Denver articles

[CosmicCowboy]

thomas george
Talk not cheap for Spurs
By Thomas George
Denver Post Staff Columnist

They read, they watch, they listen. The San Antonio Spurs are alert. Aware. Informed.

The Spurs heard the Nuggets diss Manu Ginobili. They caught it when the Nuggets said they would pack the paint and shut down, maybe knock down, driving Spurs. They understood what the Nuggets meant when they said they had not yet played their best hoops, and if not for the officiating in Game 3 might have entered Game 4 on Monday night with the series lead.

They yawned.

Tim Duncan said something about how, with the yapping, the Nuggets needed to give themselves some hype.

Tony Parker said it best. Pro athletes are often less forthcoming when admitting how much attention they pay to newspapers, radio and TV, of absorbing what emanates from the opposing locker room.

Parker had no shame.

"You pay attention," he said. "You hear a little bit of it. You know what they are saying. You know what they are thinking. You don't let it bother you. You keep doing your thing. It's nice to be in the know. But you still make things your way."

And there it is - few mind games can be won against the firmly convinced, the rock-solid assured.

The Spurs present five players on their roster who have won at least two NBA championships.

No Nugget has won one.

The Spurs for three straight games in this series have displayed their ability to more consistently rebound, shoot, defend and finish. It is the finish part that gives them a 3-1 series lead after slaying the Nuggets 126-115 in overtime at the Pepsi Center.

After edging the Nuggets in smarts, execution and confidence one more time.

This was easily the best-played game of the series, and the Spurs won it in a tingling environment that they handled with cool. They are a cool team, period, with Duncan setting the standard with his even, measured approach.

Here was a perfect example:

In the final 3.8 seconds of the first half, the Spurs allowed Earl Boykins to dribble the length of the floor and Duncan, standing with arms stretched, allowed him to scoop and score from underneath the basket. That cut the Spurs' lead to 57-51. The quiet smirk, the twisted lip that Duncan offered afterward was as calm as it was cool.

He simply walked off the floor.

And then he returned and helped make sure the Spurs won the third quarter. And helped make sure they were winners by contributing a game-high 39 points and composed leadership.

The Nuggets had only half this season to build the success and temperament and confidence of their current crew. The Spurs have been at it for seven seasons with Duncan, tested and true.

In these past three playoff games, that difference has showed.

Before the tip, Nuggets guard Andre Miller was talking about his team's approach.

"Our at ude is good," he said. "We're pretty positive. We've got veterans on our team. We've got our heads up. We can compete with this team. We've had our ups and downs in the series. They've had theirs."

But the Spurs exude valor in dealing with those ups and downs and then finish what they start. That trait comes with time, with experience, with a unit getting the same message from its franchise and coach in October that it receives in May. That, of course, did not happen for the Nuggets, with three head coaches and a jumbled roster this season.

San Antonio played four quarters and the overtime as if it knew the Nuggets would crack just enough. The Spurs exhibited respect for the Nuggets but more than that, a gripping, powerful ability to embrace pressure, to execute with flair in the middle of it.

It will not, but we can hope this series reaches seven games. The longer the Nuggets are exposed to the Spurs, the longer they sniff 'em and bump and roll with this bunch, the more they will grow.

Seasoning comes in just these types of postseason games in hot, packed arenas under heavy glare. Even in such tough losses, the Nuggets should gain strength.

They are rubbing elbows with the type of stability, finishers, class and cool that they, too, want to become.

It is a chic, sophisticated neighborhood. The Nuggets, heads spinning, are learning that.

Staff writer Thomas George can be reached at 303-820-1994 or [email protected].

[CosmicCowboy]

Nuggets in deep hole

Spurs need overtime, Duncan's 39 points to take 3-1 advantage in playoff series

By Adam Thompson
Denver Post Staff Writer

Post / Hyoung Chang
Spurs forward Tim Duncan tries to muscle his way past Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin in the first quarter Monday night.

If subsequent rounds get any tougher for San Antonio than its slugfest with Denver on Monday night, the Spurs are going to be one tired team if they make it to the NBA Finals.

At least their chances of advancing look strong after their 126-115 punch-drunk overtime victory over the Nuggets in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series at the Pepsi Center.

Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony has the biggest playoff game of his young career with 28 points but thought he could have scored more.

"We didn't get me the ball," Anthony said. "I don't want to sound selfish, but I had something going and we got away from it. I think San Antonio stuck to their game plan. Every time down the court, they went to their go-to guy."

That would be all-pro Tim Duncan, who scored 39 points.

