Pounding The Rock - Full Coverage: Orlando Magic @ San Antonio SpursFor all your Manu Ginobili loving and San Antonio Spurs newshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/12497/ptr-fv.jpg2014-03-09T15:07:14-05:00http://www.poundingtherock.com/rss/stream/52504932014-03-09T15:07:14-05:002014-03-09T15:07:14-05:00GIF Breakdown: Spurs vs. Orlando Magic
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<figcaption>Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Spurs closed out the game on a tear to beat the Magic on Saturday night after Orlando hung around for the first 45 minutes of the game. It was Manu, Tony, and Kawhi that played great down the stretch, and we'll look at them and some others in the edition of GIF Breakdown. </p> <p><span>Tony Parker</span> had himself a pretty nice game last night, scoring 30 points on just 19 shots. He was at his best early and late in the game, and we'll start this GIF Breakdown with Tony working some <a href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Magic</a> of his own against Orlando. Parker takes the veteran Magic <i><a href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#poingguard" target="_blank">poing guard</a> </i><span>Jameer Nelson</span> out to the wing to give himself room to attack the rim. Kyle O'Quinn didn't have much of a chance to stop TP once Tony lost Nelson with a nice crossover. Parker uses a couple dribbles, a quick spin into a fake that gets O'Quinn into the air, and finishes the play with a little up-and-under layup.</p>
<p><img alt="Tony_putting_on_a_show" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/4113041/tony_putting_on_a_show.gif"><br id="1394392694564"></p>
<p>Here we see the <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Spurs</a> just getting into the halfcourt as Tony finds a pretty open <span>Marco Belinelli</span> with a pass. Aaron Afflalo closes onto Marco quickly, which leaves <span>Manu Ginobili</span> wide open in the corner. <i>The Spicy One </i>makes a great touch-pass to Gino, and <a href="http://www.nba.com/features/chinese_playenicknames_070329.html" target="_blank">Argentina's Flying Man</a> puts three more on the scoreboard. Ginobili isn't shooting very many corner threes this year, and this was his 12th make from either side on 30 attempts this year (40%.)</p>
<p><img alt="Manu_corner" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/4112969/manu_corner.gif"><br id="1394393544126"></p>
<p>Here's a quick little play that ends in an and-one for Boris Diaw. We see Manu wait for Kawhi to curl around a Boris pick before getting him the ball in stride. Unfortunately Kawhi sees <span>Andrew Nicholson</span> impeding his progress as <span>Tobias Harris</span> recovers and gets back in front of Whi. This allowed Bobo to cut through an open lane to the basket. Kawhi sees him and makes a nice pass to the big Frenchman, who draws a foul and gets the layup to go.</p>
<p><img alt="Whi_to_bobo" class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/assets/4112993/Whi_to_BOBO.gif"><br id="1394394360141"></p>
<p>In this next play we'll see the Spurs in transition again. This play is really pretty. It's so smooth and everything is in stride. It starts with Diaw securing the rebound pushing the ball to Danny who gives it back to Boris. Aggressive Boris attacks the basket as Kawhi goes backdoor. A nice feed from Bobo to get Leonard the open dunk. Bonus GIF content: Baynes with <i>The Hand.</i></p>
<p><img alt="Bobo_to_whi" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/4112989/bobo_to_whi.gif"><br id="1394394826645"></p>
<p>This next play features some great moves from Manu Ginobili. A pump fake, a pivot, a couple jab steps, and another fake from the Argentine before he explodes to the hoop. Gino takes one dribble, weaves his way through a couple defenders in the lane, and finishes on the other side of the basket with a pretty little layup. It's good to see Manu make plays like this happen, and he had a great overall game against the Magic. Five assists to one turnover, as well as 24 points on 17 shots.</p>
<p><img alt="Manu_moves" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/4113003/manu_moves.gif"><br id="1394395698466"></p>
<p>Tiago Splitter followed up his good performance against the Heat with another nice game. With the shot-clock winding down Tiago makes a move to the basket along the baseline and tries to finish with one of his reverse layups. O'Quinn isn't having any of that as he rejects Sparkles' attempt. Tiago stays with the play and the ball takes a fortunate path where Splitter can secure it. With the shot-clock about to expire he fakes and then gets a floater off just before the buzzer sounds. The ball just clears O'Quinn's outstretched hand and drops for the Brazilian big man.</p>
<p><img alt="Tiago_putback" class="photo" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/4112975/Tiago_putback.gif"><br id="1394396281822"></p>
