Tag: Tim Duncan

Manu’s early elbow injury mars Spurs’ 61-53 halftime deficit.

Gregg Popovich’s worst fears — and that of Spurs Nation — were realized barely two minutes into the first half of the Spurs’ final game of the season at Phoenix.

Manu Ginobili went down with what appeared to be a hyperextended right elbow that has knocked him out for the rest of the game.  

The injury occurred with 9:46 left  in the first quarter when Ginobili was coming around a pick set by Tim Duncan and appeared to get his right arm caught between Duncan and Phoenix’s Grant Hill.  

Ginobili stayed down for an extended period before he was taken to the Spurs’ locker room for treatment. X-rays taken at America West Arena were negative and he’s scheduled to have an MRI performed when the team returns to San Antonio on Thursday.

The injury affected the Spurs’ focus for the rest of the first quarter. Phoenix hit 65.4 percent in the quarter en route to a 43-27 lead. It was the most points scored against the Spurs in a quarter this season.   

The Suns pushed their lead to 18 on several occasions later in the second quarter before San Antonio held them defensively with no baskets during a 13-4 spurt that pulled them within 58-51 on a runner by Gary Neal with 2:00 left.

Antonio McDyess got themn within 61-53 at the break after a jumper with 10.8 seconds left.  

Marcin Gorta scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Suns, Grant Hill added 10 points and Steve Nash had eight points and seven assists.

The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan with 14 points and seven rebounds.

But the Spurs’ thoughts were with Ginobili after his injury. I wouldn’t be surprised if Popovich runs a lot of substitutes in the second half as he tries to get through the rest of the game without anybody else getting hurt.

Gasol avoids brotherly bragging

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol talks and texts nearly every day with older brother Pau, the four-time All-Star center for the Lakers.

But he knew better than to dial big brother’s cell phone on Sunday night, no matter how much he wanted to share the joy of his role in helping the Grizzlies get the first playoff victory in franchise history.

“I knew he did not have a good game, and I knew they lost,” Gasol said, “so I knew he wouldn’t be talking a lot.”

Marc Gasol made 9 of 10 shots and scored 24 points Sunday in the No. 8-seed Grizzlies’ 101-98 victory over the top-seeded Spurs in Game 1 of their first-round series that will resume Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Pau Gasol missed 7 of 9 shots and scored only eight points in a 109-100 loss to the No. 7-seed New Orleans Hornets in Los Angeles.

For one night, brotherly love won out over sibling rivalry. But Marc Gasol can take personal pride in knowing he accomplished something with the Grizzlies that Pau Gasol could not in six-plus seasons as Memphis’ starting center — a playoff victory.

The younger Gasol was a pudgy, 23-year-old 7-footer when he arrived in Memphis in 2008, part of the trade that sent his brother to the Lakers.

He has become one of the better centers in the NBA after dropping more than 20 pounds last summer and gaining confidence that he could play in the post. He averaged 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in 81 games this season, teaming with Zach Randolph to give the Grizzlies a beefy, 1-2 punch in the middle.

His progress and potential have been so impressive that Randolph made certain the Grizzlies intended to keep Gasol around before he agreed to sign a $71 million contract extension that will keep him in Memphis for an additional four years.

Randolph agreed to the new deal during the weekend.

“Marc is great, man,” Randolph said. “He has such a high IQ for the game. That’s what I love about him. He’s been playing so long and playing against older guys, because he was playing overseas. He’s a great player. I love playing with him. He plays the right way.”

The Spurs have a healthy respect for Gasol’s skills, though Spurs captain Tim Duncan admitted he occasionally wandered a bit from his defensive assignment on Gasol to keep an eye on Randolph, Memphis’ top scorer against the Spurs in four regular-season games.

“I gave him a bit of an easy time in there trying to have half an eye on Zach, instead of just focusing on Marc,” Duncan said, promising to have “a little better focus in that respect” in Game 2.

Spurs guard Tony Parker didn’t fault Duncan. Gasol, he said, simply had one of those “can’t miss” games.

“He got a lot of points,” Parker said. “He’s not going to play like that the whole series.”

Gasol understands his 90 percent shooting isn’t apt to continue through the series.

“That won’t happen,” he said. “I guarantee that.”

Popovich: Hill to start if Manu can’t

By Mike Monroe
mikemonroe@express-news.net

Manu Ginobili continues to be listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game with a sprained right elbow, but he was hard at work at the team’s practice facility on Friday.

While his teammates prepared for Game 1 of the Spurs-Grizzlies first-round playoff series, injured guard Ginobili worked on cardiovascular conditioning and strength training.

Some of his strength training included lifts with his injured right arm.

While reiterating that there is no change in Ginobili’s status for Sunday’s game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich expressed confidence he would return to action during the series.

“He will be back at some point for sure,” he said.

If Ginobili does not return on Sunday, George Hill will start in his shooting guard spot.

“George Hill will probably take his place as a starter, if, in fact, Manu doesn’t play, and right now, it looks that way,” Popovich said. “We’ve got a day and a half to see if (Ginobili) heals any more, see what’s going on, but at this point George Hill would be the guy who starts.”

It will be important, Popovich said, for Hill to play the aggressive, purposeful game that makes him, in Popovich’s words, “Indiana George.”

“Pop means Indiana George from back in Indianapolis, from college and high school,” Hill said, “being a freak of nature on offense with defense coming first or second. But just having fun out there. Being aggressive at all times.”

Popovich said Hill will be important even if Ginobili suits up.

“With or without Manu, George Hill is important to us,” he said. “He’s a fine, young player and does a good job at both ends of the court. Manu’s injury has nothing to do with George, in that sense. Even with Manu, he’s got to play well for us.”

BRING IT: Convinced the Grizzlies rested key players in their final two games to ensure they would land in the No. 8 seed and face the Spurs, rather than the No. 2 seed Lakers, the Spurs have mustered up a sense of mild outrage.

“Let’s play basketball,” Hill said. “I can see them going through those steps. Who cares what they did, if they sat, or if the coach coached or didn’t coach. The playoffs are different though. I don’t know why they want us so bad. We’re 2-2 against them. Fifty percent. But if that’s what they want, to take their chances against us, then bring it, I guess.”

ZZ TIM: Spurs captain Tim Duncan hasn’t shaved in a while, a scraggly beard getting a tad shaggy in recent days.

Is it a traditional playoff beard, the sort favored by some pro athletes who vow not to shave as long as the playoffs continue?

“It’s more of a laziness beard,” he said, “but we’ll call it a playoff beard. I’ll take that. It won’t last for long, though. My wife’s already disowned me.”