Splitter will start again tonight.

[MarHill]

Reported by Jeff McDonald on Spurs Nation.

Well Spurs Fans will get another look at the Duncan-Splitter pairing again.

Hopefully Tiago will not get in foul trouble!!!

[MarHill]

Here's the link: http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2012/04/20/splitter-set-to-start-for-second-time-vs-l-a/

[100%duncan]

Kudos to Pop if this really happens.

[MarHill]

I posted the link from Spurs Nation.com.

He has no choice against the Lakers. The size of Gasol and Bynum are unlike any other team in the league.

[timvp]

Pop going for the win.

At the very least this is good news for anyone worried that Pop had given up on that combo.

[LakerHater]

Parker, Green, Leonard, Duncan, Splitter.

[Blake]

Pop going for the win.

The only reason I can come up with is that he wants to make a statement again.

I honestly can't believe he's not giving Tony the night off.

[MarHill]

Pop going for the win.

At the very least this is good news for anyone worried that Pop had given up on that combo.

I totally agree, Timvp!

The #1 seed is within reach and I believe if they win this game.....they will get it. Why not go for it!:toast

[MarHill]

The only reason I can come up with is that he wants to make a statement again.

I honestly can't believe he's not giving Tony the night off.


Tony wants to play and he can give him night off against the Cavs on Sunday.

[TheSkeptic]

Pop going for the win.

At the very least this is good news for anyone worried that Pop had given up on that combo.

Yeah actually. I'm not too worried about it any more tbh. Ever since that Laker loss my confidence in Pop has really been going up game by game. Of course, I still think it's too late for Splitter but with Diaw in the mix it still bodes well for the playoffs and next season imo.

[Paranoid Pop]

Pop going for the win.

At the very least this is good news for anyone worried that Pop had given up on that combo.

The jury is still out on that lineup since the sample size is so small but last time it was pretty underwhelming to say the least.

Kinda surprised Kahwi is starting, Metta has bullied him in the last two games.

[Josepatches_]

I like Splitter starting again but Lakers aren't going to play the same basketball.

Kome has to shoot or Durant will be the league scoring leader.He will chuck 25+ shoots.

[therealtruth]

I would love for Manu to start to see the combo of our best 5 playing together. Splitter should be a little bit more relaxed. He just has to avoid early fouls.

[LkrFan]

Awesome. No excuses. :tu

[LakerHater]

Bynum in foul trouble early!

[SA210]

Holy FUCK!!! This is GREAT news!!

:tu:tu

[Obstructed_View]

Pop going for the win.

At the very least this is good news for anyone worried that Pop had given up on that combo.

It's good news for those of us that figured he'd use foul trouble as an excuse for never doing it again.

[100%duncan]

The only reason I can come up with is that he wants to make a statement again.

I honestly can't believe he's not giving Tony the night off.

Tony can sit other games against scrubs. Tonight, he makes a statement.

[Keepin' it real]

Looking forward to a playoff atmosphere tonight!

[Arc]

Unleash the splitter

[dylankerouac]

Glad Pop is going for the win. Everyone is going to need to be sharp for the playoffs. Almost there!

[spurs1990]

I'd like to see what a starting lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Jackson, Duncan, Splitter would fare in one of these last 5 games. 5 best players right could break open the game from the jump.

[therealtruth]

I'd like to see what a starting lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Jackson, Duncan, Splitter would fare in one of these last 5 games. 5 best players right could break open the game from the jump.

All 5 of those guys are capable of drawing double teams depending on matchups.

[Blake]

I'd like to see what a starting lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Jackson, Duncan, Splitter would fare in one of these last 5 games. 5 best players right could break open the game from the jump.

lol maybe but probably not

[Danny.Zhu]

Good work so far.

[BRs.Ganso]

in this last games i never saw spurs playing with Splitter on offense, no plays for him... Gasol and Bynum always work on him, but in spurs offense (without Duncan) no plays against Lakers centers, Splitter with 4, 5 fouls... Bynum, Gasol no fouls, just mid-long range shots, this team is more talented than last year, but i think will not go too long this playoffs.

[Blake]

Good work so far.

-6 for Splitter.

