Spurs News

Jazz break through against Spurs
Comment
November 20
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Over much of the past week, Richard Jefferson has heard enough about how hard the Spurs have been playing. He's heard enough about how well they have been competing, and how much progress they are making. After yet another narrow defeat - this one a 90-83 loss Thursday to a Utah team that hadn't won in San Antonio since "Friends" was the hottest show on TV - Jefferson was in no mood to talk about another close-but-no-cigar. "It's not about competing," Jefferson said. "It's about winning." The loss was the Spurs' third in a row, and the third in a row to come down to the wire. A night earlier, they lost in overtime in Dallas. Before that, it was a three-point loss at home to Oklahoma City. ..."
Spurs' Ginobili to miss 7 to 10 days
Comment
November 20
San Antonio Express-News
 
"After being examined by members of the Spurs medical staff Thursday, guard Manu Ginobili has been ruled out of action for seven to 10 days. An MRI exam confirmed that Ginobili suffered a mild left groin strain during Wednesday's game against the Mavericks in Dallas. He previously had been bothered by a left hamstring strain that caused Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to sit him during the fourth quarter of a loss to Oklahoma City on Saturday. Both Ginobili and All-NBA point guard Tony Parker, still ailing with a sprained left ankle, were inactive for Thursday's game against the Jazz. Parker now is listed as day-to-day. The muscle strains that have plagued Ginobili are a disappointment after a ..."
Ginobili out, Parker doubtful for Jazz
Comment
November 19
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The injury bug has bitten the Spurs again. Tony Parker is doubtful and Manu Ginobili is out for Thursday's home game against the Utah Jazz. Parker missed Wednesday night's 99-94 overtime loss at Dallas with a sprained left ankle that has been bothering him for more than a week. Ginobili, meanwhile, hobbled off the floor 7:28 into his first start of the season with a strained left groin. Ginobili is set to undergo further tests on the injury Thursday, and won't play against the Jazz. The injury is unrelated to the hamstring problem that kept him out of the fourth quarter of Saturday's loss to Oklahoma City."
Mavs outplay Spurs in OT
Comment
November 19
San Antonio Express-News
 
"An hour before his team was set to tip off a key Southwest Division game at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was talking about the giant chemistry project he'd undertaken. Long story short, there is no pushing fast-forward when it comes to the integration of seven new players. "Over 50 percent of the team is new," Popovich said. "That's a lot of new bodies. Just people-wise, relationship-wise, people understanding the system - it's a real work in progress." What the Spurs have learned over the past week, leading up to Wednesday's 99-94 overtime loss to Dallas, which sunk them below .500: Chemistry projects are even more difficult when some of the most ..."
Mavericks race by Spurs 99-94 in overtime win
Comment
November 19
Dallas Morning News
 
