Initial Reaction: Spurs vs. Mavs - Jan. 8

[SequSpur]

BTW, if Tim Duncan had Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitsky next to him instead of the rest of these has beens and wish we coulds, they would win a championship easily.

[AFBlue]

Spurs got gassed in the 4th, but you can't blame that whole atrocity of a collapse on Bud over playing the guys. Though the lineup that got the Spurs rolling in the 3rd had Hill and Tony on the court together.. I thought that Bud should have gone back to that in the 4th.

Dirk is too good to keep down for a whole game. So you had to know going into the 4th that if you gave him any light at the end of the tunnel, he was going to start rolling. After he hit a couple shots in the fourth on defensive lapses, I knew it was over because he starts getting every kind of shot, bounce, call, etc going his way. You can't let him get his rhythm. And then the team starts raining 3's - Kidd, Jet and Dirk all in back-to-back possessions. In the 4th, the Spurs were all discombobulated.. late on switches, getting in each other's way on both sides of the court, etc. I need to re-watch the fourth to watch again how they let this one get away from them so badly.

Couldn't agree more.

I think "discombobulated" is the perfect word to describe the team on both ends of the court in the fourth quarter.

[SequSpur]

Couldn't agree more.

I think "discombobulated" is the perfect word to describe the team on both ends of the court in the fourth quarter.

it's nothing new...it's the new Spurs. they lack organization. the athleticism works against the ty teams but against top tier talent, it doesn't cut it.

spurs teams don't lose to the mavs at home on a friday night and give up 42 in a qrtr to them...

change must come.

[SequSpur]

Gassed? Jason Terry goes off and Nowitsky go off and they are gassed?

No... Dallas is just better. They have proved it this year and they kicked the out of the spurs in the playoffs just months ago..

No excuses.. Spurs got the spanking the deserved.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Usually Dirk kills the Spurs from the line in the fourth. And he hasn't recently hit many threes against the Spurs. In the fourth tonight, dude was just a flat out stud. Gotta tip the cap to that performance in the fourth. That's an example as why he might be most underrated clutch player of all time.

nahdah he gets his prahps

not on this board but he definitely gets recognition for being clutch.

you wanna know what really pisses me off about this whole thing is how the Spurs-Mavericks rivalry is NEVER on national tv anymore. It's like it doesn't matter and is inconsequential because it's a given the Lakers will win the west no matter what.

[TheChillFactor]

mcdyess has been a huge disappointment to me so far. i wasn't sure he was the guy we needed next to duncan, and now i'm sure he's not the guy. we need a 2nd legit big. the lakers will destroy us with their bigs.

RJ had a really stupid play on dirk in the 4th where dirk had nothing going and RJ overplayed him and let him get an easy shot. i don't think RJ has the brains to be a spurs player.

i'm really disappointed that this was our big makeover - RJ and McDyess. No ing way we win a championship with this team. we need a trade - just my opinion.

[Blackjack]

of an initial reaction.

-Tim Duncan can't be blamed for this loss. He played very well in his 39 minutes. With Duncan on the court, the Spurs outscored the Mavs by five. With him on the bench in nine minutes, the Spurs were outscored by 14.

Funny thing is, he was only second in the +/-; lies, damn lies, and 'Dyess with a +9..

-Manu Ginobili was very good to begin the game. He was attacking relentlessly and was making smart plays. However, his game fell off a cliff late in the contest. His 34 minutes of action were probably too much and fatigue got the best of him.

-Tony Parker came out aggressive but he definitely peaked early on. His decision making in the second half left a lot to be desired and he wasn't helping the comeback effort in the fourth quarter. To make matters worse, he seemed to lose confidence late in the game.

I thought they both really came out of the gate playing with fire and on the verge of playing their best ball, but just never quite got over the top and on the same page. Manu did look to tire and Tony seemed to take a backseat and get lost in the fray as the game wore.

This game, for all the stats you can point to, was lost on account of guard-play at crucial moments. They had a chance to bury the Mavs early and late in the third, but failed to capitalize. Tony got happy feet, refused to reset and gain his composure to assess the defense and proceed with making the right decision, and both he and Manu took ill-advised, rushed shots when there was no need to; what should have been a 15-20 point lead coming into the fourth quarter became 10 with the Mavs having the ball to open. It's unacceptable for two veterans the caliber of Manu and Tony to be looking like a young, inexperienced tandem that doesn't know how to deal with success.

-Richard Jefferson put up ten points in the first half and played stellar defense through three quarter. But in the fourth, he made a couple of horrible defensive decisions and single-handedly got Nowitzki going by giving him open shots. His lack of rebounding also really hurt the Spurs.

I liked what I saw from RJ; mostly, that is.

