Spurs Win But Popovich Not Pleased

[Kori Ellis]

Spurs Win But Popovich Not Pleased
LAST UPDATE: 12/3/2006 4:56:02 AM


http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=F9C9A85B-DC35-40ED-9811-9C0F08339ACA

By Kori Ellis
SpursZONE.com

Though the San Antonio Spurs came away from the AT&T Center with a 100-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, head coach Gregg Popovich was less than pleased. In fact, he thought the performance of the Spurs was "pathetic."

"Sacramento came in and did a great job. They played a back-to-back. They got beat to death in Dallas last night ... and then came in and played us the way they did," said Popovich. "And I thought our performance was pathetic."

And with that, Popovich exited, taking no questions from the media.

Spurs small forward Bruce Bowen hit six 3-pointers to lead the Spurs with 23 points. Tony Parker had 20 points and eight assists, however 18 of his points came in the first half. Tim Duncan finished the night with 18 points and 11 boards.

San Antonio built a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter, but the Kings weren't ready to quit. Sacramento went on a 10-0 run to close the gap to seven points with just under two minutes left in the period.

In the fourth quarter, it was more of the same as Sacramento opened up the stanza by scoring eight straight points to cut the lead to one at 80-79. The Kings hung close from there and with just over two minutes remaining in the game, Parker turned the ball over leading to a fast break dunk for Martin, tying the game at 90.

After a traveling call on Duncan, the Kings took the lead with a basket from Brad Miller, taking a 92-90 advantage with 1:36 left on the clock.

Duncan nearly turned over the ball on the next possession, but recovered and got the ball to Bowen in the corner, who nailed the three-pointer to give the Spurs the lead for good.

Martin had 25 of his 30 points in the second half for Sacramento. All five Kings starters were in double figures.

"Our defense has not been to the level that we want it and that's the biggest part of it right now," said Duncan after the game. "We can't be giving up close to 100 points."

On the night, the Spurs hit 11-for-22 from beyond the 3-point arc as a team. They also committed 18 turnovers, which Sacramento turned into 30 points.

Williams Steps Up

Popovich went deep into his bench early, utilizing seldom-used Eric Williams midway through the first quarter.

The move paid dividends for San Antonio when the 34-year-old Williams hit 3-of-5 shots from the field in the half, including two 3-pointers.

"Eric played great tonight," Duncan said. "He came in and was ready to go. He hit the two corner threes and defensively he was pretty solid. He gave us a big boost."

Brent Barry missed all six of his field goal attempts, while Michael Finley continues to struggle, missing six of his eight shot attempts in the game. On the season, Finley is shooting 32%.

Ginobili and Artest Out

Both San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Sacramento's Ron Artest were sidelined with back problems. It was the fourth straight game that Ginobili has missed for the Spurs.

Gregg Popovich Audio (http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/popovich120206.mp3)

Bruce Bowen Audio (http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/bowen120206.mp3)

Tim Duncan Audio (http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/timduncan120206.mp3)

Tony Parker Audio (http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/tonyparker120206.mp3)

[carib]

how much did the bench scored

[Kori Ellis]

Pop video: http://www.woai.com/mediacenter/default.aspx?videoId=330576,565

[Kori Ellis]

how much did the bench scored

Spurs bench scored 29.

[boutons_]

Bench got 29 PTs, 13 RB

[TDMVPDPOY]

pops callin the team out, his lucky the players and fans are not calling out his lame rotations :(

this years experiments is lame as compared to the previous year.....

[Sense]

Who is gonna say Kevin Martin sucks now?

I won't but I will say this...

If your leading scorer is Kevin Martin, You won't go very far... IF you make the playoffs.

[upTD]

shit, POP

[ShoogarBear]

"Sacramento came in and did a great job. They played a back-to-back. They got beat to death in Dallas last night ... and then came in and played us the way they did," said Popovich. "And I thought our performance was pathetic." Too bad Pop doesn't read the experts here. Otherwise, he would know:

"A win is a win."

