Pistons < Spurs
02-13-2007, 06:42 PM
By John Denton
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Feb 13, 2007, 12:45
The San Antonio Spurs are finally over a nasty case of the stomach flu that swept through the team, wiping out six players, two trainers, one assistant coach and at least three wives for days at a time.
“The only people who really knew how sick we were,” shooting guard Brent Barry joked, “were the guys who do our laundry.”
But that illness is nothing compared to the queasiness that the Spurs are feeling these days.
The once-powerful Spurs have spent most of this season sputtering along and choking on the exhaust of the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns. They look like anything but a championship team right now, and head coach Gregg Popovich knows it.
“It would be foolish to say there’s no concern because everybody knows what is playing well and where they stand,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “Dallas and Phoenix are the class of the league right now, and the rest of the so-called good teams are just trying to catch up.”
On the road while the San Antonio rodeo is in town, this is the time of year when the Spurs usually come together and build the kind of chemistry and championship mettle needed to make a serious playoff push. The last four years while vacating town for the rodeo, the Spurs had put together a nifty 25-6 record, twice cutting the path toward a NBA championship.
“I think the guys have always showed a really good understanding of what an opportunity that could be if we focus and we really do a good job on the road,” Popovich said. “It gives us a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence and really hardens us for what is ahead. I think our guys have always welcomed that opportunity and looked at it in those terms.”
So what then are the Spurs doing skulking off the floor after blowing an 18-point lead to the Orlando Magic? What are they doing hardly competing in the fourth quarter in a marquee matchup against the mediocre Miami Heat? And, most importantly, what are they doing sitting an almost unthinkable nine games back of the Mavericks with little-to-no chance of winning the Southwest Division?
The Spurs are still a rock-solid team. Tim Duncan is a lock to get 20-10 every night. How Tony Parker can lead the league in points in the paint at 6-foot-2 is amazing. Manu Ginobili is the ultimate competitor with his fearless drives to the hoop. And there’s still not a better drive-and-kick team in the league than the veteran Spurs.
But still, there’s something amiss here with what used to be the NBA’s gold standard. Their lack of athleticism is glaring. Their inability to get easy baskets in transition costs them dearly when the offense bogs down in the half court. And for whatever reason, the Spurs usually tough defense is showing signs of wear and tear after Jameer Nelson (31 points and 16 straight), Dwight Howard (30 points and the game-winning dunk) and Dwyane Wade (26 points) torched them over the weekend.
“The long road trip is either going to pull us together or apart,” Ginobili predicted.
Popovich is a master motivator, always choosing his words wisely in hopes of inspiring his team. He has such respect that he can chew out a star like Parker just as easily as he can shred someone like Francisco Elson. He can pull Ginobili out of the starting lineup for Barry without anyone batting an eye. Three championships will give the coach that kind of power.
But there seems to be a lot more truth to his words this season. Such as when he says, “this is the worst defensive squad in seven or eight years,” it seems to ring more true. Then, came this bombshell Sunday on ABC from Pop.
“We’re a soft team right now,” he said. “Soft mentally and physically.”
You get the point that these might be more than motivational words right now. The Spurs are in need of some changes, but the head coach keeps saying his team isn’t planning a big splash before the Feb. 22 trade deadline. They have dabbled in the Corey Maggette trade talks, but nothing has materialized.
Many forget now that the Spurs were just seconds from beating Dallas in an epic seven-game series last spring and advancing to the Western Conference Finals. But Ginobili foolishly fouled Dirk Nowitzki, allowing Dallas to tie the game and win it in overtime.
Now, the Spurs are left to wonder if their window of opportunity has closed. And that’s enough to make anyone in San Antonio feel sick to their stomachs.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_20815.shtml
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Feb 13, 2007, 12:45
The San Antonio Spurs are finally over a nasty case of the stomach flu that swept through the team, wiping out six players, two trainers, one assistant coach and at least three wives for days at a time.
“The only people who really knew how sick we were,” shooting guard Brent Barry joked, “were the guys who do our laundry.”
But that illness is nothing compared to the queasiness that the Spurs are feeling these days.
The once-powerful Spurs have spent most of this season sputtering along and choking on the exhaust of the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns. They look like anything but a championship team right now, and head coach Gregg Popovich knows it.
“It would be foolish to say there’s no concern because everybody knows what is playing well and where they stand,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “Dallas and Phoenix are the class of the league right now, and the rest of the so-called good teams are just trying to catch up.”
On the road while the San Antonio rodeo is in town, this is the time of year when the Spurs usually come together and build the kind of chemistry and championship mettle needed to make a serious playoff push. The last four years while vacating town for the rodeo, the Spurs had put together a nifty 25-6 record, twice cutting the path toward a NBA championship.
“I think the guys have always showed a really good understanding of what an opportunity that could be if we focus and we really do a good job on the road,” Popovich said. “It gives us a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence and really hardens us for what is ahead. I think our guys have always welcomed that opportunity and looked at it in those terms.”
So what then are the Spurs doing skulking off the floor after blowing an 18-point lead to the Orlando Magic? What are they doing hardly competing in the fourth quarter in a marquee matchup against the mediocre Miami Heat? And, most importantly, what are they doing sitting an almost unthinkable nine games back of the Mavericks with little-to-no chance of winning the Southwest Division?
The Spurs are still a rock-solid team. Tim Duncan is a lock to get 20-10 every night. How Tony Parker can lead the league in points in the paint at 6-foot-2 is amazing. Manu Ginobili is the ultimate competitor with his fearless drives to the hoop. And there’s still not a better drive-and-kick team in the league than the veteran Spurs.
But still, there’s something amiss here with what used to be the NBA’s gold standard. Their lack of athleticism is glaring. Their inability to get easy baskets in transition costs them dearly when the offense bogs down in the half court. And for whatever reason, the Spurs usually tough defense is showing signs of wear and tear after Jameer Nelson (31 points and 16 straight), Dwight Howard (30 points and the game-winning dunk) and Dwyane Wade (26 points) torched them over the weekend.
“The long road trip is either going to pull us together or apart,” Ginobili predicted.
Popovich is a master motivator, always choosing his words wisely in hopes of inspiring his team. He has such respect that he can chew out a star like Parker just as easily as he can shred someone like Francisco Elson. He can pull Ginobili out of the starting lineup for Barry without anyone batting an eye. Three championships will give the coach that kind of power.
But there seems to be a lot more truth to his words this season. Such as when he says, “this is the worst defensive squad in seven or eight years,” it seems to ring more true. Then, came this bombshell Sunday on ABC from Pop.
“We’re a soft team right now,” he said. “Soft mentally and physically.”
You get the point that these might be more than motivational words right now. The Spurs are in need of some changes, but the head coach keeps saying his team isn’t planning a big splash before the Feb. 22 trade deadline. They have dabbled in the Corey Maggette trade talks, but nothing has materialized.
Many forget now that the Spurs were just seconds from beating Dallas in an epic seven-game series last spring and advancing to the Western Conference Finals. But Ginobili foolishly fouled Dirk Nowitzki, allowing Dallas to tie the game and win it in overtime.
Now, the Spurs are left to wonder if their window of opportunity has closed. And that’s enough to make anyone in San Antonio feel sick to their stomachs.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_20815.shtml