Manu: Before and After

[GSH]

In the first 3 games of the playoffs (before the broken nose), Manu shot 22-42 and 7-13 from the 3P line.
Since then, he has shot 23-68 and 2-27 from the 3P line.

I know he says it isn't bothering him, but whatever the reason, the Spurs needed the first Manu to win in the playoffs. It would have been nice if someone else had stepped up, but almost all of Manu's scoring has been from the line since the broken nose. That's not the same Big 3.

If he's back, we can still win the next two at home. But without his field goals, this is going nowhere.

[superjames1992]

I definitely think it's hurting him, as well.

[EVAY]

I definitely think it's hurting him, as well.

Agreed.

[HarlemHeat37]

I didn't look it up, I could be wrong, so I have nothing to stand on here, just saying..

Is it the nose, or is it the lack of rest due to the playoff grind(every other day and such)?..somebody look it up..

[ffadicted]

No excuses, this is a professional at the highest level, you have to adjust no matter what. And I agree completely with the thread, it's a lost cause if manu keeps playing like he played at the start of the season

[superjames1992]

I didn't look it up, I could be wrong, so I have nothing to stand on here, just saying..

Is it the nose, or is it the lack of rest due to the playoff grind(every other day and such)?..somebody look it up..

Well, the playoffs don't have any back-to-backs and such, plus he had almost a week off between the game six against DAL and game one against PHX, so I don't think that should be a problem.

However, he could just be wearing down as the season wears on. Who really knows?

[dc_spursfan]

The bench failed us again! The series is not over and won't give up. However, this offseason we need bench players with the ball to make shots in the playoffs.

[royal2006]

manu, caoch pop play bonner cost us most
we had a lead in Q1, put in bonner and its tied, and eventually lose it

[Ginobilly]

Agreed.

He looks rather slow out there. Ever since he broke his nose, his speed and shooting accuracy has taken a nose dive. He can't take anyone off the dribble anymore.

[ALVAREZ6]

He looks rather slow out there. Ever since he broke his nose, his speed and shooting accuracy has taken a nose dive. He can't take anyone off the dribble anymore.

Cus he's too damn predictable now...all they do is run pick n roll with Duncan, 90% of the times lately he's crossing back to the right with his left and they play it so he passes it up everytime save 5%. Any NBA team that watches film (AKA all of them) can guard the Manu-Duncan pick and roll now.

[emanueldavidginobili]

yeah the manu tim pick and roll is pretty predictable especially with film.

[ploto]

Manu has always been inconsistent, especially on these games with only one day between them.

[carina_gino20]

At the very least, it's gotta be bothering him. I always see that tape slipping off his face.

[DesignatedT]

manu keeps playing like this and were done. if he ran out of gas for carrying us for a month in the regular season... if thats the case we should just bench him for the first half of next season.

[ElNono]

His shot has been off, but he's been effective overall (except this last game). I believe he lead the team in scoring in the closeout game in Dallas and game 1 against Phoenix.
I'm sure everyone wants him to score 40+ a game, but he's taking what the other team has been giving him.

[alchemist]

This goes back to before the broken nose, check out the first half of that game.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

do you guys understand that even with the mask it doesnt guarantee he will play better. i think every player knows his/her body. if the guy isn't comfortable with a mask then it's best not to have him put one.

[carina_gino20]

His shot has been off, but he's been effective overall (except this last game). I believe he lead the team in scoring in the closeout game in Dallas and game 1 against Phoenix.
I'm sure everyone wants him to score 40+ a game, but he's taking what the other team has been giving him.

The assists are great, but I think he should have been more assertive in the 4th when we needed the points. He was the missing link in the Spurs offense tonight.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Who gives a fuck?

A hurt nose or no, we've seen the Manu of tonight MANY TIMES and his nose was perfectly healthy.

The jump-shot only clanking, turnover prone, completely out of the flow Manu. It happens all the time. Its why mookie scoffs the shit out of him and his country.

It's not like this is the first time Manu has completely played like shit.

Deal with it.
It's not the nose it's him.

[NewJerSpur]

His shot has been off, but he's been effective overall (except this last game). I believe he lead the team in scoring in the closeout game in Dallas and game 1 against Phoenix.
I'm sure everyone wants him to score 40+ a game, but he's taking what the other team has been giving him.

