Spurs vs Mavs Game 1 Rant

[Shank]

Having heard Carlisle a number of times on the radio, I know that he knows more about basketball than anyone else in the world and he's not afraid to talk down to anyone to prove it.

[wisnub]

Sometimes I think back in those days when D Rob was hurt and Spurs nailed DUncan for no 1 pick...I dont mind Spurs losing and not going to playoffs..rest Duncan whole season since Manu is out anyway..and nailed a solid fundamental lottery pick.come back strong a season after and get another championship (just like Boston did last year.but Boston did make hefty trade for Allen and KG in order to pull it). Its better than losing Mavs in 1st round...its embarassing, i prefer getting a solid lottery pick

[Borosai]

I also loved seeing Mason on Nowitzki.

Exactly. I was like WTF MUFFUKA?! No sense.

[Spursmania]

Fluke shots or not their bench kicked our bench's ass. Props to the MAVs for playing a good game.
Pop is the one who sucked the most tonight. His rotations were horrible and it is inexcusable to allow Bonner all those playoff minutes when he is contributing absolutely nothing. I am more mad at Pop than Bonner. Bonner sucks but Pop is the one who plays him.

[poop]

are you going to post this in every thread on this board?

shut it already.

read it and get it through your head, it is an exact prophecy of how game 2 will play out

[baseline bum]

I also loved seeing Mason on Nowitzki.

A lot of that was off switches, though there were a couple of possessions Mason lined up on him from the beginning that made we want to put a bullet through my TV.

[barbacoataco]

Agree with all of the original post. Question is, will Pop do it? I remember when Mason was signed he was hyped as a good defender, a guy who stayed in the league primarily for his defense. But as the season has gone on, and tonight, he looked terrible. What is up?

[Mugen]

this is the 2006 WCF champions that we are playing folks.

anybody who thought this was going to be an easy series for the spurs is crazy.

this team had the best record in 2007 people.

in 7. Believe.

[Libri]

In conclusion...

More Gooden on the floor with Duncan.
More Duncan/Parker pick and rolls.
Less Bonner.
Lots of Bowen.

[honestfool84]

read it and get it through your head, it is an exact prophecy of how game 2 will play out

IDGAF about what you, poop, have to say because it usually is just that - POOP.


it's getting annoying.

[peskypesky]

read it and get it through your head, it is an exact prophecy of how game 2 will play out

[peskypesky]

Agree with all of the original post. Question is, will Pop do it? I remember when Mason was signed he was hyped as a good defender, a guy who stayed in the league primarily for his defense. But as the season has gone on, and tonight, he looked terrible. What is up?

hmmm...i don't ever remember anyone calling Mason a good defender.

[Kori Ellis]

When was this?

I was just joking about not liking him. He's a good coach. I always thought he would make an excellent assistant. I'm still not that sure about him being a great head coach, but he's better than a lot of them.

I think it was in 2003-04 season.

It's kind of a long story. Pop was doing the Pop Show and said a quote about Carlisle in reference to Carlisle actively campaigning for Artest to win DPOY. At the time, Carlisle had his staff spend countless hours breaking down Artest's possessions and was distributing all this paper work to the voters with information like, 'When player x is guarded by Artest, he only averages 37% from the field, etc.."

So I wrote an article about Bowen at the time, and I included Pop's quote about Carlisle caring more about Artest's DPOY award than he should (not in those exact words). So then Carlisle came on the radio like the next day here in San Antonio to try to defend it, and then he ended up calling me out for writing the article.

Then that summer, Carlisle and Bird were in Salt Lake City when LJ and I went to cover summer league. And then somehow Carlisle recognized me and they came and said Hi.

[Obstructed_View]

I completely agree with Kori's post, except that I'm not sure how she has any faith in Popovich by this point. The dude doesn't know what the he's doing. He's gotten to the point where he thinks he can use psychology to do everything, and he ends up not just doing the basic thing that would work the best.

BTW, you can't...CAN'T...mention the Carlisle story in passing without sharing it. EDIT: One post too late.

[Libri]

I was just joking about not liking him. He's a good coach. I always thought he would make an excellent assistant. I'm still not that sure about him being a great head coach, but he's better than a lot of them.

I think it was in 2003-04 season.

It's kind of a long story. Pop was doing the Pop Show and said a quote about Carlisle in reference to Carlisle actively campaigning for Artest to win DPOY. At the time, Carlisle had his staff spend countless hours breaking down Artest's possessions and was distributing all this paper work to the voters with information like, 'When player x is guarded by Artest, he only averages 37% from the field, etc.."

So I wrote an article about Bowen at the time, and I included Pop's quote about Carlisle caring more about Artest's DPOY award than he should (not in those exact words). So then Carlisle came on the radio like the next day here in San Antonio to try to defend it, and then he ended up calling me out for writing the article.

Then that summer, Carlisle and Bird were in Salt Lake City when LJ and I went to cover summer league. And then somehow Carlisle recognized me and they came and said Hi.

