Random thoughts after OT loss in Memphis

[timvp]

-Disappointing ending but it wasn't a bad loss. In fact, the Spurs played better than they did against the Lakers and probably the best they've played since the calendar turned to 2013. The in-game improvement was the highlight of the night. Specifically, after turning it over 12 times in the first half, the Spurs only had six turnovers in the second half and overtime. Against the best team in the league at forcing turnovers, that's quite an accomplishment. The shots didn't go down but the offense actually looked like the Spurs offense in the second half. It can still get cleaned up a bit more but this was a step in the right direction.

-The defense was pretty damn solid. The Grizzlies hit some tough shots but it was mostly really good D. Add in the fact that the Spurs rebounded on the defensive glass well against this brutish team and I'll take this. More often than not, when the Spurs hold the opponent to around one point per possession, they'll get a victory. It didn't happen tonight but the D was definitely good enough to get a win.

-Memphis is legit this year. I scoffed them last year, mostly because Zach Randolph was broken. Now, Randolph is back (not all the way back to his 2011 playoffs level, but much better than last year) and they are starting to figure out how to incorporate Rudy Gay into their offense. They are well coached and have a lot of above average players. I'm not sold that their offense is good enough to win a championship but their defense is no joke -- best D in the league in my eyes.

-I'm not yet pushing the panic button in regards to Tim Duncan's health. He hasn't been good in these last three games but it seems more decisions-based rather than he's hurting. Duncan is definitely lacking some explosion but I don't think it's anything serious. (small prayer)

-I'm just about tired of Gary Neal at backup point guard. It's just not working ... and it's not helping that his calf injury is still obviously bothering him. Patrick Mills did fine in the second half. Is it time to go full-time elsewhere? I'm 95% sold that it is time.

-Did Manu Ginobili run out of gas? It looks like he did. He didn't do much of anything in the fourth quarter or the overtime. That's the downfall of capping Ginobili's minutes. When he's needed for more minutes, it's more difficult for him to dig deep.

-I thought Tony Parker properly ran the show in the second half for the first time in a few games. He'd been in an orchestrational funk but he thankfully snapped out of it. The results weren't great but at least the Spurs got back to running plays again.

-Pop going to Danny Green for clutch three-pointers ... I can't say I love that strategy. You have Manu Ginobili, Stephen Jackson, Gary Neal and others who are old pros at hitting huge shots. Green is green in that category, bad pun somewhat intended.

-This upcoming three-game homestand is really important. The Spurs NEED to take care of business to get back on track. The games aren't easy -- T'Wolves, Grizzlies and then Warriors -- but this is a key stretch for this team to show what they are made of. Are they a 60+ win team that will battle for a first seed or are they going to taper off and settle for a top four seed? We'll know more over the next week.

[KaiRMD1]

Good write up, Green has definitely fallen off

[ffadicted]

-Pop going to Danny Green for clutch three-pointers ... I can't say I love that strategy. You have Manu Ginobili, Stephen Jackson, Gary Neal and others who are old pros at hitting huge shots. Green is green in that category, bad pun somewhat intended.

TBH this was what annoyed me the most. They weren't good shots, but still, wth manu, jackson, neal (not bonner.. fuck that guy), it pissed me off so much so see him jack up those off balance ones... to be fair though, we were bricking hard in late 4th and OT no matter who shot the ball... we were in such an awful funk, we were lucky to have TP knock that shit down to get OT.

[Darius McCrary]

Good stuff. I had some random thoughts, was about to press submit, then realized the game had gone into OT. Luckily I pressed cancel, else my Parker criticisms would have looked just a tad premature.

Memphis. Does. Not. Scare. Me.

[TDMVPDPOY]

matt bonner possession next to the ring, no one next to him, holds the fkn ball for 3 secs dont know what to do.....FAIL

i dunno who has the slowest release when u compare JAX and BONNER, but jax has no problem pulling the dagger, while bonner continues to give up open shots....

[Darius McCrary]

Also I'm a little disappointed that a random thought thread doesn't include how much Tiago playing until he fouls out shifts the power balance between MEM/SA rivalry. When Splitter was out there, I thought he did a damn good job on ZBO. Loved Splitter's aggressiveness tonight. We beat Memphis in 2011 if Splitter plays until he fouls out every game.

[Sean Cagney]

Good stuff. I had some random thoughts, was about to press submit, then realized the game had gone into OT. Luckily I pressed cancel, else my Parker criticisms would have looked just a tad premature.

Memphis. Does. Not. Scare. Me.

Memphis is very good, they might not scare you but they scare most fans in a series. Spurs have problems with that team.

[TMT®]

I think Pop is trying to give Danny Green some confidence; something he lacked in last year's WCF. The kid had 3 opportunities in the fourth + OT to make a decision with the ball. His first three point shot to tie the game in the fourth was too quick and forced, the second time Manu found him wide open and he just straight-up missed, the third he was given the ball with 8 or so seconds left at the top of the key and was too slow in his decision making almost resulting in a turnover (given he was guarded by the bigger Gay, but still). I think it's going to be important to try to give him opportunities like this in late game situations during the course of the season but at what point does Pop think to himself, "Okay, this might not be working. Maybe we should stick with Jack or Gary instead"? Ideally it would be nice to get Manu the big shot every time, and Tony has his fair share of the clutch gene, but maybe Danny just isn't the guy we should have in the game at that point especially when we have other options who have proven to be more effective.
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Not worried about Timmy at all though, as I see a majority of this board is freaking out over. He's just tired, and played against one of the top NBA defenses tonight who had some quality bigs to throw at him. Can't say I expected him to go off tonight. His defense was enough to be satisfied with in my opinion. He needs some rest, that's all.

