Game Blog: Spurs @ Hornets - Jan. 22

[carina_gino20]

We cracked 10 pts!

[CFH]

Terrible 3rd quarter, can't get any worse, right?

[Capt Bringdown]

Championship teams don't get dominated like this.

Completely dominated.

I'm not sure if it's totally the Hornets though. Their defense has been incredible, but any of you stat peeps tell me how many points the Spurs are averaging per quarter their last 5 quarters of play?

Not really, blowouts happen all the time. Unfortunately it was our turn tonight.

Hopefully we can learn something for this. Hornet's D is no fluke.

[Crookshanks]

Such a stupid post. Every Spurs team to win a championship had games like this.

Totally agree. You'd think the Spurs never lost badly before. ALL teams have games like this - even Championship Teams.

[Creation88]

this was terrible but Hornets are playing great D. we have zero ball movement to help them out.

[boutons_deux]

Hornets gonna play their starters all the way and run up the score?

[Brazil]

It's going to be a good loss, a good kick in our ass

[timtonymanu]

Who gives a shit about the loss at this point? Just show some pride and at least have a decent score.

[MannyIsGod]

The best part of this game for me is listening to the Hornets announcers. I swear if they had fireworks to set off they'd be doing it right now. They're so excited its hillarious.

[Spurs Brazil]

Hornets are playing impressive D, very good

[Fireball]

30-8. :lol

???

[Death In June]

Wow. Just got home to watch the game. Glad I didn't have to sit through that. 21 unanswered points is pretty incredible.

[DPG21920]

This is just wrong. Every team has games like this and every championship team has games like this.

Bonner plays every game because he's better than Splitter, btw.

Bonner blows. Especially in the playoffs. Your logic is like the Bogan's logic. "He plays because he is better". :lol

Not every guy playing is better than the guy behind him. That wasn't the point though.

Did you not read my post? I said all teams have games like this. I also said that no other contender over the last 3 years has had even close to the amount of these games as the Spurs.

[Horse]

This shit happens no big deal really, last night the starters went to the end then had to travel our core is old, this is gonna happen on back to backs. Theres no back to backs in the playoffs so who gives a fuck? Oh yeah and we beat the knicks last night dumbass knicks fan talking shit the day after we beat you.

[ducks]

lakers got blowen out by bucks and lost 2 times to them

spurs play poorly on back to back

duncan looked old tonight

spurs had no engery they wanted reverage so bad against knicks they forgot about hornets

[Werdsniper2]

San Antonio: 30.8% 26 rebounds
New Orleans: 45.2% 44 rebounds 8 blocks

[MannyIsGod]

Spurs aren't winning many games when they score 48 through 3. Their defense isn't bad at all tonight either.

[Ice009]

Spurs can't get dominated like this.

This is the kind of defense we'll see in the playoffs and the Spurs offense looks like shit with out a dominant Tim Duncan in the post for when the game slows down. Where are we going to get offense from if the game is slowed down and the other team is playing great defense? No post presence that we can get the ball to, to score consistently.

If there is a deal that can get us a consistent low post player, then I would make it.

[EricB]

The best part of this game for me is listening to the Hornets announcers. I swear if they had fireworks to set off they'd be doing it right now. They're so excited its hillarious.


The bench is acting like this would be their first win of the year.

The whole arena needs an "Act like you've been there before"

[ShoogarBear]

Honets may still get 100, after only 13 in the first.

[ducks]

hornett announcers suck

[Mugen]

spurs were due for a shit game and this b2b was gonna be a tough one anyways.

rather have a blowout loss and the scrubs getting some minutes then one of our key guys get injured in a close loss.

it happens all the time in the NBA. even boston lost to WA tonight. everybody loses to scrub teams once in a while.

i doubt the spurs play this team again unless theyre an 8th seed.

[MeesterMarcus]

Gah damn this is hard to watch. Hornet are on fucking fire! Finally the end of this abysmal 3rd quarter x_x.

[dbestpro]

The fault can be placed at the feet of management for this game. There is a reason for a 15 man roster to help cover injuries. We basically have been playing with 9-10 for most of the season. Throw in an injured Bonner, Hill who is playing somewhat hurt, a back to back that took alot of energy and a game like this is bound to happen. This game proves one thing. That older guys get tired playing back to back with major minutes.

Now, I am not sure where Blair is in this equation. I guess he just needs more maturation.

[carina_gino20]

???

Spurs got outscored 31-10 in the 3rd.

[Capt Bringdown]

this was terrible but Hornets are playing great D. we have zero ball movement to help them out.

I've been noticing the lack of ball movement more and more lately. Guys just standing around like statues as one guy dribbles down the clock. Not good enough.

[LakerHater]

Is Pop throwing in the towel or do yall think he play the big 3 in the 4th?

[DPG21920]

:lmao

You are silly tonight. I know you are holding back "your hate", but if you can't see what I was talking about, you just don't know ish.

Just because a player is sucking, doesn't mean EVERYTHING they do is bad :lol.

[timtonymanu]

Not really, blowouts happen all the time. Unfortunately it was our turn tonight.

Hopefully we can learn something for this. Hornet's D is no fluke.

It's still early and I know the Spurs havent peaked yet. But performances like this worry me. If the Spurs run into a good defensive team like this in the playoffs, how will they respond if they have mediocre D like they just showed in the 3rd? They better find a way to play better defense instead of relying on their 3's to win games.

[Spurs Brazil]

Stop with this shit, even when we won championships we had games like this, in 2007 we had 4 or 5 like this

[EricB]

Spurs can't get dominated like this.

This is the kind of defense we'll see in the playoffs and the Spurs offense looks like shit with out a dominant Tim Duncan in the post for when the game slows down. Where are we going to get offense from if the game is slowed down and the other team is playing great defense? No post presence that we can get the ball to, to score consistently.

If there is a deal that can get us a consistent low post player, then I would make it.


:lol

The Spurs have one of the top offenses in the league and in the second game of a back to back your gonna proclaim Duncan done.

Blow it out your ass.

[Crookshanks]

Hornets are 9.5 games behind the Spurs - tell me again what a great team they are... They're just having a great night and caught the Spurs on a REALLY, REALLY bad night.

[Fireball]

Totally agree. You'd think the Spurs never lost badly before. ALL teams have games like this - even Championship Teams.

Yeah, if the Lakers can lose against the Bucks by 20 at home, we surely can skip a back to back against a good Hornets team on the road ... I'm not angry about that ... although I want to kill the announcers

[janetcn12]

Feel terrible about this game...am going to be sick

[DMC]

The game goes this way. You cannot win them all. I will take 8 game streaks per loss.

Bright side: I think maybe the Hornets eclipse the Mavs.

Bright side 2: All that false pride from beating NY gets tempered for the new guys. Vets don't need it.

[ducks]

Spurs can't get dominated like this.

This is the kind of defense we'll see in the playoffs and the Spurs offense looks like shit with out a dominant Tim Duncan in the post for when the game slows down. Where are we going to get offense from if the game is slowed down and the other team is playing great defense? No post presence that we can get the ball to, to score consistently.

If there is a deal that can get us a consistent low post player, then I would make it.

no team has this d in the playoffs against spurs

this is a back to back

[EricB]

It's still early and I know the Spurs havent peaked yet. But performances like this worry me. If the Spurs run into a good defensive team like this in the playoffs, how will they respond if they have mediocre D like they just showed in the 3rd? They better find a way to play better defense instead of relying on their 3's to win games.