Ahead 3-1 in the series, the Spurs are now fully in control. They can close out Denver, led in Game 4 by Earl Boykins' 32 points, on Wednesday in Game 5 in San Antonio - and if that doesn't work, they'll have two more chances.

About Game 5 in San Antonio, Anthony said: "We're going to go out fighting. We've got to go to San Antonio with the mentality we can go down there and get a game."

Said coach George Karl: "We're in the NCAA Tournament now. ... Single elimination. Statistics and history are probably against us, but basketball has strange twists."

Spurs guard Tony Parker took over in overtime, scoring nine consecutive points as San Antonio pulled away after a tight fourth quarter.

"We didn't have enough gas or enough confidence after they took the big lead in overtime," Karl said.
In overtime, the Spurs jumped out to a 113-107 lead by scoring the first six points.

Denver got within 113-109 on Anthony's tip but would get no closer. Parker was in the midst of his run, which he capped with a 3-point shot from the top of the key for a nine-point lead, 118-109.

While Parker was the star in overtime, it was all Duncan for much of regulation. In addition to his 39 points, he had 14 rebounds and showed his MVP form when the Spurs needed it most during a pressure-packed fourth quarter. Over and over, the Spurs patiently worked the ball to Duncan in their halfcourt game.

"Duncan was having such a huge game that if the scoreboard was different, we might have doubled him," Karl said. "This is a team that knows how to play. Whatever you throw at them, they have the counter."

Said Anthony: "It's tough. A team like San Antonio was milking Tim Duncan every time down. We can't do that. We come down and whatever happens, happens."

Parker's baseline jump shot with 27.4 seconds left in regulation gave the Spurs a 107-105 lead. Anthony tied the game with 14.4 seconds left by hitting a pair of free throws after driving to the basket to draw a foul on Duncan.

Denver guard Greg Buckner blocked Manu Ginobili's jump shot from the free-throw line in the final seconds to force the extra period.

"Both teams, I don't know how they could have gotten at it any harder, been more physical or played with more intensity," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

San Antonio made 23 of its last 24 free throws in a game that featured 73 fouls.

"That's certainly an aberration," Popovich said of his normally poor free-throw shooting team. "We're happy to accept it."

For the first time in the series, the Nuggets cleared 100 points - in a game that felt like it had 100 fouls. Whistles were a constant.

The Spurs appeared to take control on the strength of a 25-14 third-quarter run that broke a 61-61 tie. But after trailing by 11, the Nuggets seized the lead back when Andre Miller hit a pair of free throws with 4:51 left to put his team up 95-94. Anthony's jumper put Denver up three, but the Spurs tied it with 3:53 left and the game went back and forth to the finish of regulation.

As Karl predicted, Duncan did not repeat his "average" performance of Game 3. He owned the low post like the two-time league MVP that he is.

Neither team led by more than five points in the first half until San Antonio ripped off an 8-0 run late in the second quarter. The Spurs were aided by foul trouble on Marcus Camby, Miller and Boykins, all of whom committed their third personal fouls during the second half of the second quarter.

After Miller drew his third, Boykins had to re-enter the game, and he ended the first half the way Miller did in Game 1 - with a momentum-boosting basket. The point guard sped nearly the length of the court in 3.8 seconds, scoring on a reverse as time expired.

Denver responded in the third quarter, starting out on a 10-4 run.
Game 4

KEY STAT: 39

Tim Duncan's point total. The big guy came up with his biggest game in the series.

KEY PLAY: Manu stops Melo

Manu Ginobili's block of Carmelo Anthony's attempted lay-in with two minutes to go in overtime. A basket there would have cut the Spurs' lead to four points, 115-111.

OFFICIATING: Cry me a river

The officials couldn't please anyone in this game. One game after Denver coach George Karl ripped into the officiating, neither team, nor coach, was happy with the bevy of calls. After foul after foul piled up, Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, Anthony, Andre Miller and Earl Boykins all found themselves in foul trouble for Denver, and Bruce Bowen, Rasho Nesterovic, Robert Horry and Glenn Robinson faced the same problem for San Antonio.

A NIGHT OF CHAMPS: Local inspiration

The Nuggets trotted out some local sports heroes early to get the crowd pumped up. Before the game, they introduced Broncos Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey. Then, during a break, they brought out University of Denver coach George Gwozdecky and the NCAA champion Pioneers hockey team.

BEST

* Predicted recovery: As George Karl guessed, Duncan was again himself Monday, finishing with 39 points and 14 rebounds.

