Gregg Popovich

[Mugen]

Lost in the shuffle of that last play, is just an absolutely fuckfest by Pop tonight.

That lineup to start the 4th, going away from Aldridge from most of the 3rd, the switching on defense, playing DWest when he was struggling....bunch more.

Just a shockingly bad performance from Pop tonight.

[HarlemHeat37]

What the fuck happened in the 4th?:lol

1. That lineup for the first few minutes of the 4th when the Spurs had finally cut the lead down to 1:(

2. They can't stop Aldridge, nor are they doubling him, yet the Spurs didn't run the ball through him until the end of the 4th

3. He stubbornly played Parker over Mills in last year's Clippers series when TP was at rock bottom and Patty was hot, but he let Patty stay on the floor for way too long in the 4th while he was killing the team with his poor shot selection and bricks

[Budkin]

Could not agree more. Embarrassing display by Pop tonight.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

Not shocking anymore. After watching him suck it up last year

[SpursFan86]

I was legitimately yelling at the TV when he trotted out that lineup...and then he even doubled down on the ridiculousness and subbed out Manu for Kyle Anderson :lmao Fucking unbelievable.

[Spur|n|Austin]

And all those minutes for patty brick mills.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

That line up to start the 4th though. Ugh

[loveforthegame]

Not really. This is on Leonard and Leonard alone.

[MI21]

Pop is becoming a bit feast or famine at the moment.

He has some absolutely amazing moments mixed in with some absolute wtf moments. Where is the middle ground Pop?

[spurraider21]

to be fair his all-bench lineup in the first probably saved the game :lol

[midnightpulp]

Mills probably had some dough on the Thunder, as well.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

I never would've thought I would wanted Tony to come in for Patty

[313]

Imagine anyone thinking Pop is a top 3 coach of all time :lmao

Phil would've played LMA 49 minutes and got him 40 shots

[Mnky]

Wasn't Pop. We got looks for Kawhi who couldn't convert. Parker tried to establish himself against double teams foolishly. The extra pass was not there by the role players. Lots of horrible shots by them.Duncan missed a ton of gimmies. Kawhi missed his free throws. That last call doesn't matter spurs PLAYERS played to lose. It's a good lesson. Spurs win one in okc not hard to imagine and we are back to square one.

I trust spurs more than OK right now.

[timtonymanu]

Reminded me of the opening lineup to start the 4th quarter of Game 6 in 2013 and Pop pulling the same BS last year in Game 4 (hacking Jordan when we were up by double digits). It's fucking mind boggling how Pop is sometimes.

[noles1983]

fuck that crater face, couldn't even answer sideline questions tonight. dumb fuck

[dabom]

Pop running sets for Duncan and Green early in the game and that cost us the big lead.

[vander]

Lost in the shuffle of that last play, is just an absolutely fuckfest by Pop tonight.

That lineup to start the 4th, going away from Aldridge from most of the 3rd, the switching on defense, playing DWest when he was struggling....bunch more.

Just a shockingly bad performance from Pop tonight.

surely things like this don't actually surprise spurs fans anymore do they? this is like being shocked that TP's game hasn't aged well

[Mugen]

:lol It's mind boggling how much he babies Leonard and Aldridge. Literally a 4 day break between Games 2 and 3 and he's managing minutes?

[808]

Is his full name Greggory?

[DMC]

You should have known when Frankenspur was in the game early that Pop was playing around. He's in his "Hey look, I'm Bobby Fischer" cosplay. Bet Pop is much happier at the podium now than he was a couple nights ago. He loves it when everyone's looking to him for the answer.

[keeferob25]

Pop's great historically but he's overrated at the same time (in certain aspects). It's actually hard to say he was even outcoached...it was just THAT BAD of a coaching job that it made Donovan's bad coaching look superior. Total shit job!

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

Pop always starts the 4th with a terrible line-up; I think the idea is for the starters being full strength for the last 8 minutes. I want to blame Pop for that but the bench (mostly Manu, West, and Patty) deserve blame as well for being so awful.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Pop fucked us royally tonight.

Switching on Westbrook picks
The 4 th Q lineup
Mills
Not going LaMarcus

06, 08, 12, 13, now 16
Pop does this all the time

[spursistan]

It is probably still controversial to say it at this point, but i frankly don't believe he is best coach in nba anymore..his 2014 coaching run seems like it has taken something out of him...this resting bullshit has become an utter joke with him..knew it was going to cost us down the road..

[DMC]

:lol It's mind boggling how much he babies Leonard and Aldridge. Literally a 4 day break between Games 2 and 3 and he's managing minutes?
I think Pops mind is down the road a bit. Golden state is going to be very very difficult and I don't think he wants to get to the Western Conference Finals and look like shit. He wants his guys healthy when they get there and I think he believes they can beat the Thunder. I hope he's right.

