So much for younger and fresher legs, athleticism, better rebounding, and more points in the paint.
The San Antonio Spurs turned the ball over 19 times, missed 10 free throws, and clanged two of 16 three-point attempts. It cost them in a 90-83 home loss to the Boston Celtics.
The Utah Jazz won in similar fashion at the AT&T Center a few weeks ago.
That, as Tim Duncan would say, will not get it done.
The numbers that matter most don't lie.
The Spurs outscored the Celtics in the paint 52-36, outrebounded them 55-32, managed the same number of steals, lost the assist battle by only two, and blocked five shots to Boston's eight.
Paul Pierce missed seven of nine shots, Ray Allen missed nine of 15, and Rasheed Wallace was four of nine from the field.
A "big three" changed the complexion of this big contest, and it wasn't either of the star trios many still think could meet in the NBA Finals.
Sometimes, a team seen as too old to compete for a title needs to take care of the ball, not lead the league in alley-oops. Athleticism was never the problem in this caustic defeat.
The "b ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Robert Kleeman
Spurs-Celtics: The Big Three That Changed the Game
December 3rd, 2009 by Robert Kleeman Leave a reply »
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