jag
05-17-2007, 02:41 AM
Buck Harvey: For Manu, facing anger is old stuff
PHOENIX — The Spurs franchise hadn't seen this kind of anger on the road since Dennis Rodman was Robert Horry times 10.
But Manu Ginobili had. He'd played across the globe, especially in some tough spots in Europe where the nicer rivals are the ones who throw small objects. And so it's no wonder he's the one who stood up in front of a few mean signs and boos, coming up with 15 points in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs needed all of it, and that's why the suspension debate is only starting. Chances are, Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw could have made a difference in this game.
Still, the Suns had enough to win this game, because something else was at play. Gregg Popovich noticed that even before the tip.
"Feels strange," Popovich said before the game.
And it felt familiar, too. Years ago, the franchise had as many anti-Spurs signs on the road in the playoffs. Then, Rodman went to Utah after fully deserving a suspension, and the Jazz crowd greeted him accordingly.
Popovich arrived a year later, and Rodman was gone a year after that. Now the Spurs have come full circle in reputation, and Popovich joked about that Wednesday night.
"It took me a decade to get there," he said.
It seemingly took as long for the Spurs to score in the first quarter Wednesday, and it appeared the Spurs were going to prove to everyone they really are nice guys. They were ready to give this one to the Suns.
Popovich said what coaches say before games, that the Spurs had to match the Suns' energy. But the Spurs couldn't have matched this energy with a Middle East oil field. Every time the Spurs even touched the ball, the crowd booed.
David Stern wasn't a coward for not showing up as planned. He was smart.
And Horry should hope his teammates finish this series Friday. If he has to play here in a Game 7, he will become this generation's Rodman.
The crowd initially seemed to affect the Spurs. They put together a season-low first quarter, then a season-low first half.
The Suns also had what they needed, which was an out-of-his-mind star. Shawn Marion scored 20 points in about 21 minutes in the first half.
But it was also clear the Suns weren't getting the kind of magic they would need to win with a depleted lineup. Leandro Barbosa, for example, picked up his fifth foul in the third quarter.
Then Duncan began to take Kurt Thomas off the dribble, getting involved in the Spurs' first nine points to start the second half, and all of the yelling and all of the anger didn't mean as much.
Mike D'Antoni responded by throwing a few double teams at Duncan, and D'Antoni got credit for that in Game 4. It worked then, but how innovative was the move?
Phil Jackson did the same against the Spurs before: Give Duncan one look for three quarters, then switch at the end.
This time, the strategy worked because the Spurs continued to miss shots.
But that's when Ginobili, accustomed to madhouses, adjusted.
He started the fourth period with a couple of free throws, followed with two 3-pointers, then made a nice cut. Michael Finley found him.
Then came a play with Steve Nash that proved two things. One, Ginobili knows a few tricks, and, two, the refs weren't swept up by the emotion of a crowd that felt wronged.
Calls were going both ways, and that play with about three minutes left showed how little the officials reacted to the atmosphere. Ginobili took a 3-pointer, with Nash diving at him, and the two ended up in a pile.
Nash got up screaming "He flopped," and an intimidated ref might have sided with him. In front of the Phoenix fans, after what happened Monday in San Antonio, wouldn't that have been a human reaction?
Ginobili, instead, got three free throws to pull the Spurs within two.
Ginobili wasn't perfect in that period, with a couple of offensive fouls and an awful pass over Tony Parker's head. But in this howling building, with the series in doubt?
He acted like he had seen it before
__________________________________________________ __________
another great article from a great writer. BH is a BA
PHOENIX — The Spurs franchise hadn't seen this kind of anger on the road since Dennis Rodman was Robert Horry times 10.
But Manu Ginobili had. He'd played across the globe, especially in some tough spots in Europe where the nicer rivals are the ones who throw small objects. And so it's no wonder he's the one who stood up in front of a few mean signs and boos, coming up with 15 points in the fourth quarter.
The Spurs needed all of it, and that's why the suspension debate is only starting. Chances are, Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw could have made a difference in this game.
Still, the Suns had enough to win this game, because something else was at play. Gregg Popovich noticed that even before the tip.
"Feels strange," Popovich said before the game.
And it felt familiar, too. Years ago, the franchise had as many anti-Spurs signs on the road in the playoffs. Then, Rodman went to Utah after fully deserving a suspension, and the Jazz crowd greeted him accordingly.
Popovich arrived a year later, and Rodman was gone a year after that. Now the Spurs have come full circle in reputation, and Popovich joked about that Wednesday night.
"It took me a decade to get there," he said.
It seemingly took as long for the Spurs to score in the first quarter Wednesday, and it appeared the Spurs were going to prove to everyone they really are nice guys. They were ready to give this one to the Suns.
Popovich said what coaches say before games, that the Spurs had to match the Suns' energy. But the Spurs couldn't have matched this energy with a Middle East oil field. Every time the Spurs even touched the ball, the crowd booed.
David Stern wasn't a coward for not showing up as planned. He was smart.
And Horry should hope his teammates finish this series Friday. If he has to play here in a Game 7, he will become this generation's Rodman.
The crowd initially seemed to affect the Spurs. They put together a season-low first quarter, then a season-low first half.
The Suns also had what they needed, which was an out-of-his-mind star. Shawn Marion scored 20 points in about 21 minutes in the first half.
But it was also clear the Suns weren't getting the kind of magic they would need to win with a depleted lineup. Leandro Barbosa, for example, picked up his fifth foul in the third quarter.
Then Duncan began to take Kurt Thomas off the dribble, getting involved in the Spurs' first nine points to start the second half, and all of the yelling and all of the anger didn't mean as much.
Mike D'Antoni responded by throwing a few double teams at Duncan, and D'Antoni got credit for that in Game 4. It worked then, but how innovative was the move?
Phil Jackson did the same against the Spurs before: Give Duncan one look for three quarters, then switch at the end.
This time, the strategy worked because the Spurs continued to miss shots.
But that's when Ginobili, accustomed to madhouses, adjusted.
He started the fourth period with a couple of free throws, followed with two 3-pointers, then made a nice cut. Michael Finley found him.
Then came a play with Steve Nash that proved two things. One, Ginobili knows a few tricks, and, two, the refs weren't swept up by the emotion of a crowd that felt wronged.
Calls were going both ways, and that play with about three minutes left showed how little the officials reacted to the atmosphere. Ginobili took a 3-pointer, with Nash diving at him, and the two ended up in a pile.
Nash got up screaming "He flopped," and an intimidated ref might have sided with him. In front of the Phoenix fans, after what happened Monday in San Antonio, wouldn't that have been a human reaction?
Ginobili, instead, got three free throws to pull the Spurs within two.
Ginobili wasn't perfect in that period, with a couple of offensive fouls and an awful pass over Tony Parker's head. But in this howling building, with the series in doubt?
He acted like he had seen it before
__________________________________________________ __________
another great article from a great writer. BH is a BA