Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Lakers - Jan. 25

[timvp]

After eking out a home victory earlier in the month against the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs tried to go out on the road and get another win against their conference rival. Mission unsuccessful. The Lakers quickly expanded a modest halftime lead and had Pop waving the white flag long before the 99-85 final score was decided.

The two backbreaking shots came early in the second half. The first was a wide open Kobe Bryant three-pointer that came courtesy of a botched defense rotation. On the Lakers’ next possession, the Spurs failed to rotate and Derek Fisher connected on an open shot from downtown. Those two treys expanded a six-point halftime lead to 12 and the Spurs were never able to get back into the contest.

As for the Lakers, there’s no denying that they are a very good team and the favorites in the Western Conference. Bryant is a great player and he has an exceptionally deep group of talented players around him. Add Phil Jackson, arguably the best coach in NBA history, and it’s going to take an unbelievable effort by any team in the West to eliminate Los Angeles in the playoffs this season.

The Spurs can’t take any positives from this game. The effort wasn’t there. The dedication to details wasn’t there. The teamwork wasn’t there. No player on the team had an above average game. To put it bluntly, the Spurs simply got embarrassed and went down without a fight.

Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
27 minutes, 15 points, eight rebounds
6-for-12 from the field, 3-for-3 from the line

After one of his better games of the season, Tim Duncan didn’t come to play against the Lakers. Defensively, he gave almost no effort on the low block. He let the bigs for the Lakers setup wherever they wanted and he didn’t show much resistance in any aspect of his defensive play. On the offensive end, he was decent when he actually attacked the rim but those forays were too few and far between. For the Spurs to beat the Lakers, Duncan has to dominate – especially when the Lakers aren’t sending an abundance of help. That wasn’t anywhere near the case on Sunday afternoon.
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Manu Ginobili
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3380.jpg
25 minutes, nine points, eight rebounds, two steals, four turnovers
4-for-11 from the field, 1-for-6 on three-pointers

Outside of his rebounding, Manu Ginobili had a poor showing. Turnovers were again a problem. The cause for the miscues was usually Ginobili trying to do too much and not letting the game come to him. Eight of his 11 shots came from the perimeter and his lack of aggression kept him off the free throw line. Defensively, Ginobili didn’t play well at all. He looked stiff and a step slow on that end. Ginobili has at times recently looked relatively healthy and close to form, while at other times he looks like a shadow of his former self. Hopefully this is all part of his recovery process and he can find his groove soon.
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Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
29 minutes, 19 points, six assists, three rebounds, four turnovers
8-for-17 from the field, 3-for-4 at the line

Tony Parker was the closest thing the Spurs had to a player performing at his capabilities but he too was flawed. His four turnovers were too many and his aggressiveness wasn’t always where it needed to be, especially with so many of his teammates struggling. The good news is that he had a quality mix of shooting and passing, plus his defense was solid. On the whole, Parker was playing well enough for the Spurs to win but he had room to improve on his game.
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Roger Mason, Jr.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3628.jpg
19 minutes, five points, two rebounds, three turnovers
1-for-7 from the field, 1-for-5 on three-pointers

Roger Mason, Jr. continues to struggle. Since the previous Lakers game, his defense has been shoddy and his shooting has been poor. Bryant’s backbreaking three-pointer at the beginning of the third quarter was his fault when he puzzlingly switched on a screen and left him wide open. On offense, Mason missed a host of open jumpers and compounded his struggles by attempting a number of bad passes. For the Spurs to be a serious contender this season, Mason has to be an asset and not part of the problem.
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Michael Finley
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3023.jpg
24 minutes, eight points, two rebounds, two assists
3-for-8 from the field, 2-for-2 on three-pointers

Relatively speaking, Michael Finley wasn’t horrible. He gave good effort on defense – both on the block and out on the perimeter. However, he was responsible for Fisher’s three-pointer in the early part of the third quarter when he rotated to the wrong man. Offensively, Finley hit both of his three-pointers but his shot selection on a number of his two-pointers was questionable.
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Matt Bonner
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3748.jpg
21 minutes, six points, two rebounds, two assists, one block
3-for-8 from the field, 0-for-4 on three-pointers

Matt Bonner’s inability to knock down open three-pointers was the beginning of the end. In the second quarter, he got a number of open looks and couldn’t knock down the threes. That allowed the Lakers to sag even more into the paint and Bonner appeared to lose all of his confidence. When he came out in the third, he was passive on both ends of the court. His defense during his 21 minutes was on and off, though he was poor on the boards throughout. With the Spurs playing a number of top level teams on the road in the upcoming days and weeks, Bonner is going to have to step up and play well against quality competition. If not, he could see his role on the team change significantly.
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Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
26 minutes, two points, three steals
1-for-3 from the field

Bruce Bowen played good defense against Bryant in the first half, holding him to 4-for-11 shooting from the field. In the second half, Bowen didn’t have an opportunity to guard Bryant as Pop instead opted for offensively powered lineups. On offense, Bowen was 0-for-2 from the floor when it mattered. It will be interesting to see if Bowen will get more minutes as the playoffs near or if he’ll be relegated to spot action.
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Fabricio Oberto
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3988.jpg
19 minutes, eight points, five rebounds, two steals
4-for-5 from the field

