Dex
05-12-2008, 11:34 AM
An Overlooked Duncan Draws San Antonio Even
By THAYER EVANS
Published: May 12, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/sports/basketball/12spurs.html?ref=basketball
SAN ANTONIO — For much of the Western Conference semifinal series between San Antonio and New Orleans, the focus has been on the point guard matchup of Chris Paul and Tony Parker.
Both Paul, the Hornets’ top scorer in the playoffs and the runner-up for the N.B.A.’s Most Valuable Player award this season, and Parker, the Spurs’ playoff scoring leader, have shined in the spotlight of their one-on-one duel.
Lost in the glare was San Antonio forward Tim Duncan, the N.B.A.’s two-time most valuable player. Entering Sunday, he had been averaging just 13 points a game this series, more than 7 points below his playoff average this season.
He was also shooting only 39.4 percent from the field, far below his playoff average of 47.1 percent this season.
But while Parker and Paul were again standouts Sunday, it was Duncan, with team highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds, who keyed the Spurs to a 100-80 victory of New Orleans to even the series at two games apiece. Duncan finished 10 of 13 from the field with three assists and four blocks.
The series resumes Tuesday night in New Orleans, where the Hornets won the first two games.
“We just did our job and won two games and now it’s back to 0-0,” Parker said of the series. “Game 5 is going to be huge.”
Parker had 21 points and 8 assists for the Spurs, while Manu Ginóbili, the N.B.A.’s top sixth man, added 15 points and 8 assists in his second consecutive start. Paul topped the Hornets with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, but had 4 turnovers.
“Our intensity was terrible,” Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. “I think from Game 1 to Game 4 it has gotten worse. The Spurs have just gotten better. That’s the difference.”
With Parker and Paul struggling to defend each other, they essentially canceled one another out. But Parker outplayed Paul when it mattered most.
Ahead by 2 points after the first quarter, the Spurs opened the second quarter with a 21-6 run to extend their lead to 45-28 on a jumper by Parker with 5 minutes 27 seconds left in the half.
After Parker’s last jumper of the run, he backpedaled down the court nodding his head confidently. As he took a seat on the bench with four minutes left in the quarter, a faint chant of “M.V.P., M.V.P., M.V.P.!” came from the upper deck.
“I don’t think we responded on defense,” Scott said. “We went back to our bad habits earlier in the season.”
San Antonio put the game away in the third quarter’s first six minutes, using an 18-8 run to take a 73-50 advantage on a jump shot by Ginóbili.
New Orleans cut its deficit to 17 with 3:42 left in the third quarter before the Spurs went on a 7-0 spurt to close the period.
“When we had the lead at halftime, the only thing we talked about was remembering what happened in New Orleans when we played very badly in those third quarters and so we wanted to keep it going tonight, not give them any hope and keep playing,” Parker said.
During an inauspicious start, Duncan missed a layup on the game’s opening possession and was hesitant to attack the taller 7-foot-1 Tyson Chandler, who defended him. But Duncan then made 7 of his next 9 shots to give him 15 points to go along with 7 rebounds at halftime.
“I’ve kind of known for a little while what they’ve been doing, but tonight I got some shots to go down,” Duncan said, referring to the Hornets’ defense.
Duncan’s most impressive play of the game came during the Spurs’ first third-quarter run. With 9:17 left in the quarter, Duncan drove past Chandler and made a left-handed hook and was fouled, causing him to topple over photographers on the baseline.
“Tim was aggressive,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said. “They were doubling him a lot.”
With 10:48 left in the game, Duncan headed to the bench with his team leading, 87-63. The capacity crowd applauded him, but not nearly as loudly as it cheered when Parker departed earlier. Duncan had been overlooked again, but he hardly seemed to care.
“He picked his spots,” Paul said of Duncan. “He knew when to be aggressive. He knew when to get his teammates involved and things like that. That’s why he’s arguably the best power forward to ever play the game.”
Chris Paul with some classy words. Now if he could just stop being a little punk on the court.