"Championships aren't won in December."

"People just need to chill."

"Spurs will be fine."

How come he didn't use any of these ST.com pearls?

[ducks]

he did not play the soft card though

[ShoogarBear]

he did not play the soft card thoughI'm telling you, there needs to be a vBookie.

[ducks]

Spurs Win But Popovich Not Pleased
LAST UPDATE: 12/3/2006 4:56:02 AM


http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=F9C9A85B-DC35-40ED-9811-9C0F08339ACA

By Kori Ellis
SpursZONE.com

Though the San Antonio Spurs came away from the AT&T Center with a 100-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, head coach Gregg Popovich was less than pleased. In fact, he thought the performance of the Spurs was "pathetic."

"Sacramento came in and did a great job. They played a back-to-back. They got beat to death in Dallas last night ... and then came in and played us the way they did," said Popovich. "And I thought our performance was pathetic."

And with that, Popovich exited, taking no questions from the media.

Spurs small forward Bruce Bowen hit six 3-pointers to lead the Spurs with 23 points. Tony Parker had 20 points and eight assists, however 18 of his points came in the first half. Tim Duncan finished the night with 18 points and 11 boards.

San Antonio built a 17-point lead midway through the third quarter, but the Kings weren't ready to quit. Sacramento went on a 10-0 run to close the gap to seven points with just under two minutes left in the period.

In the fourth quarter, it was more of the same as Sacramento opened up the stanza by scoring eight straight points to cut the lead to one at 80-79. The Kings hung close from there and with just over two minutes remaining in the game, Parker turned the ball over leading to a fast break dunk for Martin, tying the game at 90.

After a traveling call on Duncan, the Kings took the lead with a basket from Brad Miller, taking a 92-90 advantage with 1:36 left on the clock.

Duncan nearly turned over the ball on the next possession, but recovered and got the ball to Bowen in the corner, who nailed the three-pointer to give the Spurs the lead for good.

Martin had 25 of his 30 points in the second half for Sacramento. All five Kings starters were in double figures.

"Our defense has not been to the level that we want it and that's the biggest part of it right now," said Duncan after the game. "We can't be giving up close to 100 points."

On the night, the Spurs hit 11-for-22 from beyond the 3-point arc as a team. They also committed 18 turnovers, which Sacramento turned into 30 points.

Williams Steps Up

Popovich went deep into his bench early, utilizing seldom-used Eric Williams midway through the first quarter.

The move paid dividends for San Antonio when the 34-year-old Williams hit 3-of-5 shots from the field in the half, including two 3-pointers.

"Eric played great tonight," Duncan said. "He came in and was ready to go. He hit the two corner threes and defensively he was pretty solid. He gave us a big boost."

Brent Barry missed all six of his field goal attempts, while Michael Finley continues to struggle, missing six of his eight shot attempts in the game. On the season, Finley is shooting 32%.

Ginobili and Artest Out

Both San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Sacramento's Ron Artest were sidelined with back problems. It was the fourth straight game that Ginobili has missed for the Spurs.

Gregg Popovich Audio (http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/popovich120206.mp3)

Bruce Bowen Audio (http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/bowen120206.mp)

Tim Duncan Audio (http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/timduncan120206.mp3)

Tony Parker Audio (http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/tonyparker120206.mp)

LINK TO TP"S is broken you forgot to put the 3 at the end kori
http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/tonyparker120206.mp3
and bowen
http://www.centralmediaserver.com/woai/bowen120206.mp3

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm telling you, there needs to be a vBookie.

"Pathetic" is sooooo this year's "soft."

[leemajors]

where did tony go in the second half?

[spurtime]

That game felt more like a tie than a win...I was frustrated as hell watching us fall apart. If it weren't for some timely poor play by Bibby and Miller we would have lost. Is it just me or does it seem like Mike Bibby is trying to keep the ball out of KMart's hands?

