Does Pop always get a pass?..

[tmtcsc]

Mark Jackson isn't out-coaching anybody. That plump preacher is doing nothing strategic or tactical in his timeouts. He's just sitting their spewing out motivational nonsense regarding the basics. What is happening is that his young team believes they can win and are taking very low percentage shots and making them. When those shots go in, your opponent gets demoralized and your team gets energized.

If the Spurs can play better perimeter defense, they'll be fine. They also need to dictate the pace of the game and play from ahead. Being behind so much leads to terrible shot selection and less ball movement.

[silverblk mystix]

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Have to blame Pop for Avery Johnson and Mark Jackson. I don't see why you're bringing up Gentry, Hollins, or Brooks though?

The Suns were better than the Spurs in 2010. IIRC, the Spurs were a 7th seed that year and went into that series without homecourt. It was optimistic expecting a win under those cir stances.

Suns - the better team? lmao - Pop couldn't and wouldn't go big - he just allowed Gentry to play small and torture Duncan with pick and rolls. Duncan could not move and yet Pop continued to play Duncan with 4 smalls and allow Gentry to dictate.


In 2011, Grizzlies were a bad matchup with the injuries we sustained to Ginobili(broken arm) and Duncan(sprained ankles) late in the season.
???Pop buried Tiago on the bench the entire season even though Tiago was only injured during training camp. Pop had all season long to try and get TD and Splitter some playing time but opted instead to go with Bonner as the first big off the bench and Blair starting. When Memphis went ahead - Pop panicked and inserted Tiago.



Scott Brooks isn't that good but he clearly had an advantage in talent. Hard to beat a team of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden without Lebron on your team.


???Pop never adjusted to Sefalosha on parker and got backdoor swept.

Pop absolutely deserves blame for 2006 though. SA had Duncan playing some of the best bball of his career. SA had homecourt. SA had everybody healthy. SA WAS the better team...In fact, they were the best team in the league and probably win the championship if they get past the Mavs.

I don't think the Warriors are really as good as they've been in these playoffs. A good team with a average coach will stop them(Grizzlies or Thunder). Unfortunately, I don't think Pop is that guy. He's been curbstomped by Mark Jackson every game, thus far. Some of the worst coaching of his career

[freetiago]

How can the local media be cowards? Their job is to report facts, not give opinions.

If someone questions the spurs in the media then Pop actually makes sure they basically lose their ability to write about the team

[TheGoldStandard]

Mark Jackson isn't out-coaching anybody. That plump preacher is doing nothing strategic or tactical in his timeouts. He's just sitting their spewing out motivational nonsense regarding the basics. What is happening is that his young team believes they can win and are taking very low percentage shots and making them. When those shots go in, your opponent gets demoralized and your team gets energized.

If the Spurs can play better perimeter defense, they'll be fine. They also need to dictate the pace of the game and play from ahead. Being behind so much leads to terrible shot selection and less ball movement.

This, it's easy to look like the Belle of the Ball when you're team is winning and knocking down shots like they're 2 feet away. The game will even up and we'll all feel better Saturday morning.

[itzsoweezee]

The help defense is probably the most frustrating part of it all. The Warriors are exploiting Pop's system. His emphasis on rotating help to the players driving to the hoop just feeds into Golden State's scheme, giving them wide open looks.

I hope popovich's plan is more than just hoping the Warriors' shooters are going to cool off.

[therealtruth]

YES - POP GETS A PASS AGAIN!


?Avery Johnson


Alvin Gentry


Lionel Hollins


Scotty Brooks


Mark Jackson....???????
(Is Pop going to get schooled again???)



Hall of Fame , 4 Rings, who would you replace him with?...


Popsuckers lol

The problem is Pop was expected to win all of those series. The Spurs are losing series they are being picked to win. Pop's making the experts look like idiots.

[cd021]

Spurs fans blame Pop regularly, every fanbase blames their coach, but will he always get a pass from the media, tbh?..

Popovich is always the last to receive blame from the media and non-Spurs fans, tbh..he's probably the best coach in the NBA, but his aura and hype has rendered him completely blameless, tbh..

Through 2 games, he has coached a horrendous series..

- His strategy to double team and overreact to Harrison Barnes, Bogut and collapse on drives from every Warriors player(other than Curry, which is justified) has led to an abundance of wide open 3s from Warriors players, particularly Klay Thompson..

I have no clue why Pop is scared of a scrub like Harrison Barnes going for 30 or 40, as if it's a better idea than giving Klay Thompson open looks from range..

- Played Bonner 16 minutes, while Diaw and Splitter combined for 18 minutes in game 2.. I agree with Bonner being overplayed but at the same time Splitter is coming off a bad sprain, he clearly looked slowed by it. Diaw may or may not be injured or at the least slightly fatigued. He hadn't played in 26 days and then played 16 minutes (straight minutes of game time) of physical playoff basketball. Thats a theory. But he or Splitter should at the very least start.

