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A measuring stick? Yes!
The positive about this measuring stick regardless of the result is that there is still time to gell.
The measuring sticks that come in March have more finality to them.
Well we could easily lose to the Thunder either way, they've had our number..although I would still expect the meltdown threads..
A measuring stick? Yes!
The positive about this measuring stick regardless of the result is that there is still time to gell.
The measuring sticks that come in March have more finality to them.
Exactly. I got nothing from none of the last 10. Miami is the lone exception in the way we beat them. The jury is still out.
we will lose both games unfortunately
This spurs team is still fools gold to me. But being that I see a chemistry developing I will hold my judgement. But all in all the lakers are gonna be a tall task for us.
I am not very optimistic for the Dallas and Lakers games. Apart from the Miami game, I have not seen many reasons to consider the Spurs have reached a contender level
well if Gasol does not play we probably win that game. But it's meaningless
So I guess last years series with the Mavs was meaningless because we didn’t have Manu? Or maybe Alabama should replay Texas because McCoy got hurt last night which makes that game meaningless?
Injuries happen with every team, it’s just the way it goes. Sometimes we catch a break and when we do we have to take advantage of it. It doesn’t make the game meaningless it just makes it a bit easier and I’ll take that any day!
Definitely a measuring stick. I'd be happy with a split, if the loss is close ballgame.
We can take both, if we limit turnovers and shoot a good percentage at the line.
Bingo
BTW, I meant meaningless as a real "measuring stick" game
Ok point taken with the whole "measuring stick" part but come on you can't say the Mav's series was meaningless just because of no Manu, you have to fight through injuries not just lay down and die!
Excellent points. As far as measuring sticks go, these games are more about how they play the game and less about the W. If they play good, disciplined basketball and lose the game on a few tough breaks then there is far less to worry about...because if they still match up well then winning a playoff series against either team becomes much easier to envision.
That said, a win would be nice too.
Actually took in Daybreakers instead of keeping track of the game (wasn't televised in Houston). Reading the recaps...I thought Daybreakers was bad...yeesh
So how do you feel this game played out?Excellent points. As far as measuring sticks go, these games are more about how they play the game and less about the W. If they play good, disciplined basketball and lose the game on a few tough breaks then there is far less to worry about...because if they still match up well then winning a playoff series against either team becomes much easier to envision.
That said, a win would be nice too.
Personally, I think I'm happy with about 85% of the Spurs game against the Mavs. Defense was solid for most of the game and RJ is looking more comfortable. That said, they need to figure out what their big man rotation is and who is going to be dependable. Also, they badly need to figure out how play 48 minutes. These aren't exactly small problems, but I think they're problems that are legitimately fixable.
Really? I was only happy with the intensity and defense on the 3rd quarter. It's hard to feel good about the first half, when we shot almost 20% more than them and only ended up with a 3 point lead. I don't think I need to say anything about the 4th...
I feel ok about the game, just that I don't like all the ty comments by Mavs fans. Guess I am butthurt about it. Who knows. The Spurs show that they are one of the best offensive teams in the league but on defense, they can't stop the Mavs in the 4th and execution without Pop is terrible. There is no way Bud was on the phone with Pop all the time to discuss what to do. This team looked lost in a close game in the 4th and the Spurs failed to play good defense and execute in the 4th. This caused the Spurs the game and I think it is going to bite the Spurs in the ass at the end of the season.
The thing I would like to comment on is killer instinct. The Spurs had put a stranglehold on the game with a 13 point lead. At that point, the Spurs teams in the past would put the game away with tough defense. Unfortunately, our bigs not named Duncan were not capable enough to finish the opponent off by rebounding the ball and defend Dirk, losing the game in the 4th.
Last edited by Chieflion; 01-09-2010 at 10:53 AM.
Matchup-wise, I think they are in a lot better shape than they have been in the past against the Mavs. As you said, 48 minutes of consistent basketball would cure a lot of things. I know a lot of people are trashing Dice right now, but I expect he will raise his level of play as they get closer to the playoffs. In one of the previous games with the Mavs, he showed that he can defend Dirk effectively. Couple that with what RJ showed against Dirk last night and they should have a good shot at containing Dirk in a playoff series.
One thing is for sure...the Spurs HAVE to rebound better and stop allowing so many offensive boards in order to beat the Mavs. The Spurs have allow 40 offensive boards in the three games played against Dallas. That is completely unacceptable. People can laugh if they want, but 15-20 minutes of Matt Bonner last night would have been helpful. He played very well in the first two games versus the Mavs and he could have provided valuable minutes of rest for Manu.
All in all I think there are more positives than negatives and I agree that most of the issues are fixable. I'm still on the fence as far as making another move to shore up the front line. The x-factor in this is Blair's ability to contribute against the better teams in the West. If this is still a question as the team approaches the end of this month then a trade may be necessary to keep us in the conversation with the contenders.
I actually thought the Spurs teams in the past had the same issue with holding onto big leads...they would just end up winning in the end.
The Spurs have always been known to give up huge leads, but they've always gotten the stops when we needed them..big difference now..
You know, I don't expect stuff like that anymore. That sounds like they can flip a switch whenever they want, and I would say more times than not it doesn't work like that at all. Somebody else brought Tony's jumper who also 'expected' it would improve by the time the playoffs come around. Or the overall defense.
Spurs started with this coasting thing and flip a switch mentality since the Horry days. Pop used to have a place in the doghouse for those players that didn't bring it every night. I can understand giving Antonio some leeway time, considering he's new, but we're almost half a season in, and he just looks as disinterested as you can possibly be. He was brought in to help Tim in the paint and he's being doing absolutely nothing of that sort. How long you wait? Is it merely a 'switch' situation?
I don't think "disinterested" is the right term. I don't see Dice as the type of player that deliberately plays with a lack of interest, especially when this is his last chance contract-wise at getting a ring. I don't think it's a coasting/switch thing either.
TBQH, I'm not sure what it is...I just know that he is capable of better play. It's not a physical thing, as he is still moving and running the floor well. He just doesn't seem to be dialed in mentally. Hopefully he will get that way as we move through this month and into the next.
How do you figure the big situation on who will be dependable is fixable? Its become obvious the spurs don't have the talent on the frontline on the roster.
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