Manu Ginobili wasn't about to let the Orlando Magic put together another memorable victory against the Spurs. There would be no improbable plays by Dwight Howard on this Friday night. Ginobili made six 3-pointers and finished with 31 points to help San Antonio beat Orlando 98-74. Ginobili had 16 points and five 3s in the third quarter for the Spurs, who extended their season-high winning streak to seven. Tim Duncan added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Michael Finley scored 12 points. Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 22 points and Jameer Nelson had 18.
At their last meeting in February, the Spurs were stunned by Howard, who caught an inbounds alley-oop pass from Turkoglu and jammed it with less than a second to play to give the Magic a 106-104 victory. "We're happy to get a win against these guys, after a really tough loss a couple of weeks ago,'' Ginobili said. " (Coach Gregg Popovich) said we couldn't allow them to do it again. We remembered that in Orlando we were winning by 16 or 18, something like that, and they came back. Because they have talent.''
Ginobili matched one franchise record with five 3-pointers in the third quarter and another with six total in the second half. He missed only two of the 10 shots he took in the half and scored his 25 points in a span of just 10 minutes, 45 seconds. Ginobili's performance was nearly as thrilling as the 40-point effort he produced in Atlanta last week. "Manu obviously held a hell of a run," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Ginobili said. "...we had to play tougher 'D' and everybody had to go to the boards and get loose balls. And then offensively, something was going to come up." That something was Ginobili. After missing 6 of 9 shots in the first half, he buried three 3-pointers in less than two minutes after the timeout.
Ginobili added another late in the quarter after Orlando again cut the Spurs' lead to six. When Darko Milicic made a pair of free throws to bring the Magic within 62-57, Ginobili pumped in one more 3-pointer at the buzzer after taking a dribble handoff above the key from Robert Horry.
"Those kind of shots are sometimes easier because you have no pressure," Ginobili said. "You know you have to shoot it and nobody's going to say anything. Nobody's going to get upset at you with one second to go."
Ginobili wasn't done. He drove for a layup and a foul early in the fourth quarter, made another 3-pointer then completed another three-point play after Duncan dove to the floor to force a steal. The flurry broke open the game.
"When you face a player like Ginobili you have to decide if you want him driving to the basket or pulling up and shooting behind screens," Magic coach Brian Hill said. "Tonight we wanted Ginobili shooting behind screens."
Unlike in Atlanta, where he often burned the Hawks with his penetration, Ginobili leaned more heavily on his 3-point shot. "I was feeling so comfortable with the shot and so confident," Ginobili said, "that probably I took a couple I shouldn't have."
No one was complaining.
Rockets
The Houston Rockets' super-sized bear mascot, as mascots typically do, trotted out to midcourt during Friday's fourth quarter, sounded his siren and prepared to start firing T-shirts into the Toyota Center crowd. Until, that is, he noticed the players running around him. With Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy staring blankly from the sideline and the Spurs' Gregg Popovich shaking his head in disbelief, the referees called a timeout and shooed off the embarrassed mascot. But give Clutch some credit: For the first time all evening, the Rockets had upstaged Tim Duncan.
Duncan made sure the Spurs had something to smile about after the teams' final regular-season meeting. He knew right away Saturday night was going to be a good night, alright for fightin' you might say. Duncan scored 26 points and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 97-74 on Saturday night for their season-high eighth straight victory.
Duncan buried a 20-footer on the team's opening possession. He hit his first five shots and scored 15 points in the first quarter. Duncan had eight in a 12-0 run that opened an 18-5 lead with 6:18 to go in the first quarter. He showed off his repertoire: a 14-foot bank shot, a running hook, a driving layup and a turnaround jumper.
"It feels good to hit your first few shots,'' Duncan said. "It makes the rest of the game go easy. My shot felt good the entire night.'' Duncan hit at least four of his trademark bank shots, soft floaters that look off at first before they glance off the glass and fall in. "It's what's going in now,'' he said. "I hope it keeps going in for a while.''
So do the Spurs.
"When he starts like that, it gives him confidence and gives us confidence, too,'' guard Manu Ginobili said. "When he starts making those shots, it opens up the whole game for us. "We played great, especially defensively. It was a great overall game by everybody.''
