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Hopefully this is a blowout.
The first two games of this series gave me heart attacks. Love will give us trouble again and I wonder which scrub will go off.
Game is Sunday, 6:00 CST.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2011010924Minnesota (9-28) at San Antonio (30-6)
Tipoff: 7:00 pm EST Sun Jan 9, 2011
TV: FSSW
By Noey Kupchan
The San Antonio Spurs needed to come from behind to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. They’ve experienced a pair of similar close calls this season against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Spurs look to beat the Timberwolves for the 15th straight time when the teams meet in San Antonio on Sunday night to open a home-and-home set.
The Spurs’ winning streak in this series is tied for the longest active run of domination in the NBA. Portland has also defeated Minnesota 14 straight times, and Dallas has a 14-game winning streak against Miami.
San Antonio (30-6) took the first 12 games of this streak by an average of 12.9 points, but has struggled in both matchups this season. The Spurs were down by 11 at the end of the third quarter of an eventual 113-109 overtime victory Nov. 24, and trailed by 15 entering the fourth of a 107-101 win Dec. 3.
“That’s what good teams do,” Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis said after last month’s meeting. “Good teams have the confidence that they’re going to come back and win. They know how to dig themselves out of holes.”
The Spurs dug themselves out of another hole Friday night at Indiana, outscoring the Pacers 26-12 in the final 12 minutes to turn an 11-point deficit into a 90-87 victory - their league-leading 30th.
“They just kept playing the game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s a great sign. We’ve done that several times this year. That’s what a team really needs to sustain in this league. We’re fortunate to get that win (Friday).”
Manu Ginobili, who went a season-worst 1 of 10 from the field versus Minnesota in December, had a game-high 25 points Friday. Tim Duncan had 15 and 15 rebounds for his 14th double-double - all coming in San Antonio victories.
The Timberwolves (9-28) are seeking to avoid a fourth consecutive loss.
After blowing an eight-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in a 108-105 overtime loss to undermanned Charlotte on Wednesday, the Timberwolves trailed by as many as 24 before falling 108-98 to Portland on Friday night.
“The last two games, it’s been a little lackadaisical and nonchalant,” said Michael Beasley, who scored 28 in last month’s loss to the Spurs. “You can’t do that, especially in the position we’re in trying to win every game we can.”
While the Timberwolves continue to falter, Kevin Love hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. He had 30 points and 19 rebounds versus the Trail Blazers for his 23rd consecutive double-double.
Love, averaging 23.5 points and 16.8 rebounds during that run, has averaged 28.5 points and 20.0 boards in the season series with the Spurs.
Defensive specialist Corey Brewer, is likely to make his fourth start of the season Sunday. He leads the Wolves with 1.6 steals per game.
Minnesota is 2-18 on the road, where it is allowing 111.0 points per game - tied with Phoenix for the most in the NBA. The Timberwolves haven’t won in San Antonio since Jan. 14, 2004, a 100-93 victory in which Duncan had 36 points and 20 rebounds in a losing effort.
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Team Stat Leaders
Points
Michael Beasley Min 21.8
Manu Ginobili SA 18.9
Rebounds
Kevin Love Min 15.6
Tim Duncan SA 9.4
Assists
Luke Ridnour Min 5.5
Tony Parker SA 6.9
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Timberwolves regress with 2 poor efforts in a row
By Jon Krawczynski
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slu...rwolvesturmoil
Hopefully this is a blowout.
The first two games of this series gave me heart attacks. Love will give us trouble again and I wonder which scrub will go off.
am i the only one who thinks the last 2 games of this series should be blowouts for the spurs?
makes sense to me.
Should be? Two NBA teams. It's really hard to accurately predict a blowout in the NBA. Even basement teams can blow you out if they are on and motivated.
Our leading rebounder averages single digits in that category...not good.
that statistic is not per minutes played, so they are pretty useless
Just quotes, hit the link for the whole piece.
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...es-know-drama/Spurs, Timberwolves know drama
Jeff McDonald
..."Minnesota has given us a lot of trouble,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. “Hopefully, we learn from it. Hopefully, we don’t wait until the fourth quarter to turn it on.”
...“It’s nice to have confidence that we can come back,” said center DeJuan Blair, whose team has claimed five victories this season requiring comebacks from at least 15 points. “But we can’t keep getting into those kind of holes.”
