Playing down to the level of your competition

[MannyIsGod]

This problem has really gotten out of hand. It is happening on a consistant basis, and it's going to catch up and hurt the Spurs in the long run unless it is taken care of immediatly.

I understand that it is very hard to get up for each and every game at this point of the season, especially against bad teams. But at some point you need to recognize the problem and address it.

It shows a complete lack of interest and intensity. A team with this core and this depth should not have this much trouble. There is absolutely no intensity on the defensive end against teams like Portland.

I'm sick of seeing them do this.

[SequSpur]

Spurs Were Tired.

2 Of 3 On This Road Trip. It Could've Easily Been 1 Of 3. Spurs Still Need A Center. Rasho Would've Been Loading The Bus In The Fourth Quarter Anyway.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

We have the same problem the Lakers used to have for the lesser squads.

Counting the Utah game a few back we are now 0-2 when Sean Elliott makes the comment it's a guaranteed win tonight.

Sad thing is, I think he has his finger on the pulse of the squad, and his sentiments seem to echo the intensity level we show in games like this one.

[T Park]

Spurs Still Need A Center. Rasho Would've Been Loading The Bus In The Fourth Quarter Anyway


haha, your such a moron.

[MannyIsGod]

pot, meet kettle.

[Nikos]

Rasho Would've Been Loading The Bus In The Fourth Quarter Anyway.

:lmao

[Walton Buys Off Me]

I totally agree with Manny on this one. Spurs need to stop this bad habit of letting gimmes slip away until home court advantage is determined. Bullshit losses like this tonight always seem to bite you in the ass.

[boutons]

I don't think the Spurs were playing really badly tonight, playign down to Blazers who were in fact having a fantastic game.

Spurs just got the shit beat out of them by a team on a mission, that was shooting very hot, wanted to avenge the earlier embarrassment.

This is a different from other (road) losses (@SAC) where Spurs played crappier than the other team was playing crappy.

[Sense]

I don't think the Spurs were playing really badly tonight, playign down to Blazers who were in fact having a fantastic game.

Spurs just got the shit beat out of them by a team on a mission, that was shooting very hot, wanted to avenge the earlier embarrassment.

This is a different from other (road) losses (@SAC) where Spurs played crappier than the other team was playing crappy.



Blazers were having a good game thanks to the Spurs, and the confidence got them there. The Spurs were not intimidating with anything on the inside, they weren't playing D....and they took advantage.


We need Rasho..

[timvp]

Bottom line is Spurs didn't GAF about this game. They were already ready to board the plane by the time the game started.

[T Park]

^^^ Exactly.

Last games on the roady are the toughest.

especially against Portland, and after a blowout against Sacramento.

[Tom_Foolery]

You can't win all the games.


This was a pretty desperate game for the Blazers. I think they lost 5 or 6 straight games and that coach was riding on thin ice as of late. With Randolph out, I think they all knew they had to step up their intensity and game. They probably knew this was a game that could really boost self-confidence.

I don't know if the Spurs could've done too much better. I think Manu could've played better, but hey, he's won some games for us, I think Bowen's play has really hurt the Spurs.

This game is about the Spurs problem at Center. Just look at Przybilla's stats. That's unreal. Also, look at the pts in the paint: Portland(54)> SA(42).

We got beat pretty good on the boards too. We didn't have alot of turnovers, which was good, but gave up way too many pts.

I don't think the Spurs played exactly "bad", except for Mass & Bowen. I was kind of disappointed in their play. 2pts for Bowen? Also, Duncan shooting 60% FTs is going to cost us some games here and there too. He had a chance to really make it a game but missed 2 fts. That could've been the difference.

The Spurs have played mediocre on the road. Very inconsistent. I don't know what it is, but the Spurs better learn how to win on the road or it could be a rough post season to watch.

You win some and you lose some. This makes Thursday's game pretty important. Kings will want to play better, so with the Spurs.

What do we do about our Centers? We have only 1 true center. The rest(Rose, Marks, Massenburg, Horry) are really PFs. I think we have an excellent shot at the championship, but I wouldn't mind at all if we made a trade for some size inside.

But maybe I'm being picky.

One thing the Spurs seriously need help in is guarding the 3pt line. The Spurs have the 6th worst defense against the 3pt shot. I think Pop needs to look into this.

[Kori Ellis]

One thing the Spurs seriously need help in is guarding the 3pt line. The Spurs have the 6th worst defense against the 3pt shot. I think Pop needs to look into this.

For most of the season they were next to last, so they are improving. :)

But you are right, it's not a good thing.

[T Park]

I dont know how youd fix the three point defense.

I think it all depends on if the team is hitting or not.


There points in the paint??


No comment.

[T Park]

but the Spurs better learn how to win on the road

They just came off two huge road wins.

Take that for what its worth.

[gophergeorge]

Question for All NBA Coaches:

If you were to play Phoenix, Sacramento and Portland on a roadtrip, would you be happy with TWO wins?

Answer: HELL Yes.

I swear you people would bitch if your ice cream was cold.... :)

[T Park]

It sucks to loose.

But, when your 34-10 at the top of the heap, played the most games of any team in the league.

It makes sense. There human, there gonna play bad.

[boutons]

Offensively, the Spurs didn't have a bad game.

