Monday, February 9th, 2009...9:52 am
The Notebook: Spurs-Celtics, 2/8/09
For the purposes of full disclosure, I didn’t have an opportunity to turn on the game until halftime so our very potent first half performance is about to go unaddressed. If anyone would like to discuss it in the comment section below, feel free.
Although our January 14th victory over the Lakers is a close second, I think this is our signature win so far this season. The Celtics are the defending champs and, although they’ve struggled against the legitimate contenders in the league this season (so far they are 1-4 against LA, Cleveland, and SA), they remain the team to beat. Not to mention few squads protect their house the way the Celts do.
When I flipped on the game the second half was about to begin and the Spurs possessed an 8 point lead. Don’t worry, they would lose the lead almost immediately by going 0 for 5 to begin the 3rd and allowing the Celtics to score 12 unanswered points. Although the Spurs would eventually muster enough focus to keep the game tight, we spent most of the quarter teetering on the edge of collapse. Luckily the Spurs snuck their way into the 4th down only two points.
The fourth quarter saw significant production from some unlikely heroes. Many people have focused on Matt Bonner’s stellar day (23 points on 10-17 shooting, 3-6 from 3-point range) but the more notable performance, in my humble opinion, came from George Hill. Hill’s stat line ( 7 points, 3 boards, 1 block, 1 turnover) doesn’t do him justice. As many of our starters took a rest Hill single-handedly kept the game close. He blew past Kevin Garnett for a layup, absorbed a tough foul from Glen Davis and just generally took it Boston.
When Hill is playing instinctively he is playing best. His long-range jumper seems to arise out of nowhere. His drives to the lane occur without warning. His most impressive defensive plays seem entirely unexpected. And part of the reason is because he seems so calm and natural while doing it. You might say he doesn’t have a “tell.” The Spurs are oftentimes characterized as cerebral or crafty; their talent is supplemented by their wit. But in the case of Hill, the man just seems to have a quiet gift for the game.
But Hill’s performance only paved the way for the two spectacular plays with which we would ensure victory: Roger Mason’s 3-pointer with 20 seconds left and Manu Ginobili’s steal.
After Garnett missed a mid-range jumper off a pick and roll (which our coverage of is my only major criticism of the last 5 minutes of basketball we played) Mason collected the rebound and, rather than call a timeout, immediately forwarded the ball up the court. Popovich had been asking the team to pick up the pace all evening, probably because the Celtics are one of the few teams who cannot be consistently outmaneuvered in methodically planned half-court sets for a full 48 minutes. You have to be prepared to take advantage of the holes they leave open while in transition. Mason did just that.
He forwarded the ball along the sideline, cut to the top of the arc, turned and nailed a three. I erupted from my chair, unable to control myself. (My girlfriend had her feet draped across my lap and moved them the play before saying, “you are obviously going to be standing and screaming by the time this is over.”) I’ll never understand why Roger Mason’s indomitable swagger still catches me off-guard; by now I really should expect nothing less. But every time Mace goes in for the kill, I briefly forget that, although I’m a nervous wreck, he doesn’t have a doubt in his mind where that ball is going to end up. Late-game Mason is a thing of beauty.
But Mason’s dagger could have been just another great shot in a close loss were it not for the legerdemain of Manu Ginobili. On the ensuing possession, Manu darted out in front of Ray Allen’s inbounds pass and took off for the opposite end of the floor when he was grabbed by Paul Pierce from behind. Pierce’s foul was ruled a clear path foul, giving the Spurs two shots (Manu made both) and the ball. Manu would also make both free throws after being fouled on the following possession. In under 2 seconds of game time, the Spurs went from being down by 1 to ahead by 6. Because of some startling 3-pointers by Eddie House and Kevin Garnett, the Spurs would have to keep making their free throws in order to maintain a lead, but they did so, going 4 of 5 over the next 19 seconds and walking away with a 105-99 win.
Looks like Pop knew what he was doing after all.
The next stop on the Rodeo Road Trip is New Jersey, where the Spurs will take on the 24-28 Nets Tomorrow night.
14 Comments
February 9th, 2009 at 10:20 am
I disagree about the third quarter-I thought it was important to the win. The C’s got hot in the first quarter, then cooled off in the second, which was when the Spurs started making everything and pulled ahead. Naturally, they came down a bit to start the third.
