Starters...

[midnightpulp]

:tu

They're only -3 vs. GS's SL. Can't ask for anything more in this situation (Golden State salty after losing to Minny and playing like it's game 7 in pursuit of the record + LMA injury).

Consider this a preemptive thread, because when the Spurs lose this game, I know the forum will wrongly place the criticism on the starters.

[timtonymanu]

What about the committee?

[Spurs 4 The Win]

:tu

They're only -3 vs. GS's SL. Can't ask for anything more in this situation (Golden State salty after losing to Minny and playing like it's game 7 in pursuit of the record + LMA injury).

Consider this a preemptive thread, because when the Spurs lose this game, I know the forum will wrongly place the criticism on the starters.

Bench + Aldridge injury really hurting us

[midnightpulp]

What about the committee?

Danny :tu

Patty House and Manure have predictably disappeared, per par.

Can't judge Boris, obviously, but he probably got the DNP due to fatness or something.

[hater]

Meaningless game as I said tbh. We actually should have rested the guys thou.

Complete waste of played and risk injury

[TampaDude]

Pop will go full tank mode as soon as the GS lead hits 20, which will be any minute now...

[ElNono]

not even mad, I had this one penciled in as an L after they lost a couple at home...

[ElNono]

BTW, OP, Pop might not want to bring back the starters after this 3rd quarter... there goes that theory I guess

[TD 21]

This team hasn't had a single impressive road performance against an elite or even near elite team, this season.

This is a predictable blowout, that will be chalked up to the Warriors having the motivational advantage (which is somewhat true) and had this been the Spurs from '14-previous, I'd have chalked it up to that too. But I've seen this too many times the previous two years, so I know better.

Some will inevitably complain that this blowout will hurt the Spurs confidence against them, but it was clearly already shaky and the Warriors' was already sky high.

Pop is probably going to pull this plug any minute, but I'd do the opposite. I'd let this latest embarrassment wash over them, force them to own it and see if they're capable of making a legit comeback. No more bail outs, no more excuses.

[midnightpulp]

not even mad, I had this one penciled in as an L after they lost a couple at home...

The Client needs to wake the fuck up against elite teams, though.

Like I've said for the past month, since this team's backcourt rotation is so thin, he needs to be a consistent double digit scoring threat.

[hater]

:lmao I think our starters are way less than -3 now :lmao

[ElNono]

The Client needs to wake the fuck up against elite teams, though.

Like I've said for the past month, since this team's backcourt rotation is so thin, he needs to be a consistent double digit scoring threat.

yawn, not worried here... no shame losing to this Dubs team...

[DarrinS]

Can't beat them without Bobo

[spursistan]

Have seen enough, Mid..I actually think the Spurs are an easy matchup for the Warriors :lol...

[ViceCity86]

Decent show on Nbatv.Refreshing to see 4 white guys talk about basketball,instead of shithop jibberish like Jalen Rose.

[spursistan]

a team that was struggling the past week or so rolls you effortlessly for a second time this season while barely losing the away game without 3 key rotation is as disturbing as it gets for this potential series..

[midnightpulp]

:lmao I think our starters are way less than -3 now :lmao

I expected a loss, but I wanted a good loss. The SL is -10 now, but if the bench could've reasonably countered, we'd still be in the game. But apparently, it's too much to ask Patty House and Manure to perform consistently.

[TD 21]

a team that was struggling the past week or so roll you effortlessly for a second time this season while barely losing the away game without 3 key rotation is as disturbing as it gets for this potential series..

They just have no confidence; that's what it boils down to. Despite having superior pedigree, statistically being superior and theoretically matching up well. It's bizarre.

I've harped about the pathetic offense on the road against good teams, but an even bigger concern is that, along the way this season, they basically morphed into a two man team. And as good as Leonard and Aldridge are, they're not transcendent offensive players.

[SpursFan86]

Sorry, but I'm not seeing any bright spots for this game (well, aside from the fact it doesn't mean anything in the long run). I was expecting a loss, but it looks like this game is going the route of the 1st meeting. We're getting thoroughly outplayed in practically every facet. Our offense has looked pathetic yet again on the road against a solid team, and the defense hasn't been a whole lot better.

