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I have a bad feeling about this one. I hope Tyler Hansbrough wont go 15-15 and score 40 on us.... It could happen.
Game is Friday, 6:00 CST.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011010711San Antonio (29-6) at Indiana (14-18)
Tipoff: 7:00 pm EST Fri Jan 7, 2011
TV: FSSW, FSIN
By Kate Hedlin
Poor defense is to blame for the San Antonio Spurs’ first losing streak of the season. Facing a team that has struggled offensively lately could be just what they need to get back on track.
The Spurs look to avoid losing three straight for the first time since last January when they try for their eighth straight victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
San Antonio (29-6) has dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season, putting up two of its worst defensive efforts in back-to-back road losses to New York and Boston.
After a 128-115 loss to the Knicks on Tuesday in which coach Gregg Popovich described he defense as “pathetic,” the Spurs allowed the Celtics to shoot 61.5 percent in a 105-103 loss Wednesday. It was the highest shooting percentage by a San Antonio opponent since the Los Angeles Lakers shot 62.1 percent in 1988.
Despite those poor defensive efforts, San Antonio still has the NBA’s best record - not that that is much comfort to the team.
“We’re not satisfied with where we are, and honestly, I don’t really care what our record is,” said Tim Duncan, who had 18 points Wednesday. “(With) the kind of defense we’re playing, we’re definitely not satisfied where we are right now.”
The Spurs, who gave up 72 first-half points to the Knicks and 27 first-quarter points to the Celtics, have especially had trouble defending in the backcourt. New York’s Raymond Felton scored 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting and Boston’s Ray Allen had 31 on 13 of 16. Rajon Rondo also had a triple-double with 22 assists.
This stretch is particularly frustrating since San Antonio relied heavily on its defense during a four-game winning streak prior to the last two games. It gave up 82.3 points during that stretch.
While the Spurs have been discouraged by their recent defense, they may have an easier time containing Indiana (14-18), which lost for the fourth time in five games with a 98-92 defeat at New York on Sunday. The Pacers have averaged 90.3 points in their last seven games while shooting 39.4 percent.
They were held to 37.4 percent from the field Sunday. Danny Granger had 25 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, while Darren Collison added 22 points. Indiana scored 15 points in the final period after missing 16 of 23 field-goal attempts.
“We didn’t finish this one well,” said Granger, whose shooting struggles continued as he finished 9 of 23 from the floor. “You can always work to get better, we just turned the ball over down the stretch too many times.”
Granger is shooting 36.8 percent in the last seven games and has eight turnovers in the last two contests. However he’s been sharp in his last three contests against the Spurs, averaging 28 points on 55 percent shooting.
San Antonio has won seven straight over Indiana, including a season-opening 122-109 victory at home Oct. 27. The Spurs have also won three in a row at Conseco Fieldhouse, holding the Pacers to fewer than 90 points in two of those victories.
********************
Team Stat Leaders
Points
Manu Ginobili SA 18.7
Danny Granger Ind 21.1
Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 9.2
Roy Hibbert Ind 8.0
Assists
Tony Parker SA 7.0
Darren Collison Ind 4.2
I have a bad feeling about this one. I hope Tyler Hansbrough wont go 15-15 and score 40 on us.... It could happen.
I think the Spurs are going to drop this one too. They are in a slump that only a trip home will cure.
Danny Granger will score 40, and Dunleavy will be on fire from outside. (seriously, his car will catch fire and he will have to be rolled around in the snow or dirt or mud, whatever)
http://indiana.sbnation.com/indiana-...t-spurs-pacersPacers PF Tyler Hansbrough To Start Friday Against Spurs
by Matt Grecco
According to Indy Star’s Mike Wells, second year PF Tyler Hansbrough will get the start Friday when the Pacers host the Spurs. This will be the second career start for Hansbrough, who started one game last season against the Suns.
Hansbrough, the former College National Player of the Year, is averaging 5.0 points in just under 13 minutes per game this season.
