Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Pistons Jan. 10

[timvp]

In yet another chapter of The Uninspired Regular Season Spurs, San Antonio got smacked down early and smothered by the Detroit Pistons. The Spurs went down big in the first half and never really made it a ballgame after that.

First off, props to the Pistons on a game well played. Detroit jumped on the Spurs and fought off each run. Their defensive and offensive execution throughout the game was impressive. This Pistons squad is better than last year’s version and should be able to push the Boston Celtics for a spot in the NBA Finals.

For the Spurs, the biggest problem remains the team’s chemistry. The team offensively just isn’t cohesive at all. And oddly enough, the three biggest culprits are the Big Three – Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. There is just no rhythm on the offensive end, while on the defensive end the help defense is a step slow.

This loss hurt a little more than your run of the mill uninspired regular season loss because it came against a team the Spurs should have shown up against. The Pistons are a legit contender yet the Spurs played like the game was held in dense fog.

Luckily, all the Spurs current problems are correctable. It’s ugly right now but there isn’t anything that should stop this team from regaining their championship level play. If you want to take something good out of this game, look at the defensive end of the court where the Spurs held their own after the first quarter.

-Tim Duncan played well enough for the Spurs to win. He finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, while connecting on 8-of-16 field goal attempts and 8-of-9 free throw attempts. The numbers look nice and Duncan’s energy level was good but he still had a lot of room to improve. A number of times Duncan didn’t move the ball on the offensive end to find the open man. Defensively, Duncan again wasn’t the dominant interior presence the Spurs need him to be to play championship level basketball. His performance was a lot like his outing versus the Golden State Warriors as far as playing well but still not playing the overall team game we’ve come to take for granted.

-Manu Ginobili was one of the main culprits of the poor play on both ends of the court. When he entered the game with six minutes to go in the first quarter, the Spurs held a 13-10 lead. By the team he exited ten minutes later, the Spurs were down 40-21. While obviously it was hardly all his fault, his entrance into the game was when the on-court chemistry took a nosedive. Instead of playing team basketball, the Big Three took turns playing one-on-one and forced either bad shots or bad passes. Defensively, the effort and execution was also horrible during this stretch. For the game, Ginobili had nine points on 3-for-12 shooting and finished the game tied for the worst plus/minus at -20. After returning from his finger injury, Ginobili just hasn’t had the same cohesion with his teammates that he had before the injury.

-Tony Parker had a really, really rough outing. If he wasn’t missing a shot at the rim or missing a jumper, he was turning the ball over. He started the game off playing decently but fell into a huge funk and then seemingly couldn’t do anything right. He, like every other Spur, fell into the trap of playing too much one-on-one offensively. Parker’s aggression in the open court was often mistimed and usually ended poorly. Finishing with 12 points, four points, four rebounds and five turnovers on 4-for-13 shooting, Parker’s numbers actually look better than how he played. It’s been more than a month since Parker has had two very solid back to back games.

-Bruce Bowen didn’t have much to do with this loss. He only played 26 minutes and while his defense wasn’t great, it was good enough. Offensively, Bowen missed the only shot he took. When the Big Three is having troubles with cohesion and consistency, a role player like Bowen really suffers because his role becomes less defined.

-Michael Finley is one of the few role players who is having an active hand in the Spurs not playing as a team. It’s as if Finley got accustomed to being one of the featured weapons and now that he’s back to his true role, he’s still trying to do too much. It’d help the offense right now if he passed more and shot less. Against the Pistons, Finley finished with nine points on 3-for-9 shooting from the field.

-Fabricio Oberto was back into the starting lineup and he actually played pretty well. He was playing strong defensively as he was one of the few Spurs who would actually fight the Pistons for position. In 19 minutes, Oberto finished with four points and three rebounds, while also far and away leading the Spurs in plus/minus at +12. Expect Oberto to stay in the starting lineup for the rest of the season – unless Pop feels the need to defrost another bigman by inserting him into the starting lineup for a week or two.

-I was relatively impressed by Jacque Vaughn’s play. With the Spurs playing as if it were the preseason, Vaughn came in and competed with every ounce of his being. He finished with ten points and three assists, while connecting on all three of his field goals including his first three-pointer of the year. Vaughn tried to will the Spurs back into the game but it just wasn’t enough tonight.

-Matt Bonner was the fifth bigman to play for the Spurs in this game but he earned extended playing time by playing with energy. In 18 minutes, Bonner had two points, four rebounds and a blocked shot. He didn’t mind throwing around his body and was his typical active self. The problem was he missed a number of shots that could have really given the Spurs momentum. If he makes even one of his three shots from beyond the arc, the Spurs might have gotten back into the game.

-Robert Horry returned to the bench and laid an egg. Actually, he was worse than that. Horry was simply horrible tonight. Offensively he did nothing except turn the ball over a couple of times. Defensively Horry did nothing of note. His plus/minus of -20 in nine minutes of play speaks volumes this game. All that said, I hesitate to blame Horry for the loss. While he was far from helping the Spurs this game, Horry’s role for the team isn’t big enough for him to single-handedly lose a game in nine minutes of action. Sure, he sucked but it’d be foolish to pin the entire loss on him. Horry playing a poor game shouldn’t be the difference between a win and a loss.

