Category: In the News

Silly String battle enlivens Utah-Spurs game

The Spurs and Utah were playing in a huge game Monday night for the Jazz in terms of playoff implications.

San Antonio brought a depleted roster to Salt Lake City and were ahead after three quarters. It would seemingly be a time when the volatility of the situation would have had true basketball fans squirming on the edges of their seats as they worried about their team’s playoff hopes and fervently rooted for a comeback.

But with the Spurs nursing a 68-64 lead after three quarters, Utah and its Jazz Bear mascot found a unique way to get the crowd going. They had a huge Silly String fight where 300 cans were reportedly used in one section.

Silly String fights must be something in the Utah collective ennui, if another video indicates anything. At , more than 8,000 cans were employed in what is billed as the world record for most cans used at one time.

So the 300 cans last night at the Energy Solutions Arena were kind of small potatoes, even if it was incorrectly billed on the You Tube tease as the world’s record for Silly String. But it still got the crowd going, as. 

Whether it helped spur the Jazz’s comeback victory, we’ll never know.

But it sure made for a sticky mess for the cleaning crew in the arena after the game.

Popovich unapologetic for resting aging stars

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Spurs open their second and final back-to-back-to-back of the season tonight at Golden State.

That means at some point over the next three nights, coach Gregg Popovich will likely draw the ire of basketball purists, talking heads and fantasy geeks everywhere.

Though Popovich has announced no definitive plan to rest players on the whirlwind trip to visit Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento, 30-somethings Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Stephen Jackson — as well as soon-to-be 30-something Tony Parker — would be wise to pack a sport coat just in case.

Popovich’s penchant for sidelining perfectly healthy players in the name of rest and relaxation has taken fire from two fronts.

One is from those who argue along “integrity of the game” lines. When Popovich chose not to take any of his Big Three on the road to Utah last week, for instance, it helped the Jazz get a win vital to their pursuit of the Western Conference’s final playoff seed, artificially affecting the race.

Popovich’s counter-argument? If a team is unhappy with its playoff lot, it should have won more games.

“I think people should mostly take care of their own business and end up where they end up based on how well they play, not based on other people,” Popovich said.

Popovich harbors more sympathy for fans who plunk down their hard-earned cash to watch an NBA game, only to have a D-League contest break out.

After Popovich sat four players in Portland in February, he received a disgruntled letter from such a fan.

“I understand completely,” Popovich said. “I would feel exactly the same. If I went to watch Miami, and LeBron (James) and Dwyane (Wade) weren’t playing, I’d feel shorted.

“It’s natural human reaction and totally understandable, but I have a different priority. I have a different responsibility, and that rules for me.”

Jedi mind trick: The last time the Spurs faced a back-to-back-to-back, from March 23-25, Popovich sat Duncan, Ginobili and Parker one game apiece.

The Spurs swept the set from Dallas, New Orleans and Philadelphia anyway, becoming the fifth team to win three games in three nights this season.

Might Popovich approach this trip the same way?

“You never know what Obi-Wan’s going to do,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, everybody’s going to have to be ready.”

Green clocks out: Starting shooting guard Danny Green did not play in the second half Saturday against Phoenix, as Popovich opted to replace him with Ginobili to start the third quarter.

Though Green has been playing much of the year with a sore left shoulder, the move had nothing to do with an injury, Popovich said.

“He’s been playing a lot,” Popovich said. “It was a good opportunity to give him a bit of a rest.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net

Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Irving doubtful for slumping Cavs vs. Spurs

Rookie guard Kyrie Irving, who claimed his third consecutive Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award on Monday, might not play tonight when the Spurs visit Cleveland.

Irving has been slowed by a sprained right shoulder. His injury is among the major reasons the struggling Cavaliers have dropped seven straight games and lost 10 of their last 11.

His absence would be critical for the Cavaliers against the Spurs, who will be gunning for their eighth straight victory at Tuesday’s game.

The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported that Irving after a no-contact practice while wearing a short-sleeved compression shirt that covered his injury. He leads the Cavaliers and all rookies in scoring (19.9 ppg) and assists (6.7).

Irving was injured in the Cavaliers’ loss to Milwaukee Friday night. He did not play in their most recent game, a 91-75 loss at New York on Saturday night.

If Irving can’t play, who would likely be replaced by rookie guard Donald Sloan, who produced 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the loss to the Knicks.

The Spurs have claimed three straight victories over the Cavaliers. Their most recent loss came to them on March 8, 2010, in a game during LeBron James’ last season with the Cavs. James did not play in that game.