Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Hornets Feb. 23

[timvp]

The Spurs got their revenge against the New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night. Earlier in the season, the Hornets demolished the Spurs in the AT&T Center. On this night, the Spurs survived a late flurry by the Hornets to come away with a 98-89 victory.

The story of the game once again was Manu Ginobili. The Argentine superstar is playing better than a superstar. In fact, he’s the best player in the NBA right now. By far.

As a team, the Spurs looked very good at times. Tony Parker was back in the starting lineup and the Big Three had moments where they all played well together. Defensively the Spurs were very good for large stretches of the game. However, as has been the case most of the season, the Spurs also played poorly for a few stretches and let the Hornets back into the game.

The Hornets are a very solid team. Chris Paul is the head of the snake and he’s probably the best point guard in the entire league right now. He’s tough, extremely talented and fearless. That’s a scary combination to go against. The rest of their roster is packed with talented players.

Overall, it was a good win by the Spurs. They outplayed the Hornets for a majority of the game and deserved the win. The Spurs still have a lot of room for improvement but it’s now possible to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

-Tim Duncan had a very impressive outing. He set the tone early with four blocks in the first half and was just a dominant force all night long. He finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and only one turnover. Duncan also shot 10-for-16 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line. He has played very well of late overall and if he can stay healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t have his most dominant playoff run of his life.

-Speaking of dominant, that’s one of the many words you can use right now when describing Manu Ginobili. The guy is just on fire beyond description. In 37 minutes, Ginobili had 30 points, a career-high 12 assists, six rebounds and a steal, while shooting 10-for-18 from the field. His playmaking this game was incredible. I’m running out of things to say about Ginobili. Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs. If he can continue this level of play, the Spurs are going to be extremely dangerous once the real season begins.

-Tony Parker got the start and looked healthy. He didn’t play well but the most important thing right now is his health. With as well as Duncan and Ginobili are playing, the team needs Parker healthy to truly be a championship contender. On the night, Parker finished with ten points, four assists, three rebounds and one turnover, while shooting 4-for-13 from the field. Parker actually was hitting his shots at the beginning of the game but he seemed to get tired as the game went along. Hopefully he can regain his form at some point in the next week or so.

-Bruce Bowen reminded Peja Stojakovic that Bowen owns him. Bowen held Stojakovic scoreless until there were eight and half minutes left in the third quarter. All told, Stojakovic only scored that lone basket while Bowen was in the game. This was the most effort we’ve seen out of Bowen in a while. He brought playoff level intensity as he obviously had a chip on his shoulder coming into the game. Bowen hit 2-of-3 shots from the field, including a key three-pointer late in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory.

-Fabricio Oberto played very well, especially early on in the game. Whether or not Oberto played well due to Kurt Thomas being in uniform is open for discussion. Against the Hornets, Oberto finished with eight points, nine rebounds and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. Oberto played very good defense and was extremely active overall. He made a good case for himself to continue starting despite Thomas’ arrival.

-Robert Horry led the bench players in minutes and played one of his better games of the season. In 22 minutes, Horry had seven points and three rebounds. Two of his points came on a thunderous two-handed dunk that Horry must have pulled out of a time machine. While his shooting was still off (3-for-8 from the field), he’s looking a lot more comfortable on the court. It’ll be interesting to see how his playing time will be affected by the addition of Thomas.

-Damon Stoudamire was the backup to Parker and showed why the Spurs went after him. He played very well during the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter he struggled a bit, which led to a quick hook by Pop. Overall though, you have to be happy with the way Stoudamire has played since the All-Star break. He appears comfortable with the offense and his effort on defense is there. In 16 minutes, Stoudamire had seven points, four rebounds, one assist and no turnovers on 3-of-8 shooting.

-Ime Udoka gave good effort on defense however he wasn't as effective as he’s been in past games. He made a few mistakes that led to Pop forcefully reminding him of the proper procedures. Offensively, Udoka hit 1-of-3 shots from the field in his 17 minutes of play. He still needs to work on the quality of his shot attempts but he’s improving in that regard.

-Michael Finley only played 11 minutes and went 1-for-5 from the floor. I’m not sure if he was injured or was just having a bad night but he appeared to be a step slow. Hopefully it’s not an injury because Finley has been playing very well as of late. With Brent Barry’s status in limbo, the Spurs can’t afford an injury to a swingman right now.

-Matt Bonner got some minutes and didn’t do much. With his outside shooting struggling as of late, Bonner’s overall aggressiveness seems to have diminished. Jacque Vaughn got two minutes in the fourth quarter after a couple of ill-advised shots from Stoudamire.

-Kurt Thomas didn’t play but while on the bench, the Spurs explained the rule to him about not leaving the bench if a fight breaks out. It was the first time Thomas had heard of the rule.

-Pop coached a pretty good game. His troops came out fired up and played well for the most part – especially to end the first half and to the end the game. The defense was impressive most of the game and the offense even seemed to find its rhythm at times.

Playing Duncan and Ginobili 38 and 37 minutes respectively is a questionable strategy but I guess we’ll see if either player wears down as the season progresses. Right now, Duncan and Ginobili seem to have responded favorably to the extended minutes.

The one problem I had with the Pop’s coaching was when he pulled Stoudamire and inserted Vaughn into the game in the fourth quarter. The team is struggling to score points and Pop’s response to put in Vaughn for the first time? I would much rather he let Stoudamire work through his struggles or put Parker back into the game a minute early.

The bottomline is the Spurs won again. The midseason struggles are hopefully a thing of the past. The Spurs are due for a loss any game now but as long as they stay healthy, this team looks to be headed in the right direction.

The Spurs next two games are the Hawks on Monday and the Mavericks on Thursday. Both games are at home and both games will be against new-look squads. Hopefully the win streak stands at seven after it’s all said and done.

Believe.

[Admidave50]

Ive been waiting for your post, thanks a lot

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

-Speaking of dominant, that’s one of the many words you can use right now when describing Manu Ginobili. The guy is just on fire beyond description. In 37 minutes, Ginobili had 30 points, a career-high 12 assists, six rebounds and a steal, while shooting 10-for-18 from the field. His playmaking this game was incredible. I’m running out of things to say about Ginobili. Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs. If he can continue this level of play, the Spurs are going to be extremely dangerous once the real season begins.

I think over the last 5 games we've seen Manu in a gear that we've never seen before. The reliability of his pull-up jumper, step-back and 3 has never been this consistent over this long a period, and it's energising his entire game... yup, this is a new gear for Ginobili, and it's an absolute joy to watch.


Two of his points came on a thunderous two-handed dunk that Horry must have pulled out of a time machine.

Totally! Rob looks like a pensioner most of the time with those balky hips and that frozen-kneed gait, and then he pulls out a dunk Tyrus Thomas would be proud of! That, and his transition blocked shots out of nowhere, will always amaze me - you can never see them coming, they just arrive out of the blue.

Great win, and I love the grit they showed after digging themselves a hole wtih that 19-2 run they allowed.