I find it really difficult to see the Spurs losing this one. Manu will still be pissed about the last two games and I think (hope) they'll step up the D so that it looks closer to what we were seeing before the NY game.
If the Spurs win, it's not because Manu suddenly wants to. It's because the team finds their rhythm on defense and Pop stops the bull experiments with rotations and coverages. How are you going to even know who the you are covering when you get yanked 1 minute into the game after the 2nd timeout, then stuck back in and yanked again 2 minutes later?
Spurs will not lose to this team. Not after the two hard games they just played and coming so close to getting the Boston game to overtime. They need to get back on the court and turn this streak into a winning one. Spurs by 11.
Indiana plays well at home but losing 2 in a row should result in us playing hard. Spurs by 10-12
Obviously better D will be a big part of a Spurs win (as I noted). My point was that I'm anticipating a big game from Manu tomorrow and when he has a monster game the Spurs usually win.
I know these early games are doin' the internationals a favor, but I'm ready for this run East to be over.
Explain to me how motivation equates to a monster game. Does Manu throw up more shots? Does it drive to the rim harder? Does he stick like glue to his man? How about if Pop runs the zone, how's that switch going to work better because someone's fired up?
The team has to take risks on defense. That means coverage even in the wake of foul calls. They have to play physical, they've been pushed around for the past two games. When have the Spurs put anyone from either the Knicks or the Celtics on the floor with a hard foul? No contact = opponent shooting high percentage.
The way this season goes the Pacers will improve their shooting percentage against the Spurs. But still this should not be enough to beat the offensive power of the Spurs. Let's see if we play some D and if Roy Hibbert plays as good as he did in the season opener ...
I know these early games are doin' the internationals a favor, but I'm ready for this run East to be over.
Tbh i'd be happy to wait another hour or two so i'm not up at 3 in the morning disappointed.
http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Fri. Jan. 7
San Antonio @ Indiana: Bennett Salvatore; Scott Wall; Leon Wood
sometimes it is
Trap game?I have a bad feeling about this one. I hope Tyler Hansbrough wont go 15-15 and score 40 on us.... It could happen.
Hopefully not after losing 2 in a row. I doubt they are lookng past the Pacers and surely not taking this lightly.
Manu always wants to win. That play was near the end of the game, and though it was a good play, there are dozens of events that allow the Spurs to even be in a position for that play to make a difference. Those are the events I keep talking about, the other 47.95 minutes of the game. How is Manu's will power going to make him a better shooter? He does some pretty unbelievable stuff, but his shooting has been poor lately (save for that last quarter).sometimes it is
I don't buy into the "good when we need him to be" thing, especially where shooting is concerned. You certainly cannot rely on that nitrous boost for accuracy.
It has to start at the defensive end, and a lot of that resides on Pop's shoulders. He has to start trusting his team, stop micromanaging every possession. The team cannot get into a rhythm with his constant intervention. I noticed (and commented) during the Phoenix game this year that Pop called a timeout while we were on a 17-2 run just because Nash made ONE contested hook shot while running through the lane. Subsequently the Suns went on a run.
I like to see the team run on it's own, gain some momentum on the floor. Who's running the show out there? Anyone? Looks like Pop doesn't trust anyone.
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...s-shootaround/Parker ill, skips shootaround
Posted on January 7, 2011 at 11:28 am by Jeff McDonald
INDIANAPOLIS — Spurs point guard skipped shootaround Friday morning in preparation, staying behind at the team hotel feeling under the weather.
Parker has not been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Pacers, and team officials are hopeful after a full day’s rest he might be able to play.
