We have been thumped, kicked, punched..whatever you want to call it, but we aren't done by a long shot. The Hornets looked impressive as AT HOME and held their home court advantage.
As bad as it looked, as bad as its felt, we have still led at half time twice. The Hornets aren't invincible. They can be beat. What the Spurs need is some home cooking, a little energy from the home crowd and some shots to go down.
We have lost our focus on defense in the second half and that has cost us big time. We have also allowed the Hornets to rattle us on offense. We are settling for 3's instead of forcing their guys to foul us by taking the ball to the rim.
This series isn't over by a long shot. We've gone up on the Lakers, Sonics, Kings and Pistons 2-0 and looked unstoppable. All those teams came back on us. We are down 2-0 and the Hornets are not going to be resting on their accomplishments. They want to finish us and they will be focused.
If we can regain the momentum and get 2 at home, the pressure shifts right back to the younger team. We have to win both in order to really have a shot at this. we don't have to win 4 in a row, just go 2-1-2.
Better ball movement, more patience and resolve and we'll right back in this thing. No need to be bitter, depressed or angry over the bad games. Just take care of business at home and get back up.
Last edited by tmtcsc; 05-20-2008 at 11:38 AM.
I would love to be optimistic about this but...the look of despair on the faces of the big 3 says it all to me. They just have no answers. Duncan hanging his head heading to the bench as Pop pulls the starters in the midst of a blowout is Spurs - Lakers from 2001 and 2002 all over again, except this time we don't have the young talent (Parker, Duncan, Ginoboli) to look forward to getting better...
I always thought the fans were spoiled, including myself. Seeing the Spurs so vulnerable will fire the crowd up.
Good Gawd, Detroit had us hanging our heads just 3 years ago. We couldn't do anything right in Detroit. Tim was clanking free throws, we were turning the ball over, getting outrebounded, out-hustled, etc.
We got it back together and recovered. We aren't playing the Lakers w/ Kobe and Shaq, we are playing a very good, young team that is playing lights out. Like I mentioned, we need to play balls out, tough defense and win 2. They won't shoot the same high percentage and they won't be in the same comfort level on our court. It seems as though they can't miss at home.
I do hope that Pop puts Bowen on Peja, Parker on Paul and Finley on that 2 guard with the quick trigger. That's how we beat them in Game 1 of the regular season. Why did we switch ?
In the Detroit series, we had handled them with ease the first 2 games, so we had the confidence in knowing we had it in us to defeat them if we just played the way we did before...There is no winning foundation to use as a rallying point against the Hornets. I really wish there was but I just dont see what adjustment will save them. It's now just a matter of hoping the Hornets will beat themselves with turnovers and missed shots. When both teams play to their ability, I think the Hornets are just better...
for the hornets its easy to win at home. but its so much harder to win on the road expecially at the kings court. they took a poll recently from players asking what place is toughest to play and i believe that the at&t center came in 2nd place as the toughest place to win at. not just because we have great fans but also cause our players play better.
That's to my point. We handled them with ease and then they came right back and blew us out twice in a row. How do you explain that ? Playing at home makes a ton of difference in the playoffs.
I thought our best win of the regular season came against the Hornets in Game 3. We had been blown out the last time we played them at home and we responded with a tough, hard earned win. After being out played thoroughly, we will have 2 days to rest, recover mentally and get back to playing Spurs basketball. The crowd alone will cause a few more makes for us and few more misses from them.
I love your enthusiasm!
Honestly, I think that was more due to the Pistons being a really good team that was about evenly matched with us in 2005. I honestly don't think this Spurs team is as good as that Pistons team (which shows how good we were in 2005 to beat them). I just don't see the matchups going in our favor across the board, they are better our even at almost every position...
Do you remember our performance in Game 3 against Phoenix ? I didn't know we had it in us to play or shoot that well. That's all I'm saying. We will see how much this team wants to win.
Are team just needs some home cooking to get re-focused. THIS ISN'T OVER!!!
We aren't playing Phoenix, the Hornets actually care about defense. If we were down 0-2 to the Suns, I would feel much more confident about our chances due to the Suns lack of intensity on the defensive end and their inability to get important stops. I love your optimism and hunger to believe, I really do...I'm just not sold that believing is going to carry us or the Spurs to victories against what I think is a superior team hitting on all cylinders...