SPAM is just over the horizon... :)

[roycrikside]

Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs.<<

This is an unfair statement. Yeah, maybe Manu wasn't as hot shooting the ball last playoffs, but the rest of his game was as good, if not better. He consistently came up big on the road for the Spurs, in Games 3 and 4 at Denver, Game 5 at Phoenix, Game 4 at Utah, and Game 4 at Cleveland. He was arguably their best player in the Finals, all things considered, and had one stretch of games where he had three double-doubles in a row. Heck, he ended the Suns series with like a 33-11-6 or something line in Game 6.

Manu might not have dominated the games from start to finish, but he was as clutch as clutch gets last playoffs and it's a shame that the only details you remember are Tony Parker holding the Finals MVP trophy and the stupid DVD the NBA put out.

It's sad that when Ginobili has one of the finest games of his career you still have to throw a "yeah but" in there. Why can't you just accept it for what it is, a really hot stretch by a very talented, hungry player? You sound like Ducks or Sequ and it's pathetic how you emphasize the negative. I swear I was just waiting for you to mention the play where he lost Pargo for a backdoor lay-up.

You know what has me batshit worried? Manu is playing as well as he possibly can and the Spurs are squeaking games out. THAT's what you should be focusing on. Instead of writing how Manu so-called "sucked" last playoffs, maybe you should worry more about how Parker is sucking right now.

Stop excusing his play by saying at least he's healthy now. He's playing exactly the way he was before Pop sat him for nine games: He can't fucking shoot, he's not getting nearly as many lay-ups as he used to, his defense is completely non-existent to the point where he gives up on any and all screens and he's not being very aggressive on either end of the floor.

Pop has to do something to get him to wake the fuck up and get back to playing like Tony Parker. Either he has to bench him or Manu, because right now Manu has been too successful, too much shit has happened, and when he's on the court, Manu is getting the lion's share of the plays and the touches. Tony can't play effectively that way and he becomes tentative.

Maybe the burden of being a scorer and facilitator has fried Tony's circuits and he's overwhelmed. Maybe he should ride the pine for a while and look to come in and be the energy guy and just score. Either that or go back to how things were. I don't like the big three starting at the same time because all it does is either diminish Tony or Manu's effectiveness (depending on how hot the other guy is) and ruin our bench. Especially with no Brent now, we need a bench scorer.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

hahahahaahahaahahaha


wow


I thought I was defensive about Manu, but wow


:lmao

[greens]

I actually think Manu had one of his best games in Game 6 vs the Suns in the playoffs last year...Given the situation and the stakes, he was phenomenal in that game. As well as clutch in Game 5 vs the Suns...Then the Game 4 of the Finals, he just took over in the fourth quarter...I don't think he sucked at all...:lol :lol :lol

But, I think timvp's point is that compared to how amazingly Manu is playing right now, everything before seems below standard...just because it's like Manu is playing on a crazy level lately! :toast

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

hahahahaahahaahahaha


wow


I thought I was defensive about Manu, but wow


:lmao
:lol

I think he misread the context of that "Manu sucked last playoffs" statement not seeing it as a comparative statement...talk about jumping the gun and having a chip on your shoulder for Manu.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

haha seriously


That post was beyond classic :tu

[timvp]

Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs.<<

This is an unfair statement. Yeah, maybe Manu wasn't as hot shooting the ball last playoffs, but the rest of his game was as good, if not better. He consistently came up big on the road for the Spurs, in Games 3 and 4 at Denver, Game 5 at Phoenix, Game 4 at Utah, and Game 4 at Cleveland. He was arguably their best player in the Finals, all things considered, and had one stretch of games where he had three double-doubles in a row. Heck, he ended the Suns series with like a 33-11-6 or something line in Game 6.

Manu might not have dominated the games from start to finish, but he was as clutch as clutch gets last playoffs and it's a shame that the only details you remember are Tony Parker holding the Finals MVP trophy and the stupid DVD the NBA put out.

It's sad that when Ginobili has one of the finest games of his career you still have to throw a "yeah but" in there. Why can't you just accept it for what it is, a really hot stretch by a very talented, hungry player? You sound like Ducks or Sequ and it's pathetic how you emphasize the negative. I swear I was just waiting for you to mention the play where he lost Pargo for a backdoor lay-up.

You know what has me batshit worried? Manu is playing as well as he possibly can and the Spurs are squeaking games out. THAT's what you should be focusing on. Instead of writing how Manu so-called "sucked" last playoffs, maybe you should worry more about how Parker is sucking right now.

Stop excusing his play by saying at least he's healthy now. He's playing exactly the way he was before Pop sat him for nine games: He can't fucking shoot, he's not getting nearly as many lay-ups as he used to, his defense is completely non-existent to the point where he gives up on any and all screens and he's not being very aggressive on either end of the floor.

Pop has to do something to get him to wake the fuck up and get back to playing like Tony Parker. Either he has to bench him or Manu, because right now Manu has been too successful, too much shit has happened, and when he's on the court, Manu is getting the lion's share of the plays and the touches. Tony can't play effectively that way and he becomes tentative.

Maybe the burden of being a scorer and facilitator has fried Tony's circuits and he's overwhelmed. Maybe he should ride the pine for a while and look to come in and be the energy guy and just score. Either that or go back to how things were. I don't like the big three starting at the same time because all it does is either diminish Tony or Manu's effectiveness (depending on how hot the other guy is) and ruin our bench. Especially with no Brent now, we need a bench scorer.:lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao Funniest post in SpursTalk history. :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao

Gotta love the Church of Manu. I say Ginobili is by far the best player in the NBA ... and still that isn't good enough. No one in their right might could honestly say that Ginobili was playing anywhere near this level since maybe the 2005 playoffs, and even then he wasn't playing this well.

And for those who struggle with reading comprehension, I didn't say Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs. I didn't even say he didn't play well. Read it again slowly and you'll realize it was a compliment.

But yeah, the Church of Manu somehow gets mad when Ginobili is called the best player in the NBA and resorts to bashing Tony Parker.

Shocking.

:sleep

[greens]

:lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao Funniest post in SpursTalk history. :lmao :lmao :lmao :lmao

Gotta love the Church of Manu. I say Ginobili is by far the best player in the NBA ... and still that isn't good enough. No one in their right might could honestly say that Ginobili was playing anywhere near this level since maybe the 2005 playoffs, and even then he wasn't playing this well.

And for those who struggle with reading comprehension, I didn't say Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs. I didn't even say he didn't play well. Read it again slowly and you'll realize it was a compliment.

But yeah, the Church of Manu somehow gets mad when Ginobili is called the best player in the NBA and resorts to bashing Tony Parker.

Shocking.

:sleep



You also got compared to Ducks and Sequ! :lol

But, though, sometimes, people do have English as a second language so perhaps the above poster misunderstood the statement...

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

I actually think Manu had one of his best games in Game 6 vs the Suns in the playoffs last year...Given the situation and the stakes, he was phenomenal in that game. As well as clutch in Game 5 vs the Suns...Then the Game 4 of the Finals, he just took over in the fourth quarter...I don't think he sucked at all...

But, I think timvp's point is that compared to how amazingly Manu is playing right now, everything before seems below standard...just because it's like Manu is playing on a crazy level lately!


Also his jumpshot is a lot more improved over last year, and it was already noticeable during pre-season. So it took about a year for him to raise his effectiveness off of Pop's jumpshot recommendation (game shifting suggestion).
It's always been good and he's always had that all around game, but now he can make his jumper just as much as he was good at finishing in the paint.
:hungry:

I really hope he continues to make his threes as if they were layups into the post-season. :lmao
26-44 3 G's @ 59 percent is pretty insane


He's really scaring/pissing off all the other team's fans

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

:lmao

That was cute!

