The Spurs cannot win a le like this

[MannyIsGod]

I ing loath the small lineup. Its bull .

[timvp]

I give a huge thumbs down to small ball. The Spurs are not the Dallas Mavericks and Pop isn't Nellie. The Spurs need to win by playing real basketball ... not by gimmick lineups. And it doesn't even make sense against the Kings because Artest and Wells are more power forward than small forward.

If the Spurs lose this series, it's because Pop is in love with small ball for a reason that I can't comprehend.

[SenorSpur]

Manu is talking about Dallas in his post game interview? wtf? Concentrate on the Kings.
Spurs sense of en lement this year is appaling.

That's not a fair criticism of Manu. Actually, Jalen Rose let him into it by asking what he thought about the Mavs resting and watching them.

Of course, Manu could have sidestepped it. In fact, I'm surprised that he took the bait. However, it's not like he brought it up on his own.

[2centsworth]

I give a huge thumbs down to small ball. The Spurs are not the Dallas Mavericks and Pop isn't Nellie. The Spurs need to win by playing real basketball ... not by gimmick lineups. And it doesn't even make sense against the Kings because Artest and Wells are more power forward than small forward.

If the Spurs lose this series, it's because Pop is in love with small ball for a reason that I can't comprehend.

Except Tim, our bigs aren't playing well. Though it's risky it looks like the solution to winning this series is to outscore Sac, becaue our bigs can't shut anyone down. Our scorers are small people.

[boutons_]

Agreed. Rasho and Nazr are close to worthless. Won't rebound, can't score, Nazr can't defend or do much of anything. Rasho is a good defender but he fouls way too much, with ticky-tack, girlie-man fouls than don't intimidate anybody.

I hate small ball, too, esp Nick and Tony playing together.

Going small to get some scoring and ball movement and running, when the bigs are so ing useless, what's the alternative?

If the smalls concentrate on getting into rebounding position (like a short, jumpless Jason Kidd does so well), they could easily out-rebound the absent bigs.

[Jimcs50]

I agree they're not beating Detroit like this.

On the other hand, they are getting a chance to concentrate on our weaknesses on the front lines and on rebounding. Maybe they'll come up with some ideas that will be useful later on.

They do not need this lineup against Detroit.

[SpurYank]

Alright! Alright! I'll text message Pop and ask that he check with you basketball experts before he decides to make a line-up change, even if he is in the middle of, and in the heat of battle, at the moment. After all, we have expert seats in our living rooms, and we know best, don't we?

[spurster]

Agree with above. Nazr and Rasho have mostly sucked this series and the 1st round is apparently a little early for Horry. The Spurs can't apparently outjump Bonzi and Artest for rebounds, but a smaller lineup can use quickness instead.

[Solid D]

Fortunately, the Guards and Wings rebounded last night (Bigs 17, Guards/Wings 23) and outrebounded the Kings by 10.

One good thing that came from the small lineup was their strategy to re-penetrate when the defenders closed out on them. The Spurs haven't been doing this much, prior to Game 5. The Kings weren't ready for that.

It enabled the Spurs to shoot at a very high percentage because now any one of 4 players are driving, finishing, dishing. Lots of assists that way (27).

[ShoogarBear]

They do not need this lineup against Detroit.

No, I never said I was in favor of the lineup. But addressing ways to overcome Sacramentos' offensive rebounding is a step towards getting a better team mentality for beating Detroit.

Forgot I would have to go slowly for a portion of the audience.

[leemajors]

you think nazr will be benched for friday too?

[GoSpurs21]

in order to win the championship you must win 4 in the 1st round...so if the small line up is what it takes to win against the kings, so be it

[ctpsb]

The lineup is completely based on the matchup from series to series. The Kings have a big man (miller) who is a giant puss and wants to shoot from the outside coupled with a guard (artest) and forward (wells) who are tough as nails and want to pound it in on the rim. I know you want to see the big lineup out there, but the problem with that is that none of our 7 footers can guard wells or artest on the outside. Because the Kings' have guys at these positions who can both take it off the bounce as well as post it makes it extremely difficult to match up with. I agree with Pop that the best lineup is a small lineup that can match up better on the outside. The main reason is that this smaller lineup is much quicker and can rotate on the defensive end much quicker than a big lineup. The problem in game 3 and 4 is that the defensive rotations were horrible and either slow or non-existent. Defense takes energy, and the Spurs brought energy and hustle to game 5 that they didn't to games 3 and 4. The lineup is fine, they just have to come with energy to win.

Against a bigger team that plays a more traditional set then the Spurs would most likely use their bigs more and count on our 7 footer defensive wall. We tend to match up much better against those teams. The Kings are like a knuckle ball pitcher in baseball in that they play a very unorthodox lineup that you don't see very often (also like a Texas Tech Football Offense). It is hard to adjust to and play when you aren't used to having to play it.

Enough said! This series is like the adage "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger". IF (and that's a big IF, because we haven't won in Sactown yet) we could win this series, it will really shape Spurs up for later rounds. These physical matchups on the outside may make Nowitzki, Billups, etc. not seem so bad later on.

[A-Train]

Pop apparently has decided that quickness trumps size. All of the Kings bigs can step out and knock down the J. It's not hard to see what the Kings' strategy is...lift the bigs and post up the Spurs' guards with strong wings.

[baseline bum]

A team that is just the worst matchup possible.

You couldn't ask for a worse matchup.

The Kings best players are guys that we can't match up with.


Remember the Suns in 03? How much of a they were in the first round?


