Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Hornets Game 5

[timvp]

A funny thing happened to the New Orleans Hornets heading to their funeral. The Hornets climbed out of the casket that the so-called NBA experts put them in and punched the San Antonio Spurs right in the mouth.

The Hornets flat out won this game. David West was amazing. West had 38 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, five blocked shots and two steals, while shooting 16-for-25 from the field. His performance was one of the best I’ve ever seen against the Spurs. Chris Paul also played really well, finishing with 22 points, 14 assists and only one turnover. Defensively, the Hornets were almost flawless. It was just a very, very good game for the Hornets.

For the Spurs, this game was like a reoccurring nightmare. The Spurs hit contested three-pointers in the first half to help them lead 47-44 after two quarters. In the third quarter, the Hornets exploded and the Spurs imploded. New Orleans then cruised to a 101-79 victory. For the fifth time this year, the exact same scenario played out that resulted in the Hornets blowing out the Spurs.

While the Hornets deserve a lot of credit for what happened on Tuesday night, the Spurs didn’t exactly make things difficult for New Orleans. Their offense was tentative and had no purpose. Their defense was passive and slow, especially in one-on-one situations. The Spurs were also the less physical team.

My biggest problem with how San Antonio played was they just didn’t seem to have any desperation. It was like the Spurs were waiting for the Hornets to roll over and die. To win on the road, you have to go out and take it. The Spurs played like they were going to win just by showing up.

Overall, this series has now taken a depressing turn. Trailing 2-3, the Spurs now have to survive two must-win games. I guess we’ll see what this team is made out of now that their back is against the wall. The days of excuses are over.

-Tim Duncan had 23 rebounds. That was the good. Everything else about his night was horrible. Offensively, Duncan had ten points on 5-for-18 shooting from the field. He was pathetically weak around the basket. Instead of going up strong, Duncan would attempt weak shots and then whine for a foul. Defensively, Duncan was horrible in one-on-one situations and even worse when it came to help defense. And while the rebounds were nice, it was more a matter of nobody else crashing the boards. Despite Duncan’s 23 rebounds, the Spurs were still outrebounded 50-41. This game can be discussed, broken down and analyzed but the bottomline is that the Hornets’ power forward had the game of his life while Duncan laid an egg that would make the Easter Bunny blush. If Duncan wants championship number five, he can’t be dominated like he was tonight.

-Manu Ginobili didn’t play well but he wasn’t a main problem. In 38 minutes, Ginobili finished with 20 points, seven assists and two rebounds, while shooting 5-for-15 from the field, 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and 7-for-8 from the charity stripe. He didn’t shoot well but he did a good job of only having one turnover. Offensively, it just boils down to Ginobili hitting more shots. He got looks – he just has to convert those looks to made baskets more often. Defensively, he wasn’t that good. Morris Peterson scoring 12 points on four three-pointers really hurt the Spurs’ cause. Ginobili was taken off of Peja Stojakovic to limit the Hornets’ three-point shooting so now it’s imperative that Ginobili doesn’t let Peterson turn into Stojakovic. It’d be really nice if Ginobili could have one of those masterful games he had in the regular season where he carried the Spurs to wins all by himself. If the cape is available, it’s time to put it on.

-I was extremely impressed with Tony Parker in Game 4. In Game 5, he was equally as frustrating. He made poor decisions. His defense got worse as the game went on. He settled offensively at times, especially in the pivotal third quarter. The Spurs needed Parker to play great to win this game – and he didn’t deliver. If he wants to take the next step from really good player to superstar, these are the types of games Parker has to play his best. On the night, Parker finished with 18 points and four assists, while shooting 7-for-14 from the floor. Parker turned the ball over three times, which obviously didn’t help matters. To be truthful, Parker didn’t have much room to operate offensively and the Hornets made it a priority to flatten Parker and leave him sprawled out on the court as much as possible. But it’s playoff time and the excuses are over. We’ll see what Parker is made out of in the final two games of the series. For the Spurs to pull it out, Parker needs two dominating performances.

-Bruce Bowen was one of the few Spurs who played well enough for San Antonio to win. In 34 minutes, Bowen had ten points and three rebounds, while shooting 4-for-5 from the field. Defensively, he once against help Stojakovic in check (9 points on 3-for-8 shooting). There’s not much more Bowen could have done for the Spurs tonight. He passed on a few jumpers and wasn’t making the quickest decision offensively, but that’s nitpicking pretty closely.

