Game Thread: Spurs @ Thunder- Dec. 17 @ 7:00 PM CST

[racm]

Blair can't jump. If it's his knees, then his career is over :depressed

The Spurs took a risk on a guy with no ACLs...

[spursparker9]

Suddenly Martin is not injury-prone.

[weebo]

Now its over (bonner in).

[FkLA]

Matty Ice will bring us back.

[DPG21920]

Make it rain 3's boi's

[SpursRock20]

Ship Diaw please.

[diego]

I can accept losing to a good team, and OKC qualifies.

The thing that drives me insane, is OKC is bullying the spurs, the refs are letting them and calling the spurs for bullshit, and the only sign of protest from our entire team is pop going off in a dead ball.

Show some urgency, show some passion, and defend yourselves for fuck sake. In a 5 minute span tony and tim got punked and nobody stood up for them. I can understand diaw passing up shots, blair being undersized, jax having some rust, neal depending on his shot, etc etc etc. But not standing up for a teammate is pathetic. You can be professional without being a pussy

[timvp]

The Spurs took a risk on a guy with no ACLs...

His career was always going to be short. It was just a question of how short.

[timvp]

Bonner flopping out of bounds per par.

[Richie]

Westbrook getting whatever he wants. Go under the fucking screen!!

[racm]

I think this is why no team can't close with OKC in the fourth. Every defensive stop becomes a whistle.

[ace3g]

alright take Bonner out...

[Splits]

Make it rain 3's boi's

Exactly, only hope.

[Ice009]

I don't think TP can consistently beat that defense. If it was just Thabo, yeah probably. But Thabo plus trapping with their looooooooong athletes makes it really, really hard. TP would have to be on fire shooting-wise to really have a chance.

The better option is that another option emerges that forces OKC to guard him at least straight up. Westbrook is a pretty bad defender so the best option is for the pressure release needs to be the other guard. Ginobili did it at times in the playoffs but not consistently enough (think Game 6).

TP needed to attack from the get go in the game to get himself and his jumper going. That is the way he needs to play against OKC. The way he played in the first half is simply not good enough. He can't pass the ball around and try and play a PG type game against these guys.

He needs to be more aggressive than he has ever been against these guys. He really needs to get a jumpshot and hit it consistently against these guys.

[DPG21920]

If you don't block a shot and run full speed into a guy during a layup, how is that not a foul :lol?

[Chomag]

Spurs have so much dead wieght on the front court uhhg...

Thank God for timmy's 1 man frontcourt show once again or else Spurs would not even be sniffing the playoffs.

[ElNono]

Bonner in... time for Nick Collison to shine

[Manu-20]

WTF DE colo was thrown by Westbrook and didn't get the call bs.

[Bill_Brasky]

The Thunder shoot a lot of free throws.

[TDfan2007]

rebounds rebounds rebounds.

[DPG21920]

Spurs have so much dead wieght on the front court uhhg...

Thank God for timmy's 1 man frontcourt show once again or else Spurs would not even be sniffing the playoffs.

Tiago says hi

[TDMVPDPOY]

lol blair

[Boomersgold]

Blair can't even get past Martin on a fast break. The dude's career's over.

[Richie]

This is legit D league team. Blair, Bonner, Anderson

[Floyd Pacquiao]

lol @ brooks playing his starters

[timvp]

TP needed to attack from the get go in the game to get himself and his jumper going. That is the way he needs to play against OKC. The way he played in the first half is simply not good enough. He can't pass the ball around and try and play a PG type game against these guys.

He needs to be more aggressive than he has even been against these guys.
Parker was pretty damn aggressive in the first half. He drove the ball on just about every play. In the second half, he was too aggressive if anything.

Aggression wasn't an issue in this game for Parker, tbh.

[FkLA]

His career was always going to be short. It was just a question of how short.

Dude was dunking with ease at the start of this season. I dont think his knees went to shit in a couple of months tbh. That was just a weird play, seemed like he didnt time his steps right.

[Fireball]

WTF DE colo was thrown by Westbrook and didn't get the call bs.

good that somebody else noticed that as well

[HI-FI]

Parker was pretty damn aggressive in the first half. He drove the ball on just about every play. In the second half, he was too aggressive if anything.

Aggression wasn't an issue in this game for Parker, tbh.
aggression is never a problem with TP, it's his BBIQ, he goes into heroball too much, always has.

[Chomag]

Tiago says hi

True, at least Splitter is decent.

[racm]

What's up with Brooks keeping in his starters? Letting them stat pad?

[TheSkeptic]

Tiago says hi

Pop needs to give Diaw a push. I really hate the thought of Blair or Bonner getting more minutes but in Bonner's case that's exactly where this thing is headed...We're in trouble if anything happens to Splitter or (Heaven forbid) Duncan.

