10/28- Spurs @ Bulls Game Blog

[EmptyMan]

We got this. Bonner and Findog back in!

[narmerguy]

I knew all along that Pop still could not be trusted with Finely still on our roster.

Agreed. What does it take to prove to him that move is a bust?

[ulosturedge]

Manu and Parker off tonight. Duncan is a lone wolf out there today..

[Death In June]

You see, finely is ageless, dude's earned his starting spot. Great shooter/defender. Pop said it himself.

[Duncan2177]

This one's on Pop. He still loves playing Finley. I'm honestly going to cheer the day Finley retires.

:tu

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

bonner is the spark !!

[EmptyMan]

every season tpark always proclaims how finley is the best 12th man, everyone always tells him pop can not be trusted with finley as an option, every season tpark refuses to believe this

[peskypesky]

spurs with a little momentum

[DPG21920]

Spurs need stops, then rebounds.

[stretch]

yall need to go into the chat room

[drazo]

spurs are bad very bad no rings this year.. McDyess he's garbage, they killing us on rebounds 2nd chance points why did we bring bogans and ratliff if we dont use them.. i mean we are losing to chicago and they are playing with 8 player, spurs dont have any offence its just tereble

[raspsa]

The silver liningseems to be Timmy's performance.. Pop expected him to start the season out of shape but he seems to be doing quite well.. bodes well for the future. Now once the team gets into synch.. in the meantime, everyone is still learning on the fly, coach included.

[ulosturedge]

Get Malik out there to stop Rose! lol

[sammy]

No one driving to the basket! Settling for jumpshots! Fucking Pop bringing in the worthless ones for more bricks!

[peskypesky]

it always amazes me when so many guys are off on the same night. it's like it's contagious.

[stretch]

get your asses in the chat room

[Riverwalkman]

sleepy transiton D, damn!!!

[timtonymanu]

spurs are bad very bad no rings this year.. McDyess he's garbage, they killing us on rebounds 2nd chance points why did we bring bogans and ratliff if we dont use them.. i mean we are losing to chicago and they are playing with 8 player, spurs dont have any offence its just tereble

ur an idiot.

[phxspurfan]

Spurs still live and die by the 3ball

[quentin_compson]

Spurs might break through 80 pts, not sure.

Let's try to reach 70 first. :lol

[Spursmania]

Well, this is one game I predicted we'd lose simply based on the fact that it's a back to back.

[exstatic]

We've just become spoiled with the consistent roster the last 3-4 years. The early to mid part of this decade, the Spurs ran 3,4,5 new roster players in every year, and we had these kinds of growing pains. They're back.

[Chomag]

Well keep shooting the 3 and one might go in sooner or later... That just broke the 14 missed 3's in a row.

[DPG21920]

All the sudden Finley has fans...

[Supergirl]

Fin for 3!

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

beautiful hair....

[sammy]

Finley made a 3 maybe he can make more! That would be a miracle!:nope

[EmptyMan]

noah cannot pull off the long hair look

[DPG21920]

All the sudden Finley has fans...

Just lost them.

[drazo]

ur an idiot.


are u watchin a game... do u know anything about bball ?

[Chomag]

it always amazes me when so many guys are off on the same night. it's like it's contagious.

One of the biggest things for starters are needed to do is set the Tone.

[Supergirl]

"Finley makes a bad pass"...what happened??? That was a momentum killer...

[Quiet Strength]

Just lost them.

:lol

[HarlemHeat37]

With all the great moves in this off-season, the one negative is going to be up there with all of them in regards to impact..Finley picking up his option..

[angelbelow]

We can still pull out a victory, hopefully we execute and play great D.

[peskypesky]

well, kids, it's only the second game. orlando lost the first two games of last season and still made it to the Finals...so let's not over-react. like we did last night. :)

[Amuseddaysleeper]

11 point defiict isn't the end of the world, but with the way the Spurs have been shooting, feels more like they're down 25

[ulosturedge]

Quit hating on Fin and Bonner lol. It's obvious Pop is looking for an offensive spark. The Spurs core did it to themselves.

[EmptyMan]

oh well, 81-1.

[narmerguy]

Seriously, what will it take to make him go away?

[angelbelow]

it always amazes me when so many guys are off on the same night. it's like it's contagious.

Kind of like laughter

[mVp]

We can still pull out a victory, hopefully we execute and play great D.

Nah, nothing is working tonight...

[Spurs Brazil]

TP didn't attack one single time in the 2nd half.

That's why the offence looks so bad

[Duncan2177]

Spurs look like doo doo

[symple19]

The overreacting going on in here is priceless

[Chomag]

every season tpark always proclaims how finley is the best 12th man, everyone always tells him pop can not be trusted with finley as an option, every season tpark refuses to believe this

even Funnier is the 12th man is being played like he is 2nd or 3rd man!