Kori,

I actually remember that Pop show. I think Don Harris was still doing the show. But I didn't know that Carlisle had called you out.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Carlisle using all those bogus unsubstantiated stats is the main reason I see him as a giant piece of . And Ron Artest being a big giant piece of is the second reason I see Rick Carlisle as a BGPOS.

First Bowen gets screwed over by nutless Ben Wallaces overrated ass, twice, then he gets ed by the first ever active DPOY campaign. Sucks. He could have won one of those three years, and had his best chance the year Carlisle had to be a giant r.

[SenorSpur]

First of all, I want to thank the dozens of you for starting the same thread over and over and trashing the forum. It's good to see you (not!) in obnoxious playoff forum already. Mavs fans need to simmer down. And Spurs fans ... we don't need 13 Bench Bonner and 17 Pop Sucks threads. Also calling Barea a "greasy " is about the stupidest trash you should post, considering the Hispanic population in San Antonio.

As for the game, all of you who thought the Spurs were going to blow by the Mavs are crazy. This is going to be a long series. I honestly thought the Spurs wouldn't have a chance if Pop didn't play Bowen, but he did. So that's a good sign. (Even though it took Udoka f'ing up within a minute of getting on the floor in order to get Bowen subbed in.)

The Spurs need to re-think a lot of things.

Starting Lineup should be Duncan/Gooden/Bowen/Finley/Parker. I don't really care if it's Finley or Mason, but Mason can't really guard anyone and Finley isn't a good bench guy. So Finley it is.

Bonner is doing nothing offensively or defensively. He hasn't earned a minute on the floor. Gooden is starting to play well with Tony, and the Spurs need as much O as they can get. And though he's not a good defender, he's actually getting to the right spots and can hold his ground.

Parker's slow start (he went 0-4 to start the game) can't happen again. He was really inconsistent in this game, though 9-22 isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. He also needs to pull out his playoff defense. Also more and more pick and rolls for Duncan/Parker combination.

Fluke shots vs Lights Out. Though the Mavs played really well, they also had their share of fluke shots (Bass off the top of the backboard, etc.) But hey, don't rationalize it by saying that "those shots won't happen again." Spurs aren't going to shoot lights out from 3 again either. So put away the "fluke card."

Bowen's D. I cannot express the importance of Bowen logging big minutes in this series. I know... the majority of you thought he was done. He's not. And even if he's slower than before, he's the best thing the Spurs have. He does a fantastic job fronting Dirk, plus he can play the quickness of Terry. Bowen has to see 30+ minutes a game. Don't worry about his legs giving out. He's been resting all year, he is retiring soon, so it's time for him to lay it all out in a blaze of glory.

The Backup Point Guard. Got damn. Tony Parker has been in the league for almost a decade now and had a backup point guard for like 20 games in the form of Speedy Claxton. I do not care how bad George Hill can possibly be... I want to see him try. Mason doesn't cut it as a backup point and I don't even want to see Pop glancing toward Vaughn. Hill's length will be able to do something against the Mavs. I know it will.

Thaw Out Oberto. Crazy, right? Not so much. Oberto is a playoff performer. Thaw him out and play him a few minutes a game and give Bonner a seat on the bench guarding the gatorade. I'm not saying that Oberto should get major minutes, just put him in the rotation for spot minutes. The main big man rotation should be Duncan/Gooden/Thomas.

Rick Carlisle vs Gregg Popovich. I haven't been a fan of Rick Carlisle since he called me out on the radio, but he coached a smart game. Though many of you think Pop sucks, he doesn't. But he can be stubborn. He has to be willing to adjust and not adjust by going small.

In conclusion...

More Gooden on the floor with Duncan.
More Duncan/Parker pick and rolls.
Less Bonner.
Lots of Bowen.

The series will still be long and I don't know who will win, but it will be fun to watch.

Nuff said. This saves me a rant - except for one thing. I don't think there is another coach in the NBA (pick one) that would start Matt Bonner over Drew Gooden. The absolute worst coach in the NBA wouldn't make that decision. That should tell you everything you need to know about the faith Pop places in HIS system and those that have been in it for a while. Right now, it looks like the dumbest move in Spur history. Just sayin'.

[SA210]

First of all, I want to thank the dozens of you for starting the same thread over and over and trashing the forum. It's good to see you (not!) in obnoxious playoff forum already. Mavs fans need to simmer down. And Spurs fans ... we don't need 13 Bench Bonner and 17 Pop Sucks threads. Also calling Barea a "greasy " is about the stupidest trash you should post, considering the Hispanic population in San Antonio.

As for the game, all of you who thought the Spurs were going to blow by the Mavs are crazy. This is going to be a long series. I honestly thought the Spurs wouldn't have a chance if Pop didn't play Bowen, but he did. So that's a good sign. (Even though it took Udoka f'ing up within a minute of getting on the floor in order to get Bowen subbed in.)

The Spurs need to re-think a lot of things.

Starting Lineup should be Duncan/Gooden/Bowen/Finley/Parker. I don't really care if it's Finley or Mason, but Mason can't really guard anyone and Finley isn't a good bench guy. So Finley it is.

Bonner is doing nothing offensively or defensively. He hasn't earned a minute on the floor. Gooden is starting to play well with Tony, and the Spurs need as much O as they can get. And though he's not a good defender, he's actually getting to the right spots and can hold his ground.

