phyzik
02-01-2008, 12:30 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-080201
PHOENIX -- This is why it's never wise to start writing obituaries for the San Antonio Spurs in January.
They can still play defense and they can still give the ball to Tim Duncan when they need a basket.
Even in their dilapidated state the Spurs managed to derail the Phoenix Suns' fun train. They overcame a hostile crowd and got back to the bare essentials of what they do right, and in doing so, they managed to get their first victory in a week.
They did it with some classic Spurs basketball, all of a sudden clamping down on defense and executing on offense. Down by four with a little more than a minute to play, the Spurs got a Michael Finley 3-pointer off a kick-out pass from Duncan, came up with two steals on defense and watched Duncan make a 10-foot bank shot for the go-ahead points.
With that, even on a night they trailed most of the game, San Antonio emerged with an 84-81 victory Thursday and seemed to rediscover a little bit of its championship formula.
They were the first to admit it was painful to watch and they probably wouldn't have blamed anyone for switching over to the season premiere of "Lost." But the Spurs are past being picky. Heading into Thursday's contest, San Antonio had lost three consecutive games and five of its previous eight. And with each setback the Spurs lost a little bit of the inherent edge they hold over the rest of the Western Conference.
It was fair to ask the question: Do we give the Spurs the benefit of the doubt for their past experiences, or do we doubt the Spurs will benefit from their past experiences?
At what point do they go from "veteran" to just "old"?
Now the Suns have to ask themselves if they can't beat this San Antonio team at home with Tony Parker and Brent Barry out of the lineup, what's to keep the Spurs from knocking Phoenix out of the playoffs … again?
The Spurs were pretty candid about how much they needed a sign that they can regain their footing.
"We did a good job defensively against a team that can really score, and that's most important for us because it give us that confidence as [the] playoffs approaches," Gregg Popovich said. "That's who we have to be.''
Lately, even when the Spurs have won games, they haven't done so in impressive fashion. Thursday's win was only their second victory over a team with a winning record since Dec. 17.
Manu Ginobili said: "We've proven before what we're capable of, but we needed it for ourselves. We were not playing good at all. We were feeling kind of frustrated. So Coming here and wining -- not playing great, but winning -- is a great feeling."
Popovich, who feels his team is wrongly cast as a slow-it-down squad, reminded reporters that the Spurs can and will play up-tempo. But it's a lot harder for them to without Tony Parker.
Parker has a chronic inflammation in his left ankle, the result of a bone rubbing against the ligaments. He received anti-inflammatory shots on Thursday and Popovich is adamant that Parker rest for at least three weeks. The coach sounded as if he were ready to change the access codes to the practice facility if that's what it takes to keep Parker off the court.
The question is whether the pain and limitation will plague Parker after he returns and through the playoffs.
For now, the Spurs will get some additional scoring punch from the point guard spot with the signing of Damon Stoudamire, which is expected to happen Friday.
But the Spurs gained a little something without a transaction Thursday night. "It's a game of emotion and focus and will and desire and that kind of thing," Popovich said. "I think we showed that we still have that."
J.A. Adande joined ESPN.com as an NBA columnist in August 2007 after 10 years with the Los Angeles Times. Click here to e-mail J.A.
PHOENIX -- This is why it's never wise to start writing obituaries for the San Antonio Spurs in January.
They can still play defense and they can still give the ball to Tim Duncan when they need a basket.
Even in their dilapidated state the Spurs managed to derail the Phoenix Suns' fun train. They overcame a hostile crowd and got back to the bare essentials of what they do right, and in doing so, they managed to get their first victory in a week.
They did it with some classic Spurs basketball, all of a sudden clamping down on defense and executing on offense. Down by four with a little more than a minute to play, the Spurs got a Michael Finley 3-pointer off a kick-out pass from Duncan, came up with two steals on defense and watched Duncan make a 10-foot bank shot for the go-ahead points.
With that, even on a night they trailed most of the game, San Antonio emerged with an 84-81 victory Thursday and seemed to rediscover a little bit of its championship formula.
They were the first to admit it was painful to watch and they probably wouldn't have blamed anyone for switching over to the season premiere of "Lost." But the Spurs are past being picky. Heading into Thursday's contest, San Antonio had lost three consecutive games and five of its previous eight. And with each setback the Spurs lost a little bit of the inherent edge they hold over the rest of the Western Conference.
It was fair to ask the question: Do we give the Spurs the benefit of the doubt for their past experiences, or do we doubt the Spurs will benefit from their past experiences?
At what point do they go from "veteran" to just "old"?
Now the Suns have to ask themselves if they can't beat this San Antonio team at home with Tony Parker and Brent Barry out of the lineup, what's to keep the Spurs from knocking Phoenix out of the playoffs … again?
The Spurs were pretty candid about how much they needed a sign that they can regain their footing.
"We did a good job defensively against a team that can really score, and that's most important for us because it give us that confidence as [the] playoffs approaches," Gregg Popovich said. "That's who we have to be.''
Lately, even when the Spurs have won games, they haven't done so in impressive fashion. Thursday's win was only their second victory over a team with a winning record since Dec. 17.
Manu Ginobili said: "We've proven before what we're capable of, but we needed it for ourselves. We were not playing good at all. We were feeling kind of frustrated. So Coming here and wining -- not playing great, but winning -- is a great feeling."
Popovich, who feels his team is wrongly cast as a slow-it-down squad, reminded reporters that the Spurs can and will play up-tempo. But it's a lot harder for them to without Tony Parker.
Parker has a chronic inflammation in his left ankle, the result of a bone rubbing against the ligaments. He received anti-inflammatory shots on Thursday and Popovich is adamant that Parker rest for at least three weeks. The coach sounded as if he were ready to change the access codes to the practice facility if that's what it takes to keep Parker off the court.
The question is whether the pain and limitation will plague Parker after he returns and through the playoffs.
For now, the Spurs will get some additional scoring punch from the point guard spot with the signing of Damon Stoudamire, which is expected to happen Friday.
But the Spurs gained a little something without a transaction Thursday night. "It's a game of emotion and focus and will and desire and that kind of thing," Popovich said. "I think we showed that we still have that."
J.A. Adande joined ESPN.com as an NBA columnist in August 2007 after 10 years with the Los Angeles Times. Click here to e-mail J.A.