They were closing out on him hard as hell and trapping him at the top of the key on PnR situations after he and TD shredded them to end game 1......good adjustments. I would like to see a 30 point game from him at least 2 games out of this series and get some kind of rhythm going though.

[DesignatedT]

Manu is our go to guy in the 4th. everyone knows this, he knows this. he wasnt there tonight. I didn't mind his game through the first 3 quarters trying to be the distributor and finding the open man but i thought the whole time he was about to turn on the jets and start being himself in the 4th. it just didnt happen. He definitely wasnt the reason the spurs lost the game or anything but if he was his aggressive self i think we definitely would have won. I rarely saw him attack the basket tonight.

[ElNono]

The assists are great, but I think he should have been more assertive in the 4th when we needed the points. He was the missing link in the Spurs offense tonight.

I agree. I already stated he sucked tonight. But if you rewatch what happened in the 4th, you'll see he's doubled every time on the PnR. They're doubling with RJ's guy. Richard made them pay the first time, and the second time he passed up a shot and screwed it up.
Gentry is doing a good job. He would rather have Jefferson/Hill beat them instead of Manu/Tony/Duncan.
They've clogged the paint all series. They know we can't hit for shit.

[GSH]

His shot has been off, but he's been effective overall (except this last game). I believe he lead the team in scoring in the closeout game in Dallas and game 1 against Phoenix.
I'm sure everyone wants him to score 40+ a game, but he's taking what the other team has been giving him.


Maybe you misunderstood what I was saying. Manu has been awesome. He's fighting his ass off and getting to the line. That's what great players do when their shot isn't there. But the difference in his shooting is so drastic before the nose vs after the nose. I don't think that's a coincidence.

And even though Manu is getting points at the line, it would make a difference if he was shooting a more normal percentage from the field.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

i think the worst thing manu did tonight was not to attack the rim - again, the suns have no answer for that. i think he only tried one layup and missed in the entire game. i could be wrong but im pretty sure he didn't try more than twice. that's not typical manu

[ElNono]

Manu is our go to guy in the 4th. everyone knows this, he knows this. he wasnt there tonight. I didn't mind his game through the first 3 quarters trying to be the distributor and finding the open man but i thought the whole time he was about to turn on the jets and start being himself in the 4th. it just didnt happen. He definitely wasnt the reason the spurs lost the game or anything but if he was his aggressive self i think we definitely would have won. I rarely saw him attack the basket tonight.

You didn't see Tony attacking the rim either. And this is not a cop-out for Manu. They're just packing the lane. That's why a guy like Dice and his jumper is crucial out there.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I'm sick of all this nose talk.

It's bull shit.

Every time Manu has ever had a bad game theres always an excuse

"ohh its his ankle"

"Ohh he's played too many minutes"

"Ohhh he is playing with the wrong players on the court"

Blame the fucking person.

He played like the Bad Manu tonight and just admit it. End of story. We need him to be Super Manu.

[DesignatedT]

You didn't see Tony attacking the rim either. And this is not a cop-out for Manu. They're just packing the lane. That's why a guy like Dice and his jumper is crucial out there.

teams guard tony a hell of a lot different then they guard manu. teams like tonight went way under the screen and leave tony wide open for those jumpers. Great thing that he has been knocking them down as of late.

I understand teams blitz manu a lot more and double off the pick and role but it never used to phase him before. He still found his way to the rim and i just don't see it anymore. He isn't even trying to take the ball in. its more floating around the perimeter and shooting a contested 3 ball.

[ElNono]

Maybe you misunderstood what I was saying. Manu has been awesome. He's fighting his ass off and getting to the line. That's what great players do when their shot isn't there. But the difference in his shooting is so drastic before the nose vs after the nose. I don't think that's a coincidence.

And even though Manu is getting points at the line, it would make a difference if he was shooting a more normal percentage from the field.

I agree, but it's not so easy. He's being blitzed and trapped on the PnR. He has Hill on him, who has size. He forced the issue on game 1, and it didn't work. Gentry said plenty of times they're focusing on him. Realistically, for them it's easier to gang up on Manu than on Tim.

[ElNono]

teams guard tony a hell of a lot different then they guard manu. teams like tonight went way under the screen and leave tony wide open for those jumpers. Great thing that he has been knocking them down as of late.

