duncan228
04-19-2009, 11:42 PM
Spurs coach sure to cook something for Game 2 (http://www.star-telegram.com/mavericks/story/1326078.html)
By Randy Galloway
SAN ANTONIO — A segment of ungrateful and brain dead local fools were howling over the radio talk show phone lines here late Saturday night, firing verbal blasts at San Antonio’s basketball version of the Alamo.
Coach Pop, an institution in this city, has apparently become an idiot, at least in the wacky view of talk show junkies.
If I’m Gregg Popovich, my answer to that ilk would be to place a world championship ring on three fingers and a thumb, then raise the empty finger high above the rest. You get the idea.
Pop has four. And this city has four, thanks to Pop.
But the Dallas Mavericks taking it to the Spurs in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series had old San Antone town mumbling with concern, as we await tonight’s Game 2.
The funny thing is, Pop had a great game plan for Saturday’s opener. First, take out Dirk. See if the Mavs have anyone else who can beat you. Dirk, of course, was taken out.
Then, for a kicker, Pop also had a plan for Jason Terry. And that scheme also reduced Jet to almost a playmaker, not exactly his strength. Terry had eight shots in 35 minutes. Terry usually has eight shots in a game before he pulls off his warm-ups.
"We did [defensively] what we were supposed to do," said Drew Gooden, the 6-foot-10 reserve for the Spurs.
"We didn’t want those guys to beat us," Pop said. "The other guys did beat us."
Nowitzki chuckled at the Mavs’ Sunday practice session when he said, "Jet and myself were pretty good decoys."
Decoys for J.J. Barea. Think about that. It’s funny.
J.J. took over Game 1 at the point. Josh Howard was immense, and didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. Brandon Bass was all about muscle and hustle. Erick Dampier banged all night on Tim Duncan.
A perfect Pop game plan was shredded. The Mavs landed the first vital punch in the series by throwing and connecting with that assortment of mystery jabs.
But now what for tonight?
Terry admitted the obvious on Sunday. The Mavs aren’t supposed to win when he and Dirk are limited to a combined 31 points. "The opportunity was there for our role players to dominate, and they did," he added.
"But this is Popovich, and he’s got something for everything and everybody. He’s the best at adjustments. What he does [tonight] is a big guess right now, but Pop doesn’t have four trophies for nothing. He’s cooking up something."
Dirk, like the other Mavericks, is waiting on Pop’s Game 2 answer.
"Popovich is obviously one of the greatest at this," he said. "You know what’s he thinking when he sees Barea just walk down the lane to the bucket three or four times in the fourth quarter. We’ll see something new, for sure."
Maybe, but that’s not definite. Regardless of the Game 1 outcome, wouldn’t you still take your chances again tonight on trying to take out Dirk and Jet?
With Terry, the Spurs removed his pick and roll move by immediately flashing a second defender at him. That’s nothing new. But Dirk?
"I hadn’t seen that one before," Nowitzki said of Pop’s defensive scheme, which was designed to take away that middle-of-the floor jumper, except not with the constant double team. Instead, his defender fronted him, playing ball denial.
"Even at the 3-point line, they were fronting me," Nowitzki said. "I got too aggressive there, and picked up a couple of offensive fouls."
Dirk missed the last nine minutes of the first half with three fouls. But even with him on the bench, the Mavs cut what had been a 13-point deficit to only four at intermission.
Bet this:
Tony Parker had a Sunday of listening and reading local and national accounts of how a nobody such as J.J. upstaged him in Game 1. You can definitely throw a few more logs on Tony’s competitive fire for Game 2.
Meanwhile, Pop took his talk show beating for Game 1 because — get this — he has failed to develop a Barea-type player. Again, that’s funny, considering that J.J. certainly had his North Texas detractors for a couple of years. But George Hill, a rookie point guard who was DNP on Saturday night, is the critics’ choice to give Parker a breather … if, of course, Popovich had had him ready for the playoffs.
Provided I was hearing this right, Gooden should also be receiving the minutes given to Matt Bonner, despite Gooden being a journeyman deluxe (six teams in seven seasons).
Of all the Game 1 surprises, including "how" the Mavericks won it, nothing tops the gall of some Spurs fandom wanting to suddenly label Coach Pop as a stubborn old coach.
