Spurs at Heat Previews

[duncan228]

Game is Monday, 7:00 CST on ESPN.

San Antonio (54-12) at Miami (45-21)
Tipoff: 8:00 pm EDT Mon Mar 14, 2011
TV: ESPN, SUN
By Jeff Bartl

The Miami Heat hit a low point during their five-game losing streak earlier this month when the San Antonio Spurs handed them a 30-point defeat.

With their skid behind them, they’ll be looking for some revenge.

Miami hosts San Antonio on Monday night in another showdown between two of the NBA’s top teams.

The Heat fell 125-95 on March 4 at San Antonio in a game that was never seriously in doubt after Miami got outscored 36-12 in the first quarter. The Heat (45-21) dropped their following two games to a pair of other division leaders - Chicago and Boston - before finally ending their skid Thursday with a 94-88 victory to cap a season sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers.

After Sunday’s 118-85 rout of Memphis, they seem to be back on track to challenge for the Eastern Conference’s top spot. Miami is currently three games behind the first-place Celtics, and 2 1/2 games back of the Bulls.

“Anytime that we can have a good team effort, that’s always great,” said Chris Bosh, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Grizzlies. “But the fact that we had a big lead after halftime and we held it, that’s what I’m most happy with.”

Dwyane Wade finished with 28 points, nine assists, five rebounds and five blocks. LeBron James added 27 points and Mike Bibby hit 5 of 5 3-pointers en route to 17 points off the bench.

Wade struggled a bit in the last meeting with San Antonio, scoring 19 points but shooting 8 of 18 with a game-high five turnovers. James led all scorers with 26 points, while Bosh had 17 and 14 rebounds.

Sunday’s victory against Memphis improved the Heat to only 15-18 against teams .500 or better, but beating the Spurs could change any perception that they can’t beat the league’s elite.

League-leading San Antonio (54-12), which is seven games ahead of second-place Dallas in the Western Conference, beat Houston 115-107 on Saturday for its third straight win.

“It was a great win and a very physical game,” said Tony Parker, who scored a team-high 21 points. “We made the big stops and shots at the end.”

The Spurs made plenty of big shots against the Heat in their last meeting, hitting eight 3-pointers in the first quarter en route to a franchise-record 17 from long range.

Eight Spurs scored in double figures, led by 20 points from Manu Ginobili.

Despite winning all three games, the defensive-minded Spurs have allowed more than 100 points in three straight contests for the first time since doing it in five consecutive games Dec. 16-23. However, the Heat haven’t scored more than 100 versus San Antonio since a 115-114 overtime loss at home Jan. 20, 1995.

The Spurs hold a 34-13 edge in the all-time series, including four straight wins.

Miami will be without center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who is out indefinitely with an infected foot.

*********************

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Manu Ginobili SA 17.9
LeBron James Mia 26.2

Rebounds
Tim Duncan SA 9.1
Udonis Haslem Mia 8.2

Assists
Tony Parker SA 6.6
LeBron James Mia 7.1

*********************

Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10

San Antonio 54-12 1st Southwest / 1st West 103.8 97.0 Road 23-9 Won 3 8-2
Miami 45-21 1st Southeast / 3rd East 101.6 94.7 Home 24-9 Won 2 4-6

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011031414

[duncan228]

Commentary: A win over the NBA-best San Antonio Spurs on Monday would say far more than the Heat's rout of the Memphis Grizzlies
By Greg Stoda
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

That was all very nice.

Congratulations, and well done.

The Heat looked good Saturday afternoon during a 118-85 rout of Memphis - its largest margin of victory this NBA season - at AmericanAirlines Arena, and the fact that the comprehensive performance backed up a Thursday night home win against the Los Angeles Lakers was noteworthy.

So, yeah, very nice.

Now, do it Monday night.

Do it against San Antonio, which has the best record in the game.

Do it against the Spurs, who pasted Miami with a 30-point defeat this month during what grew into a five-game Heat losing streak that didn't end until it beat L.A.

Otherwise?

Well, otherwise, a loss to the Spurs on Miami's court would remove much of the glitter from the accomplishments against the Lakers and Grizzlies, and would ramp up what Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has taken to calling the "noise" that surrounds his team.