Uh the offense has been the problem tonight, not the defense.

[dbestpro]

I'm trying really hard not to hate Splitter. Its not working.

Yeah, let's put this game on Splitter.

[DesignatedT]

I knew this would be a sloppy ass game but didn't expect this shit. Nothing but contested jumpshots.

[ShoogarBear]

hornett announcers suck

Is this your attempt to make them better?

[Fireball]

did this announcer just call Duncan a donkey? asshole

[timtonymanu]

This shit happens no big deal really, last night the starters went to the end then had to travel our core is old, this is gonna happen on back to backs. Theres no back to backs in the playoffs so who gives a fuck? Oh yeah and we beat the knicks last night dumbass knicks fan talking shit the day after we beat you.

I dont care if we lose. It happens. I dont like being embarrassed though. And showing no pride either when you're suppose to be contending for a title.

[senorglory]

WE'RE STILL IN THIS GAME!!! Don't give up hope!



naw, i'm just kidding. time to head to the parking lot.

[Ice009]

2) Every team, especially contenders, don't look THIS bad when things go wrong. The past 3 years, the Spurs have had numerous games where they look like a ridiculously bad team.

The other contenders, still look like contenders for the most part. Even when they lose. Sure, every once and a while they will have a head scratcher, but not as often as the Spurs do.

I agree completely with these takes. If people are comparing this Spurs team to the 2003 Spurs team like I've seen a few times, well I don't ever remember them getting dominated. Even when we had a bad game that season we still kept going and playing hard.

[MannyIsGod]

Bonner blows. Especially in the playoffs. Your logic is like the Bogan's logic. "He plays because he is better". :lol

Not every guy playing is better than the guy behind him. That wasn't the point though.

Did you not read my post? I said all teams have games like this. I also said that no other contender over the last 3 years has had even close to the amount of these games as the Spurs.

I'd love to see you quantify the last thing you said. I doubt you've watched every game and every blowout of every contender. If you want to qualify the Spurs as contenders or pretenders based on a January blowout then you're absolutely free too but I'm sure most people would agree its a pretty stupid thing to do.

The Spurs have played worse than this in the playoffs and even in the finals. Take a look at Game 3 and Game 4 of the 2005 finals. The Spurs were horribly dominated. They lost Game 4 by 31 fucking points!

Bonner is better than Tiago in so many ways its not even close. You can say my logic is like saying Bogans is better because he played but thats just stupid considering it was obvious Bogans never did shit right (kinda like Splitter). Bonner on the other hand consistently has helped this team this year and has earned much more playing time than Tiago. Tiago is going to have minutes tonight to show he can be good. I don't expect anything special from him.

[DPG21920]

:lol

The Spurs have one of the top offenses in the league and in the second game of a back to back your gonna proclaim Duncan done.

Blow it out your ass.

You do realize NO played last night?

[dbestpro]

Hill should not be playin wth his injury.

[Spurologist]

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/7525/picture1sb.png
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/183/picture2kd.png
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4549/picture3tu.png
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/3636/picture6gm.png

[Werdsniper2]

Neal to Splitter.

[DesignatedT]

lol splitter wtf was that

[ohmwrecker]

I also said that no other contender over the last 3 years has had even close to the amount of these games as the Spurs.

Is that a fact or just some ridiculous horseshit?

[Ice009]

Such a stupid post. Every Spurs team to win a championship had games like this.

The point is, like DPG said they have too many games like this the last couple of seasons. The Spurs Championship teams may have had some bad games, but not as many where they were completely dominated.

[DPG21920]

Is this your attempt to make them better?

:lol

[DMC]

This is a good chance to see Splitter play. You guys wanted minutes, here they are.

You cannot beat a team that isn't missing shots. That's how the GSWs beat Dallas that year, and it's how all of the really big blowouts happen to good teams. We've done it ourselves, shooting 72% in a quarter. We had a 22-0 run against a team this year.

It is what it is, 37-9. Boo fucking hoo.

[DesignatedT]

fuckin a

[Fireball]

hill should not be playin wth his injury.

+1

[Gutter92]

5 of our 7 losses are on back to back's (1 of them being the first night - the C's)

No worries, no b2b's in the playoffs

[EricB]

You do realize NO played last night?


In a blowout unlike the Spurs who had to bust ass for 48 mins.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

big 3 looking good

[TIMMYD!]

WTF HAPPENED?!!!

I went to the store for like half an hour, I comeback and were down 25. WTF.

[EricB]

The point is, like DPG said they have too many games like this the last couple of seasons. The Spurs Championship teams may have had some bad games, but not as many where they were completely dominated.


They've lost 7 out of 44 and you think they are done.


You people are fucking unreal.

[dbestpro]

You do realize NO played last night?

The effort Atlanta gave the Hornets and the effort NY gave the Spurs are not quite the same.

[ohmwrecker]

Splitter looked like a legit post player there.

[Horse]

Hope the hornets enjoy their superbowl tonight, this will be the highlight of their season.

[Mugen]

You do realize NO played last night?

yeah but they won by 40. i dont think their starters played over 25.

lol i honestly think tonight was where the spurs just missed shots and trickled down to the rest of the game.

hornets played great D but not one spurs made any concerted effort to attack the basket.

shit happens, the hornets' ceiling is the 2nd round. we got bigger things to worry about then a b2b loss against a non-contender.

[Spurs Brazil]

Tiago with some good plays in the 4th

[EricB]

This is a good chance to see Splitter play. You guys wanted minutes, here they are.

You cannot beat a team that isn't missing shots. That's how the GSWs beat Dallas that year, and it's how all of the really big blowouts happen to good teams. We've done it ourselves, shooting 72% in a quarter. We had a 22-0 run against a team this year.

It is what it is, 37-9. Boo fucking hoo.


37-7

Yeah fold up the tents :rolleyes

[MannyIsGod]

You are silly tonight. I know you are holding back "your hate", but if you can't see what I was talking about, you just don't know ish.

Just because a player is sucking, doesn't mean EVERYTHING they do is bad :lol.

Just because a player gives up a ball doesn't mean that he played great d either.

Fuck it, Splitter played great D on that play. The fact that you're looking for shit like that to give Splitter props on shows how far you have to reach to do so.

[Werdsniper2]

Splitter has all the points this quarter haha

[CFH]

Splitter gonna lead the comeback :downspin:

[EricB]

The effort Atlanta gave the Hornets and the effort NY gave the Spurs are not quite the same.


Exactly...

[DMC]

In a blowout unlike the Spurs who had to bust ass for 48 mins.
No excuses.

If I had to pick between NY and NO, I would want to beat NY. We did, at home. NO needs a few big wins to keep their team in their city. It could work out good for both teams.

Great defense btw

[DesignatedT]

Every team goes through bad games. To start proclaiming that this team is not a contender or that Duncan is done is retarded. Every Spurs fan knows what b2b's mean here... it could always be a loss.

[Fireball]

They've lost 7 out of 44 and you think they are done.


You people are fucking unreal.

+1

and to say that the Spurs are not fighting is unreal as well when you look at all the games played

[ducks]

be nice to see splitter go for 20

[Libri]

WTF HAPPENED?!!!

I went to the store for like half an hour, I comeback and were down 25. WTF.

One of the worst quarters of the season.

