Quick Grades: Spurs @ Nuggets - Game 2, 2019 NBA Playoffs (Apr. 16)

[timvp]

https://i.imgur.com/ibFXisx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/EZEkELZ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xlz8Fvj.jpg

San Antonio had a great chance to grab a 2-0 lead in their first round series against the Nuggets. Unfortunately, despite building 19-point leads in both halves, the Spurs couldn't hold on and now head south to the Alamo City with the series tied at 1-1.

With 8:28 remaining in the second quarter, the Spurs led 42-23. The Nuggets responded by scoring the game's next 11 points to get right back into the thick of things. At the 4:28 mark of the third quarter, San Antonio had rebuilt their lead after a Rudy Gay free throw made it 78-59. But Denver, a team that has shown a remarkable ability to erase large deficits this season, went on a 16-2 run before the end of the period to once again make it competitive.

The Spurs were able to fend the Nuggets off in the fourth until two Jamal Murray free throws with 4:50 remaining gave the home team the lead for the first time since the first quarter. San Antonio kept fighting until Murray hit back-to-back three-pointers to turn a three-point lead into a nine-point cushion with 2:12 left on the clock.

On one hand, it's disappointing that the Spurs fumbled an opportunity to get a stranglehold on this series. If they end up falling in the first round, this 114-105 defeat will go down as the turning point of the series. On the other hand, the Spurs played really well in Denver and there were long stretches where they simply appear to be the better team. Play like that in the AT&T Center and this young Nuggets squad would be hard-pressed to win one on the road.

LaMarcus Aldridge C
Aldridge definitely played better than he did in Game 1 but he still has plenty of room for improvement. The Spurs brought him off the block more in Game 2 and he ended up getting a lot of good looks -- he just wasn't accurate enough. He was physical driving to the rim and when in the paint, which led to a game-high ten free throw attempts. Aldridge was a willing passer when doubled and took care of the basketball. Defensively, his boxing out was excellent, he was solid in the block and supplied average help out on the perimeter. All in all, Aldridge did enough in most categories but the Spurs needed him to shoot better and, more specifically, they needed him to be more demonstrative in the second half (he as only 2-for-6 from the field after halftime).

DeMar DeRozan A
DeRozan did his job; it was great to see him play at this elite level in the postseason. Offensively, he was aggressive while staying within the offense. His efficiency was outstanding: 31 points on 19 shots with only one turnover. His assist numbers were low but DeRozan was routinely making the right passes and his playmaking was at an adequate level. Defensively, he made a few errors but his energy was good, he was strong on the boards and he was quick in rotations. In the fourth quarter, DeRozan was productive (10 points on 4-for-6 shooting) yet smartly didn't try to do too much. The Spurs lost this game but they had to love what they got from DeRozan on the road in the playoffs.

Derrick White B+
White is now 14-for-21 for the series after another stellar showing of marksmanship. The Nuggets were sagging off of him and the second-year guard made the home team pay. That said, Denver was playing him so loosely that it took away from his passing lanes, which led to San Antonio's starting point guard going without an assist in 32 minutes of action. To make matters worse, White was looser with the ball than usual, totaling three of the team's ten turnovers. Defensively, I thought he was impressive during the first three quarters, outside of a few mental blunders. He did well challenging ball-handlers and shooters, while helping hold Jamal Murray to 0-for-8 shooting in the game's first 36 minutes. In the fourth, though, Murray had 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting and White was on the court for 19 of those points. It wasn't all White's fault -- Murray caught fire and began hitting difficult looks -- but he does deserve some of that blame.

Bryn Forbes D
After ten fantastic games to end the regular season and another impressive performance to begin the 2019 NBA playoffs, Bryn Forbes came crashing down to earth in spectacular fashion. His shot-selection was shaky, as Forbes needlessly forced a few contested looks. His ball-handling was a liability and his decision-making was far from crisp. On defense, Forbes was jumpy and out of position far too often, particularly when his man went backdoor. For the Spurs to win this series, they can't afford Forbes to get so handily outplayed by Gary Harris like we witnessed tonight.

Jakob Poeltl A-
Poeltl's impressive mobility was on full display. Nikola Jokic drew Poeltl out to the three-point line and the Austrian never looked like a fish out of water. Instead, he moved his feet really well and oftentimes beat Jokic to the spots he wanted to go. Poeltl also protected the rim really well and his level of ferociousness on the defensive glass was great to see. On offense, Poeltl wasn't nearly as effective as he was on the other end but he set good picks, kept his head up and knew where to pass the ball.

