A few brightspots to take away from tonight.

[T Park]

A few for me to take away while you all run around flailing your arms about screaming.

1. The insurgence of Nando De Colo. Played a fantastic game tonight. Solid defense on Westbrook, played very well on the offensive end. Loved his agression.

2 Kawhi Leonard becoming the second or third option. Not only was his defense good but he made Durant chase him all over the court. Something over a 7 game series wears on a player one would think.

3 Neal finding his shot. Shot the ball very well after heavy minutes and shots the night before.

4. Danny Green shooting straight and not folding. Sure he had a couple bad passes, but he shot the ball with confidence and shot it well, again after heavy minutes the past 4 games. 4 games in 5 nights finally showed their wear.

5, Duncan was able to get free from his defenders alot easier and better than last year, he just shot it bad. again back to back, not ideal, I like my chances with him getting at minimum a night off in between games.

6. Diaw finally becoming an offensive player in the 4th quarter and making Ibaka work.


Take into account no Jackson, No Parker and Manu all due to injuries, and with everything working for OKC exactly how youd expect, I like the Spurs chances over a 7 game series.

[RD2191]

7. Michael Jordan is gonna hook us up with some of his "Secret Stuff"

[ShoogarBear]

insurgence

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mp2.gif

[T Park]

its conceivable...

[TrainOfThought5]

holy crap was greens shitty decision making/ random great plays (block was awesome) icyhot status on full display today. who gets benched and provides highlight reel stuff all in the same half??

[T Park]

Green is like a less offensively gifted rookie year Ginobili.

does one maddening thing then comes back and makes you applaud him..

[AFBlue]

What game were you watching?

De Colo made some 3s, but he
also looked totally overmatched by the athleticism of Westbrook and Jackson.

Green had major offensive and defensive miscues.

Diaw making a couple shots in one quarter doesn't make up for his garbage in the other 3.

I will give you Kawhi,Timmy, and Neal, but the others were garbage. Add Splitter, who was probably the worst player on the court, and the aformentioned injuries that have no guarantee of subsiding by playoff time and I'd say I don't like our chances in a 7-game series.

[AFBlue]

Green is like a less offensively gifted rookie year Ginobili.

does one maddening thing then comes back and makes you applaud him..

How dare you.

[T Park]

What game were you watching?

De Colo made some 3s, but he
also looked totally overmatched by the athleticism of Westbrook and Jackson.

Green had major offensive and defensive miscues.

Diaw making a couple shots in one quarter doesn't make up for his garbage in the other 3.

I will give you Kawhi,Timmy, and Neal, but the others were garbage. Add Splitter, who was probably the worst player on the court, and the aformentioned injuries that have no guarantee of subsiding by playoff time and I'd say I don't like our chances in a 7-game series.


Yeah Diaw making shots in nut cutting time in the 4th quarter kind of does make up for it. Especially when they are giant baskets.

but hey, you want to swing by the shower rod, go right ahead.

[timtonymanu]

AFBlue having quite a meltdown tonight :lol

[T Park]

Also, De Colo was not "overmatched" that is such a ridiculous statement.

[DPG21920]

scary thing was OKC winning without a FT advantage..

[letmk]

Overall, De Colo played decent tonight. But when it's needed, Westbrook could almost always run into De Colo to get a foul call. If De Colo doesn't get how to avoid that, it will not look pretty for the Spurs.

[crc21209]

scary thing was OKC winning without a FT advantage..

No Manu and basically no TP? And it was still a 3 point game in the 4th with under 5 minutes to go? I'll take it....

[Thread]

scary thing was OKC winning without a FT advantage..

You didn't have to go home, but, you had to get the Hell outta there.

tee, hee.

[ShoogarBear]

6. Diaw finally becoming an offensive player in the 4th quarter and making Ibaka work.


Leopards don't change their spots. Diaw still has plenty of passed-up open shots in his future.

[Thread]

No Manu and basically no TP? And it was still a 3 point game in the 4th with under 5 minutes to go? I'll take it....

& no Jackson, don't forget that. And your 4th game in 5 nites. And Poop was constipated. And the Ellis family was on Holiday.

Your search for utopia is absolutely adorable.

[Thread]

Leopards don't change their spots. Diaw still has plenty of passed-up open shots in his future.

That's righteous. He quit to flow to you. You should be punished.

[Richie]

scary thing was OKC winning without a FT advantage..

If I'm OKC I'm more scared that it was so close shooting 50% from 3 while we had Manu and Parker injured and shot 50% from 3.

[ace3g]

Diaw a couple of times used his size against Durant, especially in the post. I mentioned it a while back when Pop had to use him at SF when Kawhi and SJAX missed games.

There are times when Pop should switch Diaw to SF in the offensive sets for that.


Also last game, Pop had Splitter guarding Fisher on the perimeter and Spurs went on a run during this time, surprised he didn't try this again.

[AFBlue]

Also, De Colo was not "overmatched" that is such a ridiculous statement.

