Game Preview #77: San Antonio Spurs @ Sacramento Kings [Updated]
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 6, 2010 6:00 AM CDT
in Game Previews
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No words necessary to describe. You know what it is.
Oh, snap. Another potential letdown game? Please, Manu! Save us!
Nothingness Worthlessness, after the jump.
Because the comics are so fugly, you might want to read it while listening to a couple of tunes from Kings of Leon, one of my favorite bands. Yeah, it sucks that they're pretty mainstream nowadays but I think their music still rocks.
Spurred to Action Returns!
I have a few more strips ready but guess I'll spare you the agony and just save it for the Suns preview. Off to the Kings preview then.
 San Antonio Spurs @ Sacramento Kings Where: ARCO Arena - Sacramento, CA When: April 6, 2010; 9:00 PM Spurs time Watch: FSNSW (SA), CSN-CA (Sacramento)
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 Roger Mason, Jr. Fails At Life |
Point Guard Tony has been out for awhile and now, George. Somebody needs to make an offering to the basketball gods soon, for good health entering the playoffs. I'm gonna put RoMaJu here because well, he's the next PG we have even though he really sucks at playing Add to that the fact that Beno has been playing well as of late and the Kings pretty much own this match-up.
Advantage: Kings |
 Beno Udrih Not Pop's Favorite |
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 Manu Ginobili POTM Snubee |
Shooting Guard I don't care if 'Reke is a ROY candidate. He hasn't faced Manu in god mode yet. Best of luck to the young fella. Advantage: Spurs |
 Tyreke Evans ROY Candidate |
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 Richard Jefferson Realized Potential? |
Small Forward If you combined RJ's athleticism with Noc's ferocity and devil-may-care playing style, that would've been a real asset to the Spurs. Alas, we are left with only one half of it. But at least RJ's been playing well on both ends as of late, for a winning team mind you, while Nocioni is wallowing in mediocrity, so beggars can't be choosers in this one. Advantage: Spurs |
 Andres Nocioni Another ARGENTINE |
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 Tim Duncan Time Duncan |
Power Forward I like "Time Duncan" as a nickname. If you're a Negative Nancy, you can view it as Tim being the slowly closing window of opportunity for the Spurs' championship aspirations. On a more positive tone, it could convey throwback performances from the GPFOAT, just like what we saw against Pau and the Lakers. On the other end, Morey trading Carl Landry has been really a head-scratcher. Landry was, I believe, one of the frontrunners (along with Jamal Crawford of the Hawks) then for 6th man of the year honors and was really playing well for the Rockets. And then BOOM. Off his butt goes to Sactown. Landry's energy always gives the Spurs' problems, so hopefully Tim won't take it easy on the kid. Advantage: Spurs |
 Carl Landry Former Rocket |
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 Antonio McDyess Dice Is Nice |
Center Dice has been playing solidly against the contenders, and that's all you could ask for against the old man. He'll be matched up tonight, however, against a very athletic and long player so expect a bit of a letdown from the veteran.
Advantage: Kings |
 Jason Thompson Good Young Big Man |
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 DeJuan Blair Walling |
Bench & Role Players Bonner's a key cog to this bench squad. There, I said it. This version of BAM may not outscore opponents, but contributions to defense by The Hoagie Hammer and The Bogeyman have been crucial in the last few games. The Kings have a really decent core going, which includes nice rookies in Omri Casspi and a seldom-used but probably useful Jon Brockman. Oh yeah, expect a Fatality sighting in this one. Advantage: Spurs |
 Omri Casspi Israeli Baller |
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 Gregg Popovich "NBA Champions" |
CoachPop is in full-on "avoid L.A. at all costs" mode, so hopefully he won't fall for the same TARP twice. Advantage: Spurs |
 Paul Westphal Killer Horse Game |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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Maybe the good thing that came out of that Jersey loss is that the Spurs won't take these Kings lightly. Advantage: Spurs |
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Mojo |
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What if the mojo was the one who really caused that LA earthquake, trying to make its presence felt after being declared dead for so long? Bah, all lies I tell you. Advantage: None |
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Winner: |
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| Spurs win. Or we can always win against the good teams and lose versus the bad ones. That's how we sorta roll. | ||
Keys To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleGreat. We catch the Suns on a SEGABABA at their place without two PGs who can probably shred Steve Nash and the Suns defense to pieces. After that, the Spurs get a day off and close out their season series with Memphis at the AT&T. The Kings are on the second game of a four-game homestand against the West. Good luck to them. Last Time They MetThe Spurs nearly let this one slip, 115-113 last February 3, because some people decided to do their best Adam impersonation and call it a game too soon. Not cool. Make no mistake about it folks, another attempt at that and the ban hammer will be having a party dropping on people's heads. |
Some Other ReadingKingsSactown Royalty - The Kings' SBN blog. Run by Ziller, it's a very active site with some great chops. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: The best TrueHoop team blog. If you haven't been visiting lately, shame on you. Their insightful musings have been otstanding lately, especially with the addition of Jesse and Andrew. |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired on Fox Sports Net SW in SA and CSN-CA in Sacramento. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on. OnlinePlease don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to poundingtherockmail@yahoo.com for more assistance. NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
129 comments
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5 recs |
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Comments
Malik Hairston time
"He was just a young skinny guy who looked like a winner. We didn’t know he was going to be as good as he is."