Fabricio Oberto appears as if he’s getting back into shape. He was moving well and did a good job running the floor. It was also good to see Oberto pull down three rebounds in his four minutes of play in the first quarter. For him to reclaim a spot in the rotation, he’s going to have to show he can rebound and defend like he has in past seasons. Although his scoring looks to be a positive on paper, most of it came late when the game had long since been decided.
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Kurt Thomas
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3012.jpg
18 minutes, two points, three rebounds, three assists, one block
1-for-3 from the field

One of the worst parts of the game from the Spurs’ point of view was the fact that Kurt Thomas looked overmatched on the defensive end against both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Thomas was helpless to stop L.A.’s large duo, especially when he was playing post defense in the paint. To survive against the Lakers, he’s going to have to be much more physical and do his work earlier in the possession. Pulling down more rebounds would also help matters. Offensively, Thomas was somewhat helpful, particularly when he looked to pass.
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George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
16 minutes, four points, two rebounds, two assists
0-for-4 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line

George Hill didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do. Less than three minutes into his first stint, Pop put Hill back on the bench. The next time Hill got into the game, Pop was already pulling the white flag out of his pocket. Overall, his aggression level almost always tells the story. If Hill is attacking on offense and pressuring on defense, he’s a very effective backup point guard. When he’s not pressing the issue, he becomes a placeholder.
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Ime Udoka
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3501.jpg
10 minutes, five points, four rebounds, four steals
1-for-8 from the field, 1-for-4 on three-pointers, 2-for-2 at the line

Ime Udoka got all of his minutes in garbage time and was extremely active. He did a fine job of grabbing rebounds, swiping steals and missing shots. His 1-for-8 showing from the floor dropped his field goal percentage down to 37.6% - a drop of nearly 5% from last season.
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Austin Croshere
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3182.jpg
Five minutes, two points, two assists
1-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers

Playing the last five minutes of garbage time, Austin Croshere didn’t show much good or bad. With his ten-day contract almost over, expect the Spurs to give him another ten-dayer to get a few more looks at what he can do.
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Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg

Pop had a number of questionable decisions against the Lakers. He could have mixed up the offensive playcalling to try to get more players going. The amount of scrambling on defense due to double-teams wasn’t helping. Benching Hill in the first half seemed to disrupt the offensive rhythm. Not playing Bowen in the third quarter was an iffy decision. Calling off the dogs so early in the fourth could also be questioned. Overall, it was an unsuccessful day at the office for Pop in which almost everything he tried to do didn’t work.
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Offense

To say the offense was anemic would be an understatement. For the game, the Spurs shot 37.5% from the floor, 5-for-23 on three-pointers and attempted only 16 free throws. They had 21 assists on 33 baskets while turning the ball over 14 times – which are all acceptable yet unspectacular numbers. If you take out Parker, Duncan and Oberto, the rest of the team shot 27.8% from the court. The Spurs simply can’t beat a team like the Lakers if they can’t hit shots, especially with how San Antonio’s team is constructed this season.

Defense

The defense was below average but it wasn’t nearly as bad as we’ve seen over the last month. The main problem was that the Spurs sent the Lakers to the line 32 times and committed a large amount of needless fouls. The Spurs also didn’t guard the three-point line very well, allowing the Lakers to hit 7-of-17 shots from beyond the arc. The Lakers shot 46.4% from the field, which is a mark that should keep the Spurs competitive if the rest of their defensive play is up to par. The 20 assists and 18 turnovers for the Lakers were both good enough marks for the Spurs to win. But overall, the Spurs were too undisciplined and made too many defensive mistakes.

Drive to Five

The loss against the Lakers definitely stings, especially since the effort was lacking and the number of mental errors was high. The Spurs need to rebound quickly from the loss and shift their concentration to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are once again a very good home team and the Spurs will need to be playing at a high level to escape Salt Lake City with a win on Tuesday night.

Believe.

[J.T.]

Spurs need to hire Mike Shanahan to handle offensive playcalling while Pop fixes the defense.

[z0sa]

This game ='d fail. That simple. If the Spurs bring an effort like this against the Thunder they should expect to get manhandled.

[MoSpur]

I turned the channel in the middle of the thrid quarter. The Spurs lack of effort and them giving up made me sick so I started to watch Dumb Dumber

[duncan228]

This one couldn't have been fun to write. Thanks as always for the breakdown.

[urunobili]

thanks for the recap timvp... didn;t watch the game (first one i miss the whole season) so i was really looking forward to reading this... thanks again

[Spurminator]

It's a frustrating loss but we do have to remember it's January... and Pop rarely pulls all of his tricks out of his hat in January. Still, you have to view the Lakers as the odds-on favorite if we meet them in the Playoffs.

I would be shocked - SHOCKED - if Bruce Bowen was not in the starting lineup against the Lakers in the Playoffs. Right now the MO is to keep from wearing him down in the regular season but he will be absolutely crucial against them in May.

Everyone already knows what he does to disrupt the easy flow of the Lakers offense by making it difficult on Kobe to score, but what often gets overlooked is that he comes through from long distance against the Lakers like no one else. I tallied his 3-point shooting against the Lakers since 2006, and he's hitting 55% of his 3's (27 of 49 including Playoffs). Unlike other players we've had on this team, he does not seem to be phased by the fact that Phil Jackson will dare him to shoot.

