Spurs-Cavaliers Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Apr 03 2012 12:31PM

The last time the San Antonio Spurs had a winning streak this long, coach Gregg Popovich gave two of his best players the night off and the result was the most lopsided loss of the season.

If Popovich decides to rest some regulars this time, the result could be far different as the Southwest Division-leading Spurs face the Cleveland Cavaliers - though the slumping last-place team should have Kyrie Irving back in the lineup.

San Antonio goes for an eighth consecutive victory Tuesday night as the host Cavs try to end their season-high seven-game skid.

With the Spurs (36-14) playing for the third time in four nights, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker didn't play as the team's 11-0 run - the league's longest surge this season - ended with a 137-97 loss at Portland on Feb. 21.

San Antonio split its next six games, but has won 10 of 11 to build a comfortable division lead over second-place Dallas.

The Spurs have showcased some great depth during their winning streak with seven players averaging at least 10.0 points. San Antonio's bench outscored Indiana's reserves 52-29 in Saturday's 112-103 victory.

"The more practice we get, the more we play together, I think we're realizing how deep this team is," said Stephen Jackson, who has averaged 9.7 points in seven contests since being acquired from Golden State.

The Spurs could continue to benefit from that depth as they play their final 16 regular-season games in the next 24 days. With a game at Boston on Wednesday, Popovich could give his backups extended playing time at Cleveland.

The Cavaliers (17-33), meanwhile, need all the healthy bodies they can get. Daniel Gibson (foot) is likely done for the season, center Anderson Varejao (wrist) has been out since Feb. 10 and Irving missed Saturday's 91-74 loss in New York due to a sprained right shoulder he suffered a night earlier.

It was originally believed Irving, who leads all rookies with 18.9 points per game, would sit out a second straight game after he didn't participate in any contact drills during Monday's practice. However, coach Byron Scott said his starting point guard participated in Tuesday morning's shootaround without any problems and that Irving told him he "feels great."

The Rookie of the Year favorite will wear a protective brace on his shoulder, Scott says.

Undrafted rookie Donald Sloan got his first career start Saturday in place of Irving, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

"I thought Donald did a real great job running the show, getting guys the ball when they needed it," Scott told the Cavs' official website. "Being able to break down defenders and get to the basket."

Cleveland, though, will have to take better care of the ball as it tries to avoid its first eight-game losing streak since a league-record 26-game slide Dec. 20, 2010-Feb. 9, 2011. The Cavaliers committed 20 turnovers Saturday and have given the ball away 17.0 times per game since their last victory.

Irving has averaged 5.3 turnovers in his last four games.

San Antonio has had 8.9 steals per game during its winning streak.

The Spurs' 109-99 win March 2, 2011, was their third consecutive victory over the Cavs and ended a two-game skid in Cleveland.

These teams finish the season series April 22 in San Antonio.

Spurs storm past Cavaliers 125-90

By TOM WITHERS
Posted Apr 03 2012 10:46PM

CLEVELAND (AP) Danny Green wasn't looking for vengeance or payback on the Cavaliers. He got some anyway.

Green scored 19 points against a Cleveland team that released him last season, Tony Parker added 19 and the San Antonio Spurs coasted to their eighth straight win, 125-90 over the lifeless Cavs, who have lost eight in a row and were blown out at home again.

Green played his rookie season for Cleveland, which cut him at the end of training camp in 2011. He's found a new home with the Spurs, who built a 22-point lead in the first half and rested Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili for most of the fourth quarter while pushing their lead to 37.

"It does mean a little something to me because this was my first team," Green said. "It's nice, but that's not the important thing for me. It's more important that we continue to get better. We want to keep winning going into the playoffs."

Rookie Kyrie Irving scored 13 points for the Cavs in his return after missing one game with a sprained right shoulder. But even with their best player back, Cleveland dropped its eighth straight and followed up a 37-point loss at home to Milwaukee with a 35-point setback.

Coach Byron Scott fears his team may have given up.

"I worry more when me as a coach and my coaching staff want it more than my players. That's when I start to worry," Scott said. "And I'm getting worried."

Antawn Jamison had 15 points for the Cavs, who have dropped 17 of 21 and lost their past seven by an average of 22.3 points. Cleveland has now lost home games by 39, 37 and 35 points this season.

"We gotta turn it up as best we can," said Irving, who played with a protective brace on his shoulder. "What it boils down to is we just have to go out there and play. We all get paid to do this at a really high level. I feel like sometimes sitting there watching or being out there that our competitive level doesn't match other teams.

"We just have to pick it up."

The Spurs began a 16-games-in-23-days stretch to finish the lockout-shortened regular season, a grueling finish before the playoffs for any team, and especially for one with so many veterans.

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich wants to rest his regulars as much as possible and a date with the Cavs provided the perfect opportunity to sit his starters.

