Strategy over the next two games

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The Spurs will be playing their 4th game in 6 days by the time they travel to OKC for a nationally televised game on Thursday night against the Thunder. Thursday's game will be the second game of a back-to-back, on the road against their most likely Western Conference Finals opponent.

With Golden State having to travel to San Antonio the day after an emotional 122-120 overtime victory over Dallas, I would suspect that their shooters legs will be a little heavy, and that the Warriors will be susceptible to a letdown. We'll probably see Steph Curry and company shoot very well to start the game and then cool off as the exhaustion factor starts to set in.

If I'm Pop, I'm going to play my full roster tonight and treat it like a playoff game. Golden State is trying to hold off Memphis for the 6 seed, but I believe tonight's game is the Spurs to win, and so I'm going to try to dismantle the Warriors in similar fashion to the previous 18 games.

Thursday night's game is a different story. On Thursday the Spurs will potentially be the team with tired legs against an OKC team that will have had 3 days to rest and prepare. Having lost 7 of our last 9 against OKC, and both meetings this season, I know the Spurs would love to get a statement win. Truth is, I don't know how important that is. There's not a lot to gain from a win on Thursday. If the Spurs win tonight they'll have a 4 game lead on OKC with 7 to play. The Spurs won't relinquish the top seed in that situation, regardless of the outcome tomorrow. Would a win in OKC be a nice confidence booster? Maybe, but this Spurs team is so professional in their approach that I don't think the outcome will impact them much either way once the real season starts in a few short weeks.

If I'm Pop, I'm sitting Parker, Leonard, Duncan and Ginobili tomorrow night. I might not even put them on the plane. Miami Heat regular season road game Part II. If I'm the FO I'll have my $250,000 penalty check ready to stick in the mail. Why risk injury when your team is tired from a busy week's schedule? Pop should just stay in San Antonio, too, and let the assistants work that game. I wonder how much that would increase their fine?

The flip side of that argument is that this team has been playing so well lately that the Spurs should just test that mettle against the other top team in the West. A second game of a back-to-back this late in the season against your well-rested top competition will give the team a chance to operate under game 6 or 7 gut-check conditions. If the Spurs beat the Warriors by double-digits and then can fly to OKC and do the same thing, it sends a message to the Thunder and the rest of the league that this Spurs team, and their current run of invulnerability or no fluke and that the rest of the league doesn't stand a chance in the post season.

Of course, I think that last strategy is too overt for Pop...not CIA enough, and ultimately not the smart move. As it is, I think Pop shudders a bit about the attention the current winning streak is giving to his team. My guess is that he'll rest at least 2 of the big 3 tomorrow, and hopefully Leonard. Leonard is this team's X-Factor during this winning streak. His game has evolved as of late, and if I'm trying to be CIA with the Thunder, and not let the Thunder practice against the Spurs' complete capabilities, and the impact Kawhi is having on this team, I'm certainly sitting him tomorrow night. My predication is that OKC will get challenged by our reserves but ultimately will win by 15. After the game the Thunder players will grumble, and won't know how to feel about themselves.

A 19 game winning streak is pretty darn good. Seeing the Spurs play zone D for 38 minutes will be stupendous. Watching Cory Joseph dribble the ball 22,000 times will be stupendulous. Watching Austin Daye and Jeff Ayres each play 45 minutes tomorrow night will be stupendulicious. Denying ESPN the opportunity to break the game down into all the reasons the Thunder are better than the streaking Spurs will be stupenduliciousexpialidocious. I can't wait.

[Mel_13]

Agree.

Win tonight, rest tomorrow.

[Brazil]

Agree.

Win tonight, rest tomorrow.

:lol thanks for the wrap up tbh

jk good post Ed

[Spur|n|Austin]

:lol tldr?


Agree.

Win tonight, rest tomorrow.

[jon123spurs]

Oh i didnt know Golden St. Had Seth Curry. Haha but i think Spurs go hard vs the Warriors. Then Pop welcomes Mr. Silver to his personal kiss my ass club and rests the big 3 and Kawhi vs OKC.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

:lol thanks for the wrap up tbh

jk good post Ed


Too much caffeine I think.

[SpursFan86]

Agreed with basically everything. 2 points though:

1) It's Steph Curry, not Seth

2) We got fined because we didn't notify the league in advance of the players not traveling. The league can't fine teams for resting players (regardless of the reason) as long as the teams give a notice in advance.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Agreed with basically everything. 2 points though:

1) It's Steph Curry, not Seth

2) We got fined because we didn't notify the league in advance of the players not traveling. The league can't fine teams for resting players (regardless of the reason) as long as the teams give a notice in advance.

