This is on Tim and Manu

[Das Texan]

Make your fucking free throws and we are up 3-0.


Put the blame on your top two stars tonight, you gotta hit your free throws.


Simple as that.

[Obstructed_View]

Yep, they gave one away. It's a shame, but they'll learn from it.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

That's three people that deserve blame. Tony was 33% from the FT line tonight.

[gospursgojas]

Well at least we can say we, not the sonics, beat ourselves

[Nikos]

Parker could have pushed the lead to 5 too.

He choked at the line as well.

Wasnt just Manu and Tim.

[Walton Buys Off Me]

I was incredibly disappointed in Manu especially. You count on him to be clutch. Duncan never had a pair to begin with, but Manu, Manu, Manu......were you paid off by Seattle or what? He looked like a 16 year old kid out there.

[boutons]

"they'll learn from it"

BS. There's nothing to learn they have seen 100 times already.

The Spurs are pathologically ILL at the FT line. It's fucking group pathological hysteria.

[Das Texan]

But Tim and Manu had the free throws down the stretch.

[Tek_XX]

Tony is a little bitch, i'm tired of him missing free throws

What kind of point guard shoots 33% from the line

[Experiment2100]

That's three people that deserve blame. Tony was 33% from the FT line tonight.

I'm not surprised Parker sucked at the line. Let's hope he can snap out of it this time.

[spursfan05]

you kidding me if not for ginobili they wouldnt have got a last shot to win the game off. which is why he should have taken the mother fucking shot

[gregpschneid]

I think Manu looked exhausted in this game, nobody is perfect. The spurs will bounce back. I think the difference in this game was all the easy dunks by james.

[Nikos]

I was incredibly disappointed in Manu especially. You count on him to be clutch. Duncan never had a pair to begin with, but Manu, Manu, Manu......were you paid off by Seattle or what? He looked like a 16 year old kid out there.

Give me a break. I could see it coming. The Spurs lost any kind of momentum with the 3-5pt leads they had. Sonics got to the line on practically every possesion, even on ridiculous loose ball fouls. And converted.

Not that hard to envision happening when the team croaks away a capable win.

Manu wasn't tired....he just choked it.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Manu wasn't the same after that crunching pick by James/slap in the face by Antonio that they called the foul on *Manu* for.

Think he got a knee in the thigh/hip from the Fat Fuck (James).

[Obstructed_View]

The Spurs stopped going to the hole like they've been doing in the last six games. They got outplayed for the entire game and some lucky threes kept them in it in the first half. Duncan also got some calls. If the Spurs play better, it won't come down to free throws. That's the lesson and if they didn't learn it we'll be watching the Sonics play the Mavs in the WCF next week.

[mookie2001]

they lost the game
free throws are missed shots
and everygame comes down to missed shots

the game was over the minute the spurs were over the limit

[Tek_XX]

We just expect a lot more from Ginobili, in the nut column he's way better than parker

[Tux Da Penguin]

Well at least we can say we, not the sonics, beat ourselves

So by extension, if the Sonics had lost... They would have beaten themselves due to missing so many open jumpers. Spurs wouldn't have had anything to do with it :rolleyes

Am I right?

[Obstructed_View]

Think he got a knee in the thigh/hip from the Fat Fuck (James).

I saw Parker take one from James.

[Nikos]

Sad thing is Seattle basically sucked aside from a few pick and rolls they led to open dunks. Other than that no one impressed me on Seattle. Maybe Antonio Daniels did solid, but eh......this was a very winnable game.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

yeha in fairness to manu he took the biggest physical hits of the game. parker and td are much more to blame. and if anything we shouldnt evne have had the ball after that major blown call in which the ball bounced off of bowen out of bounds but possession was given to us anyway.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

yeah in fairness to manu he took the biggest physical hits of the game. parker and td are much more to blame. and if anything we shouldnt even have had the ball after that major blown call in which the ball bounced off of bowen out of bounds but possession was given to us anyway.

[SouthernFried]

Spurs looked as tired, as a team, in that 4th quarter as I've ever seen them. They looked exhausted.

And it was most obvious when they were shooting FT's.

Dunno why, they must have expended more energy earlier than I thought. Or mebbe the rotations weren't as well planned. It ain't an excuse, they should have done better at the FT line...but their exhaustion was evident.

[spursfan05]

yeah manu aint superman. hes the only one taking hits plus hes comming off the damn bench. why dont u give him a fucking break, we lost beacuse duncan thinks too much at the free throw line. PEROID

[Obstructed_View]

If any single person had hit one more free throw, we'd be watching overtime right now. I'm not sure how you guys can affix 100 percent of the blame on one individual person.

Mookie is right. A missed free throw is a successful defensive play by the other team, and two missed free throws is a turnover. Bad free throw shooting teams should work harder to get some distance so they don't have to rely on a weak spot.

