Grades: Spurs @ Thunder - Game 4

[EVAY]

It is hard for me to accept a "slightly below average (C-)" grade for Tim Duncan when he played 36 minutes of the most ineffective defense in the history of Thunder opponents against Perkins, Collison and Ibaka.

Ibaka was 11 for 11! At the end of three quarters, those three guys had shot 88%. And they are not super stars or big scorers...any of them...but against Duncan last night they were Spur killers.

And his score for the evening is "C -"?

I don't think so.

[SamoanTD]

Play with more precision are plays are sloppy as square it away and we will have Game 5

[benefactor]

I don't get the respect LJ gets

[angelbelow]

Disappointing to read about Ginobili playing passively. I missed the game so I won't say too much about his play; but his performance so far in these playoffs continue to be a cause for concern.

[TD 21]

I constantly feel the need to rush to timvp's defense and think the word got is funny, despite being well over 30.

[Walton Buys Off Me]

Excellent analysis as usual.

A little generous with Pop perhaps?

I thought Pop's decision to go with Bonner was beyond asinine and I felt he stayed with Green too long when it was clear he didn't have it.

Yes Kevin Durant is a phenomenal player but I also felt the Spurs D was far too predictable on him in the fourth when it was clear Brooks was calling the same play over and over.

That is also on Pop.

I also don't get why we didn't play hack-a-Perkins to slow the momentum when the sky was falling.

We need more than mediocrity from our big four (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Pop) if we're getting past this team.

The Thunder are an impressive squad that never gives up.

[benefactor]

somebody like me

[TD 21]

I'm a 30-something who lives to please timvp . . . even though I don't know him. I'm also the self-anointed spokesman of the board. This is perfectly normal, isn't it? If you don't agree, then you're a got. Aren't I funny?

[benefactor]

plz like me plz

[Nathan89]

Pop C-
First of all, playing Bonner was a mistake. Bonner is totally overwhelmed by the moment. With as well as Blair played, in hindsight Pop probably should have used him beginning in Game 3. I would also like to see better plays called when the bench unit is in the game. There has to be something in Pop's bag of tricks that is able to take advantage of a defense that is switching everything. Leonard also deserved more minutes and, perhaps most blatantly of all, Ginobili needs to play more than 25 minutes. That's an absurdly low number of minutes with so much on the line. Defensively, the Spurs have been horrible this series and Pop deserves a portion of that blame. On paper, Pop's defensive scheming was supposed to help the Spurs overcome the Thunder's brigade of talent. Thus far, that hasn't been the case. I don't think it's hyperbolic to suggest that Game 5 is the most important game of Pop's career, especially because he doesn't have a superstar version of Duncan to fall back on. Pop needs to make a number of difficult decisions regarding the rotation, continue to adjust the offensive sets to account for how OKC is defending, and figure out a defensive gameplan that gives the Spurs a fighting chance. Pop, the time is now to show why you are a future Hall of Famer.

The minute distribution should put Pop even below C-. I mean how do play Ginobili only 4 more minutes than 1-6 3pt shooting Green? It's terrible...

[TD 21]

The minute distribution should put Pop even below C-. I mean how do play Ginobili only 4 more minutes than 1-6 3pt shooting Green? It's terrible...

You're not allowed to disagree with timvp, got . . . hahahahahahahaha. Damn, I'm funny.

[benefactor]

i need u to need me

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Another thing: the Spurs should not let OKC throw off their whole 10-man rotation. Like it or not, Splitter was an integral part of the Spurs' success this year. The coaches can't lose faith in him so quickly that they take him out of the rotation. He needs 30+ minutes a game.

Bonner...okay, maybe he should be removed from the rotation. BUT it's completely unfair to expect him to play well in 2 minutes. Either play him a lot, or don't play him at all. He's not an instant-production player off the bench. He needs time to get comfortable.

So, pull Bonner, but let Tiago the bed in public for 30+ per night? They have both lost their testicles this series, and cannot be "given" minutes when those minutes turn into a ing disaster that costs us the game. Those two minutes Bonner played may well have cost us the game.

