Initial Reaction: Spurs vs. Mavs - Game 1

[timvp]

Game 1 wasn't a contest between the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks as much as it was the Dirk Nowitzki Show. The Mavs superstar power forward had a game for the ages to give the Mavs a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series. Nowitzki finished with 36 points and seven rebounds on 12-for-14 shooting from the field and 12-for-12 from the line.

The Mavs led by five points after the first quarter and at halftime. The Spurs battled back to take the lead in the third quarter but Nowitzki responded with seven points in 70 seconds to give Dallas a lead they would never relinquish.

-Tim Duncan started off slowly. He was missing easy shots and fumbling away good passes. His offense eventually warmed up and he finished with 27 points on 12-for-20 shooting. However, his defense wasn't anything to write home about and he did a poor job on the glass. His six turnovers also doomed San Antonio. He needs to play a more complete and composed game the next time out.

-When Manu Ginobili was moving with purpose, he was very good. His statistics didn't disappoint: 26 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. That said, his sloppiness on the offensive end played a big role in the Spurs doing an unacceptable job taking care of the ball. He went with one-handed passes and looping, cross-court passes too often. As a result, he had five costly turnovers.

-Tony Parker, like Duncan, started off slowly. Luckily his jumper was working so he was able to scratch out 18 points and four assists on 7-for-15 shooting. His speed and quickness are only at about 80-85% so he wasn't able to get to the basket as easily as usual. His defense, especially closing out on shooters, was lacking. Considering he was adjusting to a bench role, the Spurs couldn't have expected much more from Parker. Although compared to what Parker historically brings to the table, this was definitely a less than average performance.

-George Hill played despite a gimpy ankle. It looked like the wrong decision. He wasn't moving well, especially laterally. His injury also kept him from being able to drive past his man. Hill ended up playing 18 invisible minutes, going 0-for-2 with three rebounds. His status going forward is in question.

-Not much is expected from Richard Jefferson at this point but a Spurs fan would hope more than a 1-for-4 performance in his first playoff game. Jefferson never really got involved and when he did get the ball, his decisions were rarely quick or correct. To his credit, Jefferson did a good job on the boards (seven rebounds) and his defense was about what we've come to expect out of him.

-Outside of a few possessions, I thought Antonio McDyess played well against Nowitzki. McDyess also pulled down eight boards in 23 minutes and scored 10 points on 5-or-9 shooting. All in all, I thought McDyess played pretty well. If he continues to play at this level, he'll give the Spurs a fighting chance the rest of the way.

-Matt Bonner was a close eye-witness to many of Nowitzki's baskets. He tried to play physical defense but Nowitzki either scored, got fouled or did both at the same time. The defensive effort was there, the execution wasn't. Offensively, Bonner missed his first four shots and every Spurs fan had flashbacks of last year's disaster postseason. He gave fans a bit of hope by hitting his last two shots but Bonner continues to look uneasy under pressure.

-Keith Bogans has been great at one thing this season: racking up negative numbers in the plus/minus stat. This game, he played 16 minutes and was a team-worst -12. Other than that, he missed a wide open layup, had a personal foul ... and that's about it. I continue to wonder what Pop sees in him, which has been the case all season.

-Speaking of players who should be on the bench, Roger Mason, Jr. continued his horrid play. He went scoreless in nine minutes while getting lit up on the defensive end. With Hill hurt, Pop was somewhat forced into playing Mason. That said, watching Mason play makes me wonder how Garrett Temple would look in playoff basketball.

-DeJuan Blair provided a good amount of energy in the first half. He played with toughness and threw down a memorable dunk over Nowitzki to get the bench on their feet. In the second half, he was rewarded with two minutes and thirty seconds of playing time. Huh? I realize his defense leaves a bit to be desired and the rookie obviously doesn't have experience but I thought the Spurs could have used his beastliness for more than eight minutes tonight.

-I thought Pop coached decently early on but then he reverted to his small ball tactic against the Mavs -- with predictable results. The Mavs outrebounded the Spurs 45-37 and seemed to have control the entire way. With Hill gimpy, Pop needs to put Parker back in the starting lineup and play him big minutes. More minutes for Blair would be nice, as would less minutes for Mason and Bogans. Even if it comes down to playing Temple, Mason and Bogans need to see pine. Overall, the Spurs still have a chance to avoid a third consecutive series loss to the Mavs but they need to play a smarter brand of basketball in Game 2. They have the talent, they need to prove they have the cohesion.


http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/8184/spursmavsg1.jpg

[honestfool84]

EFFF. i'm still upset.

good post.

let's just hope they can come back in game 2.

[jestersmash]

Game 2 is a must win. What percentage of teams lose the series if they are down 0-2 from the start? Something like 80%?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

dgefc

fuck small ball

[Spurminator]

Dirk was a man tonight. Good showing from Butler too. I feel good that we only lost by six despite playing fairly poorly overall and seeing Dirk make almost every shot. Then again, we should probably expect more from Terry in the coming games.

We probably have no answer for Dirk. I would have liked to see more double teams, but maybe we're better off letting it be the Dirk Show and holding everyone else at bay. Surely he can't go 12-14 every game? (Knock on wood)

From my area of the arena I witnessed several instances of Jefferson jogging up the floor during a fast break in the first half. He had several opportunities to get to the basket before anyone else and make an easy basket but it was like he was avoiding the ball. WTF

[duncan228]

We'll see a different Duncan in game two. No one will be harder on him than he is on himself. The turnovers were unacceptable, he didn't have the drive he usually does to open the Playoffs. He comes out strong for game two.

[HarlemHeat37]

-I said before the series that running Kidd off the 3-point line is crucial..the Spurs gave him multiple open looks, they got lucky that he only made 3..Parker left him twice to double on the wing for no reason at all, very poor decision making..on his other 3-pointer, the idiot Mason went under the screen with no resistance..

Kidd hates looking to score..his only form of consistent scoring is spot-up shooting..the Spurs seem to not know this..sagging off him is just a horrible strategy and something they should have learned during the regular season..

-Butler really struggled when the Spurs sent double teams..he forced 3 shots over double teams, missed all of them..he turned the ball over numerous times when the Spurs crowded him..

I'd like to see Hairston get a shot to guard him(if he can play), but it would obviously be risky to have him in the playoff rotation and he's an offensive liability..I think he can match him physically and I don't think he would do any worse than Mason or Bogans right now..

Should the Spurs continue to send a help defender and pressure him?..doubling Butler might seem like a strange strategy since he doesn't deserve that much attention and they have Dirk on the floor, but it might be the best strategy since he doesn't seem like he handles it well..

-Duncan needs to use his face-up moves more than his post-up IMO..he should mix it, but I'd like to see more face-up..Dampier had no answer for him when he faced up..Duncan missed some chip shots and he had some unforced turnovers due to uncharacteristically fumbling some passes, but he looked fine..

-I agree about Manu being too careless with his passes..a lot of bad passes from the top of the key..sloppy..

-TP has to stay aggressive, even if he doesn't have his usual physical tools..he was too passive early on in the game..

-Spurs absolutely need RJ and Hill to show up in this series..it's the only way to match Dallas' array of weapons..Hill's play is health-related and RJ's is mental..is either one fixable right now?..I don't know, we'll have to see..the 2 biggest keys in this series IMO..

-Sean said that Pop was more willing to play the young guys in the post-season after seeing what happened with Hill last year..it didn't look like that was the case with the treatment of Blair..yes, he made a mistake against Haywood, but come on..

-Try Ian vs. Dirk? :D..

-Temple ahead of Mason seems like a no-brainer at this point..worth a try..

-Overall, I wasn't discouraged about this game..the FT margin and stupid turnovers were the main difference..Spurs can bounce back and get it close, but winning will depend on RJ and/or Hill..

[Libri]

-Speaking of players who should be on the bench, Roger Mason, Jr. continued his horrid play. He went scoreless in nine minutes while getting lit up on the defensive end. With Hill hurt, Pop was somewhat forced into playing Mason. That said, watching Mason play makes me wonder how Garrett Temple would look in playoff basketball.Mason only played 9 minutes. Yet, those crappy 9 minutes seemed like an eternity. :bang

[Spurs7794]

Game 2 is a must win. What percentage of teams lose the series if they are down 0-2 from the start? Something like 80%?
Yeah but I believe we are the last team to do it. Still, itd be nice to get game 2. These Mavs arent the Hornets of 08 and arent gonna roll over in our building.

[DPG21920]

Yup. Must win in game 2.

[Kermit]

We'll see a different Duncan in game two. No one will be harder on him than he is on himself. The turnovers were unacceptable, he didn't have the drive he usually does to open the Playoffs. He comes out strong for game two.

Link?

[Libri]

-Try Ian vs. Dirk? :D..

Not with this group of refs. Ian would have fouled out in a blink of an eye.

[G-Nob]

Pop has seen what he's seen in Mason and Bogans. Expect Temple to get some PT in game 2.

[Biggems]

Give me a lineup with Ian, Blair, Temple, Manu, and Hill. I honestly feel this lineup could do some damage.

[Basileus777]

Duncan playing 40 minutes is why Blair got limited action. You can't play him together with Timmy because he clogs the lane on offense and can't guard Dirk (or anyone really).

[HarlemHeat37]

Ian's main flaw as a player is that he's extremely foul prone..clearly we've seen that the refs are going to call fouls on whoever is guarding Dirk either way, even Duncan..I don't see the harm in trying it out for a few possessions..there's literally no possible harm, Dirk is killing either way..

[timvp]

Duncan playing 40 minutes is why Blair got limited action. You can't play him together with Timmy because he clogs the lane on offense and can't guard Dirk (or anyone really).

