Game Blog: Lakers @ Spurs - April 11- 7:30 PM CT

[SenorSpur]

Spurs made Bynum look like Moses Malone tonight.

30 fucking rebounds?

[IronMaxipad]

Bynum wanted to shoot a 3 at the end :lol

[Quasar]

Bynum has 30 rebounds?

The entire spurs team has 33?

Wow :spin

[timtonymanu]

Shitty loss.

Pop should have just played the Big 3 in Utah if they wanted to come in with this effort tonight.

[boutons_deux]

Lakers came ready to play, the Spurs pissed in their pants

[Josepatches_]

We could live with Bynum 7-20 FG

But we have to play Splitter/Duncan . This is crazy.

[SenorSpur]

Based off garbage time scoring? He's still way too streaky for him to be a shoe in for the PO's.

If you're referring to Green, I call bullshit.

This kid plays with heart on both ends. And anyone still giving max effort in a blowout loss deserves and had earned all the minutes he gets.

[GSH]

Based off garbage time scoring? He's still way too streaky for him to be a shoe in for the PO's.

Well at least he's not fucking afraid. I'll take my chances on a guy who fights. Not so much with guys who are playing scared.

[Robz4000]

Not sure what to take away from this game. Extremely pissed off that the Spurs let a Kobe-less Laker team come into San Antonio and destroy them. Was this merely Pop playing with lineups to find something, or is he really this delusional? Why did Tony play like a little bitch tonight? Hopefully he's taking it easy by Pop's directive. Manu and Tim played with effort, but looked old/tired. If Pop doesn't take the hint and play Duncan and Splitter against the Lakers next time they see them, then this team won't go far in the playoffs.

[crc21209]

When World Peace scores 26 and hits 5 threes when he's been off all year and only averages 10-12 points a game, and you got Blake hitting fade away 3's, it's just not your not....

[PingPong]

Green, the garbage time player...
:lol

[Arcadian]

Eh, whatever. It was just a bad shooting night. It happens.

Nice performance from Artest, but I dare him to do it again. He doesn't have it in him. Won't happen again.

[crc21209]

At least the Thunder lost tonight as well...:tu

[crc21209]

Tony Parker picked the worst night to have his worst game of the season....

[Ice009]

That last bit is BS. It's called roster management. Teams should be able to play whoever they like any time they like to minimise risk and get the most out of their players as they see fit.

Disagree. If you want to rest players then you need to get more depth and rest them within the game.

It's OK for the lockout season and it's a probably a must, but Pop does has been doing this in other regular seasons too. Ever since he started doing it a few years ago, Spurs have been a soft team mentally.

[SenorSpur]

Only the Mavs and Grizzlies can match the size and physicality of the Fakers.

The Spurs simply cannot. THAT much is again made clear from this game.

And look who's coming to the AT&T Center tomorrow night? The good ol' Grizz.

[timtonymanu]

All I know is that I'm not going to panic over one game.

Bynum presents us, and most other teams, with a massive headache, but I don't think this one game means we can't find an answer to it (or pray that someone else beats the Fakers before we meet them :lol )

I can stomach a loss, a Laker one much less, but still I can stomach one. It's just that from the opening tip, the Spurs looked intimidated and like Sean said "Gave the Lakers too much respect." This is a Laker team without Kobe that may likely face us in the 2nd round.

Letting MWP score like an all-star is unacceptable. I just expected better effort.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

You've got to actually play defense. Stop giving poor shooters open shots.

Spurs have done it all season because they have no interior defense with Dejuan Blair. I am tired of all these scrubs hitting shots, but that is what they should do because the Spurs give them no respect and don't guard them. Stupid strategy.

Pop is a moron of a coach.

FFS, Ice, that is BS. I know you're frustrated, all fans who care about this team are right now, but check your head. Pop has taken a team we were talking about for the 7-8th spot before the season to the top of the WC, developed the hell out of Leonard, Green, Neal, etc, seamlessly integrated 3 new players at the deadline, and done it all with no trade assets and aging, injury-prone stars. He's one of the best ever to coach the NBA game.