"Dirk Nowitzki made play after play, frustrating the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan as he did. And then he went to the offensive end. Nowitzki had 41 points, including 11 of the Mavericks' 15 points in overtime as he led them to a hard-earned 99-94 victory over the Spurs on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center. But what people wanted to talk about most was his defense on Duncan. Nowitzki was asked to guard the Spurs' low-post master during the final minutes of overtime, and he forced Duncan to miss close-range shots on three consecutive possessions, which allowed the Mavericks to pull away to a 97-91 lead and hang on for their fourth consecutive victory since losing to the Spurs ..."
Injury bug bites Spurs again
Comment
November 19
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The night began with news that Tony Parker would not be able to play against the Dallas Mavericks because of the recurrence of an ankle injury suffered 12 days earlier. Not long after tipoff, the Spurs learned they would be without Manu Ginobili, too. Ginobili earned his first start of the season, then left the floor 71/2 minutes later with a left groin strain. And the Spurs, for the second time in a week, were left to face their Interstate-35 rivals without two of their Big Three. Just a week earlier, Parker missed a victory over the Mavericks — and a preceding victory over Toronto — with the same injury. He aggravated it in his return Saturday against Oklahoma City and had been limited ..."
Spurs say struggles part of process
Comment
November 18
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Another coach, in another sport, once put it best. "You are what your record says you are," former Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells used to say. By that measure, the Spurs - eight games into a bipolar season - have been every bit of inconsistent that their 4-4 record might suggest. World beaters one game, world-beaten the next, the new-look Spurs have struggled in their search for stability while attempting to integrate seven new players this season. If the playoffs started today - a ridiculous notion, for sure - the Spurs would not be in them. For now, the Spurs will continue to place faith in their talent, which is considerable, as well as in the age-old adage that it's a long season. ..."
After defending Durant, Spurs' Hill wants Nowitzki
Comment
November 18
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Fresh off performing yeoman's work defending Oklahoma City scoring star Kevin Durant, Spurs guard George Hill wouldn't mind an even tougher assignment tonight in Dallas. Bring on Dirk Nowitzki? "If the opportunity is there to guard Dirk, I'm going to welcome it with open arms," Hill said. "I like the challenge. I like to defend." Hill's dream matchup is probably not going to happen. Though the 6-foot-2 Hill has demonstrated considerable ability to defend players taller than he is, the 7-foot Nowitzki is probably a little out of his range. Durant, 6-foot-9, was the tallest player Hill had been asked to defend. Hill held his own, helping to limit to Durant to 6-of-18 shooting. He finished ..."
Spurs' good, bad and an ugly turnover
Comment
November 16
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The pluses and minuses of a Spurs roster with seven new players were evident in the final moments of Saturday's 101-98 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the AT"
Spurs try Hill-Parker backcourt
Comment
November 16
San Antonio Express-News
 
"For the record, George Hill spent the entirety of Saturday's loss to Oklahoma City wearing the silver and black of the Spurs. He wouldn't have been surprised, however, had he looked down halfway through the game and seen the crimson and gold of the IUPUI Jaguars on his chest. Hill spent much of the game at shooting guard, a position he hadn't played extensively since his college days in Indianapolis. "I was very comfortable there," said Hill, a second-year player who moonlights as the primary backup to All-Star point guard Tony Parker. "I played it my whole life. That's all I used to know how to do, was play the 'two.'" There could be more college flashbacks to come for Hill. Eight games ..."
Hamstring strain means no Ginobili in fourth
Comment
November 15
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he chose to be conservative with the long-term health of star guard Manu Ginobili in the second half of Saturday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the AT&T Center. Fearful that a left hamstring strain that kept Ginobili out of practice sessions on Thursday and Friday had re-tightened, Popovich held Ginobili out of the fourth quarter of a tight game. Ginobili also banged knees with Thunder rookie James Harden in the first half, staying on the floor for several seconds after a collision. "I didn't keep him out because of his knee," Popovich said. "I kept him out because of a hamstring that's been tight. I just thought it would be best to be ..."
Spurs' Bogans a master of the art of irritation
Comment
November 13
San Antonio Express-News
 
