Glass half full: We competed against two very tough teams

[ElNono]

I know, this loss stings... we just gave it to them... but I think what we can get out of these two games is that we competed on the road, without Timmy (still our defensive anchor), in two arenas where it's hard to win, against two teams that are playing desperately for positioning.

We were in both games all the way to the end, despite Blair/Bonner, and what not. I think if we improve a bit on the turnovers and execution, we should be able to win some games until Tim comes back, and then we should look a lot better. Tiago seems to be getting in game shape, and is starting to really produce.

Not everything has to look bad right now. Ultimately, I rather lose and learn now, than during the playoffs...

[DPG21920]

There is no glass full El Nono. Again, that doesn't mean they aren't a great team, but the problems I see are championship preventative problems and that is the expectation.

They are still great, are having a great season, but all that matters is a legit shot at #5 and right now their problems and play aren't conducive to a title team. Hard truth. They will need an epic playoff run just to have a shot.

[spurs1990]

You're actually on the money on all accounts.

Only thing is Spurs choked both games.

We get Portland in a couple of days anyway so look for an a%$@ pounding of epic proportions at that time.

[4>0rings]

Spurs are the best fucking team in the league. They need to put these fuckers away.

[DesignatedT]

What is this???? GTFO with this optimistic bullshit!!

FUCK POP FUCK RJ FUCK MANU FUCK BONNER

[HarlemHeat37]

It's definitely encouraging, they should have beaten 2 top 5-6 teams in the West on their home floor, without their best big/leader..

However, what makes it a guarantee that Pop will coach any differently in the playoffs?..there's a very good chance that he continues to rely heavily on Bonner and Blair, and make strange decisions like Novak inbounding in clutch time..

[Mugen]

we didnt compete. we outplayed two very good teams only to piss it away in the clutch. nothing to be happy about.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Spurs are the best fucking team in the league. They need to put these fuckers away.

Lakers >>>>>> Spurs

Like on a whole other level.

[Capt Bringdown]

We have correctable problems & a tremendous opportunity with Splitter to improve in areas that have plagued us for years.

I'm not sure we have the leadership, though.

[alchemist]

crofl at this, Spurs had both games in the bag but 2 times they choked. (pop's fault :lol)

[spurs1990]

Lakers >>>>>> Spurs

Like on a whole other level.

Are you saying 2001 all over again?

[Sean Cagney]

You're actually on the money on all accounts.

Only thing is Spurs choked both games.

We get Portland in a couple of days anyway so look for an a%$@ pounding of epic proportions at that time.

LOL yeah right, watch them blow that fucking game as well there bro :( They had a chance on the road tonight without TIM, now they go do this shyt here? I am sorry we could have nearly wrapped the West up tonight and the other night but blew both games, this is a bitter taste in my mouth to swallow.
crofl at this, Spurs had both games in the bag but 2 times they choked. (pop's fault :lol)

Lakers down only 5 now and will not lose, f in great thats just fucking great! GOOD JOB SPURS, fucking spares as I call them at times.

[ElNono]

There is no glass full El Nono. Again, that doesn't mean they aren't a great team, but the problems I see are championship preventative problems and that is the expectation.

They are still great, are having a great season, but all that matters is a legit shot at #5 and right now their problems and play aren't conducive to a title team. Hard truth. They will need an epic playoff run just to have a shot.

I was surprised we were in these games at all, tbh. I thought we would be run out of the gym. Especially against Portland, who already did that to us with Tim in there.

We do have struggles to overcome, like that 40 point quarter against Denver. But under the pessimism of the loss, I also see some good signs. We really competed all the way to the end, despite all the problems. And we did that against good, desperate teams in their houses. If we play like this, with Tim, on the playoffs, I think we'll win more than we'll lose.

[spurs1990]

LOL yeah right, watch them blow that fucking game as well there bro :( They had a chance on the road tonight without TIM, now they go do this shyt here? I am sorry we could have nearly wrapped the West up tonight and the other night but blew both games, this is a bitter taste in my mouth to swallow.

