Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Hornets Game 7

[timvp]

In an effort for the ages, the San Antonio Spurs went to New Orleans and defeated the Hornets in Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. After 48 grueling minutes, the Spurs grinded out a 91-82 victory in classic Spurs Basketball fashion.

The Spurs entered the game having been blown out in four straight times on the road against the Hornets. However, this one was different. San Antonio showed as much mental toughness as they’ve ever shown and kept the pesky Hornets at bay. The Spurs got up early, withstood a few major pushes by the Hornets and led by 15 points heading into the fourth quarter. In the final stanza, the Hornets had another run but the Spurs found a way to survive.

The Hornets deserve a huge amount of props for the way they played this series. For a team so young, they played just amazing basketball. Chris Paul is one of the top two or three basketball players on the planet. David West and Tyson Chandler are very good players. When not being guarded by Bruce Bowen, Peja Stojakovic played as well as he’s ever played in the postseason. In Game 7, the team’s inexperience finally caught up to them a bit. The Hornets were tight, their crowd was nervous and for the first time they actually looked like playoff newcomers. That said, New Orleans proved to the world that, barring injury, they’ll be in the championship equation for the next half decade.

When talking Spurs, usually your sentences begin and end with the Big Three. Though in this game, the story was different. It was the role players – the same role players who have been called too old, too unathletic and simply not good enough – that won Game 7 for the Spurs. The role players scored 32 points, pulled down 30 rebounds and shot 12-for-23 from the field and 8-for-17 from three-point land. With the Big Three shooting a combined 34% from the floor, the Spurs simply would not have gotten it done without timely performances from the role players.

Defensively, Game 7 was as good as the Spurs have played all year. San Antonio changed their defensive looks constantly and did so seamlessly. In the first three road games of the series, the Spurs had countless defensive breakdowns. In this game, the Spurs were almost flawless on that end of the court.

On the offensive end, it came down to hitting the open three-pointers. The Hornets had been leaving the three-point shooters all series and the Spurs made them pay.

Overall, it was a great win for the Spurs. The Spurs had never come back from losing the first two games of a series. The Spurs had never come back from a 2-3 deficit. The Spurs had never won a Game 7 on the road. I guess it’s time to update the annals of history.

-Tim Duncan didn’t play a great game but he did a good job of controlling the pace. After hitting 5-of-7 shots to begin the contest, Duncan missed his final ten shots. He also turned the ball over four times. However, Duncan deserves praise for his work defensively and the way he sprinted the court on both ends. Defensively, the Hornets didn’t get many easy shots – in large part to Duncan always being back on defense. Offensively, the Spurs ran a good portion of their sets through Duncan, and while he couldn’t buy a basket down the stretch, he was aggressive with both his moves and his passing. On the night, Duncan finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and three assists, while shooting 5-for-17 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line. The Spurs obviously need Duncan to play much better but he did enough to help get the Game 7 victory.

-Manu Ginobili, like Duncan, didn’t have a very pretty game but he was also key. He finished with 26 points, five rebounds and five assists, while shooting 6-for-19 from the field. Ginobili helped mostly with his three-point shooting (4-for-11) and his clutch free throw shooting down the stretch (10-for-11). In the second half, Ginobili was only 1-for-7 from the field, including misfiring on his final five attempts. Thankfully, Ginobili was able to produce at the free throw line and on the defensive end. Also like Duncan, Ginobili will need to up his level of play for the Spurs to win a championship. He was good enough in Game 7, however.

-Tony Parker quietly had a solid contest for San Antonio. He was hesitant and at times it appeared as if the pressure was getting the better of him. But when the Spurs needed him most, Parker stepped up. In the final 18 and a half minutes of the game, Duncan and Ginobili were a combined 0-for-12 from the field. In that time span, Parker was 4-for-8. With 50 seconds to go, Parker hit a jumper to extend the lead from three to five and the Spurs never looked back. That jumper by Parker was one of the biggest shots of his career and definitely the biggest shot of the night for San Antonio. Parker finished the night with 17 points, five assists, two rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot, while shooting 7-for-17 from the floor. Defensively, he was extremely impressive for much of the night. He could play better, much like Duncan and Ginobili, but on this night, Parker kept the Spurs afloat at the end of the game.

-Bruce Bowen had another successful game against Stojakovic. Stojakovic scored seven points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field, with much of the defensive credit going to Bowen. Stojakovic scored 47 points in the first two games when Bowen was on Paul. With Bowen on him in the final five games of the series, Stojakovic scored 43 points. Bowen’s success against Stojakovic might have been the biggest reason why the Spurs were able to come back and win the series. In Game 7, Bowen finished with six points, three rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot, while shooting 2-for-5 on three-pointers and 0-for-1 on two-pointers.

-I had a good feeling about Fabricio Oberto heading into this game and the Argentine bigman didn’t disappoint. Oberto played 32 minutes and finished with four points, nine rebounds and two assists, while hitting both of his shots from the field. He was far from spectacular but he played smart basketball and was steady throughout the contest. With as much as the Hornets were trapping, Oberto’s ability to pass the ball was a vital part of the Spurs winning four of the last five contests. Defensively, Oberto got better as the game went on. He still can’t really defend West – but luckily this series is over, thanks in large part to Oberto’s heady play.

