Gary Neal | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

Spurs seal West’s top seed as Blazers get burned

By Jeff McDonald

One day after Cleveland’s Manny Harris went Moe Howard on Danny Green’s right eyeball, the Spurs guard still couldn’t stare directly into bright lights.

Luckily, there were none in the immediate vicinity of the ATT Center rims Monday night.

Green hit everything he flung at them in a 124-89 pummeling of the Portland Trail Blazers, going 6 for 6 from the field, 4 of 4 from 3-point range and hitting two free throws en route to 18 points.

“Probably should get poked in the eye more often,” Green said.

It doesn’t take 20-20 vision to see what happens next.

Monday’s victory, the Spurs’ eighth in a row — and a franchise-record eighth straight to come by double digits — cemented the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed.

The Spurs head into their final two games of the regular season, a back-to-back at Phoenix and Golden State beginning Wednesday, with little to play for, and plenty of impetus to treat them as warm-up outings.

After watching Manu Ginobili leave last season’s finale at Phoenix’s US Airways Center with a fractured right elbow, essentially ruining a 61-victory campaign, expect coach Gregg Popovich to play the next two games safe.

Tim Duncan scored 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting Monday, took the fourth quarter off, then reminded everyone what happened last season, when a No. 1 seed turned into a first-round ouster against Memphis.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Duncan said. “It’s great to have that home-court advantage and be in that situation, but as we showed last year, someone can sneak up and take you out.”

Now locked into the top slot, the Spurs will face either Phoenix or Utah in the first round.

The Spurs do have one bauble left for which to play. At 48-16, they are tied with Chicago for the NBA’s best overall record — and home-court advantage during a potential Finals matchup — and must keep winning to keep pace.

Faced with a nearly identical scenario last season, Popovich showed little interest in taxing his players to outdo the Bulls.

“Everybody wants to go into the playoffs healthy, and with energy and rhythm,” Popovich said. “Hopefully, that’s the position we’re in.”

The Spurs put themselves there with a stunningly brutal winning streak, which cresendoed Monday when they did to the Blazers what they had done to the Lakers, Grizzlies and others.

The final marked a 75-point turnaround from the Spurs’ previous meeting with the Blazers, a 137-97 loss in Portland on Feb. 21 in which Duncan, Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter did not play.

The short-handed, playing-out-the-string Blazers — led by interim coach Kaleb Canales, a Laredo native — provided no such resistance Monday. Sparked by a season-high 34 assists, the Spurs reached 100 points against Portland for the first time since Dec. 2, 2007, breaking a streak of 14 games below the century mark.

“We want to always come out with a lot more energy than the other team and get a jump,” said Green, who scored 15 points during an opening half the Spurs dominated 63-41. “Our philosophy is to get in the first punch.”

By the end of the third, the Spurs led 91-65. The lone concern then — as it will be until Game 1 of the playoffs — was making it to the charter plane in one piece.

After Portland’s Hasheem Thabeet took out Boris Diaw and James Anderson on successive plays in the third quarter, Popovich rose to his feet to admonish official Mike Callahan.

“Are you watching that guy?” Popovich bellowed.

The Spurs did not quite escape unscathed. Later, reserve guard Gary Neal ran a little too hard into a pick set by former Spurs center Kurt Thomas and left with a shoulder stinger.

Based on the injury report bestowed on them the last time they collected a No. 1 seed, the Spurs will take a shoulder stinger and an eyeball poke, and count themselves lucky.

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Does regular-season success matter?
The Spurs will finish with the best record in the Western Conference. The team now has accomplished this feat seven times in its history.

Duncan sits as balanced effort stalls Kings

1 of 12 | Share

Spurs 127, Kings 102: April 18, 2012

San Antonio Spurs forward Manu Ginobili, center, of Argentina, drives to the basket between Sacramento Kings’ Tyreke Evans, left, and Chuck Hayes during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs center Boris Diaw, right, of France, hits the ball out of the hand of Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Gary Neal, left, goes to the basket against Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, front left, goes to the basket against Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

San Antonio spurs center Tiago Splitter, left, of Brazil, is fouled by Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, left, pulls a rebound away from San Antonio spurs center Tiago Splitter, of Brazil during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