Obviously, his opportunities are going to be sporadic and less than ideal to really go off being the fourth option, so 12 shots on 50% shooting is about what you'd hope for; 2-2 on free-throws isn't enough, though. His defense was actually pretty damn solid for the majority of the game. But I thought he got hung out to dry late, after they decided to leave him on an island against Dirk down low and allow Nowitzki to adjust to the coverage; once Dirk started getting that ball below the free-throw line and started taking his time, RJ was defenseless. I put that one on the coaching

-George Hill played inspired basketball, especially in the third quarter. He hit all three of his shots -- two three-pointers and a three-point play. Despite his quality play, in the guts of the game Hill was on the bench.

Inexcusable to have him on the bench late with the way he's been able to play Terry. The Spurs finally have a suitable option to put on Terry, who's also capable of switching on to Kidd, and they leave him on the Bench to watch as the Nutcracker bust the balls of the Spurs late, yet again.

The guy seems to rise to the occasion against the Mavs and others in these playoff-style atmospheres, yet he's nowhere to be found late. Given his play when out there, I'm not sure how the coaching staff can rationalize that one.

-Pop got ejected in the second quarter for arguing during a timeout. Considering how difficult it is for the Spurs to matchup against the Mavs, he picked a horrible time to hand the baton over to the assistant coaches.

-Coach Bud played the Big 4 too much and without the proper rest, the Spurs looked out of gas by the ten minute mark of the fourth quarter. Overall, his rotation in the second half including a number of head scratchers.

I'd like to say that Pop's ejection put the Spurs at a disadvantage, as it pertains to the second half rotation, but he hasn't been consistent or conventional enough when it comes to playing the Mavs; the rest probably would've been better, check that, definitely would've been better, but who's to say we don't see extreme small ball or anything else for that matter. I did think Bud allowed the group that closed the third to stay on the court a bit too long and the inexperience left the door open for the Mavs, though; again, they should've buried the Mavs but poor decision-making, player and coaches alike, kept the Mavs in striking distance and feeling extremely fortunate to be in the game. It bit the Spurs in the ass.

My two-cents.

[EricB]

mcdyess has been a huge disappointment to me so far. i wasn't sure he was the guy we needed next to duncan, and now i'm sure he's not the guy. we need a 2nd legit big. the lakers will destroy us with their bigs.

RJ had a really stupid play on dirk in the 4th where dirk had nothing going and RJ overplayed him and let him get an easy shot. i don't think RJ has the brains to be a spurs player.

i'm really disappointed that this was our big makeover - RJ and McDyess. No ing way we win a championship with this team. we need a trade - just my opinion.

For who?

So easy to pontificate. Jefferson had a damn good game dint understand the hate on him tonight.

[DPG21920]

Timvp, would you say the Spurs need to eat some spaghetti?

[AFBlue]

For who?

So easy to pontificate. Jefferson had a damn good game dint understand the hate on him tonight.

Agree...I was actually really impressed with his cuts on the offensive end. He seems to be gaining an understanding of where to be on O.

And I'll say it again, I thought his D on Dirk was pretty solid for most of the game. I think Dirk getting rolling was a combination of stupid plays by a number of Spurs (lagging rotations, no effort on closeout, and yes one overplay by RJ) and the fact that he's one of the best players in the league.

All things considered, I liked what I saw from RJ tonight.

[SequSpur]

For who?

So easy to pontificate. Jefferson had a damn good game dint understand the hate on him tonight.

yeah, RJ wasn't the problem...The whole ing thing fell apart and I think Tony and Manu led the charge.........

in the wrong direction...

I agree the Spurs need to do something in the middle..not sure what or who, but they clearly are soft in the middle.

[AFBlue]

mcdyess has been a huge disappointment to me so far. i wasn't sure he was the guy we needed next to duncan, and now i'm sure he's not the guy. we need a 2nd legit big. the lakers will destroy us with their bigs.

RJ had a really stupid play on dirk in the 4th where dirk had nothing going and RJ overplayed him and let him get an easy shot. i don't think RJ has the brains to be a spurs player.

i'm really disappointed that this was our big makeover - RJ and McDyess. No ing way we win a championship with this team. we need a trade - just my opinion.

There's no doubt that McDyess is struggling right now, but I think he's making the adjustment just like RJ. His perimeter-oriented game should work well with the guards on pick-n-pop plays and should provide adequate spacing for Tim down low.

His defense suffered tonight when he got called for some ticky-tack fouls early and he was just out of sorts on both ends the rest of the night.

I guess I wish he were coming in and producing well from the outset, but I think it's too early to say "he's not the guy".

[SequSpur]

There's no doubt that McDyess is struggling right now, but I think he's making the adjustment just like RJ. His perimeter-oriented game should work well with the guards on pick-n-pop plays and should provide adequate spacing for Tim down low.