Yeah, I realized the Steph typo. I'll also be paying attention to how well Paul George plays for the Clippers tonight against the Suns.


I don't want Pop to notify anyone. Send 6 roster players to the gym and hope no one gets in foul trouble.

[timtonymanu]

It would be hilarious to beat the Warriors while shorthanded for the 3rd straight meeting.

[Horry Hipcheck]

The FO won't get fined provided they give enough notice to the league. Silver certainly won't like it, being a nationally televised potential WCF preview, but the Spurs will operate within the bounds of the league rules this time.

A part of me wants the Spurs to trot out the B-team tonight and go at OKC hard tomorrow. I know there's nothing to be gained by doing so, but the Warriors have offered little more than cannon fodder for the Spurs this season and adding in the fact that they're coming off an exhausting win the previous night tells me a Patty Mills-helmed bench squad would probably run rampant over them. Then you could send the big guns to Oklahoma City and put the West race to bed while running the streak to 20.

But in reality, Pop will hope for a quick, decisive victory, one in which he can leave the starters out in the fourth quarter, and will maybe take one of the Big 4 to OKC tomorrow night. OKC shaving a game off the Spurs' 4 game lead won't be that damaging. The important game leading up to this was Indy, and they won it.

[boutons_deux]

no bogut, no lee, b2b, Spurs should win tonight with low minutes for the rotation, then go all out Thu night (on TNT of course)

[Old School 44]

Stupenduliciousexpialidociously written! I'm sure it's not just the Spurs, but having marquee teams play on national TV after one has a potentially tough game on a back-to-back is just plain dumb. It's even dumber when it's the Spurs, knowing Pop will probably pull the plug on the matchup by sitting key players.

The schedule makers should fix this in the future, and while they're at it, remove ALL Laker games from national TV broadcasts.

[spurraider21]

Didn't read. We can rest after the west is locked up. Go after okc

[look_at_g_shred]

Didn't read. We can rest after the west is locked up. Go after okc

[letmk]

My reasoning of "hoping" for a OKC loss is that if we beat them as well, Spurs would become clear favorite for the title all over the place. And that would be too good to my comfort. I just feel some sorts of adversities (of course, no injuries please) would be a better omen.

[Budkin]

Heard Bill Shoening on 104.9 in Austin today basically saying that players will be resting tomorrow.

[polandprzem]

I'd go full power on that b2b
If we can beat Wariors with no sweat then I would play full roster to win the game vs OKC. It all depends on health issues the players do have. Maybe Pop will rest 1 or 2 key players vs GS and then the other 1 or 2 vs OKC.
Normally Pop rather with 1st game of the b2b to give rest in the 2nd.

[RD2191]

I'm just here for the comments.

[Dex]

I think tonight will ultimately dictate what happens tomorrow.

If the Spurs are able to dismantle Golden State like they have everybody else recently and the starters are able to play ~28 minutes or less, then I say you go big for a win tomorrow. However, GSW is probably too good of a team to allow for this, even if they are flat on the second night of a B2B.

If the Spurs have to go high intensity for a win tonight, then I agree...rest the starters against OKC, let them have the W, and don't risk giving them any more confidence against an exhausted Spurs squad.

If the Spurs lose tonight...I think you have to go for that game in OKC regardless. As nice as that 4 game lead looks, the Spurs have a tougher schedule remaining than the Thunders, and it's hard to give away that chance at two magic numbers against them.

[ElNono]

Thanks Ed... while I do think Pop might want to rest the players against OKC, I also think the players might want to raise to the challenge and play tomorrow.

Worth noting is that the Spurs can avoid the fine by notifying the league early about the players not playing, or having the players make the trip and not play.

[phxspurfan]

Interesting takes. I say go full throttle and win both.

[playbonner15]

Winning VS OKC is a great confidence boost going to the playoffs so I say let the team lose to the dubs then win vs OKC then take the rest before the playoffs start..

[r0drig0lac]

Didn't read. We can rest after the west is locked up. Go after okc

[Fireball]

If these were two road games, Pop would surely rest players tonight. But he rarely rests players at home, so I think TNT will not be amused tomorrow night ...

[hater]

disagree. No way Pop deliberately throws OKC game. In the event OKC gets home court in the West by margin of 1/2 or 1 game, tomorrows game would have been a shot in the foot.

you are forgetting tomorrows game vs. OKC counts as a FULL game not 1/2 a game. It has double value.

Home court is important, don't let Pop fool you. I also don't see Duncan/Manu/Parker agreeing to sit tomorrow out unless they are banged up. Again, throwing tomorrow's game would come back to bite us.

If I'm wrong Pop is one stubborn motherfucker(which he is) but I am sticking to Spurs plan is to try to win next 4 games and then shut down.

