Will Bonner disappear against the Heat in the Finals?

[Chris16]

I say he will, him going off on Memphis and LA Lakers was a fluke IMO. :lol

[Sean Cagney]

He did not go off ON MEMPHIS! Good post idiot. If we rely on him to win us the finals we failed already. He went off VS LA BTW, not Memphis.

[Chris16]

He did not go off ON MEMPHIS! Good post idiot. If we rely on him to win us the finals we failed already. He went off VS LA BTW, not Memphis.

Game 1: 12 points, 4-6 from 3, his highest scoring game in the playoffs so far

What I meant to say was that he was hitting most of his shots against Memphis, Memphis usually was leaving him open. He'll have a lock put on him against the Heat though just like OKC did last year.

[Sean Cagney]

Game 1: 12 points, 4-6 from 3, his highest scoring game in the playoffs so far

What I meant to say was that he was hitting most of his shots against Memphis, Memphis usually was leaving him open. He'll have a lock put on him against the Heat though just like OKC did last year.

Oh okay game one, not much after that. He was burned when out there and gave up fouls or and ones in that series! LAL he went off though! That was his best series ever IMO! I doubt he goes off in this series as well, it might be a series like GSW where he just has to sit out and get less mins if he is not hitting any threes.

[Chinook]

His spacing would help, as the Heat need to double to stop Parker, Duncan and Splitter. Spacing out the Miami defense is the best way to prevent doubles. But he'd have to be good as a big man to earn minutes over small-ball. He'd need to hit the boards and defend at least Birdman. He'd also need to use his size on players like Battier or Allen to keep the Heat honest. I think Bonner will be in the rotation for Game 1, but he has to show a lot to get minutes over Diaw, who's poised to have a great series.

[playblair]

yes.......... bonner has had his opportunity ............. this series is :greedy for blair ................ playblair ..........................

[TE]

Ginger needs to play the role of The Custodian circa 2011 finals imo

[Kuestmaster]

yes.......... bonner has had his opportunity ............. this series is :greedy for blair ................ playblair ..........................

disappear already please tbh

[hyhy]

bonner is good against "Big" ball, but heat plays small ball so..

[playbonner15]

If his shots are falling keep him in. If not, take him out. It's the finals, Pop can't take chances. If Diaw is feeling aggressive, I would like him more than Bonner, tbh.

[Spur|n|Austin]

yes.......... bonner has had his opportunity ............. this series is :greedy for blair ................ playblair ..........................


If his shots are falling keep him in. If not, take him out. It's the finals, Pop can't take chances. If Diaw is feeling aggressive, I would like him more than Bonner, tbh.

hey playblair, take a note out of playbonner15's book please.

[hooperflash]

Hey Bonner, when you get one of your few touches, please shit on ST. Thanks!

We aren't depending on Bonner's jumper, but it'd be nice if it went in.

[TampaDude]

I'd love him on Haslem. Haslem can't do shit to him on offense and Bonner could exploit the shit out of him at the 3 point line. Otherwise, he doesn't fit very well in this particular series. Love, love, love him vs Haslem, though.

Heh...two former Gators guarding each other in the Finals. Epic.

[manufan10]

Bonner will be Finals MVP.

:lol

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

The Heat have the sort of athleticism that doomed him in the GS series. The Heat have a lot of lineups they'll put out there where he'll have a more athletic defender who will have the foot speed to hit the paint and still rotate out on him well enough to crowd him out of his comfort zone, whether that's Bosh or Lebron or if they switch a guard over on him figuring that Bonner's not going to post anyone up. About the only time I could see him playing effectively would be if Haslem and Birdman are out there together, assuming he can muster the sort of physicality that he showed against Dwight Howard.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I'm going to be shocked if Matt Bonner scores in double figures.... for all games combined.

[SpurSpurSpurs]

He's one of those X-factors. Pop will play him more than what he deserves, we know that. I just hope he makes those long bombs. Tony, Tim and Manu will be grateful for it.

Sad part is, he will choke. Far superior than LeChoke!

[Knoxxx]

Indiana may still win the home game and then much less likely game 7. Still there is a very decent shot there will be a game 7 so I'm not writing off IN just yet.

[Drachen]

hey playblair, take a note out of playbonner15's book please.

Yeah, get badass avatar too.

[Chris16]

Oh okay game one, not much after that. He was burned when out there and gave up fouls or and ones in that series! LAL he went off though! That was his best series ever IMO! I doubt he goes off in this series as well, it might be a series like GSW where he just has to sit out and get less mins if he is not hitting any threes.

