Grades: Spurs @ Lakers - Apr. 17

[timvp]

Looking to avenge an embarrassing loss against the Lakers a week ago, the Spurs were able to do just that in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. With the Big 3 leading the way, the Spurs ran away with a 112-91 victory.

After Matt Barnes hit a layup to give the Lakers a two-point lead with 5:41 remaining in the first half, San Antonio's romp commenced. In the next four minutes, the Spurs went on an 18-0 run in which Tony Parker scored or assisted on 11 of the points. From then on, the Spurs never led by less than 14 points.

The Spurs have to be ecstatic with this win. That loss a week ago was demoralizing, even for a team that knows not to put too much value in regular season results. To come out tonight and totally annihilate the Lakers showed a lot of heart and can't help but make this team feel even better about their chances going forward.

http://dailyelements.com/box1apr17.jpg

http://dailyelements.com/box2apr17.jpg

Tim Duncan A
To begin the game, Tim Duncan looked slow and less athletic than usual. However, after his first lackluster stint, Duncan played a smart, physical, determined brand of basketball. Offensively, he did a great job of mixing up his outside jumpers and his forays to the hoop. By the end of the game, the Lakers had no idea what Duncan was going to do when he got the ball. Defensively, he progressively got better guarding Andrew Bynum. Early on, he was getting buried behind the Lakers center and had no hope of altering his shots. But after Duncan started fronting and half-fronting Bynum, San Antonio's defense improved drastically. In the last three games, Duncan has posted an astonishingly high plus/minus of +77 in a total of only 70 minutes.

Manu Ginobili A-
It was a great effort by Manu Ginobili tonight. His ferociousness was contagious in many aspects of the game. On offense, he attacked the rim extremely hard and was able to finish amongst the trees. He also passed the ball well and cut out the needlessly risky passes that had been creeping into his repertoire recently. My only critique of his offensive game was his overreliance on step-back three-pointers when isolated against a slower defender. On defense, he hurt the Spurs by roaming off of his man a bit too freely but his crashing of the defensive glass was another aspect that was definitely contagious.

Tony Parker A+
It's not hyperbole to say this was one of Tony Parker's best regular season games of his career. After his terrible showing last outing against the Lakers, Parker's epic manhandling of L.A. was a beautiful work of art. From the opening tip, Parker was on a mission and remained in attack-mode for all 31 of his minutes. No matter what the Lakers did -- go under screens, go over screens, switch screens, trap screens -- Parker had the answer. His outside shot was dropping, which made him even deadlier than usual off the dribble. When he wasn't scoring himself, his ability to create shots for teammates was at an elite level. Parker's pace and overall conducting of the offense was virtually perfect. While his turnovers stand out on the boxscore, they were nearly all a result of his relentless attacking, so the miscues were easy to live with. Defensively, I thought Parker did really good work on Ramon Sessions by applying pressure and limiting any open spaces. All in all, this is the version of Parker the Spurs need to thrive in the postseason. Obviously, he doesn't have to play this well every game but this type of unflinching doggedness can make these Spurs a legit championship contender.

Danny Green A-
Danny Green played his role. Defensively, he took advantage of going against a non-scorer in Devin Ebanks by constantly dropping into the paint to offer very good help. When there was a scramble underneath the rim, it was oftentimes Green emerging with a loose ball, deflecting a pass, blocking a shot or otherwise helping the Spurs overcome the size disadvantage. On offense, he didn't try to do too much; Green simply took what was given to him. And while he's been a streaky three-point shooter all year, this current hot streak has been going on for so long that it almost doesn't qualify as a streak any longer.

Kawhi Leonard C-
Perhaps the only player who didn't shine tonight was Kawhi Leonard. The rookie never really made an impact on either end. Defensively, Metta World Peace out-muscled him a few times and Leonard in general was slower to the ball than usual. Offensively, though he hit a timely three-pointer, the rest of the time Leonard was either a liability or a non-factor.

Tiago Splitter B
With the season 90% over, Pop finally thought it was a good idea to try out Tiago Splitter next to Tim Duncan. Offensively, it wasn't a smashing success. The chemistry (or lack thereof) between Splitter and Duncan was an issue early. If it wasn't for Parker's ability to create for himself, things would have looked even uglier. That said, Splitter's inclusion in the starting lineup definitely helped on the defensive end. His size negated a lot of what killed the Spurs last time and his ability to box out made a world of difference. Even though this alignment wasn't a huge hit tonight, starting Splitter and Duncan is the obvious answer if the Spurs have to face the Lakers in the playoffs.

Stephen Jackson B+
Yes, Stephen Jackson remains unable to hit from three-point land. But other than that, I was pretty darn happy with what I saw out of Jackson tonight. Defensively, other than a couple of poorly timed gambles, he was very stout. Jackson's physicality seemed to bother World Peace; it's great to have a perimeter player on the team so willing to throw his body around in the paint. On offense, Jackson realized his outside shot wasn't falling so he instead attacked the rim -- both with the ball and off the ball.

Matt Bonner A-
Although he was at a size and strength disadvantage, Matt Bonner was able to play well. In fact, I thought this was one of his better games of the season. While the stats don't look overly impressive, his competitiveness was much higher than we usually see and he even thrived in tight quarters and pressure situations. Defensively, he did a great job of not fouling yet making it difficult for the Lakers bigs to score. Bonner rebounded very well, especially in traffic. In addition to knocking down a couple shots, I liked Bonner's crispness on offense. There was none of that hesitancy that he usually pops up against the better teams in the league.

Boris Diaw B+
Like Bonner, Boris Diaw's stats look rather plain but he too did really good work. On offense, his decision-making in terms of when to pass and when to shoot was better than normal. Diaw's quick moves to the basket opened up opportunities for everyone else on the court. Defensively, he was very physical on the low block and was surprisingly good when defending Pau Gasol. One area where Diaw needs work is playing defense without fouling. He picked up a couple more needless fouls tonight and had a few other reckless swipes and nudges that don't fit San Antonio's gameplan of keeping opponents off the charity stripe.

Gary Neal A-
Everyone knows Gary Neal isn't a true point guard. But if he can play like he did tonight more often, he could be an incredibly valuable piece of the puzzle in the playoffs. I really liked how he played on both ends. Offensively, he played to his strengths and kept it simple. When Neal was asked to create, he looked to score himself and only passed if the Lakers brought help. It's not exactly a complicated scheme but it works well when Neal is running the show since he's such a talented scorer. Defensively, he was much better than usual. I liked his closeouts and he was usually able to keep his man in front of him.

Pop B+
Pop made a great decision by playing the Big 3 and using this as an opportunity to build confidence. As it played out, things literally couldn't have gone much better. As the Spurs fly to Sacramento to complete the back-to-back-to-back set, the players have to be thrilled with what they were able to accomplish tonight. Rotations-wise, I can't complain. Keeping DeJuan Blair on the bench was the right move; the Lakers are just an impossible matchup for him. The only reason I'm not giving him a higher grade is because it's irritating that Pop wasted so much of the season not building the chemistry between Duncan and Splitter when it was obvious that the Spurs would need that tandem once games really began to matter. That shortsightedness has limited this team's ceiling, quite honestly. But that said, let's hope that Pop keeps giving the Duncan and Splitter duo chances so they can learn how to coexist.

[T Park]

Duncan doesn't think they have to get used to each other.

[timtonymanu]

Thanks for these :toast

This is the 10 man rotation that I've been wanting to see. Glad Pop played them against a team we might face in the playoffs.

[TheSkeptic]

.

Pop B+
Pop made a great decision by playing the Big 3 and using this as an opportunity to build confidence. As it played out, things literally couldn't have gone much better. As the Spurs fly to Sacramento to complete the back-to-back-to-back set, the players have to be thrilled with what they were able to accomplish tonight. Rotations-wise, I can't complain. Keeping DeJuan Blair on the bench was the right move; the Lakers are just an impossible matchup for him. The only reason I'm not giving him a higher grade is because it's irritating that Pop wasted so much of the season not building the chemistry between Duncan and Splitter when it was obvious that the Spurs would need that tandem once games really began to matter. That shortsightedness has limited this team's ceiling, quite honestly. But that said, let's hope that Pop keeps giving the Duncan and Splitter duo chances so they can learn how to coexist.

Perfect rotations. Leaving Blair on the bench. Mixing things up. For once, I have nothing to say about Pop. And it feels good. Real good. :hat

Something interesting though is that the Duncan-Splitter line-up might not have been as bad offensively as it looked due to Splitter not having a good offensive game/their lack of chemistry.

I was over on the Laker forum and while they were admitting that this was a much better defensive frontcourt than the one with Blair (obviously), they were expecting it to be a bad offensive one (weren't we all). But during the game one of their posters said at one point that Splitter's pick and roll was messing up their defensive coverages. The comment was made fairly early in the game too.

Of course, we know the rest of what happened, but that's something to think about with the two-big line-up at least.

And also, the big 3 played awesome. Thanks Timvp. :toast

[Fireball]

Tonight timvp's grading speed made Reggie Bush look like Rasho.

You better watch the game next time :lol

[BG_Spurs_Fan]

PaTTy will be angry for being omitted.