Also, Kawhi Leonard 6 shots in 38 minutes? I'm not happy at all about his integration into the offense. Pop needs to realize he's falling into the Richard Jefferson role and you don't want to limit his potential like that. He needs the ball in his hands more often in 1-on-1 situations. Wasn't that the point of working on it all summer and in the summer league?

[TDMVPDPOY]

Also I'm a little disappointed that a random thought thread doesn't include how much Tiago playing until he fouls out shifts the power balance between MEM/SA rivalry. When Splitter was out there, I thought he did a damn good job on ZBO. Loved Splitter's aggressiveness tonight. We beat Memphis in 2011 if Splitter plays until he fouls out every game.

enjoy his presence while u still can, i believe his gone once his contract is up.....

[Darius McCrary]

This ain't 2011, holmes. If Pop is going to use Splitter like he did tonight against MEM, we will be fine. Many shots the Spurs missed were open. I realize MEM been trending downward, but so have we, so I cancel those factors out. There wasn't one single moment tonight (until the last 20 sec of regulation) that I thought MEM was hopelessly superior to us like I did in 2011. I would love to play MEM in the playoffs.

[wildbill2u]

We had opportunities to win in OT, but missed more shots than Memphis. Good exciting game on the road with playoff bound team.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

I'd rather play Memphis in a series than OKC or the Clippers, but playing the best defensive team in a series would suck too.

[SpursRock20]

This ain't 2011, holmes. If Pop is going to use Splitter like he did tonight against MEM, we will be fine. Many shots the Spurs missed were open. I realize MEM been trending downward, but so have we, so I cancel those factors out. There wasn't one single moment tonight (until the last 20 sec of regulation) that I thought MEM was hopelessly superior to us like I did in 2011. I would love to play MEM in the playoffs.

I'd rather play Memphis than the Thunder, and that's it. If the Grizz get home court against us, we would be the underdogs in that series.

[TDMVPDPOY]

wtf does pop continue to play the shit hands many minutes when its shown they cant get going

while other players on the bench are waiting for their turn who could turn things up...

danny green played too many minutes
neal was bench for rest of the 2nd half + ot
bonner a dunce just making up an extra body on the court

while jax played lesser minutes then those 3 stooges even when he contribute, whether its defensive matchups and being slow, he still held his own

[TheSkeptic]

wtf does pop continue to play the shit hands many minutes when its shown they cant get going

while other players on the bench are waiting for their turn who could turn things up...

danny green played too many minutes
neal was bench for rest of the 2nd half + ot
bonner a dunce just making up an extra body on the court

while jax played lesser minutes then those 3 stooges even when he contribute, whether its defensive matchups and being slow, he still held his own

I think you're right.

I'm starting to think that with the guards Pop needs to start just start going with the hot hand on a game to game basis. Manu and KL are the only wings that I think should get a longer leash. The others are too hit and miss.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

-Disappointing ending but it wasn't a bad loss. In fact, the Spurs played better than they did against the Lakers and probably the best they've played since the calendar turned to 2013. The in-game improvement was the highlight of the night. Specifically, after turning it over 12 times in the first half, the Spurs only had six turnovers in the second half and overtime. Against the best team in the league at forcing turnovers, that's quite an accomplishment. The shots didn't go down but the offense actually looked like the Spurs offense in the second half. It can still get cleaned up a bit more but this was a step in the right direction.

-The defense was pretty damn solid. The Grizzlies hit some tough shots but it was mostly really good D. Add in the fact that the Spurs rebounded on the defensive glass well against this brutish team and I'll take this. More often than not, when the Spurs hold the opponent to around one point per possession, they'll get a victory. It didn't happen tonight but the D was definitely good enough to get a win.

-Memphis is legit this year. I scoffed them last year, mostly because Zach Randolph was broken. Now, Randolph is back (not all the way back to his 2011 playoffs level, but much better than last year) and they are starting to figure out how to incorporate Rudy Gay into their offense. They are well coached and have a lot of above average players. I'm not sold that their offense is good enough to win a championship but their defense is no joke -- best D in the league in my eyes.

-I'm not yet pushing the panic button in regards to Tim Duncan's health. He hasn't been good in these last three games but it seems more decisions-based rather than he's hurting. Duncan is definitely lacking some explosion but I don't think it's anything serious. (small prayer)

-I'm just about tired of Gary Neal at backup point guard. It's just not working ... and it's not helping that his calf injury is still obviously bothering him. Patrick Mills did fine in the second half. Is it time to go full-time elsewhere? I'm 95% sold that it is time.

-Did Manu Ginobili run out of gas? It looks like he did. He didn't do much of anything in the fourth quarter or the overtime. That's the downfall of capping Ginobili's minutes. When he's needed for more minutes, it's more difficult for him to dig deep.

-I thought Tony Parker properly ran the show in the second half for the first time in a few games. He'd been in an orchestrational funk but he thankfully snapped out of it. The results weren't great but at least the Spurs got back to running plays again.

