Spurs vs Sac thread......

[chumdawg]

Either way, justice will have been served.

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

That's correct. It IS being extended next year. They already agreed on that.

Link?

Ortegal is occasionally wrong but he definitely said that NEXT YEAR there would only be unlimited substitutions ONLY within the last 2 minutes of each half on a 20 second timeout.

The YEAR AFTER NEXT the league would consider unlimited substitutions on any 20 second timeout regardless of when the timeout is taken.

[chumdawg]

No, no. Right now there are unlimited subs in the last two minutes of the game (not the first half). The rule change is one of several that takes place next year (I don't know of any changes that are two years down the road), and it basically makes 20's the same as fulls.

I'll look for a link.

By the way, I heard the same talk by Ortegel (it was during Game Four, I believe), and I didn't interpret it that way. But as I said, I'll see if I can get you a link.

[chumdawg]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/a...20_210410_3288

[MFFL]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

By the way, I heard the same talk by Ortegel (it was during Game Four, I believe), and I didn't interpret it that way. But as I said, I'll see if I can get you a link.

Ah. Thanks for the link. I guess I just misunderstood Ortegal.

[MavsFanFinley]

Originally Posted by rakesh.s

bibby hits a couple shots, they win the game.

If Bibby gets hot in these last two games, the kings could win the series. Spurs have no answers for Wells and Artest. They also need to play Rahim more.

I had to listen to some of the game on the radio on the way home from work tonight. They talked about Bibby injuring his right arm (tricep?) in the 2nd half of game 4. I remember him struggling in the 2nd half of that game but didn't know he was injured. It clearly bothered him tonight as well. Not sure if the 2 days rest before game 6 will help but Wells and Artest are just about carrying that team anyhow.

[MavsFanFinley]

Fin didn't shoot well overall but he hit some big shots when it mattered. And that steal was probably his play of the game. Win or lose he's been performing well in the 4th quarters.

I'm going to the game on Friday. Win or lose, those men will know my voice by the end of the night.

[Male30Dan]

Originally Posted by rabbitproof

Hand it to the Spurs. All this nonsense about Kings winning, taking it to 7.. I still think we will see a lot of close game and hopefully the Kings do beat up the Spurs some but this series will be done in 5.

Mavs can't let the Grizz linger and better bring the pain.

The Spurs are up 3-2 right now, so the soonest it could end is in 6. I could easily see this series lasting 7 games seeing as how the home team has held serve all 5 games so far.

[rabbitproof]

^ Enter revisionism!

I had given more credit to SA's ability to win the close games with all their 'vets'.

While I still think SA takes it, I almost expect to see this thing going to 7 as well.

[nashtymavsfan13]

I expect SA to win in 7 now.

The Kings could take it if the Sperms come out slow, or get overconfident. It's definetly not an automatic win for them. The Kings will be coming out firing.

[kriD]

Spurs' Duncan shows he stands on solid footing

Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer

It didn't matter whether it was the snow-lined streets of Toronto, the humid haze of Houston or even sunny Sacramento last week. In nearly every city the Spurs have visited this season, they've heard the same question.

Did Tony bring Eva?

After allotting a few minutes to the discussion of Tony Parker's student-teacher relationship — or is it teacher-student? — the Spurs are usually then asked to address one other subject that's generated nationwide curiosity: Tim Duncan's right foot. As in: How's it feeling?

Over the past month, Duncan's plantar fasciitis has been called the Spurs' X-factor so many times the team might want to consider issuing it a locker. The only people who don't seem the least bit interested in the State of the Foot are Duncan and his teammates.

"A lot of people are making an issue of a problem Tim hasn't made an issue of," Brent Barry said. "The sooner that talk stops about his foot, the sooner we can concentrate on what Tim is doing for us."

And what Duncan has done for the Spurs the past three games is not unlike what he did the previous few seasons. On Tuesday, he totaled 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists to help give the Spurs a 3-2 lead in their first-round series against Sacramento.

