Harvey: Spurs Sit, And NBA Lies Down

[G-Nob]

Popovich could have rested his older players. But Tony Parker? And without another game until Sunday in Boston, Popovich could have simply started the usual lineup and adjusted as the game went along.

It was more about where they'd been as opposed to what was ahead.

The Spurs were tired, sure, but that's the history of the game. In 1972, when the Lakers were putting together their historic 33-game winning streak, they flew commercial — and twice in that stretch, they played three games in a row.

The '72 Lakers avg age was 28. The '09 Spurs is 31.

Tuesday, instead of pushing his guys, he chose to push them into chairs. During all of it, Popovich looked more relaxed than he has in months. By giving the Big Three the night off, he had given himself the night off, too.

I think Pop wanted to win this just as much just as much as anyone. He was still workin his arse off to win this game.

The unfairness is usually spread around when cramming 82 games into six months. Though not always. A year ago, the Cavaliers, for example, were matched against nine teams who were playing the second of a back-to-back. Some other teams had nearly 30.

There are also specific moments when the schedule is more than a nuisance. It's a blockade. And somewhere after OT in Oakland and before the tip in Denver, the employer of the month made a decision.

Why not bench the core of his team? The league, in effect, already had.

This problem would be solved by shortening the season. The '72 Lakers had the benefit of one less round of the playoffs and the Finals in early May.

[tlongII]

I hate Popovich.

UNBEAVABLE!

[ClingingMars]

holt needs to fine and suspend pop for tanking a game!


these guys are professional athletes who get paid millions...40 mins of basketball in back to back nights WILL NOT KILL THEM. i'd bet tim and tony were perfectly fine, ready and willing to play... they were probably stunned when pop benched them.

it was a re ed move by pop. everyone on espn yesterday was talking about how dumb it was.

THERE WAS NO REASON AT ALL TO SIT TIM AND TONY THE WHOLE GAME.

whatever you say gayem the lakerfan

-Mars

[NFGIII]

It's a good thing the league didn't take any action on this. Besides, if the NBA really wants to focus on what's hurting their product, they should crackdown on all this deliberate free agent talk in 2010. All the speculation about LeBron going to NY, Wade dreaming of joining him and Bosh bolting Toronto. This blantant type of speculation is media-driven, but the players do nothing to deflect it. All of which, undermines the current teams that these stars play for. Coaches aren't allowed to engage in such talk because of tampering rules, but it's OK for players.

Meanwhile, you've got teams literally dumping salary and players in anticipation of this event, while virtually sacrificing the next 1 1/2 seasons. What about their obligations to the fans of said teams?

Is all this as serious as a coach sitting his best players for one freaking game?

Agreed. Especially the point about the mad cap salary dump in anticipation of the 2010 sweepstakes. If those teams positioning themselves for the big payoff fail to produce not only would they have "tanked" 1 1/2 seasons but have effectively set up their franchises' for several more years of mediocrity at best. Talk about cheating the fans!

What better way to draw attention to the NBA scheduling of games on back-to-back days into an earlier time zone? Hold all your marquee players out on NBAtv "Fan Night", the fans' choice game.

Second games of a B2B in Denver have never been a good prospect for the Spurs, no matter how good a team they have had. I thought the Spurs had about a 25% chance of winning the game at full strength.

To me, Pop accomplished 3 positive things with the decision to play his "role-players-only" team.
1) Galvanize his team by giving major minutes and full responsibility to his bench against a very good club. Experiential team-building. Dad let his son/daughter drive the nail in all the way, all by him/herself.
2) Showcase a few tradeable assets.
3) Draw attention to the scheduling into earlier time zones on consecutive nights. MLB schedules day games on get-away days...to provide some time cushion in these situations. NBA can't do day games very often but they can probably assign some better scheduling guidlines.

about the current way games are being scheduled. There seems to be a need to change the way this is being done in order to make it more agreeable (for lack of a better word) to the players and ultimately the fans. Tired players aren't as productive as fresher ones and then there is the issue concerning possible injuries due to fatigue, though many don't seem to think of it that way.

Frankly I don't see much of anything happening on this right now. Even though Pop may have brought it to light in Denver it's probably already known with little emphasis for change. It would probably need to be addressed by the owners in the off season to get things moving.

[G-Nob]

But its all about MF'n money. If they meet about anything in the offseason its be about adding games to the schedule to "recoup". You might see more teams pull what Pop did in the interest of keeping their guys fresh.

[angelbelow]

well, i think they should have made up injures rather then straight up saying that youre sitting them out. i just think thats more formal and more business like.

[xellos88330]

I think it was hilarious! I didn't lose any entertainment value. It was a great game regardless of who was playing. Personally I prefer to see what the other guys can do. I already know what the 4 that sat can do.

[Thompson]

For example: The Cavaliers play in San Antonio later this month, after a game the night before in Houston, and maybe Cleveland thinks LeBron James should rest on the only night he's in San Antonio.

Somehow, I think I could live with that.

[SequSpur]

whatever...

[DynastyBuilder]

hmmm very similar articles - http://www.nba.com/2009/news/feature...205/index.html

one similarity... there are a couple more...

But in the 1971-72 season, when the Lakers set the all-time record with their 33-game winning streak, they played back-to-back-to-back games -- three in three nights -- on three different occasions.

Popovich doesn't care what they did in the old days. Frankly, he doesn't care about anything that isn't in the absolute best interest of his team right here and now.

The Spurs were tired, sure, but that's the history of the game. In 1972, when the Lakers were putting together their historic 33-game winning streak, they flew commercial — and twice in that stretch, they played three games in a row.

But none of it matters to Popovich. Not history, not business, not the standings. He manages the energy of his team with a sense of the physical and emotional.

[duncan228]

hmmm very similar articles...

For what it's worth, Harvey's came out last night, the Blinebury one this morning.

[Agloco]

Man I don’t give a . Pop can have Tim, Tony and Manu selling freaking popcorn in the stands. For all I care. Whatever Pop wants he gets . And Pop damn well deserves it. In the beginning of my military career that started in the early nineties, when I would talk some basketball smack use to take a lot of from other fans of other N.B.A. teams such as; spurs suck, soft, weak, small town and my personal favorite “regular season champs”. And the sad thing is as a spurs fan you knew it was true. But when Duncan meet Pop, all the bull ended. We are witnessing one of the greatest dynasties in N.B.A. history. And the funny thing is, it is recognized throughout our country. (Just not on B.S.P.N. can’t tell you of the nightmares being stationed outside of S.A. and you’re trying to get highlights, thank god for the internet.) You can talk basketball smack with some other teams fan’s and at the end of the smack talk the spurs are acknowledge as basketball perfection. So you wanna question pop, go right ahead, but remember we are witnessing something that probably won’t come are way again. A freaking N.B.A. dynasty. Who knows, ten years from now the AT&T center could be that place that use to host the spurs but now is home to the stock show and rodeo and crappy concerts.

Someone has their head on straight......