Observations From Last Night's Game

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

For the first time in a couple years, I had the privilege of witnessing Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and co. play in person.

Three observations from last night's game:

1 - The ushers at Phillips Arena are sad, rude, unfriendly little people... well, at least the one in section 114.

2 - Repeated calls for the use of "thunder sticks" while the Spurs shot freethrows had little effect... since there were only 40 people there that actually had them.

3 - Manu Ginobili is the balls.

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

One more observation... Francisco Elson only played 12 minutes. Why? He looked pretty effective to me when he was out there. He blocked one shot... actually 2 (one was called a foul, though I couldn't tell where the foul was), and grabbed a couple rebounds.

I like the Spurs with two 7 footers on the floor. It was very difficult for the Hawks to go to the rim while Elson was in alongside Duncan. Contrary to popular belief, Elson IS a shot blocker. No, he's not Mutumbo, but he will block shots and alter many more. He has the quickness to run with anyone, so I say leave him on the floor. Let's get him all the experience we can before playoff time, because he's going to be key agains guys like Stoudemire and Nowitski.

[AFBlue]

For the first time in a couple years, I had the privilege of witnessing Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and co. play in person.

Three observations from last night's game:

1 - The ushers at Phillips Arena are sad, rude, unfriendly little people... well, at least the one in section 114.

2 - Repeated calls for the use of "thunder sticks" while the Spurs shot freethrows had little effect... since there were only 40 people there that actually had them.

3 - Manu Ginobili is the balls.

"the balls" - OMG, I didn't stop laughing for 5 minutes.

Spot on analysis Kent, though I must say the ushers in 117 weren't nearly as horrible ( an older usher dancing to the likes of TI was quite funny actually ).

My wife and I did continually discuss how few people attended the game, and how the split of Spurs/Hawks fans was sadly (for ATL), but clearly 70/30 in favor of the Spurs. Oh and that "thundersticks" thing got REALLY annoying after the second time...

One more observation to add:

Wilmer Valderamma, sitting courtside and interview during a break, has a much thicker accent than I thought...he must downplay it in his MTV show, because it was THICK.

[AFBlue]

One more observation... Francisco Elson only played 12 minutes. Why? He looked pretty effective to me when he was out there. He blocked one shot... actually 2 (one was called a foul, though I couldn't tell where the foul was), and grabbed a couple rebounds.

I like the Spurs with two 7 footers on the floor. It was very difficult for the Hawks to go to the rim while Elson was in alongside Duncan. Contrary to popular belief, Elson IS a shot blocker. No, he's not Mutumbo, but he will block shots and alter many more. He has the quickness to run with anyone, so I say leave him on the floor. Let's get him all the experience we can before playoff time, because he's going to be key agains guys like Stoudemire and Nowitski.

Give credit to guys like Marvin Williams, Josh Smith, and Joe Johnson for attacking the rim....they had the Spurs' bigs on their heels all night it seemed like. Foul trouble was an issue and I also think that Pop went with the small-ball look because the Hawks' lineup for the second half looked like this:

PG Johnson
SG Childress
SF Smith
PF Williams, Marvin
C Pachulia

In other words, they had a bunch of wings on the floor with no real inside presence and alot of athleticism (tough for Fabbs/Elson/Bonner to guard).

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

TONY, agreed... credit where credit is due. The Hawks were very agressive. I'm just not always a fan of trying to match up and play small ball. We did that against the Mavs last year, and it didn't work out so well. The Heat didn't do that. They stayed big and they won.

Did you travel in for the game, or do you live around here?

[AFBlue]

TONY, agreed... credit where credit is due. The Hawks were very agressive. I'm just not always a fan of trying to match up and play small ball. We did that against the Mavs last year, and it didn't work out so well. The Heat didn't do that. They stayed big and they won.

Did you travel in for the game, or do you live around here?

Agreed that small ball isn't usually the answer, especially when Finley plays a horrible PF and isn't hitting his shots, but I think it also had to do with Bonner/Oberto/Elson being largely ineffective. I do agree though, that Elson should have played more.

I live in Byron, a little less than 2hrs south of Atlanta off 75 (15 minutes south of Macon).

[ArgSpursFan]

BTW,Oberto got 7 boards(2 OR) in 12 mins.Let´s see how many can Ely get in the same amount of mins.(so far 1.6 rpg)

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

Agreed that small ball isn't usually the answer, especially when Finley plays a horrible PF and isn't hitting his shots, but I think it also had to do with Bonner/Oberto/Elson being largely ineffective. I do agree though, that Elson should have played more.

I live in Byron, a little less than 2hrs south of Atlanta off 75 (15 minutes south of Macon).

Yeah, I guess it wouldn't look so bad if Finley, Horry, or Bonner (probably still rusty, in fairness to him) did anything worth mentioning.

