Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Kings - Nov. 26

[some_user86]

Let's Not Forget It Was The Fifth Game In 7 Days,ok?
The Spurs Are The Oldest And More Experienced Team In The League,so We Lost A Game We Were Suppost To Lose After So Many Games In Few Days.
This Is A Team Biulded To Win A Championship,not To Get A Great Reg Season Record.
So As Far As We Get To The Playoffs Healthy I'll Be Coll With It, Regardless Of The Reg Season Record.

WTF is up with the Excess Capitalization?

[ArgSpursFan.]

WTF is up with the Excess Capitalization?

I've being Capitalazing my game lately.

[AFBlue]

When I was watching the game, I thought the Spurs looked lathargic and disintrested on the whole. But, after the realization that the Spurs were playing their 5th game in 7 days and that they were coming off an almost flawless performance the night before, I realized there was sure to be some letdown.

Bad loss, but maybe it has a better long-term effect. Maybe Pop lights a fire under their asses on defense, maybe Udoka and Washington get more burn over struggling guys like Finley and Vaughn. Tough loss, but maybe some good can come of it.

My personal observation about last night's game.....the defense has been consistently poor (by Spurs standards), and last night the Spurs didn't make enough shots on offense to overcome their defensive lapses.

[703 Spurz]

beno ripped you guys a new one

Not gunna win all of 'em y'know?

[SAGambler]

Fully expected a bad game had to come, so not dissappointed in the loss, only that I stayed up half the night to watch it.

One problem with Beno here. The steal Washington made on him...Pop would have immediately called time out and benched him. Sometimes being in the dog house works, but a lot of the time it doesn't. Look at all the time Malik spent in Pops doghouse. Sometimes it is best to let them play through it. Maybe Pop has finally learned this. His statement re Beno seems to indicate he knows he may have screwed the pooch on it.

As to JV, he just scares the out of me when he is on the court and I certainly hope Washington gets more time as TPs backup. He showed a lot of hustle and the ability to score last night.

[SpursFanFirst]

This loss against the Sacramento Kings wasn’t that surprising or worrisome. There are some aspects that are frustrating but if you look at the big picture, it’s basically your run of the mill regular season loss. The Spurs were playing their fifth game in seven nights and were doing so on the road against a team that hadn’t played since Friday.

You also have to give props to Beno Udrih. The much maligned former Spurs backup point guard played a very good game for the Kings. He had 27 points, five assists and made 8-of-12 shots from the field. Udrih was obviously geared up for this game and showed the Spurs what could have been. Honestly, though, his play didn’t surprise me in the least. What made his up-and-down career as a Spur so frustrating was the fact that he’s obviously a very talented player, he just never was able to fit into the system in San Antonio.

The defense on a whole was again poor for the Spurs. Allowing the Kings to shoot 55.1% from the field is unacceptable. Hopefully the last two games will be the wakeup call needed to get the Spurs’ defense to step up.

-I thought Tim Duncan came to play for the most part. His offense was good enough for the Spurs to win. He had some aggressive moves on the low block. His defense was also not that horrible, although admittedly it could have been a lot better. The main critique against Duncan tonight was his rebounding. Five rebounds in 34 minutes doesn’t cut it. Overall though, Duncan wasn’t responsible for the loss – he played well enough.

-Manu Ginobili was one of the many Spurs who was obviously tired in this game. His legs just weren’t there. You have to credit Ginobili for still giving effort despite the fatigue. He had seven assists and six rebounds, but made just 3-of-12 shots from the field. Ginobili also had a really poor start to the second half. When he entered the game, the Spurs were down three points. Two turnovers and two missed shots by Ginobili later and the Kings were up 13 points in the blink of an eye. The Spurs were never able to legitimately threaten again.

-Tony Parker had a really troubling night. It’s as if he was the only player in the building who wasn’t expecting Udrih to come out juiced up. I’m hoping it was just a matter of fatigue, and it probably was, but it was disappointing to see Parker not put more effort on either side of the court. Parker did lead the team in rebounds with seven. But truthfully, those were fluke rebounds. He was just getting the rebounds he was supposed to get. The seven assists were nice, but he negated the passing by hitting only 5-of-13 shots from the field and turning the ball over four times.

-Bruce Bowen might be the only Spur able to leave Arco Arena with his head held high. He played fantastic defense against Kevin Martin. Martin, who came into the game averaging over 25 points per contest, went without a field goal in the first half of play. Bowen also hit 4-of-6 field goal attempts, including some difficult shots around the rim. Bowen didn’t play fatigued at all and probably should have seen more court time.

-Fabricio Oberto had his fifth straight really solid outing. Tonight he finished with 13 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Over his last five games, Oberto is averaging 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game. That is amazing production from Oberto in limited minutes. If he plays anywhere close to as well the rest of the league, the Spurs will be ecstatic.

