Spurs end Rodeo Road Trip on a High Note

The 2015 Rodeo Road Trip will be one to remember and hopefully a record that will stand for a long time, that is, the most losses on said Rodeo Road Trip.  For the Spurs, the trip is usually a bonding period where the team gels into playoff form.  This season, however, the Spurs went sub .500 for the first time with a 4-5 record.  The bright spot?  The last two games were won by a combined 37 points.

“We played well in some games and lost, and played well the last two nights and won,” Head Coach Gregg Popovich said after the Suns victory. “We’re starting to get in a better rhythm I think.”

For Tim Duncan, it’s all about confidence. For him as well as his team.

“We need to be confident, individually and as a team. It’s been shot for a while,” Duncan said before departing Phoenix. “We’re going to start building it back and winning some games. That’s the only way it’s going to come.”

The (re)building begins this Wednesday, March 4th as they begin a six game home stand beginning with the Sacramento Kings, whom the Spurs beat last Friday night in Sacramento 107-96.  A game which Kings Coach George Karl think they should have won.

“I just think the effort, the energy and the intensity we had was first class,” Karl said Fridays game. “But the basketball IQ in the fourth quarter? I am not saying it was bad, but it sure wasn’t good.”

Be sure to get your Spurs tickets now and help welcome back your Defending NBA Champions.  Great seats and affordable tickets are still available so get yours now!

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What the Spurs and Nuggets said after Saturday’s game

The Spurs and Nuggets were talkative after San Antonio’s 121-117 victory Saturday night at the ATT Center.

The folks from the Spurs media service were ready with these quotes from both locker rooms.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

(On Richard Jefferson’s late block and then coming back for the three)

“It was a good play.  He’s been shooting the ball well.  He’s playing aggressively and he’s got a lot of confidence.  He’s been a big part of winning ball games.”

(On Danny Green…have you been surprised with what he’s been able to do?)

“He’s an NBA player and he’s playing with confidence.  He’s been through a lot.  He’s been through a lot of trials and been denied many times over the last several years.  He’s a great example of sticking with it and not getting down on one’s self….continuing to play, improve, listen and right now he’s playing well and been a significant part of what we’ve done.”

(On Tim Duncan resting most of the second period…was that the plan?)

“You don’t plan for something like that ahead of time, you play the game and whatever the game dictates, that’s what you try to do.  Everyone is very different.”

Spurs guard Danny Green

(On his career-high in scoring)

“Luck and opportunity. A lot things went well. My teammates made the game easier for me. Tim led us and Tony does what he does, penetrate and kick. He got me a lot open shots and I played defense.”

 (On feeling comfortable…)

“I do more and more each game. I know the system well from being here last year. I’m starting to feel comfortable in it and comfortable playing my game now, so hopefully it’ll continue and stay consistent.”

 (On imagining these last three games…)

“I wouldn’t of thought that but I like I said, Manu is down and everybody has to step up their game. Luckily, I got an opportunity to do so and when I got in, I give as much effort as I can on defense. That’s my game and everything fell in place offensively. Tonight it did.”

Spurs forward Richard Jefferson

(On blocking a shot and scoring a three on the same possession…)

“They were running down our throats the entire game. The last two days, all coach was talking about was transition defense. They’re an aggressive physical team. After I got the block, I saw he was down and I just tried to sprint back. Fortunately, my teammates found me and I was able to knock it down.”

(On Danny Green…)

“He was impressive. His defense is what got him on the court, initially. He played great defense on Monta Ellis and he got the call against Jason Terry. Now he’s on the court. He’s starting to feel comfortable and starting to get his legs underneath him. Now, he’s able to hit some shots. He’s played great and without him, who knows what our record would be in the last three games.”

(On sharing the basketball)

“Everyone is going have to chip in when you’re missing Manu. There’s going to be a lot of teams that are going to have injuries with hamstrings and knees throughout the season because of the awkward start. The team that stays together, plays together and also have others step up are going to the be the team that prevails.”

Spurs guard Tony Parker

(On Jefferson’s play…)

“He did a great job. That was a great play and he’s been playing well since the beginning of the season.  He’s been knocking down shots and being ready and defensively that was a very, very good play. Big play in the game”

(On playing small with T.J)

“I think so. I would like to play with TJ. We did it against Golden State and it worked out very well. Tonight it worked it well. We’re going to go small. T.J can take point guard and I can chase somebody around.”

(On Danny Green…)

He played great. He was very aggressive. He shot the ball well. He’s going. He had more confidence. He’s improving game by game. That’s great with Manu out. If Danny can play consistently like that, it’s great for us.”

Denver Nuggets coach George Karl:

(Opening statement)

“I thought in the first 12-15 minutes of the game we did what we had to do.  We had opportunities to maybe come back and win the big game.  I was disappointed in our defense early in the game, as well as our mental effort.  We didn’t do anything.  We gave them lay-ups, we gave them shots, we turned it over, and we gave them offensive rebounds. We gave them everything early in the game. I think from early in the second quarter we played better then they did the rest of the way.”

