Spurs Coach Sure To Cook Something For Game 2

Spurs coach sure to cook something for Game 2
By Randy Galloway

SAN ANTONIO — A segment of ungrateful and brain dead local fools were howling over the radio talk show phone lines here late Saturday night, firing verbal blasts at San Antonio’s basketball version of the Alamo.

Coach Pop, an institution in this city, has apparently become an idiot, at least in the wacky view of talk show junkies.

If I’m Gregg Popovich, my answer to that ilk would be to place a world championship ring on three fingers and a thumb, then raise the empty finger high above the rest. You get the idea.

Pop has four. And this city has four, thanks to Pop.

But the Dallas Mavericks taking it to the Spurs in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series had old San Antone town mumbling with concern, as we await tonight’s Game 2.

The funny thing is, Pop had a great game plan for Saturday’s opener. First, take out Dirk. See if the Mavs have anyone else who can beat you. Dirk, of course, was taken out.

Then, for a kicker, Pop also had a plan for Jason Terry. And that scheme also reduced Jet to almost a playmaker, not exactly his strength. Terry had eight shots in 35 minutes. Terry usually has eight shots in a game before he pulls off his warm-ups.

"We did [defensively] what we were supposed to do," said Drew Gooden, the 6-foot-10 reserve for the Spurs.

"We didn’t want those guys to beat us," Pop said. "The other guys did beat us."

Nowitzki chuckled at the Mavs’ Sunday practice session when he said, "Jet and myself were pretty good decoys."

Decoys for J.J. Barea. Think about that. It’s funny.

J.J. took over Game 1 at the point. Josh Howard was immense, and didn’t even play in the fourth quarter. Brandon Bass was all about muscle and hustle. Erick Dampier banged all night on Tim Duncan.

A perfect Pop game plan was shredded. The Mavs landed the first vital punch in the series by throwing and connecting with that assortment of mystery jabs.

But now what for tonight?

Terry admitted the obvious on Sunday. The Mavs aren’t supposed to win when he and Dirk are limited to a combined 31 points. "The opportunity was there for our role players to dominate, and they did," he added.

"But this is Popovich, and he’s got something for everything and everybody. He’s the best at adjustments. What he does [tonight] is a big guess right now, but Pop doesn’t have four trophies for nothing. He’s cooking up something."

Dirk, like the other Mavericks, is waiting on Pop’s Game 2 answer.

"Popovich is obviously one of the greatest at this," he said. "You know what’s he thinking when he sees Barea just walk down the lane to the bucket three or four times in the fourth quarter. We’ll see something new, for sure."

Maybe, but that’s not definite. Regardless of the Game 1 outcome, wouldn’t you still take your chances again tonight on trying to take out Dirk and Jet?

With Terry, the Spurs removed his pick and roll move by immediately flashing a second defender at him. That’s nothing new. But Dirk?

"I hadn’t seen that one before," Nowitzki said of Pop’s defensive scheme, which was designed to take away that middle-of-the floor jumper, except not with the constant double team. Instead, his defender fronted him, playing ball denial.

"Even at the 3-point line, they were fronting me," Nowitzki said. "I got too aggressive there, and picked up a couple of offensive fouls."

Dirk missed the last nine minutes of the first half with three fouls. But even with him on the bench, the Mavs cut what had been a 13-point deficit to only four at intermission.

Bet this:

Tony Parker had a Sunday of listening and reading local and national accounts of how a nobody such as J.J. upstaged him in Game 1. You can definitely throw a few more logs on Tony’s competitive fire for Game 2.

Meanwhile, Pop took his talk show beating for Game 1 because — get this — he has failed to develop a Barea-type player. Again, that’s funny, considering that J.J. certainly had his North Texas detractors for a couple of years. But George Hill, a rookie point guard who was DNP on Saturday night, is the critics’ choice to give Parker a breather … if, of course, Popovich had had him ready for the playoffs.

Provided I was hearing this right, Gooden should also be receiving the minutes given to Matt Bonner, despite Gooden being a journeyman deluxe (six teams in seven seasons).

Of all the Game 1 surprises, including "how" the Mavericks won it, nothing tops the gall of some Spurs fandom wanting to suddenly label Coach Pop as a stubborn old coach.

The Mavericks, of course, weren’t buying any of this foolishness on Sunday. Instead, they eagerly await Pop’s adjustment answers for Game 2.

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Bet this:

Tony Parker had a Sunday of listening and reading local and national accounts of how a nobody such as J.J. upstaged him in Game 1. You can definitely throw a few more logs on Tony’s competitive fire for Game 2.

Meanwhile, Pop took his talk show beating for Game 1 because — get this — he has failed to develop a Barea-type player. Again, that’s funny, considering that J.J. certainly had his North Texas detractors for a couple of years. But George Hill, a rookie point guard who was DNP on Saturday night, is the critics’ choice to give Parker a breather … if, of course, Popovich had had him ready for the playoffs.

Provided I was hearing this right, Gooden should also be receiving the minutes given to Matt Bonner, despite Gooden being a journeyman deluxe (six teams in seven seasons).

Of all the Game 1 surprises, including "how" the Mavericks won it, nothing tops the gall of some Spurs fandom wanting to suddenly label Coach Pop as a stubborn old coach.

The Mavericks, of course, weren’t buying any of this foolishness on Sunday. Instead, they eagerly await Pop’s adjustment answers for Game 2.

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:lol @ the SpursTalk thread recap

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Originally Posted by duncan228

"I hadn’t seen that one before," Nowitzki said of Pop’s defensive scheme, which was designed to take away that middle-of-the floor jumper, except not with the constant double team. Instead, his defender fronted him, playing ball denial.