[AFBlue]

where did tony go in the second half?

He got tired because Pop's hard-headedness prevented him from putting Beno in the game to relieve TP. Beno would've given Tony some much needed rest and would have provided at least more than what Vaughn and Barry did...which was nothing.

Pop trying to prove another point at the expense of his team... :bang

[AFBlue]

That game felt more like a tie than a win...I was frustrated as hell watching us fall apart. If it weren't for some timely poor play by Bibby and Miller we would have lost. Is it just me or does it seem like Mike Bibby is trying to keep the ball out of KMart's hands?

All the talk about Bibby getting the shaft year in and year out for the all-star team is junk, and it was proved last night. Put some pressure, mental and/or physical, on this kid and he folds like oragami.

He saved the Spurs from a loss last night. Martin, Salmons, and Thomas played to win and came up just short. I almost feel bad for them....almost.

[FromWayDowntown]

He got tired because Pop's hard-headedness prevented him from putting Beno in the game to relieve TP. Beno would've given Tony some much needed rest and would have provided at least more than what Vaughn and Barry did...which was nothing.

Pop trying to prove another point at the expense of his team... :bang

That's a load of crap.

Beno had his chance in the third quarter. He did a horrendous job of initiating the offense; in particular, Beno's last offensive play was one in which he dribbled from behind the three point line to a point that was on a diagonal from the elbow. Duncan, who was having all sorts of problems getting the ball in any offensive set, flashed to the middle of the free throw line and stood there with nobody around him for at least 2 full counts. Beno didn't even look to Timmy, sending the ball cross-court to a covered shooter. During the time out that came after that play, Timmy appeared to rip into Beno for missing him and Pop sat Beno after that. Beno deserved to be ripped for that.

Parker sat out the rest of the third and started the 4th, I think, because Pop realized that he couldn't go with the Rodney Dangerfield "No Offense" 5 that have been starting 4th Quarters of late and because Duncan had played most of the 3rd Quarter. It had to be either Parker or Duncan to start, and Pop chose Tony. Tony never got to sit in the 4th because Pop understandably didn't trust Beno to run the offense in a tight game.

[carib]

I post the question before the game, the way the team was playing they were not going to win the next championship.

What would Pop said if someone had the chance to ask him that same question after the game.

[Budkin]

Pop summed it up perfectly. It was absolutely pathetic.

[PM5K]

I post the question before the game, the way the team was playing they were not going to win the next championship.


Too bad the way you play in December doesn't really have much to do with winning a Championship...

[angel_luv]

And with that, Popovich exited, taking no questions from the media.

:lol My exact thought when I saw him leave as I did.

[spurtime]

Too bad the way you play in December doesn't really have much to do with winning a Championship...

Not really "too bad" in our case since we would clearly be watching the finals on tv if that were the case.

[carib]

Yes it is early in the season, but if Pop or any NBA coach do not call out players or react when his team is playing bad, he is the problem. When your team is not playing with any energy or not executing plays, it is the coach job to be upset.

This is the time of the season to work on your execution of plays, to see how and who works or does not work. And how can you determine this if players do not come to play.

Start good end strong. That’s how great teams win Championships

[wildbill2u]

On the bright side, we played badly against a pretty decent team and still won.

And we have the 4th best record--.706--in the league.

[easjer]

And you clearly think the Spurs have not started strong?

I'm not saying there are no issues to be addressed (poor shooting, way too many turnovers, disappearing D), but come on! They are not the worst team in the league by far. It's not time to jump off the cliff yet.

I think Pop's done well to call them out now and I hope this shit gets fixed, including Pop's penchant for shitty rotations and prayers for better shooting. I actually liked many of the lineups on the floor last night - poor execution is what really hurt them.

[carib]

If your child takes an exam, and every one in the class fails the exam, but your child fails with the highest failing mark are you happy?