:spin

Go here:

http://www.nba.com/hotspots/

and check out Manu's chart, then compare it to other good SGs. He's hitting that midrange better than most of the other great SGs in the league (I compared him against Ray Allen, Michael Redd, Rip Hamilton, Kevin Martin), but curiously he's stone cold from the left block! :lol

[anakha]

So remember kiddies, reading comprehension is always vital! :lol

[greens]

Also his jumpshot is a lot more improved over last year, and it was already noticeable during pre-season. So it took about a year for him to raise his effectiveness off of Pop's jumpshot recommendation (game shifting suggestion).
It's always been good and he's always had that all around game, but now he can make his jumper just as much as he was good at finishing in the paint.
:hungry:

I really hope he continues to make his threes as if they were layups into the post-season. :lmao
26-44 3 G's @ 59 percent is pretty insane


He's really scaring/pissing off all the other team's fans


Would you say Manu 2008 > Manu 2005?

I guess the regular season...since it's still too early to judge anything more...

[Amuseddaysleeper]

^^ yeah, Manu is playing out of his mind, and it is incredibly memorable to watch, but I really wanna see if he can somewhat keep this up through the playoffs when we really need it.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

:lmao

That was cute!

:spin

Go here:

http://www.nba.com/hotspots/

and check out Manu's chart, then compare it to other good SGs. He's hitting that midrange like few other players, but curiously he's stone cold from the left block! :lol
Wow, in the last 5 games,
and all of those percentages are off the hook the least is at 50 percent 66, 88 100. My favorite jumper he's been making since Toronto is that 15 ft one falling away from like two defenders at midrange on the left block.

Manu's playing better than video game Manu. I know because I could only get about 10-11 rebounds on good games, using him on the Spurs.

(then again, he averaged about 20 steals)

[whottt]

Manu is playing the best basketball of his career right now...like in some article I read the other day...he never even scored 40 points in a game in Europe. He's pulling a Steve Nash or something...he's never been this good and I'd bet he'd be the first to admit it.


As for last year...it wasn't his best year but Manu and Obero basically iced several of those finals games...in particular game 4. I honestly thought they didn't get enough credit for the way they'd work together to get a basket whenever the Cavs were about to get close. Tony and Tim had the numbers...but Manu and Oberto kind of took care of business in the key moments. They did the stuff that Robert Horry usually does to win his teams championships...the stuff that just kind of fills in the cracks of a championship run.

[SA Gunslinger]

-Damon Stoudamire was the backup to Parker and showed why the Spurs went after him. He played very well during the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter he struggled a bit, which led to a quick hook by Pop. Overall though, you have to be happy with the way Stoudamire has played since the All-Star break. He appears comfortable with the offense and his effort on defense is there. In 16 minutes, Stoudamire had seven points, four rebounds, one assist and no turnovers on 3-of-8 shooting.

As I was watching the game, I thought Chris Paul was dominating Stoudamire. I really thought he struggled. But then I check the boxscore and his +/- is +12. I'm like, wtf? What game did I just watch.

[greens]

As I was watching the game, I thought Chris Paul was dominating Stoudamire. I really thought he struggled. But then I check the boxscore and his +/- is +12. I'm like, wtf? What game did I just watch.


I think Damon was pretty solid...plus he hit some key shots. I think his three pointer was really impressive, the one where he faked the defender off of him, then shot it right away. It really energized everyone.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

^^ yeah, Manu is playing out of his mind, and it is incredibly memorable to watch, but I really wanna see if he can somewhat keep this up through the playoffs when we really need it.
As long as he's healthy it's Manu, there's no reason for him to not continue to deliver in the playoffs.

I think one factor that might be a reason for Manu's level of intensity is the fact that the Western Standings make the game wins a lot more important, Popovich quote from the game was like "You can end up first through ninth as far as seating goes. You can’t really decide that you’re going to turn it on a little bit later, it’s got to be turned on now.”

so maybe Manu's just a freak, and its like something innate that's triggered when it comes to big games/important wins.
But I also think it has to do with his refinement of his jumpshot because he wants to keep playing.

[MI21]

Wow :lol

Just thinking back on my time as a Spurs fan, which extends to early 90's, I think these last 5 games by Manu, statistically speaking, could be the best 5 game stretch by anyone not named Tim Duncan or David Robinson... I'm actually almost certain it is :)

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Manu is playing the best basketball of his career right now...like in some article I read the other day...he never even scored 40 points in a game in Europe. He's pulling a Steve Nash or something...he's never been this good and I'd bet he'd be the first to admit it.


As for last year...it wasn't his best year but Manu and Obero basically iced several of those finals games...in particular game 4. I honestly thought they didn't get enough credit for the way they'd work together to get a basket whenever the Cavs were about to get close. Tony and Tim had the numbers...but Manu and Oberto kind of took care of business in the key moments. They did the stuff that Robert Horry usually does to win his teams championships...the stuff that just kind of fills in the cracks of a championship run.
Yeah, it didnt' really show up on paper, Manu played more of the energy guy. He usually would score in bunches and close games with freethrows, but he didn't have to take on his 2005 role and I don't think he got consistent until the Phoenix series.

His 2007 regular season was his statistical best up until that point. So I hope he's pulling a Steve Nash as a late-bloomer. More championship contention.

[SpursFanFirst]

:lol

I think he misread the context of that "Manu sucked last playoffs" statement not seeing it as a comparative statement...talk about jumping the gun and having a chip on your shoulder for Manu.

What the hell???
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when reading his post. I think it scared me a little! :lol

I, too, think it was taken entirely out of context.

Good stuff.

[Sec24Row7]

I disagree with you on Tony looking healthy... Go back and watch the game again and look how how many times he pulled the ball out on a 1 on 2 or 3 situation.

Healthy Tony takes that ball to the rack every time.

I realize that Chandler is a beast under there as a shotblocker... but many of the times he pulled up were without Chandler in the game.

[WalterBenitez]

Thanks TIMVP your post are better than sunday's newspaper, anyhow some comments.

1. I seee a great team play effort, by stats we can see we did a great game, many players doing good thing here and there.

2. Besides that another comments quoting you.




-Tim Duncan had a very impressive outing. He set the tone early with four blocks in the first half and was just a dominant force all night long. He finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and only one turnover. Duncan also shot 10-for-16 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line.

This guy is amazing, he's playing very well lately, even from FT's line (the only stat he could improve).




I’m running out of things to say about Ginobili

What about his ...

In another Manunight, many manumoments happens, manuratio was good from the field, manuassists make step up his manumates, Manu also make some manusteals and decent manurebounds.



-Tony Parker got the start and looked healthy. He didn’t play well but the most important thing right now is his health.

I do agree even if he needs more time, we could send him home for 3/4 days more, TP would importante in closed games later in the season.



-Bruce Bowen reminded Peja Stojakovic that Bowen owns him. Bowen held Stojakovic scoreless until there were eight and half minutes left in the third quarter

Old Bruce is making things happen



-Fabricio Oberto played ...

