By Jeff McDonald
For much of the season, Tony Parker has been waiting for coach Gregg Popovich to lose it.
Game in and game out, win or lose, good play or poor, Mount Popovich would not erupt. Not like it used to in its magma-spewing heyday.
“As he gets older and drinks more wine, he gets more patient,” Parker said.
Wednesday night, with a lead against Atlanta growing tenuous and the Spurs sleepwalking out of the halftime locker room, Popovich’s patience finally wore out, and Parker finally got his explosion.
A quick timeout 60 seconds into the third quarter, followed by a mass substitution that brought three starters to the bench, sent a clear message in what became an easy-does-it 105-83 win at the ATT Center.
“We weren’t playing well,” said reserve forward Matt Bonner, who had nine of his 17 points during the third-quarter charge. “Pop’s a good coach. He senses that, and he has to do something.”
Behind a trio of third-quarter threes by Bonner, 13 second-half points from DeJuan Blair and a defensive focus that limited the Hawks to just 39 points in the second half, the Spurs turned a four-point halftime lead into Atlanta’s most lopsided loss of the season.
For the Hawks, the defeat was the 14th in a row in San Antonio, a losing streak that dates to Feb. 25, 1997, the season before Tim Duncan arrived.
Blair scored 17 points, matching his highest-scoring night since New Year’s Eve, while Bon? ner equaled a season high in scoring as well. He was 5 of 7 from 3-point range, kick-starting the Spurs’ decisive 22-5 second-half run with consecutive buckets.
It marked only the fifth multiple 3-pointer game of the season for Bonner, last year’s NBA leader in long-range accuracy.
“I just take it one game at a time, focus on the process and trust the results will come,” Bonner said. “Honestly, at this point it’s the key to sanity.”
If the Spurs (12-7) were aiming to drive their coach insane — to cajole him into laying the mushroom cloud Parker had been waiting for — they accomplished as much coming out of halftime.
The Hawks (13-6) ended the first half on a 14-4 spurt, reducing what had been a 14-point deficit to 48-44.
At halftime, Popovich talked to his team about playing with more energy and greater attention to detail. Specifically, he asked his players to keep Atlanta’s ballhandlers from driving to the middle of the lane.
On Atlanta’s first trip of the third quarter, Jeff Teague took Parker to the middle for two of his 20 points. On the Spurs’ first possession, Richard Jefferson missed a cut he was supposed to make.
When Josh Smith threw in a jump hook on the Hawks’ next possession, Popovich angrily signaled for a timeout, then replaced Parker, Jefferson and Blair with Cory Joseph, Danny Green and Bonner.
“We didn’t play hard enough, I guess,” Blair said. “You see what happened. We were on the bench. He shouldn’t have to do that, but it gets us going.”
The move was akin to plugging the Spurs into a light socket.
Not only did the Spurs’ bench extend the lead, with Bonner, Green and Joseph providing quality minutes, the starters played well when they returned from being grounded.
Asked what he wanted from that timeout, Popovich responded with two words: “More focus.”
Popovich continued to hammer that message throughout the rest of the blowout. When Joe Johnson hit a jumper over Bonner to bring Atlanta within 21 points with 5:33 to go, Popovich called another timeout to correct the defensive lapse.
Asked if this was a grouchy as Popovich had been all season, Bonner offered the safe answer.
“No comment,” he said.
Parker, for his part has definitely seen worse. As a 19-year-old rookie 10 seasons ago, he frequently found himself on the wrong end of a Mount Popovich eruption.
“I always tell the rookies they’re lucky,” Parker said. “Because it’s nothing like when I was a rookie. He’s so nice to them.”
jmcdonald@express-news.net
– Jerry Lara photos
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Spurs 105, Hawks 83: Jan. 25, 2012
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker drives to the basket as Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia defends during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner, right, tries to steal a rebound from Atlanta Hawks forward Vladimir Radmanovic during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green, right, loses a pass under pressure from Atlanta Hawks Tracy McGrady during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. In back is forward Tiago Splitter. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs forward Tiago Splitter goes for two against Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Cory Johnson goes through Atlanta Hawks Kirk Hinrich, (6), and Ivan Johnson, (44), during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker drives through Atlanta Hawks guard Willie Green, left, and forward Josh Smith during the second half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The Spurs won 105-83. Parker ended the game with 15 points.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Matt Bonner looks to pass the ball as he drives through Atlanta Hawks guards Joe Johnson, left, and Jeff Teague during the second half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The Spurs won 105-83. Bonner tied with DeJuan Blair for 17 points and the team’s high scorers. Teague had the game high of 20 points. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague is fouled by San Antonio Spurs guard Cory Joseph after stealing the ball during the second half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The Spurs won 105-83. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Guard drives around Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague during the second half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The Spurs won 105-83. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard passes out to center DeJuan Blair, left, during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The Spurs won 105-83. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan defends against Atlanta Hawks Jeff Teague during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs DeJuan Blair tries to get around Atlanta Hawks Ivan Johnson during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Kawhi Leonard gets blocked Atlanta Hawks Zaza Pachulia, right, as he was trying to defend Joe Johnson, during the first half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Danny Green, center, and DeJuan Blair defend against Atlanta Hawks Willie Green during the second half at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The Spurs won 105-83. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich talks with official Pat Fraher during the first half against the Atlanta Hawks at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
SPURS — Atlanta Hawks Head Coach Larry Drew disagrees with a call during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the ATT Center, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The Spurs won 105-83. Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio Express-News)
