Spurs-Pacers Preview

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/games/20080205/SA...scoreboardhome

Spurs-Pacers Preview
By DAN PIERINGER, STATS Writer

Last season, the San Antonio Spurs struggled at the beginning of their annual rodeo road trip before finishing strong to launch an extended playoff push.

They hope a win over one of their top Western Conference rivals can turn this trip around and propel them to a similar run.

After snapping a season-high three-game losing streak with a win over a potential le contender, the Spurs look to build on that victory as they visit the struggling Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

San Antonio (29-16) has been mediocre over the last eight weeks, going just 12-13 since its 17-3 start, including their first 0-3 stretch of the season from Jan. 26-29. They were blown out by New Orleans at home, then lost to Utah and Seattle in the first two games of the road trip they take every season when the rodeo takes over AT&T Center.

However, San Antonio might get a boost of momentum from its 84-81 victory at Phoenix on Thursday. The Suns entered that game with the best record in the West and the highest-scoring offense in the league, but the Spurs held them to a season-low point total while limiting them to 38.0 percent shooting - their second-worst performance of the season.

That defensive effort made up for San Antonio's own offensive struggles in the first half. Manu Ginobili was held scoreless in the opening two quarters, while Tim Duncan had just six of his 16 points before intermission.

"We should have been behind by a lot more at the half," said Duncan, who also finished with 17 rebounds and a season high-tying seven assists. "But we gave ourselves a chance with our defense."

The Spurs hope that victory is the beginning of an extended surge like the one they put together last season. After losing four of the first six games of their rodeo trip, they won the last two to begin a 13-game win streak and a 25-6 finish to the regular season en route to their fourth NBA le in nine years.

San Antonio hopes to take advantage of Indiana (19-29), which has tied a season high with six straight losses. The Pacers haven't lost seven in a row since their 11-game skid from Feb. 23-March 14 last season.

Indiana lost 121-115 to Orlando on Saturday, and has given up 107.8 points per game during its losing streak.

"We've got to keep coming in, working hard and improving to get ourselves in a better position," said Pacers forward Mike Dunleavy, averaging 21.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists in his last five contests. "I think if we do that, good things can happen to us."

Dunleavy scored 21 points to lead the Pacers to a 100-99 win over the Spurs in the teams' final matchup of last season on April 1, but San Antonio has won 14 of the last 19 meetings.

Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the April loss, and averaged 22.0 points and 9.5 boards while shooting 63.0 percent (17-for-27) as the Spurs split two games last season.

The Spurs will again be without starting point guard Tony Parker, who's sidelined indefinitely with a heel injury. However, they bolstered their backcourt with Sunday's signing of free agent point guard Damon Stoudamire, who negotiated a buyout with Memphis last week. Stoudamire last played for Memphis on Dec. 30 against San Antonio, and may be able to play in this game.

[duncan228]

Spurs.com

http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/080205.html

Spurs vs. Pacers Preview

Probable Starters

M. Finley
Guard
10.0 PPG
M. Ginobili
Guard
19.5 PPG
B. Bowen
Forward
5.3 PPG
T. Duncan
Forward
19.6 PPG
F. Oberto
Center
5.0 PPG

Injury/Inactive Report
Brent Barry (strained left calf) is out
Tony Parker (left ankle inflammation) is out.

After snapping a season-high three-game losing streak with a win over a potential le contender, the Spurs look to build on that victory as they visit the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.

San Antonio might get a boost of momentum from its 84-81 victory at Phoenix on Thursday. The Suns entered that game with the best record in the West and the highest-scoring offense in the league, but the Spurs held them to a season-low point total while limiting them to 38.0 percent shooting - their second-worst performance of the season.

The Spurs hope that victory is the beginning of an extended surge like the one they put together last season. After losing four of the first six games of their rodeo trip, they won the last two to begin a 13-game win streak and a 25-6 finish to the regular season en route to their fourth NBA le in nine years.

San Antonio hopes to take advantage of Indiana (19-29), which has tied a season high with six straight losses. The Pacers haven't lost seven in a row since their 11-game skid from Feb. 23-March 14 last season.

Indiana lost 121-115 to Orlando on Saturday, and has given up 107.8 points per game during its losing streak.

Mike Dunleavy scored 21 points to lead the Pacers to a 100-99 win over the Spurs in the teams' final matchup of last season on April 1, but San Antonio has won 14 of the last 19 meetings.

Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds in the April loss, and averaged 22.0 points and 9.5 boards while shooting 63.0 percent (17-for-27) as the Spurs split two games last season.

