48MoH: The Spurs silver (and black) lining: Tony Parker prepares to lend a hand

[duncan228]

The Spurs silver (and black) lining: Tony Parker prepares to lend a hand
by Jesse Blanchard
48 Minutes of

It may be a prevailing theme this week with four games against quality teams, but last night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks had all the intensity of a playoff game.

Unfortunately for the San Antonio Spurs, the outcome could be a prevailing theme as well. It may not take the most astute analysis to state that Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are very good, but it’s equally apparent that they’re simply not enough against the best teams in the NBA.

And for those disappointed in last night’s performance, is it fair to expect any more? There has been a lot of blame tossed around for the Spurs inability to beat elite teams this season, from small ball to role players struggles, but the simplest answer is the NBA is a league of stars and the Spurs are playing without a full deck.

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[DPG21920]

I agree with this assessment. That is why I said it so disappointing to see Manu and RJ playing this well. Not because I want them to fail, but because when Manu and RJ were playing poorly, you could easily say this team did not have "it".

Now, seeing Manu play the way he has been along with RJ, it stings knowing TP's nagging injuries are preventing what could be a pretty special team. Duncan, Manu and RJ are all currently playing at a championship level.

Going into the season those were the biggest question marks, not Parker. Parker was the only sure thing. Now the tables have turned and it is Parker's up's and down's that are hindering the team.

If he was playing like the TP of last year, and everyone would have caught up like they did in the case of RJ and Manu, this team could have been dangerous.

[Baseline]

Good article, actually. We do have nice pieces which are starting to play better together.

But, too bad Gregg Popovich is still our coach. By playing Tim as the only real big so much of the time, he negates the rest of the positive things that are happening. We take two steps forward, then three steps back.

Can you imagine how valuable Theo Ratliff would have been in the Atlanta game? If Theo had played for only five minutes in the 4th qarter, we would have won that game.

[senorglory]

Good article, actually. We do have nice pieces which are starting to play better together.

But, too bad Gregg Popovich is still our coach. By playing Tim as the only real big so much of the time, he negates the rest of the positive things that are happening. We take two steps forward, then three steps back.

Can you imagine how valuable Theo Ratliff would have been in the Atlanta game? If Theo had played for only five minutes in the 4th qarter, we would have won that game.

I'm not ready to totally trash Pop, but, I hear you man. Pop's rotation can be frustrating/mysterious. The other night when Scola went for something like 44, I couldn't help but think, Man, what if the Spurs hadn't traded away Scola?... he'd be buried on our bench with no playing time and we'd have no idea of his abilities.