Spurs Notebook: Part of Spurs' camp could be in Europe

[Kori Ellis]

Spurs Notebook: Part of Spurs' camp could be in Europe
Web Posted: 06/14/2005 12:00 AM CDT

San Antonio Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...k.8c13c9a.html

An unspecified number of NBA teams, most likely to include the Spurs, could conduct some portions of their training camps in Europe before the 2006-07 season.

The NBA will announce its plans at a news conference at the Palace of Auburn Hills before Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has made it clear that he favors the idea of having at least part of the team's training camp in Europe.

The Spurs have been at the forefront of scouting in Europe and have six players on their roster who were born outside the United States: Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands), Tony Parker (France), Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Rasho Nesterovic and Beno Udrih (Slovenia), and Sean Marks (New Zealand).

Not overconfident: Three times in the past three seasons, the Spurs have won the first two games of a best-of-seven series at home only to go on the road and drop the next two.

Which explains why they enter Game 3 worried only about tonight and not a sweep.

"We can't put the cart before the horse," Nazr Mohammed said. "We still have to go respond to a hostile environment in their gym."

The Spurs expect Detroit to feed off the energy of its fans. The Pistons never completely recovered after the Spurs outscored them 8-0 in the first 91 seconds of Game 2.

"Maybe they didn't expect that our energy was going to be that good," Tony Parker said. "So I'm sure they’re going to watch film and try to come back stronger next game. And they have three games at home now so everybody knows that they play better at home."

On the ball: Although Parker went to the bench after picking up his fifth foul with 7:26 remaining in Game 2, when he was on the floor he did a good job of pressuring Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups.

Billups finished with 13 points, almost half of what he scored in Game 1.

"Tony's doing the best job he possibly can on Chauncey," Popovich said. "He's a tough cover. He's so strong, he can take it to the bucket, he can shoot threes.

"We're not going to stop him, but Tony is at least trying to make him work very hard. He, along with Bruce (Bowen), are setting the tone for us defensively."

Long-range success: The Spurs took advantage of the Pistons' decision in Game 2 to use someone to help cut off the penetration of Parker and Ginobili. They made 11 of 24 3-point attempts.

Bowen and Ginobili each made four. Robert Horry added two, although he wasn't too pleased with his 4-of-10 shooting performance overall.

"As a team we did well," Horry said. "I sucked (laughter).

"We hit them with a bunch of threes and put us up 20 and I think that kind of sucked a little wind out. And then they made their run again and we hit them with a bunch of threes again."

Viewing party: Fans who pick up a free ticket at H-E-B will be able to watch tonight's game at the SBC Center.

Good advice: Udrih helped steady the Spurs after Parker picked up his fifth foul.

Brett Brown, the Spurs' director of player development, deserves credit for steadying Udrih. Brown has worked with the rookie point guard during the playoffs.

"It was more about trying to comfort him, saying you have played in very big games, just not on this turf," Brown said. "I told him the one thing I noticed is every play is significant. Every possession is significant and the oohs and ahs of the crowd confirm it. The emotion of the team and the physical play confirms it.

"The ante is up on everything."

—Mike Monroe, Johnny Ludden

[Kori Ellis]

Pistons Notebook: McDyess provides a bench boost
Web Posted: 06/14/2005 12:00 AM CDT

San Antonio Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...s.8c13c29.html


Before Game 2, Pistons coach Larry Brown downplayed the significance of his bench production at the SBC Center, saying reserves generally play better at home than they do on the road.

If that's the case, then the Pistons should be excited about seeing what Antonio McDyess has in store for Game 3 tonight.

McDyess came off the bench and was Detroit's steadiest performer on Sunday, leading the Pistons with 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He also grabbed seven rebounds.

So can he keep that kind of production up in Detroit?

"Hopefully," McDyess said. "I get real frustrated at times, and I just want to go out there and leave it all out on the court."

Bangs and bruises: Backup point guard Carlos Arroyo left Sunday's game late in the fourth quarter after injuring his left ankle. After the game, he was limping around the locker room with the ankle heavily taped.

Forward Tayshaun Prince also was limping with a blister on his left foot.

"Nothing major," Prince said. "Just bothers me."

Whistling complaints: The Pistons weren't too happy about the officiating in Game 2, when they picked up five personal fouls in the first six minutes and shot 18 fewer free throws than the Spurs.

The Spurs made 28 of 34 attempts from the foul line, while the Pistons were just 10 of 16. Brown said the discrepancy was especially curious given that the Spurs were shooting perimeter jumpers and Detroit was trying to get the ball inside.

"When you take 24 threes out of 62 shots, and you shoot 34 free throws, I haven't been in a lot of games like that," Brown said. "We took 82 shots and six 3-pointers and shoot 16 free throws. I haven't been in a lot of games like that."

Finding his way: After leading Detroit with 25 points in Game 1, guard Chauncey Billups suffered through a miserable first half on Sunday, scoring only four points on 2-of-6 shooting while committing four turnovers.

