Grades: Spurs @ Celtics - Apr. 4

[timvp]

In the ultimate tale of two halves, San Antonio was able to escape Boston with an 87-86 victory despite a horrific offensive performance in the final two quarters. The win was the team's ninth straight and 15th of their last 17 on the road.

The Spurs were humming along offensively in the first half, leading by as many as 17 points. Their 32 points in the second period capped off a 59-48 half and the Spurs looked very much like a team that had averaged 108.6 points in their previous 14 outings.

And then the second half began.

Give a lot of credit to the Celtics, who are one of the best two or three defensive teams in the entire league when they're clicking, but San Antonio also played a large role in their offensive struggles. The ball-movement was spotty and never crisp, the shot selection was poor, and any type of aggression was rare. The result was an unconscionably ugly 28-point second half.

Amazingly, the offensive meltdown didn't cost the Spurs the game. Their defense stiffened, they controlled the boards and the good guys hit a few timely shots at the end to escape.

On one hand, I don't like seeing a Spurs squad that relies so heavily on offense go so cold. But on the other hand, these are the kind of games a team has to win in the playoffs in order to be the last ones standing. If you can't win ugly, you can't win championships.

http://oi43.tinypic.com/9l8lli.jpg

http://oi42.tinypic.com/adynwz.jpg

Tim Duncan B-
Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Tim Duncan didn't look very good physically. His mobility was limited and it was a chore for him to run up and down the court. Despite his limitations, his effort was off the charts -- especially on the glass. The Spurs winning the rebounding battle 53-39 is the main reason why the won the game and that advantage was largely due to Duncan. When he wasn't grabbing caroms himself, he was stubbornly boxing out to create room for one of his teammates to come down the board. Defensively, I thought he was solid and got better as the game progressed. While he wasn't showing on jumpers early, he picked it up late -- including the game-winning stop on Paul Pierce's jumper at the buzzer. In the paint, Duncan was doing fine work protecting the rim. Offensively, he wasn't moving well enough to get himself many good looks and he compounding his problems by taking ill-advised attempts. But he hit a key shot late and was one of the few players on the team who didn't seem to be afflicted with offensive ADHD at halftime.

Manu Ginobili F+
Manu Ginobili has had a great season but, wow, was he ever bad tonight. His five turnovers don't even begin to tell the story about how sloppy he was with the ball. When he wasn't turning the ball over, his lazy, looping passes were putting his teammates in horrible positions. For whatever reason, Ginobili refused to turn the corner when he had the ball and instead made poor decision after poor decision. Defensively, he wasn't nearly as bad as he was on offense … but he was still bad. Outside of short bursts of energy, he was a non-factor on that end as well. I gave him that plus because he hit a shot in the fourth quarter and had a key offensive rebound. But really, I don't know if it's possible for Manu Ginobili to play worse.

Tony Parker D
Out of the gates, Tony Parker was playing really well. He was attacking relentlessly and produced a number of scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. The Celtics began the game with a lot of juice but Parker matched it and then some. Unfortunately, as the game went along, Parker got progressively worse. In the final two quarters, he was awful. He ran the show with no purpose and never attempted to right the ship; Parker seemed content to allow his team to sink. Defensively, he was average. He stuck to the gameplan well but had a few breakdowns that led to easy hoops for Boston. Near the end of the game, Parker appeared to hurt his arm in a fall and sat out the final two and a half minutes. As of this writing, it's not yet known whether he was injured or held out for precautionary purposes.

Danny Green B+
The great thing about Danny Green tonight is that he competed. The Celtics can be an intimidating bunch at times but Green just kept at it. He took some questionable shots on offense and took some questionable gambles on defense but he did it all with unabashed confidence -- and the Spurs needed that on this night when they were teetering on the brink of mental implosion in the second half. Offensively he never blinked and just kept shooting. Defensively, he was great at times and his hustle was exemplary. He also gave great effort on the boards throughout.

Kawhi Leonard C
Kawhi Leonard wasn't moving with his typical explosiveness. I'm not quite ready to say he's hit the rookie wall but it should be noted that he has only 13 points and six rebounds in the last three games over a span of 61 minutes. Against the Celtics, he did nothing offensively. He was passive and failed to move to open spots. The timing on his cuts to the basket was poor, which is a rarity for him. Leonard's defense wasn't very good early but he saved his night by playing outstanding defense in the second half. He had a few issues with screens but when isolated against, he did fantastic work.

DeJuan Blair A-
I didn't think DeJuan Blair played that well when I watched the game live but after watching the replay, I changed my mind. Blair did just about all that could be expected out of him. Defensively, he was matched up against Brandon Bass and Blair held him without a basket. Offensively, he brought a lot of energy and finished very well in the paint. The imagination he illustrated when scoring amongst the trees was impressive. Best of all, Blair ran the court better than he has all season; he routinely beat everyone up the court both ways. The one negative about his night was a lack of rebounding. All four of Boston's offensive rebounds came with Blair on the court.

Stephen Jackson A-
I absolutely loved what Stephen Jackson gave the team tonight. When the Celtics were using their physicality to push around the Spurs, it was Jackson who stepped up and pushed back. His toughness -- both mentally and physically -- was a leading reason why the Spurs survived. Offensively, while he missed his shots, his selection was superb. Whenever he had a mismatch, he attempted to take advantage. When the Spurs were sputtering, he was one of the few players running anything that resembled an offensive set. On defense, Jackson was far and away the best player on the Spurs. One-on-one, he was nearly flawless. His hedges on pick-and-roll sets flustered the Celtics. Jackson's help defense was always on time -- and sometimes even ahead of time. He also rebounded well and came up with a huge steal with two and half minutes remaining in the game. While Jackson needs to start hitting his shots again (he's only 4-for-17 in the last three contests), the rest of his game is at a high level right now.

Matt Bonner A-
Give the man some credit. Matt Bonner gets criticized for not rebounding and not hitting shots in tight ballgames. Tonight, he rebounded the ball extremely well and hit what ended up being the game-winner from 16-feet with 46 seconds remaining. His hoop at the shot clock buzzer put the Spurs up by four points and the Celtics would only score again on a Ray Allen three-pointer. In addition to his work on the defensive glass, Bonner prevailed on the defensive end even though the Celtics made it a point to attack him. Offensively, he did well. He got the yips a bit in the second half -- but so did just about everyone else.

Gary Neal B-
Gary Neal had some epic lows and some memorable highs. To begin the affair, Neal made his mark by playing horrendous defense. He personally allowed Avery Bradley to get rolling. After a particularly egregious defensive miscue when he let Bradley cut backdoor unabated, Pop actually sent Patty Mills to check into the game. However, Neal hit a three-pointer on the subsequent offensive possession so Pop let him stay in the game -- and it turned out to be a great decision. In the second quarter alone, Neal accounted for 18 points and spearheaded a 19-2 run over the course of four minutes. The second half saw Neal play passable defense but really bad offense. To begin the fourth quarter, he had three turnovers and a horribly selected three-pointer. But then, with the game hanging in the balance, Neal did what Spurs fans have come to expect when he dropped a three-pointer with two minutes remaining that turned a two-point deficit into a one-point lead. And San Antonio never trailed again.

Tiago Splitter B
First of all, you can't complain about the per-minute production. Tiago Splitter was involved in seemingly every play during his 14 minutes on the court. In the first half, his pick-and-roll game was thriving. The Celtics defended it better in the second half and didn't allow Splitter nearly as much room. The Brazilian adjusted and went to the low block, where he showed off a few quality post-up moves. But he too played a role in the second half fuglitude. A couple times, he allowed the Celtics to get away with switching a small off on him by passing the ball. In those circumstances, Splitter has to learn how to use his size to his advantage. Defensively, outside of a few poor decision in which he attempted to do too much, Splitter was above average. In addition to defending the rim, he also pulled down a number of contested boards.

Pop D
Honestly, it just didn't feel like Pop ever had command of his troops. He tried pushing buttons in the second half ... but nothing worked. He literally never found a combination that showed any amount of cohesion in the final two quarters, which is a rarity for Pop. I thought playing Duncan 34 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back when he wasn't moving well was much reckless. I also think Jackson should have played more and that he should have given Boris Diaw a look in the second half, especially because the ball-movement had stopped and that's Diaw's specialty. To Pop's credit, I thought he was crazy to send Bonner into the game at the end but that ended up being the right call. And Pop having the sense to keep trotting out Ginobili despite the struggles paid off with a couple key plays at the end.

[Beanzamillion21]

As always, good shit man.

[Beanzamillion21]

As always, good shit man.
Also, Manu's worst game of his career?

[Spursfanfromafar]

LJ,

In the entry for Bonner - "16-feet with 46 minutes remaining.".. Pls correct.

[Splits]

Matt Bonner A-
Give the man some credit. Matt Bonner gets criticized for not rebounding and not hitting shots in tight ballgames. Tonight, he rebounded the ball extremely well and hit what ended up being the game-winner from 16-feet with 46 minutes remaining. His hoop at the shot clock buzzer put the Spurs up by four points and the Celtics would only score again on a Ray Allen three-pointer. In addition to his work on the defensive glass, Bonner prevailed on the defensive end even though the Celtics made it a point to attack him. Offensively, he did well. He got the yips a bit in the second half -- but so did just about everyone else.

Freudian I'm sure.

[TE]

B- for Neal? :lol wow, too generous LJ.

[DPG21920]

Is it annoying that Tiagos minutes are the biggest eye sore every night?

[angelbelow]

Now that, was a fun game to watch. Sure it wasn't dominant or flashy like the Cavaliers game, but this is a fantastic game for the Spurs to build on. Great learning experience going up against such an elite defensive oriented team. Our offense really suffered and stalled in the 2nd half and almost led to our defeat. Luckily for us, they're horrible on offense, below average rebounding team, and have no bench. We did a great job capitalizing on their weaknesses by out rebounding them by 14 and applying enough pressure to force Boston to play a 6 man rotation.

Some negatives:

Bonner - I didn't gain an inch of confidence despite his final shot. In the 2nd half, Bonner was 0-4 from 3pt line and made some gigantic mistakes in the 4th. Thankfully, it wasn't ALL bad - but if Ginobili didn't beast an offensive rebound, proceed to throw his body into 3 Boston defenders and find a wide open Bonner from 15 ft, I would have lost all faith in Matty.

Neal - I feel the same way about Neal as I feel about Bonner. He didn't help his cause with his final 3 pt dagger because he was just so detrimental overall.

Manu - Pretty much a piss poor performance from him the entire night. The good news is that he showed up in the crunch time.
Some positives:

Jackson - Defense, rebounding, swagger, intensity, playmaking, and a pinch of offense.

Splitter - Extremely productive once again. 8 pts and 6 rebounds in just 14 minutes. But his defense on KG and in general was what really stood out to me. Unfortunately, Splitter made a crucial defensive error that led to his benching.

[roycrikside]

Also, Manu's worst game of his career?

It seems like it, but really he has one or two of these every year where he's just never into it mentally or physically.

Game 3 of the Finals in 2007, Game 4 at Sacramento in 2006 are a couple of postseason examples, but I think a couple years ago he had an 0-for-8 against OKC and then saved the ball from going out of bounds on the last play of the game for RJ of all people to make the game-winning shot.

He probably should've sat out tonight. It's like he was somewhere else, mentally.

[jestersmash]

Manu had made a postgame comment a week or two ago saying that he was deliberately looking to play more of a "facilitator" role as opposed to having a more scoring-centric role going forward, and I thought this might work against him if he became too passive on the offensive end. He needs to just take what's given to him and not deliberately look to pass more and/or score less.