You know damn well Pop doesn't play anyone after midway through the third quarter if they're down 40 points like OKC was.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

This team wins tonight, and probably would have beaten the Clips last year, with Rick Carlisle sitting first chair.

[Russ]

I would like to see Mr. Popovich shave his beard. :)

[Mugen]

Pop always starts the 4th with a terrible line-up; I think the idea is for the starters being full strength for the last 8 minutes. I want to blame Pop for that but the bench (mostly Manu, West, and Patty) deserve blame as well for being so awful.

:lol Ok, so you rest Kawhi or Aldridge to start the 4th....stagger their minutes even if you want......

Spurs had all the momentum heading into the 4th and Pop trots out a Fathead/West/Diaw lineup???.....smh

[SpursBig3s]

What the fuck happened in the 4th?:lol

1. That lineup for the first few minutes of the 4th when the Spurs had finally cut the lead down to 1:(

2. They can't stop Aldridge, nor are they doubling him, yet the Spurs didn't run the ball through him until the end of the 4th

3. He stubbornly played Parker over Mills in last year's Clippers series when TP was at rock bottom and Patty was hot, but he let Patty stay on the floor for way too long in the 4th while he was killing the team with his poor shot selection and bricks

Spot on. 100% agree with all of this. I HATED that lineup to start the 4th. Kanter/Adams and we counter with Diaw/West? Like... What?

[ElNono]

:lol It's mind boggling how much he babies Leonard and Aldridge. Literally a 4 day break between Games 2 and 3 and he's managing minutes?

This really gets me... it's like he forgets not all his guys are 38+ years old...

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

:lol Ok, so you rest Kawhi or Aldridge to start the 4th....stagger their minutes even if you want......

Spurs had all the momentum heading into the 4th and Pop trots out a Fathead/West/Diaw lineup???.....smh
I'm pretty ticked about it too, that shit is one of the biggest reasons why Spurs lost game 6 against the Heat. I'm just saying that when it works, its pretty smart the differential shouldn't change that much and you get rest for all your best players. Unfortunately, when it doesn't work, you lose all the momentum your team had in a crucial playoff game or a 10 point lead in game 6 of a close-out game in the Finals dwindles to 4 in the first 2 minutes of the 4th quarter.

[mexicanjunior]

Pop was atrocious, Becky would have coached this team better.

[Robz4000]

Been calling it for two seasons now: Pop has regressed as a coach.

[HankChinaski]

The only real problem I had with the lineup was start of the 4th with Diaw and West out there with Adams and Kanter. Only real lineup issue I had.

[TheGreatYacht]

Has mailed it in since 2014, tbh...

And it's not arguable.

[itzsoweezee]

and then he even doubled down on the ridiculousness and subbed out Manu for Kyle Anderson :lmao Fucking unbelievable.

That was mindboggling. I have no idea what he was thinking

[james evans]

Pop always starts the 4th with a terrible line-up; I think the idea is for the starters being full strength for the last 8 minutes. I want to blame Pop for that but the bench (mostly Manu, West, and Patty) deserve blame as well for being so awful.
You have 28 time outs during a game(7 time outs per team per half) about 6 tv time outs, and free throws which take about a minute for every 2. There is no excuse for anyone to be tired during an nba game.

[spursistan]

Amid all our struggles and health woes, he cost us the Clipper series with his momentum-killing hacks of Deandre in Game 6 not to mention going down with Parker..If we lose this series, we'll look at another overthink backfiring with his overprotection of Kawhi and his 2 fouls late in 1st half and then the resting both KL/LMA early in the fourth..

[G-Nob]

You can tell pop had an off night when he put Kyle Anderson on kd at the end of the first half. Leonard was on the bench for some reason.

[tmtcsc]

Welp, at least he didn't go to the Hack-a-anyone. That shit was unnecessary last year against Clipps.

[Mugen]

Getting outcoached by Tom Rivers and Scotty Donovan in b2b playoffs would be downright embarassing tbh :lol

[Amuseddaysleeper]

That shitty lineup to start the fourth reminded me of the shitty lineup to the start the fourth of Game 6 back in 2013.

Fuck.

[TDfan2007]

The game was lost in the 2nd quarter when he kept Kawhi on the bench while the Spurs perimeter D did its best impression of a matador show. The offense was clicking in that second quarter and we were poised to get some separation, but OKC basically ran a layup drill.

[Budkin]

That shitty lineup to start the fourth reminded me of the shitty lineup to the start the fourth of Game 6 back in 2013.

Fuck.

10 pt lead gone in a few minutes.

[Mouth is Bleeding]

It all started when he pulled Kawhi after a fluke defensive breakdown in the first and subbed in Kyle over him. I could not believe my eyes seeing him downgrading his own team like that but then again he did something similar against the Clippers last season which arguably really cost us.

