Spurs-Sonics Preview

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/games/20080129/SASSEA/preview.html?nav=scoreboardhome

Spurs-SuperSonics Preview
By MATT BECKER, STATS Writer

Given their lofty expectations and tradition of excellence on the court, the San Antonio Spurs are considered to be in a slump. The Seattle SuperSonics, meanwhile, would love to be in San Antonio's situation right now.

The defending champion Spurs try to break out of their recent funk on Tuesday when they visit the SuperSonics, who are in the midst of a franchise-record 14-game losing streak.

San Antonio (28-15) opened a season-high nine-game road trip Monday with a 97-91 loss to Utah. It was the second straight loss for the Spurs and sixth in their last 11 games.

Since Dec. 18, when they owned a Western Conference-best 18-6 record, the Spurs have dropped to fifth in the West while going a pedestrian 10-9. San Antonio, which has finished first or second in its division each year since 1997-98, is in third place in the Southwest Division, 3 1/2 games back of conference-leading New Orleans.

"We need to go out there and play well and get some confidence going,'' said Tim Duncan, who was selected to his 11th straight All-Star team on Thursday. "We've got a tough stretch here with so many games on the road. We've got to start somewhere.''

While San Antonio is very much alive in the race for the top spot in the conference despite its slide, Seattle (9-35) is already 23 games out of first in the West, 17 1/2 games behind Northwest Division-leading Utah, and 17 games out of a playoff spot.

The Sonics' skid continued Sunday with a 103-101 home loss to Sacramento. Seattle has not won since defeating league-worst Minnesota on Dec. 29.

"They all (stink), all 14 of them,'' Seattle's Damien Wilkins said of his team's string of defeats. "There are no moral victories. We worked too hard for that. We're trying to win.''

The Sonics are going to have a tough time ending their skid against the Spurs.

San Antonio has defeated Seattle six straight times by an average margin of 22.5 points since a 106-102 loss on March 26, 2006. The Spurs have also won 16 of their last 19 games against the Sonics and eight of the last 10 meetings in Seattle, including a 116-101 victory on Nov. 25.

Duncan had 26 points against the Sonics in November, and is averaging 16.3 points and 10.8 rebounds during the winning streak in the series. He also had 26 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's loss.

Manu Ginobili had 29 points Monday, equaling his total from the previous two games combined. He had 22 points - including a 4-for-6 effort from 3-point range - at Seattle earlier this season, and is averaging 20.4 points while shooting 16-for-27 from beyond the 3-point arc in his last five visits to Key Arena.

The Sonics, who have lost the first three games of a season-high seven-game homestand, are tied with Miami for the worst home record in the league at 5-16.

Rookie Kevin Durant scored a team-high 19 points on Sunday, but was just 5-for-20 from the field. Durant had a much better shooting performance against the Spurs in November, scoring 25 points while shooting 11-for-17 from the floor - a season best.

[dbreiden83080]

Well they played better last night against a good Utah team, i am trying to find optimism anywhere i can find it right now. Sonics are GOD awful, so the hell with the back to back excuse, the Suns are up next so the Spurs need this one.

[ancestron]

It pains me to say I don't feel good about this one either.

[duncan228]

Spurs.com finally got theirs up.

http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/080129.html

Spurs vs. Sonics Preview

Probable Starters

T. Parker
Guard
19.2 PPG
M. Finley
Guard
10.0 PPG
B. Bowen
Forward
5.3 PPG
T. Duncan
Forward
19.5 PPG
F. Oberto
Center
4.9 PPG

Injury/Inactive Report
Brent Barry (grade II strain of the medial head of
his gastrocnemius muscle, left calf) is out.

The defending champion Spurs try to break out of a two-game skid on Tuesday when they visit the SuperSonics, who are in the midst of a franchise-record 14-game losing streak.

San Antonio (28-15) opened a season-high nine-game road trip Monday with a 97-91 loss to Utah. It was the second straight loss for the Spurs and sixth in their last 11 games.

While San Antonio is very much alive in the race for the top spot in the conference despite its slide, Seattle (9-35) is already 23 games out of first in the West, 17 1/2 games behind Northwest Division-leading Utah, and 17 games out of a playoff spot.

The Sonics' skid continued Sunday with a 103-101 home loss to Sacramento. Seattle has not won since defeating Minnesota on Dec. 29.

The Sonics are going to have a tough time ending their skid against the Spurs.

