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Could this be considered a complaint about Pop?“We were going the wrong direction,” Duncan said.
Duncan helps Spurs end slide
Jeff McDonald
Gregg Popovich left the AT&T Center on Wednesday night with his eyebrows intact. Unlike Mike Woodson, his Atlanta counterpart, he didn't need to shave anything to motivate his team.
After the Spurs lost three in a row at home, Popovich didn't do anything special to catch his players' attention.
“Besides flipping over tables and cursing us out?” center Antonio McDyess said, in jest (maybe). “No.”
Whatever Popovich did or did not do, the Spurs responded with one of their finest games of the season, crushing the surging Atlanta Hawks 105-90 to put an emphatic end to a discouraging skid.
As has often been the case over the past 12-plus seasons, when the Spurs hit their darkest hour, they leaned heavily on Tim Duncan.
Duncan had 21 points and a career-high 27 rebounds, as the Spurs burst to a 28-point lead in the first half and never trailed, holding on to avert their first four-game home losing streak since 2002.
It was Duncan's 20th career 20-20 game, but the first since Dec. 13, 2005, when he had 27 points and 22 rebounds against the Clippers. Duncan's rebounding total Wednesday was the most in an NBA game this season.
His night was a workmanlike picture in domination. Duncan was only 5 of 20 from the field, getting most of his points courtesy of an 11-for-11 effort from the foul line.
“You have to give him all the credit,” Richard Jefferson said. “Without him missing as many shots as he did, he wouldn't have been able to get as many offensive rebounds.”
Said Duncan, who had 10 offensive boards: “Mostly, I just rebounded my own shot. Which helps.”
The Spurs (26-18) shot only 43.5 percent, but held the Hawks (29-15) to 39.8. The Spurs had six players in double figures, including all five starters.
One of them was McDyess, who was reinserted into the starting unit for the first time since Dec. 19, and enjoyed his best scoring night in a Spurs uniform with 17 points.
“We executed pretty well for more of the game than we have lately,” Popovich said, “and that showed.”
Not everything was hunky-dory for the Spurs. Tony Parker, their star point guard, was helped off the court late in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return.
As had been the case during the Spurs' losing streak, they shot out to a double-digit lead early. This time, however, they didn't stop at 13 or 14 points.
A Duncan dunk with 1:42 to go in the first half put the Spurs up 64-36, a lead so large even they couldn't squander it.
“The Spurs were hungry for a win,” Atlanta's Jamal Crawford said. “You felt that vibe from the start.”
The Hawks, who got 31 points from Joe Johnson and 25 from Crawford, made a predictable surge after half.
Midway through the third quarter, Crawford made the kind of play that seems to happen against teams in the middle of losing streaks. He rose for a 3-pointer. Duncan knocked him over. The ball banked in.
Crawford initially missed the foul shot for the four-point play, but got a mulligan on Parker's lane violation and swished the second attempt.
The difference Wednesday? That only cut an 18-point Spurs' lead to 14. It was a welcome change from the past three games.
“We were going the wrong direction,” Duncan said. “There was legitimate concern as to what we needed to do.”
So maybe Popovich expressed his legitimate concern by throwing furniture. Or maybe he just asked his team politely to maybe win a game.
“Pop stays on us,” Duncan said. “He's the same old, same old Pop.”
Even so, Duncan has a suggestion for Popovich the next time the Spurs start losing. It involves no shaving at all.
“I'm trying to talk him into getting the beard back,” Duncan said. “Maybe that will help.”
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Slideshow.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/slidesho...-90.html?c=n#1
Could this be considered a complaint about Pop?“We were going the wrong direction,” Duncan said.
Joe Johnson scored 30?..that was like the quietest 30 I've ever seen..
not at all.
I don't remember him taking any easy shots, he made some difficult baskets.
No. Contrary to popular belief, the player's don't play the games thinking, "gosh, I'm underachieving because my coach forgot how the game of basketball is played. If only my coach was more of a fan favorite I could play at a championship level."
I lol'ed
Glad to see a solid win from the spurs, really am, and as discussed in other threads maybe Parker's forceful rest is a blessing in disguise. Let's take these next two at home and start the RRT on a roll!
Funny enough though, they do stop playing if they hate a coach and want ownership to get rid of him. That's the kind of nonsense that i hate about sports and pro-athletes..
Duncan also had 6 assists and 0 turnovers.
According to the stat finder, that has been done only 12 times this season by a forward (none by power forwards), and only twice by a center.
“You have to give him all the credit,” Richard Jefferson said. “Without him missing as many shots as he did, he wouldn't have been able to get as many offensive rebounds.”
Duncan is a one of a kind player for sure.
Duncan going off was a direct result of Dice being such a pain to Atlanta. I have been first in line to criticize Dice and I will be first in line to give him credit where credit is due. Now, the next step for Dice and Blair is to bring the intensity to every game.
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