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Not really.
When after 3 quarters we trailed 78-68, at the start of the 4th, Duncan and Leonard sat on the bench. The two of them, I think it's safe to say are our best defenders right now, with Manu being hurt much of the year. The lead went up to 13 points @ the 7:27 mark. It wasn't until 6:53 in the 4th when Duncan and Leonard checked back into the game. They had been resting since the 4:01 minute mark in the 3rd. I don't know how you guys feel, but I really felt Pop should have put our best defenders in the game to start the 4th! Why not try and chip away at the lead some? Duncan and Leonard easily could have rested mid 4th, and came back from a strong push to end the game. I don't question Pop much, but last night watching this game it seriously bothered me he didn't have those two on the court to start the 4th when trailing by 10. Why let the deficit increase? Thoughts anyone?
Not really.
People who aren't responsible for decisions and their consequences often have a problem with and second guess them. It's the forum meme, tbh.
Duncan was tired. His rebounding numbers are a dead giveaway. After the effort he gave in OKC the night before it is understandable. The Mavs were on fire last night, no sense in running Duncan into the ground. We won the game that mattered the night before.
I was actually glad to see Timmy on the bench, not because TD was playing bad, but because Pop was running everything through him on offense, and the ball kept sticking when he was on the floor.
I was a little disturbed by the up and down effort on team defense all game long and then within the last 3 minutes or so the defensive intensity rose to great levels, matched and then surpassed the Mavs' championship effort. They stopped getting punked and started doing the punking, like it's supposed to be. I understand it was the feeling of desperation during the waning moments of the game that was the catalyst for the e in intensity. Even still, that's what bothered me... not the rotation.
Yeah 20 yr old rookies definitely need to rest. Wouldn't wanna wear out them youngsters so early in their careers.
Fair enough, but does home court advantage over the Thunder not matter? When did we as a franchise get this loser mentality that rest was all important? And giving up in games was acceptable, as long as we looked at the "big picture?" In my opinion it puts the team in a weak state of mind. Winning should always be the goal. This "regular season doesn't matter" mentality was fine, when we were winning les.
I think we only won the LoB once with the best overall record, or maybe it was twice. TBH, Pop never chases wins, he chases good basketball, and the wins will come. If you don't understand that two of our key players need rest on a regular basis, and see this as a loser mentality, then I can't explain it to you.
Twice -- 1999 and 2003
Spurs were the #2 seed in the West in 2005 and had to beat PNX without HCA to get to the Finals.
Spurs were the #3 seed in the West in 2007.
The Spurs also had the best record in the West in 1995, 2001, 2006, and 2011 and didn't reach the Finals.
That pretty much says it that the Spurs want a top 3 seed to win it all. I think it's real simple as far as figuring out who will win the LoB. It's based on matchups. How well do you matchup to the best teams and can you beat them 4 out of 7. The Spurs used to own the Suns that's why they had no problem beating them with the lower seed. On the other hand they used to struggle with the Lakers and Mavs.
I didn't have a problem with it, but seeing that 3 days rest followed that game maybe they could've played more.
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