duncan228
05-06-2008, 11:37 PM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA.050708_SpursSider.en.d6afd32e.html
NBA: Manu laments Spurs' Game 2 letdowns
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
It was the high-water mark for the Spurs in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the New Orleans Hornets, and no surprise, it had been fueled by Manu Ginobili.
Back-to-back makes baskets by the Spurs’ sixth man extraordinaire preceded his slick pass to Ime Udoka for a rare fast-break basket. Just one minute and 19 seconds into the second quarter, the 6-0 run in little more than a minute gave the Spurs a seven-point lead and a momentary reason to believe they had solved the riddle of New Orleans’ swarming defense.
Moments later, however, Ginobili committed his fourth turnover of the first half, a bad pass picked off by Jannero Pargo. That led to a Bonzi Wells dunk.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sent Tony Parker to the scorer’s table to replace Ginobili, and the ultracompetitive guard walked slowly to the bench, muttering to himself. Those within earshot who were fluent in Spanish likely blushed.
Just past the midpoint of the period, Hornets rookie Julian Wright’s second 3-pointer of the game erased the final three points of the Spurs’ largest lead of the game.
Afterwards, Ginobili lamented the lost opportunity that the Hornets’ 9-2 run to the 31-31 represented. Though the Spurs got five points from Parker in the final 10 seconds of the first half to take a one-point lead to the locker room, it afforded no cushion to absorb another offensive surge by the Hornets in the third period.
“It was 29-22,” he said, “and then it was tied at 31 a minute later. So that was a big letdown.
“But again, the difference was in the third quarter. We can’t allow them to score 36 points. Way too many for a team like us. We’re not going to score 120 points in a game, so when a team scores like that in a quarter, it really hurts us.”
Ginobili, who knows how to play the AT&T Center crowd, is certain that Hornets point guard Chris Paul’s assertion that his team drew a large portion of its energy in Games 1 and 2 from the howling crowd at New Orleans Arena is no exaggeration.
Ginobili is much less certain why the Spurs seem to lose their focus during the third quarters that have doomed them to the 0-2 hole in which they now find themselves.
“I think (Monday) it was more that we got impatient,” he said. “We stopped moving the ball. We had some great shots in the first half from moving the ball. The third quarter, (we had) turnovers and some quick shots. They got away with a couple of transition points and fast breaks, and that really is huge for them. Then they all get excited and play better.
“We looked very frustrated at times, because for a moment we were having good looks and couldn’t make a shot.
“Then we saw the game slipping away, sort of the same way as Game 1 in that third quarter, and we changed the way we played. We were not as patient.
“We took too many shots after one pass, and that’s not who we are. They made us pay again.”
The Hornets won’t be getting an energizing boost from the crowd when Game 3 tips off at the AT&T Center, but the Spurs know it will take more than a few boos to alter the competitive dynamics of the series.
“We can’t think that just because we’re going home, suddenly we’re going to beat them,” Parker said. “We have to play better for 48 minutes. Right now, every time we do a good first half, in the second half, for whatever reason, we’re not playing well.”
NBA: Manu laments Spurs' Game 2 letdowns
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
It was the high-water mark for the Spurs in Game 2 of their Western Conference semifinal series against the New Orleans Hornets, and no surprise, it had been fueled by Manu Ginobili.
Back-to-back makes baskets by the Spurs’ sixth man extraordinaire preceded his slick pass to Ime Udoka for a rare fast-break basket. Just one minute and 19 seconds into the second quarter, the 6-0 run in little more than a minute gave the Spurs a seven-point lead and a momentary reason to believe they had solved the riddle of New Orleans’ swarming defense.
Moments later, however, Ginobili committed his fourth turnover of the first half, a bad pass picked off by Jannero Pargo. That led to a Bonzi Wells dunk.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sent Tony Parker to the scorer’s table to replace Ginobili, and the ultracompetitive guard walked slowly to the bench, muttering to himself. Those within earshot who were fluent in Spanish likely blushed.
Just past the midpoint of the period, Hornets rookie Julian Wright’s second 3-pointer of the game erased the final three points of the Spurs’ largest lead of the game.
Afterwards, Ginobili lamented the lost opportunity that the Hornets’ 9-2 run to the 31-31 represented. Though the Spurs got five points from Parker in the final 10 seconds of the first half to take a one-point lead to the locker room, it afforded no cushion to absorb another offensive surge by the Hornets in the third period.
“It was 29-22,” he said, “and then it was tied at 31 a minute later. So that was a big letdown.
“But again, the difference was in the third quarter. We can’t allow them to score 36 points. Way too many for a team like us. We’re not going to score 120 points in a game, so when a team scores like that in a quarter, it really hurts us.”
Ginobili, who knows how to play the AT&T Center crowd, is certain that Hornets point guard Chris Paul’s assertion that his team drew a large portion of its energy in Games 1 and 2 from the howling crowd at New Orleans Arena is no exaggeration.
Ginobili is much less certain why the Spurs seem to lose their focus during the third quarters that have doomed them to the 0-2 hole in which they now find themselves.
“I think (Monday) it was more that we got impatient,” he said. “We stopped moving the ball. We had some great shots in the first half from moving the ball. The third quarter, (we had) turnovers and some quick shots. They got away with a couple of transition points and fast breaks, and that really is huge for them. Then they all get excited and play better.
“We looked very frustrated at times, because for a moment we were having good looks and couldn’t make a shot.
“Then we saw the game slipping away, sort of the same way as Game 1 in that third quarter, and we changed the way we played. We were not as patient.
“We took too many shots after one pass, and that’s not who we are. They made us pay again.”
The Hornets won’t be getting an energizing boost from the crowd when Game 3 tips off at the AT&T Center, but the Spurs know it will take more than a few boos to alter the competitive dynamics of the series.
“We can’t think that just because we’re going home, suddenly we’re going to beat them,” Parker said. “We have to play better for 48 minutes. Right now, every time we do a good first half, in the second half, for whatever reason, we’re not playing well.”