Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Lakers - Jan. 12

[igruex]

Kid's gone through a brutal shooting slump. He's going to be hot and cold for a while because coming off those kinds of slumps are akin to getting to where you trust a healed ankle or knee. Last night was the first time I've seen any of that swagger from him this season. I expect that if he can keep his head up and his shot continues to fall he'll have the confidence to play through it on nights where his shot's not dropping.

None of us pretend him to contribute nearly as much as Manu when having an off night on the shooting department, yet, I can't find any way for RMJ to contribute (continue to play) without being hot.

All that said, Finley usually managed to play without hitting a single shot for long stretches, I really hope Pop has only one man crush on the Spurs.

[Phenomanul]

When the coach proclaims to the heavens for a year that the team doesn't stand a chance without a healthy player X, and then player X goes down, what does anyone expect?

So are you also suggesting the RMJ is a playoff choker? That's the premise I was arguing against.

[igruex]

Insufficient sample size for you to make that claim.

Much of his drop in play was due to the absence of Ginobili....

Even though the sample size's indeed insufficient, what matters is that RMJ could possibly hit one of his shooting slumps come playoff time. The downside on him is that we can't take him for granted till it matters.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Halfway through the fourth, the Lakers had cut it all the way down to a 6-point game. With the game seemingly in the balance, a Tim Duncan layup sparked an 8-0 run and the Spurs were able to blow it open at the end.

After watching the game again, and thinking about your question about whether we should be happy or not, I have decided we should be happy but not smug. When the lead was down to 6 the team buckled down with a number of good defensive possessions, and our next 5 consecutive scores were layups off a variety of plays (fast break, pnr, o board, extra pass). We haven't shown that level of commitment and composure against a good team yet this season, so yeah, we should be moderately happy.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

TP has pf... that makes so much sense. Bugger - it's the kind of injury you can play through if you can handle the pain, but that needs 2+ months rest to heal. That probably means Tony will be choppy for the rest of the season.

RMJ was superb in the season, but disappeared in the playoffs.

Some players step it up, some step it down.

Or maybe all he needed was some playoff blooding and he'll be better this year.

Kid's gone through a brutal shooting slump. He's going to be hot and cold for a while because coming off those kinds of slumps are akin to getting to where you trust a healed ankle or knee. Last night was the first time I've seen any of that swagger from him this season. I expect that if he can keep his head up and his shot continues to fall he'll have the confidence to play through it on nights where his shot's not dropping.

I must be watching a different team because I think Mason has looked pretty good for the last 3 weeks to a month, and that is certainly reflected in his stats - he's been taking good shots, making good decisions, going to the rack when the opportunity arises (and finishing!), and play energetic D. As long as he doesn't have to play the point he should be okay...

[HarlemHeat37]

I hope he does step it up in the playoffs, we'll need him..

I don't know if the experience is a factor though..he struggled in the playoffs with Washington the year before with the same amount of playing time that he had in the playoffs with us last year..

[Obstructed_View]

None of us pretend him to contribute nearly as much as Manu when having an off night on the shooting department, yet, I can't find any way for RMJ to contribute (continue to play) without being hot.

All that said, Finley usually managed to play without hitting a single shot for long stretches, I really hope Pop has only one man crush on the Spurs.

Roger can hustle, he can defend a little (he can at least stay in position), he can handle the ball, and he can pass (when not asked to for long stretches). I think he can do all those things even if he's having a rough shooting night, at least now that he appears to be emerging from the slump. Time will tell if that's possible.

[Obstructed_View]

So are you also suggesting the RMJ is a playoff choker? That's the premise I was arguing against.

No, sorry. I was suggesting that Pop set the team up to fail once Manu went down. RMJ clearly didn't show up emotionally for the playoffs, but a case can be made that nobody not wearing number 21 did.

[Obstructed_View]

I must be watching a different team because I think Mason has looked pretty good for the last 3 weeks to a month, and that is certainly reflected in his stats - he's been taking good shots, making good decisions, going to the rack when the opportunity arises (and finishing!), and play energetic D. As long as he doesn't have to play the point he should be okay...

Again, sorry Oz. You aren't watching a different team, you're just watching them more often. I said it was the first time I've seen it, but I assumed from box scores that it wasn't the first time he's shot well. I should have made that more clear.

[will_spurs]

DeJuan Blair
DeJuan Blair doesn't back down from many opponents. However this time, the burly rookie has met his match: the rookie wall. At Pittsburgh last season, Blair played in 35 games. He just played in game number 36 for the Spurs. This is the exact point in the season in which rookies hit the wall. Versus the Lakers, he played seven empty minutes. When will he defeat the wall? Will he defeat the will? We'll have to wait and see.

Didn't have to wait for too long