tinysands
2007-05-18, 12:07 PM
Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) aim to finish off the Suns at home
Web Posted: 05/17/2007 10:50 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) will be back among friends and family tonight, a comforting thought considering the alternative included a phony bomb threat, a truckload of "Dirty Horry" T-shirts and an ornery senior citizen who apparently gave Brent Barry (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/brent_barry) a personal showing of her middle finger.
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) survived their latest trip to the desert, rallying past the short-handed (and just short) Phoenix Suns to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal. But they also made one thing clear as they walked out of the US Airways Center late Wednesday.
"We don't want to come back here," Bruce Bowen (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/bruce_bowen) said.
If Bowen and his teammates want to stay unpacked for a few days, they'll need to close out Phoenix tonight at the AT&T Center — a task that will be all the tougher with Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw returning from their suspensions.
A victory by the Suns would send the series to a deciding Game 7 on Sunday in Phoenix, where the reception for the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) doesn't figure to be any friendlier than it was Wednesday. If the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) win tonight, they'll open the Western Conference finals against Utah on Sunday at home.
"Good basketball teams try to display some resiliency and some consistency, and that's why tomorrow will be such a big challenge for us," Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's a possible close-out game, and those are the toughest games of the season, and we are playing against a team that had a better record than we did during the year and that wants to win the championship."
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The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) also are facing a team shouldering a sizeable grudge. Stoudemire and Diaw weren't allowed to play Wednesday because they left the bench during a skirmish set off by Robert Horry (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/robert_horry)'s flagrant foul on Steve Nash near the end of Game 4.
With Stoudemire and Diaw out, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni essentially shortened his rotation to six players, three of whom played 45 of the game's 48 minutes. The Suns jumped the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) in the first quarter, scoring 16 unanswered points, and were still up 11 with a little more than 10 minutes left, before running low on fuel.
"We feel like we have a lot left, and it will be nice to have a full team back and see what we can do down there," Suns point guard Steve Nash said. "We have a lot of heart, so this thing, I think, is just heating up."
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) will again be without Horry, who was suspended two games for his role in the altercation.
After scoring just 33 points in Wednesday's first half — "Maybe the worst first half since I've been in San Antonio," Tony Parker (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/tony_parker) said — the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) went small, starting Manu Ginobili (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/manu_ginobili) in place of Fabricio Oberto (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/fabricio_oberto).
The change spread the floor for Tim Duncan (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/tim_duncan), and Ginobili went on to score 22 of his 26 points in the second half.
"When we went small, I thought our rotations got a little better," Duncan said. "We were able to really contest shots instead of just giving them open looks."
The Suns' biggest problem in the series has been keeping their players on the court. They lost the opening game after Nash was unable to play in the final minute because he split open his nose while butting heads with Parker. In their Game 3 loss, Stoudemire played only 21 minutes because of foul trouble. On Wednesday, he and Diaw weren't even allowed in the arena.
Phoenix also has already won once at the AT&T Center after erasing a 10-point deficit during the fourth quarter of Game 4.
"At this point in the playoffs against a team like Phoenix, home court doesn't mean a whole lot," Duncan said. "They're going to come in there and the crowd isn't going to affect them.
"They're going to play with a lot of energy with their two guys coming back. We're going to have to match that early."
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) hope some of that fuel will come from their own fans. They had few supporters at the US Airways Center on Wednesday.
"I had like some 76-year-old man telling me I had no class — I had never met the guy before," Barry said. "And then I had some old lady flip me the bird as we were going out to warm up."
If Phoenix wins tonight, the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) will have to make a return trip. The Suns' fans could then aim their insults at Horry, who will be in uniform if there's a Game 7.
"That's one guy that would really enjoy doing that," Barry said, "but it's also one fate I'd like for us not to put ourselves in if we can avoid it."
Web Posted: 05/17/2007 10:50 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) will be back among friends and family tonight, a comforting thought considering the alternative included a phony bomb threat, a truckload of "Dirty Horry" T-shirts and an ornery senior citizen who apparently gave Brent Barry (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/brent_barry) a personal showing of her middle finger.
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) survived their latest trip to the desert, rallying past the short-handed (and just short) Phoenix Suns to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal. But they also made one thing clear as they walked out of the US Airways Center late Wednesday.
"We don't want to come back here," Bruce Bowen (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/bruce_bowen) said.
If Bowen and his teammates want to stay unpacked for a few days, they'll need to close out Phoenix tonight at the AT&T Center — a task that will be all the tougher with Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw returning from their suspensions.
A victory by the Suns would send the series to a deciding Game 7 on Sunday in Phoenix, where the reception for the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) doesn't figure to be any friendlier than it was Wednesday. If the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) win tonight, they'll open the Western Conference finals against Utah on Sunday at home.
"Good basketball teams try to display some resiliency and some consistency, and that's why tomorrow will be such a big challenge for us," Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's a possible close-out game, and those are the toughest games of the season, and we are playing against a team that had a better record than we did during the year and that wants to win the championship."
Input File ContentThe given include file is empty.
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) also are facing a team shouldering a sizeable grudge. Stoudemire and Diaw weren't allowed to play Wednesday because they left the bench during a skirmish set off by Robert Horry (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/robert_horry)'s flagrant foul on Steve Nash near the end of Game 4.
With Stoudemire and Diaw out, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni essentially shortened his rotation to six players, three of whom played 45 of the game's 48 minutes. The Suns jumped the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) in the first quarter, scoring 16 unanswered points, and were still up 11 with a little more than 10 minutes left, before running low on fuel.
"We feel like we have a lot left, and it will be nice to have a full team back and see what we can do down there," Suns point guard Steve Nash said. "We have a lot of heart, so this thing, I think, is just heating up."
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) will again be without Horry, who was suspended two games for his role in the altercation.
After scoring just 33 points in Wednesday's first half — "Maybe the worst first half since I've been in San Antonio," Tony Parker (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/tony_parker) said — the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) went small, starting Manu Ginobili (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/manu_ginobili) in place of Fabricio Oberto (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/fabricio_oberto).
The change spread the floor for Tim Duncan (http://www.chinaspurs.com/players/tim_duncan), and Ginobili went on to score 22 of his 26 points in the second half.
"When we went small, I thought our rotations got a little better," Duncan said. "We were able to really contest shots instead of just giving them open looks."
The Suns' biggest problem in the series has been keeping their players on the court. They lost the opening game after Nash was unable to play in the final minute because he split open his nose while butting heads with Parker. In their Game 3 loss, Stoudemire played only 21 minutes because of foul trouble. On Wednesday, he and Diaw weren't even allowed in the arena.
Phoenix also has already won once at the AT&T Center after erasing a 10-point deficit during the fourth quarter of Game 4.
"At this point in the playoffs against a team like Phoenix, home court doesn't mean a whole lot," Duncan said. "They're going to come in there and the crowd isn't going to affect them.
"They're going to play with a lot of energy with their two guys coming back. We're going to have to match that early."
The Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) hope some of that fuel will come from their own fans. They had few supporters at the US Airways Center on Wednesday.
"I had like some 76-year-old man telling me I had no class — I had never met the guy before," Barry said. "And then I had some old lady flip me the bird as we were going out to warm up."
If Phoenix wins tonight, the Spurs (http://www.chinaspurs.com) will have to make a return trip. The Suns' fans could then aim their insults at Horry, who will be in uniform if there's a Game 7.
"That's one guy that would really enjoy doing that," Barry said, "but it's also one fate I'd like for us not to put ourselves in if we can avoid it."