Utah at San Antonio: Game 2 Recap
The Spurs keep on cruising their way to the title
By Cub Buenning
Before I delve into the eerily familiar Game 2 of the Western Conference Final series between the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz, I must address what went down some 1800 miles away in lovely Secaucus, NJ just minutes before tip. This year’s NBA Draft Lottery had an anticipatory feel somewhat akin to the infamous one of 2003 where the Cleveland Cavaliers hooked a royal catch. Center Greg Oden and forward Kevin Durant were the no-brainer locks as the first two picks, but which team would end up with the big card in the big #1 or #2 envelope was still to be determined. Fans from Boston to Memphis were licking their chops at the thought of either of these two prospects in their team’s colors. For one Celtic fan, the promise of snatching the 7-foot center from Indianapolis was enough to push him into constructing an Oden #20 jersey. Oops.
To be honest, I was solely curious about finding out where these two would end up, but suddenly it became apparent that I might be seeing a lot of these guys in the future. Seattle the 2nd pick? Portland with the first?!?! These are the two dredges of the division that my home team occupies. Oden in Portland? Durant in the Emerald City? Guess I’ll be hitting up those games early next year here in Denver. Peep the Northwest Division. First, you have Utah, who is trying hard to represent well in the Conference Finals (more on their issues below.) Then, you have the Denver Nuggets, who should be primed to make a long run into the postseason with a full camp and year under their belts. The Blazers can now boast not only a talented young line-up, but finally be proud of their player’s citizenship. Seattle’s line-up is flat-out potent with Durant alongside Rashard Lewis in the frontcourt. Remember, this team won the Northwest Division just two years ago. This leaves us with Minnesota. KG and the gang should find themselves with stiff necks having to spend all year looking up at their competitors. I might have to expand more on this suddenly exciting division once the season is over. Personally, my favorite part of the lottery was the s#%&t-eating grin that the NBA Rookie of the Year, Brandon Roy was sporting.
“I can’t believe we are going to get that Oden dude!?!?” seemed to be exuding from the Seattle-native. Find a photo on a website or a newspaper with him not “ear to ear.”
There was a game last night, or so I hear.
In a series where they were given little hope of advancement (which includes yours truly) Game 2 started positively for the visiting Utah Jazz. In what looked very similar to the games in the Golden State series, both teams were hitting shots early, but the Spurs were able to grab a 2-point first-quarter lead that they would never relinquish. Again, it was the game’s second 12 minutes where the Spurs made their move, as the Big 3 led the home team to a 17-point halftime lead. Sound familiar? Despite another fourth quarter push by the Jazz, the game was never in doubt, as the Spurs cruised to a 105-96 victory to hold an almost insurmountable 2-0 series advantage.
The series can again speak to the importance of a TEAM. We can dissect the team’s individual performances and look at why this San Antonio team is outclassing the Jazz at every level.
For starters, the Big 3 combined for 60 with Tim Duncan getting his 12th straight postseason 20 and10 night. Tony Parker set his personal playoff best with 14 dimes, as the point played a wonderful all-around game taking just 12 shots on his way to 17 points. It was the 3-ball, however, which again proved the difference, as the league’s 3rd best perimeter shooting team (a fact often ignored when breaking down the Spurs.) For the night, the Spurs were 13-26 from long distance, getting three a piece from each Manu Ginobili, Brent Barry, Michael Finley (every team needs one), and Bruce Bowen, who personally hit a couple big bombs to temper each of Utah’s late runs. Having the role players that the Spurs possess is a luxury that Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan is not afforded. Other than his “Stockton/Malone remix” pair of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, Sloan’s cupboard has been pretty bare this series. The remainder of the Utah starting five went a combined 10-33, not to mention the team’s paltry eight bench points. For their parts, Boozer and Williams went for a combined 59 points with each hitting a double-double.
The series moves back to SLC from games 3 and 4. While I think the Jazz can get one of the games at the Salt Palace, I feel even stronger about the Spurs moving on to the Finals.
35 Responses to “Utah at San Antonio: Game 2 Recap”
May.23 at 11:19 am
Ryan Jones says:
Hi Cub.
May.23 at 11:20 am
Ryan Jones says:
I didn’t watch this game. Never even turned it on. I hope you won’t take that personally.
May.23 at 11:21 am
Cheryl says:
Funniest moment of the game: JVG says, after Timmy gets his own rebound after a missed free throw, “If the Jazz miss another rebound after a free throw, I’m gonna lose my mind!” I cracked up. Jeff’s got a great sense of humor when he’s not coaching. Here’s hoping he just continues as a commentator of the games than return to coaching. He’ll live longer and be a much more fun dude.