[racm]

Tim and Tiago are the only bigs on this team worth a damn

[Ice009]

Parker was pretty damn aggressive in the first half. He drove the ball on just about every play. In the second half, he was too aggressive if anything.

Aggression wasn't an issue in this game for Parker, tbh.

I thought he looked to pass too much. He was aggressive, but when I say aggressive, I mean look for his own offense with Kobe like abandon. He can't pass it off to Green or Neal unless they are wide, wide open. Neither of those two will do shit against OKC.

Tony's jumper just don't seem to be there unless he really gets himself going early.

[HI-FI]

it is pathetic they need to keep their starters in versus us. shows how lethal our bench can be.

[Splits]

Their starters are in because they're only up 13 and don't want to take any chances, I don't blame em. But our bench has hung with their starters most of the night including in the 1st half.

[Manu-20]

Trying to think how many threads there will be on how OKC has the spurs number there will be once I get out of this thread.

[SpursRock20]

Tim and Tiago are the only bigs on this team worth a damn
And they can only play 60 minutes collectively. We need a third big.

[timvp]

aggression is never a problem with TP, it's his BBIQ, he goes into heroball too much, always has.

:lol Now it's that TP went into heroball mode when he had seven assists in 26 minutes.

[Fireball]

Their starters are in because they're only up 13 and don't want to take any chances, I don't blame em. But our bench has hung with their starters most of the night including in the 1st half.

but there Tiago was a big part of it ...

[Paranoid Pop]

JA is +7, team high, doing work on both ends.

[racm]

And they can only play 60 minutes collectively. We need a third big.

There's this Brazilian dude from Cleveland...

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

How quickly people forget the importance of Diaw in last years playoff run. Step away from the ledge people.

[Chomag]

Man, if Spurs just had one more decent big they would be so golden!

[UZER]

OKC goes hard against the Spurs. Props to them for bringing intensity the Spurs can't seem to match...starting with game 3 of the WCF last year.

Then again, their trips to the line are momentum killers for any opponent.

[timvp]

Blair with some old man goods :tu

[ace3g]

NDC using his size on the fast break to keep Westbrook off him!!!

[EVAY]

TP needed to attack from the get go in the game to get himself and his jumper going. That is the way he needs to play against OKC. The way he played in the first half is simply not good enough. He can't pass the ball around and try and play a PG type game against these guys.

He needs to be more aggressive than he has ever been against these guys. He really needs to get a jumpshot and hit it consistently against these guys.

If he does that El Nono and others will trash him for being too selfish.

[timvp]

F yeah, bench.

[ace3g]

Pop don't get trigger happy and put TP, Neal and Green back in

[racm]

BNEHC

[Libri]

Spurs scrubs making OKC starters sweat. :lol

[JRHernandez88]

Ok the TVs back on

[TheSkeptic]

There's this Brazilian dude from Cleveland...

It would cost Splitter and some other people to get him though and we'd be back to where we started except with additional problems.

[Richie]

LOL Thunder letting our scrubs back in to this

[loveforthegame]

Bench doing work. Really proud of JA. :tu

[FkLA]

Blair has always had quick hands on D. Too bad his feet arent as fast.

[timvp]

The calls are evening out :smokin

Probably too late but I'll take it.

[Chomag]

Pop, please let those that got the Spurs back in this game finish it out!

[timtonymanu]

How quickly people forget the importance of Diaw in last years playoff run. Step away from the ledge people.

History shows that Diaw doesn't like getting involved in the game. It's why DoK hates him. It's why Charlotte hates him. Until he shows he can step up to that level in the playoffs again, I'm not buying his "importance" to the team.

[EVAY]

How classy is the OKC team leaving their stars in against our scrubs?

[Ice009]

If he does that El Nono and others will trash him for being too selfish.

Manu is out though. I am specifically talking about this game. TP needed 30 plus for us to have a chance to win, not 7 assists.

[spursparker9]

Martin is the new Harden

[DPG21920]

Spurs had two chances to make this interesting..

[Ice009]

And if Timvp says that this is all Parker can do against the Thunder then it might be time to look for a trade and get a player that can actually do something against them.

[ace3g]

50/50 balls...

[Malik Hairston]

Bonner stat-padding his +/- numbers, tbh..

[TDMVPDPOY]

lol cant even rebound

[timvp]

Manu is out though. I am specifically talking about this game. TP needed 30 plus for us to have a chance to win, not 7 assists.
30 when he's being trapped on every play is not realistic, tbh.

[spurraider21]

the sight of bonner closing out Durant is pretty hilarious :lol

[Bill_Brasky]

JA earning a serious look, tbh

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

History shows that Diaw doesn't like getting involved in the game. It's why DoK hates him. It's why Charlotte hates him. Until he shows he can step up to that level in the playoffs again, I'm not buying his "importance" to the team.

