|
|
|
|
|
|
San Antonio Spurs 92, Toronto Raptors 86
San Antonio, TX Mar. 2 / Brett Dvorak --
It’s a simple question that every team must face; “Double Tim Duncan, or play him one on one.” Toronto wasn’t sure what
to do as the second half started, so they tried both. Neither worked. It started simply enough; The Spurs dumped the ball
down low to Tim Duncan. When the double team arrived it freed up Bruce Bowen in the corner to knock down a three pointer. On
the Spurs next possession, they fed TD the ball, but this time they didn’t double, and Duncan scored in the paint. Less
than a minute later Toronto doubled Duncan without the ball, so Manu Ginobili penetrated the lane and found Bowen open once
more for his second three pointer. Time out Raptors.
Seven quick points and a double digit lead for the home team. The Spurs weren’t done though. After a Raptors basket, San
Antonio scored the next ten points, capped by a Parker ball fake that left Donyell Marshall frozen, and the Spurs with a
59-38 lead. The 21-2 run started late in the second quarter, and ended halfway through the third quarter, but this time
would it be enough to hold off the Raptors?
The last time the Spurs faced the Raptors, San Antonio watched helplessly as Toronto overcame a nineteen point fourth
quarter deficit to steal a win, but that meeting took place in another country. This time Toronto would play the Spurs, the
team with the best home record in the NBA.
The backcourt combo of Rafer Alston and Jalen Rose ignited a fourth quarter rally though. The duo combined for ten of the
thirty Toronto points in the quarter, and when Alston nailed a transition three pointer, the Raptors were down just six
points (88-82) with 1:53 to play.
“They have good shooters,” Explained Ginobili when asked about the Raptors fourth quarter effort. “They played with four
shooters and (Chris) Bosh on the floor. We didn’t want to leave their shooters open, but we allowed some penetration and
left Bosh open. Giving up thirty points, that’s not us, so we will have to work harder on it.”
The teams exchanged baskets; first a Ginobili bank shot, than a Bosh dunk, but when it came to winning time, San Antonio
went to their bread and butter; the high pick and roll between Parker and Duncan.
Once again, “Do you double team Tim Duncan?” Monday night Cleveland opted to double Parker on the same play and watched as
Duncan connected on the game winner. Tonight, the Raptors rotated to Duncan, freeing Parker to penetrate all the way to the
basket for a lay up and an eight points lead with 43.8 to play.
Duncan talked about the second half execution; ”If we take care of the ball and execute in the half court, things will come
out in our favor.”
The Raptors lead the league in fourth quarter come from behind wins, but early on they were no where near scoring rhythm.
Despite shooting an anemic 20% (4 of 20) from the floor, the Raptors trailed just 21-18 after one quarter. Toronto managed
to stay close by getting to the free throw line ten times, making nine.
The Raptors shooting woes continued as the second quarter began. Eleven consecutive misses helped the Spurs start the
quarter with a 7-0 run, giving them their largest lead of the half (28-18), and forcing a timeout. To make matters worse for
the visitors, leading scorer, and reigning player of the week, Rose was forced to the bench with 11:16 left in the half
after picking up his third foul.
During the ensuing timeout, Raptors coach Sam Mitchell instructed his team to continue attacking the basket. Point guard
Rafer Alston took that instruction to heart. It was Alston’s penetration that set up a Marshall three-point attempt.
Finally, after six minutes of misses, Marshall connected on the three, stopping the Spurs run.
Free throws remained the name of the game for the Raptors. Nineteen trips to the line resulted in sixteen made free throws
for the half. The free throws helped to keep Toronto in the game despite shooting 24% from the floor, compared to 46% for
the Spurs. San Antonio also dominated the glass, out rebounding their Canadian counterparts 27-15.
The Spurs scored the final four points of the half to take a 42-36 lead to the locker room, but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
was not pleased with the ten turnovers the Spurs gave away in the half. San Antonio actually had more turnovers than the
Raptors had made baskets (10-8).
“It’s (team’s play) disappointing,” a frustrated Popovich said. “But we got the win…Yippie.”
Whatever else he said to his team must not have been fit to print, but it had the desired effect as the Spurs looked like a
different team in the second half, running their record to a league best 44-13.
“After much discussion,” Popovich continued. “And also realizing that we have a long way to go, we have been real
inconsistent turning the ball over for some time now. Being sloppy, turning the ball over, and missing free throws will
allow teams to get back into a game.”
Ginobili led the Spurs with 17 points. Joining him in double figures was Parker (15 points and 7 assists), Duncan (13 points
and 11 assists), and Robert Horry (season high 13 points). Toronto had five players in double figures, led by the 16 points
from Chris Bosh. Rose and Alston each chipped in 15 points while Marshall added 11 points, and Lammond Murray had 10.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