That is something incomprehensibly bad. It might even have contributed to Kawhi struggling to find rhythm this game, who knows, and yeah then the sabotage lineup after we've made a run, again taking out Kawhi.

In periods where Kawhi was out OKC had an easy basket feast and there is simply no reason those minutest totally wasted that Kyle played shouldn't have gone to Kawhi who played more than 7 minutes less than LMA.

[HarlemHeat37]

Eh, yes, Kawhi was horrible down the stretch, Tim was painfully bad on offense, all game, Mills was terrible, we saw a blown call, etc..however, I maintain that the lineup to start the 4th was the biggest reason for the loss IMO..

The Spurs had the "momentum" and had cut it down to 1, OKC was deflated, yet Pop goes with a Mills-Green-Anderson-Diaw-West lineup in a round 2 playoff game :lmao..confusing and puzzling, I don't understand the logic that was used for that decision..

[Ditty]

Pop fucked up tonight, and I hope someone in the media has the balls for once to call him out for it. Get it together old man.

[Mugen]

Eh, yes, Kawhi was horrible down the stretch, Tim was painfully bad on offense, all game, Mills was terrible, we saw a blown call, etc..however, I maintain that the lineup to start the 4th was the biggest reason for the loss IMO..

The Spurs had the "momentum" and had cut it down to 1, OKC was deflated, yet Pop goes with a Mills-Green-Anderson-Diaw-West lineup in a round 2 playoff game :lmao..confusing and puzzling, I don't understand the logic that was used for that decision..

I couldn't believe it. I think Adams or KD was at the line and I heard the substitution whistle and I figured Leonard or LMA was checking back in, but there was Fathead with his shorts wrapped around his chest entering the game for Manu :lmao

[SAGirl]

Not defending him bc he didn't have a good game at all, but Anderson played only about a minute in the 4th. He was in a short leash and Pop pulled him quickly.

Why Pop didn't immediately go to Kawhi when it was time for Manu to come out of the game I don't know. It was either Kawhi is banged up and Pop hoped not to overplayed him, but he had to anyways (Tony has played on bad hamstrings b4, so it's not out of the question that Kawhi got injured on that nasty fall in the first game, and is not 100%), or yea... take a wild guess bc I don't know.

[Hoops Czar]

Any lineup that includes KA is a "What the F are you doing?" lineup.

[TheGreatYacht]

Any lineup that includes KA is a "What the F are you doing?" lineup.

[YGWHI]

The game was lost in the 2nd quarter when he kept Kawhi on the bench while the Spurs perimeter D did its best impression of a matador show. The offense was clicking in that second quarter and we were poised to get some separation, but OKC basically ran a layup drill.

727406237998940160

Good job, Pop. :tu

[Dro210]

Spot on. 100% agree with all of this. I HATED that lineup to start the 4th. Kanter/Adams and we counter with Diaw/West? Like... What?


The only real problem I had with the lineup was start of the 4th with Diaw and West out there with Adams and Kanter. Only real lineup issue I had.


I maintain that the lineup to start the 4th was the biggest reason for the loss IMO..

The Spurs had the "momentum" and had cut it down to 1, OKC was deflated, yet Pop goes with a Mills-Green-Anderson-Diaw-West lineup in a round 2 playoff game :lmao..confusing and puzzling, I don't understand the logic that was used for that decision..

Agreed.

Anytime Pop try's to play that Diaw/West combo against Kanter, and especially Kanter/Adams, it's not gonna go well for us.

He played Boban early and I thought maybe he knew better... But then he was gonna do it late in the 3rd, sent Boris to the table, but ended up pulling him back when we started running. I thought we had avoided it after that, and then he brings it out to start the 4th, kills our momentum, and digs another hole.

Tons of reasons why we lost, but that was an easily avoidable, obvious mistake that really hurt. No excuse for it.

[Mouth is Bleeding]

727406237998940160

Good job, Pop. :tu

yup there we have it. What a disaster.

I really do think it was the open Durant 3 with 6+ minutes left in the first that made Pop overreact grossly and from there he never recovered his handle on the game.

He subbed everyone but LMA when he should also have left Kawhi in there not least because Kawhi's replacement was Kyle.

That meant Kawhi only playing 14 minutes in the first half and then in the second playing more Pop in his mind still had to try to find some rest which came at the worst time after the run we just made and the disaster lineup starting the 4th that everyone else have already mentioned.

[Brazil]

To be fair, Spurs lost this game in the first minutes of the games and this has nothing to do with Pop... Players were fucking lazy all over the floor in first quarter... We missed 5 easy buckets in the first mn by pure laziness.

He had the merit to manage his roster and enable us to cut the lead at half time. This loss is on the players

[TheDoctor]

I couldn't believe it. I think Adams or KD was at the line and I heard the substitution whistle and I figured Leonard or LMA was checking back in, but there was Fathead with his shorts wrapped around his chest entering the game for Manu :lmao

LMAAAAOOOOOO :lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao:lmao :lmao

[TampaDude]

To be fair, Spurs lost this game in the first minutes of the games and this has nothing to do with Pop... Players were fucking lazy all over the floor in first quarter... We missed 5 easy buckets in the first mn by pure laziness.