Rudy Gay D+
Outside of the second quarter of Game 1, Gay has been a disappointment thus far. On defense, he's not showing that he can deal with Paul Millsap and the other physical Nuggets in the paint. Gay's rebounding numbers look adequate but he's getting pushed around too much in this series to date. Offensively, he's out of rhythm, isn't taking good shots and is trying too hard to create one-on-one opportunities. Gay's passing has been helpful but he needs him to start playing stronger and smarter.

Marco Belinelli D+
Offensively, Belinelli was fine. His movement was causing chaos and he was assertive with the ball. I thought he missed a few passing opportunities but Belinelli wasn't a problem on offense. Defensively, though, he was a train wreck. His transition D was pathetic, most notably. Then again, he was really, really bad in halfcourt sets as well. When the Nuggets attacked Belinelli, the result was almost always a wide open shot. Yes, Belinelli is always a sub par defender but tonight he took his uselessness on that end to a disturbing new level.

Patty Mills C+
While Mills' energy was much better than Belinelli's on defense, the results were similar. When the Nuggets went at Mills, there was nothing much the Australian could do but try to get out of the way. To his credit, he pressured the ball well at times and at least attempted to get back in transition. Offensively, Mills was solid. He led the Spurs in assists, was doing more ball-handling than normal and his decision-making was good outside of a couple ugly exceptions. Oh, and Mills hit a couple big jumpers in the fourth quarter that kept the Spurs in the lead.

Davis Bertans C
Bertans is doing a lot of things right: his rebounding is really good, he's taking the shots he needs to take and he's moving his feet well out on the perimeter. However, he's getting bullied by Millsap to the point that Bertans is basically unplayable if Millsap is on the court. Considering that Bertans is usually the team's floor spacer late in games, that's an unfortunate turn of events for the Spurs. If Bertans can't show an ability to combat Millsap's muscle, he'll only be a bit player this series.

Pop C
Pop's adjustments between Game 1 and Game 2 were masterful and a leading reason why the Spurs were able to build big leads in this contest. Defensively, he mixed up the timing and the location of the double-teams on Jokic and that obviously disrupted Denver's attack. Offensively, he put Aldridge in positions where it was difficult to effectively double him. He also got the ball to DeRozan in sets where it made the Nuggets think twice abouts ending help. In hindsight, though, he could have done more to keep the Spurs from succumbing to Denver's fourth quarter surge. When the Nuggets got scorching hot from the perimeter, the automatic double-teams on Jokic need to end. When Belinelli is getting roasted, he needs to sit or be hidden better. And if neither Gay nor Bertans can defend Millsap, Pop needs to think long and hard about ending games with Poeltl on the court. Pop also had a dumb technical foul with 3:41 remaining in the fourth quarter after he got mad that the ref didn't call a timeout fast enough. However, while Pop could have done better, hindsight also tells us that the Spurs mostly lost because Murray went nuclear in the fourth quarter -- coaching didn't have much to do with those 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting.

[TDMVPDPOY]

jokic 24 plays 39min, while white also 24 plays only 32min... lol load management

[ducks]

Lol pop c
He should get out the red state of Texas and go to blue lakers
Him and James can talk how great Hilary Clinton is because basketball is just basketball

[phxspurfan]

Agree with the last point. Murray went supernova and that's what wins playoff games a lot of times. Stars shine bright. Let's hope they do the same, Deep In the Heart, of Texas.

[Millennial_Messiah]

Way too easy on Popovich. You don't build your legacy on the first 3 quarters. It wasn't Murray going nuclear; it was the fact Poop failed to make the necessary adjustments to take him out of the game, at least temporarily at the critical juncture. Popovich failed and cost us a critical point near the end with the technical... deserves an F.

[Millennial_Messiah]

Agree with the last point. Murray went supernova and that's what wins playoff games a lot of times. Stars shine bright. Let's hope they do the same, Deep In the Heart, of Texas.

Murray went supernova and Poop failed to make the necessary adjustment mid-crisis, instead choosing to bitch at the refs. He doesn't care anymore, that's just proof.

In the past if a guy did that, Pop would throw doubles at the guy, put a Bowen or Danny Green or Leonard on him, switch to zone, or something... anything... but now just doesn't give a rat's ass. It's sickening.

[objective]

Murray is their best perimeter player, White is our best perimeter defender.

How could he not match minutes?

[playbonner15]

Clearly, winning Game 1 was the goal. Nuggets wanted this win more than the Spurs. Also, questionable officiating favoring the home team

[Spurs Homer]

Spurs did their job and stole one game.

Jamal Murray was bound to go off at some point and after he was embarrassed in game 1 by White - he answered.

Spurs will be ready thursday - it is now a series.