-Francisco Elson was back on the court for the Spurs. After racking up three consecutive DNP-CD’s over the last three games, Elson was seemingly back in the rotation for the Spurs. Perhaps Pop remembered how well Elson played against the Pistons last year (21 points and 28 rebounds in two contests) and decided to dust him off. Truth be told, Elson actually played pretty well against the Pistons yet again. He had six points and a rebound in seven minutes of action and hit all three of his shots. With Oberto back in the starting lineup, Elson might find himself back in the everyday rotation as the team’s backup center.

-Udoka was one of the reasons why the Spurs were even in the game at halftime. Over a four minute stretch in the second quarter, the Spurs’ only points were two three-pointers by Udoka. His defense was impressive for the most part and he probably deserved more playing time than the seven minutes he received. In fact, he didn’t play in the second half until the final few minutes after the game was decided. He wasn’t playing any worse than any other perimeter player in this game for the Spurs.

-Jeremy Richardson got into the game to make his Spurs debut. Come on down, JRich, you are the next contestant on The End of the Bench Merry-Go-Round. Richardson didn’t touch the ball in his one minute and 27 seconds of playing time. Some scouts have compared his game to a poor man’s Richard Hamilton and Richardson looked to have the same build as Hamilton -- but probably stood an inch shorter. You also have to give it up to Richardson for breaking out an awkward looking grey t-shirt beneath his jersey.

-I’m not sure what Pop can do right now for the Spurs. There isn’t a magic button he can push to instantly improve the chemistry. The Spurs are just going to have to play their way out of this funk and get back to their winning formula. Improved ball movement offensively and improved defensive rotations would do wonders for this team.

Pop has to also decide what he’s going to do with Horry. Is he going to keep playing Horry to get him prepared for the playoffs or is he going to start looking for another bigman option on the bench? Personally, I still trust Horry to show up in the playoffs. No matter how bad he looks in the beginning of January, he’s still my first option out of all the bench power forward and center options come money time.

It’d also be nice to get Brent Barry healthy again. Barry is perhaps the best player on the team at coming in and instantly improving the team’s ball movement. He did so a couple times last year in the playoffs when the ball wasn’t moving as it should. Barry was expected to miss two weeks with his calf injury -- and those two weeks have come and gone. It'll probably be another week or two before you see him in the lineup.

The bottomline is this was another tough game to swallow for a Spurs fan. While, yes, games at this time of year hardly matter when looking at the big picture, this type of lackadaisical effort against a good team shouldn’t be excused.

[BeerIsGood!]

As it stands right now we suck.

Only time will tell if that ever gets corrected.

I'm not wasting my time trying to figure it out, will just wait and see if these guys are content with their titles or are still hungry for more. If they're content, so be it.

[SequSpur]

While Jacque maintained the Pistons lead, Beno Udrih was droppin dimes all night. How can you praise a point guard that does nothing? Energy doesn't win games, skill does and he lacks it.

Same thing as Bonner, he doesn't do shit to turn the game into a victory, he is a player, that's it. he has no impact on what matters most. He is a little better than Carl Herrera on a good night, that's it.

Elson sucks.

Tony Parker suddenly can't shoot and has no confidence.

Tim Duncan is soft.

Bruce Bowen is worthless.

Oberto and Horry are terrible.

Ginobili is out of control.

Udoka is doing okay, but again, when you have to play the udoka's of this world in an nba game.. guess what? lotteria.

The spurs just suck ass the past month or so. I don't see any bright spots.

[WalterBenitez]

As it stands right now we suck.

Only time will tell if that ever gets corrected.

I'm not wasting my time trying to figure it out, will just wait and see if these guys are content with their titles or are still hungry for more. If they're content, so be it.


If Tp and Manu sucks at the same time, TD and the rest of the crew can't handle a NBA's top team

[SequSpur]

You ever wonder why the Spurs can't score when they have players out there that can't shoot for shit?

It's not rocket science.

[duncan228]

The Spurs are just going to have to play their way out of this funk and get back to their winning formula.

Thanks, as always, timvp. I appreciate your game thoughts.

This was a "tough to swallow" loss.
The Spurs have to play through this slump. And out of it.
And getting through this will make them stronger.

[T Park]

I agree with Udoka and Oberto.

Personally, in the third instead of Elson coming in for Duncan.

It should've been Oberto and Udoka for Duncan and Finley.


IMO pop screwed up there.

Udoka was playing very well and should've gotten alot more time.


Typical Spurs january game.

Nothing to see here.

[T Park]

This was a "tough to swallow" loss.


Honestly why?

What was so important about this game?

Honestly?

[timvp]

While Daniels maintained the Jazz lead, Vinny Del Negro was droppin dimes all night. How can you praise a point guard that does nothing? Energy doesn't win games, skill does and he lacks it.

Same thing as Rose, he doesn't do shit to turn the game into a victory, he is a player, that's it. he has no impact on what matters most. He is a little better than Carl Herrera on a good night, that's it.

Perdue sucks.

Sean Elliott suddenly can't shoot and has no confidence.

David Robinson is soft.

Mario Elie is worthless.