..."We had a good run in the beginning, and that kind of worries me,” Popovich said. “Is it going to come back to center and we’re going to win 50 games or something like that?”
..."We honestly don’t care what our record is,” forward Tim Duncan said. “It’s about how we’re playing through stretches. We’re not satisfied with what we have right now.”
..."For me, it comes down to how hungry the group is and what kind of confidence they have in each other,” Popovich said. “I’m excited about seeing what happens.”
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http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursna...at-spurs-30-6/Sunday: Timberwolves (9-28) at Spurs (30-6)
Jeff McDonald
...Spurs have won 14 in a row against Timberwolves, but needed rallies of 21 and 15 points to keep that streak alive in meetings earlier this season. … Spurs are 19-2 at home, matching best home start through 21 games since 2005-06.
Last edited by duncan228; 01-08-2011 at 10:11 PM.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wo...7PQLanchO7DiUrKevin Love: Every single rebound
That's what the Wolves' Kevin Love wants and mostly gets. The gritty forward credits his dad's long-ago driveway sessions for his NBA dominance.
Jerry Zgoda
Star Tribune
Timberwolves forward Kevin Love's 31-point, 31-rebound game and nightly double-doubles that his coach terms "ridiculous" already are becoming the stuff of legend. So much so that you might not know where to separate fact from fiction about a ball-grabbing fiend who has shortish arms and can't jump. Did a pack of wild dogs really steal him away when he was 2 and teach him everything he knows about rebounding?
Love talked recently with Star Tribune beat writer Jerry Zgoda about his craft. In his own words, he explains how, at such a young age, he has become the NBA's most proficient rebounder whose 30-30 feat last was achieved 29 years ago by Moses Malone.
That one, the one about the wild dogs, isn't true.
Keep Reading...
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*********************Reeling Wolves plunge into subject of readiness
Losses in the past two games point to poor starts, not an inability to finish. ere is a summary right in here and more in here. Here is right in here xyxy.
Kent Youngblood
Star Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wo...7PQLanchO7DiUr
http://www.startribune.com/sports/wo...7PQLanchO7DiUrWolves at San Antonio: Gameday
Kent Youngblood
Star Tribune
Preview: The Wolves' two losses to the Spurs this year are symbolic of a season filled with late-game collapses. In the first meeting between the teams on Nov. 24, San Antonio rallied from a 21-point second-half deficit to a 113-109 overtime victory at Target Center. The rematch was something of a replay. San Antonio overcame a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Wolves 107-101 in San Antonio. The Timberwolves have lost 13 in a row to the Spurs since winning last on Jan 14, 2004. The Wolves get two shots at breaking that streak this week; the teams play again Tuesday at Target Center.
Players to watch: Wolves center Darko Milicic has struggled a bit of late, but he had one of his best games of the season Nov. 24 against San Antonio, playing Tim Duncan well and scoring 22 points with five blocks. Kevin Love has 57 points and 40 rebounds in two games vs. Spurs. SG Corey Brewer could get the start over Wes Johnson after the way Brewer played defense in the second quarter Friday. For San Antonio, SG Manu Ginobili has scored 49 points in his past two games and has had 42 in two games vs. the Wolves.
Numbers: The Spurs had won 14 of 15 games before back-to-back losses at New York and at Boston. But San Antonio came back Friday with a three-point victory at Indiana, overcoming a double-figure fourth-quarter deficit. After a stretch in which they won three of five games, the Wolves have lost two in a row in disappointing fashion.
Injuries: Wolves forward Anthony Tolliver returned to action Friday after missing 17 games because of a knee sprain. F Michael Beasley, who tweaked his ankle Friday, is probable. Spurs SG James Anderson (foot) is out.
Last edited by duncan228; 01-09-2011 at 12:19 AM.
Dangerous game here guys....
http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
Referee Assignments
Sun. Jan. 9
Minnesota @ San Antonio: Steve Javie; Nick Buchert; Rodney Mott
Get Darko into early foul trouble like last time and the front court of the T-Pups is not sooo good anymore. My heart needs some rest, so please go for a blowout here ...
My scoreboard has Spurs digging themselves out of a 15 pt. deficit last game vs Pacers.
Fin just needs some home cookin'
Steve Javie Thread!
50 rebs for Love in two matches
Advanced Scouting: Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs
by Scott Sereday
48 Minutes of
http://www.48minutesof .com/advan...nio-spurs-1-11
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