Lakers down only 5 now and will not lose, f in great thats just fucking great! GOOD JOB SPURS, fucking spares as I call them at times.

The Lakers and Hornets and Magic have destroyed the Spurs this season. Yet every time they came back and kept on winning. I have a notion things are going up.

10 game winning steak to end the season.

[crc21209]

What I wanna fucking know is, where the hell was Splitter in the last 5-6 minutes of the ball game when the Spurs had a 10 point lead? I know Blair was one of the reasons they got the lead, but you cant expect him to be able to guard Aldridge one on one in crunch time....

[ElNono]

It's definitely encouraging, they should have beaten 2 top 5-6 teams in the West on their home floor, without their best big/leader..

However, what makes it a guarantee that Pop will coach any differently in the playoffs?..there's a very good chance that he continues to rely heavily on Bonner and Blair, and make strange decisions like Novak inbounding in clutch time..

I'm hoping Pop likes what he sees out there with Splitter, and that Tiago is not completely out of shape right now. I wouldn't doubt Pop still going to Blair and Bonner, not for a second. But I think Tiago has become another option now once Tim comes back. I don't think he was before the injury.

And all that said, even with Bonner in a slump, Blair being non-existent, Harrington hanging 27 on us, we still competed and were right there on both games. I think that's really a positive.

[Budkin]

The only thing good about the game was everything before the choke and Splitter. The problem is that we're still running the gauntlet and desperately need a few wins. Otherwise we lose the top seed. It's unfathomable but it could happen.

[Sean Cagney]

The Lakers and Hornets and Magic have destroyed the Spurs this season. Yet every time they came back and kept on winning. I have a notion things are going up.

10 game winning steak to end the season.

I hope to god so....

[Borosai]

If the glass is half full of waste water with a few turds bobbing on the surface... is it still a positive thing?

[carina_gino20]

“He might do things just because it's Tuesday.”

[c whata11]

i guess this isnt really positive or negative, but all through the broadcast they mentioned the spurs havent won in portland since 2007. so its not a game the spurs were expected to win, especially without td. but again, that was a mean choke job by the spurs.

[Mugen]

the only positive you can take away from this game is that we get to play Portland on Monday.

[crc21209]

the only positive you can take away from this game is that we get to play Portland on Monday.

Portland isnt very good on the road. The Spurs need to come out on Monday with fucking revenge on their minds and beat the hell out of them...

[mingus]

Splitter helped contain one of the best PFs in the game to 14 and 8. Encouraging signs.

[Cane]

the only positive you can take away from this game is that we get to play Portland on Monday.


Portland isnt very good on the road. The Spurs need to come out on Monday with fucking revenge on their minds and beat the hell out of them...

Unfortunately thats going to be the 2nd game of a back to back but at least its at home and hopefully the Spurs will get the phantom calls and get away with 4 steps like Andre Miller did :hat Fucking bullshit that they called a travelling violation on Parker twice and let that shit fly, the refs were probably too slow to keep up and run with 'em in the 4th.

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

i guess this isnt really positive or negative, but all through the broadcast they mentioned the spurs havent won in portland since 2007. so its not a game the spurs were expected to win, especially without td. but again, that was a mean choke job by the spurs.

THIS PEOPLE!! if tiagos put in the game at the 4th we win period. tiago and blair/manu/parker gave us a hell of a chance and we choked plain and simple. but i still think pop is having a hard time swallowing his pride hes lost alot of respect in here and is his own worst enemy.

i think tiago was meant to play in the playoffs and if timmy doesnt get hurt we would have had an early exit, with tiago i see us winning a championship. theres a reason pops slowly giving him starter minutes. if he closes games for us (hopefully the next game) i see us winning most of our games no joke.i know it sounds stupid but everyone will see how good this kid can be.i mean pop is so wrong to be putting all this pressure on tiagos shoulders after disrespecting him the whole season.

