xamila rey
03-07-2007, 02:46 AM
Run of threes caps Spurs' comeback over Portland
Web Posted: 03/07/2007 12:40 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers had already seen Manu Ginobili pull off one remarkable comeback this season. On Tuesday night, he treated them to another.
With the Spurs' winning streak about to expire, Ginobili buried back-to-back 3-pointers to stir his teammates, who then watched Beno Udrih and Michael Finley make two more, completing an improbable 99-94 victory at the Rose Garden.
The Spurs' 3-point barrage — along with the 24 points and eight rebounds Tim Duncan provided — gave them their 10th victory in a row. They close out their four-game trip Thursday in Sacramento.
"Manu was incredible," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He made big shots and really got us over the hump.
"He's just not awed by anything."
In the Spurs' Nov. 20 trip here, Ginobili scored 18 points in the final 10 minutes to beat Portland. Tuesday's sequel might have been even more heartbreaking for the Trail Blazers given that they led by as many as 12 points in the second half and were still up 92-85 after Brandon Roy buried a jump shot with 2:15 left.
Ginobili, who had earlier exited a timeout by throwing down a vicious dunk, followed with a 3-pointer. Then another.
After a turnover by the Trail Blazers, Udrih added another, giving the Spurs a 94-92 advantage — their first since the opening quarter — with 1:07 left.
Portland forward Ime Udoka had his 3-point attempt drop through the rim, then pop out. Finley followed by drilling the Spurs' fourth 3-pointer in a row, bouncing on one leg as he watched the shot drop through the net.
A dunk by LaMarcus Aldridge made it a 97-94 game with 30 seconds left. But Ginobili put away the game by driving for a difficult layup.
Twelve of Ginobili's 23 points came in the fourth quarter. Finley also scored 10 of his 20 points in the final period.
Tony Parker returned after missing the previous two games with a left hip flexor strain. Popovich decided to start Parker after he warmed up before the game without a problem, but he didn't have much of an impact after making his first shot, finishing with four points and three rebounds in 17 minutes.
Parker played only the first minute of the second half before Popovich sat him for the rest of the night, pairing Jacque Vaughn and Udrih together in the fourth quarter as the Spurs played small.
While Parker said he didn't aggravate the injury, Popovich thought he should have held him out until Thursday's game in Sacramento.
"I made a mistake in playing Tony," Popovich said. "That was a bad coaching decision on my part.
"I thought in the first half he looked like he was playing not to get hurt."
The Spurs also lost Brent Barry midway through the third quarter when Aldridge caught him in the head with his left forearm while trying to cross through the lane. Barry crumbled to the floor and immediately clutched his head.
Barry remained on the court for a couple of minutes before being escorted to the locker room with a towel covering his head and face. He received stitches to close a cut near his right eyebrow but didn't suffer a concussion.
This was the second time this season Barry had to leave the court with a head injury. He needed 12 stitches to close a 2-inch gash above his left eye after a collision in Sacramento on Nov. 19.
"They were in there trying to stitch me up, and I kept telling them, 'Hold on, I want to see this play,'" Barry said. "It was a heck of a game."
The Spurs had held four of their previous seven opponents to their season-low point total, but the Trail Blazers made it clear from the start that wasn't going to happen to them.
Portland scored on nine consecutive possessions in the opening quarter to take a 29-22 lead and put the Spurs on their heels. Trail Blazers guard Freddy Jones then opened the second quarter by reverse dunking a lob pass.
The Spurs looked like a team playing its fourth game in five nights. They lacked much zip (in their legs or their passes), and Portland took advantage.
The Trail Blazers outrebounded them 21-13 in the first half and collected seven offensive boards, which led to eight points.
"It looked like in parts of the game, we were just going to let it go," Ginobili said. "It's hard to find that kind of emotion and aggressiveness in a fourth game in five nights. We looked flat."
The Trail Blazers shot 68.4 percent in the first quarter and 55 percent for the half.