Right now he's trying to figure out how the hell he can stop Bynum, and his CIA play is probably Tim-Splitter, but why would he unleash it now? Step off the ledge and see how he responds to this drubbing. I'd say the 3rd game in the series is the one where we'll see what he's going to do in the playoffs if we meet the Fakers.

[Thompson]

We could live with Bynum 7-20 FG

But we have to play Splitter/Duncan . This is crazy.

I don't think Pop can be considered legally competent to receive a grade tonight.

[timtonymanu]

Tony Parker picked the worst night to have his worst game of the season....

Tbh, I had horrible flashbacks of the Memphis series with this game.

[Horse]

Everyone will point to the Lakers hitting a bunch of shots late in the game and say that there was no way to defend that but that will be bullshit. This game was lost when you gave up 19 god damn boards to Bynum in the first half and allowed the Lakers to build a lead even when shooting poorly. Then when they caught fire the game was put out of reach but the Spurs let it get to that point.
It was a five point game at halftime. We played tight and scared but they will never shoot that well again.

[PingPong]

Bynum career high, Brawl Artest career high....

[Spur|n|Austin]

Lakers were hitting everything tonight, I'll sleep better knowing that isn't possible every single time we play them; I will wake up knowing Pop has something wrong with him to not play Tiago more minutes. There has to be something there that we don't know about, and I don't mean Tiago not being "over himself".

[GSH]

We could live with Bynum 7-20 FG

But we have to play Splitter/Duncan . This is crazy.

Bynum was 7-20. (Doesn't he usually shoot around .550?)
Gasol was 9-24.
Ebanks was 0-4.

We can live with all of that. And we can live with giving up 98 points. But not when we get out-rebounded 60-33. And not when Tony, Manu, Kawhi, and Blair are a combined 6-22. And not when we only get 9 FT's because we aren't getting to the rim.

[Ice009]

I said this earlier in the game thread - but the Lakers got really loose shooting the ball because every time they missed, they got about half of them back off the glass. They didn't have to worry about missing shots. And, yeah, being loose definitely helps em go in.

Pretty good take. You know basketball. It's a lot easier to shoot when there is less pressure and you're loose. It would certainly help the average shooters that the Lakers have.

Good take man.

[Obstructed_View]

Eh, whatever. It was just a bad shooting night. It happens.

What part of the entire team being outrebounded by one guy did you fail to understand? Funny how often teams have "bad shooting nights" against a good defense.

[GSH]

Well this is about where the Spurs went to shit last year. I guess we'll know in the next 2-3 games whether this team really is different.

[Russ]

Don't worry.

Next game Matt Bonner will impose his will on the Lakers.

[Obstructed_View]

And look who's coming to the AT&T Center tomorrow night? The good ol' Grizz.

Perfect. No waiting for this one to sink in.

[Ice009]

True, but there were other factors and they were already sliding when they hit that game. Do you see this team disappearing like that? I don't. This game is an aberration, although I'll admit we still don't have an answer for Bynum. If Pop doesn't play quite a bit of TD-Splitter in the next two Faker games I'll be surprised.

We have better options this year, but again like last season Pop has no used Splitter with Duncan at all.

That's why I am so disappointed. It's LATE YET AGAIN to be making a change like that.

[PingPong]

Pop isn't the one behind that Manu_Forever greek fake?

:lol

[mexicanjunior]

After all the praise I gave Pop the other day...he coached like a fucking idiot tonight. His insistence on starting a 6'5 fat midget in Dejuan Blair against a starting lineup of Bynum and Gasol is nothing short of mental retardation. Bynum had 30 effing rebounds and it looked like a dad playing against a bunch of 5 year olds all game watching Blair and Bonner try to box him out. Lakers didn't even have Kobe tonight and they managed to still take a shit spur shaped P at midcourt.

It would be one thing if he didn't have any other options but he has a perfectly good 7 footer rotting away on the pine as the Blair-Bonner combo drop a dead fetus on the court anytime they face a big frontline. If he doesn't start Splitter and Duncan together and have them playing 30+ minutes a game by the playoffs, we are likely getting swept against either the Lakers, Grizz or Thunder. Maybe we will get lucky and someone else will knock out those obviously superior teams for us but HIGHLY unlikely.

