Will Patty Mills Work in the Playoffs?

[superjames1992]

I think it's been clear that Patty has done well in the regular season, but I must admit that I'm a little hesitant about him in the playoffs. He takes almost one shot every two minutes and he's as trigger-happy as Gary Neal on a bad night. I just worry that once teams begin locking down on defense in the playoffs and Patty can't get open jump shots, things might start heading south for him. If he isn't scoring, he's pretty useless, IMO.

Thoughts?

Unfortunately, our other options aren't good, either. I don't believe Cojo or Nando have what it takes, so Patty is probably the best option.

[superjames1992]

I would be nice to have a Speedy Claxton, Beno Udrih, or Jacque Vaughn these days, IMO. Or Brent Barry.

[SpursFan86]

He's improved a lot defensively. He still gets lost at times, but his on-ball defense has been pretty solid this year. He's also far more consistent than Neal in terms of scoring. Gary Neal had a 51.2 TS% last year with us, which was below the league-average. Patty Mills has a 59.2 TS%, which is great.

I agree that we should be hesitant about relying on him to be our bench scorer...but we have Belinelli, Ginobili, and Diaw as well. We don't NEED Mills to do a ton of scoring. As long as he doesn't chuck us out of games (which I don't think he'll do), he'll be fine. He's certainly better than De Colo/Joseph. I feel more comfortable with our backup PG situation after seeing Mills's performance this year.

[Boomersgold]

I think it's been clear that Patty has done well in the regular season, but I must admit that I'm a little hesitant about him in the playoffs. He takes almost one shot every two minutes and he's as trigger-happy as Gary Neal on a bad night. I just worry that once teams begin locking down on defense in the playoffs and Patty can't get open jump shots, things might start heading south for him. If he isn't scoring, he's pretty useless, IMO.

Thoughts?

Unfortunately, our other options aren't good, either. I don't believe Cojo or Nando have what it takes, so Patty is probably the best option.

More of this 'Patty won't perform in the playoffs' nonsense. If he's able to score 26 points against the US Olympic team, which typically consists of the best players in the NBA (and whose defense is notches above the average playoff team), then chances are he's also capable of scoring in the playoffs.

What can he contribute to the team if he's not scoring? He's, by far, the fastest player on the team, so whenever he's on the court, the Spurs' immediately play at a faster pace, which is a nice contrast to the way that Parker plays. Being a threat from deep means Patty keeps the defense honest even when he isn't having a great night on the offensive end. He's also a pesky defender and a much improved passer. He's not the one-dimensional player that we saw last season (instant offense, no play making and subpar defense). Patty's made noticeable improvements in all facets of his game.

[r0drig0lac]

I think he throws so much, because it has the freedom and the order of pop to throw much

[exstatic]

I would be nice to have a Speedy Claxton, Beno Udrih, or Jacque Vaughn these days, IMO. Or Brent Barry.

You're an idiot. One of those already EPIC FAILED in the playoffs for us, and three of them are like in their 40s.

[Spur|n|Austin]

I would be nice to have a Speedy Claxton, Beno Udrih, or Jacque Vaughn these days, IMO. Or Brent Barry.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/what.gif.pagespeed.ce.K9cZt_r9xn.gif

[TheGoldStandard]

If his offense stays the way it's been he'll be a nice spark on the bench, Manu will handle the ball for the 2nd unit so Mills won't have to worry too much about decision making but he will have to play big and aggressive on defense because the west is full of taller PG's who can rise above.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

I don't know, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Outside of the LA series, Joseph was dreadful. He couldn't take the ball down court, religiously got caught in traps, was scared to shoot, and forced Manu to really do much of the PG work.. which he is not accustomed to. We have seen that even bench players that do not get much burn in the regular season can come up huge in playoff games when let loose if they are a good shooter (I.E Mike Miller; Gary Neal), which Mills definitely is.

[apalisoc_9]

At most he gets the same amount of minutes Cojo received last year. So yeah, I think he will..A solid 5-8 minutes from Patty would be great..

[Sean Cagney]

I would be nice to have a Speedy Claxton, Beno Udrih, or Jacque Vaughn these days, IMO. Or Brent Barry.

