Pop is beyond finished

[spurraider21]

thats a pretty cool graphic tbh

interesting that our bench was so crappy the first time out and yet very effective in the 2nd half

[HarlemHeat37]

brah calling a coach beyond finished because of last 3 mn meltdown on a game we lost by 20 on paper (50 if Curry had to play an entire game) is a bit of exaggeration no ? Besides I hope you don't compare the weight for the Spurs not having Kawhi with dubs losing one of their 4 top 10 players of the league right ?

and this has nothing to do with moral victory.

Spurs played some good bb for most of the game thats pretty encouraging considering this uter season

Spurs were live favorites to win in the 4th, they had a double-digit lead with 4 minutes left, all expectations prior to that are irrelevant..

If any other coach coached that way down the stretch, they would be getting killed all over the mainstream media today..even Charles Barkley(the 2nd worst analyst in the media behind Shaq) questioned the obvious flaws in the Durant strategy after the game

[Hoops Czar]

He's the GOAT, but ya, if this was any other coach in the NBA(other than maybe Stevens or Carlisle), they would be getting killed for these past few weeks of poor coaching and illogical rotations..I can't even imagine the backlash if it was Thibodeau or D'Antoni or Lue or Rivers

This acronym gets abused so much, it's pretty much lost all meaning.

[r0drig0lac]

The moral victory posts are pathetic, tbh

Warriors were missing their most important player + their 2 best bench players, they were forced to play horrible players like Cook and Looney..they were also losing by double-digits in the 4th..sorry, there's no moral victory there..

Obviously missing a closer is the key, but how do you excuse not doubling or adjusting to Durant after he scores on possession after possession? They don't have any other creators on the floor without Curry they had non-shooters like Green and Livingston on the floor, too..

Kerr began doubling Aldridge on every possession and forcing others to beat them, while Pop just watched the Warriors run the same action every time down, screening off Anderson with no help or adjustments..

Offensively, once it's evident that the Spurs are struggling to create quality looks, why wouldn't Parker or Gay enter the game? This wasn't an anomaly, this was the 3rd blown double-digit 4th quarter lead in the past 8 games, he already knows this closing lineup doesn't work..

this...


and Mills sucks

[Hoops Czar]

Unfortunately he's going Riley/Phil Jax way of not knowing when to get out of the league.

Arsene Wenger 2.0. He doesn't even realize he's hurting the team.

[TimDunkem]

Continuing to run bad lineups that can't score and you're choosing to sit Parker, who was playing well, and Gay, whose strength is scoring is bad coaching.

When you see that a guy like Durant is going ape on you and you fail to get the ball out of his hands, then that is bad coaching.

Bad coaching is bad coaching.

[HarlemHeat37]

Also, let's not act like Pop didn't build this illogical roster

If Kawhi had played this season, the Spurs would easily be the 3rd seed and way ahead of the 4th team, I have little doubt about that..however, that doesn't excuse the roster construction, since the goal is to win a le..

Everybody has already addressed the primary flaws of the roster, but the lack of shooting is another one..

Their best shooter is Danny Green at 38.2%..that's a fine %, but not when it's the best on a team that shoots 3s at low volume(the Rockets' best shooters are also at 38%, but their volume is extreme)..how can 3-point specialists(players who don't play defense nor rebound) like Forbes and Bertans be in a playoff team's rotation while shooting 37% and under?

Shooters or attackers should be the choice..if you can't play defense nor rebound, you better be shooting a high 3-point % or getting to the rim, tbh..

[Dre_7]

I know... But u are saying we didn't have Kawhi, as if they were at full strength too... With us both at full strength, we are even... Just like we are even when we both lose our mvps...

No, I wasn't saying it like they were at full strength . You need to re-read what I wrote because I never once said that. My point was about them without Steph vs us without Kawhi. They still have an MVP when Steph is out. Warriors without Steph are still a great team with 3 all stars, an MVP, and a DPOY. Us without Kawhi aren't nearly as good as them without Steph.

The difference comes down to coaching...

No, the difference was former MVP and finals MVP Kevin Durant. He took over late in the 4th and we didn't have an answer because our only MVP was out.

[HarlemHeat37]

No, I wasn't saying it like they were at full strength . You need to re-read what I wrote because I never once said that. My point was about them without Steph vs us without Kawhi. They still have an MVP when Steph is out. Warriors without Steph are still a great team with 3 all stars, an MVP, and a DPOY. Us without Kawhi aren't nearly as good as them without Steph.



No, the difference was former MVP and finals MVP Kevin Durant. He took over late in the 4th and we didn't have an answer because our only MVP was out.

Why didn't they try to take the ball out of his hands?

You sound like Jeff McDonald, tbh.."Pop has made enough good adjustments in his career, let the other teams have a turn making them now"..

[TimDunkem]

Also, let's not act like Pop didn't build this illogical roster

If Kawhi had played this season, the Spurs would easily be the 3rd seed and way ahead of the 4th team, I have little doubt about that..however, that doesn't excuse the roster construction, since the goal is to win a le..