Not so bad

About new kids on the block I'd like to see a second unit playing, let's say...

Bonner Thomas Damon Udoka Finley

For the rest ... I can't wait for your next recap! :oops

[foodie2]

-Kurt Thomas didn’t play but while on the bench, the Spurs explained the rule to him about not leaving the bench if a fight breaks out. It was the first time Thomas had heard of the rule.

This was classic. :lol :lol

[wildchild]

Thanks TIMVP your post are better than sunday's newspaper, anyhow some comments.

1. I seee a great team play effort, by stats we can see we did a great game, many players doing good thing here and there.

2. Besides that another comments quoting you.




This guy is amazing, he's playing very well lately, even from FT's line (the only stat he could improve).




What about his ...

In another Manunight, many manumoments happens, manuratio was good from the field, manuassists make step up his manumates, Manu also make some manusteals and decent manurebounds.



I do agree even if he needs more time, we could send him home for 3/4 days more, TP would importante in closed games later in the season.




Old Bruce is making things happen



Not so bad

About new kids on the block I'd like to see a second unit playing, let's say...

Bonner Thomas Damon Udoka Finley

For the rest ... I can't wait for your next recap! :oops

and Rob? :rolleyes Don't forget Rob!

Rob Kurt Damon Ime Mike pretty nice! :smokin

[SAGambler]

Did anyone else notice the lack of "whining" about calls last night? Damn impressive. I guess Pop has finally told them to shut up and get back on D instead of arguing the call.

Props to all the guys last night. There is just not any adjetives left to describe Manu, and I can hardly wait for Thurs night to see if Barkley has jumped back on the Spurs wagon.

I think the only thing that kept this one from being a blowout, was that stupid 3 they let Paul sit out there and shoot at the end of the third. If someone goes down and makes him pick the ball up early, that doesn't happen, and I think the Spurs win by 20 or more.

Anyway, it was nice to get the "revenge game" in our corner, and after Houston giving them a whipping Friday night, the Hornets may now have returned to being the Honey Bees.

I predicted they would slide,once the 2nd half of the season began. Teams are playing them a whole lot tougher. I think at least 5 or 6 teams in the West will step it up a notch now, while the Honey Bees may have played up to their full potential the first half of the season. I suspect in a couple of weeks or so, they may be struggleing to be there at the end.

[SAGambler]

I disagree with you on Tony looking healthy... Go back and watch the game again and look how how many times he pulled the ball out on a 1 on 2 or 3 situation.

Healthy Tony takes that ball to the rack every time.

I realize that Chandler is a beast under there as a shotblocker... but many of the times he pulled up were without Chandler in the game.

Oh, I think TP is healthy, he just isn't in any kind of game shape. But he has been relegated to sitting around for 3 weeks, so it's understandable he is going to have to work to get back in the shape he needs to be in. I think pulling the ball back out may have been more to catch his breath than anything else.

[T Park]

Parker is healthy, that was evident when he did take it to the rack.

Hes just not 100% game ready.

That comes in time.

I've got a feeling he will have one of his vintage Parker nights against the Mavericks.

If Parker plays agressive and shoots well, the Hornets don't even get close.

Folks you want something to get excited about? Last night, while the Hornets made their run, imagine if the run could be stopped, offensively, when Thomas and if Barry comes back, could play.

Barry taking pressure off guys on the outside, and Thomas with his decent post game, and great outside jumper.

Im telling ya, Thomas is a better offensive player than people give him credit for.

The Spurs days of not having an offensive low post guy in the game when Duncan goes out are over.

[The Truth #6]

In 2005 playoffs he got to the rim anyway and anytime he wanted. It was unbelievably dominant. Now, he's been completely dominant from behind the arc. It's a different look. Equally as impressive.

His tenacity in the last few minutes was insane. I can't think of very many players who want to win as much and do as much to make it happen.

[Herschel Walker]

I disagree with you on Tony looking healthy... Go back and watch the game again and look how how many times he pulled the ball out on a 1 on 2 or 3 situation.

Healthy Tony takes that ball to the rack every time.

I realize that Chandler is a beast under there as a shotblocker... but many of the times he pulled up were without Chandler in the game.


That's more Parker not being in game shape and not being in the flow yet. The times he did take it strong he looked better than before he sat, which is a good sign. Still a ways to go before he feels comfortable again

[2centsworth]

Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs.<<

This is an unfair statement. Yeah, maybe Manu wasn't as hot shooting the ball last playoffs, but the rest of his game was as good, if not better. He consistently came up big on the road for the Spurs, in Games 3 and 4 at Denver, Game 5 at Phoenix, Game 4 at Utah, and Game 4 at Cleveland. He was arguably their best player in the Finals, all things considered, and had one stretch of games where he had three double-doubles in a row. Heck, he ended the Suns series with like a 33-11-6 or something line in Game 6.

Manu might not have dominated the games from start to finish, but he was as clutch as clutch gets last playoffs and it's a shame that the only details you remember are Tony Parker holding the Finals MVP trophy and the stupid DVD the NBA put out.

It's sad that when Ginobili has one of the finest games of his career you still have to throw a "yeah but" in there. Why can't you just accept it for what it is, a really hot stretch by a very talented, hungry player? You sound like Ducks or Sequ and it's pathetic how you emphasize the negative. I swear I was just waiting for you to mention the play where he lost Pargo for a backdoor lay-up.

You know what has me batshit worried? Manu is playing as well as he possibly can and the Spurs are squeaking games out. THAT's what you should be focusing on. Instead of writing how Manu so-called "sucked" last playoffs, maybe you should worry more about how Parker is sucking right now.

Stop excusing his play by saying at least he's healthy now. He's playing exactly the way he was before Pop sat him for nine games: He can't fucking shoot, he's not getting nearly as many lay-ups as he used to, his defense is completely non-existent to the point where he gives up on any and all screens and he's not being very aggressive on either end of the floor.

Pop has to do something to get him to wake the fuck up and get back to playing like Tony Parker. Either he has to bench him or Manu, because right now Manu has been too successful, too much shit has happened, and when he's on the court, Manu is getting the lion's share of the plays and the touches. Tony can't play effectively that way and he becomes tentative.

Maybe the burden of being a scorer and facilitator has fried Tony's circuits and he's overwhelmed. Maybe he should ride the pine for a while and look to come in and be the energy guy and just score. Either that or go back to how things were. I don't like the big three starting at the same time because all it does is either diminish Tony or Manu's effectiveness (depending on how hot the other guy is) and ruin our bench. Especially with no Brent now, we need a bench scorer.
this is an excellent post. To say ginobilli sucked last year in the playoffs just destroys TIMVPs credibiliry when it comes to Manu. I cant agrEe with ur tony také because tony is a great player, but it's going to také him time. Manu had some sucky moments last yr, but stepped up when the spurs had to have it.

[Kori Ellis]

I disagree with you on Tony looking healthy... Go back and watch the game again and look how how many times he pulled the ball out on a 1 on 2 or 3 situation.

Healthy Tony takes that ball to the rack every time.


I think he looked healthy but not in game shape. There's a big difference.

[Kori Ellis]

this is an excellent post. To say ginobilli sucked last year in the playoffs just destroys TIMVPs credibiliry when it comes to Manu.