"Timmy's our leader," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Everything starts with him."

That was evident in Tuesday's fourth quarter. After the Kings erased the Spurs' 14-point lead to tie the game at 91 with 3:36 left, Duncan found Manu Ginobili for a layup. On the following possession, he scored at the rim himself.

With a minute remaining and the Spurs clinging to a 99-96 advantage, Duncan again posted deep in the lane before dropping in another short shot.

"Last night," Nick Van Exel said, "he played like the old Tim Duncan."

With the exception of Game 2 when he made 4 of 10 shots, ran into foul trouble and struggled to defend Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Duncan has started to look more like himself this series. In addition to scoring 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Spurs' loss in Game 3, he was as dominant as he's been defensively all season, blocking six shots while repeatedly rotating over to protect the rim.

Duncan has averaged 23.3 points the past three games while making 28 of 43 shots. For the series, he's shooting 59.3 percent from the field and an almost-respectable 69.4 percent from the free-throw line.

"What he's done is become very aggressive," Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. "I'm afraid we woke him up."

Duncan said it's more a matter of him "picking his spots." The Kings have tried to keep him guessing by varying their defense. They double-teamed him aggressively in the first two games, but surrendered 23 3-pointers, prompting them to change their focus to closing out on the Spurs' shooters. Only once in the series has Duncan taken more than 12 shots.

On Tuesday, Popovich often surrounded Duncan with a small lineup. The attention he drew helped open shots and lanes to penetrate for his teammates.

"It's just his presence that makes it tough on us," Kings forward Bonzi Wells said. "Our eyes are on him at times, and sometimes you get caught watching him and other guys will sneak you from behind or get an open three."

Duncan's production has backed up his pre-playoff claim that he was feeling better than he has all season. His right foot, which particularly slowed him the first half of the season, won't completely heal until the summer, but he hasn't complained of soreness in more than a month. His ailing shot — and confidence — were actually of more concern to the Spurs.

Said Popovich of Duncan's foot: "It's not even on our radar."

Duncan's performance on Tuesday came after only one day of rest, a promising sign for the Spurs. Regardless of whether they win or lose Friday in Sacramento, the Spurs will have to fly home for a likely Sunday afternoon tipoff. The only question is whether they'll be playing a seventh game against the Kings or opening their second-round series against Dallas.

For now, Duncan's teammates will leave the questions about his health to others.

"We know him," Ginobili said. "I've been here for four years and he always gave us a lot of stuff in the playoffs. We trust him blindly."

[Drbio]

They keep bringing up the fasciitis so they will have an excuse when the Mavs eliminate their butts.

[Dtownsfinest]

If Duncan keeps putting up the stats he is I don't want to hear a damn thing about his plantar fascitis when the Mavs beat them next round.

[rakesh.s]

Originally Posted by Drbio

They keep bringing up the fasciitis so they will have an excuse when the Mavs eliminate their butts.

This excuse has been in place since the season started.

Everybody plays with injuries..Rasheed Wallace had plantar the year Detroit won the title.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Yeah, it is getting tiring hearing about how it's effecting his play, over and over and over.

[Drbio]

Let's go Sacto!!!!!!!

[u2sarajevo]

Please Spurs.... end it tonight.

[Drbio]

I want 7 games to put another couple of days of pain on each teams bodies.

Go Kings!

[mary]

I'm conflicted. On one hand, I'm dying to see some Mavs ball again.

On the other, I don't mind seeing the Spurs get worn out for another game.

What to do...what to do...

[u2sarajevo]

I know... what a conundrum.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by Drbio

I want 7 games to put another couple of days of pain on each teams bodies.

Go Kings!

Well if the Kings win tonight than wouldn't that mean we wouldn't be playing on Sunday? It seems it would be better for the Mavs and worse for the Spurs if the Spurs pull the win out tonight. They pull it out tonight they have only one day rest as well as one day to get back to San Antonio.