History also shows the Bonner chokes and Blair sucks. Id rather trust Diaw

[Fireball]

we would not need a Varejao as the third big ... a Collison would be enough

[Malik Hairston]

:lol are you serious with that call?..

[weebo]

Pop should have put Splitter back in there to help board.

[TDfan2007]

Bench giveth and bench taketh away.

[Mugen]

Are they still getting calls up 10 against our scrubs? :lol

[SpursRock20]

How quickly people forget the importance of Diaw in last years playoff run. Step away from the ledge people.

Hes pretty ineffective against the thunder because they force him to shoot.

[Johnsyounger]

Awful call

[UZER]

Thunder weren't dumb when they traded for Kevin Martin. He is a Spurs killer....even back to his Kings days.

[timtonymanu]

History also shows the Bonner chokes and Blair sucks. Id rather trust Diaw

Anyone is better than Bonner and Blair. It doesn't mean that Diaw is reliable either. Diaw has the talent, but shows up like he has the skillset of Bonner and Blair.

[Chomag]

Any other big that actually contributes something would be much better then Bonner, Diaw, and Blair.

[Splits]

JA with a couple of really bad trips down the floor, on both ends. And who the fuck just fouled the Chuck on that 3? DC?

[EVAY]

And if Timvp says that this is all Parker can do against the Thunder then it might be time to look for a trade and get a player that can actually do something against them.

One might even consider whether or not the coach could figure out a team's adjustment. Remember last year's WCF? They adjusted after we beat them badly and then we NEVER MADE ANY ADJUSTMENT. This is not all on TP...this is some stubborn coaching, too, tbh.

[HI-FI]

i hate when refs call these calls in our favor during garbage time. they do it to even out the calls so it doesn't look so biased.

[racm]

Are they still getting calls up 10 against our scrubs? :lol

Can't let that :cry league leading point differential :cry be reduced tbh

[Dr. Robert Lee]

Gary Neal with another pathetic performance. SMH.

Dude just heaves heroes and expects them to go in. We don't need that type of selfishness on this team.

[ace3g]

Spurs outscoring Thunder by 8 pts (mostly by their bench) in 4th yet Pop decided not to use some of the bench to finish the 2nd quarter and opening 6 min in 3rd...

[tim_duncan_fan]

How classy is the OKC team leaving their stars in against our scrubs?

Can't fault them for being young enough and hungry enough to win, tbh.

[Manu-20]

So this OKC team has our number our bench got us back in this game even though they lost it too still like the effort and just goes to show how much people here are going overboard about this loss.

[ElNono]

If he does that El Nono and others will trash him for being too selfish.

don't believe 75% of what I post. You probably shouldn't even believe this post, tbh

[weebo]

Martin is the new Harden


Harden was more of a dynamic player for OKC. Martin is just a scorer.

[Flawless]

Bench stepping up:tu

[Malik Hairston]

timvp, would you be content with Kenyon Martin as the 3rd or 4th big?(if he accepted the role)..

His offense is horrible and his attitude is questionable, but he's still a good defensive big and would add a toughness dynamic(fake toughness, but that's sufficient in the NBA)..

[EVAY]

don't believe 75% of what I post. You probably shouldn't even believe this post, tbh

I don't.

[DPG21920]

30 when he's being trapped on every play is not realistic, tbh.

Very true. But the scary thing to me is that as of right now, Spurs don't have anyone even when healthy that can seemingly do enough damage offensively to take the heat off of him. Manu is the only one that has the upside enough, but he really has not shown that ability to do it consistently (like last year) in a while so it's dicey. Spurs will have to beat them with defense and amazing rebounding + good 3 point shooting. Let's see if Tiago/Kawhi/Jax/Manu/Diaw can all step up enough to make up the difference.

[Paranoid Pop]

JA with a couple of really bad trips down the floor, on both ends. And who the fuck just fouled the Chuck on that 3? DC?

Not his fault he is playing with bigs who can't rebound. How many point has Durant scored on him? I only remember the alley hoop tbh.

[racm]

I'd take on Martin if it meant the Spurs wouldn't be averse to him elbowing Ibaka in the throat.

[Fireball]

don't believe 75% of what I post. You probably shouldn't even believe this post, tbh

wasn't it 90% in December? :lol

[timvp]

This has been some great experience for De Colo :tu

[spurraider21]

lol okc has our number... manu was probably our best player in the WCF last year and he has missed both games against them this year. we also dont have our primary defender for durant on the floor, the guy that had 5 steals opening night. pop also threw in the towel way early so as not to exhaust tim/tony/tiago.