Memphis is respectable, nothing more. San Antonio is elite, as are the two-time reigning champion Lakers. And the glaring Miami statistic is that it is 2-9 against the league's best teams with both wins against Los Angeles.

The losses have come against Boston (three), Chicago (three), Dallas (two) and San Antonio.

If the humiliation in San Antonio wasn't the nadir of the Heat's season to this point, it was close.

"We want to redeem ourselves," said Miami's Chris Bosh.

But there has to be more to it than that.

The Heat, if it is to re-anoint itself as a le contender, has to demonstrate an ability to stand up to an opponent as formidable and as savvy as the Spurs.

"They annihilated us," Bosh said.

They certainly did.

The question now: Is the Heat capable of a rejuvenation across the closing one-fifth of the regular season?

Keep reading...

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...n-1316845.html

*********************

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade concedes he needed to focus more on defense, and that's what he is doing
By Ethan J. Skolnick
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/...o-1319030.html

[tdunk21]

should a close one....

[ElNono]

[duncan228]

San Antonio Spurs make up for lack of appeal with wins
By Shandel Richardson, Sun Sentinel

Much of the talk in the NBA this season has surrounded the league's appealing teams.

All the chatter is about the Miami Heat and their Big Three, Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers attempting a three-peat or the New York Knicks' pursuit of Carmelo Anthony. Lost in all the hoopla are the San Antonio Spurs, owners of the league's best record.

The Spurs arrive for Monday's game against the Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena with little fanfare. They make up for the lack of appeal by simply producing wins on a yearly basis. They have won three straight since losing to the Lakers March 6.

"Every year, they're there and they're the epitome of a championship franchise," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We've always had the ultimate respect for them and what they've been able to accomplish. This year, it's probably little bit of a surprise how well and how efficient they've played … They've already been tested through adversity. They've been through playoff battles. They've been through all the ups and downs."

The Spurs handed the Heat their most embarrassing loss of the season March 4 in San Antonio. They hit a franchise-record 17 3-pointers in a 125-95 victory. Although perceived as boring and dull to fans, they have earned respect from peers.

"You look at the Knicks franchise, you look at the Lakers with Kobe Bryant and their franchise is exciting. and Boston," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "San Antonio is not perceived to be sexy, they're perceived to be boring. Teams don't look at it as a bigger game, but as a player you respect it."

Wade pointed out there is nothing vanilla about the how the Spurs play. They can easily turn into an exciting team when guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili dictate a fast pace.

"Their style isn't boring," Wade said. "…They get it, they go."

Keep reading...

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/m...,4349420.story

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It’s not the Spurs, it’s the standings
by: Ira Winderman
South Florida Sun Sentinel

So here come the Spurs, the team that humiliated the Heat just over a week ago in San Antonio.

So this is all about revenge, pride, character, right?

No. The Heat are beyond that. The Spurs game is the most important game for the Heat because it is the next game, and not many remain.

What matters most are the standings. Period.

Because time is running short, is about to run out.

Entering Sunday, the top of the East looked like this:

* Celtics, 46-17
* Bulls, 47-18
* Heat, 45-21

That’s four games down in the loss column to the Celtics, three to the Bulls.

And with each having already won the season series, you can add another game to that deficit.

With 16 games left, an argument could be made that the Heat can’t afford to lose again.

Keep reading...

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports...standings.html

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Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Miami Heat, 8 p.m. Monday
By Ira Winderman
South Florida Sun Sentinel

...Scouting report: This is the second game of the two-game season series. The Spurs won the first meeting 125-95 March 4 in San Antonio, the Heat's most-lopsided loss of the season. Eight Spurs scored in double figures that night, with San Antonio shooting .561 from the field to offset a 26-point performance from Heat forward LeBron James . . . In addition to their overall domination of the series, the Spurs have won their last three visits to AmericanAirlines Arena, poised for their third sweep over the last four seasons . . . The Heat have won two in a row after losing their previous five . . . The Spurs are coming off Saturday's 115-107 victory in Houston, with wins in eight of their last 10 . . . San Antonio has moved Antonio McDyess into the starting lineup in place of center DeJuan Blair since the teams last met . . . Forward Udonis Haslem (foot) and center Dexter Pittman (knee) are out for the Heat, with center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (foot) doubtful.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/

[LakerHater]

If Spurs play like they did last night, theyre gonna get killed!