San Antonio has defeated Seattle six straight times by an average margin of 22.5 points since a 106-102 loss on March 26, 2006. The Spurs have also won 16 of their last 19 games against the Sonics and eight of the last 10 meetings in Seattle, including a 116-101 victory on Nov. 25.

Duncan had 26 points against the Sonics in November, and is averaging 16.3 points and 10.8 rebounds during the winning streak in the series. He also had 26 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's loss.

Manu Ginobili had 29 points Monday, equaling his total from the previous two games combined. He had 22 points - including a 4-for-6 effort from 3-point range - at Seattle earlier this season, and is averaging 20.4 points while shooting 16-for-27 from beyond the 3-point arc in his last five visits to Key Arena.

The Sonics, who have lost the first three games of a season-high seven-game homestand, are tied with Miami for the worst home record in the league at 5-16.

Rookie Kevin Durant scored a team-high 19 points on Sunday, but was just 5-for-20 from the field. Durant had a much better shooting performance against the Spurs in November, scoring 25 points while shooting 11-for-17 from the floor - a season best.

Spur in the Spotlight
Tim Duncan
"We need to go out there and play well and get some confidence going. We've got a tough stretch here with so many games on the road. We've got to start somewhere."

Did You Know...
Sonics head coach P.J. Carlesimo was with the Spurs as an assistant on Gregg Popovich’s staff from 2003-07 … Seattle general manager Sam Presti was a member of the Spurs from office since 2000, ascending to assistant general manager … Sonics assistant Mark Bryant spent the 2001-02 season in San Antonio where he averaged 1.9 points in 30 games … Spurs guard Brent Barry spent five seasons with the Sonics before signing with the Spurs prior to the 2004-05 season … Barry averaged 10.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in 362 games with the Sonics … the Sonics were the first road team to score 100+ points in the Alamodome when they defeated the Spurs 109-107 on 12/8/93 … it was also the first overtime game in the Alamodome … before that victory, the Sonics has lost eight straight games in San Antonio.

[ricketts]

It pains me to say I don't feel good about this one either.

Man i hate to agree with you cut i have to. the sonics want a win, BAD. i still have faith though. i just cant say anything is a "sure thing" right now.

[Budkin]

This is going to be a mirror image of the Miami game but we'll pull out the win. It's a start...

[tlongII]

This is the one game on this road trip that the Spurs should have no trouble winning.

[dbreiden83080]

This is the one game on this road trip that the Spurs should have no trouble winning.

They also got the Knicks and should be able to beat the Pacers, Wizard and Raptors.

[duncan228]

The Sonics finally got theirs up.

http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/preview080129.html

Insider Preview
Sonics vs. San Antonio
HEAD-TO-HEAD

9-35 RECORD 28-15
L-14 STREAK L-2
0-5 LAST 5 3-2
96.8 PF 96.6
100.6 Off. Eff. 110.3
105.0 PA 91.8
109.5 Def. Eff. 104.7
45.1 RPG 41.1
.499 Reb % .510
95.4 Pace 87.4
10.1 Exp. Wins 28.2

Sonics (9-35) vs. San Antonio (28-15)

Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM

Ordinarily, a 28-15 record would be cause for celebration, not for concern. However, standards are higher for the San Antonio Spurs, winners of three of the NBA's last five championships. The Spurs have annually contended for the title since drafting Tim Duncan a decade ago, and while the team is very much in that mix, with the NBA's sixth-best record, the Spurs don't seem to be playing quite at their usual level.
Even during the team's run, San Antonio has had some slow stretches early in the season before getting into a rhythm in time for the postseason. This year's trend is slightly different. The Spurs actually got off to a great start, opening the year 17-3 and atop the West. It has been more recently that San Antonio has struggled. In the month of January, the Spurs are 7-7 with just one win over a team with a record .500 or better (defeating the L.A. Lakers last Wednesday on national TV).

Monday's loss at Utah has extra meaning because it was the start of San Antonio's annual Rodeo Road Trip. It's been on the extended road swing mandated by the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo taking over the AT&T Center for more than two weeks. This year's Rodeo Road Trip will feature nine games over 17 days and will cover 7,466 miles through the air. Six of the nine games come against opponents with records .500 or better.

Historically, the Rodeo Road Trip has been where the Spurs have come together. Over the last five years, the team is 29-10 in games on these trips. If San Antonio can match that kind of performance or even finish better than .500 against challenging opposition, any concerns about the team's sluggish January will be forgotten. If the Spurs struggle on the trip, it might be time to start wondering if the team is past its prime.