The Spurs will again be without starting point guard Tony Parker, who's sidelined indefinitely with a heel injury. However, they bolstered their backcourt with Sunday's signing of free agent point guard Damon Stoudamire, who negotiated a buyout with Memphis last week. Stoudamire last played for Memphis on Dec. 30 against San Antonio, and may be able to play in this game.

Spur in the Spotlight
Jacque Vaughn
Jacque Vaughn scored a season-high 17 points against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

Did You Know...
The Spurs and Pacers first met on 10/13/73 in Indianapolis when both teams played in the ABA … the Pacers won the game 116-99 … the Spurs held the Pacers to a franchise-low 55 points in a 74-55 win on 3/29/98 … George Gervin holds the record for the most points scored in Market Square Arena by pouring in 55 vs. the Pacers on 1/23/80, leading the Spurs to a 144-130 win … former Spurs Larry Kenon recorded the first NBA opponent triple-double in Pacer history on 10/27/79 … Indiana center Jeff Foster was born in San Antonio and attended James Madison High School.

[duncan228]

Pacers.com

http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/preview_080205.html

Pacers hope to resolve fourth-quarter issues

By Conrad Brunner

Sometimes the big lineup starts, sometimes the small. How the Pacers begin games, however, is almost an afterthought because of the problem with how they've been finishing.
In each of the last six games, the Pacers have been in position to win in the fourth quarter, either leading or trailing by four or fewer points at some point. But they've lost all six. If the Pacers (19-29) are to avoid a season-high seventh consecutive loss Tuesday against San Antonio in the final game of their longest homestand, they'll need to solve the mystery that the fourth quarter has become.

Coach Jim O'Brien believes the problem is twofold: a defense that doesn't get enough stops to fuel an offense that must push the tempo to succeed, acutely so in the absence of low-post threat Jermaine O'Neal.

"It comes back to what has been our main challenge down the stretch, stepping up and consistently getting key stops," he said. "If we're not getting key stops and teams are scoring, you're not as good a fast-break team when you have to throw it in, so you're not going to get the movement that you need."

On Jan. 23 at Chicago, they trailed 77-79 but the Bulls went on a 16-6 run and won 108-95;
On Jan. 24 at Milwaukee, they led 75-74 but the Bucks scored 12 straight and won 104-92;
On Jan. 26 at Miami, they led 71-62 in the third quarter, fell into a 94-85 hole then rallied but Kareem Rush missed a late 3-pointer and the Heat escaped with a 98-96 decision, snapping a 15-game losing streak;
On Jan. 29 against Detroit, they trailed 101-99 with 4 minutes left and 106-104 with 1:39 remaining but came up empty on their final three possessions and lost 110-104;
On Feb. 1 against Houston, they led 99-94 with 4:28 remaining but missed eight in a row and 10 of their final 11 and lost 106-103;
On Feb. 2 against Orlando, they scored eight in a row to cut a 12-point deficit to 105-101 but made just two baskets in the next 6 minutes as the Magic won 121-115.
"I hope we’re not learning how to lose or accept losing," said Rush. "But we've just got to learn how to finish games. We got it down to (a four-point deficit) in the fourth (against Orlando) and we just didn’t make the necessary plays down the stretch to win the game. We missed some shots that we usually, probably hit, and I don’t have an answer for you to tell you the truth. We've just got to buckle down and try to get a win."

Not only have the Pacers been without O'Neal, they've had limited access to their primary penetrator, point guard Jamaal Tinsley, who has missed nine of the last 18 games with left knee pain. When he's played he hasn't been aggressive, offensively, averaging just 3.3 points and 4.3 field goal attempts in his last six outings. Since attempting 26 shots in an overtime loss to Phoenix on Jan. 9, Tinsley has totaled 26 shots.

"I think we just don’t run as well (late) as we do early," said Travis Diener, who has started the last five games at the point. "I think maybe because we don’t want to take that quick shot or we want to make sure that we get the greatest shot. We've just got to keep running. We’re going to wear teams down with the way we play. When the other team scores we've got to push it just as fast. We've got to run more late in games because other teams are going to wear down."

O'Brien has been working to keep up the spirits and confidence of his struggling players – the Pacers have dropped 16 of 20 – but clearly, this is a team that desperately needs one big shot, or defensive stop, to reverse its downward spiral.