[Benoit]

lmao Tim Duncan should show some leadership and bench himself

[midnightpulp]

Sorry, but I'm not seeing any bright spots for this game (well, aside from the fact it doesn't mean anything in the long run). I was expecting a loss, but it looks like this game is going the route of the 1st meeting. We're getting thoroughly outplayed in practically every facet. Our offense has looked pathetic yet again on the road against a solid team, and the defense hasn't been a whole lot better.

I agree. I've given up hope. These are the real Warriors here, not that depleted version we "convincingly" beat at home.

I'll be called a Chicken Little fan or whatever, but the Spurs simply lack the perimeter firepower to match this team.

[mexicanjunior]

I agree. I've given up hope. These are the real Warriors here, not that depleted version we "convincingly" beat at home.

I'll be called a Chicken Little fan or whatever, but the Spurs simply lack the perimeter firepower to match this team.

Yep...

[davi78239]

If we lose this game and it looks like we are, Sunday is a must win. That's if both teams are full roster out there. Spurs need to send the msg that they cannot be beaten at home .If we lose Sunday, that gives a huge mental edge to GS going into a playoff series against spurs.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

If we lose this game and it looks like we are, Sunday is a must win. That's if both teams are full roster out there. Spurs need to send the msg that they cannot be beaten at home .If we lose Sunday, that gives a huge mental edge to GS going into a playoff series against spurs.

I really dont think "mental edges" exist against the Spurs, we are seasoned vets, not really gonna sweat it unless we get blown out in SA.

Must win regular season game :lmao

[spursistan]

I agree. I've given up hope. These are the real Warriors here, not that depleted version we "convincingly" beat at home.

I'll be called a Chicken Little fan or whatever, but the Spurs simply lack the perimeter firepower to match this team.
it could be argued OKC/ Clippers matches up better with them than we do....

[TampaDude]

I agree. I've given up hope. These are the real Warriors here, not that depleted version we "convincingly" beat at home.

I'll be called a Chicken Little fan or whatever, but the Spurs simply lack the perimeter firepower to match this team.

^ this

They're just too good from downtown. Every single player on the Warriors can hit the 3 reliably. You cannot defend them. You have to hope they have an off night and miss a bunch of shots. It's the only way you can hope to beat them.

[TampaDude]

it could argued OKC/ Clippers matches up better with them than we do....

Yup...our only hope at reaching the Finals this year is if OKC or LAC takes out the Warriors. Otherwise, we're going to get assraped with no vaseline in the WCF...IF we make it that far.

[midnightpulp]

They just have no confidence; that's what it boils down to. Despite having superior pedigree, statistically being superior and theoretically matching up well. It's bizarre.

I've harped about the pathetic offense on the road against good teams, but an even bigger concern is that, along the way this season, they basically morphed into a two man team. And as good as Leonard and Aldridge are, they're not transcendent offensive players.

I disagree here. The Spurs have devolved into a top heavy scoring team over the past 2 months. If LMA and Kawhi aren't combining for 50-60 points, this team struggles. All a team like the Warriors has to do is swarm LMA, let Kawhi get his or also swarm him/ball denial him, and concentrate on containing the role players, who aren't a threat to equalize the Warriors role players.

We have no "3rd guy" to punish the Warriors with a big performance when they're focusing their attention on LMA and Kawhi. The Warriors have 2 to 3 different players who can go off aside from Curry/Klay. Barnes tonight was that guy.

[cd98]

Loss, yes. But Spurs are mostly cold. And the more you miss against GS, the more they can get into the open court.

[ElNono]

They might very well be the better team... they're the defending champs having an historical season for a reason... but you can't quit... an injury here or there, a long series that wears them out, one of our guys catches fire at the right time...

Anything can happen from here til the WCF (if both teams make it that far)...

[dabom]

Another faggot thread but then you're gonna hide when the Spurs beat them in SA. :lmao

[midnightpulp]

Loss, yes. But Spurs are mostly cold. And the more you miss against GS, the more they can get into the open court.

It seems we're always "cold" on the road.

[midnightpulp]

Another faggot thread but then you're gonna hide when the Spurs beat them in SA. :lmao

Thanks in advance for that 200, bro :tu

[TD 21]

I disagree here. The Spurs have devolved into a top heavy scoring team over the past 2 months. If LMA and Kawhi aren't combining for 50-60 points, this team struggles. All a team like the Warriors has to do is swarm LMA, let Kawhi get his or also swarm him/ball denial him, and concentrate on containing the role players, who aren't a threat to equalize the Warriors role players.

