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02-22-2008, 03:58 AM
Ginobili saves the day: Game-winning shot, 44 points let Spurs escape Minnesota
Web Posted: 02/22/2008 12:10 AM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA022208.01D.BKNspurs.wolves.gamer.3898e96.html
Mike Monroe
Express-News
MINNEAPOLIS — Knowing the Spurs are an organization dedicated to secrecy, Tim Duncan swore there was a trade the defending NBA champions tried to make before Thursday's NBA-mandated deadline that you didn't hear about on sports talk radio or read about in the blogosphere.
"We tried to trade Manu, but nobody would take him," said Duncan, lowering his head so nobody could see he was about to crack up, laughing at his own joke. "So we had to keep him." :lol
What might Ginobili fetch in a trade after another monster game propelled the Spurs to a 100-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center?
For the second time in the past three games, Ginobili produced more than 40 points and made every critical play when the outcome teetered in the balance.
Would Kobe Bryant be enough to pry him away from the Spurs?
LeBron James?
We likely never will know, because Ginobili has placed himself squarely in the same untouchable class as Bryant, James or Duncan when it comes to trades.
Ginobili's latest heroics included a step-back, 16-foot jumper with 6.2 seconds left to beat a Timberwolves team that hardly played like the Western Conference's worst. His perfect jumper produced his 43rd and 44th points of the game. Only his 46-point game in a victory in Cleveland on Feb. 13 ranks as a higher-scoring game by a Spur this season.
Still, the Spurs departed Minnesota knowing they were fortunate to win. That's because Minnesota's Sebastian Telfair missed a wide-open 20-footer that would have left the Spurs with no more than two-tenths of a second.
That might have been too big a chore, even for Ginobili.
"We were fortunate to get out with a win," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They all count, so we're thrilled."
Ginobili, who had worried that the lifeless atmosphere in a half-empty arena would make it hard for the Spurs to bring the requisite "juice" to the contest, made sure he had his, especially in the second quarter.
Making all six of his 3-pointers, Ginobili scorched the Timberwolves for 22 in the period. It was the most productive quarter of the season for any Spur, surpassing the 18 he scored in the fourth quarter of a Feb. 15 victory over the Cavaliers in the final game of the rodeo road trip.
Ginobili missed his first shot, a 3-pointer launched seven minutes into the first quarter. He made his next eight, six of them from beyond the 3-point line.
"He was good tonight, wasn't he?" said Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman. "We were looking over our film at halftime, and of the six (3-point) makes, five of them were as good as we could have contested."
Ginobili called the second quarter "kind of special."
He also must think Yao Ming is "kind of tall."
"I wanted to take every shot, because they were going in," he said. "And most of them were not wide open. I wanted to blow on my hands, because I was feeling very confident."
Duncan, who recovered from his 2-for-12 shooting night in Tuesday's victory over Charlotte to score 24, with 14 rebounds, said the Spurs understood their best opportunity for victory was in Ginobili's hands. That included the final possession.
"Especially when you're struggling offensively, you love to have someone you can just give the ball to and watch him roll," Duncan said. "But he plays the right way. Even though he's scoring 40, he's making the right plays at the right time, hitting the open guys when they're there if there are double teams. You can't help but cheer for somebody like that."
Ginobili stifled the cheers of Wolves' fans with his game-winner with 6.2 seconds left. Banged hard on a drive to the basket that resulted in a turnover on the Spurs' previous possession, Ginobili said he opted for the jumper because Minnesota's Randy Foye denied another drive to the rim.
"I always try to get to the rim," he said, "but Foye was guarding me and covered my left pretty good. My counter-move is always step-back, right. I just got lucky. I took a good shot and it went in."
Web Posted: 02/22/2008 12:10 AM CST
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA022208.01D.BKNspurs.wolves.gamer.3898e96.html
Mike Monroe
Express-News
MINNEAPOLIS — Knowing the Spurs are an organization dedicated to secrecy, Tim Duncan swore there was a trade the defending NBA champions tried to make before Thursday's NBA-mandated deadline that you didn't hear about on sports talk radio or read about in the blogosphere.
"We tried to trade Manu, but nobody would take him," said Duncan, lowering his head so nobody could see he was about to crack up, laughing at his own joke. "So we had to keep him." :lol
What might Ginobili fetch in a trade after another monster game propelled the Spurs to a 100-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center?
For the second time in the past three games, Ginobili produced more than 40 points and made every critical play when the outcome teetered in the balance.
Would Kobe Bryant be enough to pry him away from the Spurs?
LeBron James?
We likely never will know, because Ginobili has placed himself squarely in the same untouchable class as Bryant, James or Duncan when it comes to trades.
Ginobili's latest heroics included a step-back, 16-foot jumper with 6.2 seconds left to beat a Timberwolves team that hardly played like the Western Conference's worst. His perfect jumper produced his 43rd and 44th points of the game. Only his 46-point game in a victory in Cleveland on Feb. 13 ranks as a higher-scoring game by a Spur this season.
Still, the Spurs departed Minnesota knowing they were fortunate to win. That's because Minnesota's Sebastian Telfair missed a wide-open 20-footer that would have left the Spurs with no more than two-tenths of a second.
That might have been too big a chore, even for Ginobili.
"We were fortunate to get out with a win," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They all count, so we're thrilled."
Ginobili, who had worried that the lifeless atmosphere in a half-empty arena would make it hard for the Spurs to bring the requisite "juice" to the contest, made sure he had his, especially in the second quarter.
Making all six of his 3-pointers, Ginobili scorched the Timberwolves for 22 in the period. It was the most productive quarter of the season for any Spur, surpassing the 18 he scored in the fourth quarter of a Feb. 15 victory over the Cavaliers in the final game of the rodeo road trip.
Ginobili missed his first shot, a 3-pointer launched seven minutes into the first quarter. He made his next eight, six of them from beyond the 3-point line.
"He was good tonight, wasn't he?" said Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman. "We were looking over our film at halftime, and of the six (3-point) makes, five of them were as good as we could have contested."
Ginobili called the second quarter "kind of special."
He also must think Yao Ming is "kind of tall."
"I wanted to take every shot, because they were going in," he said. "And most of them were not wide open. I wanted to blow on my hands, because I was feeling very confident."
Duncan, who recovered from his 2-for-12 shooting night in Tuesday's victory over Charlotte to score 24, with 14 rebounds, said the Spurs understood their best opportunity for victory was in Ginobili's hands. That included the final possession.
"Especially when you're struggling offensively, you love to have someone you can just give the ball to and watch him roll," Duncan said. "But he plays the right way. Even though he's scoring 40, he's making the right plays at the right time, hitting the open guys when they're there if there are double teams. You can't help but cheer for somebody like that."
Ginobili stifled the cheers of Wolves' fans with his game-winner with 6.2 seconds left. Banged hard on a drive to the basket that resulted in a turnover on the Spurs' previous possession, Ginobili said he opted for the jumper because Minnesota's Randy Foye denied another drive to the rim.
"I always try to get to the rim," he said, "but Foye was guarding me and covered my left pretty good. My counter-move is always step-back, right. I just got lucky. I took a good shot and it went in."