With the 7-foot-6 Yao out, Duncan worked over the rest of Houston's big men. Dikembe Mutombo had to go to the bench with two quick fouls. Juwan Howard also picked up two in the first quarter, and backup forward Chuck Hayes was hit with three in his first 41/2 minutes on the floor.
"Again, it shows you the value of having a guy you can throw the ball inside to," Van Gundy said. "Collapses the defense, gets you to the free-throw line. He by himself had us in foul trouble in the first half."
"He's definitely been looking to take his shot," Gregg Popovich said. "If he's open, he's going ahead and shooting in rhythm."
The Spurs got 14 points from Michael Finley and 13 points and eight rebounds from Francisco Elson as they won in Houston for the fourth straight time. San Antonio played without All-Star guard Tony Parker, who sat with a strained left hip.
The Spurs built an 18-point first half lead in Orlando Friday night but it all came down to an improbable play by Dwight Howard. The Spurs saw their advantage disappear in the third quarter when the Magic outscored them 32-21. The teams began the fourth quarter tied at 80 and with .8 seconds left in the game the teams were tied at 104. That was before Dwight Howard slammed down an inbounded lob pass to defeat the Spurs.
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Anyone watching the finish in Orlando was left stunned by Dwight Howard's late game performance. After blocking Tony Parker's shot in the lane, he throws down the dunk in the final second to get his team the win.
The first game-winning basket of Dwight Howard's career was so impressive, even the losers were amazed by it. Howard leaped high over Tim Duncan to grab a long inbounds pass from Hedo Turkoglu with one hand and dunk it with 0.2 seconds left, giving the Orlando Magic a 106-104 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. "Dwight had to go up and touch the clouds over Timmy and get it one-handed and put it in,'' the Spurs' Brent Barry said. "It was a remarkable play.'' It was the first game-winning shot of Howard's career at any level and finished off a night in which he scored 30 points and had eight rebounds.
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Jameer Nelson recorded 31 points to help the Magic erase an 18-point deficit for the win.
"Thank God we have an unbelievable athlete capable of making an unbelievable play like that,'' Magic coach Brian Hill said. "Everything had to be perfect, starting with the pass and Dwight just finished it off the way only he can.'' Magic rookie J.J. Redick added a season-high 16 points, including a critical three-point play in the final minute. "That was just freak athleticism,'' Redick said of Howard's play. "We've all seen spectacular lobs and dunks, but I told him after the game: 'Dude, I've never seen anything like that in that situation.'''
Added Spurs coach Gregg Popovich: "That was a fantastic catch by a really dynamic young player. But Dwight was great the whole night. It was a fantastic win for Orlando.''
Freak athleticism? You can't humanly catch and shoot the ball in 0.8 seconds. The only possible play was a lob. Where were our giants guarding the rim? That just shouldn't have happened.
Jameer Nelson puts up a shot in front of San Antonio forward Tim Duncan during a game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, Feb. 9, 2007.
Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick, right, puts up a shot over Spurs guard Manu Ginobili in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 9, 2007.
Howard Flushed A Stunning Dunk
Johnny Ludden Express-News
ORLANDO, Fla. — If the Spurs have indeed "turned the corner," as their coach has suggested in recent days, they would have been wise not to pick one that led directly into the barrel-sized chest of Orlando center Dwight Howard. Howard flushed a stunning dunk over Tim Duncan with .2 seconds left on an out-of-bounds play, completing the Spurs' equally surprising 18-point collapse and handing the Magic a 106-104 victory Friday night at Amway Arena. Two nights after recording one of their most impressive victories, the Spurs trudged out the locker room here looking more dazed than ever with three more games still left on a trip that coach Gregg Popovich said could potentially define the team's season. "This," Tony Parker said, "was a tough one."
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard celebrates after his dunk against San Antonio in Orlando, Feb. 9, 2007.
For those who have arrived late and need a primer on the Spurs' turbulent season, they can simply cue up the last 18 or so minutes from Friday: Spurs surrender 18-point lead; Spurs put themselves back in position to win; Spurs can't get necessary stops; Spurs watch someone younger, stronger and more athletic jump over them to take the ball, then the game, from their reach. Howard pounded the Spurs for 30 points — two shy of the career-high he established two nights earlier in a loss in Toronto — while making 11 of 14 shots, none more impressive than the last.