We have no "3rd guy" to punish the Warriors with a big performance when they're focusing their attention on LMA and Kawhi. The Warriors have 2 to 3 different players who can go off aside from Curry/Klay. Barnes tonight was that guy.

In theory, they have a bevy of post up bigs and two elite wing defenders. Plus, they're probably the only team capable of playing the game on the same level intellectually.

They've got their issues, but who matches up better? I'm not saying the Clippers, Thunder or Cavs, couldn't potentially give them a better series, but I wouldn't say they match-up better.

[ElNono]

Talking about "starters" and "committee", the bench played very well this 2nd half... probably gonna get lost in all the noise

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Another faggot thread but then you're gonna hide when the Spurs beat them in SA. :lmao

Why are we the only non faggot posters on this board. SMH all these fucking down syndrome cliff jumpers. Bunch of clowns here :lol

[midnightpulp]

In theory, they have a bevy of post up bigs and two elite wing defenders. Plus, they're probably the only team capable of playing the game on the same level intellectually.

They've got their issues, but who matches up better? I'm not saying the Clippers, Thunder or Cavs, couldn't potentially give them a better series, but I wouldn't say they match-up better.

Problem is you need consistent 3 point shooting to protect your post-up bigs from getting doubled/swarmed. Kawhi is really the only consistent 3 point shooter on the team. And given Duncan's age and Boris's inconsistency, I don't think we necessarily have a bevy.

[midnightpulp]

Talking about "starters" and "committee", the bench played very well this 2nd half... probably gonna get lost in all the noise

Yeah, coming to play down 21 :tu

Why was that Cub quote about the Rockets?

"Down 0-3 and finally decided to play yourselves some basketball."

[TD 21]

Problem is you need consistent 3 point shooting to protect your post-up bigs from getting doubled/swarmed. Kawhi is really the only consistent 3 point shooter on the team. And given Duncan's age and Boris's inconsistency, I don't think we necessarily have a bevy.

Fine, but who has more post up bigs? It's all relative. Also, I doubt they completely disregard the likes of Green, Mills and Ginobili, from three. They all have good enough reputations and that's mostly what defense is based off of.

[SpursFan86]

In theory, they have a bevy of post up bigs

The thing is, it's not like this is a weakness of GS. Draymond might be undersized, but he's still an elite post-up defender and is wide/strong enough to where you can't just overpower him. Bogut is one of the best interior and post-up defenders in the league. Ezeli is no slouch either.

On the wings you have Iguodala, who is also a very solid post-up defender. Look at what he did against LeBron last year in the Finals when LeBron kept iso'ing. Barnes isn't a great defender, but he's not bad enough to where Kawhi can just keep exploiting him or anything.

People keep acting like we should just post them up to death, but I'm really not sure that's a good strategy. If our offense is based around isolating against DPOTY-caliber guys like Draymond and Bogut, that's probably not going to bode well for us.

[ElNono]

Yeah, coming to play down 21 :tu

Why was that Cub quote about the Rockets?

"Down 0-3 and finally decided to play yourselves some basketball."

well, it was our bench vs their bench... cut the lead down to 14... defense wasn't good, but we could score on them...

Look, all these regular season games left are basically experimental playgrounds right now... what works, what doesn't... I liked KMart on his stint offensively for example

[TD 21]

The thing is, it's not like this is a weakness of GS. Draymond might be undersized, but he's still an elite post-up defender and is wide/strong enough to where you can't just overpower him. Bogut is one of the best interior and post-up defenders in the league. Ezeli is no slouch either.

On the wings you have Iguodala, who is also a very solid post-up defender. Look at what he did against LeBron last year in the Finals when LeBron kept iso'ing. Barnes isn't a great defender, but he's not bad enough to where Kawhi can just keep exploiting him or anything.

True, but it's still something you've got to be able to do against them, particularly when they go small with Green at center, if for no other reason than it slows the game down.

Maybe posting to death isn't a great idea, but what's a better one? Just playing out of motion isn't going to get it done; they have too high a collective IQ to out smart them.