Only starter in the negative so far.

Bynum has had his way over him

[T Park]

Foul trouble again.....

[silverblk mystix]

But the start is all that matters with this spurs team...

If you start with your least talented and/or valuable players...you start below zero and have to climb out of a hole...

Until and when/if the spurs get a talented bigman/all star as a center...then Tiago at least gives you someone who can hold court with any opposing teams' frontcourt...

From there...the rest of the spurs depth can play and gain confidence and play freely and eventually wear down the other team....

Splitter gives you a fightin' chance...

It only took two years for this genius coach to see this...

[therealtruth]

Splitter and TD need more chemistry together. There have been a couple of opportunities where they're passes to each other just haven't connected.

[therealtruth]

But the start is all that matters with this spurs team...

If you start with your least talented and/or valuable players...you start below zero and have to climb out of a hole...

Until and when/if the spurs get a talented bigman/all star as a center...then Tiago at least gives you someone who can hold court with any opposing teams' frontcourt...

From there...the rest of the spurs depth can play and gain confidence and play freely and eventually wear down the other team....

Splitter gives you a fightin' chance...

It only took two years for this genius coach to see this...

Agree. Splitter gives them a fighting chance. Pop also hasn't figured out how to use him correctly on offense with Tim. If they put Bynum on him he should be able to use his speed to get to the basket and/or draw fouls.

[Blake]

But the start is all that matters with this spurs team...

If you start with your least talented and/or valuable players...you start below zero and have to climb out of a hole...

Until and when/if the spurs get a talented bigman/all star as a center...then Tiago at least gives you someone who can hold court with any opposing teams' frontcourt...

From there...the rest of the spurs depth can play and gain confidence and play freely and eventually wear down the other team....

Splitter gives you a fightin' chance...

It only took two years for this genius coach to see this...

Splitter is below zero. That's what -6 means.

You've made your fantasies about me and Pop known out loud. I think it's safe to say you have similar fantasies about Tiago.

[Rummpd]

Splitter has shown hustle and guts that is enough for me he may only have 4points but he is outrebounding Bynum 4-2! {his plus minus is now + 4}

[silverblk mystix]

Splitter is below zero. That's what -6 means.

You've made your fantasies about me and Pop known out loud. I think it's safe to say you have similar fantasies about Tiago.

So this is the stat that you hang your hat on...

not surprised...now I know why you love Bonner so much.

[maddnezz]

Splitter is below zero. That's what -6 means.

You've made your fantasies about me and Pop known out loud. I think it's safe to say you have similar fantasies about Tiago.Dont agree with you about Splitter youve gotta do better than that. i actually respect a lot of your takes:hat

[Blake]

So this is the stat that you hang your hat on...

not surprised...now I know why you love Bonner so much.

I loved Diaw starting the second half more than I love Bonner.

[TheSkeptic]

Dont agree with you about Splitter youve gotta do better than that. i actually respect a lot of your takes:hat

Plus he's a second year big who just started getting consistent burn this year. I wouldn't expect him to come in and set the league on fire against the Lakers and we should be expecting ups and downs because he's still unpolished and learning.

That said, I have a really good feeling about Splitter.

And in any case, giving Splitter extra minutes and adding Diaw (while subtracting Blair) should make a deep run doable because that means Tim is getting the support he needs up front. :lobt2:

[therealtruth]

in this last games i never saw spurs playing with Splitter on offense, no plays for him... Gasol and Bynum always work on him, but in spurs offense (without Duncan) no plays against Lakers centers, Splitter with 4, 5 fouls... Bynum, Gasol no fouls, just mid-long range shots, this team is more talented than last year, but i think will not go too long this playoffs.

Splitter and TD could definitely draw fouls if they played off each other. They just don't have the chemistry yet.

[Blake]

Dont agree with you about Splitter youve gotta do better than that. i actually respect a lot of your takes:hat

You don't agree with a stat?

My opinion/guess is that if the Spurs go 7 games against the Lakers, Tiago is not the starter next to Tim by game 7. He seems too small against Bynum, too slow to guard Gasol.

On the other end, the offense seemed clunky with Tiago and Tim in at the same time. You might say it's due to them not being used to playing with each other, but I think more that the coaching staff could see early on it doesn't really work. Imo.

