Bright Spots After Game 4

[therealtruth]

Our role players will play better at home including Bonner.

[KenziE]

i posted this in another thread:


"bonner only played two minutes"


in those two minutes, the thunder went on a 10 - 0 run and got into a rhythm in this game

it was 19-12 when bonner checks in with 4:04 left in first qtr..kd at the line for 2....19-14

bonner gets pass, up-fakes, drives in lane, passes to timmy on bassline with 8 seconds on shot clock and runs away from the play. Bad shot timmy, perkins beats bonner down the floor for dunk. Pop timeout......19-16

bonner passes on three, shoots 19 ftr....brick...okc comes down, bonner does not block out ibaka for tip in.....19-18

bonner sets horrible pick for gino and rolls off...pass from manu gets tipped and stolen....manu steals ball back....runs pick and roll with timmy....timmy take 18 ftr and misses.....with bonner at three point line, nobody is down low for rebound...okc comes down...bonner loses collison on d....collison get uncontested dunk....19-20

bonner again set worthless pick and rolls to 3 pt line...parker desperately spins in lane for layup...misses....kd comes down, gets fouled hits two free throws......2:01 on the clock...19-22


i won't blame the first two points on bonner since kd was already at the line, but for those of you that think bonner did not do any damage in "only 2 minutes", you guys are completely wrong. The thunder were playing with no energy and were out of sync until bonner checked in. Then they got rolling.

this !

[MannyIsGod]

Big Picture: Their bigs go 22-for-25 from the field. You lose by six points.

*loosens the noose*

Outside of Ibaka hitting some jumpers, this is more of an indicator how much OKC was able to exploit the Spurs off rotations.

[quentin_compson]

If we're looking for bright spots, then Duncan figuring out how to get himself better shots against Perkins is definitely one. The Spurs don't need Tim to score 20 PPG, but him being able to score somewhat efficiently would be nice.
Also, Leonard and Jackson were an asset offensively, making threes and finishing at the rim.

On the other hand, the defense was quite worrying. Sure, Ibaka was in videogame mode with his midrange shot, and that probably won't happen again. But too often, the Spurs left one of the Thunder's bigs wide open underneath the basket after P'n'Rs or Durant penetrations. That's something they have to fix. Also, Parker ending up having to defend Durant down the stretch three or four possessions in a row when you're desperate for stops is just suicidal. Durant was having a great game, but the least you can do is making it a bit harder for him to score.

I think the problem for the Spurs right now is that the brand of team basketball that made them so successful relies on crisp passing and the ability of the role players to get into good positions and knock down shots. Right now, we have guys like Green and Splitter who are struggling offensively (not to mention Bonner), and then a playmaker like Manu having a hard time to pass the ball without throwing it away.
Another big thing is the pace of the game. If the Thunder defense is able to control the tempo of the game in halfcourt sets, then the Spurs are in big trouble, especially if Tony and Manu aren't able to bail them out with some timely individual baskets.

[polandprzem]

Without Danny and with TP struggling we have no firepower on O and we can't save our lives on D.

Kawhi needs to stay hot on ofense, and we need more TP and Manu, better picks and motion.

How come Thunder stopped spurs motion so effectively?
Spurs again are trying not to pass that much to limit turnovers but IMO disturbed motion is a bigger problem

[midnightpulp]

I think the Spurs accomplished what they set out to do this game. If you told me they were going to shoot 50% from the field, 48% from 3, keep even on the offensive glass, and limit their turnovers to 10 while holding Russell Westbrook and James Harden to a combined 18 points on 6-23 shooting, I say they win the game 8 out of 10 times. It was just unfortunate for the Spurs that Ibaka was 6-6 on his jumpshots and that Kevin Durant went into God mode. Not much you can do other than tip your hat.

In hindsight, the only things the Spurs could have done differently is not play the red-headed got one single minute and given Blair about 10 more minutes. Still scratching my head why Pop lost faith in him so quickly when it was obvious he was making a positive impact. If there was any game in which you could afford to gamble on him, this was it. The stakes are now too high to take a flyer on Blair.

