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11-26-2007, 03:14 AM
Reunion with Spurs unpleasant for Sonics, Carlesimo
Web Posted: 11/26/2007 12:21 AM CST
Jeff McDonald
Express-News
SEATTLE — The two old friends convened late Saturday night, sharing a meal and some good conversation and, if history is any guide, a specially chosen bottle of red wine.
And when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Seattle's P.J. Carlesimo met before the start of Sunday's game at KeyArena, their first as adversaries in nine seasons, they did not exchange handshakes.
Instead, they met at midcourt for a hug.
"It's always good to see a friend," Popovich said.
What Popovich has never enjoyed is coaching against a friend, and matching wits with Carlesimo — who is in the middle of an exasperating first season in Seattle after five years as a Spurs' assistant — was no different.
After the Spurs finished off the Sonics 116-101, however, here's betting Popovich at least enjoyed the proceedings more than Carlesimo did.
Making good on his good-natured pregame promise to "beat up on P.J.," Tim Duncan finished with 26 points to lead the Spurs, while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili each chipped in 22.
The victory was the Spurs' ninth in 10 games and extended their franchise-record start to 12-2. To get it, the Spurs overcame a first half filled with defensive lapses to hold Seattle to 37 points in the second.
Meanwhile, 14 games into Carlesimo's tenure, the Sonics have developed into the Spurs' opposite.
They are 2-12 and have yet to win a game at home — not exactly a ringing endorsement for new owner Clay Bennett to cancel plans to move the team to Oklahoma City.
The Sonics are a young team — "a young team coached by an old man," Spurs guard Brent Barry quipped — still feeling its way through Carlesimo's system.
That much was evident Sunday.
Seattle played well enough to force a 64-64 tie at half, unraveled in the face of a 16-2 Spurs' run to open the third quarter, then battled back to within four midway through the fourth before unraveling again.
"The way we played tonight was good enough to beat a lesser team," Carlesimo said. "It was not good enough to beat those guys."
For two quarters, Carlesimo's bunch hung with the NBA champions, and the Sonics seemed capable of ending their home losing streak at five.
Duncan scored 16 points before half, and the Spurs made an unfathomable 10 of 12 3-point attempts, part of a season-high 57.9 percent they would hit from beyond the arc.
And yet the best they could muster at intermission was a tie score.
Seattle's Wally Szczerbiak made sure of that.
Szczerbiak came off the bench to score 20 of his 27 points in the second quarter — including a stretch of 11 straight for the Sonics — to almost single-handedly keep his team in the game.
His flurry helped Seattle match the highest amount of first-half points put up this season against the Spurs, who also had given up 64 to Orlando two games earlier.
"I think he surprised us a bit," Popovich said of Szczerbiak. "I don't think people expected him to go off like that."
Then came the second half, when Popovich's veteran, battle-tested squad simply wore down Carlesimo's kiddie corps.
Bruce Bowen locked down Szczerbiak. The Spurs weathered an outburst from Kevin Durant, the rookie from Texas, who finished with 25.
A halftime tie quickly became a 15-point Spurs lead. Which quickly became another Spurs' victory, after which Carlesimo and Popovich reconvened one last time.
They met in the visiting coaches' office in the Spurs' locker room, behind closed doors.
It is probable that they hugged for a second time.
For Popovich, it was good to see a friend. It was even better to beat him.
[email protected]
LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA112607.01D.BKNspurs.sonics.gamer.2a3c293.html
Web Posted: 11/26/2007 12:21 AM CST
Jeff McDonald
Express-News
SEATTLE — The two old friends convened late Saturday night, sharing a meal and some good conversation and, if history is any guide, a specially chosen bottle of red wine.
And when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Seattle's P.J. Carlesimo met before the start of Sunday's game at KeyArena, their first as adversaries in nine seasons, they did not exchange handshakes.
Instead, they met at midcourt for a hug.
"It's always good to see a friend," Popovich said.
What Popovich has never enjoyed is coaching against a friend, and matching wits with Carlesimo — who is in the middle of an exasperating first season in Seattle after five years as a Spurs' assistant — was no different.
After the Spurs finished off the Sonics 116-101, however, here's betting Popovich at least enjoyed the proceedings more than Carlesimo did.
Making good on his good-natured pregame promise to "beat up on P.J.," Tim Duncan finished with 26 points to lead the Spurs, while Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili each chipped in 22.
The victory was the Spurs' ninth in 10 games and extended their franchise-record start to 12-2. To get it, the Spurs overcame a first half filled with defensive lapses to hold Seattle to 37 points in the second.
Meanwhile, 14 games into Carlesimo's tenure, the Sonics have developed into the Spurs' opposite.
They are 2-12 and have yet to win a game at home — not exactly a ringing endorsement for new owner Clay Bennett to cancel plans to move the team to Oklahoma City.
The Sonics are a young team — "a young team coached by an old man," Spurs guard Brent Barry quipped — still feeling its way through Carlesimo's system.
That much was evident Sunday.
Seattle played well enough to force a 64-64 tie at half, unraveled in the face of a 16-2 Spurs' run to open the third quarter, then battled back to within four midway through the fourth before unraveling again.
"The way we played tonight was good enough to beat a lesser team," Carlesimo said. "It was not good enough to beat those guys."
For two quarters, Carlesimo's bunch hung with the NBA champions, and the Sonics seemed capable of ending their home losing streak at five.
Duncan scored 16 points before half, and the Spurs made an unfathomable 10 of 12 3-point attempts, part of a season-high 57.9 percent they would hit from beyond the arc.
And yet the best they could muster at intermission was a tie score.
Seattle's Wally Szczerbiak made sure of that.
Szczerbiak came off the bench to score 20 of his 27 points in the second quarter — including a stretch of 11 straight for the Sonics — to almost single-handedly keep his team in the game.
His flurry helped Seattle match the highest amount of first-half points put up this season against the Spurs, who also had given up 64 to Orlando two games earlier.
"I think he surprised us a bit," Popovich said of Szczerbiak. "I don't think people expected him to go off like that."
Then came the second half, when Popovich's veteran, battle-tested squad simply wore down Carlesimo's kiddie corps.
Bruce Bowen locked down Szczerbiak. The Spurs weathered an outburst from Kevin Durant, the rookie from Texas, who finished with 25.
A halftime tie quickly became a 15-point Spurs lead. Which quickly became another Spurs' victory, after which Carlesimo and Popovich reconvened one last time.
They met in the visiting coaches' office in the Spurs' locker room, behind closed doors.
It is probable that they hugged for a second time.
For Popovich, it was good to see a friend. It was even better to beat him.
[email protected]
LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA112607.01D.BKNspurs.sonics.gamer.2a3c293.html