I still believe we can beat the Lakers in seven if everything goes right, but the key will be having players on the floor who can open up the floor for Duncan and Parker. We can't afford to waste possessions on shots by players who go mental after two misses in a row.

Against the Lakers I would start Parker, Mason, Bowen, Duncan and Oberto.

[whottt]

Ime Udoka got all of his minutes in garbage time and was extremely active. He did a fine job of grabbing rebounds, swiping steals and missing shots.


:lol

[timvp]

It's a frustrating loss but we do have to remember it's January... and Pop rarely pulls all of his tricks out of his hat in January. Still, you have to view the Lakers as the odds-on favorite if we meet them in the Playoffs.

I would be shocked - SHOCKED - if Bruce Bowen was not in the starting lineup against the Lakers in the Playoffs. Right now the MO is to keep from wearing him down in the regular season but he will be absolutely crucial against them in May.

Everyone already knows what he does to disrupt the easy flow of the Lakers offense by making it difficult on Kobe to score, but what often gets overlooked is that he comes through from long distance against the Lakers like no one else. I tallied his 3-point shooting against the Lakers since 2006, and he's hitting 55% of his 3's (27 of 49 including Playoffs). Unlike other players we've had on this team, he does not seem to be phased by the fact that Phil Jackson will dare him to shoot.

I still believe we can beat the Lakers in seven if everything goes right, but the key will be having players on the floor who can open up the floor for Duncan and Parker. We can't afford to waste possessions on shots by players who go mental after two misses in a row.

Against the Lakers I would start Parker, Mason, Bowen, Duncan and Oberto.Very good post. :tu

I agree with everything other than the last word. I just don't have enough trust in Oberto right now to hope he starts against the Lakers. He was overmatched last year against them in the playoffs and seems to have lost a step this season. His inability to rebound on the defensive glass would be suicidal. He'd have to really improve on that aspect for me to sign off on starting him against LA.

Then again, the other options aren't that great. KT has shown a little bit of potential but for some reason Gasol has his number and Bynum looks like he might just be too big. Bonner in theory would make sense because his three-point shooting would spread the floor ........ but as we all know, his propensity to shrivel up in big games makes it difficult to trust him.

Best case scenario is that Oberto regains his ability to rebound, KT keeps improving and Bonner proves he is capable of helping in pressure situations. Either that or the Spurs are gifted a big a la Gasol from someone like Presti or Ferry . . .

[Spurminator]

I'm seduced by Oberto's work on the offensive glass. I think it could be key to get some extra possessions against LA but you're right, if he can't grab the Lakers' misses then it's a net negative.

[stéphane]

Thanks a lot for the thoughts.

I stopped watching at the end of the third, a spurs-lakers that wasn't (for once) late at night. Nuf said, that was disgusting.

The lack of effort on D and all the wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open misses. Next game quick please.

[HarlemHeat37]

great thoughts timvp, agree with pretty much everything, as usual..

if I had to give grades on the game yesterday..

Duncan: C-..
Parker: C..
Ginobili: D-..
Finley: D..
Mason: D-..
Hill: D..
Thomas: D..
Bowen: B..
Bonner: D-..
Oberto: C-..
Udoka: D+..

Pop: C-..

[mingus]

The Spurs missed wide open shots that they normally hit.

When you live and die by the three point line, and your 3-guys are missing, it compacts the inside w/ defenders and makes going inside pretty hard. If the 3-guys aren't hitting, the spurs are virtually dead. That 5/23 statistic tells the whole story. from there, you can pretty much be sure that timmy and manu, and tp probably had a tough night getting easy shots in the paint.

I think the Bowen experiment needs to end. Have Finley and Ginobili come of the bench. Bowen just isn't a come of the bench player. If San Antonio's defense is their priority, which pop has said it is, then how does Bowen not being in the starting line-up reflect that? If pop is serious about having the team play better d, then GET FUCKIN BOWEN IN THERE. He's showed the last couple fo times vs. La, that he still has got what t takes to play better than average defense against the best in the league. He isn't as good as he was a couple years ago on d, but he's still great.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

It's a frustrating loss but we do have to remember it's January... and Pop rarely pulls all of his tricks out of his hat in January. Still, you have to view the Lakers as the odds-on favorite if we meet them in the Playoffs.

I would be shocked - SHOCKED - if Bruce Bowen was not in the starting lineup against the Lakers in the Playoffs. Right now the MO is to keep from wearing him down in the regular season but he will be absolutely crucial against them in May.

Everyone already knows what he does to disrupt the easy flow of the Lakers offense by making it difficult on Kobe to score, but what often gets overlooked is that he comes through from long distance against the Lakers like no one else. I tallied his 3-point shooting against the Lakers since 2006, and he's hitting 55% of his 3's (27 of 49 including Playoffs). Unlike other players we've had on this team, he does not seem to be phased by the fact that Phil Jackson will dare him to shoot.

I still believe we can beat the Lakers in seven if everything goes right, but the key will be having players on the floor who can open up the floor for Duncan and Parker. We can't afford to waste possessions on shots by players who go mental after two misses in a row.

