Beno Udrih
02-01-2008, 04:03 AM
Buck Harvey: Horry returns -- and so did the Suns of last spring
Web Posted: 02/01/2008 02:11 AM CST
Buck Harvey
Express-News Staff Writer
PHOENIX — Robert Horry walked out of the locker room on his way to the court before the game, and Gregg Popovich had a request.
"Tell me when you're going out there," said Popovich, "because I don't want to be there at the same time."
Horry smiled, and later Popovich came up with another joke. This one was on fans who had waited six months to boo their villain. Popovich never played Horry.
But the humor didn't end there. That came from the other Spurs.
Manu Ginobili ended with a half-dozen turnovers, and Tony Parker sat home in San Antonio, and the Spurs looked ready to lean on Damon Stoudamire for 40 minutes as soon as he arrives.
The Suns returned to the very place they were in last May. They lost to their longtime nemesis, and they don't know how.
Horry played the same role he did for Game 5 and Game 6 last year against Phoenix. He sat.
During a time-out in the first half Thursday night he bounced a basketball and laughed with Popovich. And maybe that was the joke. Popovich didn't want to give Phoenix the satisfaction of howling at one of his players.
The fans still booed, especially at Ginobili, and a few were noticeably loud when Ime Udoka entered the game.
He wears No. 5. That was Horry's number, right?
The confusion fit with the night, as a team that most recently lost to the lowly Sonics stuck with the franchise that came in with the Western Conference's best record. Without Parker, and without a way to take advantage of Steve Nash's defensive flaws, the Spurs struggled to score.
"We're becoming a defensive juggernaut," Mike D'Antoni joked during the game.
But a few things happened, such as Amare Stoudemire proving he hasn't changed. For one, he still can't stay out of foul trouble.
As it was last spring, D'Antoni scrunched up his face and argued with the refs, but D'Antoni knows. Stoudemire is an inherently careless defender, and this isn't going away.
Tim Duncan again showed the opposite. He drew a technical foul and was frustrated. Nothing was easy, even at the end, and somehow he ended with 16 points and 17 rebounds.
"The whole game felt it wasn't going our way," Duncan said afterward. "But we hung in."
The Suns, at least, went the Spurs' way. They followed the Spurs into a shooting funk. Sometimes a bad-shooting night happens and, more than likely, the next time the Suns will shoot 20 percent better. That's how they beat the Spurs in San Antonio when, again, Parker didn't play.
But the Spurs' defense was part of this, as was their mental edge. The Suns were healthy and at home and ready to correct all wrongs — and their shooting strokes and brains both locked.
The Spurs pulled them into their game. They ran down the clock, slowed the game, bumped on defense and took away the freedom the Suns live for.
The Spurs did this without a modicum of touch, relying on the maturity they take pride in. Afterward Popovich talked about Jacque Vaughn and "a heart as big as the arena," and the attitude spread as the Spurs hung.
They led for less than a minute all night, and it was a four-point Suns lead with about a minute left. All the Spurs needed was one burst, and they got it when Michael Finley threw in a 3-pointer.
What followed could have been a replay from the 2007 playoffs. Bruce Bowen slapped away a steal, and Duncan followed with a one-hander for the lead.
When the Suns followed with their second turnover in a row — again showing the lack of poise of last spring — Ginobili pitched the basketball to Duncan, who made the smart move. He pitched it right back to make sure Ginobili would be the one to shoot the free throws.
Ginobili would make those and would follow with two more. As for Ginobili getting all 19 of his points in the second half: Doesn't that sound like a playoff moment, too?
Just watching, as he did a year ago, was Horry.
[email protected]
link (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA020108_BuckHarvey.en.7af88769.html)
Web Posted: 02/01/2008 02:11 AM CST
Buck Harvey
Express-News Staff Writer
PHOENIX — Robert Horry walked out of the locker room on his way to the court before the game, and Gregg Popovich had a request.
"Tell me when you're going out there," said Popovich, "because I don't want to be there at the same time."
Horry smiled, and later Popovich came up with another joke. This one was on fans who had waited six months to boo their villain. Popovich never played Horry.
But the humor didn't end there. That came from the other Spurs.
Manu Ginobili ended with a half-dozen turnovers, and Tony Parker sat home in San Antonio, and the Spurs looked ready to lean on Damon Stoudamire for 40 minutes as soon as he arrives.
The Suns returned to the very place they were in last May. They lost to their longtime nemesis, and they don't know how.
Horry played the same role he did for Game 5 and Game 6 last year against Phoenix. He sat.
During a time-out in the first half Thursday night he bounced a basketball and laughed with Popovich. And maybe that was the joke. Popovich didn't want to give Phoenix the satisfaction of howling at one of his players.
The fans still booed, especially at Ginobili, and a few were noticeably loud when Ime Udoka entered the game.
He wears No. 5. That was Horry's number, right?
The confusion fit with the night, as a team that most recently lost to the lowly Sonics stuck with the franchise that came in with the Western Conference's best record. Without Parker, and without a way to take advantage of Steve Nash's defensive flaws, the Spurs struggled to score.
"We're becoming a defensive juggernaut," Mike D'Antoni joked during the game.
But a few things happened, such as Amare Stoudemire proving he hasn't changed. For one, he still can't stay out of foul trouble.
As it was last spring, D'Antoni scrunched up his face and argued with the refs, but D'Antoni knows. Stoudemire is an inherently careless defender, and this isn't going away.
Tim Duncan again showed the opposite. He drew a technical foul and was frustrated. Nothing was easy, even at the end, and somehow he ended with 16 points and 17 rebounds.
"The whole game felt it wasn't going our way," Duncan said afterward. "But we hung in."
The Suns, at least, went the Spurs' way. They followed the Spurs into a shooting funk. Sometimes a bad-shooting night happens and, more than likely, the next time the Suns will shoot 20 percent better. That's how they beat the Spurs in San Antonio when, again, Parker didn't play.
But the Spurs' defense was part of this, as was their mental edge. The Suns were healthy and at home and ready to correct all wrongs — and their shooting strokes and brains both locked.
The Spurs pulled them into their game. They ran down the clock, slowed the game, bumped on defense and took away the freedom the Suns live for.
The Spurs did this without a modicum of touch, relying on the maturity they take pride in. Afterward Popovich talked about Jacque Vaughn and "a heart as big as the arena," and the attitude spread as the Spurs hung.
They led for less than a minute all night, and it was a four-point Suns lead with about a minute left. All the Spurs needed was one burst, and they got it when Michael Finley threw in a 3-pointer.
What followed could have been a replay from the 2007 playoffs. Bruce Bowen slapped away a steal, and Duncan followed with a one-hander for the lead.
When the Suns followed with their second turnover in a row — again showing the lack of poise of last spring — Ginobili pitched the basketball to Duncan, who made the smart move. He pitched it right back to make sure Ginobili would be the one to shoot the free throws.
Ginobili would make those and would follow with two more. As for Ginobili getting all 19 of his points in the second half: Doesn't that sound like a playoff moment, too?
Just watching, as he did a year ago, was Horry.
[email protected]
link (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA020108_BuckHarvey.en.7af88769.html)