Coach's ejection and Duncan's response used to pull away as
Spurs beat Warriors
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Web Posted: 03/22/2006 12:25 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich already had exhausted his four-letter vocabulary Tuesday night, but
Tim Duncan still had a few choice words to offer.
As he watched Popovich head to the locker room with his first ejection of the season, Duncan shared his opinion of the evening's officiating with referee Scott Foster. Foster, who apparently didn't agree, gave Duncan his own technical.
Grinning, Duncan saluted the call with a thumb's up, a gesture that symbolized not only the Spurs' frustration but their resolve.
With
Tony Parker scoring 29 points and Duncan adding 21 points and 13 rebounds, the
Spurs overcame the technical barrage before downing the Golden State Warriors 107-96 in front of 18,797 at the AT&T Center.
On a night in which they made only 3 of 18 3-pointers, the
Spurs received timely shooting from Parker and Michael Finley, along with an energy boost from Beno Udrih.
"I thought we were a little bit lethargic in the first half," Popovich said. "We depended on the three a little bit too much and tried to do it the easy way.
"We just had to get a little bit of passion going, a little bit of aggressiveness going."
Popovich supplied some fire himself. Angry that Duncan was being pushed under the basket without drawing a foul, he walked down the baseline midway through the third quarter to yell at Foster.
When Foster gave him his first technical, Popovich took a few steps closer and screamed. Foster quickly ejected him, and Popovich exited to a near standing ovation.
"It was about time to do it," Duncan said. "There were a lot of inconsistencies out there with the whistle. I think he got annoyed with it as I was."
After Duncan was charged with a technical, Derek Fisher made all three free throws to give the Warriors a 59-57 lead. Duncan was called for an early tip on the ensuing jump ball, prompting him to laugh and sarcastically clap his hands together.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Duncan soon turned his frustration toward them. He dunked over Adonal Foyle, drew a foul in the process and wiped out the Spurs' three-point deficit with one play. The next time down, he muscled his way inside for a layup.
With assistant P.J. Carlesimo taking over for Popovich, the
Spurs finally gained separation early in the fourth quarter.
Manu Ginobili, who returned after a left calf contusion forced him to miss Saturday's victory in Houston, banked in a runner as he was fouled. After Monta Ellis' missed 3-pointer, Ginobili took the rebound and zipped a long, cross-court pass to Udrih, who faked Ellis before spinning back around him for a layup.
Udrih followed with a 3-pointer to hike the Spurs' lead to 82-74 and send Golden State into a timeout with 9:35 left.
"He really changes the game," Duncan said of Udrih, who scored 13 points in 15 minutes.
Duncan could have described
Bruce Bowen similarly. With Bowen hounding him, Warriors guard Jason Richardson — who had been averaging 26.8 points since the All-Star break — made 5 of 18 shots.
After Richardson stuck a 3-pointer to bring Golden State within 84-81 with 7:27 left, he didn't make another basket.
"You know Pop's in the back, watching, and I had just come back in," Bowen said. "He wasn't supposed to shoot threes, and he shoots a three right in my face. Now, I've got to put something extra on it."
Finley, who missed seven of his first eight shots, and Parker, who went 1 for 9 to start the second half, both found their stroke down the stretch to hold off Golden State. Parker also contributed seven assists.
"He's starting to scare me," Popovich said. "He's so confident in that jumper. He's becoming a real stud at that position, understanding when to give it up, when to do it himself."
Popovich, meanwhile, had some extra time to pack after getting ejected. The
Spurs flew to Denver immediately after the game, where they will face the Nuggets tonight, for the start of a five-game trip.
"Ten days out on the road at the end of the season is a long time, so I'm certainly concerned about that," Popovich said. "But it's also an opportunity to really focus much like we do on the rodeo trip."
As a result, the
Spurs wanted to make sure they didn't leave town with a loss. Credit for some of that, Parker said, went to their coach.
"He decided to take one for the team," Parker said. "Just go crazy and make us react."