-Ime Udoka officially became a Spur tonight. In the final four games of the series, Udoka become an instrumental cog in the Spurs machine. He basically transformed into the reincarnation of Mario Elie right before our eyes. In Game 7, Udoka wasn’t scared at all and was instead one of the most aggressive players on the court. He shot with confidence, he defended assertively and rebounded with fervor. On the night, Udoka finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while shooting 3-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Without Udoka stepping up in the final four games of this series, the Spurs would be fishing right now.

-Robert Horry. What can you say about this guy? He’s been ineffective basically the entire season and the entire playoffs but then Game 7 arrives and Horry plays the best game of his season. Amazing. This game is exactly why Pop will live with Horry shooting 18% from the floor. This game is why you can never really discount Horry. When you least expect it, he comes up huge. In 15 minutes, Horry scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and swiped a steal, while hitting 2-of-4 from the field – all from beyond the arc. His defense was by far the best we’ve seen out of him this season. Horry provided the Spurs with a smart, calm presence throughout his time on the court. The two three-pointers he hit were big shots at key parts of the game. Then again, that’s what Horry does.

-Michael Finley, the forgotten and oft criticized Spur, performed brilliantly in his 11 minutes of playing time. It was almost flawless basketball out of Finley, who scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and hit both of his shots, each from three-point range. When Duncan got in foul trouble in the third quarter and the Hornets got within eight points, it was a Finley three-pointer that got the Spurs rolling once again. I was also pleasantly surprised by the effort Finley gave on the boards. He rebounded with more tenacity than we’ve seen out of him in a long time. While Finley wasn’t on the court much, he was a big part of this game.

-Kurt Thomas only played seven minutes but he made the most of his time on the floor. Thomas pulled down six rebounds, five of which were offensive, and scored two points in those seven minutes. Pop smartly limited his minutes because the Spurs had been struggling to score with Thomas in the game against the Hornets, but Thomas was just a monster on the boards. Great effort.

-Pop coached a very good Game 7. He kept aggressive shooters on the court and was quick to call timeouts whenever the Hornets started gaining momentum. Most importantly, Pop had the team playing defense at an extremely high level, even though the Spurs were switching their defensive schemes several times per quarter.

Pop’s play call for Parker at the end of the game resulted in the game-clinching bucket. It would have been easy to call a play specifically for Duncan or Ginobili but Pop put trust in his young point guard and was rewarded.

The third quarter woes seemed to have been solved when Pop ordered fullcourt pressure to begin the second half. That defensive ploy got the blood flowing and the Spurs didn’t have the defensive breakdowns that have plagued them the last four times in New Orleans.

Early in Pop’s coaching career, especially in 1999, he was a good coach but he was mostly just along for the championship ride. Now, Pop is the driving force behind this team emotionally and on the court. His growth as a coach has allowed the Spurs to once again find themselves in the Western Conference Finals.

The bottomline is the Spurs just pulled out one of the biggest non-Finals wins in franchise history. It certainly wasn’t pretty but I’m not complaining. Fantastic win and this ride continues.

Great job, Spurs. I'm damn proud of all of you.

On to the next battle.

1.

Believe.

[samikeyp]

Well said. :tu

[VaSpursFan]

i think this game showed the mettle of everyone. pop coached brilliantly, tony hits a clutch shot, horry emerges from his funk, manu put on his cape, timmy was steady, and udoka grew up. i agree with you, udoka has been the key. his rebounding offensively and defensively has been huge.

good series, now it's time for the lakers. there is no margin for error here.

GO SPURS GO

[SAGambler]

Nice recap.:clap

[peewee's lovechild]

Great post, LJ.

[Kori Ellis]

In the final 18 and a half minutes of the game, Duncan and Ginobili were a combined 0-for-12 from the field.

:wow Man, this forum would have thrown Tim and Manu under the bus if they would have lost. :lol I didn't realize they shot so poorly to close out the game. Manu did a good job at the line though.

[foodie2]

transformed into the reincarnation of Mario Elie right before our eyes

I knew there was a reason I like Ime so much. Elie was my favorite Spur when he was with SA.

[smeagol]

When talking Spurs, usually your sentences begin and end with the Big Three. Though in this game, the story was different. It was the role players – the same role players who have been called too old, too unathletic and simply not good enough – that won Game 7 for the Spurs. The role players scored 32 points, pulled down 30 rebounds and shot 12-for-23 from the field and 8-for-17 from three-point land. With the Big Three shooting a combined 34% from the floor, the Spurs simply would not have gotten it done without timely performances from the role players.

I just started a thread saying exactly what you just said about our role players.

Last night it was all about them.

Congrats to the savvy veterans!

[CubanMustGo]

I just started a thread saying exactly what you just said about our role players.

Last night it was all about them.

Congrats to the savvy veterans!

Even Reggie Miller said the Spurs bench blew him away with their effort last night. Thank goodness they were in the game b/c TD and Manu (except for his FTs) stunk up the joint in the second half.

[foodie2]

I think last night was about all the Spurs. My husband, who couldn't watch the game until about the 4th quarter, asked me, "Who's been the hero?" I finally decided it was everyone.