I understand teams blitz manu a lot more and double off the pick and role but it never used to phase him before. He still found his way to the rim and i just don't see it anymore. He isn't even trying to take the ball in. its more floating around the perimeter and shooting a contested 3 ball.

He barely shot the 3 tonight. Tonight he was drawing his guy and RJ's, then passing the ball. The only time he tried to push the issue, he ran into Amare and ended up in a turnover. The Suns know they don't have a shot blocker. They're going to leave Hill and RJ all alone and dare them to beat them.
Look at Nash. They're hiding him on RJ or Hill.
As far as Tony goes, I agree. If that jumper is not falling, we're in deep shit.
But he's not having a layup feast like he used to against the Suns. You've to give them credit because they're packing the lanes pretty well.

[DesignatedT]

He barely shot the 3 tonight. Tonight he was drawing his guy and RJ's, then passing the ball. The only time he tried to push the issue, he ran into Amare and ended up in a turnover. The Suns know they don't have a shot blocker. They're going to leave Hill and RJ all alone and dare them to beat them.
Look at Nash. They're hiding him on RJ or Hill.
As far as Tony goes, I agree. If that jumper is not falling, we're in deep shit.
But he's not having a layup feast like he used to against the Suns. You've to give them credit because they're packing the lanes pretty well.

manu is going to have to find a way to play his game and score. especially when we need him to. im not really buying the "but there blitzing him and doubling him" argument. He is way to important to our success for them to be able to take him out of our offense, and honestly if their defense somehow continues to make an impact like this on manu we have no shot. It was no secret when the playoffs started that if manu isnt on his game we are going nowhere.

he definitely needs to step it up.

[DesignatedT]

was just disturbing to me that hill and rj ended up playing pretty damn solid games out there and we still came up short.

[ElNono]

manu is going to have to find a way to play his game and score. especially when we need him to. im not really buying the "but there blitzing him and doubling him" argument. He is way to important to our success for them to be able to take him out of our offense, and honestly if their defense somehow continues to make an impact like this on manu we have no shot. It was no secret when the playoffs started that if manu isnt on his game we are going nowhere.
he definitely needs to step it up.

And I agree. Somehow we're going to have to set better screens, maybe even double screens, or play more iso's and get him to the rack. Same with Tony.


was just disturbing to me that hill and rj ended up playing pretty damn solid games out there and we still came up short.

You look at the stats, and except for bench points and rebounds, we did pretty much everything better. Better shooting, better blocks, even points in the paint, better assists, more fastbreak points, less turnovers...

[DesignatedT]

And I agree. Somehow we're going to have to set better screens, maybe even double screens, or play more iso's and get him to the rack. Same with Tony.



You look at the stats, and except for bench points and rebounds, we did pretty much everything better. Better shooting, better blocks, even points in the paint, better assists, more fastbreak points, less turnovers...

I definitely think these teams are pretty evenly matched. I don't see there shooters shooting lights out on the road (especially frye with the struggles he has on the road). Spurs should win these next 2 games if they play like they did tonight. IMO

[GSH]

I agree, but it's not so easy. He's being blitzed and trapped on the PnR. He has Hill on him, who has size. He forced the issue on game 1, and it didn't work. Gentry said plenty of times they're focusing on him. Realistically, for them it's easier to gang up on Manu than on Tim.

No doubt. He's getting a lot of attention - and a lot more contact. The Suns know they have to keep him from beating them. But he's missing shots that he normally makes at a high percentage. Shooting 2 free throws, instead of and-1's. And he can't buy a jumper right now. (Although he did gut out that 3-pointer near the end of the game in typical Manu fasion. Even when he's not feeling it, he seems like he finds a way to will one in with the game on the line.)

For those people looking for an excuse to bash him? Against the Suns he's averaged 19 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, with 6.5 FTA per game. You have to be out of your minds to bash a guy with those kinds of numbers.

[Chief]

No excuses, this is a professional at the highest level, you have to adjust no matter what. And I agree completely with the thread, it's a lost cause if manu keeps playing like he played at the start of the season

Good take


Cus he's too damn predictable now...all they do is run pick n roll with Duncan, 90% of the times lately he's crossing back to the right with his left and they play it so he passes it up everytime save 5%. Any NBA team that watches film (AKA all of them) can guard the Manu-Duncan pick and roll now.

Great Take


Who gives a fuck?