[Chomag]

Shoulda, coulda , woulda but to think if the Spurs would have gambled on batch this offseason...

[timtonymanu]

And to think posters up here actually supported this Thunder team in the Finals, :lol.

[ace3g]

Grades:

Pop: F, for bad rotations to end 2nd quarter and start of the 3rd.

NDC: A, showing his playmaking skills working against long/athletes of OKC

[spurraider21]

at least dirkbaka is filling up my fantasy statsheet

[timvp]

Bonner with a legitimately good foul :wow

[Boomersgold]

Ibaka vs Bonner :lol

[ElNono]

wasn't it 90% in December? :lol

:lol

[Dr. Robert Lee]

De Colo needs more playing time. Dude is going to be GOOD. Honestly, he should get playing time over Kobe and Green at this point.

[EVAY]

Pretty gutsy of Bonner to foul Perkins like that, tbh.

[racm]

Kawhi plays = Spurs win
Kawhi out with injury = Spurs lose

QED

[DPG21920]

Man, ace3g is mad at Pop tonight :lol

[Fireball]

Shoulda, coulda , woulda but to think if the Spurs would have gambled on batch this offseason...

true

[Johnsyounger]

over under on tbh being used in a game thread 312

[weebo]

This has been some great experience for De Colo :tu


I was wrong about De Colo. He's starting to become quite a player for the Spurs.

[SpurSpurSpurs]

I like what Pop has done. Bench the starters, but Scott Brooks keeping his starters like he's sending some message to Pop.

[HI-FI]

lol, finally bringing in their subs

[TheSkeptic]

Grades:

Pop: F, for bad rotations to end 2nd quarter and start of the 3rd.

NDC: A, showing his playmaking skills working against long/athletes of OKC

Agreed tbh. NDC should be taking minutes from Neal and Green.

[racm]

:lol Durant stat padding

[ace3g]

and with a B2B, he could afford to rest the starters during that stretch at end of 2nd quarter and start of 3rd when they weren't playing well, should have used more bench...

[timvp]

Life is easy for Scott Brooks when he has a team that can play all day and literally never gets injured.

[Manu-20]

I really think De colo is going to get the backup PG job.

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

JA is still a scrub, as soon as Kawhi and Manu come back he needs to leave SA for good.

[racm]

I'm of the CoN, tbh...

[tim_duncan_fan]

At least De Colo has continued to show some moxie. Dude has 3x the vision Tony Parker does. He has the ability to get his guys easy buckets.

[ffadicted]

Luckily I decided to go play some ball instead of coming home early to watch this game lol

[Ice009]

30 when he's being trapped on every play is not realistic, tbh.

Spurs have to make some kind of adjustment, because if your best player gets neutralized like this all the time against the same team, then you really have no chance to win the game.

[Libri]

Has fart face Perkins ever smiled?

[racm]

Life is easy for Scott Brooks when he has a team that can play all day and literally never gets injured.

Russell has never missed a game since high school. :wow

Still hoping for someone to break open his kneecap

[Richie]

Life is easy for Scott Brooks when he has a team that can play all day and literally never gets injured.

So stupid to play them such heavy minutes in a blowout. Derrick Rose waiting to happen.

[Dr. Robert Lee]

Agreed tbh. NDC should be taking minutes from Neal and Green.
AMEN.

This team just isn't good enough to win @ OKC with Manu out and Tony and Tim playing an average game. Add to that awful performances by Hero Ball and Danny and you just aren't going to win.

[Paranoid Pop]

JA is still a scrub, as soon as Kawhi and Manu come back he needs to leave SA for good.

No, best playmaking guard with Nando and Manu.

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

De Colo and Splitter have been the only bright spots this game.

[Ice009]

Harden was more of a dynamic player for OKC. Martin is just a scorer.

unfortunately Martin has played just as good as Harden against the Spurs in his career. He's probably actually scored a lot better than Harden against us no matter what team he has been on.

[racm]

So stupid to play them such heavy minutes in a blowout. Derrick Rose waiting to happen.

And yet they haven't had major injuries. You try losing your franchise star to a torn meniscus in a title defense year, for one.

[timtonymanu]

I'm rooting for Nando. I like Neal, but I'm tired of his terrible defense and lack of playmaking.

Patty is not a PG. And CoJo has the tools, but I don't think he's ready yet.

[UZER]

There should be a disclaimer for all the fan police in game threads ...

*Post made in a game thread may not represent the actual views of the poster. Statements made in extreme emotional state and may be exaggerated for point of emphasis.

[ace3g]

Man, ace3g is mad at Pop tonight :lol

I don't mind losing when a team outplays you, but when your coach can't see that clearly a certain group of players isn't working for a 3-4 min stretch, that just gets me over the edge

[DPG21920]

:lol How on Google Earth can people be hating on JA? He's done wayyyy better than expected and carved himself a decent game all things considered tonight.

