Prepared by www.spurs.com

91, WARRIORS 100

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2013

2013 WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS GAME #2, SERIES TIED 1-1

LEADING SCORER: Tim Duncan - 23

LEADING REBOUNDER: Kawhi Leonard - 12

ASSIST LEADER: Manu Ginobili - 4

For complete postgame coverage, including video of postgame interviews, please visit SPURS.com.

POSTGAME NOTES

**Tony Parker finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Parker has scored 20-or-more in five-straight postseason games dating back to Game 2 vs. L.A. Lakers on 4/24.  This postseason Parker is averaging a team-high 22.8 points, 6.2 assists and 4.5 rebounds.

** Tim Duncan recorded a team-high 23 points and 9 rebounds. For his career Duncan has scored in double-figures in 190 of 196 playoff games.  Duncan is averaging 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in six games this postseason.

**Kawhi Leonard posted his first double-double of the 2013 playoffs with 11 points and a postseason career-high 12 rebounds.  It was his fifth-straight postseason game scoring in double figures.

**Manu Ginobili chipped in 12 points off the bench to go along with 4 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. In the 2013 playoffs Ginobili is averaging 12.2 points, 5.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.67 steals in six games. It was the fourth time this postseason he’s scored in double figures.

**Warriors guard Klay Thompson broke three Spurs opponent playoff records.  With his 29 points in the first half Thompson set a new record for points in a half by an opponent.  The previous record was 28 which was most recently accomplished by Kevin Durant at Oklahoma City in Game 4 of the 2012 Western Conference Finals on 6/2/12.  He also set a new record for made three-pointers in a half with 7 in the first half (previous was 5 by numerous players) and made three-pointers in a game with 8 (previous high was 6 by numerous players).   For the game Thompson finished with a game-high 34 points (13-26 FG, 8-9 3FG).

POSTGAME QUOTES

Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich:

(On the play of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry ..)

“I thought it was polite of them to at least take turns and not both be on fire on the same night.  Maybe the next iteration is neither one of them will be hot in Game 3.  That’s what I’m hoping.  Klay was unbelievable.  A lot of those shots were tough.  Some of them were wide open because of mistakes, but other ones were difficult shots, either contested or off-balance.  He knocked them down and that’s what the playoffs are about.  Players have to make shots.”

Spurs forward Tim Duncan:

(On the possibility of another comeback in tonight’s game…)

“We put a couple good minutes together and finally started getting a defensive rhythm. We felt we were getting a couple stops in a row and getting that together. We got some great shots on the other end in conjunction with that. It just wasn’t enough. A lot of credit to them, they played really well. Klay (Thompson) shot the ball incredibly well and we just couldn’t put consistent stops together. That’s what this series is going to be about for us.”

Spurs guard Tony Parker:

(On having limited control in either game of this series…)

“Klay got hot, 8-for-9 from three. It’s tough. He scored 29 in the first half. We were in a deep hole. It’s tough to come back twice like that. It was already great what we did in Game 1. Game 2 we were down 20 and we tried to fight back. We tried to cut it back a couple times to eight or seven, but we just didn’t have enough tonight.”

Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson:

(On Klay Thompson’s performance tonight and defending Tony Parker…)

“I told him at halftime that is in the discussion, one of the greatest halves ever. Not only what he did offensively, but what he did defensively. If you slow it down and see the multiple effort plays and the attention to detail defensively, he is playing a future hall of famer and he’s making him work for everything. That’s a tough task but offensively, I have the greatest shooting backcourt that’s ever played the game and call my bluff.”

Warriors guard Klay Thompson:

(On the defense he played on Tony Parker...)

 "It was a collective thing tonight. We did it as a team. I tried to use my length as much as I could to bother him. He is one of the best point guards to score in the paint probably in the history of the NBA so I just tried to make him shoot tough contested jumpers over me."

Warriors guard Stephen Curry:

(On watching Klay Thompson's performance in the first half tonight...)