Since Diaw did great work against Gasol tonight in the third, I think it's easy to say that Tiago coming in off the bench for Tim and keeping that smooth pick and roll going with Manu is the way to go. Imo.

[therealtruth]

You don't agree with a stat?

My opinion/guess is that if the Spurs go 7 games against the Lakers, Tiago is not the starter next to Tim by game 7. He seems too small against Bynum, too slow to guard Gasol.

On the other end, the offense seemed clunky with Tiago and Tim in at the same time. You might say it's due to them not being used to playing with each other, but I think more that the coaching staff could see early on it doesn't really work. Imo.

Since Diaw did great work against Gasol tonight in the third, I think it's easy to say that Tiago coming in off the bench for Tim and keeping that smooth pick and roll going with Manu is the way to go. Imo.

I agree they've got to take advantage of Splitter more. Another option is starting Manu to make the offense work with TD and Splitter. If he could make it work with Blair I'm sure he can do the same for Splitter.

[SA210]

Splitter was awesome :tu lol

[ElNono]

You don't agree with a stat?

My opinion/guess is that if the Spurs go 7 games against the Lakers, Tiago is not the starter next to Tim by game 7. He seems too small against Bynum, too slow to guard Gasol.

On the other end, the offense seemed clunky with Tiago and Tim in at the same time. You might say it's due to them not being used to playing with each other, but I think more that the coaching staff could see early on it doesn't really work. Imo.

Since Diaw did great work against Gasol tonight in the third, I think it's easy to say that Tiago coming in off the bench for Tim and keeping that smooth pick and roll going with Manu is the way to go. Imo.

I disagree. I think Diaw works better when their bigs are already worn out a bit. I think when Bynum is fresh, he can post up and back down Diaw much more easily that he can back down either Tim or Tiago. And while Tim covers Bynum most of the time, you can endup with mismatches like that in transition.

Frankly, the Tim and Tiago pair might not be crazy great on offense, but it didn't hurt us tonight. We still dropped 32 in the first quarter and I thought the defense was really good.

[SA210]

I disagree. I think Diaw works better when their bigs are already worn out a bit. I think when Bynum is fresh, he can post up and back down Diaw much more easily that he can back down either Tim or Tiago. And while Tim covers Bynum most of the time, you can endup with mismatches like that in transition.

Frankly, the Tim and Tiago pair might not be crazy great on offense, but it didn't hurt us tonight. We still dropped 32 in the first quarter and I thought the defense was really good.

Tim likes the big lineup :toast

http://www.nba.com/spurs/video/2012/04/21/120420duncanmov-2073358

[ElNono]

Coach Brown also praised Splitter boxing out their bigs and rebounds, and Gasol also chipped in with praise for Tiago and Diaw. It's on the E-N site.

[SA210]

Coach Brown also praised Splitter boxing out their bigs and rebounds, and Gasol also chipped in with praise for Tiago and Diaw. It's on the E-N site.

yup :tu

[therealtruth]

Coach Brown also praised Splitter boxing out their bigs and rebounds, and Gasol also chipped in with praise for Tiago and Diaw. It's on the E-N site.

Exactly. Tiago might not always get the rebound but he puts the effort to box out the other team.

[Manufan909]

Coach Brown also praised Splitter boxing out their bigs and rebounds, and Gasol also chipped in with praise for Tiago and Diaw. It's on the E-N site.

I didn't see the quote from Gasol, where is it?

[TheSkeptic]

^^ Does anybody have a link? I'm having trouble finding either of those.

[Manufan909]

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/04/20/kobes-return-didnt-help-lakers-as-they-get-blown-away-again-by-spurs/

Here's the link for the Brown interview, skeptic.

[Manufan909]

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/04/20/kobes-return-didnt-help-lakers-as-they-get-blown-away-again-by-spurs/

Here's the link for the Brown interview, skeptic.