[phxspurfan]

Murray is their best perimeter player, White is our best perimeter defender.

How could he not match minutes?

becausehttps://s.hdnux.com/photos/72/60/21/15402075/3/rawImage.jpg

[phxspurfan]

Clearly, winning Game 1 was the goal. Nuggets wanted this win more than the Spurs. Also, questionable officiating favoring the home team

Can't lose two 19 point leads with just home cooking officiating. Spurs blew those leads with crappy transition D and bad lineups, no responsiveness to runs late, etc.

Rich and creamy nougats splooged all over this one. Let's see if they can bring that swag to SA or get run over by all the big ladies in South Texas

[TDMVPDPOY]

Murray is their best perimeter player, White is our best perimeter defender.

How could he not match minutes?

not over himself

no but seriously white wasnt even in foul trouble, or look fatigue

looks like pop had to put out his mental midget lineup for no apparent reason...unless these 2 pos have some inside secret of pop from enrique

[objective]

not over himself

no but seriously white wasnt even in foul trouble, or look fatigue

looks like pop had to put out his mental midget lineup for no apparent reason...unless these 2 pos have some inside secret of pop from enrique

And regarding fatigue ...

White is the one Spur best suited for playing big minutes at altitude!

He grew up right outside Denver. Every home game in his entire life before San Antonio was at altitude. He goes back there every summer.

No excuses for Pop. He's coached enough games to know what to do. He did it when Kawhi on LeBron. Match the damn minutes.

When he was smart he did it with Bowen on Kobe. When he wasn't he lost them games and the series by benching Bowen in 2008 to watch a 20 point lead vanish while some other bums got destroyed and Kobe was activated

[siraulo23]

Ugh missed opportunity to take 2 games in Denver

[slick'81]

Lol mills doing anything noteworthy

[vavvi]

Thanks for the grades

Haven't been so angry after basketball game for a long time.
Would prefer a blowout tbh. This way there could be so many psychological consequences for both sides favoring Denver.
How could we choke 19point leads not once but twice?!

[TheGreatYacht]

Passing grade for Pop..

[vavvi]

Emotions aside, I liked how we played while staggering LA and DDR minutes. Of course in the first half it wasn't by design but because of DDR foul troubles. I think we play better when only one of LA/DDR is out there, not both of them.

[tbdog]

Today's league means any lead is unsafe. A combination of hot shooting from Nuggets, cold shooting from Spurs, followed by about 3 mins of wtf officiating, will erase leads in a instant. Really good teams have lost games.

[monty4329]

Ugly loss.

Totally on coaching staff. You don't give up TWICE a 19 points lead.

I don't understand DDR's grade, to be honest. His 4th quarter was awful.

[Uriel]

White has plantar fasciitis. He’s on a minutes restriction.

[Twisted_Dawg]

Ugh missed opportunity to take 2 games in Denver

Not only that, we had our foot on their throat and took it off and now gave them new life. Disgusting

[vavvi]

We need to figure out what to do with Paul Millsap. He is the most consistent Nuggets player and he just destroys both Gay and Bertans.

[monty4329]

We need to figure out what to do with Paul Millsap. He is the most consistent Nuggets player and he just destroys both Gay and Bertans.

There wasn't much to figure out when up 19. Twice.

If you shoot yourself in the balls, twice, you probably lose. Millsap or not.

[vavvi]

There wasn't much to figure out when up 19. Twice.

If you shoot yourself in the balls, twice, you probably lose. Millsap or not.

Sure. That's indisputable. And painful.
But we need to get over it and strategize for the home games. And guarding Millsap is something we need to figure out.

[sananspursfan21]

I was pleased with Patty’s defense last night. He’s 6 foot with a very average wingspan, he’s just not capable of doing much. But he turned wide open threes into pump fake and drives or passes. He’s just not good on defense and tonight was nearly his ceiling.

After sleeping and cooling off, I’m not too upset. I’m always angry with blown huge leads. They’re way harder to deal with than a game that was out of reach or close the whole time. That said, if Murray stays in his slump or even just returns to the mean, Spurs win. I’m still fairly confident about this series but my only concern is that this catapults Murray into series takeover mode

[sananspursfan21]

Today's league means any lead is unsafe. A combination of hot shooting from Nuggets, cold shooting from Spurs, followed by about 3 mins of wtf officiating, will erase leads in a instant. Really good teams have lost games.

I remember the days when a 19 point lead was pretty safe :(

[Play Boban]

I can’t deal with Pop getting a C.

[GusT15]

Was hoping we wouldn't get blown out by 30 but going up by 20 Twice and then losing by 10 hurts even more.

Work shit out and protect homecourt.

