Spurs-Jazz Preview

By LYNN DeBRUIN
Posted May 06 2012 5:16PM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The Utah Jazz were hoping they could "shock the world" with an upset of the top-seeded Spurs yet now acknowledge surviving the first-round Western Conference series would be to "rewrite history."

The Spurs are intent on closing out the series in Game 4 on Monday.

"We want to get it done," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said Sunday after a short practice. "Obviously we want to stay away from injuries, get as much rest as possible, stay as fresh as possible. All of that equals trying to get the series done as quickly as possible."

Jazz center Al Jefferson won't concede the game but says the Spurs - winners of 13 straight now - are the best team in the playoffs.

"I just think we're playing against a team that is at its peak," said Jefferson, who has struggled to defend the Spurs' pick-and-roll and its depth. "I don't see nobody beating them. We ain't given up trying. But this is a great team."

Utah has lost the first three games by 58 points combined and star sixth-man Manu Ginobili hasn't even made a 3-pointer.

As the Jazz look for answers, coach Tyrone Corbin said he may consider giving second-year pro Derrick Favors a start but wouldn't announce any decision until Monday.

The 6-10 Favors has 31 points, 28 rebounds and four blocks in three games and saw his most extensive action Saturday.

Corbin played Favors 32 minutes in Saturday's 102-90 loss but said he deserves even more time because his athleticism, competitive nature and desire are making an impact.

"His curve for learning is shortening," Corbin said. "He's learning things on the fly. He wants to get better every night he steps on the floor. ... Even though we haven't had the success, he's demonstrated he has that other level in him."

Corbin said it's also obvious Favors is ticked after losing.

"I think all of our guys feel bad about losing, just some guys you see it a little more in their faces and demeanor," Corbin said. "He'll learn. He'll get better because there's a bad taste in his mouth, and he don't like it."

Corbin also had praise for rookies Enes Kanter and Alec Burks, and wished he had played Burks more after he contributed 11 points and two rebounds in 15 minutes, and was 3 of 4 from the free-throw line.

While the young players are relishing every minute, Jazz veteran Paul Millsap is finding the series particularly painful.

He has been the heart and soul of the team but has struggled to find his shot in the playoffs.

The last two games he is a combined 8 of 23, and has averaged nine points - well below his 16.6 points per game during the regular season.

Worse yet, he has now lost seven consecutive playoff games - three this series against San Antonio and four straight when the Jazz were swept out of the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers two years ago.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself and haven't played my best basketball," said Millsap, who has gone against Boris Diaw much of the time. "I haven't been the leader that I'm supposed to be. So a lot of it weighs on my shoulders."

The Spurs have benefited from playing with two games of rest between each of the first three games and figure to get even more if they can pull off the sweep.

The Jazz-Spurs winner faces the Memphis-LA Clippers winner, which the Clippers lead 2-1 after a pair of dramatic comeback wins in Games 1 and 3. Game 7 of the Grizzlies-Clippers series is set for May 13.

No NBA team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

"We're trying to rewrite history," Corbin said. "We can't look at history of being down 3-0 and all that. It's one game at a time. It's not going to be easy.

"They want to embarrass you, bury you, bury you on your home floor in front of the home fans."

And despite the lopsided losses, the Spurs know they can do better.

Ginobili usually lights it up against the Jazz. But he has scored just 17 point in three games, is shooting 32 percent (7 of 22) and is 0 for 8 from 3-point range.

He made a difference Saturday with 10 assists.

"We are a different team," Ginobili said. "We are playing different offense and Tony (Parker) is playing better than ever. It's not our main concern. I don't think it's a big issue who's scoring. In the past I needed to score more and force the issue. I don't think this year it's happening. We'll see next game or if we win, the next series."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't worried about Ginobili's mini shooting slump.

"I don't even think about it," Popovich said. "He's Manu."

Likewise, he shrugged off Jefferson's comments that the Spurs were the best team.

"The best team out there is not decided for a while yet," Popovich said. "We've got a lot of work to do if we want to be that team and we're trying."

