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Splitter should be fine. His pedigree (and Bonner's) will tell the tale of those two players in this series and beyond.
apparently Thabo didn't annoy him in game two... also didn't make him toss that 4down to tim in the post and run away...
Splitter should be fine. His pedigree (and Bonner's) will tell the tale of those two players in this series and beyond.
My Silver Lining is that the loss is more 2007 UTA Game 3 than 2005 SEA Game 3.
Spurs responded well in Game 4 in 2007, not so much in 05.
We were never going to win game 3. The team used a huge amount of energy to come back in game 1, then to hold on against the penalty in game 2, and they were always going to be tired and vulnerable in game 3 in OKC.
Now that they've gotten that out of the way, I think they have a very good shot at game 4 if TP can work out a way to deal with Sefolosha (that matchup really worked for OKC), which I think he and the team will. Not sure what kind of wrinkles they'll come up with, but I don't see Tony shrivelling up and giving in at this point. Manu also had a letdown game and will be primed to explode again in game 4.
Even if we don't win game 4 (I see a close victory for whoever wins it - under 5pts), the series is still 2-2 going home, take care of business in game 5 then we have 2 shots to win it. The key to that is making game 4 a fight and tiring out the Thunder if we don't win it.
But in each of those years . . .
I'm stickin with Spurs in 5.
Yes, there are reasons to worry. Yet, there are areas of improvement too. Here are some, what I believe to be, obvious keys to Game 4.
The mindless, careless passes and dumb unforced turnovers. The Spurs have simply got to value possessions and take better care of the ball - particularly Parker and Manu. Stop throwing blind passes at teammates feet or dropoff passes off into areas. This Thunder team is too quick and their defense is too swarming for all that.
The Spurs are nowhere near as quick or athletic as OKC - that's a given. They cannot get to and recover the 50-50 balls in order to gain or maintain possessions. They have to use their smarts and guile versus a very quick team with good reactions, like OKC is.
The Thunder team does not have an inside scoring presence. The Spurs must do a better job of closing out on shooters. There's no need to leave these guys open.
Keep the Thunder off the offensive glass. They can ill-afford to continue giving this team second-chance opportunities.
The Spurs are going to have to take open shots when presented and shoot them with confidence. I never thought I'd say this, but they do tend to pass up open looks for the sake of harder shots.
Go back to the good ol' pick-n-roll offense. I don't mind dumping to Duncan on the old bread-n-butter 4-down play on occasion, but Duncan is really struggling offensively. There's no need to force shots. He's also not helping himself taking those awkward baseline fadeaways, that have little chance of going in. He's got to take better shots when in the post or make the appropriate pass to cutters or teammates on the perimeter.
For a more aggressive post style and a change of pace, Pop needs to dust off and insert Blair. Having him inside would change the tone and complexion of the Spurs offense and he would help on the rebounding end. Blair potential contribution in this series could provide to be as pivotal to the Spurs as was the hack-a-Splitter tactic was for OKC.
Keep Bonner off the court at all costs. The bulk of the so-called timidness, hot-potato passing and overall mental midgetry comes from him. This series is not for him and he doesn't deserve the minutes that Pop keeps forcing onto him. I don't know why Pop keeps giving him chance after chance every year in the playoffs, when he's done nothing but prove to be a perennial playoff choker. He's just not cut out to compete against superior compe ion in playoff situations. The Spurs have enough floor-spreading players that they would not miss him at all.
Finally, the Spurs do not need to go on any high-speed emotional swings and I don't expect them to. They need only play up to their masterful capabilities and execute with their usual precision.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 06-01-2012 at 12:37 AM.
No, he didn't annoy him then but they made adjustments. Now, it's time for ours.
LJ, it seemed like they were crowding the perimeter when the Spurs were setting high screens to eliminate any penetration. Why didn't we start making cuts to the basket? Am I just generalizing things here? Seemed like the easy answer watching their new defense.
Playing better would be a good start... it isn't even new...
One thing's for sure, TD can't play any worse, offensively. He can only get better from here on out.
Keep it the same and let's see what happens in game four.
I say give TP another crack at Sefalosha. Somehow, TP and Manu are going to have to draw some fouls early in the game.
Everyone needs to play more physical and take the game to the Thunder. I guess all this talk about nasty and big boy basketball doesn't travel.
I kinda of expected this but hoped for a different result. Game four should be a classic.
Pop will make adjustments on Thabo/TP, if he gets in foul trouble, we're screwed since RW can't stay with him.
Oh, and SA hit 11 3's, we hit 6, and still won big. KD missed a few wide open 3's that could of broke it open early.
I can see how you might want to go back to the pick and roll. And I can see how you might want to replace Bonner with Blair. What I can't see is it making any sense to do both. Against the Thunder, Blair is going to be pick-and-roll kryptonite, allowing Ibaka to park himself in the lane and challenge any penetration, which not only makes it hard to get points in the paint, but it makes it easier for other Thunder defenders to stay home on our outside shooters and keep us from getting the open looks from downtown.
When you're playing 4-on-5 offense, it's a lot harder to get the 2-on-1 mismatches that this offense is designed to thrive on.
You guys just played flat out better.... Thabo also got a career high in points in the playoffs... I'm glad he got that one out of the way tonight...
Actually, Blair has worked very well against OKC in the last few games because they're a terrible rebounding team, and that's where Blair thrives. His fat ass has also overpowered Ibaka quite a few times.
I think tonight's loss was mostly mental. Our guys definitely didn't play as hard as they did in games 1 and 2. OKC was in survival mode. Now the Spurs will be in survival mode for game 4 because they don't want the momentum to shift. When you are tied 2-2 having lost the last 2 games, that is an unfavorable situation because the other team has "momentum" (even if game 5 is at home). So they can't let that happen.
But wouldn't you want to use him more in Splitter's spot than Bonner's? I know nobody likes the Turd Towers lineup, but neither Splitter nor Blair is going to provide you with any floor spacing.
Yeah, he was pretty good offensively.
On that same note, Westbrook and Durant weren't that good offensively either, both missed plenty of wide open shots, especially Durant.
Game 4 should be a battle.
Can't panic and ditch the pnr. Screen better, penetrate stronger, cut harder, pass with a purpose. No careless turnovers, no being slow to the spot, no iso ball. If they switch the pnr, as long as the motion is stellar and the spacing isn't a cluster it only takes a small adjustment to win.
Um...the Spurs average about 8-11 3's a game, win or lose. So that point is irrelevant....
Whole different mindset/preparation for Thabo in picking up Parker on occasion/late in Game 2 and knowing that his role in Game 3 was to check him. You can't compare.
I don't know if Thabo is capable of maintaining that level of defensive intensity for the duration of the series; but if he is, major adjustments will be necessary.
And i'd probably use Blair more, for whatever reason, he gives us fits.
I think he had 26 points in one game earlier in the year, hopefully Pop uses Bonner instead....
What floor spacing? Until he starts making a shot, he's as good as a statue out there. He's 1-7 in this series... if you want spacing, just throw Neal in there. It's no defense either way. Oh, and when the shots are not going in, we have nobody to grab an offensive board. Kahwi has been our most consistent guy doing that, but he's with the starters.
I'm not a fan of Blair's defense, but he would be playing against Collison/Nazr, not exactly offensive stalwarts...
This...we need all the spacing we can get against these guys. Blair for Bonner will make things worse. If I'm replacing Bonner, I'm replacing him with another 2 or 3--not Blair.
Splitter is a better option than Blair 80-90 percent of the time, but this series and MIA (if we get there) may be the exceptions.
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