[TDfan2007]

They might very well be the better team... they're the defending champs having an historical season for a reason... but you can't quit... an injury here or there, a long series that wears them out, one of our guys catches fire at the right time...

Anything can happen from here til the WCF (if both teams make it that far)...

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. My only concern is Manu or Timmy spontaneously combusting or something during the playoffs. Timmy has been very shaky every since he put that 2nd knee brace on... :(

[SpursFan86]

True, but it's still something you've got to be able to do against them, particularly when they go small with Green at center, if for no other reason than it slows the game down.

Yeah I get the logic behind it...you have to punish them for playing a 6'8" guy at center and you want to prevent them from playing at their usual frantic pace. It just unfortunately isn't that easy/effective in reality. If we're relying on the bulk of our offense to come from posting up and isolating against guys like Draymond/Bogut/Iguodala, then we're shit out of luck.

[spurraider21]

its key that the bigs are the key to us winning this tbh... LMA has to punish them or else we lose

[SpursFan86]

its key that the bigs are the key to us winning this tbh... LMA has to punish them or else we lose

Well like I've said, that sucks for us then. Draymond and Bogut are two of the best defenders in the league. Relying on him punishing DPOTY-caliber players doesn't make me feel very confident.

[TD 21]

Yeah I get the logic behind it...you have to punish them for playing a 6'8" guy at center and you want to prevent them from playing at their usual frantic pace. It just unfortunately isn't that easy/effective in reality. If we're relying on the bulk of our offense to come from posting up and isolating against guys like Draymond/Bogut/Iguodala, then we're shit out of luck.

6'7''.

Then we're shit out of luck. They've got to go with what gives them the best chance though.

Not that it's all that relevant, but I still think this is more about the big three aging and this team transforming the way they play, than anything else. Two-three years ago, I'm confident they'd beat these arrogant pricks.

[SAGirl]

I disagree here. The Spurs have devolved into a top heavy scoring team over the past 2 months. If LMA and Kawhi aren't combining for 50-60 points, this team struggles. All a team like the Warriors has to do is swarm LMA, let Kawhi get his or also swarm him/ball denial him, and concentrate on containing the role players, who aren't a threat to equalize the Warriors role players.

We have no "3rd guy" to punish the Warriors with a big performance when they're focusing their attention on LMA and Kawhi. The Warriors have 2 to 3 different players who can go off aside from Curry/Klay. Barnes tonight was that guy.

This is a good point. We go as far as they take us and I have said it before in other contexts. If they struggle we are doomed.
Nothing can be done about it.
Aside from them,
Tim is too old,
Manu is too old,
Tony is maybe in that category but I am holding out hope for him, just if the other two: LMA and Kawhi don't show up, he's not going to morph into your best scoring option. Those days are over. He thrives getting his own stuff when we need it but he is not going to maintain that all game, plus get posted up and attacked as the weakest defender on the other end. Frankly Tony has a lot to handle on his plate.
Danny is a limited player who needs to be set up for shots. Luckily he had the 3 ball going this game or this really would have been a blow out, but the point is he's streaky too and can't be counted on to fill in the blans if the others don't show up either.

The bench has struggled scoring at times bc Patty is streaky as heck, Manu is better but he's not going to carry the bench if others are not doing squat. He thrives in the group effort, he can hit shots if he's set up, and he can set others up, but he's not going to dominate on his own anymore, nor should we expect him to.

The bench misses Bobo. Dwest is a terrific passer but he likes the PnP shot, he's rarely getting inside to get you a bucket when the jumpshots are not falling. Dwest also not a rim protector and can't defend a PnR to save his life, specially with Patty. Rebounding has been lacking all season in the bench, he ball watches. That is why Pop plays Anderson so much with the bench (still got 11 rebounds in less than 20 minutes in this game). Martin is a scorer, I am glad he got it going in this game, but his defense is very much lacking, which makes it a very risky proposition to play him. If we hadn't been attempting a come back from behind I don't think he plays. Regardless the bench did well enough for what we needed. The starters are not clicking very well and that is no surprise as they have had up and downs all season.

Credit to the Warriors, they are an elite team, playing at home and they were motivated. It will take all guys playing well to defeat them and we haven't hit that nirvana and we maybe don't have it, but I am not going to blow it out of proportion bc I think in the end the game wasn't fully representative of what we can do bc we didn't have Boris, who played a good 35 minutes the last game.