-Kurt Thomas was horrible. Defensively, West ate his lunch, dinner and then went to Bourbon Street and enjoyed a few adult beverages with Thomas footing the bill. Offensively, Thomas single-handedly destroyed the Spurs’ rhythm. It’s becoming obvious that the Spurs have too much trouble scoring when Thomas is in the game. The Hornets ignore him and with Thomas bricking, the Spurs are left playing 4-on-5. In Game 5, Thomas finished with two points and four rebounds on 1-for-6 shooting from the field. I say it’s definitely time to take Thomas out of the starting lineup. He’s killing the offense and isn’t doing nearly enough defensively to make up for it.

-Ime Udoka led the bench in playing time and I thought he was pretty good. He had nine points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal, while shooting 3-for-6 from the field. He didn’t finish a few easy buckets and picked up a few dumb fouls, but overall he did about as much as he’s expected to do. He’s one of the few Spurs who seems confident to shoot even when he’s not completely wide open. Udoka got 21 minutes on Tuesday night and probably earned more minutes in Game 6.

-Fabricio Oberto played 16 minutes and was helpful offensively. He passed the ball well and pulled down a few big offensive rebounds. That said, he got roasted by West on defense. Oberto played like a 6-foot-10 pylon on the defensive end. When West was doing his Hakeem Olajuwon impersonation, Oberto had front row seats. Even though Oberto isn’t playing well all things considered, he’s playing better than Thomas. Oberto should go back into the starting lineup, however he needs to perform a lot better defensively or else it won’t matter either way for San Antonio.

-The Spurs need their shooters to hit shots to space the court. Michael Finley responded by going 1-for-6 from the field. Thanks, Mike. The one shot Finley actually hit was a prayer that he accidentally banked in. When Finley wasn’t missing shots, he was playing no defense in his 15 minutes of play.

-Brent Barry played 12 minutes and he wasn’t helping the team out either. He missed all three of his shots from downtown. Barry did have a nice and-1 in the fourth, but the game was basically over at that point. If Finley is shooting blanks, it’d be nice if Barry could come in with live ammo. In Game 5, that wasn’t the case.

-Robert Horry played seven minutes and didn’t do much other than foul. He had a pair of nice assists but he just has too much rust to help out at this point. I want to believe that Horry can step up with Thomas and Oberto struggling, but I just don’t see it. He’s not a threat to score – or grab a rebound, for that matter.

-Pop has to be held accountable for a lot of the struggles we saw out of the Spurs on Tuesday night. The Spurs were thoroughly outplayed, outcoached, outhustled, outeverythinged. I mean, the Spurs have been blown out five times now by the Hornets this season with the same scenario playing out each time. It’d be nice if Pop figured out a way to stop the same thing from happening time and time again.

Defensively, Pop needs to get his bigmen to be more aware of West’s tendencies. West is good but he’s not the reincarnation of Wilt Chamberlain. There’s no excuse for getting lit up to the degree the Spurs’ bigs were lit up.

Offensively, it’d be nice for Pop to find ways for the Spurs to get easy baskets. It doesn’t help that Duncan, Ginobili, Finley, Barry and Thomas combine to shoot 13-for-45, but the Hornets aren’t good enough defensively to shut the Spurs down as much as they did in Game 5. Pushing the pace would be a good way to get some easy shots.

The bottomline is the Spurs need to win Game 6. The Spurs played well in Game 4 but they can’t bank on the same type of performance. Game 6 is going to be a war. If the Spurs take Game 6 for granted and look ahead to Game 7, the Hornets will come in and end the Spurs season in front of the AT&T Center crowd.

The Spurs are now backed into a corner. It’s either fight back or roll over and die. The time is now. One win.

1.

Believe.

[SpursFan0728]

I agree with all the points you said.

I know there are fans bashing Manu for not showing up
but I truly feel that Tim and Tony were equally responsible for the loss. They were extremely passive on offense.

[SenorSpur]

Believe it or not, at times I was imploring Bruce to shoot more. He was shooting with confidence in the first half, yet passed up open shots later on. It's like the rest of the team was waiting on the big three to "bail them out".

I can live with a miss of a wide open shot, by one of the shooters. What I can't live with is these ongoing forced/bad shots late in the shot clock or a forced pass leading to turnover and basket at the other end.

[SenorSpur]

I agree with all the points you said.

I know there are fans bashing Manu for not showing up
but I truly feel that Tim and Tony were equally responsible for the loss. They were extremely passive going on offense.

Agree. This loss isn't just the fault of Manu. Tony and Tim were equally to blame. Both of them tucked their tails when it counted. Unfortunately, the Spurs do not have another "dog" on the bench who can force the defense to defend them honestly.