44% FG (2% under Spurs avg, but not low 40s or even 30s like the Spurs have done in earlier losses this season,or vs LAC @SBC)

38% 3G (good enough for NBA-league best)

83% FT (2% BETTER than NBA-best team avg, but Tim did miss 2 FTs in cruch)

Only 6 TOs (3 by Malik)

So this loss really isn't Spurs playing badly and playing down to a team that is playing like it is 19 games behind us.

The Blazers aren't 9 games under .500 by shooting 56% FG and 57% 3G. They were shooting very hot for any team in the NBA, and the Spurs just couldn't get the stops.

I think the Blazers shooting as tonight would have beaten ANY other team in the NBA.

ie, Spurs, playing a perfectly respectable game, simply got beat by a superior game from an inferior team playing out of their heads. That really isn't as bad as 8 other losses where the Spurs played really badly (@SAC, @TOR, 2x@HOU, @ORL, etc) and got beaten by a (usually inferior) team playing a little bit less bad.

This loss hurts like shit, but I don't need to qualify/excuse it with 3g/4days, 2nd of b2b, etc. And considering it WAS 3g/4days and after 2 huge wins, the Spurs actually played goddam well under those circumstancs For almost the first time this season, we really got beat while playing well, by a team playing extremely well. I can live with that.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I dont know how youd fix the three point defense.

Um, play tighter on the guy on the perimeter?

Just a thought...

[Rick Von Braun]

For most of the season they were next to last, so they are improving. :)

But you are right, it's not a good thing.
While there is room for improvement I think this is not the whole story.

One thing to consider is that the Spurs have a very good interior defense. This forces other teams to take more 3pters, and consequently it is easier for other teams to find rhythm from downtown when they shoot more often during a game.

[san antonio spurs]

the only way the spurs win is by playing solid defense.
Anybody who plays basketball will tell ya how difficult and tiring playing defense is, and especially on back to back games.
it is even worse when you play against a crapy team (ala portland) because you don't want to deliver such effort, u think u can easily win (especially when zach is out, abdull rahim out, van ex ejected,...)so why bother.
this is some bad habbit, that any champion team has (lol watch detroit),
Pop is gonna scream, they'll play better next time, but then again after huge wins, it will happen again.
I'd rather win in PHX and SAC and lose in POR, and not the opposite,what ya think???
________
Glass Bongs (http://glassbongs.org/)

[sa_butta]

This problem has really gotten out of hand. It is happening on a consistant basis, and it's going to catch up and hurt the Spurs in the long run unless it is taken care of immediatly.

I understand that it is very hard to get up for each and every game at this point of the season, especially against bad teams. But at some point you need to recognize the problem and address it.

It shows a complete lack of interest and intensity. A team with this core and this depth should not have this much trouble. There is absolutely no intensity on the defensive end against teams like Portland.

I'm sick of seeing them do this.

I agree 100% it seems they always play to the level of the competition.

[tlongII]

You guys will be fine when Nesterovic gets back. As much as you rip on him it is evident that he helps the team by just being an obstacle on defense. Without him the Spurs are undersized.

I think your biggest area of concern is small forward. You get little offense and no interior defense from that position. This is where the Spurs can get hurt in the postseason.

[BigVee]

Playing to the level of your competition can go both ways I suppose. If you are right then bring on the playoffs when we play our best against the best. And, when we play our best, no one in this league, this year, is going to beat the Spurs.

[Rick Von Braun]

I think your biggest area of concern is small forward. You get little offense and no interior defense from that position. This is where the Spurs can get hurt in the postseason.I agree. The Spurs seems to have huge problems with long 3s. Rashard Lewis, Darius Miles, etc. Good thing is that there aren't that many teams with long 3s in the league.

[T Park]

ou get little offense and no interior defense from that position.

If the wing players are taught to funnel the players to the bigs, no they arent gonna be good interior defenders.

Little offense??

I dont think offense is a concern, if the Spurs play there correct D, offense comes from other places other than Center and forward.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The Spurs are up for the big games, beating the teams they need to beat. Their record is tops in the league and they're not likely to slip down. In an 82 game season they're going to have some off nights, and I'd sooner see them lose games like this one than lose them against the upper tier.

Again, March is still a long way off!!

[boutons]

dammit, the Spurs weren't so very "off" @POR. see my msg above. 8 of our losses HAVE been due to the Spurs having bad off/def games against inferior teams playing badly, and some of our wins, too (LAC @SBC).

Portland had a very hot shooting night, including Miles who went nuts in the 4th quarter. POR didn't really beat us that bad, considering they were having a season-best shooting night.

Miles alone got 17/33 in the 4th (he avgs 13 PPG), but Spurs scored 28 in the 4th, an excellent offensive production (rate of 112/game). There have been plenty of other Spurs losses with Spurs quarters under 15 pts)

Anybody know the FG % and 3G % for POR in 4th quarter?

But Sean did call it right. The Spurs let POR jump on them in the 1st quarter, then fought back and kept the game too close in 2nd/3rd, and then POR exploded in the 4th. gameover

Blazers probably will not have a game anywhere near that hot all season, will miss the playoffs, and Mo get fired.

But the Spurs did not suck last night compared with 8 other losses.

[GoSpurs21]

I totally agree with Manny on this one. Spurs need to stop this bad habit of letting gimmes slip away until home court advantage is determined. Bullshit losses like this tonight always seem to bite you in the ass.Get used to it cause every team in the league is going to get up to play the Spurs. This will be the case for the next several years so get used to it. It's just the price the Spurs will have to pay for being the best team in the league.