[Hungry Spurs] - .::(1-0)::. vs den recap

[LegoTP]

Thanks for the answers, I wasn't able to log in on the forums at all for a moment but I'll try to update my dynasty more, finally I'll take the one from Yahoo Sports for the Starting 5, I'm way too lazy to do every portrait of the players... I'll present you the assistant coaches, scouts and all the stuff later.

[LegoTP]

October 7, 2005

GM RC Buford announces the staff hiring

San Antonio's GM announces that Gregg Popovich will hire at least 1 assistant coach, 1 scout and 1 trainer. Popovich received an email on his PDA where was written :



Popovich also said that everybody who is interested and motivated to train the team, would be welcomed. We are only waiting for good offers. Popovich would like a skilled assistant coach, especially on defense. He is also interested on getting a good trainer. A scout is also necessary to notice great players not in the NBA.

[LegoTP]

October 8, 2005

First assistant coach hired !

Gregg Popovich was very quick. He didn't hire a defensive-skilled assistant coach. His specialty was the Big Men. Eddie Gallagher is his name. The contract is 730K for 3 years.




October 14, 2005

First trainer hired !

Almost one week later, Gregg Popovich found his trainer. Zacharias Trent, without any specialty in particular, but the contract is 519K for 3 years.




October 18, 2005

First scout hired !

Gregg Popovich found his scout, he's a Europe-specialist. Hope that'll help the Spurs finding great players. He isn't specialised in offense, but he is great defensively, and also on athleticism. His name is Augustus Muller. The contract is 481K for 3 years.




October 20, 2005

End of the staff hiring

It's the end of the staff hiring. We'll recapitulate the staff hired.
Assistant Coach : Eddie Gallagher.
Scout : Augustus Muller.
Trainer : Zacharias Trent.
Gregg Popovich did a good job. Hope the team will be great this year as well.

[KIG1]

nice start to this one

[LegoTP]

From October 21, 2005 to October 27, 2005

Training Camp Week


Here is the training camp schedule. This is rather balanced, Eddie Gallagher decided to focus on the Athletics.



Players who progressed :

Fabricio Oberto : Offensive rebounding (2 times), speed (2 times), jumping (2 times), dunking.
Michael Finley : Inside scoring. (still more potential)
Rasho Nesterovic : Inside scoring, Mid-range shooting, jumping, speed, blocking.
Robert Horry : Blocking, Defensive rebounding. (still more potential)
Nazr Mohammed : Offensive Awareness.
Brent Barry : Ballhandling, quickness.


We are happy of the effects of that Training Camp. The results will have to show up during the season ! We can retain these two things. Oberto and Nesterovic progressed a lot. It is still impressive to see Horry and Finley progress a little despite of their age.

[kibaxx7]

Nice staff hiring and training camp recaps Keep it up Lego!

[LegoTP]

nice start to this one

Thanks for the comments.

Nice staff hiring and training camp recaps Keep it up Lego!

Thanks, I will try to keep it up. I'm going to post an article, not about the team, but about one sad event which happened during this 2005 year.

[LegoTP]

October 28, 2005

A word from David Stern

"I think you all know what happened on this Saturday, 15th of that 2005 year. (Jason Collier's death) We wanted you, all NBA players, to wear a black rubberband, for the opening night. Not to forget, but to remember how nice he was. Maybe not the best center in the NBA, but he was a kind 28-years old boy, a 28-years old basket-ball player, and more important, a 28-years father. He will miss his wife, his daughter, his family, his teammates and all the NBA. We wanted to pay a final homage to Jason Collier."

Here is an article written on the ESPN website :

Collier's family, teammates celebrate his life at funeral

ATLANTA -- Jason Collier's family asked that his funeral service be a celebration of his life, but grieving Atlanta Hawks teammates, as well as former high school and college teammates and coaches, were still struggling Wednesday with the death of the 28-year-old center.

"Jason's untimely death has stunned us," former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins said. "He will always be with us in memory and soul."

Collier, who began his college career at Indiana before transferring to Georgia Tech, played with Houston and Atlanta in a five-year NBA career that ended when he died early Saturday after he had trouble breathing at his home.