[angelbelow]

Couldn't watch tonight's game.. sucks to see that we lost.

Even more disappointing to hear that some of our players failed to show up again.

[CubanMustGo]

Just remember the 2005 NBA Finals. SA kicked Detroit at home, then went and got hammered twice in Michigan. Thankfully we get to come home for Game 5 instead of having to pull it out on the road. Speaking of which, hopefully Pop pulls his head out and doesn't waste any more time with Bonner, aka Mr. Regular Season.

[ManuTastic]

No way Ibaka shoots jumpers at 1000% success rate again. If he had his normal game last night we'd have won.

It's called home court Advantage and we've got it in this series. Gotta hold serve.

[Sportcamper]

Thought Durant backing down the triple team was darn impressive…Ginobili & Duncan defy time…Both are two fisted SOB's...Tony Parker not so much...

[Basketball Power]

I'm confident we take game 5, easily even

[Capt Bringdown]

Just remember the 2005 NBA Finals. SA kicked Detroit at home, then went and got hammered twice in Michigan. Thankfully we get to come home for Game 5 instead of having to pull it out on the road. Speaking of which, hopefully Pop pulls his head out and doesn't waste any more time with Bonner, aka Mr. Regular Season.

I watch the video of that game 5 every now and then. Horry's stature grows with each viewing.

Horry sure was a great guy to have around when rest of the team was playing scared.

[SenorSpur]

People need to calm down about Ginobili's turnovers. Only two or three of them were of the careless variety. There were two charge calls that should've been blocks and were bad calls and the final turnover was off a called play where Neal was supposed to be wide open but Sefolosha was there to steal the pass because Duncan missed the screen.

That being said, everyone and their mother knows the pass to Tiago is coming off the screen and roll and he needs to start either driving hard to the rim or taking the safe pass to the wing. That pass to the center is just not there. It seems all series he's been more effective initiating from the wing than from the top of the key, and I have no idea why Pop stubbornly keeps trying to initiate plays with him from the top of the key. It's just not working. The paint is too crowded, too many long arms. Let him go from the wings and the baseline.

I knew there would be some here that would get touchy of any criticism of Ginobili and his carelessness. We're not talking one game - it's the entire playoffs. Anyone who's watched these games with an unbiased eye knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. When a team is losing, no player is above criticism - not even Ginobili.

If this were Parker, he would be getting killed on this board. Ginobili greatness is undeniable, which makes it all the more inexcusable for a player of his caliber to lack such attention to details. Ginobili is a playmaker - and supposedly a smart one at that. He just needs to stop making dumb plays that continuously cost the team possessions. Just the same way Duncan needs to stop taking ill-advised, off-balance fadeaways, while falling out of bounds and looking for calls.

Possessions are critical in the playoffs. The star players should be setting the example for not only making plays, but making smart plays.

[SenorSpur]

Just remember the 2005 NBA Finals. SA kicked Detroit at home, then went and got hammered twice in Michigan. Thankfully we get to come home for Game 5 instead of having to pull it out on the road. Speaking of which, hopefully Pop pulls his head out and doesn't waste any more time with Bonner, aka Mr. Regular Season.

I remember it well and I see where you're going with this. However, the fact is past history has nothing whatsoever to do with these playoffs.

I certainly hope and believe the Spurs will end this in six, but it will be a daunting task. This Thunder team is arguably one of the most talented teams the Spurs have combated in a series in years.

[TampaDude]

If we had gotten blown out again in Game 4, then I would be worried, but it took a combo of freak shooting by OKC and some horribly biased officiating for the Thunder to pull out a close win.

Whoever wins Game 5 will win the WCF...and that team will be the Spurs. Book it.

[Obstructed_View]

I continue to mourn the death of the Spurs' fast break.

[The Reckoning]

i have something new to drink about

[GrandeDavid]

If we had gotten blown out again in Game 4, then I would be worried, but it took a combo of freak shooting by OKC and some horribly biased officiating for the Thunder to pull out a close win.

Whoever wins Game 5 will win the WCF...and that team will be the Spurs. Book it.