Kersey and Kerr are terrible.

Tim Duncan is out of control.

Jaren Jackson is doing okay, but again, when you have to play the jackson's of this world in an nba game.. guess what? lotteria.

The spurs just suck ass the past month or so. I don't see any bright spots.


While Claxton maintained the Jazz lead, Antonio Daniels was droppin dimes all night. How can you praise a point guard that does nothing? Energy doesn't win games, skill does and he lacks it.

Same thing as Rose, he doesn't do shit to turn the game into a victory, he is a player, that's it. he has no impact on what matters most. He is a little better than Carl Herrera on a good night, that's it.

Willis sucks.

Tony Parker suddenly can't shoot and has no confidence.

Tim Duncan is soft.

Bruce Bowen is worthless.

Ferry and Kerr are terrible.

Manu Ginobili is out of control.

Stephen Jackson is doing okay, but again, when you have to play the jackson's of this world in an nba game.. guess what? lotteria.

The spurs just suck ass the past month or so. I don't see any bright spots.


While Beno Udrih maintained the Jazz lead, Jason Hart was droppin dimes all night. How can you praise a point guard that does nothing? Energy doesn't win games, skill does and he lacks it.

Same thing as Horry, he doesn't do shit to turn the game into a victory, he is a player, that's it. he has no impact on what matters most. He is a little better than Carl Herrera on a good night, that's it.

Mohammed sucks.

Tony Parker suddenly can't shoot and has no confidence.

Tim Duncan is soft.

Bruce Bowen is worthless.

Barry and Rasho are terrible.

Manu Ginobili is out of control.

Brent Barry is doing okay, but again, when you have to play the barry's of this world in an nba game.. guess what? lotteria.

The spurs just suck ass the past month or so. I don't see any bright spots.


While Jacque Vaughn maintained the Jazz lead, Devin Brown was droppin dimes all night. How can you praise a point guard that does nothing? Energy doesn't win games, skill does and he lacks it.

Same thing as Oberto, he doesn't do shit to turn the game into a victory, he is a player, that's it. he has no impact on what matters most. He is a little better than Carl Herrera on a good night, that's it.

Horry sucks.

Tony Parker suddenly can't shoot and has no confidence.

Tim Duncan is soft.

Bruce Bowen is worthless.

Barry and Elson are terrible.

Manu Ginobili is out of control.

Michael Finley is doing okay, but again, when you have to play the finley's of this world in an nba game.. guess what? lotteria.

The spurs just suck ass the past month or so. I don't see any bright spots.



While Jacque maintained the Pistons lead, Beno Udrih was droppin dimes all night. How can you praise a point guard that does nothing? Energy doesn't win games, skill does and he lacks it.

Same thing as Bonner, he doesn't do shit to turn the game into a victory, he is a player, that's it. he has no impact on what matters most. He is a little better than Carl Herrera on a good night, that's it.

Elson sucks.

Tony Parker suddenly can't shoot and has no confidence.

Tim Duncan is soft.

Bruce Bowen is worthless.

Oberto and Horry are terrible.

Ginobili is out of control.

Udoka is doing okay, but again, when you have to play the udoka's of this world in an nba game.. guess what? lotteria.

The spurs just suck ass the past month or so. I don't see any bright spots.

I like this pattern :hungry:

[T Park]

:lol

I can still remember him saying Stephen Jackson should be "selling sodas up in club 200"

[duncan228]

Honestly why?

What was so important about this game?

Honestly?

I expected a competitive game.

The loss isn't the problem in and of itself, it was how they lost.

The way they got outplayed in the first quarter was hard to watch. The turnovers, the inability to adjust to Detroit's defense. The inability to adjust their own defense to stop Detroit.

Don't get me wrong, I'm used to mid-winter Spurs blues. There will be more losses. To teams not as good as Detroit. And it will all work in the Spurs favor. I have complete faith that they will be playing at their best come the Playoffs.

But it's never fun to watch your team lose. If they leave it all on the court I find any loss easier to take. They didn't do that tonight. That made it tough to swallow.

[T Park]

Eh, I guess I shouldn't take losses so easily obviously.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Mad mad mad props to jacque vaughn. I respect him a little bit more after tonight's game, and he gained a solid 15 faith points. Nice to see someone wanted to win tonight.

I do not like the spurs playing uninterested but the fact is tonight I think they actually tried hard, relative to their recent streak of shitty play. Which scares me. No doubt in my mind Detroit was gonna come out swinging after getting D-slapped last night in Allas. Spurs should have known this. We started fine and then Parker seriously let Chauncey get into his head. When Chauncey bodied up parker and got physical, it messed Parker up hardcore, rhythm-wise, and Parker was on a different page than the rest of the team the remainder of the game. When your point guard does that, offense gets discombobulated, and that's exactly what happened.

And Duncan's slow reactions on the defensive end are becoming painful to watch.

[SenorSpur]

Another smashing summary.

The so-called "big three" are indeed playing AGAINST one another. When one of them has the ball, they are seemingly playing selfishly. Either it's Manu forcing the drive in between 3 defenders, or Tony is forcing the ball into the the paint when a teammate is wide open. If not that, then Tim is backing his defender down into a double-team and forcing some "wild-ass", off-balanced, one-hander. It's UGLY basketball.