The Mavericks, of course, weren’t buying any of this foolishness on Sunday. Instead, they eagerly await Pop’s adjustment answers for Game 2.
By Randy Galloway
SAN ANTONIO — A segment of ungrateful and brain dead local fools were howling over the radio talk show phone lines here late Saturday night, firing verbal blasts at San Antonio’s basketball version of the Alamo.
Coach Pop, an institution in this city, has apparently become an idiot, at least in the wacky view of talk show junkies.
If I’m Gregg Popovich, my answer to that ilk would be to place a world championship ring on three fingers and a thumb, then raise the empty finger high above the rest. You get the idea.
Pop has four. And this city has four, thanks to Pop.
But the Dallas Mavericks taking it to the Spurs in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series had old San Antone town mumbling with concern, as we await tonight’s Game 2.
The funny thing is, Pop had a great game plan for Saturday’s opener. First, take out Dirk. See if the Mavs have anyone else who can beat you. Dirk, of course, was taken out.
Then, for a kicker, Pop also had a plan for Jason Terry. And that scheme also reduced Jet to almost a playmaker, not exactly his strength. Terry had eight shots in 35 minutes. Terry usually has eight shots in a game before he pulls off his warm-ups.
"We did [defensively] what we were supposed to do," said Drew Gooden, the 6-foot-10 reserve for the Spurs.
"We didn’t want those guys to beat us," Pop said. "The other guys did beat us."
Nowitzki chuckled at the Mavs’ Sunday practice session when he said, "Jet and myself were pretty good decoys."
Decoys for J.J. Barea. Think about that. It’s funny.
J.J. took over Game 1 at the point. Josh Howard was immense, and didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. Brandon Bass was all about muscle and hustle. Erick Dampier banged all night on Tim Duncan.
A perfect Pop game plan was shredded. The Mavs landed the first vital punch in the series by throwing and connecting with that assortment of mystery jabs.
But now what for tonight?
Terry admitted the obvious on Sunday. The Mavs aren’t supposed to win when he and Dirk are limited to a combined 31 points. "The opportunity was there for our role players to dominate, and they did," he added.
"But this is Popovich, and he’s got something for everything and everybody. He’s the best at adjustments. What he does [tonight] is a big guess right now, but Pop doesn’t have four trophies for nothing. He’s cooking up something."
Dirk, like the other Mavericks, is waiting on Pop’s Game 2 answer.
"Popovich is obviously one of the greatest at this," he said. "You know what’s he thinking when he sees Barea just walk down the lane to the bucket three or four times in the fourth quarter. We’ll see something new, for sure."
Maybe, but that’s not definite. Regardless of the Game 1 outcome, wouldn’t you still take your chances again tonight on trying to take out Dirk and Jet?
With Terry, the Spurs removed his pick and roll move by immediately flashing a second defender at him. That’s nothing new. But Dirk?
"I hadn’t seen that one before," Nowitzki said of Pop’s defensive scheme, which was designed to take away that middle-of-the floor jumper, except not with the constant double team. Instead, his defender fronted him, playing ball denial.
"Even at the 3-point line, they were fronting me," Nowitzki said. "I got too aggressive there, and picked up a couple of offensive fouls."
Dirk missed the last nine minutes of the first half with three fouls. But even with him on the bench, the Mavs cut what had been a 13-point deficit to only four at intermission.
Bet this:
Tony Parker had a Sunday of listening and reading local and national accounts of how a nobody such as J.J. upstaged him in Game 1. You can definitely throw a few more logs on Tony’s competitive fire for Game 2.
Meanwhile, Pop took his talk show beating for Game 1 because — get this — he has failed to develop a Barea-type player. Again, that’s funny, considering that J.J. certainly had his North Texas detractors for a couple of years. But George Hill, a rookie point guard who was DNP on Saturday night, is the critics’ choice to give Parker a breather … if, of course, Popovich had had him ready for the playoffs.
Provided I was hearing this right, Gooden should also be receiving the minutes given to Matt Bonner, despite Gooden being a journeyman deluxe (six teams in seven seasons).
Of all the Game 1 surprises, including "how" the Mavericks won it, nothing tops the gall of some Spurs fandom wanting to suddenly label Coach Pop as a stubborn old coach.
The Mavericks, of course, weren’t buying any of this foolishness on Sunday. Instead, they eagerly await Pop’s adjustment answers for Game 2.