san antonio express news articles from today

[zocool16]

can someone post them here please? including the 'notebook'?
I can't open the page... =(
thank you

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Spurs Notebook: Utah's Sloan not fond of microphone

Web Posted: 12/08/2007 01:57 AM CST

Mike Monroe
Express-News staff writer

The tiny microphone an ESPN technician attached to the tie worn by Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan before Friday's Jazz-Spurs game at the AT&T Center may as well have been a king cobra.

"I'm intimidated by it," Sloan said. It takes a lot to intimidate one of the NBA's all-time tough guys, seemingly frightened by nobody and nothing.

"Well," Sloan admitted. "I'm scared of snakes."

Sloan and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich were required by league mandate to wear microphones for ESPN's national cable telecast of Friday's game, a policy neither coach endorsed nor enjoyed.

Both coaches have been known to express themselves in the heat of competition in language guaranteed to bring the FCC down on both teams and the NBA.

"It kind of makes you a phony guy, in my opinion," Sloan said. "You can't say what you want, even with all the rules they've got.

"I've never been accused of having a lot of good language. It gets a little ugly sometimes. I'll do my best to do it the way I'm supposed to, I guess."

Sloan wasn't so intimidated that he held his tongue. ESPN had to use its five-second delay to edit out one salty comment Sloan directed at the referees late in the first half.

The network also had a microphone on Spurs forward Robert Horry and replayed his comments after he was called for goaltending a lob layin by Utah's Carlos Boozer with 3:08 left in the first half.

"That was a good block," Horry said. "Good block ... good block."

That was about as interesting as any of the "all access" commentaries got.

"For the most part we played pretty well," Sloan said to sideline reporter Stacey Dales during a live interview after the first quarter. "This is a quick team we're playing. The biggest thing that helped us is we executed our offense. We were able to get the ball inside. We moved the ball well, that's the biggest thing."

The network eavesdropped on Popovich during his final timeout of the first half.

"Our only goal is to get to halftime by stops," Popovich told his team. "Everybody be smart. Everybody board."

A big shot: Horry scored his first points of the season on a 15-foot jump shot with 6:31 left in the second quarter. His first 3-pointer came with 3:00 left in the third.

It was Horry's first extended play after he missed nearly the entire preseason because of a family emergency and a strained hamstring. The 16-year veteran played 12 minutes in his first two games. He logged 15 minutes against the Jazz.

[email protected]
Online at: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA120807.SpursNotebook.en.2f27d86.html

[zocool16]

thank you thank you. now if someone could post the game summary article, itd be great =)

[Bruno]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA120807.SpursJazz.en.2f27962.html


Spurs ride Ginobili again

Web Posted: 12/08/2007 01:56 AM CST

Jeff McDonald
Express-News staff writer

A little more than an hour before his team took the AT&T Center floor Friday night, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich unveiled his secret weapon for dealing with the Utah Jazz.

With Tim Duncan still ailing with a sprained right ankle, the Spurs would turn to . . . Matt Bonner?

"He's going to make everyone forget about Timmy," Popovich chuckled.

After the outlasting the Jazz 104-98, and moving to 2-0 without their star forward, the Spurs might wonder why they're even paying this Duncan guy in the first place.

Manu Ginobili returned to his reserve role and still scored 37 points for the second consecutive game, Tony Parker and Michael Finley combined for 31 and, yes, even Bonner made the most of his San Antonio starting debut as the Spurs improved to 17-3 - the best start after 20 games in franchise history.

For the Jazz (13-7), the defeat extended a historic spate of sorrow in San Antonio. It was their 17th consecutive loss in the Alamo City, a losing streak dating to February of 1999 that includes three losses here in last season's Western Conference Finals.

The Spurs' latest victory at Utah's expense did not come easy. After trailing for all but 14 seconds of the first three quarters, and by as many as 11 points in the first half, the Spurs grabbed a slim lead midway through the fourth and never let go.

The triumph came two nights after the Spurs had upended another Western Conference contender, the Dallas Mavericks, also without Duncan. After their second Duncan-less winning decision, Ginobili made sure the world knew his All-Star teammate was not forgotten.

"We really missed him," Ginobili said. "We really need him out there on the court."

Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer offered a double-shot of double-doubles for the Jazz, who made 14 of their first 18 field goals en route to an 11-point lead in the first quarter. Williams had 28 points and 10 assists, while Boozer - taking advantage of a Duncan-sized hole in the Spurs' interior - had 28 points and 17 rebounds.

By half, the Spurs had crawled to within 51-50, but couldn't climb ahead until Bonner's jumper with 6:36 remaining.

With Duncan watching in street clothes, the Spurs were once again forced to pick up the slack without their nine-time All-Star.

Contributions came in all forms, from almost every spot on the roster.

Parker had 16 points, including a crucial jumper that put the Spurs up 96-93 with 59 seconds to go. Fabricio Oberto chipped in 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. Finley had 15 points, and hit a pair of huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

His last long ball, with 5:32 to go, gave the Spurs a two-point lead that they'd never relinquish.

Even Bonner got into the act. He ended his night with 13 points, a tally that included two big fourth-quarter baskets.

"With this team, everybody has to be ready when their number is called," Finley said. "I tip my hat to Matt, because he was ready tonight."

For the second game in a row, Ginobili was the Spurs' Ever-ready, the catalyst for all things good. Banished back to the bench after starting against Dallas, Ginobili produced identical results.

He did not shoot the ball particularly well - 9 of 21 - but probed the lane with aggressive abandon and found his way to the foul line. He had 14 points during the fourth quarter, as the Spurs surged ahead for good.

"He's a tough guy and he plays tough out there on the floor every night," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "He plays hard, so things are going to fall his way."

Ginobili still hasn't gotten his ultimate wish. That will probably come Tuesday.

When the Spurs play next at Golden State, Duncan is expected to be back in the lineup.

That is, if nobody has forgotten about him.

[zocool16]

thanx guys! u rock. woot woot

[SAGambler]

"With this team, everybody has to be ready when their number is called," Finley said. "I tip my hat to Matt, because he was ready tonight."

Reminds me of a clip from "Babes on sports" or something like that. Anyway these ladies were talking about the Spurs and why they were so good. I think one of the girls hit it on the head, something I had never heard any other sports analyst say. She said "One thing that makes them so good, is they don't have a player on the team that is afraid to take the 'big shot'. "

I got to thinking about it, and she was right. How many different players on the team have we seen take a big shot when we needed it? Tony, Manu, Tim, Barry, Finley, Bonner, Bowen......Every one of them have done it. This chick knows what she is talking about.

[m33p0]

... She said "One thing that makes them so good, is they don't have a player on the team that is afraid to take the 'big shot'. "
...


i heard something like that from one of the michael finley interviews when he first came to the team. he said there was alot of guys on the team willing to put the dagger.