[DejuanorwhatDude]

Life is easy for Scott Brooks when he has a team that can play all day and literally never gets injured.

100%. Who could call that guy a good coach? All he has to do is throw Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka on the floor at the same time together and they do everything else. He doesn't manage shit.

[Paranoid Pop]

De Colo and Splitter have been the only bright spots this game.

Tiago got raped by Ibaka.

[Boomersgold]

I don't mind losing when you just a team outplays you, but when your coach can't see that clearly a certain group of players isn't working for a 3-4 min stretch, that just gets me over the edge

De Colo/Jackson wasn't working either. Don't know why you wanted that so much.

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

No, best playmaking guard with Nando and Manu.

Playmaking.for the other team? The best part is what I said will be true. James Andersons time as a Spurs is numbered.

[Brunodf]

JA is still a scrub, as soon as Kawhi and Manu come back he needs to leave SA for good.

I would take him over Neal/Green

[racm]

I don't mind losing when you just a team outplays you, but when your coach can't see that clearly a certain group of players isn't working for a 3-4 min stretch, that just gets me over the edge

Maybe it's just me being optimistic but it's CIA Pop at work. Why show the opponent your hand when all the cards aren't in place yet?

[HI-FI]

100%. Who could call that guy a good coach? All he has to do is throw Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka on the floor at the same time together and they do everything else. He doesn't manage shit.
or if things aren't working suddenly the whistles start blowing. Brooks is so overrated. Happy Thunder is stuck with him.

[timvp]

Spurs have to make some kind of adjustment, because if your best player gets neutralized like this all the time against the same team, then you really have no chance to win the game.

Parker averaged 21+ points, 6+ assists and had good shooting percentages in the WCF. The Spurs also outscored the Thunder when Parker was on the court during that series.

I'm not sure if that equates to "neutralized", tbh. TP easily outplayed Westbrook and the Spurs would have won the series if the bench didn't implode.

[racm]

100%. Who could call that guy a good coach? All he has to do is throw Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka on the floor at the same time together and they do everything else. He doesn't manage shit.

Same could be said about Doc Rivers, tbh

[Dr. Robert Lee]

100%. Who could call that guy a good coach? All he has to do is throw Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka on the floor at the same time together and they do everything else. He doesn't manage shit.
Yeah, just like how Phil Jackson was a shitty coach who lucked out with Jordan, Kobe, and Shaq. Hell, Pop sucks too. He just got lucky by getting to coach the Admiral and Timmy. Give me a break! :lol

[timtonymanu]

JA is still a scrub, as soon as Kawhi and Manu come back he needs to leave SA for good.

rofl you're supporting Diaw, but giving JA shit?

[racm]

Parker averaged 21+ points, 6+ assists and had good shooting percentages in the WCF. The Spurs also outscored the Thunder when Parker was on the court during that series.

I'm not sure if that equates to "neutralized", tbh. TP easily outplayed Westbrook and the Spurs would have won the series if the bench didn't implode.

Agreed... the problem was that everyone else wasn't involved... then again I think that's what OKC's adjustments amounted to - turning TP into a hero-ball scorer.

[Flawless]

De Colo deserves an A+, he was one of the only few players that stepped up.

[Drz]

I would take him over Neal/Green
It's a tough call. Based on this year, heck yeah, he's crushed them, and it hasn't been close.... but seasons past, no way. I don't know what to believe regarding JA. He's at least worthy of an NBA roster spot, but how good is he really? Seems very hard to say.

[Ice009]

I really think De colo is going to get the backup PG job.

He should get it. No way do I want Neal running point guard. That just gives him way too much license to play hero ball.

I want Neal relegated to backup SG. Nando should be the backup PG. He's much better suited for it. Corey Joseph should also get the nod over Neal too.

[HI-FI]

strange how I feel more confident with the ball in Nando's hands during crunch time than TP...

[ace3g]

De Colo/Jackson wasn't working either. Don't know why you wanted that so much.

NDC/Jack was part of the rotation during that 2nd quarter stretch where the Spurs had the lead or only down a few. Then Pop went to TP, Neal, Green (only 1 playmaker) from the final 2-3 min of 2nd quarter to first 6 min of 3rd and 5 pt deficit turned to 11.

Maybe Pop isn't trying to show his hand too early, but if we meet in the playoffs, Pop better use NDC, SJAX, and Splitter for stretches

[DPG21920]

Parker averaged 21+ points, 6+ assists and had good shooting percentages in the WCF. The Spurs also outscored the Thunder when Parker was on the court during that series.

I'm not sure if that equates to "neutralized", tbh. TP easily outplayed Westbrook and the Spurs would have won the series if the bench didn't implode.

