Spurs-Nets Preview

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/games/20080302/SASNJN/preview.html?nav=scoreboardhome

Spurs-Nets Preview
By MIKE VOTTA, STATS Senior Writer

Devin Harris wasted no time making himself at home with New Jersey, but he's about to run into a familiar Western Conference rival.

Harris looks to build on an impressive Nets debut Sunday when he tries to lead his new team to its first win over the West-leading San Antonio Spurs in more than five years.

Harris was acquired on Feb. 19 in an eight-player deal that sent Jason Kidd to Dallas. The Nets (26-32) parted ways with the point guard who led them to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003 in order to acquire Harris, who is nearly 10 years younger.

Harris no doubt made the team feel a little better about the move on Thursday, when he scored 21 points in New Jersey's 120-106 win over Milwaukee. Harris, who was nursing a sprained left ankle when the deal was made, came off the bench with 2:47 left in the first quarter and had scored 16 points by the time he went back sat down again 5:34 before halftime.

He practiced with his new team for the first time a day earlier and was a game-time decision.

"I was very anxious to get out there," said Harris, who hit all six of his shots in the first half. "I was running a mile a minute and I was glad I got the start I did in the first half. I just felt good and everything was going in."

Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson each added 19 points for the Nets, who are tied with Philadelphia for eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. Saturday's win was their sixth in nine games.

"I am not Jason Kidd," Harris said. "He does things that I can't do and I do things that he can't do, so I just try to be the best that I can."

In his second game with the Nets, Harris will be up against a former division rival in San Antonio (40-17). In 12 career games against the Spurs, he has averaged 9.6 points and 2.8 assists.

The Nets have dropped four straight at home and nine straight overall against the Spurs since a 91-82 win in New Jersey on Nov. 13, 2002.

"I'm always looking forward to the match up," Harris told the Nets' official team Web site. "(Point guard) Tony (Parker)'s a great match up, San Antonio's a great team. It's always a challenge. It's a new challenge with a different team."

Parker scored 26 points in Saturday's 96-94 win over Milwaukee - San Antonio's season-high eighth straight victory. Parker had his best scoring night since returning Feb. 21 after missing nine games with left ankle inflammation.

"That was Tony's best game since he came back off the injury," coach Gregg Popovich said. "He looked really confident with his shot, which is what we've been looking for. And he attacked aggressively. He looked much more like the Tony that we're used to."

Manu Ginobili added 30 points, including a 17-footer with 13.2 seconds left as the Spurs are enjoying their longest winning streak since a 13-game run from Feb. 13-March 13, 2007.

[duncan228]

Nets.com is talking about the Parker quotes about Harris.

http://www.nba.com/nets/news/Game_Time_Blog_3_2_08.html
By Matt McQueeny, NJNets.com

Harris-Parker Match Up Renews

After the dust had settled on the trade that brought Devin Harris to New Jersey and sent Jason Kidd to Dallas, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker had an interesting thing to say about it.

"To be honest with you, I'm really happy for that trade,” he said to the San Antonio Express-News.

“(DeSagana) Diop was doing a good job on us. And Devin Harris, most of the time, he played good against us. So I thought it would be good for us. No disrespect to Jason Kidd, he's a great point guard, but those guys that left always gave us trouble."

Parker and Harris are definitely rivals and - both being lightning-quick guards who use their speed to the greatest of advantages - act as natural foils to one another. So, when Parker says something like that it is almost purely out of the respect he has for the challenge Harris poses to him.

And Harris seems to feel the same way.

“I’m always looking forward to the match up,” said Harris after his rousing debut on Thursday, a 120-106 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. “Tony’s a great match up; San Antonio’s a great team. It’s always a challenge. It’s a new challenge with a different team. We have different players in different situations so hopefully we can have the same outcome.”