Sacramento Kings forward Jason Thompson, left, goes for the ball after San Antonio Spurs forward Manu Ginobili, right, of Argentina, was fouled by Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (not shown) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker, left, defends against Sacramento Kings guard Isaiah Thomas during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. The Spurs won 127-102.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair, left, and Tim Duncan smile while watching the closing minutes of their 127-102 win over the Sacramento Kings in a NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. Duncan did not suit up for the game.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, right, does a reverse layup past San Antonio Spurs center Boris Diaw, of France, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. The Spurs won 127-102.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward Manu Ginobili, of Argentina checks for blood after colliding with Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, April 18, 2012. The Spurs won 127-102.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) (AP)

By Jeff McDonald

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tim Duncan showed up at Power Balance Pavilion on Wednesday night wearing a sport coat, a predictable sartorial choice for the Spurs’ almost-36-year-old power forward with his team playing the final game of a back-to-back-to-back.

Manu Ginobili, the Spurs’ second-oldest player, was a different story.

For the third time in as many nights, Ginobili slipped on his black No. 20 jersey and contributed to a lopsided Spurs victory, this one a 127-102 affair at the expense of the Sacramento Kings.

“I need to play,” Ginobili said after his 17-minute stint. “I need to be on the court. I’m starting to feel good. I need to keep it going.”

The same could be said of the team that signs Ginobili’s paychecks.

Behind a 69-point second half, the Spurs — who in March became one of only six NBA teams to sweep a back-to-back-to-back in this lockout-? shortened season — became the only club to accomplish that twice.

Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter each contributed 17 points off the bench for the Spurs (45-16), who had seven players — including four reserves — in double figures.

All three of the Spurs’ victories on the trip came by at least 21 points.

“It’s difficult,” Splitter said. “It takes a great effort from everybody. But when you win, it’s always fun.”

The Spurs remained in the driver’s seat for first place in the Western Conference, a game in the loss column up on Oklahoma City.

“We’re going to play for it,” Tony Parker said. “But at the same time, the most important thing for Pop and for us is to be fresh when the playoffs start.”

That was the reason behind sitting Duncan for the fifth time this season. With him out, coach Gregg Popovich started a frontcourt of DeJuan Blair and Boris Diaw.

The 34-year-old Ginobili, having totaled 39 minutes in the first two games of the trip, needed minutes.

“In our first game of this trip, Manu played 14 minutes,” Popovich said. “He basically got on the treadmill. He didn’t really do anything. Last night, he played 25 minutes. That’s not very much when a guy has missed 30 games and he’s trying to get in shape.”

If Ginobili’s first game on the trip was akin to light calisthenics, Wednesday’s workout — good for 13 points and five assists — was an MMA bout. A collision with Tyreke Evans opened a small cut inside his right ear.

Ginobili didn’t return to the game after that, though the scrape did not require stitches.

“I’m trying to mix it up,” Ginobili said of his injury laundry list. “Hand, ab, ear. Keep it entertaining.”

For those who recall Ginobili’s fractured elbow last season, there was nothing funny about seeing the Argentine guard briefly prostrate.

“We have to have all three of those guys healthy to have a chance,” Popovich said.

That’s in the playoffs. Wednesday in Sacramento, the Spurs’ Big Three needn’t overexert itself.

The Spurs led 58-57 after a first half Popovich treated as a preseason game — Duncan out, Parker playing 12 minutes, Ginobili logging nine.

In the third quarter, Kawhi Leonard helped them pull away from the Kings, scoring nine of his 13 points in the frame. When Danny Green dropped in a corner 3-pointer with 7:33 left in the third, the Spurs had a 73-63 lead and later pushed it as high as 27.

“To come in without our best player and win by 20 says a lot about this team,” forward Stephen Jackson said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can get the job done, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Game rewind: Duncan bewitches Boston again

Rick Pitino remained convinced for many years that he would have perhaps retired as an NBA coach if the lottery numbers had held true and Tim Duncan would have ended up with the Boston Celtics when he was coaching there.

The Celtics had the best chance of earning the right to pick Duncan when he was the overwhelming No. 1 draft pick in the 1997 draft. But they failed to get him and instead wound up picking up Ron Mercer and Chauncey Billups. It sent the Celtics’ hopes spiraling downward and eventually led to Pitino leaving the franchise four years later.