[Banzai]

http://fcbahistory.pbworks.com/f/1231874485/Lil%20Kim.jpg Lil Kim-2002

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/17/alg_lil_kim.jpg Lil Kim-2010

I know this is off topic..but damn its amazing what plastic surgery can do to people these days.

[EricB]

Just because a player gives up a ball doesn't mean that he played great d either.

Fuck it, Splitter played great D on that play. The fact that you're looking for shit like that to give Splitter props on shows how far you have to reach to do so.


James White, Mahinmi, Splitter.

I'd like to think Splitter is better than that, but his fans are doing much for the cause...

[ShoogarBear]

WTF HAPPENED?!!!

I went to the store for like half an hour, I comeback and were down 25. WTF.

So you're to blame.

[Ice009]

Bonner blows. Especially in the playoffs. Your logic is like the Bogan's logic. "He plays because he is better". :lol

Not every guy playing is better than the guy behind him. That wasn't the point though.

Did you not read my post? I said all teams have games like this. I also said that no other contender over the last 3 years has had even close to the amount of these games as the Spurs.

This is where I am coming from. I might be wrong, but Spurs can be really bad in games.

[Spurologist]

Owens gets an extended run :tu

[DesignatedT]

What the fuck does the Spurs getting blown out in 2008 have to do with THIS team? :lmao stupid fuckin logic. "We have gotten blown out too much the past 3 years"...... were 37-7 this year... that's with THIS team... not with brent barry and mike finley.

[Capt Bringdown]

5 of our 7 losses are on back to back's (1 of them being the first night - the C's)

No worries, no b2b's in the playoffs

I think b2b's have become a mental as well as a physical challenge for us, a kind of built-in excuse.

[MannyIsGod]

At least I get to watch the USMNT play in a few minutes instead of this disaster. :lol

[timtonymanu]

http://fcbahistory.pbworks.com/f/1231874485/Lil%20Kim.jpg Lil Kim-2002

http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2011/01/17/alg_lil_kim.jpg Lil Kim-2010

I know this is off topic..but damn its amazing what plastic surgery can do to people these days.

Holy shit! I never thought she was attractive before but now she's really fuckin ugly.

[L.I.T]

I agree completely with these takes. If people are comparing this Spurs team to the 2003 Spurs team like I've seen a few times, well I don't ever remember them getting dominated. Even when we had a bad game that season we still kept going and playing hard.

So just to clarify your stance, that means the Lakers, Mavs, Celtics, Magic and Heat are not true contenders for the championship either.

[dbestpro]

There is no reason to bug out on this game. it has little or no effect in the big picture. Last year we had about 10 games like this through the course of the year.

[DPG21920]

I'd love to see you quantify the last thing you said. I doubt you've watched every game and every blowout of every contender. If you want to qualify the Spurs as contenders or pretenders based on a January blowout then you're absolutely free too but I'm sure most people would agree its a pretty stupid thing to do.

The Spurs have played worse than this in the playoffs and even in the finals. Take a look at Game 3 and Game 4 of the 2005 finals. The Spurs were horribly dominated. They lost Game 4 by 31 fucking points!

Bonner is better than Tiago in so many ways its not even close. You can say my logic is like saying Bogans is better because he played but thats just stupid considering it was obvious Bogans never did shit right (kinda like Splitter). Bonner on the other hand consistently has helped this team this year and has earned much more playing time than Tiago. Tiago is going to have minutes tonight to show he can be good. I don't expect anything special from him.

Where did I say that :lol? I pointed out that the Spurs downside (didn't say anything about them being a contender or pretender although they are clearly a contender) is much more than other contenders. This is evidenced by the Skunker and the health issues and the amount of flat out blowouts over the past couple years.

Also :lmao :lmao at the earning minutes shtick. Plenty of people can play like ass and they keep getting minutes.

:lol Tiago is going to get heavy minutes where the team was already down 25+ points and everyone is playing like ass and it's his time to show when he is good. Ok. That's fair. Especially when Bonner, the ultimate front runner (plays well in meaningless games and when things go well) gets to play with the best players on the team.

I don't know if Tiago can play, but don't act like you do either and don't compare Bonner's opportunities to his.

[EricB]

No excuses.

If I had to pick between NY and NO, I would want to beat NY. We did, at home. NO needs a few big wins to keep their team in their city. It could work out good for both teams.

Great defense btw


No excuses :lol

Its not an excuse, its a fact. They didnt work as hard for their win as the Spurs did.

[janetcn12]

Well, I guess we have to accept the fact today is not a good game for the Spurs

[Werdsniper2]

Cry Havoc you don't need to give grades for this game. Just give everyone an F and call it a night.

[DPG21920]

yeah but they won by 40. i dont think their starters played over 25.

lol i honestly think tonight was where the spurs just missed shots and trickled down to the rest of the game.

hornets played great D but not one spurs made any concerted effort to attack the basket.

shit happens, the hornets' ceiling is the 2nd round. we got bigger things to worry about then a b2b loss against a non-contender.

Spurs Big 3 play the least amount of minutes of all big 3's in the NBA pretty much.

[ducks]

like it has been stated 5 out of 7 games spurs lose this year
back to back

back to back games should be thrown out in the new cba


it takes quality of the play done

if I am the players I push this in the new cba

[boutons_deux]

Spurs cementing the position as worst def against 3Gs

[td4mvp21]

They've lost 7 out of 44 and you think they are done.


You people are fucking unreal.

:lmao


Do you guys not remember what happened last time these two teams played, when neither team was on a back-to-back? The Spurs raped the Hornets so hard.

[Libri]

At least I get to watch the USMNT play in a few minutes instead of this disaster. :lol

:hungry:

[dbestpro]

Karma says Okafor will probably get hurt by being on the floor.

[jestersmash]

It's funny, they showed a possession (Spurs on offense, Hornets on defense) where Parker dribbled the ball into the center and met virtually a triple team. George Hill was wide open in the corner. Had Parker passed to Hill, it would've been an open 3. Instead, Parker chose to dribble the ball out and reset.

The Hornets announcers attributed that to great defense but in reality it was just terrible execution by the Spurs. I'm not bashing Parker here, by the way. I think our entire team top to bottom had terrible games. That said, Parker usually doesn't make those kinds of mistakes. The team wasn't mentally sharp tonight. A lot of passing around the horn. Not much penetration.

Good loss to have though. Spurs need a kick in the ass every once in a while to get back into gear.

[DPG21920]

Is that a fact or just some ridiculous horseshit?

:lol Do I have an actual number? No. It is observation. I have seen the Skunker. I have seen the losses. I have watched a shit ton of games for other teams.

If everyone on hear had to always quantify everything they said, there would be no one here. Certainly not you.

[EricB]

Spurs Big 3 play the least amount of minutes of all big 3's in the NBA pretty much.



So what they have all this pent up energy or something?

[MannyIsGod]

:hungry:

:tu Espn3 needs to hurry up and load

[Mugen]

Spurs Big 3 play the least amount of minutes of all big 3's in the NBA pretty much.

yup, they do. which means we've been doing what NOLA is doing to us to other teams all season.

last night we had to go down to the wire with a high octane offense in NY.

hornets won by 40, so their b2b really doesnt equal our b2b. just sayin.

[Pauleta14]

It seems like the refs are enjoying it too and wanna help the Hornets... great

[redzero]

No shame in losing to the juggernaut known as the New Orleans Hornets.

2-2 ain't so bad.

