I just got home from dinner and hanging out at Barnes and Noble with the wife, and I see that Boston beat SA. WTF happened?
How in the name of God did this happen?
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I just got home from dinner and hanging out at Barnes and Noble with the wife, and I see that Boston beat SA. WTF happened?
How in the name of God did this happen?
No shit. I just saw this. How in the f..?
This is when you know there are at least kinks to be worked out. Next thing you know the Knicks come in here and own us.
The universe must be out of alignment or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
This is akin, I guess, to discovering that the world is flat, or spiral-shaped, instead of round. Or waking up and hearing that scientists have discovered a square circle. Or witnessing God do something that is against His nature --lie, steal, not be loving, not be good, not be just, etc.
Weird.
What's next? Britney's going to shave her head and go into rehab?
wtf?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
:downspin: :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin
My recap:
1-for-17 or something from 3 and bad rebounding led to their demise.
It was kind of a cool game to watch because of all the streaks in it. The Spurs fought from 19 down with less than a minute left in the third and took the lead with 5 minutes left in the fourth.
Parker and Duncan played awesome. But in the end it wasn't enough. The Spurs only scored one basket in the final five+ minutes of the game. They had some costly turnovers (I believe travels on Duncan and Parker and an O foul on Manu) in the closing minutes.
Sometimes when you have to fight so hard to get back in, you don't have enough to finish. :(
And the Spurs are going to be stuck playing small ball for the postseason, because Oberto/Elson really aren't going to cut it, so I think Pop is going to go small.
The small lineup tonight was awesome defensively in the second half to get them back into the game, but I know that lineup will get killed on the glass in the postseason.
I wish that somehow Bonner or Ely would emerge as a possibility at starting PF and Duncan could slide to C. :drunk
But how...why would you get down 19 points on the Celtics......at home!?
I could understand on the road or on a back to back or even if they were on a winning streak and took an off night. But they jsut lost to the Bucks had time to re group, this was a home game where they knew they were struggling.......and it's the Frickin Celtics who are in LAST place right now.
1-for-17 from 3 and bad reboundingQuote:
Originally Posted by 1Parker1
Did Bonner/Ely get playing time tonight? How was he?Quote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
But I mean...it's the Celtics! :lol Especially on a night when you have 20 points, 16 rebounds, 7 blocks from TD and 30 points from Parker!
Bonner played late. Not enough to do anything.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Parker1
Mostly the mini-lineup played to get the Spurs back in it. (TD + 4 smalls).
Oh and I want Manu back. He's shooting ~33% and averaging 12 points over the last four games.
I don't get it...why doesn't Pop player Bonner more for small ball? He didn't get much playing time last game either against the Bucks...
:lol He'll probably get moved back into the starting lineup...Quote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
Man, the worst part is, with the Suns about to lose again tonight...Spurs could have pulled to within ONE game of them! :pctoss
I don't know why he isn't playing much lately. It's odd. Horry+Oberto+Elson aren't playing well at all, at least give Bonner a chance.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Parker1
Spurs are definitely erasing a lot of their streaks against the lesser teams this year. Is this the first time Boston Beat the Spurs with Tim now??
Its not a big deal. Just one (or a couple games in a row now) game in a long season where the team did not put out a strong effort and got caught. It happens to every team in the league from time to time.
The team is probably ready to start the playoffs mentally and just playing out the string (coasting) and got caught by a couple of weaker teams.
Either put Manu back in the starting lineupQuote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
or tell him to take more than 8-10 shots?? Hasn't he been the third option now in the last few games? He needs to be the first ! :lol
Since before Tim, even.Quote:
Originally Posted by ManuTim_best of Fwiendz
I believe the streak was 18 wins in a row (17 since Tim).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
He's barely shooting the ball. He's not getting enough attempts. Pop's not calling any plays for him. He played 9 mins in the first without a shot. Pop might like playing smallball, but one guy it hurts on offense is Manu. He depends on that second big to set that screen for him up top.