if bonners so fucking good shouldnt he be able to carry this team??? hell no hes utter garbage. pop is so pathetic to put all this weight on tiagos shoulders right before the playoffs,(unbelievable) yet tiago still goes in and makes pop look even stupider for benching him. thats why i respect tiagos attitude.

pop treats euro players like slaves/disrespectful. ive heard argentinians say this and they are right !!he'll play neal (from same league as tiago) but wont play tiago??? theres more of a need for tiagos position, he said it wouldn't be fair to the other guys if he played tiago, yet he played neal and contradicted himself when you compare the reasons he gave to sit tiago. actually james anderson should be freaking playing! he provides great defense we really need, and we only have 12 players in and id rather have anderson playing .

DNP -novaks dumb ass he just had his confidence murdered 2night so i doubt (hope im wrong) hes ever going to show up again. hope pop sits his ass and that whole white un-athletic 3pt center/ cancerous dream that pop wants so bad. its getting pathetic. we need splitter off the bench with dice or /blair

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

Splitter helped contain one of the best PFs in the game to 14 and 8. Encouraging signs.

:toast

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Are you saying 2001 all over again?

:lol I'm thinking it'll be more competitive than that, so probably more like 2008.


Sucks knowing that despite having the best record in the NBA, your team most likely won't even be in the finals.

[mingus]

other than the fact that we should've won this game, and it stings even more because of that, i take away mostly good things from this game. the Spurs held Portland to 96 points in Portland w/o their defensive anchor. i actually think that i felt better about the Spurs now than i have at any point in the season. why? because we've actually learned that Tiago Splitter is damn good.

i'm losing confidence in the coach, though. how our coach has not played a guy that is clearly very good for pretty much the whole year, and better than Bonner is almost every aspect of the game, and that it it weren;'t for a Duncan injury we wouldn't have seen him at all, has me really questioning his competence.

[MannyIsGod]

Tiago is playing very well now and I'm very impressed but he certainly has not been better than Bonner this year.

[DPG21920]

He really hasn't had the opportunity. You do see what he brings and Pop for some reason never gave him his chance. There was no reason for it either.

[MannyIsGod]

Thats not true. Tiago played terribly earlier in the season and had a lack of legs for a good part of it. To say that he's not gotten a chance is not correct. He got a chances early and didn't impress.

Thankfully, he's gotten a chance again and he's come through like a champ. I look forward to seeing more of Tiago and hopefully Pop realizes that these playoffs are for Splitter.

[DPG21920]

He didn't get a fair chance, Manny. There is no arguing that. Pop even said it. He said he couldn't give him time and his excuse is bull shit.

[jjktkk]

There is no glass full El Nono. Again, that doesn't mean they aren't a great team, but the problems I see are championship preventative problems and that is the expectation.

They are still great, are having a great season, but all that matters is a legit shot at #5 and right now their problems and play aren't conducive to a title team. Hard truth. They will need an epic playoff run just to have a shot.

I see what your saying, but Its hard for me to agree because of Duncan not being on the floor. We lost two winnable games on the road against playoff teams. Last night was a really bad loss, but the Spurs, without Duncan, were right there. I would have a totally different opinion if Duncan was playing last night.

[SenorSpur]

There is no glass full El Nono. Again, that doesn't mean they aren't a great team, but the problems I see are championship preventative problems and that is the expectation.

They are still great, are having a great season, but all that matters is a legit shot at #5 and right now their problems and play aren't conducive to a title team. Hard truth. They will need an epic playoff run just to have a shot.

^ This

Another troubling thing, and this is no surprise to anyone, is how this team has morphed into an "outside-in" offensive team, that relies heavily on 3-pt shooting as its primary offensive weapon. Many times sacrificing or failing to realize any mismatch in the post. Furthermore, they sometimes even forego the chance for possible fastbreak layups, only to fan out to the 3-pt line for spot up shots behind the arc.

