Spurs' primal fear pays off

AP

When the Spurs stagnate, Manu's manic metabolism on both ends of the floor is usually the cure.

Two fouls, one debatable and one phantom, put Tim Duncan on the Spurs' bench with nearly three minutes left in overtime and the Spurs protecting a five-point lead. There couldn't have been a worse development for the Denver Nuggets.

If the Spurs have a weakness, it's that they don't have any internal conflict or friction. Nobody is unhappy with his role. Nobody is upset about his minutes or his touches. Nobody's pushing anybody else to get in the starting lineup. In fact, Manu Ginobili, a bona fide All-Star and a third-team All-Pro on my ballot, gave up his starting spot to Brent Barry for the good of the team. No one's happier for starting point guard Tony Parker than backup Beno Udrih.

So losing Duncan, much like losing Game 1 of the series, brought out the best in the Spurs. They didn't have their star and they could focus their ire on the referees for taking him away from them. Being a scrappy, skilled, unselfish, disciplined bunch, they generally play at a high level, but they went primal in those final minutes when some teams might have faltered. Bruce Bowen shuffled his 30-something feet, desperately trying to stay in front of liquid-quick Earl Boykins, knowing he couldn't count on shot-blocking help. Tony Parker, getting caught on a switch guarding Carmelo Anthony on the post, scrambled like a mongoose trying to keep a snake at bay. When 'Melo finally got the ball, Manu came out of nowhere to block what could have been an uncontested dunk and force a turnover.

The Nuggets, meanwhile, looked confused, as if they knew they were supposed to take advantage of TD's absence but weren't quite sure how. End result: the Nuggets never threatened once Duncan went to the bench, the Spurs rolling to an 11-point win and a 3-1 series lead.

But not to worry, Denver. The Spurs are going home to their cozy confines … where they've been nearly unbeatable, needing a single win to reach the second round. That amounts to a fluffy pillow and for a team with no internal stress, sometimes that can induce sleep.

Disclaimer: I watched the game on TV. I've watched most of the first round that way, except for the Sonics-Kings' Game 3 and Game 4 of the Heat-Nets series. Which reminded me just how limited you are watching a game on TV. You're at the mercy of the cameras and you miss all sorts of subtle tells, such as Damon Jones being an absolute bug with the game in hand or Jerome James apologizing to Luke Ridnour for not calling out the Brad Miller pick that flattened him or one of the Kings owners wearing a Mike Bibby jersey, which is about the greatest vote of confidence imaginable. There's no comparing the respective teams' body language coming in and out of timeouts, no spotting an assistant coach pulling aside the young star who just blew a rotation, no seeing Danny Fortson pull out his jersey and march to the far end of the bench, where he's consoled by James.

One observation about the Nuggets: TV limitations or not, you could tell they truly expected to win Game 4, despite what the Spurs did to them in Games 2 and 3. KMart was hiding his face on the bench in the final minutes. Anthony squatted, head down, right there on the court. Greg Buckner stared off into the distance with a how-did-this-happen expression. Andre Miller, a master of the no-expression expression, looked genuinely distraught. That's a good sign. It means they have expectations of themselves and, considering how tough they've played the Spurs, they're justified.

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AP

Tracy McGrady's buzzer-beating bomb bounced off the rim, allowing the Mavs to escape with a 103-100 win in Game 5.

Tracy McGrady actually smiled.

He broke into a very visible grin after the final buzzer and flashed a "Man that was close" look at Yao Ming, who rushed over thinking he had to console a crestfallen teammate.

McGrady was pretty upbeat late Monday after the Houston Rockets became the first road team to lose a game in the Interstate 45 Championship. It didn't take him long to live with his missed heave from the corner that could have forced overtime ... because he saw on a replay later that his foot was on the line anyway.

"It would have been heartbreaking if I had made the shot," McGrady quipped.

Smiles. Laughter. Good signs for the Rockets. If there's anything for Houston to feel encouraged by after three consecutive defeats, and its eight missed free throws in Monday's fourth quarter, it has to be McGrady's demeanor.

Seriously. If McGrady is feeling the pressure -- if he's worried about what folks are going to say should another great start to a playoff series fail to send him short of the second round again -- it's tough to tell. Blowing a 2-0 lead to Dallas will undoubtedly dredge up questions about that lost 3-1 lead over Detroit two springs earlier, but this is a different T-Mac.

At least some of us think so.

"I hate losing," McGrady said, "but I'm really enjoying this series."

Which is why he remains a good bet to extend it and force a Game 7. For all the speculation about how tired McGrady must be, having guarded Dirk Nowitzki for long stretches throughout the series and carrying the Rockets at the other end, McGrady still had the energy in Monday's closing sequence to rebound his own intentionally missed free throw and find his way to the 3-point line for a launch that everyone in the building surely expected to drop. All in the space of about three seconds.

You'd probably smile, too, if you could do all that.
-- Marc Stein, from Dallas

One big reason the Bulls' fortunes turned sharply in Games 3 and 4 was an under-the-weather Ben Gordon. Chicago's ace rookie averaged 21 points in the first two games, but a meager eight in the two losses that followed. And his shooting was atrocious -- just 3 for 22 in the two games in Washington.

Give credit also to Washington's own key backcourt reserve, Juan Dixon. Wizards coach Eddie Jordan has been matching up Dixon with Gordon for most of the series, and Dixon gained the upper hand in both games in D.C.

For the injury-plagued Bulls to regain control of the series, they'll need this matchup to turn back in their favor.
-- John Hollinger