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this guy is a genius.“We are losing too many great opportunities,” Ginobili said.
Spurs wrap up road trip with loss in Detroit
Jeff McDonald
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Gregg Popovich dusted off a trick from the 2008 playoffs. Manu Ginobili dusted off his game from 2005.
And by the time Tim Duncan hauled out his own relic? It was not enough to save the Spurs.
After Detroit pulled out a 109-101 overtime victory Sunday, the Spurs began a long trip home to face questions about their chances of making similar playoff memories this year.
It marked the Spurs' second consecutive loss to a sub-.500 team, joining Friday's pratfall in Philadelphia, ending their rodeo trip at 4-4.
“We thought we could use the last four or five games to really get a run going,” Duncan said. “Then we drop two we feel we should have won.”
Typically, the Spurs (31-23) return home from their annual rodeo trip looking to continue momentum. They return from this one hoping to stop the bleeding.
With the loss, which included a wild Ginobili-led comeback to force OT, the Spurs matched their worst rodeo finish. The last time they went .500 was also the year of their last championship, 2007.
The times feel different now. Now, the Spurs are locked in a battle with Portland for seventh in the West.
“We are losing too many great opportunities,” Ginobili said.
Another came Sunday.
With Tony Parker out again, Popovich started his 18th new lineup of the season — going small with George Hill at the point, Roger Mason and Keith Bogans at wing, and Richard Jefferson playing power forward next to Duncan, the new center.
“Because I'm tricky and smart,” Popovich chuckled before the game.
It didn't quite work. Richard Hamilton had 27 points to lead Detroit, Rodney Stuckey had 20, and both came up big in OT.
Give the Spurs credit. They didn't take their second straight stomach punch lying down.
His team behind 11 with less than five minutes to play, Popovich unleashed on Detroit's Ben Wallace a fouling technique last employed against Shaquille O'Neal. Hack-a-Ben worked to perfection.
As the Palace crowd howled, Wallace — a 44 percent foul shooter — made three of eight free throws, allowing the Spurs to inch back.
On came Ginobili who, in a building that housed memories of the 2005 Finals, threatened to drag the Spurs to victory solo. He found Antonio McDyess on a pick-and-roll, pulled up for a 3-pointer, and drove to earn two free throws.
What happened next was part luck, part Ginobili. He scooped up a loose ball — an errant Stuckey pass had hit official Bennie Adams in the leg — and scrambled the length of the floor for another 3-pointer to pull the Spurs within 91-90.
More Ginobili: With the Spurs down three, he crept up on Hamilton and drew a charge. An incensed Hamilton foolishly fouled Ginobili on the next possession before the ball had been inbounded, awarding Ginobili a shot and the Spurs the ball.
Ginobili hit the free throw to cut it to two, then the tying layup with 27.5 seconds left.
“He made some unbelievable plays,” McDyess said of Ginobili. “I thought he was going to pull it out for us.”
Ginobili finished with 21 points, 16 after the half. Duncan had 29 points and 10 rebounds.
“I thought guys busted their butts,” Popovich said.
It wasn't enough.
Two minutes into OT, Stuckey made his third 3-pointer of the game — after hitting seven all season — to give Detroit (20-35) a four-point lead. Another 19-footer followed a Hamilton 3-point play, and Detroit led by seven with 1:28 left.
By the time Duncan threw in a rare 3 of his own, it was inconsequential.
Before Sunday, Duncan hadn't hit one since sending Game 1 of the 2008 playoffs' first round against Phoenix into overtime. His most recent 3-pointer, meanwhile, only cut the Spurs' deficit to 107-101 with 6.4 seconds remaining.
In '08, Duncan's three was just enough, at just the right time. Sunday, it was too little, too late.
this guy is a genius.“We are losing too many great opportunities,” Ginobili said.
A couple more from post game.
Popovich was testy after the game when asked if it had been an easy decision to start fouling Wallace, a 44 percent shooter from the line.
“Not really,” he snapped after asking the question to be repeated.“We battled our guts out, but we shot poorly and the Pistons made big shots,” Popovich said. “You play games and sometimes things like that happen.”
“Because I'm tricky and smart,” Popovich chuckled before the game.
It's been that kind of season. I started noticing this last season and it's continued on into this season at an alarming rate: players doing things against the Spurs they usually don't do. As bad as this team is, they have no luck anymore, either. Stuckey, who can't shoot from three, has made four of his seven three's this season against them, spread over two games. What are the odds?
The harder you works, the luckier you gets.
I don't find that effort has been a real problem with this team. Could they collectively have played harder? Sure, but find me a team that couldn't. Specifically, Jefferson can definitely be doing more, but I don't feel like guys are mailing it in. They're just a flawed team, with a coach who plays lineups that give them little to no chance, depending on the opponent, to be successful.
pop thinks if he says it enough, people will actually believe him
How long before Tim or Manu - i.e. somebody who cares - goes Sprewell on Popovich?
If I were Tim, I'd be going ballistic. Pop trots out basically him and four guards tonight, yet expects Tim to be fine with it.
Tim Duncan deserves better than Gregg Popovich.
This game pushed me over the edge of the cliff. This team is done.
“Because I'm tricky and smart,” Popovich chuckled before the game.You gotta love Pop.
The point is, when you're a good team, you don't lose two games to the Pistons because Rodney Stuckey hit a three pointer. Whatever you might say about the Spurs' effort, there's little doubt they were out worked by a 20 win team.
Ehh no, that actually made me want to smack him in the face and give up now when he said that. Before it was cute as we were winning, but not it is not funny and not love there.
Pathetic smurfs lol
we only lost 1 to detroit this year
I don't see how playing an already struggling Jefferson out of position could possibly help anything. If anything it just makes the adjustment more difficult. Also, if ever there was a good time to play Blair it would be matched up against Ben Wallace, an undersized center who is not much of a concern with regards to scoring. But Blair only played 13 minutes...
Jefferson had how many rebounds? it was end of 2nd quarter, he haven't snatched one. Great help to the spurs cause. sarcasm
I don't think it has anything to do with luck... Spurs defense is horrible. We used to have 1 or 2 players that played matador defense, now the whole team does it, including Tim.
As for Stuckey's 3s ... yeah I mean those were just big shots, but it is all about the confidence; which just tells you Spurs scare no one.
Because we defend like . Everybody thinks they can score against us. Go take a look at Stuckey's first three. He's wide open and until Hill starts to close out, he has time to the ball, square up, then shoot. After they make the first one, then they're going to keep on firing.
I don't understand this quote. Is Pop being sarcastic? If he is, then isn't he admitting that all the assertions that he's a genius, or CIA pop is complete bull ?
Whoops. Okay, well then everything's fine then. Spurs are okay. Nothing to see here.
Well don't let anyone try to convince you that he's arrogant or stubborn or egotistical, becuse well...4 rings got.
Sometimes I think Pop is doing all this just to get his digs at SpursTalk.“Because I'm tricky and smart,” Popovich chuckled before the game.
I know that's wildly irrational...but the thought has crossed my mind.
Pop taking a second out of his life to read Spurstalk would be a certain sign that he's completely lost his marbles. Besides, if he doesn't care what his assistant coaches and his players think...
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