Howard also started the game-turning sequence on the other end of the floor by swatting Parker's shot into the arms of Jameer Nelson with .8 of a second left. The Magic called timeout, during which coach Brian Hill told Hedo Turkoglu to throw the ball at the rim and "Dwight's going to get it." With Francisco Elson fronting Turkoglu on the sideline, Howard set a screen that led Duncan to feint at Nelson and put him a step behind Orlando's center. It was a costly step, too. Howard flashed back toward the rim and caught Turkoglu's inbounds lob a good 2 feet above the basket with his arm cocked behind his head, then jammed the ball through in windmill fashion. Duncan jumped, but not nearly high enough.
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard scores on a last-second dunk against the Spurs in Orlando, Fla., Friday, Feb. 9, 2007.
If this was one of those proverbial "passing of the torch" moments between big men, the 21-year Howard essentially extinguished the torch in Duncan's grill. That could explain why Duncan, whose own stellar 24-point, 16-rebound, six-assist performance went wasted, quickly left the locker room without speaking to reporters. "One out of 10 times that's going to work," said Brent Barry, who made four 3-pointers and scored 21 points. "Dwight Howard had to go up and touch the clouds over Timmy and get it one-handed and put it in. "It was a remarkable play and the one that made the difference."
Howard received considerable help from Nelson. The Magic point guard scored 24 of his 31 points in the second half, tying the game on a 13-foot pull-up jumper with 5.9 seconds left. "Jameer," Popovich said, "got hotter than a firecracker."
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) is congratulated by Jameer Nelson after scoring a last-second dunk.
"It Was A Bad Pass," Finley Said
Johnny Ludden Express-News
ORLANDO, Fla. — While Gregg Popovich and Tony Parker both praised former Spurs guard Hedo Turkoglu for the inbounds pass he made to Dwight Howard for the winning basket, Michael Finley saw it differently. "It was a bad pass," Finley said. The pass appeared to be too high and Orlando coach Brian Hill said he also thought it was "a little to the outside." "But being the athlete that Dwight is he was able to get it under control and dunk the ball," Finley said. "It was a special play on his part."
Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu, of Turkey, drives past San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, of Argentina
Parker said the Spurs talked "a little" about watching for the lob in the preceding timeout. "I knew that was the only way they could score," Finley said. "A catch-and-shoot would be tough in that situation. "Two things had to happen: You have to have an athlete who can catch the ball, which they had; and you had to have a perfect pass, which I thought was a bad pass. But they executed it and got a win."
San Antonio Spurs guard Brent Barry, right, puts up a shot in front of J.J. Redick.
"But all this must be suffered by those who profess the stern order of chivalry" Most Interesting Blog, June 16, 2008 and six other occasions. Lisa awarded him Best "breaking news" blogger March 31, 2008. Blog of The Day, Christmas Day, 2007. edhardiman wrote, "Falco's tribute to Rocket Richard reminds us all the stars of today stand on the shoulders of giants..." October 23, 2007. Three Golden Swirrly p00p Awards (Hockey, NASCAR and Use of Graphics), FlyingPig, July 18, 2007. 2007 Memorial Day Weekend Trifecta sponsored by williamwilman . Featured on WFORacingFans April, 2007. "Stylin'" award, Dusty, February 07. "One of ten new bloggers to watch" Dudski, January 2007.
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Jameer Nelson puts up a shot in front of San Antonio forward Tim Duncan during a game in Orlando, Fla., Friday, Feb. 9, 2007. 
Orlando Magic guard J.J. Redick, right, puts up a shot over Spurs guard Manu Ginobili in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 9, 2007. 
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard celebrates after his dunk against San Antonio in Orlando, Feb. 9, 2007. 
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard scores on a last-second dunk against the Spurs in Orlando, Fla., Friday, Feb. 9, 2007.
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) is congratulated by Jameer Nelson after scoring a last-second dunk.
Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu, of Turkey, drives past San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, of Argentina
San Antonio Spurs guard Brent Barry, right, puts up a shot in front of J.J. Redick. 