Against the Lakers I would start Parker, Mason, Bowen, Duncan and Oberto.



I completely agree that Pop probably won't show his hand, especially to the Lakers, in a regular season game. Bowen, I would hope, is someone who will see a lot of action against LA once the games start to count.

I don't know what Pop might have in his bag of tricks, however, that can offset our severe disadvantage in the post. Bynum and Gasol are too fast and athletic for all three of our centers. We had Big Shot Rob for big game situations, and now we have Bad Shot Bonner. Considering the Spurs lack of ability to defend, score or rebound out of the center position, it would almost make sense to go small against LA and at least hope we can trade baskets out of the 5 spot.

Maybe we can pick up Shaq on the cheap this offseason after Phoenix misses the playoffs.

[G-Nob]

The frustrating part is the fact that they gave up too early. Popovich needs to not wave the flag so early if things aren't going right. 13 pt lead going into the 4th quarter was not unsurmountable. Manu was right, the quitting early is the worse part about this team. The last thing we need is for the lakers to have a happy go lucky afternoon. Spurs need to make them understand that we are no push over even in defeat. They way they just give up sometimes is enough to make you want to kick the dog!

:pctoss

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The frustrating part is the fact that they gave up too early. Popovich needs to not wave the flag so early if things aren't going right. 13 pt lead going into the 4th quarter was not unsurmountable. Manu was right, the quitting early is the worse part about this team. The last thing we need is for the lakers to have a happy go lucky afternoon. Spurs need to make them understand that we are no push over even in defeat. They way they just give up sometimes is enough to make you want to kick the dog!

:pctoss

Pop throwing in the towel as early as he did was the one thing that made me think that there may be some real credence to Spurm's theory about Pop not showing his hand.

You're right, 13 points is nothing in the NBA.

Pop may have been concerned about the mental outlook of his own team had he kept the starters in and fought back only to lose... or worse yet, had LA stretch their lead with the starters in the game.

Pop's CIA tactics may have been for his own team's benefit more than planning his next move against LA.

[Manufan909]

I'm going to assume Pop is at all costs keeping Bowen bottled up for the playoffs, but him playing well and not getting minutes is disturbing. With Finley and Mason playing at the level they did, putting in Bowen would'nt have mess with the o and greatly enhanced the d. I hope in the playoffs, Bowen is in when Kobe is in, except for maybe 5 minutes or so. I want him to hound Bryant like he did Peja last year in the 2nd round(I know it won't have the same effect, of course).

[HarlemHeat37]

I don't even understand the thought that Bowen messes up our offense..he makes corner 3's at a VERY HIGH rate, and he has shown this season, that he can mix up his offense a little..

Finley had a stretch where he was mixing his offense, but that didn't last long..Finley is a great wide open shooter, but he makes nothing off the dribble..Bowen only has Finley's 3-point range from 2 spots on the floor, but that shouldn't matter..

Finley provides nothing that Bowen can't do for us IMO..

people seem to forget that Bowen is a great 3-point shooter from the corners..Parker, Ginobili and Duncan can all draw the double team, so it's not like teams will usually have the choice of not letting Bruce get in the corners..

it doesn't make any sense..

I've reached the point where I hope Finley will picks up fouls so he can sit out..

[1usamotorsports.com]

I hope spurs find a Good big for the Help . But one thing is for sure the spurs afterburners are on come play-off time and its a whole new spurs . If the spurs just hit there shots against the lakers they would of either won or it would of been a 1 point game .

[mrspurs]

Not a bad read. For the most part I thought we played pretty good. Considering the amount of talent the Lakers have. Still not sure why Pop or whomever made the choice to quit before the 4th quarter was made. At least now Im satisfied by the whole game in general. I wanted to see how we faired against the Lakers with Farmar and Luke back in the lineup. Farmar has been a great find for the Lakers. Hope Hill will become a player like Farmar. He brings a different game then Fisher off the bench. Now we know what we need to do. No more guessing games..........

[PDXSpursFan]

This game just made me a stonger believer that we need another BIG - a defensive-minded 7-foot center. Like others said, the Bonner experiment failed. Duncan alone just can't matchup against Gasol/Bynum duo.
Unfortunately, our FO is cheap so I don't expect any significant trade. So, it'll be another WCF exit against the Lakers (4-2) :(

[TheMACHINE]

Pop throwing in the towel as early as he did was the one thing that made me think that there may be some real credence to Spurm's theory about Pop not showing his hand.

You're right, 13 points is nothing in the NBA.

Pop may have been concerned about the mental outlook of his own team had he kept the starters in and fought back only to lose... or worse yet, had LA stretch their lead with the starters in the game.

Pop's CIA tactics may have been for his own team's benefit more than planning his next move against LA.

Scouts must have forgotten to tell Pop's that the Lakers easily loses leads at the 4th.

[J.T.]

Either Pop sucks or he is deliberately sandbagging until the playoffs.

[SpursFanFirst]

Either Pop sucks or he is deliberately sandbagging until the playoffs.

That's what I think...

[mingus]

don't the spurs have a tough stretch of games coming up? If so, that's prob. why pop "gave up" in the last quarter.

