Predict Manu's performance in Game 2

[VaSpursFan]

manu MUST be the X factor tonight. he's an afterthought to the suns D since he didn't do in the first game. The suns will likely focus their D on stopping tony and timmy.

tonight we need someone to step up big time.

[Obstructed_View]

Tony needs to keep hitting those shots, because they are going to dare him to repeat his game 1 performance.

[mardigan]

22 points
7 assists
8 boards
3 steals

[Cry Havoc]

I think if Manu is taking lots of shots against Phoenix, it actually hurts us. Why? Well, it prevents him (usually) from being on the offensive glass, which is something we do well against with Phoenix. Also, if he is driving, it means we only have Parker and Bowen/Finley back on defense. Not enough against the Suns attack. If Manu is just getting boards and playing transistion D, it's enough to slow Phoenix down a bit.

Tonight Manu goes for:

25 points
6 rebounds
5 assists
2 blocks

On 8-14 shooting, 3-5 from downtown, and 6-8 from the line.

[dreamcastrocks]

He is saying that Manu played very badly against the Nuggets and Raja Bell does not play for the Nuggets.

So, again, how we can isolate the variable (determine the efficient cause)?


Manu is struggling with and without playing Raja Bell.

Prior to April, he had been playing well. At the beginning of April, Manu began to struggle and it became more pronounced.

It seems difficult to say with any degree of confidence that the poor performance of Manu is due to Raja Bell's defense more than the fact that Manu has been slumping over the last month and a half.

I see. You guys are focusing on Manu's recent struggles, rather than the head to head matchups with Bell and the Suns.

If he really has been struggling for a while now, and his history against Bell is any indication, why are some of you expecting Manu to have a breakout game?

[Mavs<Spurs]

It seems like the Suns are a team that Manu can score against (48 points for example) and Tony as well. And they sure can't stop Tim Duncan.



I hope that Manu busts out with the numbers that Mardigan posted.

Close to a triple double.

[Mavs<Spurs]

I see. You guys are focusing on Manu's recent struggles, rather than the head to head matchups with Bell and the Suns.

If he really has been struggling for a while now, and his history against Bell is any indication, why are some of you expecting Manu to have a breakout game?

prior to his slump, he had 1 bad game against Raja. It seems premature to make a prediction based upon 1 bad game (the recent bad games were all part of his slump so we don't know if it was Raja's defense or Manu's slump that caused it- again, normally it takes a whole team committed to defense to stop a good player and Phoenix is not yet known as such a team).



Manu was playing awesome prior to April. Manu had an all star year in 05 and was a key reason the Spurs won it all.

Manu has won a gold medal.

Why wouldn't we think that Manu will bounce back?

[Mavs<Spurs]

Maybe Raja is the Manu stopper in the same sense that Marion is the Parker stopper and in the same sense that Kurt Thomas is the Duncan stopper.

Certainly, I (and possibly a few other Spurs fans) hope that this is the case.

And, In that sense, perhaps, I can agree.

[dreamcastrocks]

prior to his slump, he had 1 bad game against Raja. It seems premature to make a prediction based upon 1 bad game (the recent bad games were all part of his slump so we don't know if it was Raja's defense or Manu's slump that caused it- again, normally it takes a whole team committed to defense to stop a good player and Phoenix is not yet known as such a team).



Manu was playing awesome prior to April. Manu had an all star year in 05 and was a key reason the Spurs won it all.

Manu has won a gold medal.

Why wouldn't we think that Manu will bounce back?

Prior to April, how many games is that? 10? 12? More? After 12 bad (relative) games in a row, he is just going to show up today?

I do see your point, and I wouldn't be surprised if Manu does have a good game. However, I just don't see anything in his actions, adjustments, etc. as to why this game will be the game that he breaks out of his slump.

[dreamcastrocks]

Maybe Raja is the Manu stopper in the same sense that Marion is the Parker stopper and in the same sense that Kurt Thomas is the Duncan stopper.



In that sense, perhaps, I can agree.

I can't agree with that. When Raja was signed as a free agent, Manu openly criticized the move, hoping that the Spurs would sign him instead. He stated that Raja is the defender that plays him the best, or something to that affect.

[Mavs<Spurs]

Manu is known as a compe or who plays big in big game situations.


I will say that Phoenix has improved its defense this year. However, I still think that Phoenix is a team that good players can score against (points allowed).


Manu knows to go to the rim and gets some free throws when you are struggling.


I don't expect him to continue to struggle.