Harris and Parker have gone up against one another 12 times in regular season games and their respective teams have split those games (6-6). Parker started all 12 of the match ups and averaged 17.7 points on 46 percent shooting and 4.2 assists in 33 minutes a game, while Harris started six of the match ups and has averaged 9.6 points on 44 percent shooting and 2.8 assists in 24.5 minutes.

But it was in a legendary seven-game Conference Semi-Final Playoff series in 2006 where their match up was at its best. San Antonio took Game 1 of that series, 87-85. Parker scored 19 and Harris – coming off the bench – scored just three points in 15 minutes of play.

To match Parker’s quickness, Mavs Head Coach Avery Johnson decided to insert Harris into the starting lineup in Game 2. And he responded, scoring 20 points on 7 of 12 shooting, and Dallas won to even up the series.

“We thought we played a game that was pretty much our style,” said Johnson after the win.

“We didn’t get our pace in the first game; we got a little bit better pace in the second game. A lot of that had to do with Devin being out there. We were just trying to save him up, especially for this round of the playoffs hoping that we were fortunate enough to get a win in the first round…But we had our eyes on this round for Devin to have him come out and play for us and he played a game for us tonight.”

“Tony’s pretty hard to guard. I don’t think there’s anybody really that can necessarily stay with him. We just feel that maybe we have a shot at having some guys who can do it every now and then. He’s a tough cover. That’s why he’s an all-star, that’s why he’s the player he is. But I think you have to have guys who can try to match his quickness…”

Harris carried the momentum right into Game 3, which was back in Dallas. He scored a career-high 24 points as his quickness was again a factor. And in the waning seconds with the Mavs holding a one-point lead, he forced a turnover when he broke up a dribble handoff from Robert Horry to Manu Ginobil.

In Game 4 – another Dallas victory – Devin had 18 points, six assists, and six rebounds while Parker had a personal series-high 33.

But the Spurs won the next two games – In Game 5, Parker scored 27 (Harris scored 15) – and a Game 7 was forced back in San Antonio. In that game, Parker had 24 and Harris had just two, but it was his Mavericks who won on the road to close out the defending NBA Champions. Dirk Nowitzki saved the season with a three to force overtime on his way to 37 points and 15 rebounds.

Harris finished the series with averages of 12.7 points on 47 percent shooting, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists and Parker had 20.1 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.1 rebounds. But in the scope of the series, it was Johnson’s move to promote the young Harris to the starting lineup that seemed to get the Mavericks back into the series and ultimately win it.

The two have already played against one another twice this season. In the first game, a Dallas home victory in November, Harris scored 18 to Parker’s seven; in their next match up, in San Antonio in December, the Spurs won as Parker scored 23 to Harris’ four.

The rivalry renews Sunday at IZOD Center -- and again Tuesday in San Antonio -- as Harris and Parker go at it once again.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Harris carried the momentum right into Game 3, which was back in Dallas. He scored a career-high 24 points as his quickness was again a factor. And in the waning seconds with the Mavs holding a one-point lead, he forced a turnover when he broke up a dribble handoff from Robert Horry to Manu Ginobil.
Man, Devin was always annoying since the day AJ unleashed him.
Crafty defender he was. Glad he's out of the Mavs.

[1Parker1]

This feels like a typical Spurs loss in the making....:(

[duncan228]

This feels like a typical Spurs loss in the making....:(

Yup...Back-to-back, early game...all that's missing is national TV. :lol

[ludda]

I read somewhere (Stein on ESPN?) that Diop was more of a concern than Harris for the Spurs. Of course that's all talk but funny to see Harris make a name out of himself as the supposed "Parker stopper"

[Ghost Writer]

Hopefully last night's game was a wakeup call for the Spurs, because they can't take the NEts for granted today with Harris and Diop and Carter.

[TampaDude]

Yup...Back-to-back, early game...all that's missing is national TV. :lol

+1

The Spurs will win this one by 8, though. :toast

[bdictjames]

You know its bad when Parker is being compared to Harris.. :lol

I hope Duncan lets us win this one though..