"It is a general truism that every NBA player possesses at least one NBA skill. It didn't take long for Keith Bogans to discover his. He's built a career on his uncanny ability to be the most annoying guy in the room. "I want to annoy guys," said Bogans, the Spurs' latest starter at shooting guard. "I want guys to know when I'm guarding them, it's going to be a tough night. I don't want anybody to think it's going to be a walk in the park. See me, and put a smile on your face? No, that's not me." An afterthought for much of the preseason, Bogans has emerged as perhaps the biggest early-season surprise for the Spurs. His defensive prowess earned him a spot in the starting lineup three games ..."
Spurs defense shows improvement against Mavs
Comment
November 13
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Over the past two games, the Spurs have demonstrated two vastly different ways in which to win a basketball game. They beat Toronto in a shootout on Monday, winning 131-124 in the team's highest-scoring regulation game since 1993, then followed with a suffocating 92-83 win over Dallas on Wednesday. If given his druthers, there's no doubt which way coach Gregg Popovich would rather win games. Hint: It's not the score-happy way his team beat the Raptors. "I don't think we can sustain that," Popovich said. "We'd be a hell of a team if that's the case." Throughout the preseason, Popovich spoke openly and often of wanting to return his team to the ranks of the defensive elite. Before ..."
Equation changes, Ginobili doesn't
Comment
November 12
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
"His agent was talking earlier in the day, about how it was just a matter of waiting. "We can't push it," Herb Rudoy was saying. "When they are ready to talk, they will talk." So he waits, as does Manu Ginobili, as do the Spurs. And probably every night, the equation changes. But something isn't changing, and that's Ginobili. He followed a 36-point game against Toronto with a more cautious game against Dallas, and the motivation had little to do with his pending free agency. Anyone who knows him knows that. There are other sides to this, and Dallas has one. Erick Dampier has another year left on a contract considerably stronger than his game, but he has to meet an incentive to trigger that ..."
Ex-Bucks stop here in Spurs' victory over Mavs
Comment
November 12
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Eight months ago, the Spurs and Mavericks engaged in a five-game, first-round playoff series that, for citizens of San Antonio, was pretty forgettable. For a pair of soon-to-be-former Milwaukee Bucks, meanwhile, the 2009 postseason might as well not have happened at all. Keith Bogans decompressed at his house in Orlando, Fla. Richard Jefferson returned home to California, and ignored the NBA altogether. "I was going through a bout of depression at the time, because we didn't make the playoffs," Jefferson said. "I tried to tune out basketball." On Wednesday night, Jefferson and Bogans found themselves squarely in the middle of the I-35 rivalry. There was no place else they'd rather be. ..."
McDyess and friends limit Nowitzki
Comment
November 12
San Antonio Express-News
 
"As Spurs forward Antonio McDyess walked on the court for the second half against the Mavericks, one bit of recent history ran around his brain: Dirk Nowitzki's 29 fourth-quarter points against the Jazz on Nov.3. McDyess was the primary defender on Nowitzki in the first half of the Spurs' 92-83 victory Wednesday, limiting him to seven points on 3-for-13 shooting. Determined to prevent another second-half explosion by the 2007 MVP, McDyess made sure all his teammates were ready for a Nowitzki surge. "You can't overlook that," McDyess said. "I think when the fourth quarter came, we all made a conscious effort to help out on him and make it hard for him." By game's end, Nowitzki had scored 29 ..."
Spurs can always depend on defense
Comment
November 12
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
"The defensive neophytes got a look Wednesday at how the old pros do it. This really was Veterans Day. San Antonio is a crafty, nose-to-the-grindstone team when it comes to defense. The Spurs play like grizzled guys who have been there so many times, it's second nature. Even poor defenders, like Michael Finley, morph into decent stoppers, or at least hard workers defensively, when they get to San Antonio. The Mavericks found out real quick just what the difference is between a new defensive attitude and one that's been ingrained for years. They struggled to shoot 30 percent most of the night and really were fortunate to have a slim chance at pulling out a win at AT&T Center. It didn't ..."
Howard limps out of Mavericks' loss to Spurs
Comment
November 12
Dallas Morning News
 
"For the second season in a row, the Mavericks made a trip to San Antonio when the Spurs were missing two prongs of their superstar tripod. And, for the second time, the news was bad for the Mavericks - on multiple fronts this time. They tried to fashion another remarkable comeback, but it wasn't going to happen against the short-handed Spurs, who made enough plays to fend off the Mavericks, 92-83, Wednesday night at AT&T Center. The game was bad enough, but the news also was grim on Josh Howard, who left the game with 8:46 to go in the third quarter. It was his third game back after off-season ankle surgery. "He was limping, so we took him out," coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's the first ..."
Big game for Manu helps ease his mind
Comment
November 11
San Antonio Express-News
 
