San Antonio @ Seattle Details: Who: (23-24) vs (32-18) Where: Key Arena When: Thursday, Feb 5th, 7pm TV: TNT Projected Lineups: PG: Antonio Daniels/Luke Ridnour SG: Ray Allen/Ronald Murray SF: Rashard Lewis/Vladimir Radmanovic PF: Vitaly PotapenkoVladimir Radmanovic/Reggie Evans C: Calvin BoothJerome James/Vitaly Potapenko Coached by Nate McMillan PG: Tony Parker/Charlie Ward SG: Hedo Turkoglu/Manu Ginobili/Devin Brown SF: Bruce Bowen/Ron Mercer/Hedo Turkoglu PF: Tim Duncan/Malik Rose C: Rasho Nesterovic/Kevin Willis Coached by Greg Popovich Injury List: Nick Collison: shoulder, season. Brent Barry: broken finger, on IL. Injury List Sean Marks: left patella tendinitis, on IL. Jason Hart: left patella tendinitis, on IL. Alex Garcia: right knee contusion, on IL. Analysis: On paper, picking a winner here is not that hard. San Antonio own perhaps the best big man in the world, while Seattle struggle with Eddy Curry. Seems like the final rights to me. However the Sonics seem to play better against the top teams. They have notched wins over Sacramento and the Lakers this season, and were foiled on a last second winner by Dallas. However that does not automatically ensue the Sonics will play hard, as they continue perhaps their toughest stretch of the season. San Antonio have not been at the top of their game recently, but still remain among the frontrunners in the league, and still boast perhaps the deepest rotation going around. Still, you'd rather play them now than as the season winds to a close. The bad news? Seattle still have them twice more after this game. Playoff Time Two years ago, these teams met in a first round playoff match up of the first and eighth seeds. It ended up going to five games, after Tim Duncan and David Robinson both missed games through injury, and Rashard Lewis wasn't fully recovered from a shoulder injury sustained a month earlier. Tony Parker emerged and both Duncan and Gary Payton posted playoff triple doubles in what was an exciting series. [quoteright]"His mobility for his size makes him tough. He can shoot outside. He can put the ball on the floor. One on one, he's tough to stop, especially when he's got position on you. You have to be aggressive. He's a big body, but he gets away from physical play. Physical play distracts him. Still, you can do all of that and it may not be enough." - Vitaly Potapenko on guarding Tim Duncan.[/QUOTERIGHT] Key Factors: - Double Duncan. He's going to get his 20 and 10, that much is apparent, but make them harder for him to get. Double him as soon as he recieves the ball, get a body on him every time a shot goes up, and rotate smartly to avoid giving up too many open jumpers out of the post. It is a lot easier said than done, but it is the way to play if you want to beat the defending champs. - Contain the rest of the team. Obviously the entire offense revolves around Duncan, but containing guys like Parker and Ginobili is one step towards pulling the win. When Duncan is on, the Spurs are hard to beat, but when his teammates are also on, they are unbeatable. Teams can get too Duncan-conscious sometimes, giving up open looks to the aforementioned guys, plus Bowen Turkoglu and Mercer. Keeping a body on cutters too is also vital, as well as Nesterovic, as Duncan is a superb passer for a man his size. - Get the ball in Ray's hands. He'll create for others and he'll score himself, but Seattle need to counter San Antonio's inside dominance from the perimeter. Duncan and Nesterovic will guard the basket, and Ray needs to show why he's a worthy All Star. Daniels and Lewis need to continue their good form too, as will Radmanovic; these guys can't afford to have off-nights against the Spurs. Key Matchup: Vitaly Potapenko vs Tim Duncan For a perimeter orientated team like the Sonics, Tim Duncan is their worst nightmare. He torched them in their earlier match-up this season, posting 27 and 20, and only the most optimistic of fans would have faith in Seattle's abilities to stop the two time MVP. Enter Vitaly Potapenko. Nicknamed the Ukraine Train, Potapenko has played 30 minutes a game for the past three, and has put up numbers around the 10 and six mark. However it's his physical presence and willingness to put his body on the line that is the most valuable part. Although obviously coach McMillan will have to use all his big men on Duncan to avoid foul trouble, Potapenko will likely get first crack, and will look to bully him into taking bad shots and not getting good position down low, both akin to a painful death for opposing big men. At the other end, Potapenko will have to knock down the open jumper that presents itself and make Duncan accountable so he can't clog the lane and crash the defensive glass at will. X-Factors: Reggie Evans - not big enough to start, but his hustle, interior toughness and rebounding prowess will be vital in chipping away at Tim Duncan inside, as always the key to San Antonio's success. Malik Rose - has been in coach Popovich's doghouse all season long, but he's still an energy guy capable of racking up the points in rebounds inside. Tough and mobile around the basket, he could cause trouble for Seattle inside. <font size="1">Player photos and logo images courtesy of NBA.com </font>
Seattle 90 San Antonio 96 So close, yet so far. Again that was the cry coming out of Key Arena. Seattle weathered an early Tim Duncan storm, recovered from a 14 point halftime deficit to pull within four down the stretch, but could not overcome a determined Spurs outfit, with the impressive Hedo Turkoglu icing two late freethrows to complete a 96-90 victory. For the Sonics, Rashard Lewis was impressive with 25 and nine, but missed freethrows at crucial moments put a slight dampener on the game. Ray Allen scored nine of his 22 points in the final quarter, while Antonio Daniels, Vladimir Radmanovic and Vitaly Potapenko all hit double figures. For the Spurs, it was the Tim Duncan and Tony Parker show in the first half. Parker scored 13 of his 18 in the first two periods, while Duncan had 12 of his 23 in the opening stanza, adding 14 rebounds for yet another double double. Turkoglu added 14 and seven, while Manu Ginobili had 13 points and some tough defense off the bench. Sonics lose another close one here; Spurs gave them chances to win it in the second half and they weren't taken. Story of the season, really. <font size="1">Box Score courtesy of NBA.com</font> Next Game: @ Suns, tomorrow
I agree...I think I was satisfied with the rebounding...but no shots (important ones especially) got off...it kind of ticked me off...Bowen vs. Ray Allen? crazy... eh, one of these days they'll have to beat Spurs...maybe the last game vs. them with Spurs (when is that anyways?) and/or next season...
Not sure, but I think there's two more games to be played between them this season. And even though they lost the game, I have to say two things. 1. It seems like Tim Duncan never gets blocked playing any team other than the Sonics. Hmm. Last time, Booth threw, this time, James. 2. Ray Allen shook the hell out of Ginobili on that one play in the late third/early fourth.