Utilizing the 3-pt shot as a part of the team's overall offensive scheme is a good strategy. However, we all know it's a lower percentage shot and, on the road, sometimes those shots just don't go down. It's troubling because the Spurs, Manu especially, have become so dependent upon it, that it takes away their aggressiveness, while simulteanously leading to immediate fast-break opportunities for the opposition. Points in the paint translate into higher percentage shots, easier baskets, increased FT opportunities and open looks from the arc.

Look back on any of the NBA championship teams and you'll not find a single one that was strictly a jump-shooting team. It's not a recipe for a championship.

If it were that easy, the Warriors, Suns and Mavs would've won a title by now. I know the league rules have changed, but Pop has allowed this team to go way overboard with the "downtown" philosophy.

[jjktkk]

we didnt compete. we outplayed two very good teams only to piss it away in the clutch. nothing to be happy about.

Your contradicting yourself here. "we outplayed two very good teams", but lost. Outplaying Denver and Portland is competing. They the Spurs failed at the end of those two games, but to say they wern't competing is not very accurate imo.

[jjktkk]

We have correctable problems & a tremendous opportunity with Splitter to improve in areas that have plagued us for years.

I'm not sure we have the leadership, though.

This is actually one of the more positive things you have said about this team, so I'll take it. :lol

[DPG21920]

I see what your saying, but Its hard for me to agree because of Duncan not being on the floor. We lost two winnable games on the road against playoff teams. Last night was a really bad loss, but the Spurs, without Duncan, were right there. I would have a totally different opinion if Duncan was playing last night.

I see what you are saying, and my statements aren't about just these two games. I know I come off negative at times, but I am not. I just try to look at things objectively, but every loss hurts and every win makes me happy.

They have not made progress and they have actually declined in many important areas. This has been going on for months. Spurs were in both of these games, but the reason they are losing is because their best players either aren't playing well (RJ), look out of gas (most others) or a combo of both (Manu).

They can muster up really good moments, but they can't sustain enough. They will still win games and be in games because they are talented, but these last two games are just symptoms of problems that have been ongoing for a while now despite the great record.

[Harry Callahan]

Senor is right.

It will take a Herculean effort, luck, and no more injuries for SA to be successful in the playoffs.

The lack of size up front bothers me the most.

When your guy with size is out (Duncan), everything is harder to do.

The Spurs have exceeded my expectations by a mile this year, but when you have a shot to get it done (even if the shot is not a great one) you want to see them do it.

Every year since the 2007 championship, SA has had a major late season injury.

08 - Manu (injured ankle tendon/ligament. Playing on one leg in Lakers series. Required offseason surgery)
09 - Manu again (stress fracture). Missed playoffs entirely.
10- Parker (Planter Facia) and Manu (Broken nose from Mavericks series - that was a huge injury that totally messed up his game).
11 - Duncan (Ankle sprain).

Splitters recent improvement and the Spurs ability to compete on the road against hot WC teams is encouraging, but the full squad is going to be needed as we get into april. If SA can just put a couple of wins together this coming week, things should settle a little bit.

BTW, is there any further update on Duncan? His absense is obviously hurting SA's efficiency.

[boutons_deux]

BS, 2 weeks before the playoffs, for this team, against those 2 teams, Spurs' glass should 2-0, at very least 1-1, but the glass is empty with 0-2.

Spurs's .800 overall record is looking very fool's gold-y right now, with a record of .400 against playoff teams since mid-Feb.

Dammit, when Tony's got that detached zombie face on, Pop otta just sit him. He hurts way more than he helps.

btw, those "two very tough teams" competed against a supposedly tough team and won both times.

[jjktkk]

They have not made progress and they have actually declined in many important areas. This has been going on for months. Spurs were in both of these games, but the reason they are losing is because their best players either aren't playing well (RJ), look out of gas (most others) or a combo of both (Manu).