<p>Let's look at one more play in transition. Tiago starts the break looking pretty good and pushes the ball to Whi in stride at the wing. <i>The Sleeve</i> drives into the lane and draws a double team, but he's spotted Danny Green working his way to the left wing where he finds him with a well-placed pass. Green drains the triple on his way to a perfect 4-of-4 from downtown.</p>
<p><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/4113015/tiago_break_KL_to_DG_3.gif" class="photo" alt="Tiago_break_kl_to_dg_3"><br id="1394396771433"></p>
<p>Next we'll see the customary dunk from Whi, and this one really is coast-to-coast. Aaron Afflalo appears to be taken by surprise as Kawhi picks up speed as he moves down the sideline. With Afflalo on his heels Kawhi moves toward the middle of the court, uses a little crossover that freezes Afflalo just for a split second, and Whi finishes the <a href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#OMFB" target="_blank">OMFB</a> with the slam. KaWow indeed.</p>
<p><img alt="Kl_c2c" class="photo" src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/assets/4113373/KL_C2C.gif"><br id="1394397898312"></p>
<p>Manu and Tiago are great at running pick and rolls. Here we see Splitter set a high-screen for Gino, and the Magic trap Manu just above the break. Since he's Manu GInobili he simply makes a perfect bounce-pass between the two defenders that hits the rolling Tiago in his hands on his way to an aggressive dunk.</p>
<p><img alt="Mg_ts_pnr" class="photo" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/assets/4113435/MG_TS_PNR.gif"><br id="1394398008337"></p>
<p>Tony Parker starts and finishes games for the Spurs. So let's end this with another Tony Parker feature. The game was still tight here with about four minutes left in the game. It's Tony Parker time. After his first drive into the lane didn't yield the results he was looking for, he goes into a comfortable pick-and-roll with his longtime buddy Tim Duncan. Finding a little room in the lane, Tony hangs in the air and gets a banker to drop. Nice.</p>
<p><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/4113483/tony_parker_.gif" class="photo" alt="Tony_parker_"><br id="1394398404984"></p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2014/3/9/5488278/gif-breakdown-spurs-vs-orlando-magicChris Itz2014-03-09T11:14:04-05:002014-03-09T11:14:04-05:00Rehash: Spurs exhale, smoke cigarette, beat Magic
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<figcaption>Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Man, these Florida teams are tough. </p> <p><b>Game 62 vs. Orlando: <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> 121, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Magic</a> 112 Rec: 46-16 1st in Southwest, 2nd in West Streak: W-6</b></p>
<p>A game after the Spurs reintroduced themselves into the national conversation when it comes to teams truly capable of winning the Larry O'Brien trophy, coach <span>Gregg Popovich</span> gave signal that a checkpoint of sorts has been passed.</p>
<p>Well, several of them, actually.</p>
<p>First of all, mathematically the team is officially in the final quarter of the regular season with Game 61 behind them. Now we're in the home stretch.</p>
<p>More importantly, we can put the "signature win," stuff to bed, since there were no asterisks whatsoever against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Heat</a>, with both teams red-hot, fairly rested and at full strength. Also, an opponent can't be more respectable than the two-time defending champs.</p>
<p>Perhaps most significant of all though was that the opponent was Miami and the Spurs did beat them, convincingly. Not only was it a relief, but I think finally there is some closure there with that mental block out of the way and now I don't think the team will give last year's Finals a second thought unless they happen to see the Heat again in June.</p>
<p>Though I'm sure the team would all deny it, I don't buy for a second that the Heat game wasn't circled on the calender, from Pop on down. Now that that's behind them, the Spurs can get on with the business of readying themselves for the playoffs, for building game by game to peak in April.</p>
<p>With that comes the establishment of a real rotation and you'll notice, as they did <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489761">a week ago versus the Mavs</a>, the Spurs played a playoff-like 9.5 man rotation in their win over the Madge, with <span>Aron Baynes</span> getting those second quarter spot minutes and none thereafter until garbage time.</p>
<p>Saturday though the minutes were closer to what I imagine they'll be like come playoff time, and what I mean by that is not only sticking to a three bigs rotation but also a lot more small-ball than we've come accustomed to. Against the Magic Pop played small for 21:23, with the Spurs at +8 in that time. <span>Boris Diaw</span> had the lion's share of it with 10:24 of playing time with four smalls and finished -3 in that stretch, <span>Tim Duncan</span> was next --and the most productive-- at 6:36 and a +8, and <span>Tiago Splitter</span> got 4:23 and was a +3.</p>