We need him to look to drive to the basket off the P&R to build up and maintain his reputation as a scoring threat for his P&R play to work.

I thought Boston did a good job overplaying the "pass" on the P&R when Ginobili tried to run it in the second half, and I thought Ginobili's passiveness to look for his own shot (or drive) and his (over)eagerness to always look for the pass on the roll even if it wasn't there played to the team's detriment.

[TE]

And TBH, Pop's D is also a little too high imo.

He deserved an F.

[Beanzamillion21]

Is it annoying that Tiagos minutes are the biggest eye sore every night?

He needs to get over himself.

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the grades and writeup Tim.

[TheSkeptic]

Thanks as always timvp. :toast


And TBH, Pop's D is also a little too high imo.

He deserved an F.

But I agree with TriggeredExcellence.

[timvp]

Freudian I'm sure.

Tbh, I put "seconds" but the ST software autocorrected it to "minutes" since I was talking about Bonner.

:hat

[Splits]

Pop D

Thanks for the grades. Great read, blah blah blah.

But c'mon now. We only had an 11 point lead at the half and hung on to win our 9th straight against the 2nd hottest team in the league. 15/17 on the road and 26/31 overall. And the coach gets a D? The fact that we even have 13 players who are healthy and can contribute/start is an accomplishment of its own. Our defense only gave up 38 pts in the 2nd half while nothing was falling on offense. You can't just suggest Pop "should have given Boris Diaw a look in the second half" and expect a double-digit win. Pop can't shoot the ball. The offense was horrible. But the two goats, Bonner and Neal, both avenged themselves in the end. Pop deserves a B- at worst

[MB3//]

Thanks for the grades LJ, always enjoy the hard work you put into this.
Especially after having to miss the game.

It's a little disheartening to see Diaw with a DNP.

Is he going to be the George Hill of this years playoffs?

[Libri]

Manu Ginobili F+
Manu Ginobili has had a great season but, wow, was he ever bad tonight. His five turnovers don't even begin to tell the story about how sloppy he was with the ball. When he wasn't turning the ball over, his lazy, looping passes were putting his teammates in horrible positions. For whatever reason, Ginobili refused to turn the corner when he had the ball and instead made poor decision after poor decision. Defensively, he wasn't nearly as bad as he was on offense … but he was still bad. Outside of short bursts of energy, he was a non-factor on that end as well. I gave him that plus because he hit a shot in the fourth quarter and had a key offensive rebound. But really, I don't know if it's possible for Manu Ginobili to play worse.

Didn't see the game but damn, that's bad.

[Beanzamillion21]

Thanks for the grades. Great read, blah blah blah.

But c'mon now. We only had an 11 point lead at the half and hung on to win our 9th straight against the 2nd hottest team in the league. 15/17 on the road and 26/31 overall. And the coach gets a D? The fact that we even have 13 players who are healthy and can contribute/start is an accomplishment of its own. Our defense only gave up 38 pts in the 2nd half while nothing was falling on offense. You can't just suggest Pop "should have given Boris Diaw a look in the second half" and expect a double-digit win. Pop can't shoot the ball. The offense was horrible. But the two goats, Bonner and Neal, both avenged themselves in the end. Pop deserves a B- at worst

YES! This!

[TE]

Tbh, I put "seconds" but the ST software autocorrected it to "minutes" since I was talking about Bonner.

:hat
:rollin

[ElNono]

Awful game from Manu. Better now than in the playoffs though.

Thanks for the writeup.

[letmk]

Great Writeup as always, LJ.

I was extremely happy with the comeback after Celtics finally went up by 83-81. I thought the Spurs would wilt after. Instead, they make plays to go back on front. So even if Pierce made the final shot, I would be happy with our team effort.

I also noticed Splitter passing a few shots down low when backing down smaller guards. To be honest, the passing itself is good, like one leading to a 3-pointer open shot by Bonner (He missed it). But when you are 2-feet away from the basket and is defended by a guard, you took the hook-shot or whatever shot.

[MannyIsGod]

Can't give Bonner too much credit for boarding, IMO. He was playing against midgets for the most part.

[silverblackfan]

Accurate grades. I love Manu, but I was yelling at the TV to get him out of the game. A first. Ever. He was just determined and angry, but still playing dumb. Pretty rare bad night for Manu.
Thank goodness for Jackson. After KL was getting pushed around by Pierce, Jackson came off the bench and settle him down. Tough nosed player and really paid off tonight.
Second half was a disaster, but hopefully Pop can look at the tape and find some options when the other team gets really physical in the play offs.

[Yuixafun]

Manu did manage to muscle that last rebound, attack and draw 3 defenders before somehow snaking the ball to Bonner for the game winner.

[silverblackfan]

Oh, and the refs did suck tonight. Thought someone was going to get hurt the way they were swallowing their whistles.

[timvp]

B- for Neal? :lol wow, too generous LJ.

I wanted to grade him worse but a 19-2 run with little to no help from TP or Manu ... and that big three at the end made me change my mind. How many times has TP had a negative plus/minus in the starting lineup and Manu a negative plus/minus off the bench yet the Spurs still win? Probably never.

Tonight it happened because of Neal's explosion in the second quarter.

[gambit1990]

Is it annoying that Tiagos minutes are the biggest eye sore every night?

yes.

[The ADMIRAL 50]

Pop D
Honestly, it just didn't feel like Pop ever had command of his troops. He tried pushing buttons in the second half ... but nothing worked. He literally never found a combination that showed any amount of cohesion in the final two quarters, which is a rarity for Pop. I thought playing Duncan 34 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back when he wasn't moving well was much reckless. I also think Jackson should have played more and that he should have given Boris Diaw a look in the second half, especially because the ball-movement had stopped and that's Diaw's specialty. To Pop's credit, I thought he was crazy to send Bonner into the game at the end but that ended up being the right call. And Pop having the sense to keep trotting out Ginobili despite the struggles paid off with a couple key plays at the end.

Great points :tu I felt the same way with Diaw, it seemed like he coulve helped settle us down some and help get some easy looks in that second half when we were forcing it left and right but he never got the call.

I disagree with your conclusion on Bonner's crunch time presence, though. While Matt did somewhat redeem himself with the ten footer off the Manu scoop pass, his presence on the court on the defensive end was deadly. There were back to back plays at the very end where he wound up matched up on Paul Pierce (blow by drive and dish) and Avery Bradley (blow by drive attempt leading to a put back) that lead to buckets for Boston. Both were very bad places to fail to get the stop. Boston went small with KG-Pierce-Allen-Bradley-Rondo to close the game and I thought it was strange that Pop left Bonner in with Duncan when I really, really thought he needed to sub in Kawhi. He came through when needed with the hit, but I'm still not sure that makes staying with him over the course of the last few minutes tonight the right call.

Manu deserved your grade completely. That said, this observation is also spot on. Manu came up very big at the end with a couple of clutch plays of just the variety that Manu normally comes up with. More proof tonight of how incredible he is as a basketball player even on a night where nothing is going right.

[TE]

Aside from that offensive explosion, Neal's defense on Avery Bradley was absolutely pathetic to say the least. It kind of got him going in that first half. I looked up the second half points totaled per player and Neal scored 10. -- with a notably timely one coming towards the end of the game. Neal's turnovers (coupled with his lack of defense) throughout the game, particularly in the second half during the Celtics failed comeback, are what make me question a B-. If I was to give him a grade, it'd be more around a C- tops.


Neal played a Richard Jefferson-like game (when he's on fire), the timely shooting at the end of the game notwithstanding.

[Borosai]

+/-!

[The ADMIRAL 50]

B- for Neal? :lol wow, too generous LJ.

I agree 100%. As I said elsewhere, in a game full of shitty play Gary really stood out for playing shitty.

I get your perspective as you further stated above Timvp, but he really did lose it for awhile there. The amount Pop trusted him out there shows how much he knows Neal is always ready to change his fortunes by hitting the big shot, and Gary rewarded his coach tonight.

[Splits]

+/-!

Bonner's first double/double in 367 days (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=AuOSK4CnJgRxBfHSs4332_nmPKB4?gid=201 1040324)

[timvp]

And TBH, Pop's D is also a little too high imo.

He deserved an F.


But I agree with TriggeredExcellence.


But c'mon now. We only had an 11 point lead at the half and hung on to win our 9th straight against the 2nd hottest team in the league. 15/17 on the road and 26/31 overall. And the coach gets a D? The fact that we even have 13 players who are healthy and can contribute/start is an accomplishment of its own. Our defense only gave up 38 pts in the 2nd half while nothing was falling on offense. You can't just suggest Pop "should have given Boris Diaw a look in the second half" and expect a double-digit win. Pop can't shoot the ball. The offense was horrible. But the two goats, Bonner and Neal, both avenged themselves in the end. Pop deserves a B- at worst

I'm sure there will be strong feelings both ways regarding Pop's coaching on this night. I can understand both stances ... so I decided to split the difference.

[skin]

Thanks for the grades.

As for Pop, I'd say F-. Terrible rotation.

Tim Duncan is 35 but he played 17 minutes in the first half + 10 more minutes in the 3rd quarter. I'm not saying Splitter>Duncan, but looking at their numbers (MPG) it seems Splitter is the old guy or at least Pop thinks he is. We need Tim healthy for Playoffs as well as Splitter capable of playing at least 20 minutes of BB.

Can't understand either why Diaw didn't play. Ok, Matty had a good night but IMO Blair/Bonner are one of the worst PF rotation in the league.

And also why did Pop play Manu for so long? I'm a big fan of his but yesterday may have been the worst game of his career.

[Dex]

Thanks for the grades. Great read, blah blah blah.

But c'mon now. We only had an 11 point lead at the half and hung on to win our 9th straight against the 2nd hottest team in the league. 15/17 on the road and 26/31 overall. And the coach gets a D? The fact that we even have 13 players who are healthy and can contribute/start is an accomplishment of its own. Our defense only gave up 38 pts in the 2nd half while nothing was falling on offense. You can't just suggest Pop "should have given Boris Diaw a look in the second half" and expect a double-digit win. Pop can't shoot the ball. The offense was horrible. But the two goats, Bonner and Neal, both avenged themselves in the end. Pop deserves a B- at worst

Disagree. While the Spurs were playing passable defense (for their current standards) and controlling the boards, the Celtics still managed to get plenty of open shots in the 2nd half. They just weren't hitting them. They missed a number of wide open jumpers and bunny layups, and also left 7 points at the free throw line. Let's not kid ourselves...the Spurs are really just lucky that the Celtics went as offensively inept as they did at the same time, or that game gets real ugly real fast.

The reason this game really became a contest again is because the Spurs just went colder than the cold Celtics. On most nights, that's not going to cut it. And Pop seemingly did nothing to try to remedy it. He just kept using the same lineups that, while effective in the first half, seemed offensively inept in the second half. It was the definition of crazy: trying to do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Hell, even the final play was ugly...first we needed a tough offensive rebound from Ginobili even to get the shot up (after another broken play), and then you end up going to Matt Bonner in a bad spot at the shot clock in the clutch? I'm pretty sure the Celtics would live with that.

When you've got one of the deepest benches in the league, that's exactly the time to go to it. And the funny thing is, some of the options might have been able to help on defense just as much as offense. Not only could Diaw have helped the discombobulated offense with his passing, but he's also defended long fours well thus far, and Garnett was one of the Celtics doing damage in the second half. Splitter was one guy that Boston was having a hard time solving and was doing well patrolling the paint, and he got only 14 minutes. Need a quick guard who can hit some shots and keep up with the likes of Rondo and Bradley? Doesn't Mills fit that bill? I know we can't say any of these would have been surefire answers, but as pathetic as things were looking out there, they were worth a shot imo.