[Capt Bringdown]

There is no reason to bug out on this game. it has little or no effect in the big picture. Last year we had about 10 games like this through the course of the year.

I agree, but 30 point blowouts? Did we really have that many?

And only 56 points, what's our record low?

[DesignatedT]

There's always a team that has our # every year, this year its N.O. Nasty game but a loss could have been expected. Get it goin again next game. I just hope Manu isn't too fatigued starting this road trip

[MannyIsGod]

DPG is right the the Spurs can play pretty badly at times.

It's a pretty meaningless observation, though. Thats something that holds true for every team.

[EricB]

:lol Do I have an actual number? No. It is observation. I have seen the Skunker. I have seen the losses. I have watched a shit ton of games for other teams.

If everyone on hear had to always quantify everything they said, there would be no one here. Certainly not you.


So everything you say you just pull out of your ass.

[DPG21920]

Just because a player gives up a ball doesn't mean that he played great d either.

Fuck it, Splitter played great D on that play. The fact that you're looking for shit like that to give Splitter props on shows how far you have to reach to do so.

No :lol. I just made an observation. I said nothing else. I made a comment just like I do when anyone does something good.

Your hate won't allow for anything good to be said about him.

[Mugen]

people need to relax and enjoy one of the few times you'll see Tiago play this season.

[ducks]

spurs d was pretty good
they held hornets under 49%

had to keep playing unreal d when no baskets are falling

[LakerHater]

:tu Espn3 needs to hurry up and load

Speaking of ESPN, theyre gonna have a field day on us on Sportscenter! :(

[EricB]

DPG is right the the Spurs can play pretty badly at times.

It's a pretty meaningless observation, though. Thats something that holds true for every team.


The Lakers got the living shit beat out of them for 2 straight weeks.

Clearly they are not a contender - DPG's logic

[DesignatedT]

Comparing this years team to any of our teams of the past (including last year) is fucking retarded. just stop doing it, it makes no sense.

[DPG21920]

What the fuck does the Spurs getting blown out in 2008 have to do with THIS team? :lmao stupid fuckin logic. "We have gotten blown out too much the past 3 years"...... were 37-7 this year... that's with THIS team... not with brent barry and mike finley.

THIS team is the same core. DPG.

[SpursRulez4eVeR]

loving the spurs forum

[MannyIsGod]

No :lol. I just made an observation. I said nothing else. I made a comment just like I do when anyone does something good.

Your hate won't allow for anything good to be said about him.

Not true. I think he's good at taking charges. I also think he'd be a shoe in for the part of Stiffler in the Brazilian version of American Pie (Brazilian Pie?).

[ducks]

DPG is right the the Spurs can play pretty badly at times.

It's a pretty meaningless observation, though. Thats something that holds true for every team.
yeah boston is done
they lost to wizzards tonight

lakers got blown out by heat
they are done

[urunobili]

I knew we would lose... not like this though :depressed

[DesignatedT]

The Lakers got the living shit beat out of them for 2 straight weeks.

Clearly they are not a contender - DPG's logic

"but they didn't lose like this"

[Mugen]

dont think the Hornets' announcers/fans have forgotten about that Game 7 we won on their floor.

lol Seahawks.

[janetcn12]

57 pts...c'mon spurs

[Capt Bringdown]

spurs d was pretty good
they held hornets under 49%

had to keep playing unreal d when no baskets are falling

No, this is more about the Hornets than our missing shots. They're playing flat-out incredible D.

[Pauleta14]

It's funny, they showed a possession (Spurs on offense, Hornets on defense) where Parker dribbled the ball into the center and met virtually a triple team. George Hill was wide open in the corner. Had Parker passed to Hill, it would've been an open 3. Instead, Parker chose to dribble the ball out and reset.

The Hornets announcers attributed that to great defense but in reality it was just terrible execution by the Spurs. I'm not bashing Parker here, by the way. I think our entire team top to bottom had terrible games. That said, Parker usually doesn't make those kinds of mistakes. The team wasn't mentally sharp tonight. A lot of passing around the horn. Not much penetration.

Good loss to have though. Spurs need a kick in the ass every once in a while to get back into gear.


Actually Parker gained 2 FT on that play!

We get it, for you the loss is on him... :lol

[LakerHater]

I knew we would lose... not like this though :depressed
Yeah me too, they offensive has seemed a lil off the past few games!

[Ice009]

yup, they do. which means we've been doing what NOLA is doing to us to other teams all season.

last night we had to go down to the wire with a high octane offense in NY.

hornets won by 40, so their b2b really doesnt equal our b2b. just sayin.

The fact that the Hornets won by 40 is even worse because the Spurs should have known how good they are playing right now and to get blown out by 30 shows how dominated they are.

You'd want to play your ass off when the team you are facing is at home and just won their last game by 40.

[Spurologist]

I can only hope the Splitter plays better the second half of the season. He has been hesitant, lost, and mostly soft in the paint. I thought he'd at least be aggressive in the paint. The athleticism of the NBA in the paint has probably shell shocked him. Oberto was far less athletic but was very crafty. I see none of that in Splitter's game.

:lmao NO announcers acting like they just won the 'ship

[Fireball]

"but they didn't lose like this"

Phil never pulls his starters out either ...

[MannyIsGod]

Pop could be like every other coach in the league and play his starters to make the score respectable but you knew that the team simply mailed it in after that run in the 3rd. Vintage Pop.

[Mugen]

"but they didn't lose like this"

even tho the Lakers got facefucked in two straight home games courtesy of the Bucks and Heat.

DPG be trippin'

[dbreiden83080]

Fuckin game

[DPG21920]

So everything you say you just pull out of your ass.

No. Many of the things I say, I back up with some sort of statistical evidence. But not everything can be quantified (or at least I don't take the time to do it).

When you quit on the team, proclaimed you were done, switched screen names to start fresh and acted even more douche like, did you quantify that?

[MannyIsGod]

I can only hope the Splitter plays better the second half of the season. He has been hesitant, lost, and mostly soft in the paint. I thought he'd at least be aggressive in the paint. The athleticism of the NBA in the paint has probably shell shocked him. Oberto was far less athletic but was very crafty. I see none of that in Splitter's game.

:lmao NO announcers acting like they just won the 'ship

Yeah man - I'm fully expecting them to shower the team in champagne after this.

[timtonymanu]

We beat Atlanta's score at least.

[Spurologist]

Pop could be like every other coach in the league and play his starters to make the score respectable but you knew that the team simply mailed it in after that run in the 3rd. Vintage Pop.

gonna catch the USA - Chile game?

[DMC]

No excuses :lol

Its not an excuse, its a fact. They didnt work as hard for their win as the Spurs did.
Sure they did. They took care of business early just as the Spurs could have.

It's an excuse. Two teams played two Eastern playoff level teams, and met each other on the next night. One team took care of business and one had to grind it out. You cannot say the Hornets didn't work as hard. They just didn't work as long.

[MannyIsGod]

No. Many of the things I say, I back up with some sort of statistical evidence. But not everything can be quantified (or at least I don't take the time to do it).

When you quit on the team, proclaimed you were done, switched screen names to start fresh and acted even more douche like, did you quantify that?

http://www.ftwins.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/nuke4.jpg

[Mugen]

The fact that the Hornets won by 40 is even worse because the Spurs should have known how good they are playing right now and to get blown out by 30 shows how dominated they are.

