Grades: Spurs vs. Nuggets - Game 5, 2019 NBA Playoffs (Apr. 23)

[timvp]

https://i.imgur.com/mW8cVyx.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1EDFMab.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/RoYHjIr.jpg

In the first few minutes of the first quarter, the Spurs were playing decently well. Their offensive execution was steady and they were competing on defense. Then everything fell apart. San Antonio went scoreless for a five-minute stretch starting at the 7:42 mark of the first period and the Nuggets grabbed control.

Leading 26-19 going into the second quarter, Denver steadily built their lead and went into intermission with a 53-42 advantage. The third quarter is where it totally went off the rails for San Antonio, as the Nuggets began the second half with a 16-4 run to go up 23 points. The Spurs never legitimately threatened the home team's lead again, as the Nuggets built their cushion to as high as 30 points.

The loss, by a final count of 108-90, puts the Spurs in a 3-2 hole in this first round series. The good guys return to San Antonio to play a must-win game on Thursday night.

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LaMarcus Aldridge
https://i.imgur.com/1nluyNF.png
LaMarcus Aldridge wasn't necessarily bad but he didn't put up much of a fight. In the game's first three quarters, he was only 4-for-10 from the floor and missed a few demoralizing point-blank shots right at the rim. In his defense, Aldridge wasn't getting many touches tonight. That said, I expected more urgency out of San Antonio's lone All-Star. Defensively, he was okay and he did well enough on the boards but nothing on this night stood out as uniquely positive for Aldridge.
Grade: C-
Summary: Aldridge never found a rhythm and never really seemed to be too concerned about that.

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DeMar DeRozan
https://i.imgur.com/ZKxGADZ.png
Early on, DeMar DeRozan's effort was solid. He hit his first two shots from the floor and appeared to be playing a determined brand of basketball. But when things got tough for the Spurs, DeRozan folded. I didn't like his body language and, of course, he steadily whined about the refereeing. After his two early makes, he hit only two of his next nine field goal attempts. His playmaking was totally missing in action; DeRozan's lone assist didn't come until the game was essentially over. Defensively, he made a couple plays but was mostly well below average.
Grade: D
Summary: DeRozan's defeatist aura didn't help matters.

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Derrick White
https://i.imgur.com/IrTA2dV.png
While Derrick White's statistics look decent, it must be prominently noted that he hit his final four shots from the floor well into garbage time in the fourth quarter. Up until his late flurry, he was 1-for-7 from the floor with one assist. White wasn't moving well on either end, lacked any burst to the basket, was passing up wide open shots and wasn't creating shots for teammates at a satisfactory level. Honestly, he looked nothing like the player who dropped 36 points in Game 3. Making his night even more difficult was foul trouble in the middle two quarters. Let's hope those fourth quarter buckets can get his confidence on track, he can discover some spryness and White can deliver in Game 6.
Grade: D+
Summary: White had a subdued night, to put it kindly.

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Bryn Forbes
https://i.imgur.com/yXVIEAs.png
Bryn Forbes hit a three-pointer less than two minutes into the game ... and that was about all she wrote. His shot-selection was iffy and he couldn't create anything of value off the dribble. Defensively, he didn't play too well, either, as Gary Harris easily and efficiently won the battle of the shooting guard Spartans. The Spurs desperately needed someone like Forbes to have a breakout offensive performance ... but it didn't happen.
Grade: D+
Summary: Forbes will want to forget Tuesday night.

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Jakob Poeltl
https://i.imgur.com/FUIlW00.png
Mr. Sole Bright Spot, also known as Jakob Poeltl, played pretty darn well. I don't have any complaints. On offense, he extended his repertoire by way of floaters and drives to the bucket when the Spurs were begging for someone, anyone to produce. His patience and savviness when passing the basketball was extremely helpful; Poeltl was playing like the wily vet who was trying to conduct an offense overflowing with youthful bewilderment. (Though, it's probably not a good sign when Poeltl has double the number of assists as anyone else on your team, to be honest.) Defensively, he was strong against Nikola Jokic. Poeltl kept a hand up on his jumpers, guarded him physically in the paint and flailed his long arms in the passing lanes. His help-defense and rebounding were also at high levels. Well done.
Grade: A
Summary: Poeltl came to play and continues to paint an increasingly pretty picture of his future.

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Marco Belinelli
https://i.imgur.com/hP9vIFY.png
Marco Belinelli wasn't exactly good but he was much, much closer to it than any of the previous four games. His shot-selection was fine, although he did hesitate on a few open jumpers. His defense wasn't an asset but it also wasn't the blinding liability it was in the previous games against the Nuggets. Belinelli made a couple good passes and competed reasonably well. All that said, the Spurs need him to actually put together a quality game before this series ends rather than simply a not-terrible game like tonight.
Grade: C
Summary: Belinelli bounced back a bit but there's still plenty of room for recovery.