[peskypesky]

Maybe we're losing because Bogans hasn't played.

[stretch]

chatroom fags

[Thompson]

Calm down guys, we're heating up from 3; 15.8%. We're strokin' it.

[Riverwalkman]

What Spurs need is the refs' wistle to end the game and take a hot shower.

[BillMc]

There will be nights when the old players look old, the new players look new, and the rookie (Blair) looks like a rookie.

Long season ahead. We'll be fine.

Tim looks good though!

[Brazil]

awful game... TP seems totally lost

[narmerguy]

I actually thought we'd take this game.

[peskypesky]

i'm guessing tony is still hurting from last night's fall. maybe he has bruised ribs?

[Creation88]

why the FUCK is finley in there???????

[HarlemHeat37]

Tony has looked off these first 2 games, doesn't have the blazing speed he usually does..

[symple19]

luol...dang

[narmerguy]

clock is running out

[Creation88]

fucking retard

[TDomination]

Ahh! Where is Kurt Thomas? Jacque Vaughn? Ime Udoka??? We need them to end this drought!!! lol

[Death In June]

I havent seen someone miss as many open 3s as finely does.

[Chomag]

Finely is just throwing it at the rim hoping it goes in.

[Creation88]

finley fucking sucks

[ulosturedge]

The overreacting going on in here is priceless

Whatever this season is over!

[Spurs Brazil]

Take Finley out please

[kromediablo]

wheres roger mason...pop

[peskypesky]

the one and only good thing about tonight? we know Duncan is still a stud.

[Creation88]

pop has proven tonight that he still has tendencies from last year: shitty line ups

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

Very very sad....

[quentin_compson]

You gotta give the Bulls credit, though. They played a good game.

[ElNono]

This was a bad shooting night... But I really miss the Spurs defense...

[Creation88]

tony and jefferson fucking blow right now. no penetration and no shots

[symple19]

c'mon guys...still in it

[peskypesky]

You gotta give the Bulls credit, though. They played a good game.

they did. opening night at home. they showed up.

[narmerguy]

for the love of all that is holy...put mason in.

[Creation88]

parker go back home and find your nuts.

[Brazil]

TP is playing just horrible. When the guys are off he needs to go and attack the fucking rim...

[TDomination]

Parker and Manu have been no shows in the 2nd half

[HarlemHeat37]

Tony looks like he has no explosion at all tonight..

[symple19]

Whatever this season is over!

rofl

[mVp]

TP has played like shit tonight.

[Death In June]

The lineups have been changing so nonsensically, it's kind of annoying.

[Spursmania]

The refs wanting the hometown team to win...LMAO...

[lennyalderette]

my god what the hell happend to finley i think hes lost 2 steps now

[peskypesky]

i can shoot better at the 3pt line than the Spurs, and i suck. :(

[Spurs Brazil]

I don't remember TP playing so bad like tonight in the last 2 - 3 years

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

rose bullied the spurs this whole fking game

[Bender]

how long before RJ starts playing well? I'm having second thoughts already...

[Riverwalkman]

Luol Deng is torturing Spurs by his mid-range jumpers.

where is RJ?

[Johnny RIngo]

This was a bad shooting night... But I really miss the Spurs defense...

Spurs have no chance against the elite teams if they're going to rely on their shooting to bail them out(like they have the past few years).

[Spursmania]

They are probably going to have a monster game next game. Feel sorry for whoever they play next.

[Chieflion]

rose bullied the spurs this whole fking game
It was Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich killing the Spurs, not Rose.

[MI21]

The team is clearly a work in progress, couple of little things out there indicated that obviously a lot of these lineups haven't played together a lot...

-trouble inbounding the ball
-lack of familararity on where players like to be on the floor.
-literally cutting into the back of each other on off ball cuts
-players not expecting a pass that is coming

...as well as obvious bigger issues such as defensive rotations, substitution patterns and ball movement.

[peskypesky]

TP has played like shit tonight.

give him a break. if you took a fall like he did last night, you'd be in the hospital.

[Texas_Ranger]

Tim was great. All other players suck big time.

[symple19]

Parker and Manu have been no shows in the 2nd half

pretty much. Chalk it up to early season chemistry issues, for the whole team really. As the team gels and the new guys mold to their roles I think we'll see less and less of this kind of performance. IMO

[MI21]

Double post.

[Brazil]

i don't remember tp playing so bad like tonight in the last 2 - 3 years

+1

[kbrury]

Im dissapointed, but we have to accept the pains from a relatively new lineup like Collins said. Besides all the other SW teams have lost lol.

[lennyalderette]

u know that year that came to bowen, i think were seeing it unfold for finley!! he can NOT be starting POP, they must be in freaking love because there is no reason why he should still be in there

[Thompson]

We'd be losing anyway, but the refs seem to believe it's time for Chicago to rise again.

