Spurs-Knicks Preview

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/games/20080208/SA...scoreboardhome

Spurs-Knicks Preview
By MIKE LIPKA, STATS Writer

The San Antonio Spurs have won three straight on the road, stabilizing what has been a rocky midseason stretch.

There's no stability in sight for the New York Knicks, who will hope to avoid their second eight-game losing streak of the season on Friday when they host the defending NBA champions.

The Spurs (31-16) had gone just 11-11 in their previous 22 games before leaving on a nine-game road trip because the rodeo is in San Antonio.

They dropped the first two games of the trip, but have since won three straight, improving their record away from home to 11-11 and remaining 1 1/2 games behind Dallas and New Orleans in the Southwest Division.

The Spurs beat Washington 85-77 on Wednesday, holding the Wizards to 35.4 percent shooting. Opponents have shot just 41.9 percent and averaged 86.4 points on the trip against the Spurs, whose scoring defense ranks third in the league (91.1).

Against Washington, Tim Duncan had 23 points and nine rebounds while Robert Horry added a season-high nine points, all during the Spurs' go-ahead run at the end of the third quarter.

"I'm just happy to make a shot. I haven't knocked down a shot in ages," said Horry, who is averaging just 1.9 points this season. "The last two games, I haven't knocked one down, so I'm just happy to get some kind of rhythm going."

The victory over the Wizards was also the Spurs' third in five games against winning teams, following a stretch where they had lost seven in a row against opponents with records over .500. They have only lost three times all season to clubs with losing records.

The Spurs continue to play without point guard Tony Parker, who has missed the last four games and is out until at least after the All-Star break with an ankle injury. Point guard Damon Stoudamire has started the last two games since signing with the Spurs, averaging 10.0 points and just 1.5 assists.

But shooting guard Manu Ginobili has started the last four games, averaging 6.5 assists over that span. He matched a career high with 10 assists against the Wizards, and the Spurs have 57 assists in the last two games - their most in a two-game stretch all season.

The Knicks (14-35) haven't had their point guard for nearly a month as Stephon Marbury recovers from ankle surgery, but they've struggled both with and without him.

New York lost its seven straight for the third time this season on Wednesday, falling 103-100 at home to Indiana - which had dropped seven in a row coming in.

"Getting very old," Knicks guard Jamal Crawford said. "It's frustrating. I think we've had leads in five of the seven games ... and find ways to lose."

The Knicks outrebounded Indiana 49-34 and had three players with at least 20 points, led by Zach Randolph's 26. But they had just three field goals in the final 8 1/2 minutes as the Pacers came from behind to win.

New York has lost by an average of just 6.1 points during its skid, including three times by three points or fewer and once in overtime.

The Knicks played the Spurs tough earlier this season, losing 97-93 in San Antonio on Jan. 4. Both squads were shorthanded in that game, as Randolph was serving a suspension while Ginobili was injured.

The Spurs have won five straight and eight of nine overall against the Knicks.

[duncan228]

Spurs.com (Article is the same as NBA.com.)

http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/080208.html

Probable Starters

Stoudamire
Guard
10.0 PPG
Ginobili
Guard
19.1 PPG
Bowen
Forward
5.5 PPG
Duncan
Forward
19.7 PPG
Oberto
Center
5.2 PPG

Injury/Inactive Report
Brent Barry (strained left calf) is out
Tony Parker (left ankle inflammation) is out.

Spur in the Spotlight
Robert Horry
Robert had his best scoring night of the season against the Wizards on Wednesday when he chipped in nine points to go along with six rebounds.

Did You Know...
The Spurs beat the Knicks 4-1 in the 1999 NBA Finals to claim the first NBA Championship in franchise history … Tim Duncan was the Finals MVP, averaging 27.4 points and 14.0 rebounds in the five-game series … the 39, 554 fans that packed the Alamodome to see the Spurs defeat the Knicks 80-67 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on 6/18/99 was the largest crowd to ever witness an NBA Finals game… the last player to score 50 points against the Spurs was Bernard King playing for the Knicks on 1/31/84 … King is one of just four players to score 50+ against the Spurs … Knicks forward Malik Rose played for the Spurs from 1997-98 through 2004-05 … Spurs forward Matt Bonner and Knicks forward David Lee both played at the University of Florida under Billy Donovan.

[duncan228]

Knicks.com
Love what he says about Duncan. Overall, it's a nice piece on the Spurs.

http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/nyksanpre080208.html

Defending Champs Pay Visit to Knicks, Garden
Bobby Angel, NYKnicks.com

The Knicks are back at The Garden tonight to take on the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. New York, which might be forced to play without both Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson, faces a Spurs team that is missing one of its biggest names in point guard Tony Parker.

Though both teams are shorthanded, the Knicks are fortunate that they won't have to see Parker, who is out for two more weeks with an ankle injury. Parker has become a vital cog in the San Antonio machine, as he leads the team in minutes and assists, and is half a point away from the team lead in scoring average as well.