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Patty Mills
https://i.imgur.com/gTa4B5z.png
With White in foul trouble and struggling, it was the perfect opportunity for Patty Mills to flex some of his veteran moxie and lead the Spurs to an inspiring performance inside the lion's den. And he did just that. Just kidding. Mills was bad. Defensively, he drew an offensive foul and had a couple well-timed digs into the post but otherwise he was routinely roasted by Denver's guards. Jamal Murray told his teammates that Mills couldn't guard him and, unfortunately, he was right. Offensively, he hit his second three-pointer of the series but otherwise tossed up bricks, dribbled a lot and didn't make many plays of note. I mean, Mills was efforting but that effort needs to result in more positive plays for him to have a winning impact on this squad.
Grade: D+
Summary: Mills failed to step up when it was needed.

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Rudy Gay
https://i.imgur.com/vqYr2we.png
Rudy Gay was hoping for redemption in Game 5. It never arrived. In the first half, he was really bad. He struggled on defense and on the boards. On offense, everything came to a halt when he was on the court. Gay was trying to call his own number and the only thing that succeeded in doing was to break the team's fragile offensive rhythm. Two smidgens of good news: When he looked to dish the ball, Gay actually delivered a few fantastic passes. Gay hit two shots in a row in the third quarter and looked a little bit more comfortable in the second half in terms of attacking mismatches.
Grade: D+
Summary: Gay's nightmarish series moves on to Game 6.

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Davis Bertans
https://i.imgur.com/ucY2jSF.png
Davis Bertans hit a meaningless three-pointer late in the fourth quarter. Considering that's only his third made three of the series, it was good for him to see that he can indeed still make those shots. There were not many positives to report for the rest of Bertans' 17 minutes. He forgot to jump for a couple rebounds, his dribbling usually led nowhere and his defense out on the perimeter made Belinelli look fleet of foot by comparison.
Grade: D+
Summary: Bertans made a three-pointer.

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Lonnie Walker IV
https://i.imgur.com/SgA6sEb.png
Lonnie Walker IV played the entire fourth quarter of garbage time. Considering that Pop might turn to him in Game 6, I paid extra close attention to how he played. Overall, I was impressed. On defense, he has the athleticism to stay in front of Denver's perimeter players. He's fast enough and jumps high enough to contest shooters, even if he has to travel a long distance. He was physical boxing out. On offense, Walker's ball-handling and dribble-penetration opened up opportunities for others. At the very least, it gave the Spurs another player capable of potentially breaking down the Nuggets defense.
Grade: Inc.
Summary: Is Walker ready? With desperation setting it, let's hope he can help in a pinch.

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Pop
https://i.imgur.com/x7B1It7.jpg
I didn't think the Spurs needed to make wholesale changes heading into Game 5 but Pop took that to an extreme. He leaned even more heavily on his bench in the first half despite the fact that the bench has been horrible this series. If anything, I thought the bench should play less ... but Pop went the opposite direction. I didn't see any button-pushing of note: similar rotation, similar playcalls on offense, similar gameplan on defense. While that was probably the right move going into the game, when things were falling apart around him, it would have been nice for Pop to try something. Instead, he peacefully sank with the ship that got him there.
Grade: C-
Summary: Pop's strategy entering the game made sense but he didn't appear interested in making any midgame adjustments.

Looking ahead: The Spurs try to stay alive in Game 6. With the momentum the Nuggets have gained over the last two contests, that promises to be a tall order. However, the Spurs have been a good home team, the Nuggets were a mediocre road team and San Antonio is due for a hot shooting night, right? Let us hope.

[lefty]

Thsnk you

[Hoops Czar]

Davis Bonner
Grade: D+
Summary: Bertans made a three-pointer.

B-b-but he was a +14 when on the court......

[objective]

It's too bad that playing Lonnie wouldn't be fair to the team.

But the good news is that instead of Austin, he'll watch and learn as the Spurs 13th man next season, and maybe, just maybe, he'll be over himself for 2020/21

[Robz4000]

Pop just content to get into the playoffs. Really looking like this may be the end for him.

[timvp]

It's too bad that playing Lonnie wouldn't be fair to the team.

But the good news is that instead of Austin, he'll watch and learn as the Spurs 13th man next season, and maybe, just maybe, he'll be over himself for 2020/21

Yes, because a year in Austin was so terrible for Murray and White. Good call. :tu

[Ozballer]

I feel Pop is just using this series as a test to understand what to expect moving forward from a bunch of his players. Meanwhile, he continues to build the core youth team. It will be interesting to observe what vet players stay on into the new season since the young core is not quite ready to break out.
In sheer numbers, this rosters has an excess of NQR (not quite right) guards. Offensively minded, not very good defenders and some of them with true lack of desire (or ability?)to do what it takes at crunch time. Add a few big men, and no established leaders. Can't believe the blame on coaching for the individual poor on court performance by some experienced players (Belli, Gay, DRoz and to an extent, LMA).
If the saying "when the go gets tough, the tough get going" was the defining mantra for this team...well, a few obvious stars would need to exit the building....