No one was having much success against Dirk. Blair at least has quick feet. Not saying Blair could do much against Dirk but it's not like the Spurs would be benching a Dirk stopper to give Blair more time . . .

[lurker]

Nice post, timvp. Refreshing after all the " :madrun free throw differential :madrun" replies tonight.

[SpursTillTheEnd]

Give me a lineup with Ian, Blair, Temple, Manu, and Hill. I honestly feel this lineup could do some damage.
This is the truth

[ElNono]

Thanks LJ, good writeup.
Side question: How many boards did Bonner had?

[badfish22]

Parkers play near the end is the greatest reason for optimism if you're a spurfan.

[G-Nob]

I don't want to hear anything more about FTs. Spurs take care of the ball, its a mute point.

[m33p0]

somebody has to slip RJ some of Manu's mojo.

[timvp]

I should have mentioned Kidd somewhere in that post. The guy simply doesn't age. He can't finish at the rim like he used to but he shoots better than ever, knows how to perfectly run a team and he can defend multiple positions well. Physically, he is moving better than he has in a couple years. Tonight his stats weren't jaw-dropping but it felt like he was the player most responsible of the pace ... for both teams.

[tlongII]

Spurs need a healthy Hill or they're done.

[Ice009]

I think it's time to start TP again. Hill can come off the bench and no more Mason Jr. at all.

Dallas look very, very good though. I thought Kidd was brilliant tonight. LOL I am going to hit someone next time they leave him open. Props to Kidd for nailing those big threes. Spurs gotta get up on him.

[TampaDude]

All you need to know about Game 1 is in the box score. We were playing 5 on 8 all night. The only way we could've won is by playing mistake-free ball. We didn't do that, and the refs sealed the deal. There is serious officiating bias in the NBA for certain players, that is clear. Dirk is just one of those players that gets the calls. What's sad is that Dirk is an elite player and is good enough to win games without extra help from the refs. All those bullshit calls only diminish Dirk's accomplishments on the court.

[Biggems]

didnt hill reinjure himself against dallas, in dallas......kind of fishy to me.

[badfish22]

I agree. If I was Pop I would start Parker in game two.


I hope he doesn't though.

[G-Nob]

I should have mentioned Kidd somewhere in that post. The guy simply doesn't age. He can't finish at the rim like he used to but he shoots better than ever, knows how to perfectly run a team and he can defend multiple positions well. Physically, he is moving better than he has in a couple years. Tonight his stats weren't jaw-dropping but it felt like he was the player most responsible of the pace ... for both teams.

That being said. He should be the player the spurs decide to dare them to beat them in game 2. Dirk & C-But should see doubles all night long.

[Ice009]

All you need to know about Game 1 is in the box score. We were playing 5 on 8 all night. The only way we could've won is by playing mistake-free ball. We didn't do that, and the refs sealed the deal. There is serious officiating bias in the NBA for certain players, that is clear. Dirk is just one of those players that gets the calls. What's sad is that Dirk is an elite player and is good enough to win games without extra help from the refs. All those bullshit calls only diminish Dirk's accomplishments on the court.

Spurs threw away too many turnovers. Tim Duncan is a big culprit, not just tonight, but the whole season Tim has been worse than I have ever seen with unforced errors. He's been uncharacteristically throwing bad passes and throwing the ball away this season more than any other season.

I'm not going to talk about the referring. You HAVE TO SIMPLY PLAY BETTER to beat the Mavs.

[NewJerSpur]

FT's aren't a moot point (though it is out of the team's control), but the Spurs do have to do a better job of securing the ball on rebounds and executing better passes....the "no-look" thing is getting tired and predictable.

As someone mentioned in the Game Blog: I don't think you can play a lineup with Bogans, Mase, AND Bonner all at the same time...none of which are true playmakers and it limits what the team can do offensively (and to a certain extent defensively) and negates whatever positives any of them might be able to contribute....you've got to break that up, which I assume Pop will. I think Temple should have seen a look, the same way Hill should have last year.

Looking forward to Game 2.

[TampaDude]

We win Game 2 and we're in the driver's seat.

[timvp]

Thanks LJ, good writeup.
Side question: How many boards did Bonner had?

Added the box score.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I should have mentioned Kidd somewhere in that post. The guy simply doesn't age. He can't finish at the rim like he used to but he shoots better than ever, knows how to perfectly run a team and he can defend multiple positions well. Physically, he is moving better than he has in a couple years. Tonight his stats weren't jaw-dropping but it felt like he was the player most responsible of the pace ... for both teams.

We have to find a way to minimize him.

More tony.

[Ice009]

I think you pick of between Bonner, Mason Jr., and Bogans. You can't play all three. Pick one of those players and don't play the rest of them. I'd say Bonner is the one you can give a few minutes too. I would not play the other two at all. If you are forced to because of fouls then make sure you have all of the big 3 on the court at the same time.

[L.I.T]

Taking nothing away from the Mavs, they were clearly the better team.

But, I can't help but remain fairly optimistic after the game.

There are clear differentials that told the story. If the Spurs can get their uncharacteristic TOs under control, fix the transition defense and get more aggressive on the offensive end they have a shot.

Dice showed up. Hill + RJeff need to follow suit on the offensive side.

[baseline bum]

-DeJuan Blair provided a good amount of energy in the first half. He played with toughness and threw down a memorable dunk over Nowitzki to get the bench on their feet. In the second half, he was rewarded with two minutes and thirty seconds of playing time. Huh? I realize his defense leaves a bit to be desired and the rookie obviously doesn't have experience but I thought the Spurs could have used his beastliness for more than eight minutes tonight.


This was one of my worst fears: that Blair would get the treatment Hill got last year from Pop.

[tlongII]

LOL Jason Kidd. If you can't stop that relic you deserve to lose.

[Phillip]

Taking nothing away from the Mavs, they were clearly the better team.

But, I can't help but remain fairly optimistic after the game.

There are clear differentials that told the story. If the Spurs can get their uncharacteristic TOs under control, fix the transition defense and get more aggressive on the offensive end they have a shot.

Dice showed up. Hill + RJeff need to follow suit on the offensive side.

spurs shot ridiculously well, especially the big 3

people keep saying mavs barely won despite playing well, but the spurs played incredibly well themselves

[Killakobe81]

I Think Duncan played REAL well just not quite as dominant as usual (playoffs) but his bar is REAL high he scored 27 ...I think another area of concern is he is trading body blows with Haywood AND Damp ... His dunk was sick though.

Everyone wants the Spurs to get a center they have one. Move Duncan to Center and get a decent PF ...Dirk, Amare, Gasol Aldridge will be problems NEXT year as well ...

Get a PF stop with the Tim at center stuff. Tim cant guard aNY of the guys I listed and if you get a good traditional center THEY wont be able to guard them either.
plus Pop loves small ball anyway ...I think he is done with traditional centers ...and wont play one besides Tim regardless ...

I still think spurs have a shot but RJ has to at least contain Caron if he is not going to score.
You will need similar strong efforts from Big 3 and play Parker more rest Hill until Game 3

Dirk will average 30 against you guiys ...but he will miss more than 2 shots in a game.

[phxspurfan]

-I thought Pop coached decently early on but then he reverted to his small ball tactic against the Mavs -- with predictable results. The Mavs outrebounded the Spurs 45-37 and seemed to have control the entire way. With Hill gimpy, Pop needs to put Parker back in the starting lineup and play him big minutes. More minutes for Blair would be nice, as would less minutes for Mason and Bogans. Even if it comes down to playing Temple, Mason and Bogans need to see pine. Overall, the Spurs still have a chance to avoid a third consecutive series loss to the Mavs but they need to play a smarter brand of basketball in Game 2. They have the talent, they need to prove they have the cohesion.

This is the truth.

We need to give up on Hill for the next week or so and let his ankle heal up completely (or more, even if it takes the rest of this season to heal). Sending the timid '08-09 Hill out there, which is what he's playing like with the bum ankle, is only going to ruin our lineups and possibly his career (see Hill, Grant).

I agree with everything up in the quote. Give Temple some first half minutes in Dallas and see what he can do against a guy like Barea -- a guy he should be able to score and pass against. His length can also be an asset to make Barea struggle to initiate what will be Dallas' #1 option next game, post entry passes to Dirk.

Of course, don't leave him out there against the experienced guys like JKidd or Terry b/c they will light him up but if JJ can play for Dallas, so can Temple for SA. It's not like he will be any worse than Mason at this point.

And RJ ...well I just don't want to even write about him.

[L.I.T]

spurs shot ridiculously well, especially the big 3

people keep saying mavs barely won despite playing well, but the spurs played incredibly well themselves

Mavs won by 6.

Spurs shooting did keep them in the game. But outside of the Big 3 they shot 10/26. Excluding Dice's 5/9 they were 5/17. Hill only playing 17 minutes and taking 2 shots, with RJeff going 1-4 clearly limited their potential firepower.

Manu and TD also accounted for 11 of the Spurs 17 TOs. During the regular season they averaged 3.9 TOs between them.

The Spurs, while they shot well, played a sloppy and poor game.

So, as a Spurs fan, there is optimism for improvements during the rest of the series.

[Mikesatx]

From about 8 minutes to 5 minutes left when the game was still within reach every Dallas posession ended in a bucket, trip to the line or second chance. Way too many backtaps against us. Alot more Blair in the game pushes those bodies away from the rim and the second chances for Dallas come way down.

[crc21209]

Mavs won by 6.

Spurs shooting did keep them in the game. But outside of the Big 3 they shot 10/26. Excluding Dice's 5/9 they were 5/17. Hill only playing 17 minutes and taking 2 shots, with RJeff going 1-4 clearly limited their potential firepower.

