Reply With Quote
What about a carnival ride?
The bottom line is the Spurs are weak on the frontline and the lakers exposed that.
What about a carnival ride?
@ the bigger trophy comment.
Good points. We're more equipped to beat Memphis because Diaw has decent enough size to defend him and we don't have to rely solely on Bonner and Blair. But I just don't understand Pop, how much more clearer does it have to be that against two 7 foot big men, he simply HAS to play Duncan and Splitter together? Where the are our assistant coaches in all this mess? If Pop can't see this, one of those pussies has to man up and say something. Even Timmy should go up and tell Pop you and your stupid rotations against LAL, you gotta play me with Splitter against these giants. It's ing ridiculous! Never seen a coach this stubborn in my life. Again, Pop HAS to play them together, we meet them 2 more times and if he doesn't try it I might just shoot myself.
How truly pathetic that it's come down to this. It's not even about panicking anymore it's about saving face. It's too late to incorporate Splitter into the starting lineup. It really truly is. Those two (Tim & Tiago) would need a full year just to get comfortable (should have been last season's accomplishment but I digress).
Now Pop will lose all credibility if he tries a pathetic end of the season last ditch lineup change. Might as well keep the apples on the cart in nice neat rows and hope to somebody knocks out LA & Memphis. And probably OKC & Houston too.
Genius coaching!
...And Miami, Chicago, Boston, and probably Denver...
Green must have gotten lucky. I heard it's an inevitable fact that Green really sucks and is going to be replaced in the starting lineup by Manu. It's like, inevitable that it's inevitably going to happen sooner or later.
The Spurs need to make a big push to finish with the #1 seed and avoid OKC/LA until the Western Finals.
First, it's all about matchups. I think that the Spurs can beat Memphis this year, but not LA, in the playoffs. OKC can beat the Lakers but maybe not the Spurs. It's like '07 all over again when the Spurs couldn't beat Dallas but could beat everyone else. They got lucky and didn't have to face Dallas. This year we need OKC to take care of LA.
Second, a concerted push at the end of the season will build momentum going into the playoffs -- as opposed to last year's disatrous "controlled retreat" which not only didn't achieve the goal of avoiding injuries but also sapped the team's enthusiam leading into the postseason. (In fact, Manu's injury came in the next game after he sat out a game as did injuries to Duncan and TP late in the season.)
This year the tea leaves are looking equally ominous . . .
Pop sits the Big 3 on an 11 game winning streak against Portland.
Result?
Spurs lose 4 of 6.
Pop sits the Big 3 on an 11 game winning streak against Utah.
Result?
Spurs lose 2 straight (and counting).
Come on Pop, no one wins anything by going into a s . Go for it and let the chips fall where they may (and play Splitter more too, BTW).
The team has done what I said the team would do. They are who I thought they were. They are not built to win a ring, just to sell tickets in San Antonio. It's good management. Once Tim's salary is cut, there will be cap space for more talent, but the Spurs will never be backfilled like the Lakers. No team in the league is. You might as well be ing about the Yankees.
Let's be honest. The Lakers team that played the Spurs last night is NOT the one they would face in the playoffs. Artest and Bynum will not get the touches they got last night when Kobe is playing. I firmly believe the Spurs matchup better against the Lakers when Kobe is on the court dominating the ball and taking 18 shots to get 22 pts.
How is that going to help the spurs in the paint? Kobe or no Kobe that's where the spurs got butchered last night.
I guess we can hope that. Bynum will still be rebounding and defending.
So all of our hopes lie on Kobe and Gay taking touches away from the bigs...
I'm starting to think that the whole "Bonner spaces the floor" bull Pop preaches is completely predicated on Tony Parker being a complete . Seeing as Tony wouldn't even venture into the paint when there is a competent big man in there, Pop obviously realizes that Matt Bonner has to be out there to atleast give the notion that he is spreading the floor to prevent Tony from flaking out like he did last night.
Of course this doesn't explain Dejaun Blair starting. Pop and Parker are wearing on me.
I agree.
Doesn't mater when you're out-rebounded by 27.
Personally, I didn't think LA was that bad of a matchup because of how huge the Spurs' quickness advantage is on the perimeter. I thought TP and Manu would be more than willing to meet the bigs at the basket as well as dance past them on high pick and rolls. Yet not a single Spur tested the inside consistently.Any Spurs fan who can't recognize the Lakers are by faaaaaaaaaaar the worst matchup for the Spurs in the playoffs (in the West, at least) needs to return their fandom card and go find another sport, tbh.
Not only that, they acted like fouling Bynum a few times hard when he was going off, whether it be for an offensive board or a shot, was some kind of taboo. Thanks Pop for not stepping up and demanding the Spurs beat the out of him. Knock that kid to the ground to the few times and try to get in his head maybe - we're already being blown out at home and embarrassed by Bynum almost single handedly. Nothing like it happened, though.
No one could have reasonably predicted such a huge meltdown and a complete lack of balls on the part of the Spurs. Particularly TP. I concede LA is the worst matchup but there's 7 other almost equally bad matchups out West with the Big 3 playing with their tails between their legs. In fact, outside of a few plays by Captain Jax and Danny Green, the entire team looked ready to concede the game from the very first possession.