Well one issue is the Spurs don't have a legit second scorer (at least not consistently). Sure Tim has been great, but can he keep it up? Spurs need another really good iso scorer to help some. Another issue is that OKC can survive TP getting his the first 3 quarters, but in that fourth quarter with the trap/Thabo combo, it really hurts the Spurs.

[Chomag]

Surge Ibaka is a Spurs Killer, dude goes all out against the spurs for some reason. I think the Spurs need really an athletic type of big to contain him which they dont have.

[racm]

De Colo deserves an A+, he was one of the only few players that stepped up.

Prediction: Pop starts NDC if the Spurs face OKC. :hat

[SanAntonioSpurs23]

I would take him over Neal/Green



Well im.glad youre not running the Spurs. We might be looking at a James Anderson, Malik Hairston, Pops Mensu Bonsu and Ian Mahinmi line up

[Boomersgold]

Actually, without Splitter on the court, the Jacks/De Colo combo was terrible. De Colo did nothing to get Jackson involved on the offensive end. It was only after Splitter went on did we start scoring again.

[racm]

It's a tough call. Based on this year, heck yeah, he's crushed them, and it hasn't been close.... but seasons past, no way. I don't know what to believe regarding JA. He's at least worthy of an NBA roster spot, but how good is he really? Seems very hard to say.

He plays harder by virtue of knowing he's got one foot out the door.

[Dr. Robert Lee]

He should get it. No way do I want Neal running point guard. That just gives him way too much license to play hero ball.

I want Neal relegated to backup SG. Nando should be the backup PG. He's much better suited for it. Corey Joseph should also get the nod over Neal too.
Yeah, Neal is solid as a backup SG role player. His problem comes when he starts and starts jacking up contested heroes. If he just plays within the offense, he can be a positive force for good, IMO.

[racm]

Surge Ibaka is a Spurs Killer, dude goes all out against the spurs for some reason. I think the Spurs need really an athletic type of big to contain him which they dont have.

Stretch bigs give the Spurs fits. I think the Spurs split the season series against Minnesota.

[TheSkeptic]

NDC/Jack was part of the rotation during that 2nd quarter stretch where the Spurs had the lead or only down a few. Then Pop went to TP, Neal, Green (only 1 playmaker) from the final 2-3 min of 2nd quarter to first 6 min of 3rd and 5 pt deficit turned to 11.

Maybe Pop isn't trying to show his hand too early, but if we meet in the playoffs, Pop better use NDC, SJAX, and Splitter for stretches

NDC and Splitter should be paired together as much as possible. I think that would bring some consistency to the second unit.

[DejuanorwhatDude]

Yeah, just like how Phil Jackson was a shitty coach who lucked out with Jordan, Kobe, and Shaq. Hell, Pop sucks too. He just got lucky by getting to coach the Admiral and Timmy. Give me a break! :lol

Not exactly. Phil Jackson handled multiple prima donna athletes in two of the biggest media markets in the country over multiple championships. Pop has proven over the past couple of seasons why he's a basketball genius by making a competitive franchise with scraps and a 36 year old Tim Duncan. Scott Brooks has three of the top 15 players in the league in their early 20s and can't outcoach Erik Spoelstra who is himself a goon. Come back to me when Scott Brooks does anything with something resembling the Spurs roster.

[Chomag]

On a bright spot I think De Colo is getting the NBA level down very quickly.

[Ice009]

:lol How on Google Earth can people be hating on JA? He's done wayyyy better than expected and carved himself a decent game all things considered tonight.

I don't think he has ever played better than he is now except for that stretch in his rookie year before he got hurt. He hasn't been bad at all.

[Suspect]

Lol at fox spurs. "We will meet them again for a rematch march 11th then probably again in the western conference finals"

Spurs gonna get upset in the playoffs by goldenstate imo

[Mugen]

that Ibaka J is going to be there all season long and in the playoffs tbh. There is zero defense for it if you're going to play a 36yo Tim Duncan. You just have to hope he comes down to earth or you're forced to leave Duncan on Thabo or something when the Thunder go small.

[DejuanorwhatDude]

Lol at fox spurs. "We will meet them again for a rematch march 11th then probably again in the western conference finals"

Spurs gonna get upset in the playoffs by goldenstate imo

Sup 9th seed.

[HI-FI]

watching Nando, it seems his pace/pulse never changes, just very steady with incredible court vision. with TP, when shit is hitting the fan you can just see the tunnel vision kicking in.