The real concern might be TD. He is turning into Tiago.

[SAGirl]

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. My only concern is Manu or Timmy spontaneously combusting or something during the playoffs. Timmy has been very shaky every since he put that 2nd knee brace on... :(
He was shaky since before being rested bc of the knee soreness. Frankly he got that brace and I don't think that knee is 100%.

[kaji157]

He was shaky since before being rested bc of the knee soreness. Frankly he got that brace and I don't think that knee is 100%.

I think he and Manu should probably rest until the season ends, the home record means nothing, we need healthy players, hell, i may not even play them in a couple of first round games if that is what it takes to have them healthy.

I think one of the players that concerns me the most is Patty Mills, he not only is NOT making his shots, but his defense has changed from "average" to "disastrous" and he seems to be unable to fight through any screen now, also being small against GS is not good as you´ll most likely end in a switch, Andre Miller might end up a better player to have against them if he does have 10-15 minutes left in him, he can set up players like Manu, Martin and Green, something Patty does very little.

I took a few good things from the game:

TP can play on the defensive end against this team, that is a great news.

Martin is a good option for the second unit.

Danny seems to have found some of his stroke back.

O the other hand the bads are:

TD is looking unplayable against this team when Bogut is not out there (and almost in general) which takes away our biggest advantage.

Patty has a hard time scoring against a physical team and seems unable to guard anyone.

A defensive protector for the second unit is needed because neither West or Diaw would do that, this is were i think TD might find a sweet spot, their second unit is a bit slower and Tim plays very well with ours.

[SAGirl]

I think he and Manu should probably rest until the season ends, the home record means nothing, we need healthy players, hell, i may not even play them in a couple of first round games if that is what it takes to have them healthy.

I think one of the players that concerns me the most is Patty Mills, he not only is NOT making his shots, but his defense has changed from "average" to "disastrous" and he seems to be unable to fight through any screen now, also being small against GS is not good as you´ll most likely end in a switch, Andre Miller might end up a better player to have against them if he does have 10-15 minutes left in him, he can set up players like Manu, Martin and Green, something Patty does very little.

I took a few good things from the game:

TP can play on the defensive end against this team, that is a great news.

Martin is a good option for the second unit.

Danny seems to have found some of his stroke back.

O the other hand the bads are:

TD is looking unplayable against this team when Bogut is not out there (and almost in general) which takes away our biggest advantage.

Patty has a hard time scoring against a physical team and seems unable to guard anyone.

A defensive protector for the second unit is needed because neither West or Diaw would do that, this is were i think TD might find a sweet spot, their second unit is a bit slower and Tim plays very well with ours.
I agree with you for the most part.
TD is a big concern and adjustments will be needed.
Glad Kmart had a breakout game. Frankly I would just bench Patty for Kmart if he's having a bad game on both ends. Both are SG anyways with poor defense. You can try A.Miller for a few minutes for Patty and see how he does with just Kmart and Manu off the ball. Or you can just do Anderson/Kmart//Manu or Green/Kmart/Manu.

Anderson has mismatches often and may end up being an advantage. I think he will play a role in our postseason, buy who knows his role might ultimately be with the starters and not the bench. I definitely don't think you can pair up TD and LMA up anymore and if you are sending TD to the bench you have to pair him with Diaw.

Anderson/TD is not a good combination. Kyle is too young and inexperienced to be the offensive weapon in that pairing. TD is too old to be that. So bc neither of them is an offensive threat by himself posting up you can't pair them. You have to do TD/Diaw and LMA/Anderson.

[kaji157]

I agree with you for the most part.
TD is a big concern and adjustments will be needed.
Glad Kmart had a breakout game. Frankly I would just bench Patty for Kmart if he's having a bad game on both ends. Both are SG anyways with poor defense. You can try A.Miller for a few minutes for Patty and see how he does with just Kmart and Manu off the ball. Or you can just do Anderson/Kmart//Manu or Green/Kmart/Manu.

Anderson has mismatches often and may end up being an advantage. I think he will play a role in our postseason, buy who knows his role might ultimately be with the starters and not the bench. I definitely don't think you can pair up TD and LMA up anymore and if you are sending TD to the bench you have to pair him with Diaw.