"We just have to look at it, when we sit down and look at the game tape, look at the positives from it, because we’re right there in the middle of games and then at the end it seems like, you know in the fourth quarter toward the second part of the fourth quarter, we get out of character and we kind of break down," said Danny Granger. "So we need to get that fixed because the rest of the game we played well."

The Spurs (29-16) have lost three of four and are playing the fourth of their nine-game, 17-day "rodeo road trip." They're playing without starting point guard Tony Parker, who has a bone spur in his left heel, but recently signed veteran Damon Stoudamire for support.

KEY TO THE GAME
With Parker out and Damon Stoudamire a brand new addition, the Spurs are thin in the backcourt. With 6-6 Manu Ginobili and 6-7 Michael Finley starting, they're not exactly short on talent, however. Both can shoot the three or get inside a defense off the dribble and thus are well-suited to the Spurs' halfcourt offensive approach. Even if they start a big lineup, which seems likely given the Spurs' size, the Pacers must drive the tempo to push the Spurs out of their comfort zone.

TRENDS
The Pacers have shot better beyond the 3-point line (.463) than in side the arc (.439) in the last three games. … The defense has yielded an average of 110 points in the last 14. … Diener has averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 assists, 1.4 turnovers, .400 shooting overall and .417 from the 3-point line in starting the last five. … Mike Dunleavy has shot 11-of-31 (.355) in the last two. … Jeff Foster has averaged 11.6 points, 10.6 rebounds and .688 shooting from the field in his last five starts. … Granger has averaged 22.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 10 games using the small lineup. … Rush has shot .447 from the 3-point line but .281 inside the arc in the last seven. … Shawne Williams has totaled 45 minutes, 29 points and 12-of-17 (.706) shooting in the last two. … The Pacers haven't been called for a technical foul in the last eight games after 36 in the first 40.

SERIES
The Spurs have won three of the last four, although the Pacers won the most recent meeting 100-99 in April 1, 2007, on Jamaal Tinsley's bucket with 1.1 seconds remaining. The overall NBA series is tied 35-35, with the Pacers leading 20-15 at home. The teams meet 92 times during the ABA era, with San Antonio holding a 49-43 advantage.

INJURIES
Pacers - G Travis Diener (sore R foot), G Jamaal Tinsley (sore L knee) are day-to-day; F-C Jermaine O'Neal (bone bruise, L knee) is out.
Spurs - G Brent Barry (L calf strain) and G Tony Parker (bone spur, L heel) are out.

Probable Starters

Diener
Point Guard
Granger
Shooting Guard
Dunleavy
Small Forward
Murphy
Power Forward
Foster
Center

[ancestron]

Woah. When did the Pacers become almost all dorky white dudes?

[duncan228]

Woah. When did the Pacers become almost all dorky white dudes?

Led by the most famous of all, "The hick from French Lick."

[samikeyp]

Woah. When did the Pacers become almost all dorky white dudes?

They have a history of dorky white dudes going back to Steve Stipanovich and Rik Smits.

[YoMamaIsCallin]

I wish to protest this blatant racial profiling. Just because someone's white doesn't mean he's a dork.

PS -- the game is on Fox Sports Southwest at 6 pm CST.

[PacerFan]

The Pacers have looked absolutely awful lately. They haven't had a win since Memorial Day. I was at the Spurs/Pacer game last year in Indiana where a Jamal Tinsley layup won the game for Indiana. I doubt that happens again. The Pacers will make it close, but fold in the end.

[ancestron]

They just need to get a few more brothas up in there, they be aight.

[PacerFan]

Yeah, get Stephen Jackson back here. I sure do miss his lack of hustle and felonies. Indiana is currently last in the league in terms of attendance, and even moreso than bad play character has a lot to do with this. Shawne Williams gets busted with weed, Harrison has been suspended for weed, Tnsley is getting in gunfights at 3 am, Jackson shoots guns off late as night as well. Basically the people in Indiana are tired of the Pacers putting bad basketball players on the floor that can't behave off of it. Indiana has supported mediocre teams that behave themself before, but bad bball and bad people are something that Pacer fans just won't support.

[ancestron]

where is that guy with the sig that says "shooting practice" showing a guy in a Pacers uniform holding a smoking gun when you need him?

It is good to know that the fans arent tolerant of that crap. Indiana is such a great basketball state, their pro team should be class.

[PacerFan]

I agree 100%. Whenever the players and management figure out why Indiana still worships someone like Bob Knight and what they stand for everyone will be better off.

[mikejones99]

might be classy but might be 5 or 10 years till pacers get back to playoffs