He had the merit to manage his roster and enable us to cut the lead at half time. This loss is on the players

^this

Spurs started something like 2 of 16 from the field. That's just atrocious. The game was lost in the first quarter. Just one of those nights and we still had a chance to win at the end.

Spurs in 5. Book it.

[pgardn]

You should have known when Frankenspur was in the game early that Pop was playing around. He's in his "Hey look, I'm Bobby Fischer" cosplay. Bet Pop is much happier at the podium now than he was a couple nights ago. He loves it when everyone's looking to him for the answer.

Yeah.

He was clearly happy after the game. Seems to be basking in it all... Wtf?

[pgardn]

^this

Spurs started something like 2 of 16 from the field. That's just atrocious. The game was lost in the first quarter. Just one of those nights and we still had a chance to win at the end.

Spurs in 5. Book it.

Duncan could not get a Fckn grip on the ball. If his hands fail him, it's definitely over.

[Brazil]

^this

Spurs started something like 2 of 16 from the field. That's just atrocious. The game was lost in the first quarter. Just one of those nights and we still had a chance to win at the end.

Spurs in 5. Book it.

Don't get me wrong tho... I also believe Pop had a crap 2nd half but all in all I'm more mad about those first 10 mn that were atrocious than Pop... those easy missed lay ups were absolutely pure laziness and cockiness... Players were not dialed up, for a team that professional it was painful to see

[Brazil]

Eh, yes, Kawhi was horrible down the stretch, Tim was painfully bad on offense, all game, Mills was terrible, we saw a blown call, etc..however, I maintain that the lineup to start the 4th was the biggest reason for the loss IMO..

The Spurs had the "momentum" and had cut it down to 1, OKC was deflated, yet Pop goes with a Mills-Green-Anderson-Diaw-West lineup in a round 2 playoff game :lmao..confusing and puzzling, I don't understand the logic that was used for that decision..

I guess we won't see much anymore of Anderson tbh unless blow out. He had 5 mn on a close game and delivered a totally empty statline except for 2 fouls, :lol @ the folks thinking he can guard KD.

[Old School 44]

Pop was terrible. Like others mentioned, that start of the fourth quarter lineup was bad. He seemed as if he wanted to match Donovan's resting of Westbrook by resting Kawhi. Donovan recognized this and kept Westbrook on the bench. Did you see Westbrook fuming about not being in the game? Finally, Pop put Kawhi back in the game and then Donovan put Westbrook back in.

Outside of the offensive fouls drawn, Mills has had a terrible series so far. Offensively, Kawhi just wasn't aggressive enough. Did anyone else notice that Kawhi seemed to be having issues with his footing, particularly at the beginning of the game. Our bigs need to finish stronger at the rim, particularly Tim. No finesse flip shots. Gather and go strong and draw some fouls.

Not too worried about the series. I expect a "family meeting" with Kawhi, and him to come out super aggressive for game 3.

[TheDoctor]

Pop was terrible. Like others mentioned, that start of the fourth quarter lineup was bad. He seemed as if he wanted to match Donovan's resting of Westbrook by resting Kawhi. Donovan recognized this and kept Westbrook on the bench. Did you see Westbrook fuming about not being in the game? Finally, Pop put Kawhi back in the game and then Donovan put Westbrook back in.

Outside of the offensive fouls drawn, Mills has had a terrible series so far. Offensively, Kawhi just wasn't aggressive enough. Did anyone else notice that Kawhi seemed to be having issues with his footing, particularly at the beginning of the game. Our bigs need to finish stronger at the rim, particularly Tim. No finesse flip shots. Gather and go strong and draw some fouls.

Not too worried about the series. I expect a "family meeting" with Kawhi, and him to come out super aggressive for game 3.

Pretty much.

[TampaDude]

Don't get me wrong tho... I also believe Pop had a crap 2nd half but all in all I'm more mad about those first 10 mn that were atrocious than Pop... those easy missed lay ups were absolutely pure laziness and cockiness... Players were not dialed up, for a team that professional it was painful to see

Yup...waaay too many missed bunnies...it's a killer, to be sure. Oh, well...Spurs still got this shit, no worries.

[will_spurs]

The game was lost in the first quarter because Duncan is unable to finish around any more. He was atrocious.

That doesn't excuse the momentum-killing 4th quarter line-up, though. That one is on Pop for sure.

[Gervin44Silas13]

Not really. This is on Leonard and Leonard alone.

He shit the bed...

[Gervin44Silas13]

The game was lost in the first quarter because Duncan is unable to finish around any more. He was atrocious.