When the other big can set the screen the lane opens up for him because the defense still has to stay with Duncan. When Duncan is the screen setter what happens when people sag on Manu in the lane is that he has to throw a bail out pass to the opposite corner where it most often goes to Bowen and that's a brick.
I've said this a billion times. Either play smallball with no Bowen or just play a regular lineup. Otherwise we're going to get the worst of both worlds. No rebounding with smallball plus a guy they can constantly double off of in Bruce.
Well he's not shooting well. I'm not sure shooting more is the answer, but maybe so if he just needs to get in rhythm. His last four games were 4-for-12, 5-for-8, 2-for-10, 2-for-8.Quote:
Originally Posted by ManuTim_best of Fwiendz
(And by the way, Tim should always be the first option)
Not all star numbers. This is why Manu is not an all star caliber player and wasn't on the all star team this year or last. He is a very inconsistent player.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
Yeah I realize. He's averaged 9.5 attempts, which is far less than normal.Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronstampler
Weirdly tonight in the small ball lineup, Finley was in Bowen's spot in the corner and Bowen was more up top and involved as a ballhandler :wtfQuote:
When the other big can set the screen the lane opens up for him because the defense still has to stay with Duncan. When Duncan is the screen setter what happens when people sag on Manu in the lane is that he has to throw a bail out pass to the opposite corner where it most often goes to Bowen and that's a brick.
I've said this a billion times. Either play smallball with no Bowen or just play a regular lineup. Otherwise we're going to get the worst of both worlds. No rebounding with smallball plus a guy they can constantly double off of in Bruce.
I actually hate small ball with Finley/Barry more than I do with Bowen.
But I am ready to see more Bonner/Ely and less small ball.
I can feel it coming on that there's going to be a lot of small ball in the postseason. :pctoss
I wish Elson/Oberto didn't suck.
:lol yeah, I know, I know.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
I was just joking. I do miss his supermanu performances already. I think Pop should greenlight him for at least a few more shots. as the alternate scorer for half the game.
The spurs need Manu to be decent if they want to keep a good team tempo. Tim and Tony played great and we still lost cuz Manu's X-factor wasn't there. Which has an effect on how the team plays to win.
Instead tonight we got a Bowen, a Tony, and a Manu turnover in crunch time :pctoss Seems like the Spurs team have gotten complacent, overconfident, or just out of focus since the Clippers game.
It appears truer than ever...the Spurs don't have the personnel to really contend for a championship this year. I doubt they can all-of-a-sudden get hot and remain that way for 4 series.
jim can not look at the game thread to find out he starts his own
Too bad Pop keep giving Oberto PT
As soon Elson got the starting job Bonner or Ely should be playing good minutes off the bench
Pop didn't do it and now we have to see the terrible Oberto and the not much better Elson in the playoffs.
Like I said in another post. I'd start TD and Bonner and bring Horry from the bench in the playoffs.
Too bad Pop won't do it
stop saying that, it's not true. the spurs are still better playing oberto/elson than playing small ball. this has been proven over and over again. small ball has never worked, while playing oberto/elson at least gives you a shot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
popovich apologists are always trying to shift the blame.
Sorry but Elson + Oberto is the same as small ball
No rebound and no defense
I prefer stay big with Bonner. But I think Pop won't play him
In tonight's game, the small ball lineup was the one that defensively got the Spurs back in the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by itzsoweezee
Oberto and Elson don't consistently provide much on either end, or on the glass. I wish one of them did because small ball in long stretches.
Man, I'd rather lose to Dallas than lose to Boston. I can't believe they've now beaten Tim Duncan once in his career.
I had a bad feeling about the whole St Patrick's day thing and how ironic it would be if today was the day the Celts finally beat us.
I was hoping I was wrong.
I know the Spurs should never have been down like they were but I was happy to see that they rallied and got themselves right back in the game.
That's something, right?