<p>Of particular interest to me was the Tim Duncan-<span>Kawhi Leonard</span>-Danny Green-<span>Manu Ginobili</span>-<span>Tony Parker</span> lineup that saw a lot of action in last year's Finals but has hardly been used at all this season, just 21 minutes over eight games. They played 4:42 together, in two separate stints against the Magic though and were +12. Overall that lineup has a net rating of 10.4. (Replacing Green with <span>Marco Belinelli</span> produces similar results, but replacing Leonard with Belinellli has been a defensive disaster and replacing him with Ginobili has killed the offense in micro samples.)</p>
<p>My hunch is that while the Spurs probably won't bust out 21 minutes worth of small ball too often, they will use it a lot more than they have been all season long. Against the Heat they got 7:07 and Baynes didn't play until the final couple of minutes. My guess is that over these final 20 games the Spurs will play small between 10-15 minutes on most nights to prep for the playoffs and opponents who are sure to use similar lineups against them. It's true that Diaw provides a versatile buffer for the Spurs, the ability to play against both big and small lineups simultaneously, but with only three bigs in the rotation and two of them centers, playing Leonard at the stretch four in portions of games will be quite necessary. There will also be times where the opponent will go small, without even a stretch four out there, where there won't be anyone on the floor for Diaw to guard.</p>
<p>Incidentally, the team's best lineup in terms of net rating has been the one they used to start against the Heat, with Diaw replacing Splitter. To echo J. Gomez's prediction, I expect the Spurs to start Diaw quite a bit in the playoffs, especially if they draw the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Rockets</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.welcometoloudcity.com/">Thunder</a> or the Blazers. About the only team where it makes absolute sense to start Splitter is Memphis, actually. Every other Western power starts a four who can shoot.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, the scoring-challenged traditional starting lineup managed 31 points (while allowing 24) in 12:32 against Orlando, over the first and third quarters. I'm not sure what we can take away from that in a game where defense was strictly optional for both teams.</p>
<p>It was wholly unsurprising for the Spurs to take their collective feet off the gas pedal following the hill they climbed against the Heat, but it's a testament to their talent that even when they're not physically committed or focused on defense that they can still pass and shoot their way to 120 points against an inexperienced opponent. This was classic low-impact aerobic West-coast basketball, filled with running and scoring but not much banging or grit and Pop probably sensed as much, loosening the reins on Ginobili for 27:13 against a foe unlikely to bang him around much and letting Parker run free for 34:00. Even Leonard, sure to be to in line for a heavy workload come the playoffs, is quietly building his stamina for that undertaking, and he played nearly 38 minutes against the Magic, and was at his strongest in the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>It's got to be a scary proposition for the rest of the league. The Spurs are tied for the best record in the NBA and they're just now finding fourth gear. If they can get past this tricky BABA coming up at Chicago and then the Blazers at home, they're going to be set up for quite a March.</p>
<h4>Standard Pop Quote:</h4>
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<p><i>"I thought Orlando played really good basketball. They were aggressive. They shared it. They were in attack mode all night. I thought their defense was good. We picked our defense up and got a little more physical in the second half."</i></p>
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<p>(I'd rather not imagine how many points the Spurs would have to score for Pop to not be complimentary of the defense of one of his former assistants.)</p>
<h4>By the Numbers:</h4>
<p><b>18,581</b>: The paid attendance at the AT&T Center.</p>
<p><b>18,581: </b>The people in attendance whose hearts skipped a beat when Manu rose up for a dunk that looked exactly like the play he last hurt his hamstring on. He missed the dunk, and came down none the worse for wear.</p>
<p><b>4:</b> Spurs that have cracked 30 points in a game this season now that Parker's done it. Not sure any other NBA team can claim that.</p>
<p><b>5:</b> Spurs that have scored 29 in a game, which has to be the most in the league.</p>
<p><b>9:</b> Spurs that have scored 21 in a game. I mean, come on.</p>
<p><b>4-of-4:</b> Green from the field, all threes. A quiet 12-6-4 for Verde.</p>
<p><b>11-0:</b> The Spurs record when Splitter scores in double digits.</p>
<p><b>3:</b> Combined points for Marco Belinelli and <span>Patty Mills</span> (two of the above-mentioned 30-point scorers) in 32 minutes. The hell?</p>
<p><b>0: </b>Number of teams in the league who have fewer losses than the Spurs.</p>
<h4>Sequence of the Game:</h4>