His defense suffered tonight when he got called for some ticky-tack fouls early and he was just out of sorts on both ends the rest of the night.

I guess I wish he were coming in and producing well from the outset, but I think it's too early to say "he's not the guy".

He hasn't been the guy for years...

My question for Popovich is why did you sign him? What can he do? What assets does he have to help any team? He can shoot a 10-15 footer...he doesn't have any athleticism anymore, he doesn't block shots, he doesn't rebound very well... he is slow... what things does he do to make the spurs better than last year? Kurt Thomas was better.

[Obstructed_View]

I'm really disappointed in Pop. The Mavs are by far the most difficult team for the Spurs to scheme against and Pop picks this game to get ejected? The games against the Mavs are where Pop has to do by far the most coaching -- especially in the regular season.

Weak by Pop, even if Zack Zebra is making horrible calls both ways

Pop didn't have an excuse to sit out one or more of the big three, as he typically finds a way to do in early season statement games, so getting himself tossed on a meaningless call is just as good. For him at least.

[Obstructed_View]

I agree the Spurs need to do something in the middle..not sure what or who, but they clearly are soft in the middle.

Where's that jesus picture when we need it?

[Ginobilly]

I guess 2k10 was right all along in the rating.....
Looks like Spurs are going the way of a first round exit again.

[Obstructed_View]

BTW, why in the did the Spurs suddenly start switching on pick and rolls in the 4th quarter? Is that somewhere in that strategy book that people have been quoting the last few days?

[AFBlue]

I guess 2k10 was right all along in the rating.....
Looks like Spurs are going the way of a first round exit again.

Now THAT is the perfect initial reaction to a January loss.

[AFBlue]

BTW, why in the did the Spurs suddenly start switching on pick and rolls in the 4th quarter? Is that somewhere in that strategy book that people have been quoting the last few days?

I don't know what it is, but it seemed like the guards who were fighting through screens and bigs that were showing out past the three point line through three quarters were just content to concede the switch on every screen.

It has to be fatigue, because it's an awful strategy.

[Obstructed_View]

I don't know what it is, but it seemed like the guards who were fighting through screens and bigs that were showing out past the three point line through three quarters were just content to concede the switch on every screen.

It has to be fatigue, because it's an awful strategy.

Actually, I think you hit on something there, because the bigs that were showing in the first three quarters weren't in the game anymore, were they? How much blame does Duncan get for all the switching?

[Cant_Be_Faded]

BTW, why in the did the Spurs suddenly start switching on pick and rolls in the 4th quarter? Is that somewhere in that strategy book that people have been quoting the last few days?

weird
i was saying earlier how it was weird how they seemed to switch all game

i was pulling hair out watching hill on dirk and mcdyess on howard

[AFBlue]

Actually, I think you hit on something there, because the bigs that were showing in the first three quarters weren't in the game anymore, were they? How much blame does Duncan get for all the switching?

I use the term "big" loosely. At times the second "big" was Bogans...

For some reason, it also felt like the Mavs were using screens alot more in the fourth than they did in the previous three quarters. And why not...it worked like a charm.

[EricB]

Agree...I was actually really impressed with his cuts on the offensive end. He seems to be gaining an understanding of where to be on O.

And I'll say it again, I thought his D on Dirk was pretty solid for most of the game. I think Dirk getting rolling was a combination of stupid plays by a number of Spurs (lagging rotations, no effort on closeout, and yes one overplay by RJ) and the fact that he's one of the best players in the league.

All things considered, I liked what I saw from RJ tonight.

IMO his most complete game as a Spur.

Loved what I saw. Could he have been a little more agressive on the offensive end? Sure, but his cuts and drives were solid.

Keep progressing RJ, love what I'm seeing.

[lurker23]

I thought the Mavs hit some tought shots: Terry over Tim baseline, Dirk last second 3's...There were quite a few tough shots. But I guess when you get rolling the basket looks big.

I agree with this. On at least a few of the key possessions in the fourth, I thought the Spurs played very good defense, only to be killed by unconscious shooting. With Dirk's dagger shot to make it 107-100, IIRC, the Spurs had 20 seconds of very solid defense, the ball went to Dirk at the top, and RJ closed out very well with a hand in his face before he drained it. Like timvp said, the damage was probably already done and the basket looked like the Grand freaking Canyon to the Mavs by that time, but that doesn't mean they failed at D for the entire 4th.

[J_Paco]

I think everyone's brought up great points so far. But, my main issue with this game was the long stretches of small-ball played throughout the second half, the inability to grab defensive rebound that created and not throwing taller defenders at Dirk. This is the sort of game where Matt Bonner is really missed, because even though he can't defend Dirk one-on-one, he's still a legitimate 6'10" and allows the team to play a "bigger" line-up. We also missed the spacing that he helps create, especially in the 4th quarter.