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also, I don't believe Bonner is a rotation guy on a championship caliber team. guys like him are typically the ones who bring enthusiasm to the bench and wave towels whenever there's an exciting play. He's completely out of his league in my opinion.
nice read, thanks. in exchange, here's a joke I saw that a troll posted on a Laker site. First time I have seen it, but I am certain it's been around for years and used with different sports:
Kobe in Heaven:
Kobe Bryant, after living a full life, died. When he got to heaven, God was showing him around, and they came to a modest little house with a faded Los Angeles Lakers flag in the window.
This house is yours for eternity, Kobe, said God. This is very special; not everyone gets their own house up here.
Kobe felt special, indeed, and walked up to his house. But on his way up the porch steps, he noticed another house just around the corner. It was a three story mansion with a brilliant Black, Silver ad White sidewalk, a 50ft. tall flagpole flying an enormous San Antonio Spurs flag, and a Spurs logo of some kind in every window.
Kobe looked at God and said, God, Im not trying to be ungrateful, but I have a question: I won 3 NBA Championships, played in the All-Star Game almost every year of my career, and won the MVP and more awards than I can remember. I mean, I am one of the greatest players of all time.
So what do you want to know, Kobe? God asked.
Well, why does Tim Duncan get a better house than me?
God chuckled and said, Kobe, thats not Tims house .... its MINE.
also, I don't believe Bonner is a rotation guy on a championship caliber team. guys like him are typically the ones who bring enthusiasm to the bench and wave towels whenever there's an exciting play. He's completely out of his league in my opinion.
the spurs are talent-depraved and there's no way of getting around it unless there's a treade such as the one that the laker made last year where they got an unexpected all-star for near dirt.
True. Hope the Spurs can go all out against the Jazz and Bonner doesn't choke again.
Also, it'd be awesome for Bruce to get the starting nod. Fin brings so many more negatives than positives, that is just isn't smart anymore. He's an iron man, damn it!!!
This joke rocks.
I think Pop needs to hire an offensive coordinator or something because sometimes he doesn't have a clue about offense.
Looking back at the game now it is possible Pop used the first half to start Bruce to see if we could compete with the Lakers then I think he saw that and said in the second half screw it I'll try some stuff out and see what happens.
There is no way he wouldn't start Bruce against the Lakers when it's money time. I'd also like for Manu to start too so he can let the game come to him and find his rhythm with a few more minutes. I thought we were really starting to play some good ball when Pop started Manu earlier in the season and also when Bruce got a few starts I thought our defense looked a lot better with Bruce too.
Maybe Pop is taking an extended look at certain players so he knows who he can offer up in trades if he doesn't think they'll help us much later on?
since there does not seem to be any trades possible that would make the spurs better, i think the spurs will have to rely on two unexpected players. the first one is kurt thomas. kurt thomas has the smarts and experience to play very valuable post defense against bynum, leaving duncan to handle gasol. if the lakers continue to funnel the ball to the player not guarded by duncan, it will be up to kurt thomas to stop the second post player. no more of this bonner guarding gasol or bonner guarding bynum. duncan still has to play elite level defense but that is already expected of him.
the second player that the spurs desperately need help from is george hill. with bynum and gasol both on the floor in the starting lineup, the spurs won't have a lot of opportunities to attack the paint, and get to the foul line as shown by the disparities in foul shooting during this game. george hill will have to make up this disparity by attacking the rim when gasol or bynum is not present. he has to keep the 2nd unit energized and lead them against the lakers' second unit which can be overwhelming. hill has to develop team chemistry with ginobili so the lakers can't pull away with their bench. this is probably the best chance the spurs have because a trade to get kaman/camby/sheed/miller/lee just isn't happening.