[beirmeistr]

All of our big three can share some blame for their FTs in the last minutes, but at least manu hit half of his. It really hurts when a player misses both free throws and it hurts even more when the Sonics kept making all of their FTs. But the big three will bounce back on Sunday.

[Tom_Foolery]

Parker could have pushed the lead to 5 too.

He choked at the line as well.

Wasnt just Manu and Tim.


I don't know, I think the entire team and coach takes the blame.

Parker was absolutely nonexistent in the 4th. I saw him on the bench during the 4th and Pop must've said something to Parker because Parker was clearly upset about something. Maybe those Eva Longoria rumors are true?

Manu was not Manu tonight. Missing FTs in the 4th, trying to flop for a call. Sonics got in his head alright. They played physical and I think that rattled him a bit. He just seemed frustrated because of lack of calls and it just really hurt his game.

Duncan was making horrible shots in the 4th and was getting beat on that pick & roll time after time after time, pumping James ego. He wasn't hitting his FTs and I think that really frustrated his offense as he could not get ANYTHING going in the 4th, except that ugly brick on the side of the backboard.

Pop waited WAY too long to fix that pick & roll play Seattle was juicing. He waited until the 4th. They ran that same play probably a dozen times before Pop made an adjustment. Where was Nazr too? He was awesome and yes, he is a better defender than Rasho.

Also, Pop has such a strange way of dealing with the Spurs FT problems. This is a problem that's now a staple of Spurs basketball. It seems like we've had this problem since Duncan got drafted. I do not like how Popovich is so passive regarding FTs. Sometimes Popovich has to whip the Spurs players and drill them to make their FTs or else. FTs are the only problem Popovich seems to be so passive on dealing with. Everything else, he's more assertive and demanding...but not on the FT issue.


I want to see Devin Brown. How is his health? Bowen + Barry = 3/11 for 10pts.

I would not at all be opposed to putting Manu back in the starting lineup & Devin coming off the bench if he's healthy enough.

[ata]

I think that part of the blame should be on Pop also. After all 91 pts offensively is not so bad, 92 pts defensevily is what Spurs shouldn't allow. I've counted 14 ponts from driving layups and driving dunks in the 2nd half only. Hey, I like Nazr, however Rasho is The defender at the post and I doubt that he would allowed Sonics to promenade under Spurs basket.

added: No driving layups or driving dunks from Spurs in 2nd. Rasho would make same place for Gino and Tony, Nazr is waiting under basket so he can fill his rebound statistic. Nothing wrong with that, however 3R in 16 min is not much.

[T Park]

Also, Pop has such a strange way of dealing with the Spurs FT problems. This is a problem that's now a staple of Spurs basketball. It seems like we've had this problem since Duncan got drafted. I do not like how Popovich is so passive regarding FTs. Sometimes Popovich has to whip the Spurs players and drill them to make their FTs or else. FTs are the only problem Popovich seems to be so passive on dealing with. Everything else, he's more assertive and demanding...but not on the FT issue.



hes had shot gurus, sport shrinks, free throw coaches the whole 9 yards, what else does he have to do?!?!?! He cant fuckin make it for them.



I want to see Devin Brown.

so would pop, but he has no strength in his right leg.

We will be lucky if we see him get consistent minutes in the western finals, god willing the spurs get there.

[T Park]

Hey, I like Nazr, however Rasho is The defender at the post and I doubt that he would allowed Sonics to promenade under Spurs basket.

neither Nazr nor Rasho were playing very good defense, and were giving up alot of offensive rebounds.

They both stunk out loud.

[Obstructed_View]

It's hard to blame pop when guys aren't getting to their spots on defense. Slow to rotate all night. Pop was scrambling trying to find someone that wanted to play. Unfortunately nobody stepped up except Bowen on defense, which was superb. Wasted effort. He could have helped his own cause by pulling the trigger a couple of times.

[ata]

neither Nazr nor Rasho were playing very good defense, and were giving up alot of offensive rebounds.

They both stunk out loud.
Rasho wasn't even ther in 2nd half

[T Park]

Because his D in teh first was downright atrocious.

his rebounding was pathetic.

As was Nazr.

hence the reason horry practically played the whole second half.


I wouldve gone with Massenburg IMO, someone quick enough, tough enough, will rebound.


That was a big mistake by Pop IMO.

[ShoogarBear]

I wouldve gone with Massenburg IMO, someone quick enough, tough enough, will rebound.
Massenburg vs. Fortson would have been worth it just for the entertainment value.

The referees would have had to buy new whistles.

[Solid D]

The Spurs played their tempo and worked it the way they like to work it. The Big Three missed 14 of the 15 errant FTs and the lone miss by Nazr. That miss came only after he had made his 2nd of 2 FTs but the ref waved it off and made him reshoot because one of the Sonics went into the lane early and pulled Timmy with him.

This loss is strictly a product of the Spurs beating themselves by missing their FTs, because their strategy was to get to the line in the 2nd half.

The Sonics get limited props for matching intensity with the Spurs and junking things up physically.