duncan228
04-13-2008, 01:01 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA041308.Spurs_Notebook.en.5a5fc273.html
Spurs notebook: Duncan should be well rested
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
By the end of Friday night's 95-74 victory over Seattle, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had Tim Duncan right where he wanted him.
On the bench.
Duncan sat the entire fourth quarter, his most active moment coming during an early timeout, which he spent snapping assistant coach Chad Forcier on the rump with a towel.
With three games left in the regular season, and all of them presenting some degree of difficulty, Popovich would like to steal as much rest for his starters as possible.
At this point in the year, it's good to save up some energy and put some of that in the bank if you can, Popovich said.
Thanks to a bench that pulled its weight, even with Manu Ginobili sidelined, Popovich was able to accomplish that against the SuperSonics. The Spurs' bench accounted for 35 points, close to what it had been averaging with Ginobili healthy.
No Spurs player logged more than 29 minutes, which should help keep everyone fresh for the final four days of the season.
Meanwhile, the Spurs still don't know the who, when, and where of their first-round playoff series. They finish the regular season with a West Coast road trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers today and Sacramento on Monday before closing Wednesday at home against Utah.
Ginobili in doubt: Ginobili is likely to miss his second consecutive game with a strained groin this afternoon.
Wary of aggravating his star guard's condition with the playoffs looming, Popovich has deemed Ginobili doubtful against the Lakers.
Winning with defense: The Spurs aren't overly concerned about their offense, which has been up and down over the past four games. With the way they are playing defense, they say they can afford the occasional shooting slump.
The Sonics became the Spurs' fifth foe in the past four games to shoot 41 percent or less from the field. The Spurs held them to 38.6 percent, while the 74 points Seattle mustered were 23 below its season average.
As long as you play good defense, you're going to have a chance to win games, guard Tony Parker said. Everybody knows in the playoffs, you have to play defense to win games. As long as our defense is solid, we'll always have a chance.
Spurs notebook: Duncan should be well rested
Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
By the end of Friday night's 95-74 victory over Seattle, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had Tim Duncan right where he wanted him.
On the bench.
Duncan sat the entire fourth quarter, his most active moment coming during an early timeout, which he spent snapping assistant coach Chad Forcier on the rump with a towel.
With three games left in the regular season, and all of them presenting some degree of difficulty, Popovich would like to steal as much rest for his starters as possible.
At this point in the year, it's good to save up some energy and put some of that in the bank if you can, Popovich said.
Thanks to a bench that pulled its weight, even with Manu Ginobili sidelined, Popovich was able to accomplish that against the SuperSonics. The Spurs' bench accounted for 35 points, close to what it had been averaging with Ginobili healthy.
No Spurs player logged more than 29 minutes, which should help keep everyone fresh for the final four days of the season.
Meanwhile, the Spurs still don't know the who, when, and where of their first-round playoff series. They finish the regular season with a West Coast road trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers today and Sacramento on Monday before closing Wednesday at home against Utah.
Ginobili in doubt: Ginobili is likely to miss his second consecutive game with a strained groin this afternoon.
Wary of aggravating his star guard's condition with the playoffs looming, Popovich has deemed Ginobili doubtful against the Lakers.
Winning with defense: The Spurs aren't overly concerned about their offense, which has been up and down over the past four games. With the way they are playing defense, they say they can afford the occasional shooting slump.
The Sonics became the Spurs' fifth foe in the past four games to shoot 41 percent or less from the field. The Spurs held them to 38.6 percent, while the 74 points Seattle mustered were 23 below its season average.
As long as you play good defense, you're going to have a chance to win games, guard Tony Parker said. Everybody knows in the playoffs, you have to play defense to win games. As long as our defense is solid, we'll always have a chance.