-Michael Finley didn’t have a great game but it was a respectable outing. He fought Ron Artest hard on the defensive end of the court. He didn’t back down and stayed right with him when they were matched up. Offensively, his three-point shooting late was the reason the Spurs made it even a respectable game in the fourth quarter. It’d be nice if he could shoot for a better percentage overall (3-for-11 from the field tonight) but at least he shot well at the end.

-Brent Barry didn’t play as well as he had been playing as of late. He hit only 2-of-7 shots from the field and didn’t dent the stat sheet much in his 23 minutes on the court. His defense was also a step slow as the Kings overtly attacked him on that end. Barry also played a bit fatigued but unlike a lot of other players, he doesn’t have as good of an excuse to be tired.

-Matt Bonner’s game is back on the upswing. I wouldn’t say he played well but he was at least less horrible than he was during an earlier stretch this season. Back-to-back decent showings is a step in the right direction for Bonner. Six points and four rebounds in 14 minutes is about all you can expect out of him.

-Darius Washington may have found a role on the Spurs tonight. When the team is playing uninspiring, lackluster ball, Washington is a good player to put into the game and try to create a spark. He played moderately well against the Kings with eight points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and no turnovers in ten minutes of action. There will be other games where the Spurs are asleep, so if Washington can be the human shot in the arm, it could buy him a role on the squad.

-I wasn’t too impressed with how Jacque Vaughn played tonight. He could have made some noise by pressuring Udrih but didn’t do so effectively. On the offensive end of the court, he forced up a couple bad shots. Vaughn could have made a difference tonight but he didn’t.

-Ime Udoka played pretty well tonight for the Spurs. He hit 3-of-4 shots in seven minutes and his defense was as active as it has been all season. Too bad Udoka can’t play the Kings every night. On the season, he’s 7-for-12 from the field against the Kings in two games. Against the rest of the league, he’s 6-for-23.

-For the second straight game and the third time in the last four games, Francisco Elson was relegated to garbage time. The root of his problem may be the injury to his face. He cracked an orbital bone in the offseason and he’s been playing tentatively as of late, which has earned him more time on the bench.

-You have to wonder why Pop didn’t throw a full court trap on Udrih, which as Spurs fans we know would have been effective. Perhaps Pop knew his team was too tired to do so, which is mildly understandable. I’ll give Pop credit for not panicking and going all out to win a game in November. He kept the minutes low for the starters and used his bench to try to win the game. Inserting Washington was a nice move and had good results. Pop does have to start demanding better defense out of the team. The Spurs are letting teams shoot way to well from the field. It’s not quite time to clamp down and go into playoff mode but the Spurs need to stop letting teams shoot above 50% against them on a regular basis.

I haven't read this whole thing yet, but that made me laugh! Cue SpursDynasty.

[BgT]

polandprzem, I completely understand your frustration after reading post #7 in this thread. Some people are just not willing to admit they were wrong.

I admit it. I thought Beno was done. I thought he couldn't play in NBA at the moment and that he is coming back to Europe for sure. I don't like him, even now. I don't want him to see anywhere near Slovenian national team. But I guess he can be a good player, so I admit I was wrong. I don't have to be right all the time and I don't want to make fool out of myself with insults like "I was always saying that, you just can't read."

Bottom line, yeah, Beno, you can be a good player, but you are still not a professional basketball player in your head. We will see if that changes, we will see if you can keep it up.

[wildbill2u]

Is it fair to keep bringing up that game in the Detroit series a few years ago and state that Beno can't bring the ball up under pressure?

After all, he's had coaching from the great Spurs staff since then which had to improve that part of his game. He really hasn't had much playing time since that series to prove that he can't function as a PG bringing the ball up the court.

If that proves true during his stint with the Kings, then the criticism is fair, but at this point, I don't think it is.

[telecomguy]

Fully expected a bad game had to come, so not dissappointed in the loss, only that I stayed up half the night to watch it.

One problem with Beno here. The steal Washington made on him...Pop would have immediately called time out and benched him. Sometimes being in the dog house works, but a lot of the time it doesn't. Look at all the time Malik spent in Pops doghouse. Sometimes it is best to let them play through it. Maybe Pop has finally learned this. His statement re Beno seems to indicate he knows he may have screwed the pooch on it.

As to JV, he just scares the out of me when he is on the court and I certainly hope Washington gets more time as TPs backup. He showed a lot of hustle and the ability to score last night.

he let Parker and Manu play through litany of errors in their first few years......beno didn't get that benefit of doubt unfortunately

[spurschick]

-Darius Washington may have found a role on the Spurs tonight. When the team is playing uninspiring, lackluster ball, Washington is a good player to put into the game and try to create a spark.

Which is something we could rarely, if ever, count on from Beno. Nothing personal. Don't know the guy, so I can't say he is a bad person. He simply didn't fit in to our system despite plenty of opportunity to prove himself otherwise.

