Spurs’ stars join fight - Big 3 rebound from poor start to even series with Nuggets
Web Posted: 04/26/2007 12:14 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
One look around the locker room early Wednesday evening told Michael Finley all he needed to know.
The easy-going banter Finley and his teammates had shared before their playoff opener three days earlier was largely missing. Tim Duncan sat quietly in front of his locker, watching film of himself missing layups.
Gregg Popovich had spent the previous two days reprimanding the Spurs for their lack of edge, and somewhere along the way they had found it.
“I saw it in the guys’ eyes before we even went out,” Finley said, “that we were mentally prepared.”
The Spurs were more focused, more physical, more urgent, fighting off the Denver Nuggets in a 97-88 victory at the AT&T Center to even the teams’ first-round series at a game apiece.
Duncan scored 22 points, all but ending the Nuggets’ spirited comeback with a jump hook with 27.9 seconds left. With Manu Ginobili providing 15 of his 17 points in the final 15 minutes and Tony Parker scoring 20 in an earnest-yet-uneven performance, the Spurs received the type of production from their stars they needed, but lacked in Sunday’s loss.
“I don’t think we had this same playoff intensity in Game 1, which was disappointing,” Popovich said. “But I thought we played with more aggression, more physicality tonight. I think that was the difference in our team.”
While the Spurs had fretted about their poor offensive execution after Game 1, they won the way they usually win: with defense.
The Nuggets shot just 38.6 percent and were limited to seven fast-break points, giving them 10 in the two games.
Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, who scored 31 and 30 points, respectively, in Game 1, combined for 46 while missing 29 of 46 shots. They still, however, nearly brought Denver back from a 17-point deficit in the final eight minutes.
After Iverson’s 3-pointer cut the Spurs’ lead to 91-88 with 45.9 seconds left, Duncan backed down Denver forward Nenê and banked in a jump hook. It was the same type of shot he missed often on Sunday while scoring just 14 points.
“I’m pretty confident in that going down for me and if I get in that position, I like that shot,” said Duncan, who also provided seven rebounds, five blocks and five assists. “I’m going to continue to shoot it and hopefully it goes down even more.”
Ginobili also overcame his own frustration. After missing 11 of 15 shots on Sunday, he had just two points with less than three minutes left in the third quarter when he lost the ball and Iverson scooped it up and bolted to the basket.
Robert Horry, four months away from his 37th birthday, somehow caught up and swatted the shot against the backboard.
“Robert always tries to come up with a play here and there,” Popovich said, “that makes you think he’s really 28 or something.”
Ginobili followed by driving for a tough layup. After Bruce Bowen came up with a steal, Ginobili buried a 3-pointer to extend the Spurs’ lead to 70-55.
As the Nuggets signaled for a timeout, Ginobili spun on his heels and pumped both his fists into the air.
“I haven’t been shooting that well lately, so making that one was important for me,” Ginobili said. “It helped me in the rest of the game.”
Popovich had been disappointed with his team’s offensive execution in Game 1, saying the Spurs rushed too many shots, evidenced by the 24 3-pointers they hoisted compared to their 10 free-throw attempts. They still labored at times to score on Wednesday, but moved the ball somewhat better and made 21 of 23 foul shots.
“We didn’t change a whole lot,” Duncan said. “We did just about the exact same stuff, made one or two tweaks on it and understood it was more about the effort and energy.”
WithFabricio Oberto providing eight points and 10 boards off the bench, the Spurs also evened the rebounding battle with Denver at 44 apiece. Nearly half of the Nuggets’ 88 points came off turnovers or offensive rebounds.
“That was the thing that was worrying me most,” Ginobili said. “We were focusing so much on the offensive end knowing we have to execute better, but we had to maintain the same defensive toughness as in Game 1.”
Bowen made sure of that. After playing just 19 minutes on Sunday, he spent much of the game shuttling between Anthony and Iverson, who didn’t make a single trip to the foul line despite attempting 25 shots.
“I sit in amazement that Allen Iverson can shoot 25 times and not get a free throw,” Denver coach George Karl said. “As much as we drive the ball we don’t get that angle bump call that you get in the NBA — Tony Parker gets it.”
The Nuggets threw a scare into the Spurs in the fourth quarter, and Popovich admitted his team “hung on more than anything.” But that was good enough to even the series with Game 3 in Denver on Saturday.
“We were able to sustain and come out with a victory,” Duncan said. “That’s all that matters.”