[spurs10]

Thanks fo the grades. A difficult game to watch. I'm not optimistic, but think someone is due to have a decent game on Thursday. Poeltl deserved all the praise you gave him and was a lone bright spot in a very rocky night in the Rockies.

[objective]

Yes, because a year in Austin was so terrible for Murray and White. Good call. :tu

White couldn't have possibly played last year, you're 100% right. We're on the same page.

Just like when Pop was right to not play Splitter, I realize that now.

[timvp]

White couldn't have possibly played last year, you're 100% right. We're on the same page.

Just like when Pop was right to not play Splitter, I realize that now.

Thankfully, Splitter's low pain threshold didn't shorten his NBA career. Still going strong :tu

[monty4329]

DDR cancer metastasis has spread to the whole team. Who wants to fight when the 27mil pussy doesn't give a fuck anyway?

Really hoping we somehow find a way to get rid of DDR, he is disgusting. Send him to nowhereland and attach even a few picks to him, anything to get rid of this piece of scum.

Hats off to Denver defense, it was excellent from the get go. The Nuggets are outplaying the Spurs on every possession, and it is not even close.

I am very disappointed by Pop this time. I expected a solid offensive gameplan, everybody and his brother knows Denver prevents your 3pt shooting. Do something about it.

Lastly: what is it with LMA layups?

[vavvi]

Thanks for the grades.

Obviously the game was a huge disappointment. This Spurs team is so unreliable. Once in a while they just look like a disinterested unit with no intensity. LMA playing soft.

My main takeaway. After this game I became only more sure that with all due respect most posters here are wrong. We don't need our starters play more minutes. We need to get our bench going. In our starting lineup we have only one 3pt shooter; Denver has 5, and they weren't going to struggle the whole series.
In this regard I'm really disappointed in DDR. Pop finally played our best regular season lineup of Mills, Belli, Bertans, Poeltl + DDR for extended stretch. Belli hit two shots in a row. The lineup seemed competitive. But then DDR who is supposed to be a distributor in this lineup and passed well the whole year took the ball and settled for 5 FADEAWAY JUMPERS IN A ROW. That's just dumb basketball. Your team has a momentum, your sniper finally gets it going, you are playing against dynamic 3pt shooting team. And he settles for fucking jumpers playing in a ball-moving 3pt shooting no defense lineup.
Then of course the momentum is lost. Pop comes back with the starters. Starters can't compete with a shooting Denver squad. Nobody seems interested in putting up a fight Clippers-style, and there's your game.

But, again, the momentum changer was idiotic DDR play with the bench mob. When he plays with the starters his iso game is justifiable but not when he plays with the bench.

[Stabula]

Spurs can still win this, they just need Dr. Jekyll to show up rather than Mr. Hyde. Make sacrifices to the Dark One, Spurs fans, we need his favor if we're to force a game 7 in Denver.

[TDMVPDPOY]

one thing i notice, the defenders chase the spurs off their position to shoot the ball, instead they penetrated into a collapsing defense or chucking up a brick shot....

should just shoot it

[Kurgan]

Defrozen and Gay are the worst two Spurs in playoff On-Off. Cancers confirmed.

http://i64.tinypic.com/2hz2s2g.png

[vavvi]

Defrozen and Gay are the worst two Spurs in playoff On-Off. Cancers confirmed.



Bertans as always is the best

[ceperez]

Denver had great defense that the Spurs never figured out.

Denver had great offense that the Spurs also never figured out.

Spurs had an uncreative and hesitant offense that showed the same plays over and over again.

Players like DeRozan, Aldridge and Gay do not know how to play team ball. In constrast look how Jokic and Murray carved out the Spurs defense by passing.

The individual talent of the team aren't just good enough to win a playoff game.

[Andreas68]

Why was Poeltl only 26 min.on the floor ? He should play 35min.each game!!!

[sananspursfan21]

Much respect timvp (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=8), but couldn’t we have just given a collective F save for Pearl? Kidding...kinda. Anyway, hoping Denver’s youth will now bite them by getting cocky and the Spurs staying calm will punch them in the mouth in SA. I haven’t lost all hope but damn, I think we all just wanted some sort of fight last night.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

This series will go down as yet another tally on the ledger of Spurs playoff collapses involving Pop's stubbornness and poor lineup management in the face of needed adjustments.

