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I've seen this movie before!
I can't believe we're all wanting Bonner to get minutes when last year we dreaded it.But yeah, I agree, Bonner could do some good stuff this series.
yeah, Matt Bonner is the hero the Spurs need
I've seen this movie before!
was looking at the play by play last night
from 1:59 in the third to the final minute in the 4th this is how OKC scored
8 free throws
1 field goal
2 free thows
1 field goal
6 free throws
1 field goal
2 free throws
1 field goal
2 free throws
that comes out to 20 free throws to 4 made baskets in a 12 minute span
tbh..
and for adjustments
Diaw obviously has to start and yes Bonner could get minutes with the bench
he can work vs OKC since Adams/Perkins cant do anything but dunk and Ibaka has 0 post game and would prefer to shoot step back 2s on Bonner
you would get killed on the offensive glass and give up mid range jump shots if you put him in
Let's not kid ourselves about the third string against the Thunder. They did relatively well last night because the Thunder didn't take them too seriously, and because Brooks, for whatever reason, left his starters in against our third string, so they had to be more tired than our third string was.
We have to get more production out of the guys we expect to get it from: Last night, the shooting percentages were:
75% - Bonner
60% - Parker (with 4 assists and 3 turnovers in 25 minutes - one turnover Westbrook was out of bounds but the refs missed it) in 25 minutes
Joseph (with 5 fouls in about 12 minutes)
45% - Diaw (with 10 rebounds) in about 29 minutes
40% - Duncan (with 6 rebounds) in about 24 minutes
30% - Leonard (with 5 rebounds) in about 24 minutes
Splitter (with 1 rebound ) in about 24 minutes
25% - Green ( with 3 turnovers)
Ginobili (with 1 assist and three fouls) in about 11 minutes total
22% - Mills
0% - Ayres
Baynes
With that sort of production, no team is going to beat anybody. Only Parker and Diaw and Joseph showed up for this game, and Parker was pulled in the third and Joseph didn't play until the third.
This is on Pop to find a combination of players that will produce. His stubbornness is showing.
Might as well sit Splitter down in favor of Baynes /Diaw. Baynes will foul but the Thunder are going to get fouls called for anyway. Splitter is just worse than useless in this series.
We got this. We will bounce back with a bang and get crucial W to swing series in our favour.
I saw this series going 7 with the Spurs winning and I'm sticking to it. We take game 5 in a nail biter.
Said it in another thread and I've seen others allude to it as well but...
Diaw and or Ginobili should start Game 5.
Starting Diaw gives multiple benefits, & I think that may be a more realistic option. Manu is in a nice rhythm coming off the bench.
1- Draws Ibaka away from the basket
2- Spreads the floor, which will improve ball flow and passing
3- Another ball handler on the court who can create off the dribble if he catches it with the shot clock running down
4- Running the P&R with Parker will create a mis-match for Diaw with either Jackson or WB on him, or it will put Ibaka on TP which again puts Ibaka away from the basket.
5- Adds another offensive threat. Can't rely on Parker to be in full on attack mode like he was against Portland, for whatever reason. So we need more offense and attacking desperately.
Bonner starting sneakily could provide similar benefits like spreading the floor and getting Ibaka away from the basket. Not another ball handler, but spreading the floor. I think Pop has to make an adjustment, we can't have the starting lineup continue to get outplayed like they have been.
We worked hard all year to get homecourt, let's take advantage of that. Just win the home games and your good to go.
Game 5 feels like our last chance...
It's really hard to watch their brand of basketball. It's kills any flow to the game. The thunder are a team that have one big run a game a game. The rest is free throws.
Not even worried about game 5. This thing is going 7 games.
same here I would agree with you until they win a gm in S.A. then I will start worrying 2012 is the farthest thing from my mind right now
Hopefully Westbrook won't be able to get away with reach in fouls so frequently in SA. Maybe the bigger hope is the Spurs finally wake up and take care of the ball when he's around.
This...
It's not only westbrook. all OKC.. hacking the spurs ball handler....
Last year when the Spurs made the finals, I thought we would get steamrolled by a younger, more athletic Heat team that had beaten us twice last year during the regular season. After Game 1, I thought we got lucky and caught Miami off guard. Game 2 confirmed my su ions. Then the Spurs went home and proved that they were every bit as good or better than the Heat. While I do think the Thunder have the momentum, this Spurs team has surprised me several times over the last year. I think Spurs take game 5. I'm more worried about game 7.
As crazy as it sounds Matt Bonner wouldn't be a bad choice out there when Ibaka is playing. I do agree Diaw needs to start, with Splitter off the bench. We need more spacing out there. Mills should backup tony, but if he is struggling or westbrook is going off then cojo should play. I don't think Marco should play anymore this series, and cojo should get his minutes.
on a side note it will be interesting to see how the tissue or vessels around the calf of ibaka and ankle of jackson respond to the pressure changes during their flight. and whether or not jackson's ankle suffered increase swelling overnight. bench players tend to play worse on the road and if these injuries create more dependence on OKC's rotation i do not expect the thunder bench to play anywhere near as well in SA.
Start Manu and Diaw. Those two play well together.
Bring Green and Joseph off bench with Splitter.
W-W-L-L-W-W really isn't too unrealistic.
W-W-L-L-W-L-W
Seems more realistic at this stage.
WOW......feeling defeated, ugly losses to OKC. Hoping that the starters sitting on the bench learned something from the 3rd string playing their hearts out....fearless. Come on Spurs, let's get game 5! Just Do It!!!!
I really believe OKC's crowd plays a bigger factor than pop and the guys let on. Think about it.... our hot start in game 4. Then all of a sudden two straight turnovers getting easy shots for okc and the crowd is right in it. Then the spurs don't even look like the same team. Nervous, rushing passes, poor spacing. There is a reason why we have lost 9 straight in their gym. It makes the rose garden (moda center) look like a walk in the park tbh... I'm really hoping our guys play better and realize ibaka is human. Spurs cannot afford to be chasing a lead next game. Make them question their confidence. KD and RW are pretty easy to frustrate and that throws the whole team off. Also, I think a huge factor is RW. When his shot is falling it's tough, but when it's not he turns into one of the biggest chuckers the league has seen and that bodes well for us.
Agree!
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