Spurs vs. Suns Game 4 - Grades

[Budkin]

That game made me sick

Pretty much all that needs to be said... this game was ing painful for Spurs fans because of how great we looked for 3 quarters... and then pissed it all away...

[T Park]

After rewatching the game, I'm just stunned at the bad decisions Manu made and his overall poor play. This is a guy who I viewed as a playoff warrior who was good as anyone in the league in fourth quarters of playoffs game.

He missed some wide, wide open teammates in the fourth quarter. When he got blocked and Duncan saved him by putting it back in, he literally had the whole team wide open. He was shooting when he should have passed and passing when he should have shot. Manu is horribly out of rhythm and is playing worse than I've ever seen him play.

His biggest mistake that has gone unnoticed by Spurs fans was the play where Duncan got his fifth foul. Manu didn't let Duncan get set for the pick before starting his driving. That is the cardinal sin of pick-and-rolls -- especially if your big man is in foul trouble. Duncan was still moving as Ginobili started his drive and that resulted in an offensive foul on Duncan that was 100% Ginobili's fault. A guard can NEVER hang his bigman out to dry like that in that situation.

I'm literally stunned at this point.

I stood stunned for the last 3 minutes of the game.

I couldn't believe what I was watching.

It was the Dallas game in January all over again.

[Testing]

biggest mistake of this series: putting bowen on nash and not Marion. Here's why.

Now he's guarding Nash and not doing well. they should switch him back on marion if they're smart, he;ll get tired on offensr running around bowen's shadow to really do a good job defensively on parker....

[Rummpd]

Testing - good observation "for a LA Fan!"

[leemajors]

biggest mistake of this series: putting bowen on nash and not Marion. Here's why.

Now he's guarding Nash and not doing well. they should switch him back on marion if they're smart, he;ll get tired on offensr running around bowen's shadow to really do a good job defensively on parker....

i don't think it's a bad idea in spots to change coverage on nash, but i don't think it should be exclusively bowen in the 4th again. i would rather take my chances with bruce denying penetration to barbosa at this point since they pick and roll duncan/bowen and amare/nash to death in the 4th. stopping it is not our forte at this point.

[Marcus Bryant]

Pop needs to find a way to rest TP that doesn't involve J Vaughn leaving the bench.

[ATXSPUR]

Pop needs to find a way to rest TP that doesn't involve J Vaughn leaving the bench.

Its desperation time. I say the big 3 all play 40+ minutes game 5....its the only way for us to regain control of this series.

[Marcus Bryant]

Desperation time at 2-2? The series just started.

[ploto]

Pop needs to find a way to rest TP that doesn't involve J Vaughn leaving the bench.

the answer has been there all along- Brent Barry

[Xylus]

Desperation time at 2-2? The series just started.

As long as no one gets suspended, then this series has definitely just begun.

[ImpartialObserver]

You forgot to mention the grade for your fans, a lot of whom were fleeing for the exits with about seven seconds to go and the Spurs down only six with the ball!

F-

Just unbelieveably pathetic from a fanbase that has experienced multiple championships, and shows that the NBA is great at pricing out real fans.

[BigBeezie]

I agree with you 100%, TIMVP. Sometimes I feel like Pop needs to be replaced with a younger coach that is wittier and hungrier. Pop has gotten fat 'n happy with the Spurs organization.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

seriously for the love of god STOP PLAYING GINOBILI he's putting everything we ever thought about him to shame and is stabbing us in the back every play he's on the floor


Even the threes he took and made were bad shots...
Then Pop goes and calls for a ginboili/duncan pick and roll when the parker/duncan pick and roll was giving Duncan incredibly easy shots (unfortunately he turned the ball over all three times it worked in the 4th)

Duncan's early 4th quarter turnovers, Ginobili being the biggest loser i've seen in silver n black, and Pop's decisions all had a horribly additive effect htat left our offense completely out of rhtyhm in the entire 4th quarter. The suns had TWO GOOD DEFENSIVE POSSESSIONS all game, and it was when Duncan came back in the fourth....they double teamed duncan lightning fast which led to a horrible shot cuz duncan was stunned, then the very next possession they hesitated on the double team and played him straight up which again confused duncan and we got no points.

Other than that we totally shot ourselves in the foot.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I think this one's on Pop above anyone else.

Why the Spurs were shooting jumpers when D'Antoni went super-small is mind-boggling. Why they didn't go after Amare when he came back in with 5 fouls the way the Suns went at Duncan is astonishing. The timeouts, as Timvp mentioned, I think actually were benefitting the Suns more than the Spurs. The Suns were able to switch Amare and KT on the O and the D and set their plays. The Spurs got lackadaisacal and did nothing but jumpshoot themselves out of the 4th quarter.