[timvp]

The Big Three as a unit didn't play well enough to win a playoff road game. That's all that matters.

[Capt Bringdown]

It’s becoming obvious that the Spurs have too much trouble scoring when Thomas is in the game.

It's a good thing we signed Bonner over Scola, that move has really paid sweet dividends, eh?

[Deuces88]

This game was too similar to game 1 + 2. Not in the way saying that Home Court is affecting the Spurs. I mean something fishy is going on. It can't be a coincidence that in the 3 playoff games that were in N.O. home, Spurs are up by the half, then suddenly play uncharacteristically bad coming out of halftime. Unforced turnovers, Parker/Ginobili ignoring open shooters and waiting until the shot clock ran down to shoot.

It's gone this way almost like clockwork for game 1, 2 and 5. It's as if something is making the Spurs throw away the game in the 2nd half when in N.O. home. I wonder, are they trying to milk this series by purposely making it go 7 games or is something else happening? This isn't blaming the refs. This is talking about the fishy Spurs play that hints at a set-up.

[remingtonbo2001]

:depressed I hate to say, but an excellent recap.

[spursparker9]

erm...why game 7 is at monday???
4 days between game 6 and 7 ???

[Ginofan]

erm...why game 7 is at monday???
4 days between game 6 and 7 ???

That's nothing to bitch about...that rest is GOOD for us.

[polandprzem]

wtf we got no rest before game 6

Again most of you are acting like we have won game 6 and heading to NO for game 7

:rolleyes


Jeeez the Hornets are much more hungrier dammit. I do not know why spurs alowe themselves to be in that situation. In-game adjustments aren't there.
Where is the Phoenix SERIES intensity and will to win?

Damn I know they want to win bad. But they have to put everything they got and leave it on the floor at AT&T Center :ihit

or else


:hang

[J_Paco]

Well, the team is definitely on the ropes. I'm looking forward to Thursday night, just based on the sense that this group will fight back or their season will abruptly end. Either way, it's gotta be repeated that younger, fresher legs will be needed next season. I'm both saddened and proud, today. Saddened that this great bunch of guys can't seem to find a consistently high-level of intensity and passion, yet proud that they haven't completely surrendered to a younger, hungrier team (Heat against Bulls last playoffs).

We'll just have to see if this group of guys want it enough, and if they don't will Pop/R.C. make the apprioprate moves in the off-season?

[homer]

I agree with all the points you said.

I know there are fans bashing Manu for not showing up
but I truly feel that Tim and Tony were equally responsible for the loss. They were extremely passive on offense.

drive and dish or drive and lay it up. That happened in our 2 wins and didn't in our 3 losses. NO wasn't clogging the lane much that I saw. There was absolutly no aggression from Tony, Manu or Timmy. The best 2 drives I saw were by Ime and Berry. Timmy waiting for the doubleteam instead of driving as soon as he gets it. Chandler saw that and was directing the rest of his team when to double with his left arm. We've all seen Tony make layups with five defenders around him and the same with Manu. If Pop told them that EVERY play needed to go through Timmy, then he made a bad coaching decision. They better get their shit straight or they'll never make it to 7, much less ,win it.:sleep
BTW, anybody see the Knicks owner call D'antoni, "D'ANTONIO" at the press conference?:lmao :lmao

[spursparker9]

That's nothing to bitch about...that rest is GOOD for us.

no offense for bitching.... but acutally i am from singapore, so the time zone for me for game 7 is tuesday morning.
then i would not be able to watch the match live cause i will be in school...

[ecksodia]

Couldn't have said it better myself..

[florige]

I don't know if I have ever seen teams play so bad on the opposing teams courts before during the playoffs. Unbelievable!!!

[Obstructed_View]

This scenario has played itself out too many times to be a coincidence. The Spurs just don't seem to be capable of putting it together consistently enough to win a title, and what's really sad is that it's on the offensive end that dooms them. When they are watching the Hornets on TV next week, they should be looking at last night's game as the one that got away, because they knew exactly what they needed to fix, and then didn't do it. The Hornets stepped up. They may not be capable of winning in San Antonio, but then again they don't have to, since the Spurs don't seem to be capable of even competing in New Orleans.

[slayermin]

The lack of desperation by the Spurs was disappointing.

We will truly see what this team is made of on Thursday.

Force game seven and let the chips fall where they may.

[Obstructed_View]

Force game seven

Seriously, I don't see why they should bother. They obviously have no interest in winning a championship if that's all the effort they could muster on the road. They should probably just play as weakly as they did last night and give us all the weekend off. I'd be upset at the Spurs' losing if they actually looked like they wanted to win.