Vaughn NO, Beno got better when he left the team but lost all confidence here in 05 Finals and got destroyed (I would take him now though). THE OTHER two YES! I wish Ford never got hurt and his career ended because he could have been a pretty good backup for us IMO.
You're an idiot. One of those already EPIC FAILED in the playoffs for us, and three of them are like in their 40s.

LOL if he meant now then HELL no as you said the are all older now. I hope he meant now as they were then. Beno though naw and Vaughn HELL NO, Vaughn was not that good here.

[313]

He'll be fine. And even if he has an off night, our bench is loaded with guys who can create a spark offensively.

[HarlemHeat37]

I'd be less worried about him if Splitter came off the bench, tbh..

Patty/Beli/Manu is one of the worst defensive trios in the league, and although opposing benches probably aren't good enough to exploit them defensively, I would still feel better if Splitter was playing with them to aid the defense, tbh..

[SpursFan86]

I'd be less worried about him if Splitter came off the bench, tbh..

Patty/Beli/Manu is one of the worst defensive trios in the league, and although opposing benches probably aren't good enough to exploit them defensively, I would still feel better if Splitter was playing with them to aid the defense, tbh..

This is why I want Splitter to come off the bench and Diaw to start. It just seems to make sense both for the starting and bench lineups.

Starters get Diaw, who doesn't necessarily clog up the lane for Duncan/Leonard to operate in the post. He spaces the floor better and can guard a larger percentage of PFs compared to Splitter.

Bench gets Splitter, who is a legitimate rim protector/interior defender and will immediately bring a boost to the defense. The bench already has plenty of scoring threats between Mills/Manu/Belinelli...I'd rather sacrifice some bench scoring by moving Diaw to the starting lineup and improve the defense.

[TheGoldStandard]

This is why I want Splitter to come off the bench and Diaw to start. It just seems to make sense both for the starting and bench lineups.

Starters get Diaw, who doesn't necessarily clog up the lane for Duncan/Leonard to operate in the post. He spaces the floor better and can guard a larger percentage of PFs compared to Splitter.

Bench gets Splitter, who is a legitimate rim protector/interior defender and will immediately bring a boost to the defense. The bench already has plenty of scoring threats between Mills/Manu/Belinelli...I'd rather sacrifice some bench scoring by moving Diaw to the starting lineup and improve the defense.

Splitter and Ayres on the floor at the same time would be a disaster.

[G-Dawgg]

More of this 'Patty won't perform in the playoffs' nonsense. If he's able to score 26 points against the US Olympic team, which typically consists of the best players in the NBA (and whose defense is notches above the average playoff team), then chances are he's also capable of scoring in the playoffs.

What can he contribute to the team if he's not scoring? He's, by far, the fastest player on the team, so whenever he's on the court, the Spurs' immediately play at a faster pace, which is a nice contrast to the way that Parker plays. Being a threat from deep means Patty keeps the defense honest even when he isn't having a great night on the offensive end. He's also a pesky defender and a much improved passer. He's not the one-dimensional player that we saw last season (instant offense, no play making and subpar defense). Patty's made noticeable improvements in all facets of his game.
^ This exactly. You can close this thread now.

[Hoops Czar]

More of this 'Patty won't perform in the playoffs' nonsense. If he's able to score 26 points against the US Olympic team, which typically consists of the best players in the NBA (and whose defense is notches above the average playoff team), then chances are he's also capable of scoring in the playoffs.

What can he contribute to the team if he's not scoring? He's, by far, the fastest player on the team, so whenever he's on the court, the Spurs' immediately play at a faster pace, which is a nice contrast to the way that Parker plays. Being a threat from deep means Patty keeps the defense honest even when he isn't having a great night on the offensive end. He's also a pesky defender and a much improved passer. He's not the one-dimensional player that we saw last season (instant offense, no play making and subpar defense). Patty's made noticeable improvements in all facets of his game.

Patty can't run an offense. He almost has to be out there with Manu or there is zero offensive continuity. He's basically a shooting guard trying to play point guard ( sound familiar? ). He won't go off in the playoffs like he has in the so-called meaningless reular season. He may be fast but a lot of times, he plays reckless and out of control. Half the time he's on the court, the team is just standing around watching Patty dribble around at the top of the key and firing up shots. This style of play isn't condcive to playoff basketball. You can't put him on shooting guards because they'll shoot over him and you can't put him on quicker pg's because they'll bkow by him. He's basically the bes of the worst and he'll get his minutes. But, since the playoffs are more defensive oriented and a war of attrition, it wouldn't surprise me to see him get the Gary Neal treatment.