You'd want to play your ass off when the team you are facing is at home and just won their last game by 40.

i dont think this team gets up for mid-tier teams anymore. that's understandable considering their record.

[ohmwrecker]

:lol Do I have an actual number? No. It is observation. I have seen the Skunker. I have seen the losses. I have watched a shit ton of games for other teams.

If everyone on hear had to always quantify everything they said, there would be no one here. Certainly not you.

So . . . horseshit, then?

We've all seen the same shit. Skunker? One really bad game and all of a sudden this is last year's team . . .

Overreact much?

lol "certainly not you"

[Glenn Holland]

tomacock dunk from blair!!!!!!!

[DPG21920]

"but they didn't lose like this"

They got swept last year? They had massive injuries and playoff shortcomings recently?

Their losses are consistently really bad?

[MannyIsGod]

gonna catch the USA - Chile game?

I have it on already. Killed my NBA LP Broadband and opened up ESPN3.

[Werdsniper2]

Is it me, or does a loss make beer taste less good?

[DesignatedT]

THIS team is the same core. DPG.

In 2007 we lost to Denver by 23, Lost to Utah by 26, Lost to Phoenix by 20, Lost to Miami by 15, Lost to the Lakers by 15, Lost to Houston by 19...

Clearly we weren't contenders that year either... we got beat by double digits too often.

[Capt Bringdown]

I agree with the NO announcers. You don't taunt when you're down 30. Punk move by Blair.

[redzero]

lol Blair staring at the bench

[Spurologist]

NO Announcer: "That's a reason to take the guy out"

after Blair dunks it on Mbenga.

:lmao

Someone's a little butt hurt

[ducks]

this game was smart to pull the starters

they have alot of road games coming up
duncan looked old

no one was making shots

losing by 30 or by 10 it does not matter


by the way utah lost again by double digits on the road

[Mugen]

bwahaha at Blair's staredown.

[Pauleta14]

"but they didn't lose like this"


They don't have Pop...

I remember the last time the when the Hornets were getting blown out, down +20 and the spurs starters on the bench, Paul was still on the floar to make the loss "reasonable"... (and 4 his stats too...)

I hate that king of "management" by Pop (even if he may be right)...:bang

[CFH]

Blair :lol

[DMC]

How to make a blowout loss a win? By getting your new guys scrimmage time. Valuable minutes going on right now, and isn't that why you build the lead in the West anyhow?

[Werdsniper2]

Wow Owens is virtually invisible out there. Let's just replace him with a mannequin and see if anyone notices.

[urunobili]

what a pair of sore ass losers these commentators are please...

[DPG21920]

So . . . horseshit, then?

We've all seen the same shit. Skunker? One really bad game and all of a sudden this is last year's team . . .

Overreact much?

lol "certainly not you"

Sure, and I am not the only one that notices this team, in their losses, have a lot of really bad ones.

Other teams have them as well, but not with the frequency from what I have seen that the Spurs do.

You may say that Pop quits so the score looks worse while other teams play their guys, but I am not talking about just the score. I am talking about when you watch the games, and you gauge it by the look of the players and team, Spurs, when they lose, often make you really question them. Other teams lose and you still think "they are a great team that just lost" and you don't worry.

[DMC]

Is it me, or does a loss make beer taste less good?

It's just you. My beer tastes great (and it's less filling)

[PublicOption]

fucking league has the audacity to make sure the team it owns wins......this is just too much to stomach.......the league is just crooked that is all there is to it.

[Mugen]

i actually enjoy the NO announcers. They call every play like it is the 4th quarter of a Finals Game 7.

[DMC]

Sure, and I am not the only one that notices this team, in their losses, have a lot of really bad ones.

Other teams have them as well, but not with the frequency from what I have seen that the Spurs do.

You may say that Pop quits so the score looks worse while other teams play their guys, but I am not talking about just the score. I am talking about when you watch the games, and you gauge it by the look of the players and team, Spurs, when they lose, often make you really question them. Other teams lose and you still think "they are a great team that just lost" and you don't worry.

7 losses including this one...

What the fuck are you talking about or do you even know?

[Spurologist]

I have it on already. Killed my NBA LP Broadband and opened up ESPN3.

pumped to see how the young US players do. I'm out. SpursTalk officially on implosion mode

[Werdsniper2]

fucking league has the audacity to make sure the team it owns wins......this is just too much to stomach.......the league is just crooked that is all there is to it.

Get real.

[timtonymanu]

Wow Owens is virtually invisible out there. Let's just replace him with a mannequin and see if anyone notices.

He just got 4 points.

[Ice009]

Great stuff from Larry Owens.

[Mugen]

i actually like owens.

[DPG21920]

In 2007 we lost to Denver by 23, Lost to Utah by 26, Lost to Phoenix by 20, Lost to Miami by 15, Lost to the Lakers by 15, Lost to Houston by 19...

Clearly we weren't contenders that year either... we got beat by double digits too often.

Didn't you already say you were quitting on this one :lol?

Again, if you are going to argue with me, get your shit straight.

Show me a link where I said they weren't a contender based on my observation. Just one. You can't because you don't know what I'm talking about, so pay attention.

No where did I say you can't lose big if you still want to be a contender. No where did I say that losing like this makes your chances 0. That is not what I said and is so far off the point, that I am confused how you came to your responses.

[timtonymanu]

71 points is decent. I'll take it after what we've seen.

[ducks]

i actually enjoy the NO announcers. They call every play like it is the 4th quarter of a Finals Game 7.

I turned down the volume THEY SUCK WORSE THEN MANU LATLEY

[carina_gino20]

Sure, and I am not the only one that notices this team, in their losses, have a lot of really bad ones.

Other teams have them as well, but not with the frequency from what I have seen that the Spurs do.

You may say that Pop quits so the score looks worse while other teams play their guys, but I am not talking about just the score. I am talking about when you watch the games, and you gauge it by the look of the players and team, Spurs, when they lose, often make you really question them. Other teams lose and you still think "they are a great team that just lost" and you don't worry.

Well, we have a pretty small sample size this year.

[Spurs Brazil]

Owens with some good plays

[DesignatedT]

lol blair

[DesignatedT]

The Spurs this season have lost by 9,9,5,21,13,2,tonight?

The 20 pt losses, pop pulled the plug early 3rd quarter.....

[dbestpro]

I agree, but 30 point blowouts? Did we really have that many?

And only 56 points, what's our record low?

70 plus points, 20 point loss. Yep, we had a bunch of these last year. So, we split the series 2-2. It's not like we are going to have to worry about a tie breaker.

[DMC]

what a pair of sore ass losers these commentators are please...

Not sure you you guys are listening to, but the Spurs commentators are not sore losers.

Spurs are 51/2 or 6 up on the next team in the West and a few up on the next in the league. Some here act like they just lost the playoffs.

[FilSpursFan]

I can't believe what I am seeing...

[Horse]

We just get some extra rest to kick golden states ass.

[ohmwrecker]

7 losses including this one...

What the fuck are you talking about or do you even know?

This is more of an aberration than a spotlight on how shitty the Spurs really are. Nothing went right tonight. Nothing. It was a perfect storm of suck.

[dbestpro]

Need to cut Quinn for that shot.

[Werdsniper2]

Pop is overplaying Neal to the extreme. 30+ minutes on two straight nights for a bench player. I know there isn't really an answer, but come on.

[DMC]

See! We get to see what Owens can do, and we could be STAAACKEEED... LOL...