I can live with the D because Pop was right (lucky) with a few of his calls and coached well enough to win a tough game, but he really didn't do too much to help the team win tonight.

[timvp]

Can't give Bonner too much credit for boarding, IMO. He was playing against midgets for the most part.

I thought that accounted for his rebounding total too but it turns out he got six of his ten boards when Boston had a big lineup in.

[Beanzamillion21]

I fear this may be our playoff rotation folks.

[TheSkeptic]

I fear this may be our playoff rotation folks.

So you're saying we're doomed. :bang

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I thought Pop deserved an A fire benching Tony and leaving neal in, cuz Parker would have air balled that three.
But since it was outta necessity cuz Parker was hurt, I say Pop gets a B at best

[SenorSpur]

Now that, was a fun game to watch. Sure it wasn't dominant or flashy like the Cavaliers game, but this is a fantastic game for the Spurs to build on. Great learning experience going up against such an elite defensive oriented team. Our offense really suffered and stalled in the 2nd half and almost led to our defeat. Luckily for us, they're horrible on offense, below average rebounding team, and have no bench. We did a great job capitalizing on their weaknesses by out rebounding them by 14 and applying enough pressure to force Boston to play a 6 man rotation.

Some negatives:

Bonner - I didn't gain an inch of confidence despite his final shot. In the 2nd half, Bonner was 0-4 from 3pt line and made some gigantic mistakes in the 4th. Thankfully, it wasn't ALL bad - but if Ginobili didn't beast an offensive rebound, proceed to throw his body into 3 Boston defenders and find a wide open Bonner from 15 ft, I would have lost all faith in Matty.

Despite him hitting the last shot, the manner in which Bonner clanked those second-half shots (open looks too) is reminiscent of his many memorable playoff performances. It appears that the Red Rocket is rounding into playoff form.

[Cow Eye]

Despite him hitting the last shot, the manner in which Bonner clanked those second-half shots (open looks too) is reminiscent of his many memorable playoff performances. It appears that the Red Rocket is rounding into playoff form.

:bang

And I bet that single clutch shot just earned him 30 minutes a game in Pop's eyes...

[Splits]

Disagree. While the Spurs were playing passable defense (for their current standards) and controlling the boards, the Celtics still managed to get plenty of open shots in the 2nd half. They just weren't hitting them. They missed a number of wide open jumpers and bunny layups, and also left 7 points at the free throw line. Let's not kid ourselves...the Spurs are really just lucky that the Celtics went as offensively inept as they did at the same time, or that game gets real ugly real fast.

We scored more points in the 2nd quarter than in the 2nd half with a 10-man rotation, all playing 14+ minutes and our big-3 sucking



The reason this game really became a contest again is because the Spurs just went colder than the cold Celtics. On most nights, that's not going to cut it. And Pop seemingly did nothing to try to remedy it. He just kept using the same lineups that, while effective in the first half, seemed offensively inept in the second half. It was the definition of crazy: trying to do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Hell, even the final play was ugly...first we needed a tough offensive rebound from Ginobili even to get the shot up (after another broken play), and then you end up going to Matt Bonner in a bad spot at the shot clock in the clutch? I'm pretty sure the Celtics would live with that.


Well, they lived with it and they lost! Again, how many ways can you mix 10 players? Should Pop have gone 11/12/13 deep, trying to find someone who can pull the trigger at that moment, during a 2 minute sprint? Or stick with the guys digging you in and out of the hole (Bonner, Neal), and watch them bail the team out with clutch buckets in the last 2 minutes?




When you've got one of the deepest benches in the league, that's exactly the time to go to it. And the funny thing is, some of the options might have been able to help on defense just as much as offense. Not only could Diaw have helped the discombobulated offense with his passing, but he's also defended long fours well thus far, and Garnett was one of the Celtics doing damage in the second half. Splitter was one guy that Boston was having a hard time solving and was doing well patrolling the paint, and he got only 14 minutes. Need a quick guard who can hit some shots and keep up with the likes of Rondo and Bradley? Doesn't Mill fit that bill? I know we can't say any of these would have been surefire answers, but as pathetic as things were looking out there, they were worth a shot imo.

I can live with the D because Pop was right (lucky) with a few of his calls and coached well enough to win a tough game, but Pop really didn't do too much to help the team win tonight.

How many teams run a 10-deep bench, giving them all 14+ minutes? Pop sets expectations before the game, whether or not you're going to get burn or going to play spurts. This was a game he decided to give guys burn. No subs played under 14 minutes... it was a game of attrition, he recognized it, and the dudes who everyone was bitching about in the game thread made the last 5 points to seal it. Game over. 9 in a row. In Beantown's motha fucking house. Suck my dick St. Patty. Ballgame.

[SpursNextRomanEmpire]

I thought that accounted for his rebounding total too but it turns out he got six of his ten boards when Boston had a big lineup in.

From what I remember (and from the Celtics commentators constantly pointing out) the C's never really crashed the boards. After shots, they were getting back on defense.

[SenorSpur]

I wanted to grade him worse but a 19-2 run with little to no help from TP or Manu ... and that big three at the end made me change my mind. How many times has TP had a negative plus/minus in the starting lineup and Manu a negative plus/minus off the bench yet the Spurs still win? Probably never.

Tonight it happened because of Neal's explosion in the second quarter.

Now that Neal is playing backup PG, he can sometimes be as maddening as Manu. With his terrible passes, ill-advised shots and costly turnovers, he made he want to throw stuff at the TV.

Then, he magically hits those clutch shots and all is forgiven.

Great writeup, as always.

[ajballer4]

Im starting to get worried about Parker's shot selection. Dude seriously needs to stop shooting 3s

[freetiago]

our starting lineup is the worst lineup we put out on the floor
were probably the only team in the history of the nba who can say that

people are being to harsh on neal
ya he had turnovers and his defense wasnt great but neal still tries
unfourtunately neal plays a position with some of the fastest players in the league and gets burned
his 2nd quarter was insane
making tough shots and throwing all the right passes
he led the team in assists and he hit the big shot, bigger then bonners
everyones shot was off tonight and everyone fumbled the ball so i cant fault neal specifically for that

i dont have to cover the tiago thing since everyone else did
his teammates didnt help either though
they kept trying to make bailout passes to him after their failed penetration he couldnt catch

once again though rondo continues to make jumpers vs us and only us
even drained a contested 3 while dancing around at the end of the clock
his 7th of the season
refs also werent calling anything tonight
kevin garnett gets away with too much
he set multiple moving screens on danny then danny gets called for the foul
the duncan getting mauled on his drive attempt then brandon bass jumping into parker and getting his free throws
garnett taking out ginobili on a screen
and rondo flopping into ginobili for free throws on a pump fake when there wasnt even contact
and ginobili doing the same and getting none

[anakha]

our starting lineup is the worst lineup we put out on the floor
were probably the only team in the history of the nba who can say that

people are being to harsh on neal
ya he had turnovers and his defense wasnt great but neal still tries
unfourtunately neal plays a position with some of the fastest players in the league and gets burned
his 2nd quarter was insane
making tough shots and throwing all the right passes
he led the team in assists and he hit the big shot, bigger then bonners
everyones shot was off tonight and everyone fumbled the ball so i cant fault neal specifically for that

i dont have to cover the tiago thing since everyone else did
his teammates didnt help either though
they kept trying to make bailout passes to him after their failed penetration he couldnt catch

once again though rondo continues to make jumpers vs us and only us
even drained a contested 3 while dancing around at the end of the clock
his 7th of the season
refs also werent calling anything tonight
kevin garnett gets away with too much
he set multiple moving screens on danny then danny gets called for the foul
the duncan getting mauled on his drive attempt then brandon bass jumping into parker and getting his free throws
garnett taking out ginobili on a screen
and rondo flopping into ginobili for free throws on a pump fake when there wasnt even contact
and ginobili doing the same and getting none

That was positively ducks-esque. http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-golfclap.gif

[Spurs da champs]

I'm not discounting Bonner's double double(actually I am) but realize this that the Celtics are the worst rebounding team in the league, as they made Bonner look like Moses Malone. But if this really is the Playoff rotation then don't expect the Spurs to get far in the post season.

[Mel_13]

From what I remember (and from the Celtics commentators constantly pointing out) the C's never really crashed the boards. After shots, they were getting back on defense.

The Celts are last in the NBA in offensive rebound % and the Spurs are first in the NBA in defensive rebound %. Still, holding a team to 4 offensive rebounds is an impressive feat. That's also the 2nd time in three games that the Spurs allowed only 4 offensive rebounds (and that against Indiana which is 7th in the league).

[TheSkeptic]

I thought Pop deserved an A fire benching Tony and leaving neal in, cuz Parker would have air balled that three.
But since it was outta necessity cuz Parker was hurt, I say Pop gets a B at best

That's another aspect of this situation that's really troubling to me.

It shouldn't take an injury for the coach to make proper adjustments. With so much depth you'd think that there'd be other options yet he consistently goes to the ones that are least likely to work.

Between this and the Tiago situation, I have no confidence the Spurs are getting number 5 this year.

[Splits]

I have no confidence the Spurs are getting number 5 this year.

Good. Jump off the wagon because there is a waiting line. Also give up your ST login and never post here again. thxkthx

[DJ Mbenga]

my goodness 44 minutes for rondo? i know dooling is garbage but damn its the regular season

[TheSkeptic]

The Celts are last in the NBA in offensive rebound % and the Spurs are first in the NBA in defensive rebound %. Still, holding a team to 4 offensive rebounds is an impressive feat. That's also the 2nd time in three games that the Spurs allowed only 4 offensive rebounds (and that against Indiana which is 7th in the league).

I think this is a legitimate strategy that older/slower teams tend to use. In order to not be out of place on defense, there are teams like the Celtics that will sacrifice offensive rebounds in order to prevent fastbreaks and get set up.

The Celtics in particular also seem to have (had?) a set goal of making opponents shoot more long 2's than anything else. They pack the paint and make it very difficult to score in the post and they also run teams off the 3 point line. Or they used to anyway. From what I've seen of them this year they still make an effort to crowd the paint in any case.

If they're able to control the defensive glass while executing efficiently in the half-court, then for the most part it's a wrap. I think it's pretty clear to see how they've won games more often than not these past few seasons.

When they get it going, their defense is a thing of beauty.

[Splits]

my goodness 44 minutes for rondo? i know dooling is garbage but damn its the regular season

Keltics threw everything they have at us. Spurs coasted, made it interesting, nutted up in crunch time with scrubs. It's the Spurs way.

[TheSkeptic]

Good. Jump off the wagon because there is a waiting line. Also give up your ST login and never post here again. thxkthx

There's supporting the team and then there's being in denial.

I want the Spurs to win it all and I think that the pieces are there to do it. However, given what we've seen of the way those pieces are being utilized, there's no reason to think the Spurs will go all the way short of an unprecedented hot streak or some extremely favourable match-ups.

You're free to think otherwise and I won't question whether or not you're a fan...

[Mel_13]

I think this is a legitimate strategy that older/slower teams tend to use. In order to not be out of place on defense, there are teams like the Celtics that will sacrifice offensive rebounds in order to prevent fastbreaks and get set up.

The Celtics in particular also seem to have (had?) a set goal of making opponents shoot more long 2's than anything else. They pack the paint and make it very difficult to score in the post and they also run teams off the 3 point line. Or they used to anyway. From what I've seen of them this year they still make an effort to crowd the paint in any case.

If they're able to control the defensive glass while executing efficiently in the half-court, then for the most part it's a wrap. I think it's pretty clear to see how they've won games more often than not these past few seasons.