[superjames1992]

LOL if he meant now then HELL no as you said the are all older now. I hope he meant now as they were then. Beno though naw and Vaughn HELL NO, Vaughn was not that good here.

Nah, I didn't mean now. It was a halfway troll comment, too. Sort of serious, but not really...

[Mikeanaro]

Patty can't run an offense. He almost has to be out there with Manu or there is zero offensive continuity. He's basically a shooting guard trying to play point guard ( sound familiar? ). He won't go off in the playoffs like he has in the so-called meaningless reular season. He may be fast but a lot of times, he plays reckless and out of control. Half the time he's on the court, the team is just standing around watching Patty dribble around at the top of the key and firing up shots. This style of play isn't condcive to playoff basketball. You can't put him on shooting guards because they'll shoot over him and you can't put him on quicker pg's because they'll bkow by him. He's basically the bes of the worst and he'll get his minutes. But, since the playoffs are more defensive oriented and a war of attrition, it wouldn't surprise me to see him get the Gary Neal treatment.
That sounds a lot like Parker, anyway about that Neal treatment I think Patty will do it better, it was painful to see Gary running the offense with no plan or idea whatsoever (Im talking about the playoffs, especially the Finals).

[EVAY]

If his offense stays the way it's been he'll be a nice spark on the bench, Manu will handle the ball for the 2nd unit so Mills won't have to worry too much about decision making but he will have to play big and aggressive on defense because the west is full of taller PG's who can rise above.

Perfect. Concise. Insightful.:toast

[Sean Cagney]

Nah, I didn't mean now. It was a halfway troll comment, too. Sort of serious, but not really...
Cool.

[99 Problems]

It's clear there are nights when he does not have the green light shooting wise and on those nights he actually takes care of the rock pretty well without creating too much. Overall it's the improvement in him that is huge.

[racm]

tbf Tony will average 38 mpg in the playoffs

[aal04]

Patty and Green are both hot and cold players. Play them for 90 seconds and see what temp they are against any team

[Johnny RIngo]

Green's the real issue here:

Against sub-.500 teams, his FG percentage is 45.3%. 3-Point percentage is 49.2%.

Against .500 teams, his FG percentage drops to 39.3%. 3-Point percentage drops to 30.6%.

Seems like the good teams are keying in on him after the Finals. Spurs have to do something about that since Danny's defense is legit but we can't afford to have a liability on offense either. I'd much rather roll with Danny and hope he figures something out since defense is more of a priority for me. Everything would be much easier if Parker was playing at an elite level this year but he's been pretty disappointing thus far.

[cd021]

Green's the real issue here:

Against sub-.500 teams, his FG percentage is 45.3%. 3-Point percentage is 49.2%.

Against .500 teams, his FG percentage drops to 39.3%. 3-Point percentage drops to 30.6%.

Seems like the good teams are keying in on him after the Finals. Spurs have to do something about that since Danny's defense is legit but we can't afford to have a liability on offense either. I'd much rather roll with Danny and hope he figures something out since defense is more of a priority for me. Everything would be much easier if Parker was playing at an elite level this year but he's been pretty disappointing thus far.

Good numbers, but it doesn't take into account how good teams have to play a step or 2 closer to Green to keep him from getting space. Miami did it and Duncan hammered them for 25 points in the 1st half of Game 6. They can't send a double off of Green. If the Spurs go small they can't send one off of Parker, or Manu either.

That leaves Leonard, who would usually be in the opposite corner, who tends to shoot better from those areas. Green being on the floor doesn't affect the offense as negatively as people think. If he gets hot, it only impacts us positively.

[BacktoBasics]

That sounds a lot like Parker, anyway about that Neal treatment I think Patty will do it better, it was painful to see Gary running the offense with no plan or idea whatsoever (Im talking about the playoffs, especially the Finals).That doesn't sound like Parker at all. Where do you come up with this garbage.

[RD2191]

No.

[look_at_g_shred]

It may not, yet it's still going to happen. End of story, no point on arguing about it.