[TD 21]

In case you couldn't tell from all my feminine comments . . . I'm a got.

[Juggity]

...

Calm down, son.

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

TD21 seems like a smart guy, but his obsession with Timvp is just silly, at best. Even if he is 1/8 as smart as he thinks he is, his arrogance is so off putting it's impossible to take his opinions seriously. If you're trying to ape Timvp, then consider developing some humility.

[TD 21]

TD21 seems like a smart guy, but his obsession with Timvp is just silly, at best. Even if he is 1/8 as smart as he thinks he is, his arrogance is so off putting it's impossible to take his opinions seriously. If you're trying to ape Timvp, then consider developing some humility.

I have no obsession with anything, let alone timvp. The bottom line is the majority of the more knowledgeable posters on this board don't post here much or at all anymore and he posts probably more than anybody, so recently I've ended up reading more of his posts than I do others. Inevitably, I comment more on his posts too, but it's not by design. The majority of my time here, I rarely interacted with him.

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

I agree that many of the better posters are MIA. But I would still say much of the energy is diverted into personal squabbles.

[Capt Bringdown]

What is Manu's excuse this year?
The stupid, sloppy play has to stop.

[OKC Thunder fan]

I'm a thunder fan. But I honestly think the spurs is the better team, they have experience. if the thunder beats the spurs I will still say this. We need more experience, we are young. So what if your guys made some bad shots. Game two, you guys was walking all over us until 4th. All I'm getting at is the home team will step it up and make the opponent look like crap if they are able to step it up.

[Obstructed_View]

Honestly, who gets the blame for the team completely refusing to push the ball? That in combination with their abandonment of pick and roll basketball (at least the pick part) is causing some difficulty.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Honestly, who gets the blame for the team completely refusing to push the ball? That in combination with their abandonment of pick and roll basketball (at least the pick part) is causing some difficulty.

Wouldn't you say it's hard to push the ball if you're going to let the other team shoot 56% from the floor?

I would love the Spurs to push the pace as well, but it's easier to get the ball out on the break coming off a defensive rebound as oppose to taking it out from under the basket.

[therealtruth]

We've seen Tiago destroy undersized opponents before. Anybody remember the Trailblazers game? He should be having a field day on those Thunder guards. I think this is where Pop not integrating Splitter more comes back to bite him. Now he's strictly a pick and roll player when earlier in the season he was showing the complete package in the post.

[lowdown]

I don't always agree with every single grade but I'll give you mad respect for putting forth the effort and time to do the write-up. After these type of games, it's hard to type up too many thoughts on the minutia with all the stupid decisons made by the Spurs in such an important game. The Thunder's defense I'm sure had something to do with it but there was definitely some poor choices made by the Spurs as well. I'm looking forward to see how the team comes out in the beginning of game 5. I'm also pissed that the Thunder are now taunting the Spurs. I need to see some better D!

[Manudona]

Pop C- perhaps most blatantly of all, Ginobili needs to play more than 25 minutes. That's an absurdly low number of minutes with so much on the line. Defensively, the Spurs have been horrible this series and Pop deserves a portion of that blame. On paper, Pop's defensive scheming was supposed to help the Spurs overcome the Thunder's brigade of talent. Thus far, that hasn't been the case. I don't think it's hyperbolic to suggest that Game 5 is the most important game of Pop's career, especially because he doesn't have a superstar version of Duncan to fall back on. Pop needs to make a number of difficult decisions regarding the rotation, continue to adjust the offensive sets to account for how OKC is defending, and figure out a defensive gameplan that gives the Spurs a fighting chance. Pop, the time is now to show why you are a future Hall of Famer.

Believe.

It is not only about the low playing time. It took him like three minutes after entering the game to touch the ball. During that period he was completely ignored, all the plays were for the opposite side he was in... And the first meaningfull pass he got... He turned it over! LOL