SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS. DENVER NUGGETS 2007 NBA PLAYOFFS - WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND 1 Nuggets 95 Spurs 89; Nuggets Lead the Series 1-0 2 Spurs 97 Nuggets 88; Series Tied 1-1 3 Sat April 28 San Antonio at Denver 6:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time, ESPN 4 Mon April 30 San Antonio at Denver 8:30 PM Mountain Daylight Time, TNT 5 Wed May 2 Denver at San Antonio 6:00 PM Mountain Daylight Time 6* Fri May 4 San Antonio at Denver TBD TBD 7* Sun May 6 Denver at San Antonio TBD TBD *If Necessary NUGGETS PROBABLE STARTERS <u>KEY</u> Position Number Player Height Weight Points, Rebounds, and Assists Per Game Points and Minutes Last Game Highlights [imgl]http://espn-ak.starwave.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3706.jpg[/imgl] Small Forward 15 Carmelo Anthony 6-8, 230 28.9 ppg; 6.0 rpg; 3.8 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 28.9 points per game in 38.2 minutes per game= .76 points per minute Last Game: Posted his third career playoff double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds in 44 minutes in Game 2. [IMGl]http://espn-ak.starwave.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3605.jpg[/IMGl] Power Forward 31 Nen? 6-11, 260 12.2 ppg; 7.0 rpg; 1.2 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 12.2 points per game in 26.8 minutes per game= .46 points per minute Last Game: Set playoff career-highs of 17 points, eight FG makes and 15 FG attempts in 36 minutes during Game 2. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3084.jpg[/IMGl] Center 23 Marcus Camby 6-11, 235 11.2 ppg; 11.7 rpg; 3.2 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 11.2 points per game in 33.9 minutes per game= .33 points per minute Last Game: Had a playoff career-high-tying 18 rebounds, while his 17 defensive boards set a Nuggets NBA playoff record. [IMGl]http://espn-ak.starwave.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3094.jpg[/IMGl] Shooting Guard 3 Allen Iverson 6-0, 165 26.3 ppg; 3.0 rpg; 7.2 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 26.3 points per game in 42.5 minutes per game= .62 points per minute Last Game: Had 20 points, five assists and three steals in 45 minutes at San Antonio in Game 2. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3741.jpg[/IMGl] Point Guard 25 Steve Blake 6-3, 172 6.4 ppg; 2.0 rpg; 5.0 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 6.4 points per game in 27.1 minutes per game= .24 points per minute Last Game: Set playoff career-highs in points (8) and assists (7) and tied a playoff career-high in rebounds (4) in Game 2. NUGGETS MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS FROM THE BENCH <u>KEY</u> Position Number Player Height Weight Points, Rebounds, and Assists Per Game Points and Minutes Notable [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3835.jpg[/IMGl] Shooting Guard 1 J.R. Smith 6-6 220 13.0 ppg; 2.3 rpg; 1.4 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 13.0 points per game in 23.4 minutes per game= .56 points per minute 3-Point Shooting %-Accuracy: .390 [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3953.jpg[/IMGl] Guard-Forward 43 Linas Kleiza 6-8 235 7.6 ppg; 3.4 rpg; 0.6 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 7.6 points per game in 18.8 minutes per game= .40 points per minute 3-Point Shooting %-Accuracy: .376 [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3663.jpg[/IMGl] Power Forward 30 Reggie Evans 6-8 245 4.9 ppg; 7.0 rpg; 0.7 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 4.9 points per game in 17.1 minutes per game= .29 points per minute Rebounding: has averaged 7.0 rebounds per game in just 17.1 minutes per game [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3437.jpg[/IMGl] Small Forward, Power Forward 21 Eduardo Najera 6-8 220 6.6 ppg; 4.1 rpg; 0.9 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 6.6 points per game in 22.1 minutes per game= .30 points per minute FG Shooting: 204-354 .576 SPURS PROBABLE STARTERS <u>KEY</u> Position Number Player Height Weight Points, Rebounds, and Assists Per Game Points and Minutes Last Game Highlights 2007 Playoffs Highlights 2006-07 Season Highlights [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3167.jpg[/IMGl] Small Forward 12 Bruce Bowen 6-7 200 6.2 ppg; 2.7 rpg; 1.4 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 6.2 points per game in 30.0 minutes per game= .21 points per minute Last Game: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals 2007 Playoffs: Averaging 7.0 points and 2.0 steals in 26.5 minutes?shooting .556 (5-9) from the field and .667 (4-6) from three-point range. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 6.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30.0 minutes? shoot .405 (189-467) from the field and .384 (89-232) from three-point range. