Please share your objective thoughts on Game 3

[GrandeDavid]

The Spurs lost Game 3 by one stinking point. For someone like myself who did not watch nor follow that game, thanks to being overseas at the time, that appears agonizing. But in reading the game stories, I discovered some critical screw ups. One was the foul shooting. Two was the Spurs' poor defense of Seattle's pic and rolls. There are probably many other areas in which the Spurs were poor.

On the flip side, you have to give the Sonics some form of credit for stepping up and getting a critical win.

In light of all that, do those of you who watched the game feel like "well, the Spurs had this loss coming, since they sucked tonight" or do you feel more like "damn, the Spurs really had that game and let it slip away". Also, do you feel that this is a deflating or motivating type of loss?

Thanks!

[SpursFanDan]

Well.. I feel both ways that you explained.. they didnt deserve to win after the piss poor ft shooting, but it was a tough game... chippy as the color commentators would say. But they had the game and let it slip away with free throw shooting. thats the main reason.. one point.. and we missed almost half of our free throws. But I see it as a motivating loss... they should of won that game, and they know it. BLOW OUT in game 4

[GrandeDavid]

Dan, what I do like is that they have two days to sort of stew over this loss and get fired up for an ultra-physical Game 4. I also am looking for a convincing win on Sunday.

Its frustrating that Ray Allen has such a poor shooting night, not to mention Rashard Lewis, yet the Spurs still find a way to lose the game.

Looks like the Sonics just got their token pride win to be able to say that at least they didn't get swept.

[Brodels]

I didn't think they player their best game, but they hung in there the entire time and it looked like they were ready to take control of the game at any time. They let this game get away. They should have won it. If they're faced with close games in the future, I'm not at all confident in their ability to come away with a win.

I'm just pissed about free throws. That's it. If they hit most of their fourth quarter free throws, they win. In a game where they had a lot stacked against them like a desperate Sonics team, a rowdy crowd, and a possible 2-0 lead complacency situation, they found a way to hang in there. They just had to make free throws, It's very disappointing that they didn't.

[GrandeDavid]

Brodels, great analysis. When you miss that many free throws, you've pretty much dug your own grave. I'm looking for more focus in Game 4.

[GhostofAlfrederickHughes]

Definitely frustrated. The missed FTs were clearly the difference in this one, as were the Sonics hitting nearly all of theirs in the 2nd quarter to keep it close at the half.

I almost look at Game 4 as a 'must' win for S.A. Another loss, and suddenly you start hearing the whispers about last year's series against the Lakers.
Personally, I think one of our big 3 is gonna have a HUGE game---and I think we win by 8-10 pts.

[GrandeDavid]

If anything, I just want that fat ass Big Snacks to have his worthless beak slammed shut once and for all on Sunday. I want some hard fouls, some rebounding and some ultra physical play by the Spurs on Sunday.

[GrandeDavid]

C'mon, folks, help out a fellow Spurs fan who is overseas and not getting to watch even a third of the games.

[Clandestino]

or how about jame's 7 DUNKS!!!

[GrandeDavid]

^That's also something that one would assume can be corrected. 7 freaking dunks! Are you kidding me!?

[whottt]

Grande David...they had intensity last night but you can't miss that many Free Throws and expect to win...

Other things that hurt us...we got outrebounded big time.

PicNRoll D on James was pretty bad.

I love the way that Parker, Manu and Duncan take it to the hole...but they are forcing too many shots over a packed in defense...the penetration is great but they go to far and turn it over some, and I'd like to see them passing out of it more.

Barry is normally good for couple of plays when he gets to run the point...last night when the Spurs went to him he had some turnovers...he was just careless with the ball, kind of like Beno has been lately. Beno's excuse is that he's a rookie...Barry doesn't have that excuse. Bad game from him in ball handling terms.

But the main reasons were FT shooting, rebounding, and too many forced shots.


For some reason Nazr and Rasho didn't get many minutes last night and it hurt our rebounding.

[CosmicCowboy]

I posted this in the Big Dawg thread...

Spurs could have won that game in a dozen different ways but just didn't do it...this was a good loss for the Spurs at a good time...similar to the first Denver game...despite losing this game they are still in control of the series...time to refocus and come back out playing Spurs ball...

observations from last night:

forget about free throws...the law of averages finally caught up with the Spurs...

The Big Dawg shove on Rashard was stupid but not fatal...Spurs had them back on their heels at that point and just didn't capitalize...

Collison played a good game again...he is the ONLY big on Seattle that comes even close to having a balanced game...the rest are slugs despite James 7/7...he is a one trick dunk dog that plays awful defense...

Parker was a dissapointment in the second half...too much one on one and not enough ball movement..he completely took us out of our motion offense...

Despite rumors to the contrary Manu is not indestructible...that pop he took in the mouth from Antonio without a foul called really knocked him off his game...I think it did more damage than he let on and loosened some teeth, headache, etc...he missed his first free throw from that point on for the rest of the game...a splitting headache and sore tooth can do that to you...only willpower and focus kept him in the game...you could see how he was focusing and "thinking" his second free throws after that.