Seriously, New Orleans took it to us, good job by them.

[CFH]

Just bounce back on Monday against Golden State

[DMC]

Pop is overplaying Neal to the extreme. 30+ minutes on two straight nights for a bench player. I know there isn't really an answer, but come on.
Oh there is an answer, but he plays for Turkey now.

[Capt Bringdown]

Hornets have beaten us twice?

[DMC]

This is more of an aberration than a spotlight on how shitty the Spurs really are. Nothing went right tonight. Nothing. It was a perfect storm of suck.
You are absolutely correct, but even suckage doesn't make the opponent shoot stupid from 3.

[urunobili]

Pop is overplaying Neal to the extreme. 30+ minutes on two straight nights for a bench player. I know there isn't really an answer, but come on.

STFU douche dork

[janetcn12]

I guess tonight is not our game....congrats to the Hornets... Best luck the next game @Spurs

[DPG21920]

Well, we have a pretty small sample size this year.

Sure, and I prefaced that in my OP. I also think the Spurs have been playing pretty poorly over the last 15 games (as a whole, they have had some solid performances in that span) even though they are winning.

I also said it is a good sign that they Spurs can play poorly and still pull out wins. Good teams do that. But the Spurs aren't playing well lately and they have a lot of cringe worthy quarters, halfs and games.

[Mugen]

serious talk though, props to the Hornets tonight.

Monty has got them playing great defense. If they sustain it for the rest of the season, they could be looking at a top 4 seed in the West considering the recent struggles of Dallas/OKC/Utah

[carina_gino20]

Hornets have beaten us twice?

They were the first to beat us this season.

[DMC]

Hornets have beaten us twice?
First team of the season to beat us IIRC.

[FilSpursFan]

Oh well, somebody has to lose sometime...

[urunobili]

Not sure you you guys are listening to, but the Spurs commentators are not sore losers.

Spurs are 51/2 or 6 up on the next team in the West and a few up on the next in the league. Some here act like they just lost the playoffs.

the Bees ones dude. I would never call Sean something like :wtf:

[DesignatedT]

Didn't you already say you were quitting on this one :lol?

Again, if you are going to argue with me, get your shit straight.

Show me a link where I said they weren't a contender based on my observation. Just one. You can't because you don't know what I'm talking about, so pay attention.

No where did I say you can't lose big if you still want to be a contender. No where did I say that losing like this makes your chances 0. That is not what I said and is so far off the point, that I am confused how you came to your responses.

This is pretty much what I am responding too.


2) Every team, especially contenders, don't look THIS bad when things go wrong. The past 3 years, the Spurs have had numerous games where they look like a ridiculously bad team.

The other contenders, still look like contenders for the most part. Even when they lose. Sure, every once and a while they will have a head scratcher, but not as often as the Spurs do.

I am perplexed on what you are trying to say here... when the lakers lose by 20 they still look like a contender but when we lose by 20 and pop throws in the white flag we look like non-contenders?

is that what your saying? lol

[Johnny RIngo]

DPG is right the the Spurs can play pretty badly at times.

It's a pretty meaningless observation, though. Thats something that holds true for every team.

Not really. Spurs are the only contender that looks flat out terrible in their losses. Link here:

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/teamstats/11/1/diffeff/22-1

That table shows every team's efficiency differential in games they lost. Spurs are among the worst in league while the rest of the contenders like Boston/LA/Miami lie at the top - meaning they lose respectably. I still like our record but these kind of losses have to stop.

[mfanatic]

The Lakers lost to the Bucks by 20, not a biggie, we suck on B2B's, 37-7, well hit 40 wins before 10 losses, not too shabby

[dbestpro]

I can't believe what I am seeing...

Relax. We were due. Now that we got that shit out of the way we can go and run the next 10. Congratulations Hornets. You are now only 8 1/2 games back.

[Mugen]

its funny that when we're winning, we aren't considered a true title contender.

but when we lose, then they call us the "best team in the NBA"

[DMC]

Sure, and I prefaced that in my OP. I also think the Spurs have been playing pretty poorly over the last 15 games (as a whole, they have had some solid performances in that span) even though they are winning.

I also said it is a good sign that they Spurs can play poorly and still pull out wins. Good teams do that. But the Spurs aren't playing well lately and they have a lot of cringe worthy quarters, halfs and games.
All teams do.

[ohmwrecker]

You are absolutely correct, but even suckage doesn't make the opponent shoot stupid from 3.

Perimeter D was purty sucky.

[justinandimcool]

So much for momentum into our road trip...

[dbestpro]

This is pretty much what I am responding too.



I am perplexed on what you are trying to say here... when the lakers lose by 20 they still look like a contender but when we lose by 20 and pop throws in the white flag we look like non-contenders?

is that what your saying? lol

:lol

[JohnnySixString]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/reaper_chevelle/foolsgold.jpg

[Capt Bringdown]

Relax. We were due. Now that we got that shit out of the way we can go and run the next 10. Congratulations Hornets. You are now only 8 1/2 games back.

Hornets are for real, as far as the Spurs are concerned. Beating us twice is no fluke.

[Werdsniper2]

Wow. I just looked at the front page of the forum. Ton's of locked thread. WTF.

[DesignatedT]

Not really. Spurs are the only contender that looks flat out terrible in their losses. Link here:

http://www.hoopsstats.com/basketball/fantasy/nba/teamstats/11/1/diffeff/22-1

That table shows every team's efficiency differential in games they lost. Spurs are among the worst in league while the rest of the contenders like Boston/LA/Miami lie at the top - meaning they lose respectably. I still like our record but these kind of losses have to stop.

That's all good and gravy but there is 1 problem. That doesn't account for games where Pop throws in the white flag... It's already happened 3 times this year which all led to double digit defeats with guys like larry owens and chris quinn playing the 2nd half...

[timtonymanu]

Well that 4th quarter lineup managed to score more points than our big 3 combined.

[Ice009]

Didn't you already say you were quitting on this one :lol?

Again, if you are going to argue with me, get your shit straight.

Show me a link where I said they weren't a contender based on my observation. Just one. You can't because you don't know what I'm talking about, so pay attention.

No where did I say you can't lose big if you still want to be a contender. No where did I say that losing like this makes your chances 0. That is not what I said and is so far off the point, that I am confused how you came to your responses.

I think they've confused my comment with yours. I was the one that said Championship teams don't lose like this. I guess that needs to be directed towards me instead of you ;).

[DMC]

its funny that when we're winning, we aren't considered a true title contender.

but when we lose, then they call us the "best team in the NBA"
That's how it goes.

Here's a funny story (skip to the bottom here if you don't want to read it).

Sign on a door at a local BBQ joint:

"Voted Top 3 BBQ Restaurants in Texas"

What does that mean to you? To me it says they were voted in 3rd. Otherwise they would be "Top Two".

People love to spin things to their favor.

[TDfan2007]

Back to back. I know NO played last night too, but still. Back to back. We have old farts on our team. Team had no legs, Dice was out of it, Manu continues to have no idea where the basket is...or his teammates for that matter. Dude had 4 TOs in limited minutes. But yeah the only guys actually playing tough out there oddly enough were Tim and George. Tim just couldn't buy a bucket. But when you're 34, have one semi-good leg, and are on a b2b I'll give you a pass.