Duncan and Parker played only 23 minutes and Manu Ginobili 18, giving the Spurs' "Big Three" a chance to get ready for Wednesday's game in Boston.

"Obviously, we're on a back-to-back and we got a little rest for the second game," said Duncan, who took just six shots. "Perfect scenario? Pretty close."

Reserve guard Patty Mills scored a season-high 20 for San Antonio, which has won 11 of 12 and taken a comfortable hold on the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference behind Oklahoma City.

Green spent much of the pregame visiting with former Cavs teammates, Scott and arena employees, offering a handshake and hug to people he used to see on an almost daily basis.

In the first half, he seemed intent on showing Cleveland what they gave up.

Green, who scored just 40 points in 20 games in his season with the Cavs, made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points to help the Spurs open a 60-41 lead at the break. The 6-foot-6 swingman has gone from being a Cleveland castoff to a starter with the Spurs, who have again gone under the radar but are playing as well as any team in the league.

"We had no expectations for him at the beginning of the season," Parker said of Green. "He's playing great in our system. He's knocking down shots and playing great defense. Sometimes I can relax a little when he takes over at point guard. I like Danny."

After a 3-pointer by Jamison tied it 16-all in the first quarter, the Spurs went to work.

San Antonio reeled off 16 straight points in less than three minutes and Parker picked up a second personal foul on Irving, who went to the bench with 3:32 left.

When the Cavs scored four quick points to open the second, Popovich called a timeout and spent the break ripping into his players, particularly Mills, who gave up an easy layup.

The Spurs responded to the tongue lashing as Green hit a pair of 3-pointers to help open a 53-31 lead.

Parker scored six straight during a 12-2 run in the third and James Anderson, who didn't play at all in the first half, closed the quarter with a 3 from the right corner to put San Antonio ahead 90-63.

Scott could only squirm in his chair during the fourth quarter as the Spurs reserves maintained the huge lead.

After cooling down in the locker room, Cleveland's coach didn't hold back in his assessment of a team showing little fight.

"We have to compete, it's that simple," he said. "If we don't do that, we have no chance. You have to play flawless basketball, but we're not giving ourselves an opportunity to be in a game or win a game because we're not competing at a high level.

"We can't compete one night and the next night not compete at all and the next night compete. That inconsistency is not going to cut it."

Notes: While watching Monday's NCAA title game between Kansas and Kentucky, Scott couldn't help thinking about a few of the Wildcats one day wearing Cleveland's wine and gold. "I looked at that Kentucky team and thought, `How can we get about three of them?' They were that good." ... Cavs G Daniel Gibson underwent surgery in California on Monday to repair a torn tendon in his left foot and ankle. Gibson's season is over. ... Duncan and Parker have played in 751 regular-season games together, the highest total of any pair of current teammates. ... Jamison (19,017) moved into 46th place on the career scoring list, passing Dale Ellis and Reggie Theus.

Notebook: Spurs 125, Cavs 90

Posted Tuesday April 3, 2012 11:57PM

By Brian Dulik, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Point guard Patrick Mills scored a season-high 20 points and shooting guard Danny Green added 19 as the San Antonio Spurs destroyed the Cleveland Cavaliers 125-90 at Quicken Loans Arena. Point guard Tony Parker chipped in 19 points and five assists for the Spurs, while center Tiago Splitter and shooting guard Gary Neal had 11 points apiece. San Antonio extended its winning streak to eight games by posting its highest-scoring output since Jan. 4, 2011. Cavaliers power forward Antawn Jamison scored 15 points, while point guard Kyrie Irving had 13 points and five assists in his return from a right shoulder strain.

QUOTABLE: "This was pretty close to a perfect scenario. We got everyone a little bit of rest and all the guys that came in played pretty well. Obviously, we're on a back-to-back and going to Boston tomorrow night, so it's a good thing to have games like this for a number of reasons."
-- Spurs power forward Tim Duncan

THE STAT: The 35-point drubbing equaled the Cavaliers' third-largest ever at home -- trailing two defeats earlier this season. Cleveland lost to Chicago by 39 points on Jan. 20 (114-75), and fell to Milwaukee by 37 points on March 30 (121-84). "This hurts because knowing what our fans have done for us with all their support, they deserve to have us come out and compete at a high level," Jamison said. "Offensively, it's like we're scared to shoot the basketball, and defensively, we've given up way too many layups." Since entering the NBA in 1970-1971, the Cavaliers have played 1,692 home games over 42 seasons.

TURNING POINT: San Antonio scored 16 straight points late in the first quarter -- starting with a driving layup by Parker -- to turn a tie game into a 32-16 rout. It marked the second straight home game the Cavaliers have surrendered a 16-0 run in the opening half, having allowed the Bucks to do so four days earlier. "I don't know the reason, so [if you] ask me why, I have no clue," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. "But I do know that we have to get back to competing. It's that simple." Scott's only substitution during the 3:51 onslaught was replacing top scorer Irving with backup shooting guard Manny Harris.

