The San Antonio Spurs have a pulse. Down 0-2 against the New Orleans Hornets, the Spurs got a home win that they had to get. While the Spurs aren’t healthy quite yet, they took the first step toward recovery tonight.
The Spurs trailed 56-54 at halftime but came out in the third quarter and played very good basketball in the second half. Up two points with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Spurs went on an 11-0 run to put the game away. When all was said and done, the Spurs won 110-99 and now trail the Hornets 2-1 in this best of seven series.
The Hornets once again played very well. Chris Paul, although his theatrics were a bit overboard at times, was almost flawless. He had 35 points, nine assists and one turnover, while shooting 15-for-25 from the court. David West (23 points and 12 rebounds) was also very impressive. The Hornets got off to an 8-0 start to the game but seemed to run out of gas a bit in the fourth quarter. Despite the Spurs win, the Hornets showed that they’re very capable of putting up a good fight in San Antonio.
It was good to see the Spurs respond well to the adversity of a must-win situation – especially after they fell into an early hole. The team stayed together and kept chipping away at the rock until they figured it out. It was far from a perfect game by San Antonio, but they got the win.
Overall, things are looking a bit more positive. The Spurs made a lot of adjustments and virtually all of the adjustments ended up working out for the better. There are definitely positives to take out of this contest, however there’s still a long ways to go. Game 3 was about pride and survival. Now the hard part begins.
-Manu Ginobili, who was back in the starting lineup, had a classic Manu Ginobili game. He’s clearly hobbled with who knows what type of injury at the moment, but he fought through it and gave the Spurs everything he had. Ginobili finished with 31 points, six assists and four rebounds, while shooting 11-for-22 from the field. Offensively, he was gigantic for the Spurs. In the pick-and-rolls, he was shredding the Hornets defense. Ginobili also did a very good job of taking care of the ball. He had three quick turnovers to start the game but then never turned the ball over again. Defensively, he did a good job in the halfcourt sets, however his transition defense still needs a lot of work in this series. Overall, I’m very happy and encouraged with how Ginobili played. He cut down on his shaky decisions offensively and instead let the game come to him. Ginobili needs to remain in the starting lineup and keep bringing this type of all-out effort for the Spurs to have a chance at this series.
-Bruce Bowen got his shot against Peja Stojakovic and didn’t disappoint. Stojakovic came into the game with 47 points in the first two games. In Game 3, Bowen held him to eight points. Taking Stojakovic out of this series is extremely vital for the Spurs – and that job falls squarely on Bowen’s shoulders. Offensively, Bowen was also key for San Antonio. He had 12 points on 4-for-11 shooting, including 4-for-9 shooting on three-pointers. Bowen also had two assists, one rebound, one steal and one blocked shot. Bowen needs to keep defending and keep scoring for the Spurs to come out victorious.
-While I want to give Pop a lot of credit for making a number of adjustments in this game, part of me wonders why it took two losses for Pop to see the light. But whatever, I guess better late than never.
After Game 2, I wanted Bowen on Stojakovic. Parker on Paul. Ginobili in the starting lineup. No more Udoka. No more Horry. And more Barry. In Game 3, I got everything except more Barry. I’ll gladly accept five out of six. And truthfully, with the way Finley was playing, I can’t argue with Pop opting for Finley instead of Barry.
Bowen on Stojakovic has a chance to be the series altering adjustment. Although it was an obvious adjustment that a lot of Spurs fans were hoping to see, it was refreshing that Pop wasn’t too stubborn and actually made the switch. Basically, Bowen was born to defend Stojakovic. When Bowen gets his number raised to the rafters one day at the AT&T Center, his highlight-reel will contain footage of him pestering Stojakovic throughout the years. I remain fully confident that Bowen can do a masterful job against the Hornets’ sharpshooter.
In Game 4, I want to see more of the same from Pop. Keep Bowen on Stojakovic as much as possible. Force Paul to have to score 40 points to beat you. Offensively, Pop needs to ensure that Ginobili and Parker keep attacking and the shooters keep shooting with confidence. A large part of the victory for San Antonio was the fact that the team shot 11-for-25 from beyond the arc. Pop needs to keep the best shooters possible on the court to open up things for the Big Three.
The bottomline is the Spurs won the game they had to win. Game 4 is where the Spurs can make this a series again. It’s going to be a tough contest but this team can get it done.
Believe.
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Donkey picking his nose during the post game presser
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