LJ, I know you stated you still trust Horry, but I don't. It's a long season, but I have to question any player who needs "motivation" to get him going. If you can't get motivated to play - RETIRE!

This again is proof positive that Tim has NO HELP on the frontline. I liked it better when Nazr was here. Never thought I'd miss him. Sure, he had "hands of stone", but he hustled and rebounded. Nobody on this team, not named Duncan, is crashing the boards. Everyone wants to tap out at the ball.

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Improved ball movement offensively and improved defensive rotations would do wonders for this team.

Exactly, when this team's offense becomes stagnant. They become even more predictable. You get a bunch of one on ones and plays were players just stop and look at the player Holding the ball. And at that point it does 2 things.

1.Allows defenders from the week side to sag off their man and clog up the lane. And it also allows teams to have better help defense against our slashers as well as double down on TD.

2.By the time the ball is actually distributed, who ever is left holding it has to jack up an ill advised shot because of time expiring.

But you're right about these things being correctable. Now I understand its January and what not. But the Spurs are Champions...and they should play like it.

[Kori Ellis]

I know you are my husband and all that, but I just wanted to say that this is one of the best recaps that you have written.

That's all.

[freemeat]

I know you are my husband and all that, but I just wanted to say that this is one of the best recaps that you have written.

That's all.


AAAAWWWWWWW.......



http://p.vtourist.com/2372685-Travel_Picture-cbs5Kissy_Kissy.jpg

[birdy219]

Just wanted to say, I stayed up so that I could read your game thoughts. I enjoy them so much. I thought that this one would be short and sweet.
Game thoughts: we sucked. Have a good night. :dramaquee

[Josepatches]

TD can't do much anymore.15 reb 5 assist per only 1 TO and shooting 50% with the whole defense of Detroit focus on him

[SenorSpur]

The Spurs should be utterly embarrassed for the piss-poor effort they gave out. And on National TV at that.

A loss is easy to accept if the team plays hard. There was clearly no excuse for this paltry effort. Especially for a team that had 4 days off. :bang

[SouthernFried]

It's hard to add anything after TimVP.

We just don't look strong or awake out there. We know these guys have talent, we've all seen it. They just look, well...groggy all the time.

Conditioning and diet might have something to do with it.

Props to Detroit, they said before the game they were gonna stop TP, and they sure as hell did.

[bobbybob0]

Ok, now that Pop has escaped the ASG maybe they can start palyig some basketball again? :wakeup

[Slomo]

I know you are my husband and all that, but I just wanted to say that this is one of the best recaps that you have written.

That's all.
http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums/Emoticons/kiss_ass.jpg



I never thought Kori would be the first poster I'd use this picture on :lol

On a more serious note. This was only the second game I got to see live this season and I can't believe I stayed up for this shit - and on a school night!

The Silver lining is, I guess, Udoka's play and Jacques' hustle and effort on defense, but I have to agree with Sequ :dizzy he is not a very talented scorer. If this was one of his better offensive outings this year, I'm scared of thinking how he looks on a bad one.

[ShoogarBear]

The Spurs, as part of their new adjustable ticket rates, should stop charging full price for tickets in December and January.

[polandprzem]

1. This game thoughts were brought you by the word cohesive


2. :lol hehe at the husband's sequs quotes


3. I remember when Detroit demolished us in 2006 in january, still the spurs were able to come up strong at the end of a year.

4. But still Tpark is watching the games and do not give a fuck if the spurs win or lose. Is he a fan of a team? They would go 0-82 and he still would be happy and waiting for the playoffs ... :rolleyes

5. Udoka is in shape so Pop should play him more. Horry must explain himself and damn Elson is a question mark. We need Oberto there more then I thought. But I give Oberto time.

6. Big three - sleep well and be baq after ASG

7. Offense and defense. How much a ball movenment is about Barry in the game and how much about undertanding or MORE - FEEL FOR THE GAME - just look at Boston, guys movenment out there is fabulous. I wish spurs would move that easy. Defense - without nobody on the froncourt accept for Tim it will be tough to keep the box closed noturious. It's matter of April time when I will judge their chances of winning it all by a defense.

[Capt Bringdown]

I know we shouldn't truly be worried because this is just a regular season game, but the Spurs sure are making it hard for fans to stay interested at this point.

And sometimes we complain and wonder why the Spurs aren't more appreciated outside of Bexar county. I was hoping this regular season would be about making an emphatic statement.

OK, I'd rather we save our statements for the playoffs.
Rant over

[Bruno]

Thanks for the recap. I won't even bother watching this game.
I'm not really concerned about Spurs right now. Most of Spurs players have shown this year that they were at least as good as last year, the team struggles to find his rhythm with all these injuries.

To me, the only real concern is Horry. He is playing really poorly this year. He isn't even at the level of the regular season Horry. He is struggling that bad because of his troubles at the start of the season or is he done ?
Pop will have to figure that before the playoffs. If Horry has still something left in him, he could bring a lot in the playoff. It would be stupid to bench a player that valuable.
If Horry is done and if Pop stick with him, it will be NVE part 2 in worse because Bonner>Udrih.

