Author: katadmin

Bad memory No. 3: Manu injures elbow in final game before the playoffs

The Spurs streaked to 61 victories in the first 81 games of the season. They appeared to have a chance to claim a shot at homecourt advantage during the entire NBA playoffs if they could beat Phoenix in the season-ending game April 13.

After resting key players the night before against the Los Angeles Lakers, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich elected to return all of his starters the following night against the Suns.

But disaster struck barely 2 minutes into the game when Manu Ginobili was caught in a grinding collision between Tim Duncan and Grant Hill.

His resulting injury and absence for Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs was something the Spurs couldn’t overcome.

No. 3: Manu’s ill-timed elbow injury spoils final regular-season game and dooms playoff run.

When: April 13, 2011

Where: US Airways Center, Phoenix

What happened: Only 134 seconds into the Spurs’ last game of the season, Ginobili was coming across a Duncan pick, with Hill trailing, when he appeared to get his arm pinned between them. It bent Ginobili’s elbow back at a grotesque angle before he tumbled to the court in obvious pain. The early diagnosis was a sprained right elbow, but Ginobili admitted after the playoffs that he actually sustained a small fracture of the right arm. Spurs team officials later said  the injury actually was located in his ulna, one of the two long bones running from his wrist to elbow. And even worse, the Spurs lost 106-103 to kill their hopes of tying Chicago for the best record in the league.  

What was said, Part I: ”Now, the fun starts,” Popovich, describing the challenge of overcoming Ginobili’s injury heading into the playoffs.

What was said, Part II: ”You can’t predict anything, and there’s no reason to second guess. I don’t think any one of us is going to do that,” Duncan, to the Express-News after the game about Ginobili’s injury.  

What was said, Part III: ”They needed to get a good run, and they did, so they can keep a rhythm,” Popovich, explaining to the Express-News why he chose to play his starters with the No. 1 seed locked up in the Western Conference.

What was said, Part IV: ”If Manu ain’t healthy, historically, we go nowhere.When he was hurt against Dallas (in 2009), they beat us. Last year, we beat them in the first round because Manu was healthy. Manu was half-assed one year against the Lakers (in 2008), or they don’t win three (Western Conference titles) in a row. His health is huge for us,” What Popovich told the Express-News about Ginobili’s injury several days after his team was eliminated from the playoffs.

GAME NOTES: Ginobili, Duncan and Tony Parker all sat out the previous game against the Lakers before playing against the Suns. Marcin Gortat muscled the Spurs for 21 points and 13 rebounds to enable Phoenix to keep from being swept in the regular season by the Spurs in the 106-103 victory. Phoenix eliminated the Spurs in a four-game sweep in the 2010 playoffs. The Spurs finished at 61-21 — a game behind Chicago for the best NBA record.  Duncan had 17 points and 12 rebounds in 31 minutes. Parker scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Neither were on the court when the game ended. Phoenix erupted to a 17-point lead in the first quarter after shooting 65 percent from the field and the Spurs never could catch them. Trailing 85-74 heading into the fourth quarter, the Spurs nearly came back as Gary Neal threw up an air ball from the corner in a shot that could have tied the game at the buzzer. Ginobili would miss the first game of the first-round playoff series against Memphis. His team never really recovered after losing that game.

Previous bad memories:

No. 10: .

No. 9: Black Friday fourth-quarter collapse against Dallas helps snap Spurs’ .  

No. 8: : Spurs blown out by Orlando by 22.

No. 7: Lowly Clips to Spurs.

No. 6:  Heat’sfrom 30-point loss 10 days earlier.

No. 5: Blowout loss to Lakers .

No. 4: Duncan’s ankle injury.  

Previous good memories:

No. 10: .

No. 9: boosts comeback victory over Thunder.

No. 8: leads overtime victory over Memphis.

No. 7:boosts Spurs past Warriors.

No. 6: TD becomesin one game.

No. 5:with record 3-point binge.

No. 4: Pop passes Auerbach on.

Longhorns in the NBA draft

Three Texas underclassmen declared for this week’s NBA draft, and they’re hoping to give the Longhorns 10 first-round selections in the past 12 years. Express-News staff writer Mike Finger takes a look at their chances:

TRISTAN THOMPSON

Position: Power forward

What he’s done: A first-team freshman All-American selection last season, Thompson averaged 13.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He was the Longhorns’ best player during the final two months of the season, averaging 16.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in an eight-game stretch that turned him into a lottery prospect.

Who he’s like: At UT, he drew natural comparisons to LaMarcus Aldridge, who also was a big man who loved to block shots and run the floor. But at 6-foot-9, Thompson isn’t as tall as Aldridge and won’t enter the NBA with the same polished offensive moves. A better parallel might be drawn with the Hawks’ Josh Smith, although no one is likely to ever question Thompson’s competitiveness.