He played well in Game 3 too. The only game where he played he was in his "classic" playoff form was Game 4.

[spurraider21]

If Miami is playing small with LeBron at the 4, then Bonner shouldn't be on the court. If they have a 2nd big out, like having Haslem and Bosh or Birdman and Bosh, or heck, Haslem and Birdman, then Bonner could be more useful. The notion of him "stretching the floor" only applies if he's pulling out a defender that would rather be in the paint. For example, against the Lakers, he was drawing Pau or Dwight to the 3 point line. Against Memphis, he was dragging Z-Bo out, taking these guys out of their element. Bonner was a non factor against Golden State because they were playing small and he was being defended by guys like Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green, guys that were going to be on the perimeter anyway, and thus aren't going to be leaving him wide open.

Edit: You know what, I'm sick and tired of people saying "if we rely on player x, we are screwed." Guys, we're in the finals, and we are going to rely on everybody in the rotation. Like it or not. We will be relying on Green to make open shots. We will be relying on Splitter to score against smaller defenders and play tough defense. We are going to rely on Cory Joseph handling the offense when Parker needs a rest. We are going to rely on Parker to carry the offense. We are going to rely on Manu to be a playmaker off the bench, and for minutes at a time, we are going to rely on Bonner to space the floor, knock down open shots, and compete on defense and the boards.

We ARE going to rely on these guys, so as my man Al Davis would say, "get ova it"

[superbigtime]

I think this might finally be Bonner's postseason to not suck. He's not going to play A+ ball, but a B or B- is going to be reality. Bonner has a little mojo working... Hopefully the time off won't make it disappear.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

I hope he only plays for 10 minutes and scores a 3-pointer in each minute.

[Brunodf]

i hope he doesn't appear tbh

[SA210]

No, Pop will make certain Bonner is very visible on the court, to us all.

[Beaverfuzz]

Chuck up the first three, if it goes down...give him the rock!

[tesseractive]

I'd love him on Haslem. Haslem can't do shit to him on offense and Bonner could exploit the shit out of him at the 3 point line. Otherwise, he doesn't fit very well in this particular series. Love, love, love him vs Haslem, though.
Honestly, I'd rather have a good help defender on Haslem -- someone who can play off Haslem and bring the double on LeBron on penetrations and post-ups. Leaving Bosh open is a much more dangerous proposition.

[superjames1992]

I'm not sure how Bonner matches up in this series with the Heat's small-ball, tbh. We'll see.

Bonner is shooting 50% from three-point range this postseason, though. Can't ask for better than that, tbh...

[SenorSpur]

Because there is no empirical evidence to indicate that he's shed his playoff-choking ways, the answer is uneqivocally - HELL YES!. As sure as I'm writing this, the big red-head will disappear in the Finals.

[phyzik]

I like Bonner, but he has choked so many times in the playoffs.... My money would be on him choking again... I hope he proves me wrong.

[therealtruth]

Bonner's role should be to be a good energy, hustle, and 3pt player for 10 minutes. Anything longer than that and he usually starts hurting the team.

[313]

Game 7 OT in Miami with 4 seconds left, down by two, Tony drives, help defense comes, and kicks to a wide open Bonner. HE HITS IT.

Post game interview: i ded et 4 timmeh"

[313]

But seriously, seeing as we don't have Kerr or a big shot Rob, we're going to need players like Bonner to hit big shots tbh

[superjames1992]

Because there is no empirical evidence to indicate that he's shed his playoff-choking ways, the answer is uneqivocally - HELL YES!. As sure as I'm writing this, the big red-head will disappear in the Finals.
Yeah, playoff chokers shoot 50% from three-point range in the playoffs. :lol

[Agloco]

I say he will, him going off on Memphis and LA Lakers was a fluke IMO. :lol

This would, first, require him to appear no?

[SenorSpur]

Yeah, playoff chokers shoot 50% from three-point range in the playoffs. :lol

Yeah sure. In what playoff series? Bonner got fat off the no-defense-playing Fakers and that surely doesn't excuse a career of playoff sucktitude. Yet, some here are ready to anoint him as the second coming of Vinne "the Microwave" Johnson. Stats are for losers. Try watching the damn game sometime.

[superjames1992]

Yeah sure. In what playoff series? Bonner got fat off the no-defense-playing Fakers and that surely doesn't excuse a career of playoff sucktitude. Yet, some here are ready to anoint him as the second coming of Vinne "the Microwave" Johnson. Stats are for losers. Try watching the damn game sometime.
:lol Never said he was the second coming of anything. :lol

Some of you all need to remember that he's a role player. He's playing fine for his role, which is the 4th big off the bench. Jesus.

