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LMAO, as much as I've NEVER been a Spurs fan, I've ALWAYS appreciated Pop's sense of humor.
Spurs lose lead, fend off Celtics
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...s.20e8e52.html
Web Posted: 01/23/2007 12:16 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
BOSTON — By now, the Spurs have the script down cold: punish opposing team, preferably one already splintered by injuries, for better part of two quarters; allow large lead to almost completely evaporate; steady selves when necessary to win.
The Boston Celtics played the role of antagonists Monday, pushing the game to the final, tense seconds before the Spurs held on for a 93-89 victory at TD Banknorth Garden.
"It was great for the fans," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Tonight, they saw two games. I don't think it said that on the ticket."
While the Spurs beat Boston for the 18th consecutive time — keeping Tim Duncan unbeaten against the famed franchise for his career — neither the opponent nor the locale seem to matter anymore. The storyline remains the same.
On Friday against New Orleans, the Spurs let a 22-point lead dwindle to eight. On Sunday in Philadelphia, they were again up 22 only to watch the 76ers close within five.
One night later, it was more of the same. The Spurs' lead ballooned to 23 points midway through the third quarter. With a little less than two minutes left, it was down to three.
While the Spurs jetted home with a three-game winning streak, they had reason to wonder just how much progress they made during their two-night tour of the Eastern Conference basement.
"We're getting better for 24 minutes and worse for the other 24," Manu Ginobili said. "So we're always at the same point.
"But at least we're getting it done (in the end), and that's the only part of the game where we are kind of satisfied."
Duncan totaled 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks and helped save the victory when he spun by Celtics forward Al Jefferson for a dunk and a foul with 1:18 left. Ginobili and Tony Parker scored 15 points each, and Francisco Elson provided some much-needed energy off the bench with 10 points and five rebounds, including a key offensive board late in the game.
"I thought Francisco was our most impressive player tonight," Popovich said. "Coming back from the injury, he's still not totally strong in that shoulder. But he ran the floor, hit the boards, scored a little bit, changed some shots."
With his roster shredded by injuries — Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak, among others, are out — Boston coach Doc Rivers did his best to change the game by going small. Very small.
At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics had four point guards on the floor. Jefferson, who totaled 26 points and 14 rebounds, was Boston's lone big man for much of the second half.
"The only way it worked was Al had to guard Duncan," Rivers said, "and he had to do a good job."
In spite of that, the Spurs took control in the second quarter with Brent Barry helping loosen the defense with a pair of 3-pointers. They looked ready to put the game away in the third, pushing their lead to 67-44 on a jumper by Parker.
But a turnover by Parker near the end of third quarter and two more by Beno Udrih to start the fourth started the Spurs' slide.
"We talk about what we did well and what we did poorly whether we win or lose a game," Popovich said. "And we did a lot of things great for quite a while, and we did a lot of things poorly for a shorter period of time.
"There were a couple decision-making things that weren't great."
Boston's Delonte West didn't help matters by scoring 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. After Rajon Rondo stripped the ball from Duncan, Ryan Gomes followed with a layup to cut the Spurs' lead to 85-82 with 1:58 left.
Ginobili drove for a layup, and the Celtics committed a costly turnover when the shot clock expired with the ball still in Allan Ray's hands.
After Duncan posted just outside the left block, Jefferson gambled and tried to poke the ball from his hands. Duncan spun left to find a clear lane to the basket, took one dribble and threw down a one-handed dunk as Jefferson fouled him.
Jefferson came back with his own three-point play, and West hit another toe-on-the-line 23-footer to again bring the Celtics within three with 29 seconds left, but the Spurs made three free throws to leave with the victory.
"Wins are wins, but it's frustrating not to be able to close people out," Duncan said. "It shouldn't have been that close, and we allowed them to get back into the game.
"Just another thing to work on."
LMAO, as much as I've NEVER been a Spurs fan, I've ALWAYS appreciated Pop's sense of humor.
"Just another thing to work on."
Why are these "things" so ephemeral?
Evaporating every summer in the hot sun?
Can't shoot,
won't play defense,
won't hustle,
no confidence,
clunky offense,
won't rebound,
can't hold leads,
can't finish games strong.
It's like Spurs have a whole new lineup each October who never played basketball together, who didn't win the le 90 days ago, who never met Pop and his system until the first week of every October.
A bunch of head cases.
I know "it's a job", not a game, but try to make "the worst, most-underpaid job in the world" palatable by doing it well and having some fun. This called the regular season will pass by a lot quicker. The Spurs are professional entertainers and they are sucking at entertaining.
This "bringing bad teams down to the final buzzer" thing is getting so bad, that I instructed my wife to sue the Spurs should I fall over dead due to a bleeding ulcer.
They are old, plain and simple.
Still getting it done overall, but the margin for error is gone now.
You can see this during stretches like the Milwaukee loss at home.
Interior "D" is soft as well. Elsons return should help with this somewhat.
We need some young perimeter defenders to take the pressure off of Duncan and the other big man for right now.
"Spurs lose lead..."
story of the season.
I'm so god damn tired of this OLD discussion. Ok we have some old guys on this team. Who the doesn't? Miami? Detroit?
3rd best record in the ing league yet we're soooooooooo old. that
These nightly early fourth quarter nosedives are happening when Udrih and Finley are on the floor together, I'm guessing.
www.dallasmavericks.com
That's the compe ion.
"3rd best record in the ing league"
aka 3rd best in the WC.
Quit complacently comparing the Spurs to 27 teams with worse records, against which we smell like roses. The Spurs won't see them in the playoffs.
The only 2 teams that matter are the Suns and Mavericks.
Both of them are making the Spurs look like lottery-bound mediocrities.
5 games back, and a home loss total equal to all of last year??
Not a cuase for concern right?
The Suns and Mavs can take us out if the playoff started today. It only takes one and right now there are two.......
Get younger, or get the out of the way..........
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