<p>In a span of 4:07 in the fourth quarter Leonard had two blocks and two steals that led to, in order, two free throws from Parker, two free throws from Leonard (one missed), two more free throws from Parker, and finally a breakaway Leonard dunk. Not coincidentally, those plays were a part of an 18-7 Spurs run that broke open a four-point game.</p>
<h4>Tweets of the Night:</h4>
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<p><span>Jacque Vaughn</span>, on Chuck Barkley saying Spurs too old to win it all: "I think Barkley was saying those things when I was a Spur."</p>
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) <a href="https://twitter.com/JMcDonald_SAEN/statuses/442475202039914496">March 9, 2014</a>
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I'm curious whether there's any opponent the Spurs can draw in the first round where Barkley won't pick the upset. He seems to enjoy his role as a Spurs troll for reasons I don't quite understand.</p>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>$20 says Duncan finishes the game over 50 percent.</p>
— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) <a href="https://twitter.com/danmccarneysaen/statuses/442479723340259329">March 9, 2014</a>
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You're on.</p>
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<p>Probably the worst Tim Duncan Outlet Pass ever.</p>
— Pounding the Rock (@poundingtherock) <a href="https://twitter.com/poundingtherock/statuses/442488409592840192">March 9, 2014</a>
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I feel like we say this every fifth game.</p>
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<p>After 1st half of Spurs-Magic it's Human Nature 1, Spurs 0 ... ORL 61-59 48 hrs. after <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Spurs&src=hash">#Spurs</a> blowout of <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Heat&src=hash">#Heat</a>.</p>
— Mike Monroe (@Monroe_SA) <a href="https://twitter.com/Monroe_SA/statuses/442488898678054912">March 9, 2014</a>
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Duncan owns Father Time but can't deal with Human Nature.</p>
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<p>Vucevic (19 pts, 12 rebounds) pretty much outproducing Duncan and Splitter (14 points, 13 rebounds) combined.</p>
— Dan McCarney (@danmccarneysaen) <a href="https://twitter.com/danmccarneysaen/statuses/442497109208465409">March 9, 2014</a>
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I am an unabashed <span>Nikola Vucevic</span> fan-boy.</p>
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<p>Manu tried to set Splitter up by looking away before he dropped that pass off. <span>Tobias Harris</span> knew it was coming the whole way.</p>
— Matthew R Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Matthew_Tynan/statuses/442501306763071490">March 9, 2014</a>
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You really have to think quite little of the other team to try the same trick four plays in a row.</p>
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<p>The Spurs have scored 100+ for a league-leading 48th time. Tied with Dallas and Porland.</p>
— Project Spurs (@projectspurs) <a href="https://twitter.com/projectspurs/statuses/442503353382105088">March 9, 2014</a>
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National Media: Zzzzzzzzzz.</p>
<h4>Random Observation:</h4>
<p>We might have seen the quickest make-up call in NBA history tonight. With 3:55 to go in the first quarter Duncan was seemingly fouled by Maurice Harkless on a layup attempt but ref Michael Smith didn't make the call. Vucevic got the board and dished it off to Afflalo, who turned to find Ginobili's prodigious schnoz a centimeter from his face and was called for a quick charge by fellow ref Nick Buchert two seconds later.</p>
<p>Also, the Spurs really like Vaughn. I mean, they <i>really</i> like the dude. Not only did Pop give him a minute-long pep-talk after the game, but Duncan and Ginobili also had long exchanges with him and a number of other Spurs made a point of coming by to wish him well. My guess is maybe there are whispers going around that Vaughn isn't long for Orlando --Sean Elliott seemed to imply as much-- and this looked to me a confirmation that should the former Spurs backup point find himself unemployed, he'll be welcomed back as an assistant (and perhaps even be groomed to be Pop's successor) in 0.239 seconds.</p>
<h4>Your Three Stars:</h4>
<p><b>3) Kawhi Leonard (52 pts):</b> Another great box score-stuffing line with 17-6-4-2-2 for Leonard and obviously scoring that many points on just six field goal attempts (he knocked down 6-of-7 freebies, which was nice to see) is impressive and all those steals and blocks late sealed the win. His defense in the first three quarters was nothing to write home about though and I think it's safe to guess that Leonard's wasn't quite as geeked about shutting down Afflalo as he was LeBron two nights before.</p>
