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Close game on the road vs potential playoff opponent. Which means strategy / playing time could well be the difference maker.
I don't like these double standards ? Why not give grades of Rocket players as well?
Close game on the road vs potential playoff opponent. Which means strategy / playing time could well be the difference maker.
Without HCA, I can't see the Spurs beating OKC, so this loss is a huge huge blow
i think green should be an A- (only missing from an A+ was that layup) and splitter a C-
What I find worrying as well is how the offense stops when Tim gets the ball: either he spent 10 seconds on pivot work just to turn around and then his bank shot wasn't falling; or it was a turnover. It looked like passing him the ball was the equivalent of putting it in a deep hole out of which it would never come again. As soon as I saw Tim with the ball on the last possession I felt the game was over.
Parker had it rolling. He's the Spurs best player. The ball should've been in his hands to create something. There's absolutely no excuse for it. Also, I blame Pop for that terrible, end-of-game, play call. An off-balance, fallaway, jumper by Duncan, from the elbow WAS NOT the best possible option for that last shot.
I actually thought Leonard should've passed the ball to Parker, who I believe was running the left wing on the play. He was several steps ahead and appeared to have had what could've been an uncontested layup. Green getting his shot blocked by a PG is inexcusable.
Pop screwed it up, but I can understand his thinking, that the Rockets were probably expecting tp to get that last shot. Not so far fetched for a coach to try something not so obvious in that situation imo.
Tim was also pressing on offense, late in the game, in that he neglected to take an extra dribble on a couple of possessions. Had he done so, he could've gotten a better shot. Instead, he tried a fumbling, running one-hander on at least two occasions, which were out of his range.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 03-25-2013 at 02:04 PM.
Sorry, but I don't think anyone anticipated the third-best player and leader of the second unit to absolutely fall off a cliff with his playmaking ability.
The Spurs had other priorities this off-season--namely bringing key pieces back--and no less than four legitimate options to pair with Ginobili in the backcourt; a gunner, a runner, a passer, and a defender.
I still think the best combo has yet to reveal itself, but that mostly has to do with Manu figuring things out on his end.
This post just reeked of hindsight being 20/20 tbh.
pop pounded it in to timmy because he probably thought tim could score seeing that the rockets went man to man on him. timmy just didn't deliver. last play was not too solid a call. looks like the rockets were expecting it all the way
TP should have not played when he was not 100% yet.....IMO.
Next Denver, Clippers, Miami . The 1st two are out for better positioning in the playoffs...
Yep, I agree. Kawhi needs to take it to the rack if he wants more touches. He can't just take a few dribbles, stop, then pass it off. That's not the way to get touches.
Kawhi doesn't take it to the rack on a consistent enough basis to get those touches. He pulls up too much and settles for jumpshots. If he would take it to the rack more and try to draw fouls and create contact then I am sure Pop would give him the ball more.
You don't win Championships shooting jumpshots. What does Prime Tim Duncan, Prime Manu and Tony all have in common? They all took/take it to the rack. If Kawhi wants the ball, he needs to learn to finish his drives with contact, and not stop, pull out and pass 70% of the time after he starts one. He's not going to get his number called playing like that.
Go to the Rockets board for that.I don't like these double standards ? Why not give grades of Rocket players as well?
If it weren't for the fact that the Rockets' perimeter defense tends to gamble for steals too much (sound familiar?) Asik would be a DPOY frontrunner, tbh.
I dunno about Duncan and Ginobili getting the same grade. At least Duncan produced somewhat well. Off night? Yeah. Way off night? No. Unlike Manu. . .who's having an off month.
Well, that was the second option. The first option was to have Manu cut hard toward the top of the key, stop on a dime, and then cut hard toward the basket while receiving a pass from Tim. The change in direction from the hard cut would presumably give Manu a step toward the rim on his defender, and he'd be able to attack some big playing help defense 1 on 1 near the rim.
This was the play that Pop called twice against our loss to Golden State a couple of weeks ago. It worked the first time. It failed the second time (Tim threw the ball away).
McHale probably planned a defensive scheme to contain Tony on that last play anyway. It's easy to say it was the wrong call in hindsight.
All that means is that the expectations for Tm are higher than they are for Manu. A 1-6 night from the field with minimal turnovers is just a C- kind of game for Manu these days.
3 or 4 months ago, Manu would've probably received a D for a game like this.
The Spurs were expecting James Harden to get the previous shot. That turned out pretty good for them. When you're the better team, you dictate to the opponent. Pop has never seemed to figure that out.
Pop doesn't believe in the hot hand.
Nope. If Tony had failed to deliver then you could have argued that Pop should have tried to "outsmart" McHale. But when your best player, currently on a hot shooting streak and with the highest likelihood to at least get a foul on that play, doesn't get the ball, then there's no double-guessing and no hindsight, especially when the play called is lame (as has been the case a couple of times already this season when the game is determined by the last possession).
In other words: either Pop gives the ball to Tony or he comes up with a STELLAR play.
Giving the ball to Tim in the hopes that he will finally post up Asik despite the fact that he hasn't done so during the whole game doesn't suck in hindsight. It just plain sucks, period.
There has been defenitive proof posted that the 2nd unit functioned best with Mills. With Manu's well do ented struggles this year to score it makes the most sense IMO. Mills can score and create shots nearly as well as Neal plus he has better handles and defense.
I believe if Mills had been given the job at the beginning of the season he might have even started developing his passing skills and court vision. Instead Pop in typical Pop fashion farted around the entire ing year without making a decision, instead content to have 4 guys all randomly platooning minutes at the position. Is it any wonder that Manu is taking so long to find his rhythym? Every game he has to adjust to anywhere's up to 4 different point guards.
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