-Pop going to Danny Green for clutch three-pointers ... I can't say I love that strategy. You have Manu Ginobili, Stephen Jackson, Gary Neal and others who are old pros at hitting huge shots. Green is green in that category, bad pun somewhat intended.

-This upcoming three-game homestand is really important. The Spurs NEED to take care of business to get back on track. The games aren't easy -- T'Wolves, Grizzlies and then Warriors -- but this is a key stretch for this team to show what they are made of. Are they a 60+ win team that will battle for a first seed or are they going to taper off and settle for a top four seed? We'll know more over the next week.

Yup, that's pretty much what I saw. :tu

I thought Pop's rotations were pretty odd at times during this game, and specifically in OT I would've gone with Jax rather than Diaw who was so passive he was barely on the court. Jax can fight with Z-Bo down low, then drag ghim out to the perimeter and nail big shots in his face on O. I'm surprised Pop didn't try this, especially since Jax had just hit a big 3.

[Leetonidas]

wtf does pop continue to play the shit hands many minutes when its shown they cant get going

while other players on the bench are waiting for their turn who could turn things up...

danny green played too many minutes
neal was bench for rest of the 2nd half + ot
bonner a dunce just making up an extra body on the court

while jax played lesser minutes then those 3 stooges even when he contribute, whether its defensive matchups and being slow, he still held his own

Don't have any shit to talk about Parker tonight eh?

[Leetonidas]

And Leonard has looked completely lost on offense, just plain bad. I realize he has more of a garbage/utility man game but I used to see him driving and expect results. Now he is almost interchangeable with Green when he's driving to the rack

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Don't have any shit to talk about Parker tonight eh?

He was in the game thread, even after the game-tying 3. :rolleyes

Don't feed the trolls.


And Leonard has looked completely lost on offense, just plain bad. I realize he has more of a garbage/utility man game but I used to see him driving and expect results. Now he is almost interchangeable with Green when he's driving to the rack

Agreed. It's a real concern. His offensive game isn't developing at all, in fact it has regressed from last year.

[capek]

Obviously, this team still has a long ways to go if they're going to go anywhere, my main reflection on this game though was that I was THOROUGHLY impressed with Tiago's D tonight. He could have rebounded better (though at least him and Timmy outrebounded the bruiser brothers), but I really liked the toughness he displayed all night. If this game is another sign of him coming into his own as a starter, that's the positive I'll take from an otherwise somewhere disappointing loss.

[capek]

Agreed. It's a real concern. His offensive game isn't developing at all, in fact it has regressed from last year.

I don't think I'm making this up, wasn't there a quote from Pop a few weeks before training camp, or maybe it was after summer league, where he said his expectation was that Kawhi would be taking a larger role on offense this year? What happened with that? It seems like we might have been seeing a little of that at the beginning of the season, but Kawhi's injury seemed to derail that whole thing, and for some reason Pop has decided not to focus on Kawhi's offensive development in game time. I'm gonna assume that some of the blame is on lack of practice time during the season, which would make sense, especially considering our butt fuck schedule thus far. Hopefully that will all change as things even out.

Regardless though I'm getting tired of seeing Kawhi getting only a handful of shots a game. This kid is too good for Pop to take the long view approach to coaching up his game.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Don't have any shit to talk about Parker tonight eh?

sloppy play in 4qaurters and turnovers costs the spurs the game, he has much as much to it then other clowns who decided not to turn up....

team with 10 turnovers in the first half is always asking to be scored on at will on the other end...

[spurraider21]

I know we should be pulling for okc to lose, but watching the lakers crash and burn makes me feel better about tonight's loss.

We could probably coast to 57 wins no problem but I just want to stay healthy. Want to see Tim peak right before the playoffs and us to stay healthy. That's way more important than one extra home game in the playoffs. It'll probably take some luck to beat okc anyway. Let's just keep that hope alive instead of worrying and pushing too hard for the top seed at expense of fatigue and injuries to our vets

[TDMVPDPOY]

I don't think I'm making this up, wasn't there a quote from Pop a few weeks before training camp, or maybe it was after summer league, where he said his expectation was that Kawhi would be taking a larger role on offense this year? What happened with that? It seems like we might have been seeing a little of that at the beginning of the season, but Kawhi's injury seemed to derail that whole thing, and for some reason Pop has decided not to focus on Kawhi's offensive development in game time. I'm gonna assume that some of the blame is on lack of practice time during the season, which would make sense, especially considering our butt fuck schedule thus far. Hopefully that will all change as things even out.

Regardless though I'm getting tired of seeing Kawhi getting only a handful of shots a game. This kid is too good for Pop to take the long view approach to coaching up his game.

showed he had posts game in college, comes to the spurs force to play spotup shooter
this is his offense
only shoots when his free open,
force to bailout some shit kent on a last second attempt with over penetration and shitty outlet pass
him stealing the ball going coast to coast...

his being held back on the spurs, hope he leaves in the future for greener pastures

[team-work]

tbh, I didn't expect a win in this game, but by looking at the fact that they fought out of a first half deficit and to overtime, I felt that it was not a tough loss to swallow. I am optimistic enough to wait for the RRT to get rid of any road woes that are present.