Parker's slow start (he went 0-4 to start the game) can't happen again. He was really inconsistent in this game, though 9-22 isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. He also needs to pull out his playoff defense. Also more and more pick and rolls for Duncan/Parker combination.

Fluke shots vs Lights Out. Though the Mavs played really well, they also had their share of fluke shots (Bass off the top of the backboard, etc.) But hey, don't rationalize it by saying that "those shots won't happen again." Spurs aren't going to shoot lights out from 3 again either. So put away the "fluke card."

Bowen's D. I cannot express the importance of Bowen logging big minutes in this series. I know... the majority of you thought he was done. He's not. And even if he's slower than before, he's the best thing the Spurs have. He does a fantastic job fronting Dirk, plus he can play the quickness of Terry. Bowen has to see 30+ minutes a game. Don't worry about his legs giving out. He's been resting all year, he is retiring soon, so it's time for him to lay it all out in a blaze of glory.

The Backup Point Guard. Got damn. Tony Parker has been in the league for almost a decade now and had a backup point guard for like 20 games in the form of Speedy Claxton. I do not care how bad George Hill can possibly be... I want to see him try. Mason doesn't cut it as a backup point and I don't even want to see Pop glancing toward Vaughn. Hill's length will be able to do something against the Mavs. I know it will.

Thaw Out Oberto. Crazy, right? Not so much. Oberto is a playoff performer. Thaw him out and play him a few minutes a game and give Bonner a seat on the bench guarding the gatorade. I'm not saying that Oberto should get major minutes, just put him in the rotation for spot minutes. The main big man rotation should be Duncan/Gooden/Thomas.

Rick Carlisle vs Gregg Popovich. I haven't been a fan of Rick Carlisle since he called me out on the radio, but he coached a smart game. Though many of you think Pop sucks, he doesn't. But he can be stubborn. He has to be willing to adjust and not adjust by going small.

In conclusion...

More Gooden on the floor with Duncan.
More Duncan/Parker pick and rolls.
Less Bonner.
Lots of Bowen.

The series will still be long and I don't know who will win, but it will be fun to watch.

My sig says it all

[dirk4mvp]

I was just joking about not liking him. He's a good coach. I always thought he would make an excellent assistant. I'm still not that sure about him being a great head coach, but he's better than a lot of them.

I think it was in 2003-04 season.

It's kind of a long story. Pop was doing the Pop Show and said a quote about Carlisle in reference to Carlisle actively campaigning for Artest to win DPOY. At the time, Carlisle had his staff spend countless hours breaking down Artest's possessions and was distributing all this paper work to the voters with information like, 'When player x is guarded by Artest, he only averages 37% from the field, etc.."

So I wrote an article about Bowen at the time, and I included Pop's quote about Carlisle caring more about Artest's DPOY award than he should (not in those exact words). So then Carlisle came on the radio like the next day here in San Antonio to try to defend it, and then he ended up calling me out for writing the article.

Then that summer, Carlisle and Bird were in Salt Lake City when LJ and I went to cover summer league. And then somehow Carlisle recognized me and they came and said Hi.

thanks

[timvp]

IIRC correctly, Carlisle said something like "no one thought it'd be a big deal if that woman hadn't written that article." The whole scenario made it all the way to ESPN.com. I'm surprised more old schoolers don't remember.

[Kori Ellis]

IIRC correctly, Carlisle said something like "no one thought it'd be a big deal if that woman hadn't written that article." The whole scenario made it all the way to ESPN.com. I'm surprised more old schoolers don't remember.

yeah that's true. He called me "that woman." I forgot that part.

[MANGINA]

If the players would just do half of what Pop asks of them he wouldn't get bashed so much.

[ratm1221]

Good game tonight. Spurs/Mavs series are always the most enjoyable for me. I was praying for this match up. Good times.

Some of you need to stop being whinny es and just enjoy the games.

[SenorSpur]

Kori --

Agreed with pretty much everything you said, but especially the Backup Point Guard comment. So painfully obvious, even before the game tipped off.

That said, anyone who thinks Popovich sucks doesn't know basketball. We'll never have a better coach than him, and he'll figure it out.
Believe.

Maybe. Yet his stubborn decision to force feed minutes to Matt Bonner, when he has a better, more skilled option on the bench (Gooden) is just dumb. His decision to force fit Roger Mason into the backup PG role, when that is clearly NOT his strong suit is also dumb. His decision to sit George Hill, when his defensive ability and compe ive tenacity are needed to slow down the pesky Mavs backcourt is again dumb.

There's no question that Pop is a great coach. He's also been a very fortunate coach to have inherited 3 HOF players. All that said, it doesn't mean that he's flawless or that he's above criticism.

[HarlemHeat37]

Senor hit it..Pop is a great coach, and I believe he's the best..but his arrogance and ego has taken over him this year, there's no question..all the praise he gets around the NBA must have gone to his head..

he clearly feels like ANY player can fit his great system, which is the only logic for having Bonner as the starting PF on a team with a defensive-oriented system..