"There is confidence, and then there is supreme confidence. If ever Manu Ginobili were feeling the latter, it came early in the fourth quarter of the Spurs' 131-124 victory over Toronto on Monday. Fourteen seconds after checking into the game, Ginobili let fly with a long 3-point try. It was, in NBA terminology, a "heat check." The shot swished. Ginobili, on his way to a season-high and psyche-soothing 36 points, was officially on fire. The question now becomes how long Ginobili's hot streak, and his confidence, will last. "I'll tell you after next game," Ginobili said. "If I keep feeling like this, confident with my shot and attacking the rim, you never know." For all the offseason ..."
Iverson's act shows he's no Ginobili
Comment
November 11
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Mike Monroe
"Tony Parker and Tim Duncan were out for the Spurs' game against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, but when it came time for the opening tip, Manu Ginobili was in his customary spot the past two seasons: on the bench, awaiting opportunity to impose his will on the game. Ginobili's will produced 36 points, eight assists, four blocks and an important victory for the Spurs. Ginobili is the best player since John Havlicek to willingly accept a bench role. Havlicek never started for the great Celtics teams of the 1960s and '70s, but his role was the template for the league's Sixth Man Award. Havlicek is in the Hall of Fame, and if the totality of Ginobili's career, NBA and international, is ..."
Duncan, Parker doubtful vs. Mavs
Comment
November 11
San Antonio Express-News
 
"It appears likely the Spurs will face the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center tonight without All-Stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. Neither player participated in the Spurs' light Tuesday afternoon practice session and were officially listed as doubtful for tonight's game. Both are nursing left ankle injuries suffered in last Thursday's game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. Parker sprained his left ankle during the second quarter and left the court immediately. X-rays showed no structural damage and the Spurs officially termed the injury a mild sprain, but he has not played since. Duncan jammed his left ankle at some point in the same game but played 35 minutes and 27 seconds the ..."
Raptors take one on the chin
Comment
November 10
Toronto Star
 
"It's simple, really. See the ball, go get the ball. Basic basketball learned in grade school. But it was a practice that eluded the Raptors here Monday night like it's eluded them so many times in the past, and it cost them another game."
Star-less Spurs sink Raps
Comment
November 10
Toronto Sun
 
"No Tony Parker. No Tim Duncan. No chance, right? Wrong. Even with two thirds of the Spurs big three in street clothes, San Antonio was able to prevail in one of those golden opportunities the Raptors let slip away. Sure Manu Ginobili, the lone healthy body of that trio, amped up his game in the absence of Parker and Duncan coming off the bench for a stunning 36 points to lead the Spurs to a 131-124 win. However, it wasn't Ginobili they were talking about in the Raptors room. The Raptors were correctly pointing the finger of blame at themselves for allowing 16 offensive rebounds as the Spurs overcame some early shooting woes by making good on second-chance attempts to keep it close. A ..."
Swollen left ankle sidelines Spurs' Duncan
Comment
November 10
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs captain Tim Duncan sat out Monday's 131-124 victory over the Raptors with swelling in his left ankle, the result of an injury suffered in a loss at Utah on Thursday. Duncan played 35 minutes and 27 seconds on Friday in Portland. It wasn't until early in the Sunday afternoon practice session that he began to experience discomfort in the ankle, affecting his play. He was sent for X-rays, which showed no damage, but he was a pregame scratch Monday. "It's sore, and he can't play," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game. Duncan joined Tony Parker, also suffering with a sore left ankle, on the inactive list. Parker's injury is not serious, and he may suit up for Wednesday's home ..."
Ginobili powers Spurs past Raptors
Comment
November 10
San Antonio Express-News
 