"Even at the 3-point line, they were fronting me," Nowitzki said. "I got too aggressive there, and picked up a couple of offensive fouls."

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Oh yes you have Dirk. I see Pop finally caught up watching the Warriors series in '07...

The mavs are a deeper team. They are going to the WCF this year to play the lakers.

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Originally Posted by ElNono

Oh yes you have Dirk. I see Pop finally caught up watching the Warriors series in '07...

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Nellie figured out what Pop couldn't in 2006.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

:lol @ the SpursTalk thread recap

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Oh come on, nobody reads Spurstalk... :rolleyes

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Originally Posted by ElNono

Oh come on, nobody reads Spurstalk... :rolleyes

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I'm not saying he even copied it from here, it's just funny that it basically summarized all the threads in the last 24 hours in a few lines.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I'm not saying he even copied it from here, it's just funny that it basically summarized all the threads in the last 24 hours in a few lines.

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I know exactly what you meant and I agree. It's just some people here think some of these journalists/talk show people don't come around here to get the pulse of the fans. :toast

What I find funny is that he acts like Spurs fans are different than any other fans. Most fans are irrational, emotional and only concerned with immediate results. Why then act like you are surprised that with all the whacky things happening (injuries, coaching, losing game 1...) that fans would just keep their collective cool?

I'm neither ungrateful, nor brain-dead, yet, I seem to find myself questioning Pop.

Go figure?

There is also some truth to the criticisms but often people go way too far.

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Originally Posted by BLACKJACK21

I'm neither ungrateful, nor brain-dead, yet, I seem to find myself questioning Pop.

Go figure?

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That's what you think... :lol

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Originally Posted by ElNono

That's what you think... :lol

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Well, I am grateful.:hat

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

I'm not saying he even copied it from here, it's just funny that it basically summarized all the threads in the last 24 hours in a few lines.

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YUP! With me and a couple others being the only ones on here who still have an ounce of faith in Pop. Before reading this article I could have sworn NewJerSpur was the only Spurs fan besides myself who was thinking logically. Hey NewJerSpur check it out, we're not alone!

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Originally Posted by DPG21920

What I find funny is that he acts like Spurs fans are different than any other fans. Most fans are irrational, emotional and only concerned with immediate results. Why then act like you are surprised that with all the whacky things happening (injuries, coaching, losing game 1...) that fans would just keep their collective cool?

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Good observation.

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Originally Posted by ElNono

Oh come on, nobody reads Spurstalk... :rolleyes

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I will say he copied it here

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Originally Posted by duncan228

Spurs coach sure to cook something for Game 2
By Randy Galloway


Provided I was hearing this right, Gooden should also be receiving the minutes given to Matt Bonner, despite Gooden being a journeyman deluxe (six teams in seven seasons).

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:toast

Gooden is a journeyman so Bonner should be playing heavy minutes? Did I read that correctly?

The moron here is obviously Randy Galloway, who must not have seen the Spurs play this year prior to last night.

Is Galloway Pop's nephew?

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Originally Posted by __JaG__

Gooden is a journeyman so Bonner should be playing heavy minutes? Did I read that correctly?

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Yeah I don't quite understand that. So the Spurs should start Oberto instead of Thomas because he's been on fewer teams.

I just hope Pop change his mind about Mason guarding Dirk. That is seriously a joke.

well, this writer has just lost all his credibility. he argues that gooden is a journey man. but if you want to look at the resume between bonner and gooden, i think any person with the least of intelligence could see that gooden had a far better career than matt "BONEHEAD" bonner.

He really is an idiot, or stubborn.

I say this because nobody can make a compelling argument for why he shouldn't have gotten George Hill Playoff ready, and why Gooden hasn't gotten a lot more minutes...

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

:lol @ the SpursTalk thread recap

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really amazing. being out of san antonio and the US, i didn't know if the jokes about some article in papers being "inspired" by some spurstalk threads were really true.

but there, it seems really obvious. How could the writer know so much about what spurs fans think in only one day, with exactly the same arguments as the spurstalks ones ?? come on :lol

Spurstalk has obviously a big impact, even with the press. Anyway, pop is the best!!!

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

:lol @ the SpursTalk thread recap

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:lol Seriously...I think all those writers just read this forum if they want to get a summary of what the average "Spurs fans" mentality is.

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Originally Posted by 1Parker1

:lol Seriously...I think all those writers just read this forum if they want to get a summary of what the average "Spurs fans" mentality is.

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I would buy this. In the age of internet it is easier to pick up your topic contents by viewing the forums for fan feedback.

Just because Pop has gotten the team the four rings, doesn't mean he's beyond approach.

Be that as it may, I'm sure the HOF coach will have some adjustments up his sleave and steer the ship straight.

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Originally Posted by 1Parker1

:lol Seriously...I think all those writers just read this forum if they want to get a summary of what the average "Spurs fans" mentality is.

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Sure seems like it. It probably makes the job much easier too.
Although, the Bonner/ Gooden journeyman argument was not credible.:lol

I want to believe in Pop so much. My gut just states its futile because he did say he would not be playing Hill, and Hill hardly played the last regular season games. However, there is a much better chance that Gooden plays more minutes than Bonner. So, maybe we can be happy about that change.

Either way, I'll be at the game, I just hope it's a win tongiht and Pop makes some great adjustments. These are the Mavs after all not the Lakers. People say Mavs play lights out against us-well, they do, but we can still beat them. Remember who they are and what they have done, and then think of who the Spurs are and what they have done. They can do this. :flag: