Si quelqu´un à le courage de tout lire :
On Saturday, Duncan had 33 and 14 in a 85-81 triumph over the Jazz in the front end of a home-and-home set.
" He´s feeling healthy now and he´s playing like the MVP that he´s been for two years," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. " When he plays like that, it energizes everyone else. He´s obviously the center of the world for us, and when he´s playing like that, we´re pretty good."
" Duncan, he had an amazing game," Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko said. " He just destroyed our team today. He had a tremendous game."
The Spurs, who have not lost to the Jazz since a 93-90 setback here on February 6, 2000, limited Utah to 36 percent shooting ( 25-of-69). San Antonio, which was opening a season-high seven-game road trip, has won the last seven meetings at the Delta Center.
" I thought we played good defense against a really well-executing team tonight," Popovich said. " It´s probably our best defensive performance of the year. We haven´t really been consistent for 48 minutes very often, but I thought tonight we did that."
" It´s a great win for us," Duncan said. " We have about a month in a row ( on the road) and it´s a great start for us. We´ve got some tough games throughout this stretch and this is a real character builder for us."
San Antonio took the lead for good, 8-7, on a basket by Tony Parker with 5:03 left in the first quarter, held a 41-34 edge at the break and opened a 64-48 cushion entering the final period. Utah got no closer than 12 points in the final 12 minutes.
" Our team can get by and people can say, ´Well, it´s OK,´" Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. " Well, it´s not OK. It is just as big a disappointment if you´re supposed to win 60 games as if you´re supposed to win 10."
Andrei Kirilenko had 10 points to pace Utah, which had six players reach double figures against the Spurs on Saturday.
Duncan again struggled from the line, making just 5-of-12 free throws, but he had five of the Spurs´ seven blocks.
" We were a little afraid to go under the basket because Tim Duncan got a couple blocked shots," Kirilenko said. " He and Rasho Nesterovic just was the two big towers and they did not let us go there."