Well, let's see... too much Al Jefferson, getting killed on the boards, Paul Pierce torching Bowen, two traveling calls, one botched layup, and Bowen thinking he was Kobe Bryant driving through the lane did the Spurs in.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
Oh, and digging a 19 point hole in the third quarter didn't do the Spurs any favors. :bang
Moral victories don't count in the standings. :rolleyesQuote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
What does he not being on the All-Star team have to do with his subpar performances lately??? :madrunQuote:
Originally Posted by rascal
The starting line-up got the team into a big hole right away in the 1st and 3rd because Barry/Elson were atrocious on defense.
Oberto couldn't grab a rebound or play defense to save his life and that got us in more trouble. Bowen helped defensively but because he can't hit the side of a barn he constantly gave the Celtics a free out when they double teamed in the lane.
Also once again Tony and Manu struggled with chemistry playing together. I think mainly playing smallball contributes to this. In smallball it's very easy to trap Manu and make him give it up because Duncan is his screener instead of another big and his only available outlet is usually Bowen.
No offense to anyone here, but there was no shining ray of light tonight. Losing to the Celtics at home is fucking bullshit.
The Spurs fucking suck ass.
His numbers of late are case in point. I've argued here in the past that manu is not an all star caliber player because he is too inconsistent and doesn't put up overall numbers that other guys do. And numbers is what drives all star votes.Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeanthony21
amazing. What has gotten into the celtics? these youngsters played dallas close and now beat the Spurs?? :wtf
Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce, Paul Pierce. I remember when the league laughed at the Yaoless Roxs getting beat 77-72 on Feb. 26th. The Spurs were on the 6th win of their 13 game streak. Paul Pierce was clutch in that game....Well, the roxs got Yao back and on March 7th, hammered the Celts 111-80. 1 (tmac) 11 (yao) to 80.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
But the Spurs have to wait till next year to hammer the Celts.
Jim...hope that Michael Finley opts this summer so Pop can't play the small ball line up ever again.
I swear...if we'd had Michael when David was till playing, Pop would have had Finley closing out games.
The small ball line up got us back in the game, I guess, but the bottom line is that we took the lead late...we had Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker a crowd going completely insane, and a team that is going to be in the Oden sweepstakes and hadn'
t won in SA in 17 years, beat us...
Flat out beat us, no fluke to it.
What compounds the problems for the small ball lineup, is that Bowen is often used as a part of it...so not only are we undersized...we also have limited offense and severely limited rebounding at one of the positions...
And Bruce pissed me off tonight with his rebounding...there was about 5 offensive boards he could have gotten had he he took a step forward instead of waiting for Duncan to get his own tip.
It's a horrible idea...Pop was exposed as a fool by Pat Riley last year for attempting to win with this lineup...
And he's still trying to prove he knows more than anyone else.
All he's proving to me is that he can lose a game against possibly the worst team in the NBA, having Duncan, Parker and Manu.
It's a horrible philosophy that won't produce an NBA championship...and Pop is pissing me off with his obstinance.
I'd at least like to see us a lose a game using a conventional lineup this season before giving up on it...seeing how badly Pat Riley owned Pop last year.
We'll stop getting out rebounded when we stop playing with a 6'7 C and a SF that is probably the worst rebounder at his position in the NBA.
We lose with that lineup because of rebounding, and the fact that it is completely and utterly useless in any type of halfcourt game.
That lineup is absolute poison and I question the basketball acumen of anyone that can't see why the Spurs can't win using it....first and foremost Greg Popovich...all he's proving to me is how lucky we were to win with him as a coach in the first place.
If Pop pulls this shit in the playoffs, he needs to be fired...he's putting his ego ahead of everyone and everything on this team.
Here's why Boston beat SA:
SA allowed Boston to gain confidence early in the game by leaving them WIDE OPEN and sinking a bunch of easy jump shots that my dog could probably have made too.
Boston and Milwaukee both did that. Come on, we're talking about two teams that have less wins COMBINED than SA. These last two games have been a joke.
Ah well, all we can do till Wednesday is hope Detroit takes some more steam off Dallas.
I guess I'm satisfied with a 58 win season now.
This loss wasn't a fluke...
Spurs got the lead late and wanted this win...you could see it in their faces. You could also see that they knew it wasn't going to happen.