When they get it going, their defense is a thing of beauty.

It's a strategy that the Spurs have used for years. And while the Spurs are 24th in offensive rebounding, they are first in defensive rebounding.

The Celtics are 30th in offensive rebounding and 24th in defensive rebounding. They're just a bad rebounding team.

Consider that the Spurs collected 12 offensive rebounds to only 4 for the Celts, and won the boards 53-39 overall. If the Celts could have held their own on the boards, they probably have a comfortable win.

[Splits]

I think that the pieces are there to do it. However, given what we've seen of the way those pieces are being utilized, there's no reason to think the Spurs will go all the way

What more can be done, Master? The team has only won 9 straight, beat the hottest team in the league in their own building, and won at a ridiculous percentage while resting their starters and integrating 3 new guys into an already talented bench and trying to find minutes for 13 dudes.

[TheSkeptic]

It's a strategy that the Spurs have used for years. And while the Spurs are 24th in offensive rebounding, they are first in defensive rebounding.

The Celtics are 30th in offensive rebounding and 24th in defensive rebounding. They're just a bad rebounding team.

Consider that the Spurs collected 12 offensive rebounds to only 4 for the Celts, and won the boards 53-39 overall. If the Celts could have held their own on the boards, they probably have a comfortable win.

True.

Actually, they only needed to get 1 more rebound to win the game.

I don't think the Celtics have always been this bad on the glass though. I seem to recall them being way better when the trade initially took place.

It's weird because it's not like Perkins is this rebounding machine either. As we saw tonight though, their defense can still get the job done.

[TheSkeptic]

What more can be done, Master? The team has only won 9 straight, beat the hottest team in the league in their own building, and won at a ridiculous percentage while resting their starters and integrating 3 new guys into an already talented bench and trying to find minutes for 13 dudes.

Because regular season championships look so good on that mantle...

[Splits]

Because regular season championships look so good on that mantle...

So you're criticizing regular season rotations because you think we should win by bigger margins so that what happens???

1. Hope to grow up in a city with NBA champs
2. Criticize team
3. ????
4. Profittttssssss!

Whatever dude, your takes suck.

[letmk]

True.

Actually, they only needed to get 1 more rebound to win the game.

I don't think the Celtics have always been this bad on the glass though. I seem to recall them being way better when the trade initially took place.

It's weird because it's not like Perkins is this rebounding machine either. As we saw tonight though, their defense can still get the job done.

I think many times GMs just our-smart themselves. Imagine if they still have Perkins and Tony Allen. They would still be the favorite in the east.

[Splits]

The Celtics in particular also seem to have (had?) a set goal of making opponents shoot more long 2's than anything else. They pack the paint and make it very difficult to score in the post and they also run teams off the 3 point line. Or they used to anyway. From what I've seen of them this year they still make an effort to crowd the paint in any case.


You must not have watched the game. In the first half all but 2 of the Spurs makes came from either in the paint or from 3 range. Nice plan Doc Rivers implemented there. COTY

[Mel_13]

True.

Actually, they only needed to get 1 more rebound to win the game.

I don't think the Celtics have always been this bad on the glass though. I seem to recall them being way better when the trade initially took place.

It's weird because it's not like Perkins is this rebounding machine either. As we saw tonight though, their defense can still get the job done.

They were much better before this year.

They're just very small and they have no depth. Garnet/Bass is already a small frontline and their 3rd big is a DLeaguer with a bad foot. That's why, even as small as they start the game, they played nearly half the game with only one big on the floor.

They have lost Green and Wilcox to heart ailments and O'Neal to wrist surgery.

Lastly, their defense looked great in the 2nd half, but they did give up 59 points in the 1st half. The Celts had been sitting at home since Sunday and started the game with more than 72 hours rest. The Spurs had less than 24 hours. I don't believe their defense is anywhere near as good as it appeared in the 2nd half or anywhere near as bad as the Spurs made them look in 1st half.

We've seen this all year with this ridiculous schedule. Frankly, this game set up as a loss for the Spurs and they managed to steal a win.

[TheSkeptic]

So you're criticizing regular season rotations because you think we should win by bigger margins so that what happens???

1. Hope to grow up in a city with NBA champs
2. Criticize team
3. ????
4. Profittttssssss!

Whatever dude, your takes suck.

I'm criticizing the rotations because I've learned from last year that what works during the season isn't always going to be as effective in the playoffs.

During the playoffs you have to play your best players and those players need to be in excellent game shape. It's a simple move that could make a major difference.

This is the last month of the season and it looks like the team is standing pat with Blair as a starter and Bonner taking up significant minutes. While they *could* contribute in the post-season, it doesn't make sense to bank your strategy on those two playing well.

However, if it works out then I'll be the first one saying I was wrong and giving Pop props.

Since it didn't last season and it looks like things are headed in the same direction as before, I'm being realistic when I say I don't see how they'll win a championship without getting hot from 3 and playing favourable match-ups all the way through.

With Miami/Chicago likely coming out of the East and teams like the Lakers taking things up a notch, I find that highly unlikely.

So why do you think that the Spurs are going to win it all?

[Mel_13]

Because regular season championships look so good on that mantle...

I believe you may have crossed over the line from skepticism to pessimism...

[jestersmash]

They were much better before this year.

They're just very small and they have no depth. Garnet/Bass is already a small frontline and their 3rd big is a DLeaguer with a bad foot. That's why, even as small as they start the game, they played nearly half the game with only one big on the floor.

They have lost Green and Wilcox to heart ailments and O'Neal to wrist surgery.

Lastly, their defense looked great in the 2nd half, but they did give up 59 points in the 1st half. The Celts had been sitting at home since Sunday and started the game with more than 72 hours rest. The Spurs had less than 24 hours. I don't believe their defense is anywhere near as good as it appeared in the 2nd half or anywhere near as bad as the Spurs made them look in 1st half.

We've seen this all year with this ridiculous schedule. Frankly, this game set up as a loss for the Spurs and they managed to steal a win.

Yep. As Pop would say, it's always a little of both. Poor defense (Celtics) and good offense (Spurs) in the first half, and vice versa for the second half.

By the way, here's postgame video from Doc Rivers and Paul Pierce for those who haven't seen it -

http://www.nba.com/celtics/video/2012/04/04/postgamewrapup44mov-2057183

[TheSkeptic]

I think many times GMs just our-smart themselves. Imagine if they still have Perkins and Tony Allen. They would still be the favorite in the east.

I agree.


You must not have watched the game. In the first half all but 2 of the Spurs makes came from either in the paint or from 3 range. Nice plan Doc Rivers implemented there. COTY

For goodness sake. I wasn't talking about this game. I meant their strategy in general.



They were much better before this year.

They're just very small and they have no depth. Garnet/Bass is already a small frontline and their 3rd big is a DLeaguer with a bad foot. That's why, even as small as they start the game, they played nearly half the game with only one big on the floor.

They have lost Green and Wilcox to heart ailments and O'Neal to wrist surgery.

Lastly, their defense looked great in the 2nd half, but they did give up 59 points in the 1st half. The Celts had been sitting at home since Sunday and started the game with more than 72 hours rest. The Spurs had less than 24 hours. I don't believe their defense is anywhere near as good as it appeared in the 2nd half or anywhere near as bad as the Spurs made them look in 1st half.

We've seen this all year with this ridiculous schedule. Frankly, this game set up as a loss for the Spurs and they managed to steal a win.

I completely forgot about those injuries.

I think that's been sort of the story of their season though. It's just seemed to me like they've either played really good defense or really not good defense and the same goes for their offense. I definitely wasn't expecting their defense to suddenly change gears although I don't think their offense ever got completely going.

Yeah. Looking at it as an individual game, this wasn't a bad win. Gutsy in fact.


I believe you may have crossed over the line from skepticism to pessimism...

:lol Somewhat. I gave him that response because I didn't find his argument very convincing.

Optimistic posters like you typically have good info though so I'm honestly seeing it from both sides even if I'm getting pessimistic.

Also, things might change between now and the playoffs with Diaw and them so I'm not fully gone over. :lol

[DAF86]

From what I remember (and from the Celtics commentators constantly pointing out) the C's never really crashed the boards. After shots, they were getting back on defense.

I hate that shit. I know Pop emphasizes that too but it looks to me that the Spurs teams in history that did better are the ones that had one or two "rebels" that went for offensive rebounds. Thankfully this team has that.

[will_spurs]

Not seen the game but bad ball movement in the 2nd half coupled with 2 playmakers with DND and I can't see how ppl could justify a higher grade for Pop.

What's the point of being the deepest team in the league if we're not using it?

[angelbelow]

Frankly, this game set up as a loss for the Spurs and they managed to steal a win.

Haha.. I would have said the same thing about Boston if they had won. Even with all the different odds against the Spurs before the game (b2b, 3 day off for the C's, 8 game home winning streak) I still thought the Spurs were the clear favorite.

[GSH]

Last night was one of those games where everything goes the Spurs' way. They shot almost 60% from the floor, and almost 50% from 3P. I've watched this for years now, and they virtually always come out the next game and get their asses kicked. This time it was even a B2B. The fact that they gutted this one out, and found a way to get the W is pretty amazing. Almost historic.

They may have pulled out a few W's after those near-perfect nights, but it can't be many. To do it on the second night of a B2B, against a team like Boston says a lot about their mental toughness. For the record, I'm picking the C's to come out of the East. Their D is as good as it gets. I'd love to see seven games between these two. But if the Spurs can't figure out a way to get the ball into the paint against the Celtics, I may regret that wish. I don't like to see them shoot 3's because they can't get anything else.

[Mel_13]

Last night was one of those games where everything goes the Spurs' way. They shot almost 60% from the floor, and almost 50% from 3P. I've watched this for years now, and they virtually always come out the next game and get their asses kicked. This time it was even a B2B. The fact that they gutted this one out, and found a way to get the W is pretty amazing. Almost historic.

They may have pulled out a few W's after those near-perfect nights, but it can't be many. To do it on the second night of a B2B, against a team like Boston says a lot about their mental toughness. For the record, I'm picking the C's to come out of the East. Their D is as good as it gets. I'd love to see seven games between these two. But if the Spurs can't figure out a way to get the ball into the paint against the Celtics, I may regret that wish. I don't like to see them shoot 3's because they can't get anything else.

They scored 48 points in paint, although not very many after halftime.

[GSH]

They scored 48 points in paint, although not very many after halftime.

Yeah, I was talking specificall about after the half. There was a stretch where the Spurs were jacking up 3's on just about every possession. And it wasn't because that's all they wanted to shoot. I know the C's turned up the defense, but that was ugly.


Just looked at it. 6 out of 7 shots were 3's. Tim got blocked, and Manu gave them a steal. If you add the next few possessions, it was really 7 out of 9 shots were 3's, and Manu coughed up another steal. Only that shot by Tiago at the rim broke the monotony.

[angelbelow]

For the record, I'm picking the C's to come out of the East. Their D is as good as it gets. I'd love to see seven games between these two. But if the Spurs can't figure out a way to get the ball into the paint against the Celtics, I may regret that wish. I don't like to see them shoot 3's because they can't get anything else.

I hope they meet in the finals as well but only because I think the Spurs would win in dominating fashion.

Boston's defense was beautiful to watch and I'm convinced that its sustainable for them but they don't have much else.

-25th in the league in offensive efficiency. They don't have an inside presence (KG only takes 20% of his shots around the paint), they don't have shooters (besides Ray Allen), and good defensive teams can get away without ever double teaming.
-Last place in rebounding
-Prior to Avery Bradley's defensive emergence, they had nothing resembling a bench. They might be the most unfortunate team this year. 1. David West bails on them 2. Jeff Green out for the season 3. JO out for the season 4. Injures to Ray Allen, Mickael Pietrus, Daniels.