[Quiet Strength]

my god what the hell happend to finley i think hes lost 2 steps now

Finley still looks the same as he did last year.. and the year before that... and the year before that..

[Riverwalkman]

Whatever this season is over!
:nope

[Johnny RIngo]

how long before RJ starts playing well? I'm having second thoughts already...

Yeah, it's bothering me too. He's looking way overpaid. Even S-Jax would be more productive than this.

[Creation88]

it pisses me off that the entire time completely relies on Tim when he's hot. no one ever fucking helps him when he carries this team.

pathetic showing from the rest of the Spurs.

[BillMc]

When did Jefferson become strictly a jump shooter??

[ulosturedge]

Pop already said it. Nice that we had a great shooting night yesterday, but our defense was garbage. Now we see what we look like when the shots aren't falling. Spurs getting lessons early in the season. I expect them to come out much better Saturday.

[picc84]

Damn new orleans is horrible.

[EmptyMan]

sit duncan

[Chieflion]

The loss is on Parker. If he had been able to attack with his speed, the game would be the Spurs to lose.

[quentin_compson]

Everybody not named Duncan pretty much sucked tonight.

[Creation88]

fuck jefferson sucks

[TDomination]

haha miller with a reverse?

[boutons_deux]

Come on Spurs, get 80! :lol

[bigbendbruisebrother]

fuck jefferson sucks

Marking this post for April.

[symple19]

To make myself feel better I think I'll go troll Tlong during the blazers game after this

[Creation88]

wtf? how is it that no matter what offensive "help" we get/acquire they end up fucking sucking and living up to our prior shittyness on offense.

[narmerguy]

Pop's given up. GG.

[sammy]

Even though TP drove the basket the bastards call the foul on him instead of the jackasses who hammered him! Finley still out there and doing nothing! Where's Roger Mason? Why isn't Ratliff out there!

[EmptyMan]

manu is going to look like larry david by the time he retires :lol

[Creation88]

Marking this post for April.

hasn't done shit in two games. horrible shooting right now.

[ulosturedge]

:nope

sarcasm guy, chillax. :wakeup

[Banzai]

Relax..only 2nd game...still plenty of season to go. Just an off night.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

WOW tp with no point in the second half...wow...

[BillMc]

I like Dejuan but he is a foul magnet...

[Creation88]

WHY THE FUCK IS FINLEY STILL OUT THERE!? that is fucking retarded

[ElNono]

Maybe we'll have a shot next year with Splitter...



:lol

[symple19]

:nope

it was sarcasm brah

[Chieflion]

This game is disgusting.

[Riverwalkman]

Tim Duncan drafted himself in Fantasy Games. That's the only thought I got from this game.

[Spursmania]

Parker and the rest of the team sucked ass except for Timmy.

[symple19]

I like Dejuan but he is a foul magnet...

he's gonna get the rookie treatment for awhile until the refs learn his tendencies..

[narmerguy]

Relax..only 2nd game...still plenty of season to go. Just an off night.

It's funny how we suffer these "off nights" a lot more than many of the other elite teams. This kind of playing if fine if you just want to make it to the WCF but if we seriously expect to beat the Lakers for the finals or even make it that far we have to play like we know wtf we're doing.

[Brazil]

this is just awful. Now the good news is Tim being Tim.

[mVp]

At least we made it to 80 lol

[TIMMYD!]

Did we just hit a 3?

[sammy]

It's over! He brought the other worthless one Bonner in and this is going to get ugly now! Why isn't Ratliff in instead of Bonner!

[Quiet Strength]

WHY THE FUCK IS FINLEY STILL OUT THERE!? that is fucking retarded

Because he's had an amazing game :rolleyes

[boutons_deux]

Spurs shoot 50% first half, 33% second half, not only Tony's problem.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Last night we learned that our bench is deep and we came away a little worried about Timmy. We also learned that New Orleans sucks.

Tonight we learned that Timmy's just fine and that if our 3's don't fall, our bench doesn't looks so shiny yet. Also, we still don't do well on the back end of a home-away.

Game two was as important as game one.

This team will gel.

[hoopdreams11]

bring PJ back we need some offensive sets bad

[kbrury]

First ST meltdown of the year well im not counting preseason lol.

[JohnnySixString]

Second game, first loss........

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/reaper_chevelle/eclateme.gif

[BillMc]

he's gonna get the rookie treatment for awhile until the refs learn his tendencies..

True.

[spurspokesman]

WHY THE FUCK IS FINLEY STILL OUT THERE!? that is fucking retarded
Right. He can't stop and old lady from falling in the middle of the street

[narmerguy]

Pop, get your fucking rotations down. Finley and bonner both starting is the kind of shit we joked about over the summer. And it's real now.