[honestfool84]

this is going to be a big game. Spurs by 2.

[TE]

Thinking realistically, Miami by 4 in a close one.

[duncan228]

Spurs, Heat ready for round 2
Jeff McDonald

Ever since the day back in July, when LeBron James announced he was taking his talents there, drama has descended upon South Beach.

Each week, it seemed, brought a new exhilarating winning streak or apocalyptic losing streak, with much of Miami undecided whether to plan a championship parade or a hanging.


...Watching all this unfold from afar, and in HD on ESPN, Spurs point guard Tony Parker is just glad he plays for a hum-drum, league-leading team that nobody talks about.

“It just makes me laugh,” Parker said. “They can have the drama. We’re good.”

Keep reading...

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...y-for-round-2/

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Monday: Spurs (54-12) at Heat (45-21)
Jeff McDonald

...Miami is 16-19 against teams .500 or better and 2-8 in games decided by three points or less...Heat are first in NBA in average scoring margin (6.86). Spurs are second at 6.79.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...at-heat-45-21/

[Nathan89]

Too Soon?

Prediction- If Novak plays we will win.

[Holden_Caulfield]

[Budkin]

They're playing well again, we're playing like , and they were humiliated in SA. We're not winning this game.

[Fireball]

This will be tough ... as I remember Joel Anthony did not play in the first game between these two teams and he really makes their defensive (esp. on PnR) so much better. Lets see if we can pull this one out ... I am out of predictions for the rest of the season ...

[buttsR4rebounding]

If its a blowout Miami takes it, if its close then the Spurs will win. Miami has been terrible in close games this year and the Spurs have been assassins in the last 2 minutes of games that are in doubt.

[Obstructed_View]

If the Spurs lose this game, it erases any good feeling from the one quality win the Spurs have had since the Thunder game, and it suddenly makes the Dallas game that much more important.

They do, however, have three days between the Heat game and the Dallas game, so they'll probably use that time to get refocused.

[bongraider]

this game is like trying to lay a chubby wet korean chick. we got this.

[polandprzem]

I don't know if to wake up for this game which is at 3am.

I've got a feeling that we will be destroyed and the game will not be pretty ...

[vander]

Miami by 12+

[Warlord23]

It'll be interesting to see if the Heat change the way they defend the pick and roll. In the last game, their bigs were showing hard on the pick and roll, which allowed penetration and a subsequent kickout to an open shooter - we ended up making 17 three pointers.

As Phil Jackson showed, having the big man do a "soft show" and staying between the guard and the basket makes it difficult to penetrate and allows the perimeter defenders to stay on the shooters. Will the Heat adopt this strategy, and if so, will Pop do something different?

[FromWayDowntown]

I agree with those who suspect this turns into a Spurs loss. Even in their wins since the last Miami game, the Spurs have been incredibly sloppy and almost unfocused. Unless they shoot the lights out again, they can't survive that sort of reckless play against a team like this. I don't see them finding that needed crispness somewhere between Houston and Miami and I don't see them shooting like they did 10 days ago in SA.

I'd be extremely happy to be wrong.

[Fireball]

I don't know if to wake up for this game which is at 3am.

I feel the same, but I have to drive to the airport at 5:30am anyway so I may get up and watch the game ... but isn't it one hour earlier because the US just forwarded time +1 hour?

[FromWayDowntown]

One extremely minor sidenote: if the Spurs win tonight or if Denver loses at New Orleans, the Spurs will clinch a top-4 seed and HCA in Round 1.

[kaji157]

Let's see if Bonner bouces back or if he is "playoff ready" ala Bonner style.

Matt Bonner scored four points on a pair of field goals. He missed his only 3-point attempt, marking back-to-back games without a 3-pointer for the first time since the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals last season against Phoenix. And since Duncan’s infamous “It’s Over” comment about Bonner’s 3-point markmanship against Miami, Bonner has hit 22.2 percent from behind the arc over his last four games.

[shelshor]

http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignment
Mon. Mar. 14
San Antonio @ Miami: JoeCrawford; Eric Dalen; Sean Wright

[Fireball]

Referee Assignment
Mon. Mar. 14
San Antonio @ Miami: JoeCrawford; Eric Dalen; Sean Wright

oh, that eliminates any hopes for a W ... we're ed