And props especially to Pop, Udoka, Horry, and my favorite player of all time, Bruce Bowen. If it hadn't been for his defense on Peja, we wouldn't have come out of this series.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Ime Udoka is one tough s.o.b. He plays like he has ice water in his veins.

[TMTTRIO]

I haven't really been happy with Manu's game lately. He's been relying way too much on his 3 point shooting which for the most part he hasn't been successful and he's been making some really bad decisions. Luckily he hit his FT's though. I'm still waiting for him to have a good series and be SuperManu again. Our role players were awesome last night and really carried us. I've been very impressed Udoka and hope he can continue to play like he has. Tony was super clutch last night and hope he can continue to be.

[stepmonkey]

In the final 18 and a half minutes of the game, Duncan and Ginobili were a combined 0-for-12 from the field.


Unbelievable statistic. That was the most impressive thing about this win. None of the Big Three played particularly well and we still managed to grind out a victory.

[florige]

In an effort for the ages, the San Antonio Spurs went to New Orleans and defeated the Hornets in Game 7 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. After 48 grueling minutes, the Spurs grinded out a 91-82 victory in classic Spurs Basketball fashion.

The Spurs entered the game having been blown out in four straight times on the road against the Hornets. However, this one was different. San Antonio showed as much mental toughness as they’ve ever shown and kept the pesky Hornets at bay. The Spurs got up early, withstood a few major pushes by the Hornets and led by 15 points heading into the fourth quarter. In the final stanza, the Hornets had another run but the Spurs found a way to survive.

The Hornets deserve a huge amount of props for the way they played this series. For a team so young, they played just amazing basketball. Chris Paul is one of the top two or three basketball players on the planet. David West and Tyson Chandler are very good players. When not being guarded by Bruce Bowen, Peja Stojakovic played as well as he’s ever played in the postseason. In Game 7, the team’s inexperience finally caught up to them a bit. The Hornets were tight, their crowd was nervous and for the first time they actually looked like playoff newcomers. That said, New Orleans proved to the world that, barring injury, they’ll be in the championship equation for the next half decade.

When talking Spurs, usually your sentences begin and end with the Big Three. Though in this game, the story was different. It was the role players – the same role players who have been called too old, too unathletic and simply not good enough – that won Game 7 for the Spurs. The role players scored 32 points, pulled down 30 rebounds and shot 12-for-23 from the field and 8-for-17 from three-point land. With the Big Three shooting a combined 34% from the floor, the Spurs simply would not have gotten it done without timely performances from the role players.

Defensively, Game 7 was as good as the Spurs have played all year. San Antonio changed their defensive looks constantly and did so seamlessly. In the first three road games of the series, the Spurs had countless defensive breakdowns. In this game, the Spurs were almost flawless on that end of the court.

On the offensive end, it came down to hitting the open three-pointers. The Hornets had been leaving the three-point shooters all series and the Spurs made them pay.

Overall, it was a great win for the Spurs. The Spurs had never come back from losing the first two games of a series. The Spurs had never come back from a 2-3 deficit. The Spurs had never won a Game 7 on the road. I guess it’s time to update the annals of history.

-Tim Duncan didn’t play a great game but he did a good job of controlling the pace. After hitting 5-of-7 shots to begin the contest, Duncan missed his final ten shots. He also turned the ball over four times. However, Duncan deserves praise for his work defensively and the way he sprinted the court on both ends. Defensively, the Hornets didn’t get many easy shots – in large part to Duncan always being back on defense. Offensively, the Spurs ran a good portion of their sets through Duncan, and while he couldn’t buy a basket down the stretch, he was aggressive with both his moves and his passing. On the night, Duncan finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and three assists, while shooting 5-for-17 from the field and 6-for-6 from the line. The Spurs obviously need Duncan to play much better but he did enough to help get the Game 7 victory.

-Manu Ginobili, like Duncan, didn’t have a very pretty game but he was also key. He finished with 26 points, five rebounds and five assists, while shooting 6-for-19 from the field. Ginobili helped mostly with his three-point shooting (4-for-11) and his clutch free throw shooting down the stretch (10-for-11). In the second half, Ginobili was only 1-for-7 from the field, including misfiring on his final five attempts. Thankfully, Ginobili was able to produce at the free throw line and on the defensive end. Also like Duncan, Ginobili will need to up his level of play for the Spurs to win a championship. He was good enough in Game 7, however.

-Tony Parker quietly had a solid contest for San Antonio. He was hesitant and at times it appeared as if the pressure was getting the better of him. But when the Spurs needed him most, Parker stepped up. In the final 18 and a half minutes of the game, Duncan and Ginobili were a combined 0-for-12 from the field. In that time span, Parker was 4-for-8. With 50 seconds to go, Parker hit a jumper to extend the lead from three to five and the Spurs never looked back. That jumper by Parker was one of the biggest shots of his career and definitely the biggest shot of the night for San Antonio. Parker finished the night with 17 points, five assists, two rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot, while shooting 7-for-17 from the floor. Defensively, he was extremely impressive for much of the night. He could play better, much like Duncan and Ginobili, but on this night, Parker kept the Spurs afloat at the end of the game.

