Write On Sports LLC - "With Duncan out, Spurs come alive" by Jake Lloyd

With Duncan out, Spurs come alive

2007-05-17 13:22:13 | By: Jake Lloyd

Maybe Gregg Popovich was trying to send a message. Maybe he wasn't.

His intention really doesn't matter. All that does is the result.

When Popovich pulled his two-time MVP, Tim Duncan, out of Game 5 of San Antonio's Western Conference semifinals series against Phoenix with 10 minutes remaining and the Spurs trailing 67-58, it was perplexing. After all, if not for Duncan's scoring spurt early in the third quarter -- he scored seven points in just over 3 minutes, before Phoenix started double-teaming him -- the Spurs wouldn't have even been within striking range.

What made the decision even more confounding was that San Antonio's other scorers -- especially Manu Ginobili --had struggled shooting the ball all night. Who was going to pick up the scoring slack with Duncan on the bench?

Sill, Popovich sat down Duncan for what turned out to be a full 3 minutes, and, lo and behold, that's when the Spurs made their run. Suddenly, the other Spurs got the message: Duncan is not going to single-handedly win this game for us.

Michael Finley, who had made just two field goals, knocked down a mid-range jumper. Ginobili stepped into a 3-pointer. Bam! It was a four-point game. Then, after two free throws by Phoenix's Shawn Marion, Bruce Bowen, who had made one field goal all night, knocked down a 3-pointer, and on the next possession, Ginobili didn't hesitate.

All of a sudden, Phoenix's lead was cut to 71-69.

Then Duncan came back in, the Spurs relaxed for a moment, and the lead was back to eight, 79-71, before you could say "Stevenash." But San Antonio's "non-Duncans" were in a groove. A twisting layup by Ginobili, a 3-pointer by Finley and a jumper by Tony Parker set the stage for Duncan to re-tie the game at 81-81 with 1:55 to play.

And, not surprisingly, a "non-Duncan" hit the big shot, the dagger that finally killed a shorthanded Phoenix team that had led almost the entire game despite the absence of Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw.

In an ironic twist, Bowen -- who has committed what some perceive as a couple dirty plays this series without punishment -- received a pass from Parker and buried a 3-pointer from his favorite spot, the corner, to give San Antonio a 84-81 lead with 36.4 seconds to play.

After a couple futile attempts by the Suns to tie the game, the Spurs walked away with an 88-85 victory and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series heading back home for Game 6 Friday night.

"They played great for 42 minutes and we came back in the last quarter," Ginobili said. "You can't relax at all in this series."

Ginobili couldn't be more correct. A lot of people outside of the Phoenix locker room thought that Wednesday's game would be a cakewalk for Duncan and the Spurs. It was more like a "nailswalk."

For three-plus quarters, the Suns played suburb basketball. They didn't score like they normally do, but they played great defense -- yes, we're talking about the Suns -- and they got great contributions from Marion (24 points, including 20 in the first half, 17 rebounds), Nash (19 points, 12 assists) and Kurt Thomas (36 minutes, 15 points, 12 rebounds).

In the first half, with Duncan not asserting himself, the Suns let Thomas guard him one-on-one, and they weren't burned. They led 44-33 at halftime, with the 33 points put up by San Antonio representing its worst output in a half this season.

But Duncan showed some positive signs in the final 2 minutes of the half, scoring two field goals and a free throw. And he carried that momentum into the second half.

But as soon as Phoenix realized Duncan's determination to score, it began doubling him -- forcing the Spurs into several outside shots (near the end of the third quarter, the Spurs shot four 3-pointers in a row, making just one). The strategy worked impeccably at first, as the Spurs threw up brick after brick. The only reason San Antonio trailed just 62-56 after three quarters was that Bowen and Ginobili knocked down 3s in the final 2 minutes of the quarter.

But Phoenix had sent a clear message: Duncan, the two-time MVP and three-time NBA Finals MVP, is not going to beat us. In fact, Duncan's two free throws late in the fourth quarter were his first points since the 8:52 mark of the third quarter. Lucky for Popovich and Duncan, Ginobili n' Crew received the message.

Ginobili scored 12 of his 26 points in the final quarter. Bowen scored all nine of his points in the final 14 minutes. Finley had seven of his 13 in the last 12 minutes.

Like they've done so many times, when the Spurs appeared dead, they made one final push to avoid the grave, devastating a worthy opponent. They stole the game right out of the grasp of the Suns, who were the better team Wednesday night. It might not be fair, but has anything been fair this series?

"We just didn't have enough juice to get over the hump," Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said.

Now, after watching Nash and Marion play 46 minutes, Bell play 47 and Thomas play an uncharacteristic 36, the Suns will have to do what the Spurs pulled off Wednesday.

Steal a game on the road.

It won't be easy.

SUNS FIND A DEFENSIVE STRATEGY
The strategy may have been exposed in the final minutes, but Phoenix found a way to almost completely take Duncan out of the mix for San Antonio. By doubling him and hitting the boards hard (Phoenix outrebounded San Antonio 42-39 despite Stoudemire's and Diaw's absence), the Suns were able to make Duncan a non-scorer the final 20 minutes.

And with Parker not shooting the ball with confidence (he finished with 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting and scored a mere two points in the final quarter), the strategy worked perfectly -- at least until the other Spurs woke up.

The key for Phoenix is to double off Parker, leaving him open but staying on San Antonio's other shooters. Then, if he drives, the Suns step in front to take a charge or make him kick it out.

I'm sure Popovich will make an adjustment to this for Game 6 (maybe something as simple as telling Parker to start shooting with confidence again), but for now, doubling Duncan seems like a good defensive strategy for the Suns.

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