"You could say they deserved to win," Popovich said. "But the one thing we did well was hang tough."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA030707.01C.BKNspurs.blazers.gamer.3d75f9d.html
Web Posted: 03/07/2007 12:40 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Trail Blazers had already seen Manu Ginobili pull off one remarkable comeback this season. On Tuesday night, he treated them to another.
With the Spurs' winning streak about to expire, Ginobili buried back-to-back 3-pointers to stir his teammates, who then watched Beno Udrih and Michael Finley make two more, completing an improbable 99-94 victory at the Rose Garden.
The Spurs' 3-point barrage — along with the 24 points and eight rebounds Tim Duncan provided — gave them their 10th victory in a row. They close out their four-game trip Thursday in Sacramento.
"Manu was incredible," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He made big shots and really got us over the hump.
"He's just not awed by anything."
In the Spurs' Nov. 20 trip here, Ginobili scored 18 points in the final 10 minutes to beat Portland. Tuesday's sequel might have been even more heartbreaking for the Trail Blazers given that they led by as many as 12 points in the second half and were still up 92-85 after Brandon Roy buried a jump shot with 2:15 left.
Ginobili, who had earlier exited a timeout by throwing down a vicious dunk, followed with a 3-pointer. Then another.
After a turnover by the Trail Blazers, Udrih added another, giving the Spurs a 94-92 advantage — their first since the opening quarter — with 1:07 left.
Portland forward Ime Udoka had his 3-point attempt drop through the rim, then pop out. Finley followed by drilling the Spurs' fourth 3-pointer in a row, bouncing on one leg as he watched the shot drop through the net.
A dunk by LaMarcus Aldridge made it a 97-94 game with 30 seconds left. But Ginobili put away the game by driving for a difficult layup.
Twelve of Ginobili's 23 points came in the fourth quarter. Finley also scored 10 of his 20 points in the final period.
Tony Parker returned after missing the previous two games with a left hip flexor strain. Popovich decided to start Parker after he warmed up before the game without a problem, but he didn't have much of an impact after making his first shot, finishing with four points and three rebounds in 17 minutes.
Parker played only the first minute of the second half before Popovich sat him for the rest of the night, pairing Jacque Vaughn and Udrih together in the fourth quarter as the Spurs played small.
While Parker said he didn't aggravate the injury, Popovich thought he should have held him out until Thursday's game in Sacramento.
"I made a mistake in playing Tony," Popovich said. "That was a bad coaching decision on my part.
"I thought in the first half he looked like he was playing not to get hurt."
The Spurs also lost Brent Barry midway through the third quarter when Aldridge caught him in the head with his left forearm while trying to cross through the lane. Barry crumbled to the floor and immediately clutched his head.
Barry remained on the court for a couple of minutes before being escorted to the locker room with a towel covering his head and face. He received stitches to close a cut near his right eyebrow but didn't suffer a concussion.
This was the second time this season Barry had to leave the court with a head injury. He needed 12 stitches to close a 2-inch gash above his left eye after a collision in Sacramento on Nov. 19.
"They were in there trying to stitch me up, and I kept telling them, 'Hold on, I want to see this play,'" Barry said. "It was a heck of a game."
The Spurs had held four of their previous seven opponents to their season-low point total, but the Trail Blazers made it clear from the start that wasn't going to happen to them.
Portland scored on nine consecutive possessions in the opening quarter to take a 29-22 lead and put the Spurs on their heels. Trail Blazers guard Freddy Jones then opened the second quarter by reverse dunking a lob pass.
The Spurs looked like a team playing its fourth game in five nights. They lacked much zip (in their legs or their passes), and Portland took advantage.
The Trail Blazers outrebounded them 21-13 in the first half and collected seven offensive boards, which led to eight points.
"It looked like in parts of the game, we were just going to let it go," Ginobili said. "It's hard to find that kind of emotion and aggressiveness in a fourth game in five nights. We looked flat."
The Trail Blazers shot 68.4 percent in the first quarter and 55 percent for the half.
"You could say they deserved to win," Popovich said. "But the one thing we did well was hang tough."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA030707.01C.BKNspurs.blazers.gamer.3d75f9d.html