No more Mason, Pop! For the love of God! Give his minutes to Hairston, who will actually do something with his time on the court.
Tim needs to operate closer to the basket. Last night he got the ball so far away from the basket it allowed the defender to recover after his initial move. TD needs to establish position closer so that he is ready to take a quality shot after one or two quick moves. He needs to remember he isn't playing against Dampier or Haywood where he had the quickness advantage. Of course our passers gotta make quick crisp passes to the post. Take Frye and Amare down low Timmy!
No more Mason, Pop! For the love of God! Give his minutes to Hairston, who will actually do something with his time on the court.
you two expect Nash to miss his layups the rest of the way? coz that's how Hill got toasted.... layups!
Great write-up, as always.
Agree on George Hill. Hill is a very good and emerging young player, as he demonstrated versus the Mavs. However, I always thought the coaching staff somewhat overrated his defensive ability. Allowing him to guard the likes of Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo and other top stars on occasion. In almost every instance, he's overmatched against these bigger, elite offensive players. However, one would assume that Hill should have at least been able to stay in front of a 37 years old, Steve Nash. Terribly wrong. Nash carved him up like a Thanksgiving Day turkey. Hopefully, Pop and staff will devise a better strategy for slowing down the Suns "head of the snake".
I think at some point Pop needs to tell RJ that if he doesn't take X amount of shots per game with X amount of them being three's, there will be repercussions.
So for example ten total shots, three of which are three point shots. I mean it seems the biggest issue is this guy doesn't want to shoot the rock.
Can Jefferson post up Nash? Or is that not part of his game (like so many other things)?
Short comments here:
- Bonner was awful on D and scared to hit open looks. If his D is poor he needs to shoot the 3 at least, otherwise there is no reason to have him out there.
- Bogans will get minutes again - for his limitations I think he was one of the best bench players. He was pretty good IMO.
- Mason: no comments. He's invisible.
- Pop: he didn't take time out on the get back run on the 3rd by the Suns, obviously playing CIA Pop to try to will his team to behave and play like they are supposed to. He let them get gouged by the Suns there. It backfired as many of the things and strategy backfired big time last night.
Still can't figure this out. He is not quick enough? Doesn't make any sense.
Nash had 25 points in game 1 of the Portland series, which was a Phoenix loss. Perhaps it was the Spurs strategy to make Nash a scorer, but allowing him to score 17 points in the first quarter is mind-boggling.
When's the last time a 37 year old player scored 17 points in one quarter in the playoffs? Has to be some kind of record.
Spurs players and coaching staff should hang their heads in shame for allowing that to happen.
The Suns had their best game of the playoffs so far. If the Spurs were as gassed as a lot of people are saying, it wouldn't have been a 3 point game with 3 minutes to play. On a night where no players were feeling their shots, most teams would have packed it in. The Spurs scratched and clawed and gave themelves a chance at a classic "ugly win". The Suns won the game, but every player on the team knows that they weren't safe, even on a good night for them and a bad night for the Spurs.
I guarantee you one thing - there wasn't a single Suns fan in the arena or watching at home who wasn't thinking, "Oh - here we go again."
I can't believe how quick some people are to write off George Hill. He's a hard worker, and a quick study. Just as importand, he's fearless. His performance in Game 1 isn't going to weigh on his Game 2 in any way. I'll be shocked if he doesn't absolutely kick ass next game.
It was his first time as a starter against Steve Nash. Nash is a 2-time MVP, and he was in the zone last night. When he plays like that, he's a challenge for any player in the league. The best you can hope for is to limit the damage. Hill will make adjustments, and do a better job on Nash next time.
Nobody thought the Suns would be easy to beat. But a few small adjustments is all it would have taken to win that game. I feel confident that the Spurs can improve their performance from Game 1. Can the Suns? I think the Spurs took their best punch, and had them worried right up to the end. It's a setup for a "steal" of Game 2.
This whole concern about the second unit if Parker and Ginobili both start is overblown. It just comes down to working the rotation so that there's never a stretch where neither is on the floor.
If they both start, Pop could put in Hill (or Bogans) for Ginobili five-six minutes in, then bring him back after a three minute break and have Parker rest for the remainder of the quarter. Then bring him back early in the second quarter, play them together for a few minutes, then get Ginobili another brief rest. Then they could finish the half together. So one could always be on the court, playing with the second unit. How hard is that?
Waow not even the 3rd?... poor Tony...
he definetely should traded...![]()
On second thought what does it matter.
Noone in the West has a chance at beating the Lakers![]()
Phoenix has a chance vs. LA IMO..small chance, but a chance..
At the end, this series will boil down to whose energy drops faster, Duncan's or Nash's.
At any rate, having seen how the other series is "reffed", it looks like another LA trip to the Finals.
Phoenix can put pressure on the Lakers defense. I don't think the deliberate offense of the Spurs can do that. Plus, we've got too many non-performers to get past the Lakers, perhaps even the Suns.
Bonner, Mason and RJ are our tickets out of the playoffs. Shame really, because if just one of these dudes could step up, it would make a world of difference.
Based on the Mavs series, I still hold out hope that RJ can make a contribution. Bonner & Mason - fahgetabou .
Agree. Too many non productive players on the roster and a thin frontline to knock off the lakers.
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