Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Bonner’s 3-point binge ranks as No. 9 best Spurs memory

In our look at the best Spurs memories of the past season, Matt Bonner’s early-season 3-point binge ranks as one of the best.

Here’s a look back at a night when Bonner couldn’t miss and how it helped fuel one of the Spurs’ most stunning comebacks to that point of the season.

No. 9: The Red Rocket’s 3-point blitz scorches Thunder

When: Nov. 14, 2010

Where: Oklahoma City Arena, Oklahoma City, Okla.

What happened: The Spurs struggled early, missing nine of their first 10 shots and falling into an early 12-point hole late in the first quarter. But Matt Bonner hit a deep three in the final 5 seconds of the first quarter and added three more to keep the Spurs close in the second quarter as they trailed for the entire first half.  He then sank three more during a 21-8 run to open the fourth quarter enabling the Spurs to cruise to their seventh straight victory with a 117-104 triumph. Bonner was a perfect 7-for-7 from 3-point range for a season-best 21 points.

What was said, Part I: “It was just one of those nights when I was feeling it,” Bonner, describing his career night to reporters after the game.  

What was said, Part II: “All it takes for him is just half a second. He’s a knockdown 3-point shooter. We didn’t do a good job on him. No excuses,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks, who described his team’s defensive struggles against Bonner to the Associated Press.

What was said, Part III: “Matty was huge, of course. When he shoots 7 for 3 on 3s, it gives you a lot of air on offense. He had great looks, great confidence, and he sank them all,” Manu Ginobili, analyzing Bonner’s huge game to the Express-News.  

What was said, Part IV: “I always think every one of them is going in, but this was just one of those nights when all of them did fall. You hit the first one, the second one, the third one, and then the hoop just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” Bonner, on his shooting binge to the Express-News.  

The upshot: Bonner’s big night came within one of the team’s record for consecutive 3-pointers in a game. Steve Smith hit all eight threes against Portland on Nov. 3, 2001. The victory extended San Antonio’s winning streak to seven games as they pushed their record to 8-1. At that point, it was the fastest start in team history.  It was Bonner’s third game since missing six games early in the season with an ankle sprain. And his perimeter binge enabled the Spurs to win despite hitting only 40.9 percent from the field in the game. Ginobili and Bonner led San Antonio with 21 points. The San Antonio defense tightened down the stretch, limiting Oklahoma City to only 38 points in the second half after permitting the Thunder to score 35 in the first quarter. Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 23 points — a season low for him at that point of the season.

Previous bad memories:

No. 10: .

No. 9: Black Friday fourth-quarter collapse leads to .  

Previous good memories:

No. 10: .

Draft prospect: Jeremy Tyler

The Spurs own the 29th pick in the June 23 draft, one of the lowest slots of the Tim Duncan era. This year’s draft pool is considered to be uncommonly shallow, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Spurs either deal the pick or select a future prospect to stash overseas. Over the next few weeks, the Courtside blog will profile selected players who could be wearing silver and black, should the Spurs decide to keep their pick.

In the summer of 2009, Jeremy Tyler announced he would forgo his senior season to turn pro. Happens every year, right?

Except, in Tyler’s case, he gave up his senior season of high school, instead opting to play professionally in Israel for $140,000. He lasted just 10 games with Maccabi Haifa before returning home to San Diego.

After spending last season in Japan with the Tokyo Apaches, and at least completing a full season, Tyler is now eligible for the NBA draft. That’s where the Spurs, possibly, could come in.

Tyler is big, listed at 6-foot-11 (though he measured just 6-9 shoeless at last month’s combine), athletic and certainly fills the Spurs’ most glaring position of need in this year’s draft. He is also young — he turned 20 on June 1 — and has demonstrated hints of immaturity throughout his professional career. Most notably, in 2009, he was suspended for a game in Israel for head-butting an opponent. This didn’t help his stock, either.

Tyler averaged 9.9 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Apaches last season, but also averaged just 15.4 minutes. Those numbers don’t exactly scream “immediate NBA contributor.”