[Chomag]

Denver had great defense that the Spurs never figured out.

Denver had great offense that the Spurs also never figured out.

Spurs had an uncreative and hesitant offense that showed the same plays over and over again.

Players like DeRozan, Aldridge and Gay do not know how to play team ball. In constrast look how Jokic and Murray carved out the Spurs defense by passing.

The individual talent of the team aren't just good enough to win a playoff game.

It's because the Spurs are just plain and simply being out coached, Denver coach has made all the adjustments needed to disrupt the Spurs, and what has Pop done to at least counter?

[Truth4sale$]

Great write up as always timvp
But I disagree on a few notes.
1st. This team did not show up except for Poeltl. He deserved an A+ for his effort. That's what you want from a starter. He is showing he is a keeper, more than a throw in from the trade.
2nd. I think based on the playing time given to Lonnie Walker, a full 4th quarter deserves more than an inc, I would give him a C+. He made no glaring rookie mistakes, hustled, and did not force shots or create unnecessary turnovers. He showed he is worth more than garbage time with the way ALL regular players are playing.
Finally, this is one if the worse Popovich coaching jobs, and he deserved a F. He made NO adjustments I saw except putting in Lonnie Walker in at the start of the 4th, as opposed to the end of the 4th.
Honestly adjustments have to be made, loyalty is great but it goes both ways and done guys are not getting it done.
I know it wont happen but I would like to see the Spurs switch things up...
3 guys who deserve playing time
Lonnie Walker, I am sure he can show more than Forbes.
Cunningham (grit and toughness at the 4 or 5 with Aldridge moving to 5)
Pondexter IN..Gay OUT-completely he looks too slow and again Pondexter hustles when out there.
Spurs are losing in the 50/50 balls; that is on the players not coaching but the coach has to put the players in the game to make the impact.
Also spacing is horrible, spurs are relying on 1 starter who consistently shoots 3's. (Forbes), because White passes up shots. Maybe start Belinelli over DeRozan and space the playmaking better with the 2nd unit and let Patty play the two guard similar to when Ginobili played.
Gotta switch things up...Spurs are just too predictable

[ginobilized]

Thanks, Timvp!

What a sad game for the Spurs. Body language, mental toughness and execution were mostly non-existent. Not what you want to see,
I think they'll have a chance on Thursday, but, will have to get their minds right. Hope it happens!

[UZER]

Summary: Pop's strategy entering the game made sense but he didn't appear interested in making any midgame adjustments.


Because he doesn’t know how to adjust mid game. To him, his pregame strategy should work, and if it isn’t working, then “they just made shots and we didn’t.”

For being such a “great coach”, he is at the botton of the list when it comes to in game adjustments, especially now that he doesn’t care.

[MVPCues]

Too many Spurs players are ready for their vacation. It's like the little league players who by the 6th inning are looking forward to the after game snack.

[Nivek_ogre]

Too many isolation plays to start every possession. Not enough movement and touches to get a rhythm for anyone. The derozan bashing can get annoying but this series has completely justified it. Tries to play like kobe but without any killer instinct and half the talent.

[GreekSpursfan]

There's only one summary: When your best player in a series is Poetl you need to tank and tank quick, fast and in a hurry. The IQ and talent level of this team is in an all time low.
People easily forget that Vegas had us missing the playoffs. Pop remains the G.O.A.T. coach but as POBO and overseer he has regressed.

[emanueldavidginobili]

Spurs came out with no motor at all. This team is not good at facing adversity. Again the bench was a complete no show. Pretty embarrassing stuff. Seems like these guys are just content with making the playoffs.

Jakob Poeltl looks really good out there. His mobility is really shocking. I’m not sure how he got credited with 0 blocks I know for sure he had at least two.

DDR going full hero mode is so painful to watch. Sprints to the baseline post up and takes a fade away jump shot behind the backboard with like 19 seconds on the shot clock. He shot multiple times early in the shot clock contested jump shots.

I hope DJ and LW take every second of Mills and Marcos playing time next year. All those long offensive rebounds the Spurs give up DJ goes and gets those types of rebounds he goes and gets it and doesn’t wait for it to come to him. He has a huge motor which this team desperately needs. Even Derrick doesn’t have one he has a lackadaisical way to him at times.

Derrick White looked out of sorts and shook for the majority of the game. He honestly looks tired out there, running into Jokic every time down the court on P&Rs will probably do that. Also had zero confidence in taking any type of jump shot. For the Spurs to win he needs to out play Murray and that hasn’t happened the last two games.

[Mugen]

Yes, because a year in Austin was so terrible for Murray and White. Good call. :tu


White couldn't have possibly played last year, you're 100% right. We're on the same page.

Just like when Pop was right to not play Splitter, I realize that now.