[some_user86]

Thanks for the recap. I won't even bother watching this game.
I'm not really concerned about Spurs right now. Most of Spurs players have shown this year that they were at least as good as last year, the team struggles to find his rhythm with all these injuries.

To me, the only real concern is Horry. He is playing really poorly this year. He isn't even at the level of the regular season Horry. He is struggling that bad because of his troubles at the start of the season or is he done ?
Pop will have to figure that before the playoffs. If Horry has still something left in him, he could bring a lot in the playoff. It would be stupid to bench a player that valuable.
If Horry is done and if Pop stick with him, it will be NVE part 2 in worse because Bonner>Udrih.

I don't see it as Horry vs Bonner in terms of minutes for playoffs. I see it as PFs vs Centers (IOW, Horry/Bonner vs Oberto/Elson) competing for minutes. Bonner has received consistent time during Horry's surge of minutes. Oberto and Elson have suffered.

[Bruno]

I don't see it as Horry vs Bonner in terms of minutes for playoffs. I see it as PFs vs Centers (IOW, Horry/Bonner vs Oberto/Elson) competing for minutes. Bonner has received consistent time during Horry's surge of minutes. Oberto and Elson have suffered.

Bonner has had consistent playtime because Pop has decided to start Horry. If you start Oberto, Bonner will be the one who will get less playtime when Horry will get minutes.
Right now, three players deserve to get consistent playing time at PF/C : Duncan, Oberto and Bonner. If playoffs started tomorrow, I hope it will be Pop main PF/C rotation. These players should play the bulk of minutes at PF/C. The few minutes left at PF/C should be given to Elson, Horry or small ball.

[urunobili]

to be honest... i fell asleep after the first quarter... knew what was about to come.. and sorry for my prediction of manu going for 30+ :depressed

[George Gervin's Afro]

I'm just gald I didn't blow any money on tickets for this game..

[1Parker1]

I don't understand why Udoka didn't play more after the first quarter? Instead more minutes went to Finley and Ginobili, neither of which were doing much. Udoka wasn't hesitating with his shot, his defense was good, and he looked to be in some sort of rythmn for the first time in a while. Of course, Pop decides not to play him. How does he expect Udoka to grow and become part of the system when Pop doesn't play him when he's playing well and then just randomly gives him more minutes here or there other games?

And I agree, Spurs greatly miss Barry. Not just his 3 point shooting, which is honest enough that most teams know to stay on him, but his passing, and chemistry he has with Parker and Ginobili....

[Southwest Texas Fan]

The spurs lost this game in the first quarter. I remember yelling at POP to call a time out and by the time it was all said and done the Pistons had already scored a third of their points in one quarter. Grant it the team kept them under their season average but the Spurs just sucked.

[TampaDude]

I honestly didn't bother watching this game because it's January and I figured the Pistons were gonna beat the Spurs, considering the way both teams have been playing recently. It doesn't really matter right now. We'll see Detroit again in the Finals.

[ancestron]

My game thoughts:
@#$%$#$!*&^$#$#@@!%$#

[MoSpur]

I don't like Pop going back and forth with Oberto and Horry in the starting lineup. I think that has a lot to do with the chemistry issue. Oberto hadn't been himself the past games when he didn't start. Last night, he looked a lot better.

[some_user86]

Bonner has had consistent playtime because Pop has decided to start Horry. If you start Oberto, Bonner will be the one who will get less playtime when Horry will get minutes.
Right now, three players deserve to get consistent playing time at PF/C : Duncan, Oberto and Bonner. If playoffs started tomorrow, I hope it will be Pop main PF/C rotation. These players should play the bulk of minutes at PF/C. The few minutes left at PF/C should be given to Elson, Horry or small ball.

Well, Oberto started yesterday (according to the Box Score). Bonner's minutes didn't go down. Instead, Horry's minutes went down. Elson's minutes rose.

[ancestron]

Pop needs to stop messing with the damn lineup. It looks like he doesnt know what he's doing. Like he and his staff are sitting over there saying "uh, I don't know lets try this guy, crap...uh maybe this guy...crap...uh how bout these guys? damn. Since when did Pop become Isiah Thomas??!?!

[phyzik]

With all those turnovers from Parker, for just an instant, I thought I'd like to see Beno on the floor.....

it was just an instant, I swear!

Someone needs to tell parker to make the shot and not focus on getting the foul, that seemed to be what the problem was. He was focused more on drawing the foul than actually making the shot. I wanted to reach into the TV and strangle him.

[SAGambler]

-Udoka was one of the reasons why the Spurs were even in the game at halme.
Over a four minute stretch in the second quarter, the Spurs’ only
points were two three-pointers by Udoka.
His defense was impressive for the most part and he probably deserved
more playing time than the seven minutes he received. In fact, he didn’t
play in the second half until the final few minutes after the game was decided.
He wasn’t playing any worse than any other perimeter player in this game for the Spurs.

