In A Twist, Spurs Have A Problem - And It's J.J. Barea

[LEONARD]

JJ was my x-factor going in...

It brings me great joy everytime he blows by somebody and gets to the rim for a bucket, just knowing that SpursDynasty is sitting in his mom's basement with a pistol in his mouth...

[nkdlunch]

the Spurs main problem is not JJ Barea. It's their new style of deer in the headlights defense

[SenorSpur]

I don't think a 5'10" player who averaged 7.8 points this year is necessarily going to be a difference maker against a 4-time NBA champion team. Anyone can have a good game on any given night, it's not happening series-long.

I hate to say this, but this Barea kid has done this all year long for the Mavs. He's earned enough trust from Carlisle to warrant occasional starts opposite Kidd in the backcourt - depending on matchups. He give their team something they don't have from their starter - Kidd - quickness and speed.

Bass, on the other hand, represents the other worry for the Spurs, for which they have no answer for. He gives them athleticism, outside shooting and tenacious play around the rim.

That's one of the big keys in building a roster - having an assortment of skills set that complement one another. Now, I'm not lauding the Mavs of developing the best bench in the NBA, but at least they have some skill variety and not just 5 old reserrve players that are either 3-point chuckers or simply offensively-challenged alltogether.

[howbouthemspurs]

J.J. Barea is like a ing nat you can't seem to flick away. I believe Parker is going to go nuts tonight and dominate that little twerp and make him look like the piece of garbage that he really is.

[duncan228]

Before we get too carried away about the greatness of J.J. Barea ...
Tim MacMahon
Dallas Morning News

I was as impressed as anybody by J.J. Barea's phenomenal Game 1 performance. But one great night doesn't guarantee that Barea will be a major factor during the entire series.

The Spurs couldn't have been too surprised by Barea's success. After all, he had a 21-point, five-assist performance during San Antonio's OT win in Dallas this season.

But Barea had a zero-point afternoon in the Spurs' other trip to the AAC.

It's a safe bet that Gregg Popovich will come up with a way to prevent Barea from killing the Spurs with penetration. And Tony Parker, who wasn't exactly complimentary of Barea in his postgame comments, will probably be pretty determined to prove that the pint-sized Puerto Rican can't play at his level again.

Game 1 might be as good as it gets for Barea.

[Agloco]

Before we get too carried away about the greatness of J.J. Barea ...
Tim MacMahon
Dallas Morning News

I was as impressed as anybody by J.J. Barea's phenomenal Game 1 performance. But one great night doesn't guarantee that Barea will be a major factor during the entire series.

The Spurs couldn't have been too surprised by Barea's success. After all, he had a 21-point, five-assist performance during San Antonio's OT win in Dallas this season.

But Barea had a zero-point afternoon in the Spurs' other trip to the AAC.

It's a safe bet that Gregg Popovich will come up with a way to prevent Barea from killing the Spurs with penetration. And Tony Parker, who wasn't exactly complimentary of Barea in his postgame comments, will probably be pretty determined to prove that the pint-sized Puerto Rican can't play at his level again.

Game 1 might be as good as it gets for Barea.

And reality begins to take hold once again.......

[SenorSpur]

Phil Jackson played Shannon Brown today, it was Brown's first minutes of playoff experience in his career..he responded well..

Courtney Lee got 41 minutes in his 1st playoff game, and he responded with a big game..Gortat got 10 minutes, which would be a good enough amount for George..

Mario Chalmers played 34 minutes and had a decent game..

Batum got 18 minutes, even though he didn't have a good game, and Portland has other options instead..

The only inexperienced players off the top of my head that didn't get any real minutes were Bayless and Speights, but both those teams have better options..the Spurs don't have a better option than Hill..it's puzzling how Pop is so stubborn..

No other coach is so resistant toward playing young players more than Pop. It's his BIGGEST flaw, as a coach. Note to Pop: All older players are not treasures, and all young player are not trash.

[Obstructed_View]

Before we get too carried away about the greatness of J.J. Barea ...
Tim MacMahon
Dallas Morning News

I was as impressed as anybody by J.J. Barea's phenomenal Game 1 performance. But one great night doesn't guarantee that Barea will be a major factor during the entire series.

The Spurs couldn't have been too surprised by Barea's success. After all, he had a 21-point, five-assist performance during San Antonio's OT win in Dallas this season.

But Barea had a zero-point afternoon in the Spurs' other trip to the AAC.

It's a safe bet that Gregg Popovich will come up with a way to prevent Barea from killing the Spurs with penetration. And Tony Parker, who wasn't exactly complimentary of Barea in his postgame comments, will probably be pretty determined to prove that the pint-sized Puerto Rican can't play at his level again.

Game 1 might be as good as it gets for Barea.

Guess who played?




Actually, JJB only played 2 minutes in the game, which is probably the reason
for his relatively poor output, but if a professional writer can fudge the facts, so can I.

[D-ROB 50]

tonights starters

duncan
gooden
bowen
hill
parker

lets do this thing!