Without his constant drives the bucket, the Spurs will rely instead on the game-changing and versatile Manu Ginobli, now starting, and the Hall of Fame talent of Tim Duncan. Duncan leads the team, in points and at ude, as the "Big Fundamental" nets 20 points a game on 52 percent shooting, while grabbing a team-high 11 boards, dishing three assists, and blocking nearly two shots per game.

The Spurs power forward gets it done from the paint and, as the assists numbers show, he has become as adept at passing out of the double team as he is at banking the ball in from the low post. Ginobli has been equally impressive, as the Argentinean guard is enjoying his best season in the NBA.

If Ginobli doesn't have to start for too long, he is a certain finalist for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award. On the season, he averages 19 points, leading the team in threes. He also grabs five rebounds, dishes four assists and leads the team in steals to boot. He has done all that in 30 minutes per game and off the bench for 36 of his 42 games played.

Of course, no team experiences the sustained success of the Spurs without a little luck. So it is that mere days after Parker was injured, San Antonio signed veteran point guard Damon Stoudamire to help pick up the slack.

Although he has only been with the team for two games, thus far Stoudamire has fit in well, with 10 points in 23 minutes per game, built on impressive range from outside, including a nine point, four rebound, three assist night in San Antonio's last game, against the Wizards Wednesday night.

San Antonio has yet another perimeter threat for a driving guard to kick out to, or for Duncan to set up from the low post, in veteran Michael Finley, who puts in 10 points and grabs four boards per game. He is aided off the pine and on the perimeter by Brent Barry, who is among the best in the league from downtown, and adds seven points in only 19 minutes per game.

The starting lineup is rounded out by defensive specialist Bruce Bowen. Bowen also provides a perimeter threat and gives his team six points, three boards and an assist per game, but it is on the defensive end where he makes his presence felt.

Bowen has been named to the All-Defensive team four years in a row, and there is little reason to see why that streak will end. He uses quick feet, active hands and great savvy to consistently guard the other team's best offensive player, almost regardless of position.

The Spurs ride a deep bench, and get solid production from Matt Bonner, Fabricio Oberto, Jaque Vaughn and Ime Udoka, along with Barry. Bonner puts in six points and grabs nearly four rebounds in only 15 minutes per game.

Oberto mans the middle for this team, often starting alongside Tim Duncan, and he chips in with five points on 63 percent shooting and six boards in 21 minutes per game. Guards Udoka and Vaughn also contribute, with each putting in five points per game, in only 15 and 17 minutes per contest, respectively.

The deep Spurs squad comes to The Garden to play a frustrated Knicks team, but one that always seems to play their best against the defending champs from out west.

"It was kind of quiet in the locker room the other day, guys were very disappointed," Zach Randolph said of the mood after Wednesday's loss to the Indiana Pacers. "These last couple of games, we have been in but we haven't been able to pull it out. We have to take care of the ball at the end. When we turn the ball over … they get a lot of points off turnovers and we have to have more precision in who we pass to."

Knicks President, Basketball Operations, and Head Coach Isiah Thomas agreed that the Knicks must do a better job in taking care of the basketball.

"The effort is there, we are playing hard, we have leads in the game … right now the thing that is really killing us is the unforced turnovers," said Thomas. "Those are things we have to keep working on.

"… We have gotten to be pretty good when we make teams play five on five. When they have to face our set defense, we have gotten to be pretty good, but what is killing us now… is where we just throw the basketball away and they go down and lay it up. Those are the things that are hurting us right now."

In that, the Knicks can take a page from the Spurs, who have the fifth fewest turnovers per game in the league. Still, it is hard to limit turnovers when so many players are logging minutes in unfamiliar roles:

"We have guys having to do some things for a sustained period of time that they are not accustomed to doing," Thomas said. "You have Fred (Jones) playing a lot of minutes handling the basketball … we are asking Jamal to bring it up and pass to himself, come off a screen and then catch it and shoot it. We are asking guys to do a lot of different things and we are having to do some things on the fly. Consequently, it has cost us in these games … Those are things that we can correct and we can get better at."

Randolph agreed that playing smarter was the issue.

"Guys are playing hard, guys are giving 100 percent effort," Randolph said at Thursday's practice. "It is hard because everyone is playing hard and we still are not getting the results."

Still, the team remains optimistic:

"Six out (of the playoffs) with thirty-some games to go. We are still in it, we still have a chance," Randolph said.

The forward gets his confidence from his coach, who remarked at practice that "we have enough to get this done."

[Indazone]

"Six out (of the playoffs) with thirty-some games to go. We are still in it, we still have a chance," Randolph said.

[ancestron]

we are the win.

[1Parker1]

Eh, this looks like a game the Spurs could drop. Especially since the Knicks are on a 6 game losing streak and will be extra motivated. Spurs may play down to their opponents level unfortunately. It'll be a close game I think either way.

[ancestron]

either way, its always interesting to watch the big dysfunctional family that is the New York Knicks in action.

[Radiosparks]

Spurs may play down to their opponents level unfortunately.

I agree, that seems to be the theme this year for the Spurs.

[101A]

I agree, that seems to be the theme this decade for the Spurs.

Fixed it.