(And it would be nice if he would stop draining everything he chucks up at the basket, too)
By THAYER EVANS
Published: May 12, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/sports/basketball/12spurs.html?ref=basketball
SAN ANTONIO — For much of the Western Conference semifinal series between San Antonio and New Orleans, the focus has been on the point guard matchup of Chris Paul and Tony Parker.
Both Paul, the Hornets’ top scorer in the playoffs and the runner-up for the N.B.A.’s Most Valuable Player award this season, and Parker, the Spurs’ playoff scoring leader, have shined in the spotlight of their one-on-one duel.
Lost in the glare was San Antonio forward Tim Duncan, the N.B.A.’s two-time most valuable player. Entering Sunday, he had been averaging just 13 points a game this series, more than 7 points below his playoff average this season.
He was also shooting only 39.4 percent from the field, far below his playoff average of 47.1 percent this season.
But while Parker and Paul were again standouts Sunday, it was Duncan, with team highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds, who keyed the Spurs to a 100-80 victory of New Orleans to even the series at two games apiece. Duncan finished 10 of 13 from the field with three assists and four blocks.
The series resumes Tuesday night in New Orleans, where the Hornets won the first two games.
“We just did our job and won two games and now it’s back to 0-0,” Parker said of the series. “Game 5 is going to be huge.”
Parker had 21 points and 8 assists for the Spurs, while Manu Ginóbili, the N.B.A.’s top sixth man, added 15 points and 8 assists in his second consecutive start. Paul topped the Hornets with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, but had 4 turnovers.
“Our intensity was terrible,” Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. “I think from Game 1 to Game 4 it has gotten worse. The Spurs have just gotten better. That’s the difference.”
With Parker and Paul struggling to defend each other, they essentially canceled one another out. But Parker outplayed Paul when it mattered most.
Ahead by 2 points after the first quarter, the Spurs opened the second quarter with a 21-6 run to extend their lead to 45-28 on a jumper by Parker with 5 minutes 27 seconds left in the half.
After Parker’s last jumper of the run, he backpedaled down the court nodding his head confidently. As he took a seat on the bench with four minutes left in the quarter, a faint chant of “M.V.P., M.V.P., M.V.P.!” came from the upper deck.
“I don’t think we responded on defense,” Scott said. “We went back to our bad habits earlier in the season.”
San Antonio put the game away in the third quarter’s first six minutes, using an 18-8 run to take a 73-50 advantage on a jump shot by Ginóbili.
New Orleans cut its deficit to 17 with 3:42 left in the third quarter before the Spurs went on a 7-0 spurt to close the period.
“When we had the lead at halftime, the only thing we talked about was remembering what happened in New Orleans when we played very badly in those third quarters and so we wanted to keep it going tonight, not give them any hope and keep playing,” Parker said.
During an inauspicious start, Duncan missed a layup on the game’s opening possession and was hesitant to attack the taller 7-foot-1 Tyson Chandler, who defended him. But Duncan then made 7 of his next 9 shots to give him 15 points to go along with 7 rebounds at halftime.
“I’ve kind of known for a little while what they’ve been doing, but tonight I got some shots to go down,” Duncan said, referring to the Hornets’ defense.
Duncan’s most impressive play of the game came during the Spurs’ first third-quarter run. With 9:17 left in the quarter, Duncan drove past Chandler and made a left-handed hook and was fouled, causing him to topple over photographers on the baseline.
“Tim was aggressive,” Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said. “They were doubling him a lot.”
With 10:48 left in the game, Duncan headed to the bench with his team leading, 87-63. The capacity crowd applauded him, but not nearly as loudly as it cheered when Parker departed earlier. Duncan had been overlooked again, but he hardly seemed to care.
“He picked his spots,” Paul said of Duncan. “He knew when to be aggressive. He knew when to get his teammates involved and things like that. That’s why he’s arguably the best power forward to ever play the game.”
Chris Paul with some classy words. Now if he could just stop being a little punk on the court.
(And it would be nice if he would stop draining everything he chucks up at the basket, too)