Spurs can recharge while awaiting next opponent

By LYNN DeBRUIN
Posted May 08 2012 5:07AM

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) The San Antonio Spurs were feeling good Monday night after sweeping their first-round Western Conference series with the Utah Jazz.

They also were feeling some pain.

"I'm sore," said reserve Stephen Jackson, who played 26 minutes in the down-to-the wire 87-81 victory. "Those guys play hard."

Fortunately, the Spurs are going to get some rest before the next round.

San Antonio awaits the winner of the Grizzlies-Clippers series, which may not be decided until Sunday. The Clippers lead 3-1 after winning 101-97 in overtime on Monday night.

"There's going to be some rust there," All-Star Tim Duncan said of the wait between series. "We have been playing so many games back to back, you're going to lose your rhythm a little. ... But health-wise and for us to get 100 percent in the tank, it's great."

The Spurs blew out the Jazz by 58 points combined in the first three games but had to sustain a furious rally Monday after going up by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter.

"This is probably the hardest-playing team in the league," said Jackson, who was part of the Spurs bench that contributed 57 points. "The way they played the last five minutes showed the character of this team. We take our hats off to them. They fought to the end."

The Spurs can thank their bench for keeping them in it.

Star sixth man Manu Ginobili hit consecutive 3-pointers after the Jazz had pulled within 61-58 late in the third quarter. And after the Jazz rallied from 21 down to get within four on Al Jefferson's put-back in the final minute, Ginobili turned a steal by MVP candidate Tony Parker into a layup that sealed the win.

"I wasn't making many shots, but I wasn't taking that many either," said Ginobili, who was 0 for 8 from 3-point range in the first three games but had three 3s Monday and finished with a team-high 17 points. "I really wasn't that worried. I was happy that the team was playing as well as we were. We were 3-0 and winning those games with authority."

It was the West's second first-round sweep as Oklahoma City eliminated defending champion Dallas in four games.

The Spurs won Game 1 by 15 points, Game 2 by 31 and Game 3 by 12, relying on Parker, Duncan, key young players and the deepest bench in the league.

Parker had 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting Monday, Duncan added 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, and starters Kawhi Leonard, Boris Diaw and Danny Green combined for a total of eight points. The Spurs' bench picked up the slack, outscoring Utah's reserves 57-10 and finishing with 27 more points than their own starters.

"We've been a deeper team this year than we usually are and it sure came in handy tonight," Popovich said.

Facing elimination, the Jazz started their Big 3 lineup, with Derrick Favors at power forward, Jefferson at center and Paul Millsap moving to small forward.

After a slow start, they made a difference, with Favors registering impressive blocks on Parker and Tiago Splitter and dominating the boards. The trio combined for 52 points, 39 rebounds and five blocks.

It was the first game of the series that Utah held an advantage in the paint (34-30).

And the Spurs were feeling it afterward.

"It's good to get this series over with and not have to worry about these guys because they're definitely a hard team to play against," Jackson said.

Now it's either Memphis, which knocked the Spurs out in the first round last year, or the Chris Paul-led Clippers.

"We're gonna watch it," Jackson said of the Grizzlies-Clippers series. "We watch all the games. We'll just continue to stay focused and be prepared so when the series is over, we're ready to go. It's a tough series either way. Both are good teams."

The Spurs are seeking their fifth NBA title. Yet Ginobili said no one was looking that far ahead.

"Our defense is good and our offense is getting better slowly," he said. "We are just going to stay humble and focus on our next opponent and not on the Finals yet."

Notebook: Jazz 87, Spurs 81

Posted Monday May 7, 2012 11:47PM

By Andrew Aragon, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The supposedly too old and past-their-prime San Antonio Spurs found some redemption after losing in the first round of the playoffs as a No. 1 seed last season.

The Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 87-81 on Monday night after holding off a spirited late rally to earn a 4-0 series sweep and advance to the Western Conference semifinals. San Antonio, which has won 14 straight games, will next play either the Memphis Grizzlies or Los Angeles Clippers.

Manu Ginobili, who was nearly silent in the first three games of the series at least scoring-wise, led San Antonio with 17 points and scored the game-clinching basket with 18.9 seconds remaining following a Tony Parker steal.

