Initial Reaction: Spurs vs. Bobcats - Mar. 10

[timvp]

http://spurstalk.com/box1mar10.jpg
http://spurstalk.com/box2mar10.jpg

Good win all the way around. Larry Brown has the Bobcats playing very good basketball and it's no accident that they came into this contest with a six-game winning streak. The Bobcats play hard on defense and their structure on offense is impressive for a team that hasn't been together for too long.

The Spurs got a lot of good efforts and won re despite not getting stellar performances from any member of their Big Three. The inspired play in the fourth quarter was fun to watch, especially their defensive energy, effort and execution.

-Watching Tim Duncan play was at times difficult. He's simply not moving all that well. Tonight it seemed like he took a step back in terms of his health. His mobility was poor in the half court sets and he wasn't running the floor well. His lift off the ground was not only minimal, it was slow in developing. Hopefully he's on the road to recover because right now he's at about 70-75%.

-Tony Parker played decently well. His numbers look a little bit better than he actually played. Parker was loose with the ball in both his dribble and his passes. He also missed a number of easy shots. The good news is that he gave good effort on defense and the pressure he applied offensively helped open the door for others.

-Roger Mason, Jr. looked better running the point. He showed more variety off the pick-and-roll. I liked the hesitation move to the basket for a layup and his penetrate-and-kick to open shooters. He's definitely herky-jerky for a point guard but he can get the job done at that position.

-Michael Finley quietly had a really good game. For the second straight time the Spurs played the Bobcats, he played very well when matched up against Gerald Wallace. Finley plays him physically and doesn't give him the open space necessary for Wallace to utilize his athleticism. On offense, Finley had nice variation on his shots -- mixing in pumpfakes, drives and catch-and-shoots.

-Matt Bonner simply cannot guard Boris Diaw. Why? I'm not sure but Diaw gets wherever he wants to go when Bonner is on him. Diaw either out-muscles him or out-smarts him but Bonner can't hang. That forced Pop to go elsewhere for much of the game.

-Kurt Thomas was the main recipient of Bonner's lost minutes. He played very well once again. His rebounding was fantastic and the picks he set offensively can't be praised enough. Thomas now has good chemistry with both Parker and Mason so he's able to anticipate the angles those two players want to take and he positions himself to create the necessary space.

-Ime Udoka had another better than average game. Pop gave him some good minutes -- even in the guts of the game. If he could shoot a high percentage following his ball fakes, his offensive game could really start coming around. Getting open isn't his problem -- it's knocking down the open looks. Defensively, he was hustling and gave good effort on the boards.

-Bruce Bowen had a few moments defensively but I thought he was flopping a little too much. He seemed intent on drawing offensively fouls when fighting through screens instead of sticking with his man. But Bowen did rebound with much more purpose than usual and his passing was timely.

-George Hill was once again Mr. Fourth Quarter. He ended up playing 12 of his 18 minutes in the fourth and was great in the final stanza. He literally accumulated every stat you see in the boxscore outside of six minutes and one foul during his fourth quarter action. It appears as if he's getting more comfortable off the ball and his defense right now is better than it's been all season.

-Pop still used a funky rotation but it was apparently good enough to get the job done. I don't think he's intentionally saving Hill for the fourth quarter but the last two games have looked that way. I like that he put defensive lineups on the court in the fourth quarter. As it turned out, those lineups paid major dividends down the stretch.


(full Game Thoughts to come)

[tp2021]

Cool

[tomtom]

Simpler, I like it

[Man Mountain]

Cool do we get regular game thoughts too???

[FvckMavs]

Good read. Thanks.
I wonder if Pop will try to use Hill on Kobe.

[SpursFanFirst]

Cool do we get regular game thoughts too???



(full Game Thoughts to come)

Thanks, timvp. Once again, I had to miss the game due to illness, so your game thoughts are much appreciated!

[duncan228]

Nice. It's great to get the overview from your perspective while it's still so fresh in my mind. Wonderful addition, I hope it stays.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

So timvp, do you think George Hill's minutes will go up again?

I know a lot of us were annoyed in feeling that Pop isn't giving him a fair amount of minutes.

[timvp]

So timvp, do you think George Hill's minutes will go up again?

I know a lot of us were annoyed in feeling that Pop isn't giving him a fair amount of minutes.Not necessarily. He has played well the last two games but he's playing shooting guard. Once Manu returns, the shooting guard minutes will be filled.

The last few games, Hill and Udoka have basically taken minutes Manu would usually get.