[ElNono]

I bet you had a grand time writing that :lol

Well done! :toast

[Splits]

Thanks for the grades, timvp. I have to disagree with this though:


The only reason I'm not giving him a higher grade is because it's irritating that Pop wasted so much of the season not building the chemistry between Duncan and Splitter when it was obvious that the Spurs would need that tandem once games really began to matter. That shortsightedness has limited this team's ceiling, quite honestly. But that said, let's hope that Pop keeps giving the Duncan and Splitter duo chances so they can learn how to coexist.

This just has no bearing on reality. Splitter struggled to start the game, was pulled within the first 5 minutes. Then TD got raked across the eyes, Splitter came in for the rest of the period and played the best ball he has played all season. His second stint, with TD on the bench, was awesome. That's not to say that correlation is causation, but the TD/Split combo was not the highlight of the night. It was Split getting a chance to prove himself, and he played like a madman scrambling for loose balls and doing things that don't show up in the stat sheet when he was replacing TD, not working with him.

[therealtruth]

We finally see the best defensive frontcourt start. Splitter doesn't need a 20-10 game to make it a success. He just needs to take up space and prevent the Lakers from grabbing all the rebounds.

[freetiago]

team definitely played motivated tonight
boris had a really nice move on gasol in the low block that i had no idea how he got up

and bonner introduced his one dribble pullup
his penetration is useless i dont know why he waited so long to add this to his game
if he does this more he can actually be some kind of factor in the playoffs

[jiggy_55]

I have to say it was refreshing to see Splitter start finally, and to see Blair benched. Now let's hope we don't see much more from Blair the rest of the way, Splitter or Diaw need to start. For fucks sake even let Bonner start over Blair. Unfortunately, I don't see it that way and you can expect Blair to start tomorrow against SAC with Duncan rested.

Also, we didn't see much of Splitter and Duncan together btw other than that first quarter.. Otherwise they still never played together but it was refreshing that Pop recognized the mismatch and finally did something about it.. In the playoffs, this should definitely be used against LAL if we meet.

[TheSkeptic]

We finally see the best defensive frontcourt start. Splitter doesn't need a 20-10 game to make it a success. He just needs to take up space and prevent the Lakers from grabbing all the rebounds.

Can't argue with the results. The best thing about this game was that the Spurs won it while playing the right way.

[phyzik]

Friday is going to be a battle.... Spurs still need to keep that embarassing loss to the Lakers firmly in mind come friday.... I fear that if we get out of hand again for the Lakers that Bynum, or maybe even Blake, will do something stupid and really hurt one of our guys out of frustration.

blake was already getting quite chippy with Manu towards the end there and Bynum was visibly livid in the post game interview.

[angelbelow]

Thanks for the grades. Great win tonight! Some thoughts:

-Thought starting Splitter was odd and risky. Would have caused a lot of problems if we came out flat offensive and the Lakers came out blazing. Luckily the defense was pretty good to start the game. Our bench completely destroyed theirs, which is how we should have won a week ago tbh. Getting Neal back also proved to be helpful, that guy is a baller.

-Parker and Ginobili came out the way we expected them to.

-Starting Diaw is the clear choice and I'm not sure if there is anyone (nasf, gnsf) left who would be against it.

-I don't expect Pop to play much of Tiago and Timmy going forward. Disappointing but I'm not sure if there's enough time to oil the machine at this point. Also, If Pop really wanted to get another look, he could have easily subbed Tiago in for Boris halfway through the 3rd. The Spurs already had a commanding lead and Boris was looking a bit tired. Instead he went with Bonner, not a complaint, just saying that he could have tried it again here.

-Told my friends that Bonner looked extra sharp on the glass tonight. He even tied his season high of two offensive rebounds. Not joking either, hes averaging by far his lowest ORB total. So the two that he got tonight supports the theory that Bonner not only came to play, but wasn't going to fold.

-I'm actually a big fan of Kobe. This may sound weird but the Lakers are probably my 2nd favorite team. But that's kind of by default - I don't follow them any where as close as the Spurs. Also, they're the local team, so its been easy for me to follow them through-out the years.

Steve Kerr hit many nails on the head tonight and one of them was that the Lakers need Kobe. Hes the only player with any resemblance of leadership left and hes the least likely player to fold when things get tough. Mentally, we pretty much traded places with the Lakers from last week. I thought one of the main reasons why we were so effective against Bynum and Gasol was that the Lakers have 0 perimeter presence. Kobe/Gasol pick and roll is pretty potent and we've yet to see anything resembling it. It was also obvious that they had no competitive drive especially with their two bigs (or leaders) folding the game. Gasol in particular was charming soft while Bynum is too immature to stay focused. Artest did his best to be aggressive and physical but Jackson, as always, played some solid defense.

[Paranoid Pop]

Tiago Splitter B
With the season 90% over, Pop finally thought it was a good idea to try out Tiago Splitter next to Tim Duncan. Offensively, it wasn't a smashing success. The chemistry (or lack thereof) between Splitter and Duncan was an issue early. If it wasn't for Parker's ability to create for himself, things would have looked even uglier. That said, Splitter's inclusion in the starting lineup definitely helped on the defensive end. His size negated a lot of what killed the Spurs last time and his ability to box out made a world of difference. Even though this alignment wasn't a huge hit tonight, starting Splitter and Duncan is the obvious answer if the Spurs have to face the Lakers in the playoffs.

That's not Tiago's real grade, that's just you being super happy that he got to start, he couldn't make a FT to save his life, was more foul happy than Boris, threw a wild behind the back pass to Nicholson and managed to end up -8 in a blow-out win :downspin:. Stats don't tell the whole story but the expectations for Tiago can't low enough that he deserves a B for this showing imo.

[letmk]

In terms of big men rotation, I would replace Blair with Diaw and keep the same Bonner for Diaw, then Splitter for Tim routine.

[phyzik]

That's not Tiago's real grade, that's just you being super happy that he got to start, he couldn't make a FT to save his life, was more foul happy than Boris, threw a wild behind the back pass to Nicholson and managed to end up -8 in a blow-out win :downspin:. Stats don't tell the whole story but the expectations for Tiago can't low enough that he deserves a B for this showing imo.

I think your totally wrong given the circumstances.... Splitter hasnt played significant minutes alongside Duncan for his whole tenure here... expecting him to come out and ball alongside Duncan right away is expecting way too much.

when you look at it in that context, they did pretty well together. Sure its 1 game, but Bynum only had like what? 2 rebounds in the first quarter? I'd say it was pretty effective considering the last game we played against them.

[Legacy]

Thanks for the grades, timvp. :D


This was such a great game to watch, and prayerfully Pops will continue to be somewhat open-minded in the future, and not so set in his ways. I will continue to pray for miracles for him and this wonderful Spurs team I love so much.



... STRIVE FOR FIVE, Oh yeah ...



:flag::lobt2::lobt2::lobt2::lobt2::lobt2::flag:

[jjktkk]

Thanks for the writeup Tim.

[Fireball]

:wakeup

c'mon, I am still laughing about your post in the game thread being angry about missing the game ...

[therealtruth]

team definitely played motivated tonight
boris had a really nice move on gasol in the low block that i had no idea how he got up

and bonner introduced his one dribble pullup
his penetration is useless i dont know why he waited so long to add this to his game
if he does this more he can actually be some kind of factor in the playoffs

Exactly. The pullup jumpshot can help him since he's a good shooter.

[100%duncan]

Fuck yeah!

[Josepatches_]

-I don't expect Pop to play much of Tiago and Timmy going forward. Disappointing but I'm not sure if there's enough time to oil the machine at this point. Also, If Pop really wanted to get another look, he could have easily subbed Tiago in for Boris halfway through the 3rd. The Spurs already had a commanding lead and Boris was looking a bit tired. Instead he went with Bonner, not a complaint, just saying that he could have tried it again here.



There is an easy explanation. Tiago had 3 fouls.

Pop wants one of Tiago and Duncan on the court. Both start. Then Tiago goes to the bench so he returns when Duncan sits.

But in the 3rd quarter with 3 fouls Pop had to wait to play Tiago or we could be playing without true bigs when Duncan rest. so he can't play both together

Tiago came in for TD with 1:30 minutes left in the 3rd so if he picks the 4th it wouldn't be a big problem.


I think TD came in too early in the 4th when the game was nearly over but surely he's not going to play today. In the other hand Splitter played a 20min back to back games and he should play today and friday so it was a smart move.

[angelbelow]

There is an easy explanation. Tiago had 3 fouls.

Pop wants one of Tiago and Duncan on the court. Both start. Then Tiago goes to the bench so he returns when Duncan sits.

But in the 3rd quarter with 3 fouls Pop had to wait to play Tiago or we could be playing without true bigs when Duncan rest. so he can't play both together

Tiago came in for TD with 1:30 minutes left in the 3rd so if he picks the 4th it wouldn't be a big problem.

The game was already out of reach, the 4th foul wouldn't have mattered. And if Splitter really did pick up another 4th in the 3rd, he doesn't necessarily have to sit. Good opportunity for him to learn how to play with fouls. Unless he straight up fouls out in the 3rd, he can still play the 4th quarter with foul trouble and spell Duncan some minutes. If the Lakers happen to go on a run in the 4th, the Spurs would counter with Duncan, not a Tiago.

I see what you're saying though and I don't completely disagree. But keeping in theme with what you're saying, Tiago and Tim could have seen some 4th quarter action as well. Because that didn't happen, I don't expect Pop to play Duncan and Splitter together that much.