"It was amazing. With the shots he was hitting and going 8-for-9 from the three-point line is unheard of. He was aggressive and confident in every shot he took. Even when coach (Mark Jackson) was trying to pull him out he couldn't because Klay was feeling it.”

Warriors center Andrew Bogut:

(On tonight’s game…)

“It’s a good win for us. We sustained the same kind of play for 48 minutes. It is a good win for us, especially here. We haven’t done too well here over the years, especially during the playoffs. We are going to our court now and we will see what happens.”

Warriors guard Jarrett Jack:

(On tonight’s win…)

“Playing against these guys is a tough task. You have to stay focused for 48 minutes, be stern in your game plan and principles and what we preach every day in practice. That is not easy at all. Especially with a team that has three hall-of-fame players and a hall-of-fame coach on the other side.”

SPURS 129, WARRIORS 127 2OT

MONDAY, MAY 6, 2013

2013 PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND GAME #1, SPURS LEAD SERIES 1-0

LEADING SCORER: Tony Parker - 28

LEADING REBOUNDER: Tim Duncan - 11

ASSIST LEADER: Manu Ginobili - 11

POSTGAME NOTES

**Down by one, 127-126, with 3.4 seconds remaining in double-overtime, Manu Ginobili connected on a game-winning three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left to give the Spurs a 129-127 victory.  It was just the third double-overtime game in Spurs playoff franchise history, the last being a 117-115 victory over Phoenix in Game 1 of the first round on 4/19/08.

**Trailing 104-88 with 4:31 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Spurs went on an 18-2 run to tie the game and force overtime.  Tony Parker scored eight of his team-high 28 points during the run while Danny Green connected on one of his six-three pointers with 20.8 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 106-106.

**Tony Parker finished with a team-high 28 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. He scored 18 in the second half, including 6 points in the second overtime period.  Parker has scored 20-or-more in four-straight postseason games dating back to Game 2 vs. L.A. Lakers on 4/24.  It was his 73^rd playoff game scoring 20-plus.

**Danny Green finished with a postseason career-high 22 points (8-14 FG, 6-9 3FG) to go along with 3 steals and 2 blocks.  Green’s six three-pointers were also a playoff career-high.  This postseason Green is shooting 47.6 percent (10-21) from beyond the arc.

** Tim Duncan posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.  It was Duncan’s 140^th career postseason double-double, which ranks fourth all-time.  For his career Duncan has scored in double-figures in 189 of 195 playoff games.

**Kawhi Leonard scored 16 of his 18 points (7-11 FG, 1-1 3FG, 3-5 FT) in the second half while adding 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.  His 18 points tied a playoff-career high and it was fourth straight postseason game scoring in double figures.

**San Antonio tied a franchise playoff record connecting on 13 three-pointers.  The last time the Spurs made 13 treys in a playoff game came against the L.A. Clippers on 5/5/12.  For the game the Silver and Black shot 50.0 percent (13-26) from beyond the arc. 

POSTGAME QUOTES

Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich:

(Can you talk about the final four minutes of regulation and what your message was to the guys and how they executed…)

“Well, we just wanted to keep playing and keep competing.  Try to make stops and try to make some adjustments both personnel wise and defensively to try to get more stops and then stay in attack mode on offense.  It worked out.  It was anybody’s game that’s for sure.”

Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich:

(Boris Diaw hasn’t played since April 6^th…can you talk about the job he did…)

“He was special.  He played good defense, but offensively he has such a high IQ that it helped us.  He made shots.  He spaced the floor correctly and he ran the pick-and-roll well.  He was just really special after all that time off.  We didn’t think he’d be able to come back and, if anything else play that long.  We didn’t expect he’d have that many minutes.”

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili:

(On his game winning three-pointer …)

“The last play wasn’t for me they just left me open. I set a screen for TP (Tony Parker) and both went with him and they left me open on the weak side. When I caught it I just saw (Kent) Bazemore flying. So I just gave it a lot of air and it went in. I wasn’t my best shooting night, but it really helps when you hit the last one.”