This is exactly how I feel. It was also stunning how quickly the Spurs fell apart in Games 3 and 4 when Matt Bonner stepped on the floor.

[GrandeDavid]

I posted this in another thread:


"Bonner only played two minutes"


In those two minutes, the Thunder went on a 10 - 0 run and got into a rhythm in this game

It was 19-12 when Bonner checks in with 4:04 left in first qtr..KD at the line for 2....19-14

Bonner gets pass, up-fakes, drives in lane, passes to Timmy on bassline with 8 seconds on shot clock and runs away from the play. Bad shot Timmy, Perkins beats Bonner down the floor for dunk. Pop timeout......19-16

Bonner passes on three, shoots 19 ftr....brick...OKC comes down, Bonner does not block out Ibaka for tip in.....19-18

Bonner sets horrible pick for Gino and rolls off...pass from Manu gets tipped and stolen....Manu steals ball back....runs pick and roll with Timmy....Timmy take 18 ftr and misses.....with Bonner at three point line, nobody is down low for rebound...OKC comes down...Bonner loses Collison on D....Collison get uncontested dunk....19-20

Bonner again set worthless pick and rolls to 3 pt line...Parker desperately spins in lane for layup...misses....Kd comes down, gets fouled hits two free throws......2:01 on the clock...19-22


I won't blame the first two points on Bonner since KD was already at the line, but for those of you that think Bonner did not do any damage in "only 2 minutes", you guys are completely wrong. The Thunder were playing with no energy and were out of sync until Bonner checked in. Then they got rolling.

Perfect assessment of what happened. Bonner is not NBA playoff caliber. In the regular season teams don't prepare for every role player like they do in the playoffs. It's literally 5 on 4 in the playoffs when Bonner is on the floor...actually more like 5 on 3.5 due to the negative impact of his detrimental inactivity.

[TampaDude]

Take that SNL spoof of Stephen A. Smith and replace "Bosh" with "Bonner".

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Big Picture: Their bigs go 22-for-25 from the field. You lose by six points.

*loosens the noose*

[Cant_Be_Faded]

I knew there would be some here that would get touchy of any criticism of Ginobili and his carelessness. We're not talking one game - it's the entire playoffs. Anyone who's watched these games with an unbiased eye knows EXACTLY what I'm talking about. When a team is losing, no player is above criticism - not even Ginobili.

If this were Parker, he would be getting killed on this board. Ginobili greatness is undeniable, which makes it all the more inexcusable for a player of his caliber to lack such attention to details. Ginobili is a playmaker - and supposedly a smart one at that. He just needs to stop making dumb plays that continuously cost the team possessions. Just the same way Duncan needs to stop taking ill-advised, off-balance fadeaways, while falling out of bounds and looking for calls.

Possessions are critical in the playoffs. The star players should be setting the example for not only making plays, but making smart plays.

Senorspur.is correct.

I'm pretty sure the first thing Manu has done in his first possession every game this series is make a bad pass turnover.

Its unacceptable

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Just remember the 2005 NBA Finals. SA kicked Detroit at home, then went and got hammered twice in Michigan. Thankfully we get to come home for Game 5 instead of having to pull it out on the road. Speaking of which, hopefully Pop pulls his head out and doesn't waste any more time with Bonner, aka Mr. Regular Season.

The finals are 2-3-2 not 2-2-1-1-1

[Fpoonsie]

The finals are 2-3-2 not 2-2-1-1-1

Um. Isn't that exactly what he said?

[SourCandy]

-Kawhi Leonard is not afraid. The kid is a beast. He was 0.1 seconds away from having 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting.


-Matt Vaginner is hopefully out of the rotation for good.



-Diaw is getting more assertive. The Spurs need even more of that going forward.

-Pop may have found something with Blair. The Spurs need toughness and is there anybody tougher than a 6-foot-5 guy with no ACLs who made it all the way to the NBA as a center? I'm not sure there is.




Championships aren't easy.

Blair brings that energy that seems to lack in the last two games. Surprised they didn't put him in earlier. Kawhi...good god this guy is cold as ice. You're right he ain't afraid of . Hopefully it pays off for the spurs.