The two backbreaking shots came early in the second half. The first was a wide open Kobe Bryant three-pointer that came courtesy of a botched defense rotation. (i.e. Roger Mason going brain-dead) On the Lakers’ next possession, the Spurs failed to rotate and Derek Fisher connected on an open shot from downtown(compliments of a bad and timid double by Tony, to which Finley didn't or couldn't rotate). Those two treys expanded a six-point halftime lead to 12 and the Spurs were never able to get back into the contest.
Tim Duncan
27 minutes, 15 points, eight rebounds
6-for-12 from the field, 3-for-3 from the line
I'm not sure what you were watching. Tim may have not played great by his standards, but to say he didn't show up? Tim was the only one of the Big 3 to play at a level capable of getting a win.After one of his better games of the season, Tim Duncan didn’t come to play against the Lakers. Defensively, he gave almost no effort on the low block. He let the bigs for the Lakers setup wherever they wanted and he didn’t show much resistance in any aspect of his defensive play. On the offensive end, he was decent when he actually attacked the rim but those forays were too few and far between. For the Spurs to beat the Lakers, Duncan has to dominate – especially when the Lakers aren’t sending an abundance of help. That wasn’t anywhere near the case on Sunday afternoon.
I assume you're overreacting to Pop calling out Tim early in the game for not meeting Bynum early enough, and allowing him too good of position, but Tim's defense was about as much as you could ask from him after that mishap. You're either selling Bynum and Gasol short or just unfairly critical of Duncan, with an expectation of him holding down the fort while being outnumbered.
Bynum and Gasol are both taller, longer, younger, and more athletic, yet you expect him to be able to lock a front line of that caliber down, while staying out of foul trouble? It's just not realistic.
As for offensively, he was actually alright. He wasn't stellar by any stretch of the imagination, but the team also had a hand in that. They were way too sporadic in giving him touches and running the offense through him. This has actually been the case for about three years now, which accounts for the small dip in his numbers prior to this year, but it prevents Tim from finding his rhythm and the role players being able to fall in line accordingly.
The emergence of Tony and Manu has been in large part to Tim's selflessness, but somewhere along the line this team forgot it has to play inside-out to win at the highest level.
Does that mean the ball needs to be walked up and for 4-down to be the first, second, and third option? Of course not. If there's transition opportunities or early offense available you take advantage, but if not? Tim Duncan should not be reduced to setting multiple picks for pick-and- rolls, or used as a decoy.
Give the big fella the ball, let him collapse the defense/get the defense leaning,(the way a dominant big man's presence tends to do) exploit the seams with the slashers, have the shooters given the advantage of much more conducive spacing, and benefit from the type of floor balance that helps to aid the transition defense. Basic basketball really, but something the Spurs need to get back to.
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Tony Parker
29 minutes, 19 points, six assists, three rebounds, four turnovers
8-for-17 from the field, 3-for-4 at the line
His numbers look decent, and might suggest he was alright, but his floor-game was a little Iverson-esque.
Tony Parker was the closest thing the Spurs had to a player performing at his capabilities but he too was flawed. His four turnovers were too many and his aggressiveness wasn’t always where it needed to be, especially with so many of his teammates struggling. The good news is that he had a quality mix of shooting and passing, plus his defense was solid. On the whole, Parker was playing well enough for the Spurs to win but he had room to improve on his game.
The other thing that's been a little disturbing from Tony is these "Kobe games" where he becomes exclusively a facilitator for a long stretch, and then tries to turn on the aggressiveness when the team REALLY needs it. Tony's aggression has to be there from the jump.
If Tony isn't getting the team in transition or early offense, the Spurs really suffer. Tony isn't like Nash or Paul, where dribbling the air out of the ball often benefits the teams offense. The Spurs need player movement, ball movement, and decisive-playmaking in order for the teams overall rhythm and chemistry to be where it needs to be offensively.