And for crying out loud,we're playing in San Antonio now,no excuses for our role players to shoot 27% from 3 again.

[TDMVPDPOY]

why did they ignore white on offense who had a hot hand? only to have 1fga in the 2nd half or rested just too long for in favor culture club player mills/forbes?

[HankChinaski]

Things look good for San Antonio if they can get results from Gay an Bertans with the Millsap match up and if they can sort out a minor alteration with dealing with Murray. Spurs have a good shot and winning and closing out this series. So far San Antonio has looked the better team.

Gay and Bertans really need to come back to life.

Forbes an Mills well, so long as they are playing with in their limitations and being pesky scrappy defenders that's all you can hope for if they are hitting their shots.

Coaching staff needs to get a game plan to have Aldridge being able to set himself consistently in the low post and a exit strategy to get others involved with his double teams. When he flees over to that long jumper Pop really needs to go classic pop and yell at his ass.

They have really done a decent job on Jokic

[Play Boban]

Backdoor sweep incoming.

[John B]

Thanks Timvp. Keep the foot on the pedal. Bury the nail early. It took a supernova on Murray to lose game 2. It would be difficult to duplicate that in San Antonio. GSG!

[Blackhaus]

Thanks for the write up and grades, always appreciated. I have to disagree on mills, gay and pops grades, they should all be F+++++. Mills was flat out terrible, he looks like an uncoordinated rec league 8 year old out there. His turnover to really start their finally comeback was just terrible. Gay was flat out the worst. Dude looked like he never picked up a basketball in his life, looked very stiff out there and was complaining to the refs about him throwing up a bad shot or just falling down. And then there’s pop. There is no reason why 2 out of 3 of white, DD and LMA should not be out on the court at all times in the playoffs. If he can’t stagger those three, then he’s completely lost it. And running beli and mills together for as long as he did would get any other coach fired. He should of played Jacob more too, dude was playing great. Just a terrible loss from a very winnable game. Now the nuggs and Murray think they’re gods gift and will play outa their minds going forward.

[weeks]

Before we went into dinner as the 7th seed facing a 2nd seed I told myself I'd be very happy if we came back to San Antone with home court.

Well, here we are.

The game last night sucked mainly because it felt like we wasted a good opportunity to put this series to bed, but objectively speaking the trip was a success.

[emanueldavidginobili]

Yeah Pop should definitely be matching Murray’s minutes with White. Also needs to limit the time Beli and Mills are both out there, zero defense and zero playmaking. Hope Rudy wakes up coming back to SA, he looked incredibly slow out there and atrocious on defense.

All in all this team should be up 2-0 and was up 19 in both half’s in game 2. The role players will be much better at home.

Spurs in 5, tbh

[DPG21920]

Not sure if you saw some of the lineup data but if not I think it would change your Pop grade from a C to a D. Only reason it’s not an F is as you said the game plan was sound on both ends

[polandprzem]

I remember the days when a 19 point lead was pretty safe :(

With 8 minutes to go down by 19 was a white flag alert and welcome to the garbage time. Now you need to wait until 3minutes on the clock to hang the flag.

It is crazy when players commenting always says 'back in my days' blah blah blah saying that their league was better...

It was just not. Those playoffs games shows how great of a sport basketball is. Even though IMO treys plays too much of a role. But other then that. Boring 90s playoff games.. halfcourt snoozers :)

[GreekSpursfan]

Poetl an A-, hahaha.
Austrian bball player should never and i repeat, NEVER have a grade above C in any game let alone yesterdays game. One of the lowest defensive IQ's in the history of the game and lets not talk about offense and his non existent skills.
That was a big Pop mistake in that trade but i understand why he had to gamble on a young center since we didn't have anyone else.

[BackHome]

Pop deserves a D or F and LMA should be a A or B he had a very good game.

[DesignatedT]

I thought Poeltl was great last night. I agree that Pop should look at keeping him in to play Jokic while Aldirdge moves over to Milsap down the stretch. Gay looks awful and Bertans doesn't do well against physically imposing players. Poeltl plays hard and physical and has been very good defensively manning the paint. He's also capable offensively around the rim. I was calling for more Jacob last night after it was clear as day Gay just doesn't have it.

[sammy]

Pop C
LMA A
DeRozen A
White A+
Poetl B
Mills D
Gay F
Bertans F
Belinelli F
Forbes C

[superbigtime]

Pop D
LA B
DD B+
White A
Poeltl A-
Mills D
Gay F-
Bert D-
Beli F
Forbes D+

[bklynspursfan]

Backdoor sweep incoming.

i'm thinking no

[JeffDuncan]

Pop - F. The game was very winnable, but they lost it.