May.23 at 11:27 am
Nine E. Leven says:
Salt Palace?
Count M Out? Try at least one cup of coffee before posting…please
May.23 at 11:45 am
whooo! says:
the same night boston loses on a 7-footer they tanked a season for, a certain 7-footer goes for 26, 14, 4, w/ 5 blocks and 2 steals. i’m sure no boston fan even bothered watching the game, but damn do those potential #1 picks end up badly for em.
May.23 at 11:51 am
whooo! says:
boozer let’s duncan go off, which is understandable. but when oberto gets 14 pts on nearly perfect shooting for 2 straight games!? what the hell are you doing on defense? duncan was laughing on the way to halftime and groovin to the music on the bench, which is a big problem that the other team can lose that much focus on the game and still dominate you……. like phx, the pf’s scoring a lot and giving up buckets at will, the pg’s playing tremendously, the do it all sf/defensive stopper has gone missing, and the rest of the team and especially the bench have disappeared. only w/out half the competitiveness. i hope utah shows some pride and makes it competitive.
May.23 at 12:10 pm
Sesa says:
Interesting Notes:
Bruce Bowen gettin’ bitchslap by Paul Millsap.
Tim Duncan did a lame alley-oop.
Eva Longoria was in “Full Make-up” mode.
Carlos Boozer were afraid to attack the rim.
May.23 at 12:18 pm
Billy Blanks says:
I really tried my hardest to try and watch this game, but i was too busy laughing at the Grizzlies and Celtics, who by the way won’t be that bad next year. The celtics are in the atlantic divsion with good young players like Rondo, Green, and JEFFERSON, who might even be an all-star next season, and the Grizzlies still have Pau Gasol for the moment, who I recall is an all-star calibur player. Plus, picking 4 and 5 isn’t too bad. They can still get a decent player to add to their nucei.
May.23 at 12:19 pm
Billy Blanks says:
By the way, nuggets still will own the Northwest next season.
May.23 at 12:48 pm
tedturner says:
wheres my broom??? is seattle really gonna take durant? and keep ray allen and rashard lewis? if so, durant better be careful in practice against nick collison, nick might boom on him. you know how durant can never beat a jayhawk!!
May.23 at 2:38 pm
Darksaber says:
Nice picture of dirty Bruce up there. Even though it was just a steal/looseball situation, my first thought was “damn, that idiot just undercut Deron”. Interesting development though, neither Denver nor Utah were that much of a threat to San An, so Pop did not have to order a code red on any “stars”. But enter the suns in round 2, and their best players are bleeding, beaten, crosschecked and whatnot during the course of the first 3 games. Gotta hand it to ya Pop, you are a sly old man. Oh, and to hell with Bruce Bowen.
May.23 at 4:23 pm
Cub Buenning says:
Nine, i still like to refer the “new School” buildings as their older form.
As far as i know the Spurs still play in Hemisphere Arena. And the Nugs rock BigMac.
Hi Ryan. The Jazz are making this series a tough one, no doubt.
May.23 at 4:30 pm
Cub Buenning says:
Ryan, if you saw Game 1, then you watched the game last night.
May.23 at 4:42 pm
J-Bird says:
This is the least interesting western conference finals in recent memory. Go Pistons!
May.23 at 8:00 pm
shu says:
It sure has. They still need a cover though. My guess is that the Sonics will sign and trade Lewis, because him and Durant pretty much are the same player, only Durant will be on a rookie contract and Shard will be a near max contract. Productivity might fall a bit as he will be a rookie, but I’d say they get some PG and C help for Lewis. I think right when Ray Allen is contemplating retirement, Durant will be flat out unstoppable. But they’ll be in OKC or Vegas anyways, I guess it’s cool to have established stars on a “expansion” team.
May.23 at 8:48 pm
Sesa says:
@Cub.
You don’t get many response this time because just like Bruce Bowen said; People in San Antonio prefer to go to somewhere else rather than watching this game. Although he mentioned church.
May.23 at 10:33 pm
whooo! says:
i blame dallas for choking. last year’s semis vs the spurs was terrific and required a game 7 overtime. dallas was a tough matchup, and the series was so close. the league changed the seeding this year so they could meet in the wcf instead, and one team made it, the other didn’t.
May.23 at 11:03 pm
Drolfe says:
Least favourite image in sports: Bruce Bowen hitting a three.