[bklynspursfan]

If SA can pull away and not have to play guys in the 4th, we should have a full squad tomorrow. I think Pop told them that during a recent B2B (don't remember the game) but they ended up having to play the 4th and thus Pop sat them the next night. May have been the Sac/GS b2b? Not sure... But either way, with them shorthanded and coming off a b2b, we need to take care of business by the 3rd.

[Embedded]

Funny, Ed, I was on my a to the forum to start a thread exactly like this. Great behinds think alike. A win against OKC would practically lock up #1 seed. But take GSW lightly and we can lose 2 in a row. I say we go after Golden State and try to clobber them. Then, whatever happens, happens. I do worry about playing Danny Green 2 nights in a row, chasing Curry the first night. Hopefully Curry has tired legs.

[Splits]

Win tonight, then send Damion "Johnny" Jones to OKC with instructions:

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e71/kevrob2/Sweep-the-Leg-gif.gif

[ManuTastic]

...
But in reality, Pop will hope for a quick, decisive victory, one in which he can leave the starters out in the fourth quarter, and will maybe take one of the Big 4 to OKC tomorrow night. ...

This.

[poop]

Win

[aal04]

I love this stretch.

I said this a few months ago. We need to be battle ready come play offs. While its great to rest our ageing stars early/mid season. End of season i think we should run them into the ground at the risk of injury. Td/TP should be playing 35+ min.

I see a massive improvement from any team when they face a legit contender, and facing both GSW and OKC in consecutive nights is great for us guys. We will probably lose one because we have become very relaxed and havent faced any real competition. Both Indiana and Miami games were a joke. GSW has some hot shooting atm, but i think they are a few tiers behind us. OKC is the only real hurdle left for us imo and playing them on b2b is really good altitude training.

Our biggest weakness isnt our form and skills - I think we have everything down pat - nothing left to polish. The only weakness we have is athleticism and fitness. Its time we took the risk and started getting our players ready for the real start of the season.

[Cry Havoc]

People still think the regular season is important. :lol :lol :lol newsflash... It's really, really not. Unless we lose 3-4 games the rest of the way, this race is over. It's done. Losing a game to OKC while our guys get some insanely valuable late season rest is the play here.

[EVAY]

I agree that we should rest all three biggies, along with Diaw tomorrow night. The younger kids can take the game to the Thunder, and if TNT can't figure out what we are doing, they shouldn't have the jobs they have.

[Mel_13]

The NBA can fix this issue quite simply. The 4 teams that play on TNT each week do not play on the day prior to the game. Problem solved.

[superjames1992]

GTFO with this defeatist BS, OP. All hands on deck for both games. This thread makes me sick.

[jag]

I'd be ok with the inverse. Rest tonight, play tomorrow.

Only because I'd like to see the Spurs v Thunder as a tune up for the postseason.

Solid post though, Ed.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

GTFO with this defeatist BS, OP. All hands on deck for both games. This thread makes me sick.


It's called strategy. Who will be crying loudest if a starter gets hurt trying to secure a victory in what would amount to a meaningless win? My guess would be most of the cliff jumping mother fvckers in this place. Pop knows the importance of the regular season games, which tomorrow night will amount to zero.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

But, to your point, I think we should run Duncan a solid 40 minutes tomorrow night to see what's in the tank. I actually kind of dig that approach. Good call...I take back my last post. :tu

[Dex]

The NBA can fix this issue quite simply. The 4 teams that play on TNT each week do not play on the day prior to the game. Problem solved.

This this THIS.

Hey NBA, want the Spurs to stop resting their starters during your marquee match ups? Then don't schedule them to play 24.5 hours before going up against an elite team like the Thunder or the Heat on the road.

Bunch of fucking rocket scientists working over there.

[therealtruth]

Pop never rests players at home.

[hater]

rest won't be worth jack shit when we need to win 1 or 2 in Thundaland vs. Durant and his crew of officials

let's face reality, we have about a 25% chance of winning a series vs. Dureffs on the road

history does not lie either. SPurs are 1-6 in WCF or NBA Finals series when they are the road team. and the ONLY time we won was because Mike D'antonio was the opposing coach :lol

don't believe that Pop bullshit that "home court doesn't matter" :lmao

[exstatic]

Oh i didnt know Golden St. Had Seth Curry. Haha but i think Spurs go hard vs the Warriors. Then Pop welcomes Mr. Silver to his personal kiss my ass club and rests the big 3 and Kawhi vs OKC.

I was surprised because Silver publicly disagreed with Stern over that fine last year. Said coaches should be allowed to coach.