-Bruce Bowen had another successful game against Stojakovic. Stojakovic scored seven points on 3-for-11 shooting from the field, with much of the defensive credit going to Bowen. Stojakovic scored 47 points in the first two games when Bowen was on Paul. With Bowen on him in the final five games of the series, Stojakovic scored 43 points. Bowen’s success against Stojakovic might have been the biggest reason why the Spurs were able to come back and win the series. In Game 7, Bowen finished with six points, three rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot, while shooting 2-for-5 on three-pointers and 0-for-1 on two-pointers.

-I had a good feeling about Fabricio Oberto heading into this game and the Argentine bigman didn’t disappoint. Oberto played 32 minutes and finished with four points, nine rebounds and two assists, while hitting both of his shots from the field. He was far from spectacular but he played smart basketball and was steady throughout the contest. With as much as the Hornets were trapping, Oberto’s ability to pass the ball was a vital part of the Spurs winning four of the last five contests. Defensively, Oberto got better as the game went on. He still can’t really defend West – but luckily this series is over, thanks in large part to Oberto’s heady play.

-Ime Udoka officially became a Spur tonight. In the final four games of the series, Udoka become an instrumental cog in the Spurs machine. He basically transformed into the reincarnation of Mario Elie right before our eyes. In Game 7, Udoka wasn’t scared at all and was instead one of the most aggressive players on the court. He shot with confidence, he defended assertively and rebounded with fervor. On the night, Udoka finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while shooting 3-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Without Udoka stepping up in the final four games of this series, the Spurs would be fishing right now.

-Robert Horry. What can you say about this guy? He’s been ineffective basically the entire season and the entire playoffs but then Game 7 arrives and Horry plays the best game of his season. Amazing. This game is exactly why Pop will live with Horry shooting 18% from the floor. This game is why you can never really discount Horry. When you least expect it, he comes up huge. In 15 minutes, Horry scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and swiped a steal, while hitting 2-of-4 from the field – all from beyond the arc. His defense was by far the best we’ve seen out of him this season. Horry provided the Spurs with a smart, calm presence throughout his time on the court. The two three-pointers he hit were big shots at key parts of the game. Then again, that’s what Horry does.

-Michael Finley, the forgotten and oft criticized Spur, performed brilliantly in his 11 minutes of playing time. It was almost flawless basketball out of Finley, who scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and hit both of his shots, each from three-point range. When Duncan got in foul trouble in the third quarter and the Hornets got within eight points, it was a Finley three-pointer that got the Spurs rolling once again. I was also pleasantly surprised by the effort Finley gave on the boards. He rebounded with more tenacity than we’ve seen out of him in a long time. While Finley wasn’t on the court much, he was a big part of this game.

-Kurt Thomas only played seven minutes but he made the most of his time on the floor. Thomas pulled down six rebounds, five of which were offensive, and scored two points in those seven minutes. Pop smartly limited his minutes because the Spurs had been struggling to score with Thomas in the game against the Hornets, but Thomas was just a monster on the boards. Great effort.

-Pop coached a very good Game 7. He kept aggressive shooters on the court and was quick to call timeouts whenever the Hornets started gaining momentum. Most importantly, Pop had the team playing defense at an extremely high level, even though the Spurs were switching their defensive schemes several times per quarter.

Pop’s play call for Parker at the end of the game resulted in the game-clinching bucket. It would have been easy to call a play specifically for Duncan or Ginobili but Pop put trust in his young point guard and was rewarded.

The third quarter woes seemed to have been solved when Pop ordered fullcourt pressure to begin the second half. That defensive ploy got the blood flowing and the Spurs didn’t have the defensive breakdowns that have plagued them the last four times in New Orleans.
Early in Pop’s coaching career, especially in 1999, he was a good coach but he was mostly just along for the championship ride. Now, Pop is the driving force behind this team emotionally and on the court. His growth as a coach has allowed the Spurs to once again find themselves in the Western Conference Finals.

The bottomline is the Spurs just pulled out one of the biggest non-Finals wins in franchise history. It certainly wasn’t pretty but I’m not complaining. Fantastic win and this ride continues.

Great job, Spurs. I'm damn proud of all of you.

On to the next battle.

1.

Believe.




Honestly I think alot of people here should be analyst or coach in some capacity with a team. I recall someone here saying that EXACT thing before this game about possibly going full-court in the 3rd qtr. That turned out to be a great idea!

[remingtonbo2001]

Best recap of the season thus far.

[DannyT]

I didn't realize they shot so poorly to close out the game.

It was an ugly stretch for them and they even showed a running clock of how long the spurs had gone scoring only 1 point.

[timvp]

:wow Man, this forum would have thrown Tim and Manu under the bus if they would have lost. Yeah, not exactly how you want your two closers to finish off a Game 7 ............. but I'll take the victory.

[MoSpur]

Orbeto's pass to Horry for the three was awesome. He is a very smart player. Thomas' offensive rebounds was a another huge key for the Spurs victory. I give huge props to Finley for answering the call when needed.

All of the above is credit to Pop for having these guys prepared. Those above-mentioned guys bought into the system and it showed last night.

[bobbybob0]

I was particularly impressed with Udoka play and hustle.

Especially on offense, if he can keep defenses honest that allows going with him and Bowen at the same time on the flloor.