[Creation88]

it fucking baffles me that finley has played 27+ minutes. that is un-fucking-believable and piss poor coaching.

[picc84]

Should have gone into Duncan more. And dont know why Finley played so much.

Ginobili looks like he's wearing a yamukah. That shit is outraegous.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

did pop really need to give up? i know most spurs played horrible but...really ?

[Texas_Ranger]

Lets tank. :lol

[BillMc]

Roger's gonna be shut out this game.

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

Parker/Mason/RJ/Blair/Duncan......

Hill/Manu/Finley/Bonner/McDyess

thats what i think anyway

[Austin_Toros]

dismal shooting.
our guards didn't turn up tonight.

[Riverwalkman]

Blair's 1st Jump Ball in his career, instead of ripping arms, what a sad game.

[TDomination]

too many offensive rebounds for the bulls. ugh

[EmptyMan]

Spurs are still undersized and will have to rely on jumpers when they play the Lakers.

[ceperez]

You know, we just played a better team today as compared to the Hornets.

We also seem to not have the size to defend the interior.

[mVp]

Well... we're back to earth, thanks Chicago...

[alchemist]

Parker struggled, but so did everyone not named Duncan. Credit the Bulls they played a better 2nd half than the Spurs.

[Quiet Strength]

Finley and bonner cannot be starters

[024]

spurs need to get out to a stronger start. but it's the start of the season so it's understandable why pop would want to keep mcdyess on the bench.

[lennyalderette]

oh yeah special thanks to finley for screwing everything up!!! the man sucks ass. and pop should be yelled at for not playing blair until it waas tooo late!!!! we got a damn good pick, a motha fuckin draft steal and pop still doesnt play the kid!!! if i were holt i'd be pissed

[angelbelow]

I don't mind Finley and Bonner starting.. but i think playing Finley 28 minutes might be excessive...

[Manufan909]

I like how Hill was playing with passion, even up until the end, but damn did the Hornets set the Spurs up for a fall. I'll just wait a couple days for timvp's GTs, all the other threads will be overreacting.

[EmptyMan]

blair sucked, his minutes did not matter

[slick'81]

i guess the back2back hurt our old team lol

i dont know we were just a step slow all around and that bulls team ran us out of the gym and absolutely killed us on the glass...time to move on to game 3

[ulosturedge]

Spurs shoot 50% first half, 33% second half, not only Tony's problem.

Well its Parker's problem cause he is our catalyst on offense. He didn't do anything tonight.

Either way it's still way early. Definitely a lot of gel'ing still needs to be done.

[lennyalderette]

Damn new orleans is horrible.
wouldnt be talking man if it werent for those b.s fouls they gave yall, you would of lost to the clips. cant imagine if griffin would of played or davis scored more than one basket

[peskypesky]

Parker/Mason/RJ/Blair/Duncan......

Hill/Manu/Finley/Bonner/McDyess

thats what i think anyway

i concur

[alchemist]

oh yeah special thanks to finley for screwing everything up!!! the man sucks ass. and pop should be yelled at for not playing blair until it waas tooo late!!!! we got a damn good pick, a motha fuckin draft steal and pop still doesnt play the kid!!! if i were holt i'd be pissed
calm down buddy :lol Pop played Blair but the Bulls were abusing the Spurs on the boards (so ironic I know) so he had to put in Theo for some size.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

hasn't done shit in two games. horrible shooting right now.

New teammates, new system. 2nd night of back to back against a young, hungry, athletic team on their opening night.

Manu, Hill, Blair, Mason and McDyess were off too. Do they all suck as well?

Be patient. It's October. Chemistry and rhythm take time.

[daslicer]

The whole entire team sucked except for Duncan. Nobody came out and played with great effort which was frustrating to watch.

[peskypesky]

blair sucked, his minutes did not matter

oh yeah. 6pts and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes is really sucking for a rookie in his second NBA game.

[Chieflion]

Keys to the loss: Unlike the match against the Hornets yesterday, the Spurs did not have balanced scoring.

Duncan has 28 points and the 2nd leading scorer for the Spurs is Ginobili with 12. No other Spur was in double figures. The Bulls on the other hand, had contribution from everyone who played. 6 Bulls were in double figures.

Rebounding: The Spurs had 44 rebounds to the Bulls' 52. The Spurs also had 8 offensive rebounds but the Bulls had 15 offensive rebounds, which is too much, which resulted in 2nd chance points.

Turnovers: The inability to create turnovers and turning the ball over at the same time is disgusting. The Spurs had 13 turnovers to the Bulls' 9.

[ulosturedge]

One thing is for sure. We still don't like back to backs. :lol

[td4mvp21]

Blah that was ugly. Guess they had to do something to offset the beautiful performance they had last night.