[1Parker1]

Spurs offense, especially this season, is so overrealiant on the Big 3 all having big games. If just one of them is off, it affects the rest of the team. Tonight it was Duncan and Parker. Spurs have no one else outside of those 3 who can come in and create their own shot if the offense is stagnant. They have no one who can come in and surprise you for 15-20 points outside of the Big 3. Closest thing is Finley and he's obviously done.

I thought Pop's coaching was a big reason the Spurs lost. He waited way too long to put Brent Barry in and his rust showed. When the Spurs offense was stagnant in the 3rd and they couldn't get a basket; He decides to put in Horry and Udoka?!?!

The fact that this game was yet again a blowout is very worrisome. Spurs in the past have always gone down fighting, but this team blew an ideal chance to put a team away. Championship level teams don't do that in pivotal games. I think the Spurs have a 3% chance to win this series now. And that 3% is only if the Big 3 somehow manage to play out of their minds for 2 straight games.


I am very disapointed in Ginobili this series. He should be dominating the Hornets the way West is dominating the Spurs. He's a complete mismatch out there. Especially after the amazing regular season he's had, I have yet to see even glimpses of SuperManu. In the past when the Spurs would have quarters like they did in the 3rd, Ginobili would be the wildcard coming in and making things happen. He's settling way too much for 3's, he's not playing good defensively, and he hasn't been getting to the line which is indicative of his aggressiveness. And don't tell me about his injured ankle because he appears to be moving fine the last couple of games.

As for Duncan, I have no idea what his excuse was for Game 5.


I just hope we never have to see Michael Finley in a Spurs uniform after this season is over.

[ballhog]

Good game play by Scott--he knew Tim was struggling so he went to a zone early in the 3rd quarter w/ double teams after his first dribble. No one wanted to shoot and no one played defense. Hornets weren't whistled for fouls so they played aggressively.

[MoSpur]

I am most disappointed with Pop. He didn't seem like he knew what to do. I know its the players that go out there and execute, but Pop has to find a way to counter that run in the third quarter.

Tim Duncan played like a school girl. I hate his constant whining. It gets really old.

Tony wasn't his best. Same goes for Manu. Finley needs to hit those open shots.

[fitzgerald]

This game was too similar to game 1 + 2. Not in the way saying that Home Court is affecting the Spurs. I mean something fishy is going on. It can't be a coincidence that in the 3 playoff games that were in N.O. home, Spurs are up by the half, then suddenly play uncharacteristically bad coming out of halftime. Unforced turnovers, Parker/Ginobili ignoring open shooters and waiting until the shot clock ran down to shoot.

It's gone this way almost like clockwork for game 1, 2 and 5. It's as if something is making the Spurs throw away the game in the 2nd half when in N.O. home. I wonder, are they trying to milk this series by purposely making it go 7 games or is something else happening? This isn't blaming the refs. This is talking about the fishy Spurs play that hints at a set-up.

I thought I was the only one who thought this. It really seems fishy. It seems the NBA told the teams to stretch this series to 7 games. Both teams complete for a half and then the visitors let the home team win it. Pop had some really odd rotations and the end of the game. When the Spurs were down by 10 or 12 he subbed all his starters out. Then NO pulled away again. Just weird.

[MoSpur]

Weren't there a lot in here waiting for one on one coverage on Tim??? What happened? Duncan was manhandled. Some of it was Tim's frustration, but still I give credit to Tyson for making it hard on Tim last night.

[urunobili]

i can;t believe everybody is making manu responsible for the loss... WE HAVE TO WIN GAME 6!

[mystargtr34]

I think its best everyone forgets about this game and looks forward to Game 6.... we just flat out have to play better... Win the won in SA

[MoSpur]

It wasn't just Manu. It was the whole team. They stunk. The coaching even stunk.

[MoSpur]

The calls were also in favorite of the bees. The Hornets went to the line 33 times versus the Spurs going to the line just 18 times. That could be because the Hornets were more aggressive on the offensive end, but I didn't see that too much. Oh well.

The Spurs just didn't play well. It looked like they were playing in a regular season game mentally.

[nkdlunch]

I don't understand why so many thought Hornets would roll over and die.

[SpurOutofTownFan]

The only game I saw Spurs basketball in this series was game 4 - other than that it just has been pitiful to watch (except passages of game 3 of course)

On the 3 loses at NO the same thing happened. Hornets come out of the locker room in the 3rd quarter, force several TOs, the Spurs melt and start missing several shots in a row and it's game over. It appears they just can't get over the hump. What it was an even match 2 minutes ago turns to be a blowout of critical proportions.