[timvp]

God Bonner sucks. Got muscled down in the post by Diaw. Diaw was licking his chops when Bonner was on him.What's weird is that Bonner usually doesn't get overpowered ... even by the stronger players in the league. Either Diaw is much stronger than he looks or he has located a chink in Bonner's armor because Diaw was treating him like he was up against his kid brother.

[TDMVPDPOY]

hill and mason will take minutes away from the SF position if they continue to suck

[underdawg]

Not necessarily. He has played well the last two games but he's playing shooting guard. Once Manu returns, the shooting guard minutes will be filled.

The last few games, Hill and Udoka have basically taken minutes Manu would usually get.

that seems logical, but unlike some here that have said he won't get minutes in the playoffs do you think that has changed?

[Baseline]

Bonner has decent size and strength, but he's just unskilled. Diaw has very quick feet and can maneuver very adeptly in the paint. Bonner can't move his feet fast enough to get his body leveraged to stop anybody. He basically just does the best he can, but sometimes it's not enough.

Problem is, Diaw is by no stretch an elite power forward. That's why we'll see a marked improvement when Gooden gets in there. Bonner has no prayer against guys like Odom or Boozer or David West, so Gooden's better size and quickness will help us greatly.

[timvp]

that seems logical, but unlike some here that have said he won't get minutes in the playoffs do you think that has changed?If Hill remains in his current role, it will depend solely on matchups. If the Spurs have to go up against a smallish perimeter player who handles the ball a lot (think Nash, CP3, DWill), Hill could have a role as a defensive stopper. But against bigger teams or teams that don't rely on a single initiator (think Lakers, Rockets, Cavs), he wouldn't have much use.

The good thing about the backup point guard role is that it's needed no matter the matchup.

[Manufan909]

Worst C?????????? He might not be a traditional big, but I bet he's better than at least 5 Cs in the NBA.

[Ice009]

Not necessarily. He has played well the last two games but he's playing shooting guard. Once Manu returns, the shooting guard minutes will be filled.

The last few games, Hill and Udoka have basically taken minutes Manu would usually get.

I think Pop is playing him in a Manu lite role geared more towards defense. He's looking for him to come in with energy, play defense, grab boards, create havoc and spark the team.

Do you think he'll go back to back up PG or stay in this role or have no role at all?

[ChumpDumper]

HIS BEST PLACE IS SF:rollin

[Ice009]

God Bonner sucks. Got muscled down in the post by Diaw. Diaw was licking his chops when Bonner was on him.

Like I mentioned in the game thread I'm pretty sure that's what Mike Dunleavy said about opposing players when playing the Spurs. They want to attack Bonner on the defensive end.

If Matt doesn't play solid defense I'm not sure you can have him out on the court. Would his offense make up for it?

[Illusionarist]

Timvp i really liked your game thoughts more. Please write them again:)

[exstatic]

I really like the fact that Pop seems to be gluing Fin's ass to the bench when we need stops now. I was literally SCREAMING at the TV during the Dallas game. We were running Fin and Mason at the wings, and Mase was having a hard time checking Jet. The horn sounds, and Bowen checks in, and I'm thinking, alriiiight. Pop sent him in for Mason. WTF? Finley is STILL a bad defender, and now you've made yourself MUCH worse on offense. Fin/Bowen is ALWAYS a bad combo on O.

[mathbzh]

What's weird is that Bonner usually doesn't get overpowered ... even by the stronger players in the league. Either Diaw is much stronger than he looks or he has located a chink in Bonner's armor because Diaw was treating him like he was up against his kid brother.

I think Diaw is really much stronger than he looks (at least his lower body strength).
He was doing a decent job on defense when he was playing center for the Suns.
I remember a game against Yao. He was able to deny access to the paint to Yao. I believe you need to be really strong to do that.

On the other hand, Bonner is probably weaker than he looks.

[cool hand]

they have felton and augustin damn.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Pretty much exactly what I saw LJ, nice work. :tu

I love this team right now - they have gone through injuries and upset rotations all season, and yet in typical Spurs form they now have a great and still developing chemistry, and look like a Spurs team should in mid-March.

The upset roster has also given Pop the latitude to blood the youngsters (welcome, George Hill and Malik Hairston! And about bloody time, Bonner!), give experience to the new guy (Roger "Revelation" Mason - Copyright on that one :lol ), and get his old blokes into form (welcome back KT, Fab and Fin!). He's also allowed the players to form their own potent two and three man games, and is mostly using them well together.