Advanced Scouting: San Antonio Spurs at Indiana Pacers
by Scott Sereday
48 Minutes of
http://www.48minutesof .com/spurs...indiana-pacers
I remember a guy named Jordan that you really didn't want to piss off before a game...
http://www.indystar.com/article/2011...ixth-man-SpursIndy's Hill thrives in new role, sixth man, for Spurs
Ex-Broad Ripple/IUPUI star gives one of NBA's elite teams a big spark as 6th man
George Hill finds himself in a new role in his third year in the NBA, and it's a key one with the San Antonio Spurs.
Hill has been moved to the sixth-man spot and is expected to be a scoring spark off the bench.
The former Broad Ripple High School and IUPUI star has responded by averaging 11.2 points in 28 minutes per game, helping the Spurs (29-6) to the best record in the NBA.
"I really didn't know until the start of the season," said Hill, a guard who started 43 games last year. "I'm still part of the main rotation, and it's not about how you start the game, it's about how you finish.
"I just continue to play the same way I've been playing, and I've been a good second-half player."
Hill takes over the role previously held by Manu Ginobili, who is now a starter and the Spurs' leading scorer. Hill is fifth on the Spurs in scoring, behind Ginobili, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Richard Jefferson.
Hill will play his only game this season in his hometown tonight when the Spurs face the Pacers (14-18).
"He's done very well for us. He's been very important to the season," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He plays with a passion at both ends. He's one of our better defenders. He's learned to become more aggressive.
"He's such a team-oriented guy, from time to time I have to remind him he has the skills to score and doesn't have to defer to other people."
Hill tied for second in the voting for NBA's Most Improved Player last season. Ginobili won the league's Sixth Man of the Year in 2008, when he averaged 19.5 points.
Ginobili gave Hill a brief bit of advice about the role.
"He said he went out and played like he was a starter," Hill said. "It's about preparing yourself, knowing that you're not going to start, that you're going to come off the bench around six minutes or so in and you have to have a strong impact on the game."
At the end of last season, there was considerable discussion on whether Hill should be a full-time starter after he averaged 13.4 points in 10 playoff games, eight of them as a starter.
Popovich said he switched the lineup because he felt Ginobili deserved to be a starter at this point in his career and Hill would excel off the bench.
The Spurs often play Parker, Ginobili and Hill together.
"That's perfect for him because it allows him to be on the floor with the other two, and you're picking your poison," NBA.com analyst Sekou Smith said.
"He's such a good spot-up shooter on the perimeter. He's an intriguing matchup problem for a lot of teams that really can't match those three guys."
Hill, who met with friends and supporters Thursday night in Conseco Fieldhouse, had to get more than 150 tickets for tonight's game to accommodate players on his four youth basketball teams and their parents.
"He really takes this time as an opportunity to come back and hang out with these kids," said Mike Saunders, who coaches one of the teams. "He talks about school. The kids know, 'Hey, he did know I got an 'A' on that test.'
"No matter how much money he makes ($1.2 million this season), no matter how much people think about him in the NBA, he's the same guy and he truly cares about these kids."
Hansbrough starting
The Pacers' revolving door at power forward is about to take another turn.
Tyler Hansbrough will get his first start of the season tonight, becoming the fourth player to start at that position.
Coach Jim O'Brien hasn't been happy with scoring production at that position.
"Nobody is doing horribly. We're just not scoring, not getting to the foul line," O'Brien said. "I want to see how Tyler does from a starting job. I want to find out what my best combination is up front."
*********************
San Antonio Spurs at Pacers
Mike Wells
Tipoff: 7 p.m. today, Conseco Fieldhouse.
TV: FSI.
Radio: WIBC-93.1 FM.
Pregame MVP: Ginobili scored 22 points in the Spurs' 13-point victory over the Pacers on opening night. He scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter against Boston on Wednesday.
Prediction: Spurs by nine. The Pacers are catching the Spurs at the wrong time as San Antonio is on a rare two-game losing streak. The Pacers have dropped four of their past five.
You would lose either way. He just shared it more if you didn't.
Practice video: Pacers prepare for Spurs
http://www.nba.com/pacers/video/2011...s=iref:nbahpt2
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