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3173.jpg[/IMGl] Power Forward 21 Tim Duncan 6-11 260 20.0 ppg; 10.6 rpg; 3.4 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 20.0 points per game in 34.1 minutes per game= .59 points per minute Last Game: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks 2007 Playoffs: Averaging 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 blocks in 36.5 minutes ? shooting .471 (16-34) from the floor. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 20.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 blocks in 34.1 minutes ? shot .546 (612-1,119) from the field. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3364.jpg[/IMGl] Center 16 Francisco Elson 7-0 235 5.0 ppg; 4.8 rpg; 0.8 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 5.0 points per game in 19.0 minutes per game= .26 points per minute Last Game: 2 points and 5 rebounds 2007 Playoffs: Averaging 1.0 point and 4.5 rebounds in 11.5 minutes?shooting 1.000 (2-2) from the free-throw line. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.1 minutes? shot .511 (144-282) from the field. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3023.jpg[/IMGl] Shooting Guard 4 Michael Finley 6-7 225 9.0 ppg; 2.7 rpg; 1.3 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 9.0 points per game in 22.2 minutes per game= .41 points per minute Last Game: 14 points, 7 rebounds and 1 steal 2007 Playoffs: Averaging, 14.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 32.5 minutes?shooting .458 (11-24) from the floor and .333 (4-12) from threepoint range. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 9.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 22.1 minutes? shot .918 (90-98) from the free-throw line. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3527.jpg[/IMGl] Point Guard 9 Tony Parker 6-2 180 18.6 ppg; 3.2 rpg; 5.5 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 18.6 points per game in 32.5 minutes per game= .57 points per minute Last Game: 20 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists 2007 Playoffs: Averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 37.5 minutes ? shooting .400 (14-35) from the floor. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 32.5 minutes? shot .520 (570-1,096) from the field. SPURS MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS FROM THE BENCH <u>KEY</u> Position Number Player Height Weight Points, Rebounds, and Assists Per Game Points and Minutes Notable [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3380.jpg[/IMGl] Shooting Guard 20 Manu Ginobili 6-6 205 16.5 ppg; 4.4 rpg; 3.5 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 16.5 points per game in 27.5 minutes per game= .60 points per minute 3-Point Shooting %-Accuracy: .396 [IMGl]http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3017.jpg[/IMGl] Guard-Forward 17 Brent Barry 6-7 210 8.5 ppg; 2.1 rpg; 1.8 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 8.5 points per game in 21.4 minutes per game= .40 points per minute 3-Point Shooting %-Accuracy: .446 [IMGl]http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/3988.jpg[/IMGl] Center 7 Fabricio Oberto 6-10 245 4.4 ppg; 4.7 rpg; 0.9 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 4.4 points per game in 17.2 minutes per game= .26 points per minute FG Shooting: 158-281 .562 [IMGl]http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/sp/v/nba/players/2005/830.jpg[/IMGl] Power Forward 5 Robert Horry 6-10 240 3.9 ppg; 3.4 rpg; 1.1 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 3.9 points per game in 16.3 minutes per game= .24 points per minute 3-Point Shooting %-Accuracy: .336 NUGGETS RED CROSS REPORT OUT: Kenyon Martin underwent successful surgery on his right knee on 11/15 and will miss the remainder of the season. SPURS RED CROSS REPORT No Injuries THE MATCHUP BY THE NUMBERS KEY FOR TEAM STATISTICS: PPG Points Per Game (measures offense) OPG Opponents Points Per Game (measures defense) FG% % of All Shots Made (2's and 3's) 3PT% % of 3-Point Shots Made FT% % of Free Throws Made RPG Rebounds Per Game APG Assists Per Game SPG Steals Per Game BPG Blocks Per Game TO Turnovers Per Game ...............PPG. OPG. FG% 3PT% FT% RPG APG. SPG. BPG. TO NUGGETS 105.4 103.7 .465 .336. .746 43.4 23.4 8.27 5.30 16.5 SPURS..... 98.5 ..90.1 .474 .381. .751 40.7 22.1 7.16 5.09 13.9 HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS SMALL FORWARD MATCHUP [imgl]http://espn-ak.starwave.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3706.jpg[/imgl] NUGGETS Small Forward 15 Carmelo Anthony 6-8, 230 28.9 ppg; 6.0 rpg; 3.8 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 28.9 points per game in 38.2 minutes per game= .76 points per minute Last Game: Posted his third career playoff double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds in 44 minutes in Game 2. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3167.jpg[/IMGl] SPURS Small Forward 12 Bruce Bowen 6-7 200 6.2 ppg; 2.7 rpg; 1.4 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 6.2 points per game in 30.0 minutes per game= .21 points per minute Last Game: 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals 2007 Playoffs: Averaging 7.0 points and 2.0 steals in 26.5 minutes?shooting .556 (5-9) from the field and .667 (4-6) from three-point range. