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does this guy post here? What's your user name bro?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...ockets-series/
It would be easy to look at Monday night’s opening game of the Western Conference semifinal between the Rockets and Spurs — a 126-99 thrashing by Houston in San Antonio — as an aberration, and write it off as a bad night at the office for the Spurs’ machine.
In many ways that is true: San Antonio shot 36.9 percent against a porous Houston defense, and the Rockets went 22-for-50 from three-point range. A swing like that won’t likely happen when they meet again Wednesday night for Game 2.
But dismissing everything that went wrong for the Spurs Monday night as nothing more than a correctable series of errors would be a major mistake. Houston exposed several key flaws in San Antonio’s rotation — flaws that were evident before the series began. The question, though, is whether the Spurs’ famously stubborn coach, Gregg Popovich, will make the necessary changes before it’s too late.
Popovich has earned his reputation as one of the best coaches in the history of the sport, presiding over 20 consecutive 50-win seasons (or, in the case of the 50-game season in 1999, a season well ahead of a 50-win pace), winning five championships and reaching six NBA Finals. But Popovich has never been known as a coach who makes drastic changes during playoff runs. If anything, when things start to go south for San Antonio in a playoff series, they tend to remain that way.
Take last season against the Oklahoma City Thunder, for instance. By dominating San Antonio inside with multi-big lineups featuring Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter, the series was crying out for Popovich to deploy Kawhi Leonard at power forward and play small. Popovich finally made this switch … in the second half of Game 6, after the Spurs had fallen hopelessly behind in what turned out to be the final game of their season.
That example is instructive when examining what took place Monday night. As in that series, San Antonio had serious lineup flaws. In the opening minutes of the game, as the Spurs found themselves being blown out, Popovich twice called timeouts to berate his starting center, David Lee, for defensive mistakes defending Houston’s lethal pick-and-roll offense.
Here’s the problem: Blaming Lee — who has worked to improve his defense, but is subpar at best — for defensive miscues is like giving a child a cookie and them blaming him for eating it. It simply isn’t fair, particularly when Lee is being put into the blender that is trying to shut down Harden, who had 20 points and 14 assists in 31 minutes, expertly running Mike D’Antoni’s vaunted offensive system.
This was only the beginning of San Antonio’s problems. Danny Green, an excellent perimeter defender, got yanked after just a couple of minutes after being screamed at by Popovich for a defensive miscue, and played just 21 minutes. This cannot happen. If Green is going to guard Houston’s many deadly perimeter players, he has to be playing close to 40 minutes a game, so he and Leonard can team up to attempt to limit the Rockets’ offense. With Green on the bench, that left the Spurs relying heavily on Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili and Patty Mills — all of whom are significant defensive downgrades from Green.
Meanwhile, Popovich insisted on playing two big men together through large portions of the game. That meant Lee, Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge were all in space trying to guard defenders on the perimeter, which helped free up the Rockets for one open look after another. This was particularly true for Ryan Anderson, who had 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting from behind the arc, and who created so much spacing with his ability to shoot from deep that San Antonio’s defense couldn’t handle it.
The fact Leonard played just two minutes as a small-ball power forward — against a team that spends so much time playing small to begin with — was something that seemed like an obvious fix. So, too, was playing Dewayne Dedmon, easily San Antonio’s best defensive big. Instead, Dedmon was glued to the bench until long after the game was decided (and then he came in and scored six points in seven minutes before getting ejected for picking up a pair of technicals).
What’s clear is that, even with San Antonio’s structural defensive issues (and particularly against Houston, which has the shooting and athleticism to exploit the usual suspects in the Spurs’ rotation), Popovich can adjust going into Game 2 and beyond to give his team a chance to regain its footing.
Doing so, however, would go against Popovich’s usual nature, which is to trust in what his team does and believe things will properly balance out with better execution, as he hinted Monday.
“I don’t think we executed in a very wise manner,” Popovich said. “We disobeyed a lot of basic basketball rules that they can take advantage of.”
As usual, Popovich is correct. But that isn’t the only issue plaguing the Spurs. And if he isn’t willing to address those other issues, an already difficult task to climb back into this series after Monday’s blowout loss will be that much harder.
Bontemp is an Awards voter in the NBA.
But someone else needs to call out poop.
"I have wines Bontemp will never taste"
I think Pop will retire this offseason, TBH. He clearly lost all the fire and his ability to adjust.
Lol at saying "blaming lee for defensive miscues is like giving a kid a cookie and blaming him it" the article is right, playing 2 bigs is gonna keep giving Houston open 3s, if pop doesn't adjust (most likely won't til its way to late) we're screwed
Last edited by marinoman; 05-02-2017 at 05:11 PM.
He won't retire because that would cost him coaching the national team at the next Olympics.