I guess you misread too.


Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs.

That sentence doesn't mean he sucked in last year's playoffs.

If he averaged 30 and 10 in last year's playoffs. And now, he averaged 50 and 20, then compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs.

I expected the reaction from roycrikside, considering who he is and how he hates timvp, but not you.

[timvp]

this is an excellent post. To say ginobilli sucked last year in the playoffs just destroys TIMVPs credibiliry when it comes to Manu.:dramaquee

Read the line again. Here, let me try it again in language even the CoM can understand:


Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how Manu Ginobili is playing right now, Tony Parker sucked in the playoffs last year. Compared to how Manu Ginobili is playing right now, Tim Duncan has had a horrible season. Compared to how Manu Ginobili is playing right now, Bruce Bowen shouldn't even be allowed to play basketball.

Better?

And for the record, I thought Ginobili played well last year in the playoffs. When the Spurs needed him most, he was there to deliver. Sure he had a couple tough games but overall he was still really good. Nobody could have watched Manu in the playoffs last year and say he sucked.

[robino2001]

Last nights game was the most relaxed I've seen the team all season in pregame - everyone's just screwing around with each other. You got the sense that they were all ready to take care of business, but were ready to enjoy the hell out of doing it.

The main thing I took away from last night - if Bonzi gets as much playing time with NO as he did last night, the Hornets will miss the playoffs. His attitude has already rubbed off on NO and I think he's going to wreck the chemistry on the team. I've never thought as Paul to be thugish (maybe I haven't watched him enough), but once Bonzi came in - Paul pretty much was a thug. After the one 3 pointer Paul hit, he stood there and stared down Pop. Seriously, who does that? He stared him down a couple of more times after shots... can that be a good move for his career?

Anyways, so maybe NO won't miss the playoffs with Bonzi - but if last night is any indication, their team got worse with Bonzi's addition unless Byron is able to reign him in quite a bit (and I don't think he can).

[picnroll]

Compared to how Manu is playing right now Elson should have been euthanized last year.

[td4mvp21]

Parker is healthy, that was evident when he did take it to the rack.

Hes just not 100% game ready.

That comes in time.

I've got a feeling he will have one of his vintage Parker nights against the Mavericks.



He's going to have to, I'm willing to bet Avery is going to focus the defense on Ginobili that game. Parker/Duncan/role players are going to need to bring their A game.

[Dex]

-Kurt Thomas didn’t play but while on the bench, the Spurs explained the rule to him about not leaving the bench if a fight breaks out. It was the first time Thomas had heard of the rule.


:lmao

[Ghost Writer]

Huge win.

Let's use remaining games to work out kinks and then after March tighten up the playoff rotation.

[1Parker1]

Let's see if Manu can continue this dominance in the playoffs...he's peaking too early :rolleyes


[/Church of Parker]


:lol

[polandprzem]

I guess you misread too.

Excactly what I wanted to write.


As usual I am concerned that manu is playing so great so early. It is not a playoff time yet and players like to have ups and downs during the season.

The minutes Pop is giving them is not a problem. At least they will be prepared to the intensive playoff games and I think Pop will decrease their minutes in the middle or at the end of March.


Waiting for a wing.

We do not have much offens when Fin is struggling so Pop decided to turn to Damon who can hit some jumpers. Voughn can't.

I'm tellin ya - the spurs rides are realy fun to watch. So many things happening that is insaine. I just love it.

[timvp]

Did anyone else notice the lack of "whining" about calls last night? Damn impressive. I guess Pop has finally told them to shut up and get back on D instead of arguing the call.Yeah, I was impressed by that too. The whining was about 10% of what it usually was earlier in the season. The Spurs play like a machine when they just play basketball and don't worry about the refs.


After the one 3 pointer Paul hit, he stood there and stared down Pop. Seriously, who does that? He stared him down a couple of more times after shots... can that be a good move for his career?Thanks for bringing this up. I forgot to mention it.

The last time the two teams played, the Spurs tried to trap the pick-and-rolls and Paul just destroyed the Spurs. He's just too quick for the trap to be effective. You trap Paul and he'll either still get to the rim or find the open player.

What the Spurs did this game is go under the pick-and-rolls and turn Paul into a shooter. That's why his shot attempts were so high and his assists were so low. If the Hornets were going to beat the Spurs, Pop decided that Paul was going to do so on his jumper.

And yeah, apparently Paul didn't appreciate the Spurs disrespecting his jumper. Although he probably would have been better served by hitting more jumpers instead of getting pissed at Pop.

Paul is a high intensity player ... it's not really thuggish. He just wears his emotions on his sleeve and does anything he can to win. He's basically the point guard version of Kevin Garnett in that regard.

[myhc]

The main thing I took away from last night - if Bonzi gets as much playing time with NO as he did last night, the Hornets will miss the playoffs. His attitude has already rubbed off on NO and I think he's going to wreck the chemistry on the team. I've never thought as Paul to be thugish (maybe I haven't watched him enough), but once Bonzi came in - Paul pretty much was a thug. After the one 3 pointer Paul hit, he stood there and stared down Pop. Seriously, who does that? He stared him down a couple of more times after shots... can that be a good move for his career?

Anyways, so maybe NO won't miss the playoffs with Bonzi - but if last night is any indication, their team got worse with Bonzi's addition unless Byron is able to reign him in quite a bit (and I don't think he can).

It's not Bonzi. Living on the east coast in the middle of ACC country, I've seen my share of Wake Forest games and I've seen him act like a thug before. Dude acts all innocent but he's got a dirty side to him. He got suspended for hitting a guy below the belt. Great player but I'm not a fan.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2007240

[myhc]

oh and timvp. excellent recap as usual.....except hold off on the manu bashing, he's playing great. :p:

[phxspurfan]

-Kurt Thomas didn’t play but while on the bench, the Spurs explained the rule to him about not leaving the bench if a fight breaks out. It was the first time Thomas had heard of the rule.



cute...

[Athenea]

It's not Bonzi. Living on the east coast in the middle of ACC country, I've seen my share of Wake Forest games and I've seen him act like a thug before. Dude acts all innocent but he's got a dirty side to him. He got suspended for hitting a guy below the belt. Great player but I'm not a fan.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2007240
Tnx. I was trying to remember the incident some other poster told me after yesterday's game.

[Athenea]

Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs.<<

This is an unfair statement (....)

It's sad that when Ginobili has one of the finest games of his career you still have to throw a "yeah but" in there. Why can't you just accept it for what it is, a really hot stretch by a very talented, hungry player? You sound like Ducks or Sequ and it's pathetic how you emphasize the negative. I swear I was just waiting for you to mention the play where he lost Pargo for a backdoor lay-up.

You know what has me batshit worried? Manu is playing as well as he possibly can and the Spurs are squeaking games out. THAT's what you should be focusing on. Instead of writing how Manu so-called "sucked" last playoffs, maybe you should worry more about how Parker is sucking right now.

I couldn't agree more.
But u know the guy has different measure sticks for diff players.

[2centsworth]

I guess you misread too.



i didn't misread. he just added whatever he did in green to make clear what he meant, but the literally meaning of what he wrote read exactly the way I interpreted.

people who know him better may have been able to know what he really meant.

