http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.37aeacf.html
Poor game in Utah remains on Spurs' minds
Web Posted: 04/05/2008 10:46 PM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. — The sting of their worst defeat of the season not more than minutes old, the Spurs got another splash of rude reality Friday night: The plane that was to get them here in time for a good night's sleep before a scheduled Saturday afternoon practice was grounded at Salt Lake International Airport.
Minor repairs were required. After recent news about the imminent financial demise of Champion Air, the charter carrier the Spurs and 11 other NBA teams have used for several seasons, no chances will be taken, no matter how minor such repairs may be.
So the Spurs spent an extra, unplanned night near the scene of the most embarrassing offensive performance in franchise history.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tried to make the best of the inconvenience. Impromptu arrangements were made for a team dinner at one of the city's best restaurants.
No gourmet meal, though, could remove the taste of a 90-64 humiliation administered by the Utah Jazz.
Veteran guard Michael Finley said the Spurs would be well served by keeping the memory fresh.
"You don't want to forget about it," Finley said. "You want to learn from it and move on."
What lesson could the Spurs possibly take from a game in which they scored only 26 points in the second half?
"You learn that this is the NBA, and every night you've got to come out to play, and if you don't, you give yourself a chance to lose that ballgame," Finley said.
When the Spurs finally arrived in Portland on Saturday afternoon, it was with the knowledge that their loss to the Jazz, while humbling, was still their first since March 17. They remain but one victory, or a Golden State Warriors loss, from clinching a playoff berth in the amazingly tight Western Conference race.
Eight-straight victories had put them in second place in the West.
Even after their loss and the Los Angeles Lakers' come-from-behind Friday night victory over the Dallas Mavericks, they remained tied with the Lakers for the West's second-best record, behind only the New Orleans Hornets.
This afternoon's game at the Rose Garden against a Trail Blazers team recently eliminated from postseason contention is an opportunity to correct the wrongs of Friday's second half, with an eye toward the playoffs.
"As long as we get into the playoffs, and I think we're going to do that, we've got to play these games as preparation for the playoffs," said Tim Duncan, the Spurs' two-time MVP who sat the entire fourth quarter of Friday's blowout loss, just as he had skipped the fourth period of a blowout victory over the Warriors on Tuesday.
"We can do no more than that. We hope we stay healthy, and if we do that, we're going to walk into the playoffs in good position. Obviously, we've got to rebound from (Friday's loss) and pick up a game in Portland. Obviously, every game is critical coming down the stretch. But more than anything, we want to be healthy."
Popovich has insisted for weeks that having his team as healthy as possible for the playoffs was more important than playoff seeding in a conference with so many good teams that a 49- or 50-win team could be left out.
Getting a victory in Utah, Popovich had said, would have been nice, but was much less vital than playing well and staying healthy.
At least one of those pregame goals was met. None of the Spurs were injured Friday in the worst loss of the season.
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It should stay on their minds. It will serve them well. They'll pick up the win today and keep moving forward.
Duncan confirmed what I believe. A Spurs team that's healthy, that has a healthy Duncan, is capable of anything.
Thanks for article Spurs Brazil.
NO>Utah>Spurs>Lakers>Dallas>Suns>Nuggets>Houston
Simple, but when playoffs starts ....
Spurs > All of them ...
Yeah Pops in, playing out the string healthy mode.Getting a victory in Utah, Popovich had said, would have been nice, but was much less vital than playing well and staying healthy
Seeding doesn't matter at all.
yep, Spurs 100% in manpower, so what's the problem?
I'd rather have lost that game by 26 than to have won and lost one of our players. I'm glad health is a priority for this team.
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