It’s not about the record but the performance.

Pop is aware that the record is ok, but he is more concern about his team performance.

[polandprzem]

I'm telling you, there needs to be a vBookie.

All you want is money Shoog.

I cannot believe it




























:oink

[easjer]

If your child takes an exam, and every one in the class fails the exam, but your child fails with the highest failing mark are you happy?

It’s not about the record but the performance.

Pop is aware that the record is ok, but he is more concern about his team performance.

Your analogy is flawed in several different ways. The most obvious being that the Spurs are not failing, unless you also consider Utah, Orlando and Dallas to be failing.

If you are asking would I be happy if my child got really good grades even though he didn't learn shit and simply made a few lucky guess, you'd be closer to the truth.

And the answer is - it depends.

I am not thrilled with the way the Spurs have played in the last five games. They've not executed well, they've not had anything approaching good, solid defense. They've relied too much on outside jumps that aren't falling and on trying to get fouls instead of playing the game and driving to the basket and being aggressive. They've allowed themselves into holes and been forced to play from behind and they've allowed the leads they've built up to be frittered away. At times, they look sloppy and as if they couldn't be bothered to throw a decent pass or a take a good shot.

But you know what? I have faith that the team can work it out, that they are not going to continue beating a dead horse, that now that they will get some practice time, they will figure out what is not working and fix it. I have faith that the team will use the losses and close games to make it work in future close games.

And for as bad and pathetic as the team is supposedly playing, their record is really good, and yeah, I'll take that over the alternative. They've played some good ball and though they lost three games I don't feel they should have, they've also pulled it out in a few close games and despite their earlier missteps in a game, made it work and won.

Work to do? Yeah. But I'm going to enjoy it, because if I don't, then what the hell is the point? I don't need an ulcer or high blood pressure because my favorite sports team isn't playing the way I think they should.

[Fabbs]

Do any players call out LordPop or is that grounds for ouster?
Tim? Probably not since Pop runs everything to him whethers its good or 4 dumb.
GNob? Not after the brain fart.
Tony?
Bruce
Bob Horry?
Fin :elephant i hope not.

Assistant coaches?
Does P.J. ever tell him to have more consistent ball movement and transition fast breaks. Or is PJ the yes man assistant waiting for an eventual head coaching job?

[AFBlue]

That's a load of crap.

Beno had his chance in the third quarter. He did a horrendous job of initiating the offense; in particular, Beno's last offensive play was one in which he dribbled from behind the three point line to a point that was on a diagonal from the elbow. Duncan, who was having all sorts of problems getting the ball in any offensive set, flashed to the middle of the free throw line and stood there with nobody around him for at least 2 full counts. Beno didn't even look to Timmy, sending the ball cross-court to a covered shooter. During the time out that came after that play, Timmy appeared to rip into Beno for missing him and Pop sat Beno after that. Beno deserved to be ripped for that.

Parker sat out the rest of the third and started the 4th, I think, because Pop realized that he couldn't go with the Rodney Dangerfield "No Offense" 5 that have been starting 4th Quarters of late and because Duncan had played most of the 3rd Quarter. It had to be either Parker or Duncan to start, and Pop chose Tony. Tony never got to sit in the 4th because Pop understandably didn't trust Beno to run the offense in a tight game.

And you felt that Finley, Barry, and Vaughn did a better job on the offensive side of the ball when they were in? Barry had an 0-fer and made some poor decisions in his time. Vaughn had a couple turnovers, and didn't contribute either way.

Everyone of the Spurs made costly mistakes to get the Kings back into that game, it's just that Beno is a "fall" guy. I'm not saying that his mistakes should go unnoticed, but I consider what Pop did to be an overreaction.

In the end, the Spurs didn't "need" his production last night, but that game was an almost-turnover, turned Bowen 3-pointer away from a loss. And if that'd happened, I would've started a seperate thread. But as it is, I'm just venting my frustration in this one.