Anderson/TD is not a good combination. Kyle is too young and inexperienced to be the offensive weapon in that pairing. TD is too old to be that. So bc neither of them is an offensive threat by himself posting up you can't pair them. You have to do TD/Diaw and LMA/Anderson.

You mean start Parker-Green-Anderson-Kiwi-Aldridge?

I actually like it, Kawhi can cover Raymond, which he did fairly well, and Anderson seems a good fit to cover Barnes, as he is also not particulary fast.

Plus you can put a bench unit of Miller-Manu-Boris-TD and one of Kawhi or Green.

It should be noted that this team cannot afford to have both Green and Leonard out at the same time, mainly for their defense.

[SAGirl]

You mean start Parker-Green-Anderson-Kiwi-Aldridge?

I actually like it, Kawhi can cover Raymond, which he did fairly well, and Anderson seems a good fit to cover Barnes, as he is also not particulary fast.

Plus you can put a bench unit of Miller-Manu-Boris-TD and one of Kawhi or Green.

It should be noted that this team cannot afford to have both Green and Leonard out at the same time, mainly for their defense.
Yup basically what you state. POP tried this lineup in the second quarter for a bit and the have played together. It's not an entirely novel idea. They benefit from Anderson's passing and he's been taking that corner 3 the past few games, plus if you close him out, he can put the ball on the floor and dish. The bench is a real concern defensively but having TD there will help them a lot.

[tmtcsc]

A few years back the Hornets with Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler completely owned the Spurs on their home court. This was the series the Spurs won game 7 on the road. All you need is 1 win. Same thing in Detroit. The Spurs got roasted on the road in the Finals but found a way to get that one victory. The losses are concerning but A.) It isn't the playoffs yet B.) Spurs played poorly C.) They were missing Diaw (an extremely important piece to the equation.

All the panicky cliff jumpers need to take a chill pill and relax with the doomsday threads. The Spurs will be fine.

[Chinook]

So we've gone from LMA and Kawhi having to keep pace with Curry and Thompson to them having to almost double them up? I just hope LMA's finger is all right. He was playing well enough before then. As we've been agreeing for the past few weeks, you need your stars to win. And this game reaffirmed that the Splash Bros. aren't so dominant offensively that the Spurs' D can't contain them. So there's no reason to pencil them in for 70 a night and then find the nearest rock to hide under. If those two fail to break 50 over the course of the series, the Warriors are going to struggle, fluky games by role-players notwithstanding.

[HarlemHeat37]

So we've gone from LMA and Kawhi having to keep pace with Curry and Thompson to them having to almost double them up? I just hope LMA's finger is all right. He was playing well enough before then. As we've been agreeing for the past few weeks, you need your stars to win. And this game reaffirmed that the Splash Bros. aren't so dominant offensively that the Spurs' D can't contain them. So there's no reason to pencil them in for 70 a night and then find the nearest rock to hide under. If those two fail to break 50 over the course of the series, the Warriors are going to struggle, fluky games by role-players notwithstanding.

I'm not sure why some posters here continue to overrate Klay Thompson, tbh..virtually all the damage he has done in matchups vs. the Spurs the past few years has been strictly from spot-up shooting off the attention of Curry/Green..

He has been completely unable to take advantage of mismatches in all the games, so far, which probably won't change, since he's very limited as a creator..

[midnightpulp]

So we've gone from LMA and Kawhi having to keep pace with Curry and Thompson to them having to almost double them up? I just hope LMA's finger is all right. He was playing well enough before then. As we've been agreeing for the past few weeks, you need your stars to win. And this game reaffirmed that the Splash Bros. aren't so dominant offensively that the Spurs' D can't contain them. So there's no reason to pencil them in for 70 a night and then find the nearest rock to hide under. If those two fail to break 50 over the course of the series, the Warriors are going to struggle, fluky games by role-players notwithstanding.

Where did I imply that?

Like I said in the other thread, -5 against those two is fine. As long as our top two aren't running a -10 to -20 deficit vs. their top two, we're in good shape.

But the new problem that has emerged is role player consistency. Kawhi and LMA's scoring prowess vis a vis Curry/Klay doesn't worry me to the extent like it did a month ago.