You coach it, you own it. Pop failed.

[bklynspursfan]

I'm not as concerned about Rudy, he'll bounce back.

Davis has to get going though. Hopefully the home crowd will be enough to get him going, cause he's been in a serious funk lately.

[Rummpd]

Pop was horrible - whatever fail is, drop grade one below that

[RC_Drunkford]

This team has 2 ballhandlers: White and DeRozan. You don't sit them both at the same time and play a back court of Mills/Belinelli. Not only can they not run offense, they can't defend either. That is the main reason why we lost the game. When you're up 19 at the middle of the 3rd quarter you want to keep a PG out there who runs clock and gets you good shots, so you keep scoring the ball and don't let the other team back in the game. Pop on the other hand thinks that this is the time to experiment with dumbass line ups.

Not only did he bench both playmakers, he called a time out way too late when Denver cut the lead to 7. When you're up 19 you don't save time outs for crunch time, since it shouldn't even come to having to make plays in the clutch when you up by such a wide margin.

Then after he called time out, he ran out the SAME LINE UP. If that ain't retarded coaching I don't know what is. Everybody could sense that we was going to lose the game after that. I don't care how bad the refs were in the 4th. We would've swept Denver if he had kept one of White or DeRozan out there.

This loss is on the coach F-

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

Passing grade for Pop..

lol so fucking pathetic and expected. When it's obvious the game was totally given away by Pop.

:lol C

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

This team has 2 ballhandlers: White and DeRozan. You don't sit them both at the same time and play a back court of Mills/Belinelli. Not only can they not run offense, they can't defend either. That is the main reason why we lost the game. When you're up 19 at the middle of the 3rd quarter you want to keep a PG out there who runs clock and gets you good shots, so you keep scoring the ball and don't let the other team back in the game. Pop on the other hand thinks that this is the time to experiment with dumbass line ups.

Not only did he bench both playmakers, he called a time out way too late when Denver cut the lead to 7. When you're up 19 you don't save time outs for crunch time, since it shouldn't even come to having to make plays in the clutch when you up by such a wide margin.

Then after he called time out, he ran out the SAME LINE UP. If that ain't retarded coaching I don't know what is. Everybody could sense that we was going to lose the game after that. I don't care how bad the refs were in the 4th. We would've swept Denver if he had kept one of White or DeRozan out there.

This loss is on the coach F-

:tu

[TDomination]

Would be nice to get a nice blowout win for Game 3!

Hopefully home cooking helps Forbes/Beli/Mills out.

[Mugen]

The closing lineup to end the 3rd was just absolutely atrocious....

Not being able to stagger Derozan and White's minutes is such an elementary coaching mistake but here we are :lol

[Chomag]

Despite many of the Spurs players playing poorly and Pop going full retard doing everything he can to make the game harder to win and Murray going super scrub, Denver still had a hard time beating the Spurs. So I'm still feeling pretty good about the Spurs in this series.

However there is nothing more dangerous in the playoffs then letting a young team gain confidence.. It would help if Pop would get his head out of his ass and get over himself but in not going to hold my breath on that one.

[RC_Drunkford]

The closing lineup to end the 3rd was just absolutely atrocious....
wh
Not being able to stagger Derozan and White's minutes is such an elementary coaching mistake but here we are :lol

reminds me of not staggering LA and Duncan against the Thunder in 2016 and keep playing West/Diaw who got destroyed on the glass

[Shakril]

Poetl an A-, hahaha.
Austrian bball player should never and i repeat, NEVER have a grade above C in any game let alone yesterdays game. One of the lowest defensive IQ's in the history of the game and lets not talk about offense and his non existent skills.
That was a big Pop mistake in that trade but i understand why he had to gamble on a young center since we didn't have anyone else.

Whatever you smoke, stop it. Poeltl ist propably the most important defender on the Spurs in this series and yesterday he has shown why. I dont know why you hate him so much, but judge him on his merits not on your personal feelings.

[Mugen]

The bar is so low too, just don't give up a 19pt lead late in the 3rd, don't put your 3 worst defenders together, don't play them too many minutes, just stagger minutes for the only playmakers you have.....

And he couldn't even do that :lmao

[NASpurs]

The bar is so low too, just don't give up a 19pt lead late in the 3rd, don't put your 3 worst defenders together, don't play them too many minutes, just stagger minutes for the only playmakers you have.....

And he couldn't even do that :lmao

He puts that shitty defensive lineup to end the 3rd, the Nuggets get hot because of it and then has the audacity to say that they didn't play defense in the fourth singling the players out. :lol Kind of hard to stop an avalanche once it gets going.

