Spurs run away with 18th consecutive victory over Jazz
Web Posted: 11/28/2004 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
Utah coach Jerry Sloan has his theories on why the Jazz's longtime rivalry with the Spurs has become so one-sided, and most of them have to do with Tim Duncan.
But Duncan, Sloan said, hasn't been Utah's only problem.
"What's hurt us more than anything is they've annihilated us right off the bat," Sloan told Salt Lake City reporters Friday night in preparation for the teams' latest meeting. "They've destroyed our will to play."
Though Sloan's comments were intended as an analysis of the past, they also served well as a harbinger of things to come. The Spurs routed the Jazz 109-76 Saturday in front of 17,543 fans at the SBC Center, running away with their 18th consecutive victory in the series.
"They started out just like I thought they would," Sloan said. "They came out and tried to destroy us.
"(Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) was kind in not playing their frontline players or they would have had 200 points tonight."
The Spurs did finish with their highest point total of the season without a single player playing more than 27 minutes. They also made 59 percent of their shots. The last time they shot better was two seasons ago.
"When it goes in the hole, it covers up a lot of things," Popovich said. "We don't count on doing that very often. We might do that once in a blue moon."
The Spurs, however, are playing defense with a little more regularity. After Popovich chided them following Monday's loss in Memphis, they responded by holding Dallas and Denver to their lowest point totals of the season. Utah barely eclipsed its low-water mark of 75, but scored only 28 in the decisive first half.
"It was a good lesson early in the season," Popovich said of last week's back-to-back losses to Toronto and Memphis, "to see what could happen if you don't stick with the 'D.'"
The Jazz, meanwhile, have more to worry about than their fifth loss in seven games. Andrei Kirilenko, the team's energizer, sprained his right knee with 9:08 remaining in the second quarter and did not return.
He will undergo an MRI today and is expected to be out a week to 10 days.
"I don't think it's so bad," said Kirilenko, who was injured when Beno Udrih fell backward onto his knee after colliding with Jazz point guard Howard Eisley. "It feels, like, unstable. When I walk straight, it's not bad. Side to side, it, like, hurt."
Though Utah would have preferred not to play most of the final three quarters without its best player, Kirilenko's injury didn't create the Jazz's troubles. At the time of his exit, the Spurs already had a 23-point lead.
The Spurs were playing their seventh game in 10 days and second in as many nights, but they looked as lively as ever. They made their first seven shots and 12 of 16 (75 percent) in the opening quarter. Udrih's 44-foot heave at the buzzer was among the four they missed.
The Jazz, who have witnessed more than their share of 30-point performances by Duncan, appeared intent on not allowing him to beat them again. Early in the game, Utah crowded Duncan more than it usually does, which only opened up shots for his teammates.
For a change, the Spurs even made some. They led 54-28 at the half, needing only six points from Duncan. The team's four other starters — Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and Rasho Nesterovic — went a combined 12 for 15 in the first two quarters.
"That's a big help, especially on a back-to-back," Ginobili said. "If you start missing shots, then you have to start chasing them around and you get tired trying to make every basket."
As it turned out, the Spurs had more than enough time to rest. Parker and Ginobili combined for 29 points, playing only 22 minutes. Malik Rose scored 16 points on just six shots.
Devin Brown brought the crowd to its feet early in the final quarter when he flushed a one-handed dunk off a lob from Brent Barry. It was two of the 26 points the Spurs scored off 19 turnovers by the Jazz.
"Defensively, we really had it going," said Duncan, who totaled 12 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. "Once we did that, we could get out and run."
Duncan, Rose and Eisley are the only players on the teams' rosters who witnessed the Spurs' last home loss to Utah on Feb. 28, 1999. The Jazz figure to become better after adding Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur and signing Kirilenko to a six-year, $86 million extension.
On Saturday, however, it was only more of the same.
"Utah has had a great tradition, going back to Karl Malone and (John) Stockton, so it's always been a good rivalry," Rose said. "Right now, we're just getting the best of it."
"I don't think it's so bad," said Kirilenko, who was injured when Beno Udrih fell backward onto his knee after colliding with Jazz point guard Howard Eisley. "It feels, like, unstable. When I walk straight, it's not bad. Side to side, it, like, hurt."
Should have read after Eisley pushed Udrih into Kirilenko...tell it like it happened dammit
Yeah. Is it just me or is Beno called for a lot of fouls where he has good position and the offensive player just runs into him? I can think of a whole bunch of instances like that in the last few weeks. Is he just getting the "rookie" treatment?
Here's just a little postgame audio from SpursZONE.
http://cctvimedia.clearchannel.com/woai/pop112704.mp3
http://cctvimedia.clearchannel.com/woai/tim112704.mp3
I think some of the biggest stats in the Spurs favor yesterday were limiting the Jazz on the offensive boards (8) and the Jazz not moving the ball well enough (14 assists on 32 FG - and most of those came late).
Kori, do you have your stat sheets from the quarter breaks? Am I right that most of those assists came in the fourth quarter for Utah?
It sure didn't destroy their will to bring the lumber. Between Bell and Collins, they took 2-3 fouls that were harder than Artest's on Big Ben. These guys were delivering forearms to the head and neck. I can understand not wanting the guy to make a shot, but damn, just grab him and wrap up. As LJ said, it's not hard to tell who the coach is for Utah."What's hurt us more than anything is they've annihilated us right off the bat," Sloan told Salt Lake City reporters Friday night in preparation for the teams' latest meeting. "They've destroyed our will to play."
Did Massenburg foul anybody hard?
If not he should have made a hard foul on Bell or Collins to teach them a lesson.
It was nice to see Bell go to Pop to tell him that it wasn't intentional, or whatever he said. But there were definitely a couple fouls in that game that should have been flagrant. Utah is continuing their tradition of overly-physical play.
Bell's foul on Malik didn't look that bad. Malik was just lening back when Bell bumped him so he fell. You could see Pop saying to Bell that it was okay, he knew. Collins on the other hand ... At least Massenburg laid a couple of nice hits on him.
What was that tech on Mass for? It seemed he was called for some ticky-tack stuff all in a row.
I think that tech was for yelling the F-word very loudly.
Bell's taken countless cheapshots at Spurs players over the years, whether he was with Utah or Dallas.
It's a little late for an apology to Pop, next time we play Massenberg needs to break his sorry face.
Pop loves Raja Bell.
Bell was probably embarrassed by getting his shot put back with ease by homeboy Tim.
The one really bad one that stood out was the foul on Manu. I think Bell did that one. I agree that the one on Malik wasn't all that.
Pop loves Raja Bell. After the 2000 season, the Spurs held an open camp and invited like 15-20 shooting guards. Pop ran the camp and came away most impressed with Bell.
Then the Spurs invited him to training camp, Pop wanted to keep him on the roster. The rest of the coaching staff and management begged and pleaded for Pop to keep Derrick Dial instead. So they went with Dial.
Later that season, Larry Brown's 76ers got a couple injuries near the end of the season ... and Pop recommended Bell to Brown. The 76ers signed him and he had some big moments in that year's trip to the finals.
Last summer, Pop wanted Bell again but the Spurs had just signed Devin Brown so both sides agreed that there wasn't enough playing time.
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And this is a consistent call now a days?
When it's that loud, it is. I heard it all the way up in Austin. My TV was on mute.And this is a consistent call now a days?
Same here. Sounded like he said, "What the , man?!"
That's EXACTLY what he said.
If Bell is still around when Bowen steps down, he'll be a Spur.
that was a bull call on mass anyway.
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