QUOTABLE II: "Tonight wasn't a fair fight. They were missing two very important players [injured center Anderson Varejao and injured shooting guard Daniel Gibson], who are two very important members of their team. We took advantage of it."
-- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

HOT: Mills poured in 20 points in just 20 minutes, going 8-for-11 from the field and 4-for-5 beyond the arc. The Australian National Team member was signed by the Spurs on March 23 after starting the season in the Chinese Basketball Association. "Patty is more of a shooting point guard, so Manu [Ginobili] is going to create opportunities for him when they're out there together," Parker said. "And when he gets time to shoot the ball, he's going to knock down shots." ... Green scored 16 points in 16 first-half minutes, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. The former Cavaliers reserve finished the contest 7-for-11 from the field. "It was nice to do it against my former team, but the most important thing was the Spurs getting the win," Green said. ... San Antonio power forward Boris Diaw had six points, six rebounds and a game-high nine assists off the bench. It was his sixth game with the Spurs since being waived by the Bobcats. "I was just trying to spread the floor when they packed it in down low," Diaw said. ... San Antonio's margin of victory was the largest in the 80-game series between the franchises.

NOT: The Cavaliers' season-long losing streak ballooned to eight games, coming by an average of 19.6 points, while their home skid reached six in a row. Cleveland's last victory came on March 19 at New Jersey, while their most recent home win was on March 11 against Houston. "We all get paid to play at a really high level, but our competitive level isn't matching other teams that we play," Irving said. ... "Cavs fans definitely deserve more from us." San Antonio's 125 points were the most allowed by the Cavaliers since Jan. 15, 2011. They also marked the most scored by a visiting team in Cleveland since April 1, 2005. ... Cavaliers power forward Samardo Samuels and Harris were blanked in 14 combined minutes. ... Irving missed 10 of his 15 field goal attempts. ... Cleveland allowed 23 layups and was outscored 18-0 in fast-break points. ... The Cavaliers were outrebounded 46-27. ... Spurs power forward Matt Bonner failed to score, while shooting guard Stephen Jackson didn't make a basket. ... San Antonio starting center DeJuan Blair had four fouls and no points over the first three quarters.

QUOTABLE III: "It's supposed to hurt when you lose. To hear guys in our locker room still talking and laughing after games, it's disappointing. You've got to let them know, you can't accept losing, [let alone] getting our [expletive] kicked. We've taken dramatic steps backward."
-- Cavaliers power forward Antawn Jamison

GOOD MOVE: Jamison, who has been one of the Cavaliers' locker room leaders since the loss of LeBron James in the summer of 2010, called out his younger teammates after their latest blowout loss. "A.J." also led by example during the game, moving past Dale Ellis and Reggie Theus into 46th place in NBA history with 19,017 career points. "The coaches are putting us in the right situations to be successful," the 14th-year pro said. "We've just got to go out there and not get blown out. Once we get out on the court, there should be no excuses whatsoever."

BAD MOVE: While the Spurs were making their game-changing 16-0 run late in the first quarter, Scott tried to stop it with a curious quintet on the court. Cleveland's guards were recent NBA D-League signees Lester Hudson and Harris, while its frontcourt featured Samuels, Jamison and small forward Alonzo Gee. "When we're giving up layups, not once or twice but on a consistent basis, and you're giving up wide-open shots five or six times down the floor, that shows that we're not competing," Scott said.

NOTABLE: Varejao (right wrist fracture) could return to action next week, while Gibson (left foot tendon tear) had reconstructive surgery Monday and will miss the remainder of the season. They are the only Cleveland players left from the 2007 NBA Finals squad that was swept by San Antonio. Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Bonner remain with San Antonio from that title team. ... Seven Cavaliers reached double figures in scoring with Hudson, small forward Omri Casspi, center Semih Erden, shooting guard Anthony Parker, and center Tristan Thompson joining Jamison and Irving. ... Popovich went to his bench early, giving everyone in a Spurs uniform at least nine minutes. Green logged a team-high 26, while key veterans Duncan (23), Parker (23) and Ginobili (19) played less than half of the game.

UP NEXT: For the Spurs, Wednesday @ Boston, Friday vs. New Orleans, Sunday vs. Utah. For the Cavaliers, Wednesday @ Milwaukee, Friday @ Toronto, Sunday @ New Jersey.

• Spurs: Joseph
• Cavaliers: Harangody, Varejao

• Spurs: --
• Cavaliers: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #29 Mark Lindsay, #34 Kevin Cutler
• Attendance: 14759
• Duration: 1:58