[ace3g]

Patrick MillsVerified account ‏@Patty_Mills (https://twitter.com/Patty_Mills) Gotta walk ur dog but u have allergies & the medicine isn't working? No worries..Ski Goggles! #itchyeyesnomore (https://twitter.com/search?q=%23itchyeyesnomore&src=hash) pic.twitter.com/LEUeuc71E1 (http://t.co/LEUeuc71E1)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BehzunKCIAAhGqG.jpg:large

[Spur-Addict]

I think it depends on match ups. Against a team like OKC with large PGs, if we can't cross match up effectively, then obviously it becomes a problem. Whereas there are other teams that have standard sized PGs that he can match up with decently.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

My though is that they allow guys to be more physical in the playoffs. The ticky tack fouls that he gets for bodying up on people are less likely to be called as are the reach ins and attempts to steal the ball he makes. Dude fights over screens like a mna possessed but they haven't called that yet.

Anyway Patty plays physical and the playoff rules will help him. Now he could get beat up but might mite has some moxie.

[hater]

if Patty Mills plays more than 12 min a game in a playoff series we are in some serious fucking trouble fellas

[Nero5]

Patty can't run an offense. He almost has to be out there with Manu or there is zero offensive continuity. He's basically a shooting guard trying to play point guard ( sound familiar? ). He won't go off in the playoffs like he has in the so-called meaningless reular season. He may be fast but a lot of times, he plays reckless and out of control. Half the time he's on the court, the team is just standing around watching Patty dribble around at the top of the key and firing up shots. This style of play isn't condcive to playoff basketball. You can't put him on shooting guards because they'll shoot over him and you can't put him on quicker pg's because they'll bkow by him. He's basically the bes of the worst and he'll get his minutes. But, since the playoffs are more defensive oriented and a war of attrition, it wouldn't surprise me to see him get the Gary Neal treatment.

after careful consideration my reply is simple: bollocks!
Patty showed he can run an offense in this years play. Sometimes the second unit has not been good at finishing...the bigger issue from this game was how poor the defence on the PNR was. the screens were good, but there was no help defence, with the second guy standing 8 feet from the play...you cannot do that against Rubio now he can shoot.

[playblair]

cojo deserves the back up pg rotation.......................

[objective]

Patty being a playoff fraud ... Not very surprising.

[AFBlue]

Lol, gross overreaction based on a single quarter of game action. Awesome.

[Hoops Czar]

Lol, gross overreaction based on a single quarter of game action. Awesome.
His defense isn't a gross overreaction. It's been bad all season.

[Fireball]

he made Harris into a three point threat ... thanks Patty

[Boomersgold]

His defense isn't a gross overreaction. It's been bad all season.
Better defensive efficiency than Parker. His defense has been pretty bad tonight though.

[Boomersgold]

he made Harris into a three point threat ... thanks Patty
He and Paker were asked to go under the screen, which is exactly what they've been doing. No one expected Harris to actually make those threes.

[RD2191]

Lol

[Darius Bieber]

Lol

[Ice009]

Look, it's no secret that I love defense first over offense, and if Patty doesn't at least play adequate defense to go along with decent offense, then the Spurs should consider on a game to game, or even quarter to quater basis about giving CoJo some minutes out there. I'm pretty sure CoJo will at least play solid defense. Patty has earned the minutes throughout the season though, so it's up to him to come back and play better next game.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

Look, it's no secret that I love defense first over offense, and if Patty doesn't at least play adequate defense to go along with decent offense, then the Spurs should consider on a game to game, or even quarter to quater basis about giving CoJo some minutes out there.

:lol no. The ball movement goes dead when CoJo is on the court.

[superjames1992]

Early returns aren't good.

[GrandeDavid]

The good news is after Mills' 2014 playoff non-performance the Spurs should be able to keep him around at minimum wage for a couple of years.

[playblair]

:lolcojo haters................mills replacing cojo in the playoffs is dice replacing blair level terrible......................

[Texas_Ranger]

No.

[Kawhi]

Has he even made a shot?

[noles1983]

mills can get fucked by a wallaby

[RD2191]

Cough cough. There was a guy who called it all season can't remember who.

[Boomersgold]

460991950557306880
Patty was deferring to Manu on almost every play in the first 2 games. He wasn't playing well as an off-the-ball guard...

[dbestpro]

bump

[superjames1992]

Well, he passed the test in this series. :tu

[BackHome]

His play tonight alone made most of these poster eat some good ol crow stew.
..cough..cough..:)