[SA210]

Pop B+
Pop made a great decision by playing the Big 3 and using this as an opportunity to build confidence. As it played out, things literally couldn't have gone much better. As the Spurs fly to Sacramento to complete the back-to-back-to-back set, the players have to be thrilled with what they were able to accomplish tonight. Rotations-wise, I can't complain. Keeping DeJuan Blair on the bench was the right move; the Lakers are just an impossible matchup for him. The only reason I'm not giving him a higher grade is because it's irritating that Pop wasted so much of the season not building the chemistry between Duncan and Splitter when it was obvious that the Spurs would need that tandem once games really began to matter. That shortsightedness has limited this team's ceiling, quite honestly. But that said, let's hope that Pop keeps giving the Duncan and Splitter duo chances so they can learn how to coexist.

This

[will_spurs]

Missing grade:

DeJuan Blair A++

In his 0 minutes of play, Blair proved that the problem was not about playing Splitter alongside Duncan after all, nor about Splitter starting or even getting more minutes: it's about having a legit 4-big rotation against teams with dominating bigs. Blair's absence just goes to show that putting a "fat, tall guard" at center is not that smart of an idea. Blair can play when smallball line-ups are in order (and that may well be never), but the Spurs just got a strong signal tonight that they should go into the playoffs with a frontcourt rotation consisting of whichever kind of combo of Duncan, Splitter, Bonner and Diaw.

[polandprzem]

LJ you are not giving Pop a higher grade because of what he did earlier in the season?

Wasn't that suppose to be a game grades?



Splitt had plus minus of -8 ///// I need to watch this game.

[polandprzem]

Probably Blair is going to demolish the Kings - hopefully


Tough decision for Pop if to sit the big 3 or not. he is closer to the team tough and he sees the exhaustion better.

[benefactor]

Masterful performance by Parker tonight. It really was beautiful to watch.

I've never been so happy being so tired at work tbh.

[TMTTRIO]

Manu probably deserved a C. He started the game by throwing a bunch of horrible 3 point shots with a hand in the face instead of driving. Fortunately he did get a little bit more aggressive but still missed a bunch of FTs that he usually makes.

[pgardn]

Its terribly difficult to give grades when one little nerd in class becomes the teacher. Tony Parker,take a bow son...

Tiago with a B because he started is a gift of course. He can play much better than this. His speed, not just the fact that he is tall, can also play a much larger role than it did last night.

Thanks for the effort in the writeup as always. This little thread is always revealing as to how differently people assess players.

I think its possible the fear of the Laker posters welling up in massive thunderheads, and Spursfan general hatred of said team, makes for some judgmental paranoia.

[rmt]

Thanks for the grades, timvp. I have to disagree with this though:

This just has no bearing on reality. Splitter struggled to start the game, was pulled within the first 5 minutes. Then TD got raked across the eyes, Splitter came in for the rest of the period and played the best ball he has played all season. His second stint, with TD on the bench, was awesome. That's not to say that correlation is causation, but the TD/Split combo was not the highlight of the night. It was Split getting a chance to prove himself, and he played like a madman scrambling for loose balls and doing things that don't show up in the stat sheet when he was replacing TD, not working with him.

It's the first time that Splitter's started next to Duncan and in a game so obviously important to the Spurs (after the beat down). It's natural for him to be nervous. If anything, it's Pop's fault that they have so little chemistry since he hasn't played them together at all - for 2 whole seasons.


That's not Tiago's real grade, that's just you being super happy that he got to start, he couldn't make a FT to save his life, was more foul happy than Boris, threw a wild behind the back pass to Nicholson and managed to end up -8 in a blow-out win :downspin:. Stats don't tell the whole story but the expectations for Tiago can't low enough that he deserves a B for this showing imo.

After the beat down that Bynum gave on the glass last game, starting Splitter and limiting Bynum to 2 rebounds in the first quarter sent a loud message that the Spurs weren't going to be pushed around in the paint. Splitter was a part of that and set the tone defensively for the game. Also, liked TD denying Bynum the ball - a bit easier than Gasol as Gasol has RANGE.

Parker had a magnificent game. I don't recall him ever playing any better - he read them beautifully and had great shot selection and execution. Thought that Neal gave them a bit of trouble too as he's dangerous from any area of the court, he got into the paint for some well-timed buckets. Loved SJax not backing down when MWP got physical. Diaw's wide girth surprisingly guarded Gasol well - that's a key - play Gasol physical as he's mentally soft.

[Killakobe81]

Good win spur fans, props ... :toast

[Spurs Brazil]

Masterful performance by Parker tonight. It really was beautiful to watch.

I've never been so happy being so tired at work tbh.

+1.

But a had a great time watching the Spurs FTL

[TheSkeptic]

Good win spur fans, props ... :toast

See you Friday. :toast

[SA210]

It's the first time that Splitter's started next to Duncan and in a game so obviously important to the Spurs (after the beat down). It's natural for him to be nervous. If anything, it's Pop's fault that they have so little chemistry since he hasn't played them together at all - for 2 whole seasons.



After the beat down that Bynum gave on the glass last game, starting Splitter and limiting Bynum to 2 rebounds in the first quarter sent a loud message that the Spurs weren't going to be pushed around in the paint. Splitter was a part of that and set the tone defensively for the game. Also, liked TD denying Bynum the ball - a bit easier than Gasol as Gasol has RANGE.


And this

[silverblackfan]

Great write up! Thanks timvp. Three reviews in 3 nights is challenging, especially given the late games.
Tony played one of his best regular season games ever. He was very focused and did a terrific job of burying those mid-range jumpers. Once that was something we all cringed to see, but now is is automatic. His speed, ability to finish at the rim, and now that mid-range shot makes him unguardable. (Thanks Chip.)
Blake started getting chippy as that seemed the only way to slow down Tony or Neal. Glad to see it did not work.
My favorite aspect of Manu is that if they get too physical, they just light a fire in him. You can see him get up off the ground, looking amused or pissed, and then proceed to dominate the opponent. Tony is showing some of that this year, much like 2008.
Just a great win in LA and a excellent confidence builder.





Jackson was in MWP's head. Thanks Jack!

[z0sa]

Splitter starting and Blair being benched is the big news regarding this one. Even with Blair playing I knew the Spurs could hang, but suddenly seeing your dreams of a blowout victory with Splitter starting come true right before your very eyes ... that was something special and it definitely erases the bad taste from the April 11th debacle.

However, I'm a bit concerned with the Spurs turnovers recently. For the season Spurs are 3rd in Assist:Turnover ratio with 1.68, the highest of all contending teams but in April they have only played well enough for 13th in the League. Additionally, in April the Spurs have the eighth highest turnovers with nearly 1.5 more per contest than the season average. Doesnt sound like a huge difference but considering the team relies on execution and three point shooting rather than stifling defense and drawing fouls, this could be an issue come playoff time unless the Spurs regain some cohesiveness.

[TJastal]

Thanks for the grades. Great win tonight! Some thoughts:

-Thought starting Splitter was odd and risky. Would have caused a lot of problems if we came out flat offensive and the Lakers came out blazing. Luckily the defense was pretty good to start the game.

Luckily lol


Our bench completely destroyed theirs, which is how we should have won a week ago tbh. Getting Neal back also proved to be helpful, that guy is a baller.

Neal > Mills for most matchups, that's becoming clearer each game. He should not be dropped from the rotation unless the spurs get a team like say, the clippers (Paul) or rockets (Lowry) where they will have to match up against a small speedy little point guards.


-Starting Diaw is the clear choice and I'm not sure if there is anyone (nasf, gnsf) left who would be against it. -I don't expect Pop to play much of Tiago and Timmy going forward. Disappointing but I'm not sure if there's enough time to oil the machine at this point. Also, If Pop really wanted to get another look, he could have easily subbed Tiago in for Boris halfway through the 3rd. The Spurs already had a commanding lead and Boris was looking a bit tired. Instead he went with Bonner, not a complaint, just saying that he could have tried it again here.

I'm not ready to give up on Tiago after one game where he probably didn't even know he was going to start until tip-off. He appeared totally unprepared and out of sync. It's not easy to adjust to playing alongside another dominant big but I bet he will catch on fast. It's quite possible he has never even practiced with Duncan in the starting lineup. But what I have seen so far from Tiago is that he learns and adapts very quickly, despite all the bullshit he's had to endure. Unfortunate thing is Pop will probably pull the plug on the this now because Tiago didn't immediately put up all-star numbers and looked a little nervous in his first "real" start.


-Told my friends that Bonner looked extra sharp on the glass tonight. He even tied his season high of two offensive rebounds. Not joking either, hes averaging by far his lowest ORB total. So the two that he got tonight supports the theory that Bonner not only came to play, but wasn't going to fold.

Bonner looked sharp in many aspects of the game IMHO.


-I'm actually a big fan of Kobe. This may sound weird but the Lakers are probably my 2nd favorite team. But that's kind of by default - I don't follow them any where as close as the Spurs. Also, they're the local team, so its been easy for me to follow them through-out the years.

Shocker.

[TJastal]

Splitter starting and Blair being benched is the big news regarding this one. Even with Blair playing I knew the Spurs could hang, but suddenly seeing your dreams of a blowout victory with Splitter starting come true right before your very eyes ... that was something special and it definitely erases the bad taste from the April 11th debacle.

