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:rolleyesQuote:
Originally Posted by ManuTim_best of Fwiendz
I guarantee you that no professional sports coach in their right mind would ever do anything less than everything he can to try and win a game, no matter how "meaningless". These guys are way too professional and competitive, and have way too much of an ego to "throw" a game.
It's a loss. Deal with it. It happens--you don't have to constantly try and rationalize it.
Pop would throw a game... but not this one... Spurs just plain sucked. no excuses.
Heh, Pop has done things in the past to push a message rather than win a single game. So your guarantee means jack.Quote:
Originally Posted by DubMcDub
See this is where you're wrong. One only has to look how things are with playoff positioning almost set to see a plethora of teams sitting their stars to prevent them from exposure to injuries on games that have little meaning other than they are on teh schedule and need to be played.
In 02-03, Pop sat SJAx & Duncan in the last game against the Mavs. Neither player was hurt and the Spurs got beat. It can happen.
This game wasn't a "thrown" game but when they didn't exhibit the "fire" that Pop expects, his power as coach is to pick and choose time for the players. The lesson to be learned is, you must show effort. If not, Pop finds a way to teach you.
I don't think he "threw" the game, but I do think he put in certain players who would most likely make it hard for us to win to keep the Spurs' mind on themselves and not on catching Phoenix and Dallas.
The CIA label is :lmao
All his goofy lineup changes and lack of in-game adjustments are stoopid head games that hurt the Spurs.
Props for the 12 game streak and for playing Elson. Before tonights return to small ball :donkey
In MLB your best pitchers don't always have a good night. It happens. Likewise in hoop some nights certain players don't have it. He keeps riding Parker like he is the endless fountain of youth. Would have been great tonight to have gotten Tony out and let JV or Beno take over.
Here after all these years I thought it was spelled stupid.Quote:
All his goofy lineup changes and lack of in-game adjustments are stoopid head games that hurt the Spurs.
Jokes on me!!
What are you talking about? I'm not making excuses for the loss. I actually don't care. Like Timmy said, they just want to win each game. They're not playing for a win streak. They're just focused on improving themselves.Quote:
Originally Posted by DubMcDub
Anyway, I wasn't rationalizing the loss. I'm talking in terms of long term adjustments. Seeing what weaknesses other teams can exploit of ours so we can make optimal decisions on the shortened lineups for the playoffs. It's not that hard to believe.
It's like this. I'm speaking from the angle of a coach who knows what he's doing?
Remember when Manu fell on his back in the second game against the Mavs? It was only a stinger. It was minor. He could have very well came back in. Pop was smart in taking care of his player, and would rather sit Manu out, than aggravate his ambiguous injury, possibly playing the risk of exacerbating it, for the sake of winning that statement game.
We CAN AFFORD to lose games in the regular season. Put that same scenario in a playoff game, I think Pop would actually have put Manu in that game for the fourth quarter against the Mavs. No question.
This game was against a team we're most likely not going to meet in the postseason. And the Spurs had an off night. I could see Pop punishing them, or at least being mad enough to not pull out all the stops for them. Of course the coach would rather win, but apparently the Spurs were setting themselves up for this loss with their play, and Pop could see it.
I have a good reason to believe that Pop takes the opportunity to rein his players in to keep them in check and prepared for the playoffs. I think he has a problem with micromanaging a little too much in anticipation of the post season, but for the most part there's a reason why the Spurs are so well-trained, and have been the quintessential NBA team for the last 8 years.
:lol well I couldn't see the game, but I think Pop does make statements with his rotations sometimes in general.Quote:
Originally Posted by phyzik
Whether this was one of those games, I can only guess.
The Spurs were due to lose one, but Pop didn't throw the game.
I know Pop is good, but I'm not sure that even Pop could make them play horrible D and make all of the Big 3 suck offensively. :lol 2-for-10 from Manu, 6-for-15 or whatever from Tony and so many missed FT's from Tim. Plus bad D all around.
He hated the effort in the last game even though it was a win (he even got bleeped in the postgame interviews talking about it) and he hated it again tonight. Hopefully the Spurs can bring the intensity and D against Boston.
Out of the last five games (Portland, Sac, NJ, LAC and Mil) the Spurs were only really sharp in NJ.