<p><b>2) Manu Ginobili (68 pts):</b> Definitely the best Gino's looked since returning from his strained hammy. He doesn't have the lift back quite yet and the three still looks wonky but slowly but surely the fluidity, quickness and rhythm is coming back and with them the confidence. Ginobili had a couple of sick drives to the rim and seems to have a decent idea where that fine line is between "safe" aggressiveness and unnecessary recklessness.</p>
<p><b>1) Tony Parker (95 pts):</b> A season-high 30 for Parker and unlike the Heat game he was able to sustain his energy and effort for the full four quarters instead of just coming out hot and then fizzling. Parker got whatever he wanted against Orlando and played a real smart game, but now the question is whether he'll be able to string back-to-back strong performances together, especially against one of the best defensive clubs in the league. (Also, will he get the chance?)</p>
<h4>Up Next:</h4>
<p><b>@<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Chicago Bulls</a> (34-26), Tuesday, Mar. 11:</b> Though the Bulls dropped their last game, at home, to Memphis 85-77 and have lost two of their past three, they've still lost just 10 games in 2014, one more than Brooklyn and Miami. As you're no doubt aware, they've been without <span>Derrick Rose</span> for most of the year, and they traded <span>Luol Deng</span> two months ago for a few minor picks so he wouldn't leave as a free agent for nothing in the off-season. In a real display of character, the remaining Bulls, led by <span>Joakim Noah</span>, rallied after the trade and now they look like a team that not only should win a playoff round but might make life really uncomfortable for a contender in the conference semis (especially if they meet low-scoring Indiana). Noah is on some kind of passing tear and he's had three triple-doubles in his past ten games including two of the past four. He had a mere eight dimes in <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400489556">Chicago's 96-86 win at San Antonio on Jan. 29</a>, to go along with 10 points, 10 boards and four blocks, as the Spurs played that one without Leonard, Ginobili and Green and had <span>Jeff Ayres</span>, <span>Nando De Colo</span> and... wait for it... <span>Othyus Jeffers</span> in the starting lineup that night. A happier Spurs memory was their last visit to the United Center on Feb. 11, 2013, <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400278486">a game in which they rested the "Big Three," but won convincingly anyway 103-89</a> thanks to Leonard's 26, 18 from Green, and 16 apiece from Splitter and Gary Neal. Really, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Pop puts the guys in position to pull off the same trick again on Tuesday since there's a tough SEGABABA in the offing with Portland back home and both Parker and Ginobili played relatively heavy minutes against Orlando. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced they won't be on that plane to Chicago. I hope Leonard will be, though.</p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2014/3/9/5487164/rehash-spurs-small-lineup-playoff-prepareMichael Erler2014-03-09T06:00:02-05:002014-03-09T06:00:02-05:00Game Links: Magic at Spurs
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<p>With the win over the Magic, the Spurs now share the best record in the Association. Here are your game links for Saturday's matchup against Orlando.</p> <p><a href="http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20140308&game=ORLSAS" target="_blank">Game Flow</a> | <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/shotchart?gameId=400489805" target="_blank">Shot Chart</a></p>
<p>That's right. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">Spurs</a> are tied for the best record in the league. <a href="http://www.nba.com/standings/team_record_comparison/conferenceNew_Std_Div.html?ls=iref:nba:gnav" target="_blank">Here are the standings on NBA.com.</a></p>
<p>On the Big Three playing well down the stretch of the game, <span>Manu Ginobili</span> said postgame, "<a href="http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/2014/03/08/140308ginoblipostgamemp4-3186951/" target="_blank">We need to play together.</a>Even though we have played a million games together, this year we haven't."</p>
<p>On Kawhi Leonard's defense, <span>Tony Parker</span> said, "Pop is very high on him to <a href="http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/2014/03/08/140308parkerpostgamemp4-3186963/" target="_blank">try to be like a little Bruce Bowen</a>."</p>
<p>When asked if the Big Three taking over was a good thing, Popovich answered, "Sure. <a href="http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/2014/03/08/140308poppostgamemp4-3186956/" target="_blank">I don't care who takes over.</a> As long as it's someone."</p>
<p>Manu GInobili was Dan McCarney's player of the game, who was "<a href="http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2014/03/08/live-updates-orlando-at-spurs/" target="_blank">virtually flawless in the 2nd half</a>."</p>
<p>Evan Dunlap, over at Orlando Pinstriped Post, wrote that despite the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Magic</a> losing the game, Nik Vucevic <a href="http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/2014/3/8/5486524/orlando-magic-san-antonio-spurs-final-score-2014-manu-ginobili-tobias-harris" target="_blank">won the individual matchup against Tim Duncan.</a></p>