San Antonio has shown signs of slippage at both ends of the court. San Antonio's Defensive Rating ranks fifth in the NBA, which is abnormally poor for a team that has dominated with defense in the past. The Spurs are allowing 3.3 fewer points per 100 possessions than league average, a good mark but nowhere near the team's established performance. Over the last four years, the Spurs have been at least 6.6 points per 100 possessions stingier on D than league average, including a 2003-04 squad that rates better compared to the league than any other defense since the NBA began tracking turnovers in 1973-74.

While winning with defense, the Spurs had built an underrated offense that ranked fourth in the NBA in Offensive Rating a year ago. That's dropped to 11th this season. The culprit seems to be slippage in field-goal percentage almost universal amongst the team's regulars. Of San Antonio's seven leading scorers, only guard Brent Barry (currently sidelined by a calf injury) has not seen his shooting percentage drop by at least two percentage points from last year to this year.

If the Spurs have indeed dropped off from the team that hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy last June, the explanation is likely age. With an average age of 30.64 years at the start of the season, San Antonio is the league's oldest team. Guard Tony Parker (25) and backup forward Matt Bonner (27) are the only Spurs regulars younger than 30, and the team relies heavily on 36-year-olds Barry and Bruce Bowen. 37-year-old Robert Horry, the league's fifth-oldest player, played a key role in earlier Spurs championships but has been a non-factor this season.

Despite some troubling signs, with two and a half months left in the regular season it would be premature to doubt San Antonio's chances of playing for a title again this spring. The Spurs are still just 3.5 games back of the lead in the Western Conference and would have home-court advantage in the first round if the season ended today. Still, it would be reassuring to see San Antonio play like the defending champs, and soon.

The Seattle SuperSonics face the Spurs for the second time this season, having been competitive in a November matchup at KeyArena before San Antonio pulled away late. The Sonics don't need to scout the Spurs heavily, Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo having been Gregg Popovich's top assistant the last five seasons. The Sonics have been very competitive over the course of their current homestand, with two of the three games coming down to the final buzzer, even though those efforts have not translated into a win.

KEY MATCHUP
Tim Duncan/Kurt Thomas

Although his shooting percentage is slightly down from last season, Duncan hasn't shown any signs of age this season. 31 going on 32 in late April, Duncan is averaging 19.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 blocks a night. Duncan has also picked up his free-throw shooting, not historically a weakness but not a strength either. His 69.4% shooting from the line is his best mark since 2002-03. Sonics center Kurt Thomas is no stranger to battling Duncan in the paint, including last year's semifinals series between the Spurs and Phoenix.

LAST TIME

The Sonics played the Spurs even for a half Nov. 25 and were as close as four entering the final five minutes, but saw San Antonio pull away late in a 116-101 win that was closer than the final score. The Spurs scored the next six points after the Sonics pulled within four, then finished the game with nine unanswered points. San Antonio opened the second half with a 12-0 run to change the tenor of a game that was a shootout in the first half, with 128 combined points.
For the second time in 2007-08, Wally Szczerbiak caught fire and was able to sustain the Sonics for an extended period. 20 of his 27 points came in the second quarter alone, and he missed just three shots. Kevin Durant had the best offensive performance of his NBA career to date. He shot 11-for-17 from the field, scoring 25 points, and handed out four assists. Chris Wilcox added 16 points and six boards. The Spurs had three players - Duncan (26), Manu Ginobili and Parker (22 apiece) top the 20-point mark.

INJURIES

Sonics - Center Robert Swift (tendinitis and contusion, right knee) is out.
San Antonio - Guard Brent Barry (grade II strain of the medial head of his gastrocnemius muscle, left calf) is out.

[bigdog]

Anybody know which channel the game will be on?
I have Time Warner digital cable and the only channel it shows it on is In Demand PPV.

Spurs.com says it will be broadcasted on KENS5 HD, but the program guitar doesn't show the game on there. Maybe just a mistake by Time Warner?

[remingtonbo2001]

Anybody know which channel the game will be on?
I have Time Warner digital cable and the only channel it shows it on is In Demand PPV.

Spurs.com says it will be broadcasted on KENS5 HD, but the program guitar doesn't show the game on there. Maybe just a mistake by Time Warner?

Then it will be on KENS!

[bigdog]

what the hell....I said program GUITAR. hahaha. my bad.
But yeah I'm pretty sure it will be on KENS