[dbreiden83080]

It really is amazing with Manu just how deadly he has become from 3pt range. His jumpshot is so good anymore. People back off him and he makes them pay with incredible regularity these days.

[Kori Ellis]

i didn't misread. he just added whatever he did in green to make clear what he meant, but the literally meaning of what he wrote read exactly the way I interpreted.

people who know him better may have been able to know what he really meant.

The literally meaning of what he orginally wrote without any explanation doesn't mean that Manu sucked in last year's playoffs.

But whatever...

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs.<<

This is an unfair statement. Yeah, maybe Manu wasn't as hot shooting the ball last playoffs, but the rest of his game was as good, if not better. He consistently came up big on the road for the Spurs, in Games 3 and 4 at Denver, Game 5 at Phoenix, Game 4 at Utah, and Game 4 at Cleveland. He was arguably their best player in the Finals, all things considered, and had one stretch of games where he had three double-doubles in a row. Heck, he ended the Suns series with like a 33-11-6 or something line in Game 6.

Manu might not have dominated the games from start to finish, but he was as clutch as clutch gets last playoffs and it's a shame that the only details you remember are Tony Parker holding the Finals MVP trophy and the stupid DVD the NBA put out.

It's sad that when Ginobili has one of the finest games of his career you still have to throw a "yeah but" in there. Why can't you just accept it for what it is, a really hot stretch by a very talented, hungry player? You sound like Ducks or Sequ and it's pathetic how you emphasize the negative. I swear I was just waiting for you to mention the play where he lost Pargo for a backdoor lay-up.

You know what has me batshit worried? Manu is playing as well as he possibly can and the Spurs are squeaking games out. THAT's what you should be focusing on. Instead of writing how Manu so-called "sucked" last playoffs, maybe you should worry more about how Parker is sucking right now.

Stop excusing his play by saying at least he's healthy now. He's playing exactly the way he was before Pop sat him for nine games: He can't fucking shoot, he's not getting nearly as many lay-ups as he used to, his defense is completely non-existent to the point where he gives up on any and all screens and he's not being very aggressive on either end of the floor.

Pop has to do something to get him to wake the fuck up and get back to playing like Tony Parker. Either he has to bench him or Manu, because right now Manu has been too successful, too much shit has happened, and when he's on the court, Manu is getting the lion's share of the plays and the touches. Tony can't play effectively that way and he becomes tentative.

Maybe the burden of being a scorer and facilitator has fried Tony's circuits and he's overwhelmed. Maybe he should ride the pine for a while and look to come in and be the energy guy and just score. Either that or go back to how things were. I don't like the big three starting at the same time because all it does is either diminish Tony or Manu's effectiveness (depending on how hot the other guy is) and ruin our bench. Especially with no Brent now, we need a bench scorer.
I think this post has finally convinced me Timvp is right about the CoM...

How in God's green earth can you interpret this...


-Speaking of dominant, that’s one of the many words you can use right now when describing Manu Ginobili. The guy is just on fire beyond description. In 37 minutes, Ginobili had 30 points, a career-high 12 assists, six rebounds and a steal, while shooting 10-for-18 from the field. His playmaking this game was incredible. I’m running out of things to say about Ginobili. Like I said earlier, he’s by far the best player in the NBA right now. Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs. If he can continue this level of play, the Spurs are going to be extremely dangerous once the real season begins.As anything BUT complimentary?? Fucking ridiculous

[2centsworth]

Compared to how he’s playing now,

if that was in the original analysis when I first read it, and then I owe a big apology. I read it from my blackberry and didn't read that at all, but if it was there I was wrong.

[SpurYank]

timvp, I love reading your critiques. They tell me you know a lot about pro-basketball and the NBA. The one thing I never read in your analyses is about (somehow) giving the opposing team, and players, any credit. Let me give you an example. I'm not sure you mentioned it, but others have since the game from last night ended. "I was disappointed the Spurs let down and let the Hornets go on a run." Excuse me, but Chris Paul and David West can probably go on a run when they want to, no matter how the Spurs feel about it. Manu, Tim, everyone, can play the best defense they know, and the Hornets (and most teams in the NBA) can go on runs whether we like it or not.

Bottom line, how about giving the opposition some credit for putting up a good fight, and not saying that we "let them?"

[SpurYank]

Oh yeah, and I don't mean this to be sarcastic, your critiques seem to require perfection in order to get an A. Are you, in your line of work?

The Spurs give me and my family a lot of thrills, even if we are almost 2000 miles away. And that's win or lose. I've been a fan since Dallas disowned them more than 35 years ago. I've never been disappointed.

[roycrikside]

You could've phrased it better, that's all I'm saying. You can't throw the word "sucked" around, in any context and expect it to not have a negative connotation. In fact, I don't even understand the need to reference the last playoffs at all.

Sorry, but you're too smart to not understand what you're doing as a writer and I call shenanigans on it. I mean, if you want to take it to the nth degree, you could've just as easily written, "Manu's playing so spectacularly now, that he doesn't remind me at all of the player who fouled Dirk in Game 7 of the 2006 semis."

You can make the exact same argument and say, "What? What did I do wrong? I was nothing but complimentary of the current Ginobili..."

C'mon dude, you're better than that... Aren't you?

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

roy - There is NO WAY that timvp was slating Manu in any way. Let it go.


The last time the two teams played, the Spurs tried to trap the pick-and-rolls and Paul just destroyed the Spurs. He's just too quick for the trap to be effective. You trap Paul and he'll either still get to the rim or find the open player.

What the Spurs did this game is go under the pick-and-rolls and turn Paul into a shooter. That's why his shot attempts were so high and his assists were so low. If the Hornets were going to beat the Spurs, Pop decided that Paul was going to do so on his jumper.

And yeah, apparently Paul didn't appreciate the Spurs disrespecting his jumper. Although he probably would have been better served by hitting more jumpers instead of getting pissed at Pop.

Paul is a high intensity player ... it's not really thuggish. He just wears his emotions on his sleeve and does anything he can to win. He's basically the point guard version of Kevin Garnett in that regard.

Yeah, last time the teams played the Hornets set double screens out near, or even beyond, the three-pt line on just about every possession. I remember you being amazed that the Spurs couldn't work out how to defend it.

No such problem last night. :tu

[smeagol]

timvp is a Manu hater.

We all know that. rascal is just one of his trolls . . .

[The Truth #6]

I think in the context of praising Manu by saying he's playing the best of anyone in the NBA right now it was pretty clear what his analogy implied.

As for not giving the other team credit - I think you may have a point generally but not in this case at all. The Spurs went into one of their typical droughts and just couldn't score. We tightened up completely and couldn't hit a shot. NO is a solid team but they weren't shutting us down by any stretch during their 18-0 run.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

You could've phrased it better, that's all I'm saying. You can't throw the word "sucked" around, in any context and expect it to not have a negative connotation. In fact, I don't even understand the need to reference the last playoffs at all.

Sorry, but you're too smart to not understand what you're doing as a writer and I call shenanigans on it. I mean, if you want to take it to the nth degree, you could've just as easily written, "Manu's playing so spectacularly now, that he doesn't remind me at all of the player who fouled Dirk in Game 7 of the 2006 semis."

You can make the exact same argument and say, "What? What did I do wrong? I was nothing but complimentary of the current Ginobili..."

