George Hill's designer jeans hung neatly in his locker stall, but when the Spurs rookie attempted to loose them from the hanger after Wednesday's regular-season finale, the hem of one pant leg wedged in a corner of the hanger and wouldn't budge.
Finally, Hill gave a mighty tug, and the jeans were freed, but the fashion-conscious rookie had to check the seams to make sure the pull hadn't loosened a few threads. It had been that sort of April for a player who began the season thrust into a much bigger role than anyone imagined. After averaging 26.4 minutes in the nine games Tony Parker missed after spraining his left ankle in the fourth game of the season, Hill played only 48 minutes in eight games in April. Seventeen of those came in Monday's blowout of the Golden State Warriors.
Before that game in Oakland, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made it clear Hill would get only spot duty during the playoffs, saying "this playoff probably isn't for him."
Hill said Popovich's pronouncement was neither disappointing nor surprising.
"That's what team is all about," he said. "You might have to sacrifice like that. Maybe some people weren't playing then that are playing now. You have to do what the coach asks you to do, and do it the best you can. That's all I can do, and that's what I'm going to do."
Drafted for his potential as a lock-down perimeter defender and his steady demeanor, Hill understands he is apt to get playing time during the playoffs when particular defensive needs arise. He logged three minutes and 29 seconds in Wednesday's vital season-ender.
"I'm going to keep myself ready for everything," he said. "You never know when you're going to get thrown into the fire."
Jammin' Ime: Ime Udoka played 37 minutes and 51 seconds, his season high by more than seven minutes, and scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in Wednesday's game.
Two of his 12 points came on an emphatic reverse dunk with 25.4 seconds remaining in overtime, giving him a rare moment in the spotlight on the nightly sports highlight shows.
"It was what I had to do," he said of the stylish jam. "It was a quick hitter that they overplayed and denied, so I got it to Tim (Duncan) and went back door real quick. I got a running start, and when I saw (Rasual Butler) in front of me, I knew he wasn't going to get a block on me."
Duncan said he will begin looking more often for Udoka on baseline cuts.
"For reverse dunks?" Duncan said. "Yes, it is now officially a new play."
Portland groans: Before their game against the Denver Nuggets tipped off on Wednesday night, the Portland Trail Blazers showed the end of the fourth quarter of the Spurs-Hornets game on the overhead scoreboard at the Rose Garden. When Michael Finley made the buzzer-beating 3-pointer that sent the Spurs to overtime, the packed house of more than 20,000 groaned, in unison.
Had Finley's shot missed, the Trail Blazers would have secured the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Instead, they are in the 4-5 first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets , on the same side of the playoff bracket with the Lakers.