[SenorSpur]

Disagree. If you want to rest players then you need to get more depth and rest them within the game.

It's OK for the lockout season and it's a probably a must, but Pop does has been doing this in other regular seasons too. Ever since he started doing it a few years ago, Spurs have been a soft team mentally.

My problem with Pop is that he has evolved his coaching philosophy away from the inside game. He now prefers the spread-the-court, open court, early offense. He claims that he's evolved to keep up with the trends of the league. Has he forgotten that he won 2 championships using a twin towers strategy?

Well, this game is indicative of the fact that SIZE STILL MATTERS. Three-point shooting will come and go. However, if you cannot defend the rim, get rebounds and generate some offense around the rim, it's tough to win.

My other issue with Pop is that he and RC have ignored the size issue on this team - this is even after getting ass-raped by the Grizzlies last spring.

[Killakobe81]

I'm really eager to see how splitter and diaw guard the Lakers bigs. This game is a HUGE measuring stick.


FTL.

YOu have been weighed ...

You have been measured ...

and you have been found wanting ...

Great line from a silly movie ...:lol

[SenorSpur]

After all the praise I gave Pop the other day...he coached like a fucking idiot tonight. His insistence on starting a 6'5 fat midget in Dejuan Blair against a starting lineup of Bynum and Gasol is nothing short of mental retardation. Bynum had 30 effing rebounds and it looked like a dad playing against a bunch of 5 year olds all game watching Blair and Bonner try to box him out. Lakers didn't even have Kobe tonight and they managed to still take a shit spur shaped P at midcourt.

It would be one thing if he didn't have any other options but he has a perfectly good 7 footer rotting away on the pine as the Blair-Bonner combo drop a dead fetus on the court anytime they face a big frontline. If he doesn't start Splitter and Duncan together and have them playing 30+ minutes a game by the playoffs, we are likely getting swept against either the Lakers, Grizz or Thunder. Maybe we will get lucky and someone else will knock out those obviously superior teams for us but HIGHLY unlikely.

With the latest additions of Mills, Jackson and Diaw, Pop has been quick to start experimenting with lineups and tinkering with matchups. This game would've been a perfect opportunity to have thrown out a "twin towers" lineup to counter the Fakers. After all, they didn't have to worry about Bryant. Of course, Artest ate them up from the outside, so I guess it didn't matter.

[Ice009]

Parker needs to quit trying to look all fucking tough with that fucked up face he always makes & then just play like a big time bitch in the paint.

TP is such a spotty shooter. He's like Lebron with his jumpshot.

When the going gets really tough he has no confidence in his jumper.

That's pretty much it with TP I think. If TP had Gary Neal's jumper he'd be one of the best players on the planet.

He's a mental weakling like Lebron when the going gets tough and he loses confidence in his jumper.

[GSH]

YOu have been weighed ...

You have been measured ...

and you have been found wanting ...

Great line from a silly movie ...:lol


It was about 3,000 years old when they used it in that movie. But, yeah, it still works.

[Man In Black]

FFS, Ice, that is BS. I know you're frustrated, all fans who care about this team are right now, but check your head. Pop has taken a team we were talking about for the 7-8th spot before the season to the top of the WC, developed the hell out of Leonard, Green, Neal, etc, seamlessly integrated 3 new players at the deadline, and done it all with no trade assets and aging, injury-prone stars. He's one of the best ever to coach the NBA game.

Right now he's trying to figure out how the hell he can stop Bynum, and his CIA play is probably Tim-Splitter, but why would he unleash it now? Step off the ledge and see how he responds to this drubbing. I'd say the 3rd game in the series is the one where we'll see what he's going to do in the playoffs if we meet the Fakers.
Agreed...now think of this from LAL Fan's standpoint. With Bynum playing this good, then shouldn't he get the ball 1st when Bean comes back?
NO, he's Bean....YES, Bynum is the new Shaq. Well...we know how Bean treated Shaq, he'll do the same thing to Bynum.
That Ball movement led to some good shots(okay...many of them were lucky) and the Spurs lackadaisical ball hog play today( 1 pass, 1 shot where was the motion we saw in the streak). That stuff goes away. Also...while the LAL has used the tower effect to great success in the past, there is no longer THAT Lamar Odom playing for them. Let them enjoy the gift the Spurs gave them.