A hurt nose or no, we've seen the Manu of tonight MANY TIMES and his nose was perfectly healthy.

The jump-shot only clanking, turnover prone, completely out of the flow Manu. It happens all the time. Its why mookie scoffs the shit out of him and his country.

It's not like this is the first time Manu has completely played like shit.

Deal with it.
It's not the nose it's him.

AGreed


was just disturbing to me that hill and rj ended up playing pretty damn solid games out there and we still came up short.
let´s hopefully take the momentum of hill and RJ into the next game, add them plus the big 3 and I think we take the next 2 at home.

[TD 21]

I'm sick of all this nose talk.

It's bull shit.

Every time Manu has ever had a bad game theres always an excuse

"ohh its his ankle"

"Ohh he's played too many minutes"

"Ohhh he is playing with the wrong players on the court"

Blame the fucking person.

He played like the Bad Manu tonight and just admit it. End of story. We need him to be Super Manu.

You hit the nail on the head. But he's golden boy, so there's got to be an excuse. Parker receives heaps of unfair criticism, even Duncan, who should be treated like royalty amongst Spurs fans, routinely receives criticism nowadays, but Ginobili, it's always something. They're never given the benefit of the doubt, but he always is.

How about this: He's an inconsistent player and always has been. He needs to get his head out of his ass and start playing better. His shooting in the playoffs has been atrocious. It's time he go back to being the third wheel offensively. The offense needs to be run through either Duncan or Parker. When he's out there with them, he can be a spot up shooter.

[ducks]

In the first 3 games of the playoffs (before the broken nose), Manu shot 22-42 and 7-13 from the 3P line.
Since then, he has shot 23-68 and 2-27 from the 3P line.

I know he says it isn't bothering him, but whatever the reason, the Spurs needed the first Manu to win in the playoffs. It would have been nice if someone else had stepped up, but almost all of Manu's scoring has been from the line since the broken nose. That's not the same Big 3.

If he's back, we can still win the next two at home. But without his field goals, this is going nowhere.

IS IT NOT WONDERFULLY MANU IS HEALTHY IN THE PLAYOFFS AGAIN FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR
OH WAIT HE IS:bang:bang:bang:bang:bang

[ducks]

i think the worst thing manu did tonight was not to attack the rim - again, the suns have no answer for that. i think he only tried one layup and missed in the entire game. i could be wrong but im pretty sure he didn't try more than twice. that's not typical manu

he is a baby on one day rest between games
but spurs thought they should keep him for three more years even though playoffs they play every other day:bang:bang:bang:bang

[vander]

I'm sick of all this nose talk.

It's bull shit.

Every time Manu has ever had a bad game theres always an excuse

"ohh its his ankle"

"Ohh he's played too many minutes"

"Ohhh he is playing with the wrong players on the court"

Blame the fucking person.

He played like the Bad Manu tonight and just admit it. End of story. We need him to be Super Manu.

Manu is Super Manu once every 4 or 5 games, he strung a few extra together in March so he could get that contract.

this (or less) is what we're getting for 3 more years

[slayermin]

If Manu doesn't play like he did to end the season, it's all over. It might the the broken nose but it might be that he finally cooled off. For a while there, he was unstoppable.

And Bonner does deserve blame but man, I hope he turns it around. It's sad to watch.

Let get some home cooking and see what happens.

[MateoNeygro]

I think if I had a broken nose it would probably effect me. Just sayin.

[roycrikside]

I'm sick of all this nose talk.

It's bull shit.

Every time Manu has ever had a bad game theres always an excuse

"ohh its his ankle"

"Ohh he's played too many minutes"

"Ohhh he is playing with the wrong players on the court"

Blame the fucking person.

He played like the Bad Manu tonight and just admit it. End of story. We need him to be Super Manu.

11 and 11 is "Bad Manu" now? You're fucking retarded. He was blitzed every time on the pick and roll. You criticize him for his turnovers (he had 3 to Parker's 4) but if he barrels into double and triple teams he'd sure have a lot more and then you'd rip him worse.

You Manu bashers are unbelievable. Nobody even bothered to question the OP's claim that Manu is 2 for 27 since Game 3 at Dallas in three pointers, which isn't remotely close. Do any of you have eyes or brains?

[admiralsnackbar]

Manu's nose doesn't explain his blown defensive assignments.