Duncan hit a shot to break a scoreless drought for both teams and not a single Spur gave him a high 5...he was even holding out his hand. I knew this team didn't believe when Is aw that.
And the reason they don't believe is that Pop forces them to win with both hands tied behind their backs....
Pop is making everything harder for this team...with his bullshit smallball experiement.
I am just about to the point where I am rooting for Finley to get injured so that we can make it out of the frst round this year.
If your Dallas, San Antonio, Detroit, Pheonix or the Miami Cheats, bad teams usually bring thier "A++" game against the better teams in the NBA. And sometimes bad teams succeed.
At least the Jazz have kept pace with our losses. As long as we get the 3rd seed I'll be happy. If we fall to 4th we might not get past round 1 let alone round 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Parker1
Well Boston was on b2bQuote:
Originally Posted by 1Parker1
:pctoss
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kori Ellis
I wish that also but i tried to put myself into pop's mind ( not easy i know ).
I won't play ely because he's still lost in the system and as much as oberto elson horry sucks they know the system better. I hesitate to play bonner too long because i prefer veteran player horry oberto and because bonner defense is less good than theses guys on a consistent basis.
I don't know but maybe pop is being too stuck on its rotations and don't have the flexibility to change . Hierarchy on the team seems to be well defined and very hard for youngsters to come into. You know we could use the last games of the regular season to develop Ely but pop will certainly stick with its rotation.
No... jersey sales and the entire population of the People's Republic of China is what drives All Star Votes. :hatQuote:
Originally Posted by rascal
Why did we continue to jack up so many threes. I recall on one possession during the 4th quarter comeback, there was a missed shot, then we got the rebound, and 3 seconds later Finley jacked up a three and missed horribly. The two traveling calls on Duncan and Parker really hurt, but the 3rd quarter drought really killed us.
Thankyou for answering my query.
Still scratching my head over this.
It seems like there are a whole lot of negative firsts in the TD era going on this year.
1. Losing to Boston
2. Losing at home to Houston
3. Losing at home to Utah
4. Losing season series to Milwaukee
5. Losing season series to Cleveland
Foreshadowing????
I think so.....the TD championship era is closing rapidly
:depressed
Quote:
Originally Posted by ducks
What's it to you?
Have you ever tried to read back through a game thread after a loss??? Do you think I would get a concise answer like the one that Kori gave me, in a diatribe laced onslaught of vulgarities and recriminations???
:rolleyes
SA lost this game the same reason they lose a lot of their games. They shot for shit from the three. Small ball is a lame excuse that's been beaten like dead horse. Team has become waaayyy to dependent on the three though and that's a reflection of few creative, athletic, penetrating players.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
Celts fan here. This is not the end of the world for the Spurs. The Celtics are full of young talent and have Paul Pierce to close the deal. They're a LOT better than their record. Pierce missed over a month, and most of their team is 20-22 years old and just now realizing they're in the NBA (Green, Jefferson, Rondo, Ray). They didn't even have 2 of their better players last night, and they should have beaten Dallas the night before.
Spurs were long overdue to lose to Boston. And I think the days of the automatic W when playing them are over.
Every streak will come to an end, and the impact of this loss shouldn't be overrated.
On the positive side, one old message is repeated : no team in the NBA cannot be beaten by another team. So during the playoffs, if we never stop hustling, and keep the mental focus, we could have a classic series with the Suns/Mavs. The labels of "old", "not atheletic" etc should not prevent us from putting up a show.
Here's the problem I have in the playoffs;
Spurs would have to beat the Suns in the second round.......on the road. And if they somehow and miraculously beat them, they'd have to turn it around and beat the Mavs in the Conference Finals......on the road. Two tough back to back series on the road are going to be tough. As it is, Spurs aren't even good enough to beat one of those teams, IMO. If they happen to get lucky and "focused enough" to get past one....I'm not too sure they can get past that second team.