[BanditHiro]

man the nba thread must be filed with tons of lol threads by now

[DesignatedT]

I think they've confused my comment with yours. I was the one that said Championship teams don't lose like this. I guess that needs to be directed towards me instead of you ;).

I think that was the mix-up actually lol.

[DPG21920]

This is pretty much what I am responding too.



I am perplexed on what you are trying to say here... when the lakers lose by 20 they still look like a contender but when we lose by 20 and pop throws in the white flag we look like non-contenders?

is that what your saying? lol

Exactly. Lakers have had some bad games over the past couple years. But most of the time, even in their losses, you say "that is a contender that is just not playing well."

Spurs, more times than other contenders imo, have losses where you say "we seriously have to question whether or not this team still has a window".

That is my point. That doesn't mean the Lakers can't get blown out by a scrub team. That doesn't mean the Spurs aren't contenders. It just means that the Spurs have a ton more questions about them than other contenders due to the fact they have so many more moments where when things go wrong, they look so bad.

[Ice009]

I'm concerned about where the Spurs are going to get offense from when they can't run. In the playoffs teams are going to play defense and take away the running game. Do the Spurs have someone who can consistently score in these types of games?

[Banzai]

I got Jets/Packers going to SB.

[DPG21920]

That's all good and gravy but there is 1 problem. That doesn't account for games where Pop throws in the white flag... It's already happened 3 times this year which all led to double digit defeats with guys like larry owens and chris quinn playing the 2nd half...

Guy, he throws in the white towel because they were already getting curb stomped and because apparently no other team except the Spurs is effected by back to backs.

But it is also funny to see what I was saying quantified, at least a little.

[urunobili]

I got Jets/Packers going to SB.

I got Bears and Steelers

[DPG21920]

So I think Ohm owes me an apology.

Cue the "you didn't post the link" comment...

[dbestpro]

Hornets are for real, as far as the Spurs are concerned. Beating us twice is no fluke.

Oh Boo hoo.

The Hornets are not contenders and the Spurs are. They might knock off a Dallas or Utah in the playoffs, but that is about as far as they will get.

[DesignatedT]

Guy, he throws in the white towel because they were already getting curb stomped and because apparently no other team except the Spurs is effected by back to backs.

But it is also funny to see what I was saying quantified, at least a little.

If that's what you are saying then fine, whatever. It doesn't make much sense or hold any weight.

I understand Pop will throw in the white towel because the team is down 20 and he's all about rest but that doesn't mean if he kept the starters in they wouldn't cut it down to an 8 pt loss eventually. Plus, most of these poor losses come on back to backs which isn't just a coincidence.

[DPG21920]

The point the guys might cut it down to eight is irrelevant since I already clarified it is not just about the score.

It is about watching the teams play games and lose games and struggle.

[ducks]

I'm concerned about where the Spurs are going to get offense from when they can't run. In the playoffs teams are going to play defense and take away the running game. Do the Spurs have someone who can consistently score in these types of games?

HELLO DUNCAN WHEN IT IS NOT BACK BACK TO BACK
and when he cares

[dbestpro]

But it is also funny to see what I was saying quantified, at least a little.

It is the one curious area that Pop allows the players to use as an excuse. Not the refs, not the other team, fans, weather or anything else that you will hear from the Lakers, Mavs, Hornets, Celtics, Heat, and so on. But a back to back and the players seem to cue in that they will be excused for having a poor night.

[ohmwrecker]

Spurs, more times than other contenders imo, have losses where you say "we seriously have to question whether or not this team still has a window".

That is my point. That doesn't mean the Lakers can't get blown out by a scrub team. That doesn't mean the Spurs aren't contenders. It just means that the Spurs have a ton more questions about them than other contenders due to the fact they have so many more moments where when things go wrong, they look so bad.

This is hyper-critical fan perspective material.

They had a big time letdown game. We will see how they respond. There is no clear-cut top contender right now. All the top teams have issues. NOLA played great D, hit a ton of threes and caught the Spurs on a night where nothing was going right. This is the worst loss of the year, for sure, but there won't be another game where the Spurs play this poorly and the opponent plays that good.

[DPG21920]

I also understand that those numbers aren't great because the Spurs "losses" aren't nearly as numerous, so a couple bad losses when you only have 7 skews things.

But like I said, it is just an observation. It is just the look of the team and the players at certain times. Nothing I can fully quantify.

[DesignatedT]

It is the one curious area that Pop allows the players to use as an excuse. Not the refs, not the other team, fans, weather or anything else that you will hear from the Lakers, Mavs, Hornets, Celtics, Heat, and so on. But a back to back and the players seem to cue in that they will be excused for having a poor night.

Exactly. It goes more then the team just being physically tired (which they probably are more then normal) but it seems as the team mentality changes on a b2b in which they are thinking about it too much or to some degree expecting a close game/loss.

That includes the coach also, and I think you saw that a little with a Splitter substitution at the 7 minute mark in the 1st... out of the ordinary.

[Ice009]

I'm going to say that NO is now maybe ahead of Dallas as our new match up problem team with Dallas dropping to second.

[Ice009]

New Orleans fans - That defense was incredible.

I love defense and that D the Hornets played was awesome.

[ohmwrecker]

So I think Ohm owes me an apology.

Cue the "you didn't post the link" comment...

I must have missed something. What did I do? I didn't see you down there, dude.

[DesignatedT]

New Orleans fans - That defense was incredible.

I love defense and that D the Hornets played was awesome.

It was quite impressive.

[TampaDude]

Win 8, lose 1...I'll take that all season long. :toast

GO SPURS GO!!!!!

[duncan228]

New Orleans Hornets 96, San Antonio Spurs 72 (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/new-orleans-hornets-96-san-antonio-spurs-72)
by Timothy Varner
48 Minutes of Hell

There is no sense in dwelling on this one. The Hornets crushed the Spurs tonight.

One night after holding the Atlanta Hawks to 59—yes, you read that correctly—the Hornets defense held the Spurs, arguably the best offense in the NBA, to an embarrassingly low 72 total points. Everything was embarrassingly low for the Spurs, in fact. The Spurs lost the rebound war by 25 and only managed to score 12 and 10 points in the first and third quarters, respectively.

New Orleans, whose defense was anchored by Emeka Okafor’s interior presence (5 blocks), officially has everyone’s attention. Simply put, New Orleans’ team defense was easily the best San Antonio has seen all season.

Bright spots for San Antonio (other than the fact that the game is over): George Hill’s sprained thumb did not force him to miss consecutive contests, Tiago Splitter made the most of his minutes (led the team with 11 points), and Larry Owens played well in the extended garbage time that was the 4th quarter. Who knows if Owens will stick with the Spurs, but one got a sense of why the Spurs were willing to offer him a 10 day contract.

Finally, even though Gregg Popovich is sure to not like the outcome of this game, I’ll bet he’s proud of Monty Williams. It’s always nice to leave a 24 point beat down with a silver lining under your arm. It makes the bus ride easier.

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/new-orleans-hornets-96-san-antonio-spurs-72

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Win 8, lose 1...I'll take that all season long. :toast

GO SPURS GO!!!!!
I was about to say the same thing!

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

[carina_gino20]

I also understand that those numbers aren't great because the Spurs "losses" aren't nearly as numerous, so a couple bad losses when you only have 7 skews things.

But like I said, it is just an observation. It is just the look of the team and the players at certain times. Nothing I can fully quantify.