[senorglory]

The broken nose has negatively impacted his play. No debate, the numbers tell the tale.

[senorglory]

Injuries/health issues claim another Spurs' playoffs.

[Slippy]

11 and 11 is "Bad Manu" now? You're fucking retarded. He was blitzed every time on the pick and roll. You criticize him for his turnovers (he had 3 to Parker's 4) but if he barrels into double and triple teams he'd sure have a lot more and then you'd rip him worse.

You Manu bashers are unbelievable. Nobody even bothered to question the OP's claim that Manu is 2 for 27 since Game 3 at Dallas in three pointers, which isn't remotely close. Do any of you have eyes or brains?

Yah, a lot of posts here are un-real. You can only laugh and think game 3 can't come soon enough.

what is hurting the Spurs?

Lack of 3 point shooting options. Trusted shooters are Hill and Manu. Deny them the ball and in Hill's case his Spot. You got none. Mason not being one is killing this team.

Missed freethrows.

Giving up offensive rebounds. Good team D but once they miss,all a waste of time if you don't box out a man.

Smallball. Tim on D got exposed.

[Spurologist]

11 and 11 is "Bad Manu" now? You're fucking retarded. He was blitzed every time on the pick and roll. You criticize him for his turnovers (he had 3 to Parker's 4) but if he barrels into double and triple teams he'd sure have a lot more and then you'd rip him worse.

You Manu bashers are unbelievable. Nobody even bothered to question the OP's claim that Manu is 2 for 27 since Game 3 at Dallas in three pointers, which isn't remotely close. Do any of you have eyes or brains?

You need a tissue? Crying me a river. Seriously STFU....at least some of tp's TOs happened when he tried to attack the rim. Manu couldn't get to the fuckin paint if he was Michelangelo. The bottomline is spurs are going nowhere with Manu playing like dog shit.

[ElNono]

Manu is Super Manu once every 4 or 5 games, he strung a few extra together in March so he could get that contract.

this (or less) is what we're getting for 3 more years

Gino might not be SuperManu but he's far from our biggest problem.

I'm sure glad we're not getting this Bonner for 3 more seasons.

[vander]

Gino might not be SuperManu but he's far from our biggest problem.

I'm sure glad we're not getting this Bonner for 3 more seasons.

what's our biggest problem then? Bonner? :lol the success of this team hangs on the 7th best player? :lol Spurs can't win unless Bonner is hitting the 3? :lol

if Manu plays like he's getting paid to play, we're at least 1-1, maybe 2-0

[ElNono]

what's our biggest problem then? Bonner? :lol the success of this team hangs on the 7th best player? :lol Spurs can't win unless Bonner is hitting the 3? :lol

Our biggest problem is that their role players >>> our role players.
When the stars cancel eachother out, we need the rest of the guys stepping up. Make no mistake, last night's game was won by Dudley and Frye.


if Manu plays like he's getting paid to play, we're at least 1-1, maybe 2-0

With the way he's being guarded, he's doing fine. He could play better, but like I said, he's far from our biggest problem.

[vander]

Our biggest problem is that their role players >>> our role players.
When the stars cancel eachother out, we need the rest of the guys stepping up. Make no mistake, last night's game was won by Dudley and Frye.



With the way he's being guarded, he's doing fine. He could play better, but like I said, he's far from our biggest problem.

championships aren't won with role players, championships are won with stars playing like stars, the Suns can win with Dudley and Frye not hitting shots, and in the Mavs series, the Spurs were able to win with Bonner not hitting shots.

the biggest problems for the Spurs are defense, hustle/intensity, and Emanuel Ginobili reverting to pre-March form

[ElNono]

championships aren't won with role players, championships are won with stars playing like stars, the Suns can win with Dudley and Frye not hitting shots, and in the Mavs series, the Spurs were able to win with Bonner not hitting shots.

The Spurs don't get past the Mavs without Hill playing insanely well. That's a fact. And we've won championships because of guys like Horry, Barry, Bowen stepped up their games. Another fact.


the biggest problems for the Spurs are defense, hustle/intensity, and Emanuel Ginobili reverting to pre-March form

Ginobili wasn't posting 27 point games pre-March. When he scores that much, we should win. The big 3 are very, very far from our biggest problem.

