Spurs find Ginobili again

In the East, Washington lost to Indiana (winner thanks to Paul George’s 38 points and free throws, Saturday’s top scorer) a chance for the seventh success in the last 10 and stick to Detroit in 9th place and make the Bulls feel the breath on their necks returned to success with the return of Jimmy Butler (out of action since the All Star Game because of his knee) and a double-double by the increasingly incredible Pau Gasol (28 points and 17 rebounds) on whom his club is ready to invest a contract renewal of 20 million unprecedented for one of his age, moreover European.

In the West, the Jazz have broken the chain of away defeats and having now distanced themselves from Kings and Denver are the only team capable of knocking Houston (8th place) out of the playoffs, which in Chicago showed no signs of metamorphosis as personality and play. It is reductive to explain away yet another stop with shooting inaccuracy. Not only that: instead, after only 8 points, Dwight Howard said the team can do more. And who better to ask the question than him? Chinese League MVP Michal Beasley debuted with 2 points and 1/5: can it be that they haven’t gotten one right in a few years, shall we talk about the signing of Ty Lwson sold out to the Pacers, a year ago one of the league’s top point guards in a Denver jersey?

0/3 for the Kings in the series with the Spurs, although the last defeat is filed by the smaller margin having Popovich rested Aldridge, Danny Green and Tim Duncan. Surprisingly, Manu Ginobili scored 22 points a month after Ryan Anderson elbowed his testicles. It took an unprecedented operation but the Argentine returned to the role of math winner even though to guard against Parker’s negative spikes (2 points for the second consecutive game) and Green’s decline the Spurs shored up the rear drive with Andre Miller and Kevin Martin.

San Antonio also has significant records, 53-9 is its best finish in 19 consecutive seasons, plus it continues its unbeaten season (and with that makes 30 wins, four more than the Warriors) and boasts the largest spread (+12.5) among the 30 teams. By contrast, the home court factor is a problem for this year’s Clippers: the team of the league’s richest owner according to Forbes (23 times billionaire!), former Microsoft No. 1 Ballmer, loses more at home than away (21/11 and 19/10). Last loss to the Hawks who took the lead (14-1) in the fourth quarter thanks to points from Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and German Dennis Schoder even thinner than Rondo.

The Cavaliers’ home 17 may be deceiving: they were trailing by 18, and it’s a good thing Kevin Love was back, that the rehabilitated Imam Shumpert came up big again (16 rebounds and 12 points), and while always struggling with the 3-point shot LeBron went close to the triple for the second time. Belinelli has been dragging a similar problem all season, confirmed by only 7 points with 2/8 and 1/3 from the arc for the Bolognese “beard” who quietly winters in Sacramento in his first season strong on a three-year deal, although in the NBA they don’t think twice about putting a player at the door when only from TV 24 billions per season come to the clubs and for a deal gone wrong they make two profitable ones. So it adds up.

A quick look at individual statistics, with a particular eye on the Euopeans, with 37 days left in the regular season. Curry is back above 30 (30.7) among scorers thanks to a fabulous end to February. Damien Lillard rose to 5th (25.8) but with a lower percentage than those ahead of him. Gallinari is ahead of all his European colleagues with 19.4 even though he is in danger of not finishing the season again this year. In recovered balls, Russell Westbrook (2.16, had risen 2.22) has been ineffective in recent games and has been surpassed by Kyle Lowry (Toronto, 2.17). In assists Rondo’s dominance, 5th Ricky Rubio with 8.7 average, his passes made Karl Anthony Towns grow rapidly who in turn shows talent for passing and will be The Rookie of The Year, also because Porzingins is stationary and was not playing with the same intensity as the first pare of the season. Oklahoma’s rocky Turkish giant, Enes Kanter, is the most prominent young European even though he has been in the NBA for 3 seasons now, not without the regret of his father, a doctor operating in Switzerland, for not completing his studies.

Steph Curry also misses graduation, but he has promised his former Davidson coach, Bob McKillop, that he will make time to do his homework as a student. Only then will Davidson be able to collect his No. 30 jersey, as academic regulations require.

SKY TV AGENDA – Starting today and March 13, 4 NBA live broadcasts. It starts with a long-awaited prime-time (21.30 Sky Sport 1HD Tranquillo-Pessina), the epochal handover between Kobe and Curry with the last duel; Lakers-Warriors is also on a delayed basis Monday, March 7 (2 and 10.45 pm SS 2HD, 6 pm 3HD. Thursday, March 10, again the Warriors, who winning at Oracle Arena with Utah would break the Bulls’ all-time record with 45 home wins: date at 4:30 a.m. (Mamoli-Pessina; also deferred Thursday at 2 p.m. SS 2HD and 5 p.m. SS 3HD). From Memphis live at 2 a.m. (SS 1HD) on Saturday, March 12 Grizzlies-Pelicans (deferred also Saturday from 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. SS 2HD). Closing from San Antonio’s AT&T with Sunday live at 2:30 a.m. March 13 on SS 1HD (Memoli-Tranquillo; deferred 10:30 a.m. SS 2 HD,2:50 p.m. SS 1HD).

RESULTS Saturday, March 5 – LA Clippers-ATLANTA 97-107 (17 C.Paul 11a 6/16, 17 D.Jordan 11r 5st tl7/17; 22 J.Teague 6r 7, 20 P.Millsap 18r, 16 D.Schroder, 11 A.Horford 11 r; series end 1/1); SAN ANTONIO-Sacra,ent 104-94 (25 K.Leonard 13r 1/5 da3, 22 M.Ginobili, 9 B.Marjanovic 9r, 2 Parker 1/6, absent L.Aldridge; 31 D.Cousins 10/20 1/3 da3 tl10/15 9r 4a 6pe, 7 M.Belinelli 3/11 2/8 1/3 da3 3r); CLEVELAND-Boston 120-103 (28 L.Jmes 11r 8a 1/4 da3 4pe, 20 K.Irving 3/6 da3, 12 I.Shumpert 16r; 27 I.Thomas 9/15 4/6 da3 tl5/8 4a, 17 J.Sullinger; finals series 2/1); NEW YORK-Detroit 102-89 (24 C.Anthony 10r, 21 R.Lopez 9r , 20 A.fflalo 9/12 7r, Porzingis absent; 21 A.Drummond 16r, 18 T.Harris 8r); WASHIGTON-INDIANA 99-100 (25 J.Wall 6r 12a, 8 M.Gortat 17r 3/8; 38 P.George 13/22 4/7 da3 tl8/10 6r, 17 M.Ellis 1/6 da3 6r 4a; series ends 1/2); MINNESOTA-Brooklyn 122-118 (28 KA Towns 6r 7a, 26 A.Wiggins, 16 R.Rubio 10a; 18 T.Robinson 17r 5a); New Orleans-UTAH 94-106 (29 A.Davis 11r; 28 D.Favors 11r); CHICAGO-Houston 108-100 (28 P.Gasol 17r 6a, 24 J.Btler 6a; 36 J.Harden 5r 6a, 8 D.Howard 3/9 tl2/6f).

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Edited by ENRICO CAMPANA