<p>Project Spurs' Paul Garcia spent a section in his recap focusing on <a href="http://www.projectspurs.com/2014-articles/march/inside-the-victory-spurs-121-magic-112.html" target="_blank">San Antonio's third quarter defense</a>, which held the Magic to 22 points and 38% shooting.</p>
<p><span>Victor Oladipo</span> sat behind the Magic bench, wearing a suit, and clapping every time his teammate did something well. But the Orlando Sentinel's Josh Robbins <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-magic-spurs-game-0309-docx-20140308,0,1655448.story" target="_blank">wrote that cheering can only do so much</a> when facing the Spurs.</p>
<p>Trevor Zickgraf handed out grades over at 48 Minutes of Hell, and coined <span>Matt Bonner</span> as an <a href="http://www.48minutesofhell.com/san-antonio-spurs-orlando-magic-el-conclusion" target="_blank">"only use in case of emergency"</a> type player now.</p>
<p>Next up for the LEAGUE LEADING Spurs are the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Bulls</a> on Tuesday, <a href="http://www.blogabull.com/2014/3/8/5484542/bulls-vs-grizzlies-final-score-bulls-offense-goes-dry-in-final-minutes" target="_blank">who just gave one up against Memphis.</a></p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2014/3/9/5487006/game-links-magic-at-spursStephen Shepperd2014-03-08T22:04:59-06:002014-03-08T22:04:59-06:00Final Score: Spurs come on late, win 121-112
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<figcaption>Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Spurs now have a share of the best record in the league! They've won six in a row and improve to 46-16 to tie Indiana and OKC at the top of the league</p> <p>PThe <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Spurs</a> didn't play very good defense in the first half, and Orlando shot the ball particularly well and took a two point lead into the half. It's not good when you let a team score 61 on you in your own building.</p>
<p>Orlando came out to play tonight, give them credit. It took the Spurs 45 minutes to finish off the <a href="https://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Magic</a>. Every time the Spurs looked like they were going to pull away, the Magic hung in there and the Spurs weren't able to push the lead to double-digits until early in the fourth on a <span>Tiago Splitter</span> 7-0 scoring run (three assists for Manu,) but the Magic scored four straight to cut it to six. It wasn't until Manu converted an and-one to put the Spurs up 10 with two and a half minutes left that it seemed like the Spurs were in full control and the game was essentially over.</p>
<p>A <span>Kawhi Leonard</span> steal and dunk the other way, followed by a <span>Tony Parker</span> triple pushed it to 15 and Pop emptied the bench.</p>
<p>Sure the Spurs didn't play the greatest game but they put up 121 points, got another win, and finished the game executing at a high level.</p>
<h3>Notes:</h3>
<ul>
<li><span>Tony Parker was good tonight after a ho-hum performance against the Heat. He scored 30 points on 19 shots, and finished with a game-high plus-19. </span></li>
<li><span>Tim Duncan struggled shooting the ball tonight after an <a href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#otstanding" target="_blank"><i>otstanding </i></a>performance against the Heat. He did grab 10 boards and block three shots to go with his 11 points (on 13 shots)</span></li>
<li><span>Danny green only took four shots, but they were all threes, and they all went in. That's a 150 true-shooting percentage. He also grabbed six boards and had four assists, two blocks, and a plus-14. </span></li>
<li><span>The only player with a positive plus/minus on the bench was Manu Ginobili. He scored 24 points on 17 shots, and had five assists to only ONE turnover. Stay healthy stay healthy stay healthy</span></li>
<li> <span>Before the game the Spurs had played the schedule with the highest </span><i><a href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#oppenent" target="_blank">oppenents</a> </i>winning percentage. 100-something missed games from the starters and facing the toughest schedule was no matter for the good guys who have a share of the best record in the league. Woo-Hoo!</li>
</ul>
<p><span><br></span></p>
<h4>
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Post-Game Gregg Popovich interview:
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</h4>
<ul>
On the win
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<blockquote>
<ul>
I was real proud of them for grinding that one out. I thought Orlando played really good basketball. They were aggressive, they shared it, they were in attack mode all night, I thought their defense was good. We picked our defense up, got a little more physical, got lose balls and boards, did a better job just grinding it out and grinding it out until we finally got it done. So I was proud of them tonight.