I know where you're coming from. I've gone back and forth on this. I told a friend of mine that we were done in 5 after I saw game 1. He told me I was over-reacting and that it was just one game. I said, "no, that's the 3rd blowout."
After re-watching (dreadfully) the games, I can see how we are making mistakes, forcing things etc. I still think Manu is injured, but in any case, we have led both games by half time. We are dying in the 3rd qtr and then things get out of hand.
If we compete for all 4 qtrs, we'll have chance to win. There's no shame in defeat. We are the 3rd seed and they are the 2nd. We are the underdogs and a loss to them wouldn't be considered under achieving.
I've seen the Hornets lose, it happens. Can they keep up their intensity on the road ? Can they respond if we tie them at 2 games a peiece ?
That's what makes the playoffs great.
this, We've seen this Spurs team be down 3-1 to the Mavs two years ago and everybody said well theyre just better than us across the board but yet we forced game 7! Now even though we lost, we had a chance to win had it not been for Manu's foul. And in 05' gettin beat down by 30 to Detroit in Detroit and having to see Tim on the bench with a look of defeat and Pop tapping and rubbing his knee letting him know it would be ok.....We made it through before damn it....and we're going to do it again....BELIEVE.
We'll win Game 3. Game 4 is up in the AIR. Mike Taylor brought his bad Mavs mojo with him.
Game 3 is the only focus right now. Duncan said it last night. "One game at a time."
Coming back @ATT from 0-2 and advancing to WCF is definitely not a dream, but a within-reach reality.
It would make The Repeat so much sweeter.
The Spurs absolutely did not play like Spur that 2nd halves of game1,2. There's much more to the Spurs than that.
It's completely up the Spurs, not the Hornets, what happens in Game3,4.
Go Spurs Go
I agree, but I can't help hearing all the pundits that this is the Mavs 2.0 (I know blasphemy). I digress. One game at a time.
Spurs are D-O-N-E
No way the Spurs will win 4 of 5 to win the series.
This coming from a guy who's team has never won, jack. lol.Spurs are D-O-N-E
No way the Spurs will win 4 of 5 to win the series.
that lame buzzing and booing their crowd pulled on us.
I say we GET LOUD on Thursday & Sunday
That's exactly what I told him on his damn thread...
Seriously? The buzzing and booing was ing awesome. I wish our crowd were that excited during a game.that lame buzzing and booing their crowd pulled on us.
I say we GET LOUD on Thursday & Sunday
The Spurs CAN come back in the series with a few adjustments, even though the Hornets matches up very well with them.
1) Shut down Stojakavic - Put Bowen on him. He is a rhythmic shooter, and is deadly with a catch and shoot.
2) Let Paul shoot - put parker on him, but cut off his passing lanes (much easier said than done). Mo Pete can't create, Chandler can't create, and Stojakavic is most dangerous when others create for him.
3) Single cover David West with Kurt Thomas. Do not bite for fakes. Let him shoot 18-foot jumpers, even though he can nail them regularly. It is better than having him shoot point blank layups.
On offense:
1) Nail those damned outside shots - More Barry, more ball movement.
2) Do no force penetration into the paint - Parker and Manu cannot force the action against the Hornets, these are NOT the Suns, they actually defend, and they do it very well. The two has to pick their spots and can't stay at one speed all night.
3) Use Duncan as a decoy, have him draw in defenders, and then kick it out. Then nail your damned outside shots.
Overall:
Play with higher intensity, concentrate on the play at hand, and don't worry about the calls. The series has been evenly called, so don't act like a fool and complain about them.
I agree with just about everything you said.
Bowen can't stay in front of Paul but most people can't. So, use Bowen to stick to Peja like glue. Give Peja 8 pts and you still are plus 12 or 14. He's been the key to the blowouts all along.
Guard West tight and keep Chandler off the boards. CP is a true point guard and looks to get other people shots. , make him drive to the basket, he'll get tired eventually and once the legs go, the outside shots will stop going in too.
Believe me, this is doable.
I would like to see us take the ball to the rim more. We are playing right into the Hornets hands by settling for long outside jumpers which have a tendency to start fastbreaks the other way.
Get to the FT line ! Make them foul you and get them off the court.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