Spurs forward Boris Diaw:

(On getting back into rhythm after being injured for so long…)

“My teammates have been in the playoffs for about two and a half weeks now, so they have their rhythm. They were ready. I was just trying to come back and not disrupt the momentum they had after winning the first four games.”

(On the comeback in the fourth quarter…)

“Just staying with it. Never giving up. We were down and there weren’t that many minutes left, but we knew we could do it. We knew we could come back. We knew it would just take some stops, which we were actually trying to get the whole game. We knew that was the problem, giving them too many open shots. We just did a better job and worked harder at it.”

Spurs guard Danny Green:

(On his game-tying shot at the end of regulation…)

“We made a good play. Pop drew up a good play. We executed pretty well. Boris set a good screen on my man and his own man. I got free and luckily it dropped.”

Spurs guard Tony Parker:

(On the comeback in the fourth quarter…)

“It was a crazy game. We just had to keep fighting and we got to give a lot of credit to Golden State. They were playing great. (Stephen) Curry was making crazy shots. We just tried to hang on. We had a great run at the end.”

(On Manu Ginobili’s game-winning shot…)

“It looked good when it left his hand. I was happy he was out wide open. They both came to me, and Manu was wide open. I was surprised they both came out to me. Manu knocked down a big shot.”

Warriors Head Coach Mark Jackson:

(On taking from tonight’s game…)

“It was a great game for us. It was a hard-fought game. We knew coming in that it was going to be a heck of a series. To give them credit, they made plays and fought back. We were careless at times, but I thought it was a great game. We’re a young basketball team that will be better at the end of the day for playing against the San Antonio Spurs. We’re excited about this series. I saw a lot of good things during the course of the game tonight. Unfortunately, we didn’t close it.”

Warriors guard Stephen Curry:

(On scoring 44 points tonight and still coming out with the loss...)

 "It was a fun game with a lot of action down the stretch. We were just on the wrong side of a couple big shots with Danny Green at the end of regulation and Manu (Ginobili) in double overtime.”

Warriors guard Stephen Curry:

(On losing tonight on a last second shot...)

"We went through the same thing during Game 1 with our series with Denver with Andre Miller hitting a late shot. We know how to come back because we have been a resilient team all year. We just have to turn it back on and be ready to go for Game 2." 

(Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs have been home resting for a week since they swept the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, they face the upstart Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals, starting Monday in the Alamo City.

The rest has been welcome for the Spurs.

"It's been good. We're taking advantage of it," said the venerable Tim Duncan. "We're using the time to rest up. You don't want to lose the rhythm. We're practicing hard."

The Spurs faced the Lakers without Kobe Bryant and without Steve Nash for two of the four games. The Lakers pounded it inside to Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, now the up-tempo Warriors await.

"The pace is going to be different than the last team we played," Duncan said. "It's going to take a little while."

The Warriors scored 1.0 ppg than the Lakers, but the manner they did it was starkly different. Golden State is younger than the Lakers and tries to get out and run the floor.

Golden State beat the third-seeded Denver Nuggets in six games. The clincher came Thursday night in front of a raucous crowd at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors haven't advanced to this point in the postseason since 2007. They haven't won two series in the playoffs since winning the NBA title after the 1974-75 season. In fact, they haven't taken more than a game in this round of the playoffs since 1977.

"This is a scrappy group," said Golden State coach Mark Jackson. "I'm extremely blessed to be in this position. That's a special group. This is the greatest group of men I've ever been around as a team."

The Warriors and Spurs split the four regular-season matchups with the home team winning each time. When Golden State beat the Spurs on Feb. 22, it snapped a 16-game losing streak to San Antonio.

It's worse for the Warriors in San Antonio. They've dropped 29 straight as the visitor in this series and their last victory in San Antonio came on Valentine's Day in 1997.