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

Only 2 games.. if this is happening after all star break then we can panic our asses off

[duncan228]

Bulls 92, Spurs 85 (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/10/spurs-vs-bulls-2.html)
By Joe Alexander

Every Bulls starter scored in double figures as they beat the Spurs 92-85 Thursday night in Chicago.

Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 28 points and 16 rebounds. Manu Ginobili had 12 points off the bench.

Luol Deng led the Bulls with 17 points and nine rebounds.

* * * * *

The Bulls are maintaining their lead, up 87-76 with 2:56 left in the game. Luol Deng leads the Bulls with 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Bulls lead 81-70 with 5:56 left in the game. The Spurs have trimmed four points off the Bulls' lead since the last timeout.

The Bulls lead 79-65 with 8:41 left in the game. Timeout.

THIRD QUARTER

The Bulls take a 74-64 lead into the fourth quarter. The Bulls outscored the Spurs 27-18 in the third quarter. Tim Duncan leads the Spurs with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Four players have scored in double figures for the Bulls.

The Bulls are making a run and lead 70-58 with 3:01 left in the third quarter. Timeout.

The Bulls lead the Spurs 60-54 with 5:52 left in the third quarter. The Bulls have out-rebounded the Spurs 35-27.

SECOND QUARTER

The Bulls took a 47-46 halftime lead despite 12 points and nine rebounds in the first half from Tim Duncan. Manu Ginobili came off the bench and had 10 points.

The Bulls are on a 9-0 run and lead 44-38 with 3:09 left in the second quarter. Timeout Spurs.

Tim Duncan is up to 10 points and six rebounds. The Spurs lead 38-35 with 5:28 left in the first half. Timeout.

The Bulls made a little run early in the second quarter. They lead 29-26 with 9:06 left in the first half.

FIRST QUARTER

Manu Ginobili has eight points off the bench and the Spurs lead 23-22 at the end of the first quarter. Ginobili was 3 of 4 from the field and made his only 3-point attempt. Tim Duncan had six points and six rebounds.

The Spurs are on a 13-2 run. This is on a pattern very similar to the first quarter last night. The Spurs lead 15-10 with 3:53 left in the first quarter.

The Bulls build a quick 8-2 lead to start the game with 8:45 left in the first. Joakim Noah has two baskets. Timeout Spurs.

[Chomag]

oh yeah. 6pts and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes is really sucking for a rookie in his second NBA game.

Same here I thought blair did pretty decent with the time given to him. He is a rookie people! And a rookie that doesn't get 30+ minutes at that. Yes he needs to work on a few things and he has even acknowledged that.

[kobyz]

why not to play Mahinmi or Haislip? it was clear that we needed athletic big to match up with Chicago bigs! we must put one of them into the rotation - there will be a lot of teams like Chicago today.

[Manufan909]

Why the NBA has the game recap in reverse still annoys the fuck out of me. It's like the youtube comments, how hard is it to go from the top down!?!

Oh, and how'd the Spurs blow it in the third? I went to get some chow for that quarter.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Finley and bonner cannot be starters

Nor should they be on the floor at the same time.

[Chomag]

why not to play Mahinmi or Haislip? it was clear that we needed athletic big to match up with Chicago bigs! we must put one of them into the rotation - there will be a lot of teams like Chicago today.

Why do that when we can allways play Finely at the 4?

[lennyalderette]

wow that was frustrating!!! i meditated and im back lol overll terrible game!! timmy played like timmy im glad he felt better in this game.

[Manufan909]

why not to play Mahinmi or Haislip? it was clear that we needed athletic big to match up with Chicago bigs! we must put one of them into the rotation - there will be a lot of teams like Chicago today.

Pop won't even let them (or Hairston) get dressed. But he'll let Fin go for 28 minutes. Almost half an hour of Fin being the bitch of whoever he was guarding. Give Hill his minutes for crying out loud, he is 5x the defender Fin is, and is supposedly Pops fave player.:bang

[redzero]

So this is how the Spurs play against a team that isn't trying to find chemistry.

[Manufan909]

Dude, your sig is scary as fuck. It negates anything you say, because of how awesomely horrifying it is. Like Fin trying to play D.

[Obstructed_View]

Mini-brain game thoughts, episode II:


The more things change...
When Tim came out hitting shots and the rest of the team stood around watching him, I knew we were all in for a long night. One would think with all the energy from last night the team could sustain it and capitalize off Duncan's production. I guess the new guys aren't just learning the good tendencies from the old guys.

I didn't think Bonner was horrible, but when you see your team getting absolutly destroyed on the boards would it be a good idea to replace your worst rebounding big with your best rebounding big? Doesn't seem like too much to ask.