I don't believe the Hornets are a much better team but it's clear that unless the Spurs play with a sense of urgency and don't come out flat or melt down because they can't hit some consecutive shots, they won't be able to win this series.

It's very clear at this point they didn't have that special edge to be able to recover from a hole as they have in years before. You could see the Spurs being down by 10-15 and come back to win the game. None of that has happened this series - they just mail it.

If there's a hope is what we saw in games 3 and 4 when they were both must-win games. Perhaps they didn't think game 5 was a must-win game as they still had more shots to come back from but they have put themselves into a big hole this time as I haven't seen that edge yet to come out when it counts.

In order to win the next 2 games the Spurs need to hit their shots, Duncan needs to behave like he's the captain of the team, Tony needs to be aggresive on both sides of the court, Manu needs to be manu-man, Bruce needs to keep doing what he's been doing and the rest of the team needs to play decently enough to justify they being in this team.

Composure is key in this series. The Spurs have lost theirs several times under adversity and that is a very new picture to me. I don't recall this kind of auto-dismantling, suicidal behaviour from the Spurs happening before - even when they had lost. Whenever they lost they went down fighting and the better team won - this is just pitiful display and if they mail it again one more time in any of the next 2 wins, I expect Pop to just let the starters play so they can feel it for just one time.

If your name is Tim, Tony or Manu, you know what to do the next two games.

[MoSpur]

I agree with the above. Before, when the Spurs were down 10-15 points, they would impose their will on defense and climb back in it to win by two or three points. You don't see that anymore. They roll over and die.

[GrandeDavid]

erm...why game 7 is at monday???
4 days between game 6 and 7 ???

I think that's terrific. Would give the Spurs more time to rest and draw up some semblance of a gameplan for Game 7.

[MoSpur]

They first have to win #6

[VaSpursFan]

if this isn't a time for "appropriate fear", then we don't deserve to win anything. i think the Spurs actually believe they shook the confidence of NO. I mean we got lit up by a gimpy David West. We should have been like sharks smelling blood and tested him all night but no. we played like we knew they were going to roll over for us. NOTE TO SPURS: no one if afraid of you, so you'd better start playing with passion starting with Game 6 or you'll be fishing soon.

that game last night was a disgrace. and as much as i love tim, he needs to man up and play strong and not worry about the calls. he needs to worry about things he CAN control, like, the weaksauce he's bringing right now.

[Spurminator]

This was a very frustrating game all around. Even aside from the lack of intensity on the Spurs' part, there were so many shots that just went in and out like there was some sort of voodoo magic pulling the ball out of the basket.

I want to see the Spurs play better, but I guess the positive side is that even if we HAD played better, we still might not have won any of the games in NO. The Hornets have been great and you have to give them a lot of credit. I think they're the best team left in the Playoffs right now, if it's not the Spurs.

But I still feel good about this series. The Spurs have won three of the last four games where they faced elimination. They've succeeded in the face of this kind of pressure before. Just win Game 6 and it's a one game do-or-die series for both teams.

[1Parker1]

I don't get why Spurs fans continue to downplay the Hornets and not believe they aren't the better team. They up 3-2, they're the ones who have blownout the Spurs epicly in NO, not just in the postseason, but in the regular season too. They have an MVP caliber PG who doesn't take many off nights, an unguardable mismatch in David West, solid role players who are atheletic and young.

Spurs have the Big 3, a great coach, and that's about it. Maybe you can argue that the Spurs Big 3/4 is better than the Hornets, but in this series it's pretty much an even draw with the edge going to the Hornets with the way West and Paul are playing.

This Spurs team, unlike in years past, isn't as good as everyone thinks. They are showcasing the same flaws they displayed in the regular season when they would go on 3-4 game losing streaks. Outside of the Big 3, they have no reliable offensive weapon. Role players like Finley, Horry, and Barry for all their "veteran experience" do not have the legs anymore to play good defense against a younger, athletic team. We still have no reliable backup PG who can run the show. Putting Manu in that position is obviously the Spurs best option, but he's not a PG, no matter what way you dice it.

Kurt THomas is way too emotional a player to be deemed "smart." He commits at least 2 or 3 bad fouls a game. Oberto doesn't have the size or strength to be effective in guarding the paint.