[SpursRock20]

This loss isn't on Parker. From what I saw, Parker was getting shots that he normally makes but against a team that has arms so long, he wasn't able to get his shots to go off. They negated his speed by their length. This is a team that is making us play outside of our comfort zone. They do things that other inferior teams don't do. I'm sorry to say but a lot of our players are one dimensional. The Thunder attacks this 1 dimension and try to force us to beat them in different ways. For example, they don't mind if Green drives the lane, they make Bonner dribble the ball by forcing him off of the line, and they leave Diaw open. These 3 things kill our spacing.

[Chomag]

Neal is money when he doesn't try to hero ball it.

[Boomersgold]

watching Nando, it seems his pace/pulse never changes, just very steady with incredible court vision. with TP, when shit is hitting the fan you can just see the tunnel vision kicking in.

TP has a tendency to play hero ball. He's like Neal, except he takes more shots and makes more.

[ace3g]

Other things:

NDC used his size to post up K-Mart and kept Westbrook off him for a layup

Didn't struggle against their athleticism/pressure

Doesn't mind going up for rebounds

[Flawless]

Nando is going to be one hell of a player. So glad we have him :)

[SpursRock20]

watching Nando, it seems his pace/pulse never changes, just very steady with incredible court vision. with TP, when shit is hitting the fan you can just see the tunnel vision kicking in.

I am very excited seeing Nando improve this year. I have never seen a Spur do a complete 180 so quickly. When I first saw him, I saw a slow unathletic player who was very timid with the ball in his hands (although he could make the occasional great pass). Since the Heat game (thanks Stern), he has shown great poise with the ball in his hands. He reads the court very well, is not out of control with the ball, and he is starting to hit his shot. He needs at least 15-20 minutes every night. Sorry Mills.

[Boomersgold]

Other things:

NDC used his size to post up K-Mart and kept Westbrook off him for a layup

Didn't struggle against their athleticism/pressure

Doesn't mind going up for rebounds

De Colo played fantastic (bit boring to watch though). One thing I did notice was that he almost never creates for his wing players. Almost all of his plays were bounce passes inside to Splitter or Blair. Would've liked to see him slash inside, then kicking it out to Neal or Green for a wide open jump shot.

[objective]

Parker shot 41% in the playoff losses to OKC, sure looks like a problem there.

[timvp]

that Ibaka J is going to be there all season long and in the playoffs tbh. There is zero defense for it if you're going to play a 36yo Tim Duncan. You just have to hope he comes down to earth or you're forced to leave Duncan on Thabo or something when the Thunder go small.Those were on Splitter, tbh. TD was on Perkins.


watching Nando, it seems his pace/pulse never changes, just very steady with incredible court vision. with TP, when shit is hitting the fan you can just see the tunnel vision kicking in.

:lol No words.

[Ice009]

Parker averaged 21+ points, 6+ assists and had good shooting percentages in the WCF. The Spurs also outscored the Thunder when Parker was on the court during that series.

I'm not sure if that equates to "neutralized", tbh. TP easily outplayed Westbrook and the Spurs would have won the series if the bench didn't implode.

Despite those numbers TP was never really much of a difference maker in that series. If he is our best player then he needs to be more of a difference maker. I don't think at the end of the series anyone would have considered him our best player. Most people would probably say Manu was, even though that is not 100% true either. TP needs to stand out better than that.

The only thing I really, really liked from TP in that series was his defense. I thought he busted his ass on defense and played hard on that end of the court (hence Russell Westbrook's struggles), but nothing stood out to me on the offensive end of the court in that series. He was never really able to take over the games offensively. Shouldn't he have been able to take over at least 3 games in that series, or was the Thunder defense that good against him?

[Capt Bringdown]

Tbh, I'd put down the razor blade considering the Spurs are missing two of their four most important players against OKC.

Considered that already. Don't like our chances even at full strength. We'd have to play flawless Spurs ball of the '03 variety to get past OKC. I'd put down the dishonest homer goggles before believing this team has a decent chance against a superior opponent.
What advantage do the Spurs have against OKC?

[racm]

Considered that already. Don't like our chances even at full strength. We'd have to play flawless Spurs ball of the '03 variety to get past OKC. I'd put down the dishonest homer goggles before believing this team has a decent chance against a superior opponent.
What advantage do the Spurs have against OKC?

Remove OKC's officiating bias and it's far more even.

[Ice009]

Considered that already. Don't like our chances even at full strength. We'd have to play flawless Spurs ball of the '03 variety to get past OKC. I'd put down the dishonest homer goggles before believing this team has a decent chance against a superior opponent.
What advantage do the Spurs have against OKC?

None really.

SuperManu is the only thing that comes to mind. Splitter can do some damage against them too.

[Capt Bringdown]

Remove OKC's officiating bias and it's far more even.

Front-runners always get the officiating nod in the NBA. That was the case when the Spurs were winning championships, and it's the case now.
How to overcome that? Play championship caliber ball, which entails an elite defense, which the Spurs don't have anymore.

