I hate small ball and I'm not that much of a Pop fan, but this series Pop has been excellent. I've liked almost every decision he's made. The lineup worked very well.
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I hate small ball and I'm not that much of a Pop fan, but this series Pop has been excellent. I've liked almost every decision he's made. The lineup worked very well.
small ball can be good in small doses. they key words are small doses.
small ball as a tool > small ball as a system
How did he look good? In that he didn't trip over himself or drool all over his jersey?Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Body
I'd had a few at that point so my recollection is a little hazy, but wasn't that response into Karl putting in a bunch of guards when he needed a three pointer?Quote:
Originally Posted by picnroll
Those look like situational substitutions to me, since Vaughn and Bowen were on for defense and Barry and Finley for offense.
Karl went small by putting JR Smith in for Camby...Pop adjusted to it.
But the most important thing is that it wasn't a trading basket type situation...Pop put in guards for ball handling and FT shooting with a 4 point lead and 30 seconds left on the clock.
Pop coached an excellent game, no doubt about it...but he didn't use small ball in this game the way he did in 22 losses this season or against the Mavs in the playoffs last year, trying to close out a game in half court.
When it's a half court game and the score is 3 points or closer, under 2 minutes, it is absolute suicide to put that small line up on the court, especially with Finley at PF...they get out rebounded, on both ends of the court, posted up, and they get shut down on offense. It happened against the Mavs in just about every loss in the playoffs last year, and it happened in just about every loss this year.
What made it perfect was as soon as the Nuggets started to be able to adjust to smallball, Pop put in the regular lineup. Very good move, IMHO. Of course, it wouldn't have looked as good had the Nuggets hit the three wide open jumpers that smallball gave them.
pop is a great coach. my favorite up there with phil jackson.
bowen is really having trouble with melo though. i havent seen us double someone as much as we double melo since we played against the lakers/shaq.
Sub for Horry was just after he made the three pointer. It was a defensive sub to guard the three poiint line with AI, Smith and Blake in. Same sub you've bitched about all year with "Stupid Pop,why wasn't Nazr in to guard the basket and for rebounding".Quote:
Originally Posted by whottt
The drive from the Detroit bench was too far.Quote:
Originally Posted by picnroll
Well, the way I remember it (I was watching CBS Spotrsline readout, and I was surprised at the time, so I remember) it was:Quote:
Originally Posted by DDS4
Elson
Oberto
Manu
Barry
Vaughn
That's ENERGYBALL, not smallball. Finley came in about 3 minutes into the quarter. Pop used the same lineup to good effect early in the 4th in game 2.
They scrap and play tough team D, and as long as Manu is driving and dishing to Oberto or Barry, it works.
Edit: just checked the game and you were right, Finley was in there not Elson. CBS got it wrong. My bad. And yeah, that takes huge balls, but the principle remains the same - that is a really scrappy unit for us.