The Hawks arrived as a team and sat together during the service at All Saints Catholic Church in Dunwoody, a north Atlanta suburb.

Among others attending were current Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, former Hawks general manager Pete Babcock and current Hawks president Bernie Mullin.

Also attending the service were members of Collier's Springfield, Ohio, high school team.

Sitting with Collier's Hawks teammates were coach Mike Woodson and general manager Billy Knight.

Collier's father, Jeff, said, "He was my best friend."

"How do you make a father proud? This is how you do it," said Jeff Collier as he unfolded his son's No. 52 Georgia Tech jersey, the same number Jeff Collier wore when he played at Georgia Tech.

Jeff Collier held the jersey throughout the service and managed a smile as he shared the story of encouraging his son to try another number when Jason, struggling with knee problems, had to take a job with a developmental league team.

"It wasn't very lucky for me and it's not lucky for you," Jeff Collier said he told his son.

Collier's wife, Katie, said Jason "was a messenger from God, an angel sent to touch my life."

Collier's mother, Joyce, asked those attending the service to "go home and hug those people you love while you have a chance."

Collier's framed Hawks jersey and a large photo of the player in his Atlanta uniform were displayed in the entry way into the church.

According to Forsyth County Coroner Lauren McDonald III, the full autopsy report may not be complete for several weeks. A preliminary report may be released as early as this week.

Collier's agent, Richard Howell, says he has been told Collier may have had an enlarged heart.

The Hawks will leave Collier's uniform in his locker through the season.

Hawks players also will wear black shoulder patches on their uniforms to honor Collier.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NBA Player Dress Code

1. General Policy: Business Casual

Players are required to wear Business Casual attire whenever they are engaged in team or league business.

"Business Casual" attire means

# A long or short-sleeved dress shirt (collared or turtleneck), and/or a sweater.
# Dress slacks, khaki pants, or dress jeans.
# Appropriate shoes and socks, including dress shoes, dress boots, or other presentable shoes, but not including sneakers, sandals, flip-flops, or work boots.

2. Exceptions to Business Casual

There are the following exceptions to the general policy of Business Casual attire:

a. Players In Attendance At Games But Not In Uniform


Players who are in attendance at games but not in uniform are required to wear the following additional items when seated on the bench or in the stands during the game:

# Sport Coat
# Dress shoes or boots, and socks

b. Players Leaving the Arena

Players leaving the arena may wear either Business Casual attire or neat warm-up suits issued by their teams.

c. Special Events or Appearances

Teams can make exceptions to the Business Casual policy for special events or player appearances where other attire is appropriate -- e.g., participation in a basketball clinic.

3. Excluded Items

The following is a list of items that players are not allowed to wear at any time while on team or league business:

# Sleeveless shirts
# Shorts
# T-shirts, jerseys, or sports apparel (unless appropriate for the event (e.g., a basketball clinic), team-identified, and approved by the team)
# Headgear of any kind while a player is sitting on the bench or in the stands at a game, during media interviews, or during a team or league event or appearance (unless appropriate for the event or appearance, team-identified, and approved by the team)
# Chains, pendants, or medallions worn over the player's clothes
# Sunglasses while indoors
# Headphones (other than on the team bus or plane, or in the team locker room)


Kevin Garnett has always looked good in suit and tie.

Few reactions of players :

Allen Iverson

"I feel like if they want us to dress a certain way, they should pay for our clothes," Iverson said.
"I don't think it's good for the league. I really don't, because it kind of makes it fake. The whole thing is fake. You've got all these guys with different personalities. Tracy McGrady is different from Kobe. Kevin Garnett is different from Tim Duncan. And I'm different from those guys. Everybody has their own style. It's just unfair when you take that away from people."

Paul Pierce

"I'm not rolling with that,'' he said last night. "We're not businessmen. We're entertainers, and I think you should be able to dress how you feel. I think that's the beauty of us, that we have that kind of creativity to be able to express ourselves.''