That doesn't excuse the momentum-killing 4th quarter line-up, though. That one is on Pop for sure.

Duncan was terrible...we didn't even drive to the paint....WTF....also was that Hot Potato passing......

[coachmac87]

Pop was just looking for a spark. Nobody but LA was consistent all night..

[Gervin44Silas13]

You can tell pop had an off night when he put Kyle Anderson on kd at the end of the first half. Leonard was on the bench for some reason.


Fucking joke

[Gervin44Silas13]

The game was lost in the 2nd quarter when he kept Kawhi on the bench while the Spurs perimeter D did its best impression of a matador show. The offense was clicking in that second quarter and we were poised to get some separation, but OKC basically ran a layup drill.

no shit where was the Defense

[spursistan]

so i just checked the box score and I saw Kawhi ended the game with 3 fouls..Poop giving momentum to Thunder when they looked all deflated at the end of first half.. :lmao..

[SpursFan86]

Is it me, or is there no reason for Diaw to only be playing 8 minutes (especially with Duncan struggling like he is)? I know he's struggled a bit this year, but again, it's not like Duncan is out there killing it. I'd like to see more of the Diaw/Aldridge pairing going forward.

[hater]

He's gone senile for a while now.


It hapoens

[Brazil]

The game was lost in the first quarter because Duncan is unable to finish around any more. He was atrocious.

That doesn't excuse the momentum-killing 4th quarter line-up, though. That one is on Pop for sure.

to be fair it was not just Duncan... Green missed 3 lay ups + 1 tov, Leonard 1 lay up, 1 pull up and 1 3, parker 1 3... we went scoreless except for an early aldridge pull up for 5 mn

[Keepin' it real]

Is it me, or is there no reason for Diaw to only be playing 8 minutes (especially with Duncan struggling like he is)? I know he's struggled a bit this year, but again, it's not like Duncan is out there killing it. I'd like to see more of the Diaw/Aldridge pairing going forward.

Is Diaw's butt injury lingering?

[Spur|n|Austin]

The game was lost in the first quarter because Duncan is unable to finish around any more. He was atrocious.

That doesn't excuse the momentum-killing 4th quarter line-up, though. That one is on Pop for sure.

Yeah the day has come when he is truly an offensive liability around the basket. His defensive is still solid and still needed, but the wheels are starting to fall off. This is coming from a huge Duncan fan..

[BillMc]

Is it me, or is there no reason for Diaw to only be playing 8 minutes (especially with Duncan struggling like he is)? I know he's struggled a bit this year, but again, it's not like Duncan is out there killing it. I'd like to see more of the Diaw/Aldridge pairing going forward.

The general consensus is that he and West are too small for OKC's trio of big men. Not sure I buy it completely, but the rebounding sure does hurt us.

[look_at_g_shred]

The general consensus is that he and West are too small for OKC's trio of big men. Not sure I buy it completely, but the rebounding sure does hurt us.
It was quite apparent to start the 4th.

[keeferob25]

The general consensus is that he and West are too small for OKC's trio of big men. Not sure I buy it completely, but the rebounding sure does hurt us.

It's not so much about size but the fact that West and Diaw are not "active" rebounders, meaning they don't actively track or hunt/go after rebounds outside of their immediate range (of wingspan). Duncan and LMA are far more active with rebounding. And unfortunately Kanter and Adams are two of the league's absolute best as active rebounders. Diaw and West frankly tow the line of being lazy when it comes to rebounding. That hurts us.

[TheGreatYacht]

I couldn't believe it. I think Adams or KD was at the line and I heard the substitution whistle and I figured Leonard or LMA was checking back in, but there was Fathead with his shorts wrapped around his chest entering the game for Manu :lmao
:lmao I've never hated a player more

[Lostwingman]

Not really. This is on Leonard and Leonard alone.

Leonard certainly gets blame for how awful he played but that doesn't excuse the shit fest going on elsewhere.

[Dro210]

I guess we won't see much anymore of Anderson tbh unless blow out. He had 5 mn on a close game and delivered a totally empty statline except for 2 fouls, :lol @ the folks thinking he can guard KD.

The shittyness of that lineup isn't on Kyle.

It's the Diaw/West combo against those bigs. No lineup has a chance to be good with that combo in... add Patty's inability to hit a shot so far this series, with Kyle and Danny's limitations on offense, and you get what you got. Pop fucked this one up. That lineup was DOA.

[DMC]

I like Adams, wish he was a Spur. Tough son of a bitch.

[baseline bum]

To me the most maddening thing was having Leonard switch onto Cameron Payne and then Mills onto Durant in the fourth quarter. OKC ran this three times in a row and every time Leonard went out to guard Payne 25 feet from the basket while Durant got off an easy shot on Mills. I know this was Pop's design because otherwise he would have called timeout and torn Kawhi a new asshole like he does Green or did Parker when they fucked up a rotation. WGAF if Cameron Payne shoots a 25 foot three with Mills on him?