[WalterBenitez]

The oldest team in NBA will play the second game in less than 24 hours?

I beg the youth of this team could handles, TP must run almost everything this afternoon, Udoka shloud star in Manu's place.

[duncan228]

I hope Duncan lets us win this one though..

He's not known for having two bad games in a row.
I think he'll come out strong.

[duncan228]

http://www.miamiherald.com/859/story/441164.html

The Sports Network

The red-hot San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets play the opener of a home-and-home set tonight at the Izod Center.

This is the first of two contests between the clubs this season. San Antonio will host the Nets on Tuesday at the AT&T Center.

The Spurs have won nine in a row in the series, and four straight at New Jersey.

The last time the Nets defeated the Spurs was on November 13, 2002 at New Jersey.

San Antonio wraps up a two-game road trip. On Saturday, Manu Ginobili scored 30 points, including the go-ahead jumper, and also forced a pivotal turnover down the stretch to help the Spurs escape with their eighth straight victory, 96-94, over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.

Ginobili was 10-for-17 from the floor, 9-of-11 at the foul line, and also grabbed four rebounds and handed out four assists. Tony Parker added 26 points and five assists for the Spurs, who haven't lost since a 98-90 setback on February 10 at Boston.

New Jersey concludes a four-game homestand. It is 2-1 on the stand. Devin Harris scored 21 points in his Nets debut, as New Jersey crushed the Milwaukee Bucks, 120-106, on Thursday at the Izod Center.

Harris was acquired in the Jason Kidd deal on February 19th, and hadn't played since spraining his left ankle on January 27th. The Nets are 3-2 since trading Kidd to Dallas in an eight-player deal.

Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson poured in 19 points apiece for the Nets, who have won six of their last nine games overall. Marcus Williams totaled 11 points, five rebounds and eight assists, while Josh Boone ended with 14 points and seven rebounds in the victory.

The Nets are 15-16 at home this season. Tuesday's game at San Antonio is the first of a five-game road trip. New Jersey will also visit Memphis, New Orleans, Dallas and Houston on the upcoming swing.

[duncan228]

The first 5,000 fans tonight get a Devin Harris shirt.

[lonestr]

The Spurs are not governed by the play of Tony, Manu, or Tim alone. The Spurs play team basketball. These people don't seem to get it. Despite the fact that we have three superstars, we are blessed with depth that allows other players to step up and shine to win the game. This nonsense of "Spurs Killer" is a myth because if there truly were such a thing, how do you explain four trophies? Does Harris and Diop have a ring? Hell no! How do you account for the crazy trades geared to counter the Spurs. Now that each team that traded for that one crucial player designed to compete against the Spurs, are you convinced it was the trade needed to do the job? I don't think so. I've been a basketball fan since 1973 and I have never seen the league in any era make such transitions to counter a single team the way San Antonio has affected the NBA today. These are truly exciting times to be a Spurs fan my friends. Our Spurs will set the benchmark for years to come after our big three are gone. They have single handedly changed the dynamic of how teams will compete against one another and how the league will operate. All this because of beloved Spurs. Who cares what these trolls say when they come into our forum; talking about things they only wished their franchise could be or do. So if these idiots want to come in here and start shit in their delusion, bring it baby. You know I got for what ales you right here.

[Budkin]

Back to back + Harris + Diop + Road = probable loss. Now go and win it Spurs!

[Allanon]

Timmy struggled a little bit last night and with Devin playing very well right now, it's going to be close game.

[ShoogarBear]

Dirk Nowitzki saved the season with a three to force overtime on his way to 37 points and 15 rebounds.

Well, at least it sounds less painful that way.

[SpurAddict561]

It's gonna be a tough month...but we can do it.

Devin Harris was a terror because he had other CONSISTENT threats which the Nets don't have, other than VC.

[The Nba Is Rigged]

Ma boy Devin is going to shit on you fools tonight!