Thankfully, Splitter's low pain threshold didn't shorten his NBA career. Still going strong :tu

:lol Uh oh, my dude timvp showing the cracks in the armor.

The Splitter comment doesn't make any sense since Pop didn't not play Tiago in the Memphis series because he was thinking of his long-term NBA career, like what? You're better than that.

To say that Pop didn't do an adequate job of at least getting Lonnie ready to play some playoff rotation minutes in case Beli or Mills shit the bed (What a shock!) is an understatement. He's done it in years' past with Oberto, Tiago, CoJo, Murray, and DWhite.....

Like, this isn't new at all. Many examples of Pop suckers saying ________ isn't ready, he needs another year. Those on the other side saying he might be needed in the playoffs, Pop should find him some minutes....

And the former doesn't come along to the other side until the team is facing elimination :lmao

[Mugen]

Demar and LMA are 10 year veterans who have no excuses, but anybody surprised by their lack of fight/leadership hasn't been paying attention....Also unfortunate is I don't think the Spurs have been embarrassed enough to the casual fan for Pop to want to retire....Hopefully that changes though and he decides to hang them up in the offseason....

Really hope that guys like Mills, Beli, and Gay continue to shit the bed in Game 6. The FO needs to see what they have those with those guys and do their best to cut ties with them. Fatty being moved is of course wishful thinking but something where his minutes are cut drastically....

Only silver lining from the series loss is that I think it'll be good for Derrick in the long-term.

Denver made an adjustment to take him out of the game. Instead of trusting his jumper, he's forced it inside where they are waiting for him.

DWhite is the future, he's going to have to make a big leap in his game this summer because he needs to consistently be the best or 2nd best player on this team come next year or they'll be looking at another 1st round exit ceiling.....

[superbigtime]

really depressing. these guys look gutless and helpless. get rid of everyone except becky and poeltl haha.

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

This series will go down as yet another tally on the ledger of Spurs playoff collapses involving Pop's stubbornness and poor lineup management in the face of needed adjustments.

:lol C- for the coach that outsmarted himself and turned a sweep into a disaster

[ShutUp SayItAgain!]

:lol Uh oh, my dude timvp showing the cracks in the armor.

The Splitter comment doesn't make any sense since Pop didn't not play Tiago in the Memphis series because he was thinking of his long-term NBA career, like what? You're better than that.

To say that Pop didn't do an adequate job of at least getting Lonnie ready to play some playoff rotation minutes in case Beli or Mills shit the bed (What a shock!) is an understatement. He's done it in years' past with Oberto, Tiago, CoJo, Murray, and DWhite.....

Like, this isn't new at all. Many examples of Pop suckers saying ________ isn't ready, he needs another year. Those on the other side saying he might be needed in the playoffs, Pop should find him some minutes....

And the former doesn't come along to the other side until the team is facing elimination :lmao

Yup lol

[egtonecity]

I really wanted to see your grades on Patty today. He was routinely abused by whoever he guarded and still can’t make shots or penetrate the defense... But when your write up started by saying he flexed his veteran moxie, I was like wtf?!? But then you hit me with the “just kidding”. 🤣🤣🤣 I died. Lol. Well played sir. 🤙🏽🤙🏽

[140]

:lol C- for the coach that outsmarted himself and turned a sweep into a disaster

PATF:lol fluffers

[ZeusWillJudge]

Well that game should put to rest all the arguments about needing to lean on the bench even more.

DeRozan went looking for whistles early in the game, didn't get them, and he was over. He didn't take plays off - he took a few plays on. Mostly he gave up, a lot like Harden gave up against the Spurs a couple of years ago. Personally, I think that DeRozan folding was responsible for the rest of the collapse. I'll spare the cheesy metaphors, but the Spurs only chance was in playing as a team, and they were playing 4 on 5 after about midway through the first quarter. And if you go back and look, it was exactly about DeRozan not getting whistles he thought he earned. He quit.

The bench sucked. Pop sucked. But DeRozan started his vacation early.

[John B]

Thanks Timvp. Pop F for not making any adjustments. As you said, the same defense especially on Murray and Jokic. The same 2nd unit and playing more minutes too. Blazers was down 15 points in the last 2 minutes and won. Spurs down 12 points in game 4 with still a lot of 4th quarter to play, and he pulled Aldridge. Lillard played the whole game because it was crucial not to send it back to OKC to win game 6 and possibly game 7. Pop doesn’t seem to have the urgency, but instead looking pass this series as “education” for our young guys. I get it, but Spurs are still on this fight and still very much winnable. Why not insert Lonnie instead of Beli who’s not playing well? It seems Nuggets make their run on Mills/Beli/Bertans line up. Let Lonnie go to the rim and get foul. Why not play our starters more minutes? Aldridge cannot settle for jump shots. He needs to drive in the middle on the catch and not wait for double team. White needs to start attacking the rim. I expect Spurs to win by 30 or more and send doubt to their psyche. Right now Nuggets are playing very confident and need to be shook and carry to game 7 for a chance to win. GSG!