[TheSkeptic]

^^ Thanks a lot. :toast

I guess it's the same link as the other one. I just didn't look far enough for Mike Brown's interview. :lol

[Manufan909]

You're welcome. :) As much as I love Splitter starting the game, Diaw starting the 2nd half seems to have a much greater effect. Someone on here might be right when they said Diaw is great in the 2nd half on a not-so-fresh Gasol, which could have merit. But to ignore the vastly better defense Diaw plays on the Spaniard as compared to Splitter, as well as how much more smooth Diaw looks in the offense (attacking the rim and passing) would be quite foolish. Starting Blair over either player in any half of the PS will make no sense to me, unless the opposing team is from OKC.

P.S. Does the fact that Diaw is in Gasol's head on one end of the court explain why he's so confident on offense? I think he's had more contested layups againt the Lakers than against all the other teams combined. And not to dig on Blair further, but Diaw can finish against size without going all spastic, which I love.

[TheSkeptic]

You're welcome. :) As much as I love Splitter starting the game, Diaw starting the 2nd half seems to have a much greater effect. Someone on here might be right when they said Diaw is great in the 2nd half on a not-so-fresh Gasol, which could have merit. But to ignore the vastly better defense Diaw plays on the Spaniard as compared to Splitter, as well as how much more smooth Diaw looks in the offense (attacking the rim and passing) would be quite foolish. Starting Blair over either player in any half of the PS will make no sense to me, unless the opposing team is from OKC.

I wouldn't say that Diaw is going up against a less fresh Gasol so much as he's just taking them by surprise.

My suspicion is that the reason for starting Splitter vs LAL is to help keep Bynum off the glass and to have him (Tiago) run their bigs ragged more than for exclusively defensive purposes although Tiago>Blair. This allows the Spurs to match their size a bit better while also taking advantage of their tiredness throughout the next 3 quarters. Diaw plays an intelligent but completely different style and that seems to throw the Lakers out of sorts once he's in there. For that reason, my preference is to leave Tiago where he is vs the Lakers.

That said, Diaw has been playing fantastic and it wouldn't hurt to start him against LAL either. I definitely want Diaw starting against everybody else though.

Like I've said elsewhere, I have a really good feeling about Splitter. Since he's a rhythm player who needs time to adjust, however, it's in Pop's best interests to play him more but to let him warm up from the bench like he's used to. Shifts similar to the Houston game would be good. Unless TD says otherwise the plan should be to give Splitter another offseason to get more polished and then to start him next year if that's the goal. Even then I think he'll have a few games like these last ones before he settles in.

Diaw has more experience, he's versatile, and he's a great playmaker. If Blair gets dropped out of the rotation and Bonner gets his minutes reduced a touch, I think there's enough minutes for Splitter to get 20+ while the team also starts Diaw. That's the kind of rotation I think they can win with in the post-season tbh.

RE Diaw confident against Gasol: It wouldn't surprise me although it could just be that he knows Pau probably won't block the shot. :D

[Legacy]

It really made me happy to see Tim & Tiago out there together. I seriously almost cried tears of joy, lol. Kudos to Pop for not giving up on this--even this late in the season. I'll look on the bright side and give him the benefit of the doubt that he knows he's got some tweaking to do, and it's never too late to open your eyes to new possibilities. He has the right weapons, and he should definitely continue to utilize them as much as he possibly can. It's never too late, IMO. :toast

[Manufan909]

I wouldn't say that Diaw is going up against a less fresh Gasol so much as he's just taking them by surprise.

My suspicion is that the reason for starting Splitter vs LAL is to help keep Bynum off the glass and to have him (Tiago) run their bigs ragged more than for exclusively defensive purposes although Tiago>Blair. This allows the Spurs to match their size a bit better while also taking advantage of their tiredness throughout the next 3 quarters. Diaw plays an intelligent but completely different style and that seems to throw the Lakers out of sorts once he's in there. For that reason, my preference is to leave Tiago where he is vs the Lakers.

That said, Diaw has been playing fantastic and it wouldn't hurt to start him against LAL either. I definitely want Diaw starting against everybody else though.

Like I've said elsewhere, I have a really good feeling about Splitter. Since he's a rhythm player who needs time to adjust, however, it's in Pop's best interests to play him more but to let him warm up from the bench like he's used to. Shifts similar to the Houston game would be good. Unless TD says otherwise the plan should be to give Splitter another offseason to get more polished and then to start him next year if that's the goal. Even then I think he'll have a few games like these last ones before he settles in.

