Defensive Spurs stop Jazz cold

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Web Posted: 12/29/2006 12:26 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News

With the Spurs minutes away from completing their most impressive victory of the season, Gregg Popovich finally turned toward the sideline, took three steps and sat down.

Popovich had been on his feet for the better part of 3 1/2 quarters Thursday night, barking at Tony Parker to pressure Deron Williams, encouraging Tim Duncan after he snuffed out another shot from Carlos Boozer. The Spurs and Utah Jazz cleared their benches and, still, Popovich continued to stand.

Only after the Spurs finished flattening the Jazz 106-83 — displaying the same type of formidable defense that had been lacking all too often in recent weeks — did their coach register the slightest hint of satisfaction.

"I thought," Popovich said, "I recognized the team that was out there tonight."

Two nights after Popovich branded them the franchise's worst defensive squad in eight years, the Spurs took a step toward reclaiming their ranking, along with their identity. They held the NBA's seventh-highest-scoring team to nearly 20 points below its average on 42.3 percent shooting.

Duncan set the tone with his interior defense, blocking three shots and taking nine rebounds to go along with the 20 points he scored in only three quarters of work.

"He wanted the game badly," Popovich said, "and he dragged everybody along with him."

Duncan's teammates made sure he didn't have to pull too hard. Parker scored 22 points while helping contain Williams. Bruce Bowen did an admirable job on Andrei Kirilenko and Robert Horry contributed seven points, seven boards and three steals while starting in place of injured center Francisco Elson.

The Spurs limited the Jazz to a total of 36 points in the second and third quarters, outrebounded them 47-39 and led by as many as 31 points. Utah coach Jerry Sloan began emptying his bench with almost four minutes left in the third quarter.

"Those guys gave us a lesson about how to play basketball tonight," Sloan said. "They took us straight out of what we wanted to do.

"I never saw us flop around to try to draw a foul so much in my life. I mean if we'd been an airplane, we'd have taken off and flown."

The Spurs, meanwhile, were glad to reclaim some of their grounded personnel. Manu Ginobili, Brent Barry and Matt Bonner, though still weakened by a stomach virus that had sidelined them during Tuesday's loss to Milwaukee, each played and contributed.

Ginobili sent Utah's starting center, Mehmet Okur, to the bench with his fourth foul less than a minute into the second half. Bonner scored 12 points, 10 of which came in the first half.

"We don't need to make much more of this flu bug going around and whatever else is happening," Barry said. "It's just time for us to start playing some ball, and I think you saw that in the way that Tony and Tim started off the game tonight."


The Spurs were coming off one of their most disappointing losses, having surrendered 114 points, 76 of which were scored in the lane, to the Bucks. Bowen felt compelled after the game to address his teammates.

"I said we need to make a decision," Bowen said. "Either we're going to keep going through this or we're going to have a long season."

Even Duncan didn't escape Popovich's wrath after Tuesday's game. There was sentiment both inside and outside the Spurs' locker room that Duncan had become too preoccupied with the officials and that his defense — particularly in help situations — had slipped.

Whatever transpired from the end of Tuesday's loss to the start of Thursday's game, Duncan apparently got the message that he needed to pick up his energy. When Williams tried to drive to the rim for a layup early in the game, his shot found Duncan's palm.

After blocking Boozer's shot later in the quarter, Duncan spun by Jazz rookie Paul Millsap on the baseline and threw down a dunk.

"I'm that last line of defense and have to be able to affect shots back there," Duncan said. "I guess I'm going to have to be more of a shot blocker and contester back there. That was one of the points that was made in our last film session."

Said Popovich: "All he did is go play. He didn't talk to anybody except teammates."

Duncan called the team's performance "a starting point."

"We realized our mistakes from last game, and we understand that defensively, we're going to have to be a much better ballclub," he said. "I thought we gave that effort tonight — the effort and the focus we're going to need."

Sick players persevere for Spurs in blowout

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Web Posted: 12/29/2006 12:49 AM CST
Mike Monroe
Express-News

Who needs antibiotics when you have Dr. Mom?

Not Spurs forward Matt Bonner, who recovered from a stomach ailment by administration of heaping helpings of chicken soup and motherly love.

"Luckily, my mom is here visiting for the holidays, so she took care of me," said Bonner, whose 10 first-half points helped the Spurs turn their Thursday night game against the Utah Jazz into a 106-83 blowout at the AT&T Center. "She made me the usual stuff: chicken soup, saltines, ginger ale, and she made me get my rest.

"You can't beat Dr. Mom."

Bonner was one of five Spurs who played Thursday despite battling a virus that left them feeling weak and enervated. Manu Ginobili, Brent Barry and Bonner missed Tuesday's game against Milwaukee because of the illness. It struck Fabricio Oberto and Jacque Vaughn on Thursday.

Nobody in the Spurs' locker room knew before tipoff what to expect from the affected players. Forward Tim Duncan said he was hoping merely that none of the ailing players suffer an embarrassing attack of incontinence while on the court.

Such an occurrence seemed possible, according to Barry.

"The only guys who know how sick we really felt were the guys who did the laundry," he said.

Once they opted to play Thursday, the five players had to forget their maladies.

"If somebody comes here and puts on the uniform," Barry said, "they're ready to play. They might not be feeling 100 percent, but they're ready to give that in the time they're asked to be on the floor. Obviously, each of those guys participated in the team win."

That the five ailing players contributed 42 points, 19 rebounds and nine assists was a bonus against a physical Utah team.

Not even Spurs coach Gregg Popovich knew what his viral five might contribute.

"I just knew I had to play them for limited minutes," Popovich said, "so we gave Manu a shorter rotation and Jacque. Brent felt pretty good yesterday, so we figured he would be ready to go. Fab, we almost sent home, but he wanted to give it a shot."

Ginobili started but played only 17 minutes, 56 seconds, benefiting from the lopsided victory. Bonner was the most effective of the five. He made five of his nine shots, including 2 of 4 from 3-point range. He was active on defense and grabbed five rebounds in his 19:29.

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"Matt did a good job coming off the bench," Popovich said. "Not just scoring, but he hit the boards, was aggressive, played physically and really gave us a good push."

"It's easy to get yourself into the game, no matter how you're feeling," Bonner said.

"There's a system in place, and you play a role. After the first few minutes, it was all good."

Bonner wasn't sure how he made it through his first few minutes on the court, which came midway through the first quarter.

"I thought I was going to have a heart attack in the first few minutes I got in," Bonner said. "I was so tired, coughing up phlegm. After that, I was all right."

Bonner was still feeling "a little run down" after the game but said the victory helped all the Spurs feel better.