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 6.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 30.0 minutes? shoot .405 (189-467) from the field and .384 (89-232) from three-point range. POWER FORWARD MATCHUP [IMGl]http://espn-ak.starwave.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3605.jpg[/IMGl] NUGGETS Power Forward 31 Nen? 6-11, 260 12.2 ppg; 7.0 rpg; 1.2 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 12.2 points per game in 26.8 minutes per game= .46 points per minute Last Game: Set playoff career-highs of 17 points, eight FG makes and 15 FG attempts in 36 minutes during Game 2. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3173.jpg[/IMGl] SPURS Power Forward 21 Tim Duncan 6-11 260 20.0 ppg; 10.6 rpg; 3.4 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 20.0 points per game in 34.1 minutes per game= .59 points per minute Last Game: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks 2007 Playoffs: Averaging 18.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 blocks in 36.5 minutes ? shooting .471 (16-34) from the floor. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 20.0 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 blocks in 34.1 minutes ? shot .546 (612-1,119) from the field. CENTER MATCHUP [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3084.jpg[/IMGl] NUGGETS Center 23 Marcus Camby 6-11, 235 11.2 ppg; 11.7 rpg; 3.2 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 11.2 points per game in 33.9 minutes per game= .33 points per minute Last Game: Had a playoff career-high-tying 18 rebounds, while his 17 defensive boards set a Nuggets NBA playoff record. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3364.jpg[/IMGl] SPURS Center 16 Francisco Elson 7-0 235 5.0 ppg; 4.8 rpg; 0.8 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 5.0 points per game in 19.0 minutes per game= .26 points per minute Last Game: 2 points and 5 rebounds 2007 Playoffs: Averaging 1.0 point and 4.5 rebounds in 11.5 minutes?shooting 1.000 (2-2) from the free-throw line. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.1 minutes? shot .511 (144-282) from the field. SHOOTING GUARD MATCHUP [IMGl]http://espn-ak.starwave.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3094.jpg[/IMGl] NUGGETS Shooting Guard 3 Allen Iverson 6-0, 165 26.3 ppg; 3.0 rpg; 7.2 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 26.3 points per game in 42.5 minutes per game= .62 points per minute Last Game: Had 20 points, five assists and three steals in 45 minutes at San Antonio in Game 2. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3023.jpg[/IMGl] SPURS Shooting Guard 4 Michael Finley 6-7 225 9.0 ppg; 2.7 rpg; 1.3 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 9.0 points per game in 22.2 minutes per game= .41 points per minute Last Game: 14 points, 7 rebounds and 1 steal 2007 Playoffs: Averaging, 14.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 32.5 minutes?shooting .458 (11-24) from the floor and .333 (4-12) from threepoint range. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 9.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 22.1 minutes?shot .918 (90-98) from the free-throw line. POINT GUARD MATCHUP [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3741.jpg[/IMGl] NUGGETS Point Guard 25 Steve Blake 6-3, 172 6.4 ppg; 2.0 rpg; 5.0 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 6.4 points per game in 27.1 minutes per game= .24 points per minute Last Game: Set playoff career-highs in points (8) and assists (7) and tied a playoff career-high in rebounds (4) in Game 2. [IMGl]http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3527.jpg[/IMGl] SPURS Point Guard 9 Tony Parker 6-2 180 18.6 ppg; 3.2 rpg; 5.5 apg Points & Minutes: Averages 18.6 points per game in 32.5 minutes per game= .57 points per minute Last Game: 20 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists 2007 Playoffs: Averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.5 steals in 37.5 minutes ? shooting .400 (14-35) from the floor. 2006-07 Season: Averaged 18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 32.5minutes? shot.520 (570-1,096) from the field.
So far the lil nba Go Nuggets post has been followed by ten wins out of twelve games. So let's see if it can get an eleventh win for 11-2. lil nba: Go Nuggets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! tremaine: Go Nuggets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The form is "Go Nuggets" followed by 32 exclamation points. I think the form must be exact for the good luck to work.
It's time to win the biggest game of the series. We have to break out of the box the coach has put our team in. The Nuggets have to have more than 5 involved. They have to spread the Spurs defense and find the open man, including J.R. or Kleiza on the perimeter. Just a little offense from these two will go a long way. This is a huge game if we hope to play the Warriors for the West Conference title this year. Of course, it could be Houston instead of the Warriors, but I doubt it.