[Mel_13]

Yeah, I was talking specificall about after the half. There was a stretch where the Spurs were jacking up 3's on just about every possession. And it wasn't because that's all they wanted to shoot. I know the C's turned up the defense, but that was ugly.


Just looked at it. 6 out of 7 shots were 3's. Tim got blocked, and Manu gave them a steal. If you add the next few possessions, it was really 7 out of 9 shots were 3's, and Manu coughed up another steal. Only that shot by Tiago at the rim broke the monotony.

Yep. That 2nd half was as ugly as it gets. Hopefully, we won't soon see another game where both Tony and Manu play so poorly for such an extended period of time.

[jestersmash]

I didn't get a chance to watch the Hornets game last Saturday (I heard it was an ugly win), but Friday's (re)-match against the Hornets provides a great opportunity to see if Pop and co. are capable of analyzing film from a squeak out win/near loss, making proper adjustments, and executing.

Granted, we're still talking about the Hornets, but this is exactly the kind of skill the Spurs will need playing the same team 4-7 times in the playoffs. The poor game against the Hornets last Saturday won't be that far removed from Friday's game.

The back to back against Utah on Sunday/Monday should provide a good test of this as well, although the lack of rest between the two days probably makes any major film session adjustments unfeasible.

[therealtruth]

I think many times GMs just our-smart themselves. Imagine if they still have Perkins and Tony Allen. They would still be the favorite in the east.

Allen didn't want to come back and they didn't know J. Green would need heart surgery.

[Paranoid Pop]

I hope they meet in the finals as well but only because I think the Spurs would win in dominating fashion.

Boston's defense was beautiful to watch and I'm convinced that its sustainable for them but they don't have much else.

-25th in the league in offensive efficiency. They don't have an inside presence (KG only takes 20% of his shots around the paint), they don't have shooters (besides Ray Allen), and good defensive teams can get away without ever double teaming.
-Last place in rebounding
-Prior to Avery Bradley's defensive emergence, they had nothing resembling a bench. They might be the most unfortunate team this year. 1. David West bails on them 2. Jeff Green out for the season 3. JO out for the season 4. Injures to Ray Allen, Mickael Pietrus, Daniels.

Yet we only won because they missed a lot of freethrows, what does that say about us?

[angelbelow]

Yet we only won because they missed a lot of freethrows, what does that say about us?

Obviously we didn't play well tonight but that doesn't change the fact that I would love to play them in a 7 game series playoff series for the NBA title.

Boston turned up their defense in the 2nd half and did a great job disrupting our passing lanes but we still had nice opportunities to score. Most of our shots in the 3rd were actually good looks, some even wide open. I also thought Tiago was schooling KG on offense but we failed to exploit that match up.

Additionally, we had a number of players play poorly. Parker, Ginobili were especially off. Kawhi Leonard, Bonner, Neal have all seen better days. We shot 27.5% from 2s, 11.8% from 3s, turned the ball over 10 times, and only shot 6 free throws. Yet we still won, what does that say about us?

[jestersmash]

Interesting statistic from ESPN.com (Elias Sports Bureau) -

From Elias: The Spurs defeated the Celtics on Wednesday despite no San Antonio player scoring 15 points. (Danny Green led the team with 14 points.) It was the fifth win in the Spurs' NBA history in which they didn't have a player score 15 points, and their first since Mar. 27, 2004 against Phoenix.

Edit: I posted a small postgame snippet up above, but here are full postgame videos from the Celtics -

Doc Rivers:
AJQVIUbzHtg

Paul Pierce:
ttMnbQQTZrs

Avery Bradley:
VkseMiPrymQ

Kevin Garnett:
99QSuPmaAqY

Rajon Rondo:
8oL1ICrvk-Y

[mosdef17]

Manu Ginobili F+
Manu Ginobili has had a great season but, wow, was he ever bad tonight. His five turnovers don't even begin to tell the story about how sloppy he was with the ball. When he wasn't turning the ball over, his lazy, looping passes were putting his teammates in horrible positions. For whatever reason, Ginobili refused to turn the corner when he had the ball and instead made poor decision after poor decision. Defensively, he wasn't nearly as bad as he was on offense … but he was still bad. Outside of short bursts of energy, he was a non-factor on that end as well. I gave him that plus because he hit a shot in the fourth quarter and had a key offensive rebound. But really, I don't know if it's possible for Manu Ginobili to play worse.

I guess I was the only one that saw him get the game winning rebound and assist. Granted it was nearly a turnover, that rebound was the game winner. It's tough for some people to see game winning plays outside of the player who scores the basket though. He was terrible in the rest of the game but F+ makes me question why I bother reading these...

[jiggy_55]

I don't know what Boris Diaw has got to do to get some important minutes. 2nd DNP-CD in 3 games, and he's clearly better on offense and on defense then both Blair and Bonner. He makes plays, moves the ball around, and can score a little bit if needed. His defense is definitely better than that of the other 2 idiots ahead of him. I really hope Pop doesn't plan on not using him much the rest of the way, would be a retarded move.

[TJastal]

Manu did manage to muscle that last rebound, attack and draw 3 defenders before somehow snaking the ball to Bonner for the game winner.

He should have shot it himself, the fool.

[will_spurs]

I guess I was the only one ... why I bother reading these...

If you had bothered reading it, you'd have seen that the offensive rebound is mentioned.

However it's about time Spurs fans start raving because Manu has ONE clutch play despite playing like a turd for the rest of the game. He could also just play better and no clutch plays would be necessary.

It's like saying CP3 is so clutch with the Clippers this year. If he wasn't sleepwalking through the first 3 quarters, there wouldn't be a need for 4th Q antics.

[TJastal]

I fear this may be our playoff rotation folks.

Yep this is gonna suck if this is a preview of what's to come.

No Diaw. Instead Dejuan Blair.
No Patty. Instead Manu/Neal turning the ball over.
No Splitter. Or very limited. Instead more Bonner.
Limited offense from Leonard.

And can we really expect either of Blair / Bonner to be anywhere near this productive as they were tonight in a playoff series?? Too many factors working against them IMO.

[TJastal]

Last night was one of those games where everything goes the Spurs' way. They shot almost 60% from the floor, and almost 50% from 3P. I've watched this for years now, and they virtually always come out the next game and get their asses kicked. This time it was even a B2B. The fact that they gutted this one out, and found a way to get the W is pretty amazing. Almost historic.

They may have pulled out a few W's after those near-perfect nights, but it can't be many. To do it on the second night of a B2B, against a team like Boston says a lot about their mental toughness. For the record, I'm picking the C's to come out of the East. Their D is as good as it gets. I'd love to see seven games between these two. But if the Spurs can't figure out a way to get the ball into the paint against the Celtics, I may regret that wish. I don't like to see them shoot 3's because they can't get anything else.

I agree the team is due a few losses and has finally ridden the hot streak to the end. But it's because of Pop's stupid rotations which always find a way to whittle down guys' confidence and eventually kill whatever momentum the team is riding. Once again, guys that play well for Pop (Diaw, Mills, Splitter) continue to receive less and less minutes (or none at all) while the fucking turd towers reign supreme and Gary Neal tries to pretend he's a point guard.

[TJastal]

Speaking of Neal, if Leonard really has hit the proverbial rookie wall (as Timvp postured) Neal with it might yet still get an opportunity to play his natural position. I'm sure Stephen Jackson would have no trouble sliding over into the starting role which would thus open up minutes for Gary once again in the 2nd unit.

With yet another rookie in the starting lineup (Danny Green) I'm thinking this might just be the wisest choice at this juncture in order to help bring stability and scoring to the starting lineup.

[dbestpro]

Funny how Blair played his usual dead between the ears game, but gets an A because everyone else played the 2nd half the same way Blair plays all the time.

[Shastafarian]

Went to the game with my gf. It was her first basketball game in person. In the 2nd half after a Duncan miss (one of many) she said, "Who is Duncan? He's the worst player out there." And the sad thing is she was right for some of the game. Slow rotating, weak shots, and a disappearance in the end made him seem old. And he is and that's ok. I'm glad there are no b2bs in the playoffs.

[Quadzilla99]

Patty Mills should be the backup point guard with Manu doing the primary ball handling when Tony is out of the game. Neal is a spot up shooter stretched beyond his limits. I screamed at the TV when he had the ball on the last play of the third (which resulted in him stumbling around before launching an off balance 25 footer) while Manu spotted up off the ball.

[Fireball]

I'm glad there are no b2bs in the playoffs.

This season will feature a b2b in the second round of the playoffs if I remember correctly ...

[sinok]

I'm glad there are no b2bs in the playoffs.

Actually, the possibilityof back to backin the second round hasn't been ruled out....

[Maddog]

second game of a B2B on the road against a team with two days off and a 5 game win streak
Your big three goes 11 for 32, your leading scorer gets only 14 points
Yet you win

I'd take that and throw away the game tape.

I must say having Danny Green and SJax in the game at the same time gives the spurs a little, well maybe a lot, more edge/toughness than I have seen in a while.

[YODA]

Pop D
Honestly, it just didn't feel like Pop ever had command of his troops. He tried pushing buttons in the second half ... but nothing worked. He literally never found a combination that showed any amount of cohesion in the final two quarters, which is a rarity for Pop. I thought playing Duncan 34 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back when he wasn't moving well was much reckless. I also think Jackson should have played more and that he should have given Boris Diaw a look in the second half, especially because the ball-movement had stopped and that's Diaw's specialty. To Pop's credit, I thought he was crazy to send Bonner into the game at the end but that ended up being the right call. And Pop having the sense to keep trotting out Ginobili despite the struggles paid off with a couple key plays at the end.


Im going to dissagree with you here a lot. You admit he tried to push buttons, but got no results. To me, thats going to happen. Sometimes you just dont get results no matter who you put in. All I really care about is he tried to find the right combination. I agree he might haver tried Diaw a little, but he stuck with Bonner and it worked. Above all else, they won. That being said, I think D is a very low grade here.

[SenorSpur]

I'm not discounting Bonner's double double(actually I am) but realize this that the Celtics are the worst rebounding team in the league, as they made Bonner look like Moses Malone. But if this really is the Playoff rotation then don't expect the Spurs to get far in the post season.

That's the sad part. An over-reliance on Bonner, not enough Diaw, which was not all that surprising.

Pop, in his post-game interview, even offered to cover up for Bonner's second-half cold streak, by choosing to focus only on "how he spreads the floor" and how he knocked down the game winner.

I guess I also shouldn't be surprised that Pop elected NOT to utilize Mills, when it was obvious Neal was struggling to man the point position against pressure.

I'll defer to Pop on Leonard, since he would obviously know better whether the rook has hit a wall or not.

[timvp]

Manu Ginobili F+
I gave him that plus because he hit a shot in the fourth quarter and had a key offensive rebound.

I guess I was the only one that saw him get the game winning rebound

Well played.:lol

[DBMethos]

Pop, in his post-game interview, even offered to cover up for Bonner's second-half cold streak, by choosing to focus only on "how he spreads the floor" and how he knocked down the game winner

That's precisely why my reaction to the Bonner shot was "oh no, not him. ANYONE BUT HIM!" Positive reinforcement for Pop's insanity. :bang

[Leetonidas]

We'll take it. Nothing to get too anxious over. Spurs played the hottest team in the league besides them in their own building on the second night of a b2b and still won. Honestly they looked tired in the second half. But if the Spurs can play, by far, their WORST half of ball all season and still manage to beat one of the top teams in the East then you have to take it a keep going

[T Park]

I'm fully convinced Bonner can do no right. The great minds of spurstalk would nitpick something.