Face it, Beno is a solid bench contributor and is a necessary piece if the Spurs want to get to the playoffs and win it all. Yes he makes mistakes, and his errors can be frustrating, but Vaughn simply isn't a better option.

Bottom Line: We need Beno, mistake-prone or not...preferably the second option

[Kori Ellis]

And you felt that Finley, Barry, and Vaughn did a better job on the offensive side of the ball when they were in? Barry had an 0-fer and made some poor decisions in his time. Vaughn had a couple turnovers, and didn't contribute either way.

Everyone of the Spurs made costly mistakes to get the Kings back into that game, it's just that Beno is a "fall" guy. I'm not saying that his mistakes should go unnoticed, but I consider what Pop did to be an overreaction.

In the end, the Spurs didn't "need" his production last night, but that game was an almost-turnover, turned Bowen 3-pointer away from a loss. And if that'd happened, I would've started a seperate thread. But as it is, I'm just venting my frustration in this one.

Face it, Beno is a solid bench contributor and is a necessary piece if the Spurs want to get to the playoffs and win it all. Yes he makes mistakes, and his errors can be frustrating, but Vaughn simply isn't a better option.

Bottom Line: We need Beno, mistake-prone or not...preferably the second option

Beno's poor play, defensively and executing, in the third is what started the run when the Spurs 17 point lead disappeared to 7.

When you are a bench player, who repeatedly has made mistakes this season, play like that in the 3rd doesn't earn you minutes in the 4th.

[Kori Ellis]

....
Assistant coaches?
Does P.J. ever tell him to have more consistent ball movement and transition fast breaks. Or is PJ the yes man assistant waiting for an eventual head coaching job?


You are funny because you always think Pop controls the ball movement. Like he tells the players to stop moving. Last night one of the main reasons he was pissed is because the players stopped moving without the ball.

[FromWayDowntown]

And you felt that Finley, Barry, and Vaughn did a better job on the offensive side of the ball when they were in? Barry had an 0-fer and made some poor decisions in his time. Vaughn had a couple turnovers, and didn't contribute either way.

Everyone of the Spurs made costly mistakes to get the Kings back into that game, it's just that Beno is a "fall" guy. I'm not saying that his mistakes should go unnoticed, but I consider what Pop did to be an overreaction.

To me, the big, big, big difference is that Finley, Barry, and Vaughn all were cognizant of the fact that Tim Duncan was on the floor and were willing to work the ball to Tim. That's not some insignificant fact; it's the recognition that this team has to get the ball into Duncan's hands frequently if it is to succeed. The responsibility for doing that lies with the point guards and the perimeter players. When the backup point guard just chooses to overlook the most important player on the team in his decision-making, that's the sort of mistake that Pop should punish; if Beno doesn't choose to get the ball to Timmy when Timmy's open, Beno shouldn't play.

Last night, the offense wasn't great. It was, though, completely stagnant when Beno was on the floor. I've grown tired of watching Beno stand above the 3-point line, pounding the dribble for 5 seconds and getting the team into its offense with 10 or less on the clock. Even then, the Spurs with Beno on the floor have become a 1-pass and chuck it up team. That's not offense. Until Beno is willing to run the offense and initiate things for his teammates, I think Pop is acting perfectly reasonably to not play him.

I'd also dispute that Vaughn "didn't contribute" last night. He didn't have a lot of minutes and he didn't score, but he certainly gave the Spurs a great deal of energy with his hustle. Had Horry made his damned free throws, Vaughn could have quite easily sparked a 4-5 point possession. That's not a guy who isn't contributing.

I'll be honest that I didn't understand the decision to play Finley late in that game, except that it's Pop's way of telling Mike that he still is trusted to play big minutes in a close game, which it seems to me is a way to help Finley through his current slump.


