Gregg Popovich | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

Up 2-0, Spurs on edge despite favorable history

By Jeff McDonald

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Spurs departed San Antonio International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals in their pocket and the past on their side.

Throughout the Spurs’ postseason history, such a deficit has been hemlock to playoff opponents. Find yourself facing it, and summer vacation soon follows.

One player on the Oklahoma City roster knows better.

“I think we can beat this team,” Derek Fisher said.

What might otherwise be dismissed as a show of unwarranted bravado from a 38-year-old backup guard comes with a side of been there, done that.

When it comes to winning a best-of-7 series after taking a 2-0 lead, the Spurs are 18-1 all-time. Fisher was there for that one time.

In the 2004 conference semifinals against the Lakers, the Spurs carried a 2-0 edge into Los Angeles before coming undone. Eight years later, Fisher’s miracle 18-footer in Game 5, launched with 0.4 seconds left, remains the signature moment of one of the Spurs’ most disappointing playoff collapses.

As the Spurs prepare for Game 3 against Oklahoma City tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Fisher’s shot — much like the shot-maker himself — is ancient history.

“That happened like 30 years ago,” Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said.

Yet the lesson it imparted endures in those who lived it. A series is not over until one team wins four times.

The Spurs take the floor in Oklahoma City with numerous reasons to feel confident. Their franchise-best winning streak of 20 is climbing the charts, equaled or surpassed by only three teams in NBA history.

They haven’t lost in roughly the length of a Kim Kardashian marriage (50 days) and have won 10 in a row to start the playoffs, one victory shy of the NBA record.

“It’s pretty incredible what they’ve done,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. “To win a game is hard. To win 20 in a row and 10 of them in the playoffs, it’s quite an accomplishment.”

To wary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, the series could just as easily be 2-0 in Oklahoma City’s favor.

In Game 1, the Spurs trailed by nine heading into the fourth quarter before exploding for 39 points and a 101-98 win. Two nights later, they squandered nearly all of a 22-point lead before locking up a 120-111 victory in the final minutes.

In Game 2, the Spurs survived an 88-point eruption from the OKC trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, in part thanks to 34 points from Tony Parker and the team’s highest-scoring playoff game in six years.

“Our offense saved us,” Popovich said. “We scored, and that’s the only reason we won. Because our defense wasn’t very good.”

Oklahoma City would kill for such problems now. In order to avoid elimination, the Thunder must win four out of the next five against a team that has beaten them eight out of the last 10.

Then there’s this: Only three teams in NBA history have fallen into a 2-0 hole in the conference finals and recovered to win the series.

“What we’ve done up to this point doesn’t matter,” Spurs forward Stephen Jackson said. “If we lose tomorrow, it all goes down the drain.”

If the Spurs ever had any doubt about the fragility of a winning streak or playoff edge, Fisher stands as a living reminder.

In 2004, the Spurs had won 17 in a row heading into Los Angeles, matching their longest winning streak until this season. A 2-0 series lead quickly became 2-2, and 0.4 seconds followed in Game 5.

Two nights later, the Spurs’ season was over.

“We did not assume that we’d win four games in a row, which is basically what we ended up doing,” Fisher recalled. “We just focused on winning Game 3.”

Beginning tonight, Fisher hopes to play Sherpa on another such climb. The Spurs aim to keep that part of history from repeating.

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

SPURS VS. THUNDER
Western Conference finals
(Spurs lead best-of-7 series 2-0)

Game 1:

Game 2:

Game 3: Thursday – Spurs @ Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

Game 4: Saturday – Spurs @ Thunder, 7:30 p.m. TNT

*Game 5: Monday – Spurs vs. Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

*Game 6: Wednesday – Spurs @ Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

*Game 7: Friday June 8 – Spurs vs. Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

– All times Central
*If necessary

Duncan says, ‘I’m a Spur for life’

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Why we love Tim Duncan

How do we love thee, Tim Duncan? Let us count the ways.