I guess all those great lineups I gave Pop credit for last night were just lucky guesses, as they pretty much went out the window tonight.

If Pop loves George Hill so much and loves to tell people how he's improved as a point guard, why is Roger Mason running the point when he and Hill are in the game together?

If you're not going to get calls in a game, make sure it's a game where you're settling for jumpers, not passing, standing around and making dumb turnovers so it has no bearing on the outcome.

I saw three blocks from Duncan. Hopefully the Chicago scorekeeper is better than the San Antonio one.

Apparently all the good passing, good movement, active hands on defense, and taking advantage of fast-break opportunities were thanks to the San Antonio crowd. This team didn't look tired, they just looked like they didn't care enough to try.

[duncan228]

I've got three blocks for Duncan from the yahoo box.

[peskypesky]

it's all good. just one game. a learning experience for all.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

Well... we're back to earth, thanks Chicago...

Perhaps this will instill what Pop calls appropriate fear. If it was all easy, what kind of chemistry would this version of the Spurs develop? They're going to learn a lot from the film.

[HarlemHeat37]

-Duncan was great tonight..he carried us offensively..got great position, made the bank shots, finished well, passed very well..his defense was also very good tonight..he got a number of blocks, altered shots, got a few steals, helped very well..nobody else showed up to help..

-Parker looked really slow compared to his usual self..he had no explosion..he couldn't take advantage of a bad defender..he made bad decisions with the ball..his defense wasn't really bad, wasn't good, Rose made some tough shots, and he's difficult to guard for anybody..Rose definitely outplayed him tonight..

-Manu had one of his "bad Manu" games that we've come to know of him, where he takes way too many bad shots..he had a hot start, but cooled off considerably..I liked his defense though, he played off screens well, and he played good individual D IMO..

-RJ wasn't good offensively..he missed all his open Js, didn't shoot well from the FT line..he got to the line very well though, and he was aggressive..still needs to find his role here..I liked his defense for most of the game though..he got beat by Deng a few times in the 2nd half, but his D was good for most of the game IMO..

-Bonner was non-existent..his defense wasn't bad, he just didn't do anything significant in this game..if he isn't making shots, he's obviously useless for the most part..

-Finley was just horrible..people can keep making excuses for him, but he just isn't a good player anymore..I pointed it out last night, so this isn't just because he missed his shots tonight..he no longer has the quickness to play average defense..he missed a lot of rotations, he got torched by Deng during small-ball, Salmons penetrated by him every time, he closed out on the wrong players..

-McDyess didn't play well..this was definitely a chemistry game for him..he was caught in the wrong place multiple times, and his J didn't go down..he's going to have a lot of nights like these with the team trying to gel..

-Mason played good defense for the most part IMO, showed some quickness..his offense was bad though, which is what happens when Mason isn't making..

-Hill wasn't good..he picked up some stats during garbage time, but he wasn't good when the game mattered..his defense is always good compared to most PGs, but it wasn't like we're accustomed to seeing from him..missed his Js, didn't really do too much..

-Blair was horrible..his stats look decent due to garbage time, but he was really bad, so I don't understand why a lot of people here are complaining about his PT..his defense was really bad, especially his rotations..he didn't rebound well, 2 of his rebounds came in the last 10 seconds of the game, so don't be fooled by that..he didn't do anything offensively..

[peskypesky]

I don't mind Finley and Bonner starting.. but i think playing Finley 28 minutes might be excessive...

at this stage of his career, Finley should not play more than 15 minutes a game, unless he's shit-hot and drilling everything.

[slick'81]

bonner was a waste and blair and hill did struggle

looks like pop is still trying to get what he can out of finley and i just dont know why

[ploto]

Things have been crazy and I really have not had the chance to follow the Spurs during the pre-season. I had no clue until tonight that Finley and Bonner really are starting! I thought that people were joking.

[Obstructed_View]

Where's mouse with his shower curtain pictures? Usually we don't get overreaction on the main Spurs board like this until after Halloween.

[loveforthegame]

Duncan was the only one to show up tonight. Everyone else pretty much sucked.

No rebounding, wide open shots clanking, missed rotations, missed fts, settling for too many jumpers.

I think Jefferson was the only one attempting to attack the basket and get to the ft line. We need more of that.

[LOL]

LMAO im cracking up spurs fans cant take a loss LOL you pussies.

[Chomag]

LMAO im cracking up spurs fans cant take a loss LOL you pussies.

I'm spoiled :depressed

[duncan228]

Updated.

Rose looks sharp, Bulls beat Spurs 92-85 (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2009102904&prov=ap)
By Andrew Seligman

Derrick Rose was so antsy and “geeked up” to get back on the court he had to blast the music on his way to the arena.

Once he arrived, he certainly seemed in tune. Or at least close.

