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Green, Spurs put Cavaliers to the sword

By Mike Monroe

CLEVELAND — Getting cut by the Cleveland Cavaliers three weeks into training camp before the 2010-11 season came as no great surprise to Danny Green, who started his 23rd game for the Spurs at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday and scored 19 points in their eighth straight victory, 125-90, over the undermanned and overmatched Cavs.

In 2009-10, Green played only 20 games as a rookie who had made Cleveland’s roster as a second-round pick. At camp with a non-guaranteed contract the next fall, he’d seen minimal playing time in exhibition games. The 6-foot-7 swingman could read between the lines in the sports section.

On Oct. 19, 2010, his name went on the waiver wire.

It was what happened in the days and weeks that followed that tested Green’s nerve.

“As weeks went by, I didn’t know what was going on,” he recalled after his 16 first-half points staked the Spurs to a comfortable lead that eventually grew to their largest margin of victory all season. “You talk to your agent, wait for phone calls, work out at home and wait.

“I had a lot of fun my first year (in Cleveland). It was a good organization, and I had a lot of great teammates. I didn’t think I would be out of the league so long and struggling to find another place to call home.”

San Antonio has been Green’s basketball home since last March 16, when he signed with the Spurs for the remainder of the 2010-11 season.

Tuesday’s game was his first in Cleveland since his rookie season, and he gave those among the announced crowd of 14,759 who remembered him reason to wonder why the Cavaliers let him go.

Making 6 of 9 shots, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, he sparked a 60-point surge in the first half that sapped the will from the Cavs so thoroughly that coach Byron Scott accused them afterwards of failing to compete.

Green also did the bulk of the defensive work on Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving, the likely Rookie of the Year, helping to limit him to 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting.

“Defensively, Danny’s been really solid,” Spurs captain Tim Duncan said. “He’s actually done a lot more than we thought he could do. He’s guarding a lot of different positions. He’s got some great hands. He’s been a great surprise for us.”

That left All-Star point guard Tony Parker guarding Anthony Parker, a pairing sure to confuse those listening on the radio, but intended to limit the wear and tear on Tony Parker’s legs.

“T.P. has done a pretty good job for us this year, and sometimes he’s going to need a little break,” Green said. “We can’t have him running around on offense and doing the same thing on defense chasing those really fast guards.

“He needs somebody to help him out a little bit, somebody younger. I volunteer sometimes. Hopefully, I can be effective and get some stops.”

Parker, who matched Green’s 19 points, played only 22 minutes and 40 seconds as coach Gregg Popovich used every player on his bench. No starter played more than Green’s 25:49.

Patty Mills scored 20 points in his third appearance for the Spurs, making 4 of 5 on 3-pointers.

Duncan, who took only six shots in his 23:25, called the game a perfect setup for tonight’s game in Boston against the Celtics, who have won five in a row.

“It’s good to have games like this for a number of reasons,” he said. “We got a lot of guys in there playing good amounts of time, getting guys comfortable with what we’re doing. We get to spread it out, and we’re on a back-to-back, so we got a little rest for the second game.

“Perfect scenario? Pretty close.”

The Spurs (37-14) now own two of the three longest win streaks of the season. Their 11-game roll from Jan. 30 to Feb. 21 is the league’s longest.

mikemonroe@express-news.net
Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Ginobili rounding into shape slowly

Even after three days without games, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili isn’t certain he is ready yet for back-to-back outings.

“The rest was good, considering the games we’re having,” Ginobili said Tuesday. “(Playing back-to-back) would be a day-to-day thing. After tomorrow’s game, I’ll see. I don’t think I’m going to play that much, but Pop (coach Gregg Popovich) is still concerned, and it’s good that it’s like that.

“I’m feeling a little bit better than last week, so hopefully, I’ll start increasing to a point where I can go with everybody else.”

Ginobili has missed 28 games with a series of ailments: A fractured fifth metacarpal on his left hand; a strained left oblique; and, most recently, tightness in his right hip flexor. He sat out the front end of the back-to-back set Friday and Saturday in Oklahoma City and Dallas but has an eye on the back-to-back-to-back games on the schedule this weekend, beginning Friday against the Mavericks.

“The hip is much better,” he said. “Legs overall, and all around not the best I’ve ever felt, but much better than last week. So that’s what’s having me optimistic and ready.”

The Spurs are one of several teams using a cryosauna treatment in which players’ bodies are cooled below minus-200 degrees Fahrenheit, a process believed to optimize the healing process and promote general health.

“It’s really hard to figure it out if it makes you better or not,” Ginobili said. “It’s not going to hurt you, so we do it, to recover and stuff like that.”

It is not difficult to know one thing about the treatments.

“It is cold,” Ginobili said. “That’s for sure.”

Joseph back to Austin: Rookie point guard Cory Joseph was assigned to the Austin Toros, the Spurs’ NBA D-League team, for the third time this season.

Joseph has appeared in 27 of 43 Spurs games but has played only 204 minutes all season. Popovich has stressed that the greatest need for the team’s youngest player is to get playing time, which he is assured with the Toros.

Joseph’s Austin assignment heightened speculation the Spurs may be nearing a deal with point guard Patty Mills, a former Portland Trail Blazers player recently returned from playing in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Yahoo! Sports.com on Tuesday reported that a deal the Spurs have offered Mills, an Australian national, is awaiting resolution of visa issues.

Easy adjustment: After starting 16 games at shooting guard, rookie Kawhi Leonard was shifted to the starting small forward spot after the trade that sent Richard Jefferson to the Golden State Warriors for Stephen Jackson.

The adjustment, Leonard said, was relatively simple.