C'mon dude, you're better than that... Aren't you?
Are you shitting me? :lol The comparison was clearly meant to emphasize how good Ginobili has been playing now. In the sense that as good as Manu performed last playoffs, he still doesn't come close to the way he's been playing now. Get it?? Its not so hard.

[2centsworth]

I'm majorily backpeddling right now. I think I should wear a dunce hat for a day. Roy should wear one for a week. Atleast I have the blackberry excuse.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I'm majorily backpeddling right now. I think I should wear a dunce hat for a day. Roy should wear one for a week. Atleast I have the blackberry excuse.

It's a credit to you to readily admit a mistake though... most people around here find that very difficult.

[T Park]

Yeah like me :Lol

No but TIMVP is one of the biggest Manu fans out there.

Hes not afraid though to call Manu out though when he plays bad.

[roycrikside]

Are you shitting me? :lol The comparison was clearly meant to emphasize how good Ginobili has been playing now. In the sense that as good as Manu performed last playoffs, he still doesn't come close to the way he's been playing now. Get it?? Its not so hard.

If he wrote it exactly that way, I wouldn't have said anything. You throw the word "sucked" around, it's different. Please, give me a little credit. I know how to read and I know exactly what he meant. I'm just saying the choice of phrasing was poor. No professional writer would disagree with me.

If you want to emphasize how good somebody is playing by comparing it to something else, it makes more sense to compare it to something else that was equally positive, instead of comparing it to something where the other thing is put down...

Why not just say, "He's playing like Michael Jordan in his prime right now?" That compliments the current thing and doesn't take away from the past thing. That's how you actually compliment something. It's pretty simple.

Maybe the best way I can explain it to you is to get away from basketball. Suppose you saw Tony Parker on the street and wanted to compliment him on his wife. Would you say, "Man Tony, Eva is so beautiful. Your last girlfriend must look like a dog compared to her?"

I'm guessing not, and Tony would be rightly offended. It's the same principle, you're complimenting the current thing by insulting a past thing in comparison. It's just not a very intelligent way to write.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I'm majorily backpeddling right now. I think I should wear a dunce hat for a day. Roy should wear one for a week. Atleast I have the blackberry excuse.Anybody makes mistakes. Roy over there is just letting his ego do his typing, is all

[2centsworth]

If he wrote it exactly that way, I wouldn't have said anything. You throw the word "sucked" around, it's different. Please, give me a little credit. I know how to read and I know exactly what he meant. I'm just saying the choice of phrasing was poor. No professional writer would disagree with me.

If you want to emphasize how good somebody is playing by comparing it to something else, it makes more sense to compare it to something else that was equally positive, instead of comparing it to something where the other thing is put down...

Why not just say, "He's playing like Michael Jordan in his prime right now?" That compliments the current thing and doesn't take away from the past thing. That's how you actually compliment something. It's pretty simple.

Maybe the best way I can explain it to you is to get away from basketball. Suppose you saw Tony Parker on the street and wanted to compliment him on his wife. Would you say, "Man Tony, Eva is so beautiful. Your last girlfriend must look like a dog compared to her?"

I'm guessing not, and Tony would be rightly offended. It's the same principle, you're complimenting the current thing by insulting a past thing in comparison. It's just not a very intelligent way to write.
that should have been your original reply. Instead, we went off of the dude.

[2centsworth]

Yeah like me :Lol

No but TIMVP is one of the biggest Manu fans out there.

Hes not afraid though to call Manu out though when he plays bad.
i was one of the leaders in calling out Manu when he played poorly in last years playoffs. I'm far from an apologist, but I'm certainly a huge fan of the dude since his first game with the spurs.

[spurster]

I think what timvp was trying to say was that Manu was sloughing off during the playoffs last year. Now we see that Manu has finally decided to play basketball instead of feeling sorry for himself about the low-ball contract he signed with the Spurs.

Now I will duck for cover.

:)

[MaNuMaNiAc]

I think what timvp was trying to say was that Manu was sloughing off during the playoffs last year. Now we see that Manu has finally decided to play basketball instead of feeling sorry for himself about the low-ball contract he signed with the Spurs.

Now I will duck for cover.

:)
*readies gatling gun and aims*

[2centsworth]

Let me set the record straight. Manu had a very good playoffs last year, and sometime spectacular playoffs, except for the first round and a couple of games against the Suns where he was brutal for Manu standards.

Quick look at Manu's Efficiency ratings goes like this.

1st round- Tim 25, TP 16, Manu 13
2nd round- Tim 32, Manu 21, TP 16
3rd round- Tim 25, Manu 17, TP 17
Finals- Tim 23, TP 20, Manu 16

[Agloco]

......Kurt Thomas didn’t play but while on the bench, the Spurs explained the rule to him about not leaving the bench if a fight breaks out. It was the first time Thomas had heard of the rule........

Believe.


:lol :lol :lol

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

His tenacity in the last few minutes was insane. I can't think of very many players who want to win as much and do as much to make it happen.
My favorite is when he puts together sequencese, grabbing that handed rebounded out of nowhere, and then going coast to coast to draw the foul in the last minutes of the fourth quarter.

[bigfundamental21]

Another great analysis Timvp. Thanks for always sharing your thoughts.




The story of the game once again was Manu Ginobili. The Argentine superstar is playing better than a superstar. In fact, he’s the best player in the NBA right now. By far.
Manu was unbelievable once again. I just hope he can continue to play with such a high level of intensity. And that he remains injury-free. He is unstoppable right now.



-Tim Duncan had a very impressive outing. He has played very well of late overall and if he can stay healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t have his most dominant playoff run of his life.
Timmy is playing like he really wants the repeat. He is quietly dominant as usual, but has been so consistent. He is really crashing the boards and with the addition of Thomas, I hope that we will have two guys averaging double digits in rebounds. I hope your prediction of Tim's dominance comes to fruition. :clap



-Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs.
I can't believe how much flak you are getting for this one line. I completely agree that Manu has taken his game to an entirely different level and that if you compare how he is playing now to how he played in the playoffs last year, there is just no comparison. Manu had a few great games here and there, but not back to back to back great games. I don't know if Pop will be able to put him back on the bench the way he is playing.


-Tony Parker got the start and looked healthy. He didn’t play well but the most important thing right now is his health... but he seemed to get tired as the game went along. Hopefully he can regain his form at some point in the next week or so.
Yeah, all the time off has affected him. He was not pushing the ball up the court like usual and seemed tentative to attack the basket. But that will come with time as he works himself back into game shape.


-Bruce Bowen reminded Peja Stojakovic that Bowen owns him. Bowen held Stojakovic scoreless until there were eight and half minutes left in the third quarter.
Bruce always shows up with solid D when it matters most. He shines when he plays people like Peja, Kobe, or Ray Allen.



-Robert Horry led the bench players in minutes and played one of his better games of the season. In 22 minutes, Horry had seven points and three rebounds. Two of his points came on a thunderous two-handed dunk that Horry must have pulled out of a time machine.
That dunk was a huge surprise. I think he even surprised himself.



