Nuggets strike first: Denver’s two stars outshine Spurs’ three
Web Posted: 04/23/2007 12:24 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili stood across from one other in front of the scorer’s table, looking none too happy with how their Sunday evening was going as they waited for play to resume in the Spurs’ opening game of the postseason.
Together with Tony Parker, they had spent the better part of the night chipping the paint from the AT&T Center’s rims, missing layups, jump shots and just about everything else they aimed at a basket.
So given a free moment during a timeout, Duncan raised his right arm while Ginobili, as if on cue, did the same with his left, both pantomiming their shooting motion, each looking for something he had lost.
As it turned out, Duncan and Ginobili would have been better off mimicking the stroke of Denver’s two stars. With Allen Iverson scoring 31 points and Carmelo Anthony adding 30 more, the Nuggets pounded out a 95-89 victory that left the favored Spurs having to play catch-up in the best-of-7 series.
The Spurs can only hope they’re able to repeat history: After losing the opening game of their first-round series to Denver in 2005, they won the next four.
“We’ve been here, but I still hate it,” Ginobili said. “I’m not going to get confident because we’ve done it before. We are very upset.”
The Spurs had reason to be angry.
Not only did they not consistently contain either Iverson or Anthony, none of their own stars played well.
Duncan missed 10 of his 17 shots and committed five turnovers while totaling 14 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks. Parker needed 20 shots for his 19 points and Ginobili went 4 of 15 for just nine points.
The Spurs received credible support from their role players — Michael Finley and Robert Horry combined for 29 points andFabricio Oberto had eight points and six rebounds — but it wasn’t enough with the team’s stars struggling.
“There are no excuses,” Duncan said. “Bottom line, they played better than us. We got to positions and we took shots we wanted to take. They didn’t go down for us.”
While the Nuggets typically win by outrunning teams, they beat the Spurs at their own game, out-executing them in the halfcourt.
“They stopped the things we wanted to do and we couldn’t stop their two stars,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s really the bottom line. Their defense outplayed our defense.”
Anthony peppered the Spurs with midrange shots and even made a pair of timely 3-pointers after hitting just 40 all season.
Iverson missed his first six shots, but settled into a rhythm soon enough, burying pull-up jumpers over the heads of his defenders.
Bruce Bowen, the Spurs’ top perimeter defender, played just 19 minutes, limited by two quick fouls he picked up in the first quarter.
“We put a lot of pressure on our defense when we don’t score,” Parker said. “Basically, we didn’t score the basketball tonight.”
Denver took control by scoring 11 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, opening an 87-77 lead with 3:27 left. The Spurs pulled within two on Duncan’s dunk with 17.9 seconds left, but were forced to foul and Anthony helped close out the game with a pair of free throws.
“We kept our composure and we did what we said we wanted to do,” Anthony said, “which was stop them.”
Popovich chose to sit Duncan, Ginobili and Parker for the season’s final two games, giving them a full week off, but the rest appeared to do more harm than good. All three players spent most of the first half trying to knock the rust from their shots.
Duncan missed his first eight shots, including three attempts at the rim, as well as a pair of free throws.
He didn’t get his first points until he banked in a turnaround with 3:57 left in the second quarter.
Ginobili and Parker weren’t much better.
Ginobili missed eight of his first nine shots and Parker went 2 for 10 in the half. At one point, the Spurs’ three stars were a combined 3 for 25, making the Big Three a Big 12 Percent.
“I think at times like this your top dogs put a lot of pressure on themselves,” Horry said. “I think they’ll come out in the next game and be more relaxed.”
The Spurs stayed close despite their poor shooting, even taking a five-point lead midway through the third quarter. They quickly coughed it up by committing four consecutive turnovers.
“That really hurt,” Ginobili said.
Nuggets forward Nenê also bruised the Spurs. In addition to spending much of the evening defending Duncan, he grabbed eight of Denver’s 15 offensive rebounds.
“When Wednesday comes around we know we have to win,” Duncan said.
“Whether you’ve been here or not, we understand our backs are against the wall and we have to turn it up a little bit and find a way to win that game.”
Spurs notebook: Solid game doesn’t satisfy Horry
Web Posted: 04/23/2007 12:36 AM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News
There were some “Big Shot Rob” moments for the Spurs in their loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, but Robert Horry found little satisfaction in having made two 3-pointers and scoring 14 points off the bench.
After the Spurs fell behind by 10 points with 3:25 remaining in the game, Horry capped a 6-0 run with his second 3-pointer of the game.
In the end, though, Horry was left to lament the fact the Spurs had been unable to contain Denver power forward Nenê on the offensive boards.
“The thing about that is, they take a lot of outside shots,” Horry said. "You’ve got a big, strong guy like Nenê on your back and you give up a couple inches, and he can jump and get the rebounds. He gets the rebounds right off your hands.
“He’s a monster on the boards, so we’ve got to play him like we used to play (Dennis) Rodman: Just push him out of bounds and don’t even worry about it.”
Horry credited the AT&T Center crowd for getting his playoff juices flowing.
“It’s the energy in the gym,” Horry said. “There’s just something special about the playoffs. The fans come in hyped, and that gets you hyped and helps give you a push.”
Don’t cry for George: Nuggets coach George Karl was asked, yet again, about his criticism of Manu Ginobili’s “ugly” game during the Spurs-Nuggets first-round matchup in 2005.
Not only did Karl vow not to say anything negative about Ginobili ever again, he volunteered to help out if Ginobili conducts a basketball camp in Argentina.
“He’s wonderful,” Karl said. “If he asks me to go to his camp in Argentina, I’ll come. If I need a vacation, I’ll be glad to go down and hang out with him.”
A.I. supports Virginia Tech: Allen Iverson wore a Virginia Tech patch on the powder blue sleeve he wears on his right arm in all games. Thirty-two people at Virginia Tech were killed Monday by a lone gunman.
“I just wanted the people of Virginia Tech to know that we were thinking about them,” Iverson said. “The incident really hit home for me because I am from Virginia.”
Bowen in trouble early: Bruce Bowen played only 19 minutes after he was called for two fouls in the first quarter.
With the Spurs needing to swallow a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, coach Gregg Popovich left Bowen on the bench to get another scorer on the floor.
“It’s hard whenever you get quick fouls in this game,” Bowen said. "Now you’re really aware of that. You’re not allowed to be as aggressive or you’re just trying to stay away from contact any time you’re guarding someone.
Ginobili’s summer plans: Manu Ginobili will announce today whether he will play for Argentina in this summer’s Tournament of Americas in Las Vegas.
Ginobili will make the announcement in a column he writes for an Argentine newspaper. He has previously said he was leaning against playing in the Olympic-qualifying event.
Barbosa expected to win: Phoenix’s Leandro Barbosa is expected to be named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year today. Ginobili was among the top candidates.