTONIO — After the first real test of the exhibition season, the Heat gets a grade of incomplete.
That's not because the Heat, which chose to rest starting power forward Udonis Haslem, lost 103-93 Saturday at San Antonio.
The incomplete is because the Spurs, who didn't start guard Manu Ginobili but gave him plenty of playing time, were at full strength and looked every bit like a team with a full complement of options.
"I thought we were really poor in the second period," coach Pat Riley said of the second quarter, when Miami was outscored, 32-20. "They didn't bring it tonight."
Miami (1-4) saw the return of guard Dwyane Wade and center Shaquille O'Neal, both of whom sat out Friday's 96-95 loss at Memphis. Wade had 23 points and five rebounds in 30 minutes, and O'Neal, who went 6-for-10 on free throws using his new one-handed shooting technique, finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes.
But San Antonio, seeking redemption from last season's Western Conference semifinal loss to Dallas, had more than enough answers. The Heat, which trailed 55-39 at halftime, cut its deficit to 56-50 midway through the third quarter behind its starting lineup of Wade and Gary Payton at guard, James Posey and Antoine Walker at forward and O'Neal at center.
San Antonio, under the direction of 10th-year coach Gregg Popovich, countered with Ginobili and Tony Parker in the backcourt, Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan at forward and Francisco Elson at center, and it turned out to be a winning combination.
"They're one of the great teams in the league the last seven or eight years," Riley said.
The Spurs, still a deep threat as their 7-for-19 (36.8 percent) shooting on three-pointers attests, didn't make any big off-season changes. Along with the aforementioned players, San Antonio welcomed back guards Michael Finley and Beno Udrih, forwards Robert Horry and Brent Barry and center Fabricio Oberto, the 6-foot-10 Argentine who didn't play much a year ago but seems much improved. He joins former New York center Jackie Butler, a 6-10 free agent signee now in his third year.
It could be argued that the Spurs, who are seeking their fourth title in nine years, were a Ginobili foul away from advancing to the NBA Finals, or at least the conference finals. Ginobili's infraction against Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki with 21 seconds left in Game 7 allowed Nowitzki to complete a three-point play, tie the game at 104, and eventually take a 119-111 victory.
"We have the capability of being a better team," guard Michael Finley said. "Everybody has that mind-set."
Back to the future: With guard Jason Williams expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season while recovering from knee surgery, Payton will again be relied upon heavily, and Riley wants to squeeze more out of the 17th-year veteran.
"I'm trying to get him back a little bit to where he was when he was thinking dominant," Riley said, adding that Payton began to defer when he went to the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in 2003.
"When he went to Boston, he started to play a little bit more of his game, and then when he came down here last year, he was really deferring to Dwyane and everybody," Riley said. "We're going to put him in situations where he can be Gary Payton a little bit."