Where he might go: Draft analysts are saying Thompson could go anywhere from No. 5 to No. 20. Golden State supposedly wants to use the No. 11 pick on an athletic forward, and it might as well be Thompson.

JORDAN HAMILTON

Position: Small forward/shooting guard

What he’s done: One of the best scorers in the Big 12 as a sophomore last season, Hamilton was a first-team all-conference pick and a second-team All-American. He averaged 18.6 points and 7.7 rebounds, shooting 38.5 percent on 3-pointers and grabbing more defensive rebounds than anyone in the conference. In five postseason games, he upped his production to 19.4 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Who he’s like: There aren’t many NBA players who can get away with playing the kind of lackadaisical defense Hamilton was often guilty of at UT. But on the offensive end, his 6-8, 228-pound frame, smooth outside shooting stroke, herky-jerky driving style and underrated post-up ability brings to mind former Spurs shooting guard Steve Smith.

Where he might go: The lottery isn’t a sure thing, and he could slip into the 20s if teams aren’t convinced about his all-around game. But if the Rockets don’t find a center to their liking at No. 14, they might take a look at adding some offense on the wing.

CORY JOSEPH

Position: Point guard/shooting guard

What he’s done: As the player Rick Barnes called his best all-around guard last season, Joseph was a second-team freshman All-American and averaged 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He made 41.3 percent of his 3-point attempts and averaged a steal per game.

Who he’s like: If he had better passing skills, it would be tempting to compare his quietly efficient, low-flash game to Andre Miller. The 6-2 Joseph plays terrific on-the-ball defense, has nice quickness and can make an open jumper. But he does nothing spectacularly well. NBADraft.net says his best pro comparison is Pacers guard A.J. Price, which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement.

Where he might go: Joseph, who didn’t look like a one-and-done candidate at UT, surprised many by staying in the draft and isn’t a lock to be taken in the first round. But he was one of the nation’s highest-rated recruits coming out of high school, and a team might still be attracted by that potential at the top of the second round.

Parker says he’s committed to Spurs

Spurs guard Tony Parker says he didn’t make controversial comments to French reporters about his team’s inability to contend for an NBA championship.

Appearing at the Spurs summer camp at the University of the Incarnate Word on Tuesday, Parker said he remains committed to the team. He also said that the Spurs could contend for a fifth NBA title as long as he remains together with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

Despite pessimistic comments to French reporters last month in Paris, Parker was decidedly more upbeat on Tuesday.

“I’m in a great situation. I love the Spurs. I love being a Spur. I re-signed four years,” Parker said. “If I didn’t think we could win a championship, I wouldn’t have re-signed four years.”

Parker signed a four-year contract extension last October that will stretch through the end of the 2014-15 season.

While appearing before French reporters last month, Parker painted a gloomier picture of the franchise’s future shortly after the Spurs’ first-round playoff elimination by Memphis.

“I don’t think this current team will play for the title in the future,” Parker told French reporters. “We are aging. We must be realistic. It was sort of our last chance this season.”

Parker denied making those comments — even though there was video evidence of the remarks — and said they might have been blown out of proportion by the media.

He also said that questions about his loyalty to the Spurs are similarly out of line.

“I don’t have to justify anything,” Parker said. “The only thing I care (about) is Pop, Timmy, Manu and my teammates obviously.”

Parker turned 29 last month and is the youngest of the club’s “Big Three.” He said he has not talked to any team officials or coach Gregg Popovich since making his comments.

Tony Parker speaks to youngsters attending the Spurs Basketball Camp at Incarnate Word on Tuesday. (Billy Calzada/gcalzada@express-news.net)

“No, they don’t need to contact me,” Parker said, chuckling. “Pop doesn’t have time. He’s drinking wine and having fun. He doesn’t have time right now.”

The Spurs notched the best record in the Western Conference, winning the Southwest Division with a 61-21 mark. Parker said the Spurs can contend again with some help from the draft and continued development of young players such as Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair and George Hill.

“I think with a couple of tweaks and a couple of guys that we can improve our team and will be fine,” Parker said.

He’s not as confident about settling a potential lockout by the looming July 1 deadline.

“We don’t know what will happen,” he said. “Maybe we can find an agreement, and we won’t miss games. Hopefully, we’ll start on time.”

The lockout also could make it costly for Parker to obtain insurance to join the French national team in the European championships this summer.

The French Basketball Federation is working to obtain insurance that would enable French NBA players such as Parker, Boris Diaw and Joakim Noah to play by guaranteeing their NBA contracts.

“If there’s no insurance, obviously the Spurs are my priority,” Parker said. “If there’s no insurance, I won’t play because the Spurs are No. 1 on my list. But if I’m insured, I’ll definitely play with the national team.”