Parker and Tim Duncan each chipped in 11 points for the Spurs.

The Jazz, who closed what had been a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to 83-79 with 49.4 seconds remaining, were led by Al Jefferson's 26 points and 10 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "We ignore that. We've been hearing that for 10 years."
-- Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich on how his team responds to other people saying San Antonio is too old to compete for another NBA championship.

THE STAT: The Jazz's inability to shoot 3-pointers was a thorn in their side all season, and was magnified in their last game of the year. They were a pitiful 0-for-13 from 3-point range in Game 4. They were the fourth-worst 3-point shooting team during the regular season at 32.3 percent, and in the playoffs they shot 20 percent (9-for-45). The Spurs, meanwhile, shot 10-for-22 from 3-point range in Game 4.

TURNING POINT: Ginobili hadn't done much in the series until late in the third quarter of Game 4. The timing worked perfectly for the Spurs. After the Jazz had cut what had been a 14-point deficit to 61-58 and had their crowd rocking, Ginobili took over. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers, after he started the series 0-for-9 from 3-point range, to give San Antonio a 68-58 lead. He made a free throw and another 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter, as he scored 10 of the Spurs' points during a 15-0 run that put the game and series away.

HOT: The Spurs' bench completely dominated Utah's reserves, outscoring them 57-10. Gary Neal gave San Antonio a lift, scoring six points during a 21-3 run in the first half. He finished with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting. Ginobili and Tiago Splitter (10 points) also scored in double figures off the bench.

NOT: The Jazz had two brutal stretches in Game 4. During a San Antonio 21-3 run in the first half, Utah shot 1-for-12 and committed four turnovers. During a 15-0 Spurs run that was bridged by the third and fourth quarters, the Jazz missed 14 consecutive shots. Gordon Hayward couldn't buy a basket in Game 4 and rarely made shot during the series. He shot 0-for-7 on Monday night. For the series, he shot 6-for-33 (18.1 percent).

GOOD MOVE: The Spurs' defensive strategy remained the same the entire series, and it worked throughout. They packed the lane, daring the Jazz to hit outside shots. Utah played right into their hands, missing perimeter baskets while failing to get easy attempts.

QUOTABLE II: "Not really. We always want to win. You always want to go as far as you can, and of course last year was frustrating. It's always hard when you go home after the first round. But like I said many times, last year the Grizzlies played better than us. When that happens, you can't do much but shake their hands and congratulate them and get ready for the next season. I think we played better this year. We didn't let them (the Jazz) get in the game. We played very solid basketball. We didn't play an opponent as good or as sharp as Memphis was last year."
-- Spurs guard Ginobili on if his team felt a sense of redemption after losing in the first round to Memphis last season.

ROOKIE WATCH: Kawhi Leonard started again for San Antonio, and struggled for the most part. He had three points on 1-for-7 shooting, but did contribute five rebounds in 20 minutes. Alec Burks was inefficient for the Jazz, shooting 0-for-8 in 16 minutes.

QUOTABLE III: "Looking at it from the beginning of the game I thought that our guys showed a lot of class as they have done all year -- just continued to fight. Our backs were up against the wall right from the beginning. If we win, lose or draw, we are going to give everything we have."
-- Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin on his team continuing to compete against the Spurs.

NOTABLE: The Jazz have lost eight straight playoff games and been swept in two straight series. The Los Angeles Lakers beat them 4-0 in the Western Conference semifinals in 2010. Utah outrebounded San Antonio 57-43 in Game 4. The Jazz's Paul Millsap (10 points and 19 rebounds) and Derrick Favors (16 points and 10 rebounds) each had a double-double. Utah outscored San Antonio in the paint, 34-30, for the first time in the series.

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, they'll face the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies-Los Angeles Clippers series in the Western Conference semifinals.

• Spurs: Byars, Joseph
• Jazz: Miles, Watson

• Spurs: --
• Jazz: Tinsley

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #23 Jason Phillips, #30 John Goble
• Attendance: 19911
• Duration: 2:30