However, I'm a bit concerned with the Spurs turnovers recently. For the season Spurs are 3rd in Assist:Turnover ratio with 1.68, the highest of all contending teams but in April they have only played well enough for 13th in the League. Additionally, in April the Spurs have the eighth highest turnovers with nearly 1.5 more per contest than the season average. Doesnt sound like a huge difference but considering the team relies on execution and three point shooting rather than stifling defense and drawing fouls, this could be an issue come playoff time unless the Spurs regain some cohesiveness.

Turnovers tend to happen when you have several new players trying to learn on the fly and also the idiot coach taking his nice sweet time to figure out the best rotations.

[EVAY]

Pop B+
Pop made a great decision by playing the Big 3 and using this as an opportunity to build confidence. As it played out, things literally couldn't have gone much better. As the Spurs fly to Sacramento to complete the back-to-back-to-back set, the players have to be thrilled with what they were able to accomplish tonight. Rotations-wise, I can't complain. Keeping DeJuan Blair on the bench was the right move; the Lakers are just an impossible matchup for him. The only reason I'm not giving him a higher grade is because it's irritating that Pop wasted so much of the season not building the chemistry between Duncan and Splitter when it was obvious that the Spurs would need that tandem once games really began to matter. That shortsightedness has limited this team's ceiling, quite honestly. But that said, let's hope that Pop keeps giving the Duncan and Splitter duo chances so they can learn how to coexist.

One of the biggest pluses to having the tandem of Duncan/splitter s the ability of our guards to get their shots more easily. In the first game against the Lakers, our bigs provided virtually no 'cover' for our guards to get into the lane for mid-range jumpers, much less to the rim. In this game, after a totally embarrassing start by Duncan, he emerged after his eye-problem to begin fronting (or half-fronting) Bynum on BOTH ends of the court. Splitter has always played a good role as a screener for the guard who is on the floor with him...some of Parker's success in the last part of the first half was that Duncan was far more active on the offense, both blocking and moving.

Offensive movement by the team members off the ball handler was critical in this, and kept the Lakers off their set. The turnovers came mostly when the offense was stagnating.

Pop changing the rotations during the game was HUGE in this game and will be in the future if we are going to pick up wins against this team in the playoffs.

[EVAY]

Several of the Lakers were losing their poise by the 4th quarter of this game. They will be very chippy on Friday night here and we need to be prepared for some hard fouls. I hope that the refs do a better job calling the gazillion fouls they let Bynum get away with in this game and the one last week. The guy fouls almost every time on offense, and so does Blake. Blake is going to get someone hurt if they don't call his fowls better.

[will_spurs]

Several of the Lakers were losing their poise by the 4th quarter of this game. They will be very chippy on Friday night here and we need to be prepared for some hard fouls. I hope that the refs do a better job calling the gazillion fouls they let Bynum get away with in this game and the one last week. The guy fouls almost every time on offense, and so does Blake. Blake is going to get someone hurt if they don't call his fowls better.

This is why I'd rather have the key players sit this game, especially Manu or to a lesser extent Parker (not based on how key they are to the team, but on how likely they are to be fouled hard and injured in the process).

[z0sa]

Turnovers tend to happen when you have several new players trying to learn on the fly

This is true.

[timvp]

The only reason I'm not giving him a higher grade is because it's irritating that Pop wasted so much of the season not building the chemistry between Duncan and Splitter when it was obvious that the Spurs would need that tandem once games really began to matter. That shortsightedness has limited this team's ceiling, quite honestly. But that said, let's hope that Pop keeps giving the Duncan and Splitter duo chances so they can learn how to coexist.

This just has no bearing on reality. Splitter struggled to start the game, was pulled within the first 5 minutes. Then TD got raked across the eyes, Splitter came in for the rest of the period and played the best ball he has played all season. His second stint, with TD on the bench, was awesome. That's not to say that correlation is causation, but the TD/Split combo was not the highlight of the night. It was Split getting a chance to prove himself, and he played like a madman scrambling for loose balls and doing things that don't show up in the stat sheet when he was replacing TD, not working with him.

No offense but did you read what you quoted? All I said in what you quoted was that I hope Pop plays Duncan/Splitter more often. I didn't say anything about the effectiveness of the pairing. In fact, the quote insinuates that they didn't do very well since they have to learn how to coexist. Your "no bearing on reality" take has no bearing on the quote, tbh.

[jiggy_55]

There is an easy explanation. Tiago had 3 fouls.

Pop wants one of Tiago and Duncan on the court. Both start. Then Tiago goes to the bench so he returns when Duncan sits.

But in the 3rd quarter with 3 fouls Pop had to wait to play Tiago or we could be playing without true bigs when Duncan rest. so he can't play both together

Tiago came in for TD with 1:30 minutes left in the 3rd so if he picks the 4th it wouldn't be a big problem.

I think TD came in too early in the 4th when the game was nearly over but surely he's not going to play today. In the other hand Splitter played a 20min back to back games and he should play today and friday so it was a smart move.

Exactly.

TD came in because he won't be playing tonight, Parker did not play the 4th so I have some small hope that he plays tonight which means we try to win rather watch the others suffer on their own. Without both Manu and Parker, this team cannot make many plays so I hope Parker does play tonight. 1st seed will be great.

[jiggy_55]

Missing grade:

DeJuan Blair A++

In his 0 minutes of play, Blair proved that the problem was not about playing Splitter alongside Duncan after all, nor about Splitter starting or even getting more minutes: it's about having a legit 4-big rotation against teams with dominating bigs. Blair's absence just goes to show that putting a "fat, tall guard" at center is not that smart of an idea. Blair can play when smallball line-ups are in order (and that may well be never), but the Spurs just got a strong signal tonight that they should go into the playoffs with a frontcourt rotation consisting of whichever kind of combo of Duncan, Splitter, Bonner and Diaw.

:lol awesome

[TJastal]

Several of the Lakers were losing their poise by the 4th quarter of this game. They will be very chippy on Friday night here and we need to be prepared for some hard fouls. I hope that the refs do a better job calling the gazillion fouls they let Bynum get away with in this game and the one last week. The guy fouls almost every time on offense, and so does Blake. Blake is going to get someone hurt if they don't call his fowls better.

You know what's really funny is the more the refs let this dickhead get away with the constant traveling (LOL @ Barnes 4 step travel too :lol) and loose elbows the more he's going to do it .. and eventually it's going to bite the bitch in the ass like it did in the 2nd half of last night's game when the bitch travelled for like the 20th time and got nailed for it.

[Slomo]

Well coach Brown was honest about his grades:

24Tb_mblHvw


Thanks to BRHonets45 for the idea!

[EVAY]

You know what's really funny is the more the refs let this dickhead get away with the constant traveling (LOL @ Barnes 4 step travel too :lol) and loose elbows the more he's going to do it .. and eventually it's going to bite the bitch in the ass like it did in the 2nd half of last night's game when the bitch travelled for like the 20th time and got nailed for it.

From your lips to god's ears.

[Obstructed_View]

Matty threw a forearm into Bynum's chest on a switch. The plan was clearly to lean on Bynum and tire him out. It worked to perfection. While wearing him out, you need length to counter him. He makes Duncan look like a little kid so having Splitter on the floor is absolutely essential. Great move by Pop. Hope it's not too late for them to get some rhythm together.

[timvp]

That's not Tiago's real grade, that's just you being super happy that he got to start, he couldn't make a FT to save his life, was more foul happy than Boris, threw a wild behind the back pass to Nicholson and managed to end up -8 in a blow-out win :downspin:. Stats don't tell the whole story but the expectations for Tiago can't low enough that he deserves a B for this showing imo.

Given that Splitter hadn't played meaningful, non-accidental minutes next to Duncan in weeks (or has it been months at this point, I've lost count) and was thrown into the fire in a game the Spurs really needed to win, I thought he did about as well as could have been expected. Splitter has no chemistry with Duncan ... and that was painfully obvious. But in his first stint, the Spurs were able to out-rebound the Lakers -- which was obviously a huge change from the last game.

Most of Splitter's minutes this season have been as a center who gets to run pick-and-roll just about every possession. To think he'd seamlessly transition to a power forward who could play off the ball would be naive. Besides, the template for the Spurs' success this season has been for the starters to keep it close and then for the bench to come in and begin to wear the other team out.

Sure, Splitter could have done better and would do better in the future if given more chances to learn how to play next to Duncan. But given the circumstances at hand, I thought he did pretty well last night.

[TwoHandJam]

Jackson's physicality seemed to bother World Peace
Didn't anyone else find this line funny? :lol

Great job on the grades again timvp.

[TJastal]

Given that Splitter hadn't played meaningful, non-accidental minutes next to Duncan in weeks (or has it been months at this point, I've lost count) and was thrown into the fire in a game the Spurs really needed to win, I thought he did about as well as could have been expected. Splitter has no chemistry with Duncan ... and that was painfully obvious. But in his first stint, the Spurs were able to out-rebound the Lakers -- which was obviously a huge change from the last game.

Most of Splitter's minutes this season have been as a center who gets to run pick-and-roll just about every possession. To think he'd seamlessly transition to a power forward who could play off the ball would be naive. Besides, the template for the Spurs' success this season has been for the starters to keep it close and then for the bench to come in and begin to wear the other team out.

Sure, Splitter could have done better and would do better in the future if given more chances to learn how to play next to Duncan. But given the circumstances at hand, I thought he did pretty well last night.

The important thing now is just get the two familar enough with each other that they can coexist on the floor without being a major detriment out there. Obviously great chemistry isn't going to happen immediately.