* Use of 3.8 seconds: Boykins, who sped down three-quarters of the court for a reverse layup to bring the Nuggets within six at halftime.

* Elevation: Nuggets backup DerMarr Johnson, who skied for a one-handed follow dunk of a missed Boykins 3-pointer with 2:37 left in the third period.

* Response to a technical: After ref Derrick Stafford whistled Camby for a technical foul, Camby won a jump ball over Duncan that set up a Ginobili foul in transition.

* National anthem by a grade-schooler: Lindy Moe, granddaughter of Denver assistant coach Doug Moe, who hit every high note.

WORST

* Flow: With all the stops and starts the whistles brought to this game it was more like football than basketball.

* Ball distribution: The Nuggets again struggled to distribute the ball.

* Whiners: The Pepsi Center crowd, which cried about officiating that did not do many favors for either team....and thats from the DENVER paper!

Staff writer Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or [email protected].

[boutons]

"The Nuggets again struggled to distribute the ball."

That's the effect. What was the ineffably mysterious cause?

Defense wins (Spurs) chamipionships.

[T Park]

Hmm, someone told me after game 2 this team's horrible road play would show up.

Who was that............ (looks above)

[MI21]

@ Tpark.

Good one.

[ChumpDumper]

More unintelligible crap from Lincicome ("we could whine and ignore the fact that the Nugs weren't up to the challenge, but -- I forgot where I was going with that -- let's whine!"):

Lincicome: Spurs still oblivious to the rants of Karl

May 3, 2005

In their dark and private corner, the Spurs stood respectfully but ignored the spotlighted Nuggets as the locals were introduced for what could be the final time this season in that overwrought, high-decibel ceremony that precedes even ordinary evenings at the Pepsi Center.

Cheers of anticipation and support rolled from the high balconies while the scoreboard demanded an answer to the question "Do You Believe?" It might as well have asked, "Do You Snore?"

With the last reamplified introduction of Marcus Camby still rattling in their ears, the lights up and the volume down, the Spurs grouped together and hugged, or swore, or chuckled, then tried to wipe away any serious chance the Nuggets had of getting out of the first round of the playoffs.

Would the magic ride on George Karl's Good Humor Hand Cart end more than three hours later, in overtime, with only the last bit of tidying up to be done back in San Antonio on Wednesday, or would the Nuggets keep the band on past closing?

"We must challenge ourselves to figure out how to win," Karl had said earlier. "I think it has hurt us not to have had a must-win game until now."

The Nuggets should not leave this experience as they seemed to endure it, with the idea that there was some overriding conspiracy against them.

Still, as theories go, conspiracy is certainly more interesting than, say, Phlogiston, or the Big Bang or String, so before we treat George Karl's su ions as so much wacky spite, let us at least offer a small round of applause for their entertainment value.

Implied with each Karl reflection on how fate, the officials and Argentina have mistreated his Nuggets is the opinion that anyone who can do anything about it does not want the Nuggets to beat the Spurs.

None of Karl's musings can match Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy's, after all, the new standard being set at $100,000 for free speech. Van Gundy suggested his center Yao Ming is being overexamined by referees because of Dallas owner Mark Cuban.

The worst Karl has done is let his gripes seep into the general ether, a preemptive alert.

"I'm a wealthy man, but I can't afford that," Karl said of Van Gundy's fine.

Depicting Manu Ginobili as some sort of international anti- hoop Satan is an inspired image and, I am sure, not playing well in Buenos Aires, where rests now the Olympics hardware signifying nothing.

I would suggest any vacation plans for Karl consider Scandinavia or Sri Lanka, geographically as far from South American umbrage as possible.

And to accuse Spurs cipher Bruce Bowen of even underhanded competence elevates Bowen from nobody to curiosity. Heretofore Bowen has contradicted both halves of the term "journeyman" in a career that has gained less attention than lunch.

So, to suggest that Bowen stopped the local darling, Carmelo Anthony, by grabbing and groping and generally getting away with bedlam to Melo's body, is to raise Bowen to the same status as Anthony, rather like linking Booth with Lincoln.

Yet it is Anthony who has been fined $7,500 for a late-game foul of Ginobili that offended no one, including Ginobili.

Without the post-loss grumblings of the Nuggets, this little crab stagger against the Spurs would have been a bunch of off days waiting for Gregg Popovich to fog up a hand mirror.

Instead, we have options. We can scold the Nuggets for soiling their considerable ambition with human complaints (almost every one of which is true) instead of doing something about them.