Probably part of the difficulty is that he is on the floor a lot when Tim and Tony are off the court.

Tim makes the game easier for everybody who is on his team and on the court with him.

Perhaps if we went small more and played Manu, Tony, Michael, Bruce and Tim more, Manu would become much more effective.

[Mr. Peabody]

I can't agree with that. When Raja was signed as a free agent, Manu openly criticized the move, hoping that the Spurs would sign him instead. He stated that Raja is the defender that plays him the best, or something to that affect.

That story is false. Nice try though.

[Obstructed_View]

Nobody stops Manu when he's on. I know it's exciting for Suns fans to have a guy on the roster that actually plays individual defense.

The Herb Rudoy story, while widely reported, seems to have been just a rumor IIRC.

[Obstructed_View]

Perhaps if we went small more and played Manu, Tony, Michael, Bruce and Tim more, Manu would become much more effective and the Spurs would lose game 2.

FIFY

[Mavs<Spurs]

I can't agree with that. When Raja was signed as a free agent, Manu openly criticized the move, hoping that the Spurs would sign him instead. He stated that Raja is the defender that plays him the best, or something to that affect.

It seemed too obvious to say.


Truth is that all 3 of those guys are pretty good defenders, especially Bell and Marion.

So, I was just having a little fun with that.

[Mavs<Spurs]

FIFY

translate please.

I will admit that I was fishing with that one [Perhaps if we went small ball more and played Manu, Tony, Michael, Bruce and Tim more together, Manu would become much more effective.].

[Kori Ellis]

I can't agree with that. When Raja was signed as a free agent, Manu openly criticized the move, hoping that the Spurs would sign him instead. He stated that Raja is the defender that plays him the best, or something to that affect.

Actually all that happened was Manu mentioned to his agent (Herb Rudoy, who is also Raja's agent) while having a phone conversation with him that Raja is a very good defender. For some reason, the press printed it that Manu had called his agent specifically to complain that Raja went to the Suns because he defends him so well. But Manu himself said that's not what went down.

[Obstructed_View]

translate please.

I will admit that I was fishing with that one [Perhaps if we went small ball more and played Manu, Tony, Michael, Bruce and Tim more together, Manu would become much more effective.].

FIFY=fixed it for you. It was just a joke. I cringed at the suggestion of more small ball to get Manu off.

[Obstructed_View]

Actually all that happened was Manu mentioned to his agent (Herb Rudoy, who is also Raja's agent) while having a phone conversation with him that Raja is a very good defender. For some reason, the press printed it that Manu had called his agent specifically to complain that Raja went to the Suns because he defends him so well. But Manu himself said that's not what went down.

You know the situation better than I do, obviously, but wasn't it reported at the time that Manu claimed not to have even spoken to Rudoy?

[Mavs<Spurs]

FIFY=fixed it for you. It was just a joke. I cringed at the suggestion of more small ball to get Manu off.

We were both joking.

It would be ironic:

We finally get D'Antoni to go bigger and then we change and go small.


Guess I'm just amped for this game.

[Kori Ellis]

You know the situation better than I do, obviously, but wasn't it reported at the time that Manu claimed not to have even spoken to Rudoy?

No, I don't think so. Manu said here that he talked to Rudoy and mentioned Raja, but it wasn't like the report in the media said.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...&postcount=113

[ForeignFan]

If Bell is on TP, Manu will hopefully have a better game (but if he really has a good game, Bell will switch back to guard him, at least in Q4)

[Kori Ellis]

I don't think Manu's problem has much to do with Bell right now. He's just in a shooting slump - it probably doesn't matter who is guarding him. One of these nights, he's just going to go wild on someone and then he'll be out of it.

Hopefully it's tonight.

[dreamcastrocks]

That story is false. Nice try though.

MySanantonio.com writer Mike Monroe recently reported that Manu Ginobili is not to happy with his agent for letting Raja Bell sign with Phoenix. “Word on the street is that when agent Herb Rudoy disclosed that Bell had agreed to sign with the Suns, one of his more prominent clients, Manu Ginobili, called him to protest that he had just given the Suns the defender he least likes to play against.”

That’s something you always like to hear when you sign a player. When one of your rival team’s players has a problem with your signing, that is usually a good thing.

From your own hometown paper no less. Tisk Tisk.

[DarrinS]

If Finley keeps hitting shots and there is not a real sense or urgency for Manu to deliver one of his big games, then I predict another sub-par performance from Manu.