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Bruce Bowen
26 minutes, two points, three steals
1-for-3 from the field
Whether it's personnel that's dictating Pop's decision to look for offense at the expense of defense or not, It's still suprising to see.Bruce Bowen played good defense against Bryant in the first half, holding him to 4-for-11 shooting from the field. In the second half, Bowen didn’t have an opportunity to guard Bryant as Pop instead opted for offensively powered lineups. On offense, Bowen was 0-for-2 from the floor when it mattered. It will be interesting to see if Bowen will get more minutes as the playoffs near or if he’ll be relegated to spot action.
I keep hoping I'm wrong in believeing that Bonner and Finley starting isn't capable of getting the Spurs where they want to go, but I've seen no evidence to the contrary.
I realize Pop's trying to make sure Bowen has something in the tank for the end of the year, but without him and the chemistry he and Tim bring to the team defensively? The Spurs' chances diminish greatly.
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George Hill
16 minutes, four points, two rebounds, two assists
0-for-4 from the field, 4-for-4 at the line
For a guy like Pop, who's all about the big picture, this makes absolutely no sense. Hill needs to play, especially in environments like these, to have any hope of him contributing down the line. Hill's not someone they need to worry about losing confidence.George Hill didn’t get much of a chance to show what he could do. Less than three minutes into his first stint, Pop put Hill back on the bench. The next time Hill got into the game, Pop was already pulling the white flag out of his pocket. Overall, his aggression level almost always tells the story. If Hill is attacking on offense and pressuring on defense, he’s a very effective backup point guard. When he’s not pressing the issue, he becomes a placeholder.
Give him some rope, let him make his mistakes, and make sure the team allows him to run the show when he's on the court. Pop's lack of confidence trickles down to where players get a rebound and look off Hill in order to find Manu or Mason to bring up the ball. It's inexcusable for a players growth that is becoming more and more of a necessity.
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Austin Croshere
Five minutes, two points, two assists
1-for-2 from the field, 0-for-1 on three-pointers
Oh Croshere... We hardly knew thee.Playing the last five minutes of garbage time, Austin Croshere didn’t show much good or bad. With his ten-day contract almost over, expect the Spurs to give him another ten-dayer to get a few more looks at what he can do.
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Gregg Popovich
Pop had a number of questionable decisions against the Lakers. He could have mixed up the offensive playcalling to try to get more players going. The amount of scrambling on defense due to double-teams wasn’t helping. Benching Hill in the first half seemed to disrupt the offensive rhythm. Not playing Bowen in the third quarter was an iffy decision. Calling off the dogs so early in the fourth could also be questioned. Overall, it was an unsuccessful day at the office for Pop in which almost everything he tried to do didn’t work.
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Defense
The defense was below average but it wasn’t nearly as bad as we’ve seen over the last month. The main problem was that the Spurs sent the Lakers to the line 32 times and committed a large amount of needless fouls. The Spurs also didn’t guard the three-point line very well, allowing the Lakers to hit 7-of-17 shots from beyond the arc. The Lakers shot 46.4% from the field, which is a mark that should keep the Spurs compe ive if the rest of their defensive play is up to par. The 20 assists and 18 turnovers for the Lakers were both good enough marks for the Spurs to win. But overall, the Spurs were too undisciplined and made too many defensive mistakes.
Even if I'm not real high on Oberto starting, I tend to agree with that starting five.(even if it is by default)
Love it
It didnt take Gasol long to realize this. Kurt is short, just face him up and shoot over him. And Gasol didnt miss either. Kurt is best inside defender we got other then Timmy of course. On nights when we play against the Jazz and the Nuggets, Kurt is fine. But against 7footers who can play? I dont think so.
Kurt would have been fine 5 years ago..he's best suited as a backup big man in his role though, but the problem is..so is Bonner..
Lack of effort this time of year is a Spurs trademark.
Thanks for the recap, timvp.
Well, this surely was an ugly loss.