Think of it this way, Pop still has Duncan-Splitter and it's so obvious a choice, so again...why employ it at this time? you don't. Using a Ghostbuster reference, You don't cross the streams unless...YOU NEED TO CROSS THE STREAMS .

[$pursDynasty]

Told you people, Patty Mills SUCKS. He's worse than RMJ, or minimally, is a RMJ tier player.


Better pray for 1st seed.
Pray for Thunder beat Lakers in 2nd round(lakers will be 3 seed)

why we should have beat the Jazz and stop throwing games away

[Thompson]

YOu have been weighed ...

You have been measured ...

and you have been found wanting ...

Great line from a silly movie ...:lol

What movie? That's from the Bible. A disembodied hand (God) wrote that on the wall at Babylon. Mene Mene Tekel Parish. Daniel translated it as "Behold, Belshazzar, you have been weighed in the scales of God and have been found wanting. Therefore your kingdom shall be divided among the Medes and the Persians, and you Belshazzar shall die."

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

My problem with Pop is that he has evolved his coaching philosophy away from the inside game. He now prefers the spread-the-court, open court, early offense. He claims that he's evolved to keep up with the trends of the league. Has he forgotten that he won 2 championships using a twin towers strategy?

Well, this game is indicative of the fact that SIZE STILL MATTERS. Three-point shooting will come and go. However, if you cannot defend the rim, get rebounds and generate some offense around the rim, it's tough to win.

My other issue with Pop is that he and RC have ignored the size issue on this team - this is even after getting ass-raped by the Grizzlies last spring.


With the latest additions of Mills, Jackson and Diaw, Pop has been quick to start experimenting with lineups and tinkering with matchups. This game would've been a perfect opportunity to have thrown out a "twin towers" lineup to counter the Fakers. After all, they didn't have to worry about Bryant. Of course, Artest ate them up from the outside, so I guess it didn't matter.

Why throw that at them now and give them two regular season games to get used to it? I bet Pop uses Duncan-Splitter a lot in the 3rd game to give himself a taste while not giving the Fakers practice games to adjust to it. CIA shit.

[crc21209]

Well theres a couple of things we learned tonight:

1. Blair has GOT to get his ass glued to the bench. If this game doesnt open Pop's eyes up, nothing will.

2. More Splitter and Diaw, less Blair and Bonner. I'd even prefer Bonner out there over Blair at this point.

3. S-Jax brings toughness and D to this team. He deserves more minutes.

4. Same with Danny Green, he brings hustle and toughness to the team every night.

5. TP needs to get his head out of his ass if this team is going to take it far...

[Ice009]

Green is a baller, I don't give a shit if he is streaky. He isn't scared of anybody and he's shown it tonight when other veterans reacted the opposite way.

I said this in a thread the other day when people said he should be benched after the Utah loss.

Danny Green may have turned our season around earlier in the year.

That game early in the year against Goldenstate where Monte Ellis was torching us, Spurs had nothing left to go to, but Green came out and game us everything he had. Played his heart out that game and has been doing it ever since.

He's not always consistent so it does get frustrating, but I won't forget what Green did in that game against Goldenstate and what he's been doing all season for the Spurs. He's been consistent when it comes to playing with heart. I can't actually say the same about TP though. As good as TP has been he hasn't played with heart all season like Green has.

[jjktkk]

Only the Mavs and Grizzlies can match the size and physicality of the Fakers.

The Spurs simply cannot. THAT much is again made clear from this game.

And look who's coming to the AT&T Center tomorrow night? The good ol' Grizz.

Not so sure about the Mavs.

[Mugen]

Why throw that at them now and give them two regular season games to get used to it? I bet Pop uses Duncan-Splitter a lot in the 3rd game to give himself a taste while not giving the Fakers practice games to adjust to it. CIA shit.

lol

[Ice009]

Not sure what to take away from this game. Extremely pissed off that the Spurs let a Kobe-less Laker team come into San Antonio and destroy them. Was this merely Pop playing with lineups to find something, or is he really this delusional? Why did Tony play like a little bitch tonight? Hopefully he's taking it easy by Pop's directive. Manu and Tim played with effort, but looked old/tired. If Pop doesn't take the hint and play Duncan and Splitter against the Lakers next time they see them, then this team won't go far in the playoffs.