</ul>
</blockquote>
<ul>
On the Big-3 taking over down the stretch
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<blockquote>
<ul>
Sure, I don't care who takes over, just as long as it's someone on the home team.
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On Kawhi Leonard:
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<blockquote>
<ul>
Kawhi is a bad man.
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</blockquote>
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On how much a Whi coast-to-coast steal swings the momentum:
</ul>
<blockquote>
<ul>
significantly
</ul>
</blockquote>
<ul>
Asked if this grind-out game prepared the team for Chicago:
</ul>
<blockquote>
<ul>
Every game is the same in the NBA. It's tough to win a game, Chicago is a fine team in every shape and form...and playing well. It doesn't matter who you go play, home or away, you've got to bring it to win an NBA game.
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</blockquote>
<ul><br></ul>
<ul><br></ul>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2014/3/8/5486572/final-scoreChris Itz2014-03-08T02:30:01-06:002014-03-08T02:30:01-06:00Game Preview: Spurs vs. Magic
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<figcaption>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Spurs host the lottery-bound Orlando Magic as another Florida team rolls into town. </p> <div id="preview-wrapper">
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<h4><b>San Antonio Spurs vs. Orlando Magic</b></h4>
AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX<br>March 8, 2014, 7:00 PM Spurs Time<br> TV: FSSW - RADIO: 1200 AM WOAI</div>
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<p class="p1">That loud noise going on around you is the sound of the masses jumping back on the San Antonio Spurs bandwagon.</p>
<p class="p1">People that watch the team on a nightly basis realized that this squad could not be judged with so many injuries to key players in the starting lineup and off of the bench. Most Spurs fans had not yet leapt off of the cliff this season, but there was a perception beginning to build that San Antonio could not beat the other elite teams in the NBA. Now healthy, that myth was dispelled for good on Thursday night when the Spurs chewed up the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hothothoops.com/">Miami Heat</a>, 111-87.</p>
<p class="p1">San Antonio is starting to play Spurs basketball with the healthy return of Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Leonard and those funky uniforms (cough, cough) locked down Lebron James in the win and Tim Duncan posted a double-double, outplaying <span>Chris Bosh</span> throughout the contest. The knock on San Antonio this season has been its inability to beat other elite teams, and while that notion probably didn’t ring true within the Spurs locker room, the win had to feel good. If for no other reason than people would stop talking and asking about it.</p>
<p class="p1">The win over Miami combined with an Oklahoma City loss has the Spurs just one-half game behind OKC in the Western Conference. San Antonio will try to edge closer and extend its winning-streak to six games with a home-contest against the Orlando Magic. Orlando is limping into this game, posting just a 3-7 record over the last ten games. The Magic have the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference at 19-44 and are well on their way to collecting a decent amount of ping pong balls for this year’s <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft">NBA Draft</a> Lottery, which was the plan of this organization since letting go of <span>Dwight Howard</span> two seasons ago.</p>
<p class="p1">Orlando is actually a decent team at home, but the Magic are dreadful on the road. The team is 4-28 on the road this season. Orlando lost to Houston at home on Wednesday in its last game. The Magic are 24<sup>th</sup> in the league in scoring at 96.5 points a game and San Antonio has proven that it will beat nearly any team on the schedule if it can get to over 100 points. That should be especially true against a Magic team that is prone to long offensive droughts, especially with the second unit. The Magic are 17<sup>th</sup> in points allowed, 19<sup>th</sup> in total rebounding and 22<sup>nd</sup> in assists.</p>