The biggest mistake of the game IMHO was not pounding it in to Duncan down low in the third and fourth...We had their entire frontcourt in foul trouble going into the second half...for all the bitching about 4 down if there was ever a time to go to it last night was it...Tim was getting the calls and there was not a single Sonic player that could defend him in close without fouling...

I put this one on Pop...I know that ball movement and Parker/Manu have been our game breakers so far in these playoffs but it quit working when Tony went Boykins on us in the second half...Pop should have stopped the game and chewed Parkers ass out and gone to Duncan in the low post in the third and choked the life out of that crowd/team...we had our foot on their throats and didn't use our mismatches to shut them down...

[SPARKY]

We lost. It sucks. Let's bitch.

[whottt]

I don't blame this one on Pop...Bigg Dogg played really stupid and he needed to sit on the bench.

About the only thing I can blame on Pop is not giving Rasho or Nazr more minutes...but I think Nazr was injured...I'm not sure what was up with Rasho but it looked to me like he was playing good when he was in the game.

[Spurminator]

Free Throws were awful all around. As in the past, it became an epidemic.

I think the Spurs should be prevented from watching each other at the line somehow.

[boutons]

One source of objectivity is the box score. Spurs got destroyed on RBs, 37 - 48. That's hustle, pure and simple. For some reason, the lack of hustle seemed to be not desire because the Spurs defense was holding well, but a lot of fatigue, which saps everything else. The Spurs couldn't find a second wind to execute in the 4th.

The Spurs shot 50+% for most of the game, and well ahead of the Sonics all the way, but went cold in the 4th, to drop to FG% of 44%.

Spurs were only +4 in the paint. The permiter defense having diminshed the Sonics outside shooting, the interior/paint defense was extremely weak.

After averaging 25 pts/qtr for 3 qtrs, the Spurs offense stalled, yet again, in the 4th, only 16 pts.

As cold as the Sonics were in FG%, 40%, and much colder in 3's @ 13%!!, the Sonics won the game at the FT line, shooting 85% vs 56%, + 9 pts at the line, to win by 1 pt.

[MiNuS]

It was dirty.We lost.It was late.

No one said we would sweep Seattle.We are still on course.
1 point.Hopefully Duncan and Co will react and "remember the
Alamo" so to say.Remember last year and what happenned with
the Laykas.

It's wake time......again.

[nkdlunch]

Our pick'n roll defense was ridiculous. That's understandable 'cause we were focused on ray and lewis. I wouldn't guarantee a win on game 4, but I guarantee James won't get 7 dunks again.

Our offense was ok, but our defense was not the regular Spurs defense. Also the Spurs got outhustled, the Seattle big men intimidated our penetrators a little + the horrible foul shotting, I'm very surprised we only lost by 1 point.

Manu wasn't penetrating as much and would kick the ball out when he tried, mainly because the Seattle big men dropped him on the floor the first few times. I think he was hurting, hopefully he'll recover by next game. Also they didn't run as many plays through Duncan, they need to do that. Tony played great and he kept us in the game.

Seattle played great and they're the #3 seed in the West, but this series belongs to the Spurs.

[smeagol]

FT (%) Playoffs '05 04/05 Reg. season Carreer Yesterday

Duncan 71.2% 67.0% 69.2% 60.0%

Parker 68.8% 65.0% 69.7% 33.0%

Manu 79.7% 80.3% 79.0% 60.0%

Yikes!

[beirmeistr]

With the Sonics bigs in foul trouble, with Evans out with back spasms, with Ray Allen being guarded well in the 4th qtr, the Spurs found a way to give them the game.
The other contenders are watching. The Spurs revealed their major Achilles heel again and in close games, Popovitch will have to be very careful who is on the court in the final clutch moments of a game. Rasho is a good player but is a horrible FT shooter. Bowen is not much better. Duncan is erratic but he is indispensable. Parker is erratic. Manu should be reliable but there was something wrong with him last night.
Like a bad dream, out FT woes keep coming back.

[ctpsb]

The Spurs have won six in a row and things just don't break every game. It's hard to win many more that 6 or 7 in a row. However 15 missed free throws are just inexcusable.

I know many will disagree with this, but I think a loss ONCE IN A WHILE in basketball is good to get a team refocused. If we had won last night, I think the egos would have come out a little and we might not have been completely sharp for Dallas or Phoenix. And if we get that far, we are going to have to be completely ready for either of those teams.

[GrandeDavid]

Hopefully this is just a correction game, where the little adjustments are made both on the floor and in attitude. Sounds like the Spurs busted their asses, but the chips just didn't fall their way. Manu likely disappeared to a degree in stretches because he might have been playing with a damn concussion with all the hits he took! Also some suspect rotations by Gregg Popovich?

[samikeyp]

The Sonics played their asses off, fed off the Starbucks-laden crowd and were still bailed out by bad free throw shooting by the Spurs. With all that, SA still could have won the game at the end. Seattle is a good team that was in a 0-2 hole and played well. You shake it off and move on. Let's get Game 4.

[MiNuS]

Starbucks-laden crowd


:lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao

[Jimcs50]

I predicted Spurs in 6, so this is no big deal.

The Spurs will lose games, you know...they are not the 99 team, who won 12 straight playoff games and were 15-2.

[tlongII]

This could turn into a long series. The Sonics played hard, but not particularly well. I think game 4 will be another dogfight.