The patient is in the hospital...

[Nathan89]

Duncan can play against Randolph, and Splitter has about as good a chance as anyone against Gasol. Those matchups should be concrete, and the Spurs should match them minute for minute. Dice can play against Arthur, and Bonner or Blair can fight with sporks at the hotel for the rest of the minutes, I don't give a .

I don't mind a small lineup with Bonner if they're going to run and try to score easy buckets and break down the defense to set up threes, I just don't want to see it for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

In game 3 both Randolph and Gasol played 40min. I don't think Duncan or Splitter could play that many minutes.

[Brutalis]

I'd go with a starting five of Parker, Neal, Jefferson, Duncan, and Blair for game 5.

Manu and Splitter come in together off the bench, and go pick and roll until Memphis calls uncle.

Bonner gets no more than five minutes in the first half. If he hasn't hit at least two threes in that time, he sits the rest of the pine.

Bingo

[Marcus Bryant]

Hate to say it, but this team is done. Before this game, I though Duncan would come out of his funk, but it's not a funk. Dude just doesn't have it anymore. And like Barkley said at halftime, nothing wrong with that. Happens to the best.

the round mound of no rings.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Duncan can play against Randolph, and Splitter has about as good a chance as anyone against Gasol. Those matchups should be concrete, and the Spurs should match them minute for minute. Dice can play against Arthur, and Bonner or Blair can fight with sporks at the hotel for the rest of the minutes, I don't give a .

I don't mind a small lineup with Bonner if they're going to run and try to score easy buckets and break down the defense to set up threes, I just don't want to see it for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

I could go with that, good point elaborating on the matchups.

Now, someone get Pop on the phone and tell him AHF and Obstructed_View have a plan

[L.I.T]

The Summer League?

Damn, subconsciously was already looking ahead to our next win.

[Nathan89]

Please refrain from speaking of him in the past tense.

Twin towers, folks.

A chance to make history.

Those of you that know how pessimistic I've been the last, five years or so, should realize what this turn of events means.

The Spurs' chances of winning ring number five just got better than they've been all season.


Believe

In a weird way the Spurs chances of winning number five have just gotten better. If we continued what we were doing we would have been demolished in the future. Now we are playing an inexperienced Splitter and I still think that is a better option than Blair. If we weren't in this current situation we would continue to play uninspired basketball. If we did overcome the players will have a hunger in them that they never had before.

Of course I wouldn't bet on the Spurs to win this series but in twisted way the Spurs now indeed do have a better chance at winning a ring. At the very least we would be able to put up a better fight than we would have been able to do without the current cir stances.

[Obstructed_View]

In game 3 both Randolph and Gasol played 40min. I don't think Duncan or Splitter could play that many minutes.

With all due respect, why the not?? What's the point of limiting Duncan's minutes to a career low if he can't go for 40 minutes in an elimination game? And Splitter has been literally resting for the entire season. Don't run a single, solitary offensive play for either of them aside from pick and rolls and let them do what they do on defense.

[rmt]

With all due respect, why the not?? What's the point of limiting Duncan's minutes to a career low if he can't go for 40 minutes in an elimination game? And Splitter has been literally resting for the entire season. Don't run a single, solitary offensive play for either of them aside from pick and rolls and let them do what they do on defense.

They'll have the whole summer to rest so I don't see why they can't (more realistically 36 mins). Splitter's minutes would have to be broken up and rests maximized with time-outs (planned ahead) as he's not used to playing that many minutes. That leaves 24 mins. of Dice/Bonner/Blair (preferably Dice). Ray Allen and Paul Pierce routinely play 40 mins. in big (regular season) games.