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it's a sad day when the spurs turn to jacque vaughn for the backup pg position. i was certain either mason or hill would be up to it.
I thought Mason made at least two critical errors in Sunday's game and several others that weren't critical, but which made a difference in the game. As good as he was early in the season, I am beginning to wonder if Mason will struggle in the pressure cooker of the playoffs.
We can gripe and moan about an aging team full of old guys, but one thing is true about the old guys -- there isn't much that can faze them on the court.
I don't mean to pick on Mason -- well, yeah I do -- but I think we're starting to see the ugly head of inexperience being raised. It makes me think that home court advantage is much more crucial to this team than it might have been in the past -- at least for a round.
Oh, and with all of that said -- Duncan flat out stunk in the last minute or so.
it's a sad day when the spurs turn to jacque vaughn for the backup pg position. i was certain either mason or hill would be up to it.
well we all know Duncan doesn't give a 100% effort and determination in the regular season..it's obvious we won't be getting the usual playoffs Duncan..but I would expect better than how he's been playing..
Duncan will need to play the KG role from last year..we're gonna need Parker to play the Pierce role and take over the scoring when we need him..Manu will have to be a bigger scorer than Duncan as well..
One telling play late in the game persuaded me that Mason can't handle the pg spot. He made a really sloppy slow pass towards Tim near mid court that a Rocket stole without any problem. Only one play, but where was the focus and intensity?
first the game was awesome! then we lost
I am not that depressed thought, we played w/o manu, and Tim is below 80%.
Rockets had one their best games in a really long time.
The play of KT and Udoka, gives me hope.
Assume those two can play near that level playoff time, and manu is back, and Timmy is a bit better, and Gooden has adjusted, then you ll see why this game was a reason to smile.
Believe.
I am not worried about Roger when everyone is healthy. I was wrong in the beginning of the year when I was asking for Mason to get more time at the PG. This is not a good system for him. In Washington when they are running and pulling up, he is ok.
But I am not worried about him in the playoffs, he has been there and performed.
The only problem I have with this is that a lot of our 3 pt. shooting success was predicated on Tim's offensive threats drawing a double team opening up shooters. If he's playing a more limited role, I guess that creation of open jumpers has to come from Manu and Tony's penetration.
WE NEED MOTHER ING GINOBILi
It's not a tool at all, it's simply another stat that someone with too much time on their hands came up with. Just thought it was interesting that even playing 4 on 5 they were up.
His stats do not do justice for how vital he was in the shift in momentum in the first half for the Rockets.
His stats also do not do justice to how he was the best player for the Spurs in the fourth quarter.
Finley's stats, however, do do justice for how he was the best player for the Rockets all game- after Scola.
Point complete.
I don't see why ppl are sucking off the Rockets so much on nat'l tv or Spurs fans blowing up, because Houston still has one more loss than us, they are still technically third in the West. And Houston will lose some more games, seeing as how they have 3 of their next four at Utah, at Phoenix, and at the Lakers. Out of the Spurs' next 6 games, only 2 are against good teams. They play Golden State, Atlanta, LA Clips, New Orleans, OK City, and Indiana. We will be fine.
This backup point-guard quandry wouldn't be nearly as pressing, if Duncan was, well, Duncan.
In the past all the Spurs needed was a competent ball-handler and capable scorer to run the "point", since Timmy usually ended up quarterbacking the offense in the half-court, after the "point" brought the ball up. With his passing and ability to tilt the defense, by his mere prescence on the court, the need for a traditional point-guard wasn't nearly the priority it is for most teams.
Now, with the fear-factor of the opponent at an all-time low, in terms of Tim's dominance, a competent scorer and ball-handler is no longer enough to get the team by when Tony's on the bench and Manu's in his civies.
Unfortunately, there's not much the Spurs can do about it now. Well, besides wait for Manu to come in on his white horse and save the day, but even that might not be enough. It would pretty unreasonable for a guy coming back from an injury, and looking to find his wind and rhythm, to have to assume that kind of responsibilty, immediately upon his return. But, ... I guess reason is pretty much out the window when you get to this point, at this time of year.
One things for sure, Mason's utter disregard for the ball and his inability to finish or make a play in traffic, isn't getting it done. That turnover he commited while looking to receive the screen from Tim that lead to the jumpball between Tim and Shane (by the way, I know Tim's hurting and his elevation is even more limited than usual, but that's now Odom, Big Baby, and Battier that he's lost critical tips to in crunch-time) is becoming all too common.
Mason's lack of size at the 2, loose dribble, and mediocre athleticism has really been more glaring when he's challenged by competent defenders. He's been reduced to worring about getting his pocket picked more than running the offense for the team or his self. If I'm Pop, I give the role of bringing the ball up back to Hill, and say to with their logic that a rookie point has never done well in the playoffs. Afterall, Hill wouldn't be a decision-maker, as much as a caretaker of the ball and a lock-down defender when Manu's on the floor.
Duncan and Ginobili are injured. Manu may get back, but TD is shooting 35-40% from the field over the last month since he missed those three games. Teams are not afraid of Duncan tearing them up inside right now.
The playoffs will be short this year - the wear and tear of all the great playoff runs have finally caught up to us. Things must change quickly for me to change my mind about this.
I hate to say it, but this is probably the first time since 2000 (when TD missed the playoffs) where I felt like the Spurs have no shot to go all the way. Not fun.
Pop has completely ed up the team.
I might need to revive the thread I started. I just finished watching the game now thanks to international league pass broadband and I can't believe Pop changed the rotations again, but not it a good way.