Take the L old man and admit you fucked up.

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

The bar is so low too, just don't give up a 19pt lead late in the 3rd, don't put your 3 worst defenders together, don't play them too many minutes, just stagger minutes for the only playmakers you have.....

And he couldn't even do that :lmao

Always feels like he does the shit on purpose all these years to troll his critics. He probably hears it or reads these criticisms in private :lol senile old fuck gave away a sure 2- 0 series lead. Makes no sense at all.

[sasaint]

jokic 24 plays 39min, while white also 24 plays only 32min... lol load management

Jokic is obviously in better condition.

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

He puts that shitty defensive lineup to end the 3rd, the Nuggets get hot because of it and then has the audacity to say that they didn't play defense in the fourth singling the players out. :lol Kind of hard to stop an avalanche once it gets going.

Take the L old man and admit you fucked up.

Weird that this gets ignored completely in the grades, and it's the single most glaring reason the game was lost/given away

[sasaint]

This team has 2 ballhandlers: White and DeRozan. You don't sit them both at the same time and play a back court of Mills/Belinelli. Not only can they not run offense, they can't defend either. That is the main reason why we lost the game. When you're up 19 at the middle of the 3rd quarter you want to keep a PG out there who runs clock and gets you good shots, so you keep scoring the ball and don't let the other team back in the game. Pop on the other hand thinks that this is the time to experiment with dumbass line ups.

Not only did he bench both playmakers, he called a time out way too late when Denver cut the lead to 7. When you're up 19 you don't save time outs for crunch time, since it shouldn't even come to having to make plays in the clutch when you up by such a wide margin.

Then after he called time out, he ran out the SAME LINE UP. If that ain't retarded coaching I don't know what is. Everybody could sense that we was going to lose the game after that. I don't care how bad the refs were in the 4th. We would've swept Denver if he had kept one of White or DeRozan out there.

This loss is on the coach F-

Just agonizing to watch that shit happen time and again. We all know it’s coming, too. I guess the assistant coaches are good with it, too...

[diceman]

Thanks timvp!

[spurraider21]

:lmao patty not getting the worst grade

[GreekSpursfan]

Whatever you smoke, stop it. Poeltl ist propably the most important defender on the Spurs in this series and yesterday he has shown why. I dont know why you hate him so much, but judge him on his merits not on your personal feelings.

This is the Spurs we are talking about here who were always associated with high IQ players usually on both ends, not your team, the Lakers, who have Javale Mcgee, Lance Stephenson,kentavious caldwell-pope. The list is huge and people were thinking you were gonna make the playoffs with that roster.
There are plays last night that shows you Poetl's defensive IQ and you can clearly see even though the effort is there, he doesn't know where to concentrate that effort, its useless effort. Gonna mention one play where its a simple screen by Jokic to free Murray and play a pick n roll or Murray shoot it and Poetl goes and hugs Jokic without paying any attention to Murray and providing a double screen to White were he has two bodies to get around.
The effort is there and thats good but there's nothing else there.

[MannyIsGod]

There's zero way Pop deserves any blame for that technical. That's some shitty referring. I can live with the missed calls, but to call that T at that point in the game is incredibly shitty.

[bklynspursfan]

There's zero way Pop deserves any blame for that technical. That's some shitty referring. I can live with the missed calls, but to call that T at that point in the game is incredibly shitty.

And it only got worse from there. They were dog shit in that 4th quarter.

[Mugen]

And it only got worse from there. They were dog shit in that 4th quarter.

It's okay to say that Pop made some mistakes from time to time, B :lol

[RC_Drunkford]

Just agonizing to watch that shit happen time and again. We all know it’s coming, too. I guess the assistant coaches are good with it, too...

fully expect him to play the same line up in the next game

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

fully expect him to play the same line up in the next game

All the way to elimination. Then continue next season

[bklynspursfan]

It's okay to say that Pop made some mistakes from time to time, B :lol

I know that much lol. But that tech was BS

1118353835783806976

[Seventyniner]

I'm certainly not cliff jumping yet. Those that do always manage to survive the fall and climb back up though.

If you reverse the results of the two games, we would be feeling pretty good right now.

I'm rather glad there's only one day of rest before game 3, it makes it easier for the Spurs to hold on to that pissed-off feeling. They know they should have won game 2.

[Mugen]

I know that much lol. But that tech was BS

1118353835783806976

:lol

[Spurs da champs]

Pop needs to mirror White's minutes with Murrays, that guy is streaky as can be but you cant give him the chance to build any momentum off Mills or Forbes. When he's on he looks like a poor man's Kyrie.