To be fair, they also have really bad stretches in their wins. They're just highlighted more in these losses.:toast

And tonight, with the 2nd game of a B2B and the Hornets' great D, it became downright embarrassing.

[m33p0]

glad i didn't get to see this game.

[Capt Bringdown]

New Orleans fans - That defense was incredible.

I love defense and that D the Hornets played was awesome.

Spurs were shaken and perhaps needed to be. That was indeed awesome D, the best I've seen by any team this year. They're really playing as a unit.

[duncan228]

Some post-game quotes.

More quotes:

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170948


West leads Hornets to 96-72 rout of Spurs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011012203)
By Brett Martel

This was supposed to be a brutal stretch of the schedule for the New Orleans Hornets.

Instead, David West and fellow starters have spent back-to-back nights kicking back on the bench in the fourth quarter, smiling as reserves close out double-digit routs of the playoff-contending Atlanta Hawks and the NBA-leading San Antonio Spurs.

West had 18 points and 10 rebounds in less than 30 minutes, and the Hornets earned their eighth consecutive victory while ending San Antonio’s eight-game winning streak, 96-72 on Saturday night.

“I don’t think we expected the games to be like this,” West said. “But we’ve been having some good film sessions, having really good dialogue and talking amongst ourselves about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to defend teams.”

One night after winning by 41 at Atlanta, the Hornets led by as many as 31 against a Spurs team that has the NBA’s best record (37-7), but which has also lost twice to New Orleans (29-16).

The Hornets entered the game with an NBA-low 91.4 points allowed per game and only strengthened their claim as the best defensive team in the league by holding San Antonio to a season-low in points.

“It shows a little consistency,” said Emeka Okafor, who had 12 rebounds and five of the Hornets’ eight blocks. “We’re on a little bit of a tear here. These two commanding wins we’ve had adds some validity to it.”

Including their 100-59 victory over the Hawks, the Hornets have now held consecutive teams to 72 or fewer points for the first time in franchise history.

The Hornets’ offense wasn’t bad, either.

Marcus Thornton and Trevor Ariza each hit all four 3-pointers they took as the Hornets set a season high with 12 3s. Thornton finished with 18 points and Ariza 15. Chris Paul had 11 points six assists and six rebounds in 30:36, playing the most of any starter.

Tony Parker’s 10 points made him the only double-digit scorer among the Spurs starters, who spent much of the second half on the bench.

“New Orleans played fantastic defense—physical, physical, well-executed defense,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who spent much of the game grimacing with arms folded, but after smiled warmly and hugged his protege, Hornets rookie coach Monty Williams.

“When you combine that with fine shooting, you’re in for a hell of a night. They were wonderful.”

The Hornets, who have won 11 of 13, have their second eight-game winning streak of the season, marking the first time in franchise history they’ve had two streaks that long in one season.

It is also the NBA’s longest active streak. The Spurs entered the game with that distinction, but lost it with their worst loss this season.

San Antonio, which shot 36.2 percent (25 of 69) against New Orleans, had not been held below 85 points previously this season and had not lost by more than 22.

“You have to give them credit for their defense,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan said. “They were very good tonight and they did not give us a lot of stuff. On top of that, we missed a lot of shots.”

After a closely contested first half, the Hornets blew the game open by outscoring the Spurs 31-10 in the third quarter. San Antonio’s point total for the period was the lowest of any Hornets opponent in any quarter this season.

After Parker’s jumper got San Antonio as close as 42-40, the Spurs went the next 7:32 without scoring. The Hornets scored 21 unanswered points during that stretch, including 10 by West on three jumpers, a breakaway dunk set up by Ariza’s steal and a tip-in.

Ariza had two 3s during the surge and there were defensive highlights as well, including Okafor’s two blocks on Tiago Splitter in one possession that ended with a shot-clock violation and brought the sellout crowd to its feet.

The Spurs had another shot-clock violation on their next possession, after which West had a tip-in to make it 64-42. Paul’s soaring floater off the glass made it 66-42 to cap the run, but the Hornets’ lead grew to 87-56.

When it was over, Williams sought to keep his player mindful of how a couple of blowout wins could lead to complacency—and losing—if they weren’t careful. On Monday, the Hornets play their third playoff contender in four nights when Oklahoma City comes to town.

“We can’t be satisfied,” Williams said. “I know everybody is going to be talking about how the Hornets beat the best team in the league and making a lot out of that, but we haven’t beaten Oklahoma City in the regular season or the preseason.We have to maintain our focus and our discipline.”

Notes: The teams will not meet again this season. The season series finished tied 2-2. … Announced attendance was 18,023, meaning a crowd of 11,758 or larger on Monday night will void a clause in the team’s arena lease that would allow the club to move after this season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2011012203

[crc21209]

Spurs were shaken and perhaps needed to be. That was indeed awesome D, the best I've seen by any team this year. They're really playing as a unit.

+1. Sometimes I think it's good for them to get their asses beaten down just to open their eyes and let them know you can be beat and you need to continue to work at getting better and better...

[PublicOption]

New Orleans fans - That defense was incredible.

I love defense and that D the Hornets played was awesome.


its not great defense when you are allowed to hack on one end.:nope

[ploto]

NOLA played great D, hit a ton of threes and caught the Spurs on a night where nothing was going right.

Maybe nothing was going right for the Spurs because of New Orleans.

[Chieflion]

New Orleans Hornets played the best defense I have seen out of any team against the Spurs this season. They disrupted penetration, sealed passing lanes with great team defense and 100% effort. Every shot was challenged. I wish the Spurs would show us this type of defense in the playoffs. We definitely need it. The Hornets did this with Okafor and West as their frontcourt. There is no reason why the Spurs cannot duplicate this type of performance when needed.

[ohmwrecker]

Maybe nothing was going right for the Spurs because of New Orleans.


NOLA played great D, hit a ton of threes and caught the Spurs on a night where nothing was going right.

Do you not read what you quote?

[BRs.Ganso]

Good to see Tiago playing decent minutes... He needs confidence, when he plays 1, 2, 6 minutes per game, he enter on the court trying to make everything in small time, showing precipitation and nervousism...

I did some calcula, when he plays more than 15 minutes per game (16 or more), no matter if is against garbage of the other team or starters, he average 20,7 minutes, 9,3 points and 5,0 rebounds, for me is a good numbers for a rookie.

[Ice009]

Good to see Tiago playing decent minutes... He needs confidence, when he plays 1, 2, 6 minutes per game, he enter on the court trying to make everything in small time, showing precipitation and nervousism...

I did some calcula, when he plays more than 15 minutes per game (16 or more), no matter if is against garbage of the other team or starters, he average 20,7 minutes, 9,3 points and 5,0 rebounds, for me is a good numbers for a rookie.

Those numbers aren't too bad, but still he needs to rebound better. I'd be real happy with that point production in 20 minutes per game, but not the rebounding. He really needs to work on rebounding the ball stronger.

[BRs.Ganso]

Those numbers aren't too bad, but still he needs to rebound better. I'd be real happy with that point production in 20 minutes per game, but not the rebounding. He really needs to work on rebounding the ball stronger.

Agree

he need improve his rebound, muscular mass, and mid-range shot. In my opinion. But like I said, playing small time like he's playing, is much more hard obtain this.

[CubanMustGo]

Do you not read what you quote?

No, ploto has taken a vow to never say anything favorable to the Spurs (or Spurs fans) since her beloved Nesterovic was let go.