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 San Antonio Spurs look to extend their best stretch of the season on Friday when they host the Orlando Magic at the A####mp;T Center. The Spurs have rattled off a season-high six straight wins and owns the third-best record in the Western Conference. The Spurs are averaging 100.7 points during their winning streak while holding opponents to 83.5. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich thinks his team is peaking at just the right time with the postseason approaching. Orlando's Brian Hill better start seeing some improvement from his own squad or it won't even be in the playoffs.
Tim Duncan emphasizes the importance of winning at home. "We've lost some really bad ones here and we just want to re-establish the fact that we need to be a good home team...". The Magic is the only team in the NBA to have never won a season series against the Spurs. San Antonio would do well to reestablish their dominance at home by continuing their recent success and their mastery of Orlando with another win over the Magic.
Don’t Sleep on the Spurs It seems a foregone conclusion that the NBA Finals will be Dallas or Phoenix and some poor, unfortunate Eastern Conference team, right? Not so fast. Didn’t you ever hear the cautionary warning about counting your chickens while sitting at the table? Maybe I’ve mixed messages, but let me make this one clear: Don’t sleep on the San Antonio Spurs.
How can that be, you ask? Surely I can’t be serious? Haven’t I been watching hoops at all this season? And haven’t I seen the Mavs and Suns so clearly dominate the West through the first two-thirds of the season.
Yes, in all seriousness, I’ve witnessed the Spurs struggles, but I’ve also seen them in this position before. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich is well known for not being overly concerned with his team’s regular season record, but rather using it as an 82-game tune-up for when the real action gets underway. As long as his team continues to improve, well, it seems just fine by Pop if his team isn’t leading in the win-loss column when the calendar still reads February. And who am I to second guess one of the game’s top decision makers, seeing as how he’s led his team to the Larry O’Brien trophy by kicking in the front door as well as slipping in the back.
“I think what is important is a group of men understanding that the real job is to get better as the season moves along and to be at your best at the end,” Popovich told USA Today’s David Dupree earlier this month. “Houston did it from behind, L.A. has done it both ways, we've done it both ways.”
During the 2002-03 season, the Spurs were a mere 38-17 before going on a late tear to finish the season with an NBA-best 60-22 record. They then marched through the field of 16, beating the Suns, Lakers, Mavericks and Nets, all in six games apiece, to win their second championship in the Tim Duncan era.
Two seasons later, the Spurs found themselves staring up at the Suns in the standings after Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire led a remarkable 33-game turnaround to finish with a league-high 62 wins. The teams met in the Conference Finals and, weathering an impressive 37 points and nearly 10 rebounds per game from Stoudemire, the Spurs cruised to a 4-1 series win before being stretched to a seventh game by the Pistons in the Finals.
If this year’s Spurs (38-18) are to hope for more hardware this year, they may have to do so in the role of underdog. It seems unlikely the team is going to finish the season 22-4 to hit the 60-win mark as in 2003, but, even if it did, that might not be enough as the Mavs could notch 70 Ws with the Suns tight on their heels.
As the Spurs start to steam down the homestretch of the long NBA season, the way they share the ball will be one of the factors by which to gauge their success. In last Saturday's home win over Seattle, the Spurs dished out 32 assists, and only four were credited to their starting point guard. The reserves also spread the wealth, with 18 assists coming from the bench. On one of the more memorable fast breaks of the season, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker raced up the floor exchanging passes, and then -- almost out of nowhere -- came the trailer, Bruce Bowen. Ginobili saw Bruce to his right, and quickly scooped a pass to him, and then Bowen finished with a two hand dunk, much to the delight of his teammates and the sold-out crowd.
Spurs aim to feel more at home
By Johnny Ludden
Shortly after returning from the Spurs' annual rodeo trip, coach Gregg Popovich made it clear to his players that their back-to-back victories in New Jersey and Detroit wouldn't mean much if the team didn't improve its play at home. While such a message would have seemed unnecessary in previous years — the Spurs entered training camp having won 85 of their past 95 regular-season games at the A####mp;T Center — that wasn't the case this season. By the time the Spurs reached the All-Star break they already had eight home losses, one more than all of last season.
