duncan228
05-12-2008, 01:24 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA051208.UdokaSider.en.f0a59261.html
Spurs: Udoka steps in, contributes 15 points
By Mike Monroe
Meticulous planner that he is, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich insists that when it comes to using his bench in playoff games, he goes strictly by what he feels in his gut, or thereabouts.
“It’s just by the seat of the pants, really,” Popovich said.
After cutting back to what amounted to a seven-man rotation that produced a 110-99 victory in Game 3, Popovich expanded things on Sunday at the AT&T Center.
Added to the group that got the bulk of the minutes in the Spurs’ 100-80 victory that knotted the series at two games apiece was forward Ime Udoka, a first-year Spurs player who established his spot in the team’s rotation during the regular season.
A late-game afterthought in Game 3, Udoka logged 23 productive minutes Sunday. He made 5 of 8 shots, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, scoring 15 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and did a solid job of defending Hornets backup forward Bonzi Wells, a player who scorched the Spurs when he was the Sacramento Kings’ top scorer in a first-round series in 2006.
After watching all but the final 1:47 of Game 3, Udoka was on the floor for the start of the second quarter Sunday. He had missed 6 of 9 shots in the first three games, but knew he had to keep shooting if he wanted to stay in Popovich’s substitution rotation.
“That felt good,” he said. “I’ve been getting open looks this whole series and I haven’t been shooting it that well. But I felt great in warmups and had my mind made up that when I got open looks, I was going to shoot.”
His teammates were happy to see Udoka, signed in the off-season for his defensive doggedness, rediscover his touch.
“It was a huge spark for us,” team captain Tim Duncan said. “He hasn’t played a whole lot of minutes in this series, and he steps up and he’s ready to play. Those are the kind of guys you want to have on your team, guys who you want to put in the game and see if they can do something for you when you’re flat. He did just that.”
Udoka didn’t know what Popovich was thinking before the game, but he got a hint from an assistant coach that he might expect a much earlier call than he had gotten in Game 3.
“Pop never says anything before the game,” Udoka said. “It’s what he feels like doing at the time, and I know when Bonzi comes in, I think he likes me on Bonzi.
“One of the assistants had told me to get ready to play on Bonzi, so I had a feeling I was going to get a little more opportunity. But I’m ready whenever. Whatever he feels is best for that game, he’s going to play those people.”
Udoka isn’t certain how much time he might get when the series returns to New Orleans for Tuesday’s Game 5, but he believes this: The nature of Sunday’s blowout victory was important for the Spurs, who lost by 19 and 18 in Games 1 and 2.
“It’s a three-game series now,” Udoka said. “Putting a little pressure on them, getting a blowout tonight, I think was important to send a message, the way they beat us twice at their place.”
Spurs: Udoka steps in, contributes 15 points
By Mike Monroe
Meticulous planner that he is, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich insists that when it comes to using his bench in playoff games, he goes strictly by what he feels in his gut, or thereabouts.
“It’s just by the seat of the pants, really,” Popovich said.
After cutting back to what amounted to a seven-man rotation that produced a 110-99 victory in Game 3, Popovich expanded things on Sunday at the AT&T Center.
Added to the group that got the bulk of the minutes in the Spurs’ 100-80 victory that knotted the series at two games apiece was forward Ime Udoka, a first-year Spurs player who established his spot in the team’s rotation during the regular season.
A late-game afterthought in Game 3, Udoka logged 23 productive minutes Sunday. He made 5 of 8 shots, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range, scoring 15 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and did a solid job of defending Hornets backup forward Bonzi Wells, a player who scorched the Spurs when he was the Sacramento Kings’ top scorer in a first-round series in 2006.
After watching all but the final 1:47 of Game 3, Udoka was on the floor for the start of the second quarter Sunday. He had missed 6 of 9 shots in the first three games, but knew he had to keep shooting if he wanted to stay in Popovich’s substitution rotation.
“That felt good,” he said. “I’ve been getting open looks this whole series and I haven’t been shooting it that well. But I felt great in warmups and had my mind made up that when I got open looks, I was going to shoot.”
His teammates were happy to see Udoka, signed in the off-season for his defensive doggedness, rediscover his touch.
“It was a huge spark for us,” team captain Tim Duncan said. “He hasn’t played a whole lot of minutes in this series, and he steps up and he’s ready to play. Those are the kind of guys you want to have on your team, guys who you want to put in the game and see if they can do something for you when you’re flat. He did just that.”
Udoka didn’t know what Popovich was thinking before the game, but he got a hint from an assistant coach that he might expect a much earlier call than he had gotten in Game 3.
“Pop never says anything before the game,” Udoka said. “It’s what he feels like doing at the time, and I know when Bonzi comes in, I think he likes me on Bonzi.
“One of the assistants had told me to get ready to play on Bonzi, so I had a feeling I was going to get a little more opportunity. But I’m ready whenever. Whatever he feels is best for that game, he’s going to play those people.”
Udoka isn’t certain how much time he might get when the series returns to New Orleans for Tuesday’s Game 5, but he believes this: The nature of Sunday’s blowout victory was important for the Spurs, who lost by 19 and 18 in Games 1 and 2.
“It’s a three-game series now,” Udoka said. “Putting a little pressure on them, getting a blowout tonight, I think was important to send a message, the way they beat us twice at their place.”