<p class="p1">Orlando’s first round draft pick from last summer, <span>Victor Oladipo</span>, has played at times like the best rookie in the league. He set out the Houston loss with a sore ankle and it has not been yet announced if he’ll be ready to go against the Spurs. Jason Maxiell also didn’t play against Houston, but that was ruled a coaching decision. Looking at the Magic roster it just strikes you as a team full of role players. There is talent on the roster, but there are no stars that can step up in big stages and that is one of the reasons Orlando struggles so mightily on the road and in the fourth quarter. Does the offense go through Arron Afflalo? <span>Nikola Vucevic</span>? <span>Tobias Harris</span>? There just aren’t any players on the roster that demand double-teams or defensive adjustments.</p>
<p class="p1">Afflalo leads the team with 19.7 points per game, one of five current players that average double-figures for Orlando. <span>Jameer Nelson</span> leads the team in assists and is expected to travel with the team to San Antonio after missing time with an illness. Vucevic may be the brightest piece to the Magic puzzle right now, however, as he is one of the few players in the league averaging a double-double.</p>
<p class="p1">Key matchup: The Spurs should be able to light up the Orlando defense with the ball movement that the team has shown since being back to 100 percent. That shouldn’t change against a Magic team that can play undisciplined on both ends of the court. If San Antonio can prevent Orlando from having an incredible night of shooting the Spurs should win this game going away.</p>
<p><b id="docs-internal-guid-8904e35b-958d-ca7d-c97d-3c3effe47424"> </b></p>
<table width="609" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" border="0" align="center" style="color: #000000; background-color: #cccccc;"><tbody>
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<td colspan="3" style="padding-top: 12px;"><center><img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/.element/img/2.0/sect/gameinfo/teamlogos/ORL.gif"></center></td>
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<td colspan="3"><center>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 12px;"><b>Lineups</b></div>
<p><b>Starters</b><br><b>PG:</b> <span>Tony Parker</span><br><b> SG:</b> <span>Danny Green</span><br><b> SF:</b> <span>Kawhi Leonard</span><br><b>PF:</b> <span>Tiago Splitter</span><br><b>C:</b> <span>Tim Duncan</span><br><br><b>Key Bench Players</b><br><span>Boris Diaw</span><br><span>Patty Mills</span><br><span>Manu Ginobili</span></p>
<p><br><b>Head Coach</b><br><span>Gregg Popovich</span></p>
<b> </b> </center></td>
<td colspan="3"><center>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 12px;"><b>Lineups</b></div>
<p><b>Starters</b><br><b>PG:</b> Jameer Nelson<br><b>SG: </b>Victor Oladipo<br><b>SF:</b> Tobias Harris<br><b>PF:</b> Maurice Harkless<br><b>C:</b> Nikola Vucevic<br><br><b>Key Bench Players</b><br><span>Arron Afflalo</span><br>Jason Maxwell<br>E'Twaun Moore</p>
<br><b>Head Coach</b><br><p>Jacque Vaughn</p>
</center></td>
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</tbody></table>
<p><br>Heat perspective can be found here: <a href="http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/">Orlando Pinstriped Post</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.orlandopinstripedpost.com/"></a></p>
<p>Game Prediction: Spurs by 13.</p>
<p>Line in Vegas: Spurs by 16.</p>
<p>As always <a target="_blank" href="http://www.poundingtherock.com/pages/ptr-lexicon#tonydominatefisher">Tony must dominate Fisher</a>, and NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please 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.</p>
<p>Get your San Antonio Spurs tickets from Daniel Farias with Spurs Sports & Entertainment:</p>
<p>Tel: 210-444-5607 | <span>dfarias@attcenter.com</span></p>
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2014/3/8/5483698/game-preview-orlando-magic-san-antonio-spursMike Craven