Rose scored 13 points and had seven assists to lead the balanced Chicago Bulls to an impressive 92-85 season-opening victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

Rose, who missed most of the preseason because of pain in his right ankle, waved to his mom in the crowd and blew her a kiss before the opening tip. He then showed some of the explosiveness that carried him to the Rookie of the Year award last season.

“I was geeked up in the car listening to the music, just getting ready for the game,” Rose said. “I was ready.”

Was the ankle an issue?

“Not at all,” said Rose, who played 33 minutes.

He penetrated and delivered some dizzying spin moves that drew roars from the crowd, showing few signs of the pain that had bothered him the past few weeks even if there’s still some rust to scrape away.

Rose had plenty of help, and Chicago pulled away in the second half despite Tim Duncan’s 28 points and 16 rebounds for the Spurs.

“Derrick is one of my favorite players,” said Chicago’s Luol Deng, who had 17 points and nine rebounds. “Not just athletically, but he really reads the game well, finding guys. The team fits him real well. It starts with him, and he’s just doing a good job of finding everybody and penetrating.”

As for his own performance? Deng said, “I’m happy. It was one game.”

It was a good start for Deng, who missed the final 22 games last season and then the playoffs. Kirk Hinrich added 14 points, and Tyrus Thomas scored his 13 in the second half. Joakim Noah chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and the Bulls held advantages on the glass (52-44) and in second-chance points (22-13). There was also a big disparity in offensive rebounds, with Chicago grabbing 15 compared to eight for the Spurs.

“Just one of those nights we couldn’t make a shot, and on top of that, they brought a lot of energy to the table,” Duncan said.

Besides that dominant effort from their big man, the Spurs were simply flat after opening with an easy win over New Orleans on Wednesday.

Manu Ginobili scored 12 but was just 3 for 11. Tony Parker had eight points and three assists after leaving Wednesday’s game following a hard fall in the third quarter, and Richard Jefferson was off target again after a rough debut. He shot 3 for 9 and scored nine after going 1 for 7 against the Hornets.

“They were more aggressive—loose balls, board, the whole deal,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

The Bulls led by one at halftime after Hinrich hit a 3-pointer with just under a second left and then took control in the third, outscoring the Spurs 27-18 to go up 74-64.

Thomas started a 14-4 run midway through the third with a jumper and delivered and later dunked over Richard Jefferson on an alley-oop from Brad Miller, howling and burying a free throw to complete the three-point play. Hinrich then capped the run with a 7-footer that made it 72-58 with 2:19 left in the quarter.

Bulls players came down through the crowd during pregame introductions, high-fiving fans as they made their way to the court, and the good vibe didn’t end there. Chicago has higher expectations after pushing Boston to seven games in a thrilling first-round playoff series last season, and that largely hinges on the health of Rose.

He passed the first test and so did the Bulls. Now, they’re facing another one Friday when they visit the Celtics. This time they will have to contend with Kevin Garnett, who was injured and missed that series.

More important to the Bulls is this: Rose is getting better.

“In the game, I really didn’t feel it,” Rose said.

NOTES: Neither team shot well from 3-point range, with the Spurs going 4 for 21 and the Bulls hitting 3 of 16. … Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro has a fan in Popovich. “What Vinny does is he takes it seriously and works his (butt) off,” Popovich said. “In the summertime, he didn’t just go on vacation. He talked to a lot of us. He wanted to discuss basketball. He wanted to know how we do things here and there. And why we do this and why we do that.”

[Spursmania]

Things have been crazy and I really have not had the chance to follow the Spurs during the pre-season. I had no clue until tonight that Finley and Bonner really are starting! I thought that people were joking.


Sadly, no joke.

[mytespurs]

I watched some of the game at the gym tonight. And Spurs looked slow, sluggish and out of sorts.

Many were ready to crown the Spurs after last night's game and now many are jumping off the bandwagon.

Two games a season does not make-I think the Spurs will be fine.

[DPG21920]

So this is how the Spurs play against a team that isn't trying to find chemistry.

Quit trolling.

[benefactor]

This is more like what I thought we would see early in the season. On to Saturday.

[Capt Bringdown]

Finley getting almost 30 minutes is not a trend I want to see continue.

[timtonymanu]

are u watchin a game... do u know anything about bball ?

obviously u dont. reread ur post and then ask me again. No rings for the Spurs this year after the second game? McDyess aint garbage. Bogans and Ratliff are 3rd stringers. Chicago is a playoff team. That's right, you're an idiot.

[CGD]

Finley getting almost 30 minutes is not a trend I want to see continue.

Well, Money Mase needs to step it up and earn his starting gig back. That will push Fin down to the 4th 2/3 in the rotation. I think this will eventually happen, but Pop has indicated that Fin EARNED the starting gig in Pre-season.