[objective]

This team has 2 ballhandlers: White and DeRozan. You don't sit them both at the same time and play a back court of Mills/Belinelli. Not only can they not run offense, they can't defend either. That is the main reason why we lost the game. When you're up 19 at the middle of the 3rd quarter you want to keep a PG out there who runs clock and gets you good shots, so you keep scoring the ball and don't let the other team back in the game. Pop on the other hand thinks that this is the time to experiment with dumbass line ups.

Not only did he bench both playmakers, he called a time out way too late when Denver cut the lead to 7. When you're up 19 you don't save time outs for crunch time, since it shouldn't even come to having to make plays in the clutch when you up by such a wide margin.

Then after he called time out, he ran out the SAME LINE UP. If that ain't retarded coaching I don't know what is. Everybody could sense that we was going to lose the game after that. I don't care how bad the refs were in the 4th. We would've swept Denver if he had kept one of White or DeRozan out there.

This loss is on the coach F-

It's all true

[DAF86]

No mention of the 3 minutes stretch to end the 3rd quarter where Pop subbed out both DeMar and White and all went to hell? No lineup change to mend the mistake and a TO that was called way too late. That alone should have given Pop a falling mark.

[Maddog]

I'm disappointed.
But WTH. You are the 7 seed playing the 2 seed on the road
Who happen to have the best home record and you blow a lead after one of their players gets hot and some calls go against you.
It's not shocking.

[mclinejr]

Way too easy on Popovich. You don't build your legacy on the first 3 quarters. It wasn't Murray going nuclear; it was the fact Poop failed to make the necessary adjustments to take him out of the game, at least temporarily at the critical juncture. Popovich failed and cost us a critical point near the end with the technical... deserves an F.

“Build your legacy”??? Um, he has the most wins of any coach in NBA history. One poorly coached game doesn’t change anything.

[Millennial_Messiah]

“Build your legacy”??? Um, he has the most wins of any coach in NBA history. One poorly coached game doesn’t change anything.

He used to be great, but now he just doesn't give a rat's ass. After the Kawhi/Zaza moment, he's spewed more political bullcrap and cared less about basketball than probably any other coach.

[TD 21]

2-7 is irrelevant in this case. This was and is a coin flip series. The Nuggets overachieved early on but have slowly but surely come crashing back down to earth as the season wore on. Meanwhile, the Spurs have been better from at least the All-Star break on, if not the new year.

This is the type of series where whoever loses it, is going to feel like they let one slip away but the difference is, the Nuggets can mostly chalk it up to inexperience. The Spurs have no such excuses.

[SwansonInSibagat]

We won one on the road and that's all that matters for the moment. HCA is ours.

DeMar played really well. Here's hoping he keeps it up. Will be integral to the team's fortunes in this playoffs.

I'm pumped!

[wildbill2u]

Murry was getting double screens in the 4th where Jokic and another player would build a wall and then bull forward toward the basket against the defenders. This technically might not have been a screen since the were moving away from the guy with the ball, but it blocked White from following Murray on the screen and gave him some easy looks. Good strategy by Denver if the refs don't call the moving screens for what they were.

[slick'81]

:lmao patty not getting the worst grade

he was :rollinsolid

[Spurch]

Everyone on this forum has made great points but the 1 thing we all have in common besides being Spurs fans is we let this game slip away, this game 2 should've been won, where as I'm laying blame to Rudy gay as our 3rd best scorer and primary defender he came up wayyyyy too short he needs to be better a lot better, pop gets the majority of the blame in my opinion simply bcuz he has the most experience in these situations before Murray got hot Beasley and others were scoring tremendously and while we were scoring we weren't getting stops pop should've made the proper adjustments just as some of you highlighted and that's why I like coach doc Rivers he most times don't panic and keeps a calm demeanor even when trailing in games however white is a good defender but even good or great defenders sometimes get beaten in the white vs Murray match up white did a good job but most times Murray is coming off a yokic screen and lma almost never comes up to contest or even show so that white can recover so Murray shoots an elbow jumper or floater yokic doesn't roll to the basket so lma can contest the shot or make him past and that guys is my most important point the Spurs entire rooster have to be better defensively and Rudy gay needs to step up on all ends.

[The Whopper]

This team has 2 ballhandlers: White and DeRozan. You don't sit them both at the same time and play a back court of Mills/Belinelli. Not only can they not run offense, they can't defend either. That is the main reason why we lost the game. When you're up 19 at the middle of the 3rd quarter you want to keep a PG out there who runs clock and gets you good shots, so you keep scoring the ball and don't let the other team back in the game. Pop on the other hand thinks that this is the time to experiment with dumbass line ups.