"In the hours before his team walked into the AT"
Seasoned Hill finds familiar opening
Comment
November 9
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has never claimed to be clairvoyant. When it comes to the career of second-year guard George Hill, however, he thinks he can read the tea leaves. Hill's future, Popovich believes, is not to be found on an NBA bench. "I think he has the ability to be a starter, without a doubt," Popovich said. "The next couple years will tell whether he understands the game enough, and has the leadership qualities to lead a team on the court. I have a feeling he can do that, but we'll give him time and see how he does." For one game, at least, the Spurs are hoping to press fast-forward on Hill's progress. All-Star Tony Parker has been all but ruled out of tonight's game against ..."
Spurs begin home-intensive stretch of schedule
Comment
November 9
San Antonio Express-News
 
"After back-to-back losses in Salt Lake City and Portland, the Spurs return to the AT"
Parker ruled out vs. Raps
Comment
November 8
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs point guard Tony Parker is not expected to play in Monday night's home game against Toronto while nursing a sprained left ankle. The injury is considered mild, with Parker's potential return to be measured in days and not weeks. The three-time All-Star was not expected to participate in Sunday's practice. George Hill, a second-year guard, will draw the start in Parker's place."
Spurs still experiencing growing pains
Comment
November 8
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Jeff MacDonald
"All along, the Spurs knew this wouldn't be easy. Even as they stockpiled more talent than they've ever assembled, even as NBA pundits rushed to announce them as the most obvious Western Conference threat to the Los Angeles Lakers' dominance, the Spurs knew. Transforming a remade team into a championship contender isn't as simple as snapping your fingers, waving a magic wand or sprinkling pixie dust. It doesn't happen overnight. "A lot of teams are going through growing pains right now, whether they've been together forever or whether they're putting some new pieces together," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. "It's all about getting through those early-season jitters and trying to figure out ..."
Salary cap busters belie NBA's economic woes
Comment
November 8
San Antonio Express-News
 
"According to a recent Commerce Department report, the U.S. economy grew in the third quarter at a rate of 3.5 percent, the first good economic news in two years. NBA teams may deserve some credit for easing the recession. According to NBA team salary cap figures obtained this past week by the Express-News, nearly half the league's 30 teams are on track to be over the 2009-10 luxury tax threshold of $69.92 million. The Spurs have the highest player payroll in franchise history, with a salary cap figure of $80.01 million, but it ranks as just the eighth-highest salary cap figure. You have to add $763,033 to get the true Spurs' player payroll. That's because the Spurs have to pay 14-year ..."
Parker injury hands Spurs' reins to Hill
Comment
November 8
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs guard George Hill knew something was wrong the second Tony Parker limped to the locker room at the Rose Garden. It wasn't just the way Parker left the floor that had Hill concerned. It was that Parker left the floor at all. "I just wanted to make sure he was OK," said Hill, who is set to assume starting point-guard duties while Parker nurses his latest ankle sprain. "I know how Tony is. He's a fighter. He always wants to be in. When he limps off, you know he's really hurt." Parker, the Spurs' leading scorer, left late in the second quarter of Friday's 96-84 loss at Portland after rolling his left ankle on a drive to the basket. It was the same ankle he sprained five games into last ..."
24 seconds with Jason Kidd
Comment
November 8
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Kidd re-signed with the Mavericks in July, a three-year deal for $25.3 million. At age 36, he remains one of basketball's best point guards. Recently, he answered some pointed questions for the Express-News. At this point in your career, how important is it to believe your team has a legitimate shot at winning it all? Everyone's goal is always to win a title, but realistically, there are a limited number that really can do it. All you (media) guys know that. Of course, but I contend the Spurs and Mavs weren't legit contenders last year but improved enough over the summer to get back in the mix, and I wonder if you agree."
Back to .500 - Blazers dust off Spurs
Comment
November 7
Portland Tribune
 
