http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...N.3c40c50.html
Pro basketball: Spurs know they have to 'kick it up'
Jeff McDonald
Express-News Staff Writer
The Spurs trekked out of the AT&T Center locker room not long after finishing off the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, every player harboring plans to spend the next 24 hours doing absolutely nothing.
“We're going to take a breath,” forward Bruce Bowen said.
Indeed, the Spurs did take Wednesday off to nurse their sore muscles and enjoy some downtime. Somewhere between inhale and exhale, it's likely they also took time to contemplate what comes next.
For their hard work in dispatching the Suns in a Western Conference first-round series that was more compe ive than the 4-1 tally indicates, the Spurs have won a date in the semifinals — against a team that handed them two of their three biggest losses of the year.
Technically, the Spurs split their four regular-season games with New Orleans. But all anyone remembers are the two the Hornets won — 102-78 on Jan. 26 in San Antonio, and 100-75 on March 12 in New Orleans.
Only the Spurs' 26-point loss at Utah on April 4 was worse.
Game 1 of the conference semifinals is Saturday at 9 p.m. at New Orleans Arena. The Spurs are headed into the series with eyes wide open.
“Everybody saw what they did to us in a couple of games,” guard Manu Ginobili said. “They really killed us.”
Led by MVP candidate Chris Paul, fellow All-Star David West and newly crowned NBA Coach of the Year Byron Scott, the Hornets have emerged as the next in line to challenge the Spurs' championship throne.
After the most successful regular season in their 20-year history, in which they finished 56-26 and won the Southwest Division, the Hornets defeated Dallas 4-1 in the first round.
It was the team's first postseason series victory since relocating from Charlotte in 2002, and only its fifth ever.
“I wasn't surprised by what they did to Dallas,” Spurs forward Kurt Thomas said. “They have been playing at a high level all season long.”
Typically, regular-season accomplishments are rendered moot once the postseason dawns. After all, the Suns beat the Spurs three times this season, and it didn't help them much in the first round.
Still, nothing would add legitimacy to the New Orleans renaissance like a series victory over the defending champs.
This is the Hornets' home into which the Spurs now tread. But not having home-court advantage doesn't seem to vex coach Gregg Popovich.
“The team that wins the championship every year always wins games on the road,” he said.
In a sense, this series takes on the same dynamic as the Democratic presidential primary, change vs. experience.
The Hornets, having won 25 playoff games in 20 years of existence, represent the former designation. However, the Spurs are the NBA's bastion of postseason experience, having made eight consecutive conference semifinals.
Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Ginobili have been together for three of the Spurs' four NBA les. Duncan has been around for all of them.
Robert Horry owns more championship rings than any active player (seven), and is closing in on another milestone. With five more appearances, Horry can match Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league's all-time leader in playoff games played.
As such, Duncan can't help but sound a little like a certain New York senator when he touts his team's résumé.
“There is no subs ute for experience,” Duncan said. “Guys don't panic, we don't for the most part take bad shots. We come down, we execute, we make the right plays and take the right shots.”
The Hornets don't own that kind of experience quite yet.
Twice against the Spurs in the regular season, it didn't matter. So far in this postseason, it hasn't mattered, either.
“They are playing with a lot more confidence than they were in the regular season,” Spurs guard Michael Finley said. “With that being said, we have to kick it up a notch.”
Phoenix rolled us pretty bad in the last two regular season games against them. The difference between this series and the last series is the Spurs will find it a lot tougher to recover from first quarter double digit deficits. Phoenix lets you back in because they don't play defense. NO on the other hand. . .
Spurs in 6.
I don't expect to see Chis Paul grow old before our eyes like Steve Nash did...but I still think Bruce Bowen is going to be extremely important in this series. He has the potential to disrupt just about everything the Hornets do offensively.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote