Spurs' response to their recent struggles: tough luck
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Web Posted: 03/12/2006 12:00 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
As news filtered through the locker room late Friday that Houston's Tracy McGrady might not play again until the final week of the regular season, the
Spurs said all the right things.
They talked about how McGrady's latest back injury is an unfortunate break for the Rockets, who are trying to make a late surge toward the Western Conference's final playoff seed. They wished McGrady a quick recovery.
They also admitted their sympathy will disappear as soon as Houston steps onto the AT&T Center floor this afternoon without its fallen star.
"This league is about having blood in the water, and making sure your sharks swim around that surface,"
Brent Barry said. "That's what we expect to do Sunday."
The
Spurs played the roles of both predator and prey last week, naturally preferring the former over the latter. After taking advantage of the Steve Nash-less Phoenix Suns on Thursday, they couldn't keep pace with the Los Angeles Lakers one night later.
Friday's loss was the Spurs' second in three games with both coming at the end of a back-to-back. Eight of their 14 losses have come when they haven't had a day to rest.
After going 10-9 in the second game of back-to-backs last season, the
Spurs have frequently shown their age — rather than their much-hyped depth — when playing on consecutive nights. That's not comforting news for a team trying to fight through one of the most hectic stretches of its schedule.
This afternoon's game will be the Spurs' sixth in 81/2 days. Coach Gregg Popovich let the players use Saturday to rest before making an appearance at the franchise's annual fund-raising banquet, curiously scheduled for the evening before an afternoon tipoff.
"These haven't been the best logistics for us," Popovich said. "But everybody has a tough schedule."
The
Spurs actually have a schedule that is more favorable than many teams. They play only 16 back-to-backs, three fewer than they played last season and five fewer than the 21 Orlando has on its schedule.
Like Popovich, the players also refused to cite last week's four-games-in-five-nights stretch as an excuse for their troubles.
"Once you allow that stuff to seep in,"
Bruce Bowen said, "you start thinking, 'Oh man, that's a tough situation.' (Then) you've lost already."
Popovich will concede this much:
Tim Duncan — and to a lesser extent
Manu Ginobili — need as much time to recover as possible because of their injuries.
In the 12 games when he hasn't had a day to rest, Duncan is averaging 14.4 points on 38.8 percent shooting. In the Spurs' three previous afternoon starts, he averaged 14 points while shooting 39.1 percent.
Against the Lakers on Friday, Duncan totaled only 12 points and four rebounds. The
Spurs were outscored 70-54 when he was on the floor, raising questions whether the team would be better off sitting him in the second game of its four remaining back-to-backs.
Still, the
Spurs consider themselves deep enough to overcome the struggles of one or two players.
"We are a team of (13 players) and we lost eight back-to-backs?" Ginobili said. "It can't be that hard. The legs help, but it's in the head, too."
The
Spurs admit they still have trouble maintaining the necessary night-to-night focus that comes with being the NBA's defending champions.
"The difference for us, and it's not an excuse, just reality, is that when teams play the
Spurs it's a different game," Barry said. "We play a different schedule than everybody else — although Detroit is in that same mode — in that teams prepare. It's a big game, and people are excited when the
Spurs come to town.
"The home team wants to beat the Spurs, feather in the cap, and all that stuff. So the level of the regular-season games we play is upped a bit, and it's up to us to respond to that."
The Rockets, of course, would love to trade their problems for those of the Spurs. Yao Ming missed 21 games to have surgery on his left big toe and McGrady has been in and out of the lineup all season because of back problems.
Houston had just begun to make a push toward the playoffs, winning seven of its past nine, when the team learned Friday that McGrady could be out up to five weeks after hurting his back in a fall against Portland. The Rockets are 2-13 without him this season.
"I can't allow that to take my edge off," Bowen said. "Whoever is going to play his spot, I have to look at them as I do him."