Looking to Game 4: Worries and Silver Linings

[RodNIc91]

Too much credit to Brooks, IMO.

He got his guys ready to play for a must win game, props.

But he made changes that everybody expected (Sef on TP, Switching PnR) that mostly worked because the Spurs came out after the 2nd qtr thinking it was still the Clippers/Jazz & Pop coached liked he expected a loss and didn't want to show his adjustments for Game 4 too early.

I think also this took out of sync our guys a bit. I mean, the rotation tonight was mind boggling at best. You can't help but to wonder how are you bailing out of a 15 point deficit in which you need stops with Neal and bonner when the other side had Harden Westbrook Durant and Sefolosha. Pop could've tried going to blair earlier IMO.

[Russo21]

OKC 14 steals to the Spurs 2 steals

OKC 7 turnovers to the Spurs 21 turnovers

Damn, what a ed game.

[SpurPadre]

Good point. The Spurs keep track of deflections. I'm sure the Thunder had an astronomical amount. Probably season-high for an opponent.

And in turn, I think the deflections rattled the team's psyche. It got in their heads and it resulted in unforced turnovers and bad decisions.

[tesseractive]

I think also this took out of sync our guys a bit. I mean, the rotation tonight was mind boggling at best. You can't help but to wonder how are you bailing out of a 15 point deficit in which you need stops with Neal and bonner when the other side had Harden Westbrook Durant and Sefolosha. Pop could've tried going to blair earlier IMO.

If people aren't doing their jobs, Pop pulls them and gives somebody else a shot. I have zero problem with this, personally.

[Keepin' it real]

I love how people are clamoring for Blair, after dogging him all season. What a bunch of hypocrites.

[spurraider21]

our first game was close/sloppy and we had too many turnovers. game 2 seemed more comfortable and we had few turnovers. we get blown out in game 3 and have over 20 turnovers. seems to be a constant theme if you ask me. if the Thunder are going to play small and switch screens, we need to have a better post presence. Tim needs to step up

[SpurPadre]

I love how people are clamoring for Blair, after dogging him all season. What a bunch of hypocrites.

His height is the reason why people dog him, and I know he can't help that but that's just the way it is. Still, this clamoring is more a reflection of the waste of space that is Bonner than anything. Look, Blair is a solid player but Diaw is righfully starting over him. He should just get Bonner's minutes, that's all and he'll contribute.

[Yorae]

I really think blair should be given a chance....heck even anderson got his chance. Those missed calls on goal tends really bothers me... And I really think this is a series for mills especially when fisher is on the floor. Mills is fast....

[polandprzem]

Flashes of the Suns series when they swept us.

There were so many things not going well for the spurs it's insane. Hopefully the spurs willnot drop 2 in a row as it sometimes happens.


You worries LJ worries me. Well maybe not your worries bbut the points you put in here.

Stop Parker and p and roll game and the spurs are done.
Tha's why Inside game is much more effective in the playoffs.


Anyway those switches more looked like traps that killed Spurs O.
With Thabo being long and best defender, the spurs needs to do a better job on picks. Esp Manu.

Ofense was horrific but D was equally bad!

I was thinking the same about Splitt being outminuted / / by Blair in game 4

We will see

game 4 is crucial. If OKC gonna win this, the pivotal game might be another big spurs collapse in their playoffs history.
Dream ended by a Thunder took the spurs down ... way down under

[baseline bum]

Sefalosha murdered the Spurs offense in the first half of game 1 also. That mother er; he's a championship role player and the Spurs really need to figure out how to take care of the ball when he's on the floor.

[Em-City]

If the OKC's defensive switching on screens caused so many problems for us, better now than next round against a even more athletic Heat team who's ability to switch on just about anybody (moreso) would also make things tough.

[ElNono]

IIRC, the first Sefolosha deflection of the game was in the 2nd half... on a pass from Tony to Tim, which Tony recovered...

[polandprzem]

Turnovers are the #1 absolute killers. That's the first thing that has to be stopped or the Spurs are going to be putting themselves in an impossible hole.

Establishing at least a semblance of low-post scoring would help. Duncan has been at best mediocre against the Thunder all year on offense, Splitter was invisible, and some Manu-to-Blair action might go a ways towards rectifying the situation.

And yeah if Green and Bonner are gonna give you three points, then it needs to be in 15 minutes combined, not 45.

Exactly right. As I was pointing it b4 that game. Everything went wrong.

Why?????????????????????? Damn why??????????????

[SpurPadre]

If the OKC's defensive switching on screens caused so many problems for us, better now than next round against a even more athletic Heat team who's ability to switch on just about anybody (moreso) would also make things tough.

The Heat are not more athletic than the Thunder. Their only athletes are their Big 3. The Thunder have athletes from top to bottom except for Fisher.

[polandprzem]

And I predicted Thabo to get big minutes

[ElNono]

Whatever happened with Diaw? Did he play?

[Capt Bringdown]

Tim and Manu were a combined 6 for 20, and TP was hampered by What's-his-name.
Sounds like blowout.

[SpurPadre]

IIRC, the first Sefolosha deflection of the game was in the 2nd half... on a pass from Tony to Tim, which Tony recovered...

He recovered but it led to a forced shot, which he missed. That pressure threw him off completely.

[sananspursfan21]

I really wanna see blair play some meaningful minutes now. I think this boy's hungry >

[SpurPadre]

Whatever happened with Diaw? Did he play?

He made a couple nice passes that led to some corner threes but other than that, he didn't make his presence known, really.

[phxspurfan]

More Diaw running Point Forward

More hands in the face of midrange jumpers

More effort

More nasty

[ElNono]

He recovered but it led to a forced shot, which he missed. That pressure threw him off completely.

were we down 14 or 20 by then? We just had a piss poor effort way before that...

[InRareForm]

When it's on for both teams.... Spurs defense to Thunder O is less impactful compared to Thunder's defense to the Spurs O. Thunder's offense is a train to be honest.. Spurs ability to just create enough good offense will win games. as simple as it sounds.. When thunder disrupt that in any kind.. that spells trouble.

[SpurPadre]

were we down 14 or 20 by then? We just had a piss poor effort way before that...

14 but I saw a couple deflections in the first half from other Thunder players in the first half and Sefolosha swiped the ball almost every time on TP in the first half that TP held onto but it annoyed the out of him.

[Paranoid Pop]

3. Going into the series, I thought it would take Brooks a couple games to figure things out. It's why I thought the first two games were especially vital. Here we are going into Game 4 and Brooks has finally stumbled into his best lineups and strategies. In the future games, there won't be any cheap wins in this series based on poor coaching.

Just when you said he was basically at VDN's level, he clearly outcoaches Pop.

5. The Spurs have a few players who appear intimidated by the moment, namely Green and Bonner. I think the Spurs are the better team ... but that's assuming they have their full depth at their disposal. If the depth is negated by timidness, things will be a lot more difficult.

What the ? No word about Tim getting bullied on the offensive end?

So basically you didn't address the two biggest issues in Pop and Tim.