Well forget the Kobeless thing. A lot of people knew that the Lakers would probably be better if Kobe deferred the ball to Bynum and Gasol. Kobe just wouldn't sit out any games though.

If Kobe has any brains then the Spurs might have shown Kobe how dangerous LA could be if they play an inside out game.

Hate that Pop let them do this by playing small to start. He may have jump started the Lakers, although I knew they'd be better than most people were giving them credit for. I've basically stopped bothering to watch regular season Lakers games because they don't really start playing their best until the playoffs. If Kobe, Bynum and Gasol are healthy Lakers will be good come playoff time.

[TheSkeptic]

Lakers were hitting everything tonight, I'll sleep better knowing that isn't possible every single time we play them; I will wake up knowing Pop has something wrong with him to not play Tiago more minutes. There has to be something there that we don't know about, and I don't mean Tiago not being "over himself".

Look. I don't care if Tiago is a jerk behind the scenes or the coach has a special bond with Blair/Bonner to the point where he wants them to succeed.

You coach to win games in the postseason and to do that you need to play your best players. Period. Address personnel issues in the offseason if you have to.

A coach that's putting grudges and personal issues ahead of the team's success needs a sabbatical. And I'm saying that as someone who really admires what Pop has managed to accomplish over the years.

[Thompson]

Why throw that at them now and give them two regular season games to get used to it? I bet Pop uses Duncan-Splitter a lot in the 3rd game to give himself a taste while not giving the Fakers practice games to adjust to it. CIA shit.

I used to think that's what CIA Pop was doing with Ian.

Last year, I thought he was doing that with Splitter.

I'd like to believe that this year, but I'm starting to have doubts.

[TheSkeptic]

Why throw that at them now and give them two regular season games to get used to it? I bet Pop uses Duncan-Splitter a lot in the 3rd game to give himself a taste while not giving the Fakers practice games to adjust to it. CIA shit.

And a horrible strategy.

[jjktkk]

Why throw that at them now and give them two regular season games to get used to it? I bet Pop uses Duncan-Splitter a lot in the 3rd game to give himself a taste while not giving the Fakers practice games to adjust to it. CIA shit.

If Pop doesn't figure out a way to counter the Laker's size, like a heavy dose of Splitter-n-Duncan, maybe Pop has gone of the deep end.

[SenorSpur]

I used to think that's what CIA Pop was doing with Ian.

Last year, I thought he was doing that with Splitter.

I'd like to believe that this year, but I'm starting to have doubts.

Pop still believe every team can be beaten with superior passing and 3-pt shooting.

[Mugen]

<--------- ....thanks

[Duncan2177]

Look. I don't care if Tiago is a jerk behind the scenes or the coach has a special bond with Blair/Bonner to the point where he wants them to succeed.

You coach to win games in the postseason and to do that you need to play your best players. Period. Address personnel issues in the offseason if you have to.

A coach that's putting grudges and personal issues ahead of the team's success needs a sabbatical. And I'm saying that as someone who really admires what Pop has managed to accomplish over the years.

That's a sign of a bad coach.

[Ice009]

FFS, Ice, that is BS. I know you're frustrated, all fans who care about this team are right now, but check your head. Pop has taken a team we were talking about for the 7-8th spot before the season to the top of the WC, developed the hell out of Leonard, Green, Neal, etc, seamlessly integrated 3 new players at the deadline, and done it all with no trade assets and aging, injury-prone stars. He's one of the best ever to coach the NBA game.

Right now he's trying to figure out how the hell he can stop Bynum, and his CIA play is probably Tim-Splitter, but why would he unleash it now? Step off the ledge and see how he responds to this drubbing. I'd say the 3rd game in the series is the one where we'll see what he's going to do in the playoffs if we meet the Fakers.

I am frustrated because I've been watching Pop do exactly the opposite. Last season against the Grizzles he never went with Splitter and Tim.

