Duncan needs some help

[ata]

Couldn't agree more. That's how we won 63 games. Sure, we're having matchup problems, but why the is Pop allowing other teams dictate his lineups? The teams defense and rebounding are suffering severely.

If Parker is not as effective because of the injury, NVE and Beno are simply gonna have to replicate Parker's contributions. I do worry about NVE because there's no way he can stay with Harris. I'd rather see Beno on him.

Barry and Finley need to contribute more off the bench and within the flow of the offense.

Exactly this I am wondering for quite some time. Opponent went small, so we had to go small? WTF? Spurs are champions, and tempo always dictates better team! Force them our tempo and our game, and this is something coach should do.
Damn, basketball is game of big men. Why are bigs so rare and so much better paid? If basketball would be "small" game, Sequ would be an instant all-star.

[ata]

I've always felt that assists was a statistical category that was never completely accurate. Assists are predicated on teammates making buckets. A point guard could make 20 beautiful, pin-point passes to teammates throughout the game, but if his teammates are garbage that day, that point guard might only get 4-5 assists. Likewise, a below average point guard could get more assists if he plays with great shooters. I guess it's all relative to how you view it.

If Nazr and Manu are throwing up bricks and fumbling passes, is it Tony's fault he's not getting enough assists? I'm not saying that's how it is, but you get the picture.

Plus, with the Spurs (when healthy), I always thought of Manu as the initiator on offense, and the one who should be racking up the most assists on the team. Tony is the slashing scorer. Sometimes it depends on the team, the personnel, and the offensive system as to whether a point guard gets a lot of assists. A point guard that plays with Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom in the triangle is never going to challenge for the league leader in assists. While even if it's not Steve Nash, the point guard of a Mike D'Antoni offense should get tons of assists just from all of the fast break opportunities.