We can join their delusion and blame everything but their inability to meet the challenge. Or we can just allow that they might know what they are talking about.

Take Bowen, please. This guy does get away with more stuff than an airport baggage handler. The Spurs did not have a foul called until 4 minutes, 29 seconds left in the first quarter, it finally called on Bowen, who reacted as if he had been caught taking change from the tip jar.

As for Ginobili, his piñata dance down the lane was not as frequent nor as effective, so Karl's protests may have done some good. Astonishingly, Ginobili was called for traveling once, not the only time, but clearly the pick of the litter.

Not that it would matter in the end. The majesty of Tim Duncan did more to restore order where order was supposed to be by who was supposed to do the restoring. So, the Nuggets can at least be grateful for that.

As it has been from the beginning, what happens next is up to the Nuggets.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...747808,00.html

[nkdlunch]

"We didn't get me the ball," Anthony said. "I don't want to sound selfish, but I had something going and we got away from it. I think San Antonio stuck to their game plan. Every time down the court, they went to their go-to guy."

[ChumpDumper]

Every time down the court, they went to their go-to guy.

What's he talking about? Boykins got a lot of touches.

[Spurminator]

LOL... I like this Lincicome guy, he doesn't give up.

[CosmicCowboy]

What's he talking about? Boykins got a lot of touches.

[Extra Stout]

Gawd, Lancicome is such an awful columnist. His bunghole still aches from having Ginobili shove his own words up it with a suppository of crow, so now he's going after Bowen:

And to accuse Spurs cipher Bruce Bowen of even underhanded competence elevates Bowen from nobody to curiosity. Heretofore Bowen has contradicted both halves of the term "journeyman" in a career that has gained less attention than lunch.

So, to suggest that Bowen stopped the local darling, Carmelo Anthony, by grabbing and groping and generally getting away with bedlam to Melo's body, is to raise Bowen to the same status as Anthony, rather like linking Booth with Lincoln.

Hmm... Bowen's been All-Defense multiple times and wears an NBA Championship ring. Carmelo has...???

Of course, this can only mean that Bowen will break his playoff career high of 27 points in Game 5, while holding Carmelo to single digits.

I sure hope this guy knows something about the Broncos, or the Avs, or something. Otherwise, wow.

Oh, today the Post's resident sports genius, Mark Kiszla, is calling for Kenyon Martin to be traded for a jump shooter. Don't bother e-mailing him with an explanation of base year compensation; he's too far gone.

Today's Clueless Ranting

Midnight struck precisely as San Antonio beat Denver 126-115 in overtime. Nobody in a Nuggets uniform needed a clock to know the time.

Those 12 chimes were the bell tolling for Denver.

Down 3-1 in the best-of-seven playoff series to San Antonio, the Nuggets will now be asked to go away as quietly as the team's long, silent march to the locker room after this heartbreaking defeat.

Want to see the picture of dejection and how teammates who share a bond deal with it?

In the back hall of the Pepsi Center, Denver point guard Earl Boykins walked on, proving that sometimes the hardest move an NBA player can make is just putting one foot ahead of the other.

Forward Kenyon Martin, stripped to the waist, reached out and gave Boykins a little tap on the head.

No words were required.

"We might have run out gas," Nuggets coach George Karl said early this morning.

When the cheers fade away, the difficult question about this team must be asked.

If Denver is eliminated in five games of the NBA's opening playoff round for the second straight season, how much exactly did this team improve?

You know the answer. In sports, the scoreboard is all that counts.

And the Nuggets have not addressed their No. 1 problem in the past 12 months.

The jump shot is dying in America. A sweet 20-footer is an endangered species for a dunk-obsessed nation. Nowhere is it deader than in Denver.

The Nuggets can't shoot straight. This is what happens when you spend all your money on brawn and none on touch.

In overtime, as all the sweat and determination of the Nuggets began slipping away, the loudest sound in the Pepsi Center was the gnashing of teeth.

Denver had nobody who could make a clutch basket from 20 feet. In the extra period, San Antonio guard Tony Parker scored 11 points, three more than all the Nuggets combined.

After a recent practice, as point guard Andre Miller practiced his shot, there was not enough room to wedge a $100 bill between his sneakers and the floor. Denver elder statesman Doug Moe observed that he got as much lift on his jumper as Miller did.

This is not meant to disrespect Miller. It is only mentioned to illustrate that if the Nuggets are unable to run, their offense is never pretty.

Among players in Karl's heavy rotation, the men with the softest touch from the field are Marcus Camby and Boykins. Denver's most dangerous threats from perimeter are a giant and munchkin. That's not how NBA champions are built.