IIRC, at one time in the 3rd we had a small ball unit featuring Parker, Ginobilli, Bowen, Udoka and Duncan. That's some tough defense here.

I was also pleased with the effort TP was providing on defense. He was not only chasing Paul for most of the night but also mixing it inside with some timely double teams on Chandler or West.

[E20]

Major props to:
Horry
Finley
Bowen
Udoka
Thomas
Oberto

[BigVee]

Yeah, not exactly how you want your two closers to finish off a Game 7 ............. but I'll take the victory.

By game's end they looked mentally and physically exhausted. HUGE shot by Tony.

[T Park]

Yeah we've all been wanting Udoka to be the next Bowen so bad when he just isn't that.

If hes the next Mario Elie though, thats a great thing.

You see alot of similarities in Mario Elie in Ime Udoka.

[1Parker1]

Oberto was the biggest difference yesterday. He was playing the smartest basketball I've seen of him all season long. He was active, he was passing well, he was defending well. He just filled his role to perfection and thought he really set the tone for the Spurs throughout the game. He was very consistent for 48 minutes.

[nkdlunch]

Major props to:
Horry
Finley
Bowen
Udoka

Oberto had sick passes. Thomas was a monster on the boards.

[awktalk]

Pop’s play call for Parker at the end of the game resulted in the game-clinching bucket. It would have been easy to call a play specifically for Duncan or Ginobili but Pop put trust in his young point guard and was rewarded.

Actually, the play was called for Gino coming off a "wedge roll" and Pop intended for him to get to the line. TP was the 2nd option to penetrate if possible but when he saw Chandler sag he drilled the jumper. Ice cold.

Edit:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052008.7D.BKNspurs.parker.e4a2f3d.html



Pargo missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the score with 1:05 left. Tim Duncan snagged the rebound, and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich signaled a play from the sidelines.

Parker was actually the second option on the play, but he ended up with the ball, and Popovich was fine with that.

“I ran ‘wedge roll’ for Manu,” Popovich said, “because I wanted him to get to the free-throw line, or get the ball to Tony because he’s got some real big guts. He’ll miss five shots in a row, but at the end of a game, he’ll take a shot and make it. He’s done it before.

“He came off that pick and just knocked it down. That took it from three (points) to five. I told the team: Biggest shot of the game.”

[Budkin]

Hell yeah... I always believed. Always! This is the year of the back to back.

[Spurminator]

I was worried for a minute with Ime because right after coming into the game he made a pretty awful pass that got stolen, and I wondered if Game 6 was a fluke. Then, a few seconds later, he drained a three and was awesome for the rest of the game.

Great performance for Udoka in two must-win games.

[T Park]

Yeah, if Udoka keeps this up, hes the starting 2 guard next year.

All he needs is the 17, and to give the kiss of death to someone.

[samikeyp]

:wow Man, this forum would have thrown Tim and Manu under the bus if they would have lost. :lol I didn't realize they shot so poorly to close out the game. Manu did a good job at the line though.

Nahh....not here! :lol

[LEONARD]

Believe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!

[ducks]

Yeah, not exactly how you want your two closers to finish off a Game 7 ............. but I'll take the victory.
are you sure about manu?

[wildbill2u]

By the fourth quarter I was screaming at Parker NOT to give the ball to Duncan. Something bad--Turnover, steal or missed shot--was sure to happen. Thank God Parker realized this and took the shot himself to put us up by 5.

Chandler may not be better than Duncan at this point in their careers--but you couldn't tell it from this game:

Chandler Duncan
points 15 (6-8) 14 (5-17)
turnovers zero 4
rebounds (4o) 15 (1O) 14
Assists 1 3
PF 3 5

In addition, Chandler played Duncan one-on-one a lot and Duncan was harrassed into a 5-17 shooting performance. The Hornets would let Chandler play Duncan while Tim putzed around with the ball outside and then drop a double team when the clock was running down. Compared to previous series and the season, TD was held in check and Chandler may be a Duncan stopper for the future.

[urunobili]

Congrats to Udoka on his recent graduation as a Spur... big time!

[MannyIsGod]

Your stealing my shit LJ. I called Ime Mario yesterday on the 2p2 forums during the game. I also think much of the reason Duncan struggled has to be attributed to Chandler. Chandler played him 1v1 better than anyone I've seen in a long time during that 3rd quarter. I think Duncan made the first bucket (which was a hard one) but missed every other look he got. None of those looks were very good but I didn't mind because the game was slowed to a crawl when they were doing this.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

:wow Man, this forum would have thrown Tim and Manu under the bus if they would have lost. :lol I didn't realize they shot so poorly to close out the game. Manu did a good job at the line though.

Up 2 points in the last minute of the game is manu's time to be clutch at the FT line. that's money in your bank always.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Excellent post.

Few people understand NBA basketball, and in particular our Spurs, than LJ.

:toast

[DarrinS]

Another great breakdown of the game.


Ime Udoka is starting to become one of my favorite players.

[rAm]

Anyone else think packing up for a road trip after the 4 days rest is a brilliant idea?


I bet Pop told them, "Hey Boys, listen up. We are about to play 3 of the toughest road games of our careers, lets pack enough clothes for a week and take one in Los Angeles."

