Warriors-Spurs Preview

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/games/20080401/GS...scoreboardhome

Warriors-Spurs Preview
By KATE HEDLIN, STATS Writer

San Antonio has completely dominated Golden State at home over the last decade, good news for the Spurs considering the battle they're in for the top spot in the Western Conference.

The Spurs look to win their 20th consecutive home game against the Warriors, who are in contention for one of the West's final playoff spots.

The Spurs (51-23), tied for first place in the West with New Orleans, don't have much room for error with the top six teams separated by just a few games. They'll again look to take advantage of their home-court dominance over the Warriors as they try for another key win in the race for the top seed in the conference.

San Antonio has won the last 19 home matchups in the series by an average of 17.2 points. Golden State, which has averaged 84.5 points in that stretch, hasn't won in San Antonio since Feb. 14, 1997.

The Spurs have won seven straight, including a 109-88 victory over Houston on Sunday. San Antonio led most of the game against its division rival, which is also battling for the West's best record.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game, but we got a little breathing room with the win," Spurs forward Ime Udoka said.

Michael Finley and Tony Parker each scored 22 points and the Spurs shot 53.0 percent from the field. San Antonio has held six of its seven opponents during the win streak to fewer than 90 points.

"The defense was outstanding for 48 minutes," coach Gregg Popovich said. "I thought that's what fueled us to get the win against a really good team."

Tuesday is the finale of a four-game homestand for the Spurs, who then play four of their final seven games on the road. They are 31-6 at the AT&T Center and have won four straight and 11 of 12 there.

"I think there is always room for improvement, but we are focused and everyone understands that we have eight games left and the real stuff is about to start," Parker said.

The Warriors, though, have won both home meetings with the Spurs this season, including a 130-121 overtime victory Jan. 7.

Golden State is looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since a three-game winning streak from March 7-12. Since then, the Warriors are 5-5 and have fallen into a three-team battle with Dallas and Denver for the final two playoff spots in the West.

The Warriors earned a key win in that race with a 114-104 victory over the Mavericks on Sunday. Monta Ellis led six Golden State players in double figures with 30 points, while Baron Davis added 21 and Andris Biedrins had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

Tuesday is the opener of a four-game road trip for the Warriors, who also face Dallas, Memphis and New Orleans in that stretch. They are 20-16 on the road.

"We don't want to count on anybody else," forward Matt Barnes said. "I think if we take care of our business and win the games we're supposed to win, we'll get in. We don't want it to come down to someone else get us in the playoffs."

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/spurs/gameday/080401.html

Probable Starters:

Parker
Guard
18.5 PPG
Finley
Guard
10.0 PPG
Bowen
Forward
6.0 PPG
Duncan
Forward
19.5 PPG
Oberto
Center
4.7 PPG

Injury/Inactive Report
Robert Horry (left knee contusion) is questionable

Spur in the Spotlight
Michael Finley
Finley scored 22 points on Sunday as the Spurs picked up their seventh straight win.

Did You Know...
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich spent two seasons in Golden State as an assistant to Warriors head coach Don Nelson … Golden State forward Stephen Jackson was a member of the Spurs 2003 Championship team … Jackson averaged 10.0 points in 103 games for San Antonio … the Spurs are 33-5 against the Warriors since Tim Duncan’s rookie season 1997-98 … the Spurs own or tied three separate opponent records against the Golden State Warriors … Terry mings had 16 offensive rebounds on 2/28/90 … Johnny Moore tallied nine steals in a game in San Antonio on 1/8/ 85 to tie the record … George Johnson blocked 13 shots in one game on 2/24/81.

[duncan228]

http://www.nba.com/warriors/gametime...ew_040108.html

In the thick of one of the tightest playoff races in recent NBA memory, the Warriors will open a critical four-game road trip on Tuesday against the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. The radio-only broadcast (in the Bay Area) will tip off at 5:30 p.m. and air on KNBR 1050.

The Warriors are currently tied with Dallas and Denver for seventh place in the West, and with only eight teams advancing to the conference standings, one of those teams will be left out of the 2008 postseason. Golden State improved its playoff chances on Sunday night with a 114-104 victory over the Mavericks, and they’ll go head-to-head with both Denver and Dallas again before the close of the regular season.

But rather than looking ahead to the rest of the schedule, the Warriors must first focus on the task at hand, starting with Tuesday’s date with the Spurs. Golden State beat San Antonio in each of the team’s meetings this season, including January 11’s overtime thriller, but both of those contests were played at ORACLE Arena. Finding success in San Antonio has been difficult for the Warriors, as they’ve lost 19-straight games at the AT&T Center, a streak that dates back to 1997.

Furthermore, the Spurs are playing some of their best basketball of the season. Winners of seven-straight, San Antonio currently stands just percentage points behind New Orleans for the top spot in the West. And with the veteran trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili leading the way, the Spurs always seem to be at their best as the postseason approaches.

Although San Antonio is sure to be a challenge, the Warriors by no means will be backing down from it. Golden State has thrived in pressure situations all season, and Sunday’s contest was no exception. Down 12-0 to start the game, the Warriors then made one of their all-too-common comebacks and took the lead for good by the end of the first quarter. Monta Ellis carried the load offensively with his 11th 30-point game of the season, and Andris Biedrins logged his second-straight double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

How Ellis and Biedrins play against the veteran Spurs with loads of big-game experience will be a point of interest on Tuesday, but perhaps even more compelling is which style of play will emerge. Warriors fans are accustomed to Head Coach Don Nelson’s smallball, which more often than not results in a fast-paced style of play, but the Spurs like to slow things down a little. Golden State leads the NBA with 111.1 points per game, while San Antonio allows an average of 90.9 points per contest. Should the Warriors succeed in establishing their brand of basketball, they’ll have a chance of reversing its recent fortunes in San Antonio.

Following Tuesday's action, the Warriors will complete the back end of a back-to-back on Wednesday in Dallas before concluding the road trip with contests at Memphis and New Orleans. The next opportunity to catch the Warriors at ORACLE Arena will be when the team returns home to host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, April 8.

[duncan228]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailyd...ge=dime-080401

Challenge For Champs
ESPN Research

The San Antonio Spurs have always prided themselves on defense during their championship runs. They will need to get back to that defensive mentality if they plan to beat the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday at 8:30 ET. Golden State is 2-0 and averaging 113.0 points per game against the Spurs this season. The Warriors are only one of two teams to average more than 100 points vs. the Spurs, the other being the Orlando Magic at 103.5 ppg.

Golden State Warriors vs Spurs This Season

Category Stat
W-L 2-0
PPG 113.0
FG pct 45.2 (85-188)
3-pt FG pct 36.2 (21-58)

[Budkin]

Can't wait to put the smack down on these guys.

[xtremesteven33]

i love the warriors but i love my SPURS even more....

Spurs 110
Warriors 103

[G-Nob]

SPURS FANS!!!
Please join me in my new alliance.

Fans Against Golden State

-or you can use the acronym for short.

(full disclosure: I stole it)

[SAGambler]

So, we get to soften them up for the Mavs tomorrow night?

I think we play Spurs ball and hold them to 90 or less. But, I don't think that will help the Mavs tomorrow night.

I do like to watch GSW play, but I would certainly hate to watch them beat the Spurs. We just need to defend the 3pt well, and I think the rest will take care of itself. If they ain't raining 3s, they ain't winning.

[ancestron]

I think it will go something like this--
"What?! They're playing defense! They can't do that!! Screw this!"