biba
01-27-2008, 06:30 AM
Veteran Spurs fight through injuries
By Steve Luhm The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_8090933
There are only a couple of things wrong with being the Team of the Decade.
No. 1, expectations always exceed reason.
No. 2, your original foundation players are 10 years older than when somebody else was the Team of the Decade.
Meet the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs are on a 56-win pace and headed into the weekend and only 5 1/2 games behind NBA-leading Boston, but nearly everybody these days seems to be asking a strange question: "What's wrong with San Antonio?"
The answer, of course, is nothing.
Led by Tim Duncan, probably the most quietly dependable star of his generation, the Spurs are perfectly positioned to make a run at their second straight NBA championship and fifth since the the lockout-caused asterisk season of 1999.
At least Jazz coach Jerry Sloan thinks so.
"They may not [dominate] during the regular season," he said. "But you go into the playoffs with a team like that - when they get days off and there's time to prepare - and they are still one of the most dangerous teams in the league."
Last year, the Spurs finished with the third-best record in the West (58-24). But they put together a near-flawless run in the playoffs, which included a 4-1 series win over shellshocked Utah in the conference finals.
"They're still the champions, right?" Sloan said. "They haven't lost it yet, as far as I know. Nobody's taken it away from them. So they have a terrific chance to do it again, in my opinion. They know how to win it - what it takes - and that is a huge advantage for them."
The Spurs, who visit EnergySolutions Arena on Monday night for the first time since last spring, have taken particular delight in manhandling the Jazz during the last 10 regular seasons.
Since April 20, 1999, San Antonio is 28-6 against Utah, including 17 straight wins in Texas.
During Jazz point guard Deron Williams' 2 1/2 seasons in the NBA, his record against the Spurs is 2-11, including last year's near-sweep in the playoffs.
Asked if he agreed with those who thought San Antonio might be more vulnerable this season than the Spurs have been since he's been in the league, Williams grimaced and said, "They are still a great team. They play at their pace, their tempo. They don't make mistakes. They make you beat them. They don't beat themselves."
Still, questions about San Antonio's vulnerability linger, especially among those who forget its machine-line 17-3 start.
Because of an outbreak of injuries - Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Duncan played only one game together in December - the Spurs went an ordinary 7-5 during a month when the schedule actually worked in their favor.
Parker missed three games with a heel injury, and he played in many others when the problem impacted his play.
At the time, coach Gregg Popovich told the San Antonio-Express News, "He definitely doesn't have the same explosion. I'm positive he will work through it. But I think it's in that process right now."
On Dec. 22, valuable sharpshooter Brent Barry was also injured. He tore a calf muscle.
With Ginobili and Barry sidelined - Barry for at least another three weeks - the Spurs' perimeter attack became inconsistent and teams were able to attack Duncan on the low post.
"People are going after him," Popovich said. "He's going to get double-teamed, so we have to make some shots."
If the Spurs stopped looking like the Spurs, there was a logical reason: San Antonio could not play the kind of inside-out offense it parlayed into four championships because of the injuries.
Besides, for a veteran team with only four players under the age of 30 on its current 14-man roster, the first half of the regular season isn't the time to panic.
After losing to lottery-bound Memphis, Popovich admitted as much by saying his injured players would get all the time they needed for a full recovery.
"We think their health and energy, come playoff time, are more important than any record we might have," he told the Express-News. "So if we have a good record, or we're third or fourth or fifth - whatever it is - there's no plan there. The plan is to stay healthy and have our energy and the record will be whatever it is."
San Antonio started the season with 93 years of NBA experience scattered among the players on its 14-man roster.
By comparison, the Jazz's roster included players with 48 years of experience.
Translation?
The Spurs, who have reached the mountaintop four times during the decade, have players who know exactly what it takes to make the climb.
Said Williams: "When things are going wrong, they know how to get it together. That's what makes them so tough to beat."
[email protected]
By Steve Luhm The Salt Lake Tribune
http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_8090933
There are only a couple of things wrong with being the Team of the Decade.
No. 1, expectations always exceed reason.
No. 2, your original foundation players are 10 years older than when somebody else was the Team of the Decade.
Meet the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs are on a 56-win pace and headed into the weekend and only 5 1/2 games behind NBA-leading Boston, but nearly everybody these days seems to be asking a strange question: "What's wrong with San Antonio?"
The answer, of course, is nothing.
Led by Tim Duncan, probably the most quietly dependable star of his generation, the Spurs are perfectly positioned to make a run at their second straight NBA championship and fifth since the the lockout-caused asterisk season of 1999.
At least Jazz coach Jerry Sloan thinks so.
"They may not [dominate] during the regular season," he said. "But you go into the playoffs with a team like that - when they get days off and there's time to prepare - and they are still one of the most dangerous teams in the league."
Last year, the Spurs finished with the third-best record in the West (58-24). But they put together a near-flawless run in the playoffs, which included a 4-1 series win over shellshocked Utah in the conference finals.
"They're still the champions, right?" Sloan said. "They haven't lost it yet, as far as I know. Nobody's taken it away from them. So they have a terrific chance to do it again, in my opinion. They know how to win it - what it takes - and that is a huge advantage for them."
The Spurs, who visit EnergySolutions Arena on Monday night for the first time since last spring, have taken particular delight in manhandling the Jazz during the last 10 regular seasons.
Since April 20, 1999, San Antonio is 28-6 against Utah, including 17 straight wins in Texas.
During Jazz point guard Deron Williams' 2 1/2 seasons in the NBA, his record against the Spurs is 2-11, including last year's near-sweep in the playoffs.
Asked if he agreed with those who thought San Antonio might be more vulnerable this season than the Spurs have been since he's been in the league, Williams grimaced and said, "They are still a great team. They play at their pace, their tempo. They don't make mistakes. They make you beat them. They don't beat themselves."
Still, questions about San Antonio's vulnerability linger, especially among those who forget its machine-line 17-3 start.
Because of an outbreak of injuries - Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Duncan played only one game together in December - the Spurs went an ordinary 7-5 during a month when the schedule actually worked in their favor.
Parker missed three games with a heel injury, and he played in many others when the problem impacted his play.
At the time, coach Gregg Popovich told the San Antonio-Express News, "He definitely doesn't have the same explosion. I'm positive he will work through it. But I think it's in that process right now."
On Dec. 22, valuable sharpshooter Brent Barry was also injured. He tore a calf muscle.
With Ginobili and Barry sidelined - Barry for at least another three weeks - the Spurs' perimeter attack became inconsistent and teams were able to attack Duncan on the low post.
"People are going after him," Popovich said. "He's going to get double-teamed, so we have to make some shots."
If the Spurs stopped looking like the Spurs, there was a logical reason: San Antonio could not play the kind of inside-out offense it parlayed into four championships because of the injuries.
Besides, for a veteran team with only four players under the age of 30 on its current 14-man roster, the first half of the regular season isn't the time to panic.
After losing to lottery-bound Memphis, Popovich admitted as much by saying his injured players would get all the time they needed for a full recovery.
"We think their health and energy, come playoff time, are more important than any record we might have," he told the Express-News. "So if we have a good record, or we're third or fourth or fifth - whatever it is - there's no plan there. The plan is to stay healthy and have our energy and the record will be whatever it is."
San Antonio started the season with 93 years of NBA experience scattered among the players on its 14-man roster.
By comparison, the Jazz's roster included players with 48 years of experience.
Translation?
The Spurs, who have reached the mountaintop four times during the decade, have players who know exactly what it takes to make the climb.
Said Williams: "When things are going wrong, they know how to get it together. That's what makes them so tough to beat."
[email protected]