The team will only improve from here, and with Manu and Gooden to come in, this team looks deep and dangerous.

:flag:


Bonner has decent size and strength, but he's just unskilled. Diaw has very quick feet and can maneuver very adeptly in the paint. Bonner can't move his feet fast enough to get his body leveraged to stop anybody. He basically just does the best he can, but sometimes it's not enough.

Problem is, Diaw is by no stretch an elite power forward. That's why we'll see a marked improvement when Gooden gets in there. Bonner has no prayer against guys like Odom or Boozer or David West, so Gooden's better size and quickness will help us greatly.

I've been following Diaw closely for 4 years now, and he's a surprisingly good low-post player due to his quickness, spring and touch (although sometimes the latter escapes him). He has nice hooks to both hands, drop-steps, and up-and-unders, although he should give up the fadeaway and sometimes tends to look like he's forcing it rather than flowing with the game, which is why he's not elite (yet). If he ever works out how to let the game come to him a little more, watch out.

As for Gooden, he's not a great defender by any stretch - far more of a scorer, and not a bad rebounder - so it will be interesting to see how he does under some Spurs defensive tutelage.


Im still shocked every time someone says they dont know why Bonners man scores so easy on him..........ITS SIMPLE BONNER IS THE WORST STARTING CENTER IN THE NBA. HE CAN DEFEND NO-ONE. HIS BEST PLACE IS SF where at least he could lay back and make his man shoot over him, he would have a size advantage.

Hes not a starting caliber guy, should be a 9th man.

Um, no.

And Bonner's not the centre guys, he's the PF. I don't care what the team or the NBA says, Tim is clearly the Spurs' centre at this stage in his career, listed that way or not.


I really like the fact that Pop seems to be gluing Fin's ass to the bench when we need stops now. I was literally SCREAMING at the TV during the Dallas game. We were running Fin and Mason at the wings, and Mase was having a hard time checking Jet. The horn sounds, and Bowen checks in, and I'm thinking, alriiiight. Pop sent him in for Mason. WTF? Finley is STILL a bad defender, and now you've made yourself MUCH worse on offense. Fin/Bowen is ALWAYS a bad combo on O.

Agreed.

[Brazil]

Nice lay out timvp, good idea to have the box score. I didn't realize for instance that Diaw is the only bob players with a + in +/-. It shows that 1) he is a good player and 2) Bonner incapacity to deal with him.

Great game for Mason with the same stats than TP with less minutes. I'm loving the KT efforts since the ASG break, if he keeps on playing that way for the POs, our frontcourt will look damn well : tim, gooden, Kurt and bonner with Oberto in back up.

[urunobili]

timvp thanks for your reaction comments...

Farmar is the fast PG creator the Lakers have off the bench... do you think Hill minutes in a potential series against the Flakes would be based on that match up?

[Bender]

is this the "new format" of the game thoughts...? If so, I like it better.
Initial Reaction appeared faster, shortly after the game, when people want to discuss the game... rather than a few days later.

or is it in addition to the regular Game Thoughts?

[1Parker1]

timvp thanks for your reaction comments...

Farmar is the fast PG creator the Lakers have off the bench... do you think Hill minutes in a potential series against the Flakes would be based on that match up?

^ That's what I was thinking. Hill would be a great to go against Vuijic and Farmar in a Lakers series, IMO. At the very least, he has the quickness and athletiscim to match them when they come into the game and throw them off a little. Key to beating the Lakers as the Blazers showed the other night, is basically just shutting down their bench. If the Lakers don't get much production from Vuijic, Odom, Walton and Farmar, Kobe is forced to jack up 30 shots and we all know how good the Lakers do when that happens.

[wildbill2u]

I don't know what to think about Pop's mad scientist rotations. They're odd and quirky but somehow seem to work. Last night in the 4th quarter we saw TD, TP and three smallish defenders--Hill, Udoka, and Bower--and they began to put some distance between the Spurs and the starting five of the Bobcats in what had been a tight game.

One thing I know, the team is really deep with good role players behind our Big Three. If Pop continues to give them minutes, they'll be ready for the playoffs.

This may be a completely new CIA POP strategy. Use a deep rotation instead of cutting it to the starters plus 2 or 3. Put in some decent-- and fresh-- bench players whose role is to create havoc defensively while at least two of the Big Three are in there for scoring.