[DPG21920]

Playing Kawhi only 35 minutes & not trusting the DPOY to stay out of foul trouble is criminal. That lineup in the 4th is criminal. Spurs still had a chance to win and there are many things to point out (slow start, the last play, etc..) but the coach shouldn't be making those types of mistakes.

[Brazil]

Playing Kawhi only 35 minutes & not trusting the DPOY to stay out of foul trouble is criminal. That lineup in the 4th is criminal. Spurs still had a chance to win and there are many things to point out (slow start, the last play, etc..) but the coach shouldn't be making those types of mistakes.

we must not see the big picture tbh... that stuff did make sense at all but as I said we did not lose because of Pop, we lost because of 10 mn of putrid basketball in first quarter

[SAGirl]

The shittyness of that lineup isn't on Kyle.

It's the Diaw/West combo against those bigs. No lineup has a chance to be good with that combo in... add Patty's inability to hit a shot so far this series, with Kyle and Danny's limitations on offense, and you get what you got. Pop fucked this one up. That lineup was DOA.
Kyle was in for about 30-60 seconds in the 4th. It really was just two possessions (one on each end) and they already looked bad with Manu there b4 Anderson got in precisely bc of what you state. After the timeout all of them were benched save Patty who continued with his cold shooting.

I agree with you that Diaw/West can't play vs Kanter and Adams bc we have no inside presence. They are severely undersized. I think in that sequence of about 3 minutes D west was blocked at the rim twice and struggled to score. When you have no inside presence and no one rolling aggressively to the rim, defenders can stay on your shooters, no one gets open, they can switch on screens in the perimeter and all your roleplayers get contested shots which they are not supposed to take. Dias doesn't have an advantage against them and neither does D west.

[Mugen]

we must not see the big picture tbh... that stuff did make sense at all but as I said we did not lose because of Pop, we lost because of 10 mn of putrid basketball in first quarter

The Spurs coming out like they had already won the series is partially on Pop too tbh. Absolutely, the players deserve players deserve blame for that garbage 1st quarter but that shit happens....what's maddening is Pop going away from LMA until late in the game and that BS to start the 4th. Those moves were were entirely on Pop.

[SAGirl]

The game was lost in the 2nd quarter when he kept Kawhi on the bench while the Spurs perimeter D did its best impression of a matador show. The offense was clicking in that second quarter and we were poised to get some separation, but OKC basically ran a layup drill.
This was a terrible sequence and the perimeter lineups were Tony, Manu, Danny. TD/Lma were there and Diaw came in about the last 2 minutes. They scored handily bc Lma was still on fire but they were trading baskets.

[Budkin]

I like Adams, wish he was a Spur. Tough son of a bitch.

He's total Spurs material. Funny as hell too.

[TD 21]

Beyond awful . . .

- The yo-yo substitution pattern in the 1st half

- Sitting Leonard, who'd already had a 4 minute rest in the half, the final 5+ minutes of the first half (he actually tried to get him back in with about 3 minutes left, but there wasn't a stoppage; still, a timeout should have been burned)

- Sticking with Leonard and Aldridge the entire 3rd, then sitting them simultaneously to start the 4th, instead of staggering it

- Not going with Ginobili at point guard down the stretch, who at least showed flashes of decency, as opposed to Parker and Mills

- Pairing West-Diaw together, against Adams-Kanter, no less, to start the 4th

- Barely playing Diaw at all, on a team deficiency in perimeter play making

- Wasting minutes on Anderson, when the team came in well rested and was due a 4 day rest after this game

- Not vacillating between Aldridge post ups and Ginobili running pick-and-roll in the 4th and instead letting two tunnel vision, can't get to the rim players, run around and jack up awful shots

[itzsoweezee]

Amid all our struggles and health woes, he cost us the Clipper series with his momentum-killing hacks of Deandre in Game 6 not to mention going down with Parker..If we lose this series, we'll look at another overthink backfiring with his overprotection of Kawhi and his 2 fouls late in 1st half and then the resting both KL/LMA early in the fourth..

Everything you said is spot on

[Brazil]

The Spurs coming out like they had already won the series is partially on Pop too tbh. Absolutely, the players deserve players deserve blame for that garbage 1st quarter but that shit happens....what's maddening is Pop going away from LMA until late in the game and that BS to start the 4th. Those moves were were entirely on Pop.

It's imo quite easy to blame Pop even partially for the first quarter... they are grown men... there are no excuses to play like they did in first 5-10 mn... When you cannot finish like 10 lays ups in a row it is more than shit happen imo

[HarlemHeat37]

It's imo quite easy to blame Pop even partially for the first quarter... they are grown men... there are no excuses to play like they did in first 5-10 mn... When you cannot finish like 10 lays ups in a row it is more than shit happen imo

That type of shit happens, though, every team has stretches where players miss shots, even easy looks..

