Article : Easy victory lets Spurs rest starters

[angel_luv]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b....126ca3d6.html

Tim Duncan has his three NBA Finals MVP trophies; Manu Ginobili an Olympic gold medal. Three years ago, Tony Parker made the 50 Most Beautiful People list.



None of them, however, can match Beno Udrih's distinction: 2005 Athlete of the Year for Savinjska, one of Slovenia's 12 regions.

"We're not sure," Brent Barry said, "if he barely beat out Rasho (Nesterovic) or what."

The Spurs know this: Udrih outclassed his fellow countrymen and everyone else at the AT&T Center on Tuesday night, pacing the team's 104-76 rout of the Charlotte Bobcats with season highs of 17 points and eight assists.

The rest of the Spurs' reserves followed Udrih's lead. The bench totaled 66 points and 27 rebounds as the Spurs bounced back from Sunday's loss to Denver by taking advantage of the injury-depleted Bobcats.

"You hate to come in here after they just suffered a loss," Charlotte coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "(Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) had them prime one through 12.

"I told our guys, 'You just saw where we are trying to go. You just saw one of the best. That is where you want to be.'"

The Spurs accomplished their goal by making quick work of Charlotte and allowing their starters extra rest before tonight's game against New Orleans in Oklahoma City. Tim Duncan totaled 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists before sitting out the fourth quarter, and none of the starters played more than 25 minutes.

The Spurs can only hope it does some good: Five of their previous six back-to-backs have ended with a loss.

"Timmy's had a tough time in back-to-backs with (his right) foot, so perhaps for the first time he'll feel a little bit better," Popovich said. "And Tony (Parker)'s been going at torrid pace all year. So, hopefully, we'll have enough juice to chase those guys around for a while."

The Bobcats, meanwhile, are doing well just to find enough healthy bodies to meet the NBA minimum. On Tuesday, for the eighth time in 10 games, they had no more than 10 players in uniform.

Gerald Wallace (bruised tibia), Emeka Okafor (sprained right ankle) and Kareem Rush (sprained index finger), the team's top three scorers, were among the missing.

"Undermanned doesn't adequately describe all the injuries they've had," Popovich said. "But you still go play the game. Our guys showed great focus and got after it."

That included Udrih. With Manu Ginobili out with a sprained right ankle, Popovich started Nick Van Exel alongside Tony Parker to match up with the Bobcats' small backcourt. That allowed Udrih to get expanded playing time.

"He's been waiting his turn, so to speak," Popovich said.

Udrih made the most of his opportunity, scoring seven consecutive points midway through the second quarter. He split two defenders for a difficult layup at the end of the third quarter before spending the final 12 minutes setting up his teammates.

"The coaches told me to be ready," Udrih said, "and I was."

The rest of the Spurs' reserves also answered the call. With the exception of Van Exel, who didn't attempt a shot, every player scored at least four points.

Fabricio Oberto had 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Sean Marks made all but one of his five shots and scored nine points, matching his most in three seasons with the Spurs.

After hitting back-to-back shots in the fourth quarter, Marks ran down the floor pumping his fist.

"We had to put his elbow in an ice bucket," Popovich said. "He shot more times tonight than he did all last season, and then he showed the bravado right after it.

"I think the bravado might have knocked it out of whack. He might be out for two, three weeks."

At times, Udrih has seemingly gone that long without playing this season. With Van Exel having taken over the backup role behind Parker, he appeared in only 24 of the team's first 41 games.

Udrih spent the past two days hanging out with Nesterovic and Charlotte center Primoz Brezec, three-fifths of the NBA's Slovenian population. In honor of Udrih's recent award, Barry, Nesterovic and Marks taped a video tribute shortly before Tuesday's game that will later be shown in Slovenia.

"We jest, but it's kind of a cool thing for him," Barry said. "I told him I wanted to meet the Female Athlete of the Year in his region."

[angel_luv]

"You hate to come in here after they just suffered a loss," Charlotte coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "(Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) had them prime one through 12.

"I told our guys, 'You just saw where we are trying to go. You just saw one of the best. That is where you want to be.'"

Udrih spent the past two days hanging out with Nesterovic and Charlotte center Primoz Brezec, three-fifths of the NBA's Slovenian population. In honor of Udrih's recent award, Barry, Nesterovic and Marks taped a video tribute shortly before Tuesday's game that will later be shown in Slovenia.

Awww!

"We jest, but it's kind of a cool thing for him," Barry said. "I told him I wanted to meet the Female Athlete of the Year in his region."

[DesiSpur_21]

After this so called rest, let's see if they lay eggs or play some ball.

[sa_butta]

They should be ready roll in this one. Just hope they dont play to the level of the compe ion like they did the last time they played NO. Which they also came off a back 2 back, winning the previous night at home.

[WalterBenitez]

Congrats to Beno