This is what's killing me. Has Pop suddenly decided games can be won on defense alone? Same thing a few nights back. DJ comes in, scores like 8 pts in the final 3 or 4 minutes of the half, and then never sees the floor the rest of the game, Same shit he pulled on Udoka last night. Bonners 3s weren't falling, neither were Fins nor Manus. So what is the solution? Let them keep brickin away while the one man that hit two for you in the final minutes of the first half is sitting and chillin on the bench. Makes sense to me. Not. But apparently, for some strange reason, it makes sense to Pop.


Ok, now that Pop has escaped the ASG maybOk, now that Pop has escaped the
ASG maybe they can start palyig some basketball again.

I hate to think Pop is setting these guys up to lose games, so he can drink wine instead of coach the ASG, but I admit it has crossed my mind.

I think it's time to quit "experimenting" with Horry and tell him to either contribute or turn in his Jersey. Man has been a "stone cold killer" in the past, now he just looks "stone cold". Time to put up or go away.

What happened to our point guard, that since November was driving and scoring, no matter how many bigs were packing the lane? Suddenly he seems to have forgotten how he did that.

And while our backup PG did look capable last night, the "lose ground" tendancy continues when he is in the game.

The way I'm looking at it after the las week or two, is that if a team gets "really physical" with the Spurs, they just disappear. Maybe it's time for the coach to call the team "soft" publicly. Maybe that would light a fire under their collective asses. If they don't pick it up, they are going to be way down the list by the time January ends.

Maybe these guys have come to depend on the Rodeo Road Trip to bring them together, and right the ship. I don't know what it is, but the Spurs certainly aren't looking very Spurs like.

If February is a repeat of the first 10 days of January, I think we can cancel any plans for a "repeat parade".

[bdubya]

Spurs were showing signs of titleitis, IMHO - the defending champions just aren't going to get all fired up for 82 games out of 82, and will try to play economically (i.e. lazy) rather than bring it 100% all the time. Which, when you're wearing the crown, means frequently getting jumped on early and getting down by 10+. Definitely happened with the 04-05 Pistons, and it seems like it wasn't unusual for the Spurs the next year. Witness the energy that Vaughn and Udoka brought compared to the vets. (I would have hoped that it being the Pistons visiting would have snapped them out of it, but after two straight ECF flameouts, maybe not so much.) Anyhow, couple that with the Pistons being on the rebound after two losses, and a lopsided game isn't surprising. Spurs did well to cut it to six late.

So, not as satisfying a win as it could have been. But this game reinforces how high I am on our bench (both the new blood and Coach Hunter), and it's always a pleasure to grab a W at the AT&T center. Looking forward to seeing how things stack up in a couple of months. Spurs best get their act together for that game, 'cause our bench is only going to get better...
:hungry:

[ancestron]

Its hard to work hard when you're sleeping in silk robes.

[DontHatethePlayer]

IMHO, it was very disappointing - mostly because the Pistons had lost their two previous games and were playing a back-to-back where their hats had been handed to them the night before by Dallas. The Spurs just plain stunk!

[whottt]

It’d also be nice to get Brent Barry healthy again. Barry is perhaps the best player on the team at coming in and instantly improving the team’s ball movement


Sin,

Me

The entirety of Brent Barry's Spurs career.



If you'll allow me...


PWNT!


Next you'll realize he actually is pretty clutch.

[whottt]

By the way on Horry...

It's a mistake to forget about him...

What Horry lacks right now believe it or not, is confidence...he had kind of a rough offseason and I think he himself is wondering if age has finally caught up with him, and if he actually has a place on this team.

The best thing that could happen for Horry is for a situation to arise where he gets extended PT...a lot of minutes for a stretch and finds his place on the team.

[JamStone]

I think it's more evident than in previous years that the Spurs need to seriously look into getting younger and more athletic, especially off the bench. Getting older veterans to round out a championship team is good ... until they get over-the-hill. Obviously, Horry and Finley even in sparse minutes are starting to show they're on their last legs. And, Jacque Vaughn and Brent Barry, while still somewhat effective, are probably not far behind. Tim, Manu, and Tony are as good as any three stars on any other team. They have the skill and IQ. I think Pop and RC need to start looking into surrounding them with better and younger athletes. The Spurs are still going to be in the mix this year, but how much longer with some of the older role players?

[timmy21_4rings]

We lost this match because the whole team allowed 18 points in a matter of minutes and this:
When TD is rallying the team on 2nd quarter, Parker missed/turned the ball over on 3 consecutive possessions. And on 3rd quarter, when TD is again playing good, Matt Bonner (ok but not a good shot) and Manu (ill advised) took unnecessary 3 pointers when they can clearly go inside TD (he was the only one making any shots after all).

I seriously felt Udoka should have been given chance in the 2nd half...

[T Park]

:lol @ all the armchair coaches

[da_suns_fan]

I know you are my husband and all that, but I just wanted to say that this is one of the best recaps that you have written.

That's all.

:lol

NO WONDER you threatened to ban me the other day.

I had it completely wrong.

It wasn't because I was dissing Tony Parker, it was because I poked fun at your husband (I had no idea)!

I apologize for making fun. The "nifty pass" remark was just VERY Rosen-esque.

DSF's Game thoughts: The Suns should have just kept McDyess (the second time). They let him go so they could sign Q Richardson (STUPID) whom they traded for Kurt Thomas who never fit the systema as well as McDyess would have.

