Ludden: Spurs Could Benefit From A Pick-Me-Up

[duncan228]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.364e9e2.html


Spurs could benefit from a pick-me-up

Web Posted: 05/27/2007 11:17 PM CDT

Johnny Ludden
Express-News

SALT LAKE CITY — The Spurs gathered one by one in the ballroom at their hotel Sunday afternoon: Tim Duncan sporting a welt under his right eye; Michael Finley slowed by his sore back; Fabricio Oberto and his bandaged right wrist; and another dozen or so bruised egos settling into their chairs.
Gregg Popovich didn't have to look too deep into his audience to know the Spurs had absorbed enough of a beating for one 14-hour period. Making them watch film of their most lopsided loss in nearly two years, he said, would merely add to the torture.

"It's tough to watch a massacre," Finley said. "Especially when you're the ones being decapitated."

Rather than rewind their way through the 109-83 defeat, the Spurs instead discussed what they did wrong and, more importantly, what they'll need to do better against the Utah Jazz when the Western Conference finals resume tonight at EnergySolutions Arena. That they still lead the series 2-1 gives the Spurs some comfort but not enough.

"What embarrassed us is they played with more energy than us," Tony Parker said. "They played like they wanted the game more than us, and we can't let that happen."

The 26-point loss was the largest for the Spurs — playoffs or regular season — since the Detroit Pistons beat them 102-71 in Game 4 of the 2005 NBA Finals. The Spurs rebounded from that setback to win the next game, and they did the same nearly three weeks ago after the Phoenix Suns routed them by 20 points in Game 2 of their second-round series.

"After big wins, we don't have big celebrations, and if we have a tough loss, nobody gets mad or screams at each other," Parker said. "We pretty much stay together and wait for the next game to show our reaction."

The Spurs can only hope they react better than they did in Saturday's second half when they surrendered to the Jazz's physicality and became too frustrated with the officiating. The 66 points Utah ac ulated in the final two quarters was the most the Spurs have yielded in any half this season, and 30 of them were scored in the lane.

"We know we can beat them," Jazz forward Carlos Boozer said. "We felt like in San Antonio, if we would have played better, we would have had a better chance. But we beat them in the regular season, and we have some guys on our team who really thrive in our home environment."

Deron Williams, the Jazz's young point guard, has particularly haunted the Spurs, averaging 30.3 points on 54.1 percent shooting despite being guarded much of the three games by Bruce Bowen. Though Williams left Utah's Sunday workout early suffering from the stomach flu, he is expected to play tonight, so the Spurs will have to find another way to slow him.

"It looks like he's replacing Amare Stoudemire for us," Popovich said. "In the last couple of series against Phoenix, we've held Amare to about 38 a game. Looks like it's going to be holding Deron to 31 or 32 a game, whatever it is.

"We've got to have some individual guys take the challenge, first of all, or team defense doesn't have a shot. Team defense doesn't take care of everything if the initial defense is poor, and it has been poor."

Popovich also spent part of Sunday's meeting preaching about better ball movement. Neither Parker nor Manu Ginobili did as good a job creating for their teammates as they had in the series' first two games, and Duncan committed eight of the Spurs' 20 turnovers.

"We didn't get anything done," Ginobili said. "We didn't set good screens. We didn't guard as well. We didn't contest shots. We didn't go to the boards."

To improve in most of those areas, the Spurs will need Duncan to stay on the floor. He played just 27 minutes Saturday because of foul trouble and took only nine shots.

Utah centers Mehmet Okur and Jarron Collins did a good job of frustrating Duncan. In addition to being unable to hold onto the ball, Duncan ended the evening with a bruise under his eye — "I think it's a sexy look," he said — courtesy of an elbow from one of the Jazz.

When Duncan returned to the hotel after the game, he watched Quinton Jackson knock out Chuck Liddell in the first round for the UFC light-heavyweight le — a match that was almost as compe ive as the second half of the Spurs' loss.

"It was pretty bad," Duncan said. "Both ways.

"On top of me not being on the floor, I think I might have forced it a little bit. ... So I'll shoulder a lot of that responsibility."

Duncan's teammates said there was plenty of blame to share. But with the Jazz back tonight on their own court where they have yet to lose in these playoffs — and where the Spurs have yet to ever win a postseason game — none of them wanted to dwell too long on the loss.

"Sometimes, you don't want to continue the funeral," Bowen said. "You want to get to the repast."

[MadDog73]

Though Williams left Utah's Sunday workout early suffering from the stomach flu, he is expected to play tonight, so the Spurs will have to find another way to slow him.

"It looks like he's replacing Amare Stoudemire for us," Popovich said. "In the last couple of series against Phoenix, we've held Amare to about 38 a game. Looks like it's going to be holding Deron to 31 or 32 a game, whatever it is.

In other words, Pop is fine with Williams scoring 30+ pts a night... as long as he's the main scorer.

Just like against PHX, as long as we can shut down the rest of the team, let Williams and Boozer get 60+ pts... we'll still win.

[judaspriestess]

"What embarrassed us is they played with more energy than us," Tony Parker said. "They played like they wanted the game more than us, and we can't let that happen."

It was a MUST win for the Jass, it is the WCF! The Spurs were taken out of the game right after halftime and never recovered. When you get calls against you over and over it throws you off your rhythm. Thats a typical home court situation. I'm not saying the refs had it in for the Spurs but rather the Spurs got caught up with the refs and the Jass had to win one.

[Martin R]

Spurs will win tonight. They were paid to extend the series a bit more. lol.