Nah bro, Westbrook got wherever he wanted and went to the line at will on De Colo. De Colo also got his shit stuffed by Jackson, lost/sagged off his man, lost the ball in crunch time...I could go on. He played well in spots, but it's feast or famine with this guy. You linked Green with Manu earlier, but I actually think De Colo fits the bill better...only with higher risk and less reward.

[SpurPadre]

Also, De Colo was not "overmatched" that is such a ridiculous statement.

He looked completely lost on two of those 3 fastbreaks where we clearly should have had at least 6 points on them. It looked like the game was moving way too fast for him. Mills would've made better decisions on those fastbreaks because he at least has the speed to come up with a better option should a layup not be a possibility. Those were crucial opportunities, too and I came away not trusting De Colo to come through should those situations arise in the playoffs.

[AFBlue]

Yeah Diaw making shots in nut cutting time in the 4th quarter kind of does make up for it. Especially when they are giant baskets.

but hey, you want to swing by the shower rod, go right ahead.

You're the one with the irrational justification that a couple made buckets in the fourth quarter justify garbage play the rest of the game, and I'm swinging from the shower rod? How many contested boards did he have? How many outstanding defensive plays? But oh, he backed down a twig and hit an open 18ft shot they were giving him all night. GMAFB.

[SpurPadre]

You're the one with the irrational justification that a couple made buckets in the fourth quarter justify garbage play the rest of the game, and I'm swinging from the shower rod? How many contested boards did he have? How many outstanding defensive plays? But oh, he backed down a twig and hit an open 18ft shot they were giving him all night. GMAFB.

It's like Shaq saying "I make them when it counts" whenever he justified his horrendous free throw shooting.

[D12]

:lol:lolglass half full half empty Spurfans
:lol team breaking down right before everybody's eyes.....

[SpurPadre]

:lol:lolglass half full half empty Spurfans
:lol team breaking down right before everybody's eyes.....

LOL @ team clinging to 8th seed despite trying to buy a championship.

[Pasta Batman]

Diaw a couple of times used his size against Durant, especially in the post. I mentioned it a while back when Pop had to use him at SF when Kawhi and SJAX missed games.

There are times when Pop should switch Diaw to SF in the offensive sets for that.


Also last game, Pop had Splitter guarding Fisher on the perimeter and Spurs went on a run during this time, surprised he didn't try this again.

I'm sure the game film will reveal a lot. I also thought Pop tried out some stuff here and there to see if it might work!

[Spur|n|Austin]

You're the one with the irrational justification that a couple made buckets in the fourth quarter justify garbage play the rest of the game, and I'm swinging from the shower rod? How many contested boards did he have? How many outstanding defensive plays? But oh, he backed down a twig and hit an open 18ft shot they were giving him all night. GMAFB.

Diaw has been pretty bad as of late, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Baynes get some burn at this point until the playoffs.

[TJastal]

He looked completely lost on two of those 3 fastbreaks where we clearly should have had at least 6 points on them. It looked like the game was moving way too fast for him. Mills would've made better decisions on those fastbreaks because he at least has the speed to come up with a better option should a layup not be a possibility. Those were crucial opportunities, too and I came away not trusting De Colo to come through should those situations arise in the playoffs.

Exactly. Mills' speed would be more useful against fast athletic teams like the thunder. When you stop to consider just how effective Mills has been in the 2nd unit I just don't understand why he wasn't made Parker's backup midway through the season.

[polandprzem]

A few for me to take away while you all run around flailing your arms about screaming.

1. The insurgence of Nando De Colo. Played a fantastic game tonight. Solid defense on Westbrook, played very well on the offensive end. Loved his agression.

2 Kawhi Leonard becoming the second or third option. Not only was his defense good but he made Durant chase him all over the court. Something over a 7 game series wears on a player one would think.

3 Neal finding his shot. Shot the ball very well after heavy minutes and shots the night before.

4. Danny Green shooting straight and not folding. Sure he had a couple bad passes, but he shot the ball with confidence and shot it well, again after heavy minutes the past 4 games. 4 games in 5 nights finally showed their wear.

5, Duncan was able to get free from his defenders alot easier and better than last year, he just shot it bad. again back to back, not ideal, I like my chances with him getting at minimum a night off in between games.

6. Diaw finally becoming an offensive player in the 4th quarter and making Ibaka work.


Take into account no Jackson, No Parker and Manu all due to injuries, and with everything working for OKC exactly how youd expect, I like the Spurs chances over a 7 game series.

That's bright spots huh?

6 games to go and Pop not gonna play everybody in every game. That means spurs are in trouble.

Ad1 - De Colo still too Green. Too late in the rotation
ad2 - bright
ad3 - he is in and off with his shot
ad4 - He is there to shoot but again he always makes devastating decisions. Nothing bright to take from it. It's not like he is gonna be awful to put a cross on him.
ad5 - bright only because Timmy became vintage 36 old
ad6 - damage was done earlier. Ibaka still lethal against the spurs. Can Diaw produce in the playoffs? Yo bright spot.