“They’re very interchangeable (positions),” he said. “We pretty much do the same thing on the court. It just depends on what number they call to run the play for.”

mikemonroe@express-news.net

Rose, Deng answer call for Bulls at AT&T

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Bulls 96, Spurs 89: Feb. 29, 2012

FOR SPORTS – Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose shoots over San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker during first half action Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

FOR SPORTS – Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose shoots around San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan during first half action Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

FOR SPORTS – Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah looks for room around San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan during first half action Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 at the ATT Center. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker gets around Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose, during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker gets pressure from Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Danny Green keeps the ball away from Chicago Bulls C.J. Watson during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose grimaces after collision in the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Danny Green, left, and Tim Duncan pressure Chicago Bulls Carlos Boozer during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Richard Jefferson looks on as Chicago Bulls Luol Deng celebrates a three-pointer with 39.6 seconds left in the game at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. The Bulls won 96-89. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan walks back to the bench after missing the second three-pointer in a row late in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls, at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. The Bulls won 96-89. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose cuts through the defense of San Antonio Spurs Danny Green, left, and Tim Duncan during the second half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. The Bulls won 96-89. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

FOR SPORTS – Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose and San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan grab for a loose ball as San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker looks on during second half action Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Bulls won 96-89. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

FOR SPORTS – San Antonio Spurs’ Gary Neal shoots between Chicago Bulls’ Taj Gibson (left) and Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah during second half action Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Bulls won 96-89. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan reacts to a foul call during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. The Bulls won 96-89. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker gets the ball stolen by Chicago Bulls Ronnie Brewer during the second half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. The Bulls won 96-89. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

FOR SPORTS – Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng celebrates after making a 3-pointer late in the game with the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Bulls won 96-89. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

FOR SPORTS – San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan dunks ahead of Chicago Bulls’ Carlos Boozer during second half action Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Bulls won 96-89. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich yells during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. The Bulls won 96-89. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs from left, Gary Neal, Tony Parker and Matt Bonner protest a foul during the first half against the Chicago Bulls, at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

FOR SPORTS – San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker looks for room around Chicago Bulls’ Omer Asik during second half action Wednesday Feb. 29, 2012 at the ATT Center. The Bulls won 96-89. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS)

SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker gets caught up in the defense of Chicago Bulls Carlos Boozer, left, and Joakim Noah during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)

By Jeff McDonald

When it comes to setting a defensive game plan against the Chicago Bulls, it takes neither a rocket scientist nor a championship-winning basketball coach to identify their starting point.

It begins with the guy with No. 1 on his back, the ball in his hands and the MVP trophy on his mantle:Derrick Rose.

“We know who the most important guy to try to stop is,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before tipoff Wednesday. “We also know we’re not going to stop him.”

Popovich’s prediction proved prophetic in Chicago’s hard-earned 96-89 victory at the ATT Center, especially late with the game on the line.

Rose found his way to 29 points, including back-to-back baskets in the final 1:46, as the Bulls welcomed the Spurs back from the rodeo trip and All-Star break with only their second home loss of the season.

“Down the stretch, Chicago showed why they’ve won all those games,” Popovich said. “They made shots and were real solid defensively.”

The Spurs’ first home game since Feb. 4 felt a little like, if not a heavyweight fight, than at least a middleweight one. Chicago (29-8) is the team considered to be the biggest threat to Miami’s Eastern Conference crown. The Spurs (24-11) are second in the West behind Oklahoma City.

For much of the night, it was a defensive struggle unlikely to drive ratings on the national broadcast.

The Spurs held the Bulls to 42 percent shooting. The Bulls held the Spurs to 43 percent.

Before the game, Popovich called Chicago, which came in allowing 88.1 points per game, “most likely the best defensive team in the league.” Nothing that happened Wednesday changed his mind.

It was the Spurs’ second-lowest scoring night at the ATT Center this season, better only than the 86 points they scored in their only other home loss in 2012, Jan. 20 against Sacramento.

When defense wasn’t enough to finish the Bulls’ victory, Rose took them the rest of the way.

Three times in the late moments, the Spurs climbed within three points, only to have Rose beat them back, directly or indirectly.

Rose’s impossible one-handed banker put Chicago ahead 87-82 with 1:46 left. His pull-up jumper made it 89-84 with 1:10 to go.

On the Bulls’ next possession, after Gary Neal had sliced the Spurs’ deficit to 89-86, Rose passed out of a double-team at the top of the key. The ball swung to the 3-point arc, where Luol Deng swished his second long ball of the quarter to give the Bulls a 92-86 edge with 39.6 seconds to play.

“We made a couple of errors on a couple of guys, and they knocked down some threes,” Popovich said. “That’s the ballgame.”

The Spurs trailed by as many as 11 in the third quarter before turning an about-face behind Tim Duncan.

After starting the game 0 for 4, Duncan hit six consecutive shots in the frame, scoring 12 of his 18 points during a 15-3 run that put the Spurs into the lead.

“The effort was there,” said Popovich, whose team fell to 13-2 at home. “I’m pleased with that.”

Neal, who was a game-time decision due to a sore hamstring, kept the Spurs in the game down the stretch. He made a variety of tough shots on his way to a season-high 21 points off the bench.

“There were a couple of contested floaters that went in for me,” Neal said. “If those don’t go in, maybe I’m 5 for 15 instead of 9 for 15 and I’m not doing this interview.”

While Rose was carving them up, the Spurs’ own All-Star point guard struggled to return to regular-season form after the break.

Tony Parker finished with 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting, though he did log nine assists.

“I thought the whole team was rusty,” Parker said. “I was rusty, too. I didn’t do anything for four days, five days. Everybody was kind of rusty. We missed some easy shots.”

When the chips were down, Rose was not. Even as the Spurs knew what was coming.

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

– Photos by Jerry Lara and Edward A. Ornelas/Express-News