[diego]

I see the strategy and agree that is pops plan, but I wonder if he should be ramping up minutes and building stamina for the core. I don't know if the first round is enough time for that, either way you can bet that if we lose this year it will be largely for the same reason as usual- either injured or can't get enough minutes from our best players. I guess we'll see if pops choice finally works out

[Rummpd]

Play both games to win, time to rest after Spurs lock up 1 seed.

[Horry Hipcheck]

Winning in OKC will only speed up the inevitable. Win tonight against GSW, go up 4 full games on the Thunder. Lose tomorrow, and the lead is down to 3 games with only 6 remaining, only 1 of which the Spurs have any real business losing. I'd like to see them beat OKC tomorrow, but winning tonight to cushion for a more likely loss is more important right now.

[pgardn]

Ed is to be read. Goo Kennedy thanks you.
Nice...

Pop hates this streak. He loves the way we are playing but needs a loss. The 82 game regular season is ridiculous, let's let OKC beat the hell out of our subs in front of the starters and important bench players, get them mad as hell just sitting knowing they could win.

We are now getting too much attention.A 30 pt. blowout and the National media does not care about the lineup maybe.
If we were to blow out OKC if they had a poor shooting night... I like them to have the confidence we are not a threat.

[rasho8]

You take the easy win. Spurs won GS already, quite possible they might play tomorrow, I would rest everyone though.

[Uriel]

Here are the minute totals from tonight's game for the Big 3. The numbers in parenthesis are their season average.

Tim Duncan: 20 MIN (29 MPG)
Tony Parker: 28 MIN (30 MPG)
Manu Ginobili: 19 MIN (23 MPG)

Tim and Tony did not play at all in the 4th quarter. Manu only played 1 minute. Judging by how Pop managed the minutes in today's game, I think he's genuinely intent on using that OKC game as a measuring stick. I think we'll play at full strength tomorrow.

[rasho8]

Just send the Austin Toros tomorrow.

[Russ]

If the Spurs lose tomorrow their lead is essentially one game with six to go.

(If they win, it's over.)

[Mugen]

Gonna be very interesting tbh. I hope 2 out of 3 play.

[sexinthatsx]

This is a moot thread, you know for a fact Pop will rest Duncan on back to backs, and most likely Ginobili. My guess is that Tony Parker will sit out too. I hope he sits out both Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard too. That way, OKC can get embarassed by the Spurs second string players.

[Mugen]

Pop has looked absolutely miserable for the last 6-7 games. I don't think there's anybody pulling harder for OKC to win tomorrow tbh. :lol

[pgardn]

Pop has looked absolutely miserable for the last 6-7 games. I don't think there's anybody pulling harder for OKC to win tomorrow tbh. :lol

He is just begging for something to give him jock itch.
It is funny, he does not know how to handle things going easily.

[HI-FI]

officiating is going to be terrible tomorrow, or normal for OKC.

[Budkin]

Fuck it let's just go for the win.

[DesignatedT]

http://i.imgur.com/2EmpIAX.jpg

[Mugen]

http://i.imgur.com/2EmpIAX.jpg

:rollin

[HI-FI]

http://i.imgur.com/2EmpIAX.jpg
:lol
kawhi in the background. just noticed RC, partying it up. ol' sport needs to update his sig with this one.

[cd021]

7 remaining games, 4 games up.

Even if a loss to OKC. The Spurs would have a 3 game lead with 6 remaining.

OKC would have 8 games to make up a 3 game lead (all they would need to do is finish tied with the same mark)

That is extremely unlikely considering they play @ Houston, @ Sacramento, @ Clippers and @ Phoenix.

Spurs play at home against the Lakers and @ Minnesota (who are 37-37) they Spurs really only need to win 3 of their remaining 7 games to lock up the # 1 seed.

[DesignatedT]

We're only 3 up in the loss column.

[Mel_13]

Jim Boylen was on the post-game show. He said that everyone would travel to OKC and that a decision as to resting any players would be made on the flight.

[Spursfanfromafar]

I suspect Pop will play the team at full strength tomorrow. Just as the Spurs did in the 66 game shortened season when he played them all in a game or two in the late end of the season even if it was a Thegababa (third game of a back to back to back).

After the OKC game, the Spurs will rest TD, Manu and TP in the last few games. Even Tiago and Diaw.

[Dex]

If the Spurs are able to dismantle Golden State like they have everybody else recently and the starters are able to play ~28 minutes or less, then I say you go big for a win tomorrow. However, GSW is probably too good of a team to allow for this, even if they are flat on the second night of a B2B.





Average time played by the starters + Manu and Splitter tonight = 24:02. Went about as well as one could've hoped.