Manu and TD also accounted for 11 of the Spurs 17 TOs. During the regular season they averaged 3.9 TOs between them.

The Spurs, while they shot well, played a sloppy and poor game.

So, as a Spurs fan, there is optimism for improvements during the rest of the series.

Exactly....the Mavs ONLY won by 6 with the Spurs only getting 14 FT's to the Mavs 34 and no one outside of The Big 3 and Dice playing well...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

DeJuan Blair provided a good amount of energy in the first half. He played with toughness and threw down a memorable dunk over Nowitzki to get the bench on their feet. In the second half, he was rewarded with two minutes and thirty seconds of playing time. Huh? I realize his defense leaves a bit to be desired and the rookie obviously doesn't have experience but I thought the Spurs could have used his beastliness for more than eight minutes tonight.

-I thought Pop coached decently early on but then he reverted to his small ball tactic against the Mavs -- with predictable results. The Mavs outrebounded the Spurs 45-37 and seemed to have control the entire way. With Hill gimpy, Pop needs to put Parker back in the starting lineup and play him big minutes. More minutes for Blair would be nice, as would less minutes for Mason and Bogans. Even if it comes down to playing Temple, Mason and Bogans need to see pine. Overall, the Spurs still have a chance to avoid a third consecutive series loss to the Mavs but they need to play a smarter brand of basketball in Game 2. They have the talent, they need to prove they have the cohesion.


Sadly, we're back to Pop's mancrush on small ball and those who aren't rookies.

Blair needs more run, and frankly Temple needs some time at the point over Mason. But we all know it won't happen. It'll be like last year. We'll get down to the last game, be getting our asses kicked, then finally we'll actually get to see Blair and Temple on the court, but it will be too little too late.

[polandprzem]

Is Blair and Bonner a small ball lineup?

Pop tried not to use much of the small ball, but somehow he was forced to give it a try. It failed and I'm worried if McDyess will continue his good play. He was really good tonight.

It's tought to defend Nowitzki when all his jumpers have mandatory FT in it.

RJ's inability to recreate his shot costing us a slasher.

Mavs were good on tighting defense, colapsing on guys with the ball. We need new passing lanes and move the ball. It won't be easy as this team is not tested in moving the ball fluidly and fast. It leads to turnovers.

They also did their homework with Ginobili. manu basicly was passing the ball the ight way, the way he always does, but mavs players were there to steal. That was costly TO's as manu screenroll situations are the most effective.

In dallas team everybody can hit a shot, and late in teh game Dirk went to pass the ball more, and that killed spurs to death

[AFBlue]

Great analysis...agree on every single point. I thought small ball was dead, but Pop resurrected it for some odd reason. And being forced to play Mason is possibly the worst scenario at this point. I hope Hill gets plenty of rest and heals before the Wednesday rematch.

Still believe the Spurs have this one...Dirk plays out of his mind and the Spurs only lose by 6. My only worry...Terry will not stay this quiet all series long.

[polandprzem]

Uhh yea - mason was a disaster in absolute way. He is worthless 3 months now or so. He is not bringing much to the table - I would rather live with hairston mistakes in period of time that Mason had


hill - tough for the kid to overcome this injury.

[Waps1980]

spurs shot ridiculously well, especially the big 3

people keep saying mavs barely won despite playing well, but the spurs played incredibly well themselves
They may have looked good scorewise but.......
TD had slippery fingers usually someone with great hands
Manu threw the ball away on multiple occasions
TP is still stuck in 2nd gear.
These things will change next game.

[Flux451]

5 Big Reasons why Spurs lost

Hill - 17 mins. not being healthy enough and being inserted in the lineup
Mason - 9 mins. horrible defense, horrible offense
RJ - 32 mins. other than rebounding? nothing
Bonner - 19 mins. only thing supposed to do...make shots, but didn't
Bogans - 16 mins. did you watch the game?

if any ONE of these guys would of showed up tonight...Spurs win.

[crc21209]

All Mason should have been used for tonight was to hack-a-Damp, other than that...he shouldnt have been out there period.

[Mr Bones]

I'm not exactly a huge Keith Bogans fan, but asking him to guard an all-star 7'0" Power forward just seems like an assignment that is destined to fail.

[DubMcDub]

People keep saying the Mavs "only" won by 6. They only were favored by 4.

And, just to play devil's advocate, they were up 12 with 1:50 left before clearly giving up some easy baskets to avoid fouling (e.g., letting Parker drive to the hoop to make sure that he wouldn't make the shot and get the and-1 anyway). This wasn't one of those 6 point games where the winning team is up 2-3 with :30 seconds left and the losing team misses a shot or two and has to foul in desperation. The Mavs had it completely in the bag with ~3 minutes to go.

[santymrc]

I don't agree with you timvp regarding Manu, he lost the ball 5 times allright, but he got 3 steals, they cancel each other.
His sloppiness on the offensive end was the reason we stayed in the game for 45 minutes. GET A Fff clue.

[EricB]

Everyone knew bonner would stiff.

More Blair and mcdyess more Garrett temple more Parker.

Other than that, Tim has to man up on the boards. Manu and others play smarter with the ball. Defensively? Not much else u can do when the calls are that tight but as others have said chase Kidd off the line, and double butler more..

[mingus]

RMJ's hacking skills are vastly underrated. he's not too rough, and not too gentle. he's found the right balance that comes from years of practice. he makes it look so easy.

[Waps1980]

I don't agree with you timvp regarding Manu, he lost the ball 5 times allright, but he got 3 steals, they cancel each other.
3 steals isn't unusual for Manu but 5 turnovers is.
We tidy up a few things and it will be back on game 2!

[MaNu4Tres]

Everyone knew bonner would stiff.

More Blair and mcdyess more Garrett temple more Parker..MASON/BOGANS GLUED TO THE BENCH

Other than that, Tim has to man up on the boards. Manu and others play smarter with the ball. Defensively? Not much else u can do when the calls are that tight but as others have said chase Kidd off the line, and double butler more..

Couldn't agree more and I fixed one thing.

[dude1394]

Free Throws..Mavs had 34...subtract the intentional 12 from the hack-a-damp it was 22. Spurts had 14. If you guys are going to say an 8 fta discrepancy cost you the game you are done.

[vander]

http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5500/bonnerdoesitagain.jpg

hmm, and he wasn't even hitting his shots... :lol

[EricB]

The spurs got stops. They played sma ball a tiny bit. The lack of crashing the boars as usual against Dallas killed em.

Duncan IMO played a mediocre game. He's capable of alot better.

[The Cougar]

Pop didn't really have a choice to play Bogans after those calls on essferson

[santymrc]

Everyone knew bonner would stiff.

More Blair and mcdyess more Garrett temple more Parker.

Other than that, Tim has to man up on the boards. Manu and others play smarter with the ball. Defensively? Not much else u can do when the calls are that tight but as others have said chase Kidd off the line, and double butler more..

Exactly.

[The Cougar]

Free Throws..Mavs had 34...subtract the intentional 12 from the hack-a-damp it was 22. Spurts had 14. If you guys are going to say an 8 fta discrepancy cost you the game you are done.

there were only 8 intentional fts you dumbfuck

[davethedope]

TURNOVERS TURNOVERS TURNOVERS. They would have won that game but the sloppy passing and lack of hustle on the boards killed them.

[ducks]

duncan played like crap in first quarter

manu 6 turnovers wtf

[EricB]

The one call out off all that pissed me off was the one on mcdyess in the 4th when he played Dirk perfectly and Dirk just flailed a bit and they call it. It's fucking annoying annoying as F.

[polandprzem]

there were only 8 intentional fts you dumbfuck

Go check the FT when teh hack a Damp was not yet in the game.

they had like 19 or 20 FTA and we had 3

[marini martini]

IMO, Bonner looked retarded trying to defend Dirk, in the last 1/4.

[EricB]

The spurs shot 14fts because they played soft. They didn't drive they weren't agressive. Period. The refs were bad but the spurs lack of agression helped nothing.

[The Cougar]

The spurs shot 14fts because they played soft. They didn't drive they weren't agressive. Period. The refs were bad but the spurs lack of agression helped nothing.

which would be fine if Dirk wasn't getting to the line shooting turnaround jumpers

[EricB]

IMO, Bonner looked retarded trying to defend Dirk, in the last 1/4.


He played him perfectly. Bodied him up kept the hands straight up. Rip bonner for choking again that I agree with. Defensvely you can't fault him that much...

[dude1394]

there were only 8 intentional fts you dumbfuck

The spurs are obviously done then.

[EricB]

Giving up on your boy already???


Giving up? Link to where I said he would come through offensively? Good luck.

[ZB 512]

there were only 8 intentional fts you dumbfuck

the other 4 FT attempts were from intentional hacks to prevent point blank layups/dunks

[alchemist]

Start Parker game 2, play Temple and leave RMJ as the water boy please :wakeup


The spurs shot 14fts because they played soft. They didn't drive they weren't agressive. Period. The refs were bad but the spurs lack of agression helped nothing.
San Antonio Spurs
Field Goal Selection
Layups: 16-25
Jumpers: 19-49
Dunks: 4-4

Dallas Mavericks
Field Goal Selection
Layups: 8-17
Jumpers: 25-54
Dunks: 2-3

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gamecenter/shotchart/NBA_20100418_SA@DAL?tag=pageRow;pageContainer

huh?

[The Cougar]

the other 4 FT attempts were from intentional hacks to prevent point blank layups/dunks

no they weren't

[angelbelow]

One thing that didnt hit me until the end of them game was that Temple didnt see any action.. sure hes a rookie and has no experience what so ever but he may have been more effective over a injured hill.