Instead, Duncan ended up in San Antonio to help build one of the NBA’s most consistent powers over the last 15 seasons.

And since that fateful draft day, the exploits of Duncan have always stung a little more for Celtics fans. As Duncan led the Spurs to four NBA titles while earning nine first-team All-NBA berths, it’s made some understandably wonder how the Celtics would have been different if Duncan ended up playing for them.

Duncan has always been a persistent pest against the Celtics, leading the Spurs to 13 victories in 15 games in Boston during his career, including Wednesday’s 87-86 squeaker. He’s averaged 20.4 points and 11.3 rebounds in his career against Boston.

He had another double-double Wednesday night with 10 points and 16 rebounds and was involved in a key defensive set that turned away Paul Pierce’s game-winning attempt at the buzzer.

“It was make or miss. I just didn’t want him to go by me,” Duncan told the Associated Press. “To be honest with you, he probably got the shot he wanted.”

Duncan switched onto Pierce off a pick-and-roll, but helped cause his step-back jumper at the foul line to clank away at the buzzer.

“Listen, Paul Pierce taking a step-back at the [free throw line], that’s not a bad option,” Boston coach Doc Rivers told reporters after the game. “I just wish we could have done it a bit earlier.”

Instead, Duncan denied the Celtics again.

As he’s done most of his career.

Here’s a look at how the Spurs claimed their ninth straight victory and pulled within one game of Oklahoma City for the best record in the Western Conference.

The game, simply stated: After a strong offensive performance in the first half, the Spurs slogged through their worst offensive half of the season in the second half. Despite those struggles, some key hustle plays down the stretch enabled them to escape with a gritty victory reminiscent of some of their old title-winning teams.

Where the game was won: After Brandon Bass’ tip-in gave the Celtics an 83-81 lead, the Spurs’ defense and clutch shooting came through. Kevin Garnett missed a shot that could have given Boston a four-point lead. The Spurs then got a key offensive rebound from Duncan that set up a 3-pointer by Gary Neal with 1:59 left that gave them the lead for good. And after Duncan hit a foul shot, Matt Bonner’s basket after a clutch rebound by Manu Ginobili boosted the lead to 87-83 with 46.5 seconds left. Ray Allen’s 3-pointer pulled the Celtics within one with 39.8 seconds left and Danny Green missed a 3-pointer on San Antonio’s final possession. The Spurs escaped when Pierce’s jumper at the buzzer was no good.

The good: The Spurs took control by scoring 12 consecutive points in the second quarter after a 36-all tie with 8:57 left in the second quarter. The run was highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers by Bonner and a fadeaway jumper by Neal that gave them a 48-36 lead with 6:45 left. After Bradley snapped the string with a jumper, the Spurs rattled off seven more points capped by a layup by Duncan that gave them their biggest lead at 55-38 with 4:37 left.

The bad: The Celtics closed the first half with a 10-4 run capped by a layup by Bradley that brought them within 59-48 at the break.

The ugly: San Antonio’s third quarter was their most putrid performance of the season. After converting two of their first four shots after halftime, the Spurs finished by the quarter by hitting only two of their last 18 shots and finished at 20 percent. They finished with a season-worst nine points in the quarter, including only five points over the final 9:47 of the quarter.

Player of the game I: The Spurs had no answer for Bradley, who erupted for a game-high 19 points off the Boston bench on 9-for-16 shooting.

Player of the game II: Neal came off the bench to score 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and also provided three rebounds and four assists.

Player of the game III: Rajon Rondo was the vital player for the Celtics, notching 17 points, 11 assists, four steals and three rebounds as he outplayed Tony Parker throughout the game.

Most unsung: Ginobili was limited to five points in 24:46. But no play was bigger than his offensive rebound of Stephen Jackson’s missed shot with 1:10 left that gave the Spurs another possession. And Ginobili made the most of it with 46.5 seconds left when he assisted on Bonner’s clinching basket.

Attendance: The Celtics attracted their 28th consecutive sellout of the season as a crowd of 18,624 was at the TD Garden for the game.

Did you notice I: University of Kentucky coach John Calipari was seated courtside for the game, only two nights after winning his first NCAA title in New Orleans. Calipari was greeted warmly by the TD Garden crowd, who remembered him from his days coaching at nearby UMass.