[Splits]

The Spurs starters just have to play even with Durant and the Chuck on the floor and take advantage of our depth. The problem with that formula is those two guys can play 48 if they have to whereas we don't have that luxury.

[Mugen]

Those were on Splitter, tbh. TD was on Perkins.

Was talking more in a general sense matchup wise. I'd figure Tiago to be a better pick n pop defender than Timmy nowadays so I'm not sure how much better Tim can defend that shot when OKC goes small.

Even a younger tim had issues guarding that play against Nash/Amare and Ibaka is shooting like 2005-2007 Stoudemire/Dirk. Difference is Serge is a better defender than both those guys and Tim is older so he can't punish him on the other end.

A Spurs/OKC series hinges on Ibaka hitting that shot.

[objective]

Considered that already. Don't like our chances even at full strength. We'd have to play flawless Spurs ball of the '03 variety to get past OKC. I'd put down the dishonest homer goggles before believing this team has a decent chance against a superior opponent.
What advantage do the Spurs have against OKC?

Spurs played flawless in '03? If anything, that team underachieved and should have won in fewer games. Spurs had a lot of luck and Pop was bailed out of several bad situations by players he had refused to play. I've sadly come to believe that Pop would have been outcoached by Nellie and lost had Dirk not busted his knee, and the Spurs still almost blew it. They almost went to a game 7 against that garbage Nets team.

[thunderfan]

Good win for OKC, but not gonna extrapolate a whole lot from it. I think it shows some SA fans that OKC is still very dangerous without Harden and that they've learned to adjust offensively from the lack of Harden. Martin is a good fit. SA bench showed some balls. I think they mental lapsed themselves out of the potential comeback the last 5 minutes though. Collison basically standing all alone for rebound after rebound.

[TheSkeptic]

The Spurs starters just have to play even with Durant and the Chuck on the floor and take advantage of our depth. The problem with that formula is those two guys can play 48 if they have to whereas we don't have that luxury.

I more or less agree with this.

[Obstructed_View]

Bonner +4, bitches!

[UZER]

Go the Phoenix route they used against Amare...don't double team Durant just let him get 60, and stay home on everyone else.

[Mugen]

Go the Phoenix route they used against Amare...don't double team Durant just let him get 60, and stay home on everyone else.

Problem is the Spurs could score at will against those Phoenix teams. The Thunder are much better defensively.

[Supreme_Being]

This loss is bought to you by CIA Pop.

[Supreme_Being]

I mean srsly. I you've made an awesome counterattack would you show it to your rival team in a sort of meaningless reg season game?

In Pop I trust.

[timvp]

Considered that already. Don't like our chances even at full strength. We'd have to play flawless Spurs ball of the '03 variety to get past OKC. I'd put down the dishonest homer goggles before believing this team has a decent chance against a superior opponent.
What advantage do the Spurs have against OKC?

I've never pretended that the Spurs should be the favorites against OKC. As you said, the Spurs will need to play pretty damn flawless to beat 'em.

[td4mvp21]

Bonner +4, bitches!

He should start, obviously.

[Arcadian]

It's funny how the Spurs' glaring weakness is the PF position now.

PG - Parker, De Colo (good)
SG - Green, Ginobili, Neal (good)
SF - Leonard, Jackson, Anderson (good)
PF - Diaw, Blair, Bonner (shit)
C - Duncan, Splitter (good)

[therealtruth]

Go the Phoenix route they used against Amare...don't double team Durant just let him get 60, and stay home on everyone else.

Agree. Also it doesn't make sense to broadcast that your gameplan is to give Ibaka open jumpers when he hits them at a pretty good rate. In fact I think he's probably one of the best if not the best in the league from mid range. That's bad coaching. I think it's more important to disrupt a team's offense than just give them inefficient shots. Steady doses of the same defense is easy to adjust to.

[Paranoid Pop]

It's funny how the Spurs' glaring weakness is the PF position now.

PG - Parker, De Colo (good)
SG - Green, Ginobili, Neal (good)
SF - Leonard, Jackson, Anderson (good)
PF - Diaw, Blair, Bonner (shit)
C - Duncan, Splitter (good)

What's funny is that they didn't try to do anything aboout it in the offseason and picked up Blair's option. Pathetic.

[Ice009]

What's funny is that they didn't try to do anything aboout it in the offseason and picked up Blair's option. Pathetic.

It's not funny to me, never has been, never will be.

[BermudaSooner]

Remove OKC's officiating bias and it's far more even.

Spurs: 19 fouls
Thunder: 21 fouls

[BermudaSooner]

And by the way...why does Tony Parker get an extra free throw when the first one clearly left his hand? I guess if I were you guys I'd say it was some secret Stern conspiracy and the refs are all out to get us.