[Lakers_55]

nice read, thanks. in exchange, here's a joke I saw that a troll posted on a Laker site. First time I have seen it, but I am certain it's been around for years and used with different sports:

Kobe in Heaven:

Kobe Bryant, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around, and they came to a modest little house with a faded Los Angeles Lakers flag in the window.

This house is yours for eternity, Kobe, said God. This is very special; not everyone gets their own house up here.

Kobe felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. But on his way up the porch steps, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a three story mansion with a brilliant Black, Silver ad White sidewalk, a 50ft. tall flagpole flying an enormous San Antonio Spurs flag, and a Spurs logo of some kind in every window.

Kobe looked at God and said, God, Im not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question: I won 3 NBA Championships, played in the All-Star Game almost every year of my career, and won the MVP and more awards than I can remember. I mean, I am one of the greatest players of all time.

So what do you want to know, Kobe? God asked.

Well, why does Tim Duncan get a better house than me?

God chuckled and said, Kobe, thats not Tims house .... its MINE.

[mingus]

also, I don't believe Bonner is a rotation guy on a championship caliber team. guys like him are typically the ones who bring enthusiasm to the bench and wave towels whenever there's an exciting play. He's completely out of his league in my opinion.

[mingus]

the spurs are talent-depraved and there's no way of getting around it unless there's a treade such as the one that the laker made last year where they got an unexpected all-star for near dirt.

[Manufan909]

True. Hope the Spurs can go all out against the Jazz and Bonner doesn't choke again.

Also, it'd be awesome for Bruce to get the starting nod. Fin brings so many more negatives than positives, that is just isn't smart anymore. He's an iron man, damn it!!!

[Manufan909]

nice read, thanks. in exchange, here's a joke I saw that a troll posted on a Laker site. First time I have seen it, but I am certain it's been around for years and used with different sports:

Kobe in Heaven:

Kobe Bryant, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around, and they came to a modest little house with a faded Los Angeles Lakers flag in the window.

This house is yours for eternity, Kobe, said God. This is very special; not everyone gets their own house up here.

Kobe felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. But on his way up the porch steps, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a three story mansion with a brilliant Black, Silver ad White sidewalk, a 50ft. tall flagpole flying an enormous San Antonio Spurs flag, and a Spurs logo of some kind in every window.

Kobe looked at God and said, God, Im not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question: I won 3 NBA Championships, played in the All-Star Game almost every year of my career, and won the MVP and more awards than I can remember. I mean, I am one of the greatest players of all time.

So what do you want to know, Kobe? God asked.

Well, why does Tim Duncan get a better house than me?

God chuckled and said, Kobe, thats not Tims house .... its MINE.

This joke rocks.:hat

[Ice009]

I think Pop needs to hire an offensive coordinator or something because sometimes he doesn't have a clue about offense.

Looking back at the game now it is possible Pop used the first half to start Bruce to see if we could compete with the Lakers then I think he saw that and said in the second half screw it I'll try some stuff out and see what happens.

There is no way he wouldn't start Bruce against the Lakers when it's money time. I'd also like for Manu to start too so he can let the game come to him and find his rhythm with a few more minutes. I thought we were really starting to play some good ball when Pop started Manu earlier in the season and also when Bruce got a few starts I thought our defense looked a lot better with Bruce too.

Maybe Pop is taking an extended look at certain players so he knows who he can offer up in trades if he doesn't think they'll help us much later on?

[Manu-of-steel]

nice read, thanks. in exchange, here's a joke I saw that a troll posted on a Laker site. First time I have seen it, but I am certain it's been around for years and used with different sports:

Kobe in Heaven:

Kobe Bryant, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around, and they came to a modest little house with a faded Los Angeles Lakers flag in the window.

This house is yours for eternity, Kobe, said God. This is very special; not everyone gets their own house up here.

Kobe felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. But on his way up the porch steps, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a three story mansion with a brilliant Black, Silver ad White sidewalk, a 50ft. tall flagpole flying an enormous San Antonio Spurs flag, and a Spurs logo of some kind in every window.

Kobe looked at God and said, God, Im not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question: I won 3 NBA Championships, played in the All-Star Game almost every year of my career, and won the MVP and more awards than I can remember. I mean, I am one of the greatest players of all time.

So what do you want to know, Kobe? God asked.

Well, why does Tim Duncan get a better house than me?

God chuckled and said, Kobe, thats not Tims house .... its MINE.

:lol

[024]

since there does not seem to be any trades possible that would make the spurs better, i think the spurs will have to rely on two unexpected players. the first one is kurt thomas. kurt thomas has the smarts and experience to play very valuable post defense against bynum, leaving duncan to handle gasol. if the lakers continue to funnel the ball to the player not guarded by duncan, it will be up to kurt thomas to stop the second post player. no more of this bonner guarding gasol or bonner guarding bynum. duncan still has to play elite level defense but that is already expected of him.

the second player that the spurs desperately need help from is george hill. with bynum and gasol both on the floor in the starting lineup, the spurs won't have a lot of opportunities to attack the paint, and get to the foul line as shown by the disparities in foul shooting during this game. george hill will have to make up this disparity by attacking the rim when gasol or bynum is not present. he has to keep the 2nd unit energized and lead them against the lakers' second unit which can be overwhelming. hill has to develop team chemistry with ginobili so the lakers can't pull away with their bench. this is probably the best chance the spurs have because a trade to get kaman/camby/sheed/miller/lee just isn't happening.