In the end, the Spurs didn't "need" his production last night, but that game was an almost-turnover, turned Bowen 3-pointer away from a loss. And if that'd happened, I would've started a seperate thread. But as it is, I'm just venting my frustration in this one.

Fair enough. I'm just telling you that I think Pop was entirely justified in sitting Beno again last night. The problem with Beno is that Pop never seems to know what he's going to get from night-to-night. It's not just a matter of scoring inconsistency or specific statistics -- it's the inconsistency in Beno's efforts to initiate the offense; it's the inconsistency in Beno's defensive effort (getting torched by Anthony Johnson?); it's not knowing whether Beno is going to jack up a shot everytime he gets his hands on the ball or whether Beno is going to attempt to get his teammates involved in the offense and work to find them shots.


Face it, Beno is a solid bench contributor and is a necessary piece if the Spurs want to get to the playoffs and win it all. Yes he makes mistakes, and his errors can be frustrating, but Vaughn simply isn't a better option.

Bottom Line: We need Beno, mistake-prone or not...preferably the second option

I don't think Beno is a solid bench contributor -- I think Beno CAN BE a solid bench contributor. His inattention to the small details that win and lose basketball games isn't even understandable any more. I'm not saying that Jacque Vaughn should be the backup point guard; I want to see Beno succeed with the Spurs. But for now, there are certainly nights and times during games that Vaughn becomes a much better choice than Beno. It's on Beno to change that.

[polandprzem]

IMHO Pop should put himself into the game.

[AFBlue]

Beno's poor play, defensively and executing, in the third is what started the run when the Spurs 17 point lead disappeared to 7.

When you are a bench player, who repeatedly has made mistakes this season, play like that in the 3rd doesn't earn you minutes in the 4th.


He had played well up to that point, scoring and executing the offense in limited minutes.

What did Barry and Finley do to earn themselves time in the Fourth?

[AFBlue]

To me, the big, big, big difference is that Finley, Barry, and Vaughn all were cognizant of the fact that Tim Duncan was on the floor and were willing to work the ball to Tim.

Tim Duncan was ignored by just about everyone on that team until the final two minutes of that game when it got close. You're right that the offense didnt' go through TD when Beno was on the floor, but it didn't go through him much more when he wasn't.



I'd also dispute that Vaughn "didn't contribute" last night. He didn't have a lot of minutes and he didn't score, but he certainly gave the Spurs a great deal of energy with his hustle. Had Horry made his damned free throws, Vaughn could have quite easily sparked a 4-5 point possession. That's not a guy who isn't contributing.

Running around on the floor because you've got pent up energy and throwing bullet passes into Tim Duncan doesn't matter if you don't produce results. I know he's a high energy guy and I appreciate that, but I don't think he positively affects the outcome of a game. I suppose you could say he's a safer choice than Beno, but not a better choice in my opinion.



The problem with Beno is that Pop never seems to know what he's going to get from night-to-night. It's not just a matter of scoring inconsistency or specific statistics -- it's the inconsistency in Beno's efforts to initiate the offense; it's the inconsistency in Beno's defensive effort (getting torched by Anthony Johnson?); it's not knowing whether Beno is going to jack up a shot everytime he gets his hands on the ball or whether Beno is going to attempt to get his teammates involved in the offense and work to find them shots.

I agree that Beno can be inconsistent, but the Spurs as a whole have not been the model of consistency...take last night's almost-collapse for example. There are more players than Beno being "inconsistent" on a given night, and it just frustrates me for him to bear the brunt of the criticism...by Pop and by fans.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

When are people just going to realize beno and finley are doing absolutely nothing helpful for our team?

[T Park]

He had played well up to that point, scoring and executing the offense in limited minutes.

Did you miss the part where HE FUCKING SUCKED IN THE THIRD QUARTER!?!?!?!?

GOOD GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beno has stunk, and if Vaughn didn't stink on offense out loud, Beno would have splinters so far up his as, hed sneeze sawdust.