I'm really disapointed in the Spurs organization and Pop this season....more so than I ever recall being. There isn't any other team in the league that has a great trio like Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. Problem is, the Spurs haven't been successfull building a quality team around them this season...in fact they may have regressed. Factor that and Pop's coaching/rotations and this team is seriously underachieving considering the talent that they do have.
Thanks for commenting.Quote:
Here's the problem I have in the playoffs;
Spurs would have to beat the Suns in the second round.......on the road. And if they somehow and miraculously beat them, they'd have to turn it around and beat the Mavs in the Conference Finals......on the road. Two tough back to back series on the road are going to be tough. As it is, Spurs aren't even good enough to beat one of those teams, IMO. If they happen to get lucky and "focused enough" to get past one....I'm not too sure they can get past that second team.
I'm really disapointed in the Spurs organization and Pop this season....more so than I ever recall being. There isn't any other team in the league that has a great trio like Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. Problem is, the Spurs haven't been successfull building a quality team around them this season...in fact they may have regressed. Factor that and Pop's coaching/rotations and this team is seriously underachieving considering the talent that they do have.
I have no disregard for the advantages that the Suns and the Mavs have on the Spurs during the playoffs. That's why I'm not expecting the Spurs will get past both teams unless luck is also on our side. As a fan, what I'm expecting is just the Spurs show up their best effort.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
I wouldn't throw dirt on Duncan's career just yet...
When everyone talks about the D played last night by the small ball lineup to get back into the game...
Well that was Duncan playing that D. He had about 5 blocks during the Spurs run to close the 19 point gap, and he had the dunk that gave us the lead...and he hit the shot that broke a scoring drought for both teams and gave the Spurs the lead late.
Duncan wasn't the problem, it's the lack of a true SF on the team and Pop's unwillingness to play a C.
Duncan is a true center. It's the lack of a good, mobile, two way PF/SF type or long SF. Duncan is not a mobile PF/SF type.
celtics won cuz of st patricks day
lol at the bowen comments.. bout got damn time
Quote:
Originally Posted by whottt
I don't think Duncan is close to being done either. :lol
Spurs really need to consider regrouping and completely rebuilding around Parker, Duncan, and Manu this off season. Somewhere along the way, the organization went away from what was working so well for them in the type of players they brought in and managed to build a severely athletically and defensive challenged team around those three.
I echo the above poster on the C's being better than their record. They're a young team with a lot of guys who MIGHT turn into good NBA players. I watched the game last night, and it just seemed like they got going on all cylinders and the Spurs were standing around. It was weird, true, but the C's have talent. Al Jefferson is no longer a secret, for example, Pierce is a stud, there's a lot of speed and hops in that squad.
In other words, losing to this Celtics squad is not the same as being irredeemably suckass. But it certainly isn't thrilling either.
look on the brightside guys.
all the bad/over-the-hill/never-were players on the roster that hurt the Spurs' chances for winning . . . are just about a lock to be back next year to finish out their contracts.
Well ha-le-loo-ya, I feel better already! :smokinQuote:
Originally Posted by objective
oops...Quote:
Originally Posted by SpursDynasty
:oopsQuote:
Originally Posted by SpursDynasty
SpursDynasty = #1 Spurs jinxer on SpursTalk...I like this guy :fro
Celtics beat us???????
what the fuck!!??!?
I just got back from vacation and found this out
this is bullshit!!
I hope the team is embarrassed. :bang
You would think that, and I do to considering their star has been out all year, except that the Hornets beat the shit out of them the next game.Quote:
Originally Posted by ManuTastic
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimcs50
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1Parker1
Definitely a possibility. I think the Spurs pushed this crap lineup for one too many seasons. They needed to make a youth movement last year and they didn't.
You can see it on a lot of hustle plays. We just get beat to the spot plain and simple.
Next year will be a reloading year. We need a few solid pickups in trade and draft.
If Popovich and Co. couldn't swing a trade (besides the Williams/Ely deal) during the season, I don't see a trade happening during the off-season. We just don't have anyone any other team wants. (besides the untouchable big 3) :bangQuote:
Originally Posted by Agloco