[HarlemHeat37]

Finley didn't have to earn anything..we all know Pop is always going to play him..

They signed Bogans to play D..we understand that he can't play offense, but if Finley isn't making shots, why not put Bogans out there?..

[Ice009]

Alright, just got home and was about to watch the replay on ILP Broadband, but they had a spoiler score and ruined the game for me. Now that I have calmed down a bit I'm not going to bother watching if after reading through the game thread.

Can I ask you guys a question about Finley? Seriously, how is he back on the team and Bruce isn't???????

How is Keith Bogans on the team and Bruce isn't. I wanted Bruce back this season and thought he had more left that Finley. How can you say either of these two players are better than Bruce right now?

I'd fucking straight up punch TP in the face for that interview the other day where it sounded like he was brushing Bruce off like he was an offensive liability for us. He was at times, but still could play better than both Finley and Bogans right now, today.

[Obstructed_View]

Many were ready to crown the Spurs after last night's game and now many are jumping off the bandwagon.

Still the game one champeens, baby! All the haters can't take that away from us! :lol

[mytespurs]

Still the game one champeens, baby! All the haters can't take that away from us! :lol

:lol:lol:lol

No, they can't. But the haters can't wait to come out of the woodwork when we lose!!! It's as if all is lost after only 2 games! Why argue-I'd laugh along with them.

[Johnny RIngo]

Finley is slowly ruining this franchise. Bench him and give Hairston some playing time.

[Ice009]

Finley is slowly ruining this franchise. Bench him and give Hairston some playing time.

ahh better yet include him in trade for SJax. Forget benching him, get him off the team.

[Johnny RIngo]

ahh better yet include him in trade for SJax. Forget benching him, get him off the team.

I'd love to see him traded in a deal for Jackson but I don't see the Spurs FO pulling the trigger on another trade until the all-star break.

[sabar]

Ugh Blair and Finely got torched on the defensive end. Guys just blew by, it was Steve Nash defense.

I don't mind small ball but Finely cannot be part of that. His guy just went by him over and over. If you are going to lose the height advantage, then at least get a guy that can play any kind of defense.

Once upon a time that kind of defense got you pulled from the game instantly.

No way we won even if Bonner and Fin were glued to the bench, seeing how our bench was atrocious tonight. We needed Parker to do well to have a chance.

[BRHornet45]

lol at the Spurs fans who were acting like they already won the championship after beating the Hornets .... that second string isn't anywhere near as good as some of you think. Our bench made your bench look like all stars.

[Obstructed_View]

lol at the Spurs fans who were acting like they already won the championship after beating the Hornets .... that second string isn't anywhere near as good as some of you think. Our bench made your bench look like all stars.

lol at butthurt coming in here to talk shit about a game his team didn't take part in. Way to go, boy.

[BRHornet45]

lol at butthurt coming in here to talk shit about a game his team didn't take part in. Way to go, boy.

anytime dipshit ... just 24 hours ago you were one of the assclowns in here talking about the Spurs having the best bench in the NBA. they looked great last night!

[redzero]

lol at the Spurs fans who were acting like they already won the championship after beating the Hornets .... that second string isn't anywhere near as good as some of you think. Our bench made your bench look like all stars.

Ain't that the truth. The Spurs are lucky Byron Scott is a retard, putting substitutions in midway through the first quarter.

[Flux451]

pop should have known we were playing a more athletic team...why not play hairston

[elbamba]

One of the major problems with the starting lineup is that we seem to be spotting teams 8-10 points just coming out. I know that we usually tie it up but it sets the stage for playing comeback the rest of the night.

We need to lose either Finley or Bonner (I would prefer to lose Bonner as he is a liability on defense and most of the time on offense) in place of Manu/Mason or Blair/Dice

[The Btown Spur]

as much i as i like the 3 pointer, its not a good thing if were living and dying by the 3 pointer, were not going to do much better than .500 if we do that. we have to have multiple ways to score. We have to drive the ball to create open shots or layups, i know it easier said than done but thats how we will win games. If we dont, we wont do any better than last season. Chicago pointed out our weakness. athletic teams that can rebound can hurt us, that needs to change.

[Obstructed_View]

anytime dipshit ... just 24 hours ago you were one of the assclowns in here talking about the Spurs having the best bench in the NBA. they looked great last night!

I'm not sure that I was, but a bad game by everyone not named Tim Duncan is nothing new for even the most talented Spurs teams, so losing a game 2 of the season on the second night of a B2B isn't nearly enough to suddenly declare them a bad team or to start questioning their talent.

See what I did there? My team lost but I didn't turn around afterward and say that my team's bench sucks. You're welcome, boy.

[SpurYank]

Congratulations, Spurs fans! Two games into the season and you are all in mid-season form.