Spurs fall to Cavs despite return of leather ball
Web Posted: 01/03/2007 12:10 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
CLEVELAND — And, now, from the Department of Be Careful What You Wish For …
The Spurs got their leather basketball back. Apparently, someone forgot to tell them what to do with it.
Unable to locate the rim or each other, the Spurs clanged one shot after another Tuesday evening until their defense could no longer support their wretched offense and Cleveland had finally found someone who could shoot. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t LeBron James.
With Larry Hughes scoring 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers rallied for an 82-78 victory, sweeping the season series for the first time since the 1988-89 campaign.
“I thought we were playing good defense for three quarters,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “then everything goes to hell in the fourth quarter.”
Popovich didn’t bother to stick around and watch. He was ejected midway through the fourth quarter after stomping onto the court to argue a non-call for Tim Duncan.
The two points Cleveland picked up during Popovich’s exit only added to the Spurs’ troubles considering how much they had to labor to score two of their own. During an 18 1/2-minute stretch in the second half, the Spurs made only three shots.
“They got a couple of points at a time when the calls were going their way, shots were going their way,” said Duncan, who complained of an “inconsistent whistle.” “So, in many different respects, it was a turning point.”
The Spurs didn’t have a single assist in the final two quarters, which shouldn’t have been too surprising considering the statistic is generated only by made shots. They shot 38.4 percent for the game, a figure that was inflated by a late flurry of layups by Tony Parker.
Manu Ginobili went 1 for 8 and didn’t get his first basket until there were 31.1 seconds left. Bruce Bowen went 0 for 6. Duncan totaled 18 points and 15 rebounds but made only one of six attempts in the second half.
The Spurs’ two baskets in the third quarter matched their fewest ever. Duncan, Ginobili and Parker, who had a game-high 26 points, also combined for nine of the Spurs’ 12 turnovers in the final two quarters.
While the Spurs entered Tuesday ranked second in the league in field-goal percentage and first in 3-point percentage, they had compiled those numbers with the microfiber ball. After listening to player complaints, including more than a few from the Spurs, the NBA switched back to leather Monday.
The Spurs wouldn’t blame their struggles on the change, but neither team offered much of an endorsement with its shooting. Cleveland shot worse than the Spurs, making just 36 percent of its attempts.
“I’ll say the same answer every time I talk about the ball: I don’t care,” Parker said. "A ball is a ball. Old or new, you just have to play basketball.
“It’s a little bit like on the playgrounds when you change balls all the time. It doesn’t matter. You still play.”
Hughes was one of the few players who put the leather ball to good use. With the Spurs double-teaming and trapping James — who had 19 points, 16 fewer than he scored when Cleveland beat the Spurs on Nov. 3 — Hughes made all four of his shots in the final quarter, three of which were 3-pointers.
That was enough to erase the Spurs’ eight-point lead. After totaling 44 points in the first three quarters, the Cavaliers scored 38 in the fourth, six of which came after the Spurs started intentionally fouling in the final minute.
“We were trying to take the ball out of LeBron’s hands, and eventually, they moved the ball around, found the open guys, and they started knocking down open shots,” Brent Barry said. “On our end, it was the exact opposite. We just held the ball.”
Popovich had apparently seen enough when Donyell Marshall blocked Duncan from behind with 5:58 left. Duncan complained about the non-call, and Popovich yelled from across the court at official Kevin Fehr, who hit him with a technical.
Popovich then marched to the opposite free-throw line to scream more, even sidestepping Cavaliers mascot Moondog to get there. Fehr appeared hesitant to give out a second technical while Popovich was restrained by his assistants, but he finally relented.
P.J. Carlesimo also picked up a technical somewhere in the mix. Damon Jones made two of the three free throws to extend Cleveland’s lead to seven.
“I didn’t want there to be any equivocation on the official’s part as to whether he should boot me or not,” Popovich said. "I wanted to make it easy for him.
“That can be embarrassing for an official if you’re not sure whether you really want to go or not. I thought he did a great job.”