 (When asked why he went small against the Spurs tonight)

“In general if the big guys aren’t giving me what I think they should be giving me, I would rather have playmakers that can make basketball plays.  It’s speed versus size. Sometimes size is needed on the court, but our size wasn’t creating anything for us.”

 (When asked about the play of Danny Green tonight)

“He shoots the ball pretty well.  He got to the rim more than I thought he would.  He played with composure. We realized midway through the third he was going to have one of those huge games.  Next time we’ll realize it a little earlier.”

Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson:

(Struggling with defense early on with improvements throughout the game)

“I can’t really put my finger on it. We just came out and started slow. The Spurs came out and knocked down shots and got everything they wanted. We kept trying to play catch up but with a team like San Antonio you just can’t do that.”

(Positives from tonight game)

“We played hard. Shows how much heart our team has. We battled back from almost 20 down to make it a game at the end. It shows a couple things went our way but also how much heart we have.”

 (On playoff football: Broncos or Steelers?)

“Come on, man. Broncos all day!”

 Denver Nuggets forward Corey Brewer:

(On Denver’s slow first quarter)

“We need to try and get out to a better start whether we are at home or on the road. We fell behind and started fouling.”

(Getting his number called after a slow start)

“Go make something happen, right away and just try to make stuff happen. I was trying to get us back into the game. With our team, we tried to cut it down and when we got it down to eight, it felt like we could win. We got it down to about six or seven.”

(On Danny Green’s play)

“He played great. He has to make his shots. He had one of his best games and it makes it tough.”

(Gallinari’s play)

“We need him to do that. He needs to be aggressive. Since he can be moved from the three to the four, big guys can’t guard him. That allowed for mismatches and chances to get buckets for us. Gallinari has been doing this night in and night out. He just has to be aggressive.”

Green, Jefferson lead Spurs past Denver

By Jeff McDonald
jmcdonald@express-news.net

Denver point guard Ty Lawson, 5-foot-11 with a head of steam, was loose in the open floor, the one place no opposing team wants to see him loose, and T.J. Ford knew what was coming.

“I thought it was going to be a dunk,” the Spurs’ backup point guard said Saturday.

Ford did not count on Richard Jefferson strapping on a Superman cape, likely lifted from Manu Ginobili’s locker, and stepping back in time. Nor did he count on the power of positive frustration.

Jefferson beat Lawson, one of the NBA’s fastest guards, in a 90-foot dash to one end of the ATT Center for a run-down block, then followed with a 3-point dagger at the other. That five-point swing squelched a last-gasp charge from the feisty Nuggets, keying a 121-117 victory for the Spurs.

Instead of Denver cutting what had been a 20-point deficit to three with less than two minutes to play, Jefferson’s superhero routine provided the Spurs an eight-point advantage and just enough juice to pull out their third consecutive victory without Ginobili, the injured All-Star guard.

Jefferson said the play was borne of pure annoyance. He was tired of watching Denver put on a layup parade.

“They had been running it down our throats all game long,” said Jefferson, who finished with 19 points and, continuing his torrid shooting, made 5 of 8 on 3-pointers. “The coaches had been talking about it for two days. I’m glad I was able to catch him.”

With Ginobili out, the Spurs (6-2) have been in nightly search of a hero to help them hold the fort. Jefferson had the game’s signature moment, but he was Robin to the Batman played by Danny Green, a 24-year-old journeyman guard.

Green, a 5.3-point-per-game scorer whose previous career best was 13, pumped in 24 points, lifting the Spurs at moments when it appeared nobody else could. He made 9 of his 13 tries, none bigger than back-to-back drives midway in the third quarter with Denver closing.

Green attributed his outburst to “luck, opportunity, a lot of things.”

Surely, the Nuggets (6-3) would agree. The book on Green in Denver’s pregame scouting report was like something out of Reader’s Digest.

“We didn’t know about Danny Green at all,” forward Corey Brewer said.

Green’s stealth was understandable. He didn’t log meaningful minutes until two games earlier, when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stumbled upon him as a defensive answer to high-scoring Golden State guard Monta Ellis.

Nobody — on either bench — really expected Green to produce a stat line like Saturday’s, which also included seven rebounds and a key fourth-quarter charge drawn against Arron Afflalo.

“He did a little more than I thought he would do,” Nuggets coach George Karl said.

This is how Popovich knew his team would have to win after Ginobili broke his hand in Minnesota on Jan. 2 — everybody stepping up, with unexpected production from unexpected sources.

How’s this for stepping up? The Spurs have not trailed for a single second in any of the past eight quarters, beating Dallas and Denver wire-to-wire.

Green’s explosion helped offset another career-night — 31 points from Denver forward Danilo Gallinari, including 16 in a torrid third quarter that kept the Nuggets from capsizing.

Tony Parker scored nine of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to help steer the Spurs toward a 6-0 start at home.

Still the Nuggets had hope when Lawson broke free in the final two minutes, nothing between himself and a dunk but a few dozen feet of hardwood.

Lawson and his coach would dispute what happened next, when Jefferson tracked down the track-star point guard and slapped his shot away.

“He got away with murder,” Lawson said.

Crime or not, whistle or no, a dunk at one end became a 3-pointer at the other and for the Spurs, frustration gave way to victory.