However, there's no excuse for that lineup to start the 4th..egregiously bad decision, a much easier thing to control than players missing shots, tbh..

[313]

I would like to see Mr. Popovich shave his beard. :)
He's a stubborn fuck, wants to prove he can win with the beard :bang

[Brazil]

That type of shit happens, though, every team has stretches where players miss shots, even easy looks..

However, there's no excuse for that lineup to start the 4th..egregiously bad decision, a much easier thing to control than players missing shots, tbh..

I have no issue regarding missing shots but they did not miss shots they missed lay ups... 6 in a row... and those lay ups were hardly contested except one ibaka block. There, it is a matter of players focus and this should be easier to control than a line up imo fwiw

but then again this does not clean Pop for his fucking line ups in the 4th

[spursistan]

Beyond awful . . .

- The yo-yo substitution pattern in the 1st half

- Sitting Leonard, who'd already had a 4 minute rest in the half, the final 5+ minutes of the first half (he actually tried to get him back in with about 3 minutes left, but there wasn't a stoppage; still, a timeout should have been burned)

- Sticking with Leonard and Aldridge the entire 3rd, then sitting them simultaneously to start the 4th, instead of staggering it

- Not going with Ginobili at point guard down the stretch, who at least showed flashes of decency, as opposed to Parker and Mills

- Pairing West-Diaw together, against Adams-Kanter, no less, to start the 4th

- Barely playing Diaw at all, on a team deficiency in perimeter play making

- Wasting minutes on Anderson, when the team came in well rested and was due a 4 day rest after this game

- Not vacillating between Aldridge post ups and Ginobili running pick-and-roll in the 4th and instead letting two tunnel vision, can't get to the rim players, run around and jack up awful shots

Pop should seriously get over himself; he's become more of a liability than asset in big games in the last couple years.. He should also stop with his pathetic "statement substitution" for minor fuckups by players like when he pulled both Green/KL too early in 1st qurater..this is not December game in Milwaukee to pull this shtick for lethargic start..

[Dro210]

Kyle was in for about 30-60 seconds in the 4th. It really was just two possessions (one on each end) and they already looked bad with Manu there b4 Anderson got in precisely bc of what you state. After the timeout all of them were benched save Patty who continued with his cold shooting.

I agree with you that Diaw/West can't play vs Kanter and Adams bc we have no inside presence. They are severely undersized. I think in that sequence of about 3 minutes D west was blocked at the rim twice and struggled to score. When you have no inside presence and no one rolling aggressively to the rim, defenders can stay on your shooters, no one gets open, they can switch on screens in the perimeter and all your roleplayers get contested shots which they are not supposed to take. Dias doesn't have an advantage against them and neither does D west.

Spot on :toast

[will_spurs]

we must not see the big picture tbh... that stuff did make sense at all but as I said we did not lose because of Pop, we lost because of 10 mn of putrid basketball in first quarter

It's totally on Pop because the 2 teams were basically tied at the beginning of the 4th, going back and forth, with the Spurs having the momentum. Then Pop trots out that absolutely putrid line-up. Only the final score counts, who cares what happened in the 1st quarter.

[HarlemHeat37]

It's totally on Pop because the 2 teams were basically tied at the beginning of the 4th, going back and forth, with the Spurs having the momentum. Then Pop trots out that absolutely putrid line-up. Only the final score counts, who cares what happened in the 1st quarter.

Spurs went on a 10-2 run in the final 3 minutes or so in the 3rd, and the Aldridge-Kawhi-Green-Manu-Mills lineup was overwhelming OKC(offensively, OKC only got 1 clean look during that time)..I understand giving Aldridge a few minutes of rest after playing the entire 3rd, but using a Mills-Manu-Green-Diaw-West lineup after finally cutting the lead down to 1 was inexcusable..it was exacerbated by Pop's reaction to OKC's run, which was inserting Kyle Anderson for Manu:lol

That was the perfect opportunity to go for the kill with all the momentum, especially with Kawhi not being on foul trouble or anything..

It was only 3 minutes or so, but those 3 minutes are all it took for the Spurs to ultimately lose a 1-point game..it's the playoffs, not game 46 in January, smh..

[Kawhitstorm]

To be fair, Spurs lost this game in the first minutes of the games and this has nothing to do with Pop... Players were fucking lazy all over the floor in first quarter... We missed 5 easy buckets in the first mn by pure laziness.

He had the merit to manage his roster and enable us to cut the lead at half time. This loss is on the players

Players were sleepwalking for the first 6 minutes & Pop coached a terrible game thereafter.

[dabom]

Pop couldn't even figure out how to stop the double high picks on Kawhi all 7 games last year. Took ya 1 year to forget how Pop is a shit coach sometimes. Out does himself at times too.