May.24 at 8:20 am
bja says:
Cub, where’s the recap? This game (and virtually every other) wasn’t screened in England so I haven’t seen it. Where’s Russ when I need him …
May.24 at 10:48 am
K22C says:
Nothing is needed on this series. It was over when Spurs beat the Suns. Spurs will sweep the poor ol’ Jazz. Theres your Recap bja.
May.24 at 1:53 pm
Chris says:
Seems like there is a lot of spur hating going on. That’s ok. Hate. You’ll be hating even more when TD, Parker, Manu, and Bruce holds the trophy.
May.24 at 2:44 pm
J-Bird says:
No Chris, i’ll be sleeping.
May.24 at 2:59 pm
Mike says:
Anyone catch Mark Jackson’s hilarious one-liner during game 2? Jeff Van Gundy had just finished complimenting Manu’s patented “cup the ball like it’s a football” drive-to-the-hoop move, saying “The first player I saw to do that was Stephon Marbury.” To which Mark Jackson deadpans…”and somewhere Stephon Marbury is just happy to be mentioned in the playoffs.” ZING!
May.24 at 3:05 pm
DK52 says:
The only good thing about the Spurs is Robert Horry is retiring after the season and Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry are contemplating retirement. But we will still be watching Ginobli, Parker and Duncan for another 5 years or so lighting it up in May/June. Go Jazz!!
May.24 at 4:34 pm
Cub Buenning says:
The team is made up of 35-somethings looking for a ring or dudes that have been with the club for at least 5 years.
My adoration for their success has grown over the past couple of years. I hate ‘em, no doubt. But now with a high level of admiration. Give me Spurs v. Pistons every year….. with maybe a Nugget appearance or two sprinkled in.
May.24 at 5:24 pm
J-Bird says:
Admiring those who you hate? Dosent that mean that you dont hate them?
May.24 at 6:06 pm
Holiday says:
You know I’ve watched ref’s screw team after team over all season, and during the playoffs! Yet Nobody and I mean nobody get’s call’s going there way like the Spurs, honestly if they were called for all there foul’s Duncan and Parker would be the only Starters still in the game at the 10 minute mark in the 1st quarter! and most of the bench woudn’t be far behind from getting benched either! The Jazz are getting screwed!
May.24 at 6:07 pm
Holiday says:
Oh and K22C is damn moron!
May.24 at 6:33 pm
Rob says:
Horry reported that he would be back after this season.. if he hits yet another clutch shot for the Spurs this year.. he WILL be back. Bowen and Barry have another yr or two in them. SPURS IN 07′! 4 RINGS , the dynasty of our era!
May.25 at 3:04 am
Holiday says:
Ya know I just realized that Cub Buenning still thinks the Jazz play at the Salt Palace! The jazz haven’t played there in like 15 year’s they now play at the newly named this year “Energy Solution’s Arena” but for all of us in Utah it will alway’s be the Delta Center!
May.25 at 11:55 am
Cub Buenning says:
Holiday, I guess the sarcasm is just not as evident in writing, but I stood outside of the Delta Center in 1994 trying to scalp tickets for Game 7 of their WCS series with the Nuggets after sitting top row for Game 6 at BigMac. I remember when the Delta Center was built. I just miss the old places, so i sometimes just choose to call them by that any way. I was just in Houston working on an upcoming feature, and i’ll be damned if i let that little Joel Osteen steal The Summit from me. Toyota Center my a*s.
May.25 at 2:46 pm
Nine E. Leven says:
The mighty Utah Jazz will even this series, watch Hoffa’s breakout game this Saturday……and the T’s will be flying.
May.25 at 7:59 pm
whooo! says:
how can you possibly blame the refs for the losses holiday? 20pt leads aren’t the results of bias reffing, they’re the result of being outplayed. boozer is getting beat backdoor over and over. spurs putting on an offensive clinic. if the jazz could show more pride, this would be so much more fun to watch, w/ the passes, the drives, an intriguing pg matchup w/ contrasting styles, and low post players who’ve beasted this postseason.
May.27 at 11:31 am
DK52 says:
The Jazz won by 26 points on their home court last night, and the Spurs ended up winning the first two games on their court by a combined 19 points. Doesn’t really mean anything but it is an interesting fact. I think it will end up going 7 just like when Utah played Houston, so it’s going to come down to Utah wining in San Antonio.
May.27 at 11:34 am
DK52 says:
If Deron Williams doesn’t get the next cover of Slam than I’m done with this magazine.