[Kobe'sAchilles]

Is it me or does LaMarcus miss too many easy shots?

[K...]

I think pop knows lamarcus and DeRozan are career losers and isn't interested in coaching them. Like I would tell DeRozan, no more stwpvacks you do layups, assists, or 3 ball. I doubt pop wants him to do shitty iso but can't stop him. Same with lamarcus.


Overall the Spurs don't have the better players or better team. These 19 pt leads are nothing against good teams and we had our chances but failed to score or stop them. The Spurs are who we think they are.


Lamarcus could be the best player in the series, but he doesn't want it/ gets pushed off his game. Deozan is the same but even worse. White needs conditioning. Everyone else sucks now

[polandprzem]

Absolutely pathetic outing by the Spurs. And it's not even about a loss or their bad playing. The most embarrassing thing was that they played like it was December game or something. No fight after a loss. Unacceptable.

Also how come Jakob was there to rescue better players? Crazy. Defense was pretty bad and that was what I was talking about before the season. No players that can play quality D. They can put up a team effort on D above decent level but when Denver can make iso plays it's done. All those skipping screens were making big holes in Spurs defense.

Overall it looks over as Denver are physically prepared better and will presure Spurs big next game. Not that San Antonio can't respond but we do need some effort!

Marco as bad as he is on D gives nothing on O. Horrible. And he is suppose to kill opponents with his shooting.
Where is davis tbh?
Rudy? Guy just talks tough but when it comes to playing he is lost. Denver can easily disrupt his dribble and cause turnover or make Spurs play worse.
White needs to adjust. Can he? Or he will pay for his lack of experience? /even though we see less experience players playing well/


Overall we do need everybody to step up and Jakob continue with his playing

[ZeusWillJudge]

I think pop knows lamarcus and DeRozan are career losers and isn't interested in coaching them.

Well he was sure as shit interested in bringing them here. It doesn't matter if some of the people here are just now figuring it out. He gets paid millions to evaluate players, and he's supposed to be the GOAT. If you believe what you just said, you have to lay a big share of it at Pop's feet.

[phxspurfan]

CIA Pop, letting the Nuggz kids feast in their obvious blowout win, only to come back with wholesale changes in game 6. Right? Right?

[polandprzem]

right

[spurraider21]

Demar and LMA are 10 year veterans who have no excuses, but anybody surprised by their lack of fight/leadership hasn't been paying attention....Also unfortunate is I don't think the Spurs have been embarrassed enough to the casual fan for Pop to want to retire....Hopefully that changes though and he decides to hang them up in the offseason....

Really hope that guys like Mills, Beli, and Gay continue to shit the bed in Game 6. The FO needs to see what they have those with those guys and do their best to cut ties with them. Fatty being moved is of course wishful thinking but something where his minutes are cut drastically....

Only silver lining from the series loss is that I think it'll be good for Derrick in the long-term.

Denver made an adjustment to take him out of the game. Instead of trusting his jumper, he's forced it inside where they are waiting for him.

DWhite is the future, he's going to have to make a big leap in his game this summer because he needs to consistently be the best or 2nd best player on this team come next year or they'll be looking at another 1st round exit ceiling.....
100% with the Tiago vs Memphis dilemma

[rjv]

funny that poeltl is turning into the best part of the leonard trade to this point (pending on what the spurs get out of the 29th pick).

[timvp]

The Splitter comment doesn't make any sense since Pop didn't not play Tiago in the Memphis series because he was thinking of his long-term NBA career, like what? You're better than that. If you remember correctly, Pop's issue with Splitter back then was he was injury prone and he had a low pain threshold. You don't remember all those complaints by Pop saying how Splitter was "injured" when he was signed, "injured" again in training camp and then "injured" yet again in the regular season right after was given a steady spot in the rotation? Turned out, that low pain threshold haunted his career and Splitter was forced to retire at 28 or whatever it was.

And I know you are a big Splitter fan but that's a strange horse to tie your whataboutery wagon to in this argument, tbh. It's not like Splitter ended up being a playoff assassin once given a chance. The very next season, he played a key role in the Spurs getting backdoor swept by the Thunder after they started fouling him on purpose and he couldn't hit a free throw. On top of that, the Thunder put Fisher on Splitter and Splitter couldn't score in the paint against the chubby point guard :lol

Then the next season, Splitter became unplayable against the Heat.