Clank sounds ugliest during the playoffs. The Nuggets went more than six minutes without a basket and missed 12-of-16 shots in the second quarter.

Unless the NBA decides to adopt a rule change that awards three points for dunks, Denver will be lucky to advance past the first round of the playoffs.

When the score and throats are tight during crunch time, where does Karl turn for a crucial hoop?

"I don't believe in go-to guys, unless you've got one of the top five players in basketball," Karl said the other night, after Denver scored only 78 points while losing Game 3.

With phone calls, Camby tried recruiting Manu Ginobili, when the San Antonio's takes-a-licking-and-keeps-ticking guard was a free agent last summer.

When that courtship failed, Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe gave a $92 million contract to Martin, who flexes his biceps like a bodybuilder, and shoots like one, as well.

In this playoff series, Martin is averaging 12 points per game.

Now for the tricky part. Regardless of how this season ends, the Nuggets need a shooter.

Scorers will flood the free-agent market. Ray Allen, Michael Redd and Jerry Stackhouse will be the next NBA players to uphold that fine capitalistic tradition of trading loyalty for big money.

The trouble is, Denver has little wiggle room under the salary cap to sign any one of them.

Not that anyone asked my advice, but Vandeweghe might have to admit his fiscal mistake on Martin and use the veteran, overpaid forward as trade bait for a shooter.

There's no questioning the heart of Martin or the Nuggets.

What they need to avoid the heartbreak is more skill.

[orhe]

yeah this lincicome must be doin thiis to piss us off
he's really funny in a weird way

[CosmicCowboy]

Not enough whistles were blown for this guy?

this guy obviously handled hockey coverage before the strike and just writes fluff articles between sweeping the floors and emptying the trash...he sure doesn't know basketball...

[ladiesman]

Depicting Manu Ginobili as some sort of international anti- hoop Satan is an inspired image and, I am sure, not playing well in Buenos Aires, where rests now the Olympics hardware signifying nothing.

Right next to the 2003 NBA Championship Ring.

[Spurminator]

The Spurs present five players on their roster who have won at least two NBA championships.

No Nugget has won one.

Huh?

[MaNuMaNiAc]

JESUS! that Lincicome is a royal prick!

[Extra Stout]

I believe only Timmy has two.

Tony, Manu, and Bruce each have one.

Rob has FIVE.

So, umm, that's an average of two per person. Is that what he meant?

[ChumpDumper]

Heretofore Bowen has contradicted both halves of the term "journeyman" in a career that has gained less attention than lunch.

How does one contradict "journey" anyway? Playing only home games?

[Jimcs50]

So much for al ude bothering SA, huh?

The Spurs got stronger as the games went on compared to Denver, so all this talk about the Mile High city hurting SA was Much Ado about nothing

[boutons]

"rests now the Olympics hardware signifying nothing."

"pick of the litter"

litter, as in "the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal"

or

as in "refuse or rubbish lying scattered about" Which metaphor is it, Mr. Writer? Neither metaphor fits.

"pinata dance" Pinata's don't dance, asshole.

Pinatas get beat to by people with sticks. Manu as a beat-up pinata, gettng clubbed by the Thuggets? Yeah, that fits. But WTF did you mean?

Still whining tht Bowen's defense on Melo (with 4 PF but still with 28 pts) goes unpunished (Bruce with 4 PF) in a playoff game rotten with ticky-tacky, touch, phantom fouls, while Melo's cheap-shot-from-behind on Manu unjustifiably gets a FF and ejection?

Somebody tells ME to be gracious? In the face of this confused, gratuitous, xenophobic, jingoistic trash from a Denver "writer". GMAFB

Just like your team, Mr. Writer, you really are a long way from prime time, hacking away for some backwoods rag. You couldn't write your way out of 10th grade English composition class.

Spurs absolutely must put these mofo's down Wed night. What a filthy experience this series has been.

[SWC Bonfire]

I believe only Timmy has two.

Tony, Manu, and Bruce each have one.

Rob has FIVE.

So, umm, that's an average of two per person. Is that what he meant?

Maybe a Freudian slip about this season...

[exstatic]

Dude is a major loser.

[TwoHandJam]

He is insignificant. Simple as that.

His articles are not worth the paper they are printed on.

[Useruser666]

What an ass. There is simply too much wrong with that article to cover.

[myhc]

Wow, more whining coming from the writers now? SHOCKING. He can't take that his Nuggets are going down so he has to resort to belittling Argentina's gold medal.