Did you notice II: Tiago Splitter showed some determination after having a jumper swatted away by Kevin Garnett with 8:37 left in the game. The Spurs’ backup center gathered the ball and then quickly beat Garnett to the hoop for a rebound basket. It’s showing that Splitter is progressing in his post play as he employed one of the lessons against one of the best defenders in NBA history.

Stat of the game I: The Spurs’ victory and Oklahoma City’s loss at Miami pulled San Antonio within one game of the Thunder for first place in the Western Conference. The Spurs are even in the loss column and have the tiebreaker over the Thunder after winning twice in their three-game regular-season series.

Stat of the game II: The Spurs were limited to nine points in the third quarter. It’s their lowest scoring quarter this season and tied the franchise low for points in the third quarter most recently notched at Toronto on Feb. 7, 2002.

Stat of the game III: Tim Duncan had 10 points and 16 rebounds for his 19th double-double this season and his seventh in his last 11 games.

Stat of the game IV: The Spurs’ bench again was a critical component of their victory with a 44-24 edge over the Celtics in bench points. The Spurs’ bench has outscored their opponents, 163-91, in their last three games.

Stat of the game V: The Celtics hit only 46.2 percent from the foul line, converting six of 13 free throws. It was only the second time this season a Spurs opponent shot less than 50 percent from the foul line after Philadelphia hit 45.5 percent on March 25.

Stat of the game VI: The Celtics’ five-game winning streak was snapped, as was their eight-game home winning streak.

Stat of the game VII: The Spurs were limited to 27.5 percent shooting in the second half.

Stat of the game VIII: Pierce was limited to 15 points, snapping his streak of 20-plus scoring games at seven games.

Stat of the game IX: The Spurs have won 26 of their last 31, 15 of their last 17 road games and 14 of their last 15 against Eastern Conference foes.

Stat of the game X: The Spurs are 9-1 since Stephen Jackson arrived, 8-0 since Boris Diaw arrived and 5-0 since Patty Mills joined them.

Weird stat of the night I: The Spurs committed only eight fouls, coming within one of breaking the franchise record for fewest fouls in a game in team history. It’s the lowest number of fouls since the Spurs set the team record with seven at Houston on April 13, 1984.

Weird stat of the game II: The Spurs set a season low by scoring 28 points in the second half, beating the previous low of 35 points at Miami on Jan. 17. The Spurs’ second-half woes came after they had hung a season-best 65 points on Cleveland in the second half Tuesday night.

Weird stat of the game III: After piling up all 12 field goals in the first quarter in the paint and producing 40 paint points in the first half, the Spurs notched only eight points in the paint in the second half.

Weird stat of the game IV: The Spurs had an 18-4 edge in second-chance points including 7-2 in the fourth quarter. The Spurs produced a 15-8 rebounding edge in the fourth quarter, including a 6-1 edge on offensive rebounds.

Weird stat of the game V: It was the Spurs’ first one-point victory since an 89-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers last Feb. 3. That was the game settled on Antonio McDyess’ game-winning basket at the buzzer.

Weird stat of the game VI: In the coaching tenure of Gregg Popovich, the Spurs’ record in games settled by one point is 32-21.

Weird stat of the game VII: The Spurs missed nine consecutive 3-point attempts from late in the second quarter until Danny Green hit one with 9:08 left in the game.

Not a good sign: Rookie Kawhi Leonard was shut out in 17:37. It marked the third game he has failed to score this season and first since Feb. 15 at Toronto.

Best plus/minus scores: Bonner was plus-8 and Duncan and Neal were both plus-7.

Worst plus/minus scores: Ginobili was minus-12 and Parker and Splitter were both minus-6.

Quote of the game: “The third quarter was uglier than bowling shoes,” Spurs analyst Sean Elliott, describing the struggling play of both teams on FOX Sports Southwest.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs return home for games Friday against New Orleans and Sunday against Utah before meeting the Jazz in Utah Monday night. The Celtics travel to Chicago Thursday night and Saturday at Indiana before returning home Sunday against Philadelphia.

Injuries: The Spurs had a complete roster. Parker stumbled near the Spurs bench with 2:33 left and was removed for the rest of the game after tangling with Bradley and stumbling to the floor. Boston played without F Jermaine O’Neal (left wrist surgery) and G Mickael Pietrus (head injury)