Why would he do it now Ruff?

For all the great stuff Pop does, he pisses it all away with his stubbornness. Why would I expect him to do it.

He hasn't played that combination all season. Why would he do it in the playoffs?

You may be right though, but he's failed numerous times the last few seasons to make the correct playoff and rotation calls.

First it was overplaying Finley, overplaying Bonner in the playoffs, not playing George Hill in the playoffs, not playing Splitter until it was too late against the Grizz.

Do you see why I am skeptical? We'll see though.

Spurs are a lot better and have more depth and options so I still believe we have a chance to be better than at anytime in the last few seasons. We'll see if you're right and if Pop makes the adjustments that give the Spurs the best chance to win. I still believe we have a chance to win.

That is all I want. That's all it comes down to. I want Pop to make the right adjustments that give the Spurs the best chance to win.

I don't just don't want him to take the fitting a square peg in a round hole road again.

[Ice009]

Bynum was 7-20. (Doesn't he usually shoot around .550?)
Gasol was 9-24.
Ebanks was 0-4.

We can live with all of that. And we can live with giving up 98 points. But not when we get out-rebounded 60-33. And not when Tony, Manu, Kawhi, and Blair are a combined 6-22. And not when we only get 9 FT's because we aren't getting to the rim.

The Spurs are 13-10 when giving up 100 points, would have been 13-11 had the Lakers scored 100 tonight.

I don't think we can live with that at all IMO. Gotta try and keep teams down to the low 90s.

[Ice009]

What part of the entire team being outrebounded by one guy did you fail to understand? Funny how often teams have "bad shooting nights" against a good defense.

If he watched the Spurs win Championships then he'd know that is how the Spurs won.

Countless times I heard the other teams fans say it was a bad shooting night. It wasn't just a bad shooting night, the Spurs defense was a big part of that bad shooting night for the other team. Exactly why the Spurs shot poorly tonight. The Lakers defense was a big reason for that bad shooting.

[GSH]

Holy shit, the meltdown in the main part of the forum is out of control. It's like an exercise in writing thread titles. How many different ways can you say the Spurs got their asses kicked?

I'm not even going to try and read any of that - my head will explode.

One of two things is going to happen tomorrow: the Griz are going to get their asses handed to them, or the Spurs are going to prepare us for another disappointing first round.

[Ice009]

Holy shit, the meltdown in the main part of the forum is out of control. It's like an exercise in writing thread titles. How many different ways can you say the Spurs got their asses kicked?

I'm not even going to try and read any of that - my head will explode.

One of two things is going to happen tomorrow: the Griz are going to get their asses handed to them, or the Spurs are going to prepare us for another disappointing first round.

Why does everyone abandon the game thread after games and start retarded ones?

[mkurts]

Andrew Bynum beasts over the small three again - looks like the Spurs once again cannot deal with the Lakers psychologically and piss themselves.

I don't for one second think that the Lakers had better players (Kobe out) or a better system, not to mention their bench stinks, so its all in the mind, especially when you get crushed at home with the Fakers playing better defense on the road ..... :nope

[easy7]

Damn, I just got home and just heard about that ass whooping....

[Ice009]

Andrew Bynum beasts over the small three again - looks like the Spurs once again cannot deal with the Lakers psychologically and piss themselves.

I don't for one second think that the Lakers had better players (Kobe out) or a better system, not to mention their bench stinks, so its all in the mind, especially when you get crushed at home with the Fakers playing better defense on the road ..... :nope

The Lakers are a better team than people give them credit for. They suck in the regular season. It's not worth watching them in the regular season because they go through the motions a lot.

If their big three of Bynum, Gasol, Kobe are rested and healthy going into the playoffs then I think they will be very good.

Pau Gasol said the other day he's not worried about their defense and it would be there for the playoffs. Looks like they used this game to ramp it up.

The other crappy thing is that we've been waiting for this game all season to see how the Spurs do against size. It really stinks that Memphis hasn't had Randolph so we could see how the Spurs would have gone earlier in the year against a team with size, giving Pop more time to tweak the lineup, but unfortunately we've had to wait until late in the season, and yet again Pop has failed to play Tim with Tiago throughout the season to prepare for it.