I think a Playoff Road Trip could be good for the team, and could end up making them stronger as a unit as they will have to overcome so much adversity against two very tough opponents.

[SenorSpur]

Wonderful recap!

Signs point toward a possible repeat!

[2centsworth]

Tim was brutal down the stretch.

Keys to the win were Intensity and 3pt shooting.

[GaryJohnston]

Honestly I think alot of people here should be analyst or coach in some capacity with a team. I recall someone here saying that EXACT thing before this game about possibly going full-court in the 3rd qtr. That turned out to be a great idea!

My thoughts exactly. Shooting well from the line was also key, but the minor contributions from each role player, guys who have been there before, smart veterans, is what was key in this game.

:flag:

[saSPY]

Our shots FINALLY FELL, that was the key to this WIN!: :downspin: and our Defense of course, but that's a given when you play the Spurs...D E F E N S E

[Trainwreck2100]

The D was there, and the role players were phenomenal.

[polandprzem]

How to start?

I guess it does not matter, it doesn't matter at all.

When the time has come it was middle of the night, I found myself woke up 15 minuts after the clock alarm, I was like wtf as 3 hours of sleep did not have an impact on my body. I prevailed as the spurs did.

I was shitting scared, but you gotta love that emotions.

Okay I think it's enough with personal admiring myself.


Let's go and admire some spurs players.
Guy like Rob Horry - I told him last time not to shoot the ball he didn't listened as he drained very important shots. Now he has 2 good games in a row and he played like he used to - smart. He doesn't looked slower and his D was great. We will need his play against the LA team.

Guy like Mikee Findog - this man was unbelivable. I thought Pop just killed the man, I though he killed his confidence, I thought that you just can't get on the floor cold and shoot the ball so perfectly. His timely shots were so in time and he did not needed much time to dagg them in.

Guy like Ime Udoka - He gave a frickin impact. I knew he could be productive. All in all he is 3rd best rebounder in the team (tim, kurt), he is playing better and better on D. The comparison to Mario hmm I don't know in what aspect, all in all Mario was a starter, Mario was more of a mental leader, and Mario could create.

Guy like Kurt Thomas - Fabulous performance! (Fabioulous?) Damn his pruduction was great. When he was on the court I thought we had every rebound and did not let NO do anything on O. (I got to rewatch it though :) )

Guy like Tonyy Parke' - He was the best from the big three. He controlled the tempo, he keep up the pace the spurs needed. Damn that was the key. Every action that was rushed gave Hornets a chance to transition and regain confidence and take control of the pace, I was so pissed when manu shoot the ball to early :cuss
And did Tony hit monstrous shot?
Yes he did !
He saved me from heart attack or something. (I must to send him flowers)



The rest of the spurs just competed. And you can sum up that game from that above players. (props to Bruce also). It was all around team effort - I said nothing new here.

That's why you are proud of being a spurs fan.
Damn sure I am.


Now it's gonna be even harder

[RandomGuy]

Unbelievable statistic. That was the most impressive thing about this win. None of the Big Three played particularly well and we still managed to grind out a victory.

Pretty much sums up my thoughts.

The Spurs will dig the hole with their Big Three, then the bench will throw you in it, and bury you.

It would be interesting to see an analysis of the "bench" factor in Spurs' games in general.

[TampaDude]

If the Big 3 had hit some more shots in the 4th, and Bowen had hit at least one of those back-to-back open looks from the corner, this game would've been a 20+ point blowout by the Spurs. The fact that the Spurs won comes down to one word...DEFENSE.

I don't think the Lakers will give the Spurs as much trouble as the Hornets did...Spurs in 6.

[wildbill2u]

My game thought on Ime:

Dude gained my respect in the last couple of games for regaining the confidence to take the shot in rhythm. He even said after one of his poor games that he would do it--and he did. His clutch shooting was needed.

In the 3rd and 4th quarter when it seemed all the rest of the guys were standing around, he was playing tough D and flying to the ball and coming up with important rebounds, once taking the ball right out of the hands of a Horner player.

In game 7 Udoka was a true warrior and showed he wanted this game. I think he can only get better as this game was a test of how he performs under extreme pressure.

[ducks]

ime is one player that has not had playoff success he wants one

[wildchild]

-Tony Parker quietly had a solid contest for San Antonio. He was hesitant and at times it appeared as if the pressure was getting the better of him. But when the Spurs needed him most, Parker stepped up. In the final 18 and a half minutes of the game, Duncan and Ginobili were a combined 0-for-12 from the field. In that time span, Parker was 4-for-8. With 50 seconds to go, Parker hit a jumper to extend the lead from three to five and the Spurs never looked back. That jumper by Parker was one of the biggest shots of his career and definitely the biggest shot of the night for San Antonio. Parker finished the night with 17 points, five assists, two rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot, while shooting 7-for-17 from the floor. Defensively, he was extremely impressive for much of the night. He could play better, much like Duncan and Ginobili, but on this night, Parker kept the Spurs afloat at the end of the game

Ladies and gentlemen MR TONY PARKER!!! To Tony :toast. This jumper came as a great relief.


