duncan228
03-29-2008, 09:17 PM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA032908_SpursAdv.en.8b33967.html
Pro basketball: Barry's return coincides with Finley's hot shooting
Jeff McDonald
Express-News Staff Writer
For the first time in 36 days, Brent Barry was back in front of his old locker Wednesday night, holding court and cracking wise.
The newly reacquired Spurs swingman was discussing his league-mandated, monthlong sabbatical, fallout after he was traded to and then waived by Seattle in February.
As far as paid vacations go, this was no Carnival cruise. Barry spent most of his time off at local health clubs, trying his best to stay in shape.
“I saw a lot of old men naked,” Barry said. “It wasn't great.”
For the most part, Michael Finley's past month has been no picnic, either.
The Spurs shooting guard spent much of March drawing little but iron in arenas from Dallas to Denver, and from Phoenix to Philadelphia. He looked, for long stretches, like a man who could use a vacation.
It led to the obvious murmur: When Barry stopped hanging out with old men and returned to his old team, wouldn't Finley be the first to feel it?
If Finley is worried about losing minutes with Barry back in the locker room, he isn't showing it.
“Sometimes you think too much,” Finley said, “instead of just going out there and playing and shooting your shots, doing what you've been accustomed to doing for so long.”
A funny thing has happened to Finley in the two games with Barry back on the bench. He seems to have rediscovered the shooting stroke he left in February.
In victories over Orlando and the Los Angeles Clippers, Finley hit 14 of 25 shots for a combined 40 points.
Finley's mini hot stretch, which he hopes to carry over into tonight's game against Minnesota, has pushed his shooting percentage to 35.7 percent in March — up from 29.4 just three days ago.
Just as the Spurs welcomed back Barry, they've also welcomed back the Finley who shot an efficient 45.7 percent in February.
“Good to see him shooting the ball confidently,” forward Tim Duncan said. “That will help us down this stretch here, getting him into a rhythm and to a point where he's looking to fire that thing and is going to knock them down for us.”
A 12-year NBA veteran, Finley is in the midst of the poorest shooting season of his career (39.3 percent).
Yet coach Gregg Popovich never seemed to doubt Finley would someday fire his way out of his funk.
A week ago, the coach took a bold step to bolster the shooter's confidence.
On March 15, Finley came off the bench to clang 5 of 6 shots in a loss at Philadelphia. The next game against Boston, Popovich responded by inserting Finley into the starting lineup. He has kept him there ever since.
Finley's confidence, rising incrementally with his shooting percentage, mirrors that of his team.
To Popovich, there is really only one major difference between how the Spurs played during the four-game losing streak they endured from March 12-17 and the five-game winning streak that has followed.
“Making shots,” Popovich said. “We had a period there when we couldn't throw it in the ocean. We've always been pretty good on defense, usually one of the top four or five teams, but we've got to make shots.”
Over the past week or so, Finley has done his part.
Still, he knows better than to get too comfortable in his own Nikes. Two good games do not a slump-buster make.
Just last week, Finley appeared to shake his slump by going a combined 8 of 15 in victories over Chicago and Sacramento. One game later, he threw up a 0-for-7 performance against Dallas.
Finley shrugged off that nightmarish afternoon to produce his most prolific back-to-back games since December.
“That's what I've been doing the last couple of games. Shooting my shots and shooting them with confidence,” Finley said. “I'm shooting them to make them. If they don't go in, I'm not putting my head down. I'm just ready to fire the next one.”
And that's about all Finley can do. In another locker room stall at the AT&T Center, cracking wise, getting healthy and prowling for minutes, Barry awaits.
Pro basketball: Barry's return coincides with Finley's hot shooting
Jeff McDonald
Express-News Staff Writer
For the first time in 36 days, Brent Barry was back in front of his old locker Wednesday night, holding court and cracking wise.
The newly reacquired Spurs swingman was discussing his league-mandated, monthlong sabbatical, fallout after he was traded to and then waived by Seattle in February.
As far as paid vacations go, this was no Carnival cruise. Barry spent most of his time off at local health clubs, trying his best to stay in shape.
“I saw a lot of old men naked,” Barry said. “It wasn't great.”
For the most part, Michael Finley's past month has been no picnic, either.
The Spurs shooting guard spent much of March drawing little but iron in arenas from Dallas to Denver, and from Phoenix to Philadelphia. He looked, for long stretches, like a man who could use a vacation.
It led to the obvious murmur: When Barry stopped hanging out with old men and returned to his old team, wouldn't Finley be the first to feel it?
If Finley is worried about losing minutes with Barry back in the locker room, he isn't showing it.
“Sometimes you think too much,” Finley said, “instead of just going out there and playing and shooting your shots, doing what you've been accustomed to doing for so long.”
A funny thing has happened to Finley in the two games with Barry back on the bench. He seems to have rediscovered the shooting stroke he left in February.
In victories over Orlando and the Los Angeles Clippers, Finley hit 14 of 25 shots for a combined 40 points.
Finley's mini hot stretch, which he hopes to carry over into tonight's game against Minnesota, has pushed his shooting percentage to 35.7 percent in March — up from 29.4 just three days ago.
Just as the Spurs welcomed back Barry, they've also welcomed back the Finley who shot an efficient 45.7 percent in February.
“Good to see him shooting the ball confidently,” forward Tim Duncan said. “That will help us down this stretch here, getting him into a rhythm and to a point where he's looking to fire that thing and is going to knock them down for us.”
A 12-year NBA veteran, Finley is in the midst of the poorest shooting season of his career (39.3 percent).
Yet coach Gregg Popovich never seemed to doubt Finley would someday fire his way out of his funk.
A week ago, the coach took a bold step to bolster the shooter's confidence.
On March 15, Finley came off the bench to clang 5 of 6 shots in a loss at Philadelphia. The next game against Boston, Popovich responded by inserting Finley into the starting lineup. He has kept him there ever since.
Finley's confidence, rising incrementally with his shooting percentage, mirrors that of his team.
To Popovich, there is really only one major difference between how the Spurs played during the four-game losing streak they endured from March 12-17 and the five-game winning streak that has followed.
“Making shots,” Popovich said. “We had a period there when we couldn't throw it in the ocean. We've always been pretty good on defense, usually one of the top four or five teams, but we've got to make shots.”
Over the past week or so, Finley has done his part.
Still, he knows better than to get too comfortable in his own Nikes. Two good games do not a slump-buster make.
Just last week, Finley appeared to shake his slump by going a combined 8 of 15 in victories over Chicago and Sacramento. One game later, he threw up a 0-for-7 performance against Dallas.
Finley shrugged off that nightmarish afternoon to produce his most prolific back-to-back games since December.
“That's what I've been doing the last couple of games. Shooting my shots and shooting them with confidence,” Finley said. “I'm shooting them to make them. If they don't go in, I'm not putting my head down. I'm just ready to fire the next one.”
And that's about all Finley can do. In another locker room stall at the AT&T Center, cracking wise, getting healthy and prowling for minutes, Barry awaits.