Not only did he bench both playmakers, he called a time out way too late when Denver cut the lead to 7. When you're up 19 you don't save time outs for crunch time, since it shouldn't even come to having to make plays in the clutch when you up by such a wide margin.

Then after he called time out, he ran out the SAME LINE UP. If that ain't retarded coaching I don't know what is. Everybody could sense that we was going to lose the game after that. I don't care how bad the refs were in the 4th. We would've swept Denver if he had kept one of White or DeRozan out there.

This loss is on the coach F-

winner winner chicken dinner. That’s where Pop lost it for us.

[TDMVPDPOY]

lma/poetl/bertans is a solid frontline rotation, problem is bertans on offense...nobody is looking for him, or when he receives it his always 2-3ft behind the 3pt line for that brick shot..., defense his getting abuse but he makes them work for them points

rudy gay...seems like this clown forgot to bounce a ball...

belli i was hoping he eat up most of mills/forbes minutes, u need size out there, not fkn midgets, hence belli only shoots when his free..unlike these 2 clowns who have the green light to chuck out of nowhere wasting possessions...these 2 idiots dont even try making plays like a pg, to busy trying to counter a basket

[Play Boban]

lma/poetl/bertans is a solid frontline rotation, problem is bertans on offense...nobody is looking for him, or when he receives it his always 2-3ft behind the 3pt line for that brick shot..., defense his getting abuse but he makes them work for them points

rudy gay...seems like this clown forgot to bounce a ball...

belli i was hoping he eat up most of mills/forbes minutes, u need size out there, not fkn midgets, hence belli only shoots when his free..unlike these 2 clowns who have the green light to chuck out of nowhere wasting possessions...these 2 idiots dont even try making plays like a pg, to busy trying to counter a basket
Dropping truth bombs per par :wow

[blah28]

lma/poetl/bertans is a solid frontline rotation, problem is bertans on offense...nobody is looking for him, or when he receives it his always 2-3ft behind the 3pt line for that brick shot..., defense his getting abuse but he makes them work for them points

rudy gay...seems like this clown forgot to bounce a ball...

belli i was hoping he eat up most of mills/forbes minutes, u need size out there, not fkn midgets, hence belli only shoots when his free..unlike these 2 clowns who have the green light to chuck out of nowhere wasting possessions...these 2 idiots dont even try making plays like a pg, to busy trying to counter a basket

So true, it is frustrating that no one looks for Bertans when he is on the floor, unless they want him to bail them out.

I cannot believe why White who is only 24 years old plays around 32-33 minutes. He should be playing at least 40 minutes. This is the playoffs when your best point guard plays the most. Why sub him for a 5'10 Shooting guard when you don't need to. There are no back to back games plus he is also our best perimeter defender too.

[monty4329]

Everyone on this forum has made great points but the 1 thing we all have in common besides being Spurs fans is we let this game slip away, this game 2 should've been won, where as I'm laying blame to Rudy gay as our 3rd best scorer and primary defender he came up wayyyyy too short he needs to be better a lot better, pop gets the majority of the blame in my opinion simply bcuz he has the most experience in these situations before Murray got hot Beasley and others were scoring tremendously and while we were scoring we weren't getting stops pop should've made the proper adjustments just as some of you highlighted and that's why I like coach doc Rivers he most times don't panic and keeps a calm demeanor even when trailing in games however white is a good defender but even good or great defenders sometimes get beaten in the white vs Murray match up white did a good job but most times Murray is coming off a yokic screen and lma almost never comes up to contest or even show so that white can recover so Murray shoots an elbow jumper or floater yokic doesn't roll to the basket so lma can contest the shot or make him past and that guys is my most important point the Spurs entire rooster have to be better defensively and Rudy gay needs to step up on all ends.

you probably are making some sense but after two lines it all gets blurred....Paragraph please :dizzy

[Ozballer]

Denver got going half way through the third when the series was truly on the line. They started playing with passion, the crowd lifted, the refs lent a hand and the Spurs succumbed. Not too bad for 8 quarters of basketball in tough away conditions. Denver did just enough. If the Spurs really want this one they should be favoured win at home the next 2. They have more basketball tricks. Great effort by the team across the series so far. Keep it up

[SouthTexasRancher]

Lol pop c
He should get out the red state of Texas and go to blue lakers
Him and James can talk how great Hilary Clinton is because basketball is just basketball

:lol :toast

[Arcadian]

If only we had our Murray to stop their Murray. I look forward to BATTLE OF THE MURRAYS :lol

[BillMc]

If only we had our Murray to stop their Murray. I look forward to BATTLE OF THE MURRAYS :lol
https://i.imgur.com/3W4ApHL.jpg