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Buck Harvey writes an article -- because he has to write one
Spurs get a break -- because of the break
By Buck Harvey
A year ago the Spurs had a better record than the Nuggets do now.
Then, in the final game before the All-Star break, a Raptor rookie named Roko Ukic scored a career high in Toronto to beat the Spurs.
"You see it every year," George Karl told reporters in Denver before the Nuggets played the Spurs. "You saw two teams last night get dominated. Houston lost by 30 in a game that I thought was going to be a close game. You had the Clippers get destroyed by Golden State last night. It is a day where sometimes the focus or intensity or the thought of playing for three hours really hard, sometimes it just doesn't show up."
So when trying to measure the significance of Thursday night, factor this into the equation.
Asked before the game if he thought his Nuggets would have a letdown, Karl wasn't worried. "I don't think it's going to happen," he said. "I think my team is going to be ready. It's a national TV game. We also know it's a tie-breaker game with San Antonio. There are a lot of things on the line that about 95 percent of the time my team has responded to really well."
So here's to the other five percent.
Karl had several things working against him. For one, the Spurs were desperate.
For another, the Nuggets had recently beaten the Spurs in San Antonio, and they had won both games there in a season for the first time ever. The Nuggets were also coming off a rout of the Mavericks, and the way they won made the game seem too easy. They shot over 61 percent from the 3-point line.
Then there's the All-Star break. Both Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups will play in Dallas, and Karl and his staff will represent the Western Conference. That means a lot to the franchise. Meanwhile, everyone else had a vacation to look forward to.
Given that, the Spurs ran into something they've rarely seen this season, and that's a flat team. The shorthanded Trail Blazers beat them as the shorthanded Lakers did, with energy and remarkable shooting.
The Spurs deserved their win. "They were hungry," Karl said afterward. "They were intense and angry and had an at ude."
But when Roger Mason Jr. said Thursday night "lets us know how good we can be," he's overstating the moment.
Roko Ukic was likely saying the same a year ago.
___________
The 2007 Spurs would object to this opinion. That February they had lost four of their previous six games when a winter storm delayed their arrival into Detroit until 3 a.m. The Pistons, meanwhile, had won 7 straight.
"Probably none of us expected to win," Manu Ginobili said then.
The Spurs beat the Pistons that night, also as the All-Star break was beginning. Some of the Spurs wondered if the Pistons were already looking forward to a relaxing weekend.
But when the Spurs looked back later in the season at that win, they didn't see it as hollow. "It really gave us something to start from," Ginobili said later.
They went 24-6 the rest of the way. And won their last championship.
Buck Harvey writes an article -- because he has to write one
Unbelievably optimistic article.
Last night was a good win, don't get me wrong. But the truth is, we beat a Nuggets team that was totally going through the motions, and they were playing without Kenyon Martin.
I hope this win doesn't give the FO false hope. We still need to make a move.
To be fair, Spurs were also shorthanded without Parker. But yes, it was only a win. We need to win the remaining rodeo trip games.
Man, people think way too highly of Kenyon Martin. Tim Duncan owned Kenyon Martin at the height of his career in the Finals series against NJ. Now he's just a washed up thug who always disappears come crunch time.
The win is just a win, but it could be a momentum shifter for the Spurs. We'll see if it is. But it means a of a lot more than Karl wants to say it does, but that's because he has to say that. It's HIS team that got clobbered. Pop would understate too, if the roles were reversed.
But the Spurs showed what they can really do, if they actually play defense for 48 minutes and don't let the refs get in their heads. And that's WITHOUT their best or second best player playing.
If they're able to finish 24-6 like they did in 07.... I may start liking our chances a lil more... having said that, in 2007 the West was not nearly as compe ive as it is right now... with just 3 games behind Denver (who like Utah is peaking a lil too soon) it shouldn't be an upset if we end up with the second seed as originally planned...
Guys i wasn't on here in 2003 so let me ask you, the ups and downs that season happened UNTIL the Rodeo Road trip or before it we were playing great already?
we should not be too excited about that win, but we can look at it optimisticly only because spurs were not intimidated by the asb and were there to compete and do the right things to get better.
The major difference this year has been the lack of defensive focus. Defense has always been the Spurs strongpoint, even when they struggled offensively, even when they faltered early in the season.
I think that that is partially a shift in the NBA, and how Pop has tried to adjust. The NBA has changed the rules to make being a defensive stalwart much less easy to do and much less rewarding in terms of wins. Pop has adjusted by loosening up his offense a little, but the result is that he's had trouble getting guys to commit to defense as much.
It's also a product of having multiple new players to integrate, and the fact that it ALWAYS takes any new player in the Spurs' system about a year to truly fit in to the offense and the defense. So the fact that RJ is struggling doesn't mean he can't fit in or won't fit in.
I'll say this I still think the Spurs are dangerous against ANY teams with shaky execution. Pop can still draw up great plays and a pnr with Parker or Manu with duncan is still better than what MOST teams can turn to down the stretch of a close game ...
I like Sa against OKC, Denver (though it would be tough to win i think they can cause nuggs problems), Portland (inexperience), Phoenix (they own suns)
Bad matchups include: Lakers, Jazz and Mavs
Jazz and Mavs have great PG's that will help combat the Spurs execution ...Lakers Phil and Kobe will make sure they score late as well ...
Denver though more talented than SPurs are like Kobe they take and make difficult shots AS A TEAM ...when they are off they STILL take those shots ...
If Manu get shot i think they could give Denver trouble in a 7 game series ...
I liked the defensive intensity and the level of hustle the whole team came in with. there were plays where they swarmed all over the Nuggets they had fast breaks where not one but or three spurs were around the glass for the put backs or rebounds. I've seen plays where the only guy back there was the guy who stole the ball. He missed a bevy of defenders were there to get the rebound. One play in particular JR Smith got out on a breakaway and McDyess chased him down and though he didn't block the shot he made Smith hesitate and miss the lay up. Then a couple of other spurs fought to get the rebound. It's a start.
Last night the Spurs played with purpose. It had nothing to do with the pending all star break. As of now, the Spurs players and coaching staff are in desperation mode and it showed on the defensive end. Karl should just accept the fact that his team got steam rolled by a group of guys who came to his arena for a win.
I don't think it was an optimisitc or pessimistic article. It presented both sides and ultimately didn't say anything. I think Buck, too, was thinking about vacation.
Well, to go 26-4 the rest of the regular season would be sweet. We can only hope.
That article le is horrendous Buck... gotta raise the bar
The Spurs are within 3 games in the loss column of any team in the league not named the Cavs or Lakers. How bad can they really be? We're just not hitting shots. But what if we make our shots? Then what?
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