[therealtruth]

The Simulator crew can't understand how being 7ft helps.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Look. I don't care if Tiago is a jerk behind the scenes or the coach has a special bond with Blair/Bonner to the point where he wants them to succeed.

You coach to win games in the postseason and to do that you need to play your best players. Period. Address personnel issues in the offseason if you have to.

A coach that's putting grudges and personal issues ahead of the team's success needs a sabbatical. And I'm saying that as someone who really admires what Pop has managed to accomplish over the years.

Evidence that Pop is doing this? He's not, he's doing what he honestly thinks is the best for his team to win.


I used to think that's what CIA Pop was doing with Ian.

Last year, I thought he was doing that with Splitter.

I'd like to believe that this year, but I'm starting to have doubts.

Last year he didn't play Splitter because he was banged up and frankly not quite ready for the NBA. This year Splitter is a totally different player.


And a horrible strategy.

Not really. Winning 7-game series is all about adjustments. The last thing Pop wants to do right now is give the Fakers 3 meaningless games to adjust to Tim-Splitter.


If Pop doesn't figure out a way to counter the Laker's size, like a heavy dose of Splitter-n-Duncan, maybe Pop has gone of the deep end.

Maybe he has, or maybe he knows something we don't.


I am frustrated because I've been watching Pop do exactly the opposite. Last season against the Grizzles he never went with Splitter and Tim.

Why would he do it now Ruff?

For all the great stuff Pop does, he pisses it all away with his stubbornness. Why would I expect him to do it.

He hasn't played that combination all season. Why would he do it in the playoffs?

You may be right though, but he's failed numerous times the last few seasons to make the correct playoff and rotation calls.

First it was overplaying Finley, overplaying Bonner in the playoffs, not playing George Hill in the playoffs, not playing Splitter until it was too late against the Grizz.

Do you see why I am skeptical? We'll see though.

Spurs are a lot better and have more depth and options so I still believe we have a chance to be better than at anytime in the last few seasons. We'll see if you're right and if Pop makes the adjustments that give the Spurs the best chance to win. I still believe we have a chance to win.

That is all I want. That's all it comes down to. I want Pop to make the right adjustments that give the Spurs the best chance to win.

I don't just don't want him to take the fitting a square peg in a round hole road again.

Last season was a different story, and Splitter wasn't yet ready for the NBA game (his offence was awful, foul rate off the charts - I doubt he would've swung the Grizz series even if he had played).

All the rest of what you say is entirely reasonable and I agree. But the reason he's saving Tim-Splitter is probably because he wants it to be fresh if he has to use it (and he'll only use it against the Fakers or Grizz methinks). Either that, or he truly has developed a blindspot. We'll know in about a month.

[Spurs da champs]

^ Big Time Pop Sucker!

[Johnny RIngo]

There's a lot of deluded users on this forum if you think SA can beat the Lakers by simply inserting Splitter next to TD. Fact is BOTH Laker bigs are much better than our two best frontcourt players. Their best defenders are better than our best defenders. The only advantage we have on them is at the point guard position and our point guard has played frightened against the Lakers since '04. The bench is irrelevant since rotations are shortened in playoff basketball. Lakers are simply a bad matchup.

Pop's move to rest the starters against Utah is going to bite him in the ass now after we lose to Memphis tomorrow night. Should have made sure to beat Utah away and rested our guys against the Kobe-less Laker team at home to come out at full strength against the Grizzlies. Now we're going to have a group tired/demoralized players going up against the squad that humiliated them last year. Genius move by Pop.

[TheSkeptic]

There's a lot of deluded users on this forum if you think SA can beat the Lakers by simply inserting Splitter next to TD. Fact is BOTH Laker bigs are much better than our two best frontcourt players. Their best defenders are better than our best defenders. The only advantage we have on them is at the point guard position and our point guard has played frightened against the Lakers since '04. The bench is irrelevant since rotations are shortened in playoff basketball.

Not sure how many times it needs to be said, but nobody's saying that.

What we're saying is that Splitter is our second best big and flat out not playing him in favour of Blair/Bonner against the LAL bigs is a disaster waiting to happen. Splitter was fine against Gasol and defended Bynum better than the other two combined. Sure they're both better players but at least it gives us a better chance than the other two.