-Michael Finley only played 11 minutes and went 1-for-5 from the floor. I’m not sure if he was injured or was just having a bad night but he appeared to be a step slow. Hopefully it’s not an injury because Finley has been playing very well as of late.
I think Finley's reduction in minutes is mainly due to Manu's success. How can you take out the best player when he is completely torching everyone. Plus, Bowen had to stay in to guard Peja. So, Finley didn't get a lot of PT. I am sure he is fine, but he may have to come off the bench for a while if Manu continues to play possessed.



-Kurt Thomas didn’t play but while on the bench, the Spurs explained the rule to him about not leaving the bench if a fight breaks out. It was the first time Thomas had heard of the rule.
:lmao :lmao :lmao




Playing Duncan and Ginobili 38 and 37 minutes respectively is a questionable strategy but I guess we’ll see if either player wears down as the season progresses. Right now, Duncan and Ginobili seem to have responded favorably to the extended minutes.
I am also worried about the extended minutes for Tim and Manu. But they are basically carrying the team right now. Hopefully, as Tony works back into game shape, we can get back to the regular rotation.

[greens]

I also noticed that the Timmy/Manu chemistry was especially off the charts in the game...The Manu assists to Timmy for his dunks...and then Timmy throwing that long pass for a Manu 3...

The whole team seemed more energized! And how good was the pass from Tony to Bruce for a 3 late in the fourth quarter!

[slayermin]

I like timvp's writing because he thinks like a Spurs fan.

Great analysis as always.

[ducks]

manu and duncan played that many minutes
pop knew the spurs only have 2 games this week
plenty of rest before tuesday and thursday game against mavs

[SpurOutofTownFan]

Kurt Thomas didn’t play but while on the bench, the Spurs explained the rule to him about not leaving the bench if a fight breaks out. It was the first time Thomas had heard of the rule.

Priceless.

[vanvannen]

If he wrote it exactly that way, I wouldn't have said anything. You throw the word "sucked" around, it's different. Please, give me a little credit. I know how to read and I know exactly what he meant. I'm just saying the choice of phrasing was poor. No professional writer would disagree with me.

If you want to emphasize how good somebody is playing by comparing it to something else, it makes more sense to compare it to something else that was equally positive, instead of comparing it to something where the other thing is put down...

Why not just say, "He's playing like Michael Jordan in his prime right now?" That compliments the current thing and doesn't take away from the past thing. That's how you actually compliment something. It's pretty simple.

Maybe the best way I can explain it to you is to get away from basketball. Suppose you saw Tony Parker on the street and wanted to compliment him on his wife. Would you say, "Man Tony, Eva is so beautiful. Your last girlfriend must look like a dog compared to her?"

I'm guessing not, and Tony would be rightly offended. It's the same principle, you're complimenting the current thing by insulting a past thing in comparison. It's just not a very intelligent way to write.


Roy, just let it go man. You're making a fool of yourself.

[smeagol]

Roy, just let it go man. You're making a fool of yourself.

And not just any kind of fool . . .

You are beating some big ass fools that roam these boards . . . and that is saying something!

[SAGambler]

WTF? A fifth grader would understand "compared to" in the context it was used in that statement.

Do we have a bunch of idiots on here or just simply people that like to argue for arguements sake?

[T Park]

Do we have a bunch of idiots on here or just simply people that like to argue for arguements sake?




What is yes Alex?

[vanvannen]

I'll take stupid posters for $100. :rolleyes

[sabar]

timvp should have used a picture since some people haven't passed 4th grade reading comprehension.

http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/3410/manuqh6.jpg

[timvp]

if that was in the original analysis when I first read it, and then I owe a big apology. I read it from my blackberry and didn't read that at all, but if it was there I was wrong.It's all good. I seriously couldn't figure out how what I wrote could have been viewed as me saying Manu sucked last year in the playoffs.


timvp, I love reading your critiques. They tell me you know a lot about pro-basketball and the NBA. The one thing I never read in your analyses is about (somehow) giving the opposing team, and players, any credit.

Bottom line, how about giving the opposition some credit for putting up a good fight, and not saying that we "let them?"Noted, however it's difficult to factor in everything ... even when I write 2000 words. I can't touch on every aspect.

However, specifically last game I think really was more of the Spurs letting the Hornets into the game than anything else. The Spurs went on a huge scoring drought and while the Hornets were playing pretty decent defense, it was more of what the Spurs weren't doing.

And the previous game against the Hornets, I offered about as much praise as humanly possible:


The Hornets are for real. Byron Scott has that team playing great basketball. Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler are all three very impressive young players. Paul is quickly becoming the best point guard in the NBA, while West and Chandler are two bigman with as much combined skill as any other duo in the league. Add to that threesome Peja Stojakovic and Morris Peterson and you have a very capable team.

What was amazing about this game for the Hornets is they basically just ran two plays continuously and it destroyed the Spurs’ defense. While I don’t think the Hornets would beat the Spurs in the playoffs if they only have two plays to go to, it sure worked on this night. Props to Scott for recognizing the Spurs’ weakness on defense and exploiting it over and over again. (Speaking of Byron Scott, why doesn’t he get more respect? He took a very average New Jersey Nets team to the Finals in back-to-back seasons and now he has a young team that has no home court advantage playing better than anyone else in the Western Conference.)

The Spurs basically just got beat down by a better team tonight. At this point in the season, the Hornets are better. You couldn’t watch that game and say differently.

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85785

[timvp]

You could've phrased it better, that's all I'm saying. You can't throw the word "sucked" around, in any context and expect it to not have a negative connotation.I guess we'll have to disagree. If I had said something like "compared to how Manu Ginobili is playing now, Michael Jordan sucked" would you have had a problem with that?

True, it wasn't the prettiest of comparisons and it required at least a couple seconds of mental digestion but I don't think it was too off the wall.


In fact, I don't even understand the need to reference the last playoffs at all.I was setting up the next sentence.


Compared to how he’s playing now, Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs. If he can continue this level of play, the Spurs are going to be extremely dangerous once the real season begins.And I still stand by that. If Manu is playing and shooting as well as he is now once the playoffs begin, the rest of the NBA is in for a whole lot of hurt.


I'm just saying the choice of phrasing was poor. No professional writer would disagree with me. That might be true. However, I'm not a professional writer and I don't aspire to be a professional writer. I'm just a Spurs fan who writes down his thoughts on the game after the game has finished. I take all of 20-30 minutes to write it and another 5 minutes to read it over. I don't aim for the end result to be professional quality.

Also, most typical writing is boring. I find my own writing boring sometimes too :lol. If I can find a new way to describe something, then I can keep myself entertained as I write.


Why not just say, "He's playing like Michael Jordan in his prime right now?"I've already used that line. That well is dry. I've used up pretty much every positive basketball cliche when writing about Manu as of late.

I had to invent a new way to get the point across. Overall, I think most people understood the point I was making.


That compliments the current thing and doesn't take away from the past thing. That's how you actually compliment something. It's pretty simple.

It's just not a very intelligent way to write.If that's how you feel then that's your right. If you feel that what I write is unintelligent or you don't agree with how I word something, you are more than welcome to point it out.

The only reason I'm responding now is to clear up any miscommunication. I don't want people to think I said Ginobili sucked last year in the playoffs. But yeah, you can come in and say timvp sucks or the writing is garbage ... I really don't care at all. In fact, I kinda like it when people trash what I write.

So have at it :tu