He should of played Bruce earlier. I don't understand his gay love for Finley and Mason Jr. Their offense ing stinks. THEY ARE NOT BRINGING anything to the table. Bruce played great defense when he was out there. Ime played well so why did Pop bench him towards the end of the 4th quarter when we had a 6 point lead?????? Stupid, stupid stuff.
I'm going to say it because this might be a move that can help us. NO MORE MASON AT BACK UP PG. Bring back VAUGHN. This is horrendous coaching by Pop. wtf is he thinking still playing Mason at back up PG after all the ups lately.
Last edited by Ice009; 03-23-2009 at 05:37 AM.
I forgot to mention Luis Scola. A lot of the time when I see Scola play either in the Olympics or against the Spurs I get mad. Idiotic trade.
Tim should be traded to the Lakers cause he ing doesn't deserve this cheap ass franchise giving it his all for them.
If that cheap ass Holt only traded Scola to get Butler off the books then just trade Tim to the Lakers cause that is still one of the stupidest trades I've ever seen. I couldn't believe we gave him away for nothing. I listened to the people that I thought were knowledgeable about Scola's game saying it wouldn't translate to the NBA. All I got to say is that they were flat out wrong.
I'm going to dig up another move that I said earlier in the season.
Start IME UDOKA. I told you that if he starts he'll be able to get into a rhythm and contribute a lot more. You're seeing it now with the extra court time he is getting. Ime did suck for a long period of time including his original starting stint, but it looks like he's actually showing his real toughness like he did last season in the playoffs. Ime is stepping up when the pressure is getting higher. Guys like Finley and Mason Jr are stepping right down.
Finley vanished in the playoffs last season while Ime stepped up. Why has Ime not been given more opportunities to get back into form and Michael gets as many minutes as he wants to get out of slumps?
Pop usually site player who can't defend. So why did Finley see 25 minutes of action? Supposedly, the Spurs re-signed him because he can shoot the ball well. So how come he took only one shot? Finley has some dirt on Pop and will use it against him if Pop plays him less than 25 minutes. There can be no other explanation!!!!
Playoff inexperience is going to be a HUGE factor for players like Hill, Mason, and especially Bonner. I have very little faith in them to be able to handle the defensive pressures in critical playoff situations when they have next to no playoff experience.
That being said, this is all Ginobili's fault
All his d*mn injuries forced Pop to rely very heavily on Duncan early on and all those minutes are catching up to him. He can't get the rest he needs because Ginobili is still out. And Parker...I am getting very concerned about all these minutes he's having to log, not only because the backup PG situation is in shambles until Ginobili comes back, but also the extra minutes he has to log because Duncan is hurting and Ginobili is out.
That being said, this team has wayyyyy too many holes and question marks for it being March. I am getting really unsure if Duncan will be healthy for the playoffs...even if he does get a little rest in, his injury doesn't sound like something that can make it through 3 tough grueling rounds in the Western conference...especially if they are all on the road. Not only that, but I'm begining to wonder if the playoff Ginobili that people are expecting will even show up this season. He's played in far too less games and he's out of rythmn and I'm not sure how healthy he will come back.
Playoff inexperience is going to be a HUGE factor for players like Hill, Mason, and especially Bonner. I have very little faith in them to be able to handle the defensive pressures in critical playoff situations when they have next to no playoff experience.
That being said, this is all Ginobili's fault
That being said, this team has wayyyyy too many holes and question marks for it being March. I am getting really unsure if Duncan will be healthy for the playoffs...even if he does get a little rest in, his injury doesn't sound like something that can make it through 3 tough grueling rounds in the Western conference...especially if they are all on the road. Not only that, but I'm begining to wonder if the playoff Ginobili that people are expecting will even show up this season. He's played in far too less games and he's out of rythmn and I'm not sure how healthy he will come back.
...all that is true...I was just hoping Duncan could take a miraculous cure all drink for his tendonosis or maybe vicariously borrow someones healthy tendons for a few weeks.
yeah I am really concerned about Timmy's health. I'm not as concerned about Tony since he's young and can handle things while Manu's out. I am concerned also about the Backup PG spot. Using Mason as the backup PG hasn't been working and I don't want Manu to be the backup PG when he comes back especially when he first comes back. He's going to try to do way too much and will turn it over a thousand times trying to do something.Playoff inexperience is going to be a HUGE factor for players like Hill, Mason, and especially Bonner. I have very little faith in them to be able to handle the defensive pressures in critical playoff situations when they have next to no playoff experience.
That being said, this is all Ginobili's fault
That being said, this team has wayyyyy too many holes and question marks for it being March. I am getting really unsure if Duncan will be healthy for the playoffs...even if he does get a little rest in, his injury doesn't sound like something that can make it through 3 tough grueling rounds in the Western conference...especially if they are all on the road. Not only that, but I'm begining to wonder if the playoff Ginobili that people are expecting will even show up this season. He's played in far too less games and he's out of rythmn and I'm not sure how healthy he will come back.
I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how the backup PG situation became such a mess. Early in the season it looked like George Hill was the perfect backup player the Spurs wanted, especially when he filled in so well with Parker out.
Then Parker came back, Hill had a couple stretches of bad games (as expected seeing as he's a bench player and a rookie), and now he's completely out of it. Pop should have given him consistent minutes throughout the season, whether he's playing good or bad to get him through this. Pulling him and then switching to Mason as backup PG or overplaying Parker isn't going to help anyone in the long run. I thought Hill had all the tools neccesary to play at least a couple solid minutes in the playoff rotation.
How
could we even lost when timmy was listening to their last play
y was listening to their last play
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