It's about playing your best players and putting the team in a better position to succeed.

[Spurs da champs]

Not sure how many times it needs to be said, but nobody's saying that.

What we're saying is that Splitter is our second best big and flat out not playing him in favour of Blair/Bonner against the LAL bigs is a disaster waiting to happen. Splitter was fine against Gasol and defended Bynum better than the other two combined. Sure they're both better players but at least it gives us a better chance than the other two.

It's about playing your best players and putting the team in a better position to succeed.

Agreed.

When Bonner & Blair were on the floor with Tim there man(Gasol) was just playing volleyball which resulted in like 10 offensive rebounds for Bynum.
You can't go wrong with these two 7 footers against the Lakers/Grizz. You gotta match size with size.

[TheSkeptic]

Agreed.

When Bonner & Blair were on the floor with Tim there man(Gasol) was just playing volleyball which resulted in like 10 offensive rebounds for Bynum.
You can't go wrong with these two 7 footers against the Lakers/Grizz. You gotta match size with size.

Exactly. I have no idea why people are making it so complicated.

[Johnny RIngo]

Not sure how many times it needs to be said, but nobody's saying that.

What we're saying is that Splitter is our second best big and flat out not playing him in favour of Blair/Bonner against the LAL bigs is a disaster waiting to happen. Splitter was fine against Gasol and defended Bynum better than the other two combined. Sure they're both better players but at least it gives us a better chance than the other two.

It's about playing your best players and putting the team in a better position to succeed.

Splitter isn't good enough to make enough of a difference against LA's frontcourt. That's a sad fact we have to live with. And even if he IS good enough we have a point guard that plays like shit against this team time and time again.

[therealtruth]

Agreed.

When Bonner & Blair were on the floor with Tim there man(Gasol) was just playing volleyball which resulted in like 10 offensive rebounds for Bynum.
You can't go wrong with these two 7 footers against the Lakers/Grizz. You gotta match size with size.

Splitter would actually have a chance at getting Bynum in foul trouble.

[Venti Quattro]

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Photoshop_madness/LA_crime_scene.jpg

:lol Nice one

[TheSkeptic]

Splitter isn't good enough to make enough of a difference against LA's frontcourt. That's a sad fact we have to live with. And even if he IS good enough we have a point guard that plays like shit against this team time and time again.

We know he won't make a difference by himself.

The point is Splittter> Bonner/Blair vs. Gasol/Bynum (and in general). Even if we're still destined to lose, people just want to go down playing our best players and matching up as best we can since it's virtually guaranteed that small-ball will fail against LAL.

[Venti Quattro]

Anyone remember last year? We went into LA and smashed them by 20, then they did the same to us. Means very little at this point.

You never beat LA at Staples by 20 last year.

[therealtruth]

You never beat LA at Staples by 20 last year.

That was two years ago.

[Mugen]

After all the praise I gave Pop the other day...he coached like a fucking idiot tonight. His insistence on starting a 6'5 fat midget in Dejuan Blair against a starting lineup of Bynum and Gasol is nothing short of mental retardation. Bynum had 30 effing rebounds and it looked like a dad playing against a bunch of 5 year olds all game watching Blair and Bonner try to box him out. Lakers didn't even have Kobe tonight and they managed to still take a shit spur shaped P at midcourt.

It would be one thing if he didn't have any other options but he has a perfectly good 7 footer rotting away on the pine as the Blair-Bonner combo drop a dead fetus on the court anytime they face a big frontline. If he doesn't start Splitter and Duncan together and have them playing 30+ minutes a game by the playoffs, we are likely getting swept against either the Lakers, Grizz or Thunder. Maybe we will get lucky and someone else will knock out those obviously superior teams for us but HIGHLY unlikely.


Why throw that at them now and give them two regular season games to get used to it? I bet Pop uses Duncan-Splitter a lot in the 3rd game to give himself a taste while not giving the Fakers practice games to adjust to it. CIA shit.

If RuffnReady and MexicanJunior had a kid, he/she would be the most even-keeled m'fer on the block, tbh.