I've got confidence in Tiago and believe that once he gets comfortable playing in a lineup with Tim Duncan the miscues (that were obviously due to nerves) will stop altogether and the spurs will benefit greatly having this option to go to in the playoffs.

[SA210]

No offense but did you read what you quoted? All I said in what you quoted was that I hope Pop plays Duncan/Splitter more often. I didn't say anything about the effectiveness of the pairing. In fact, the quote insinuates that they didn't do very well since they have to learn how to coexist. Your "no bearing on reality" take has no bearing on the quote, tbh.

:lol Splitman4evah was making things up again

[bklynspursfan]

Nice write up.

Tiago did well, and mainly cause he boxed out and really helped keep those guys off the boards. I don't necessarily care for his lack of offense that quarter it wasn't needed. Running P&R's was getting it done and TP was on fire. He's in there to defend, box out and rebound. Anything else is bonus. I would love for him to start a few more games with Timmy but don't see that happening.

On another note, I really enjoyed Inside Trax with TP. Funny guy that TP is

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Last night was awesome

confidence is back

Ftl

[vander]

-8

[vander]

I've only seen highlights, but it looks like a lot of the points the Lakers scored were difficult and contested, impressive.

[crc21209]

Awesome job as always timvp. :tu Gotta love the rotation Pop threw out there last night. No Blair = perfect. I was also very impressed with Bonner, one of his best games as a Spurs tbh (considering it came against Gasol and Bynum)....

[Mugen]

-8


I've only seen highlights, but it looks like a lot of the points the Lakers scored were difficult and contested, impressive.

:lmao:lmao:lmao

Pointing out Tiago's +/-. Didn't even watch the game.

[vander]

:lmao:lmao:lmao

Pointing out Tiago's +/-. Didn't even watch the game.

still a fact :toast

[pad300]

...

Most of Splitter's minutes this season have been as a center who gets to run pick-and-roll just about every possession. To think he'd seamlessly transition to a power forward who could play off the ball would be naive. Besides, the template for the Spurs' success this season has been for the starters to keep it close and then for the bench to come in and begin to wear the other team out.

...

Actually, were I coaching, would be having Splitter and TD switch roles between the defensive and offensive sides. On D, Splitter takes the "mobile" big, the PF role, while TD guards the paint. On offence, however, I would let Splitter stay in his comfort zone, playing C off the pick and roll. Duncan has far more skills than Splitter, especially jumpshots, so he's a better fit for the offensive PF role. Letter Splitter set screens on the P&R, while Duncan uses his B-ball IQ and skill level to play off the ball movement for Tony...

[Splits]

No offense but did you read what you quoted? All I said in what you quoted was that I hope Pop plays Duncan/Splitter more often. I didn't say anything about the effectiveness of the pairing. In fact, the quote insinuates that they didn't do very well since they have to learn how to coexist. Your "no bearing on reality" take has no bearing on the quote, tbh.

Fair enough, I stand corrected.

I do find it quite interesting that there is no mention of the fact that Splitter got benched to start the 2nd half in place of Diaw. Pop almost always starts the same 5 in the 2nd half, despite their effectiveness in the first (see Blair, D all season). The kid-gloves treatment of needing time to "build chemistry" and the "season 90% over" comments are a bit annoying when a guy who has been with the team for less than a month seems to have no problem integrating and playing with the starters, yet when one with a season and a half of corporate knowledge has trouble, it leads to "irritation" with the coach because he "wasted so much of the season not building chemistry". These guys are paid big money to be ready anytime anywhere to go out and perform. But whatever, I understand you have to appease your most vocal audience here (Pop haters) even if they represent a tiny minority of Spurs fans globally.

[Mugen]

still a fact :toast

Another fact:

Blair in the starting lineup: 14 point loss at home
Splitter in the starting lineup: 21 point victory on the road

:toast

I hope the NBA doesn't schedule any Spurs games at the same time as Glee so you can actually watch the game next time. :lmao

[polandprzem]

Well coach Brown was honest about his grades:

24Tb_mblHvw


Thanks to BRHonets45 for the idea!


Mike was really pissed. :flag:

[vander]

Another fact:

Blair in the starting lineup: 14 point loss at home
Splitter in the starting lineup: 21 point victory on the road

:toast

I hope the NBA doesn't schedule any Spurs games at the same time as Glee so you can actually watch the game next time. :lmao

obviously sitting Blair helped, but just FYI, to get that 21 point win, the Spurs had to outscore the Lakers by 29 points in the 30 minutes Tiago wasn't out there :lol :downspin:

[timvp]

Thought starting Splitter was odd and risky.Perhaps it was odd and risky but only because Pop has neglected that pairing so much. Duncan and Splitter are mobile and talented enough to play together, IMO.


Starting Diaw is the clear choice and I'm not sure if there is anyone (nasf, gnsf) left who would be against it. I'm fine with Diaw starting. Though, against the Lakers, I'd still prefer Duncan and Splitter. Diaw is bigger than Blair but he's still a small bigman.

Splitter would have started the second half if not for his foul trouble. It'll be interesting to see if Pop starts him again on Friday. I obviously think he should.


I'm actually a big fan of Kobe.

:smchode:

Speaking of Kobe, I'd put the chances of him playing against the Spurs on Friday at about 99.999%. He loves being the hero and now that the Lakers looked vulnerable without him, it the perfect chance for him to come "save the day".


Well coach Brown was honest about his grades:

24Tb_mblHvw


Thanks to BRHonets45 for the idea!

:lol


Actually, were I coaching, would be having Splitter and TD switch roles between the defensive and offensive sides. On D, Splitter takes the "mobile" big, the PF role, while TD guards the paint. On offence, however, I would let Splitter stay in his comfort zone, playing C off the pick and roll. Duncan has far more skills than Splitter, especially jumpshots, so he's a better fit for the offensive PF role. Letter Splitter set screens on the P&R, while Duncan uses his B-ball IQ and skill level to play off the ball movement for Tony...

Even if they switched roles on offense, with Duncan on the floor (and Parker and Leonard, to a lesser extent), there is still much less spacing than what Splitter is used to. Splitter is accustomed to being surrounded by four sharpshooters. So even if he gets to run pick-and-rolls with the starters, it's a totally different type of rolling because the lane will be more clogged.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Friday is going to be a battle.... Spurs still need to keep that embarassing loss to the Lakers firmly in mind come friday.... I fear that if we get out of hand again for the Lakers that Bynum, or maybe even Blake, will do something stupid and really hurt one of our guys out of frustration.

blake was already getting quite chippy with Manu towards the end there and Bynum was visibly livid in the post game interview.

Yeah, they had a couple dirty moves last night. Did you or anyone else happen to catch Barnes' elbow to Manu's ribcage after he shot and drained a three?

[Mel_13]

Speaking of Kobe, I'd put the chances of him playing against the Spurs on Friday at about 99.999%. He loves being the hero and now that the Lakers looked vulnerable without him, it the perfect chance for him to come "save the day".

ESPN agrees:

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7827233/the-los-angeles-lakers-need-kobe-bryant-helm

[TJastal]

Fair enough, I stand corrected.

I do find it quite interesting that there is no mention of the fact that Splitter got benched to start the 2nd half in place of Diaw. Pop almost always starts the same 5 in the 2nd half, despite their effectiveness in the first (see Blair, D all season). The kid-gloves treatment of needing time to "build chemistry" and the "season 90% over" comments are a bit annoying when a guy who has been with the team for less than a month seems to have no problem integrating and playing with the starters, yet when one with a season and a half of corporate knowledge has trouble, it leads to "irritation" with the coach because he "wasted so much of the season not building chemistry". These guys are paid big money to be ready anytime anywhere to go out and perform. But whatever, I understand you have to appease your most vocal audience here (Pop haters) even if they represent a tiny minority of Spurs fans globally.

Don't forget, Diaw and Parker have played together on the french national team for years plus they (the french national team) borrowed alot of the spurs sets, so he has a built-in advantage already.

[Splits]

Splitter would have started the second half if not for his foul trouble.

Do you really believe this? Since when is having 3 fouls at the half "foul trouble"?

[Fabbs]

Gary Neal A-
Everyone knows Gary Neal isn't a true point guard. But if he can play like he did tonight more often, he could be an incredibly valuable piece of the puzzle in the playoffs. I really liked how he played on both ends. Offensively, he played to his strengths and kept it simple. When Neal was asked to create, he looked to score himself and only passed if the Lakers brought help. It's not exactly a complicated scheme but it works well when Neal is running the show since he's such a talented scorer. Defensively, he was much better than usual. I liked his closeouts and he was usually able to keep his man in front of him.
:tu Neals game last night.
Lakers started the 4th with 7 straight points by Barnes and World Puss. Both of these assholes were feeling chesty and as the lead was *cut" from 19 to 14, visions of Popped going into fetal mode was within the realm of possibility. Spurs offense looked confused and unagressive.
Enter Neal. Did a nifty fake 3 to get rid of Blake, drove it towards the hoop and when a tree was in his way he did that nifty stop and pop-running-one-footed jumper. Killed Flamer momentum, brought it back to Spurs.

[Splits]

Don't forget, Diaw and Parker have played together on the french national team for years plus they (the french national team) borrowed alot of the spurs sets, so he has a built-in advantage already.

It's a fair point. I just think Splitter has better chemistry with Manu and the 2nd unit, and his role should remain as Tim's backup. People dismiss the importance of the bench and act like once the playoffs commence it is a non-factor. It won't be as big of a factor because the starters will obviously play more minutes, but it is still vitally important. And it is the primary reason the Lakers have zero chance of winning a chip this year.