Diaw not playing is ridiculous.

Great defense totally ignored because the spurstalk pet didnt get huge minutes...

[therealtruth]

That's precisely why my reaction to the Bonner shot was "oh no, not him. ANYONE BUT HIM!" Positive reinforcement for Pop's insanity. :bang

Bonner is actually a pretty good 2pt shooter when he has his feet set. In fact I think he should probably use it more in his game in certain instances like when he gets run of the 3pt line and when he has a smaller defender on him.

[timvp]

I might have been too generous giving Manu that +. Here's a play-by-play of that possession at the end that ended up in the assist to Bonner:



1:20 - Ginobili loses the ball. Neal recovers.

1:11 - Ginobili crashes into Bonner and steals an offensive rebound that was going right to Bonner.

0:52 - Ginobili throws a duck of a pass to Duncan that is nearly stolen.

0:50 - Ginobili steals the ball from Duncan.

0:48 - Ginobili leaves his feet with nowhere to go and throws a blind pass to Bonner. Bonner hits a type of shot he never attempts at a time of game he never succeeds.

If that wasn't an F game by Ginobili, he'll probably never have an F game, tbh.

[Mel_13]

I might have been too generous giving Manu that +. Here's a play-by-play of that possession at the end that ended up in the assist to Bonner:



1:20 - Ginobili loses the ball. Neal recovers.

1:11 - Ginobili crashes into Bonner and steals an offensive rebound that was going right to Bonner.

0:52 - Ginobili throws a duck of a pass to Duncan that is nearly stolen.

0:50 - Ginobili steals the ball from Duncan.

0:48 - Ginobili leaves his feet with nowhere to go and throws a blind pass to Bonner. Bonner hits a type of shot he never attempts at a time of game he never succeeds.

If that wasn't an F game by Ginobili, he'll probably never have an F game, tbh.

Absolutely hilarious play-by-play.

At this point it's become obvious that Manu needs to be rested in order to really help the team. They should leave him in San Antonio when they go to Utah for the second half of the b2b coming up on Sunday/Monday. That way, he'd have three full days of rest for the Laker game on Wednesday. Probably should leave TD home as well, but I don't know if Timmy would go for that.

[Mugen]

Yeah that Manu pass to Duncan at 0:52 was a classic "WTF Manu!" moment, really dumb lob pass right into the teeth of the Celtics D

Worst game i've seen from him in a long, long time. I think Pop even screamed "get your head out of your ass at him!" after a high pass to Jax that sailed out of bounds...

[skin]

Not long ago in one of the countless "Free Thiago" threads timvp pointed out the reason why Splitter doesn't start over Blair is because Pop sees him as 5 and Bonner and Blair as 4. That also would explain his limited minutes + Bonner MPG.

I disagree cause IMO Pop uses this explanation only when is convenient for him. What really scares me in this terrible rotation we're stuck on is the fact that Tim is playing a lot of minutes. We need him healthy to lead us when playoff comes. If he gets hurt, OMFG, suddenly Ginger will become 5 and we're fkd once again.

No matter what we say, truth is: Ginger is the apple of Pop's eye, he doesn't trust Splitter and it seems Diaw won't have nothing but garbage time in the playoffs.

[SenorSpur]

We'll take it. Nothing to get too anxious over. Spurs played the hottest team in the league besides them in their own building on the second night of a b2b and still won. Honestly they looked tired in the second half. But if the Spurs can play, by far, their WORST half of ball all season and still manage to beat one of the top teams in the East then you have to take it a keep going

All of which would make one wonder why the coach didn't utilize this superior depth to overwhelm the Celtics?

[100%duncan]

Manu's and TP's grade just made this win much much sweeter.

[Whisky Dog]

To me Pop is wasting some valuable time in finding out if Diaw can get acclimated to the Spurs well enough to replace the minutes that Blair mostly plays. We really need a playoff rotation of Duncan, Splitter, Diaw, then Bonner running tight into the playoffs. Blair is just to deficient defensively to contribute positively in a playoff rotation, an if Diaw can give some defensive presence and passing with those minutes we need to find out now.

[letmk]

Allen didn't want to come back and they didn't know J. Green would need heart surgery.

It's more of Celtics didn't want to bring him back than the other way. At that time, Allen hasn't established himself as one of best defense players yet(His defense was already pretty good, but was seen more as a hustler from the bench), the leverage was on the Celtics side, and they blew it.

And even if Allen doesn't want to come back, it's more of Shaq's "they don't value me more or don't want to pay me more," instead of Howard's "I just want to get out here" mood. And Grizzlies didn't even give him a big contract at all. $10M for 3 years. (?)

And you still want to justify Perkins trade? It's not about the health of Green at all. You don't trade a big part of your championship team (if not for Perkins' injury, they should've got the second one), a legit low-post defender (although a little bit undersized), an enforcer, a guy who was having great rapport with his teammates, for a bench winger with so-called potential.

Plus, even the Celtics wants Green, with him having no chance to be a starter behind Durant (Thunder used him at PF from time to time to let him the start, but that's just a compromise), you don't need to pay the price of trading your starting center.

In all, you don't need to look further than watching Rondo and KG's response after the trade to see that their team-wide togetherness and cockiness (very essential to their success) got a big blow.

[TJastal]

To me Pop is wasting some valuable time in finding out if Diaw can get acclimated to the Spurs well enough to replace the minutes that Blair mostly plays. We really need a playoff rotation of Duncan, Splitter, Diaw, then Bonner running tight into the playoffs. Blair is just to deficient defensively to contribute positively in a playoff rotation, an if Diaw can give some defensive presence and passing with those minutes we need to find out now.

I stated this before (and a dumbass chimed in I made no sense), Pop is going to savor every last bit of his saavy trade deadline acquisitions, so don't expect any steady rotations to be locked until he's good and satisfied. Which could take up until the last week of the regular season. Or never. I'm betting on the latter.

If I didn't know better it seems almost as if if he was just waiting for a few breakout games from his new acquisitions (Mills & Diaw) so he could show everyone how smart he is and now he'll thumb his nose at all his critics by benching them the rest of the way. Giving his narcissistic nature, I wouldn't put this past him. I think this could also be the reason Splitter languishes on the bench far more than he should.

[RodNIc91]

Am I the only one pissed at pop for making him guard Ray Allen? Seriously? The worst defender off screens with the best player who moves off the ball? Otherwise I agree with the general sentiment of the game.

[Arcadian]

I like the fact that we outrebounded Boston by 14. Rebounding is one of the keys to success in the playoffs, and it was a weakness for the Spurs last year.

[Horse]

I thought Pop stayed with the starters too long when they weren't getting it done. Also can anyone stop Splitter on the pick and roll I mean it's seems he gets a layup everytime, they should just run it to death and let him play more.

[HeroSquad]

I stated this before (and a dumbass chimed in I made no sense), Pop is going to savor every last bit of his saavy trade deadline acquisitions, so don't expect any steady rotations to be locked until he's good and satisfied. Which could take up until the last week of the regular season. Or never. I'm betting on the latter.

If I didn't know better it seems almost as if if he was just waiting for a few breakout games from his new acquisitions (Mills & Diaw) so he could show everyone how smart he is and now he'll thumb his nose at all his critics by benching them the rest of the way. Giving his narcissistic nature, I wouldn't put this past him. I think this could also be the reason Splitter languishes on the bench far more than he should.

With all due respect (remember, I can now say anything I want and you can't get upset--RICKY BOBBAY!), that is some paranoid, consipiracy-level reasoning right there. You're saying that Pop refuses to play Diaw, Mills, Splitter because he's narcissistic? That he is able to successfully undermine the Spurs organization by rebelling against basketball logic just so he can thumb his nose at people? Don't get me wrong, some of Pop's decision-making is questionable to be sure, but you'd be mistaken to presume that Pop is doing it just to show people up. I mean, just think about the logistics of integrating a new player into a team; it's not pick up basketball. Who's to say that Diaw doesn't see major minutes the last two weeks of the season? I understand the frustration but I am seriously confused when people claim that Pop is intentionally trying to sabotage the team by not playing Player X enough or giving Player Y too many minutes. I'm all for criticism, but what you're saying is both irrational and absurd. With all due respect of course. Also, I don't mean to attack you personally as I'm sure you're just as devoted a Spurs fan as everyone else. In the end, we're on the same team.

[EVAY]

I honestly felt that Duncan's grade was too high by a long shot. Yes he got a lot of rebounds but he wasn't exactly playing against a group of great rebounders for a fair amount go the time. Lots of spurs had good rebounding last night.

He only shot 25%!! Please. Come on guys...he was demanding to be given the ball in the fourth quarter and then failing to deliver. If you can't make the shot, stop demanding the ball!!

His defense improved in the second half but it almost had to. I assumed that Pop had gotten on his rear at halftime because he came out and started rebounding and contesting some shots...but man, his help defense in the first quarter was non-existent!

The grade was too high, imo. Sorry.

[maverick1948]

Thanks for the grades. Great read, blah blah blah.

But c'mon now. We only had an 11 point lead at the half and hung on to win our 9th straight against the 2nd hottest team in the league. 15/17 on the road and 26/31 overall. And the coach gets a D? The fact that we even have 13 players who are healthy and can contribute/start is an accomplishment of its own. Our defense only gave up 38 pts in the 2nd half while nothing was falling on offense. You can't just suggest Pop "should have given Boris Diaw a look in the second half" and expect a double-digit win. Pop can't shoot the ball. The offense was horrible. But the two goats, Bonner and Neal, both avenged themselves in the end. Pop deserves a B- at worst


The two goats???? Seems to me like there was 10 goats and 2 of them made a shot that counted. No not two goats, 10 goats who scored 28 points in the second half.

[Shastafarian]

I honestly felt that Duncan's grade was too high by a long shot. Yes he got a lot of rebounds but he wasn't exactly playing against a group of great rebounders for a fair amount go the time. Lots of spurs had good rebounding last night.

He only shot 25%!! Please. Come on guys...he was demanding to be given the ball in the fourth quarter and then failing to deliver. If you can't make the shot, stop demanding the ball!!

His defense improved in the second half but it almost had to. I assumed that Pop had gotten on his rear at halftime because he came out and started rebounding and contesting some shots...but man, his help defense in the first quarter was non-existent!

The grade was too high, imo. Sorry.I would agree with this. When he wasn't getting pushed out of the post, he was slow to rotate on driving players. Obviously it's not his fault his teammates were no better than turnstiles, but he definitely looked his age on defense a fair share and on offense the majority of the time.

I also noticed a VERY heated exchange in the 2nd half between Pop and Manu. I have a feeling the Spurs got reamed out more post game than the Celtics did.

[maverick1948]

There's supporting the team and then there's being in denial.

I want the Spurs to win it all and I think that the pieces are there to do it. However, given what we've seen of the way those pieces are being utilized, there's no reason to think the Spurs will go all the way short of an unprecedented hot streak or some extremely favourable match-ups.

You're free to think otherwise and I won't question whether or not you're a fan...

What is your record as an NBA coach??

[therealtruth]

I thought Pop stayed with the starters too long when they weren't getting it done. Also can anyone stop Splitter on the pick and roll I mean it's seems he gets a layup everytime, they should just run it to death and let him play more.

I've never understood when teams go away from something that is working. I say keep running the play till the other team adjusts.

[TheSkeptic]

What is your record as an NBA coach??

*sigh*

I've never said that Pop is a bad coach. He's actually one of the best in the business. But that doesn't mean he never makes mistakes.

What I'm saying is that if he doesn't adjust the Spurs are probably not going to win a championship.