Anyways, Bonner by playoff series this year:

Lakers: 56% FG, 75% 3PT
Warriors: 46% FG, 33% 3PT
Grizzlies: 45% FG, 43% 3PT

Looks like he's been serviceable in every playoff series except the Warriors, which is a bad matchup for him due to small-ball. Unfortunately for him, the Heat appear to be a poor matchup, too.

[maverick1948]

Yeah sure. In what playoff series? Bonner got fat off the no-defense-playing Fakers and that surely doesn't excuse a career of playoff sucktitude. Yet, some here are ready to anoint him as the second coming of Vinne "the Microwave" Johnson. Stats are for losers. Try watching the damn game sometime.


We do watch games. Maybe you should too. I agree with your Laker opinion, but he played some damn good defense as well. DH12 flustrated with Bonner and Baynes. Against GSW, he was not on the court as much so stats are not a good way to judge him. And against Memphis, well, just ask Zbo about the defense Bonner played on him. The mighty tough Zbo complained to the ref that Bonner was banging on him too much. He wanted a foul on Bonner. LOL He has hit shots when they counted as well. Well he show up for the Heat? I dont know which will show. Bonner the player or no-show Bonner, but if he is playing like he did against Zbo and DH12, I want him on the court.



:lol Never said he was the second coming of anything. :lol

Some of you all need to remember that he's a role player. He's playing fine for his role, which is the 4th big off the bench. Jesus.

Anyways, Bonner by playoff series this year:

Lakers: 56% FG, 75% 3PT
Warriors: 46% FG, 33% 3PT
Grizzlies: 45% FG, 43% 3PT

Looks like he's been serviceable in every playoff series except the Warriors, which is a bad matchup for him due to small-ball. Unfortunately for him, the Heat appear to be a poor matchup, too.

It is not too bad of a matchup for Bonner. Heat will have to respect his 3 pt shooting if he makes the 1st or 2nd attempt. They cant afford to let him go off. They will have to play a big on him. Duncan, Splitter, Diaw, Bonner, Blair and Baynes. I am sure we will see a little of each of the bench players. Baynes should play on Haslem like he did on DH12. That should stop Haslem. Splitter on Bosh works for me. Birdman? He will be a non-factor. What makes it so interesting is the Heat also have to play defense against our bigs. The one concern we have to worry about is rebounding. Keep LBJ off the boards and we have an excellent chance of beating the Heat. Make LBJ a jump shooter as well. Don't let him penetrate the lane. That is where he excells in getting assists and rebounds. That is a lot to ask but it is the way to beat the Heat.

:toast

[KL2]

He'll get killed against Bosh, Bonner is serviceable against slow bigs that rely on their strength like Haslem, he cannot guard mobile guys though. As long as SA can hide Bonner on Haslem/Anderson i think he'll be fine.

[ace3g]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-oKgSS84c&feature=youtu.be

[rmt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-oKgSS84c&feature=youtu.be

Is that the only dunk Bonner's ever had? I fear he's here to stay - will retire a Spur.

Back to OT: I rather have TD, TS and Diaw on the floor as MIA is probably going to blitz Parker. Then TP will have a big man who can either attack the basket or make the PASS to the open man - not reset the play. But I'd be glad to eat my words if Bonner hits his 3s at a good rate - Bonner for FMVP.

[SenorSpur]

We do watch games. Maybe you should too. I agree with your Laker opinion, but he played some damn good defense as well. DH12 flustrated with Bonner and Baynes. Against GSW, he was not on the court as much so stats are not a good way to judge him. And against Memphis, well, just ask Zbo about the defense Bonner played on him. The mighty tough Zbo complained to the ref that Bonner was banging on him too much. He wanted a foul on Bonner. LOL He has hit shots when they counted as well. Well he show up for the Heat? I dont know which will show. Bonner the player or no-show Bonner, but if he is playing like he did against Zbo and DH12, I want him on the court.

Your points about his effort and hustle against Z-Bo, in the Memphis series are well-taken. For a guy that that is usually very passive, it was surprising. However, he still gets caught out of position defensively too much, plays too timid at times and allows the opposition too many offensive rebound opportunities - as he's done all playoffs. It's funny how very few fans take notice of these flaws. All of his shortcomings could be forgiven if he had the mental stones necessary to consistently perform his one and only skill - hitting outside shots. Perhaps you've not watched Bonner's playoff career resume as a Spur, but I have. I've long given up on him hitting shots in pressure situations because it's obvious that he's mentally incapable. Until such time as he can break through his own mental limitations, I'll continue to wish for the day that he's no longer on this team. A player with both physical limitations and mental weaknesses is not someone I would want on my squad,.