And once Splitter was freed from meanie Pop, what did he do? Nothing. No coach ever got him to play again as he sat out with a variety of vague injuries. It's not like Splitter went on and became Kevin McHale once freed from Pop's shackles :lol

Not to argue against myself but the player that you and the original poster I quoted should have been pointed to was George Hill. Pop benched Hill just because he was a rookie -- and went on record stating so. Saying Pop should have played Hill was a valid criticism ... one that I said was a mistake at the time and still looks like a mistake in retrospect.


To say that Pop didn't do an adequate job of at least getting Lonnie ready to play some playoff rotation minutes in case Beli or Mills shit the bed (What a shock!) is an understatement.

Meh, there's always a young player somewhere in the system that complainers can point to as the ship is sinking as being the savior who wasn't given a chance. Any season in which the Spurs don't win a championship, there's always the complaints that Wunderkind X didn't get a shot.

And, honestly, it's not just Spurs fans. It's all NBA fanbases. They all do the same thing.


He's done it in years' past with Oberto, Tiago, CoJo, Murray, and DWhite.....

So you think rookie Cory Joseph would have made a difference? Did you watch that guy play? :lol

Seriously though, honest question, do you put any stock into San Antonio's ability to develop players or do you think they are such amazing drafters that all their players are ready to go from Day 1? I mean, it has to be one or the other. Personally, I think they draft well but they also develop well. And that development usually means a season in the G-League so the young player can get adjusted to the professional lifestyle, learn the system and lead a team without the full blown NBA pressures right out of the gates.

Speaking of Walker specifically, I watched quite a few of his Austin games this year and he never looked ready. He was favoring his knee for a lot of the season and even when he stopped favoring it as much, his numbers were never too impressive and the team didn't respond to his play.

Still a good prospect but a savior for this year he is not.

[timvp]

The derozan bashing can get annoying but this series has completely justified it. Tries to play like kobe but without any killer instinct and half the talent.To be fair, DeRozan was pretty good the first four games. Overall, when he's not in Frustrated Emo Mode, he's a good player. Unfortunately, foul calls go down in the playoffs so it only makes sense that DeRozan will be frustrated more often in the postseason...


Derrick White looked out of sorts and shook for the majority of the game. He honestly looks tired out thereHe did look tired at times, unfortunately.

Hopefully he can bounce back for two more games, at least.


DeRozan went looking for whistles early in the game, didn't get them, and he was over. He didn't take plays off - he took a few plays on. Mostly he gave up, a lot like Harden gave up against the Spurs a couple of years ago.I wish I could say I disagree...

[Capt Bringdown]

Spurs made that little run late, and then Jokic casually flicked in back-to-back 3s. The quit was visible...even before then.
The mighty Nuggets made the Spurs look like a pre-season squad.

[Slippy]

Well that game should put to rest all the arguments about needing to lean on the bench even more.

DeRozan went looking for whistles early in the game, didn't get them, and he was over. He didn't take plays off - he took a few plays on. Mostly he gave up, a lot like Harden gave up against the Spurs a couple of years ago. Personally, I think that DeRozan folding was responsible for the rest of the collapse. I'll spare the cheesy metaphors, but the Spurs only chance was in playing as a team, and they were playing 4 on 5 after about midway through the first quarter. And if you go back and look, it was exactly about DeRozan not getting whistles he thought he earned. He quit.

The bench sucked. Pop sucked. But DeRozan started his vacation early.

Cosign. Ddr whining on the floor about a missed call while the rest of teammates got pumped for Jacobs and1. That did it for me. As a vet and supposed leader he sets the wrong kind of example.

[Arcadian]

Why doesn't Derozan ever get any calls? And we wonder why he shoots fucking fadeaway. Because when he drives snd gets hacked, nothing happens.

That isn't to say "it's all the refs' fault." He needs to play better. But still, why no calls?

[ZeusWillJudge]

Why doesn't Derozan ever get any calls? And we wonder why he shoots fucking fadeaway. Because when he drives snd gets hacked, nothing happens.

That isn't to say "it's all the refs' fault." He needs to play better. But still, why no calls?


I don't like the way the game is officiated, and I think DeRozan probably should have gotten a couple of those. I'm watching GSW/Clippers right now, and saw one of the Clippers get fouled shooting a 3 without a whistle a few minutes ago. It 100% would have been called on the other end. BUT... the Clippers are playing their asses off, and built a 8 point lead at the half. Even if they lose the game, I always respect effort like that.

I remember those last couple of years that Barkley was in Houston. He busted his ass every single play, whether the Rockets were up by 20 or down by 20. Pippen came in that first year, and he would give up and bitch at his teammates when they were losing. I gained a new level of respect for Charles, and a new disrespect for Pippen. Not denying how good Pippen was, but I don't like a guy who quits.

