Spurs-Jazz Preview

[duncan228]

The game is on ESPN 8:00 EST

http://www.nba.com/games/20080404/SASUTA/preview.html

Spurs-Jazz Preview
By MIKE LIPKA, STATS Writer

It may seem like a foregone conclusion each year for the San Antonio Spurs, but in the Western Conference this season, just making the playoffs is an accomplishment.

The defending NBA champions, winners of eight straight, will have a chance to clinch their 11th straight postseason berth Friday when they visit the Utah Jazz, the NBA's best home team.

Since drafting Tim Duncan with the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft, the Spurs have qualified for the playoffs every season, winning four NBA titles in that span.

Despite playing in a conference that features nine teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better, another trip to the playoffs was never truly in doubt this season, and the recent spurt has San Antonio challenging for the top seed in the West.

The Spurs (52-23) trail first-place New Orleans by just a half-game, and need only one more win to clinch a spot in the postseason.

"Games mean a lot these days," Duncan said. "Obviously everyone's record is really close and everyone is playing for positioning. Every game down the stretch means a lot and has that playoff intensity."

San Antonio is coming off back-to-back blowout wins over playoff contenders, beating Houston and Golden State this week by at least 21 points each. They ended the Warriors' 37-game streak of scoring at least 100 points with a 116-92 victory Tuesday - their ninth straight game holding an opponent under 100.

During their winning streak, the Spurs are allowing 87.4 points and 40.8 percent shooting per game.

Against Golden State, Tony Parker had 26 points and seven assists and Duncan added 17 points and 12 rebounds. Parker is shooting 22-for-34 (64.7 percent) in the last two games, while Duncan has seven double-doubles in his last eight games.

Parker had only five points, however, in a 97-91 loss at Utah on Jan. 28, as Duncan's 26 points and 11 rebounds and Manu Ginobili's 29 points weren't enough to beat the Jazz (50-26).

Few teams do in Salt Lake City. The Jazz are 34-4 at home this season, having won five straight and 24 of their last 25 there.

They've won five of six overall, including a 117-100 home victory over Minnesota on Wednesday, Utah's final game of the season against a team with a losing record.

Mehmet Okur had 22 points and Deron Williams scored 19 on 8-of-10 shooting with 14 assists for the Jazz, who pulled away with a 38-22 scoring edge in the third quarter.

The Timberwolves chose to key on Utah's inside game, holding Carlos Boozer to 12 points and seven rebounds. But led by Okur, the Jazz were 12-of-22 from 3-point range.

"It's kind of like pick your poison," Boozer said. "You give us a layup, we're going to take that. You give us a 3-point shot, we have guys that can make it."

Utah holds a 3 1/2-game lead atop the Northwest Division, but its final six games are against teams currently in playoff position in the West - including a pair of meetings with San Antonio.

"It's going to be a tough schedule for us," Okur said, "but at the same time it's a good challenge. We just want to finish the season strong."

The home team has won the last seven games between the Spurs and Jazz. The clubs meet again in the season finale in San Antonio on April 16.

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/080404.html

Probable Starters:

Parker
Guard
18.6 PPG
Finley
Guard
10.0 PPG
Bowen
Forward
6.0 PPG
Duncan
Forward
19.5 PPG
Oberto
Center
4.7 PPG

Injury/Inactive Report
Robert Horry (left knee contusion) and Brent Barry are out

Spur in the Spotlight
Tim Duncan
"Games mean a lot these days, obviously everyone’s record is really close and everyone is playing for positioning. Every game down the stretch means a lot and has that playoff intensity."

Did You Know...
Tim Duncan and Utah forward Carlos Boozer were teammates on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team … prior to their game on 1/10/05 the Spurs had won the previous 18 in a row against the Jazz …George Gervin holds the Jazz opponent scoring record when he had 63 points on 4/9/78 … former Jazz great John Stockton holds the Spurs opponent record for most assists in a game, handing out 28 in Salt Lake City on 1/15/91.

[duncan228]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_8807106

Utah Jazz: Win over rival would spur hopes
Making a statement tonight against San Antonio could help down postseason road
By Ross Siler
The Salt Lake Tribune

As long as the Los Angeles Lakers have Kobe Bryant and the San Antonio Spurs have their championship rings, the Jazz would have to be concerned about playing either team in a potential first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Lakers punctured the Jazz's invincibility at EnergySolutions Arena with a March 20 victory and have arguably the game's most feared player in Bryant. The Spurs, meanwhile, have won 20 straight in San Antonio against the Jazz dating to February 1999.

With that in mind, the Jazz will have the chance to make a statement tonight - 16 days before the playoffs begin - as they host the defending champion Spurs, the team that eliminated them in the conference finals last playoffs.