[timvp]

Odd note: According to my research, that dunk Udoka had at the end of the game was his first dunk of his NBA career.

[bdictjames]

Odd note: According to my research, that dunk Udoka had at the end of the game was his first dunk of his NBA career.

I like Ime. He has a quick release to his shot. And I thought Duncan was just lazy grabbing those boards.

[phxspurfan]

Odd note: According to my research, that dunk Udoka had at the end of the game was his first dunk of his NBA career.

Does anyone have a YouTube link of this that they can share?

[T Park]

Wow really?

Suprising.


IMO, Udoka should get more minutes and just let Finley rest.

We know what Finley brings in the latter part of the season, hes done it two years in a row, no reason to not expect it not to happen again, get Udoka going, and lets see how he works in small ball vs Dallas.

[bigfundamental21]

Great thoughts again timvp. I halfway expected a loss. We really didn't play all that well in Seattle, but got away with a win. Like others have said, sometimes a loss brings people back to reality. Huge disappointing game for Tony after getting WC Player of the Week. It is the regular season though and we just have to get ready for the next game.

[whottt]

Wow really?

Suprising.


IMO, Udoka should get more minutes and just let Finley rest.

We know what Finley brings in the latter part of the season,

Newsflash...he sucked the latter half of the season.


Volume shooting role players pretty much suck.

hes done it two years in a row, no reason to not expect it not to happen again, get Udoka going, and lets see how he works in small ball vs Dallas.

Bwahahaha...what a delusional tool you are. I do admit...it's pretty smart of you to start in him in d-league...way to tank to that #1 pick. If you decide you want to attempt winning...I have Barry to trade you for him...just to prove a point. Only if you beg though.

[milkyway21]

the Spurs are now known as the jetsetters in the NBA.

When the Spurs host the Wizards on Wednesday night, it will mark the 16th consecutive time their game will have been either at home or one game removed from a home game.

At the same time, it'll be the 16th consecutive time their game will have been either on the road or one game removed from a road game.

The early schedule might as well have been made by a ping-pong ball.

One at home, one on the road. One at home, one on the road. One at home, one on the road. Two at home, one on the road. One at home, one on the road. Two at home, two on the road.

Fifteen games, 13 after a flight.

Wednesday makes 16 and 14. Then -- you guessed it -- it's off to Minnesota for a 17th game following a 15th flight.

And December begins at home against Portland, an 18th game following a 16th flight.

If the NBA wanted to turn its showcase team -- the defending champs -- into a traveling show, it's certainly been successful.

thus, they lost to the Kings, a team they supposed to beat.

[Walter Craparita]

Bonner made some nice shots/rebounds to help get us back in the game. I was happy to see Bonner, Washington, and Udoka do work son.

If Finley wouldn't have hit those threes at the end, get him off the starting lineup imfo.

[bdictjames]

the Spurs are now known as the jetsetters in the NBA.

When the Spurs host the Wizards on Wednesday night, it will mark the 16th consecutive time their game will have been either at home or one game removed from a home game.

At the same time, it'll be the 16th consecutive time their game will have been either on the road or one game removed from a road game.

The early schedule might as well have been made by a ping-pong ball.

One at home, one on the road. One at home, one on the road. One at home, one on the road. Two at home, one on the road. One at home, one on the road. Two at home, two on the road.

Fifteen games, 13 after a flight.

Wednesday makes 16 and 14. Then -- you guessed it -- it's off to Minnesota for a 17th game following a 15th flight.

And December begins at home against Portland, an 18th game following a 16th flight.

If the NBA wanted to turn its showcase team -- the defending champs -- into a traveling show, it's certainly been successful.

thus, they lost to the Kings, a team they supposed to beat.

Conspiracy?

And we have that usual Rodeo Road Trip as well.

So that's why Duncan's stats have been dipping recently.. those flights are exhausting him.

[milkyway21]

Conspiracy?

And we have that usual Rodeo Road Trip as well.

So that's why Duncan's stats have been dipping recently.. those flights are exhausting him.

nah...

i guess they just want Duncan to travel around his "kingdom" this early in the season

[SAGambler]

Bonner made some nice shots/rebounds to help get us back in the game. I was happy to see Bonner, Washington, and Udoka do work son.

If Finley wouldn't have hit those threes at the end, get him off the starting lineup imfo.

I would like to see Ime replacing Fin in the starting 5 by rodeo road trip time. Then bring Fin in with Bonner and Manu on the 2nd unit, which would give Manu some help to spread the defense where they couldn't concentrate solely on Manu. I think Udoka, once he learns the defensive schemes will prove to be a better defender than Fin, while at the same time still posing a 3 pt threat. I think this is the year that Fin is going to have to be put on the 2nd unit if he is to get that 2nd ring.