Everybody has already addressed the primary flaws of the roster, but the lack of shooting is another one..

Their best shooter is Danny Green at 38.2%..that's a fine %, but not when it's the best on a team that shoots 3s at low volume(the Rockets' best shooters are also at 38%, but their volume is extreme)..how can 3-point specialists(players who don't play defense nor rebound) like Forbes and Bertans be in a playoff team's rotation while shooting 37% and under?

That's only what me and others have been saying since last summer, but we're called spoiled, fake fans.

You don't sign one-dimensional, no defense playing, non-shooters to cap eating deals because of culture. You probably shouldn't give 48 million to the corpse of Gasol who can't play against your biggest rivals. Relying on midgets like Forbes, and fringe NBA players at best like Joffrey is not going to get you far. Catering to me first players like Aldridge and making him the 1B to Leonard, and structuring an antiquated offense around his inefficient, post-up, mid-range fadeaway game isn't likely the best idea. Relying on mummies to play major minutes is a poor idea. Signing a guy coming off an injury like Gay, yet not even effectively using him when he is healthy was pointless....And I could go on, and on, and on.

Kawhi is so good he can single-handedly give you a shot with a deeper team in 2017, and can make you arguably the second best team in 2018 if he gets healthy, but there were clear areas where Pop could have improved this roster and he chose familiarity and "culture" (low energy yes men who are okay with being benched to play mummies, and sent to the doghouse for expressing themselves) over giving this team the best chance to win it all.

Now we find ourselves likely falling out of the playoff race. Yes, if Kawhi is healthy, we don't slip so far. Fact is, he isn't, and we are. A slight roster shakeup here or there would've mitigated things.

This is on Poop.

[Dre_7]

Why didn't they try to take the ball out of his hands?

They did try, and were unsuccessful.

You sound like Jeff McDonald, tbh.."Pop has made enough good adjustments in his career, let the other teams have a turn making them now"..

So because I know that the Warriors without Steph are better than the Spurs without Kawhi that means I sound like Jeff McDonald? Sorry, I don't care who our coach is, the Spurs without Kawhi aren't better than the Warriors without Steph. That doesn't mean I "want to let other teams have a turn now." No, I want the Spurs to make the playoffs, get fully healthy, and try and win a le.

[Brazil]

Spurs were live favorites to win in the 4th, they had a double-digit lead with 4 minutes left, all expectations prior to that are irrelevant..

If any other coach coached that way down the stretch, they would be getting killed all over the mainstream media today..even Charles Barkley(the 2nd worst analyst in the media behind Shaq) questioned the obvious flaws in the Durant strategy after the game

I don't deny the that happened last 4 mn I'm just pointing out that we played 44 mn of solid ball and that it was a pleasant surprise we did not lose by 20... was anticipating the worst tbh...

all in all its not a bad week for the Spurs, Kawhi comeback seems a possibility, he finally spoke and calmed down rumors and we actually competed with the Dubs before true collapsing down the stretch

[keithington1]

I hate BP3. If he gets no minutes why is he on the team? Forbes sucks too. Can't hit free throws. Always looking flustered. White is nba ready similar to Brogdon. He looks like a playmaking Danny Green out there.

[gambit1990]

white should’ve been on the court instead of mills/parker/forbes.

[TD 21]

Preach, Harlem.

You apologists never cease to amaze. Coaching is all about putting your team in the best possible position to succeed. Had Pop done all the logical things he should have and they still lost, then I'd primarily pin the blame on Leonard's injury and this incompetent perimeter corpse. Instead, he did everything possible to contribute to their own demise, when they already had zero margin for error to begin with.

[Proxy]

pop is beyond finished, worst coaching performance in the league so far, a complete idiot, how does this guy have a job, omfg i can't take it anymore

[duncan2k5]

No, I wasn't saying it like they were at full strength . You need to re-read what I wrote because I never once said that. My point was about them without Steph vs us without Kawhi. They still have an MVP when Steph is out. Warriors without Steph are still a great team with 3 all stars, an MVP, and a DPOY. Us without Kawhi aren't nearly as good as them without Steph.



No, the difference was former MVP and finals MVP Kevin Durant. He took over late in the 4th and we didn't have an answer because our only MVP was out.

Brothers, listen... U made the point that we almost beat them and we didn't even have Kawhi... That's not a good point to make when THEY also didn't have THEIR best player...

[LittleCriminal]

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

I might just get the out of here and make a run for the White House.

[SAGirl]

[duncan2k5]

Agree 100%

[DMC]

Pop is experimenting. He's not going to push too hard to field a contender when he simply doesn't have a contender to field. It doesn't matter if we finish 2nd or 8th in the West. We aren't going anywhere and no one will give 2 s next year who finished where this year.

[DMC]

Manu in the back "Obviamente"

[Dex]

Not disagreeing that this lineup would've been better on the floor to close the game, but those starts are kinda misleading with that small of a sample size.

[tholdren]

Not disagreeing that this lineup would've been better on the floor to close the game, but those starts are kinda misleading with that small of a sample size.

That guy is an idiot.