Your question though? The refs make elite players even better with their whistles. They force defenders to back off, and the elite guys only need a little daylight. Some of DeRozan's lack of calls may be that he avoids contact more than those guys, but he definitely doesn't get the same benefit as them.

[DPG21920]

Just play harder. I can’t believe we are saying this about a playoff team but play harder. It’s one thing to get frustrated with missed calls. It’s another to get bodied, out hustled and pout.

Outside of Mills/Jakob, there is no one on this team that is putting forth playoff level effort.

[ZeusWillJudge]

Just play harder. I can’t believe we are saying this about a playoff team but play harder. It’s one thing to get frustrated with missed calls. It’s another to get bodied, out hustled and pout.

Outside of Mills/Jakob, there is no one on this team that is putting forth playoff level effort.

Yeah, that's the only thing to do. Draymond just pulled some shit that would get any player on the Spurs ejected. Hell, he was trying to get ejected. He got a single T, and Kerr left him in the game because he got the crowd fired up. But the Clippers dug in and upped their lead to 15.

I don't think White's problem is effort. He had that big game, and Malone saw how important he is to the Spurs' play. So he focused on taking White out of the next game, and made those public statements about it. I think he got to White's confidence. And it's understandable, considering how far White has come, how fast. It was a smart move by Malone. I think White will learn from it and come back stronger, but it worked this year.

[Mugen]

If you remember correctly, Pop's issue with Splitter back then was he was injury prone and he had a low pain threshold. You don't remember all those complaints by Pop saying how Splitter was "injured" when he was signed, "injured" again in training camp and then "injured" yet again in the regular season right after was given a steady spot in the rotation? Turned out, that low pain threshold haunted his career and Splitter was forced to retire at 28 or whatever it was.

And I know you are a big Splitter fan but that's a strange horse to tie your whataboutery wagon to in this argument, tbh. It's not like Splitter ended up being a playoff assassin once given a chance. The very next season, he played a key role in the Spurs getting backdoor swept by the Thunder after they started fouling him on purpose and he couldn't hit a free throw. On top of that, the Thunder put Fisher on Splitter and Splitter couldn't score in the paint against the chubby point guard :lol

Then the next season, Splitter became unplayable against the Heat.

And once Splitter was freed from meanie Pop, what did he do? Nothing. No coach ever got him to play again as he sat out with a variety of vague injuries. It's not like Splitter went on and became Kevin McHale once freed from Pop's shackles :lol

Not to argue against myself but the player that you and the original poster I quoted should have been pointed to was George Hill. Pop benched Hill just because he was a rookie -- and went on record stating so. Saying Pop should have played Hill was a valid criticism ... one that I said was a mistake at the time and still looks like a mistake in retrospect.



Meh, there's always a young player somewhere in the system that complainers can point to as the ship is sinking as being the savior who wasn't given a chance. Any season in which the Spurs don't win a championship, there's always the complaints that Wunderkind X didn't get a shot.

And, honestly, it's not just Spurs fans. It's all NBA fanbases. They all do the same thing.



So you think rookie Cory Joseph would have made a difference? Did you watch that guy play? :lol

Seriously though, honest question, do you put any stock into San Antonio's ability to develop players or do you think they are such amazing drafters that all their players are ready to go from Day 1? I mean, it has to be one or the other. Personally, I think they draft well but they also develop well. And that development usually means a season in the G-League so the young player can get adjusted to the professional lifestyle, learn the system and lead a team without the full blown NBA pressures right out of the gates.

Speaking of Walker specifically, I watched quite a few of his Austin games this year and he never looked ready. He was favoring his knee for a lot of the season and even when he stopped favoring it as much, his numbers were never too impressive and the team didn't respond to his play.

Still a good prospect but a savior for this year he is not.

I know you've never given him his just due (weird cuz he's a "Culture" guy) but wow, absolutely shitting on Tiago while being a huge Patty Mills, post 2013 TP, and Bryn Forbes fan, I couldn't even imagine. 2012 is a valid criticism though I would say he would have benefited from getting his playoff feet wet in 2011...but to completely disregard his contributions to the 2014 ring is :lol

But to answer your question, I've said before that one of the few things the organization currently does well is draft and develop. Obviously, I didn't think Walker was able to contribute from the get-go without even considering his injuries to start the season. I never pegged him as a savior either, I just stated that it'd be nice to have his skillset (considering it's vastly different from Mills / Forbes/ Beli) in this series when Denver's wings are overwhelming them with their athleticism...

I just disagree with the Pop Suckers' notion that 1st year development is a black/white subject, meaning Lonnie absolutely has to be in the G League for the entire season and that giving him even regular spot minutes during the regular season wouldn't be fair to Pop & Pop Sucker guys like Mills, Forbes, and Beli....

[tholdren]

Lma is an f