You look at the Spurs big 2 wins in this series, and it was just a combination of the Big 3 playing outstanding and Bowen playing great defense and the Hornets missing some pretty open shots. You look at the Hornets big 3 wins and they did it by playing solid defense on the Spurs Big 3, denying the paint for Parker/Ginobili, double teaming Duncan, and daring anyone else to beat them.

[1Parker1]

The funny thing is the Hornets will probably be easily beat in 5 games by the Lakers/Jazz.

[Obstructed_View]

I don't get why Spurs fans continue to downplay the Hornets and not believe they aren't the better team.

They are clearly the better team so far, in that they have been consistently good and put themselves in a position to win each time they take the floor. I don't know that anyone is disagreeing with that point. Only a fool thinks that the Spurs aren't capable of playing every game like they did in game 4 and should have taken control of this series by now.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I thought game 5 was in the bag, but I never thought the Hornets would roll over and die at home. David West is a 90% mid range jump shooter at home now. He's a monster. This is fact now, and theres no way a team with that kind of firepower would roll over and die.

I can't believe Duncan did this. I seriously believe his lackadaisical play filtered over to Parker by the thid quarter. Parker was playing passive by then, and Ginobili was getting bad passes in a position not to do anything with the ball.

Duncan, you're on notice now. Theres no excuse in a million years for Duncan to ever be blocked by david west on a turnaround move.

[WalterBenitez]

I hate to recongnize that 3q we sucks ... TP poor decision making, Manu & TD couldn't carry the team, the rest of the crew couldn't step up.

Holy shit ... we out ... hate to say that.

[Budkin]

erm...why game 7 is at monday???
4 days between game 6 and 7 ???

I think that will be huge for us.

[Don Quixote]

They still have a good chance in Game 6, but Game 7 looks like it will be another Spurs loss at the Hive.

Hey, for the start of the 3d quarter, they should wheel out a lineup of Vaughn, Stoudamire, Udoka, Horry, and Oberto.

Why the &(#@ not? Could they be any worse than the starters?

[SpurOutofTownFan]

I thought game 5 was in the bag, but I never thought the Hornets would roll over and die at home. David West is a 90% mid range jump shooter at home now. He's a monster. This is fact now, and theres no way a team with that kind of firepower would roll over and die.

I can't believe Duncan did this. I seriously believe his lackadaisical play filtered over to Parker by the thid quarter. Parker was playing passive by then, and Ginobili was getting bad passes in a position not to do anything with the ball.

Duncan, you're on notice now. Theres no excuse in a million years for Duncan to ever be blocked by david west on a turnaround move.

There were a couple plays that clearly showed me the Spurs were about to melt down: a key TO when Udoka had a clear lay up and instead of going strong he let West block the shot (that was from a very good pass from TP) and the second was when West went under the rim and on a reverse hook score on Tim's face. I thought those were signature plays and the end was near.

[wildbill2u]

The truth of the matter is that our Big Three are getting beat by their Big Two plus a lot of hustle by their role players.

Give a lot of credit to the NO defense which is shutting down Duncan and closing the lane for Parker and Ginobili. If we can't figure out how to beat their defense--and execute to do it--then we deserve to lose.

Also, we lost focus in the 3rd--and they didn't--and made some really costly turnovers which turned the game around. Once they got ahead, they had the confidence and we didn't.

[michaelwcho]

I was checking out some stats from the Wages of Wins. According to their (PER-Like) stats, the Hornets are very marginally a better team than us. I think they have us the 6th ranked team in the league? If their model is predictive, then they should be favored over us in the series given that and home-court. Interestingly, the Jazz are ranked above both.

Their stats showed the Spurs to be a dominant team the years we won.

They also favor Garnett slightly over Duncan in productivity (with the slight caveat that because his teammates are worse, he may get more #s). Especially interestingly, they have Kobe ranked as only the 9th best player in the league because of his lack of productivity in anything besides scoring. Given that his teams without dominant help (Shaq; Gasol) have been mediocre, it actually makes sense.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The Spurs played with no heart in this game, bottom-line.

I've been a Spurs fan for almost 33 years and I've never seen the Spurs play so poorly on the road in playoff games...ever.

I always believe, but if the Spurs can't play with passion on the road a potential game seven will be the 4th 20 point Hornet victory of the series. Heck, I'm hoping the Spurs can fire themselves up enough to get game 6. You can't convince me that NO is the better team, and that's what's making these losses so disappointing. In '06 I knew that Dallas had a pretty darn good team that matched up well with us. The Laker teams that beat us were championship teams so I could tip my hat to the fact that they beat us. Heck, had we lost these three games by 2 or 3 points in games that I saw the Spurs give it all they had...well that would be admirable in some respects. But this team is just flat out not getting after it in these games and I can't figure out why.