Now you Beno apologists need to get the fuck off Pop's ass, and look at BENO'S poor play for once.



You are funny because you always think Pop controls the ball movement. Like he tells the players to stop moving. Last night one of the main reasons he was pissed is because the players stopped moving without the ball

Now Fabbs, and other pop haters, will never acknowledge that, and say that statement is bullshit.

Fabb's head is so far up his ass he cant see straight.

[judaspriestess]

Spurs seem to be playing LAZY imo. I am also not happy with their play. :bang

[boutons_]

Every summer erases all Spurs "corporate knowledge", which is a pretentiously bogus concept if there ever was one.

They always seem to have to start over from scratch.

One new player in the first 7 rotation totally destroys rythm, BB IQ, chemistry of the returning 6 for several early months.

From Championship June 05 to Nov 05, poof, we gotta start all over, no momentum, no nothing. The Pistons LOST in June 05 and came back firing on all 7 Pistons.

Soft? pathetic? The Popovich/Duncan Spurs sure are fragile, dellicate bunch.

[T Park]

boutons

why are you such a miserable fuck?

[SequSpur]

Spam

Stfu

Sb.

[Que Gee]

You are funny because you always think Pop controls the ball movement. Like he tells the players to stop moving. Last night one of the main reasons he was pissed is because the players stopped moving without the ball.


Fabbs insight is right on. I have wondered the same thing from time to time.

Pop's 4 dumb in the 4th quarter was typical robot offense which depending on "which" players are on the floor kills ball movement, and leads to the ever increasing predictable and boring offense.

[Que Gee]

Do

to have more consistent ball movement and transition fast breaks. Or is PJ the yes man assistant waiting for an eventual head coaching job?

THANK YOU!
:downspin:

[Rick Von Braun]

You are funny because you always think Pop controls the ball movement. Like he tells the players to stop moving. Last night one of the main reasons he was pissed is because the players stopped moving without the ball.

I agree but the problem is slightly deeper than this. I don't think it is just movement of players without the ball, but the movement of the ball itself. If all the players are doing is running around while Tim or Tony are holding the ball, that movement is useless. I have seen this many many MANY times over the years, and it is Pop's trademark on the offense. I still recall Kobe's remarks (or was Shaq?, I don't remember) back in 2002 when asked about the Spurs "new" motion offense and the movement of Spurs players. He replied, paraphrasing: "that movement is useless, because they move with no purpose just to distract our defense... we have to keep doubling Tim in the fourth and let the other guys beat us". It worked like charm for them.

You need to share the rock while moving. This not only creates high percentage shots, but it is also a thing of beauty.

I think things will get better once Manu recovers from the injury. He sets a different tone on both the offensive and defensive end.

[boutons_]

t_pork, why do you ask?

[T Park]

cause you ruin the board with your constant miserable dense posts.

You and Fabbs are making the board unreadable.

[Kori Ellis]

You need to share the rock while moving. This not only creates high percentage shots, but it is also a thing of beauty.

True, but it's not like it is always Pop's design NOT to do that. The players have to come through on their end as well. The main thing that the players were talking about last night after the game is how the ball (and the players) stopped moving in the 2nd half. That wasn't Pop's fault. He wasn't calling for one pass only into the post. Even when they call 4 down, it's not supposed to be one pass into Tim and all the other players at a stand still. The movement in the first half was excellent for some stretches. Pop didn't call that off at half time.

That all being said, the Spurs scored 100 points. So the main problem last night really wasn't offense as much as it was transition D. The Kings scored 30 points off turnovers. Sure, the Spurs turned the ball over too much, but their D was horrible too. It was just a bad night all around.