They can muster up really good moments, but they can't sustain enough. They will still win games and be in games because they are talented, but these last two games are just symptoms of problems that have been ongoing for a while now despite the great record.

This. My hope though, in the playoffs, is that the Spurs will amp it up a notch. I know the big 3 will, but RJ, Dyess, etc... need to follow suit.

[Mugen]

Your contradicting yourself here. "we outplayed two very good teams", but lost. Outplaying Denver and Portland is competing. They the Spurs failed at the end of those two games, but to say they wern't competing is not very accurate imo.

i meant we didnt just compete, we actually outplayed both teams except for the last 2 minutes.

So to me thats not a very good sign of our ability to close games out. Especially when its Manu/TP/Pop choking at the end.

[jjktkk]

i meant we didnt just compete, we actually outplayed both teams except for the last 2 minutes.

So to me thats not a very good sign of our ability to close games out. Especially when its Manu/TP/Pop choking at the end.

Agree. But I have faith that we won't see our top players repeating this kind of performance anytime soon.

[baseline bum]

Huh? How can the glass be half full when it's spilled all over the floor?

[John Basedow]

You can't spin anything good out of a loss like this. If it were Neal and Hill who committed those late turnovers, it would be forgivable...but you had a 3-time champion backcourt commit some of the dumbest, untimely turnovers ever witnessed. The icing on the cake was the 4-time champion coach drawing up that gem of an inbounds play

[spurtech09]

yeah spurs should have won both those games but mistakes and turnovers killed this team....right the spurs should be 59-13....by the way portland and denver barely beat spurs and without duncan...if duncan in the line-up spurs win big against these teams....just to tell you portland and denver aren't that good....just got lucky

[mingus]

Thats not true. Tiago played terribly earlier in the season and had a lack of legs for a good part of it. To say that he's not gotten a chance is not correct. He got a chances early and didn't impress.

Thankfully, he's gotten a chance again and he's come through like a champ. I look forward to seeing more of Tiago and hopefully Pop realizes that these playoffs are for Splitter.

Taigo did not play terribly earlier on in the season. Its definitely not so black and white. This post is complete and utter bullshit.

[boutons_deux]

We'll see how the Spurs respond Mon night vs POR.

POR being 3L from missing the playoffs need the W much worse than the Spurs.

POR are losers on the road, 16-20.

[TD 21]

^ This

Another troubling thing, and this is no surprise to anyone, is how this team has morphed into an "outside-in" offensive team, that relies heavily on 3-pt shooting as its primary offensive weapon. Many times sacrificing or failing to realize any mismatch in the post. Furthermore, they sometimes even forego the chance for possible fastbreak layups, only to fan out to the 3-pt line for spot up shots behind the arc.

Utilizing the 3-pt shot as a part of the team's overall offensive scheme is a good strategy. However, we all know it's a lower percentage shot and, on the road, sometimes those shots just don't go down. It's troubling because the Spurs, Manu especially, have become so dependent upon it, that it takes away their aggressiveness, while simulteanously leading to immediate fast-break opportunities for the opposition. Points in the paint translate into higher percentage shots, easier baskets, increased FT opportunities and open looks from the arc.

Look back on any of the NBA championship teams and you'll not find a single one that was strictly a jump-shooting team. It's not a recipe for a championship.

If it were that easy, the Warriors, Suns and Mavs would've won a title by now. I know the league rules have changed, but Pop has allowed this team to go way overboard with the "downtown" philosophy.

I love how the Spurs "aren't contenders because they're a jump shooting team and they don't rebound". Yet the Celtics are contenders, despite the fact that they're a jump shooting team and an even worse rebounding team. Great logic.

Don't give me the "yeah, but, they defend better", because the Spurs are better offensively and still 8th best defensively. In other words, they're a more balanced team and balance is what wins championships. So if you're going to consider the Celtics a contender, then there's no excuse not to consider the Spurs one too.