[michaelwcho]

Personally, I'm a little in shock. I had no idea who would win, but I sure didn't think we'd have a repeat of Game 1 and 2. Normally by this time, things get figured out and games get tighter. What I saw was that West had a career-type night, the NO defense really stepped up and took away what the Spurs wanted to do. I saw indecisiveness and confusion on the Spurs part, confounded by a distressing lack of adjustments in the 3rd quarter and terrible shooting.

[Capt Bringdown]

Spurs battled back from double digit leads against the Suns. Of course it's just the Suns.

I didn't underestimate the Hornets, guess I was hoping the Spurs had turned the momentum around going into game 5.

Game 5 was definitely a heart breaker. That 11 point 3rd quarter will go down in infamy I'm afraid. Kinda hard to believe in this year's team after that.

[cajunhornetsbayou]

there are official Game Thoughts threads (timvp) that people post in.

My thoughts discuss more strategy. Timvp appears to regurgitate stats.

[leaguecityspur]

33 FTs to 18? That's a big difference.

[MoSpur]

Gut check time

[said7]

Its not Manu's or Tony's fault really. Every time they were at the top of the key 2 defenders ran at them. This was NO's big suprise adjustment. a # things needed to happen....

1. split the double and dish to a shooter.
2. Pass immediatly and cut. Swing the ball.
3. Tim Duncan need to go off in the post.

They HAD to know this was coming, bad adjustments. All the passes were sloppy out of the double and NO did a good job of rotating. You have to make them pay.

Please give Finley's minutes the Brent.

[JamStone]

One long, athletic, agile 6-10 PF/C who plays solid defense and rebounds well and the Spurs may have won this series by now. The lack of mobility and athleticism by Thomas and Oberto and Horry is a death nail in this series for the Spurs.

[SenorSpur]

One long, athletic, agile 6-10 PF/C who plays solid defense and rebounds well and the Spurs may have won this series by now. The lack of mobility and athleticism by Thomas and Oberto and Horry is a death nail in this series for the Spurs.

:toast

How long has the absence of such skill set been an issue for this team? It's almost like Pop and RC are diametrically opposed to having such a skill set on the roster. Of course, Pop hates young players anyway.

On the other side, I do like how Byron Scott spoon-feeds minutes to young guys like Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright. He's not afraid to use them for spot duty in the playoffs.

[jman3000]

I was extremely frustrated with our defensive rebounding and covering of their perimeter players in the middle stretch of the 4th quarter. We had trimmed the lead down to 9 and it was a golden opportunity to really make it a game with about 5 or 6 minutes to go. if i remember correctly, we either got a really shitty looking tim duncan fade hook or a shit headed turnover.

the hornets were practically begging us to win the game and we just couldnt execute to save our lifes.

i also felt like choking a bitch when they missed the 2 freethrows only to get the offensive rebound... what the fuck was that?

:pctoss:

[Cry Havoc]

This scenario has played itself out too many times to be a coincidence. The Spurs just don't seem to be capable of putting it together consistently enough to win a title, and what's really sad is that it's on the offensive end that dooms them. When they are watching the Hornets on TV next week, they should be looking at last night's game as the one that got away, because they knew exactly what they needed to fix, and then didn't do it. The Hornets stepped up. They may not be capable of winning in San Antonio, but then again they don't have to, since the Spurs don't seem to be capable of even competing in New Orleans.

Yes, but honestly. Home teams are 17-1 in the second round.

Since the league benefits every time a home team wins, that is WAY too lopsided of a statistic not to be at least a little suspicious.

[1Parker1]

You can't convince me that NO is the better team, and that's what's making these losses so disappointing.

They ARE the better team, or at least they are playing at a level high enough in this series to be the better team.

CP3 has been the better PG in this series through Games 1-5, even when he's had "off nights" like in Game 4, he still got it done.

Aside from Game 4, David West has been the better PF in this series. Spurs have absolutely no answer for him. With Duncan, they have an answer as they can double team him aggressively and take him out of rythmn as they've done in Games 1,2,5.

Pop has been outcoached by Byron Scott for games 1,2, and 5. Hornets looked like the team that was better prepared, ready to go in the majority of the games so far. Part of the 3rd quarter collapses falls on Pop. His rotations on the road have been shaky at best.

Look at the supporting players; Mo Peterson, Pargo, Bonzi, Chandler have all outplayed Finley, Barry, Horry, Thomas, and Oberto in this series. They look and are the more athletic, versatile, and hungry team. Our old players can't even keep up with them defensively.