The lead may look nice and comfortable, but consider this: the Spurs have lost the tie-breaker to OKC, so they must finish 1 game ahead of them. Which means that OKC is really only 2 games back, with 7 games left, and the Spurs facing the tougher schedule. HCA may be more important against OKC than any other team, and it's far from in the bag yet. A win tomorrow, however, would put the Thunder an effective 4 games back with 6 to go, which is a much more cushy position.

Step on the throat tomorrow. Play everybody and go for the win. Rest after you've taken care of business.

[Mugen]

Thunder have a tough schedule rest of the way, unlikely they go undefeated tbh. The more I think about it, imo Pop's ideal scenario is the Big 3 play and the Spurs get blown out tomorrow without any injuries.

I think he's more concerned about the streak being over than keeping HCA tbh.

[Mel_13]

Tomorrow's game is the front end of a B2B for OKC (they play in Houston on Friday). Westbrook has only been playing in one game of B2Bs since his return. If the Spurs play everyone tomorrow, that should force OKC to play Westbrook. Then, even if the Spurs lose, OKC is weaker for the Houston game.

[ElNono]

Andrew Lynch, Daily Dime Live
From Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News:
OK, Pop, so who's playing tomorrow? "I don't want to speculate about that sort of thing."

Andrew Lynch, Daily Dime Live
Follow-up to that previous Pop quote:
Jeff Ayres: "Who's on the plane doesn't mean who's going to play, either. He could bring everybody, and then nobody shows up for the game."

[gameFACE]

Go for the WC throat tomorrow. None of this stupid CIA bullshit. The Spurs are on a roll, man. Don't puss out now. Isn't Perkins still out? Take it to OKC on their floor and then rest players on Sunday.

SPURS HUSTLE! :lol


http://i.imgur.com/2EmpIAX.jpg

[SequSpur]

Who gives a shit. It's game 70 something. Waste of time. Hey that gif is the real story here that is some funny shit

[HarlemHeat37]

Sit them all, tbh..

If the standings were close, I'd rather Pop play the guys and ensure the #1 seed, but the Spurs are already 4 games up and a virtual lock for the top seed, tbh..there's no point in playing them IMO, little to gain..

A full-strength loss would be more damaging to the psyche than a win would be helpful IMO..

[HI-FI]

I'm starting to think they should go for it tomorrow. It's possible Spurs are still firing away while Thunder will be a little rusty/out of sync from the layoff.

I'd go for it, and if it looks like the Thunder are going to get their usual hookup from the refs, then just wave the white flag. I guess just play it by ear.

[LakerHater]

Coach Pop restin starters tomorrow night against Thunder, on TNT!

[timtonymanu]

Sit them tomorrow.

Shit, our B team may be able to pull off an upset and imagine what that could do to OKC's confidence.

[letmk]

With The Clippers keeping winning (they even won tonight's game), now I'd like the Spurs to beat OKC to make them work extremely hard to stay at #2.

[houston spurs fan]

The Spurs will be playing their 4th game in 6 days by the time they travel to OKC for a nationally televised game on Thursday night against the Thunder. Thursday's game will be the second game of a back-to-back, on the road against their most likely Western Conference Finals opponent.

With Golden State having to travel to San Antonio the day after an emotional 122-120 overtime victory over Dallas, I would suspect that their shooters legs will be a little heavy, and that the Warriors will be susceptible to a letdown. We'll probably see Steph Curry and company shoot very well to start the game and then cool off as the exhaustion factor starts to set in.

If I'm Pop, I'm going to play my full roster tonight and treat it like a playoff game. Golden State is trying to hold off Memphis for the 6 seed, but I believe tonight's game is the Spurs to win, and so I'm going to try to dismantle the Warriors in similar fashion to the previous 18 games.

Thursday night's game is a different story. On Thursday the Spurs will potentially be the team with tired legs against an OKC team that will have had 3 days to rest and prepare. Having lost 7 of our last 9 against OKC, and both meetings this season, I know the Spurs would love to get a statement win. Truth is, I don't know how important that is. There's not a lot to gain from a win on Thursday. If the Spurs win tonight they'll have a 4 game lead on OKC with 7 to play. The Spurs won't relinquish the top seed in that situation, regardless of the outcome tomorrow. Would a win in OKC be a nice confidence booster? Maybe, but this Spurs team is so professional in their approach that I don't think the outcome will impact them much either way once the real season starts in a few short weeks.

If I'm Pop, I'm sitting Parker, Leonard, Duncan and Ginobili tomorrow night. I might not even put them on the plane. Miami Heat regular season road game Part II. If I'm the FO I'll have my $250,000 penalty check ready to stick in the mail. Why risk injury when your team is tired from a busy week's schedule? Pop should just stay in San Antonio, too, and let the assistants work that game. I wonder how much that would increase their fine?

