Reply With Quote
this is also the good news of this game, the limited min of Tim !
Edit: This is now the updated version.
New Spurs steal show in romp over Jazz
By Jeff McDonald
At this time last year, George Hill was in the early throes of his senior season at a little-known college called IUPUI, the best player in a conference few had ever heard of.
Roger Mason Jr. was wallowing in similar obscurity as a member of the Washington Wizards.
On Friday night at the AT&T Center, in a dominating 119-94 victory over Utah, the two newish Spurs did something only players named Manu and Tony are typically able to accomplish.
They turned Tim Duncan into an afterthought.
Mason parlayed seven 3-pointers into a season-high 29 points, Hill added a season-high 23 and the Spurs cruised to their most lopsided victory of the season.
“I think that’s what they brought us here for,” Mason said. “Last year, they made it to the Western Conference finals. Maybe they needed a little bit extra.”
A little extra went a long way Friday night, as the Spurs (6-6) won their 19th in a row at home against Utah (8-5), prolonging a streak dating to Feb. 28, 1999.
They did so in a manner not even their head coach could have foreseen. The Spurs made a season-best 15 of 25 3-pointers, shot 51.9 percent from the field, and set a season high for scoring in regulation.
“That’s not exactly our game, shooting that well,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “But it sure was nice to see.”
Utah was playing without injured All-Stars Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, but won’t get much sympathy from the Spurs. They have been without Manu Ginobili all season, and without Tony Parker for two weeks.
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan sensed trouble before so much as setting foot inside the arena. Asked before the game who he planned to use to defend Duncan, Sloan named Mehmet Okur.
“He’s the guy that guards him — at least he tries to guard him,” Sloan said. “That’s how we lost about 100 games to these guys.”
Duncan finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes, his exploits obscured by a pair of players who weren’t around here last season.
Minutes before tipoff, Popovich approached Mason.
“He told me, ‘You’re starting at the point tonight,’” said Mason, used most often as a two-guard. “I was like, ‘Cool.’”
It was Mason’s first start at that position this season, and it nudged Hill to the bench.
The move seemed to work wonders for both of them. Mason finished 7 of 10 from 3-point range, and probably would have smashed his career high of 32 points had he not sat out the game’s final 10 minutes.
Hill provided a Ginobili-esque spark off the bench. He scored 10 points in his first six minutes of floor time, and by half had 17.
It turns out Popovich had a pregame chat with him, too.
“He talked to me about being aggressive,” said Hill, the Spurs’ first-round pick in June and a former Player of the Year in the Summit League. “He was going to bring me off the bench tonight to get that feeling back.”
Ninety-seven seconds into the fourth quarter, the Spurs reached 100 points for the first time this season at home when Mason swished his seventh 3-pointer.
Not long after, he retreated to the bench, where he earned the rest of the night off.
Seated near Duncan, officially rescued from obscurity, Mason couldn’t believe his luck.
“I feel so blessed to be here,” Mason said.
Hill would second the motion. The Spurs, meanwhile, are blessed to have them both.
Last edited by duncan228; 11-22-2008 at 03:12 PM.
There are some incredible stats to choose from tonight, but this 'stat' is a big one for me. Duncan's heavy minutes this early were a concern. I hope the team can continue to be strong with his minutes staying at a more reasonable level.
Edit: One other stat that was nice: Duncan 6-6 at the line.
Last edited by duncan228; 11-22-2008 at 12:19 AM.
The other point of view.
Short-handed Jazz trounced in San Antonio
By Ross Siler
The Salt Lake Tribune
SAN ANTONIO -- Considering the last time the Jazz beat the Spurs in San Antonio, it came in a Midwest Division game at the Alamodome on Feb. 28 1999, they weren't about to do so Friday night without Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer.
No surprise then that the Jazz struggled without their two injured stars and lost their 22nd consecutive game in San Antonio, falling 119-94 to the Spurs, who hit 15 of 25 three-pointers at AT&T Center.
The Jazz have now lost 19 consecutive regular-season games in San Antonio, plus three games in the 2007 Western Conference finals. The last time they beat the Spurs on the road, rookie Kosta Koufos had just turned 10.
Flash forward to Friday, when Koufos started in place of Boozer, who missed his first game with a strained left quadriceps tendon.
The bad news? The Jazz likely will have to play at least two more games without Williams and Boozer, subtracting 40 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists from the lineup. The good news? Williams is targeting Wednesday's game against Memphis for his return.
Even without Williams and Boozer, the Jazz still could have left San Antonio with a win. The Spurs, who already had lost four times at home, were playing without two injured stars of their own in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
But Roger Mason and George Hill more than filled the void. Both had career nights, with Mason, a free-agent signee from Washington, leading the Spurs with 29 points while Hill, a rookie out of IUPUI, finished with 23 in 22 minutes.
