Manu: If we go down 0-2, it will be hard to turn it around

[GrandeDavid]

Brent Barry on the radio yesterday said Manu couldn't straighten his right arm.

I would rather see the Spurs go down with all guns blazing (if it's to be), rather than "what ifs." (Although there will be some cosmic "what ifs" if another injury dooms the Spurs in the playoffs once again.)

The Spurs need to suck it up and get the win without Manu. There are no excuses. This team without Manu in a MUST WIN against the Memphis Grizzlies at home should easily be able to get the job done. I would NOT start Manu and see how the game goes.

[SenorSpur]

Spurs will win this without Manu. If he can't play then don't play him. If he is 50% out there then it is not worth it. Tell George to man the up.

If the Spurs are to win this without Manu, don't they have to believe it themselves first?

[Horse]

His presence will make a big difference, just play him the last two minutes. Willis Reed did'nt have a great game but his impact on the team was amazing!

[ElNono]

is this for real? is George Hill that re ed?

[ducks]

Don't forget if he falls he will need both arms to brace against not crashing hard to the floor. both arms are necessary. If he can't staighten his arm that could effect his overall shooting and will likely effect his aggressiveness at attacking the basket.

very true
neal is much better then a 50% manu


manu is not that great of a three point shooter
mem would be wise to force him to drive
if they play as phyisical as last game manu would not drive

[Baseline]

The recent comments from Blair, Dice and TP are a bit concerning. It worries me that the players don't believe they can succeed without Manu. They don't give themselves even a chance of winning the series without him. It's almost like a defeatist at ude.

Is their honesty justified or is this a defeatist at ude? Thoughts?

Despite their success during the Duncan years, the Spurs have always had a bit of a defeatist at ude in certain matters. In my opinion this comes from Popovich, who is a stubborn disciplinarian to a fault. We all know that his headgame tactics inhibit certain players, namely guys like Brent Barry, Tiago, Malik Rose, etc. Yet he plays guys like Bonner and Finley huge minutes despite their oftentimes crappy production. He preaches, defense yet plays stiffs like Bonner or Finley 30+ minutes.

Therefore, the players know that Pop will do what Pop wants to do, and they will do as he says or Pop will bring Armageddon upon them. There's a certain fear, or cloak of subjugation upon them.

For example, there has always been a certain fear of the Lakers, which has annoyed me to no end. Granted, we were robbed by the .4 shot being allowed, and the entire universe knows that LA gets all the calls. So our guys know they have to play near perfect basketball to beat them, because it's basically 5 on 8.

So, I think because of Popovich and his screaming, dictatorial ways, our team has a reverse swagger. I realize that our guys aren't egomaniacs, but our team suffers from far-too-frequent lapses in confidence. We're one of the quicker teams in the league to hang our heads. Like after losing Game 1 to the #8 seed...and three different guys are already giving up the series if Manu doesn't come back, including our starting point guard.