And McDyess does a great job on Duncan. I remember a Duncan quote way back when he said that Duncan did the best defending him. This was pre knee-surgery McDyess, but still.

[Phenomanul]

Barry is about a 15% slice of the team chemistry pie...

Hopefully his return will spread the defense out some more, and his passing will get the Spurs into a better offensive flow...

Oviously this loss is not because they needed Barry... simply lost amongst all the injuries to the big-three... is the one guy whose outside shot other teams must respect.

[wildbill2u]

Why rag on the Big Three without giving props to Detroit's defense?

The Pistons had energy, DESIRE and a great defensive scheme and were responsible for the lousy performances by our stars, forcing turnovers, taking away TP and Manu's driving, and generally preventing shots until we had to throw up a prayer at the last second. Our guys simply didn't respond to the Detroit defensive effort and looked like a chinese fire drill at times.

Detroit (and especially Rasheed) shot the lights out in the first half. Some of those shots were impossible to stop but overall our defense in the first half looked amateurish at times. Not Spurs typical defense.

Sure, this is just one game, but there is something unsettling about some of our losses that I can't quite put a name to. Perhaps Pop's mid-season tinkering has us out of rhythm.

[telecomguy]

TD can't do much anymore.15 reb 5 assist per only 1 TO and shooting 50% with the whole defense of Detroit focus on him


and another writer claimed that TD along with TP & Manu was only playing one-on-one and trying to force things into double teams in the paint. What I noticed was that TD only started to try to take control, into his own hands and started going hard to the hoop WHEN he realized TP & Gino could not penetrate or hit their jumpers. This seems to be TD's modus operandi these days....he defers to TP and Gino to generate the offense and only really forces his will in the paint when and if the other two cannot get it going. Personally I would prefer TD to be more aggressive earlier on, and establish his paint presence so that he could start drawing double-teams earlier in the game to free up TP and Gino. It seems to be the other way around in the past few years and I think this is wrong. There is still very few Bigs that can stop TD so why waste that talent? I know in the playoffs we are going to depend more on TD (or at least I hope so) but these regular season games are painful to watch whenever TP has to go one-on-one against tough defensive teams like Pistons, or Mavs with their shot blockers choking the paint.

[telecomguy]

:lol

NO WONDER you threatened to ban me the other day.

I had it completely wrong.

It wasn't because I was dissing Tony Parker, it was because I poked fun at your husband (I had no idea)!

I apologize for making fun. The "nifty pass" remark was just VERY Rosen-esque.

DSF's Game thoughts: The Suns should have just kept McDyess (the second time). They let him go so they could sign Q Richardson (STUPID) whom they traded for Kurt Thomas who never fit the systema as well as McDyess would have.

And McDyess does a great job on Duncan. I remember a Duncan quote way back when he said that Duncan did the best defending him. This was pre knee-surgery McDyess, but still.

McDyess didn't do that good of a job against Duncan. He fouled TD a lot. and Rasheed helped a great deal I believe. I think TD is deferring to TP too much. It works when we play a soft defensive teams but against a good defensive team, TP is not usually going to go off and will have problems due to his one-dimensional skill (drive-penetrate).

[duncan228]

And McDyess does a great job on Duncan. I remember a Duncan quote way back when he said that Duncan did the best defending him. This was pre knee-surgery McDyess, but still.

I think Duncan frustrates McDyess everytime they play. At least that's what I see. Duncan usually gets McDyess in foul trouble, and the frustration is easy to see.

It's Rasheed that plays Duncan well and gives him the most trouble, imo.

[nkdlunch]

Duncan completely owned Mcdyess last night

[timmy21_4rings]

I think TD is deferring to TP too much. It works when we play a soft defensive teams but against a good defensive team, TP is not usually going to go off and will have problems due to his one-dimensional skill (drive-penetrate).

You are 200% right....only problem is that not many people see it this way...

[da_suns_fan]

Duncan completely owned Mcdyess last night

Meh...don't forget Duncan scored 36 and 17 on the Suns.

Im pretty sure McDyess would be an upgrade for them.

[telecomguy]

Meh...don't forget Duncan scored 36 and 17 on the Suns.

Im pretty sure McDyess would be an upgrade for them.

heh heh....you have a point there!

actually I really like McDyess, and was hoping against hope that Spurs would have tried to sign him. He is a clutch clutch player who plays with lot of competitiveness and intensity. Certainly much better than Horry or Elson or Bonner. With his mid-range game, his defensive smarts, and his competitiveness, all-around game, he would complement Duncan extremely well.

Oh well......dreams don't always come true

[Kori Ellis]

:lol

NO WONDER you threatened to ban me the other day.

I had it completely wrong.

It wasn't because I was dissing Tony Parker, it was because I poked fun at your husband (I had no idea)!

I apologize for making fun. The "nifty pass" remark was just VERY Rosen-esque.



You can make fun of my husband all you want. I don't care. I am just sick of reading the 100's of emails/PMs from people who hate you and want you banned. You don't bring anything of value to the table. Not even amusement.

[George Gervin's Afro]

You can make fun of my husband all you want. I don't care. I am just sick of reading the 100's of emails/PMs from people who hate you and want you banned. You don't bring anything of value to the table. Not even amusement.