The Spurs called timeout leading by 10 with 6:43 left in the third quarter and blew open the game afterward. After a Ronnie Brewer turnover at one end, Hill raced ahead for a layup on the break while being fouled.
Hill hit another jumper after Matt Bonner kept alive a possession with an offensive rebound. Bonner late hit a runner in the lane to give San Antonio an 18-point lead. The Spurs closed the quarter with Bruce Bowen and Mason three-pointers and a 95-71 lead.
With Williams and Boozer both out, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan opted to start Koufos, preferring to keep Paul Millsap and Andrei Kirilenko coming off the bench in the roles in which they've thrived this season.
After a strong start, the Jazz were nearly buried by a barrage of San Antonio three-pointers. The Spurs hit eight in all -- three by Mason, two by Hill, two by Bonner -- and built a 14-point lead.
While the Jazz were noting before the game that they'd never won at AT&T Center and asking which president (Bill Clinton) was in office the last time they won in San Antonio, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he was clueless about the streak.
"That'll probably change someday," Popovich said. "The percentages are with them, without a doubt."
I love that Pop started Mason at the point tonight, because we got to see Hill in the role he'll be playing when everyone's back healthy.
He disrupted their offense and completely changed the tempo of the game the moment he set foot on the floor.
In the past we've only had Manu capable of doing that off the bench, so Hill has got the potential to be huge for the Spurs down the stretch and into the future.
George "Havoc" Hill baby!!!:flag
Hate it that Tony and Manu are out but the silver lining is obviously the play of Hill and Mason. Have to add Bonner is starting to play like Pop lit a fire under his ass too. Anyway, things are looking up for the rest of the season. Hopefully Ian Mahimi and Toliver will step up as well pretty soon.
Spurs season is looking much better all of a sudden. Could it possibly be that BOTH Mason and Hill turn out to be impact players?? It's starting to look that way. And we've won 4 of the last 5 WITHOUT Manu and Tony?? Are you kidding me? I am starting to feel very, very good.
Mason and Hill are showing their true worth.
Finley and Bonner are playing way better than last year.
Udoka and Bowen have lost a step, but they're still ok.
the bigs including Tolliver are the ones to worry.
Fab and KT have clearly lost a step.
Tolliver doesnt play alot.
i hope Mahinmi can contribute because we need to address the frontcourt.
Mason and Hill have addressed the backcourt. Ian, it's your turn.
Bonner looked hillarious when he drove to the lane but at least he tried and I think he made one, good that he's mixing it up a bit and not just spotting up for 3, oh and making it
Parker needs to teach Hill how to make those ridiculous layups go in all the time like tony can do.
Parker Jr. in the second string would be nice.
It's all about putting some english (or french, as Sean Elliott says...) on the ball. You're rarely going to get a clean look at a layup in the NBA, but if you can consistently put it high off the glass with spin to bring it back towards the rim, you're going to look awfully good on ESPN on the regular. If Hill can learn that, and start learning to use the rim to protect his shot by going under to the other side from the shotblocker, he could be yet another late round steal for the Spurs.
The scary thing is, they found him at the Orlando camp, which is going to move back to Chicago next year, and have no actual playing on the court, just interviews and weigh and measure. Talk about getting in under the wire with a last minute find....
He's not afraid to bang and he didn't back down any when Camby tried to maddog him the other night. Once he can finish at the rim he will be sick.
Anyone else find the Jazz announcers hilarious with their losing excuses last night? They even went as far as to say that the 3pt line needs to be moved back because that shot just is not that hard anymore.
This is great news. When Ginobili, Parker, and Mihimni are back, we will have not only the best starting lineup in the league, but the best bench as well.
Tim, for the second straight game, lead the team in Assists AND rebounds. Tim always contributes, and now he has some help. And he will be getting a heck of a lot more soon.
The Odd numbered rule will prevail. Let it be said that Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) had his own odd numbered rule 400 years ago, regarding the path of bodies falling in a gravitational field.
Camby is officially Hill's on ST.
The backcourt is in suprisingly good shape
(Brent wouldn't haven't been this good).
The frontcourt still sucks.
Ian has had two huge problems staying on the court:
1. excessive fouling
2. injury prone
It's going to be a long season for Tim. Our only hope is that the frontcourt takes the pressure and the minutes off Tim, as it did vs Jazz, so he's got something left for April.
Are you kidding? Have you seen hill get fouled twice and still make shots? He just didn't manage to make the free throws but he did a damn well job of absorbing the contact and still putting it in the basket
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