Tim Duncan said "...we need to be a good home team. "This needs to be somewhere where people come in here and know they are going to lose games." The Spurs have restored some of that identity over the past week, routing Denver, Seattle and Toronto while leading by at least 30 points in each of the games. They will try for their fifth consecutive home victory Friday against Orlando before departing on a four-game trip. Before the current streak, five of the Spurs' previous 10 home games were losses, two of which came against Houston, a team that had not won in San Antonio since April 20, 1997. During one of those games, Rockets fans could be heard chanting "M-V-P!" for center Yao Ming.
After the Spurs' struggles in back-to-back games last season, some in their basketball operations department welcomed this season's 7 p.m. starts because they gave the team an extra half-hour for travel following a game. But the earlier start time might have contributed to a less-than lively environment this season, as the A####mp;T Center has sometimes been only half- or three-quarters filled at tipoff. Team officials have discussed moving the start time back to 7:30 p.m. next season to give fans more time to go home from work before attending the game.
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.
The San Antonio Spurs have traditionally done well during their annual "rodeo" road trip, but their struggles this month have added extra importance to the next eight games. With a rodeo being held at the A####mp;T Center, San Antonio begins its longest road trip of the season today against the Los Angeles Lakers. This is the fifth season the Spurs (31-14) have gone on the trip. The team has gone 25-6 the previous four seasons, including 6-2 last year.
Manu Ginobili is reasonably concerned, "January hasn't been very good for us, so going on a long road trip is either going to pull us together or apart. Hopefully it is together. Usually it is the part of the season where we make the biggest step forward."
The team begins the road trip coming off a 112-96 win over the Memphis Grizzlieson Friday. The Spurs made 60.8 percent from the floor - their second-best shooting effort of the season - and received another impressive performance from Tim Duncan. Duncan was 10-of-16 from the field for 26 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had a career-high nine blocked shots. He's averaged 22.9 points, 12.6 boards and 3.9 blocks over the past seven games. "He's just playing great basketball," coach Gregg Popovich said. "Hopefully the rest of us will follow."
The first three games of San Antonio's road trip will arguably the toughest. After facing the Lakers (27-16), owners of the league's fifth-best record, the Spurs play on back-to-back nights against division leaders the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns. The team also faces the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons during the trip before returning home Feb. 20 to face the Denver Nuggets. "It's always been a situation where our guys look at it as an opportunity to pull together and do their things in a hostile environment," Popovich said. "It helps with their toughness, confidence and focus."
The Spurs are 15-6 on the road and have won four of their last five away from San Antonio.
Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich, Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson and former Lakers Head Coach – now Miami Head Coach – Pat Riley are the only active coaches with multiple NBA Championships … Jackson has won nine, Riley has won five and Popovich has won three
Spurs forward Robert Horry won three of his six career championships while donning the Lakers Purple and Gold
The Spurs have met the Lakers in the playoffs 10 times, more than any other team in the league.
With his buyout from the Philadelphia 76ers on the verge of completion, Chris Webber has established a Fab Five wish list of high-profile teams he'd like to play for. Webber's wish list reads as follows.
Dallas Mavericks
Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
San Antonio Spurs
Webber told ESPN.com on Wednesday night that 17 of the league's 30 teams have already called to register interest in his services, but the free agent-to-be hopes to sign with one of the teams on his wishlist. His hometown is Detroit, thus there is more than one reason to consider the Pistons. He can play for his hometown and play for a ring. "This is the best I've felt in three years," Webber said in a phone interview. "Now the thing I want to do most is win a championship, put myself back on that kind of level."
Webber didn't divulge any order or preferences when listing those teams but did acknowledge that the Mavericks, believed to be offering less playing time than anyone in the group, was the least likely destination.