[vander]

The Spurs don't get past the Mavs without Hill playing insanely well. That's a fact. And we've won championships because of guys like Horry, Barry, Bowen stepped up their games. Another fact.
role players of other teams stepped up as well, but we won because of TD, Parker, and Manu



Ginobili wasn't posting 27 point games pre-March. When he scores that much, we should win. The big 3 are very, very far from our biggest problem.

he wasn't playing almost 40 minutes a game either :rolleyes

If Manu keeps playing like this, we can't win, and if you think he's playing fine, then who's the real Manu hater here?

[Slippy]

what's our biggest problem then? Bonner? :lol the success of this team hangs on the 7th best player? :lol Spurs can't win unless Bonner is hitting the 3? :lol

if Manu plays like he's getting paid to play, we're at least 1-1, maybe 2-0

This is some truth to this. The team has a better chance of winning with Manu's scoring ability than depending on Bonner to hit a open three.

[ElNono]

role players of other teams stepped up as well, but we won because of TD, Parker, and Manu

So you think if Hill plays like shit, we beat Dallas in the previous series?
You think we win the '05 championship without Horry's heroics in Game 5 of the finals?
You think the Suns win the last game without Frye threes and Dudley's hustle?

It's fine to give credit to the best players. But basketball is a team game. Everybody needs to chip in, and if they don't you lose. Pretty simple, really.


he wasn't playing almost 40 minutes a game either :rolleyes

So he gets more minutes and he produces more... what's next? Water is wet?


If Manu keeps playing like this, we can't win, and if you think he's playing fine, then who's the real Manu hater here?

I said there's room for improvement, but he's hardly our biggest problem in these series. He's sticking to the gameplan, which is to find the open man when he gets doubled or trapped. Those guys just haven't made the Suns pay. Pop might simply go for something else next game, like it has been mentioned in other threads. Things like more ISOs, etc.

[MmP]

I think it's bothering him but mainly they're playing good defense on him. Just pause whenever he has the ball and see how the D reacts when he's got the ball.

[admiralsnackbar]

So you think if Hill plays like shit, we beat Dallas in the previous series?
You think we win the '05 championship without Horry's heroics in Game 5 of the finals?
You think the Suns win the last game without Frye threes and Dudley's hustle?

It's fine to give credit to the best players. But basketball is a team game. Everybody needs to chip in, and if they don't you lose. Pretty simple, really.



So he gets more minutes and he produces more... what's next? Water is wet?



I said there's room for improvement, but he's hardly our biggest problem in these series. He's sticking to the gameplan, which is to find the open man when he gets doubled or trapped. Those guys just haven't made the Suns pay. Pop might simply go for something else next game, like it has been mentioned in other threads. Things like more ISOs, etc.

Completely agree with the first half of your post, and wish we were getting more help from the bench. That said, we can't expect to compete with the Suns if Manu isn't producing at Manu levels. If he'd rendered up half of his usual tally against the Suns (in the 20's, say) we would be 2 games up. The bench has it's place, but the stars do, too.

I appreciate how Manu was able to make his presence felt as a play-maker, but we simply need more than that out of him to win these games. I'm also disappointed with Blair, and Pop's decision to play Bonner longer than Dice.

[ElNono]

Completely agree with the first half of your post, and wish we were getting more help from the bench. That said, we can't expect to compete with the Suns if Manu isn't producing at Manu levels. If he'd rendered up half of his usual tally against the Suns (in the 20's, say) we would be 2 games up. The bench has it's place, but the stars do, too.

I appreciate how Manu was able to make his presence felt as a play-maker, but we simply need more than that out of him to win these games.

And as I told somebody else, I agree. But Pop needs to stop trying to exploit the double teams and traps, and instead put Manu in a position to be a scorer if that's what we want. Maybe more ISOs, double screens, curls, handoffs, etc.

Ultimately, what we're seeing now we've saw many times before against teams like the Lakers. Clog the paint and dare our shooter to beat them.

[admiralsnackbar]

And as I told somebody else, I agree. But Pop needs to stop trying to exploit the double teams and traps, and instead put Manu in a position to be a scorer if that's what we want. Maybe more ISOs, double screens, curls, handoffs, etc.

Ultimately, what we're seeing now we've saw many times before against teams like the Lakers. Clog the paint and dare our shooter to beat them.