—Popovich on Manu Ginobili
Yes.
You shall have no other Manu before me.
by day_late_friend on Apr 6, 2010 9:26 PM CDT up reply actions
And since this is the first game of the annual Rodeo Road TripTM,
Wow – it is coming really late in the season this year isn’t it – it almost seems like the RRT has already gone by. But right on cue, the Spurs are playing their best ball going into the RRT.
Hey, Timmeh Cee… you got the game thread?
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 6, 2010 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions
Yep, it’s all queued up and ready to go.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
O-some.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 6, 2010 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions
I prefer a different king, and it’s not those of Leon. But those….OF DIAMOND!!!!!
Evey- "Are you a crazy person?"
V- "I'm quite sure they'll say so."
V for Vendetta, blowing your mind away since 2005.
thin at pg got some suggestion..
oops i accidentally pressed post…anyway,we have 15 guys in the roster.and since we don’t use ian i guess it would be better to active jerrells and gee that would make it 12…i mean we don’t use ian in any games anyways so why not try gee(if he can play sg,cuz off course we need a play maker that is experienced in pg,and that’s manu) and curtis(if he can play point if manu rests.)
i really hope pop think about this and may use it.
Jerrells makes a lot of sense, since he’s kind of a natural scorer. He obviously won’t be as good at it as Tony or George, but it makes sense to use him in an emergency situation(Make no mistake, this is an emergency).
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
definitely an emergency, i mean mason?!
if he was mason of 08-09 resurrected than he should run the sg not the pg and that’s fine with me…i don’t really think he could run pg…we should use curtis(i know his not that good like tp),and gee ,come on his playing great i think he might give manu some rest but i really think he should improve his defense though
If the starters (Manu, Tim, RJ, Dice, and whoever gets George’s spot) can get a big lead on this squad then it doesn’t matter who plays PG. Heck, Ian can run the point at that point. But we need a big lead regardless to give the guys some rest for tomorrow
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
Someone correct me, if I’m wrong, but are Jerrells and Gee just ineligible for the PLAYOFF ROSTER or the active roster entirely?
...!!
Unless Mason Jr. jumped into the same Hot Tub Time Machine that Duncan did on Sunday, this could be a long, terrible evening.
As much as Manu’s been in “god-mode” lately, he’s due for an off shooting night. Heresy? Sacrilege? So what. I don’t give a damn. He’ll still find ways to make his mark in the game, but the Spurs need a huge scoring night from someone else. Will this be The Game That Changed Everything for Princess Peanut™?
...!!
I can’t decide if I think the whole The game that changed everything meme is played out yet.
(I’d have said “jumped the shark” if that wasn’t already too much of a cliche itself.)
Alfajores cause mojo! - janieannie
Manu off game tonight: 8/19, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, 25 points. Darn guy couldn’t make it to 30 again.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Kobe, your soul! Don’t do it!
This resulted in a serious GOL.
This preview rates a JTU and a rec. Well done.
Alfajores cause mojo! - janieannie
Thanks, jrw. If I had my own way and some cash to throw around, I’d much rather draw a real comic (a-la GTAS) than use a comic generator. But alas, getting a Wacom or any tablet is a bit expensive for me at the moment.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 6, 2010 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Thaks for the comics!
what a nice way to look back and remember those three masterpieces from EL MANU.
…btw NBA TV is also broadcasting the game… .
and if anything…this is the Game That Changed Everything, for Mason!
Let’s hope
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 6, 2010 12:10 PM CDT up reply actions
If my wife ever gets a new one, I’ll tell her I know who we should send the old one to.
Alfajores cause mojo! - janieannie
Heh. Thanks for the thought, jolly, but you don’t have to. I think I’ll be fine with the usual ’chopping :)
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 6, 2010 7:09 PM CDT up reply actions
I hate late games.