"A first-half injury to San Antonio guard Tony Parker and a better overall performance by Portland enabled the Trail Blazers to end a two-game home losing streak. Brandon Roy (game-high 24 points) and Greg Oden (14 points, eight rebounds, four blocks in 25 minutes) led the way as Portland won 96-84 and improved to 3-3 and the Spurs fell to 2-3. Roy hit 9 of 15 from the field, while Oden made 6 of 9. Steve Blake (15 points) and Andre Miller (10) added to the Blazer attack, while Joel Przybilla came off the bench for a game-best 13 rebounds. Portland jumped on the Spurs, leading 29-14 after one quarter. Then Parker went down with a sprained ankle, after scoring just four points in 11 minutes. ..."
Portland 96, San Antonio 84: McMillan shakes up starting lineup
Comment
November 7
Oregonian
 
"Spurs guard Tony Parker reaches for the ball knocked out of his hand as Blazer Andre Miller stands over him. Martell Webster recovered the loose ball for the Blazers. Have to hand it to the Trail Blazers in this early season: There is never a dull moment. On Friday night, the drama and intrigue surrounding the team continued as Andre Miller made a surprising debut in the starting lineup, which was followed by a blistering performance by the Blazers that was nearly ruined by some shaky fourth-quarter play that produced more than a few uneasy stomachs. But when it was all said and done, the Blazers escaped with a much-needed 96-84 win over San Antonio in front of the 75th consecutive ..."
Parker expects to be out a week
Comment
November 7
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs point guard Tony Parker says the sprained ankle that knocked him from Friday night's 96-84 loss against the Trail Blazers isn't as severe as others he's suffered in his career. Parker missed nine games early last season after spraining the same ankle, and missed a month with the French national team during the summer with a similar injury to his right ankle. "This one is not even close," Parker said late Friday night. "It will be a week, maybe." Parker was injured on a drive late in the second quarter against Portland and did not return. "I went to do an 'in-and-out' move," Parker said. "I went one way and my ankle went the other." X-rays taken at the Rose Garden were negative, and ..."
Second verse for Spurs in Portland
Comment
November 7
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The Spurs awoke here Friday morning, greeted with familiar headlines about that night's opponent. The team was struggling. The coach was furious. The natives were restless. This was the feeling in Portland about the underachieving Trail Blazers, but it could have been the sentiment about the Jazz in Salt Lake City 24 hours earlier, right before they smacked the Spurs. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, for one, noticed the pattern. "We caught both teams at a bad time, that's for sure," Popovich said. "They both needed to pick it up. In past years, I've said the same things about my team that those coaches said about their teams. Teams respond to that." At 2-3 after a winless road trip, now would ..."
Boozer finally breaks loose as Jazz roll
Comment
November 6
The Deseret News
 
"Carlos Boozer missed his first shot of the game Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs — a 15-footer that barely grazed the front of the rim with just under nine minutes to play in the opening quarter. And Boozer was booed by some folks in the hometown crowd at EnergySolutions Arena as a result. But Boozer would quickly turn those jeers into cheers — the boos into chants of "Booz" — as the power forward played his best overall game of the young season in leading the Jazz to a late-night 113-99 victory in front of a sellout crowd and a national TNT audience. "Tonight we had a great effort by everybody out there — especially on the defensive end," Boozer said in a TNT interview ..."
No need for to hit panic button yet
Comment
November 6
The Deseret News
 