[Blackjack]

The two backbreaking shots came early in the second half. The first was a wide open Kobe Bryant three-pointer that came courtesy of a botched defense rotation. (i.e. Roger Mason going brain-dead) On the Lakers’ next possession, the Spurs failed to rotate and Derek Fisher connected on an open shot from downtown(compliments of a bad and timid double by Tony, to which Finley didn't or couldn't rotate). Those two treys expanded a six-point halftime lead to 12 and the Spurs were never able to get back into the contest.

Tim Duncan
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3173.jpg
27 minutes, 15 points, eight rebounds
6-for-12 from the field, 3-for-3 from the line


After one of his better games of the season, Tim Duncan didn’t come to play against the Lakers. Defensively, he gave almost no effort on the low block. He let the bigs for the Lakers setup wherever they wanted and he didn’t show much resistance in any aspect of his defensive play. On the offensive end, he was decent when he actually attacked the rim but those forays were too few and far between. For the Spurs to beat the Lakers, Duncan has to dominate – especially when the Lakers aren’t sending an abundance of help. That wasn’t anywhere near the case on Sunday afternoon.

I'm not sure what you were watching. Tim may have not played great by his standards, but to say he didn't show up? Tim was the only one of the Big 3 to play at a level capable of getting a win.

I assume you're overreacting to Pop calling out Tim early in the game for not meeting Bynum early enough, and allowing him too good of position, but Tim's defense was about as much as you could ask from him after that mishap. You're either selling Bynum and Gasol short or just unfairly critical of Duncan, with an expectation of him holding down the fort while being outnumbered.

Bynum and Gasol are both taller, longer, younger, and more athletic, yet you expect him to be able to lock a front line of that caliber down, while staying out of foul trouble? It's just not realistic.

As for offensively, he was actually alright. He wasn't stellar by any stretch of the imagination, but the team also had a hand in that. They were way too sporadic in giving him touches and running the offense through him. This has actually been the case for about three years now, which accounts for the small dip in his numbers prior to this year, but it prevents Tim from finding his rhythm and the role players being able to fall in line accordingly.

The emergence of Tony and Manu has been in large part to Tim's selflessness, but somewhere along the line this team forgot it has to play inside-out to win at the highest level.

Does that mean the ball needs to be walked up and for 4-down to be the first, second, and third option? Of course not. If there's transition opportunities or early offense available you take advantage, but if not? Tim Duncan should not be reduced to setting multiple picks for pick-and- rolls, or used as a decoy.

Give the big fella the ball, let him collapse the defense/get the defense leaning,(the way a dominant big man's presence tends to do) exploit the seams with the slashers, have the shooters given the advantage of much more conducive spacing, and benefit from the type of floor balance that helps to aid the transition defense. Basic basketball really, but something the Spurs need to get back to.
-------------------------------

Tony Parker
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3527.jpg
29 minutes, 19 points, six assists, three rebounds, four turnovers
8-for-17 from the field, 3-for-4 at the line


Tony Parker was the closest thing the Spurs had to a player performing at his capabilities but he too was flawed. His four turnovers were too many and his aggressiveness wasn’t always where it needed to be, especially with so many of his teammates struggling. The good news is that he had a quality mix of shooting and passing, plus his defense was solid. On the whole, Parker was playing well enough for the Spurs to win but he had room to improve on his game.

His numbers look decent, and might suggest he was alright, but his floor-game was a little Iverson-esque.

The other thing that's been a little disturbing from Tony is these "Kobe games" where he becomes exclusively a facilitator for a long stretch, and then tries to turn on the aggressiveness when the team REALLY needs it. Tony's aggression has to be there from the jump.

If Tony isn't getting the team in transition or early offense, the Spurs really suffer. Tony isn't like Nash or Paul, where dribbling the air out of the ball often benefits the teams offense. The Spurs need player movement, ball movement, and decisive-playmaking in order for the teams overall rhythm and chemistry to be where it needs to be offensively.
-------------------------------

Bruce Bowen
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/3167.jpg
26 minutes, two points, three steals
1-for-3 from the field


Bruce Bowen played good defense against Bryant in the first half, holding him to 4-for-11 shooting from the field. In the second half, Bowen didn’t have an opportunity to guard Bryant as Pop instead opted for offensively powered lineups. On offense, Bowen was 0-for-2 from the floor when it mattered. It will be interesting to see if Bowen will get more minutes as the playoffs near or if he’ll be relegated to spot action.

Whether it's personnel that's dictating Pop's decision to look for offense at the expense of defense or not, It's still suprising to see.

I keep hoping I'm wrong in believeing that Bonner and Finley starting isn't capable of getting the Spurs where they want to go, but I've seen no evidence to the contrary.