:oops

the warden has spoken..

[Barbarian]

You can make fun of my husband all you want. I don't care. I am just sick of reading the 100's of emails/PMs from people who hate you and want you banned. You don't bring anything of value to the table. Not even amusement.

Ouch....Banned by humiliation.

[JamStone]

Duncan completely owned Mcdyess last night


Absolutely. But, this is a very rare time at least from what I've observed where a Spurs fan touted how one player on the other team got outplayed in a Spurs loss.

[polandprzem]

http://www.bim.pl/artykuly/000/33/0003364_01_mid.jpg


nothing there

[Tigole Bitties]

Brent Barry looked pretty good in the pre-game shootaround. I'm surprised he went back to street clothes for the game.

[WalterBenitez]

I know you are my husband and all that, but I just wanted to say that this is one of the best recaps that you have written.
That's all.

:clap

If my brother had got a wife like you he wouldn't be divorced!

PS: That's what a gentleman expect from his wife :married:

[tlongII]

You can make fun of my husband all you want. I don't care. I am just sick of reading the 100's of emails/PMs from people who hate you and want you banned. You don't bring anything of value to the table. Not even amusement.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

[Pistonfan1]

The Pistons have the edge back against the Spurs. I honestly think the Spurs dont have that confidence they once had against the Pistons. If the Pistons have homecourt, I see them in 5 over the Spurs. I think this team is too dominant and too good to let it go beyond that.

[bdubya]

The Pistons have the edge back against the Spurs. I honestly think the Spurs dont have that confidence they once had against the Pistons. If the Pistons have homecourt, I see them in 5 over the Spurs. I think this team is too dominant and too good to let it go beyond that.


You're right - we've proven that the Pistons OWN the Spurs.

Unfortunately, the Spurs have plenty of confidence against the inevitable EC champion Bulls, who clearly hold the title to OUR asses, free of all liens and encumbrances. :lol :lol :lol

[Silverheart80]

Two thoughts:

1. timvp -- I don't log in very often, but I check out this site at least once a day. Love your assessments, win or lose, agree or disagree (almost always agree though). Great stuff, man, and probably my favorite part of this whole awesome community. Huge props to you.....keep it coming.

2. Lots of great Pistons fans check in via these discussions, so I won't let a few trolls ruin their good name. Funny though, I would think even a Motown troll would know better than to get yippy about a regular-season win. Way to act like you've been there. I'd expect that of a Mavs fan.....

See you in June, when it matters.

[bigfundamental21]

I don't understand why Udoka didn't play more after the first quarter? Instead more minutes went to Finley and Ginobili, neither of which were doing much.

How does he expect Udoka to grow and become part of the system when Pop doesn't play him when he's playing well and then just randomly gives him more minutes here or there other games?
My sentiments exactly. Udoka was one of the few Spurs who showed signs of life. Why not give him more minutes?

I was glad to see Duncan try to take the team on his back. I was just disappointed that no one else on the team responded to his inspired effort. Timmy had to have been super frustrated after the game.

As for the Spurs funk.... we have lived with it, year after year. As Spurs fans, we know what to expect and although we bitch and complain about it, we know that our Spurs will use this as motivation and will come together when it counts.

Oh, and thanks for the thoughts, timvp. You always have a way of bringing out an analysis that trumps any sports website or sports show. :tu

[SpurForLife]

The Pistons have the edge back against the Spurs. I honestly think the Spurs dont have that confidence they once had against the Pistons. If the Pistons have homecourt, I see them in 5 over the Spurs. I think this team is too dominant and too good to let it go beyond that.


Try to get back to the Finals first retard then should we meet up you can spout off your nonsense.

[timvp]

I know you are my husband and all that, but I just wanted to say that this is one of the best recaps that you have written.

That's all.Thanks.

:sombrero:


I think it's more evident than in previous years that the Spurs need to seriously look into getting younger and more athletic, especially off the bench. Getting older veterans to round out a championship team is good ... until they get over-the-hill. Obviously, Horry and Finley even in sparse minutes are starting to show they're on their last legs. And, Jacque Vaughn and Brent Barry, while still somewhat effective, are probably not far behind. Tim, Manu, and Tony are as good as any three stars on any other team. They have the skill and IQ. I think Pop and RC need to start looking into surrounding them with better and younger athletes. The Spurs are still going to be in the mix this year, but how much longer with some of the older role players?Good points but this team doesn't look as the team looked at this time last year. Last year the Spurs looked ooooooold. Right now the Spurs just look like they aren't all hearing the same drummer.

The only player that is looking old right now is Robert Horry ... then again, Horry looked like he was on his last leg a decade ago.

[timvp]

I won't be posting too much in January because I'm studying for a test.


Barry :blah :blah :blah pass :blah Barry :blah :blah

http://www.bibledirectories.com/Intelligent-Design-Creationism-Evolution/Mouse-Trap-Cheese.jpg




Sin,

Me

The entirety of Brent Barry's Spurs career.

If you'll allow me...

http://www.spurstalk.com/whotttmouse.jpg

PWNT!

[ShoogarBear]

:rollin