"Even after a 1-3 start that included devastating losses Monday night to Houston and Tuesday night at Dallas, the Jazz weren't quite ready to reach for something red and round. "It's too early for panic," center Mehmet Okur said after Thursday's morning shootaround. Turned out he was right and — by the time Utah was done beating San Antonio 113-99 in a late-starting, TNT-televised game Thursday night at EnergySolutions Arena — it might have been more appropriate for the Jazz to be pressing the easy button. Because they sure did have their way with a 2-2 Spurs team featuring not only mainstays Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, but also new addition Richard Jefferson. "That was a ..."
Boozer delivers first solid game
Comment
November 6
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"Just when the Utah Jazz needed it, Carlos Boozer put together his best performance of the season. During the Jazz's 113-99 win over San Antonio on Thursday night, Boozer finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. He was also active defensively, helping Utah hold the Spurs to 41 percent shooting. Boozer started quickly. He played the first 7:21 of the opening quarter and scored four points while assisting on another field goal. Defensively, Boozer opened on three-point specialist Matt Bonner but quickly switched onto Tim Duncan. Almost immediately, he tied up Duncan on a move across the lane. Less than two minutes later, Boozer blocked one of Duncan's shots. By the end ..."
Williams, Boozer have big nights to help Jazz win big over Spurs
Comment
November 6
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"For all the emphasis on defensive accountability this season, the Jazz issued a reminder Thursday night that they still can outgun a team at EnergySolutions Arena, even a Western Conference favorite like the San Antonio Spurs. The Jazz scored 60 points in the first half, had all five starters in double figures by the end of the third quarter and rolled to a 113-99 victory, a shocking score against one of the NBA's perennially top defensive teams. It was the most points the Jazz have scored against the Spurs in a regular-season game in the Tim Duncan era, eclipsing a 103-74 victory on Nov. 22, 1997. The Jazz did score 109 points against San Antonio in Game 3 of the 2007 Western Conference ..."
Team unfazed by new rims
Comment
November 6
San Antonio Express-News
 
"If the new, more collapsible rims introduced before the start of the season are really creating more so-called "shooter's rolls," the Spurs haven't noticed. Quietly, the NBA switched manufacturers to bring about the most significant change in that piece of equipment since the advent of breakaway rims in 1981. The new basket system, made by Spalding and called the "Arena Pro 180 Goal," collapse from both the front and sides. In the past, breakaway rims have collapsed only from the front. Some shooters report the change has made the rims more forgiving for shooters, deadening shots that used to bounce out. And scoring is up early across the league. Asked about the change before Thursday's ..."
Trend reversed in Spurs' loss to Jazz
Comment
November 6
San Antonio Express-News
 
"For the Spurs, Thursday began with a change in routine. With no morning shootaround scheduled, as part of the team's new afternoon-only practice routine, players were left with an entire morning and afternoon to kill in the middle of Utah. By noon, some were going stir crazy. "Me and TD (Tim Duncan) had to go to lunch," guard Roger Mason Jr. "Just to get out of the hotel room." By night's end, and much to their opponent's relief, the Spurs had changed a different routine as well. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer highlighted a list of six Utah players in double figures, as the Jazz broke their curse against the Spurs with a dominating 113-99 victory at EnergySolutions Arena. Williams had 27 ..."
Spurs come out of break bittersweet
Comment
November 5
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Fresh off a four-day break without a game, the Spurs boarded their plane for Utah on Wednesday with mixed feelings about the rare early-season respite they had just received. Sure, it was nice to have a couple of practices, but the downtime might have ruined any momentum the Spurs were building since the season began a week earlier. "Every year, there are a couple times in the schedule where everybody gets those breaks," coach Gregg Popovich said. "The time you don't want those breaks is now. It's too darn early in the season." Compounding the Spurs' perplexity with the false start of a schedule is the price they will now pay for the layoff. Four days off gives way to a rugged road ..."
Bryant, Artest daunting pair for Lakers
Comment
November 5
San Antonio Express-News
 
"His back ached, and his throat was sore, but as he trudged off to a hot shower after the Lakers' overtime road victory over the Thunder on Tuesday night, Kobe Bryant turned and offered some advice to the Spurs' Manu Ginobili. "If he sees another bat flying around the arena," he said, "he needs to swat that one out of the air, just like last time." Those rabies shots Ginobili now must endure were the price of sending a message to anyone, or anything, posing a threat to the game. "We're trying to play basketball out there," Bryant said. "You just can't let anything interrupt that." Not even a high fever that temporarily triggered swine flu fears kept Bryant from playing 46 minutes and ..."
Spurs go west for season's first test
Comment
November 5
San Antonio Express-News
 