#7 - Splitter?

[hater]

I also saw this game as a turning point tbh

I am confident in our players now. Calm and confident.

This was kawhis coming out party. Dude was not far from a triple double.

And green does more good than bad.

De colo has nerves of steel. Stone face killa.nando boom

[Captivus]

This game revealed many weaknesses. I don’t think the Spurs can beat OKC 4 times. - Ibaka, Perkins, Collison are just too much for Tiago / Diaw to handle. Tiago ended FG 1-7. Maybe Baynes could have gotten more rebounds (something we needed…but like always Pop just hoped and didn’t do anything). - Players CANT dunk in fastbreaks, no chance of and-one and usually they don’t even score. - When Kiwi has 6 OFF REB and the rest of the team has 5, something is wrong. - When Neal has to show up, and not by taking jumpers but by penetration because everybody is just standing around…that’s not good. - No Plan B for Pop. I know how to beat OKC. Just start talking to Westbrook and psych him out. That’s it.

[coachmac87]

1 bright spot. We've been competitive against this team without our 1-2 of our best play makers....

Health is our main concern and its kind of a big deal. Thunder were so desperate to try and send a message last night...but we didn't back down lol

If we're healthy they fear us more than we fear them..

[EVAY]

He looked completely lost on two of those 3 fastbreaks where we clearly should have had at least 6 points on them. It looked like the game was moving way too fast for him. Mills would've made better decisions on those fastbreaks because he at least has the speed to come up with a better option should a layup not be a possibility. Those were crucial opportunities, too and I came away not trusting De Colo to come through should those situations arise in the playoffs.

Leonard and Green are both prime examples of our inability to finish fast breaks this season. It is not deColo's fault. It has been happening all season with everybody except Parker and Manu. And deColo was as good as we had on Westbrook last night. Westbrook had a great game. That's all.

[Pop]

If Green was a positive for you then I don't know what to say anymore.

[venitian navigator]

The worst thing on this night has been our inability to put the ball in the hole on fast breaks.
More than one time we were 2 against one or three agaist two and we failed to make the two/three points basket that should be the rule in such cases.-
Probably this depends a little by the fact that some people didn't play a lot together, but for the most part it's been for the simple fact that OKC has better athletes.
That's really worring, imho, 'cause in play offs time you can't afford to lose the chance to make easy baskets...

[benstanfield]

OKC needed 4 Westbrook FTs to swing the momentum on a 3 point game with 3 minutes left.

It was our 4th game in 5 nights, 2nd night of a b2b, we didn't have TP or Manu or Jackson to guard Durant, they were at home and had a few night off, and rookie Nando De "Cola" was our crunch time PG. Let me repeat:

OKC needed 4 Westbrook FTs in a row to swing the momentum on a 3 point game with 3 minutes left.

Not worried tbh.

[spurraider21]

How about just saying it as it is. Outside of Tim, Kawhi, and Neal/De Colo in flashes, our entire team played like ass and we were still in it on the road against our top WC competition

[Budkin]

:lol:lolglass half full half empty Spurfans
:lol team breaking down right before everybody's eyes.....

:lmao Lakers

[Budkin]

I also saw this game as a turning point tbh

I am confident in our players now. Calm and confident.

This was kawhis coming out party. Dude was not far from a triple double.

And green does more good than bad.

De colo has nerves of steel. Stone face killa.nando boom

Ok, if even hater is giving off the positive vibes, you know something is going right.

[phxspurfan]

2 Kawhi Leonard becoming the second or third option. Not only was his defense good but he made Durant chase him all over the court. Something over a 7 game series wears on a player one would think.

I noticed this too. While good at help defense (aka coming from the side or behind to block shots, or monkeyball), Durant's individual defense isn't that great. He doesn't have the bulk to defend bigs (note how Diaw just backed him down pretty easily in this game). He doesn't have the lateral quickness to defend the speediest guards, who can just cross him up and dribble around him like a highway cone. Yet I rarely see NBA coaches try to make him play iso individual defense to tire him out. The best he could do when repeatedly taken down to the low block would be to foul (like he did on Duncan, but with no call), but he won't want to do that too much since he'd be afraid of coming out of the game. Guys just need to go up strong against him like Diaw did, not take pussy sideways leaning glass jumpers like Duncan did/does.

It's an obvious weakness of his that other guys like Kobe and LeBron don't have. Try and back down LeBron in the post...lol.

[Horse]

Overall, De Colo played decent tonight. But when it's needed, Westbrook could almost always run into De Colo to get a foul call. If De Colo doesn't get how to avoid that, it will not look pretty for the Spurs.

Kinda hard to not foul someone when, you don't even touch them or they run into you and it's a foul. The refs weren't as bad a usual. But there were a few real questionable call right when we cut it to 3 they gave westbrook atleast two calls he didn't deserve.