[Agloco]

What's weird is that Bonner usually doesn't get overpowered ... even by the stronger players in the league. Either Diaw is much stronger than he looks or he has located a chink in Bonner's armor because Diaw was treating him like he was up against his kid brother.

Diaw's in Bonner's head I think. A little bit of this on Bonner's part will fix that shit......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGIiO8SW7HA

[Agloco]

Nazr Mohammad DNP Coach's Decision---I bet he wishes he never left. HAHA.

LMAO at the Schintzus avatar!!!!!:lol:lol

[The Franchise]

Good game by the Spurs. Charlotte took every punch the Spurs threw and kept coming back over and over again. The Bobcats played hard, but in the 4th they seemed to forget how to defend the pick and roll for some reason. Everytime The Spurs ran one it seemed like there was always one man double covered and one wide open everytime. That was the difference tonight between a veteran team and a young team with potential.

[xtremesteven33]

The only thing i worry about a little is the team chemistry once Manu and Gooden get in the rotation.

Both will be vital in our quest for a championship and they need thier touches. Parker will stop carrying the load as much and Bonner will see less minutes. He may even give up his starting job.

[phxspurfan]

Farmar would light Hill up in that offense. I would put Mason on him just to make him work at the other end of the court. I'm pretty sure we could get some open 3s the way Farmar leaves his man on D all the time.

[NFGIII]

Nice job Timvp! You've simplified format is very helpful, especially with the box score inserted. Porbably makes it easier for you to put together, also. Much appreciated!

[crc21209]

Great thoughts! Thanks! I also wonder what Pop will do with Hill once Manu comes back. For a crunch-time line-up I'd like to see TP, Hill, Mason or Manu (Inter-change them), TD, and Kurt Thomas.

[PDXSpursFan]

Not necessarily. He has played well the last two games but he's playing shooting guard. Once Manu returns, the shooting guard minutes will be filled.

The last few games, Hill and Udoka have basically taken minutes Manu would usually get.
That was exactly what I was thinking. IMO, Hill will be out of the rotation for playoffs. Our backup PG will be Mason.

[Spurminator]

If Hill plays the fourth quarter against the Lakers, Phil Jackson will leave him wide open. He'll need to hit his shots.

[Bruno]

GTPAM
Game Thoughts Peak After March :tu

[Brazil]

I agree with you. Kurt looks like the 1999 Kurt playing for the Knicks. He is the biggest surprise this year. You can tell he wants that ring. The front court will be awesome in the playoffs and you can bet the starting lineup of TP, Manu, Bonner (or KT), Gooden and TD will be a force to reckon with come playoff time. Get better Manu and Gooden!!!!! We'll be waiting.:flag:
Now we need to have Manu and Good in the roster asap.

For sure I'm not asking for rushing things but we need them back, the sooner better it takes time to recover the rythm of the game, they need to be 100% already for the first round, each round will be a fight especially with an eventual spurs against dallas !

[Spurs Brazil]

Good read timvp


So timvp, do you think George Hill's minutes will go up again?

I know a lot of us were annoyed in feeling that Pop isn't giving him a fair amount of minutes.

Look what Pop said after the game yesterday. I hope Hill can get good minutes


On George Hill - “He’s doing a great job. He’s playing fantastic defense. He hits the boards and is aggressive on the offensive end. The last two games he’s been on the floor at the end of the game, so that should tell you something.”

[Whisky Dog]

I'll say this, the Celtics, Cavs, and Magic do not want to see the Bobcats in the 1st round. They way that team is gelling together they will be the bottom of the EC seed most likely to push an EC contender in the 1st round.

[GabeIsGone]

Ime....... 3 for 10 ... so much for getting better.

[The Truth #6]

I'm okay with Hill losing the backup PG position if it's only temporary. I think it's a mistake but Hill is playing better so maybe it was a good move despite obvious logic. If the Spurs don't return Hill to PG for the longterm then they are only destroying their own investment. Hill will have to be a PG at some point, he's not going to be a 2 in the NBA.

I don't think Mason is that much better. You can just have Hill pass him the ball and do the same thing he's been doing. Having Mase and Hill on the court together, and having them switch positions, is really stupid, though.

If this creates a further problem when Manu returns then I don't see the point of this at all.

In Pop we trust.

[ducks]

maybe pop is trying this because he is not convinced manu will be 100%
also if spurs have to play back to backs
in playoffs maybe pop rest manu on a back to back in playoffs if spurs are ahead in series

[wuss cones]

bump for Manu909