I realize Pop's trying to make sure Bowen has something in the tank for the end of the year, but without him and the chemistry he and Tim bring to the team defensively? The Spurs' chances diminish greatly.
-------------------------------


George Hill
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/images/basketball/nba/players/4488.jpg
16 minutes, four points, two rebounds, two assists
0-for-4 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line


George Hill didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do. Less than three minutes into his first stint, Pop put Hill back on the bench. The next time Hill got into the game, Pop was already pulling the white flag out of his pocket. Overall, his aggression level almost always tells the story. If Hill is attacking on offense and pressuring on defense, he’s a very effective backup point guard. When he’s not pressing the issue, he becomes a placeholder.

For a guy like Pop, who's all about the big picture, this makes absolutely no sense. Hill needs to play, especially in environments like these, to have any hope of him contributing down the line. Hill's not someone they need to worry about losing confidence.

Give him some rope, let him make his mistakes, and make sure the team allows him to run the show when he's on the court. Pop's lack of confidence trickles down to where players get a rebound and look off Hill in order to find Manu or Mason to bring up the ball. It's inexcusable for a players growth that is becoming more and more of a necessity.
-------------------------------

Austin Croshere
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3182.jpg
Five minutes, two points, two assists
1-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers


Playing the last five minutes of garbage time, Austin Croshere didn’t show much good or bad. With his ten-day contract almost over, expect the Spurs to give him another ten-dayer to get a few more looks at what he can do.

Oh Croshere... We hardly knew thee.:lol
-------------------------------

Gregg Popovich
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/topstory/sports/popovich_gregg030428.jpg

Pop had a number of questionable decisions against the Lakers. He could have mixed up the offensive playcalling to try to get more players going. The amount of scrambling on defense due to double-teams wasn’t helping. Benching Hill in the first half seemed to disrupt the offensive rhythm. Not playing Bowen in the third quarter was an iffy decision. Calling off the dogs so early in the fourth could also be questioned. Overall, it was an unsuccessful day at the office for Pop in which almost everything he tried to do didn’t work.

:tu
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Defense

The defense was below average but it wasn’t nearly as bad as we’ve seen over the last month. The main problem was that the Spurs sent the Lakers to the line 32 times and committed a large amount of needless fouls. The Spurs also didn’t guard the three-point line very well, allowing the Lakers to hit 7-of-17 shots from beyond the arc. The Lakers shot 46.4% from the field, which is a mark that should keep the Spurs competitive if the rest of their defensive play is up to par. The 20 assists and 18 turnovers for the Lakers were both good enough marks for the Spurs to win. But overall, the Spurs were too undisciplined and made too many defensive mistakes.:tu




It's a frustrating loss but we do have to remember it's January... and Pop rarely pulls all of his tricks out of his hat in January. Still, you have to view the Lakers as the odds-on favorite if we meet them in the Playoffs.

I would be shocked - SHOCKED - if Bruce Bowen was not in the starting lineup against the Lakers in the Playoffs. Right now the MO is to keep from wearing him down in the regular season but he will be absolutely crucial against them in May.

Everyone already knows what he does to disrupt the easy flow of the Lakers offense by making it difficult on Kobe to score, but what often gets overlooked is that he comes through from long distance against the Lakers like no one else. I tallied his 3-point shooting against the Lakers since 2006, and he's hitting 55% of his 3's (27 of 49 including Playoffs). Unlike other players we've had on this team, he does not seem to be phased by the fact that Phil Jackson will dare him to shoot.

I still believe we can beat the Lakers in seven if everything goes right, but the key will be having players on the floor who can open up the floor for Duncan and Parker. We can't afford to waste possessions on shots by players who go mental after two misses in a row.

Against the Lakers I would start Parker, Mason, Bowen, Duncan and Oberto.

:tu

Even if I'm not real high on Oberto starting, I tend to agree with that starting five.(even if it is by default):toast

[mrspurs]

nice read, thanks. in exchange, here's a joke I saw that a troll posted on a Laker site. First time I have seen it, but I am certain it's been around for years and used with different sports:

Kobe in Heaven:

Kobe Bryant, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around, and they came to a modest little house with a faded Los Angeles Lakers flag in the window.

This house is yours for eternity, Kobe, said God. This is very special; not everyone gets their own house up here.

Kobe felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. But on his way up the porch steps, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a three story mansion with a brilliant Black, Silver ad White sidewalk, a 50ft. tall flagpole flying an enormous San Antonio Spurs flag, and a Spurs logo of some kind in every window.

Kobe looked at God and said, God, Im not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question: I won 3 NBA Championships, played in the All-Star Game almost every year of my career, and won the MVP and more awards than I can remember. I mean, I am one of the greatest players of all time.

So what do you want to know, Kobe? God asked.

Well, why does Tim Duncan get a better house than me?

God chuckled and said, Kobe, thats not Tims house .... its MINE.

:lol Love it

[mrspurs]

since there does not seem to be any trades possible that would make the spurs better, i think the spurs will have to rely on two unexpected players. the first one is kurt thomas. kurt thomas has the smarts and experience to play very valuable post defense against bynum, leaving duncan to handle gasol. if the lakers continue to funnel the ball to the player not guarded by duncan, it will be up to kurt thomas to stop the second post player. no more of this bonner guarding gasol or bonner guarding bynum. duncan still has to play elite level defense but that is already expected of him.

the second player that the spurs desperately need help from is george hill. with bynum and gasol both on the floor in the starting lineup, the spurs won't have a lot of opportunities to attack the paint, and get to the foul line as shown by the disparities in foul shooting during this game. george hill will have to make up this disparity by attacking the rim when gasol or bynum is not present. he has to keep the 2nd unit energized and lead them against the lakers' second unit which can be overwhelming. hill has to develop team chemistry with ginobili so the lakers can't pull away with their bench. this is probably the best chance the spurs have because a trade to get kaman/camby/sheed/miller/lee just isn't happening.