[ElNono]

You can't spin anything good out of a loss like this. If it were Neal and Hill who committed those late turnovers, it would be forgivable...but you had a 3-time champion backcourt commit some of the dumbest, untimely turnovers ever witnessed. The icing on the cake was the 4-time champion coach drawing up that gem of an inbounds play

Like Phil Jackson drawing a play for Kobe to chuck a 3 pointer almost from halfcourt against Miami with plenty of time left, or Odom not boxing out Dice?

Shit like this happens. Better than they happen now than in the playoffs.
Sucks because we had the game pretty much in our pocket, but it's not the end of the world.

[Sean Cagney]

You can't spin anything good out of a loss like this.

You are right, there is no good to come outta that chokejob there, nothing will make me ever want to see that game or think about it again, just a utter failure of a game they had in the bag in the West race.

[Sean Cagney]

Tiago is playing very well now and I'm very impressed but he certainly has not been better than Bonner this year.

Lately he has been better, but he did not get time earlier to prove that for some reason! I wish Pop played him alot earlier, but hey it's now and we gotta take what we get.

[Budkin]

You can't spin anything good out of a loss like this. If it were Neal and Hill who committed those late turnovers, it would be forgivable...but you had a 3-time champion backcourt commit some of the dumbest, untimely turnovers ever witnessed. The icing on the cake was the 4-time champion coach drawing up that gem of an inbounds play

About the only thing you can be grateful for is that it wasn't a playoff game... that's it.

[mingus]

another thing that hasn't been mentioned much in this is how shitty the refs were on that last play. not only did they miss the most obvious travel ever, but the foul was just as disgusting. that just wasn't a foul at all.

like i said, not many times this late in the season do you have revelatory games. this game was one. we learned that Splitter has the potential to make the Spurs' frontcourt one of the best defensive frontcourts in the league. if you match him up with Duncan, you have interior size and talent defensively that only the Lakers can match right now. those two could potentially, if Popovich takes his head out of his ass, make this team a defensive juggernaut and be able win games in the low 80s and 90s, which is essential. there's a reason Alrdridge looked like the second coming of Wilt Chamberlain the previous time we played them, but no this last time. and honestly, he shouldn't even have had 14 points in this game. he hit like three shots in the first quarter that were Kobe-level difficulty shots. he probably should've had 10 points., which is unbelievable considering how great he's been.

[++SaiNt TiAg0++]

another thing that hasn't been mentioned much in this is how shitty the refs were on that last play. not only did they miss the most obvious travel ever, but the foul was just as disgusting. that just wasn't a foul at all.

like i said, not many times this late in the season do you have revelatory games. this game was one. we learned that Splitter has the potential to make the Spurs' frontcourt one of the best defensive frontcourts in the league. if you match him up with Duncan, you have interior size and talent defensively that only the Lakers can match right now. those two could potentially, if Popovich takes his head out of his ass, make this team a defensive juggernaut and be able win games in the low 80s and 90s, which is essential. there's a reason Alrdridge looked like the second coming of Wilt Chamberlain the previous time we played them, but no this last time. and honestly, he shouldn't even have had 14 points in this game. he hit like three shots in the first quarter that were Kobe-level difficulty shots. he probably should've had 10 points., which is unbelievable considering how great he's been.

+1
fade away jumpers with a hand in his face...yup saw those L.Aldridge deserves respect . yet (no respect) for what tiago's defense accomplished?? strange...something even duncan hasnt been able to do since hes aged. (no disrespect to timmy).

[quentin_compson]

I can understand the meltdowns, because it was a brutal way to lose a game for sure. Still, not everything in this last game was bad, so a thread like this one is a good way to gain some perspective.
The defense was pretty decent for most of the game against Portland, and Tiago made the most of his possibility to prove himself (let's hope it's not too late for him to earn something of a role come playoff time).
And well, the chances of Manu, Tony and Pop repeating the stupid mistakes they made down the stretch should be slim (that's what I'm trying to convince myself of, anyway :p:).