For some perspective, Warriors star guard Steph Curry was one month away from turning nine years old the last time Golden State won a game in San Antonio.

"If I was picking this series, I'd give them the check-mark," acknowledged Jackson. "It's a model organization. They've got three future Hall of Fame basketball players, a future Hall of Fame coach. It's going to be a tough task. They are clearly the favorite.

"It's going to be fun."

MATCHUPS:

BACKCOURT: The point guards in this series are spectacular.

Tony Parker was a fringe MVP candidate before going down with a sprained ankle with about a month to go in the regular season. He averaged 20.3 ppg and 7.6 apg during the regular season and his playoff numbers are up to 22.3 ppg. Danny Green was a double-figure scorer in season, but he's down to 7.0 ppg in the postseason.

Curry has become a superstar before our eyes. He is fifth in playoff scoring at 24.3 ppg and leads the postseason in assists at 9.3. Curry made the most 3- pointers in a season in NBA history and he and his backcourt mate, Klay Thompson, own the league's record for successful 3-pointers by teammates. Thompson's scoring is down almost 2.0 ppg in the postseason.

EDGE: WARRIORS (slightly, very slightly)

FRONTCOURT: Duncan has enjoyed a career resurgence with averages of 17.8 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 2,65 bpg. The rebounding and blocked shots numbers are down in the postseason, but the Spurs haven't needed him that much. Kawhi Leonard is scoring more in the postseason and has emerged as a great perimeter defender. Center Tiago Splitter improved greatly during this campaign, but sprained his left ankle in Game 3 against the Lakers and didn't play in Game 4.

The Warriors battled serious injury problems on their frontline. David Lee tore his right hip flexor in Game 1 against the Nuggets and was ruled out for the postseason. Naturally, he returned in Game 6, but only played 1:30.

"I felt like I could go out and energize the crowd a little bit," said Lee. "I've gone from not being able to walk to play on one leg. We're going to have to see what happens."

Jackson and Lee both commented that Lee's status for this series is unknown. He won't be at full strength, that much is certain. He led the NBA in double- doubles. Harrison Barnes, the rookie who started all season, jumped his scoring numbers from 9.2 ppg to 14.7 ppg. Andrew Bogut struggled scoring against the Nuggets, but had a 21-rebound game in the clincher.

EDGE: SPURS

BENCH: The Spurs have 10 players averaging at least 10 mpg in the playoffs. Granted, some of San Antonio's wins were blowouts, but eight Spurs average 6.5 ppg or better during the Lakers series. Manu Ginobili is a Hall of Famer, who, when healthy, is still an elite play-maker. Matt Bonner went 6-for-8 from the 3-point line against L.A.

Eight Warriors played in every game against Denver. The bench received a blow when Lee went down. Jarrett Jack finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting, but started some in the playoffs. Carl Landry is a huge contributor and Draymond Green, the rookie from Michigan State, and Festus Ezeli both became significant parts of the Warriors rotation. But, if Jack or Landry have to start in Lee's absence, the bench just doesn't have enough pieces.

EDGE: SPURS

COACHING: Gregg Popovich has four NBA Championships and will go into the Hall of Fame.

Jackson has gotten everything possible from this roster. You can feel the love he has for his players and the feeling is mutual. Jackson played the game in the first round, accusing the Nuggets of playing "dirty." He denied it was a ploy to buy some calls in Game 6, but Kenneth Faried picked up three quick fouls at a crucial time. Jackson is a great coach, but nowhere near the Pop level.

EDGE: SPURS

PREDICTION: Well, if Jackson is going to give the Spurs a "check-mark," why shouldn't everyone?

The Spurs are battle-tested and the best thing that could have happened to them is rest. Maybe they're a little shaky early on, being out of game action for a while and playing a different type of team like the Warriors, but they'll get it together.

With the experience and that incredibly daunting home winning streak over Golden State, it just seems like everything points in the Spurs' favor.

SPORTSNETWORK PREDICTION: SPURS in 5.

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