Go watch that series, and tell me it ISNT identical to this one.

If the Spurs survive this one, this will catapult them past the Western Conference.

I don't buy this at all. This is just bad coaching. I don't think I saw Rasho out there at all with another big last night. When the Spurs ran Duncan and Horry together to start the second half they absolutely destroyed the Kings, going on a huge run. As soon as Pop pulled Rob and went to the 4-guards again, Sacramento got right back in the game, and took a lead after being down double-digits. This 4-guard lineup has absolutely no defense, and without getting stops this team has no chance to repeat. Shooting comes and goes, but when you play D you're always in the game.

[picnroll]

IF DRob or anyone remotely resembling him were still playing small ball would be stupid. Unfortunately Nazr and Rasho don't resemble DRob too much.

[spursfaninla]

Does any other team has a duo like Bonzi and Artest, big phyical wings that can post up just about any back court defender?

Can any other team complement that backcourt duo with good jump shooting bigmen?

Look, Sac has a unique offense. I don't see a solution other than what we have done. What do you want, base? YOu want manu or bowen to put on 50 lbs before game 6 so we can play real d on their wings?

Just like we beat Phoenix last year with transition offense, we are beating Sac in a different way than we will beat the other teams in the playoffs. I think our bigs will be more effective in the other rounds, and our lineups will be more traditional after the 1st round.

As for your saying that Horry and Duncan on the floor together was effective, do you really think Horry can play 35 minutes a game anymore? Maybe 25. He is not going to be a big minutes guys, except for a really hot 1 or 2 games in the playoffs, but not in the same series. He is just too old.

Plus, people here are saying he didnt' really stop Bonzi either, so it wasn't really the solution people were hoping for.

[ducks]

This 4-guards on the floor 90% of the time crap is not working and will not later either. The Spurs are trying to be the Phoenix Suns instead of the team that's won 3 les. I don't understand what Pop's doing with our lineups.

depends on who they play

[baseline bum]

Here's what I want.... I want a big on Wells at all time to make him a jump shooter. Bowen cannot guard the post and never has been able to. Putting Finley and Barry on Wells is just stupid and unfair to them. Like timvp said earlier, the Spurs used to own Bonzi by sticking Ferry on him and they could do the exact same thing with Rob and Nazr playing him physically. Don't tell me either of them is slower than Ferry.

I want two bigs on the floor at all times so the Spurs aren't giving up offsenive boards to every other Sacramento miss. I want two bigs on the floor so Duncan's not picking up fouls when he has to collapse on lanes that are always wide open when the Spurs are forced to double Wells on the block.

The Spurs won that Phoenix series not because they could outrun them, but because they were way better in transition defense and could shut the Suns down in the halfcourt in the fourth quarters of games. They outhustled the Suns badly in that series. The Spurs are up 3-2 right now only because they're way more talented and because Sacramento isn't a very good team. This style doesn't fly in the playoffs, and if it's failing against one of the weakest 8-seeds we've faced in years, why will it work against teams built for the playoffs?

[T Park]

Don't tell me either of them is slower than Ferry.

Defensively Ill take Ferry over Mohammed any day.

I want a big on Wells at all time to make him a jump shooter

They made him a jumpshooter quite a bit last night, and he still made em.

WTF are you gonna do about it?

Nothing.


Horry's defense btw at times last night was just plain horrible.

Not rotating, not paying attention.


Hopefully he comes out better in game 6.

Oh, and Rob, MORE THAN 1 THREE SHOT A GAME PLEASE!??!?

[Solid D]

Something interesting to bring up. In the big 3rd quarter for the Spurs, the Spurs went with 2 bigs to start out the quarter and outscored the Kings 19-12 (+7). Leading 62-58, the Spurs then went to "small-ball" with Rasho for a couple of minutes, then Timmy as the lone Big and the Spurs outscored the Kings 18-10 (+8) to close out the quarter.

(Spurs did not get outscored during Rasho's 2nd half floortime, BTW)

The Spurs played with only 1 big the entire 4th quarter, so for the last 19 minutes and 15 seconds of the game, the Spurs were able to expand their lead.

The Kings stayed in it because they played with heart and all teams make their runs. The Kings really made some tough shots, including some very impressive contested catch-and-shoot threes. Small-ball may stink sometimes but hey, the Spurs won with it.

[ShoogarBear]

If Bonzi is on, he's on. But I'd MUCH rather have him on because he's hitting jumpers than have him on because he's taking it to the rack or snarfing up every offensive rebound.

[spursfaninla]

Ferry played before the rule changes about fouls on guys moving toward the basket with the ball. Today, these rules are what are making the sg/sf positions monster scoring machines.

These rules make it MUCH harder to defend face-up perimeter players. Trying to put longer players on perimeter slashers only works if they are fast (sf's). PUtting pf/c's on them is not going to work because they will just slash past them, and/or get them in foul trouble in the process.

It just doesn't work, base. We tried it. I saw Bonzi blow by Nazr. I hear HOrry didn't do much better.

I feel for your point, that our D has to be the way we win. But part of being a good coach is not getting too RIGID in your thinking. If the way we play suddenly doesn't work, change. Remember when Pop said, during the Laker's winning 4 in a row after we won the first 2, that we were not going to change our iden y now, its too late? WEll guess what, he has grown since then. Time for you to do so, too.

And this the is the best 8 seed I have seen since the Knicks went all the way to the finals. I don't think any other team will give us this much trouble in the west. And I don't know that Dallas, LA or the Clips have an answer for the Artest-Bonzi backcourt, either.