Because his teammates love him. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he loves his teammates. Aww. (Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News)

Because he has lead the Spurs in four (hopefully soon to be five) NBA championship runs. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he takes care of business. (AP)

Because he shuns the limelight. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he’s a hugger. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he makes funny faces. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he’s kind of a dork. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Because he’s not afraid of Kobe. (AP)

Because he never commits fouls. Ever. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Because everyone else can “talk to the hand.” (AP)

Because he has mad moves. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he puts the big in “Big Three.” (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because of the Twin Towers. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because Popovich loves him. (Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News)

Because we love these commercials. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because “these pythons are sick!” (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he seems like a guy you can just hang out with. (Billy Calzada / San Antonio Express-News)

Because he’s so stylish. Obviously. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because sometimes he does this. (AP)

Because he’s got brains to go with the brawn. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he’s a joker. (Imagine what he must have said or done to get Sean Elliott to make that face.) (Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News)

Because he’s serious about basketball. (TOM REEL / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he’s always there with a shoulder for rookies to cry on. (EDWARD A. ORNELAS / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

Because he’s “understated.” (AP)

Because he’s a nice guy. (AP)

Did we mention he’s kind of a dork? (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Tim Duncan will retire a Spur, according to a report Monday night.

The future Hall of Famer, who is in the final year of his contract, told Yahoo! Sports he has little interest in testing the free-agent market.

“No … I’m not going anywhere,” said Duncan, 36. “You can print that wherever you want. I’m here, and I’m a Spur for life.”

Drafted No. 1 overall by the Spurs in 1997, Duncan said it’s realistic to expect him to play another year or two. Determined to win a fifth NBA title, Duncan is averaging 15.4 points and 9.0 rebounds over 28 minutes in the playoffs.

In the opening game of the Western Conference finals Sunday, Duncan contributed 16 points and 11 rebounds to help the Spurs rally in the fourth quarter to defeat Oklahoma City 101-98.

The professionalism of Duncan and fellow stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili is a big reason the club is poised to make its fifth trip to the NBA Finals, coach Gregg Popovich suggested Monday.

“I’m very fortunate in that I didn’t have to deal with a star ego,” Popovich said. “I dealt with grown-ups. They had character and prioritization already set in their lives. When Timmy came along, David (Robinson) understood his talent and made it very easy for him to understand Tim was the go-to guy. As Timmy got older, he understood the value of Tony and Manu and was able to share that spotlight with them. It’s because of their character we were able to do it.”

Streak doesn’t interest Spurs: The Spurs’ reaction to the news they can make NBA history tonight with a win in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals can best be summed up in one word: Whatever.

(Express-News graphic)

With their 101-98 victory over the Thunder on Sunday, the Spurs claimed their 19th straight win, matching the 2001 Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA history that includes regular season and playoff triumphs.

That Lakers team went on to capture a title, which is all the Spurs care about.

“If it doesn’t turn out the way we want it to turn out, with us winning the championship, nobody is going to talk about the streak or even care about the streak,” guard Gary Neal said Monday. “Maybe after we complete our goals people will talk about the streak.”

Said forward Stephen Jackson: “If we lose tomorrow, then all that goes down the drain. … What we’ve done up to this point doesn’t matter. We have to be ready to win Game 2.”

The Spurs’ streak includes 10 games to cap the regular season. It’s also the longest in team history and is tied with the 1999-2000 Lakers for the fourth-longest in NBA history. With a win tonight, the Spurs will become just the fourth team to win 20 or more in a row.

But winning the franchise’s fifth title, not etching their names in the record book, is what matters most to the Spurs.

“None,” guard Manu Ginobili said when asked if he and his teammates had any awareness of the historical aspects of their scintillating run.

“When we are asked, we remember we are on a great streak, but we really don’t care,” he added. “We are close — seven games away — from accomplishing something way bigger than a streak.

“So, if it is happening, it’s fine. But we always think about the next game and how tough it’s going to be. The things we’ve got to do are beat (the Thunder) and improve.”

Only two teams have a longer streak than the Spurs’ nine to start the postseason. The Lakers won their first 11 games during the 1989 and 2001 playoffs. Both those teams reached the Finals, but only the 2001 crew won the title.

Green-light Gary: Neal said he’s “living his dream” in the playoffs. A more accurate statement is he’s living his dream with a hot hand.

Over his last two playoff games, Neal is hitting 62.5 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent from 3-point territory, while averaging 13 points. He scored seven of his 12 points in Game 1 in the fourth quarter on 3-of-4 shooting from the field. His biggest bucket was a 3-pointer to cap an 18-3 run.

Neal said his comfort with playoff basketball has a lot to do with Gregg Popovich.

