Spurs prepare for Superman onslaught
Jeff McDonald
The Spurs had two days off between their last game and tonight's visit from the Orlando Magic, which, apparently, was just enough time for the team's players to exhaust their list of superlatives used to describe 6-foot-11 dunk champion Dwight Howard.
Matt Bonner called him “a beast.” Roger Mason Jr. called him a “load.” Michael Finley went the understated route, calling Howard “a heck of a player.”
Tim Duncan, if he should so choose, might call Howard “the guy who dunked on me about 100,000 times on YouTube.
Over the past few years, Howard has seemed to take special delight in burning the Spurs, averaging 22.2 points and 13.4 rebounds in his past five games against them.
“I don't know if it's because he's going against Tim Duncan, or because he's going up against the Spurs, but he always seems to want to play one of his better games against us,” Finley said. “We know we are going to have our hands full.”
Howard was coming off a sore knee the last time he faced the Spurs, a 90-78 Orlando victory on Dec. 18. The result was one of his more benign games against them: 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Howard is the reigning NBA slam-dunk champion and this season's leading All-Star vote-getter, but Orlando is more than just the Superman show.
The Magic are 29-8, recently surpassing the defending champion Celtics for second place in the Eastern Conference, thanks to steady contributions from Howard's supporting cast.
Rashard Lewis is averaging 19.2 points while making an NBA-best 109 3-pointers. Jameer Nelson is having a career year at point guard. Hedo Turkoglu, the NBA's Most Improved Player last season, is averaging 16.8 points.
Good things in threes: The Magic have made 370 3-pointers this season, tops in the NBA. The Spurs, meanwhile, lead the league in 3-point accuracy at 40.6 percent.
Such a lofty 3-point ranking was not necessarily a goal for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich heading into the season, but he will certainly take it.
“With our system, around Tim Duncan, we have to have shooters,” he said. “But the fact that we're first, as we speak, wasn't intended or wasn't the goal or anything like that. We probably won't be the leading 3-point shooting team by the end of the year. That wasn't the plan.”
Too bad it's not Blagojevic: Spurs guard Matt Bonner wants to participate in the NBA's 3-point shootout on All-Star weekend, and he's not above a little bit of bribery to get there.
Informed the field is chosen by Stu Jackson, the league's executive vice president of basketball operations, Bonner began to envision the kind of booty he could send to the NBA offices in New York.
“I'm going to send him some flowers,” Bonner said. “Or maybe one of those cookie bouquets.”
Bonner's best bet for an invitation is his 3-point percentage, which at 48 percents ranks tops in the NBA.
Matt Bonner called him “a beast.” Roger Mason Jr. called him a “load.” Michael Finley went the understated route, calling Howard “a heck of a player.”Tim Duncan, if he should so choose, might call Howard “the guy who dunked on me about 100,000 times on YouTube.
Too bad its on a sunday night. It would have been a nice drinking game whenever Howard dunks the ball.
Spurs have won 5 out of 9 all-time vs. Dwight Howard.
Tim Duncan > Dwight Howard
Not a big deal of a game. Dwight Howard is a fool.
it's just as big a deal of a game as any suns/mavs/celtics/lakers game.
Had Tim said that, I would have thought it was funny.Tim Duncan, if he should so choose, might call Howard “the guy who dunked on me about 100,000 times on YouTube.
McDonald's trying to be cute, but that's a quip from a genuine asshat. I could see that kind of remark coming from an Orlando beat-writer, as to take a shot at the opponent while propping up the home teams star, but that's ridiculous.
Hey McDonald... You've made it abundantly clear that your knowledge of the game (and more specifically the Spurs) is limited at best, so why don't you stick to stealing your information and ideas for stories from Spurs Talk, and refrain from ever thinking it's cute or funny to take a shot at the franchise.
I don't have a problem with a little ribbing amongst family, but McDonald needs to check himself.
I'm not sure if the comment is pissing me off because it came from McDonald, or if I'm just a little edgy, but clearly it got to me.
He's an idiot.
Does McDonald proofread anything he writes?
Bonner appears at C on the court but his stats look more likely to belong to a guard. what a mockery.
There should be no complaining from the players. They have had plenty of rest and have played enough sorry teams to be prepared for the Magic and their Superman Cape. The Magic are putting together a nice season. Its time to bring them back to reality. No excuse of losing today.
Dwight Howard is just Amare v.2.0 I haven't seen him develop any other facets to his game in the time he has been in the league. Just another player that relies solely on their athleticism rather than their intelligence and skill.
Dwight Howard has no intelligence or skill.
Dwight Howard is Amare?! LOL Dwight Howard has been the best defensive player in the NBA this year, and he's the best rebounder in the NBA..
Amare is a bad defender, and is far from a great rebounder..
just because he dunks a lot, it doesn't make him that type of player..
And Parker is almost always top 5 (league) in points in the paint. BFD
It's a wonder he's allowed to write so many articles.
spurs should have prepared for the refs.
Mission failed!
Spurs didnt prepare enough
oops!!
5-5 against Howard's Magic...
Tim Duncan = Dwitght Howard, according to your logic...
Until the next meeting, and then we'll know who is the better player!
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