Although he wasn't exactly on fire after the break, he did get better. Billups shot 4 of 8 from the field without turning the ball over.

"I got a little more aggressive," Billups said. "It was kind of in a desperate phase, trying to make something happen out there. But needless to say, it wasn't enough."

Wide-open spaces: One of the main ways the Spurs have been able to neutralize Detroit's normally rock-solid defense is by getting the ball inside, waiting for defenders to collapse, and then finding open shooters on the perimeter.

Pistons guard Lindsey Hunter said his team hasn't seen a team penetrate and kick as well as the Spurs.

"It's just something we've got to solve," Hunter said. "Their deep penetration is causing us to rotate. And then have somebody like (Robert) Horry stepping out. That causes a problem."

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I'd really like to see Pop counter McDyess with Glenn Robinson. He's stocky enough to handle AD in the post.

Expect to get raped by the officials tonight. Larry Brown ing, you know it's coming.

[Kori Ellis]

DETROIT -- June 14, 2005 – Four NBA teams will head to Europe for a compe ion against top European basketball clubs in October 2006 and 2007 as part of NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™, the NBA and Euroleague Basketball announced today. As part of a two-year partnership agreement with Electronic Arts and Euroleague Basketball, the four NBA teams will compete in five European countries.

“This is the NBA's most ambitious European basketball compe ion,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern. “NBA Europe Live will exemplify how sports leagues around the world can work together for the long-term growth of their sport. As the relevance of basketball continues to grow globally, the NBA and EA SPORTS share a vision that delivers basketball, entertainment, music and technology to our fans around the world.”

An NBA licensee since 1991, EA has expanded its relationship with the league to become an official global marketing partner of the NBA, the first developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software to be designated with this status. As a global marketing partner, EA will work with the NBA to develop interactive basketball programs around the world, including NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS.

The award-winning NBA LIVE franchise, recognized worldwide for delivering the most authentic interactive basketball experience for more than a decade, will be featured in promotion of the events throughout Europe and the U.S. The newest iteration in the series, NBA LIVE 06, will be available this October in more than 100 countries on six continents.

“Like sports, video games have a global appeal that transcends language and borders,” said Electronic Arts Chairman and CEO Larry Probst. “At EA, we’re proud to be an ambassador for one of the world’s most exciting sports, NBA Basketball.”

Building on the league’s success in Europe and its relationship with Euroleague Basketball, the four NBA teams will compete in games against top Euroleague Basketball teams and conduct training camps. NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS will culminate with a final event in a fifth European country featuring games with two NBA teams, the Euroleague Basketball Champion and Euroleague Basketball runner-up.

“Years of steady, positive relations between the NBA and Euroleague Basketball have covered diverse aspects of sports organization and this partnership will continue to cultivate the success of basketball in Europe,” said Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu. “This partnership will help to continue the tradition of basketball excellence and achievement, contribute to the growth of the sport and will benefit European fans by offering them another chance to enjoy great basketball.”

The announcement will be carried live on both NBA TV and NBA.com at 7:45 p.m. Eastern. Additional information about NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS will be announced later this year.

The NBA’s last visit to Europe was in 2003 for the NBA Europe Games, which featured a preseason game between that year’s NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and the Memphis Grizzlies, at Bercy Arena in Paris, France. San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker returned home to his native France for the first time with his NBA team before a sellout crowd. The Memphis Grizzlies went on to play an exhibition game against 2003 Euroleague Champions FC Barcelona at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. The game featured Memphis Grizzlies star forward Pau Gasol, a native of Barcelona, Spain, playing against his former team.

About the NBA
Since its founding in 1946, the NBA has become a global phenomenon that transcends national boundaries. With 30 teams in the United States and Canada, NBA games and related programming are broadcast to 214 countries in 43 languages. The NBA is one of the largest suppliers of sports television and Internet programming in the world. Through NBA Entertainment, the league's award-winning production and programming division, the league produces NBA TV, a 24-hour television network, weekly television shows, and exclusive content for each of the NBA's team web sites, and the league's official sites, NBA.com, WNBA.com and NBDL.com. The league has also continued its partnerships with the leading Internet content and technology providers to bring the game experience even closer to its fans worldwide. For more information on the NBA, visit NBA.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for videogame systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2005, EA posted revenues of $3.1 billion and had 31 les that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

About Euroleague Basketball
Europe's premier basketball compe ion, Euroleague Basketball, was founded in 2000 under a private organizational model that is considered a breakthrough for European professional team sports. The compe ion features 24 clubs from 12 or more countries per season and crowns its champion each spring at the Final Four, one of the signature events of European sports. Basketball in Europe has experienced spectacular growth in recent years, side by side with the development of Euroleague Basketball. In just five years, Euroleague Basketball has consolidated a compe ion of the highest sporting level, has introduced the concept of a commercial league to Europe and has expanded its television reach beyond Europe, where 98.7 percent of all Euroleague Basketball games were televised in 2004-05, to Africa, the Middle East, North America and South America.