It didnt take Gasol long to realize this. Kurt is short, just face him up and shoot over him. And Gasol didnt miss either. Kurt is best inside defender we got other then Timmy of course. On nights when we play against the Jazz and the Nuggets, Kurt is fine. But against 7footers who can play? I dont think so.

[HarlemHeat37]

Kurt would have been fine 5 years ago..he's best suited as a backup big man in his role though, but the problem is..so is Bonner..

[byrontx]

Lack of effort this time of year is a Spurs trademark.

[quentin_compson]

Thanks for the recap, timvp.

Well, this surely was an ugly loss.
But you cannot expect to win against the Lakers in LA when you miss wide open three after wide open three after wide... well, you get the picture. Timmy and Tony were quite decent, although it hurt to see Duncan getting owned by Bynum (who had a good game, no doubt about that). That does not mean I really blame Timmy; he can't be asked to defend Gasol and Bynum on his own (because Matt and KT are of no use against such long and athletic guys, well, at least they weren't on Sunday) and carry the load offensively while guys like Mason and Bonner are having a brickfest and Manu doesn't show up for the game.
The defense in the first half was OK for the most part, I think, but then the guys let themselves be killed by giving up those open threes to start the third quarter. Bowen looked like he still could give Kobe some headaches, which is a good sign.

Right now, it seems hard to believe that our guys could win a playoff series against the Lakers, but fortunately, we're only in January, which gives us some time to improve defensively. Still, holding their own in the post with Bonner/KT and Fab won't be easy for the Spurs, to say the least.

[2Cleva]

The problem for the Spurs is that they can't guard Gasol or Bynum one-on-one and as a result they have to double. The Spurs never had to do that in the past. When you double against a great passing team, you're going to get killed.

Even in the first half I saw Bowen double off Kobe to help out on Bynum. That's a bad sign for the Spurs.

[lefty]

In all honesty, I think we'll see a different Spurs against the Lakers in the playoffs

- We didn't show up; we didn't show up (hey, it's a Sunday afternoon on ABC, that's what Spurs do).

PLUS, considering the Lakers wanted to avenge the loss badly and it was a road game, that 14 pt loss is not that bad.

- Expect Bowen to play more if we meet them in the playoffs (I'm convinced he went CIA hardcore by not playing Bruce a lot)

- Pop was clearly doing some experimentation


We'll beat them in the playoffs; expect to see a different Spurs team. :flag:

[HarlemHeat37]

we can definitely guard either Bynum or Gasol 1 on 1, like you saw 2 weeks ago..we will be fine with whoever Duncan is guarding, it was just 1 bad game from Timmy..Bynum didn't dominate in the 1st game, and Gasol was shut down when Duncan guarded him in the 2nd half..

sorry, you can't convince me Bynum magically became much better in a span of a week..

it's the other guy that Duncan isn't guarding, and that will continue to be a problem if Bonner can't make shots..

[SenorSpur]

Great post, as always.

A few things I took from the game.

Bynum appears to be a full inch or so taller than Duncan. It's important for TD to come out with energy and effort. He's almost ovematched going against 2 seven-footers, but he's still a great enough player that he can post fabulous numbers against them. We have no shot of winning if he doesn't.

Pop has demonstrated a tendency of overuse TP in marquee games like this. Sunday was no different. With the way Parker was hitting the floor and coming up short on long shots, he didn't appear to have his legs. I don't know if he was tired or not. I don't understand why Pop didn't play Hill his standard amount of minutes. Like Timvp said, Hill HAS to demonstrate his aggressiveness in order to be effective and stay on the floor.

Manu's play is still a concern. Timvp's earlier analysis is on point. Sometimes, I wonder if Manu truly understands his own greatness and how he can impact a game if he's not shooting well. During these instances, he often succumbs to natural instincts to hog the ball, taking ill-advised, long-distanced shots and badly forcing passing into spots or dribbling into double-teams that ultimately lead to turnovers. His flair for the spectacular is his both his blessing and his curse. When his game is off, it usually gets him into trouble. Instead, he should drive the ball the rim, get to the FT line and/or kick out to shooters to get teammates involved. A few midrange jumpers would help his confidence too. He's still the "X" factor on this team and is a great enough player that he can have effect the game, even when his shot is off.

It's troubling to watch the offense bog down and players not moving, cutting or whipping the ball around the horn. Defensively, I don't care what scheme the Spurs are in, Kobe Bryant should NEVER, EVER, be left alone. The Fakers didn't really shoot the ball very well, but their movement and style of play seem to expose areas where the Spurs are weak. Like last year, they seem to outhustle, outquick and outrebound the Spurs at every turn. Why the Spurs didn't come out with better effort, is a mystery to me.