"The Most Interesting Man in the World" wishes he were Manu Ginobili. - janieannie
I love “late” games. Get ready for another one when the Spurs are here tomorrow.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
Nope. I spent all my money on moving this past weekend. I’ll be happy to scream “Suns suck!” out my window if we win, though. Hell, even if we don’t win.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
cool I think I’ll do the same, the screaming out the window thing I mean, although I will be moving soon for the second time in 2 months. Anyways, it won’t work here, people will just think that I’m just a crazy nocturnal guy.
GTFOML!
Sit Timmy and try to jump these guys early so that Manu can play no more than 30 minutes and we can survive a stretch of RMJ turnovers.
And tell the Kings fans that we need the win to continue our quest to dethrone the Lakers. That should get them rooting for the good guys in black, as the enemy of their enemy becomes their friend.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
TP is playing!
Via Twitter: Good news, i’m back !!! I play tonight to Sacramento !!!! Bonne nouvelle, j’effectue mon retour ce soir face à… http://bit.ly/djxjG2
Going for the first even year championship!
Excellent! Then we really should sit Timmy and limit Manu while limiting Tony. It’ll be interesting to see how many minutes Tony plays tonight and then in PHX on the SEGABABA.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I dont think we should sit anyone. Monitor minutes of all 3 for sure, but we can’t afford to ease down too much now.
Going for the first even year championship!
I don’t think of it as easing down. It would be unwise to play Timmy in all four upcoming games (4 in 5 days). Remember how exhausted he looked in the NJ game on a back to back? Or the Laker game two weeks back when it was the third game in four nights? I’d rahter sit him tonight so that he may play in Denver. We can and must beat Sac without TD.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
It’s also important to work Tony back into the lineup to create consistency even with Hill out. These next couple of games are going to be very tough for Pop.
Yep. Pop has to make decisions based on health, rest, matchups, cohesion and potential playoff strategy. I’d sit TD tonight and against Memphis. Manu can have his minutes limited with Tony working himself into game shape although I can’t imagine Pop playing him more than 25 minutes for the first few games. I’d try to have everyone together and in rhythm for the Denver game (if Hill is ready to return). Best of all would be everyone being rested and healthy for the Dallas game which could win the division for us.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I think with Tony on 20-24 minutes max tonight, you play the next two games with Tim and Manu in their normal minutes. If we win both, that determines the rest once we get Hill back into the rotation. If we win both games, our possibilities will be clearer. I’d hate to lose either of these games resting someone and then it is too late.
Admittedly I’m more conservative on this. We should win tonight without Tim and if given a choice I’d still rather lose tonight without him but have him fresh for tomorrow and in Denver. I do not want him getting hurt or further worn down because we feared the Kings. We’re better than that. Having Tony back makes it even easier.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
You make great points. I argue that if we don’t need Tim, his minutes will be low enough to minimize risk of injury or even wear down. Let’s see him only need to play 20 minutes.
If he plays that would hopefully be the limit. These four games in five nights is tough for any team but brutal on older players. And it’s not like we get 2-3 off days afterward. Just one day then Minnesota. One more day then @DAL which would be for a higher seed.
I also really want him rested for Phoenix. He had an excellent game there earlier this season and a win gives us the tiebreaker. Meanwhile they’ll have had three days off.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Can we really win the division still? I thought it was impossible to win with the records we have
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
If we win 5 or 6 of our games including the one @ Dallas, it is possible
If we win 6 games: 53-29, 5 games, 52-30
Dallas is at 50-28 with their current record plus a needed loss to us. If they lose 2-3 games of the following, MEM, @POR, @SAC, @LAC, we could tie them. We own the tiebreak if we beat them the last game. It’s not a horrible schedule, but 3 road games and a tough division home game. They are 5-5 in their L10 too I think.
Unlikely, but possible.
Thanks for clarifying that
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
Really, if we win all 6, we can win the division outright without tiebreaks. Actually, they would only have to lose 1 of those 4 games if we swept the rest of the season. So the unlikely might go to likely if we could find a way to keep up our momentum while working Tony back into the lineup and then Hill.
You got it. I’d bet money that if we win out we’ll win the division since I feel confident that Dallas will lose once before the finale. If we lose once before that game then it’s unlikely they’ll lose twice with their schedule being what it is. We could still go 5-1 and be the #3 seed if Utah loses three times and one of our wins is over Phoenix. That may be just as unlikely (the part about Utah losing).
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
My sentiments exactly.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 6, 2010 1:48 PM CDT up reply actions
I was going to suggest that Pop would start Manu at PG & Bogans at SG, but now that Tony is going to play, well, FUCK YES.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
Thank goodness for Tony and his healing factor.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 6, 2010 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions
I never thought I would be so happy to see the Frenchie back in the lineup….what a fucking nice surprise!!!