[polandprzem]

lj you know pop likes to use diferent stuff before playoffs.

On friday we can see Bonner in s5, although I do not think so.

I wonder how lakers will respond now being so pissed about that one loss.


However if everything will go spurs way and they will be able to take no 1 spot. The chances to win the West are big IMO - having LA and OKC on the same bracket.

[silverblk mystix]

Actually, were I coaching, would be having Splitter and TD switch roles between the defensive and offensive sides. On D, Splitter takes the "mobile" big, the PF role, while TD guards the paint. On offence, however, I would let Splitter stay in his comfort zone, playing C off the pick and roll. Duncan has far more skills than Splitter, especially jumpshots, so he's a better fit for the offensive PF role. Letter Splitter set screens on the P&R, while Duncan uses his B-ball IQ and skill level to play off the ball movement for Tony...

This would make too much sense for Pop. And this is what should have been done LAST season...by now they would be a very good tandem.

Pop is so overrated....any other coach would have seen this.

[Legacy]

Do you really believe this? Since when is having 3 fouls at the half "foul trouble"?


You, SIR... are as stubborn as Pop. Seriously, you are (actually MORE now, heh). BAH!! Not even worth it.

Thank you, ST, for The Ignore Function.

[Brazil]

Pairing Tim and Tiago was the right thing to do.

After a bad loss being out rebounded as hell by the Lakers, the first minutes of the game were critical for the team confidence. We needed size, defense and rebounds to start, I think Pop recognized that. After having set the tone, pop came back to use duncan with matt, splitter with diaw.

I do think against Lakers the plan is now the first minutes of the game and the first minutes of the second half with Tiago and Tim then Tiago will play when Tim is on the bench for his usual role, his minutes will increase a bit but it's not the return of the twin towers in SA.

[Brazil]

You, SIR... are as stubborn as Pop. Seriously, you are (actually MORE now, heh). BAH!! Not even worth it.

Thank you, ST, for The Ignore Function.

:lol ignore function
:lol gnsf
:lol surely a naruto fan
:lol :princess

[Splits]

:lol ignore function
:lol gnsf
:lol surely a naruto fan
:lol :princess

:lmao I'm honored by obtaining ignore status for suggesting that 3 fouls at half time is not "foul trouble".

[Legacy]

:lol ignore function
:lol gnsf
:lol surely a naruto fan
:lol :princess


Ehh, Shaddup, Mr. "Vampire". :lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

[Mugen]

Do you really believe this? Since when is having 3 fouls at the half "foul trouble"?

:lol 3 fouls at the half is "foul trouble". That's pretty much common bball knowledge.

[Splits]

:lol 3 fouls at the half is "foul trouble". That's pretty much common bball knowledge.

Umm, yeah, in college.

In the NBA, you get 6 fouls per game. 2 fouls in the 1st period gets you benched. 3 fouls in the first half gets you benched. A 4th foul in the 3rd gets you benched. 3 fouls in the 1st half is not "foul trouble".

I fell like I'm in bizzar-o-land.

[Brazil]

:lmao I'm honored by obtaining ignore status for suggesting that 3 fouls at half time is not "foul trouble".

He / She is going to have 90% of ST on ignore in no time if he / she uses the ignore function on that kind of stubbornness:lol

I do hope Legacy for mental health reason will never go down stairs to see what's going on

[Brazil]

Ehh, Shaddup, Mr. "Vampire". :lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

are you a naruto fan ?


I'm afraid Legacy is a Luva troll

[timvp]

Fair enough, I stand corrected.

I do find it quite interesting that there is no mention of the fact that Splitter got benched to start the 2nd half in place of Diaw.

Splitter got "benched" because he had three fouls. Splitter, even though he was starting, was still Duncan's backup. Pop didn't want him picking up a fourth and then having to play Duncan the entire third quarter.

If Splitter wasn't in foul trouble, he would have started the second half.


Edit to add:


Do you really believe this? Since when is having 3 fouls at the half "foul trouble"?

It's foul trouble when you're also the backup of a fellow starter. Pop has done the same thing numerous times in the past. For example, when Neal started next to Parker and was also the backup PG, he would come off the bench in the second half if he had three fouls. Same when Ginobili was the de facto backup point guard while also the starting shooting guard.

Pop doesn't do it with Blair because Blair doesn't backup Duncan ... and because he doesn't care if Blair gets in foul trouble. But Pop used to do the same thing with Oberto when he was starting next to Duncan and also backing him up.

[Legacy]

Ignore list. :lol:lol:lol:lol:lol


Can't see any of ya'll's funny-arse posts, sorry. Dur-Hurrr.

[Mugen]

Umm, yeah, in college.

In the NBA, you get 6 fouls per game. 2 fouls in the 1st period gets you benched. 3 fouls in the first half gets you benched. A 4th foul in the 3rd gets you benched. 3 fouls in the 1st half is not "foul trouble".

I fell like I'm in bizzar-o-land.

No shit, Sherlock. That's why Pop didn't want to have Tiago starting the 2nd half because if he picks up a 4th early then he's out til the 4th qtr. He wanted to use him as a backup so he wouldnt be stuck with nobody to guard bynum when TD rested towards the end of the 3rd qtr. Tiago was in foul trouble. If he wasn't, he probably starts the 2nd half as well.

Read these two sentences again:

"3 fouls in the first half gets you benched. 3 fouls in the 1st half is not "foul trouble"

And tell me how you're not a fucking idiot.

[Splits]

No shit, Sherlock. That's why Pop didn't want to have Tiago starting the 2nd half because if he picks up a 4th early then he's out til the 4th qtr. He wanted to use him as a backup so he wouldnt be stuck with nobody to guard bynum when TD rested towards the end of the 3rd qtr. Tiago was in foul trouble. If he wasn't, he probably starts the 2nd half as well.


Your Pop mindreading skills are tremendous. I will never underestimate you again.



Read these two sentences again:

"3 fouls in the first half gets you benched. 3 fouls in the 1st half is not "foul trouble"


I read them and they make perfect sense. 3 fouls in the 1st half gets you benched so you don't have 4 going into halftime



And tell me how you're not a fucking idiot.


Is this the best you can come up with? Are you 12?

[Splits]

Splitter got "benched" because he had three fouls. Splitter, even though he was starting, was still Duncan's backup. Pop didn't want him picking up a fourth and then having to play Duncan the entire third quarter.

If Splitter wasn't in foul trouble, he would have started the second half.


Edit to add:



It's foul trouble when you're also the backup of a fellow starter. Pop has done the same thing numerous times in the past. For example, when Neal started next to Parker and was also the backup PG, he would come off the bench in the second half if he had three fouls. Same when Ginobili was the de facto backup point guard while also the starting shooting guard.

Pop doesn't do it with Blair because Blair doesn't backup Duncan ... and because he doesn't care if Blair gets in foul trouble. But Pop used to do the same thing with Oberto when he was starting next to Duncan and also backing him up.

This is such a far stretch. I'm not buying it. But what do I know, LJ and Mugen have Pop mindreading skills I can never obtain.

[Mugen]

Your Pop mindreading skills are tremendous. I will never underestimate you again.

Good. I'll continue to underestimate you because you're probably the worst poster in the forum I don't even think it's close.


I read them and they make perfect sense. 3 fouls in the 1st half gets you benched so you don't have 4 going into halftime

Doesn't getting benched for having 3 fouls = being in "foul trouble." Are you struggling with the definition of "trouble"?



Is this the best you can come up with? Are you 12?

You've been consistently wrong and shitted on for 2 seasons now. I pray to god that you're 12 because that would go a long way in explaining your thought process.

[Mugen]

This is such a far stretch. I'm not buying it. But what do I know, LJ and Mugen have Pop mindreading skills I can never obtain.

It's not mindreading skills when you've watched the team for longer than 2 seasons, tbh.

[SA210]

Good. I'll continue to underestimate you because you're probably the worst poster in the forum I don't even think it's close.

[Splits]

You've been consistently wrong and shitted on for 2 seasons now.

Except I'm constantly right. For example (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195042&page=11), going into last night's game where some people were convinced that a random comment made by Sean was a command sent by god that the big 3 wouldn't play and I called bullshit. And that's just the past 24 hours.

Continue on in your fantasy world. I'll go ahead and inform the rest of the coaches in the league that if any player has 3 fouls at halftime they must not start the 2nd half. That's the only plausible explanation for Diaw starting the 3rd last night. No other possibilities. Because you said so.

[Mugen]

Continue on in your fantasy world. I'll go ahead and inform the rest of the coaches in the league that if any player has 3 fouls at halftime they must not start the 2nd half. That's the only plausible explanation for Diaw starting the 3rd last night. No other possibilities. Because you said so.

Good. Don't forget to put on your helmet when you leave the house today.

[pad300]

...
Even if they switched roles on offense, with Duncan on the floor (and Parker and Leonard, to a lesser extent), there is still much less spacing than what Splitter is used to. Splitter is accustomed to being surrounded by four sharpshooters. So even if he gets to run pick-and-rolls with the starters, it's a totally different type of rolling because the lane will be more clogged.

Yep, it'd be more constricted than Tiago has had to work with in the NBA, but I'd still try it. Tiago's been awfully good at the PnR so far; I think he could adapt quite effectively. The only way to find out is to run it a bit...

