Grades: Spurs @ Lakers - Apr. 17

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Originally Posted by TJastal

I'm not ready to give up on Tiago after one game where he probably didn't even know he was going to start until tip-off. He appeared totally unprepared and out of sync. It's not easy to adjust to playing alongside another dominant big but I bet he will catch on fast. It's quite possible he has never even practiced with Duncan in the starting lineup. But what I have seen so far from Tiago is that he learns and adapts very quickly, despite all the bullshit he's had to endure. Unfortunate thing is Pop will probably pull the plug on the this now because Tiago didn't immediately put up all-star numbers and looked a little nervous in his first "real" start.

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I agree, him and Duncan were both out of sync I thought. Specifically on offense. I think I saw both bigs try to set a screen for Parker at one point..

Ideally I would love to see a Duncan and Splitter starting line up. Too bad were 6 or 7 games away from the playoffs though.

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Originally Posted by timvp

Perhaps it was odd and risky but only because Pop has neglected that pairing so much. Duncan and Splitter are mobile and talented enough to play together, IMO.

I'm fine with Diaw starting. Though, against the Lakers, I'd still prefer Duncan and Splitter. Diaw is bigger than Blair but he's still a small bigman.

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Agreed as well. The lack of chemistry was obvious and not surprising at all. I would love for Splitter to start as well, I just wish it was in February or March.

As of now, I think Diaw is already a great fit in the starting lineup. So while Duncan/Splitter have higher potential, Diaw is the better fit presently.

To your point though, both Duncan and Splitter are extremely talented and have high b-ball IQ. If they can make it work in 6 or 7 games and (maybe tweak it in the first round if we get a Phoenix or Utah) then this season just got even better.

If not, I'd at least want to see Splitter and Ginobili come in and sub out together - with and without Duncan on the floor.

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:smchode:

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Yeah Kobe is definitely one of my favorites. But its more of a respect thing. For example, I don't really follow his games or his stats or what the media has to say about him. What I love about him is his competitive nature, work ethic, and his killer instinct. Its pretty much the same reason why Ginobili is my favorite player.

We seem to be concentrating on Splitter, Duncan, and Pop (why he hates Splitter and other such drivel) rather than the meat of the matter:

Tony Parker hitting his J's punctuated by impaling finishes at the bucket completely opening up the floor is what won the game. There are not many teams that will beat us with this sort of game from Tony and the new surrounding blood we now have.

We made the big slow Lakers move. They did not take well to it.

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Originally Posted by pgardn

We seem to be concentrating on Splitter, Duncan, and Pop (why he hates Splitter and other such drivel) rather than the meat of the matter:

Tony Parker hitting his J's punctuated by impaling finishes at the bucket completely opening up the floor is what won the game. There are not many teams that will beat us with this sort of game from Tony and the new surrounding blood we now have.

We made the big slow Lakers move. They did not take well to it.

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:toast

Gary Neal's most impressive game of the year IMO.

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Originally Posted by pgardn

We seem to be concentrating on Splitter, Duncan, and Pop (why he hates Splitter and other such drivel) rather than the meat of the matter:

Tony Parker hitting his J's punctuated by impaling finishes at the bucket completely opening up the floor is what won the game. There are not many teams that will beat us with this sort of game from Tony and the new surrounding blood we now have.

We made the big slow Lakers move. They did not take well to it.

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Exactly. That's what the Spurs were lacking in the first matchup @ATT. No one dared challenge the bigs at the basket, and so they never really wore out. This time around, Parker and Manu and Neal were forcing the bigs out to the perimeter as well as crossing over and going straight to the rim and scoring or kicking out, forcing those big bodies into movement. By the third quarter you could see the defeat on Bynum and Pau's faces as again and again they were put in the torture chamber by multiple players BESIDES Tim Duncan thanks to the excellent ball movement and willingness by everyone to attack, attack, attack (or shoot, in Manu's case).

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Originally Posted by GSH

Stephen Jackson

There was A LOT of hard-core wrestling going on, in and around the paint. Stephen Jackson did the thing the Spurs need from him the most, which is to be a tough sonofabitch. He didn't give an inch, and he didn't lose his cool. He just out-scratched, and out-clawed whoever he was on.

Gary Neal
Late in the first quarter, Bynum and Ebanks went on a tear of Alley-Oops, dunks, and layups. Then to start the second quarter, Barnes nailed a 3 to give the Lakers a 31-29 lead. I'll admit I was thinking, "Oh, hell, here they come." Then Neal scored bam-bam-bam, and the Spurs were back up 35-31. With some guys, it's not just how many points they score, but when and how they score them. Horry used to be like that. Neal has done it too often for it to be a fluke.

The night before, Golden State had gotten the lead down to "just" 16 in the third quarter. That might not seem close, but the Spurs offense was flatlined, and if the lead dwindled much more, Pop would have been forced to put one or more of the Big 3 back in the game. That's when Neal nailed a 3-pointer, drove and kicked to Green for a 3, drove and kicked to Bonner for a 3, and then made a jumper of his own. Suddenly the lead was 27, and the Big 3 were safe taking the remainder of the night off, and resting up for the Lakers. Unsung hero.

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Great takes. One of the best posts of the year, tbh :toast

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Originally Posted by timvp

We can throw in an A1 Thick and Hearty Burger combo with onion rings and a diet coke.

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I'll take that but have to have a REAL coke. LOL

Tiago's overrated but Tim's defense on bynum was great.