[KaiRMD1]

Also I'm a little disappointed that a random thought thread doesn't include how much Tiago playing until he fouls out shifts the power balance between MEM/SA rivalry. When Splitter was out there, I thought he did a damn good job on ZBO. Loved Splitter's aggressiveness tonight. We beat Memphis in 2011 if Splitter plays until he fouls out every game.

This. Only because Splitter got like zero minutes in the 2011 series and that season as well and we struggled against Grizzlies. Splitter could be the deciding factor between these two teams, as surprised as I am to even be saying that.

[HI-FI]

Wasn't Tiago having a few injury issues in the past? Did anything change or was it a matter of adjusting to the NBA? Either way, he's been very good lately, no complaints from me.

[TDMVPDPOY]

This. Only because Splitter got like zero minutes in the 2011 series and that season as well and we struggled against Grizzlies. Splitter could be the deciding factor between these two teams, as surprised as I am to even be saying that.

like i said the spurs have an overrated coach who doesnt like to play rookies in the playoffs, splitter rookie year regular season held his own against the bigs of the league when he wasnt injured....only to be bench warmer in the playoffs...(same shit happen to george hill rookie year)

wtf do we have backup bigs or undersize wankers who play like shit making scrubs on shitty teams that wont even crack into the spurs rotation have career nights against us...(then the same excuse we here every year, they wont fluke those type of shots again aka ibaka, zbo)

[timaios]

like i said the spurs have an overrated coach who doesnt like to play rookies in the playoffs, splitter rookie year regular season held his own against the bigs of the league when he wasnt injured....only to be bench warmer in the playoffs...(same shit happen to george hill rookie year)

wtf do we have backup bigs or undersize wankers who play like shit making scrubs on shitty teams that wont even crack into the spurs rotation have career nights against us...(then the same excuse we here every year, they wont fluke those type of shots again aka ibaka, zbo)

So you hate the Spurs with a passion and you watch all their games... and you write your hate again and again and again.
That's all you can do with your life?

Really?

[TDMVPDPOY]

So you hate the Spurs with a passion and you watch all their games... and you write your hate again and again and again.
That's all you can do with your life?

Really?

u tellin me u enjoy watchin midget basketball for the last 6 seasons?

[timaios]

u tellin me u enjoy watchin midget basketball for the last 6 seasons?

u tellin me u hate watchin midget basketball for the last 6 seasons, but u do it anyway... why???
Do something else. Something that makes you happy!
Do you know this word?

[Darius McCrary]

Memphis is going to be on Holiday after they face the Spurs in round 2.

[freetiago]

Lol at anyone who actually believed splitter had injury issues
hes played all the games this season and has been fine since starting
probably had 0 motivation to play when he has stuck behind career scrubs bonner/blair on the depth chart and popovich hated him
pop just waited long enough for people to forget he was an idiot to play splitter
even then it took injuries to blair/bonner being in the doghouse for good/diaw playing like a complete bitch til pop finally put him in the starting lineup

[TDMVPDPOY]

Memphis is going to be on Holiday after they face the Spurs in round 2.

thats what we all said in 2011

[Chris16]

Memphis is going to be on Holiday after they face the Spurs in round 2.

Who said the Grizzlies and Spurs are meeting in Round 2?!? If the Grizzlies remain 4th and the Spurs remain 3rd there is 0 chance for them to meet in Round 2. Spurs will likely have to go through Clippers/OKC in Round 2.

[Darius McCrary]

thats what we all said in 2011
Memphis played every quarter of basketball against us that year as if they were pure spurs kryptonite.

[jiggy_55]

I'm honestly disappointed in Kawhi's defense at the end of regulation. He let Tony Allen go for an easy dunk when he should have fouled and made him shoot 2 free throws (Allen is not a great free throw shooter). On the other occasion, he let Gay run right past him and give him the fast break dunk on Manu because he went for the ball instead of either 1) fouling Gay, or 2) just staying in front of him and not let him get the open fast break dunk.

After his stifling defense on Kobe the other night, I thought both these plays were very poor choices from Kawhi and it cost us a lot. He needs to learn that sometimes fouling a player is a must in order to not give the opponent an easy 2.

[chapnis]

Tony Allen was too far ahead IMO, would've risked giving up an and-1

[Paranoid Pop]

I think Pop is trying to give Danny Green some confidence; something he lacked in last year's WCF. The kid had 3 opportunities in the fourth + OT to make a decision with the ball. His first three point shot to tie the game in the fourth was too quick and forced, the second time Manu found him wide open and he just straight-up missed, the third he was given the ball with 8 or so seconds left at the top of the key and was too slow in his decision making almost resulting in a turnover (given he was guarded by the bigger Gay, but still). I think it's going to be important to try to give him opportunities like this in late game situations during the course of the season but at what point does Pop think to himself, "Okay, this might not be working. Maybe we should stick with Jack or Gary instead"? Ideally it would be nice to get Manu the big shot every time, and Tony has his fair share of the clutch gene, but maybe Danny just isn't the guy we should have in the game at that point especially when we have other options who have proven to be more effective.
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Not worried about Timmy at all though, as I see a majority of this board is freaking out over. He's just tired, and played against one of the top NBA defenses tonight who had some quality bigs to throw at him. Can't say I expected him to go off tonight. His defense was enough to be satisfied with in my opinion. He needs some rest, that's all.

Also, Kawhi Leonard 6 shots in 38 minutes? I'm not happy at all about his integration into the offense. Pop needs to realize he's falling into the Richard Jefferson role and you don't want to limit his potential like that. He needs the ball in his hands more often in 1-on-1 situations. Wasn't that the point of working on it all summer and in the summer league?

Trade Green and play KY SG, solves everything tbh.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Memphis played every quarter of basketball against us that year as if they were pure spurs kryptonite.

the last time this spurs team ever played the full 4quarters was in 07, every year since then it has always been 3 quarters only or not turning up at all.....

using the excuse of fluke shots is the lamest, when the same thing can be said about the spurs high volume of 3pt attempts/made ( 2 of the last 6 seasons where the spurs had high % 3pt fg, live by the 3 die by the 3)

[hater]

Spurs will get nowhere with Kawhi playing poorly. If he does not play near allstar Spurs will not make it past round 2

nevertheless no need to get all shook up. The Heat are taking the ship easily this year

[hater]

Tony Allen was too far ahead IMO, would've risked giving up an and-1

not really Tony Allen is what? 30something? Kawhi is or should be one of the top physical specimens in the league, he definitely made the voluntary error not to foul

[TDMVPDPOY]

Spurs will get nowhere with Kawhi playing poorly. If he does not play near allstar Spurs will not make it past round 2

nevertheless no need to get all shook up. The Heat are taking the ship easily this year

i dunno what else u clowns expect from him when his been pushed to play that bowen role, defense first and only shoot what the offense gives him.....would like to see him go hero mode and ball hog a few possessions....

[hater]

i dunno what else u clowns expect from him when his been pushed to play that bowen role, defense first and only shoot what the offense gives him.....would like to see him go hero mode and ball hog a few possessions....

um he was playing near allstar early in the season pre-injury

he needs to go back to that if the Spurs have a prayer to lose to the Heat in the finals.

otherwise Spurs are only good enough for 1 round.

[TJastal]

um he was playing near allstar early in the season pre-injury

he needs to go back to that if the Spurs have a prayer to lose to the Heat in the finals.

otherwise Spurs are only good enough for 1 round.

The heat are not even a lock to get to the finals. The pacers are right behind them in the standings even without their best player. Once Granger comes back in February they are going to be a difficult out in the playoffs.

[TDMVPDPOY]

otherwise Spurs are only good enough for 1 round.

round 1 is what this team is anyway.....every other team mainly contenders out west have improve their roster, while we have stayed the same with the same old roster for 3 seasons now...

[hater]

round 1 is what this team is anyway.....every other team mainly contenders out west have improve their roster, while we have stayed the same with the same old roster for 3 seasons now...

true. but still it could be worse. we could be the Mavs or Lakers. I'm happy as Spurs fan with no delusions of championship. We a solid competitive team that will lose eventually. that's all

[hater]

The heat are not even a lock to get to the finals. The pacers are right behind them in the standings even without their best player. Once Granger comes back in February they are going to be a difficult out in the playoffs.

Heat are bullshitting their way through a boring season and are still withing striking distance of #1 seed. that is some scary shit. Anyone who thinks they won't win it all is just not opening their eyes.

[Capt Bringdown]

This game and our record against other good teams should tell you that we haven't moved the needle much if at all from last year. We have to play near perfect ball to have a chance, and that ain't much of chance at all.

[TDMVPDPOY]

some fans have low standards when it comes to this fkn team, they accept hero ball and first round fodder bullshit over a championship....

the hero ball movement needs to end!!!!

wtf is this TP era going to end?

[hater]

some fans have low standards when it comes to this fkn team, they accept hero ball and first round fodder bullshit over a championship....

the hero ball movement needs to end!!!!

wtf is this TP era going to end?

LOL if you think this team as it is built should win 70% of games and be favorite to win it all, you the delusional one

wake up, as built this team is good to make it to WCF tops. Finals if Durant gets shot. that's all. Nobody is beating the Heat anyway

[quentin_compson]

Memphis. Does. Not. Scare. Me.

Well, I'm pretty sure the Spurs don't scare Memphis either.

[benefactor]

:lol TDMVPDPOY
:lol grey'd

[Richie]

LOL if you think this team as it is built should win 70% of games and be favorite to win it all, you the delusional one

wake up, as built this team is good to make it to WCF tops. Finals if Durant gets shot. that's all. Nobody is beating the Heat anyway

I think we could beat the Heat, but it would be on Timmy. As I see it, we need Tony to get us to the WCF, Manu to get us past OKC and Timmy to get us past Miami.

Manu is the trump card when it comes to OKC. Martin is a much worse defender than Harden, so if OKC want to put Sefelosha on Parker again then Manu will need to step up and torch Martin. Ideally they will switch Thabo on to Manu and allow Parker to destroy Westbrook as he did in the first 2 games last year. Harden is an underrated defender IMO, he's strong, quick and long and will be a big miss for them.

The Heats problem is up front, and with Timmy/Tiago we have the edge. Obviously they have the edge on the wings but if Timmy plays as well as he has to start the season he could kill them inside. Not to mention playing with two bigs will help defend the hoop and get Lebron/Wade taking jumpers. If they win with the jumpshot then fair play to them.

Obviously we're massive underdogs, but I don't see it as an impossible feat.

[Strategic]

And Leonard has looked completely lost on offense, just plain bad. I realize he has more of a garbage/utility man game but I used to see him driving and expect results. Now he is almost interchangeable with Green when he's driving to the rack

Pop didn't like Horry, Bowen, or RJ taking the ball to the hoop. If you're not TD, MG or TP you either pass or shoot.

[Ice009]

The old saying "A dunk is only worth two points" is costing the Spurs games. They need to fucking dunk the ball when they are near the rim. Manu should have went for a dunk on that shitty call that was reversed. Tiago would have had some more easy scores if he just dunked the ball. I'm getting sick of these guys going weak to the rim and trying to lay it up. In a playoff like battle against Memphis, you gotta dunk that ball home and not throw up weak shit, otherwise, you're going to get your ass sent home.

[Kidd K]

This is one of the few instances I actually will go ahead and blame Pop. The team's shot selection was very questionable late in the game. The Spurs were casting up threes over and over and over even when they were ahead and missing most of them. I understand the 3 point shot jacking when you're down 4 with 20 seconds left, but when you're up in OT? They kept shooting it.

They also never adjusted to the obvious and frequent late game double teaming. I can understand getting surprised by it once, twice, or even three times. . .but if a team "blitzes" every time, how do you not know it's coming anymore? Was there no counter for it planned at all? "uh. . .just keep doing what you're doing guys". Really?

I was happy to see the miracle comeback (of course, wasn't happy to see it be neccessary because the Spurs blew a double digit lead), but the Spurs looked mentally sloppy for the final 5 minutes of the game and in OT. So many errors and choke-esque plays. It was a close game against an obviously legit defensive team, but the way they closed the game was very disappointing.

[urunobili]

thought: Darrell Arthur is officially a Spurs Killer...

[TheChillFactor]

It was a tough game against a very good and very physical team on the road that we lost in OT. In January for chrissakes. grow the F up and get a handle on your emotions. The team will be top 3 seed and have a shot in May and June.

[cd021]

-Disappointing ending but it wasn't a bad loss. In fact, the Spurs played better than they did against the Lakers and probably the best they've played since the calendar turned to 2013. The in-game improvement was the highlight of the night. Specifically, after turning it over 12 times in the first half, the Spurs only had six turnovers in the second half and overtime. Against the best team in the league at forcing turnovers, that's quite an accomplishment. The shots didn't go down but the offense actually looked like the Spurs offense in the second half. It can still get cleaned up a bit more but this was a step in the right direction.

-The defense was pretty damn solid. The Grizzlies hit some tough shots but it was mostly really good D. Add in the fact that the Spurs rebounded on the defensive glass well against this brutish team and I'll take this. More often than not, when the Spurs hold the opponent to around one point per possession, they'll get a victory. It didn't happen tonight but the D was definitely good enough to get a win.

-Memphis is legit this year. I scoffed them last year, mostly because Zach Randolph was broken. Now, Randolph is back (not all the way back to his 2011 playoffs level, but much better than last year) and they are starting to figure out how to incorporate Rudy Gay into their offense. They are well coached and have a lot of above average players. I'm not sold that their offense is good enough to win a championship but their defense is no joke -- best D in the league in my eyes.

-I'm not yet pushing the panic button in regards to Tim Duncan's health. He hasn't been good in these last three games but it seems more decisions-based rather than he's hurting. Duncan is definitely lacking some explosion but I don't think it's anything serious. (small prayer)

-I'm just about tired of Gary Neal at backup point guard. It's just not working ... and it's not helping that his calf injury is still obviously bothering him. Patrick Mills did fine in the second half. Is it time to go full-time elsewhere? I'm 95% sold that it is time.

-Did Manu Ginobili run out of gas? It looks like he did. He didn't do much of anything in the fourth quarter or the overtime. That's the downfall of capping Ginobili's minutes. When he's needed for more minutes, it's more difficult for him to dig deep.

-I thought Tony Parker properly ran the show in the second half for the first time in a few games. He'd been in an orchestrational funk but he thankfully snapped out of it. The results weren't great but at least the Spurs got back to running plays again.

-Pop going to Danny Green for clutch three-pointers ... I can't say I love that strategy. You have Manu Ginobili, Stephen Jackson, Gary Neal and others who are old pros at hitting huge shots. Green is green in that category, bad pun somewhat intended.

-This upcoming three-game homestand is really important. The Spurs NEED to take care of business to get back on track. The games aren't easy -- T'Wolves, Grizzlies and then Warriors -- but this is a key stretch for this team to show what they are made of. Are they a 60+ win team that will battle for a first seed or are they going to taper off and settle for a top four seed? We'll know more over the next week.

Agree with every single thing you said.

[cd021]

Question,

1. Does anyone question Pop calling his final timeout in regulation with 9 seconds left and down 6 before the Spurs get a chance to run a play? To be fair, he did get Jackson in the game and his play got Jackson a clean 3 pointer. But it left the Spurs at the mercy of Gay missing 2 free throws (which he surprisingly did) and Parker getting a transition 3 to go in less than four seconds (Aside from Duncan, Splitter, & Blair, Parker is the least likely player to hit that shot)

2. At least to me, it seemed odd that with Memphis going with Arthur & ZBo, Duncan should have been paired with Jackson or Diaw to better cover Arthur on the pick and pops. Instead Splitter was used, given he played well but was in foul trouble.