I can't judge a lot from these games though. No Manu means that things are extremely different on both ends. The only positive thing that I thought would come out of Manu's absence is that Finley and Beno would get on track shooting-wise. And so far, the only one that has improved is Bowen. :wtf Go figure. :lol

[itzsoweezee]

But you know what? I have faith that the team can work it out, that they are not going to continue beating a dead horse, that now that they will get some practice time, they will figure out what is not working and fix it. I have faith that the team will use the losses and close games to make it work in future close games.


history suggests you're being overly-optimistic. the spurs haven't exactly been good at making adjustments. it's worrisome because a lot of the problems from last year have not been corrected. the personnel has improved, but popovich hasn't.

[angel_luv]

yeah, but unfortunately the Spurs share the ball with the other team way too much.

:lol

[aaronstampler]

Did you miss the part where HE FUCKING SUCKED IN THE THIRD QUARTER!?!?!?!?

GOOD GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beno has stunk, and if Vaughn didn't stink on offense out loud, Beno would have splinters so far up his as, hed sneeze sawdust.

Now you Beno apologists need to get the fuck off Pop's ass, and look at BENO'S poor play for once.




Now Fabbs, and other pop haters, will never acknowledge that, and say that statement is bullshit.

Fabb's head is so far up his ass he cant see straight.


I don't understand why everyone is ripping Beno, but nobody else. Yeah, Beno had two straight turnovers and was benched, but then Vaughn came in, and the Spurs has two MORE straight turnovers, one by Vaughn.

Then Tony played the whole 4th quarter and was GOD AWFUL. I've been waiting for one person to bring up that Tony had 5 TURNOVERS in the 4th quarter.

Beno didn't almost cost the Spurs the game. It was Tony, Robert with his horrid free throw shooting, (he missed his last six) and Finley with his overall suckiness, letting Salmons score on him all night long. We would've gotten killed tonight if Bibby wasn't the most atrocious defensive player in the NBA, repeatedly leaving Bruce in the corner to collapse on the driver, as if he's going to draw a charge or something. Every 3 Bruce hit was with Bibby sagging off him, and he even did it to Brent a couple times, but he clanked.

I think after this 4th quarter Pop must be really looking forward to having Manu back so he can hand it to him in a tight game and end the foolishness. Tony was great in the 1st and 3rd, but just miserable in the 4th.

[Rick Von Braun]

I can't judge a lot from these games though. No Manu means that things are extremely different on both ends. The only positive thing that I thought would come out of Manu's absence is that Finley and Beno would get on track shooting-wise. And so far, the only one that has improved is Bowen. :wtf Go figure. :lol

Hmm... I just look at the numbers... you are right, this is an interesting observation. :dizzy

[venitian navigator]

I hate to say that, 'cause I've always liked Beno, but looks like the relationship with the team is not going the way it should...the point is that we can't have trouble anytime he is in the court looking for something bad to happen.
I think thta, when he necessarly had time to play, and i mean big time (when tony has been injured) he proved to be an excellent player and maybe better than tony in playing the team.
But in limited time, thuings are different...'cause he's not the kind of "energy player" (a la Speedy Claxton) that cames out of bench and give you a push to winning...

So, at this point, maybe should be better to look in another direction...and explore his market value.

A team that needs a (very) good play maker, imho, could make a ral bargain with Beno, considering his actual low market value... but... is there any "reserve" point man available worth a look ? I'm just thinking to some names :
1) Watson
2) Claxton
3) Knight
4) Duhon
5) Jasikeviciuos
6) Spanoulis
7)M. Williams
8) Blake
9) Delonte West

any ideas ?

[Fabbs]

You are funny because you always think Pop controls the ball movement. Like he tells the players to stop moving. Last night one of the main reasons he was pissed is because the players stopped moving without the ball.

:clap So for every 40Xs he sits and watches 4 Dumb with no ball movement and does not say a thing nay condones nay promotes, he does it once like last night.

Tossing it to Duncan and at least two (better 3) of the other players moving I do not consider 4 Dumb. But we have history de jour of Dump it To Tim and all other four Stand "4 Dumb".