duncan228
03-15-2008, 01:30 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA031508.01F.BKNspurs.pistons.gamer.55eddc46.htm l
Thin Spurs miss chance to snap out of slump
Jeff McDonald
Express-News
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Spurs were in no mood to talk about what they almost pulled off Friday night.
They had no desire to talk about how, short-handed during the most punishing stretch of the season, they very nearly beat the second-best team in the Eastern Conference on its home floor.
In the wake of an 84-80 loss at Detroit, their fourth defeat in five games, Spurs players were of no mind to accentuate the positives.
"It's not good to lose, especially when we (had) just lost three of the last four," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "I think we did a pretty good job of hanging in there and keeping it a close game. But it's never enough."
Richard Hamilton had 25 points, including seven in the final 21 seconds, and the Pistons made enough shots down the stretch to hold off a Spurs team that was plucky and understaffed.
Playing without uber-defender Bruce Bowen (who was suspended) and without primary backup Ime Udoka (who was injured), the Spurs still found a way to hang with Detroit.
The Pistons led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter before the Spurs came roaring back to take the game down to the wire. Afterward, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich praised his team's competitiveness.
"I was proud of them," he said.
Given the tightly compacted Western Conference race, however, moral victories don't help.
By virtue of a four-point loss, the Spurs (44-21) dropped from second to fifth in the conference and from first to third in the Southwest Division.
They conclude a three-game road swing tonight at Philadelphia, closing out their fourth back-to-back this month.
Tony Parker finished with 26 points — eight during a 13-0 run in the fourth that helped the Spurs erase Detroit's lead — while Tim Duncan had 12 of his 20 points in the final frame.
The Spurs led as late as the 2:51 mark, until Rasheed Wallace hit a jumper to give Detroit the lead for good at 75-74. With 20.6 seconds left, Hamilton supplied the dagger, burying a 13-footer while being fouled by Parker, and then swishing the ensuing foul shot to make it 80-76.
"(Detroit) did a great job hitting shots," Popovich said. "They made about four in a row down the stretch, and that was the difference in the game."
Even before they boarded their flight to come here, the Spurs knew they had their work cut out for them. The Pistons (47-18) trail only Boston in the East, and were coming off a home loss to the 76ers that left coach Flip Saunders publicly surly.
It was just a few hours before tipoff that the Spurs learned they would play short-handed.
The league announced a one-game suspension for Bowen as punishment for a kick aimed at Chris Paul during a Wednesday loss at New Orleans.
Combined with Udoka being sent home for treatment on an injured ankle, it left the Spurs without two of their best defenders, and down to just 10 players in uniform Friday night.
Only two of those who remained, Ginobili and Michael Finley, were true wing players. That forced Popovich to trot out lineups born out of crisis.
Often, he used a second point guard — most often Damon Stoudamire — as a shooting guard next to Parker. Very briefly, Popovich played three point guards together — Parker, Stoudamire and Jacque Vaughn. One of them, technically, was a very small forward.
The small lineups forced the Spurs to play zone defense for much of the night, a key reason they were outrebounded 51-39, including a 22-12 shortfall on the offensive glass.
"This was a good win for us," Detroit's Tayshaun Prince said. "Especially with the way we were playing."
If the Spurs had been in the mood for it, they could have claimed a good loss. Instead, Ginobili could think of only one silver lining.
"We've got another tomorrow," he said.
Thin Spurs miss chance to snap out of slump
Jeff McDonald
Express-News
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Spurs were in no mood to talk about what they almost pulled off Friday night.
They had no desire to talk about how, short-handed during the most punishing stretch of the season, they very nearly beat the second-best team in the Eastern Conference on its home floor.
In the wake of an 84-80 loss at Detroit, their fourth defeat in five games, Spurs players were of no mind to accentuate the positives.
"It's not good to lose, especially when we (had) just lost three of the last four," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "I think we did a pretty good job of hanging in there and keeping it a close game. But it's never enough."
Richard Hamilton had 25 points, including seven in the final 21 seconds, and the Pistons made enough shots down the stretch to hold off a Spurs team that was plucky and understaffed.
Playing without uber-defender Bruce Bowen (who was suspended) and without primary backup Ime Udoka (who was injured), the Spurs still found a way to hang with Detroit.
The Pistons led by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter before the Spurs came roaring back to take the game down to the wire. Afterward, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich praised his team's competitiveness.
"I was proud of them," he said.
Given the tightly compacted Western Conference race, however, moral victories don't help.
By virtue of a four-point loss, the Spurs (44-21) dropped from second to fifth in the conference and from first to third in the Southwest Division.
They conclude a three-game road swing tonight at Philadelphia, closing out their fourth back-to-back this month.
Tony Parker finished with 26 points — eight during a 13-0 run in the fourth that helped the Spurs erase Detroit's lead — while Tim Duncan had 12 of his 20 points in the final frame.
The Spurs led as late as the 2:51 mark, until Rasheed Wallace hit a jumper to give Detroit the lead for good at 75-74. With 20.6 seconds left, Hamilton supplied the dagger, burying a 13-footer while being fouled by Parker, and then swishing the ensuing foul shot to make it 80-76.
"(Detroit) did a great job hitting shots," Popovich said. "They made about four in a row down the stretch, and that was the difference in the game."
Even before they boarded their flight to come here, the Spurs knew they had their work cut out for them. The Pistons (47-18) trail only Boston in the East, and were coming off a home loss to the 76ers that left coach Flip Saunders publicly surly.
It was just a few hours before tipoff that the Spurs learned they would play short-handed.
The league announced a one-game suspension for Bowen as punishment for a kick aimed at Chris Paul during a Wednesday loss at New Orleans.
Combined with Udoka being sent home for treatment on an injured ankle, it left the Spurs without two of their best defenders, and down to just 10 players in uniform Friday night.
Only two of those who remained, Ginobili and Michael Finley, were true wing players. That forced Popovich to trot out lineups born out of crisis.
Often, he used a second point guard — most often Damon Stoudamire — as a shooting guard next to Parker. Very briefly, Popovich played three point guards together — Parker, Stoudamire and Jacque Vaughn. One of them, technically, was a very small forward.
The small lineups forced the Spurs to play zone defense for much of the night, a key reason they were outrebounded 51-39, including a 22-12 shortfall on the offensive glass.
"This was a good win for us," Detroit's Tayshaun Prince said. "Especially with the way we were playing."
If the Spurs had been in the mood for it, they could have claimed a good loss. Instead, Ginobili could think of only one silver lining.
"We've got another tomorrow," he said.