duncan228
05-07-2008, 10:26 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA.050708.1CSpursLede.en.3888b4c.html
NBA: Spurs look to flex some playoff savvy
By Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
They were billed as Team Experience, a collection of salty veterans with championship rings and championship mettle.
When it comes to the postseason, the Spurs have seen it all and done it all. Headed into this year's Western Conference semifinals, that was supposed to be their big advantage over a neophyte New Orleans team ensconced in its first playoff foray as a group.
Even Hornets coach Byron Scott saw the contrast.
“They've done it over and over again,” Scott said of the Spurs. “They aren't fazed by anything.”
That hypothesis will be put to the test as the series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on Thursday, with the Spurs staring up from a startling 2-0 hole that only feels deeper.
The defending champions weren't just twice beaten in New Orleans. They were run out of New Orleans Arena in consecutive second halves, blown away by 19 and 18 points.
In the grim wake of their fourth lopsided loss to the Hornets this year — joining defeats of 24 and 25 points in the regular season — the Spurs tried not to sound too shaken.
“They did their job,” point guard Tony Parker said. “They won their two games at home, and now we have to try and do our job and take care of our home court.”
Still, the Spurs' inability to solve the Hornets — let alone stay within double digits of them — has to be a bit unsettling for the team that would not be fazed.
After two nights in the Big Easy that were anything but, Team Experience is now headed home, looking to accomplish something it never has before.
The Spurs have faced a 2-0 deficit in a seven-game NBA playoff series on five other occasions. They've never recovered to win the series.
Their most recent attempt came seven years ago, when the Los Angeles Lakers won the first two games of the conference finals en route to a 4-0 sweep.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admits the task ahead is a tough one. “It would be tough if we were up 2-0,” he said. But this is where the Spurs hope their playoff experience kicks in.
They almost boast more postseason seasoning in one player (Robert Horry) than the Hornets have in their entire team. Their core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Parker has been together for three NBA titles.
If any team can ward off the urge to panic, it is the battle-hardened Spurs.
“We've got guys who have been in these situations before and guys that know what they've got to bring to the game,” Duncan said. “Individually, I think everyone is going to bring a different level of intensity and focus without even having to say anything to them.”
The Hornets are in the second round for the first time since 2002, when both the franchise itself and Chris Paul, its future star guard, were based in North Carolina. (The Hornets played in Charlotte; Paul was a high school junior in the small town of Clemmons).
That novelty didn't stop the upstart Hornets from performing like old playoff pros in Games 1 and 2.
Paul and David West spent the first two games playing dueling All-Stars, turning in matching 30-point nights.
The Hornets have prevented Parker and Ginobili from trolling the paint, and they have neutralized Duncan with a steady stream of double teams. They've begged the Spurs to beat them from the perimeter, and so far, the Spurs have not obliged.
“We're just riding a wave right now,” Paul said.
The Spurs' biggest problem so far seems to be halftime.
They've been ahead at intermission of both games, only to be outscored by an average of 21 points in second halves. In third quarters, the Hornets' margin is 65-35.
That's not a problem the AT&T Center is guaranteed to cure.
“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.”
Heading home, the Spurs will take heart in this: A series isn't over until one team wins four.
The first step is simply to win one.
“It's about going home and trying to get the first one,” Duncan said. “That's the most important thing to come. We can worry about things after that.”
NBA: Spurs look to flex some playoff savvy
By Jeff McDonald
San Antonio Express-News
They were billed as Team Experience, a collection of salty veterans with championship rings and championship mettle.
When it comes to the postseason, the Spurs have seen it all and done it all. Headed into this year's Western Conference semifinals, that was supposed to be their big advantage over a neophyte New Orleans team ensconced in its first playoff foray as a group.
Even Hornets coach Byron Scott saw the contrast.
“They've done it over and over again,” Scott said of the Spurs. “They aren't fazed by anything.”
That hypothesis will be put to the test as the series shifts to San Antonio for Game 3 on Thursday, with the Spurs staring up from a startling 2-0 hole that only feels deeper.
The defending champions weren't just twice beaten in New Orleans. They were run out of New Orleans Arena in consecutive second halves, blown away by 19 and 18 points.
In the grim wake of their fourth lopsided loss to the Hornets this year — joining defeats of 24 and 25 points in the regular season — the Spurs tried not to sound too shaken.
“They did their job,” point guard Tony Parker said. “They won their two games at home, and now we have to try and do our job and take care of our home court.”
Still, the Spurs' inability to solve the Hornets — let alone stay within double digits of them — has to be a bit unsettling for the team that would not be fazed.
After two nights in the Big Easy that were anything but, Team Experience is now headed home, looking to accomplish something it never has before.
The Spurs have faced a 2-0 deficit in a seven-game NBA playoff series on five other occasions. They've never recovered to win the series.
Their most recent attempt came seven years ago, when the Los Angeles Lakers won the first two games of the conference finals en route to a 4-0 sweep.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admits the task ahead is a tough one. “It would be tough if we were up 2-0,” he said. But this is where the Spurs hope their playoff experience kicks in.
They almost boast more postseason seasoning in one player (Robert Horry) than the Hornets have in their entire team. Their core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Parker has been together for three NBA titles.
If any team can ward off the urge to panic, it is the battle-hardened Spurs.
“We've got guys who have been in these situations before and guys that know what they've got to bring to the game,” Duncan said. “Individually, I think everyone is going to bring a different level of intensity and focus without even having to say anything to them.”
The Hornets are in the second round for the first time since 2002, when both the franchise itself and Chris Paul, its future star guard, were based in North Carolina. (The Hornets played in Charlotte; Paul was a high school junior in the small town of Clemmons).
That novelty didn't stop the upstart Hornets from performing like old playoff pros in Games 1 and 2.
Paul and David West spent the first two games playing dueling All-Stars, turning in matching 30-point nights.
The Hornets have prevented Parker and Ginobili from trolling the paint, and they have neutralized Duncan with a steady stream of double teams. They've begged the Spurs to beat them from the perimeter, and so far, the Spurs have not obliged.
“We're just riding a wave right now,” Paul said.
The Spurs' biggest problem so far seems to be halftime.
They've been ahead at intermission of both games, only to be outscored by an average of 21 points in second halves. In third quarters, the Hornets' margin is 65-35.
That's not a problem the AT&T Center is guaranteed to cure.
“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.”
Heading home, the Spurs will take heart in this: A series isn't over until one team wins four.
The first step is simply to win one.
“It's about going home and trying to get the first one,” Duncan said. “That's the most important thing to come. We can worry about things after that.”