Two field goals and five total points were all the San Antonio Spurs could muster in the final eight minutes of their Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
Coach Gregg Popovich, in his usually dry and short way, said he didn't really know why the Spurs couldn't knock down opportunities. He said it simply came down to not making shots, and guard Manu Ginobili echoed that it wasn't particularly anything wrong with the execution.
"It was a tough game to score in," he said of the 97-87 loss that tied the conference semifinals series at two games apiece. "We both played great defense. In overtime we just stopped scoring. We kept running the same plays, our usual stuff, and it just didn't fall. And they made all their shots in overtime."
Popovich added that he was happy that the Spurs took what was given. The ball found Tim Duncan often, but after a strong, 14-point first half, he only scored five points during the last 29 minutes of play.
San Antonio ended up shooting 36 percent from the floor and 26 from three-point range. The Spurs also missed 11 of 25 free throws on the day, a number of which would've bumped the 84 points by the end of regulation out of the reach of Golden State, which only shot 38 percent itself.
The Spurs took 27 three-point attempts, a number a little too bold for Popovich's liking.
One such three could've been the dagger. Like the Spurs' Game 1 overtime win, Ginobili found himself with the ball on the left wing with less than 30 seconds left and the game tied at 84. His crossover dropped defender Harrison Barnes to the floor. Ginobili eyed the shot and got it off cleanly only to miss before his team was outscored, 13-3, in overtime.
"When I saw him on the floor, wide open," Ginobili said. "My last few shots were short. I don't know if I got tired or what, but I stopped pushing on my legs. It's hard to swallow. It could have been 3-1, but you know what, sometimes they don't fall. Life goes on."
"What's frustrating, not disappointing ... we had them where we wanted," he added. "We blew it. It hurts."
Source: Quotes via NBA.com's live postgame interview stream.
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