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Oh man, that was great. You tell 'em, T-Mass.
Massenburg starts, shows Kings he can produce
Web Posted: 01/24/2005 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b....3a29ac42.html
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As Tony Massenburg turned to run downcourt Sunday, having just silenced some of the same fans who had booed him earlier, he found at least one supporter among the 17,317 packing Arco Arena.
"Payback T-Mass!" yelled a man seated behind the Spurs' bench. "Payback!"
Massenburg paid his former team back and then some Sunday evening, even if revenge wasn't on his mind as he claimed. Starting in place of injured center Rasho Nesterovic, he totaled a season-high 16 points and eight rebounds as the Spurs routed the Sacramento Kings 103-73.
Massenburg's performance came against the same team that left him off its playoff roster last season.
"Right is right and wrong is wrong," Massenburg said. "Everything happens for a reason.
"I was done wrong last year and I just happened to be starting this game and we happened to win. It's how it goes sometimes."
Not much went wrong for Massenburg and the Spurs, who will try to complete a sweep of their three-game trip tonight in Portland. They handed the Kings their worst home loss since Dec. 12, 1995.
They did so by holding Sacramento to its lowest total of the season. The Kings entered Sunday averaging a league-high 25.13 assists but had just eight — their fewest since the franchise moved in 1985.
"We play defense," Massenburg said of the Spurs. "And that was a taboo word here, depending on who it came from."
That was a not-so-subtle shot at his former employers. When Chris Webber began last season on the injured list, Massenburg helped the Kings to the best record. After Webber returned, Massenburg lost his spot to rookie Darius Songaila.
With the Spurs placing Nesterovic on the injured list Sunday and Robert Horry missing his second-straight game because of soreness in his right knee, Massenburg had the chance to start against the Kings. His actions spoke even louder than words.
After hitting a short jump shot in the lane to give him 10 points in 11 minutes, Massenburg broke into a wide grin. His put-back and three-point play later in the second quarter left Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof shaking their heads.
"A lot of what you all saw the first part of last year," Massenburg said, "was exactly what I did tonight."
The Kings, however, had more concerns than an angry ex-teammate. Webber did not play in the second half after spraining his right ankle early in the second quarter. He returned in the second quarter after having the ankle re-taped, but Songaila started in his place to start the second half.
Tim Duncan, meanwhile, picked up where he left off in Friday's thrilling overtime victory in Phoenix by making his first six shots, helping the Spurs to a 30-16 lead at the end of the opening quarter. He finished with 23 points and 13 rebounds.
"Every move he did, he did very confident," Tony Parker said. "He looked like the old Timmy for me."
Massenburg wasn't the only player on the Spurs with extra incentive to play well. In Sacramento's 86-81 victory over the Spurs here three weeks earlier, Duncan missed 11 of 17 shots.
"It's just getting touches and starting to get a little rhythm back," Duncan said. "I'm used to having the ball in certain situations. I'm still not as comfortable as I like to be, and I'm not shooting the ball as well as I'd like to be. But I am feeling a lot better."
The Kings couldn't say the same. Their share-the-ball, free-wheeling offense stagnated against the Spurs' defense. Peja Stojakovic, who scored 28 points against the Spurs on Jan. 2, had just eight Sunday.
The Spurs didn't require a career performance from Manu Ginobili as they did Friday when he scored 48 points. Ginobili took only eight shots and finished with 10 points, four rebounds and one remarkable one-handed block/takeaway of Kings guard Kevin Martin.
"It was just one of those nights for Sacramento and we took advantage of it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
No one more so than Massenburg. Though happy with the victory and his performance, he didn't want people to think he was gloating.
"It meant a little bit more because I've been made out to be a jerk since I left here," he said. "I've got people booing me and I don't think they know why they're booing me. I'm not a bad guy and never have been.
"Like I said, it is what it is."
Oh man, that was great. You tell 'em, T-Mass.
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