The Jazz believe they can play with anybody, and the last thing Carlos Boozer wanted to hear Thursday was any talk about the Spurs being a team the Jazz would rather avoid in the postseason.
"I think we would match up good with them,'' Boozer said. "I think we have a lot of good pieces. I think we're a more confident team than last year. Last year, they took it to us pretty good. I think we have a different mentality this year. We may be able to go back at them in the playoffs.

"I mean, they're a playoff-ready team. The way they do their system, they're ready to go in the playoffs when the playoffs get here. They're going to be a tough out for anybody. But I think we match up pretty good with them."

It will be the start of a killer stretch for the Jazz to finish the regular season. The Jazz will play six games against conference contenders with .600 or better winning percentages, beginning and ending with the Spurs, who own an NBA-best eight-game winning streak.

"This is the time they always peak,'' Deron Williams said. "This is the time that San Antonio always comes together, right before the playoffs, and they just keep it going."

The Jazz have won five of their last six games and have averaged an astounding 118.8 points a game in doing so. The Spurs, by contrast, are giving up just 90.9 points as a team this season.

Given their choice, the Jazz would rather play a schedule of heavyweights to finish. Coach Jerry Sloan said he would prefer the team keep its edge and Boozer said a lack of interest last April cost the Jazz when they lost five games.

"These last six games that we have, we're going to be excited to play every one of these games,'' Boozer said. "For us, that's more of a preparation for how the playoffs are going to be because every one of those games is going to be so important to us."

The Jazz could clinch a playoff berth tonight with a victory and a loss by Golden State at Memphis. They trail fifth-place Phoenix by a half-game for first-round home-court advantage, with the Suns playing host to Minnesota tonight.

The Spurs and Jazz have split two games this season and one constant for San Antonio has been the play of guard Manu Ginobili. He scored 37 points (aided by a 17 of 19 night at the foul line) in the Spurs' 104-98 victory on Dec. 7 as well as 29 points in their Jan. 28 loss.

There is belief in the Jazz organization that Ginobili is the NBA's most underrated player. Kirilenko said Ginobili keeps you off-balance as a defender not only because he is left-handed but because he can drive to the basket as easily as he can hit a jumper.

"He's been hard on us since he's been in the league,'' Sloan said. "He's a terrific player. He's a very lively guy, he's a tough guy. Every team in the league would like to have a player like that."

As much as a victory over the Spurs would provide a shot of confidence, Williams said a victory April 16 at San Antonio in the regular-season finale would be even greater. He echoed Boozer in saying the Jazz wouldn't fear a first-round series with the Spurs.

"I think we can match up with anybody,'' Williams said. "I'm not going to say we can't beat somebody on their floor. I think we can. Just because we've got a streak, I still feel confident we can beat anybody anywhere."

[duncan228]

Jazz.com

http://www.nba.com/jazz/features/Upcoming_Game_Previews.html

“Welcome my son, welcome to the machine” Pink Floyd wasn’t speaking about the San Antonio Spurs when they penned that line, but they might as well have been. Simply put, the Spurs are “the machine”. Engineered and designed like a high-end Rolex, the Spurs are the epitome of precision and reliability. :smokin

The birth of this current dynasty can be traced to the exact moment that David Robinson’s left foot twisted and fractured on the evening of December 23rd, 1996 in a nondescript game against the Miami Heat. A horrible night for Robinson turned into a beautiful day in the neighborhood for the Spurs as a limpy-gimpy, dinged-up Mr. Robinson sent the Spurs’ season into a tailspin but placed them into the top spot for the 1997 Tim Duncan lottery. Four championship banners later, the injury proved so successful that they should have a giant bronze replica of Robinson’s left foot right next to the Alamo.

If the playoffs have not started yet for the Jazz there is no doubt it starts with this game. This is game one of a 6-game extremely brutal race to the finish line. Every game is huge as they are all against Western Conference rivals who are all jockeying for playoff position. Potentially, this streak could make or break the Jazz.

In the Dec 7th matchup, Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer each dropped 28 points but couldn’t slow down Manu Ginobli who lit it up for 37 points. The Spurs, playing without Tim Duncan, once again stopped the Jazz in San Antonio 104-98. In Salt Lake, on Jan 28th, Ginobli poured in 28 points but this time the Jazz held on to win 97-91. In that win, Boozer and Kirilenko each scored 23 points and they held Mr. Longoria to 5 points.

Look for Williams to really step up and continue his stellar play against the Spurs. For them to win however, they have to contain Ginobli who has somehow replaced Duncan as the key to their success. I am going out on a limb and say the Jazz win 104-97.

[MoSpur]

This should be a good game. Both of these teams are well coached. Utah plays very good at home. They are very disciplined and don't make too many mistakes. Their pick and roll offense is very nice. The Spurs will have to work hard to beat this team at home tonight.