[ZB 512]

no they weren't

Actually they were. I watched the game.

[angelbelow]

He played him perfectly. Bodied him up kept the hands straight up. Rip bonner for choking again that I agree with. Defensvely you can't fault him that much...

i agree... its just the bonner effect. he plays solid D but his face gives the offensive players confidence.

[EricB]

i agree... its just the bonner effect. he plays solid D but his face gives the offensive players confidence.


:lol

[The Cougar]

Actually they were. I watched the game.

well your dumb little austin ass missed some shit then

[mytespurs]

Good analysis timvp! I've been seeing post & post about the refs...enough about the refs....regardless of calls, Spurs didn't play well enough to win....silver lining is that they weren't blown out....if they played better in spots, etc., they may have won.

Well, this game is over....time to move on to Game 2....now if they go back to SA down 0-2, there is cause for concern that this will be a short series....with Spurs on the losing end.

[awktalk]

I don't care how many millions we are paying Roger Mason Jr. If his only value-add to the team is to foul Dampier, then he should be told to go sit in the corner on offense and if by some rare chance they have to pass him the ball and the shot clock has more than 2 seconds on it, he has to give it up. He has a better chance of drop-kicking the ball through the hoop than trying to line one up. He's an unmitigated disaster and the last guy off the bench has a better chance of producing. You don't determine your rotations by the amount of money a guy makes. RMJ needs to have a permanent bench spot and not see a sniff of action unless it is to foul Dampier.

I was really surprised at the number of possessions where Bonner was expected to check Dirk 1-on-1. How is that ever going to work? He tries his heart out, but will never be able to check him.

Keith Bogans is no Bruce Bowen. You cannot expect him to guard Dirk. He's giving up massively on height and weight. And Bogans is an offensive retard. If you're going to play him, he should be Butler's shadow and that is all.

We had a shot to win tonight, and the sloppy play and poor rebounding effort was the downfall. But if Mason, Bogans, and Bonner continue to see the minutes they saw tonight, we'll lose in 5 again.

We're a 2 vs. a 7. You've gotta role the dice on the road. Give Temple and Blair more PT in the 2nd half and lets see what happens. Because we know what happens when Mason, Bogans, and Bonner are on the floor: NO OFFENSE WHATSOEVER.

[ZB 512]

well your dumb little austin ass missed some shit then

Damp was hacked on two shots in the post to prevent point blank dunks or layups. That is simply a fact.

Anyway, I honestly dont give a crap what you think, turd. It's time to flush the toilet

[Duncan21kid]

Thanks for the great read.

[Findog]

People keep saying the Mavs "only" won by 6. They only were favored by 4.

And, just to play devil's advocate, they were up 12 with 1:50 left before clearly giving up some easy baskets to avoid fouling (e.g., letting Parker drive to the hoop to make sure that he wouldn't make the shot and get the and-1 anyway). This wasn't one of those 6 point games where the winning team is up 2-3 with :30 seconds left and the losing team misses a shot or two and has to foul in desperation. The Mavs had it completely in the bag with ~3 minutes to go.

It wasn't a blowout, but the Mavs were in control of this game the entire fourth quarter. The Spurs never really seriously threatened after the 3-ball that put Dallas up 81-68 because they couldn't get stops. Dallas pretty much had a 3-possession lead the entire fourth quarter and at that point the outcome wasn't much in doubt.

[TD 21]

I don't know how anyone couldn't be discouraged about this game. Honestly, it might as well have been a repeat of '09, only Ginobili played the role of Parker and Duncan was healthy. Other than that, the team was poorly coach, looked overwhelmed, lacked cohesion and once again, I get the sense from listening to post game comments that they plain don't believe. And if that's the case, forget about it. If they don't have that, nothing else will matter. Though with Hill out and Nowitzki receiving treatment from the officials that exceeds that of Jordan himself, you can probably forget about it anyway.

Everyone is focused on the turnovers, but look how efficiently the big three scored. That's not going to happen every game and when it doesn't, this team is in major trouble. The lack of depth is glaring. Bonner, Bogans, Mason, these guys aren't depth, they're a waste of space.

Deplorable coaching, yet again. Eight minutes for Blair? How does Pop know he can't guard Nowitzki? He's never given him a fucking chance. He can't be any worse than Bonner and at minimum, he'll make Nowitzki defend and provide the Spurs with rebounding. With Hill out, Blair is at minimum a top six player on this team. When you need all the help you can get, you can't afford to not have one of your most productive players on the floor. Pop needs to bench Bonner and go with a three big rotation.

[The Cougar]

Damp was hacked on two shots in the post to prevent point blank dunks or layups. That is simply a fact.

Anyway, I honestly dont give a crap what you think, turd. It's time to flush the toilet

just make sure not to flush you tampon applicator, its bad for the evironment

[NewJerSpur]

I'm not really discouraged about this game because when things got rolling for San Antonio the whistles blew. They had some really nice runs in the first 3 quarters that got cut short by TO's (which can be corrected) and atrocious officiating which led up to what we witnessed in the 4th. I think things will balance out for Game 2.

[ZB 512]

just make sure not to flush you tampon applicator, its bad for the evironment

why are you still posting

I flushed you down the toilet

[The Cougar]

why are you still posting

I flushed you down the toilet

well i guess im just a floater then nice to see your tampon applicator made the journey though

[NFGIII]

He played him perfectly. Bodied him up kept the hands straight up. Rip bonner for choking again that I agree with. Defensvely you can't fault him that much...

Agreed. Dirk was really getting the calls tonight. I remember one foul on Matt when he eas guarding Dirk in the corner. Matt was standing upright with his hands straight up and Dirk was slightly bent over trying to initiate a drive. He couldn't and seemed to lose his balance. Whistle blows and Matt gets the foul. Bonner didn't do a damn thing but Dirk gets the call. It was his night and the refs didn't seem to mind, either.

[superjames1992]

Deplorable coaching, yet again. Eight minutes for Blair? How does Pop know he can't guard Nowitzki? He's never given him a fucking chance. He can't be any worse than Bonner and at minimum, he'll make Nowitzki defend and provide the Spurs with rebounding. With Hill out, Blair is at minimum a top six player on this team. When you need all the help you can get, you can't afford to not have one of your most productive players on the floor. Pop needs to bench Bonner and go with a three big rotation.

Blair cannot guard Dirk.

[mingus]

i don't agree that Bonner played well defensively. he played him as best he could, but that isn't could enough. you need to have someone that is either long and athletic or wide and physical to guard him. Bonner doesn't fit the either bill. Dirk basically just toys with him.

[SenorSpur]

Considering how this team looked during most of the regular season, their poor showing in Game 1 really wasn't surprising.

The defensive effort was poor, the turnovers were high, the offensive execution and ball movement were terrible. Last but not least, the performance of the role players was woefully substandard.

With the lack of productivity from the role players, Pop should've never banished Blair to the bench.

It's only one game, but there is a reason the Mavs are the #2 seed, just like there's a reason the Spurs fell to the #7 seed. Unless the Spurs can find a way to somehow slow down Nowitzki, this series will be over quickly.

[Obstructed_View]

-Try Ian vs. Dirk? :D..

I believe Salvatore whistled Ian for a foul when he stood up to remove his warmups.

[TD 21]

Blair cannot guard Dirk.

Neither can Bonner, yet he's on him all the time as if he can, why? Like I said, at least Blair would make Nowitzki guard and would give the Spurs rebounding.

[Basileus777]

Neither can Bonner, yet he's on him all the time as if he can, why? Like I said, at least Blair would make Nowitzki guard and would give the Spurs rebounding.

Blair would ruin the spacing. Playing a guy useless outside of 10 feet next to Tim Duncan isn't going improve the Spurs offense. It's still worth trying out, but I can see why Pop was reluctant to do it.

[TD 21]

You people don't get it. Bonner on Nowitzki isn't working. It's never worked and it's never going to work. Stop trying to sound like geniuses and think of it logically: Bonner can't shoot under pressure, the Spurs need all the help they can get and Blair is one of their five most productive per minute players. If he continues to play limited minutes, the Spurs are limiting themselves. It's time to try something different against this team. Or, the Spurs can continue to do the same thing and hope for different results. You know what that is? The definition of insanity.

Here's my thinking: Nowitzki is going to torch the Spurs and get every call imaginable regardless of who's on him, so let's have someone in the game who's going to make him guard and providing rebounding. With or without Bonner, this team can't shoot threes and he can't make them under pressure, so why play him? The Spurs are giving Nowitzki the best of both worlds: defenders who can't guard him and a break defensively.

[SenorSpur]

i don't agree that Bonner played well defensively. he played him as best he could, but that isn't could enough. you need to have someone that is either long and athletic or wide and physical to guard him. Bonner doesn't fit the either bill. Dirk basically just toys with him.

And there's the rub. Dirk has been playing at an NBA superstar level for about 6 years or so. While there is no such thing as a Dirk stopper, I watched SJax give Dirk fits back in that epic 2007 first round series. My point is, by now, the guy is not invincible. The fact that he lit up the Spurs again is just as much of testimony as to how far the Spurs have fallen defensively, as it is to Dirk's own greatness.

The Spurs should've had someone on the roster that could at least bring some length, quickness and attitude to matchup against him. If Pop would've had the foresight to have continued developing Ian during the season, perhaps he could've been more prepared to spend some time guarding the Mavs superstar forward. I know Ian foul prone, but he's probably the only player on the roster with length, quickness and athleticism needed to even contest some of Dirk's shots.

The fact that Pop continues to entrust this responsibility to lesser-caliber players is inexcusable.