I had a good feeling about Fabricio Oberto heading into this game and the Argentine bigman didn’t disappoint. Oberto played 32 minutes and finished with four points, nine rebounds and two assists, while hitting both of his shots from the field. He was far from spectacular but he played smart basketball and was steady throughout the contest. With as much as the Hornets were trapping, Oberto’s ability to pass the ball was a vital part of the Spurs winning four of the last five contests. Defensively, Oberto got better as the game went on. He still can’t really defend West – but luckily this series is over, thanks in large part to Oberto’s heady play.

Agree. Fabbs played better in the second half. Smart guy, really smart guy.


Ime Udoka officially became a Spur tonight. In the final four games of the series, Udoka become an instrumental cog in the Spurs machine. He basically transformed into the reincarnation of Mario Elie right before our eyes. In Game 7, Udoka wasn’t scared at all and was instead one of the most aggressive players on the court. He shot with confidence, he defended assertively and rebounded with fervor. On the night, Udoka finished with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while shooting 3-for-7 from the floor and 2-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Without Udoka stepping up in the final four games of this series, the Spurs would be fishing right now.

-Robert Horry. What can you say about this guy? He’s been ineffective basically the entire season and the entire playoffs but then Game 7 arrives and Horry plays the best game of his season. Amazing. This game is exactly why Pop will live with Horry shooting 18% from the floor. This game is why you can never really discount Horry. When you least expect it, he comes up huge. In 15 minutes, Horry scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and swiped a steal, while hitting 2-of-4 from the field – all from beyond the arc. His defense was by far the best we’ve seen out of him this season. Horry provided the Spurs with a smart, calm presence throughout his time on the court. The two three-pointers he hit were big shots at key parts of the game. Then again, that’s what Horry does.

-Michael Finley, the forgotten and oft criticized Spur, performed brilliantly in his 11 minutes of playing time. It was almost flawless basketball out of Finley, who scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and hit both of his shots, each from three-point range. When Duncan got in foul trouble in the third quarter and the Hornets got within eight points, it was a Finley three-pointer that got the Spurs rolling once again. I was also pleasantly surprised by the effort Finley gave on the boards. He rebounded with more tenacity than we’ve seen out of him in a long time. While Finley wasn’t on the court much, he was a big part of this game

I said before we need 3's. Ime, Robert, Mike didn’t disappoint.3's, rebounds, effort. So good! To Ime, Robert, Mike, Kurt.:toast


Believe.

:tu

[timvp]

Actually, the play was called for Gino coming off a "wedge roll" and Pop intended for him to get to the line. TP was the 2nd option to penetrate if possible but when he saw Chandler sag he drilled the jumper. Ice cold.

Edit:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052008.7D.BKNspurs.parker.e4a2f3d.html

Yeah, I saw that quote from Pop but I think he's confusing the possessions. Manu wasn't involved in that play. The Spurs ran a low pick-and-roll -- same play they ran countless times against the Suns -- and the only real option on the play is for Parker to shoot a jumper. The Spurs banked on Chandler sagging ... and it worked.

TCZ3CDCmexs

[nfg3]

Great wrap up as usual. Only 8 more victory recaps to go!

Everyone on this team pitched in to make this happen. Some better than others and at times it wasn't too pretty. But it was a win and it was one of those "ugly" Spurs wins that we've come to see occassionally. And love, too!

What impressed me wasa the way everyone on the floor focused on getting the win -rebounds, asssists, defensive rotations, hitting shots and never giving up on the ball. This team hustled all night long. At times I was frustrated watching some of the ugly stretches but understood that the tempo was in our favor and helped keep the Hornets in check.


:flag:

[TampaDude]

Yeah, I saw that quote from Pop but I think he's confusing the possessions. Manu wasn't involved in that play. The Spurs ran a low pick-and-roll -- same play they ran countless times against the Suns -- and the only real option on the play is for Parker to shoot a jumper. The Spurs banked on Chandler sagging ... and it worked.

TCZ3CDCmexs

That shot was CLUTCH AS FUCK!!! :hat

[smeagol]

In game 7 Udoka was a true warrior and showed he wanted this game. I think he can only get better as this game was a test of how he performs under extreme pressure.

I remember at one point in time in the middle of the season I was terrified every time Udoka took a 3 pointer. He was shooting horribly.

What has his 3-pt % been in this series. 50%?

And the way he has crashed the boards?

The guys has been awesome.

Game 7 has been alll about the little things the role player did.

[mVp]

The bench stepped up huge, Ime has been awesome lately, Horry and Finley knocked down some big threes. Tim was painfully unclutch and Tony saved the day and the series... those are my quick thoughts :P

[TampaDude]

The Spurs were just shooting some shots...just beating a team they were supposed to beat...no suprises here... :lol

[sprrs]

Yeah, not exactly how you want your two closers to finish off a Game 7 ............. but I'll take the victory.

You don't think that has more to do with the Hornets trying to completely take away the inside game? When TP and Manu can't drive, and TD gets doubled every time he touches the ball, they have to rely on the three.

[K-State Spur]

I remember at one point in time in the middle of the season I was terrified every time Udoka took a 3 pointer. He was shooting horribly.

What has his 3-pt % been in this series. 50%?

And the way he has crashed the boards?

The guys has been awesome.

Game 7 has been alll about the little things the role player did.

Ime's shot is a little flat, but his career average is actually higher than Finley or Horry's.

