Will Pop give up small ball?

[xellos88330]

I think the Spurs have another "ameoba" team again this year. Judging by the players it looks like they will be able to match any style of play they come up against.

Season please start already!!!

[Nathan Explosion]

People talk about how small ball didn't work against the Mavs. The Mavs won the series, but the lineup wasn't the disaster everyone is making it out to be.

The small ball lineup was 1 foul away from closing out the Mavs in 7 after being down 3-1. Not a terribly bad "experiment" if you ask me.

However, if the Mavs go small, the Spurs have the athletes now to keep up, especially if Hill and RJ are prominently involved.

Although, I though Haslip was brought in to help combat small ball lineups with size and still maintain some quickness at the 4.

[EricB]

The small ball lineup was 1 foul away from closing out the Mavs in 7 after being down 3-1. Not a terribly bad "experiment" if you ask me.

Pish posh.

[Nathan Explosion]

Pish posh.

I didn't say it was a success. What I was saying was that it wasn't some flame out everyone made it out to be. The Spurs were ahead with 30 some odd seconds to play. They didn't lose in 4 or 5 games.

If you want to talk about this year, then you'd have an argument.

[portnoy1]

The problem in that series was that the spurs usually are dominant in the paint, however the mavs made them adjust to a style of play the spurs weren't use to. I hate losing to the Mavs cause the FO/Pop starts to knee jerk. Instead of Competing with the elite teams they start trying to compete with the Mavs the next season. The small became a big part of our Lineup after that series in 06' verses the Mavs. Parker/Ginobili/Bowen/Duncan/Finley or Udoka at the 4 was the lineup that was seen alot during the next 3 seasons. This year we lose to the Mavs ( SFJosh Howard has a good series ) and go out and spend $14million on a SF - Richard Jefferson when A solid bigman was the real problem in the series. I like RJ but I think we still need a bigman ( a 7footer ) to compete with the Elite teams. Getting RJ didn't gear us up to beat the Lakers. Getting RJ was Manu insurance, that way there is another Perimeter creator/play maker/Defender ( Jury is still out on his defense too ). Outlaw/Marion/G. Wallace would have been good as versatile SF and then Pryzbilla/Camby would have been nice additions for C that defend the paint along with a solid 4 ( Mcdyess ). This small ball nonsense is also the reason why Duncan is called a Center.

[Bruno]

Pop has mainly used small ball not by choice but because "normal ball" didn't work.

[mookie2001]

its still his choice

[SCdac]

I really hope small ball is a thing of the past. Signing guys like Theo Ratliff and Antonio McDyess, I'm hoping, is a sign of that. Looking at any of the recent championship teams, they all had a traditional PF - C kind of lineup up front. Spurs need to regain their iden y as a lock down team defensively, and a big part of that is putting a shotblocker next to Tim and not making him the only true big out there. When we had Nazr and Rasho battling each other for starting center all season, was when we had a franchise best 63-19 record. Yeah, they were slow and couldn't keep up with Dirk, but it produced the kind of basketball the Spurs thrive in IMO. Oberto too was a solid 6-10 and didn't lack toughness in the paint.

[cherylsteele]

Didn't work against the mavs in 06, worked just fine against the suns in 07. It all depends on the matchup.

Actually, if not for a Manu brain fart, small ball would have been successful against the Mavs in 2006, the Spurs would have come back after being down 1-3.

[SpursPreacher]

I think small ball is good at times and not good at others.I just hope pop uses good judgement when to pull the trigger on it and when not.

[mookie2001]

small ball is never good

[sabar]

2006.

I blame the Nazr 3-pointer.

[mountainballer]

Interesting. Let me check the depth chart again.

PG - Parker/Hill/Williams
SG - Manu/Mason/Bogans
SF - RJ/Finley/Haislip
PF - Duncan/Blair/Bonner
C - McDyess/Ratliff/Mahinmi

Nope, RJ's a small forward.

damn CG, you are really an asshole to use such a killer argument

[Fabbs]

People talk about how small ball didn't work against the Mavs. The Mavs won the series, but the lineup wasn't the disaster everyone is making it out to be.

The small ball lineup was 1 foul away from closing out the Mavs in 7 after being down 3-1. Not a terribly bad "experiment" if you ask me.

Small Balls is what put us down 3-1. Yes, the Spurs almost came back but why go down 3-1 with a roster that just won the le in 2005. Adjusting to a rookie coach? Dipstick Pop got owned.

[tp2021]

Small ball will be loads improved, simply by putting RJ in at the 4 instead of Finley/Udoka like in seasons past. Parker/Hill/Manu/RJ/Tim is a great lineup.

[Fabbs]

Pop has mainly used small ball not by choice but because "normal ball" didn't work.

63-19 regular season record, #1 seed.
1-0 vs Sacramento in the playoffs with Man From Nazr getting 25 minutes, going 6-6 with 8 boards (6 offensive) in a 122-88 blowout.
2-0 after we win Gm 2 with Nazy doing 24 min. Granted it was an OT win.
So, 63-19 record #1 seed, 2-0 after two playoff games. How could one think we needed to shrink to small balls?

Artest and Wells get injured so we pull out that series 4-2 even with Mike Finley doing 30+ minutes the last couple games.

At this point in time on to Dallas whereupon Dipstick Popped the arrogant wino decides to go small ball. Basically benches Man From Nazr and Rasho (Rasho wasnt getting many minutes anyways but he was getting minutes as in 9 vs Dallas Gm 1, oh yeah a win) and freakin Mike "Boifriend" Finley. Finley gets huge minutes, including 47 minutes in an OT loss (as Nazr and the talls get a "DNP roaches decision" for 4 straight games and we get our asses run out 4-3 by a rookie coach.

Say what you want about Tall Ball, we won with it. Did not "have" to change.

On to this year, yes Jefferson and Blair is a HUGE upgrade over Boyfriend Finley. If Wino will play him.