It was proven these journalist do in fact come here for ideas on there stories a while back
Yep.. Finally Pop dismal coaching performances in the playoffs since 2014 is coming under loop..Not endorsing this blowhard or anything, but Cowhered called him straight "overrated" today..
ex- ing-actly. Pop is complete tool for putting defensive players out there and getting made when, big surprise, their defense is . has any coach ever put players in positions to fail so consistently as Pop has?Here’s the problem: Blaming Lee — who has worked to improve his defense, but is subpar at best — for defensive miscues is like giving a child a cookie and them blaming him for eating it. It simply isn’t fair, particularly when Lee is being put into the blender that is trying to shut down Harden, who had 20 points and 14 assists in 31 minutes, expertly running Mike D’Antoni’s vaunted offensive system.
this is why i'm getting to the point where i cannot stand this assclown anymore. Pop is one of the GOATs, no doubt about that, but this is ridiculous. Dude is afraid of reality imo. he never wants to take blame for anything and throws his whole team under the bus trying to simplify everything to "better execution" and "wanting it more" or "playing harder." newsflash dip , one cannot execute properly when you dont put the proper pieces on the court to matchup and do so. no wonder this guy gets killed by newb coaches over the years like Avery, Gentry, Hollins, Donovan, etc. they make the simple obvious adjustments that any coach with eyes would make while this dumb continually tires to go against the grain in an effort to prove his basketball genius so he can say "i told you so." Pop tbh“I don’t think we executed in a very wise manner,” Popovich said. “We disobeyed a lot of basic basketball rules that they can take advantage of.”
Fukin truth bomb, that guy should be bolded.
You can have Doc Rivers, tbh...
Pop is out of s do give and could care less what anyone else thinks.
wanting Greens ass to play 40minutes
When this is not makimg his shots Spurs are basically playing 4 on 5 on offense
"Colin also disagrees with many in the media who have deemed Gregg Popovich as the NBA’s Bill Belichick. Belichick is constantly adapting to the league and turning over the New England roster, even when it’s meant cutting ties with Pro Bowl contributors from Super Bowl teams. The Spurs keep rolling out Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, who are less effective with each passing season."Yep.. Finally Pop dismal coaching performances in the playoffs since 2014 is coming under loop..Not endorsing this blowhard or anything, but Cowhered called him straight "overrated" today..
Going in raw
I wonder if any of Pop's assistants have the cajones to tell him that his rotations are trash
Great article.
Lots of truthbombs yup.
Its Chinook miga wants green and lee to play 48 minites a game
In the Danny Green thread, I was going to say...Belichek would've traded him already."Colin also disagrees with many in the media who have deemed Gregg Popovich as the NBA’s Bill Belichick. Belichick is constantly adapting to the league and turning over the New England roster, even when it’s meant cutting ties with Pro Bowl contributors from Super Bowl teams. The Spurs keep rolling out Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, who are less effective with each passing season."
Going in raw
Man this article is spot on. But it just infuriates me reading this because none of those suggestions will happen.
I'm almost positive Lee will continue to start. Dedmond will see little action. Pop will continue to have 2 big men in the game until its too late.
And THEN we will start seeing necessary adjustments in the 2nd half of the elimination game.
I can go farther back than Bontemp just went.
Bontemp just went back to last year. I can pinpoint same stubborn dumbass decisions he made in 06', 08', 09', 11' 12', 13', 15, 16'..tbh.
..
Pop is rich has 5 rings and a couple of coy awards and hof coach . He just doesn't seem to care anymore and looks like he's ready to call it a career.
I bet David Lee doesn't think Pop has lost all the fire.
This. Pop never blames his game plan. It's always the players fault.
I can't believe David Lee was the guy saying in an interview the day before game 1 that they don't question Pop as he puts them in the best position to succeed, and then David Lee is the guy that gets screwed over the very next day. The irony of that is crazy.
That's exactly what I was saying the other day. Pop used to do that up until about 2006, and I think that version of Pop was one of the greatest, but he's changed and I haven't liked him as much since."Colin also disagrees with many in the media who have deemed Gregg Popovich as the NBA’s Bill Belichick. Belichick is constantly adapting to the league and turning over the New England roster, even when it’s meant cutting ties with Pro Bowl contributors from Super Bowl teams. The Spurs keep rolling out Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, who are less effective with each passing season."
Going in raw
He used to cut or trade people if they didn't perform in the playoffs. He'd usually give them 2 chances, if they failed on the second one, they'd be gone. He used to demand physicality and tough defense. He never used to rest players. He would play a rookie or a young player over a veteran if that player was a better player. He used to do everything right, and I still use a lot of the principals he taught back then to this day myself. I don't like a lot of his new philosophies at all (the resting, the lack of adjustments, not playing rookies).
He did some really good things from 2012 to 2014, but apart from those few years, I don't like a lot of what he's done after the 2006 season.
Last edited by Ice009; 05-02-2017 at 10:14 PM.
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