3.Leonard played 39 minutes but produced only 6 pts and 2 rebounds, I didn't watch the entire game (save for the 4th and OT.) But maybe Jackson should have played more than 19 minutes, I'll defer to anyone who actually watched the entire game, I may have missed something that gave pop the reason to go with Kawhi.

[Brunodf]

Question,

1. Does anyone question Pop calling his final timeout in regulation with 9 seconds left and down 6 before the Spurs get a chance to run a play? To be fair, he did get Jackson in the game and his play got Jackson a clean 3 pointer. But it left the Spurs at the mercy of Gay missing 2 free throws (which he surprisingly did) and Parker getting a transition 3 to go in less than four seconds (Aside from Duncan, Splitter, & Blair, Parker is the least likely player to hit that shot)

2. At least to me, it seemed odd that with Memphis going with Arthur & ZBo, Duncan should have been paired with Jackson or Diaw to better cover Arthur on the pick and pops. Instead Splitter was used, given he played well but was in foul trouble.

3.Leonard played 39 minutes but produced only 6 pts and 2 rebounds, I didn't watch the entire game (save for the 4th and OT.) But maybe Jackson should have played more than 19 minutes, I'll defer to anyone who actually watched the entire game, I may have missed something that gave pop the reason to go with Kawhi.

1) Weird but worked. What pissed me off was Pop not calling a timeout after that Rudy Gay jumper in the OT.
2) Duncan on Arthur was a bad call by Pop, Splitter was just fine defending him...
3)Agree, Jack should have played in the OT, he hit big shots and Kawhi D wasn't that good.

[Russ]

--I'm not yet pushing the panic button in regards to Tim Duncan's health. He hasn't been good in these last three games but it seems more decisions-based rather than he's hurting. Duncan is definitely lacking some explosion but I don't think it's anything serious. (small prayer).

The cynic in me wonders if Pop playing Duncan this much is just an attempt to get Tim into the All Star Game one last time (rather than a basketball-first-Spurs based choice). If so, it would be very uncharacteristic of Pop.

We'll see if, after the AS team is announced and the game is played, Tim's minutes go down big time till the playoffs.

[Captivus]

My only concerne is Kiwi, i think Pop has to figure out how to make him play better, thats his job.
The other players are what they are...i mean, we played against a very good team, it is not easy to win, which we almost did.
So, like I said, my concern is Kiwi, honestly i wasnt expecting more from the other players.
Parker was ok, Green missing a few shots (not a surprise), TD having a difficult time with Gasol, Manu and Jax doing their thing, Diaw passing open looks and only shooting when there no more time on the clock, Tiago continuing to contribute to the team...blahblahblah...
Kiwi...he is my concern.
Are we contenders, i actually dont care, i want to see the Spurs play likw we assume they can, champs or not.

[jjktkk]

Nice writeup Tim. Unfortunately, its a catch 22 regarding Ginobol's minutes. You don't want him to wear down in crunch time, but Pop is probably afraid to extend his minutes, because of the age, injury factor. Manu's minutes will probably extend once we get closer to the end of the season.

[dbreiden83080]

-I'm not yet pushing the panic button in regards to Tim Duncan's health. He hasn't been good in these last three games but it seems more decisions-based rather than he's hurting. Duncan is definitely lacking some explosion but I don't think it's anything serious. (small prayer)


I am starting to worry.. If Tim has major problems with his knee this year i really hope he retires at years end. I just don't want to see him playing on one leg like he was 2 years ago..

[ploto]

-I'm just about tired of Gary Neal at backup point guard. It's just not working ...

Aren't you tired period of the Spurs taking SG's that are playing well and screwing them up by trying to make them into back-up PG's?

[spursfan09]

Ploto hit the nail on the head

[timvp]

Aren't you tired period of the Spurs taking SG's that are playing well and screwing them up by trying to make them into back-up PG's?

No, not in this case. If Neal can't play point guard, there's no room for him in the rotation. I agree that Pop should try to shoehorn him into the point guard position if at all possible because Neal is too good to rack up DNP-CDs.

Unfortunately, it's not looking very possible for him to stick there . . .

[look_at_g_shred]

The old saying "A dunk is only worth two points" is costing the Spurs games. They need to fucking dunk the ball when they are near the rim. Manu should have went for a dunk on that shitty call that was reversed. Tiago would have had some more easy scores if he just dunked the ball. I'm getting sick of these guys going weak to the rim and trying to lay it up. In a playoff like battle against Memphis, you gotta dunk that ball home and not throw up weak shit, otherwise, you're going to get your ass sent home.

FORREAL! NO LIE!!! Tiago would be much better if he quit trying to lay it up all the fucking time!!

[spursmartyr]

My opinion is quite plain, the Spurs suck ass.

[TD 21]

Specifically, after turning it over 12 times in the first half, the Spurs only had six turnovers in the second half and overtime.

What type of a loser mentality is that? I know the Grizzlies have been the best in the league at forcing turnovers for a few years now and I know it went to overtime, but 18 turnovers is too damn many, particularly on the heels of their recent barrage, which has them at 28th in %.

I see no positives from this game, all I see is further confirmation that this team is going to be eliminated in the 2nd round unless they make a trade for a big and even that might not save them. This team lacks poise. Damn near every time they're on the road against an elite team in a close game, they fold down the stretch.