Still, size is at a premium in the NBA, as evidenced by the amount of money Eddy Curry has accumulated throughout his career. Someone will take a chance on Tyler, though for now he has been projected as a high second-round pick. At No. 29, the Spurs would have to reach to take him.

There  is some precedent for a player skipping college to play overseas, then making a quick impact in the NBA. In 2009-10, Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings went from the Italian Leagues to third in NBA Rookie of the Year balloting.

Some observers at last month’s draft combine compared Tyler to Ryan Richards, the teenage center from England the Spurs grabbed in the second round last season. With Richards already in the pipeline, and still likely a few years away from NBA consideration,  the Spurs might not be in the mood to take on another big, young project.

Then again, there are worse things than owning the draft rights to multiple big, young projects.

In all likelihood, Tyler will be available when the Spurs hit the clock at No. 29. If other names on their list have already been selected, they could take a look at him.

Mike Monroe: For Spurs fans, Finals offer no good choice

It’s hard to imagine a more compelling 2011 NBA Finals matchup than Mavericks vs. Heat, but most Spurs fans find the prospect of watching it more distasteful than guzzling a gallon of water straight from the San Antonio River.

In San Antonio, these finalists are easy to despise.

This is because one team is owned by a guy who tweaked civic pride by calling The River Walk “that ugly-ass, muddy-watered thing,” and the other is led by a player who ruined his image by letting his entourage hijack it on TV.

Nobody outside South Florida wants to see the Heat succeed, especially not in the very first season after LeBron James made “The Decision” to take his talents to South Beach.

But at least the Heat aren’t the Mavericks, and to Spurs fans, that means they aren’t owned by Mark Cuban.

Cuban never has played one second of a single NBA game, but many Spurs fans deem him evil incarnate.

This proves his marketing genius. As provocateur, the NBA never has seen his like.

This is why some Spurs fans swear they won’t watch a minute of the Finals. They can’t stomach the notion that either James or Cuban will get to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

This attitude is foolish.

This is a matchup with players who someday will be recalled among the game’s best ever.

And storylines? There are plenty.

Can the Mavericks gain redemption five years after the 2006 collapse that followed their 2-0 Finals lead over the Heat?

If James wins his very first title, will he or his sycophants lay claim to Michael Jordan’s widely accepted status as the greatest player in basketball history?

Will 38-year-old Jason Kidd and 33-year-old Dirk Nowitzki finally get the championship rings that will make their Hall of Fame careers complete?

Can Cuban really keep his mouth shut through the entire Finals?

The most compelling reason for fans from San Antonio to Timbuktu to watch the 2011 Finals: They are likely the last NBA games any of us will see for a very long time.

Even with viewership numbers for this playoff run breaking records and worldwide interest in NBA basketball surpassing even David Stern’s fondest imaginings, the league and its players’ union remain miles apart in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement that would prevent a work stoppage.

The owners presented a second proposal to the National Basketball Players Association a few weeks ago, but players to whom I’ve spoken recently are unanimous in their distaste for what they say remains an utterly unreasonable demand that the players give back most of the past 20 years’ gains of collective bargaining.

This is reflected in the recent complaint of unfair labor practices the NBPA filed with the National Labor Relations Board.

With another round of negotiations tentatively scheduled for sometime during the Dallas portion of the Finals, the complaint was clear indication the union does not intend to give in without a fight, even if it means enduring a lockout most players are convinced is coming on July 1.

Small-market owners such as the Spurs’ Peter Holt, who chairs the owners’ negotiating committee, will point out that between them, the Mavericks and Heat will pay their players more than $151 million this season. They contend this proves that liberal salary cap exceptions must be replaced.

Should Cuban’s Mavericks win the title, how will he feel about the prospect his team may not get a chance to defend it before Kidd turns 40?

Even Cuban might be willing to sip from that ugly-ass, muddy-watered thing if it meant that wouldn’t happen.

mikemonroe@express-news.net