[Manu-20]

Yeah, they had a couple dirty moves last night. Did you or anyone else happen to catch Barnes' elbow to Manu's ribcage after he shot and drained a three?
caught that to in the highlights going to be physical game this friday

[Splits]

Good. Don't forget to put on your helmet when you leave the house today.

Nice job avoiding the argument and jumping straight to personal insults.

Just so I have this straight....

Splitter picks up his 2nd foul in the first quarter, but is not immediately substituted because he is Duncan's backup and Pop is worried about his foul trouble.

Edit: He starts the 2nd quarter with his 2 fouls (foul trouble)

He has 3 fouls at the half.

He doesn't start the 3rd because he has 3 fouls (foul trouble).

He doesn't play at all in the 3rd because he has 3 fouls (foul trouble).

He starts the 4th and plays the first 3:26 and goes back to the bench with 3 fouls (foul trouble).

He re-enters the game in garbage time with his 3 fouls (foul trouble).

He picks up this 4th foul with :26 left (foul trouble).

Got it. It all makes sense now.

[Splits]

Splitter got "benched" because he had three fouls. Splitter, even though he was starting, was still Duncan's backup. Pop didn't want him picking up a fourth and then having to play Duncan the entire third quarter.

If Splitter wasn't in foul trouble, he would have started the second half.


Splitter picked up his 2nd foul in the 1st quarter. That is foul trouble. 2 fouls in the 1st quarter.

But Pop started him in the 2nd quarter. Was he not aware of this? Was he not worried about "foul trouble" in the first half, only the 2nd half? This argument makes no sense.

Edit: And Duncan played the entire 3rd quarter.

[Mugen]

Nice job avoiding the argument and jumping straight to personal insults.

Just so I have this straight....

Splitter picks up his 2nd foul in the first quarter, but is not immediately substituted because he is Duncan's backup and Pop is worried about his foul trouble.

He has 3 fouls at the half.

He doesn't start the 3rd because he has 3 fouls (foul trouble).

He doesn't play at all in the 3rd because he has 3 fouls (foul trouble).

He starts the 4th and plays the first 3:26 and goes back to the bench with 3 fouls (foul trouble).

He re-enters the game in garbage time with his 3 fouls (foul trouble).

He picks up this 4th foul with :26 left (foul trouble).

Got it. It all makes sense now.

I was trying to explain to you Pop's thinking on starting the 2nd half with Diaw based on how Pop has approached similar situations in the past (which timvp provided examples of). You either didn't understand or didn't accept it because it didn't fit in with your anti-Tiago stance that you've had for 2 seasons now.

There's really not much more anybody else can do for you. So just move along.

[timvp]

Splitter picked up his 2nd foul in the 1st quarter. That is foul trouble. 2 fouls in the 1st quarter.

But Pop started him in the 2nd quarter. Was he not aware of this? Was he not worried about "foul trouble" in the first half, only the 2nd half? This argument makes no sense.

I'm not arguing whether or not it makes sense. I've just said that's how Pop coaches. If you haven't noticed him alter his second half starting lineup due to foul trouble, you haven't been following along too closely over the years.

[Splits]

I'm not arguing whether or not it makes sense. I've just said that's how Pop coaches. If you haven't noticed him alter his second half starting lineup due to foul trouble, you haven't been following along too closely over the years.

Please point out specifically what I am misunderstanding.

You said:


Splitter got "benched" because he had three fouls. Splitter, even though he was starting, was still Duncan's backup. Pop didn't want him picking up a fourth and then having to play Duncan the entire third quarter.

Duncan played the entire 3rd quarter and Splitter didn't see the floor.

Moreover, Splitter picked up his 2nd foul towards the end of the first quarter, was not taken out of the game, and started the 2nd quarter.

[timvp]

Duncan played the entire 3rd quarter and Splitter didn't see the floor.I doubt Pop planned on Duncan playing the whole quarter going into the second half. IMO, it appeared as if Pop was going for the knockout punch at the end of the third to allow the Big 3 to rest in the fourth.

Again, changing a second half starting lineup is commonplace for Pop and especially commonplace when one of the players has three fouls.


Moreover, Splitter picked up his 2nd foul towards the end of the first quarter, was not taken out of the gameHe got his second foul with 15 seconds left in the quarter and the Spurs didn't play another defensive possession. Pop doesn't take out players for foul trouble when they are only going to play one offensive play.


and started the 2nd quarter.Since when does Pop bench players in the second quarter for having two fouls.




I don't understand what you are questioning. Are you arguing that Pop never changes his second half starting lineup due to foul trouble? Are you arguing that Pop's management of foul trouble doesn't make sense?

[Splits]

I was trying to explain to you Pop's thinking on starting the 2nd half with Diaw based on how Pop has approached similar situations in the past (which timvp provided examples of). You either didn't understand or didn't accept it because it didn't fit in with your anti-Tiago stance that you've had for 2 seasons now.

There's really not much more anybody else can do for you. So just move along.

I have no anti-Tiago bias at all. You have presupposed that based on fantasy.

Where we disagree is that you think he should be starting or playing more minutes. I think he is a great role player and that Pop uses him appropriately in his rotations. That's a fair disagreement, I don't know why you always have to resort to personal insults, tbh.

Where we also disagree is that I think last night, Pop benched him to start the 2nd half because he didn't like what he saw in the first and preferred Diaw next to Duncan. Whereas you seemingly think that it was "foul trouble" despite all of the evidence to the contrary I have presented to you.

[Splits]

I doubt Pop planned on Duncan playing the whole quarter going into the second half. IMO, it appeared as if Pop was going for the knockout punch at the end of the third to allow the Big 3 to rest in the fourth.

Again, changing a second half starting lineup is commonplace for Pop and especially commonplace when one of the players has three fouls.

He got his second foul with 15 seconds left in the quarter and the Spurs didn't play another defensive possession. Pop doesn't take out players for foul trouble when they are only going to play one offensive play.

Since when does Pop bench players in the second quarter for having two fouls.




I don't understand what you are questioning. Are you arguing that Pop never changes his second half starting lineup due to foul trouble? Are you arguing that Pop's management of foul trouble doesn't make sense?

I'm arguing that your simplistic view of "foul trouble" for Splitter not starting the 2nd half is inaccurate based on simple facts. I think Pop didn't like what he saw with TD and Splitter on the floor at the same time in the first half and chose to start Diaw in the 3rd.

This isn't mental gymnastics.

[Splits]

If you haven't noticed him alter his second half starting lineup due to foul trouble, you haven't been following along too closely over the years.

And really LJ, you can stop with the subtle deprecation. You were wrong about what Pop would do going into the game last night and I was right (http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=195042).

And I'll do you one better with another prediction: Diaw starts on Friday against the Lakers and Splitter goes back to his role as Duncan backup. And we win.

[timvp]

^Alright, you think Pop benched Splitter in the second half because he was upset the Spurs were only up by 16 points or whatever it was. I think Pop benched Splitter to give him more flexibility and not be forced to go with TD the entire third quarter if Splitter picked up a quick fourth foul, a strategy he has used many times in the past.

You are free to believe what you want. Only Pop knows the real answer and we all know he ain't talking.


Edit: As for your other post, I just repeated what Elliott stated. I had no idea what Pop was going to do (though I did say I thought Pop would be a coward to rest the Big 3). Elliott usually knows so that's why I deferred to him. Besides, in the broadcast, Kerr (IIRC) said that Pop was initially going to forfeit the Lakers game but changed his mind after the Warriors game was easier than expected.

But, yeah, looks like you were right that the Big 3 would play. Congrats. Please pickup your cookie at the front desk. Thank you.

[Mugen]

I have no anti-Tiago bias at all. You have presupposed that based on fantasy.

Where we disagree is that you think he should be starting or playing more minutes. I think he is a great role player and that Pop uses him appropriately in his rotations. That's a fair disagreement, I don't know why you always have to resort to personal insults, tbh.

Where we also disagree is that I think last night, Pop benched him to start the 2nd half because he didn't like what he saw in the first and preferred Diaw next to Duncan. Whereas you seemingly think that it was "foul trouble" despite all of the evidence to the contrary I have presented to you.

Okay, no more personal insults. Sorry to hurt your feelings.

From a purely basketball perspective, I think you're a horrible poster with bad takes. You can feel the same towards me, that's fine. But to say you don't have a anti-tiago bias is just silly, and not worth debating IMO.

As i've said many times, I don't mind Tiago not starting. But limiting him strictly to Tim's backup is a huge disservice to the team's championship aspirations.

Okay i understand your opinion regarding the change at halftime. The evidence you pointed out was specific to the game itself where as timvp and I were referring to how Pop has coached in a similar situation over the years.

[Obstructed_View]

Fair enough, I stand corrected.

I do find it quite interesting that there is no mention of the fact that Splitter got benched to start the 2nd half in place of Diaw. Pop almost always starts the same 5 in the 2nd half, despite their effectiveness in the first (see Blair, D all season). The kid-gloves treatment of needing time to "build chemistry" and the "season 90% over" comments are a bit annoying when a guy who has been with the team for less than a month seems to have no problem integrating and playing with the starters, yet when one with a season and a half of corporate knowledge has trouble, it leads to "irritation" with the coach because he "wasted so much of the season not building chemistry". These guys are paid big money to be ready anytime anywhere to go out and perform. But whatever, I understand you have to appease your most vocal audience here (Pop haters) even if they represent a tiny minority of Spurs fans globally.

