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I feel sleepy too.
Sleepless in SA, Spurs start slowly
Mike Monroe
Tipoff for Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets was still 90 minutes away, but Spurs power forward Antonio McDyess moved slowly in front of his locker at the AT&T Center.
I'm tired, McDyess said as he changed into his game uniform. We're not used to getting up so early.
Sunday's noon start, dictated by the national telecast on ABC, disrupted the sleep pattern the Spurs have nurtured all season, with afternoon practices and the elimination of shootarounds on game-day mornings.
The Spurs' wake-up calls didn't seem to be delivered until the first six minutes and 40 seconds of the first period already were in the books. By then, they had missed 10 of their first 14 shots and fallen behind by seven, and Nuggets coach George Karl felt relieved.
We survived the bad energy field at the start, Karl said after his team had secured a 103-89 victory. We were fortunate they shot so poorly early. That probably helped us.
Karl, who has not jumped on the extended sleep trend that a number of NBA teams have been trying this season, said the early start was tough even for his team.
We had an optional breakfast today, and I think two guys made it, he said. The coaches made it, of course, but we're cheap. We're not turning down a free meal.
Finley returns: Veteran forward Michael Finley played for the first time since Dec. 5, when he suffered a badly sprained left ankle in Denver's first win at the AT&T Center.
He logged six minutes and 35 seconds. He missed his only shot the official box score showed him 0-for-2, but the official play-by-play shows only one shot and had one rebound and a steal.
Nearly a Nugget: Karl said the Nuggets considered using the 34th pick in the 2009 draft to select DeJuan Blair, the Spurs rookie who had 10 points and three rebounds Sunday.
The Nuggets were satisfied Blair was physically sound enough to draft. In the end, he said, they opted to sell their second-round pick to the Houston Rockets for cash.
We had a huge argument: Is he worth the money, or should we draft Blair? Karl said. I don't know exactly why it was a no, but I have a feeling it was money. I'm amazed how much money people now spend for second-round picks.
Karl said he would have enjoyed having Blair.
I love guys like that, he said. All coaches love guys like that. There's no maintenance to them other than just go out there and get me five offensive rebounds and be physical and hit the boards and hit people and set screens.
He has that knack of making his team win games.
I feel sleepy too.
Not used to getting up early? Of course not having morning shoot arounds would bite the Spurs in the ass of all teams.
i clearly remember finley taking 2 shots.
one was a mid range in the first half and the 2nd was a three in garbage time with under a minute left in the game.
Didn't the Rockets pay a fortune for that draft pick?
Blair and Ty in the same draft?! That would have been awesome
birdman + blair off the bench!
your nuggets got a nice enough squad as it is.
birdman + blair off the bench!
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