What I liked is that Pop went with a defensive lineup mid-way through with Hill, Bowen, and Thomas playing together. Obviously, that’s not going to score a lot of points, but they buckled down on Boston and set the tone for the rest of the game.
The popcornmachine.net numbers back it up-the major deficit in the third came with the starters in the game.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:29 am
Agree with you - this was a huge win that should provide the boost needed for a strong second half surge. I would still love a trade that brings back a hard-nosed PF like Nick Collison, though.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:31 am
we were down one when mason hit the three..manu’s four free throws put us up by a comfortable six.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=290208002&period=4
February 9th, 2009 at 10:34 am
first half commentary…
it seemed like both teams were just going through the motions and everyone esp bonner was knockin down shots. seemed like we had an easier time executing in boston than when the lakers were in boston. the celts didn’t really get fired up until halftime.
go spurs and big shot rog! comes through again on nat’l television!
February 9th, 2009 at 10:49 am
In 2007 at about this same point in the season, Pop told his players that there would be no trades. The message? “I believe we can win it all with this group.” That confidence builder served us well. I believe with this sequence: the Denver and Boston games, he was doing the same. By resting his stars against Denver, he was saying: “I am removing any and all excuses for losing against Boston. Why? Because I believe this group is good enough to beat what is arguably the best team in the league.” It was a high stakes risk; the kind Pop is known for. Had we lost, it could have been a serious blow to the team’s self confidence. As it is, I think the guys now know that they can hang with anyone. I doubt that we make any big trades this year. Biggest win of the year? Damn straight, and we can only hope the ultimate result is the same as in ‘07.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:55 am
I am a high school and college English lit and writing professor and a hard-core Spurs fan, so I totally love and enjoy this blog and website in general. Two things that I really appreciate: your description of G Hill as “the man just seems to have a quiet gift for the game.” What a perfect encapsulation of this talented young man’s game.
And secondly, I like your use of “legerdemain” in describing Manu’s craftiness (although I would argue it was Allen’s sloppiness more than anything) in stealing that end-bounds play.
Keep up the wonderful writing and analysis, and kudos to espn.com for pointing me to this page that has become a daily habit.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:42 am
I was at the game, and heard something I thought I’d never hear:
“This Matt Bonner is killing us!”
February 9th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Erupted from your chair? I stood up the entire 4th quarter.
February 9th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
I, much like all of you, about soiled myself when Mason hit that shot, but I actually jumped up when Mason got the rebound yelling for him to pass it. Then screamed obscenities when he took the shot because of some of the other poor shots he had attempted prior to that. Obviously I am happy that the shot went in, but will he always make those shots? Specifically, in the playoffs? I love the guy, but he makes me very nervous.
February 9th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
While I’ll agree with most of what was said here, I have a disagreement with what a lot of people, mainly talk show radio has to say about the Spurs. With all the talk surrounding San Antonio as a jump shooting team, I believe Pop is still just making adjustments and improvements. I know I have not always liked all his moves and decisions, but with four championships and countless WCF appearances, it is hard to question any of his decisions. When they started 2-5 or whatever the record was, I had no worries, even though talk show radio was talking tanking. I believe that Pop is doing something no other coach does. Develop his bench so when the playoffs do come around, the reserves are ready and able, not just ready. Mason, Jr. and George Hill have been absolutely phenomenal. Again, Pop proves his genius. As for the rest of the NBA, be ready for a well conditioned winning team. Tim is not shouldering the load, like at the beginning of the season, and Ginobili’s minutes can be monitored more closely. And Tony has a real backup, for the first time in a long while. Sure Speedy and Vaughn have been great over the years, but truly, would you take one of those guys over Hill right now? Here’s looking to a great post season, hopefully we go in healthy and clicking…
February 9th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
All great observations.
Just wanted to point out our coverage of Pierce in the third and fourth really kept him quite, especially with Manu on him. Look for this to change next time. It will be hard to stop the guy, but gotta keep him inefficient.
February 10th, 2009 at 6:25 am
So do you think the Spurs were aiming for George Hill in the draft all along? Was Batum just bait? Or do you think they would’ve preferred Batum to Hill?
February 10th, 2009 at 6:43 am
It would have been nice to get Batum, but I’m sure right now the trade talk wouldn’t be about finding a good defender, it would be “let’s find a real backup for Parker” - it’s an endless quest for perfection
February 10th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Daniel,
I addressed those questions here.
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