I thought that much was obvious after the Memphis series. I gave him the benefit of a doubt then but I personally don't think the same strategy that costed them last season is going to somehow be effective this time around.

Since I'm a fan of the team, however, I'm watching and hoping that I'm wrong. Is that really so hard to understand?


I've never understood when teams go away from something that is working. I say keep running the play till the other team adjusts.

+1

[rmt]

I think this is a legitimate strategy that older/slower teams tend to use. In order to not be out of place on defense, there are teams like the Celtics that will sacrifice offensive rebounds in order to prevent fastbreaks and get set up.

The Celtics in particular also seem to have (had?) a set goal of making opponents shoot more long 2's than anything else. They pack the paint and make it very difficult to score in the post and they also run teams off the 3 point line. Or they used to anyway. From what I've seen of them this year they still make an effort to crowd the paint in any case.

If they're able to control the defensive glass while executing efficiently in the half-court, then for the most part it's a wrap. I think it's pretty clear to see how they've won games more often than not these past few seasons.

When they get it going, their defense is a thing of beauty.

Seems just like the Spurs philosophy when the defense was great - no layups, protect the paint, chase off the 3pt line, contested long 2s, run back on defense early. Probably why DAL - which is a great jumpshooting team, always gave them problems.

[Brazil]

I also noticed a VERY heated exchange in the 2nd half between Pop and Manu. I have a feeling the Spurs got reamed out more post game than the Celtics did.

don't remember seeing this.

I need a gif ! I'll put that in my sig ala Fkla

[therealtruth]

Seems just like the Spurs philosophy when the defense was great - no layups, protect the paint, chase off the 3pt line, contested long 2s, run back on defense early. Probably why DAL - which is a great jumpshooting team, always gave them problems.

The Spurs give up too many uncontested 2's and then wonder why teams shoot so well against them. You can't allow players to develop rhythm that's why you have to contest all shots. Once a player develops rhythm contesting shots doesn't have the same effect.

[roycrikside]

Absolutely hilarious play-by-play.

At this point it's become obvious that Manu needs to be rested in order to really help the team. They should leave him in San Antonio when they go to Utah for the second half of the b2b coming up on Sunday/Monday. That way, he'd have three full days of rest for the Laker game on Wednesday. Probably should leave TD home as well, but I don't know if Timmy would go for that.

I'd rest Tony vs. NO, Tim for the home Utah game and Manu for the road Utah game.

[TD 21]

The lack of mental toughness and poise was really disappointing to see. They didn't win this game; they survived it. Three times this season an elite defensive team turned up the pressure, got into the Spurs' jerseys and all three times they folded. The difference between the Heat and Bulls games and this one was, the Celtics don't have the talent that those teams do. They labor to score and are terrible on the glass and ultimately, their inability to rebound is what did them in.

Pop's rotation was atrocious. I'm not sure why he rushed Duncan back in so soon in the 1st half. I thought Splitter was playing Garnett too soft defensively, but he still should have played another 3 or so minutes. I don't care if he might have been winded, he'd have been done for the half after that and would only have been needed for 6-9 minutes in the 2nd half. How do they expect to get him back in game shape by constantly babying him? He's 27, has missed a bunch of games, plays 19 mpg and barring a Duncan injury, won't see a spike in minutes in the playoffs. So it's not like they're saving him.

And I've never seen Pop more reluctant to go small. In the end, it payed off, as Bonner his a clutch shot and cleaned the glass, but it hurt them throughout much of the fourth, as Pierce and Pavlovic did their best Parker and Rose impersonation, by blowing by defenders at will. Still, Pop surprised me. I thought he'd be all too pleased to oblige.

[letmk]

I'd rest Tony vs. NO, Tim for the home Utah game and Manu for the road Utah game.

This would be a very good rotating rest for big 3.

[TD 21]

Absolutely hilarious play-by-play.

At this point it's become obvious that Manu needs to be rested in order to really help the team. They should leave him in San Antonio when they go to Utah for the second half of the b2b coming up on Sunday/Monday. That way, he'd have three full days of rest for the Laker game on Wednesday. Probably should leave TD home as well, but I don't know if Timmy would go for that.

I couldn't disagree more. A few weeks ago, fine. Now, not a chance. Ginobili not playing back to backs is nonsense. He doesn't need to be rested, what he needs to be is comfortable playing with tired legs. Because that's how it's going to be in the playoffs. If this team is going to win a championship, they're going to need to push through exhaustion.

He plays in the 20's every game anyway and basically makes a living nowadays being a pick-and-roll maestro and by knocking down outside shots or off of some off ball movement. He doesn't drive much, nor exert a ton of energy defensively. So if he's tired, it's because he's still not in optimal game shape. And if he's not in optimal game shape, then the answer, with so little time left, is to play him more, not less.

The first Lakers game, I want to see the playoff rotation. They'll be coming off a day off and at home. I don't care about the Grizzlies game the day after, they need to focus on putting even more space between them and the Lakers and wrapping up at least the 2nd seed as soon as possible. So if it takes high 30's from Parker, mid 30's from Duncan and Ginobili and around 30 from Splitter, so be it. They need a few games like that down the stretch anyway, to get used to playing playoff minutes.

[Mel_13]

I couldn't disagree more.

We've always disagreed on this subject and I suspect that we will continue to do so. For me, playing 14 games in 21 days is just ridiculous. Players don't need to play in all of those games to be ready for the playoffs.

[therealtruth]

The lack of mental toughness and poise was really disappointing to see. They didn't win this game; they survived it. Three times this season an elite defensive team turned up the pressure, got into the Spurs' jerseys and all three times they folded. The difference between the Heat and Bulls games and this one was, the Celtics don't have the talent that those teams do. They labor to score and are terrible on the glass and ultimately, their inability to rebound is what did them in.

Pop's rotation was atrocious. I'm not sure why he rushed Duncan back in so soon in the 1st half. I thought Splitter was playing Garnett too soft defensively, but he still should have played another 3 or so minutes. I don't care if he might have been winded, he'd have been done for the half after that and would only have been needed for 6-9 minutes in the 2nd half. How do they expect to get him back in game shape by constantly babying him? He's 27, has missed a bunch of games, plays 19 mpg and barring a Duncan injury, won't see a spike in minutes in the playoffs. So it's not like they're saving him.

And I've never seen Pop more reluctant to go small. In the end, it payed off, as Bonner his a clutch shot and cleaned the glass, but it hurt them throughout much of the fourth, as Pierce and Pavlovic did their best Parker and Rose impersonation, by blowing by defenders at will. Still, Pop surprised me. I thought he'd be all too pleased to oblige.

The lack of mental toughness comes from Pop. Till he gets it back it won't matter how many RJ's they ship out.

[Stalin]

i like how jackson checked in the first half, and bullied rondo in the post

[maverick1948]

[QUOTE=TheSkeptic;5760787]*sigh*

I've never said that Pop is a bad coach. He's actually one of the best in the business. But that doesn't mean he never makes mistakes.

What I'm saying is that if he doesn't adjust the Spurs are probably not going to win a championship.

I thought that much was obvious after the Memphis series. I gave him the benefit of a doubt then but I personally don't think the same strategy that costed them last season is going to somehow be effective this time around.

Since I'm a fan of the team, however, I'm watching and hoping that I'm wrong. Is that really so hard to understand?


You keep talking about last year. We have a different team this season and Pop has adjusted to playing without Manu. Then adjusted to having no backup PG when Ford got hurt and retired. He has gotten rid of RJ and added SJax to the team. Then Manu returns and he adjusts to that. Splitter in the lineup then out twice and he has to adjust rotations for that. Need I go deeper in the adjustment he has had to deal with to get your attention? He has adjusted almost all season long without putting any player in a position to be over extended at the end of the season.



As for the two highlighted areas, he has and will adjust as necessary. He has done it all season long. If you are a true fan, you would never doubt the coach and his team. You may not like every decision he makes. That is you right but somewhere along the line, you have to acknowledge that you are looking at things thru different glasses than the coach. I have been an NBA fan longer than most on here have been living. I have seen the best in the business coach and play. I saw Russell, Chamberlain, Havelicek, Willis Reed, Magic and Bird, MJ and Scotty as well as David, Tim, Sean and Avery. Coaches like Red Auerbach, Bob Bass and Chuck Daly(who took over a bad Cleveland team, then had 13 winning seasons in row). Just like you I question somethings but in hindsight I see the reasons for the moves the coaches made. This thread was made about the grades for the Boston game. Pop gets a D because a made no serious adjustments in the second half to suit you. He use 9 players who had played together for the entire season plus SJax who knows the system to try and get something going. Defense was there but because we scored only 28 points in the second half, Pop is said not to make adjustments. In the last 6 mins of the 4th quarter, Pop made 7 substitutions looking for the best combination to win. HE FOUND IT. We won the game with the TEAM play.

[Proxy]

Most of you guys act like we lost. Get your head out of your asses. Spurs beat the hottest team in the league (besides themselves) in their house on the second night of a b2b. This Boston team that just beat the Heat by 20 and had 2 days rest.

Offense sucked... Manu sucked... sure, but the team did the one thing every enjoys bitching about... they played good defense to give themselves a chance.

And won the damn game.

[analyzed]

I find it interesting that Pop decided to finish with Manu and Tim playing the pick and role with 3 shooters (Bonner, Jackson and Neal) with Kawhi being interchangeble for defensive situations. The line-up obviously did'nt include MVP cadidate Parker. This isn't the 1st time Pop has gone with the line-up in the end game minus TP. I do see the logic however, the line-up really makes teams pay for sending an extra 3rd defender to cover the P & R. with 3 knockdown shooters. In the one play that Parker caught the ball at the wings for an open 3 as result of the P & R, he air balled the 3
Jackson has also proven to be a heck of a defender & playmaker ( i really din't think he was this good, I watched an old tape game of RJ, and the difference is night and day) Jackson is a huge upgrade !

[dylankerouac]

Just finished watching this game after missing it yesterday, recording it, and going all day without Sprustalk or any sports news outlet. Great game. Now to catch up.

[TheSkeptic]

You keep talking about last year. We have a different team this season and Pop has adjusted to playing without Manu. Then adjusted to having no backup PG when Ford got hurt and retired. He has gotten rid of RJ and added SJax to the team. Then Manu returns and he adjusts to that. Splitter in the lineup then out twice and he has to adjust rotations for that. Need I go deeper in the adjustment he has had to deal with to get your attention? He has adjusted almost all season long without putting any player in a position to be over extended at the end of the season.


Calm down.

Like I said, he’s one of the best in the business. It’s not like he’s done *no* coaching/adjustment making. He’s won games while coping with a lot of injuries. I may disagree on the whole business of resting players bit but that’s not a big issue and for the most part he’s done a great job. You’re conflating me with a pure Pop hater which I’m honestly not.

The concern is with the frontcourt as I see it now. That’s it.

Beyond the bigs, he’s gotten pretty much everything right including the development of Kawhi (who I’ve been very impressed with) and the integration of guys like SJax as well as the team’s relative health.
What I’m saying is that it’s getting close to the playoffs and it looks like Bonner/Blair are going to be taking significant minutes. That’s concerning to me.

Duncan + Splitter has the potential to be deadly.

Duncan + Diaw should also be good.

While okay in certain match-ups (Blair) and fine in specific situations (Bonner), they can’t be playing more than the other two. But both Diaw and Splitter need time to get in game shape.