[maverick1948]

Your points about his effort and hustle against Z-Bo, in the Memphis series are well-taken. For a guy that that is usually very passive, it was surprising. However, he still gets caught out of position defensively too much, plays too timid at times and allows the opposition too many offensive rebound opportunities - as he's done all playoffs. It's funny how very few fans take notice of these flaws. All of his shortcomings could be forgiven if he had the mental stones necessary to consistently perform his one and only skill - hitting outside shots. Perhaps you've not watched Bonner's playoff career resume as a Spur, but I have. I've long given up on him hitting shots in pressure situations because it's obvious that he's mentally incapable. Until such time as he can break through his own mental limitations, I'll continue to wish for the day that he's no longer on this team. A player with both physical limitations and mental weaknesses is not someone I would want on my squad,.

I been watching basketball since the 60's. Wasnt much to see back then. Just the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. I have been a Spurs fans since the '68 when they were the Dallas Chapparrals. I live just outside of SA and have been to many games. I have watched Bonner and all the other Spurs play. I have seen the playoffs and regular season games where Bonner was a major contributor to wins. And I have seen games where he was NOT on the court but got the blame for the loss. Again, if he plays like he has in this playoff, I'll be satisfied no matter the outcome. You may not want him on "your" team, but someone named Greg Popovich does. I'll stay with Pop as my coach.

[Brunodf]

What great shooter he is!!Bonner makes ONE 3 pointer/game!!He deserves more minutes!!!

[moisaenz]

Game 7 OT in Miami with 4 seconds left, down by two, Tony drives, help defense comes, and kicks to a wide open Bonner. HE HITS IT.

Post game interview: i ded et 4 timmeh"This is hilarious :lmao

[Darius McCrary]

The Heat have the sort of athleticism that doomed him in the GS series. The Heat have a lot of lineups they'll put out there where he'll have a more athletic defender who will have the foot speed to hit the paint and still rotate out on him well enough to crowd him out of his comfort zone, whether that's Bosh or Lebron or if they switch a guard over on him figuring that Bonner's not going to post anyone up. About the only time I could see him playing effectively would be if Haslem and Birdman are out there together, assuming he can muster the sort of physicality that he showed against Dwight Howard.
I agree, except I think you're shortchanging how physical he played against MEM, particularly game 3.

[SenorSpur]

I been watching basketball since the 60's. Wasnt much to see back then. Just the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. I have been a Spurs fans since the '68 when they were the Dallas Chapparrals. I live just outside of SA and have been to many games. I have watched Bonner and all the other Spurs play. I have seen the playoffs and regular season games where Bonner was a major contributor to wins. And I have seen games where he was NOT on the court but got the blame for the loss. Again, if he plays like he has in this playoff, I'll be satisfied no matter the outcome. You may not want him on "your" team, but someone named Greg Popovich does. I'll stay with Pop as my coach.

The problem with Bonner is that he gets overexposed when playing too many minutes. If he were a 5th big, as opposed to a 4th, his limitations and minutes could be better hidden. Before Jack underwent his meltdown, Bonner's minutes were limited as Pop was able to use Jack as at PF in a small-ball lineup. With Jack gone, I understand Pop has no choice but to increase his minutes. Therein lies the issue.

Regular season success doesn't mean a damn thing. It's what you do in the playoffs that counts. And no amount of justification, statistics or excuse-making can atone for his obvious skill limitations or his past playoff failings. I'll simply be satisfied if the Spurs can win the title in spite of him. If, during that time, he somehow manages to be a significant contributor, I'll be happy to give him props.

[skulls138]

The problem with Bonner is that he gets overexposed when playing too many minutes. If he were a 5th big, as opposed to a 4th, his limitations and minutes could be better hidden. Before Jack underwent his meltdown, Bonner's minutes were limited as Pop was able to use Jack as at PF in a small-ball lineup. With Jack gone, I understand Pop has no choice but to increase his minutes. Therein lies the issue.

Regular season success doesn't mean a damn thing. It's what you do in the playoffs that counts. And no amount of justification, statistics or excuse-making can atone for his obvious skill limitations or his past playoff failings. I'll simply be satisfied if the Spurs can win the title in spite of him. If, during that time, he somehow manages to be a significant contributor, I'll be happy to give him props.I dont know what games you are watching but Bonner helped shut down both, oh I dont know, Dwight Howard and, oh I dont know, Zach Randolf. And oh yeah, he's shooting 50% on his threes.

[Borosai]

FMVP.