[Drbio]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

Well if the Kings win tonight than wouldn't that mean we wouldn't be playing on Sunday? It seems it would be better for the Mavs and worse for the Spurs if the Spurs pull the win out tonight. They pull it out tonight they have only one day rest as well as one day to get back to San Antonio.

Wouldn't the Mavs play the winner Tuesday? Same one day rest.

[mary]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

Well if the Kings win tonight than wouldn't that mean we wouldn't be playing on Sunday? It seems it would be better for the Mavs and worse for the Spurs if the Spurs pull the win out tonight. They pull it out tonight they have only one day rest as well as one day to get back to San Antonio.

You know, the travel issue is not a bad point.

[Drbio]

The replay there appeared to show that Duncan didn't even get hit. He was grabbing his head like a darned baby. Duncan is such a puss.

[Dtownsfinest]

Artest injured=Game over.

[Dtownsfinest]

Originally Posted by Drbio

Wouldn't the Mavs play the winner Tuesday? Same one day rest.

Yea but they'd be in San Antonio. As of right now they have 1 day rest but they are currently in Sacramento. Not sure how much that factors into players but i'd have to think that they would be a lot more fatigued having to get to San Antonio to play the Mavs on Sunday.

[DirkGoesNuclear]

ESPN just showed an NBA promo highlighting the Mavs. Not too bad!

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Dtownsfinest

Artest injured=Game over.

This is why closing games in 4 is better than 6-7 game series.

[Drbio]

There are three tornados on the ground just to the west of my house.

The news guy said it is tracking right towards us. Crud.

Would appreciate the prayers.

I'm out. Have to get the supplies ready.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by Drbio

There are three tornados on the ground just to the west of my house.

The news guy said it is tracking right towards us. Crud.

Would appreciate the prayers.

I'm out. Have to get the supplies ready.

Prayers on the way doc. May he keep you and yours safe.

[chumdawg]

Hit the storm shelter, Doc!

You aren't missing much. This series is OVER!

[mary]

This is going to get ugly...

[bernardos70]

Even with Artest there, the King's D is pathetic. Seriously (and then again, this is probably a case of it being easier said than done), do you NOT see Parker barrelling down the wide open lane? It's downright irritating.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Originally Posted by Drbio

There are three tornados on the ground just to the west of my house.

The news guy said it is tracking right towards us. Crud.

Would appreciate the prayers.

I'm out. Have to get the supplies ready.

I hope you're ok doc, my thoughts are with ya bud!

[Dtownsfinest]

Am I the only one who saw that Tony Parker 3 coming? Its like the Kings forgot there was 3 seconds left on the shot clock. Spurs are going to be screwed if they think the Mavs play defense like the Kings. I'm just about sick of watching the Kings play defense like this. Its one thing to not be able to defend. Its another to not be able to defend and not be able to contest shots. Then there power foward and centers are Brad Miller and Shareef Abdur Rahim.

[nashtymavsfan13]

Well, it's set

Good guys vs. Bad guys:

Mavs vs. Spurs

[nashtymavsfan13]

The Kings gave us what we asked for, fighting the Spurs hard for 6 games.

We need to take advantage of that.

[MavsFanFinley]

What a great game. I left in the middle of the 4th when the Spurs were up 20. They ended the series the way it began. Nothing like waxing the floor with the Kings. I never tire of watching them lose.

Bonzi came back to earth and Artest wasn't a factor even before the ankle injury. I hope Miller is better at fishing than he is at basketball. What a complete non-factor he was in this series.

Parker is too f'in quick. Duncan looked solid and Manu finally shook Artest off him. The Spurs bench (mainly Fin/Horry/Barry) were solid all series long.

I loved walking out of there with my eat shit grin on. I've been to Arco a few times with the Mavs playoff series but I've never seen it so quiet as I did tonight.

[TVI]

Good article on the Spurs-Kings series from the Sacramento Bee..

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports...15068545c.html

Ailene Voisin: Tim Duncan was simply too much
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist

Published 2:15 am PDT Saturday, May 6, 2006

Print | E-Mail | Comments
At their best, the Kings had a chance.