But you cannot expect to win against the Lakers in LA when you miss wide open three after wide open three after wide... well, you get the picture. Timmy and Tony were quite decent, although it hurt to see Duncan getting owned by Bynum (who had a good game, no doubt about that). That does not mean I really blame Timmy; he can't be asked to defend Gasol and Bynum on his own (because Matt and KT are of no use against such long and athletic guys, well, at least they weren't on Sunday) and carry the load offensively while guys like Mason and Bonner are having a brickfest and Manu doesn't show up for the game.
The defense in the first half was OK for the most part, I think, but then the guys let themselves be killed by giving up those open threes to start the third quarter. Bowen looked like he still could give Kobe some headaches, which is a good sign.
Right now, it seems hard to believe that our guys could win a playoff series against the Lakers, but fortunately, we're only in January, which gives us some time to improve defensively. Still, holding their own in the post with Bonner/KT and Fab won't be easy for the Spurs, to say the least.
The problem for the Spurs is that they can't guard Gasol or Bynum one-on-one and as a result they have to double. The Spurs never had to do that in the past. When you double against a great passing team, you're going to get killed.
Even in the first half I saw Bowen double off Kobe to help out on Bynum. That's a bad sign for the Spurs.
In all honesty, I think we'll see a different Spurs against the Lakers in the playoffs
- We didn't show up; we didn't show up (hey, it's a Sunday afternoon on ABC, that's what Spurs do).
PLUS, considering the Lakers wanted to avenge the loss badly and it was a road game, that 14 pt loss is not that bad.
- Expect Bowen to play more if we meet them in the playoffs (I'm convinced he went CIA hardcore by not playing Bruce a lot)
- Pop was clearly doing some experimentation
We'll beat them in the playoffs; expect to see a different Spurs team.
we can definitely guard either Bynum or Gasol 1 on 1, like you saw 2 weeks ago..we will be fine with whoever Duncan is guarding, it was just 1 bad game from Timmy..Bynum didn't dominate in the 1st game, and Gasol was shut down when Duncan guarded him in the 2nd half..
sorry, you can't convince me Bynum magically became much better in a span of a week..
it's the other guy that Duncan isn't guarding, and that will continue to be a problem if Bonner can't make shots..
Great post, as always.
A few things I took from the game.
Bynum appears to be a full inch or so taller than Duncan. It's important for TD to come out with energy and effort. He's almost ovematched going against 2 seven-footers, but he's still a great enough player that he can post fabulous numbers against them. We have no shot of winning if he doesn't.
Pop has demonstrated a tendency of overuse TP in marquee games like this. Sunday was no different. With the way Parker was hitting the floor and coming up short on long shots, he didn't appear to have his legs. I don't know if he was tired or not. I don't understand why Pop didn't play Hill his standard amount of minutes. Like Timvp said, Hill HAS to demonstrate his aggressiveness in order to be effective and stay on the floor.
Manu's play is still a concern. Timvp's earlier analysis is on point. Sometimes, I wonder if Manu truly understands his own greatness and how he can impact a game if he's not shooting well. During these instances, he often suc bs to natural instincts to hog the ball, taking ill-advised, long-distanced shots and badly forcing passing into spots or dribbling into double-teams that ultimately lead to turnovers. His flair for the spectacular is his both his blessing and his curse. When his game is off, it usually gets him into trouble. Instead, he should drive the ball the rim, get to the FT line and/or kick out to shooters to get teammates involved. A few midrange jumpers would help his confidence too. He's still the "X" factor on this team and is a great enough player that he can have effect the game, even when his shot is off.
It's troubling to watch the offense bog down and players not moving, cutting or whipping the ball around the horn. Defensively, I don't care what scheme the Spurs are in, Kobe Bryant should NEVER, EVER, be left alone. The Fakers didn't really shoot the ball very well, but their movement and style of play seem to expose areas where the Spurs are weak. Like last year, they seem to outhustle, outquick and outrebound the Spurs at every turn. Why the Spurs didn't come out with better effort, is a mystery to me.
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