If you're going small, Bonner isn't the answer..he's too slow and weak, tbh.. Bonner is more aggressive shooting from outside Diaw isn't. I'd love to see her P.E.R in the final 6 minutes of games when the Spurs are up or down 6 or fewer points. I'd be he has a P.E.R of like 17. He only seems to get aggressive when the game is in doubt.

Diaw was a huge reason the Spurs won in game 1, yet he barely saw the floor in game 2..

- The over-reliance on Gary Neal..
Starting Neal in the 2nd half was puzzling, and in 2 games, Neal has played 47 minutes..
Not entirely sure who else you can go with. Green has already played 77% of this series. Manu has logged 60% of this series Neal is logging just 44% of total minutes played in this series. He has experience and in theory can get hot against a run and gun team. Granted the last time he really got hot you'd have to go back to the @ Houston game in January. Manu kind of hits a brick wall after playing big minutes. He's 10-32 in these two games. Worse yet he's 3-15 from 3. Neal has to play. He has to play better and he need to do so in the time allotted. His minutes aren't bad but his production has been sketchy. I get the reason for starting him, I dont really agree with it but

I understand the options are limited, but it's evident early on which version of Neal is going to show up..Pop should adjust accordingly, and maybe it's a desperate move, but when Neal is struggling, he should give McGrady, Joseph, De Colo or Mills a few minutes IMO, it wouldn't be any worse. There is always a risk of introducing players into a rotation in a tightly contested series especially on the road, in easily the loudest place in the league. McGrady would be a good idea in a 4-5 minutes stretch. Mills I'm not so sure of. De Colo could be an interesting move he is the tallest wing after Manu, Kahwi & McGrady and has shown good D and improvement shooting the ball.

- Mark Jackson is dictating all the matchups in this series..
When you have the advantage that usually happens. Curry has been the best player in these playoffs by a pretty wide margin. The Spurs have to adjust by sending four players at different times to check him (Parker, Green, Leonard, Joseph)

Going at Parker with Harrison Barnes? Pop responds by doubling every play and opening up the Warriors offense for open jump shots..
Barnes is a physical 6'6, Parker is 6'2. Barnes probably hasn't been exposed to double team in the post but so much. The spurs are right to send doubles instead of letting Parker getting into foul trouble or hemorrhaging points to a SF posting up a PG. Obviously they hit shots but they have missed their fair share of open looks as well.

Going small? Pop matches with Bonner..the king of regularized +/- has been in the negatives for both games, so far..

The only set plays the Spurs are running are for 3s, which doesn't help when they can't make any..

When Leonard is posting up and the Warriors front, the Spurs don't have a counter attack, it doesn't seem like they prepared for it(would have helped to build some team chemistry with Kawhi scoring, instead of the team looking confused when he has the ball)..
Leonard looks confused posting up. He seems conscious of doubles and either rushes his attack or simply passes out. He needs a Bynum clear out and back his man down for 5-7 seconds type of mentality. Curry is 7 inches shorter that is all I really need to say.


He's going to get a pass because the Warriors are hot, but his strategy was the primary reason the Spurs were in a hole in the 1st half(Thompson open 3 after open 3)..

I hope he adjusts, because he's getting outcoached by a very average coach in Mark Jackson, tbh..everybody that analyzed this series predicted coaching would be a massive advantage for the Spurs, but this clearly hasn't been the case, tbh..

[cd021]

This, it's easy to look like the Belle of the Ball when you're team is winning and knocking down shots like they're 2 feet away. The game will even up and we'll all feel better Saturday morning.

This.

[cd021]

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Pop absolutely deserves blame for 2006 though. SA had Duncan playing some of the best bball of his career. SA had homecourt. SA had everybody healthy. SA WAS the better team...In fact, they were the best team in the league and probably win the championship if they get past the Mavs.

Sorry, I didn't realize Pop fouled Dirk on a 3 that allowed him to force OT. He did coach us through massive deposit to take the lead late. He DID NOT cost us that series. That Is All.

I don't think the Warriors are really as good as they've been in these playoffs. A good team with a average coach will stop them(Grizzlies or Thunder). Unfortunately, I don't think Pop is that guy. He's been curbstomped by Mark Jackson every game, thus far. Some of the worst coaching of his career

The Warriors were in the top half of the west for atleast 1/3 or the season before an ugly stretch when they went like 4-12 and dropped like a brick in the west. They also had one of the best records against +.500 teams in the 1st half of this season. They were always going to be a good playoff team. Their seed allowed for them to slip in undetected. The would have beat the Clippers in 5 games had they player tbh.

[therealtruth]

The problem is Pop was expected to win all of those series. The Spurs are losing series they are being picked to win. Pop's making the experts look like idiots.

How do the Spurs keep getting owned in the playoffs by teams that couldn't beat them in the past? There's plenty of examples. The Suns in '10, the Thunder last year, and now the Warriors who could never win at San Antonio.