Given the right match-ups the Spurs could get to the Finals doing things as is but they’d get beat by a team like Chicago or Miami. If something changes between now and the playoffs and the shift is made, then I’ll honestly be satisfied with what’s going on. Beyond the bigs, Pop has seriously done pretty much everything right from where I’m standing. It’s just that this *particular* problem is one that has the potential to sink this team out of the playoffs. Other than maybe Jordan's Bulls and almost the Heat, (I don't really count the Pistons...), I haven't seen too many extremely perimeter-oriented teams win it all. That's what it comes down to.




As for the two highlighted areas, he has and will adjust as necessary. He has done it all season long. If you are a true fan, you would never doubt the coach and his team. You may not like every decision he makes.That is you right but somewhere along the line, you have to acknowledge that you are looking at things thru different glasses than the coach. I have been an NBA fan longer than most on here have been living. I have seen the best in the business coach and play. I saw Russell, Chamberlain, Havelicek, Willis Reed, Magic and Bird, MJ and Scotty as well as David, Tim, Sean and Avery. Coaches like Red Auerbach, Bob Bass and Chuck Daly(who took over a bad Cleveland team, then had 13 winning seasons in row). Just like you I question somethings but in hindsight I see the reasons for the moves the coaches made. This thread was made about the grades for the Boston game. Pop gets a D because a made no serious adjustments in the second half to suit you. He use 9 players who had played together for the entire season plus SJax who knows the system to try and get something going. Defense was there but because we scored only 28 points in the second half, Pop is said not to make adjustments. In the last 6 mins of the 4th quarter, Pop made 7 substitutions looking for the best combination to win. HE FOUND IT. We won the game with the TEAM play.

I think that this is a generational difference more than anything, but this is where we disagree though I do appreciate old-school fans. :toast

Philosophically, I think doubting is a good thing. If you live without asking hard questions of the people making decisions on your behalf then, in my opinion, the only thing you'll ever do is exist.

That and while I'll admit I'm not a coach, I *am* a solution-oriented person. I'd likely phrase things more softly in person but when all is said and done I'm a healer. I like to fix things and mull over situations and I think that those of us who are uncomfortable with the rotation are probably more closely aligned that way. While you're obviously wired differently, not bothering to doubt, get nervous, or ask questions, is what I'd do if I didn't care.

Since I'm also a pretty honest person though, if it turns out that Bonner and Blair are the key to winning it all I'd be willing to admit that I was completely wrong on the big rotation. I'm just calling it as I see it *now*.

As for questioning in hindsight, you can speak for yourself. I catch these things in real time because I'm quick like that. :p:

Don't get me wrong, beating Boston took guts and determination after they went cold like that. As an individual game it was a great win and I admit that sometimes I get so focused on the big picture that I forget to slow down and enjoy the good times. Guys like you are great in that regard.

That said, I see and react to trends rather than immediate results which is probably why we're reading this situation so differently. Nothing wrong with that either way since it takes all types. :toast

[TD 21]

We've always disagreed on this subject and I suspect that we will continue to do so. For me, playing 14 games in 21 days is just ridiculous. Players don't need to play in all of those games to be ready for the playoffs.

It is. Which is precisely why I said "They need a few games like that down the stretch anyway, to get used to playing playoff minutes". I never said anything about running them into the ground for every game from here on out. But to go from playing 24-28 mpg to as much as maybe 36 or even 38, in a playoff game (and I mean single game, I'm not talking about averaging that, because we all know that isn't happening), is foolish. They need to be gradually built up.

I liken it to putting a drink in the fridge. It doesn't matter whether you leave it for a day or two days, at a certain point, its as cold as its going to be. The same thing applies here. Playing the big three 35 mpg would be foolish. But if you think going from 31 to 28 makes a difference, well, then you haven't paid attention in the previous two playoffs. Sitting out the odd game might, but being overly cautious with minutes won't.

[Mel_13]

It is. Which is precisely why I said "They need a few games like that down the stretch anyway, to get used to playing playoff minutes". I never said anything about running them into the ground for every game from here on out. But to go from playing 24-28 mpg to as much as maybe 36 or even 38, in a playoff game (and I mean single game, I'm not talking about averaging that, because we all know that isn't happening), is foolish. They need to be gradually built up.

I liken it to putting a drink in the fridge. It doesn't matter whether you leave it for a day or two days, at a certain point, its as cold as its going to be. The same thing applies here. Playing the big three 35 mpg would be foolish. But if you think going from 31 to 28 makes a difference, well, then you haven't paid attention in the previous two playoffs. Sitting out the odd game might, but being overly cautious with minutes won't.

If you go back to my post that you first quoted, you'll see that I suggested holding Manu back from the trip to Utah. I didn't suggest any of the other things in your post above.

[Spursfanfromafar]

I just rewatched the second half. And double rewatched the crunch time. The Spurs played defense brilliantly. Timvp has already written about it, but I can't resist gushing about it again.

Stephen Jackson was superb in the crunch stretch. Blocking even the entry passes and generally timing his help defense to a T. I think that rubbed on the others as well. The only blemish was the Ray Allen 3 pointer and even that featured a illegal screen/blocking foul by Paul Pierce.

The play was very clever, involving Ray Allen coming off a sudden cut, running through to the corner three. Green was keeping close company, when Pierce blocked him with a very moving screen (which was not called) and that enabled Allen to get free and get a catch and shoot quickly.

But the next possessions with the Celtics trying to get either Allen or Pierce free were defended superbly by the Spurs. It was a lesson in sideline defense. Jackson and Leonard in particular were administering quite a strong choke-hold forcing Rondo to call two timeouts.

Jackson is now officially the X factor for the Spurs. If he continues his wonderful blending as he is doing now ..in the playoffs, the Spurs will contend for a title.

[Mel_13]

I just rewatched the second half. And double rewatched the crunch time. The Spurs played defense brilliantly. Timvp has already written about it, but I can't resist gushing about it again.

Stephen Jackson was superb in the crunch stretch. Blocking even the entry passes and generally timing his help defense to a T. I think that rubbed on the others as well. The only blemish was the Ray Allen 3 pointer and even that featured a illegal screen/blocking foul by Paul Pierce.

The play was very clever, involving Ray Allen coming off a sudden cut, running through to the corner three. Green was keeping close company, when Pierce blocked him with a very moving screen (which was not called) and that enabled Allen to get free and get a catch and shoot quickly.

But the next possessions with the Celtics trying to get either Allen or Pierce free were defended superbly by the Spurs. It was a lesson in sideline defense. Jackson and Leonard in particular were administering quite a strong choke-hold forcing Rondo to call two timeouts.

Jackson is now officially the X factor for the Spurs. If he continues his wonderful blending as he is doing now ..in the playoffs, the Spurs will contend for a title.


:tu

[Reck]

Duncan + Splitter has the potential to be deadly.

Duncan + Diaw should also be good.

While okay in certain match-ups (Blair) and fine in specific situations (Bonner), they can’t be playing more than the other two. But both Diaw and Splitter need time to get in game shape.

Given the right match-ups the Spurs could get to the Finals doing things as is but they’d get beat by a team like Chicago or Miami. If something changes between now and the playoffs and the shift is made, then I’ll honestly be satisfied with what’s going on. Beyond the bigs, Pop has seriously done pretty much everything right from where I’m standing. It’s just that this *particular* problem is one that has the potential to sink this team out of the playoffs. Other than maybe Jordan's Bulls and almost the Heat, (I don't really count the Pistons...), I haven't seen too many extremely perimeter-oriented teams win it all. That's what it comes down to.

I've said this before, Splitter doesn't have the essentials to be considered a deadly force. Even if you add Duncan in the mix.

It seems to me like Splitter cant handle the ball, has no post movements and reverts to his weak hook shots when trapped instead of passing the ball.

Splitter can be good, but he needs to work on his game. No idea why pop limited his minutes so much last year. That could've served as real-game time practice.

Cant tell you a thing about Diaw. Haven't seen enough of him. He shouldn't be counted upon though. Blair+Bonner is all with have for now.

[Manu-20]

I just rewatched the second half. And double rewatched the crunch time. The Spurs played defense brilliantly. Timvp has already written about it, but I can't resist gushing about it again.

Stephen Jackson was superb in the crunch stretch. Blocking even the entry passes and generally timing his help defense to a T. I think that rubbed on the others as well. The only blemish was the Ray Allen 3 pointer and even that featured a illegal screen/blocking foul by Paul Pierce.

The play was very clever, involving Ray Allen coming off a sudden cut, running through to the corner three. Green was keeping close company, when Pierce blocked him with a very moving screen (which was not called) and that enabled Allen to get free and get a catch and shoot quickly.

But the next possessions with the Celtics trying to get either Allen or Pierce free were defended superbly by the Spurs. It was a lesson in sideline defense. Jackson and Leonard in particular were administering quite a strong choke-hold forcing Rondo to call two timeouts.

Jackson is now officially the X factor for the Spurs. If he continues his wonderful blending as he is doing now ..in the playoffs, the Spurs will contend for a title.
I agree with you on pretty much everything glad to see someone else beside me saw all this with all the complaining some people had after this game bottom line is this game showed the spurs have some mental toughness and can surive some ugly games even with the big three playing bad, also I dont know why people were acting like these type of games never happen in the playoffs when in fact ugly games do happen in the playoffs you cant expect the spurs to be perfect every night executing but its nice to know they can get a W when the excution is not there. Also stephon jackson is huge like you pointed out I loved how he was posting up rondo and making plays on both offense and defense

[Fireball]

Last night Boston was in the same situation as San Antonio the night before. They played away on a b2b, had a 10+ lead and played a terrible third quarter. The difference is that the Spurs still won the game ... but the Celtics lost to the Bulls

[capek]

Most of you guys act like we lost. Get your head out of your asses. Spurs beat the hottest team in the league (besides themselves) in their house on the second night of a b2b. This Boston team that just beat the Heat by 20 and had 2 days rest.

Offense sucked... Manu sucked... sure, but the team did the one thing every enjoys bitching about... they played good defense to give themselves a chance.

And won the damn game.

Exactly. Forum filled with a bunch of damned bitches.

To win it all a team has to pop their cherry for all different varieties of game situations, including really fuggly wins. If our offense turns to shit for a stretch of a playoff game, personally I'd prefer us not to be virgins about how to come out with a win.

[Paranoid Pop]

Exactly. Forum filled with a bunch of damned bitches.

To win it all a team has to pop their cherry for all different varieties of game situations, including really fuggly wins. If our offense turns to shit for a stretch of a playoff game, personally I'd prefer us not to be virgins about how to come out with a win.

:sleep They just missed a lot of open shots and a lot of freethrows tbh, like someone said it wasn't that different from the Miami game except the Celtics didn't have a red hot Lebron in the second half. We have zero insurance as to what will happen if a competent defensive team puts any kind of pressure on us.

With our starting 5 it's pretty easy for the opponent to focus on Parker, we don't have a good secondary playmaker (good secondary playmakers for me are SJax and Diaw, Manu can be, to close games but he's better used as a primary playmaker with the second unit).

We also have one of the worst PF rotation in the league in Blair/Bonner who can't defend elite 4s but can easily be defended by elite 3s (Bonner moreso than Blair). Teams that have an elite 3 like Durant or Pierce but a weak frontline can go small without worrying (allows them to get a much stronger five on the floor), teams with an elite 4 can just watch them abuse Blair/Bonner (Dirk, Griffin, Pau Gasol, Zbo, Love and so on).

[Muser]

Most of you guys act like we lost. Get your head out of your asses. Spurs beat the hottest team in the league (besides themselves) in their house on the second night of a b2b. This Boston team that just beat the Heat by 20 and had 2 days rest.

Offense sucked... Manu sucked... sure, but the team did the one thing every enjoys bitching about... they played good defense to give themselves a chance.

And won the damn game.

Agreed. Wtf do people want from this team?