I keep thinking that if we gave Finley 25-30 minutes a game that he would get into a groove and would become a factor. I think his shot suffers when he doesn't play much, and his shot is the most important thing he has.

What do you think of the Barry-starting, Manu-off-the-bench thing? Seems to be working out well.

Tony, how did you become a Spurs fan? Are you from Texas?

[AFBlue]

Yeah, I guess it wouldn't look so bad if Finley, Horry, or Bonner (probably still rusty, in fairness to him) did anything worth mentioning.

I keep thinking that if we gave Finley 25-30 minutes a game that he would get into a groove and would become a factor. I think his shot suffers when he doesn't play much, and his shot is the most important thing he has.

What do you think of the Barry-starting, Manu-off-the-bench thing? Seems to be working out well.

Tony, how did you become a Spurs fan? Are you from Texas?

Manu coming off the bench is a good thing, because he is allowed to create with the other two playmakers (T&T) tiring out. Barry is good with Tim & Tony because he can let them create opportunity and wait for the kick out. I do wish this team had one more "scorer" that could create something when his shot isn't falling, but oh well...

Born and raised in San Antonio, went to college at Baylor, then moved out to Georgia for the job. Been a fan for a while, though not so long as some of the others on this forum....

[ArgSpursFan]

Yeah, I guess it wouldn't look so bad if Finley, Horry, or Bonner (probably still rusty, in fairness to him) did anything worth mentioning.

I keep thinking that if we gave Finley 25-30 minutes a game that he would get into a groove and would become a factor. I think his shot suffers when he doesn't play much, and his shot is the most important thing he has.

What do you think of the Barry-starting, Manu-off-the-bench thing? Seems to be working out well.

Tony, how did you become a Spurs fan? Are you from Texas?

He is 35 yrs old.
25 to 30 mins P/game will just kill whats left on his legs.

[AFBlue]

He is 35 yrs old.
25 to 30 mins P/game will just kill whats left on his legs.

Finley is actually 33 and is built like a Mac Truck. He has always been well conditioned, so I don't think an extra 5-10 mpg would kill him.

Having said that, I think the way Pop is handling him now, telling him to be aggressive and look to shoot when he's in for his 20mpg is good for now. If he starts to show consistency with his shot, then I would reward him with extra minutes. As of right now, he isn't consistent enough.

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

He is 35 yrs old.
25 to 30 mins P/game will just kill whats left on his legs.

Michael Finley is 33, not 35. And 25 minutes is not a heavy workload.

On a different note, am is anyone else confused by the following statement?...

From ESPN.com: "Dwayne Wade left in a wheelchair in the fourth quarter of Miami's 112-102 loss to the Rockets after dislocating his left shoulder."

[ArgSpursFan]

Finley is actually 33 and is built like a Mac Truck. He has always been well conditioned, so I don't think an extra 5-10 mpg would kill him.

Having said that, I think the way Pop is handling him now, telling him to be aggressive and look to shoot when he's in for his 20mpg is good for now. If he starts to show consistency with his shot, then I would reward him with extra minutes. As of right now, he isn't consistent enough.

I used to love to watch the guy back on his prime days in Dallas,but I don´t see him as fast as he was in order to penetrate.he seems to be slower tham any of his defenders lately playing 20 mpg.So I don´t think that giving him some extra 10 mpg will do him any better.

[Solid D]

One more observation... Francisco Elson only played 12 minutes. Why? He looked pretty effective to me when he was out there. He blocked one shot... actually 2 (one was called a foul, though I couldn't tell where the foul was), and grabbed a couple rebounds.

Elson got into quick foul trouble. 2 in the first 3 minutes or so. When he came back in the 2nd quarter, he got his 3rd foul after about 3 minutes of lack-luster play and mistakes. Elson finished with 5 fouls, as did Oberto.

Oberto was on the floor the entire time Manu was scoring 24 straight points. Of course, ponky could have been on the court for the Spurs and Manu would have still scored in bunches. Oberto ended up in foul trouble later, but he and Manu obviously have a comfort level with each other.

Bonner was soft on defense although he did have a couple of nice hustle plays. He needs more playing time to get his rhythm back.

[boutons_]

"left in a wheelchair"

At best, it was because he was in extreme pain, where any movement, like walking would have been painful (much like walking with a cramped back can be very painful).

At worst, it was just over-reactive melodrama. "We have a wheelchair, so we gotta use it".

[sanman53]

The ushers were great with me. Of course, my girlfriend gave me boxseat tickets to the game for Valentines Day. A matter of fact, I missed the whole Manu explosion because the dessert tray came to my box.