Completely agree with this observation, too. It's just frustrating when Manu is not hitting those threes because it keeps the paint clogged and makes slashes all-the-harder to execute. I've made my peace with Bonner sucking it up, but Manu is the only consistent gun we have from outside (besides Dice's 18-footer), and if he can't create space, we're sunk.

ISO's, screens, etc won't help anybody if the Suns don't leave the paint. The shooting has to be there to spread the D before any more offense can happen, y'know?

[Alamode]

Blaming one player for a whole series is completely ignorant. "We need him to be SuperManu or we'll lose." If one guy has that much influence to single-handedly win a whole series for their team, then that doesn't say much for the rest of the team. Last time I checked it is a TEAM sport. Yes, one guy can "provide a spark," make 12 assists, and/or score 50 points to HELP his team win, but it is not all on one guy.

Damn you people are completely spoiled that one guy has to do it all every game and threads are created to analyze why one guy isn't superhuman at will. Give credit where it's due. The Suns are damn good and guess what? Spurs may need more than SuperManu--they may also need SuperParker, SuperDuncan, SuperHill, etc. Blaming everything on one guy is SuperLame.

[admiralsnackbar]

Blaming one player for a whole series is completely ignorant. "We need him to be SuperManu or we'll lose." If one guy has that much influence to single-handedly win a whole series for their team, then that doesn't say much for the rest of the team. Last time I checked it is a TEAM sport. Yes, one guy can "provide a spark," make 12 assists, and/or score 50 points to HELP his team win, but it is not all on one guy.

Damn you people are completely spoiled that one guy has to do it all every game and threads are created to analyze why one guy isn't superhuman at will. Give credit where it's due. The Suns are damn good and guess what? Spurs may need more than SuperManu--they may also need SuperParker, SuperDuncan, SuperHill, etc. Blaming everything on one guy is SuperLame.

You act as though players are interchangeable. The Big Three are Big because they are our biggest producers, and when one of them is off, we will struggle. I don't know if anybody's saying Manu had to save us single-handedly as much as they might be saying that, as one of our primary offensive weapons, he is not producing enough.

Tim and Tony got theirs. Manu -- for whatever reason -- did not. Considering we lost both games by a pittance, it doesn't seem "spoiled" to me to think we are fully capable of winning these games with more production from Manu. Our limited bench did what it could, but was not able to replace what Manu can bring.

[ElNono]

Completely agree with this observation, too. It's just frustrating when Manu is not hitting those threes because it keeps the paint clogged and makes slashes all-the-harder to execute. I've made my peace with Bonner sucking it up, but Manu is the only consistent gun we have from outside (besides Dice's 18-footer), and if he can't create space, we're sunk.

ISO's, screens, etc won't help anybody if the Suns don't leave the paint. The shooting has to be there to spread the D before any more offense can happen, y'know?

ISOs will help in that I'm much more confident in Manu being able to go around Hill and to the bucket than having to go around 2 or 3 guys. Right now, they're sagging on the pick and roll, plus they're sending help from whoever is guarding RJ/Hill/Bonner. I fully expect them to 'cheat' anyways and park their butts right next to the paint on ISOs, but it's harder to stop Manu when he's already coming in at full force. Same thing with handoffs.

[sa_butta]

I think at least one player besides the big 3 has to step up and knock down the open 3's. I also believe that our success relies heavily on all of the big 3 showing up as well as at least one role player. These things have not happened in the first 2 games at all. It also doesnt help getting outrebounded on both ends.

[ducks]

rj did manu did not

[Kamala]

I was watching the replay of game 1 on nba tv earlier today. Manu took it to the hole several times. I also noticed on one play he was rubbing his ankle after a foul. Wouldn't be surprised if it was bothering him a bit. He seemed tentative last night and he did not want to drive the ball. Manu will never make excuses and I am sure he will be ready for the games in SA.

[it's me]

dude has to use the freaking mask..... I think he doesn't want to because of the bat shit......

[flacura]

Manu is not playing bad at all, he adjust every game in what he can do that game, he has 11 assists, almost a record for Manu, and that means a lot, he try to be helpful with the team and with winning games in every area of the game, one game shooting, another one defending great, or posting 11 assists, he is losing a little of confidence in his shooting, true, nothing new, he never was a guarantee in long shooting

In game 1 he puts 27 points, in game 2 11 assists, not bad for a player with a broken nose.

Everybody knows he can play better, and he will in next games, i can assure that, he is a winner