Classy recap as always ... Series is FAR from over but that was a HUGE WIN for LA
Thanks for another great recap, timvp.
It was a disappointing loss, but there are not too many adjustments that have to be made. I am still confident that we can win this series and I expect a much more focused Spurs team tomorrow night. All we have to do is play the full 48!
GO SPURS GO!
BELIEVE!
Good point. I thought the same thing. I can't remember them being up 20 before Kobe went of and it was over in 3 min.
Oberto has ALWAYS owned Odom on International ball... Radmanovic was a match up problem for Argentina in 2002... i agree with this... but Oberto has played both enough to be able to do a decent job on them... i expect Pop to play him a WHOLE lot more tonight...
Great analysis as usual.
You really have to give credit to the Lakers, though. Lesser teams would have folded in that game.
Looking forward to game 2.
I thought Bowen played admirabily well for the huge task he had on hands - he only picked up his 3rd well in the 3rd quarter against the best player. Winning by 20pts I would have left Bowen out there until his fifth, etc. By that time the game would have been more than over.
I don't think it's fair criticism of Pop for taking Bowen out with 3 fouls.
If up 20 points midway through the third quarter isn't a good time to save Bruce for the entire fourth quarter with an ample amount of fouls, when is? If the Spurs were up 30, would it be ok? If the Spurs were only up 2 points, would that have been more acceptable?
The decision is a catch-22. If Pop leaves Bruce in, and Bruce gets a foul the very next possession, Pop is forced to take him out and probably won't be questioned for taking him out at that point. But, say that happens and the Lakers still make their run and in the fourth quarter, Bruce fouls out with 2 minutes to go in the game and Lakers win by the same 3-4 points. Then, everyone and their mamas question why Pop didn't take Bowen out when he got his 3rd foul when the Spurs were up 20 points.
Catch-22.
Pop knew Kobe was going to get aggressive and the Lakers were going to make a run. What Pop was doing was playing the odds. The Spurs were up 20 points, Bruce was going to need a little bit of a rest anyway late in the third or early in the fourth. He gets extra rest and he can play basically the entire fourth quarter with 3 fouls to give.
It actually makes too much sense. But, it didn't work.
It's easy to question the decision in retrospect. Hindsight is 20/20. The decision may have been one of the reasons for the loss, but at the time, it wasn't a horrible decision if you think about the risk versus reward scenarios of leaving him in versus taking him.
But in the first 2 minutes after Bowen came out when he saw Kobe attacking and destroying Udoka, the answer should have been to put Bowen back in. Not to put Manu on him. Manu had already been laboring and already been destroyed by Radmanovic and others.If up 20 points midway through the third quarter isn't a good time to save Bruce for the entire fourth quarter with an ample amount of fouls, when is? If the Spurs were up 30, would it be ok? If the Spurs were only up 2 points, would that have been more acceptable?
Pop f'd up by leaving Bowen out so long.
Like I said, he left him out of the entire third quarter because he wanted him with those 3 fouls to give for the entire fourth quarter. He didn't want Bowen to foul out of the game when the game got close.
Udoka ended up being on Bryant for about 1:44 where Bryant hit two jumpers, drew a foul and shot free throws and got an assist. After that, Pop put Manu on him and Bryant proceeded to dissect Manu off the dribble but mostly with assists, save for that one cross, pump fake fade-away, step through off the glass move.
Pop was playing his odds. With the way Bryant started getting aggressive, there's no certainty Bowen would have slowed him down in those final minutes of the third quarter, and he could have picked up another foul.
The game would have never got close. They could have maintained the lead if Bowen stayed in. Then if he fouled out late in the game, it wouldn't have mattered. Pop played it as if Bowen had 4 fouls. 3 fouls is nothing. Bowen is not a foul-prone player who fouls out a lot. It was a huge mistake.Like I said, he left him out of the entire third quarter because he wanted him with those 3 fouls to give for the entire fourth quarter. He didn't want Bowen to foul out of the game when the game got close
You're assuming Bowen would have shut down Kobe when Kobe decided to get aggressive.
That's an assumption that is neither certain nor probable.
You're assuming Bowen would have shut down Kobe when Kobe decided to get aggressive.
That's an assumption that is neither certain nor probable.
No, I'm not assuming he would shut him down. I'm assuming that he would have played him much better than Udoka/Manu. In this series, Bowen should stay on the floor every minute that Kobe is on the floor. That's how the Spurs usually play. If he fouls out, then so be it. But you can't give games away in the third quarter.
And, Bowen could have played Kobe better and Kobe still have done the same damage he did.
Yeah Kobe could have. But you have to give your team the best chance. Sitting your best defender through a 14-0 run when he only has 3 fouls isn't the best chance.
Don't completely disagree with that claim. But, I understand Pop's thinking to save Bruce for the entire fourth quarter with three fouls to give, especially since the Spurs still had a lead. In the fourth quarter, it wasn't necessarily Kobe's offensive dominance that decided the game compared to the Spurs inability to score baskets. In retrospect, maybe Pop does put Bruce back in after Udoka crapped his pants. Again, hindsight is perfect vision.
But it gives us the best chance of Kobe shooting a lower percentage. No doubt in my mind that had Bowen stayed it, it would of made a of a difference.
Great, great points. I was thinking the same things myself. If the rest of the team completely falls apart without Bowen for 4-6 minutes then they are in trouble anyway because he will need to rest and sit sometimes due to number of fouls at points in this series.
Plus Pop was trying to release the offense knowing that small ball killed LA in one of the games in the season.
It was hard to swallow seeing Finley, Manu and Brent as our backcourt with Manu on Kobe, but if the spurs just could exchange the baskets then having Bowen and the gameplan they had would be a good decision. All in all Pop took a great risk and it did not pay out. Anyway spurs were close to winning this game 2 possesions our way and we would have survived.
2 shots two decisions.
Spurs had horrific turnovers
Detroit had some bad as well in the 2nd game but they survives executing every offensive possesion to perfection
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