[KIG1]

Nice article about the dress code

[LegoTP]

October 29, 2005

Gregg Popovich's keys to victory



Since Tim Duncan joined the Spurs for the 1997-98 season, the team has enjoyed remarkable success ... the Spurs not only own the best record in NBA, going 438-186 over that span, but also have the best winning percentage of any team in the four major sports during the eight year span ... during this period the Spurs have won three NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005), held the NBA's best record three times ('98-'99, '00-'01, '02-'03), and earned five division titles (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005).

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: A great deal of the success that the Spurs have enjoyed during the Tim Duncan era can be attributed to the team's commitment to defense ... the Spurs continued their stingy defensive trends during the 2004-05 season allowing only 88.4 points per contest, best in the league, while holding opponents to a .426 mark from the field, which was third best in the NBA ... during the Duncan era, which spans the last eight seasons, the Spurs have ranked in the top five in both opponent's field goal percentage and opponent's points per game ... the Spurs set NBA record lows for an 82 game season for opponent's points per game (84.3) and field goal percentage (40.9%) during the 2003-04 season.

ALL-NBA ALL-THE-TIME: Tim Duncan earned his eighth consecutive selection to the All-NBA First Team when the NBA announced the 2004-05 All-NBA teams on 5/18 ... Duncan is only the fifth player to make the All-NBA First Team in each of his first eight seasons, joining Hall of Famers Larry Bird, George Mikan, Bob Pettit and Oscar Robertson on the list of players to make earn first team honors in each of their first eight seasons ... Duncan received 553 total points in balloting by a 124-person media panel, trailing only Miami's Shaquille O'Neal (616) and Phoenix's Steve Nash (606), who was named the league's MVP ... Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki and Philadelphia's Allen Iverson rounded out the first team ... Duncan is one of only three Spurs to be named to the All-NBA First Team ... George Gervin (five times) and David Robinson (four times) are the only other Spurs players to be recognized on the All-NBA First Team squad.

D IS THE KEY: Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan were recognized as the cornerstones of Spurs defense by being named to the 2005 NBA All-Defensive First Team ... Bowen and Duncan's selection marked the first time that teammates were named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team since the 1997-98 season when Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen represented the Bulls on the 1998 All-NBA Defensive First Team.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU: During the 2004-05 season the Spurs were 9-7 in the 16 games Tim Duncan missed due to injury ... in his eight-year career the Spurs are 20-18 (.526) when Duncan is not in the lineup … the Spurs are 418-168 (.713) over the last eight years when Duncan plays.

PROTECTING THE HOME FRONT: In their third season in the SBC Center the Spurs enjoyed their best home record in franchise history … the Spurs were an NBA-best 38-3 home record during the 2004-05 campaign ... dating back to the 2003-04 season the Spurs won 21 straight home games (from 3/3/04 to 12/3/04) before falling to Seattle 88-84 on 12/5 (finishing one game short of the team's franchise record of 22-straight home wins) … of course the losing didn't last long as the Spurs then started a season-long 16-game home winning streak with a 116-97 win over Cleveland on 12/11 … with 38 home wins the Spurs posted the NBA's best home record since the 1996-97 season when the Bulls were 39-2 and the Jazz went 38-3.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH: During the 2004-05 season the Spurs were 22-2 when Tony Parker handed out eight-or-more assists … when he finished with 10-plus assists they were a perfect 7-0 ... this success is nothing new for San Antonio ... during Parker's four-year career the Spurs are 49-9 when he registers eight-ormore assists and 19-1 when he records 10-or-more.

OVERTIME MADNESS: With a 125-124 double overtime win at the Los Angeles Clippers on 4/9 and a 136-134 double overtime win at the Golden State Warriors the following night the Spurs made NBA history becoming the first team in history to win back-to-back double overtime games (only two other teams have played back-to-back double-overtime games: the Minneapolis Lakers during the 1951-52 season and the Vancouver Grizzlies during the 1998-99 campaign) … the Spurs back-to-back double overtime wins are even more impressive due to the fact that the Spurs were without Tim Duncan and Devin Brown for the Clippers game and then had to play without Duncan, Brown, Manu Ginobili and Rasho Nesterovic against the Warriors (the four players who missed the Golden State game averaged a combined 49.6 points per game during the 2004-05 season) … the combined 261 points over the two games was the Spurs highest two-game total since the 1990-91 campaign (when they scored 271 points - on 11/3 and 11/7 - in two games to open the season).