Last edited by z0sa; 04-12-2012 at 01:43 PM.
and playing Splitter 15 minutes is utterly unforgivable. And the Big 3 not playing well after being held out vs the Jazz is just as utterly deflating. What a ty loss this really was.
Wow, some of you shouldn't even post. I mean seriously....the Spurs "are who we thought they were"....thats the best way to sum it up- Ive enjoyed watching them beat up on lesser opponents, but that all ends come playoff time(as last night showed us)...and then to think the Spurs will have a better chance w/ Kobe playing?? WOW LOOOL!!! Everyone plays off the concern with Memphis and LA, when in reality the Spurs are going to struggle with any of the teams. If Dallas gets the 8 we could see a repeat of what happend last year w/ Memphis...anyone that thinks differently needs to remove the homer goggles.
I will say this: Pop must be the only idiotic coach in the NBA that:
a) Rests his stars consistently, even when healthy and fighting for playoff position...these guys are million dollar athletes that do this for a living! Seems kind of odd that Pop understands they need to be healthy to do anything in the postseason but doesnt get that he needs both bigs on the floor together! WTF? Splitter was the only guy out there last night that could play any effective D inside(and that includes Timmy)!
b) Wont put his best players on the floor together when they need to be...not playing Tiago with Timmy is like MBrown putting Gasol on the bench..and starting MCroberts because hes concerned who will play the paint when Bynum rests. Its painfully obvious to everyone that watches the team but Pop?? If I was a player on the Spurs theres no way I could keep myself from saying SOMETHING!? Whats wrong with these people? Noone wants to admit it but the bottom line is the Spurs won les when Timmy was their BEST player...he hasnt been in a long time..well, since 2007(go figure). Unfortunetly they are not gonna win with an old/slow Tim doing it all by himself in the paint. Blair/Bonner are a JOKE at best...Diaw is weak and Pops ego is too big to play Splitter. THE END.
As I've explained in my book "Why the Spurs Lost, a Voyage Into the Unknown", when Kobe chucks bricks, they are long rebounds. When Bynum or Pau misses, it's at the rim and that hopping, tipping (which is where a lot of the rebounds came from) adds up.
We were beaten by the output of MWP. Kevin Love gets 30 points 30 boards, no one gives a . Bynum gets 16 and 30 and it's Wilt like.
That sequence of possessions in the 3rd where Duncan settled for long jumpshots and clanked shot after shot really put us in a hole. The Lakers didn't put 120pts on us. They didn't even break 100. We just couldn't score the ball.
So, the Spurs cant stop MWP, but should be ok when Kobe is on the floor clanking shots?? Im sorry, but this is wishful thinking and unlikely. Kobe typically plays some of his best ball against the Spurs...you can count on it. Besides that, LA can play alot better...you even said yourself they didnt even score 100. They missed alot of easy baskets and had the refs against them all night- That wont happen in the playoffs.
but...but...
4 rings?
Pop is the greatest coach in the game...who else are you gonna replace him with?....CIA Pop...pop is waiting for the playoffs....
smh
Anyone who even attempted to pretend otherwise has zero credibility . . . but that was obvious before last night's game.
He did not, because there's nothing he can to do earn it. It's past time they re-insert Ginobili back into the starting lineup and stop babying him, with this never get within' sniffing distance of 30 minutes nonsense. Green should absolutely be the third guard, though.-Danny Green earned a starting spot going into the playoffs going into the playoffs.
This is true. I've had enough with trying and failing to match-up with their bigs. Aside from playing Duncan and Splitter a combined 70 or so minutes against them, which is obviously not going to happen, it's time to try something radical, because that's the only other chance at beating this team in a series, since the Spurs clearly still don't believe they can beat them.-Stephen Jackson was one of the few who didn't get scared.
Put Jackson on Gasol for stretches, mix up the coverages on him and force them to match-up with a four who can make plays. Isolate Jackson some on Gasol and also put him in some pick-and-rolls against him, as the ball handler. The Warriors did this to them a few weeks ago and damn near beat them (granted, this was with Bynum sitting down the stretch; but still, it clearly threw them off, someone going small on them) and this was without their two best players. Jackson is tough enough mentally to not be defeated beforehand, which is key.
A few other thoughts . . .
- So much for that rest paying off. I'm not surprised it not only didn't pay off, but probably threw off their rhythm. If resting them short term doesn't pay off, then what chance does it have of doing so three weeks later?
- A beyond disgraceful performance. Even though his inexplicable rotation didn't help, he should have absolutely lost it on them after the game, both privately and publicly. They deserved to have their manhood questioned, the whole nine.
- If it was possible for the Lakers confidence against them to grow, it just did. I'd say they diminished their own confidence against them, but it was abundantly clear they have none. I have no idea why they're still terrified of this team, but they are. Their record isn't great and they almost never win easy, so don't give me this "their size is too much". Evidently, it's not for the rest of the league.
You've never answered those questions. Any moron can . Offer an alternative that makes sense.
Don't know if it isn't obvious but I'm a big fan of Thibs. Really big in fact. In a lot of respects he's like the Pop I wish Pop still was. Though if Pop would fix the rotation I wouldn't have any problems with him.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