Spurs are the Big 3 and Bowen and not much else. Without HCA, Spurs haven't shown me anything to make me believe that they have it in them to win a road game in NO. As Pop said, give credit to the Hornets defense in the 3rd quarters of these games, which has been about 100 times better than the Spurs defense.

[MoSpur]

Good call 1Parker. However, I think Parker has held his own. The team as a whole disappears in the 3rd quarter in each of the three losses. Right now NO is playing better than SA.

Remember whenever you were worried about us being down 0-2. I told you to have faith and that we'd win. I will tell you again. We will win. Okay? Okay

[1Parker1]

Parker "held his own" in 2 out of 5 games, CP3 has been great in all 5 games. Even when he's having an off game or an off quarter, he's still the one out there controlling the pace of the game.

Besides that, I am just hugely disapointed in our "role players." Finley, Barry, Kurt Thomas, Oberto, Horry have hurt us defensively and offensively. Finley especially has been non-existent. The drop off in these guy's production this past season from last season is astounding. You can't get that old that quick can u?

[SpurOutofTownFan]

Now to the subject in addition to my previous comments, I have to praise Byron Scott for not changing his starters to win this game. He just took away a lot of stuff the Spurs had done well in games 3 and 4. Let's see what happens if that can be translated to a road victory. Maybe the difference is only who's playing at home, etc.

If that's the case and the Hornets move on, I only have to assume the Lakers will win cause they have HCA???

[MoSpur]

I to am upset with the role players. Finley is off most of the time. Barry hasn't gotten quality minutes. Thomas needs to start hitting that outside jumper he is known for and quit getting dumb fouls that send West to the line. Horry seems disinterested.

However, most of the weight is on the big three, especially Tim Duncan. He needs to quit hesitating and make his move as soon as he gets the ball. He thinks to much about whether or not NO is going to double team. He needs to be more agressive and quit crying. Manu needs to quit settling for the three. The more aggressive team is going to win the series. So far, that is the Hornets.

[TampaDude]

I don't know if I have ever seen teams play so bad on the opposing teams courts before during the playoffs. Unbelievable!!!

Guess you haven't been watching the Celtics, then... :lol

[nfg3]

Yes, but honestly. Home teams are 17-1 in the second round.

Since the league benefits every time a home team wins, that is WAY too lopsided of a statistic not to be at least a little suspicious.

Obviously those stats appear to be lopsided but to imply or even think a "fix" is on is stretching it a little, don't you think? The conspiracy theories are always going to be bantered about but seriously I don't think the league is trying to "fix" it. Remember we are the STERNS! :lol As most conspiracry theories go there are too many people who would know too much to keep quiet. This year things have really worked out in favor of the home teams. And who could blame the league for wanting all series to go the distance, even culminating in a NY/Bos vs LA final anually. It's all about the benjamins :greedy to a certain degree.

[SpursDynasty]

We had plenty of good looks at the basket that would have cut the lead to 6-8 points in the 4th. They just didn't fall.

Here's my recap: The Hornets made their shots and the Spurs didn't, end of story.

[Spurs Brazil]

The big 3 was terrible yesterday. The defense was slow and I think in this series we're like Finley. When the offense isn't working we just stop playing defense.

Let's get game 6

Believe

[lefty]

Pop screwed us big time:

- screaming at Joey and Co. after 1 quarter : not a good idea Pop; especially with 3 quarters left, and on the road.

- getting away from the plan that worked in games 3 & 4 : What-the-fucK.....our motion offense was the reason why we hit high % shots: good ball movement, good rythm, open shots ... and when the Hornets tried to stop that motion offense, it allowed TP and Manu to go to the rim

:bang:bang

- Oberto on overrated West : hello ??!!!!!

- More Barry, less Finley

Of course, he is not the only one to blame:

- Tim Duncan: attack the rim more!!!! they can't stop you !!!!

- Parker and Manu: take care of that fucking ball !!! too many careless turnovers; and Manu, too many bad jump shots.

[Ocotillo]

At least Bonzi Wells isn't killing us....... :bang

[wildbill2u]

We had plenty of good looks at the basket that would have cut the lead to 6-8 points in the 4th. They just didn't fall.

Here's my recap: The Hornets made their shots and the Spurs didn't, end of story.

Something more than just missing a few shots in one game is going on here. The differential between the number of points the Spurs have scored in NO vs. the number scored at home is over 28 pts.

Forget the Hornets. We are unable to score on the road.