Ludden: A sprint to victory

[Kori Ellis]

A sprint to victory: Four score 20-plus to wrest Game 1 victory from the Suns
Web Posted: 05/23/2005 12:00 AM CDT

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...29eb36620.html

Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer

PHOENIX — Robert Horry, like the rest of the Spurs, knew Tim Duncan's left ankle wasn't right. He saw Duncan limp to the bus Thursday night in Seattle. He watched him stand on the sidelines during Saturday's practice.

Horry also knew this: He didn't want to open the Western Conference finals as the team's starting power forward.

Which is why he broke into a smile after walking into the locker room at America West Arena on Sunday morning. Standing in front of his stall was Duncan.

Pulling on his No. 21 jersey.

"That," Horry said, "was a great sight to see."

Duncan, as it turned out, looked even better once he stepped onto the floor. Shrugging off the pain in his foot, he pounded the Phoenix Suns for 11 of his 28 points in the final quarter. When he was done, the Spurs had a 121-114 victory, along with home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

"Timmy obviously showed a lot of heart playing," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of Duncan, who grabbed 15 rebounds and passed David Robinson as the franchise's all-time leading playoff scorer. "He doesn't have his lift and his ability to plant and pivot, but there was no way he was going to allow me to keep him out of the game."

In addition to Duncan's contributions, Tony Parker provided 29 points, Brent Barry 21 and Manu Ginobili 20 — the first time in 15 years the Spurs have had four players score at least 20 in a playoff game. It was enough to overcome 41 points from Suns forward Amare Stoudemire and 29 by point guard Steve Nash, the league's MVP.


While the Suns had made it clear they planned to rev up their prolific offense and try to outrun the Spurs, they couldn't outscore them. The Spurs hung up a staggering 43 points in the decisive final quarter, matching the franchise's 22-year-old playoff record. The 121-point total also was the team's highest in regulation in a postseason game in a decade.

Eschewing their outdated reputation as a slug-it-out, half-court team, the Spurs played long stretches at Phoenix's frenetic pace, pushing the ball whenever the opportunity presented itself. When the Suns went small, the Spurs downsized as well.

"If that's what it takes, that's what we're going to have to do," Popovich said. "We're a pretty flexible team going between big and small because we've done it against so many teams all year. We're willing to be the chameleon."

The Spurs felt fortunate they had to change only their colors, not their lineup. After spraining his left ankle in the fourth quarter of Thursday's series-clinching victory against the SuperSonics, Duncan was concerned the two-day layoff might not allow him enough time to recover.

After feeling better Saturday, Duncan worked out on the practice court at America West Arena on Sunday morning. The brief session raised his confidence, though his ankle still felt sore early in the game as he missed five of his first six shots.

Worried his foot would "freeze up" during halftime, Duncan hopped in the whirlpool, then had his ankle re-taped as the rest of the team met. He walked out on the court less than a minute before the start of the third quarter.

"It felt pretty good, and I forgot about it," said Duncan, who also was playing on a tender right ankle he sprained three times during the season. "I played through it, and that was the best part about it."

The Suns wish he hadn't. Though Phoenix took advantage of Duncan's 2-minute, 21-second stay on the bench near the end of the third quarter to increase their lead to 82-74, the Spurs roared back as soon as he returned.

"Some of us also thought maybe he'd get himself back on balance," Barry said. "He sprained his right one, he sprained his left one, and maybe he'd get himself back together."

After a forgettable series against Seattle, Barry also pulled himself together.

Having tired of watching Duncan throw in jump hooks over Steven Hunter and Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix began double-teaming him — often at the expense of leaving the Spurs' shooters open.

Barry made all five of his shots in the final quarter, including three 3-pointers. Afterward, his teammates congratulated him after he walked into the locker room.

"A smattering of applause," Barry said. "A golf clap."

While the Spurs' shooting earned them much of their recognition Sunday — Ginobili punctuated the first quarter by banking in a 52-footer at the buzzer — they still played a little defense.

Coming off a career-best 38-point performance in Phoenix's series-clinching victory over Dallas on Friday, the Suns' Shawn Marion finished with more fouls (four) than points (three). Parker also did his best to attack Nash, hoping to tire him. While Stoudemire went wild (again), the Spurs were more focused on sticking to the 3-point shooters.

"I think we lost our fight just for enough stretches to lose the game," said Nash, who had six turnovers and 13 assists.

Duncan maintained his. "That's why they win championships," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Nobody is going to do what he does."

[Kori Ellis]

Spurs-Suns Game 1 analysis
Web Posted: 05/23/2005 12:00 AM CDT

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...29eb37e51.html

San Antonio Express-News

FIRST IMPRESSIONS It is clear the Spurs are not going to try to grind it out against the Suns in an attempt to slow the pace.

Manu Ginobili proved that right off the opening tip when he gathered in Nazr Mohammed's tip and immediately drove to the basket for a dunk.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tried for two days to convince everyone the Spurs would not try to control the Suns' pace.

It also was evident Tim Duncan is not able to get his customary elevation on rebounds. On several occasions, the Suns were able to grab rebounds from Duncan from behind.

"Usually," Brent Barry said, "when he gets one finger on the ball, that's all he needs. You could tell he wasn't as quick to the ball tonight."

Mike Monroe


NOT IN THE BOX

After losing a helter-skelter regular-season shootout in which the Spurs played small-ball and beat them at their own game, the Suns responded Sunday by trying to steal a Spurs staple — twin towers.

Phoenix played more than half the game with starting center Amare Stoudemire lined up next to 7-foot backup Steven Hunter. That duo rarely had played together for extended minutes.

The results were mixed.

Although Hunter played well, racking up nine points and eight rebounds while playing effective defense against Tim Duncan, the big lineup appeared to slow the Phoenix running game at times.

The Suns said they expect Hunter to keep contributing for the rest of the series, but it will be interesting to see if those contributions keep coming while Stoudemire is on the floor.

Mike Finger


FAST FORWARD

The biggest question that faces the Spurs for Game 2: How will Tim Duncan's sore ankles feel after his 40 gut-it-out minutes Sunday?

Coach Gregg Popovich changed his usual subs ution pattern in Game 1 and likely will do the same in Game 2. Instead of taking Duncan out after about five minutes, he kept him on the floor for 9:11 of the first quarter, lest his ankle stiffen while he was sitting.

"He doesn't have his lift and his ability to plant and pivot," Popovich said, "but there was no way that he was going to allow me to keep him out of the game. I will be very interested to see what it looks like tomorrow morning."

For the Suns, the adjustment they need is evident: Find a way to get All-Star Shawn Marion involved in scoring. Marion made only 1 of 6 shots in Game1 and was virtually no factor.

Mike Monroe