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rasho wanted to break yaos arm again
I think angel_luvmust have written this article ...
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...r.312b732.html
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
HOUSTON — Thirty-five seconds into the Spurs' game against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Saturday night, point guard Tony Parker made a hard cut off the right hip of power forward Tim Duncan, freeing him from his defender, Rafer Alston.
Duncan dropped a slick pass to Parker, who scored an easy layin.
There wasn't much easy for the Spurs thereafter.
Their 92-77 victory owed plenty to perseverance and resilience, precious little to basketball artistry.
"Houston is always very difficult for us to score against," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's always a grind when the Rockets and Spurs play each other."
It is even more of a grind when the Spurs are playing the second game of a back-to-back set, and all the problems were there in the first quarter. When that period ended, mercifully for eyewitnesses, the Spurs had missed 14 of 18 shots and scored only 11 points, setting a standard for first-quarter offensive futility against the Rockets this season.
The fact they trailed by only six points typified the ugly nature of Spurs-Rockets games for the past three seasons.
Popovich had to probe his bench to find a lineup capable of offensive efficiency. He discovered it after center Rasho Nesterovic replaced Friday night's hero, Nazr Mohammed.
One night after sitting the entire 48 minutes of the Spurs' 108-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns, in which Mohammed scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, Nesterovic logged 19 1/2 solid minutes Saturday. He made 5 of 7 shots, scored 10 points and did a solid defensive job on Houston's 7-foot-6 Yao Ming, who has been the NBA's highest-scoring center since the All-Star break, averaging 28.9 points and making 54.3 percent of his shots.
Yao scored 20 points Saturday, but it was the first time in seven games he scored fewer than 25.
Nesterovic did not get the least bit angry when Popovich held him out Friday. Rather, he looked at the decision as logical, especially knowing that Yao awaited the next night.
"Yeah, I understood," Nesterovic said. "Their (Suns') biggest guy was, what, 6-foot-something? Here, their biggest guy is 7-6. There's a need for big guys against the Rockets.
"But that is part of the game. There are 82 games, and you must be ready, night in and night out."
Limiting Yao was vital to the Spurs' chances of finally winning the second game of a back-to-back. They had lost the second game of back-to-back sets twice in the previous 12 days and their record in the second game of such sets was at 4-8 this season. With Tracy McGrady missing from the Rockets' lineup, Houston's chances were tied to Yao's success.
Yao got off to a quick start against Mohammed on Saturday, but Nesterovic did a good job fronting him on defense and keeping him from getting deep defensive position.
"Rasho deserves a lot of credit, because he's a pro," Popovich said. "He sat last night, didn't play a minute. Then we put him in there to front Yao tonight, and I thought he worked hard and made Yao work hard.
"Yao's been the best center in the league for whatever period of time, and he had to work for everything he got tonight, mostly because of Rasho fronting him."
Nesterovic's ability to step out on the perimeter and make three 15-foot jumpers also opened the middle for Tim Duncan, who had one of his more lively performances in the second game of any back-to-back this season, scoring 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
"It was huge for Rasho and for us," Duncan said. "He understood that role and understood tonight would be a lot more minutes for him than last night. That's the kind of guys we have, players who will allow themselves to be put in that position and be ready, no matter what."
Mohammed, so hot around the basket Friday, didn't score until Parker penetrated and dropped a perfect pass for a layin that went down with one second remaining in the third quarter.
"I was happy just to get one to hit the bottom of the rim," said Mohammed, who didn't come close on his first four shots.
The victory put the Spurs back into a tie with the Mavericks for first place in the Southwest Division. Both teams are 52-14.
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rasho wanted to break yaos arm again
Rasho good game quota for the month of March.
Next good game?
April 19th.....
Defense wins games if you have an offense to go along with it. Houston is lacking here!
Monroe, Popovich and Duncan don't have I clue.
Rasho played like , he had only 1 rebound, ask TPark.
"Houston is always very difficult for us to score against," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's always a grind when the Rockets and Spurs play each other."
That's funny when you consider the Spurs put up 81 in 3 quarters, after going stone cold the first. What is it now with Pop? If we don't score 120, the other team plays great defense?
it was not a bad game after the first quarter
I'd say scoring 11 in the first quarter rates as being difficult to score against.
And what's wrong with wanting to score 120 in a game?
Spur can be just as slow-starting as they can be fast-starting.
11 pts in the first qtr is pretty damn slow. Rockets didn't have anything to with those 11 pts, as Spurs finished shooting 48% and 92 pts.
I didn't say he played like .Rasho played like , he had only 1 rebound, ask TPark.
I said his rebounding was pathetic.
I said it was a joke, a seven footer, that gets paid 7 mill, can't get 1 more rebound than SequSpur sitting drunk on a couch with his vince carter blowup doll riding him.
Happily, you are not the GM, coach, future HOF or a sportswriter. When Rasho plays a big like Yao, his job is to box him out so the Spurs can get the rebound. Yao only had 10 rebounds the entire game. I think Rasho did a very good job on Yao. He also held him below his 25 point average.
Actually no. It doesn't. The Spurs were getting good looks. They just couldn't make nothing. Had very little to do with any Defense from Houson.I'd say scoring 11 in the first quarter rates as being difficult to score against.
And what's wrong with wanting to score 120 in a game?
If they hadn't gone cold that first quarter, they would have put up 110 yesterday. And any team that gives that up has no defense.
Glad you and I have so much experience coaching in the L. That Pop guy must be full of .
ata was being sarcastic, I personally will give Rasho a bye on the boards this time as he spent all his energy Greco-Roman wrestling a 310 pound man for 19 minutes.
Well if he used an emoticon I could have figured it out. Sorry, but I am relatively new and don't know the personalities of this forum yet.
Well in this case you could go by the flag under his name. Slovenians (Slovenes? whatever) usually support their own, but not to the point where they threaten to kill you with a japanese sword if you criticize their countryman's game.Well if he used an emoticon I could have figured it out. Sorry, but I am relatively new and don't know the personalities of this forum yet.
Oh yea, but it is so small I didn't notice it.
CHump, you mean, like the argentines?
WHO THE ARE YOU TALKIN ABOUT, MOTHER ER???
Only one of them.
start with an M and end with an A?
Nope.
When you are fronting Yao, you are not really going to be in position to rebound.
WHO THE ARE YOU TALKIN ABOUT, MOTHER ER???
I am not sure but I hope it was not me.
Houston is the worst team in the league without Mcgrady. No surprise here. The spurs should've run up the score more than that.
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