THE BIG PAYOFF: The Spurs made their first in-season trade since the 1995-96 campaign when they obtained Nazr Mohammed from the Knicks on 2/24 … in 23 games with the Spurs he averaged 6.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.43 blocks in 18.0 minutes (including 11.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.40 blocks in 29.6 minutes in five starts) … the Spurs previous in-season trade occurred on 2/8/96 when Charles Smith and Monty Williams were obtained from the Knicks in exchange for J.R. Reid and Brad Lohaus.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: The Spurs 2004-05 roster featured six players born outside of the United States … the Spurs and the Jazz both led the way with six international players … at one point in the season the Spurs had seven international players before waiving African-born Romain Sato on February 26.

CENTURY CLUB: When the Spurs hit the century mark during the 2004-05 season they were practically unbeatable ... during the regular season the Spurs were 28-2 when they reached the century mark ... the Spurs only reached the century mark 18 times during the 2003-04 campaign ... over the past three seasons the Spurs have gone 73-4 when they have scored 100 or more points in a game, which is the second highest winning percentage over a three year period when hitting the 100 point mark in NBA history.

[LegoTP]

Doug Collins' game preview



Place : The SBC Center, in San Antonio, TX
TV : TNT
Time : 7:30 pm


The defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs will face up against the Denver Nuggets today, for the opening night of the 2005-06 NBA season ! The Spurs ended their preseason with 5 victories and 4 losses (not the reality but in the preseason I have played, for those who haven't looked at my preseason thread) while the Nuggets had a sensational 7-1 record. They've lost their first game against the Hornets, and won 7 straight games ! Carmelo Anthony was awesome as he finished 6 of the 8 games played as the Nuggets' best scorer.

Coming back to the defending champs. San Antonio will have to fix problems, especially on shooting. They have to execute inside, with penetrations of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, or even of the veteran Michael Finley, to find good shoot positions, they cannot waste critical possessions. They have to make as many free-throws possible, because we saw them not shooting very well from the line. The Spurs will probably have to stop Andre Miller and Carmelo Anthony's penetrations, and also Kenyon Martin's powerful play as well. San Antonio has to get good positions, especially inside, because that's the key to the victory. The Spurs have good players to do that, and they have got a weapon, Tim Duncan. Duncan is one of the best NBA players, and he uses the glass as anybody in the league. And also one point to talk about, will Manu Ginobili begin the season like he finished last year ? Has Tony Parker progressed in his shooting ability ? These are the questions we're wondering about.

We will now talk about Denver. While the Spurs were having a difficult preseason, the Nuggets were on a roll, especially on offense. They have good scorers. Everyone can score points. But the main player remains Melo. Since Kenyon Martin came, he had to pass more the ball, but this hasn't really changed his play, he is still very quick in his moves, and he has got a great first step, which can be fatal to the defender. Marcus Camby's defensive play will be essential to his team. Coming from the bench, Earl Boykins will have to destabilize San Antonio's defense with his quickness and speed. Andre Miller will have to pass around and find the good shot, but he can also shoot well.



(Sorry for the poor quality of the logos, I didn't resize them well. )

[KIG1]

demarr at shooting guard. hahaha

[kibaxx7]

Great articles and game preview. Nice to see DerMarr at SG He's good in the game.

[Anthony15]

I think that Buckner should start at 2. He does in reality for the nuggets!

[LegoTP]