The flip side of that argument is that this team has been playing so well lately that the Spurs should just test that mettle against the other top team in the West. A second game of a back-to-back this late in the season against your well-rested top competition will give the team a chance to operate under game 6 or 7 gut-check conditions. If the Spurs beat the Warriors by double-digits and then can fly to OKC and do the same thing, it sends a message to the Thunder and the rest of the league that this Spurs team, and their current run of invulnerability or no fluke and that the rest of the league doesn't stand a chance in the post season.

Of course, I think that last strategy is too overt for Pop...not CIA enough, and ultimately not the smart move. As it is, I think Pop shudders a bit about the attention the current winning streak is giving to his team. My guess is that he'll rest at least 2 of the big 3 tomorrow, and hopefully Leonard. Leonard is this team's X-Factor during this winning streak. His game has evolved as of late, and if I'm trying to be CIA with the Thunder, and not let the Thunder practice against the Spurs' complete capabilities, and the impact Kawhi is having on this team, I'm certainly sitting him tomorrow night. My predication is that OKC will get challenged by our reserves but ultimately will win by 15. After the game the Thunder players will grumble, and won't know how to feel about themselves.

A 19 game winning streak is pretty darn good. Seeing the Spurs play zone D for 38 minutes will be stupendous. Watching Cory Joseph dribble the ball 22,000 times will be stupendulous. Watching Austin Daye and Jeff Ayres each play 45 minutes tomorrow night will be stupendulicious. Denying ESPN the opportunity to break the game down into all the reasons the Thunder are better than the streaking Spurs will be stupenduliciousexpialidocious. I can't wait.
Nice waste of everyone's time stating the obvious. Go write a thank you Spurs sentimental piece.

[spurraider21]

I think we'll play at full strength tomorrow.
nah, i think Daye is still out

[spurraider21]

our magic number to clinch the top seed is 5... and win tomorrow knocks it down to 3. its well worth going for, its the best opportunity for a measuring stick, and we can rest our guys in the finale against the Lakers at the very least, if not more if we clinch earlier. even if we lose it gives the guys an idea of what they'll have to be in order to beat these guys a few series down the line, and it would get rid of the distraction of the win streak.

[RD2191]

I just wanna see what Pop's strategy against Jackson is. Keeping him to 8-10 points is key to beating OKC. Fucker is also annoying as hell. I say Ayres roughs him up a bit.:hat

[Das Texan]

Pop is way overdue in throwing a game.

[Kidd K]

The schedule makers should fix this in the future, and while they're at it, remove ALL Laker games from national TV broadcasts.

Technically they already did "fix" it.

You don't have one team play 5 games in 7 nights ending with 3 in 4 nights (against 3 good teams) on a b2b ROAD GAME vs a rival team with 3 days rest and put it on national tv without it being a damn fix.

[Sean Cagney]

Technically they already did "fix" it.

You don't have one team play 5 games in 7 nights ending with 3 in 4 nights (against 3 good teams) on a b2b ROAD GAME vs a rival team with 3 days rest and put it on national tv without it being a damn fix.

Oh yeah they set that up well didn't they? SNEAKY bastards. Not sneaking shit past us fans though. They tried to set the Spurs up to fail late, hope they do not comply and continue to win.

[TampaDude]

A road b2b against OKC on 3 days rest? Game is on TNT? Tank city, baby. :lol

Of course, a win against OKC would basically lock up HCA throughout for the Spurs, so...

[chrhawk]

I say play everyone and if the game gets out of hand early,pull the plug.

[Embedded]

Nice waste of everyone's time stating the obvious. Go write a thank you Spurs sentimental piece.
Ed, Ignore this funk-dripping clown, it is a very good read, actually I'm in my jacuzzi reading it for the 2nd time.

[rasho8]

Nice waste of everyone's time stating the obvious. Go write a thank you Spurs sentimental piece.

Go choke on a bag of dicks. Your post is completely unneeded and useless, much like your life.

[Old School 44]

Start Damion James. Give him an Austin Daye Day. Make him the focus of your offense. Let him and the team know he has the green light to do basically anything he wants without repercussions. Tell him this is his showcase game, not just for the Spurs, but for anyone else watching.

When Pop is asked about this in his between quarter interview, hopefully it will go something like this...

Sager: What about you resting the big three today on a nationally televised game and starting of all people Damion James?
Pop: 5 in 7 nights, 3 in 4, with two of those coming against the next top 2 records in the league? You do the math. Thanks David. We miss you too!
Sager: When you say 'David', you mean Stern right?
Pop: No...I'd never do that, just giving a shout out to the Admiral.