Diaw has more experience, he's versatile, and he's a great playmaker. If Blair gets dropped out of the rotation and Bonner gets his minutes reduced a touch, I think there's enough minutes for Splitter to get 20+ while the team also starts Diaw. That's the kind of rotation I think they can win with in the post-season tbh.

RE Diaw confident against Gasol: It wouldn't surprise me although it could just be that he knows Pau probably won't block the shot. :D

RE=regarding? And I wish Duncan had the same confidence.

[TheSkeptic]

RE=regarding? And I wish Duncan had the same confidence.

Yeah.

Well we can't have everything. :lol I thought TD looked more confident playing them these last 2 games so that's a good sign imo...

[Obstructed_View]

19 rebounds
2 rebounds

[SenorSpur]

I missed the first half of the game. I'm wondering how did Splitter look in his second start next to Tim?

[bklynspursfan]

I thought Splitter did a fine job. Problem is he gets hit with some cheap fouls. It was just like the first game, he didn't start the 2nd half cause of foul trouble I'd suspect. But he defended Pau well and without help really. This allowed Timmy to play Bynum straight up, and more importantly they boxed out and rebounded the ball.

I thought Diaw did a great job as well. Splitter definitely did his part, and it was nice to have some height to start that game

[SA210]

How about that hustle play by Splitter that gave Manu the ball for that great pass. That was great teamwork and hustle man. Love Splitters movement.

[romad_20]

So is this the end of Blair getting mins? Seems like he's fading to the back of the pack. I wonder if the Spurs get Utah in the first round if he'll start again. He usually destroys them.

[ElNono]

this is where I read the comments from:
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2012/04/21/what-spurs-lakers-said-after-fridays-game/

[Pelicans78]

Great move. I'm glad Pop is willing to play the two together.

[Blake]

How about that hustle play by Splitter that gave Manu the ball for that great pass. That was great teamwork and hustle man. Love Splitters movement.

Seriously, that was a great hustle play.

But I cringed on the one play in the 2nd half where he grabbed the rebound, dribbled up all on his own, posted up Gasol and put up a crazy shot.

It was no surprise Pop yanked him immediately for that crap.

[Bill_Brasky]

Seriously, that was a great hustle play.

But I cringed on the one play in the 2nd half where he grabbed the rebound, dribbled up all on his own, posted up Gasol and put up a crazy shot.

It was no surprise Pop yanked him immediately for that crap.

The weird thing was, it wasn't the most horrible shot in the world-- he posted up, got pretty good position, threw an up and under and just missed the basket(I could tell it was one of those weird angles where the player isn't sure whether to use backboard or not). It was the whole "bringing the ball up the court" thing that really had me nervous. we were up huge at that point though, no way that would have happened in a close game.

[TheSkeptic]

The weird thing was, it wasn't the most horrible shot in the world-- he posted up, got pretty good position, threw an up and under and just missed the basket(I could tell it was one of those weird angles where the player isn't sure whether to use backboard or not). It was the whole "bringing the ball up the court" thing that really had me nervous. we were up huge at that point though, no way that would have happened in a close game.

Exactly.

Since we know there's no way Splitter would've attempted that play if it had been say a 5 point game at that point, there's no reason to get bent out of shape by him goofing off during a blow-out. If you're out there you might as well mess around and experiment some...Or make the most out of your opportunities if you're Blair.

Though since we're used to seeing disciplined basketball and high quality sets it is a little bit jarring to see.

[Obstructed_View]

In a close game, the guards would have done a better job of getting into position to get the ball from him.

[Blake]

Exactly.

Since we know there's no way Splitter would've attempted that play if it had been say a 5 point game at that point, there's no reason to get bent out of shape by him goofing off during a blow-out. If you're out there you might as well mess around and experiment some...Or make the most out of your opportunities if you're Blair.

Though since we're used to seeing disciplined basketball and high quality sets it is a little bit jarring to see.

lol bent out of shape

I laughed when he got excited and threw up the shot.

If anyone got bent, it was Pop