In the 1st Quarter

Denver wins the tip off. Bowen intercepts the pass and Parker sends the ball to Ginobili for the fastbreak ! Ginobili to Duncan and Tim finishes with the lay-up. 7 left on the clock. Ginobili takes the ball from behind ! Nesterovic takes the loose ball and sends it to Ginobili for the explosive dunk ! Martin scores with the inside shot over Duncan and Nesterovic. Bowen with the shot... it's missed, rebound by Duncan. Ginobili with the shot, it's out of bounds. Johnson misses the 3. Duncan rebounds and passes to Parker. Parker get rid of Anthony, he passes to Ginobili inside, he can't get the lay up in but Parker rebounds ! With the pump fake ! Parker scores with the inside shot. Ginobili gets a piece of that pass ! Parker takes the loose ball and doesn't want to score, he passes to Ginobili for the dunk ! Johnson misses the 3. Martin rebounds and misses his shot. Bowen rebounds but steps out of bounds. Martin dunks over Duncan. Parker with 3 left on the clock. He passes to Ginobili, Manu takes the 3... it's in at the buzzer ! Camby fires, it's in. It's 6-11 for the Spurs with 5:32 left to play. Duncan gets the ball. Turns back and shoots ! It's in ! Anthony with the shot... he's fouled by Duncan. He'll get two free-throws. He gets one of two from the line. Duncan rebounds. Parker penetrates and passes to Duncan, Tim shoots, it's in ! Anthony misses the 3 but Camby rebounds. With the strong finish ! Ginobili and Nesterovic with the pick and roll, Rasho misses the shot. Miller misses the shot. Martin rebounds, he elevates, but he's blocked by Nesterovic ! Miller takes the loose ball. Miller with the pro-hop, he's fouled by Duncan, that's his 2nd. Buckner ! He scores the 3 immediately after the pass ! Ginobili loses the ball. Buckner scores the lay-up. Camby pushes Nesterovic from behind ! That's Camby's 1st. Finley misses the lay-up but rebounds. He scores over Martin ! Watson misses the 2. Horry rebounds and Mohammed scores the lay-up during the fastbreak. Difficult shot by Hodge ! Definitely contact on the play but he scores anyway. Finley misses the 2. Great defensive pressure by the Spurs ! Finley takes the loose ball but there's a backcourt violation. Finley touches the ball ! He takes the loose ball and soars to the rim ! Finley steals the ball ! Van Exel misses the shot. 16-21 for the Spurs. Hodge misses the 2. Mohammed rebounds. Last possession for the Spurs. 21.3 left to play. Van Exel scores the 3 ! With 5 seconds left to play ! Hodge from center court ! It's no good ! The 1st quarter is finished, the Spurs lead by 8.

In the 2nd Quarter

Barry to Mohammed inside ! Nazr with the dunk over Camby ! Kleiza scores the 2. Oberto scores the lay-up. Udrih intercepts the pass ! He sends the ball to Finley. Finley to Udrih. Scores with the lay up ! Finley intercepts the pass ! Udrih gets the ball ! The defender challenges the 3. Udrih shoots ! For 3 ! It goes ! Hodge misses the 2. Mohammed to Barry. Brent takes the 3. It goes ! The Spurs open up a 17 points lead ! 18-35 ! Time out : Denver. Martin misses the hook-shot. Barry misses the 3. Oberto rebounds. Finley is fouled by Martin, he'll get 2 FT. He misses them both ! Nesterovic rebounds and scores. Martin gets the tip in ! Barry misses the 3 ! Martin scores the lay up. Nesterovic scores ! Martin scores the lay-up after Miller's missed 3. The ball touches the rim during the pass ! Martin grabs the loose ball and Miller scores. Oberto scores. Bowen steals the ball ! But there's a backcourt violation ! Miller scores ! What a shot ! The "no-look shot" while having contact on Oberto ! Parker penetrates ! He passes to Ginobili, open for the shot ! It's in ! Parker intercepts the ball ! Ginobili to Parker and Tony goes for the lay-up ! Anthony scores, with the foul ! He misses the FT. Parker scores the lay-up. Martin misses the 2. Parker rebounds. Nesterovic is fouled by Martin, and he'll get two shots from the line. 1/2. Ginobili takes the ball from Martin's hands ! Bowen is blocked by Kenyon ! Parker is fouled by Johnson and he'll get two from the line. He hits both FT. 30-50 for the Spurs ! Nesterovic blocks Buckner but Elson scores. Duncan misses the 2. Ah Buckner misses the pass ! Parker scores the lay-up ! Buckner misses the 3. Parker accelerates ! He scores another lay-up ! Parker steals the ball ! He's fouled during his lay up by Watson and he'll get 2 FT from the line. He gets them both. 32-56 for the Spurs. Parker steals the ball from Watson's hands ! He scores the lay-up ! Buckner steps out of bounds ! Parker scores his 18th point of the game !! Another lay-up, at the buzzer ! The score is 32-60 for San Antonio !

