Yo Pop

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

See the guy in my sig below? It's okay to use him, it's the fourth quarter.

[Kori Ellis]

It's also okay to play Bowen when Barry is getting destroyed by the Raptors.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

That too, especially when Bowen's dropping the corner three.

It would also be nice if at some point in the last three minutes we could do something besides post up Tim, but hey, Pop's got a ring and they don't call it 4down anymore.

[Spurminator]

Who the fuck is supposed to be guarding Murray?

Fine him.

[ZStomp]

:lol

This is funny. They were up by 20 points!!

:lol

Sigh...

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

EIGHT POINTS in the fourth. Popdamnit...

[Kori Ellis]

Who the fuck is supposed to be guarding Murray?

Fine him.

Two matadors -- Manu and Barry

[Duff McCartney]

Well I guess the Spurs still haven't shaken off their 4th quarter collapses.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I just hope I don't hear Pop play the 'soft' card. His substitutions and play calling weren't exactly the things of intestinal fortitude.

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

Wow!!

[whottt]

We needed more Malik Rose...

[SequSpur]

Where was Beno and Rasho? The two token players?

[Slo spurs fan]

They played just fine! But how about the others?

[Spurminator]

Man this pisses me off. Spurs blew the game and my 9-1 vBookie bet.

[SLOVENIAN 8]

Where was Beno and Rasho? The two token players?
Rasho and beno play only couple of minutes in 4th quarter. Blame Pope.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Aside from a desperation three, the number of fourth quarter plays run for the Spurs closer, Manu Ginobili: Two.

Number of times Manu scored a bucket: One.

Number of times rest of Spurs scored a bucket: One.
Number of shot attempts for rest of Spurs : Eighteen.

:pctoss

[IceColdBrewski]

At least twice during the 4th quater comeback, the camera focused on Pop. Instead of pacing up and down the floor screaming and chewing ass, he was just sitting there with a puzzled look on his face. Ball movement is what built the 20 point lead to begin with. Why start playing the "post up Tim in the paint" game? If it aint broke, don't fix it.

[ducks]

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6489

[FromWayDowntown]

I guess screaming and yelling for the sake of screaming and yelling would have been enough to stop the Toronto run?

Come on. They made their shots when they needed to and the Spurs played an arrogant 4th Quarter. It happens. They weren't going to go 81-1. It's a bad loss, no doubt, but every team will have a couple of bad losses this season. I think we can all just hope that the Spurs do what they've always done and learn from the loss to keep building.

They'd better not be playing their best basketball right now.

[ducks]

they will learn from this and pop has their attention now

[IceColdBrewski]

I guess screaming and yelling for the sake of screaming and yelling would have been enough to stop the Toronto run?


Screaming and yelling for the sake of screaming and yelling? No. Screaming and yelling to light a fire under their asses and stop the bleeding? Yes.

[newbiefan]

agree with you "fromwaydowntown". don't expect all wins during season. . don't mind losing to better teams ( mavs, jazz, etc. ) , but this was one ugly loss. raptor coach did same thing pop did in boston game- got the bench up there show some energy. also, how come pop doesn't yell at udrih like he did tparker??

[T Park]

Screaming and yelling to light a fire under their asses and stop the bleeding? Yes.


of course Ice, you watched the timeouts what Pop's demeanor was right??

You didnt??

Oops....

[BronxCowboy]

It happens. They weren't going to go 81-1. It's a bad loss, no doubt, but every team will have a couple of bad losses this season . . . They'd better not be playing their best basketball right now.

Two things:
1. I agree that some losses are inevitable, but they should never lose when they have a 19 point lead going into the 4th quarter. That is inexcusable
2. There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing in top form at the beginning of the season as long as you can also play your best in the playoffs. That said, what the Spurs brought in the 4th quarter today was nowhere close to their best effort, so I guess you should be happy.

[ducks]

what if pop got a t?

[T Park]

add on the traveling turnover Ginobili had.

[IceColdBrewski]

what if pop got a t?

For yelling at his team from the sidelines? That'd be a first for me.

