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Had it not been for a bit of Chinese intervention, there is a chance he might have wound up in silver and black.
Spurs don't want to rest on laurels after close wins
Jeff McDonald
MIAMI — The Spurs' flair for the dramatic of late has made for some must-see TV. Not every player, however, is enjoying the constant thrill of narrow victory.
“We are getting used to this,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said after Tony Parker's buzzer-beating 15-footer gave the Spurs a 108-106 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday night. “We don't like it, but we're getting used to it.”
The late-game heroics were made necessary when the 76ers overcame a 21-point deficit to nearly steal the game down the stretch.
If nothing else, it fit into a recent pattern of the Spurs giving fans their money's worth in the fourth quarter.
Since Christmas Day, the Spurs have also beaten Phoenix on a 3-point buzzer-beater by Roger Mason Jr. and survived a double-overtime clash with Memphis. Had Tim Duncan not missed a shot to tie in a Dec. 30 loss to Milwaukee, that game likely would have gone overtime, too.
Reflecting on his team's recent performances — which, by the way, have pushed the Spurs back into first place in the Southwest Division — Ginobili refused to grade on a curve.
“Three of the last four wins were like this — at the last second, or a lucky bounce,” said Ginobili, whose team faces Miami tonight at American Airlines Arena. “It means we are not playing that well. We are winning, but we can't be satisfied.”
A good year so far: Two games in, it's been a nice start to the new year for Duncan.
After going 7 for 20 in a loss to Milwaukee in the Spurs' final game of 2008, Duncan is averaging 23 points while making 19 of his 26 shots in back-to-back victories to start 2009.
This despite playing on a sore knee after colliding with Memphis' Rudy Gay on Friday night.
“Timmy plays hurt, tired, every which way,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “He competes defensively, rebounding-wise every night. Some nights he defers offensively, some nights he's the key, but it all starts with him.”
Almost a Spur? Veteran center Dikembe Mutombo re-signed with Houston last week. Had it not been for a bit of Chinese intervention, there is a chance he might have wound up in silver and black.
Mutombo, the 42-year-old center and the second-leading shot-blocker in league history, told the Boston Globe that his choice came down to the Rockets and the Spurs. He said they were the only two teams to make him a firm offer.
“I wanted to play about 40-something games,” Mutombo told the Globe. “The only money that was on the table for me was San Antonio and Houston. Yao Ming talked to me about coming back.”
Had it not been for a bit of Chinese intervention, there is a chance he might have wound up in silver and black.
we have never considered signing him.
CIA Rockets?
Seems like Yao and Deke have a strong connection, being humanitarians and all and helping their respective countries/continents.
They made Mutombo eat the head.
? If the Spurs made him an offer isn't that a consideration?Mutombo...told the Boston Globe that his choice came down to the Rockets and the Spurs. He said they were the only two teams to make him a firm offer.
at least the spurs recognize a need for another big. i was beginning to think they didn't care.
Deke is not winning a ring in Htown and will get sporadic minutes just like last year. Adleman is what he is...and when he is backed in a corner he will always resort to small ball.
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