Spurs notebook: Oberto OK to play after heart procedure
Web Posted: 04/21/2007 09:59 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
Spurs backup centerFabricio Oberto will play tonight, four days after undergoing a procedure to correct his heart arrhythmia.
Oberto practiced Saturday afternoon. He stayed after and played some one-on-one with Jackie Butler and Melvin Ely. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Oberto had no problems and will be cleared to play.
Oberto unexpectedly developed the arrhythmia after he was hit in the neck during last week’s game in Dallas. After a visit to a cardiologist Wednesday night revealed the problem, Oberto had his heart rate restored to its normal rhythm.
With Oberto available, the Spurs should have their regular 12-man active roster tonight. James White, Butler and Ely are expected to spend the game on the inactive list.
Official warning: After the Spurs finished their brief workout Saturday, Popovich called the players together and gave them some final instructions:
Don’t bother the referees.
Popovich told the team to not get too frustrated about missing shots — and have the same attitude toward the officiating.
Popovich has emphasized all season he wants the Spurs to cut back their griping to officials. That became more evident after Tim Duncan was ejected by referee Joey Crawford last week in Dallas for laughing about a call as he sat on the bench.
The NBA suspended Crawford indefinitely for his actions during the game. Duncan later said he hoped Crawford’s colleagues wouldn’t hold the suspension against him and the Spurs.
Plenty of rest: Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Duncan will play in a game tonight for the first time in a week.
The six-day break between games is the longest of the season for Duncan and Parker. Ginobili sat out four-straight games early in the season because of a sore back.
Popovich isn’t too concerned about his star players being rusty.
“We’ve been practicing for the last seven or eight days,” Popovich said. “We’ve had some people resting at certain points and other people not. It’s been a combination of a lot of things, but after 82 games there’s nobody that’s going to get in better shape or get out of shape.”
A streak to respect: Spurs forward Robert Horry enters the series with an amazing record. Horry’s teams have qualified for the playoffs in each of his first 14 NBA seasons, and have reached at least the second round every year.
“I came close a lot of times,” Horry said after the Spurs’ practice Saturday. … I’ve been very fortunate I’ve never missed the second round. Hopefully, the streak will continue. I don’t even like to bring up stuff like that."
Horry said the Nuggets remind him of Houston’s 1995 title team. That team made a midseason trade to acquire Clyde Drexler, then rolled to a second-straight title as the West’s No. 6 seed.
Horry said the Nuggets deserve some credit for helping the Rockets win the 1994 championship, the first of his six titles. The No. 8-seeded Nuggets upset the George Karl-coached Seattle SuperSonics, who had the NBA’s best record, in the first round.
“I always thank them,” Horry said. “I think Denver won me my first championship. (The Rockets) had a bad record against Seattle. We could never beat them. So when I think of Denver, I think, ‘They helped win me my first championship.’”