My observations, as mentioned in another thread, are I thought the Spurs just stood around the basket while the Hawks were grabbing rebounds left and right. If the Spurs start jumping for a rebound, we may win the battle of the boards.

Manu was everywhere last night. He was so full of energy.

Also, it seemed like there were more Spurs fans than Hawks fans at the game.

Just some of my observations. This was my third Spurs game in person, and I was honored to be apart of another victory. I took some good pics, but cannot figure out how to post them here. Oh well . . .

[GrandeDavid]

For the first time in a couple years, I had the privilege of witnessing Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and co. play in person.

Three observations from last night's game:

1 - The ushers at Phillips Arena are sad, rude, unfriendly little people... well, at least the one in section 114.

2 - Repeated calls for the use of "thunder sticks" while the Spurs shot freethrows had little effect... since there were only 40 people there that actually had them.

3 - Manu Ginobili is the balls.

Kent, that was an awesome account! Glad you got to enjoy a Spurs win and a terrific show by Manu.

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

Kent, that was an awesome account! Glad you got to enjoy a Spurs win and a terrific show by Manu.

Thanks David. Yeah, I was very fortunate to show up on a night when Manu went off like that. of a show he put on!

[GrandeDavid]

Let me ask you something...did you see many or any diehard Hawks fans? You know, the kind all geared up with that studious look in their eyes throughout the game, yelling at every call that went against the Hawks, or were most people pretty lethargic?

Also, did you hear any Hawks fans oohing and aaahing over Manu's play?

[AFBlue]

Let me ask you something...did you see many or any diehard Hawks fans? You know, the kind all geared up with that studious look in their eyes throughout the game, yelling at every call that went against the Hawks, or were most people pretty lethargic?

Also, did you hear any Hawks fans oohing and aaahing over Manu's play?

Can't speak for Kent, but...

I saw a few hawks fans in jerseys, but most came dressed in casual clothes and had no Hawks gear on. The only diehard Hawk fan I had in my section was one that kept yelling "GET OUT THE GAME #1 (Childress), YOU PLAYIN LIKE A ZERO"....pretty hilarious

Side Note: There were so many non-Hawk fans in the arena that the loudest applause for a player entering the game came from the first time Manu came in...

One moment I can recall the stadium going nuts for was when Marvin Williams had that nice dunk in the third quarter to tie the game or bring it within a few points...

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

Can't speak for Kent, but...

I saw a few hawks fans in jerseys, but most came dressed in casual clothes and had no Hawks gear on. The only diehard Hawk fan I had in my section was one that kept yelling "GET OUT THE GAME #1 (Childress), YOU PLAYIN LIKE A ZERO"....pretty hilarious

Side Note: There were so many non-Hawk fans in the arena that the loudest applause for a player entering the game came from the first time Manu came in...

One moment I can recall the stadium going nuts for was when Marvin Williams had that nice dunk in the third quarter to tie the game or bring it within a few points...

Yeah, I sat near an entire section of Spurs fans, so our area got pretty rowdy every time Manu did his thing. I'm kind of glad the Hawks suck... or I wouldn't have been able to get good seats. =)

The Hawks need a savoir... someone who will sell jerseys and tickets, like a Dwayne Wade or a Lebron James. They haven't had anyone like that since Dominique Wilkins left.

[AFBlue]

Yeah, I sat near an entire section of Spurs fans, so our area got pretty rowdy every time Manu did his thing. I'm kind of glad the Hawks suck... or I wouldn't have been able to get good seats. =)

The Hawks need a savoir... someone who will sell jerseys and tickets, like a Dwayne Wade or a Lebron James. They haven't had anyone like that since Dominique Wilkins left.

Joe Johnson keeps them compe ive and Josh Smith sells the tickets/jerseys with his highlight reel stuff, but the Hawks entire organization is all flash, no substance. The Hawks FO has done one thing right since Knight took over, and that was sign an underrated Zaza Pachulia for a modest $4M/yr deal...but it's going to take more than that for this team to actually be successful.

If the Hawks FO was serious about winning, they would have traded for Mike Bibby or Andre Miller...not stop-gap cheap option Anthony Johnson. It's sad really, because the Hawks have some really great pieces, but their GM and ownership situation are holding them back from really putting anything decent on the floor.

[Kent_in_Atlanta]

Let me ask you something...did you see many or any diehard Hawks fans? You know, the kind all geared up with that studious look in their eyes throughout the game, yelling at every call that went against the Hawks, or were most people pretty lethargic?

Also, did you hear any Hawks fans oohing and aaahing over Manu's play?

Yes, I heard quite a few oohs and aaahs when Manu was doing his thing. There was one play in particular early in the game when Manu started to drive, but pulled up, put the ball behind his back, and faked the defender out of his shorts. There was an audible reaction throughout the arena.

[GrandeDavid]

Word!!!