[FromWayDowntown]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with playing in top form at the beginning of the season as long as you can also play your best in the playoffs. That said, what the Spurs brought in the 4th quarter today was nowhere close to their best effort, so I guess you should be happy.

Look, I'm all about a good effort, but I also understand that with a long season, the teams that prevail in the end will be playing their best basketball at the end. Teams that get out like gangbusters have a tendency to slide late -- I realize that these guys are professional athletes, but it's damned near impossible for anyone to sustain that level of focus and excellence for 6 months without a few letups along the way. Better that they suffer a let-up in late November than in late April or May, as far as I'm concerned.

I don't like the loss, but I'm also not sitting here thinking that the loss is the result of incompetence, or a poorly-constructed team, or a lack of quality players, or any of the usual lines that Spurs fans use to start bitch fests. It was a bad loss. That's all.

[FromWayDowntown]

Screaming and yelling to light a fire under their asses and stop the bleeding? Yes.

He can't always scream and yell -- if he did, the importance of what he had to say would be lost on players who'd heard screaming and yelling when it really wasn't all that important. These guys are professionals, not a high school varsity, and they must be accountable for finding their own motivation. Popovich knows that his team is going to reach the playoffs and likely will do so with a very high seed, so he's building his team right now. Part of that building process is putting them in adverse situations and allowing them to either find their way out or to suffer the consequences. Today, they suffered the consequences. If they can't take motivation from that, then Pop has something to yell about.

[ducks]

sometimes a t will get the team going

[IceColdBrewski]

He can't always scream and yell -- if he did, the importance of what he had to say would be lost on players who'd heard screaming and yelling when it really wasn't all that important. These guys are professionals, not a high school varsity, and they must be accountable for finding their own motivation. Popovich knows that his team is going to reach the playoffs and likely will do so with a very high seed, so he's building his team right now. Part of that building process is putting them in adverse situations and allowing them to either find their way out or to suffer the consequences. Today, they suffered the consequences. If they can't take motivation from that, then Pop has something to yell about.

i'm not talking about screaming and yelling just to demean them. I'm talkin about yelling instructions. Stuff like, "Defense", and "Parker, guard that little fucker". You know. Stuff that would have helped.

Good post though.

[IceColdBrewski]

sometimes a t will get the team going

very true

[FromWayDowntown]

i'm not talking about screaming and yelling just to demean them. I'm talkin about yelling instructions. Stuff like, "Defense", and "Parker, guard that little fucker".

So you want him to yell things at them that they already know? I guess I just don't get that idea. I suspect, after all of these years, that they know they're supposed to play defense and that each player knows to guard the man he's responsible for. If that's the breakdown that you saw, then I absolutely 100% disagree with your position -- it would have been a pointless (and maybe even self-defeating) exercise.

[T Park]

Doesnt Pop yell enough??


You yell too much, and then the team will tune him out.


Pinning the loss on Pop, because he "didnt yell enough" is weak.

Not playing Nesterovic and Bowen? Alright rip his ass on that cause I agree.

[IceColdBrewski]

Doesnt Pop yell enough??


You yell too much, and then the team will tune him out.


Pinning the loss on Pop, because he "didnt yell enough" is weak.

You're totally missing my point. I'm bitchin about Pop not showing any emotion when the team was in the midst of a defensive collapse.

[IceColdBrewski]

... also, how come pop doesn't yell at udrih like he did tparker??

Because Beno doesn't make the boneheaded mistakes that Parker always made.

[T Park]

ohhh not showing emotion.

Well, if only he was like ron artest....


This showing emotion BS is so over rated

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm bitchin about Pop not showing any emotion when the team was in the midst of a defensive collapse.

Showing emotion doesn't mean screaming and yelling -- screaming and yelling is often a sign that you lack poise and are panicking.

Pop's a very bright man who seems to be really in tune with his team and its needs. Today, he must have believed that it was worthwhile for them to try to find their own way out of the woods. That decision may pay off in the end. Patience, people. Patience.

[Marcus Bryant]

Patience, people. Patience.

Remember these are Spurs fans you are responding to.

[FromWayDowntown]

Remember these are Spurs fans you are responding to.

I forget that occasionally.