Early indications in San Antonio, meanwhile, suggest that the Spurs -- whose desire to get younger and more athletic and the swing positions is well-chronicled -- may be unlikely to pursue Webber. When asked before Thursday night's game by Bill Walton if the Spurs were interested in Webber, Spurs Coach Greg Popovich seemed cool to the idea. But, was that sincere or a poker face? This writer believes the Spurs might want Webber and may be willing to send Brent Barry packing to get him. Yes, Barrys a guard and Webbers a forward, but what the Spus need more than anything, if they are to get back up to the level that the Mavs and Phoenix Suns are at is points off of the bench that Webber may be able to deliver better than Barry.
Each of the other three teams on Webber's list appear to have an interest.
Miami has major depth issues even when Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade are healthy and pursued Webber's former Michigan teammate Jalen Rose when he was bought out by the New York (what the heck are) Knickerbockers in November. The Heat, possessing their full mid-level salary-cap exception worth in excess of $5 million, also have the ability to outbid any of the aforementioned suitors, although Miami will stray into luxury-tax territory if it spends, say, $2 million to bring Webber in for the rest of the season. But can Miami win another championship?
The Pistons, sources said, immediately thrust themselves into the running, intrigued by the idea of adding the local legend as they continue to revamp their front line in the wake of Ben Wallace free-agent defection to the Chicago Bulls.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Chris Webber complains about a call during the second half of their basketball game against the Orlando Magic in Orlando, Fla., in this Dec. 9, 2006 file photo. The 76ers completed the paperwork to buy out the remaining 1 1/2 seasons on Webber's contract Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File) http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/teams/photo?photo Id=1401288&team=phi
Webber's experience, size and game are also bound to appeal to the young Lakers, who recently lost two frontcourt starters to injury (Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown) and run an offense (coach Phil Jackson's triangle) that could make the most of Webber's passing skills. However, many question Webber's willingness to learn the triangle and if Phil will take a chance on that or want to add Webber's ego to a roster that already includes the strongheaded Kobe Bryant.
"My father said I haven't smiled on the court in about three years," Webber said. "I just want to get back to playing with a smile on my face and playing with a team that can really vie for a title. I want to be an integral part of a championship team." The 33-year-old added that he hopes to have his new address "by Monday, even though three or four teams want me by Friday."
A new deal can't happen that quickly because Webber must wait two business days to clear waivers once his buyout from the Sixers is made official. Webber said he expects paperwork on the buyout to be completed by Thursday morning at the latest.
Webber finished last season with solid averages of 20.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 75 games, the most games he'd played in the last six seasons. He said in training camp he was feeling as strong physically as he had since undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee in June 2003. But Webber appeared to fall out of favor with 76ers Head Coach Maurice Cheeks early this season, and was benched in several fourth quarters with little explanation. His minutes and production dramatically declined, and Webber eventually met with 76ers President Billy King to express his unhappiness over his situation.
Webber made it clear several times this season he wanted to end his career with a contender. With Allen Iverson traded to Denver last month, that's two all-stars off the roster in a matter of weeks. The Sixers have three first-round picks in the draft and are rebuilding through youth.
"I think he's been a total pro, done everything we've asked of him," King said. "This allows us to go in a different direction. Now I think there's clarity for the organization."
Webber reportedly agreed to a $5 million reduction in his contract, which pays him $20.7 million this season and $22.3 million next season. The buyout allowed the 76ers to drop below the league's luxury tax threshold of $65.4 million.
"I wish the 76ers organization the best and I thank the fans for their support during my time in Philadelphia," Webber said in a statement. "I appreciate Team Owner Ed Snider and Billy King for their cooperation with the buyout of my contract. I believe this is the best situation for both parties and I look forward to continuing my basketball career."
"He was a great teammate," Kyle Korver said after the Knicks beat the Sixers 106-99 on Wednesday night. "I'm going to miss him a lot. I wish I could have played with him more. He's a great person and if he gets put in the right spot he's going to do really well somewhere."
"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. 