Pop got severely outcoached by D'Antoni, which takes some effort on Pop's part I would think.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

Pop deserves alot of blame but not nearly as much as Ginobili. If your coach and leader makes the best player sit out during crucial 4th quarter minutes, who's going to take over? Parker at least tried, he made a couple layups i think. What the is Ginobili even doing on the floor?

It's seriously like the guy woke up and realized he's 35 years old and can't explode to the basket anymore, and its sickening to watch.

[LaMarcus Bryant]

god damnit i hate argentina

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Oh and I'm sick of stupid azz Spurs fans getting overconfident after every win. Somehow this season, it's like the Spurs take on the thought process of their fans.

When the fans are acting over confident and start looking ahead, the Spurs this season ALWAYS have a letdown. The crowd sucked at the game. Spurs fans have sucked in general showing no respect for the Suns. This Suns are done, Suns are wilting, Suns are soft crap manages to seep into the Spurs themselves and they play like with no heart like we saw.

Agreed, and it s me to tears too. The number of people calling the series over in the third quarter in the game thread was ridiculous, and I called them out for it. These people do not understand basketball, which is a game of runs, and a team as good as the Suns will always make a fourth quarter run, so you'd better be ready for it.

Also, the grades were spot on.

I'm not angry about it although I was yesterday. Now I just feel like 2001, dejected.

This team had better want it next game or the season is over, and what a horrible lost chance at a championship that would be.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Duncan's early 4th quarter turnovers, Ginobili being the biggest loser i've seen in silver n black, and Pop's decisions all had a horribly additive effect htat left our offense completely out of rhtyhm in the entire 4th quarter. The suns had TWO GOOD DEFENSIVE POSSESSIONS all game, and it was when Duncan came back in the fourth....they double teamed duncan lightning fast which led to a horrible shot cuz duncan was stunned, then the very next possession they hesitated on the double team and played him straight up which again confused duncan and we got no points.

Other than that we totally shot ourselves in the foot.

Exactly.

As for "hating Argentina", that's just lame.

[SpursFanFirst]

Oh and I'm sick of stupid azz Spurs fans getting overconfident after every win. Somehow this season, it's like the Spurs take on the thought process of their fans.

When the fans are acting over confident and start looking ahead, the Spurs this season ALWAYS have a letdown. The crowd sucked at the game. Spurs fans have sucked in general showing no respect for the Suns. This Suns are done, Suns are wilting, Suns are soft crap manages to seep into the Spurs themselves and they play like with no heart like we saw.

Angry much? just kidding. I just think it's funny because I'm still on the first page of your grades, and already I've read about 5 rants from you!
I agree though. I'm still pretty upset about last night. It was completely unnecessary!

And, I have to agree that the crowd sucks so bad! Something needs to be done in the worst way

[spurster]

Does Horry get an A now?

[gtownspur]

god damnit i hate argentina

You're like the Liberal Longhorn aggie marriot hating Spurfan Ann Coulter with the epic hyperbole.

[T Park]

It's seriously like the guy woke up and realized he's 35 years old and can't explode to the basket anymore, and its sickening to watch.

Except, hes not 35.

Thats whats sickening.

[T Park]

You're like the Liberal Longhorn aggie marriot hating Spurfan Ann Coulter with the epic hyperbole

how could someone be liberal but also ann coulter.....

[peskypesky]

Manu F- - - - - - -

I agree. Manu has played, what, one good quarter in this series? He just looks like he's finished. He can't create, he can't get to the rim, he can't pull up and hit a jumper. His defense is okay, but he's not getting those steals like he used to.

He was godawful in the 4th. Repeatedly flailing into the paint and throwing up horrible "shots", hoping the refs would bail him out by calling fouls. Manu? Wake up. The refs ain't going to call those fouls, so stop that crap.

But you know, if a player is sucking, the god-damn coach is supposed to realize that and give his minutes to someone who's hot, like Brent Barry. Once again, Poopavitch refused to ride the hot hand. Barry was drilling his shots, but compare his minute's to Ginobili's. I blame Poopavitch for this loss.

[T Park]

Why the Spurs were shooting jumpers when D'Antoni went super-small is mind-boggling. Why they didn't go after Amare when he came back in with 5 fouls the way the Suns went at Duncan is astonishing. The timeouts, as Timvp mentioned, I think actually were benefitting the Suns more than the Spurs. The Suns were able to switch Amare and KT on the O and the D and set their plays. The Spurs got lackadaisacal and did nothing but jumpshoot themselves out of the 4th quarter.

he can't drive to the damn hole for em.

[peskypesky]

Wow, I guess Spurs fans like Ginobili?

Because from what I saw, he's the one that cost you the game. 10 points the entire game, botched layups/TO's settling for 3 pointers, going one on one instead of passing when he should and passing when he should score...he's been doing this 3 games out of 4. When he is supposedly your team's 2nd best player, you should expect slightly more than that....

Totally agree with you.