In the 3rd Quarter

Double team on Van Exel as he steps out of bounds. Miller scores the jump shot. Duncan scores the 2. Anthony takes the 3... it goes ! Mohammed gets the ball inside, he passes to Finley open for 3 ! He makes it ! Anthony scores the jumper. Mohammed has to change his shot but the ball is out of bounds. Anthony scores again ! Duncan misses the shot because of the contact on Martin. Miller scores the lay-up. Time out : Spurs. Parker is blocked by Camby but there's a foul. 0/2 from the line. Mohammed rebounds. Parker is blocked again ! By Martin ! Parker misses the lay-up. Rebound by Camby. Martin will get two shots from the line. He gets 1 of 2 from the line. Duncan scores, off the glass ! Duncan fouls Anthony in mid-air and Melo will go to the line. Anthony makes both FT. Oh ! What a play by Tony Parker ! He goes for the lay-up but dishes the ball in mid-air to avoid Camby's block ! Nesterovic can finish with an easy dunk ! Parker steals the ball ! He's fouled by Johnson during the shot. He gets both free throws. Miller is fouled by Bowen and will get two from the line. He sinks them both. Parker misses the 2. Camby gets the rebound. Anthony scores the 2. Parker scores the lay-up. Anthony scores, that's his 13th point of the quarter. Ginobili misses the lay-up. Ginobili intercepts the inbound pass and dunks ! Parker rebounds the miss. Duncan misses the 2. Anthony scores. Ginobili gets the turn-around jump shot. Duncan gets his 4th personal. Anthony will go to the line. 2/2. Finley misses the shot. Anthony is fouled again. He draws many fouls today ! He makes both free throws. Finley misses the 3. The Nuggets are coming back ! Watson misses the 2. Udrih misses the 3 but Nesterovic rebounds. He misses the shot because of the contact on Anthony. Buckner scores the 2. Time out : Spurs. Horry misses the long 2. Van Exel rebounds the miss. Finley scores the lay-up with few seconds left to play ! Buckner, from center court ! He misses the shot but there's still 0.7 second left to play. Horry misses the buzzer-beater. That's the end of the 3rd, the Spurs lead by 19.

In the 4th Quarter

Camby with the open dunk ! Horry misses the shot but Oberto rebounds and scores. Camby is fouled by Horry and will go at the line. 2/2. Barry scores the lay-up. Anthony scores. Finley scores the lay-up over Martin. Miller misses the pass and the ball is out of bounds. Horry misses the lay-up. Miller misses the 2. Van Exel scores the lay-up. Camby scores the lay-up. Horry scores the long 2. Johnson misses the 2. Horry gets the rebound. Finley is fouled by Martin and will go to the line. He gets both. Parker steals the ball ! Barry gets the lay-up. Camby misses the shot but Hodge rebounds and scores ! Parker is blocked by Camby once again ! Parker is forced tp adjust by Hodge, it is no good ! Martin scores the lay up. Parker with the pro-hop ! But Martin is well placed and gets the offensive foul. Parker intercepts the pass and Duncan scores. Anthony scores. Parker is fouled by Elson and will get two from the line. Ginobili intercepts the pass and sends the ball to Parker ! Parker to Ginobili for the dunk ! Miller scores the lay-up. Duncan scores the one-handed shot. Parker intercepts the pass ! Going for the alley-oop for Ginobili... the pass is completely missed. Miller scores with the shot off the glass ! Elson steals the ball. Time out : Nuggets. The crowd says "MVP ! MVP !" probably for Tony Parker. Ginobili intercepts the pass ! He goes for a big throwdown ! Martin scores the layup. Finally ! Parker gets his first double-double of the season ! Ginobili gets the ball and dunks. Martin dunks ! Duncan misses the shot. Martin scores the 2. Duncan scores. Camby scores. The Spurs will wait until the end of the game... that's over ! the Spurs win over the Nuggets 86 to 107 !


PS : pics coming soon.

[KIG1]

wow good to see that your workin really hard at this