Kori Ellis
12-23-2004, 07:08 AM
Foul effort stops Spurs
Web Posted: 12/23/2004 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA122304.1C.BKNspurs.magic.gamer.334c556a.html
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic led by seven, the final 15 seconds were ticking off and the fans were streaming out the exits of the TD Waterhouse Centre on Wednesday night.
With Tracy McGrady unavailable for comeback duty, the Spurs were done. Devin Brown wrapped up Steve Francis for a foul, prolonging the inevitable but enabling his team to watch someone else shoot free throws.
The Spurs certainly won't be conducting their own clinic anytime soon. Not after missing 13 in the 93-87 loss.
"Free throws are a killer," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Free throws allow you to stay in a game, and they allow you to maintain leads and to make runs."
The Spurs didn't exactly torch the nets from anywhere on the court, making only 39.3 percent of their field goals, so foul foul shooting wasn't their only problem. But it pressured them to play nearly mistake-free.
Orlando shot 31.8 percent in the first quarter, 52.6 percent in the second, 35.3 percent in the third and 52.6 percent in the fourth. Popovich saw a pattern.
"I thought at times," Popovich said, "we didn't play very smart."
If that wasn't unfortunate enough for the Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves had their feet propped up in San Antonio on Wednesday night, waiting for them. The teams meet for the first time this season tonight at the SBC Center, although the Spurs offered little cause for concern with their final seven minutes against Orlando.
The Spurs led 73-72 a little less than midway through the fourth quarter but faded. Francis and Cuttino Mobley combined for 14 points in a three-minute stretch that turned the game.
After Tony Parker was stripped on a drive, Francis raced in for a layup, stretching the Magic's lead to 88-78 with 2:37 left. The Spurs called a timeout then returned in time to see Francis connect with Mobley for an alley-oop.
Orlando, which blew a 10-point lead in the final quarter at the SBC Center a week earlier, comfortably closed out its first victory over the Spurs in almost four years. The Spurs committed only 11 turnovers, but the Magic scored 22 points off them.
Francis led the charge with 29 points, 13 at the free-throw line.
"Some things (Francis) did we felt should have been called one way, and they weren't," Malik Rose said. "I guess his aggressiveness got him the benefit of the doubt."
For most of the first three quarters, Orlando saw reason to complain about the officiating as well. Hedo Turkoglu, the mild-mannered swingman who spent last season with the Spurs, even barked his way into a technical. His shooting, however, spoke for itself. He scored 16 points off the bench and hit a pull-up 3-pointer with 6:22 left to give the Magic the lead for good.
"I wish it wasn't against us," Popovich said, "but I'm happy for him because he played so great."
Turkoglu spent most of the final quarter at power forward. After his 19-year-old prized rookie, Dwight Howard, guarded Tim Duncan most of the first three quarters, Magic coach Johnny Davis threw Tony Battie on him for the final 11 minutes.
Duncan scored the Spurs' first seven points of the fourth quarter but did not get off a shot in the final 5:58.
Said Davis: "Tony is a guy who does not make excuses."
Neither did Duncan, who needed 22 shots for his 24 points.
"Things," Duncan said, "came around and bit us in the (butt)."
"Things" would include the Spurs' foul shooting. Manu Ginobili, Beno Udrih and Rose, three of the team's better foul shooters, each missed a free throw in the second quarter. On the same possession.
"I just haven't been able to make a free throw in a month it seems," said Rose, who shot 81.3percent at the line last season. "I don't know what it is."
He isn't alone. Brown, an 85.7percent foul shooter entering the game, missed a pair in the fourth quarter. Overall, the Spurs made 13 of 26 attempts.
The Spurs t ran a lengthy drill Monday that required them to shoot free throws at each of the 10 baskets at their practice facility. Each player had to make one foul shot at the first basket, two in a row at the second, three in a row at the third ...
"Free throws," Popovich said, "are huge."
Web Posted: 12/23/2004 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA122304.1C.BKNspurs.magic.gamer.334c556a.html
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando Magic led by seven, the final 15 seconds were ticking off and the fans were streaming out the exits of the TD Waterhouse Centre on Wednesday night.
With Tracy McGrady unavailable for comeback duty, the Spurs were done. Devin Brown wrapped up Steve Francis for a foul, prolonging the inevitable but enabling his team to watch someone else shoot free throws.
The Spurs certainly won't be conducting their own clinic anytime soon. Not after missing 13 in the 93-87 loss.
"Free throws are a killer," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Free throws allow you to stay in a game, and they allow you to maintain leads and to make runs."
The Spurs didn't exactly torch the nets from anywhere on the court, making only 39.3 percent of their field goals, so foul foul shooting wasn't their only problem. But it pressured them to play nearly mistake-free.
Orlando shot 31.8 percent in the first quarter, 52.6 percent in the second, 35.3 percent in the third and 52.6 percent in the fourth. Popovich saw a pattern.
"I thought at times," Popovich said, "we didn't play very smart."
If that wasn't unfortunate enough for the Spurs, the Minnesota Timberwolves had their feet propped up in San Antonio on Wednesday night, waiting for them. The teams meet for the first time this season tonight at the SBC Center, although the Spurs offered little cause for concern with their final seven minutes against Orlando.
The Spurs led 73-72 a little less than midway through the fourth quarter but faded. Francis and Cuttino Mobley combined for 14 points in a three-minute stretch that turned the game.
After Tony Parker was stripped on a drive, Francis raced in for a layup, stretching the Magic's lead to 88-78 with 2:37 left. The Spurs called a timeout then returned in time to see Francis connect with Mobley for an alley-oop.
Orlando, which blew a 10-point lead in the final quarter at the SBC Center a week earlier, comfortably closed out its first victory over the Spurs in almost four years. The Spurs committed only 11 turnovers, but the Magic scored 22 points off them.
Francis led the charge with 29 points, 13 at the free-throw line.
"Some things (Francis) did we felt should have been called one way, and they weren't," Malik Rose said. "I guess his aggressiveness got him the benefit of the doubt."
For most of the first three quarters, Orlando saw reason to complain about the officiating as well. Hedo Turkoglu, the mild-mannered swingman who spent last season with the Spurs, even barked his way into a technical. His shooting, however, spoke for itself. He scored 16 points off the bench and hit a pull-up 3-pointer with 6:22 left to give the Magic the lead for good.
"I wish it wasn't against us," Popovich said, "but I'm happy for him because he played so great."
Turkoglu spent most of the final quarter at power forward. After his 19-year-old prized rookie, Dwight Howard, guarded Tim Duncan most of the first three quarters, Magic coach Johnny Davis threw Tony Battie on him for the final 11 minutes.
Duncan scored the Spurs' first seven points of the fourth quarter but did not get off a shot in the final 5:58.
Said Davis: "Tony is a guy who does not make excuses."
Neither did Duncan, who needed 22 shots for his 24 points.
"Things," Duncan said, "came around and bit us in the (butt)."
"Things" would include the Spurs' foul shooting. Manu Ginobili, Beno Udrih and Rose, three of the team's better foul shooters, each missed a free throw in the second quarter. On the same possession.
"I just haven't been able to make a free throw in a month it seems," said Rose, who shot 81.3percent at the line last season. "I don't know what it is."
He isn't alone. Brown, an 85.7percent foul shooter entering the game, missed a pair in the fourth quarter. Overall, the Spurs made 13 of 26 attempts.
The Spurs t ran a lengthy drill Monday that required them to shoot free throws at each of the 10 baskets at their practice facility. Each player had to make one foul shot at the first basket, two in a row at the second, three in a row at the third ...
"Free throws," Popovich said, "are huge."