[Spur|n|Austin]

Nice waste of everyone's time stating the obvious. Go write a thank you Spurs sentimental piece.

Pretty sure it sounds like he only wasted your time. Take a hike Metallica breath.

[TampaDude]

Pretty sure it sounds like he only wasted your time. Take a hike Metallica breath.

Shhh...don't tell mom the babysitter's dead... :lol

[Das Texan]

Start Damion James. Give him an Austin Daye Day. Make him the focus of your offense. Let him and the team know he has the green light to do basically anything he wants without repercussions. Tell him this is his showcase game, not just for the Spurs, but for anyone else watching.

When Pop is asked about this in his between quarter interview, hopefully it will go something like this...

Sager: What about you resting the big three today on a nationally televised game and starting of all people Damion James?
Pop: 5 in 7 nights, 3 in 4, with two of those coming against the next top 2 records in the league? You do the math. Thanks David. We miss you too!
Sager: When you say 'David', you mean Stern right?
Pop: No...I'd never do that, just giving a shout out to the Admiral.


Pop's responses are some 40 words too long.

[TampaDude]

Start Damion James. Give him an Austin Daye Day. Make him the focus of your offense. Let him and the team know he has the green light to do basically anything he wants without repercussions. Tell him this is his showcase game, not just for the Spurs, but for anyone else watching.

When Pop is asked about this in his between quarter interview, hopefully it will go something like this...

Sager: What about you resting the big three today on a nationally televised game and starting of all people Damion James?
Pop: Yes, I did.
Sager: Can you expand on that a bit?
Pop: No.

fify :lol

[Old School 44]

^^:lol

[superbigtime]

Play everyone.

[superjames1992]

Play everyone.
Correct.

These defeatist "fans" are terrible. You play to win the game, tbh. Lock that #1 seed up sooner rather than later. We can rest guys after we have that in the bag, tbh!

[superjames1992]

http://i.imgur.com/2EmpIAX.jpg
:lol

But no Tiago. :cry

[Spur|n|Austin]

Shhh...don't tell mom the babysitter's dead... :lol

YES! Nobody ever gets that reference :lol

[Embedded]

Allright, we have lost 7 out of the last 9 to OKC, something like that. I don't want to dodge these guys. We have an opportunity to make a statement win, 3rd game in 4 nights against a rested opponent that many are saying are superior to us. May thin we can beat the Heat, but not OKC. To be the best you've got to beat the best. We need this game, and I think Coach Popovich knows his guys well enough to know that. I think we can put fear and doubt in other team's minds with a quality win tonight.

[heyheymymy]

spurs are on a roll, don't shake the rhythm imo tbh go full strength and do what you've been doing all streak long.

[Horry Hipcheck]

Allright, we have lost 7 out of the last 9 to OKC, something like that. I don't want to dodge these guys. We have an opportunity to make a statement win, 3rd game in 4 nights against a rested opponent that many are saying are superior to us. May thin we can beat the Heat, but not OKC. To be the best you've got to beat the best. We need this game, and I think Coach Popovich knows his guys well enough to know that. I think we can put fear and doubt in other team's minds with a quality win tonight.

I disagree. The Spurs know who they are, beating OKC in the regular season-series finale isn't going to alter their confidence heading into a potential seven game series a month from now. Losing tonight doesn't hand the top seed over to OKC, either, so there isn't nearly as much at stake as some people think. A win would be great, no doubt about it, and would all but end the race for the top seed. That, however, is the only real benefit. The only other things that are being discussed - pride, confidence, etc. - are things fans want a team to play for. Pop wants to lock down the top seed in the easiest manner possible with the least possible risk to the team. If that means going for the jugular against OKC, then so be it.

[Embedded]

Horry, you make some good points. But maybe it's MY confidence that needs a boost. After all I saw them come back in the 2012 playoffs, and we've lost to them 3 times already this year. I have no fear, just a healthy respect, of the Clippers. But I need to see OKC go down. I know we're going to win a championship this year.

[Horry Hipcheck]

Horry, you make some good points. But maybe it's MY confidence that needs a boost. After all I saw them come back in the 2012 playoffs, and we've lost to them 3 times already this year. I have no fear, just a healthy respect, of the Clippers. But I need to see OKC go down. I know we're going to win a championship this year.

Well keep in mind that 1) That iteration of the Thunder had the 21st century Spurs-killer in Harden on the roster, 2) they quite literally got handed their Game 6 victory that should have seen the series return to SA, and 3) the Spurs have offloaded useless pieces in Byars, Anderson, and (sorry) Neal, and replaced them with Baynes, Belinelli, and (maybe) Daye. Splitter, Mills, and Kawhi are all much, much better than they were then, whereas the Thunder haven't really changed a lot since that Finals appearance - except, of course, for selling Harden.

