Spurs shine in clutch - Defense Keys Improbable Comeback Win

[duncan228]

All the Gasol talk put last night's win in the backround.
One more read for the thrill the win was.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...r.3fa2a48.html

Spurs shine in clutch - Defense keys improbable comeback win over Suns
Mike Monroe
Express-News

PHOENIX — It was about this time last year that Gregg Popovich gathered his Spurs around him after a difficult loss and assured them none of them would be traded.
It turned out to be a defining moment of a championship season.

"I thought that was the appropriate thing to do for that team," Popovich said before sending his short-handed team against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center here Thursday night.

And this season?

"Obviously," Popovich said, "this year I look at it and I feel differently. I felt we had to add something to our team, which, obviously, we are about to do."

For one night, at least, the Spurs felt as if they had everything they need to compete with the best of the NBA. Starting the game without a true point guard, the Spurs overcame extreme offensive difficulty with defensive intensity and sustained effort, scoring a dramatic 84-81 victory that ranks as their best of the season.

Tim Duncan's bank shot with 30.9 seconds left gave the Spurs a 80-79 lead, and the Spurs followed by getting back-to-back steals from Suns' All-Star point guard Steve Nash.

When Manu Ginobili picked off a Nash pass with 17.8 seconds left, the Suns had to foul him. He made both free throws, giving the Spurs an 82-79 lead with 15.6 seconds left.

The Suns had a chance to tie when Amare Stoudemire scored on a dunk with 8.7 seconds left and was fouled by Tim Duncan. But the Suns' All-Star center missed the foul shot that could have tied the score, and Ginobili made two more free throws with 6.5 seconds left.

Nash missed a 3-pointer with two seconds left, and the Spurs had their most improbable victory.

"It was a good win for us," Popovich said. "I don't think either team is going to be able to sell tape of the game as examples of fine basketball. Both teams struggled.

"We hung in and we had some opportunities at the end."

In the end, the Spurs relied on the formula that has been so successful for them during their run to four championships in nine seasons: Winning with lock-down defense.

"First and foremost," said Tim Duncan, "we have to get back to being a defensive team. We've been giving up some 70, 80 percent shooting quarters. We have to get away from that. We have to rely on our defense."

It was the most unlikely of Spurs victories, defying logic and description. Ginobili didn't score in the first 29:56 of the game, missing his first nine shots. Two-time MVP power forward Duncan scored only six in the first half, 10 in the first three quarters. The Spurs' leading scorer heading to the final 12 minutes was Jacque Vaughn with 17.

The defense allowed the Spurs to escape Phoenix with the victory. They held the Suns to 6-for-16 shooting in the final quarter, and forced key turnovers.

For the Spurs, adding something is in the offing. Point guard Damon Stoudamire will join the team Saturday after when it returns to San Antonio for a welcome break in between the distinct legs of the nine-game trip.

Popovich understands the Spurs need additional scoring, but with two-time All-Star point guard Tony Parker on the shelf for at least 20 more days to heal his ailing left heel, the addition of Stoudamire comes at a particularly opportune moment. Stoudamire is a scoring point guard, and the Spurs have been challenged to score in recent games, held under 90 in six of the past 10 games.

The Spurs' offensive challenges were more than evident from the outset on Thursday. They scored only 34 in the first half, staying in the game only because the Suns finished the half by missing their final eight shots.

Even Ginobili, who has had some of his most memorable games against the Suns, struggled mightily. His first points: Two free throws with 5:56 remaining in the third quarter. His first basket: a driving layin with 4:30 left in the third.

Popovich never makes excuses, but he knows when to face facts.

[bigfundamental21]

In the end, the Spurs relied on the formula that has been so successful for them during their run to four championships in nine seasons: Winning with lock-down defense.

Defense is and always has been the key and to see Duncan turn it up in the fourth was awesome. Everything always begins on the defensive end and Duncan came up huge in the crucial fourth quarter. Now when we get our team playing lock-down defense more consistently, we will be looking at a dominating team.