"There are times when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich can't help but feel overwhelmed by the crush of modernity. He is an old-school coach and an older-school guy, the type who would rather get his news from CNN than a PDA, doesn't care to know how to check his cell phone voice mail, and still thinks of a "tweet" only in terms of avian communication. That's why it is comforting, a handful of times each year, when Popovich can look down an NBA sideline and see one time-worn face that seemingly never changes, crooked nose and all. In a fleeting world, thank goodness for death, taxes and Jerry Sloan. "You know exactly what you're going to get," Popovich said. "Every single game, every single year." ..."
Spurs and Jazz on the same side
Comment
November 5
San Antonio Express-News
 
"This isn't baseball, and the Lakers don't have a pinstriped edge. They have spent more this season than any NBA team, but the difference isn't substantial. The Yankees, meanwhile, are proudly triumphant today with a payroll that is more than double that of the league average. Still, even the best NBA small-market teams are suffering. Owners are bleeding money, with a lockout looming in 2011, and those with the biggest gripe will meet tonight. The Spurs and Jazz - similar coaches, systems, cities and books. The Spurs got a lot of publicity this past summer by becoming a luxury-tax payer. Peter Holt tossed in his chips for the final years of Tim Duncan's career, and thus far, the franchise ..."
Blowouts allowing Duncan more rest
Comment
November 4
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The Spurs' two victories this season, both blowouts, ended with a scene sure to warm Gregg Popovich's heart: Tim Duncan, already sweat-free and already decked in his warm-ups, leaning back in his chair long since done for the night. In the Spurs' 113-96 win over New Orleans and their 113-94 trouncing of Sacramento, Duncan's third-quarter retreat to the bench has been the equivalent of a silver-and-black victory cigar. "Whenever there's a game when you're getting your fanny kicked, or you're kicking someone else's fanny, you can rest some players in the fourth quarter," Popovich said. "That's usually a good thing." When it comes to the 33-year-old Duncan, whose knees betrayed him down the ..."
Blowouts allowing Duncan more rest
Comment
November 4
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The Spurs' two victories this season, both blowouts, ended with a scene sure to warm Gregg Popovich's heart: Tim Duncan, already sweat-free and already decked in his warm-ups, leaning back in his chair long since done for the night. In the Spurs' 113-96 win over New Orleans and their 113-94 trouncing of Sacramento, Duncan's third-quarter retreat to the bench has been the equivalent of a silver-and-black victory cigar. "Whenever there's a game when you're getting your fanny kicked, or you're kicking someone else's fanny, you can rest some players in the fourth quarter," Popovich said. "That's usually a good thing." When it comes to the 33-year-old Duncan, whose knees betrayed him down the ..."
Pop to Spurs: Leave bats to the pros
Comment
November 4
San Antonio Express-News
 
"In the aftermath of the Manu Ginobili bat incident, there will be no official change to the Spurs' team policy when it comes to the removal of wild animals from the AT&T Center. Just the same, coach Gregg Popovich says, in the future, he would prefer his players leave that job to professionals. “Animals are animals,” Popovich said before practice Tuesday. “You always have to be a little bit wary about what's going on.” Faced with the second of two bat delays during Saturday's win over Sacramento, Ginobili disposed of the flying animal with his bare hands. “I think it happened so quickly, Manu didn't think about it,” Popovich said. “If he'd had more time, he probably would have thought ..."
After bat, shots for Ginobili aren't just aimed at hoop
Comment
November 3
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs guard Manu Ginobili has been placed on a precautionary regimen of rabies vaccinations after his now-famous run-in with a flying bat during a game Halloween night. The shots are purely preventative. Because the bat could not be found after the game for testing — team officials say it survived and flew away — doctors recommended that anyone who came in contact with it be vaccinated. Ginobili took four shots Monday in the hip and arm, and he is scheduled for four more such sessions over the next month. "It was pretty funny at the time," Ginobili said Monday, two days after his bat encounter. "Now it's not. I got like a million shots for rabies." According to the federal Centers for ..."