[spursistan]

Also...Pop did the same shit at the start of 4th Q of Game 6 in 2013 which ended up costing us the ship really (not Ray Allen 3) as he tried to buy TD/Kawhi few minutes of rest AFAIR..ride the fucking players adrenaline they have a whole summer to rest..

[MultiTroll]

Oh, you mean we could again have the better roster yet lose a playoff series?

Hopefully it doesn't come down to that.

[tholdren]

Everything you said is spot on
except the part where people are blaming the coach for the "superstar" playing like a bitch

[dabom]

Also...Pop did the same shit at the start of 4th Q of Game 6 in 2013 which ended up costing us the ship really (not Ray Allen 3) as he tried to buy TD/Kawhi few minutes of rest AFAIR..ride the fucking players adrenaline they have a whole summer to rest..

Pop took a timeout to keep shitter on the floor that game. :lmao

[Capt Bringdown]

It's hard/impossible to imagine Phil Jackson making a move like that 4th quarter lineup, given the stakes and context of the game. Simulator Crew indeed.

[Mugen]

:lol Sucks because Pop won't change regarding rest IMO. He pulled the same lineup crap in the 2013 Finals.

Pop's the best coach over the course of a regular season due to the system and strategic resting...but, man, his in-game and game 2 game adjustments the last couple of years have been highly suspect tbh. That's not really arguable at this point.....

[tholdren]

:lol Sucks because Pop won't change regarding rest IMO. He pulled the same lineup crap in the 2013 Finals.

Pop's the best coach over the course of a regular season due to the system and strategic resting...but, man, his in-game and game 2 game adjustments the last couple of years have been highly suspect tbh. That's not really arguable at this point.....

It's just because he has always been supported with the best players in the league his entire career. His feel for the game is odd.

[Brazil]

Players were sleepwalking for the first 6 minutes & Pop coached a terrible game thereafter.

We can agree on that yes

[UZER]

:lol Sucks because Pop won't change regarding rest IMO. He pulled the same lineup crap in the 2013 Finals.

Pop's the best coach over the course of a regular season due to the system and strategic resting...but, man, his in-game and game 2 game adjustments the last couple of years have been highly suspect tbh. That's not really arguable at this point.....

All his "adjustments" are done before the game. I've never really seen in-game adjustments other than starting a different player in the second half. He believes in his system so much that he will not make mid game adjustments. Thats why you continue to see the stupid lineups because it was scripted before the game. The reality is, I don't think he knows how to counter the other coaches moves in-game. He doesn't coach with gut like a player is on fire so let's ride with it. He coaches on a pitch count, or whether the chart says to kick the extra point instead of go for two.

I said he like Ryan Reynolds in Chaos Theory with his postcards in his pocket.

[Snaq O'Meal]

:lmao I've never hated a player more

Really? What about Kawhi?

[Snaq O'Meal]

I like Adams, wish he was a Spur. Tough son of a bitch.

It wasn't too long ago when our own big banger was tossing that wanker around.

Anyway, if Adams is a Spurs, he'll be told to run back on defence after a miss, thus negating his effectiveness on the offensive glass.

[spursistan]

Steve Kerr just played Draymond the entire 4th quarter and the Warriors turned around a 12 point defecit... ..our coach has become adept at outsmarting himself and indulging in coaching shticks he popularized around the league, which have backfired on him numerous times.

peeps still living in "CIA Pop" fantasy for the potential Warriors matchup :lol

[UZER]

Steve Kerr just played Draymond the entire 4th quarter and the Warriors turned around a 12 point defecit... ..our coach has become adept at outsmarting himself and indulging in coaching shticks he popularized around the league, which have backfired on him numerous times.

peeps still living in "CIA Pop" fantasy for the potential Warriors matchup :lol

Yup. Also Livingston with 33 minutes.

:lol pop monitoring a 24 yr olds minutes in the playoffs.

[SouthernFried]

The only player that played well...was LMA.

Everyone else was pretty bad. Sorry, but that's not on Pop. I mean, you can blame him for the poor play of the subs at the beginning of the 4th. But, what did you expect him to do? We rely on our bench, he put them in...they did nothing. The only alternative is to keep LMA in the entire game and go to him every possession. Because nobody else, including Kawhi, could do anything. No...that's not on Pop.

It's on everyone else not named Aldridge.

[SAGirl]

The only player that played well...was LMA.

Everyone else was pretty bad. Sorry, but that's not on Pop. I mean, you can blame him for the poor play of the subs at the beginning of the 4th. But, what did you expect him to do? We rely on our bench, he put them in...they did nothing. The only alternative is to keep LMA in the entire game and go to him every possession. Because nobody else, including Kawhi, could do anything. No...that's not on Pop.

It's on everyone else not named Aldridge.
It's q bit tragic we didn't come out with a win after that monster game from LMA. I agree with you. Guys have go execute better.