At their worst - and this was close - this was no contest.

That seventh game in San Antonio will have to wait for another time, another season. The matchup that began with a Spurs spanking, evolved into a surprisingly competitive series with big shots and bigger moments, essentially ended Friday when Ron Artest limped off, Tim Duncan leaped up, and the defending world champions demonstrated exactly why they're the league's model franchise.

When the Kings grow up, they want to be Spurs.

When the Kings grow up...

They will protect the ball, move the ball, move the body, play with poise. They will dart into the lane like Tony Parker, defend like Bruce Bowen, come off the bench like the Spurs' reserves - stroking threes, stealing passes, forcing turnovers, clogging the lane - and somehow grow bigger and stronger and faster, so that the next time Duncan comes to town, he can't just stand out there, surveying the scene, dominating the setting.

Meantime, good night and good luck.

The Big Fundamental might as well be called the Big Difference. The Kings can write on the blackboard a million times - though shalt not let Timmy do this again - but the two-time Most Valuable Player has made a career out of reaching up and taking whatever he wants, taking over when it matters.

Take that stretch in the second quarter of the series clincher: After the Spurs had closed to 36-35, Duncan tipped an offensive rebound, grabbed another, was fouled and converted two free throws. Then he challenged Wells along the baseline, causing the Kings guard to miss a drive. Then he blew into the lane and threw down a one-handed dunk.

Then he just sort of stepped to the side - figuratively speaking - and watched Parker scoot underneath, Bowen drill threes, Robert Horry swipe rebounds, and every other teammate seemingly contribute something.

"We're a lot better team when we don't just stand there and watch Timmy," Brent Barry noted the other day.

Yet this No. 8 vs. No. 1 matchup wasn't about the muscle of Artest and Wells, the timely steal by Mike Bibby, the acrobatic drive by Kevin Martin. It wasn't Barry's dagger three, the Kings' three-minute defensive lapse in Game 5, not nearly as much as it was about the dominating presence of Duncan.

He is too tall, too gifted, too experienced.

Though listed at 6-foot-11, and bearing little physical resemblance to the prototypical, muscle-bound power forward, Duncan has the wingspan of two normal-sized people.

He doesn't need a high jumper's vertical leap because his length and extension enable him to separate from opponents for layups, bank shots, jumpers. His screens are quietly deadly. His defensive presence is imposing.

His footwork is extraordinary - no wasted motion, almost never takes that extra stride that once was called traveling, but today is allowed because most referees either can't see or can't count.

So if you're the Kings - or for that matter, the Mavericks, Pistons, Suns, Lakers, etc. - the defensive options are limited, and not particularly effective. Smother him. Singlecover him. Help with Artest, with Wells, with just about everyone else on the floor. The Kings probably even tried stepping on his sore right foot, though they, too, swear they prefer to play within the rules.

But the beauty of the Spurs - and I will never understand why the television audience routinely overlooks their sex appeal - is reflected in their balance and symmetry, their ability to play off their best player. An opponent's defensive lapses are exploited en masse. If it's not Duncan on the inside, it's Ginobili with one of his slicing drives, Parker scooting around Timmy's back (those screens) and sinking those 18-footers. Or it's Bowen, Barry and Horry from the corners. Sometimes, it's Nazr Mohammed underneath.

Always, though, Duncan is looming and lurking.

"I thought our defense got us through tonight," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "We played very good team defense, and we played it for most of the 48 minutes. (And) I think the depth we have maybe took its toll over time."

For the Kings to extend the series, to continue their impressive late-season and postseason comeback, it was imperative that they play a nearly perfect game. The Kings probably needed to be a little lucky, too, hoping Duncan - not Artest - would end the evening with a limp instead of a victory.

But the champs wanted Game 6, and wanted no part of Game 7.

They took what they wanted and taught a few lessons.

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

Was Brad Miller and Mike Bibby officially on the Spurs roster?

I could sworn I saw them wearing black and silver.