The defense was pretty damn solid. The Grizzlies hit some tough shots but it was mostly really good D.

Every time some ancillary scorer buries them with a cadre of wide open pick-and-pop jumpers (along with turnovers, this has got to be their Achilles heel), you and others (including the team) pull the "they hit tough (aka flukey) shots". But, for the most part, that's just not true. The shots that did them in were uncontested: The Arthur jumpers and the breakaway dunk at the end.


I'm just about tired of Gary Neal at backup point guard. It's just not working ... and it's not helping that his calf injury is still obviously bothering him. Patrick Mills did fine in the second half. Is it time to go full-time elsewhere? I'm 95% sold that it is time.

I don't disagree, but the calf injury is clearly the main reason for his poor performance . . . but he's not shooting sub 30% from 3, so I guess he doesn't get the benefit of the doubt.


Did Manu Ginobili run out of gas? It looks like he did. He didn't do much of anything in the fourth quarter or the overtime. That's the downfall of capping Ginobili's minutes. When he's needed for more minutes, it's more difficult for him to dig deep.

I don't think he did, he just did what he does now, which is cede control of the offense down the stretch to Parker. But if he did, then your reasoning is exactly why they need to play him a few more mpg.

[timvp]

What type of a loser mentality is that? I know the Grizzlies have been the best in the league at forcing turnovers for a few years now and I know it went to overtime, but 18 turnovers is too damn many, particularly on the heels of their recent barrage, which has them at 28th in %.
Read again. I was pointing out the improvement from the first half to the second half + overtime.


I see no positives from this game, all I see is further confirmation that this team is going to be eliminated in the 2nd round unless they make a trade for a big and even that might not save them.
Per par. Losses, injuries or whatever else is always simply more fodder for the flame of those fantasy trades that you come up with that will never happen.


Every time some ancillary scorer buries them with a cadre of wide open pick-and-pop jumpers (along with turnovers, this has got to be their Achilles heel), you and others (including the team) pull the "they hit tough (aka flukey) shots". But, for the most part, that's just not true. The shots that did them in were uncontested: The Arthur jumpers and the breakaway dunk at the end.
Poor assumption. I was talking about those three or four difficult shots Rudy Gay hit.

[polandprzem]

No, not in this case. If Neal can't play point guard, there's no room for him in the rotation. I agree that Pop should try to shoehorn him into the point guard position if at all possible because Neal is too good to rack up DNP-CDs.

Unfortunately, it's not looking very possible for him to stick there . . .

How is there no room for him at 2 spot?

TP
Green Manu Neal
Jax Kawhi
TD
Splitt, Boris


With manu taking charge as playmaker with the 2nd unit, if really pop needs Neal to play. Then you can have all variations with him at 3 spot or so.

[timvp]

How is there no room for him at 2 spot?

TP
Green Manu Neal
Jax Kawhi
TD
Splitt, Boris


With manu taking charge as playmaker with the 2nd unit, if really pop needs Neal to play. Then you can have all variations with him at 3 spot or so.

http://www.spurstalk.com/not-sure-if-serious-camel.jpg

That rotation you suggested is the one Pop currently uses. It ends up with Neal at PG behind Parker because he's the best ballhandler available. Ginobili can't advance the ball under pressure well at all (worse than Neal) ... plus you don't want Ginobili wasting energy doing that anyways.

[TD 21]

Read again. I was pointing out the improvement from the first half to the second half + overtime.

I know you were, but it's a loser mentality . . . looking for a positive (6 in the 2nd half + overtime) within' a negative (18 overall), instead of just admitting that 18 is too damn many, no matter when the vast majority came.


Per par. Losses, injuries or whatever else is always simply more fodder for the flame of those fantasy trades that you come up with that will never happen.

They probably won't, because the owner is cheap and the front office is delusional . . . and it looks like you are too.

Think about it, Mr. Blair Should Be The Starting PF and Jackson Is Still A Starting SF. They've controlled exactly one game this season against an elite team and that was the Heat game, which was irrelevant, because the big three + Green didn't play and the Heat clearly took them lightly for the first 43 minutes. The two they won (the first against the Thunder and Grizzlies), they didn't control. If at nearly the half way point that's not alarming, I don't know what is.


Poor assumption. I was talking about those three or four difficult shots Rudy Gay hit.

Fair enough. But it wouldn't have even come to that if they could actually defend a pick-and-pop.

[Cane]

I know you were, but it's a loser mentality . . . looking for a positive (6 in the 2nd half + overtime) within' a negative (18 overall), instead of just admitting that 18 is too damn many, no matter when the vast majority came.



Wtf? timvp basically said it was too much. Adjusting at the half shouldn't be something to discredit here

[polandprzem]

http://www.spurstalk.com/not-sure-if-serious-camel.jpg

That rotation you suggested is the one Pop currently uses. It ends up with Neal at PG behind Parker because he's the best ballhandler available. Ginobili can't advance the ball under pressure well at all (worse than Neal) ... plus you don't want Ginobili wasting energy doing that anyways.
Well if Manu can't do a point guard duties the spurs should ship two of Neal Mills and Green for some decent pointguard.
Is really shooting of screens and penetration from time to time all we demand from Manu?


btw. I'm a fucked up. I was winning 5-1 and now losing 6-7 in scrabble vs my girlfriend