http://www.nba.com/jazz/schedule/110..._vs_spurs.html
Utah Jazz vs. San Antonio Spurs, 11/5/09
GAME TIME: 8:30 PM MT with TV broadcast being available on TNT / RADIO - 1320
by Steve Klauke
The Jazz host the Spurs tonight looking to snap a four-game losing streak to San Antonio. Coach Gregg Popovich’s team swept the three-game season series last year including a 106-100 win in the Spurs’ only appearance at EnergySolutions Arena.
Overall, the Spurs averaged 110 points against the Jazz while shooting a red hot 51 percent from the field. Tony Parker led San Antonio at 27.5 points, followed by Roger Mason at just over 19 points and Tim Duncan at nearly 19 points per game. Deron Williams paced the Jazz at 22 per game against the Spurs.
The San Antonio coaching staff may have needed to pass out “ o, My Name Is…” stickers on the first day of training camp, as there were several new faces wearing the silver and black as the Spurs looked to get a little younger and a little more athletic.
The biggest acquisition was forward Richard Jefferson, who was picked up from the Bucks for Kurt Thomas and longtime Spurs defensive specialist Bruce Bowen, who later retired. Jefferson will give the Spurs a dangerous scorer on the wing, especially since he stepped up his game from three point range last season with Milwaukee, hitting a career-high 40 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged nearly 20 points while appearing in all 82 games for the second consecutive season and for just the third time in his eight-year career. Veteran Michael Finley, who started 77 games in 2008-09, will back up Jefferson.
The Spurs also signed free agent Antonio McDyess, who will open his 14th season as the starting power forward for his fifth different NBA team. McDyess averaged just less than 10 points and 10 boards for Detroit last season. He won’t be expected to score much, but he will be counted on to be a force on the glass. He will be backed up by Matt Bonner, who gives San Antonio a completely different look at the four position when he is in the game. Bonner prefers the perimeter where last season he shot a career-best 44 percent from three point range. Another option will be rookie DeJuan Blair, a second round pick from the University of Pittsburgh. Blair took advantage of his minutes during the preseason including a 28-point night off the bench against Miami on October 12th in which he hit 11-of-13 shots from the field.
One area where the Spurs hope to improve is their health. Duncan and Parker missed a handful of games, while Manu Ginobili missed over half the season in 2008-09. Ginobili told reporters at Spurs media day that he feels no pain after ankle problems limited the 32-year-old to just 44 games last season and kept him out of the playoffs. Popovich told NBA.com that the Spurs were offensively challenged without Ginobili. “We didn’t realize how much we were challenged until we got to see him play again. He adds so much now that he’s healthy.”
One of the big questions is whether or not Ginobili can return to his form from the 2007-08 campaign when he put together his best season with career highs in points (19.5), rebounds (4.8) and assists (4.5). He will likely come into games as a spark plug off the bench with Roger Mason getting the start. Mason, who had floundered with three teams in his first four seasons, blossomed with the Spurs averaging nearly 12 points last year. Veteran Keith Bogans, who split time with Milwaukee and Orlando, was signed as a free agent and can be a third option at the position.
Duncan, aka “The Big Fundamental”, put up a double-double average for the 12th time in his 12-year Hall of Fame career. His 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game last season were slightly below his career numbers, but he also averaged less than 34 minutes per game as Coach Popovich, when possible, tends to limit his playing time down the stretch to save him for the playoffs. Another key free agent signing by the Spurs came in the person of Theo Ratliff, who will give the team a shot blocking presence when Duncan is off the floor.
Parker is coming off a season in which he posted career bests in points (22.0) and assists (6.9). With the addition of Jefferson and the return of Ginobili, Parker may not be counted upon to score as much as last season, but other teams know the threat is there and that his assist numbers may skyrocket. Second year man George Hill returns as Parker’s back-up. Hill, who started seven games for the Spurs, averaged nearly six points and two assists last year, but those numbers increased to nearly 10 points and three and one-half assists in those seven starts.
Spurs Fun Fact: Matt Bonner is only the second player from the state of New Hampshire to appear in an NBA game. The first was Jeff Cross, who appeared in 21 games for the Clippers during the 1985-86 season.
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