“Coach Pop has given me the green light to come into the game and be aggressive,” Neal said. “When you have that kind of green light, you don’t really have a choice but to play with confidence.”

torsborn@express-news.net

Ginobili heeds coach’s call, sparks Spurs in comeback

By Jeff McDonald

Manu Ginobili looked sharper Sunday than he had at any other point throughout the playoffs.

And that was before he ever set foot on the floor at the ATT Center.

A few hours before tipoff of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, Ginobili — whose sartorial style might best be described as slacker chic — strolled into the locker room wearing a dapper gray sport coat over his button-down dress shirt.

It wasn’t until later that night, after he had Pied-Pipered a come-from-behind 101-98 victory over Oklahoma City, that Ginobili began to regret his choice of threads.

“It’s probably going to be the first and last time of the season,” Ginobili said, squinting in the glare of the TV lights. “I’m sweating like a pig.”

In all other respects, Ginobili proved ready for his close-up. With the chips down in the fourth quarter, the Thunder did not.

Ginobili broke from his playoff scoring slump — (alternate take: what slump?) — for a season-high 26 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, to help the Spurs overcome a nine-point deficit and deny OKC a golden ticket to the first lead of the series.

It was vintage Ginobili, at a moment when the Spurs desperately needed it, their 19th consecutive victory in dire jeopardy.

“We started to count on him for a long stretch there,” Tim Duncan said. “He really did it for us.”

In his first game against OKC this year — he missed all three meetings in the regular-season — Ginobili showed the Thunder what they had been missing.

He was 3 of 5 from the 3-point line and 5 of 5 from the foul stripe, all his free throws coming in the fourth.

Two classic Ginobili drives in the final 1:57 essentially finished off OKC. The capper, in which he split a pair of defenders before finding the rim, put the Spurs up 96-89 with 1:11 to go.

“That’s Manu’s game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s somebody we depend on to create and make things happen.”

Tony Parker added 18 points, six assists and a season-high eight rebounds, while Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the postseason.

Harder-earned than most, the victory gave the Spurs claim to one of the fourth-longest winning streaks in NBA history. Heading into the fourth quarter, with the Thunder up nine and rolling, that streak seemed on life support.

OKC already had forced 14 first-half turnovers, undermining any chance the Spurs had of generating offense, and Kevin Durant was heating up on his way to 27 points and 10 boards.

His team down seven, Popovich called a timeout and uttered the phrase soon likely to show up on bootlegged T-shirts across the Alamo City: “I want some nasty.”

Popovich got what he asked for, most obviously from Stephen Jackson, who spent every second of the final frame mugging Durant, then threw in a game-breaking 3-pointer for good measure.

But the Spurs also got a dose of nasty from Ginobili, who helped engineer a 30-11 run that flipped the game.

“Manu, I’m never worried about him,” Jackson said. “When it’s nut-cutting time, when we need him, we knew he’s going to be there.”

Ginobili came into the night averaging 11.3 points and shooting 25 percent from 3-point range in the postseason. There were signs early a breakout was in play.

Not long into his initial shift of the first quarter, Ginobili slithered for a few Ginobili drives. At the horn, he threw in an off-balance 3-pointer, then opened the second quarter with another.

“That’s when we knew,” Jackson said. “He was rolling.”

The last time Ginobili scored this many points: Game 5 against Memphis last postseason. He had 33 in an elimination game.

At times, Sunday had that feel. Had Ginobili been saving himself for this moment?

“I’m not that good,” he said. “It just happened. I don’t know how exactly.”

It’s a question the Thunder likely will be asking themselves up until tipoff of Game 2 on Tuesday. After losing control late in Game 1, Oklahoma City left the arena looking for reasons to hope.

“(The Spurs) are playing the best basketball in the league,” OKC coach Scott Brooks said. “And we were right there.”

The difference was Ginobili, who traded in his dress jacket for a superhero’s cape, just in the nick of time.

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

SPURS VS. THUNDER
Western Conference finals
(Spurs lead best-of-7 series 1-0)

Game 1:

Game 2: Tuesday – Spurs vs. Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

Game 3: Thursday – Spurs @ Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

Game 4: Saturday – Spurs @ Thunder, 7:30 p.m. TNT

*Game 5: Monday June 4 – Spurs vs. Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

*Game 6: Wednesday June 6 – Spurs @ Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

*Game 7: Friday June 8 – Spurs vs. Thunder, 8:00 p.m. TNT

– All times Central
*If necessary