[cindyp601]

finally rid of chris paul and david west im so happy they pulled it off!
now i hope they can beat kobe and the lakers!!
-------------------------------------------------------
join this myspace page for those with MYSPACE
http://www.myspace.com/saspursfanpage

[DAF86]

Yeah, I saw that quote from Pop but I think he's confusing the possessions. Manu wasn't involved in that play. The Spurs ran a low pick-and-roll -- same play they ran countless times against the Suns -- and the only real option on the play is for Parker to shoot a jumper. The Spurs banked on Chandler sagging ... and it worked.

TCZ3CDCmexs

But before the low pick-and-roll between Tony and Tim, didn't Oberto (or Tim) set a screen for Manu to attack the basket and when he got double he pass it to Tony? I didn't recorded the game so if anyone can tell me please I want to know. I thik that's how the play developed. (sorry if in this quote there's a video of the play, but I can't watch it)

P.S: Are we getting the series grades? :hungry:

[roycrikside]

I haven't really been happy with Manu's game lately. He's been relying way too much on his 3 point shooting which for the most part he hasn't been successful and he's been making some really bad decisions. Luckily he hit his FT's though. I'm still waiting for him to have a good series and be SuperManu again. Our role players were awesome last night and really carried us. I've been very impressed Udoka and hope he can continue to play like he has. Tony was super clutch last night and hope he can continue to be.


I think some people have too unrealistic expectations of Manu. He's not Kobe, he's not going to get you 30 a night. He'll give you a breakout game of 35+ points here or there, but for every one of those you'll get a 10 point game thus resulting in his 20 pt average. He averaged 21.3 points this series, the most he's had in any series since '04-05, and he led the team in assists at 6.0 per, a career playoff high. He led or tied for the team lead in scoring four times and assists five times. He didn't shoot a great %, but with the game plan being what it was and him shooting so many threes, that was to be expected. Making 4-10 threes is like making 6-10 twos.

I think if before the series began LJ told you that he expected Manu to get 21 and 6, most people would've taken it. I imagine he'll get more inside points the next round against LA, where they don't have a Chandler.

[Spurs Brazil]

Great recap timvp

[timvp]

But before the low pick-and-roll between Tony and Tim, didn't Oberto (or Tim) set a screen for Manu to attack the basket and when he got double he pass it to Tony? I didn't recorded the game so if anyone can tell me please I want to know. I thik that's how the play developed. (sorry if in this quote there's a video of the play, but I can't watch it)Negative.

Duncan missed a jump hook. Paul got the rebound. Paul passes it to Pargo. Ginobili missed the rotation to Pargo but luckily Oberto saved the day and went out and got a hand up. Duncan gets the rebound. Passes it to Parker. Pop calls 1-4 pick-and-roll. Parker goes around a Duncan pick twice and then hits a jumper. Ginobili was a decoy on the other side of the court.

I'm not sure what play Pop was thinking about in his post game quotes. Must have been a previous play.


P.S: Are we getting the series grades? :hungry:Yes, later on tonight.

[ducks]

the only thing I can agrue with the recap
it was easy to see why pop would not go to duncan and manu who went cold late
and at that time tp was hot

[timvp]

the only thing I can agrue with the recap
it was easy to see why pop would not go to duncan and manu who went cold late
and at that time tp was hotYeah pretty true but Duncan and Ginobili are regarded as two of the clutchest players alive. And even though Parker was the clutchest shooter in last year's playoffs, most coaches would rank him third in players to go to close out a series in Game 7.

Thankfully Pop made the right choice :smokin

[DAF86]

Negative.

Duncan missed a jump hook. Paul got the rebound. Paul passes it to Pargo. Ginobili missed the rotation to Pargo but luckily Oberto saved the day and went out and got a hand up. Duncan gets the rebound. Passes it to Parker. Pop calls 1-4 pick-and-roll. Parker goes around a Duncan pick twice and then hits a jumper. Ginobili was a decoy on the other side of the court.

I'm not sure what play Pop was thinking about in his post game quotes. Must have been a previous play.

Thanks, I might be thinking 'bout the same play that Pop is thinking.


Yes, later on tonight.

Can't wait. :flag:

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Timvp's recap is the only written word I need following a Spurs game. :tu







The role players were huge last night...Finley, Udoka, Horry, Thomas all gave championship effort in their minutes on the court. Last night was a total TEAM victory...that's San Antonio Spurs basketball!! Gives me a lot of hope for the games to come.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Nothing about how amazingly well Oberto guarded the Chris Paul pick and roll? I think Oberto spent a LOT of time watching game film because he stayed in front of Paul off the PnR well enough to slow down the Hornets half court attack on several possessions.

[Avitus1]

Experience trumps youth.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

OH YEAH, something which I noticed that helped us win games 6 and 7, that I'm not too sure got enough recognition was the decrease in Parker layup attempts that result in him falling on his ass.

I am 100% convinced that Byron Scott told Chris Paul to attack the rim by any means necessary on every play that Parker drove on and fell down. It was very obvious in game 5. Paul would go out of his way to create something out of almost nothing and would still get a basket, all because Parker taking risky layups and depending on a foul call to bail him out.
We saw less of this in games 6 and 7. As a result, Paul had someone in front of him more often after missed Spurs shots.