I realize the Spurs are 0-3 against OKC this season, but it wasn't just the Thunder they couldn't beat earlier on. Losses to playoff teams included Portland, Houston, Indiana, Miami, and the Clips. Since the beginning of February, the Spurs have beaten the Clippers in LA, Portland twice, Golden State twice, Miami, and the Pacers in Indianapolis. My point being that there's a stark contrast between the team that played the first half of the season and the team that's been playing since the All-Star break. The Spurs are finally almost fully healthy and the role players are filling in when the starters aren't at their best.

The Spurs could go to OKC tonight and get manhandled and I still wouldn't write them off in a seven game series against the Thunder. Sure, it'd be nice to win, but the last decade has taught me that this team shifts into a higher gear in the playoffs, and if they can go higher than where they are now, I like their chances at winning 4 of 7 against the Thunder.

[Horry Hipcheck]

Horry, you make some good points. But maybe it's MY confidence that needs a boost. After all I saw them come back in the 2012 playoffs, and we've lost to them 3 times already this year. I have no fear, just a healthy respect, of the Clippers. But I need to see OKC go down. I know we're going to win a championship this year.

And FWIW, the season series has hardly been a solid indicator of where these two teams are with one another. The first meeting, OKC took by 6 on a night when Duncan shot 5-14, and Green/Marco combined for 0-7 from 3. KD went for a mortal 24 points to lead scoring, but otherwise it was two full strength squads and the Spurs just didn't get as much production from their go-to guys. The second meeting, Kawhi sat, which presents a matchup problem defensively for SA. Meanwhile, Westbrick appeased his pagan gods enough to make more than half of his insane 22 FG attempts, en route to 31 points. The third meeting, also a six point loss, saw Kawhi sustain an injury and leave after fifteen minutes, and KD erupted for 36 points.

These aren't necessarily excuses, because we all know the Thunder are a talented, athletic team. My only point is that the Thunder, in 3 meetings, have beaten the Spurs by an average of 8.3 points - a healthy margin, certainly, but hardly a display of overwhelming dominance. Two six point losses, one of which came without our best defender, tells me that the Spurs can hang with OKC if everything else is equal. We probably won't see that truly until the WCF, if either team gets that far.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

And FWIW, the season series has hardly been a solid indicator of where these two teams are with one another. The first meeting, OKC took by 6 on a night when Duncan shot 5-14, and Green/Marco combined for 0-7 from 3. KD went for a mortal 24 points to lead scoring, but otherwise it was two full strength squads and the Spurs just didn't get as much production from their go-to guys. The second meeting, Kawhi sat, which presents a matchup problem defensively for SA. Meanwhile, Westbrick appeased his pagan gods enough to make more than half of his insane 22 FG attempts, en route to 31 points. The third meeting, also a six point loss, saw Kawhi sustain an injury and leave after fifteen minutes, and KD erupted for 36 points.

These aren't necessarily excuses, because we all know the Thunder are a talented, athletic team. My only point is that the Thunder, in 3 meetings, have beaten the Spurs by an average of 8.3 points - a healthy margin, certainly, but hardly a display of overwhelming dominance. Two six point losses, one of which came without our best defender, tells me that the Spurs can hang with OKC if everything else is equal. We probably won't see that truly until the WCF, if either team gets that far.

:tu That's a great post.


Well, Pop decided to go full-bore with his rotations last night (minus Manu). Was that the better strategy? Did it prove anything? Probably not. The Spurs showed they were tired, IMO, turning the ball over a lot in the second half. Slow on offense, slow to the ball, shots coming up short from tired legs. The refs impacted the game by getting Leonard on some ticky-tack calls, and giving Westbrook and Fisher free throws every time they flopped. I thought for as badly as the Spurs played, as much as they turned it over, as poorly as they shot after halftime that the game could have been a lot more lopsided than it was.

If anything it gives OKC a little over-confidence that perhaps San Antonio can use to their advantage in the post season. In that 2012 playoff series the Spurs were a little over-confident, especially after going up 2-0. I believe that 2nd win gave them something like 10 straight wins against OKC only to see it miserably fall apart. This year is the Spurs chance to turn the tables.

This Spurs team can game plan against what OKC throws at them. There's more talent on this Spurs team, and a little less on the OKC side of the ledger than there was in '12. I think we saw OKC treat last night's game as the WCF and that's about as good an effort as we'll see in the playoffs. The Spurs can and will play a lot better in the playoffs.

But, as predicted, the cliff jumpers are jumping today, so I guess Pop did accomplish that.