Don't point out how many fouls Splitter had to start the third quarter, because that will fuck up your argument too.

EDIT: Already stated, and it didn't change your mind. Oh well.

[Mugen]

And I'll do you one better with another prediction: Diaw starts on Friday against the Lakers and Splitter goes back to his role as Duncan backup. And we win.

He very well could start Diaw on Friday and I'd be perfectly fine with it. Move along.

[jjktkk]

Turnovers tend to happen when you have several new players trying to learn on the fly and also the idiot coach taking his nice sweet time to figure out the best rotations.

Another stupid take. Do you work hard to be a dumbass, or does it come natural for you?

[Splits]

Please pickup your cookie at the front desk. Thank you.

1 cookie is all I get for trying to calm down Spursnation from a collective meltdown before one of the biggest games of the season? :depressed

[silverblk mystix]

1 cookie is all I get for trying to calm down Spursnation from a collective meltdown before one of the biggest games of the season? :depressed


I marvel at your level of stupidity. It must have taken you at least 70-80 years to accomplish this level of plain stupidity.

You are 70 or 80ish in age right?

[timvp]

1 cookie is all I get for trying to calm down Spursnation from a collective meltdown before one of the biggest games of the season? :depressed

We can throw in an A1 Thick and Hearty Burger combo with onion rings and a diet coke.

[TE]

We can throw in an A1 Thick and Hearty Burger combo with onion rings and a diet coke.

:lol

[Splits]

We can throw in an A1 Thick and Hearty Burger combo with onion rings and a diet coke.

Please send me the voucher, though supersized and with a Dr. Pepper. I'll forward it on to DJB to make sure he doesn't see the floor the rest of the season.

[therealtruth]

If TD-Splitter isn't that great offensively I think the solution is to start Manu. He makes any offense better.

[GSH]

Last year, it was after a demoralizing loss to the Lakers that the Spurs train went off the rails. This year, they suffered a very similar loss to the Lakers, at nearly the same point in the season. The difference is that this Spurs team came back with a huge win in their next game, and then gave the Lakers a little hair of the dog by handing them their own demoralizing loss. This is not last year's Spurs.


Stephen Jackson

There was A LOT of hard-core wrestling going on, in and around the paint. Stephen Jackson did the thing the Spurs need from him the most, which is to be a tough sonofabitch. He didn't give an inch, and he didn't lose his cool. He just out-scratched, and out-clawed whoever he was on.

One thing I think is worth mentioning - if Jax does get his 3P shot going by playoff time, this team is going to be very tough to beat. And we all know he could get it going.


Gary Neal
Late in the first quarter, Bynum and Ebanks went on a tear of Alley-Oops, dunks, and layups. Then to start the second quarter, Barnes nailed a 3 to give the Lakers a 31-29 lead. I'll admit I was thinking, "Oh, hell, here they come." Then Neal scored bam-bam-bam, and the Spurs were back up 35-31. With some guys, it's not just how many points they score, but when and how they score them. Horry used to be like that. Neal has done it too often for it to be a fluke.

The night before, Golden State had gotten the lead down to "just" 16 in the third quarter. That might not seem close, but the Spurs offense was flatlined, and if the lead dwindled much more, Pop would have been forced to put one or more of the Big 3 back in the game. That's when Neal nailed a 3-pointer, drove and kicked to Green for a 3, drove and kicked to Bonner for a 3, and then made a jumper of his own. Suddenly the lead was 27, and the Big 3 were safe taking the remainder of the night off, and resting up for the Lakers. Unsung hero.

[romad_20]

If you were watching the TNT broadcast, you could see Pop say something to Splitter as he left the floor with his 3rd foul (I think). I couldn't exactly make it out but I did make out "...fuck up..." I don't think he was calling Splitter a fuck up, but he didn't look pleased.

Did anyone else see this or make out what he said?

[Keepin' it real]

Disgruntled Spurstalkers will claim Pop yelled, "I knew I f*cked up by starting you ... never again!"

[Spurtacus]

Was this your highest grade average of the season?

[TampaDude]

The Spurs were just shooting some shots...just beating a team they were supposed to beat...no surprises there... :toast

[angelbelow]

I'm not ready to give up on Tiago after one game where he probably didn't even know he was going to start until tip-off. He appeared totally unprepared and out of sync. It's not easy to adjust to playing alongside another dominant big but I bet he will catch on fast. It's quite possible he has never even practiced with Duncan in the starting lineup. But what I have seen so far from Tiago is that he learns and adapts very quickly, despite all the bullshit he's had to endure. Unfortunate thing is Pop will probably pull the plug on the this now because Tiago didn't immediately put up all-star numbers and looked a little nervous in his first "real" start.

I agree, him and Duncan were both out of sync I thought. Specifically on offense. I think I saw both bigs try to set a screen for Parker at one point..

Ideally I would love to see a Duncan and Splitter starting line up. Too bad were 6 or 7 games away from the playoffs though.


Perhaps it was odd and risky but only because Pop has neglected that pairing so much. Duncan and Splitter are mobile and talented enough to play together, IMO.

I'm fine with Diaw starting. Though, against the Lakers, I'd still prefer Duncan and Splitter. Diaw is bigger than Blair but he's still a small bigman.


Agreed as well. The lack of chemistry was obvious and not surprising at all. I would love for Splitter to start as well, I just wish it was in February or March.

As of now, I think Diaw is already a great fit in the starting lineup. So while Duncan/Splitter have higher potential, Diaw is the better fit presently.

To your point though, both Duncan and Splitter are extremely talented and have high b-ball IQ. If they can make it work in 6 or 7 games and (maybe tweak it in the first round if we get a Phoenix or Utah) then this season just got even better.

If not, I'd at least want to see Splitter and Ginobili come in and sub out together - with and without Duncan on the floor.


:smchode:

Yeah Kobe is definitely one of my favorites. But its more of a respect thing. For example, I don't really follow his games or his stats or what the media has to say about him. What I love about him is his competitive nature, work ethic, and his killer instinct. Its pretty much the same reason why Ginobili is my favorite player.

[pgardn]

We seem to be concentrating on Splitter, Duncan, and Pop (why he hates Splitter and other such drivel) rather than the meat of the matter:

Tony Parker hitting his J's punctuated by impaling finishes at the bucket completely opening up the floor is what won the game. There are not many teams that will beat us with this sort of game from Tony and the new surrounding blood we now have.

We made the big slow Lakers move. They did not take well to it.

[TampaDude]

We seem to be concentrating on Splitter, Duncan, and Pop (why he hates Splitter and other such drivel) rather than the meat of the matter:

Tony Parker hitting his J's punctuated by impaling finishes at the bucket completely opening up the floor is what won the game. There are not many teams that will beat us with this sort of game from Tony and the new surrounding blood we now have.

We made the big slow Lakers move. They did not take well to it.

:toast

[T Park]

Gary Neal's most impressive game of the year IMO.

[z0sa]

We seem to be concentrating on Splitter, Duncan, and Pop (why he hates Splitter and other such drivel) rather than the meat of the matter:

Tony Parker hitting his J's punctuated by impaling finishes at the bucket completely opening up the floor is what won the game. There are not many teams that will beat us with this sort of game from Tony and the new surrounding blood we now have.

We made the big slow Lakers move. They did not take well to it.

Exactly. That's what the Spurs were lacking in the first matchup @ATT. No one dared challenge the bigs at the basket, and so they never really wore out. This time around, Parker and Manu and Neal were forcing the bigs out to the perimeter as well as crossing over and going straight to the rim and scoring or kicking out, forcing those big bodies into movement. By the third quarter you could see the defeat on Bynum and Pau's faces as again and again they were put in the torture chamber by multiple players BESIDES Tim Duncan thanks to the excellent ball movement and willingness by everyone to attack, attack, attack (or shoot, in Manu's case).

[timvp]

Stephen Jackson

There was A LOT of hard-core wrestling going on, in and around the paint. Stephen Jackson did the thing the Spurs need from him the most, which is to be a tough sonofabitch. He didn't give an inch, and he didn't lose his cool. He just out-scratched, and out-clawed whoever he was on.

Gary Neal
Late in the first quarter, Bynum and Ebanks went on a tear of Alley-Oops, dunks, and layups. Then to start the second quarter, Barnes nailed a 3 to give the Lakers a 31-29 lead. I'll admit I was thinking, "Oh, hell, here they come." Then Neal scored bam-bam-bam, and the Spurs were back up 35-31. With some guys, it's not just how many points they score, but when and how they score them. Horry used to be like that. Neal has done it too often for it to be a fluke.

The night before, Golden State had gotten the lead down to "just" 16 in the third quarter. That might not seem close, but the Spurs offense was flatlined, and if the lead dwindled much more, Pop would have been forced to put one or more of the Big 3 back in the game. That's when Neal nailed a 3-pointer, drove and kicked to Green for a 3, drove and kicked to Bonner for a 3, and then made a jumper of his own. Suddenly the lead was 27, and the Big 3 were safe taking the remainder of the night off, and resting up for the Lakers. Unsung hero.

Great takes. One of the best posts of the year, tbh :toast

[maverick1948]

We can throw in an A1 Thick and Hearty Burger combo with onion rings and a diet coke.

I'll take that but have to have a REAL coke. LOL

[Spurs da champs]

Tiago's overrated but Tim's defense on bynum was great.