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 6, 2010 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions
key to the game: limiting our turnovers, especially with Tony shaking off any rust
anyone know if he is starting?
key to the game: limiting our turnovers, especially with Tonyshaking off any rustplaying
There, fixed it for you. ;)
Yes! when you compare it to Mason’s PG contribution we were getting otherwise, he is the best fuckin’ PG in the NBA right now!!
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 6, 2010 3:23 PM CDT up reply actions
I would love to sit you in front of GOML and have you ask him that question in that manner.
Alfajores cause mojo! - janieannie
I worship Pop. I’d never actually question him. If I ever met him, it would be more Wayne and Garth meeting Van Halen. Nothing good would come of it.
I’m just saying Parker changes the situation. Sadly so does Hill’s injury. Parker isn’t 100% either yet probably. Let’s see how tonight goes.
Mason hasn’t had a single game where he shot over 50% from three with more than 1 attempt since January 29th against Memphis. That was 31 games ago!!! He did it 13 times in the first 45 games.
How did he go from 29% of the time to 0% of the time? That is infinitely worse.
We should have kept Finley and cut Mason……
sadly, mace is hurting me….figuratively…..
I wanted him to be so super awesome so bad….he’s such a good guy and such a good Spur fit. He’s probably the coolest Spur too. It might be Blair now. Youth is cool. Manu has some slickness (on top of his sickness) lately too, and I’m not talking about his head.
You must not have seen Finley in Boston. His missed FT on Friday night allowed Houston to force OT (and win). He’s averaging what, 3 ppg? At least Mason’s excuse is health related. That can be improved. Age can’t.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
Now that Tony is back, it will be interesting to see how Pop decides to play the rotations, since RJ clearly wants to play with Manu and Manu alone. Personally, since he doesn’t score much anyway, it shouldn’t matter who he plays with. He just needs to keep up his aggressiveness and defense. It’s no one else’s fault that he settles for jumpers
"I've got Tim (Duncan) and you don't. That's the difference." -Gregg Popovich
Let’s hope Tony is close to being fully healthy. This seems pretty early for his return and one of the last thing this team needs is for him to be out for a good portion of the playoffs. Manu has been carrying us, but without Parker this team is incomplete.
"The Most Interesting Man in the World" wishes he were Manu Ginobili. - janieannie
can’t take our foot off the gas here (like the trip to NJ), we need everyone of these games to climb the ladder in the west.
Go Spurs!
I’m like a schoolboy on the night before the release of Street Fighter 2 for the SuperNES. (That would be me…19 years ago.)
Getting ready for my drive to Sacramento with my girl. My first and probably last live game this season. (Although if we make it to meet the Lakers..)
I was more than a little sad at Hill being out. So now reading that Parker will be playing, hell yeah! Makes me wonder about Pop’s media-playing, “I’m a little worried about what we’re going to do [w/o Hill]”. Now I’m thinking he knew Parker might be available and was just playing us. Love it. I commented on the weirdness of him saying this earlier, and now I know why it seemed strange.
Should be a perfect game to get Parker back into the rotation and get him used to our winning ways of late, before Phoenix tomorrow. Hopefully he only plays around 20 mins.
So tonight…
Will I get to see Ginobili go for 40? 50?? (Actually I doubt Pop would even let him. I’d rather he get 30 and a little rest for Phoenix).
Will RJ help pick up some slack and go for 20? (His scoring isn’t as important now that Parker’s back, but I’m still looking for a little consistency from him.)
Will Bonner put in half a dozen of his crazy rockets?
Will Mason make a shot?
Or will the Kings pull off another brutal upset ala the Nets game..
Rest assured PTR faithful I will in my white Manu jersey bringing the Spurs love as much as possible in that god-awful loud as hell little ARCO Arena. We’ll be right in the middle in section 103 half way back. Don’t think I’ll be on TV as I’m opposite the benches, but I’m having my friend Tivo the game since it’s on NBATV. Yay!
Go Spurs!
Not sure how loud it’ll be half full. But bond with those around you over our shared Laker hate. And bring home the win.
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I live west and a little north. 2 1/2 hrs from Sac, closer to the coast. I’m 2 hrs N. of San Fran as well. So I get my choice of Kings and Warriors beat downs. : )
My brother lives in LA but that’s 10 hrs away. I drove all the way down and took him to the W. Conf Finals couple years ago, paid a fortune for those seats, and unfortunately we got blown out of course. My record is sadly not so good.
I had tix in 103 a few years back for the playoffs when I was still in Sacto. Crazy.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
Which year was that? I was there when we played them.. I think in our championship run in 2007. Unfortunately I was there for the game we lost. I was a couple sections over. I remember there was a family there down in the middle including two little kids, all dressed in black Bowen jerseys. Awesome.
It was ’07. Then I moved to PHX right after the infamous “hipcheck” series.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
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