[Man In Black]

Spurs
DeJuan Blair.938
Manu Ginobili .652
Tim Duncan .488
Tony Parker .397
Richard Jefferson .219
Matt Bonner .211
Keith Bogans -.094
George Hill -.111
Roger Mason Jr. -.333

Mavs
Dirk Nowitzki 1.050
Brendan Haywood .833
Jason Kidd .573
Caron Butler .350
Shawn Marion .250
Erick Dampier .200
Jason Terry .043
DeShawn Stevenson .000
JJ Barea -.067


Can't win when your team has 3 guys who contribute negatively and on the other end, have the opponent actually get over 1 positive point for every minute he's on the court.

The turnovers bring down the Big 3's per minute scores. We need to get to the FT line some more.

[Borosai]

- Too many stupid, inexplicable turnovers (Tim, Manu... really?).
- Small ball (a continuation of these past few seasons of failure).
- Role players, for the most part, doing nothing (just like last year).

Pop traded the Spurs' championship-winning defense for more offense, and now they have neither. Pop has refused to play and develop younger players with needed abilities in favor of veterans with none.

Hill should've played last year. Blair should play more now, not next year. Ian should play at least a few minutes too. He'll get some rebounds, maybe block some shots, probably score some points, and definitely foul some people. Why not? Instead, we get small ball and get pounded on the glass. Temple and Hairston are better options than Mason and Bogans, but fuck them, they were born too recently.

The idea of losing to the Mavs... again... should be enough for them to come out and win the next four games. That's what I want to see. Some fucking concentration and emotion.

[SenorSpur]

Pop is making the same mistake with Blair this year, that he made with Hill last year. Hill was way better than Vaughn was last year. Blair is probably the most effective frontline player, not named Duncan.

Damn playoff experience. I'd rather side with talent. Talent and effort can win in this league too.

[HankChinaski]

Nice take on the game.

- Turnovers
- lack of aggression taking it to the rim
- key role players/starters not stepping up.

Defensively, I thought the spurs looked good considered the mismatches they have with Dirk. Dice and Bonner did the best job you could do without doubling up on the man. My thoughts for the spurs making it their game would revolve around working on dirk to have them win the game in dallas and to try and contain everyone else. It looked like it was working. Just costly turnovers and a lack of effort with our guys trying to get to the line. Parker still looks rusty and doesn't seem confident with his inside game.

Overall, I don't see this as a failure for the spurs, we kept it relatively close throughout the entire game. I know Pop and the coaching staff are going to look over the game and check off what worked and isn't working and make some changes to it.

Butler was the only real threat I saw in the game, the team did a consistent job in my mind of containing the rest of the dallas line up to a game that we could manage and win.

Unless Hill is feeling healthy, you are going to see Temple in Game 2....as well as Mason but with even less time given to him.

Looking forward to Game 2, not looking forward to all the radio sport talk and espn shit from everyone else about how they perceived the game.

[Baseline]

If Popovich is as good a coach as peopl say he is, he needs to find a way to beat Dallas.

Dallas has a lot of weaknesses, and none of them were exploited tonight.

By the way, did Dirk buy Pop's dinner after the game? If Pop had Matt Bonner guard me all game, I'd gladly buy him dinner.

That said, winning Game 2 isn't life and death. but winning games 3 and 4 are. I say we sit hill, which we should have done today, and have him more ready for Games 3 and 4.

A healthy George Hill could very well have been the difference in Game 1.

[SenorSpur]

If Popovich is as good a coach as peopl say he is, he needs to find a way to beat Dallas.

Dallas has a lot of weaknesses, and none of them were exploited tonight.

By the way, did Dirk buy Pop's dinner after the game? If Pop had Matt Bonner guard me all game, I'd gladly buy him dinner.

That said, winning Game 2 isn't life and death. but winning games 3 and 4 are. I say we sit hill, which we should have done today, and have him more ready for Games 3 and 4.

A healthy George Hill could very well have been the difference in Game 1.

That's just it. The Spurs do not have the personnel or talent to exploit anything. They are seemingly at a constant matchup and talent disadvantage - again this year too.

I've noticed an odd dichotomy with the Spurs over the past 2-3 postseasons. The Spurs team plays much different in the regular season than during the playoffs. During the regular season, the role players often look like world-beaters, especially against bad teams. The offensive execution is usually precise, the ball moves smartly around the horn and pick-n-roll plays are textbook. Penetrations into the lane are made and spot-up shooters get looks. The offense and scoring usually appear balanced.

In the playoffs, the team morphs into the "Big Three" and nothing else. The offense becomes very stagnant and the role players either look scared to perform, can't perform and seemingy afraid to do whatever they do best during the regular season. Seemingly every pass, every set and almost every shot is earmarked and funneled toward either Duncan, Parker or Ginobili. While the rest stand around and watch. This game was clearly indicative of that. Zero points from Bogans, Hill, and Mason. Limited contributions from Blair, Bonner and Dice.

The role players have seemingly come up short ever since the end of that Fakers series in '08. While the facing and names have changed since the days of Horry, Barry, Finley, Oberto, Bowen, the declining playoff contributions from the new bench players, have not.

I don't see this situation with other upper-echelon teams. It seems the role players from other teams stay involved and make their contributions in the playoffs the same way they did during the regular season.

[Man In Black]

Just looking at it, in terms of effectiveness, Blair should play more than just 8 minutes. It's not like he's playing bad, it's more like they're not giving him a chance to make any mistakes to see if the good outweighs the bad. His per minute scores for the evening were the highest on the team.
FREE BLAIR FORCE ONE!

[kobyz]

Duncan need to guard Nowitzki, Nowitzki is not the quickest player so Duncan could guard him and he will bother him the most because of his length, but than you have to play Blair to help on the boards and also with his physical play he would force Nowitzki to make an effort on the defensive side, he could post up nowitzki. Duncan and Blair needs to play minutes together.

[Waps1980]

Duncan need to guard Nowitzki, Nowitzki is not the quickest player so Duncan could guard him and he will bother him the most because of his length, but than you have to play Blair to help on the boards and also with his physical play he would force Nowitzki to make an effort on the defensive side, he could post up nowitzki. Duncan and Blair needs to play minutes together.
And what get Duncan fouled out before half time.

[biziofromdowntown]

WE need Tim on Haywood, Blair on him is a terrible matchup.

[jcrod]

Dyess only 23 mins, Blair only 8 mins WOW! Pop continues to show his coaching is declining. He quick to blame the players for playing like dogs, but he needs to look in the mirror.

[PublicOption]

34-14 fta

is all you have to say.

[MaNu4Tres]

Spurs need to inject the rotation with more Blair and more Garrett Temple if Hill is going to be favoring his ankle. I rather play Temple at 100 percent than play Hill at 70 percent.

Like Senor said...Games 3 and 4 are must wins for our team. We have to win those games. Give Hill as much rest possible from now until then.

TD 21... I couldn't agree more with what you said. Blair playing just 8 minutes isn't enough. The guy produces and would limit the Mavs second chance opportunities, which killed us. Yes Blair doesn't spread out the floor, but his rebounding and the way he rolls to the basket and finishes inside off the pick and roll and off cuts to the basket make up for that.

As for Pop, I really don't understand what goes on in the brain of his. Mason has been the least productive NBA player in the league the past 10 weeks. Bogans has been having one good game out of every 6 the whole season.

On the other hand, Garrett Temple has been productive as you can ask with the opportunities he's been given. Why can't Pop go with who has been productive?

Things Pop needs to adjust for Game 2:

-If Hill is hurt, sit him til games 3 and 4.

-Start Temple and give the kid 20 plus minutes in game 2, instead of giving Mason and Bogans minutes.

-Find more time for Antonio McDyess, if that means sit Bonner all but 5 minutes so be it. McDyess did a great job on Dirk, regardless of Dirks performance. He highly contested every shot but one I believe and he helped shore up defensive possessions with grabbing highly contested rebounds in traffic (something Bonner can't do).

- Find more time for DeJuan Blair. Having Blair for only 8 minutes is crap. The assets he brings to the table would help the rebounding, which has been our achilles heal against the Mavericks since 2006.

- No small ball

In all: More Temple, More Blair, More McDyess. Less Bonner, and diminish all playing time for Mason, Bogans, and small ball.

[timtonymanu]

Mavs got alot more free throws, so what?

The Spurs had many opportunities to bring themselves back in but they kept making stupid mistakes. The start of the 4th the Mavs were being sloppy with the ball but our guys just gave them back possessions every time.

I had a feeling Pop was gonna coach like a dumbass today with his small ball and his "i dont play people that have less than 4 years NBA experience." Where the fuck was Blair in the 2nd half? I swear Pop. These rookies will never learn if you dont play them.

Roger Mason Jr needs to consider retiring in the offseason. Him and his gay hair can hit the road.

RJ was very discouraging today. I cant say I didnt expect this and I dont expect anything different throughout the series so the Big 3 + Dice need to do some work.

Hopefully Tim and Manu can take care of the ball better next game but i like what i saw.

Parker did great imo.

McDyess was a positive. Bonner's not getting enough credit for his defensive effort but truly no one could have stopped Dirk today. Bonner needs to be more confident in his shot though.

Hill really worries me because of how hobbled he is. A healthy Hill makes this team so much better.

And for fucks sake Pop play some Garrett Temple. Temple could have played better with one hand tied behind his back than Bogans and Mason did today. Quit being stubborn Pop.

