San Antonio Spurs

[ManWhore]

Nangutana ra ko ha.

[Motownkid]

What happened to Tony Parker, sakit lawas?.. unproductive night, samot ko kalubong sa akong Fantasy ani..

Ang one of the "old guys" naman hinuon ang nag mangtas 28pts, 16rebs, 2stls.. wala lay support

[makie]

maybe naa toy effect ang hard fall ni parker versus the hornets? dili kaayo siya productive kontra sa bulls.

[tackielarla]

Everyone had an off night. It happens. Nothing to get worried about folks.

[ballsandword]

Asa man inyo second unit that can play with the opposing team's starting five?

ayaw ana bro...kay masuko nya sila...

[tackielarla]

Asa man inyo second unit that can play with the opposing team's starting five?

Actually, they played. But they lost.

[ManWhore]

Bitaw ana gyud na, daghan pa chance para makabawi.

[tackielarla]

In fact, it was during the play of the second unit that we (kinda) did a little run. Unfortunately it didn't suffice. The Bulls wanted that game more. Hats off to them.

[tackielarla]

Despite the win, it was just beautiful to watch Timmy play with such precision and grace: 28 points, 16 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.

And that's still with a knee brace on.

[tackielarla]

Duncan not enough against Bulls
Mike Monroe

CHICAGO — As he walked towards the bench in the minutes before tipoff for the Spurs' game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center, coach Gregg Popovich made a promise: Win or lose, he was going to enjoy some bratwurst and sausage before heading back to San Antonio.

When he emerged from his team's locker room after the Spurs absorbed a 92-85 loss, he wiped at the corners of his mouth.

“I had to throw one down quick,” he said. “It was pretty good. I had the Italian sausage. I'll have the bratwurst when I go back in.”

Just as conventional wisdom allows that everyone is better off not watching how sausage gets made, Popovich didn't really feel like overanalyzing a performance that was the polar opposite of his team's 113-96 victory over New Orleans just 24 hours earlier.

“Chicago did a great job,” he said. “They had more guys come to compete than we did. We had one guy who came to compete, and that's not good enough.”

The one competitive Spur: Tim Duncan, whose 13-for-19, 28-point, 16-rebound masterpiece was rendered meaningless.

Manu Ginobili was the only other Spur to score in double figures, getting 12, though he needed 11 shots to get them.

Tony Parker, who had scored 17 in the opener, scored only eight points, all in the first half.

The Spurs' bench, which had outscored the starters on Wednesday, totaled only 27.

“Tim did a great job, and we couldn't help him out, and that's why we lost,” said Ginobili. “In the NBA, one guy can't beat anybody. So we've got to play with better effort, and better everything.”

No Bull scored more than 17 points, but all five starters scored in double figures. They also got 14 points off the bench from Kirk Hinrich.

Mostly, the Bulls played harder than the Spurs, especially when the ball came off the backboard or rim. Most damaging: Their 22 second-chance points, off 15 offensive rebounds.

“Their team competed, so they deserve a lot of credit,” Popovich said. “They kicked our tails and were more aggressive — loose balls, boards, the whole deal.”

The opening-night emotion that had carried the Spurs to a victory over the Hornets — a win so convincing that the most optimistic of the team's fans began clearing their June calendars — went missing somewhere on the post-game flight to the Windy City.

The same sentiment that pushed the Spurs on Wednesday carried the Bulls to a victory that was nearly as thorough, even if it was not quite as aesthetically pleasing as the Spurs' win over the Hornets.

“We had such a high last night and played really well, all across the board, and we came out and had one of those nights where we just couldn't make a shot,” Duncan said. “On top of that, they brought a lot of energy to the table. First half they had 19 second-chance points, and that really killed us.

“They did a great job hitting the glass and using their energy. We just couldn't match them and get back into it.”

Indeed, the Spurs trailed by a single point at halftime after Hinrich nailed a 3-pointer with eight-tenths of a second left in the half.

The Bulls stretched the lead to 14 in the fourth period and the Spurs could get no closer than eight thereafter.

When Bulls center Brad Miller pump-faked Duncan off his feet and drove for a reverse layin that stretched an 11-point lead to 13 with 2:30 remaining, the final Spurs' thrust was blunted, and Popovich began thinking about pork products.

“There's no sweet peppers in there,” he said. “I've got to go to the neighborhood bar to get that.”