I don't think pop would ever throw a game. Although I think he doesn't mind losing this game as to send a message to his team to not get caught up in anything else but getting better on the offensive and defensive ends of the ball.
yeah, thanks for articulating it better. I think "throwing a game" is misleading. But yeah I think Pop doesn't mind letting a game go every now and then, if his players are disappointing him. It sometimes looks that way. Of course they'd rather have them play their best and win! :lolQuote:
Originally Posted by THE SIXTH MAN
What a surprise...we went with small ball down the stretch and we got scored on at will in the post, had our defense broken on the perimeter...and missed just about every crucial defensive rebound during crunch time.
Michael Finley is not a PF...hell, he's not a SF...Patterson took him to school and was posting him up like he was Boykins.
This ones definitely on Pop...
During our winning streak crunch time has seen a lot more of the Spurs
traditional bigman lineup.
Bonner didn't even get a sniff? I call bs.
Honestly...I know Oberto was hurt tonight, but Oberto + Elson > Smallball.
We won't win squat playing small ball down the stretch.
Whatever gains we may make offensively are lost defensively and in the rebounding dept.
yeah, notice how our offense was never the problem when we played against Dallas.
As for staying big lately. We were playing great D in our win streak and/or, if we were playing poorly we were able to play defense when it counts in the 4th quarter, which was seldom seen during our rocky losses in January.
So though I'm not complaining after one loss and crappy play. Pop should ease up a bit, and NOT insist on going small. Why do we need smallball again still?? to adjust to the other team?
:clap :clap :clap :clapQuote:
Originally Posted by whottt
Pop is just trying to see "If" the Spurs can beat Dallas.
Dallas has shown its weakness in these last to games .... Fast and faster play beats them. Pop wants the Spurs to play small because it works aganst Dallas. In the Playoffs, its what he is going to try again. This time he wants the players to have a feel for what they are doing in those line-ups before the games that really matter start.
That is why he keeps going small.
As to the game .... Its a loss. I don't get the chanse to see many Spurs games, but some of you have said that the Spurs have not played well resently, if this is true, then I guess you can it human nature. The same was true with Dallas as their streak dragged on, their play became bad, but good enough to beat the other team.
Then ... Their play slips one too many notches and you have a loss.
I'm sure that the Spurs will start another steak (Winning that is) starting with the next game. The only two thinks to take from that games was
1) Bad play leads to losses
2) "We have another game coming up, lets not show our asses again"
The Bucks games should be marked MUST WIN by Poppo because we get the Buck's second round pick this year!
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Originally Posted by MarCowMar
We do?
Wow! Thanks, this plus my coffee wakes me up fine MaTiBOF, great analysisQuote:
Originally Posted by ManuTim_best of Fwiendz
LOL...surely he threw the game...that is the only possible explanation :lol
As much as losing to the Bucks sucks; imagine Bucks fan...
Talented enough to beat the Spurs TWICE this season; yet three from the bottom in the East. The team we get to see from Milwaukee (because they apparently get "up" for the Spurs) is NOT the team their fans get to see night in and night out. Every now and then they play a really good game, whereas every now and then the Spurs play a really crappy one.
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Originally Posted by mookie2001
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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
Pop's want to stay under the radar has something to do with his decisions I'm sure.
I'm almost 100% that staying under the radar is a big deal here.
I'm pretty sure he's done it before, he's weird like that. If he's not happy in a game, after several previous games with bad efforts defensively, he'll play all these weird players even when there's enough time for a comeback. I don't think he did it last night though.Quote:
Originally Posted by LEONARD
We lost because there were no adjustments made on the defensive end, as usual. The Spurs stuck with the same defensive strategy the whole game even though it was not working. Who's fault is that?
The Spurs just don't play well on this ugly ass court.
http://www.nba.com/media/bucks/MilBu...actice_604.jpg
"San Antonio receives a 2007 Milwaukee second round pick (the better of Milwaukee’s two second round draft picks in the 2007 NBA Draft [Houston's]) (Damir Markota trade 062806)."Quote:
Originally Posted by Phenomanul
Source: www.nbadraft.net
Also keep in mind that both the Lakers and Dallas will be picking right at that spot as well!
"LA Lakers receive Charlotte's 2007 second-round pick. (Jumaine Jones trade 102605)."
"Dallas receives Atlanta's 2007 second-round pick (Anthony Johnson trade 022207)."
A Bucks loss could be the difference between Quinton Hosley and Bobby Brown! I was really frustrated to see how unwilling the Spurs were to fight for a better draft pick. But this does bring up another question: should we throw games to the Hawks and Bobcats? :wtf