[ManuTastic]

Agree with Timvp's points. I'd start Parker; I mean, with HIll gimpy what else can you do? Plus Parker showed flashes of his former self. I'd also sit Mason for Temple, and play Blair more. Let him play Dirk--he couldn't do worse than Bonner (whom I don't really blame, I mean come on, Dirk is having a great year). Let's clean up the sloppy passes and hold onto the goddam ball and game 2 could turn out all right.

[aequitas090]

well i guess im just a floater then nice to see your tampon applicator made the journey though

lol... come on you know he was right, 8 intentionals with 4 more from Damp dunking = 12 intentionals. No need to be an E-thug because he was right man.....

http://forums.corral.net/photopost/data/500/medium/E-Thug.jpg

[kobyz]

And what get Duncan fouled out before half time.

Duncan has experience to avoid fouls and from all our player he will get the most respect from referees

[Muser]

Jefferson needs to stop being a soft pussy and attack the rim, it's not like he can't do it we've seen him do it quite a bit in the second half of the season. He's great at getting to the line and that's what we need from him.

[RamReddy]

I wonder how much Mark Cuban paid the refs this time....


This is what we get for not giving Ian a shot at the rotation during the season... he's gonna NEED some mins during the playoffs

:flag::flag::flag::flag::flag::flag::flag::flag::f lag::flag:

[Ginofan]

My thoughts:

I thought Bonner did a pretty decent job on Dirk. He did as best he could, if he had gotten even the slightest bit physical (aka breathe) he was whistled. Nothing you can do about that.

Manu and Tim were sloppy but I just think that was due to them trying to hard to make something happen.

I would've love to seen Temple get some minutes towards the end....having Mason out there was killing me.

[admiralsnackbar]

Jefferson needs to stop being a soft pussy and attack the rim, it's not like he can't do it we've seen him do it quite a bit in the second half of the season. He's great at getting to the line and that's what we need from him.

Couldn't agree more.

[Lukor]

Couldn't agree more.

I feel sorry for Jefferson in a way. Dude was never that good to begin with and now he's getting buttraped by the Spurs fans(and probably deserves it).

[timvpimp]

I wish I could see the 4th edition after Mavs win the series in 4.

[timvpimp]

Jefferson needs to stop being a soft pussy and attack the rim, it's not like he can't do it we've seen him do it quite a bit in the second half of the season. He's great at getting to the line and that's what we need from him.
It's not that he dodged doing so IMHO. According to what i saw, the Mavs just did a wonderful job keeping the Spurs outside of the areas near the basket. Even Manu was handled pretty well and didn't get a pinch of opportunities to penetrate, and was forced to shoot the ball too fucking much from longer range.

[wildbill2u]

Could Temple possibly play worse than Mason or Bogans? I don't see how.

Ian could possibly play worse than anyone else on Dirk? So he'd go 14 for 14 or make some more foulshots. Since he is their go to guy I don't think he'd get that many more chances. On the other hand, Ian's length might alter a few shots.

There is no Dirk stopper.

[admiralsnackbar]

I feel sorry for Jefferson in a way. Dude was never that good to begin with and now he's getting buttraped by the Spurs fans(and probably deserves it).

The only word I'd modify in your statement is "now." He's been an object of criticism as long as he's under-performed... which has been all season long, unfortunately.

[TJastal]

Great analysis...agree on every single point. I thought small ball was dead, but Pop resurrected it for some odd reason. And being forced to play Mason is possibly the worst scenario at this point. I hope Hill gets plenty of rest and heals before the Wednesday rematch.

Still believe the Spurs have this one...Dirk plays out of his mind and the Spurs only lose by 6. My only worry...Terry will not stay this quiet all series long.

Don't forget Barea/Boubouis either... others the spurs have to keep an eye on who are capable of lighting it up

[TJastal]

3 steals isn't unusual for Manu but 5 turnovers is.
We tidy up a few things and it will be back on game 2!

Butler had 5 t/o's too..

[Capt Bringdown]

Pop is making the same mistake with Blair this year, that he made with Hill last year. Hill was way better than Vaughn was last year. Blair is probably the most effective frontline player, not named Duncan.



I don't see this situation with other upper-echelon teams. It seems the role players from other teams stay involved and make their contributions in the playoffs the same way they did during the regular season.

Spot on. Pop's playoff coaching has been more about mistakes than anything else the last 2-3 years.

He's coaching like a robot now, PJ's "simulator crew" jab has never been more appropriate.

Combine that with age and injuries, and you have the current heartbreaking state of the Spurs.

[leemajors]

this will be quick and painful if they play like this again.

[Slippy]

-Spurs absolutely need RJ and Hill to show up in this series..it's the only way to match Dallas' array of weapons..Hill's play is health-related and RJ's is mental..is either one fixable right now?..I don't know, we'll have to see..the 2 biggest keys in this series IMO..


-Overall, I wasn't discouraged about this game..the FT margin and stupid turnovers were the main difference..Spurs can bounce back and get it close, but winning will depend on RJ and/or Hill..



These two were really missed.

[DBMethos]

The team needs to get RJ going early and often. We know that Tim, Manu and Tony can get it going pretty much whenever they want. If RJ establishes himself early, that totally changes how the Mavs have to defend.

[romain.star]

The team needs to get RJ going early and often. We know that Tim, Manu and Tony can get it going pretty much whenever they want. If RJ establishes himself early, that totally changes how the Mavs have to defend.

True...

as painful as it is, RJ is the key for the Spurs success. The Big 3 no longer has what it takes to carry the team in a 7 games serie



Oh and Ian would help too...

[yavozerb]

Give me a lineup with Ian, Blair, Temple, Manu, and Hill. I honestly feel this lineup could do some damage.

When the spurs wave the the white flag, you will see this lineup....It would get destroyed especially with a gimpy hill and Ian would probably stay on the floor for 5 minutes before fouling out.

[Dex]

Spurs need a healthy Hill or they're done.

If this is the case, we can thank Derek Fisher for fucking another Spurs title run.

[TJastal]

When the spurs wave the the white flag, you will see this lineup....It would get destroyed especially with a gimpy hill and Ian would probably stay on the floor for 5 minutes before fouling out.

Yavozerb we all know you pining away for that Euro-stiff named Splitter but give me a break.. 5 minutes? C'mon at least be reasonable.

The mavs version of "foul machine" Mahinmi (Dampier) stays on the floor more often than not 20+ minutes a game. He played 30 minutes last night, and garnered only 3 fouls.

Heck, if Mahinmi could even do half as good as that (1 foul every 5 minutes) and give the spurs good interior defense and rebounding he could play up to 30 mins a game.

[clambake]

can't you tell? we like to make things interesting by playing jj barea.

[Sotongball21]

I didn't watch the game. But from the box score, I see that Nowitzki had a very good shooting game. And like what OP said, that Long Arms was playing 18 passive minutes. Despite all these, we only lost by 6 points on the road.

Pop's decision to play Long arms was questionable.

To win the next game, it will be based on 3 things.

1. Getting the better of dirk.
I don't think anyone can keep up with that kind of shooting % even for 2 games. Put all kinds of defenders on Dirk to change alter his shot selection and not let him get too comfortable.

2. Letting manu run all plays.
Self explanatory.

3. guard rotations.
Long arms should not have played. Bad game time decision. 18 minutes could have gone to tony and temple. Honestly, our front line is very weak. Only way to win the series is by tony and manu scoring against an aging kidd and a small berea. Look at the box score. Manu and Tony combined for 44 points. If long arms didn't play, they would exceed 50 points with help from temple/mason.

[SenorSpur]

True...

as painful as it is, RJ is the key for the Spurs success. The Big 3 no longer has what it takes to carry the team in a 7 games serie



Oh and Ian would help too...

Any contribution from RJ would be a bonus. However, let's face it. Does anyone think that he's capable of "ramping up" his play to give the Spurs the much needed lift they need? He's struggled all year and he's STILL struggling now. I'm sorry, but I don't have any faith that he's capable of doing that.

I don't think RJ is a bad player, he's simply miscast on this offense and on this team.

[m33p0]

Duncan need to guard Nowitzki, Nowitzki is not the quickest player so Duncan could guard him and he will bother him the most because of his length, but than you have to play Blair to help on the boards and also with his physical play he would force Nowitzki to make an effort on the defensive side, he could post up nowitzki. Duncan and Blair needs to play minutes together.

dirk will be guarding whoever is playing small forward for the spurs... or at least on someone where he can hide on defense. why would the mavs waste nowitzi's energy when they have guys who can do the job?

[George Gervin's Afro]

I haven't read any of the posts in this thread so I may be rehashing somethings. I was disappointed with our lapses in judgement. The unforced turnovers were killers.. We will never get away from breathing on dirk and getting called for a foul but we sure as hell can stop turning the ball over. I have no fault with our effort but the unforced errors are deadly.

[TJastal]

I haven't read any of the posts in this thread so I may be rehashing somethings. I was disappointed with our lapses in judgement. The unforced turnovers were killers.. We will never get away from breathing on dirk and getting called for a foul but we sure as hell can stop turning the ball over. I have no fault with our effort but the unforced errors are deadly.

Duncan got stripped of the ball repeatedly on face ups, at least 5X he was forced into a turnover... he needs to stop facing up on the elbows and either go down on the block and post more or do P&R

[Stringer_Bell]

I haven't read any of the posts in this thread so I may be rehashing somethings. I was disappointed with our lapses in judgement. The unforced turnovers were killers.. We will never get away from breathing on dirk and getting called for a foul but we sure as hell can stop turning the ball over. I have no fault with our effort but the unforced errors are deadly.

Agreed. Here's what we need to do the next game to win...

-NO Roger Mason Jr.
-NO cute passes.
-ALL fouls need to make sure the ball doesn't get to the rim, And 1's kill.

The Spurs LOST, the Mavs didn't win other than the fact that they didn't try to get cute or have RMJ on their team.

Now let's sack up and get to work!

[SenorSpur]

I haven't read any of the posts in this thread so I may be rehashing somethings. I was disappointed with our lapses in judgement. The unforced turnovers were killers.. We will never get away from breathing on dirk and getting called for a foul but we sure as hell can stop turning the ball over. I have no fault with our effort but the unforced errors are deadly.

The turnovers and careless ball-handling are an issue. However, they're certainly not new issues. This team has stuggled in this area all season.

[nkdlunch]

-I thought Pop coached decently early on but then he reverted to his small ball tactic against the Mavs -- with predictable results. The Mavs outrebounded the Spurs 45-37 and seemed to have control the entire way. With Hill gimpy, Pop needs to put Parker back in the starting lineup and play him big minutes. More minutes for Blair would be nice, as would less minutes for Mason and Bogans. Even if it comes down to playing Temple, Mason and Bogans need to see pine. Overall, the Spurs still have a chance to avoid a third consecutive series loss to the Mavs but they need to play a smarter brand of basketball in Game 2. They have the talent, they need to prove they have the cohesion.


Unfortunately we need more firepower vs. Mavs so we still will see more Mason. I think Bogans could have a good defensive impact so we also will see more of him.

we really don't have anyone with balls out there besides Tim, Dice, Manu and Parker.

The rest of the team is playing like a regular season game. wake up motherfuckers, it's the playoffs!!!

[SenorSpur]

Agreed. Here's what we need to do the next game to win...

-NO Roger Mason Jr.
-NO cute passes.
-ALL fouls need to make sure the ball doesn't get to the rim, And 1's kill.

The Spurs LOST, the Mavs didn't win other than the fact that they didn't try to get cute or have RMJ on their team.

Now let's sack up and get to work!

I agree with no more Mason. Insert Garrett Temple instead.

Less Bonner. more Blair. While I don't know if there is anything he and the team can do to slow down Dirk, perhaps they should make him work on the defensive end. At least Blair will make up for his lack of size by his effort, desire and glass cleaning.

Perhaps it's even time to allow Ian to take a turn at Dirk. I know that will NEVER happen in the playoffs, but because of the severe matchup issues they have with the Mavs, Pop doesn't have a lot of options.

If Pop was desparate enough to resort to the dreaded "Hack-a-Damp" strategy, he should be desparate enough to try some other personnel matchups. At this point, I don't believe Pop can afford to wait until Game 5 to shake things up. He needs to start now.

[TJastal]

Unfortunately we need more firepower vs. Mavs so we still will see more Mason. I think Bogans could have a good defensive impact so we also will see more of him.

we really don't have anyone with balls out there besides Tim, Dice, Manu and Parker.

The rest of the team is playing like a regular season game. wake up motherfuckers, it's the playoffs!!!

Oddly enough, and as bad as he has been playing, I agree with this... this team without a healthy George Hill needs to get some scoring off the bench and with RJ not getting many touches since Parker came back and Bonner curling up into a shell and Temple being much too green for the intensity of a playoff game.. the spurs desperately need a boost from Roger Mason Jr. in order to have a chance in this series.

[silverblackfan]

Nice write up, timvp. I agree with everything. Hopefully Temple will get some time on the court to prove whether or not he can contribute. Mason has already shown us what he contributes, although those fouls on Damp were the only use of him.
Although the fouls being called for anyone near Dirk were irritating, it was also expected. The refs sure seemed to swallow their whistle every time the guys got near the basket, so hopefully that will swing to the Spurs favor is they get more aggressive.
Over all, I agree with everyone that the Spurs just did not play as sharp offensively as they need to and should not leave Kidd alone on the 3 pt line. Manage the turnovers, get some contribution from the role players other than Masons, and there is a good chance at a win.
I still like putting Bogans on Buttler when RJ is out. We lose on offense, but he bodies up on him well. Matt did about all he can do on Dirk, but unless he is going to hit those 3's, we might as well have Blair in there getting the fouls.

[Mixability]

i hope to see the whistles get rare for both sides now. i'd much rather see the scrappy play then to have it be a foul fest where touch fouls reign. take the gas out of Kidd and throw everyone at Dirk, take away his comfort zone.

[AFBlue]

Don't forget Barea/Boubouis either... others the spurs have to keep an eye on who are capable of lighting it up

Tony on Barea pretty much limited his effectiveness, when he wasn't flopping all over the place and getting cheap calls. And I'm not sure Roddy will get much burn. Even with Terry struggling as much as he did last night, Beaubois didn't even earn a minute of PT.

Terry, on the other hand, will get PT and has proven to be effective...especially down the stretch. Having a backcourt with Hill in it (either at 1 w/ Manu or 2 w/ Parker) makes me alot less uneasy about Terry's chances to go off. If they don't have that, I don't have a good feeling.

[AFBlue]

Unfortunately we need more firepower vs. Mavs so we still will see more Mason. I think Bogans could have a good defensive impact so we also will see more of him.

we really don't have anyone with balls out there besides Tim, Dice, Manu and Parker.

The rest of the team is playing like a regular season game. wake up motherfuckers, it's the playoffs!!!

Mason hasn't been considered "firepower" since last regular season. He's shooting in the 20's percentile-wise and that combined with his horrid defense (got lit up by Butler) makes him an extreme liability.

I specifically remember one play where he missed a wide open 3 on one end, then gave up a 3 on the other...a six-point swing off a missed bucket by one player. Those kind of momentum changers cannot be overstated in a playoff game as tight as these are expected to be.

Mason needs to sit....too bad an unhealthy Hill will mean just the opposite.

[Silverheart80]

Nice job as usual, timvp.

Being physical with Dirk from the opening tip is key to beating Mavs. Doesn't matter if he sets a record every game in free throw attempts. Doesn't matter if he shoots over the top. No drives to the basket; no layups. Bang him for 4 quarters. That's always been his achilles heel because he can't keep his head. Let him get pissy (momentarily happened in 2nd quarter before Spurs backed off unfortunately) and he loses composure. Happens even faster, if he thinks he's not getting whistles. Spurs didn't play him physical for 4 quarters last night. Not just Bonner, but all defenders on Dirk. The problem wasn't the refs blowing easy whistles for Dirk; the problem was the Spurs didn't establish from the tip that they would be physical with him for 4 quarters, no matter what.

Six fouls are waiting to be used in Mahinmi. I'd like to see Pop use all of those fouls on Dirk. Tell Ian that he stays in as long as Dirk doesn't drive around or through him. Don't go for the up-fakes and just play physical position defense with no easy baskets or layups. If Dirk scores over the top of Ian, no sweat. Keep pounding him. Mahinmi may foul out by halftime, but if he deals some physical punishment in the process, then job well done. Finesse players fade in 4th quarters when teams play physical.

I wouldn't mind Dejuan using a couple of fouls for one-on-one Dirk defense too. The height mismatch is obvious, but Dejuan's strength is his lower body positioning. Bowen was a much lighter, shorter guy than Nowitzki but he would affect Nowitzki's lower body leverage and his shot as a result. Again, the key to slowing Nowitzki is 4 quarters of physical play.

[barbacoataco]

I also think they should put Blair defending Dirk more and see what happens. Blair has a way of using his body and staying out of foul trouble with his arms. That is what works against Dirk. Not saying Blair would be that effective, but it could work for a few minutes, and also give Blair a chance to get some minutes with Duncan on the court.

[TJastal]

Mason hasn't been considered "firepower" since last regular season. He's shooting in the 20's percentile-wise and that combined with his horrid defense (got lit up by Butler) makes him an extreme liability.

I specifically remember one play where he missed a wide open 3 on one end, then gave up a 3 on the other...a six-point swing off a missed bucket by one player. Those kind of momentum changers cannot be overstated in a playoff game as tight as these are expected to be.

Mason needs to sit....too bad an unhealthy Hill will mean just the opposite.

Butler was unconcious in that 5 minute stretch, basically unguardable. He was hitting very difficult shots. When a guy does that, all you can do is tip your hat.

The two shots RMJ took looked good leaving his hand and barely missed. Which is a good sign his shooting touch is still there. Can't really say the same for Bonner... but that's another story.

Going under the screen probably wasn't wise, but even if he fought over it Kidd might have still gotten the shot off. The big guarding the picker at the top has to show something on Kidd until Mason recovers.

[AFBlue]

Butler was unconcious in that 5 minute stretch, basically unguardable. He was hitting very difficult shots. When a guy does that, all you can do is tip your hat.

The two shots RMJ took looked good leaving his hand and barely missed. Which is a good sign his shooting touch is still there. Can't really say the same for Bonner... but that's another story.

Going under the screen probably wasn't wise, but even if he fought over it Kidd might have still gotten the shot off. The big guarding the picker at the top has to show something on Kidd until Mason recovers.

I understand what you're saying, and the sad reality is that there aren't better options...but "barely missed" only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades. He needs to actually make shots to make a difference in this series, because he's not going to make up for that with other facets of his game.

[NFGIII]

Any contribution from RJ would be a bonus. However, let's face it. Does anyone think that he's capable of "ramping up" his play to give the Spurs the much needed lift they need? He's struggled all year and he's STILL struggling now. I'm sorry, but I don't have any faith that he's capable of doing that.

I don't think RJ is a bad player, he's simply miscast on this offense and on this team.

Agreed. And with HIll injured causing TP to take more of Hill's minutes playing with RJ isn't a good thing now. Those two players have little if any chemistry which is why Pop finally put RJ and Manu together on the second unit prior to TP's injury. I think TP is trrying but it ain't working.

I particularly remembered TP on the break with RJ ahead of him. As they were just below the FT line TP tried to pass it to him. The ball was knocked out of bounds and IIRC a foul committed but that's not the point. TP should have just taken it to the tim for the layup but wanted to get RJ involved. RJ was too far ahead of TP to make the play. Tony's mistake. That's an example of how they just don't connect. And that means we are back to the beginning of the season so to say where the lack of chemistry/ci=ommunication is detrimental to the Spurs.

Hell if the Spurs lose game 2 in somewhat similar fashion and HIll just can't seem to move well enough then I wouldn't mind seeing Temple play HIll's spot and keep TP coming off the bench. Frankly it is in the Spurs best interest to keep RJ and TP minutes together as low as possible. I just don't see that pairing doing anything beneficial for the Spurs.

[Bruno]

RJ needs to play better if Spurs want to have a chance.
Spurs last summer conclusion was that the team needed help outside the big3. With Hill injured, RJ should be the one that bring some offense. If this series is the "big 3" against Mavs, Spurs will lost. See 2006.

It's still very early in the series but game 2 is almost a must win for Spurs. I do like Pop being mad after the game. I hope it will be a wake up call for some players.

[benefactor]

There is really not much left that hasn't already been said...so I will just hit the points I agree with.

Dejuan Blair needs to play more and Garrett Temple needs to at least be experimented with. Continuing to go with Bonner will result in what we saw last year. Dirk is obviously going to abuse him anyway, so(as TD21 mentioned) why not bring in a player that at the very least can make Dirk work on the offensive end and can rebound? Go with it and see what happens. If it fails, at least Pop can say he tried. Same thing with GT. There is no reason not to try when he has already shown he is capable at an NBA level and there is a player who is not even good enough to be an NBA player getting minutes ahead of him.

Jefferson? Yeah...fuck you man. You are soft piece of shit. Get your head out of your ass and start playing like you played late in the season. I don't give a damn if you did rebound well, it's not enough at this point. This is the playoffs and this Mavs team has too many damn weapons for you to go back into the fetal position. You score in double digits in 15 of the last 20 games of the season...and score 15pts or more in 12 of those. Wake. The. Fuck. Up.

Defensive rotations haven't changed, which was one of my biggest concerns as we headed into the playoffs. I said at halftime that it would be suicide to keep leaving Kidd open from three...and well...we saw what happened. The Spurs have to get their head in the game defensively and keep it there, or a replay of last year will be likely.

All in all, the overall talent gap is painfully obvious. It was before the series started and it was confirmed in game one. Barkley stated the Spurs basically have to play perfect ball in order to advance and I pretty much agree with him. They can't have Duncan giving a mediocre effort on the glass. They can't have Manu turning the ball over. They can't have an empty glass of role players trotting out on the floor every night(Hill...please get healthy). There are things about the Mavs they cannot control, like Dirk getting his or being able to match up with Mavs role players. But they can play disciplined Spurs basketball and have everyone leave it all out there. If they do that, there is a chance.

[objective]

several things from my pov:

As others have said, absolutely Blair and Temple need more minutes, and probably McDyess too. Sitting Blair like Hill last year is asking to lose. Playing Roger Mason is asking to lose. Counting on Matt Bonner is asking to lose. Those who don't learn from their mistakes are destined to repeat them, and Pop is just repeating.

Blair on Dirk has one small chance for success, and that's if Blair gets physical with him. Refs are going to call fouls either way, so make them count. Hammer him. Remember Malik Rose smashing Dirk in the face when hammering the offensive glass? Hammer him. Get physical like West or S-Jax. Make every foul count, and hammer the hell out of him. Maybe Blair with his short stature but long arms can make things hard on Dirk the way defenders like Bowen and S-Jax did, but getting under and into him. Bonner just keeping smart spacing and a hand up does nothing.

Even Ian if given proper direction can help in this fashion. Before everyone starts crying about Ian fouling out, the refs will call fouls no matter what. I want to see Mahinmi smash somebody like he did Nate Robinson in the game in Boston.

In the '10 keys' thread, I posted how the 4-some of McDyess, the Centerpiece, the Bonner-piece, and the Mason-piece were the real key. I had the most confidence in Dice, and he was good enough. The other 3 disaster guys played a combined 45 minutes, went 2-9 with 4 rebounds and 5 points. And they got smoked. Their combined minutes can't be more than half that unless Bonner knocks down his first shot immediately.

Temple has to play. I posted it before the series, I'll post it now, I'll probably post about it after the Spurs likely lose this series. There is no way in hell Mason should play over Temple. The only playoff experience with the Spurs that he brings is choking experience. He can't shoot anymore. He can't defend. He can't run the point. He can't do anything at anytime that will help the Spurs win this series. Temple may not be 'ready', but he's easily 'Mason-level ready' as far as the worst he could do.

Pop has to coach better. The Spurs right now aren't healthy enough or talented enough to beat Dallas with his questionable coaching moves. It's that simple. The more he screws around the more the Spurs will lose. The way it's looking now is just a repeat of last year. The series will basically be over, he'll give up and play the young guys, they'll look good and maybe even pull out a win, and then he'll start next training camp raving over how Blair and Temple are his favorite players ever.

[The Truth #6]

Solid points by objective.

What should Pop do? Change his rotation. (he can tweek how they double team and trap, sure, but that's not the main problem.) He needs to play the guys who aren't proven to be inept.

Its very doubtful he will, though. Timvp mentioned common sense as a factor and I don't think Pop will see things correctly. He complained about playing like dogs...that's because some of our players are dogs! We can't expect them to do something that's outside their nature. I'm concerned Pop's coaching will be to play harder, and that's about it. I expect the same problem players to play even tighter.

I was championing for Temple before the game, even thinking he would play because Pop had quickly shown trust in him. I guess he was just a place holder for Hill. Very odd.

I'm very curious if any of the assistants lobby for a new approach. It's doubtful. Not with Lindsey crunching numbers. He probably sees Bonners plus 7 differential and lobby for more playing time.

[polandprzem]

I'm just affraid that carlisle might be a step ahead now.

While on driving seat he may change the way Nowitzky plays ina meaning he can change him into a passer, which might be disaster for the spurs when they will go and double team him.
Dalls has so many players that can get hot and hurt us it's insaine.

Everybody knows better then Pop huh?
Well you can't play McDyess all game long vs Dirk and also you can;t play tim manu and tony for 48 minutes.

[polandprzem]

Temple has to play. I posted it before the series, I'll post it now, I'll probably post about it after the Spurs likely lose this series. There is no way in hell Mason should play over Temple. The only playoff experience with the Spurs that he brings is choking experience. He can't shoot anymore. He can't defend. He can't run the point. He can't do anything at anytime that will help the Spurs win this series. Temple may not be 'ready', but he's easily 'Mason-level ready' as far as the worst he could do.

Pop has to coach better. The Spurs right now aren't healthy enough or talented enough to beat Dallas with his questionable coaching moves. It's that simple. The more he screws around the more the Spurs will lose. The way it's looking now is just a repeat of last year. The series will basically be over, he'll give up and play the young guys, they'll look good and maybe even pull out a win, and then he'll start next training camp raving over how Blair and Temple are his favorite players ever.


In playoffs Pop plays guys that knows the system best, and all the schemes. Of course I also think that putting Hairston and temple in to see what they can bring in limited minutes would not be that harmfull but tehn again many fans will say that that was a bad move by pop cause 1. he was not playing them more in reg. 2. HE put them in bad moment 3. He extended their minutes too much etc etc

btw. you can even change +7 into negative aspect :)

[quentin_compson]

Dice did a decent job on Nowitzki. It's just that there is only so much you can do against those fadeaway jumpers. Bonner tried his best as well, but he is just too short.

Spurs will have to rebound better in Game 2, and it starts with Tim. Cutting down the turnovers is also very important.
Offensively, they will have to find a way to penetrate more. And let's all hope RJ shows up on that end. It's annoying how passive he gets once a couple of things don't go his way early on.

In the fourth quarter, the Spurs were playing well enough on the offensive end to make it a close game again, but they couldn't get a stop. Rotations were too slow. Overall, we have to be more focused and play sharper.

I'm all for Temple getting some minutes if Hill can't play. How could he possibly be worse than Mason Jr.? All I remember Roger doing is fouling Ericka.

[Obstructed_View]

I swear Pop. These rookies will never learn if you dont play them.

That's how you end up with second, third and fourth year guys that don't play because they don't have "enough experience".

[Doe]

Lot of good points made but I'm also just going to agree with the Mason bit. I understood why Pop continued playing him in the regular season, the odds were with him, etc. But now it's pretty obvious, he's either done as a player or mentally checked out. His defense is pathetic (see going under the screen on Kidd) and his offense has gone AWOL.

Mason has had ample opportunity to show his stuff now it's time to throw Temple in and see what he's made of. I just cannot imagine any scenario in which he plays worse than Mason.

[Slippy]

Going under the screen probably wasn't wise, but even if he fought over it Kidd might have still gotten the shot off. The big guarding the picker at the top has to show something on Kidd until Mason recovers.

Wasn't wise?... he didn't need to go under as there was plenty of room over but mase had his mind already made up on the screen coming . That big im pretty sure was Bogans who was directly behind a backing off Dirk. Mase created his own screen and gave Kidd a very good look.:bang

[Slippy]

Still waiting to see how TJ expected Bogans to show Kidd while waiting for Mason to recover running around a screen that never eventuated. In fact shouldn't some-one ask Where was mason running to when KIdd was open?

Thick as a brick . That's all i got to say.

[Shank]

Good post, benefactor.