Initial Reaction: Spurs vs. Mavs - Game 5

[crc21209]

i fully expect to see a different tim duncan and company in game 6.

+100000000000000

[Horse]

The thing that worried my last night is the thing that makes me feel better about tommorow night. The unforced turnovers there were so many they just gave away. So if they stop ing around they should be fine.

[TD 21]

The Spurs went for the knockout punch on Tuesday in Game 5 but the Mavs thwarted the attempt. Instead, Dallas whipped the Spurs at the AAC to win their second game of the series. The Spurs still hold a 3-2 advantage but they face a tremendously important contest in Game 6.

-Tim Duncan was better than he was in Game 4 ... but that isn't saying much. In 24 minutes, Duncan had 11 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots and missed 6-of-9 field goals. Earlier in the series, he was using his agility to get by the slower centers for Dallas. In this game, he tried to rely on his post moves and he couldn't find a rhythm. Defensively, Duncan was a bit slow and wasn't pulling down contested boards. The Spurs need Duncan to bounce back with a big game on Thursday or this could become a memorable series for all the wrong reasons.

-I was very disappointed by what I saw out of Manu Ginobili. I could live with his foursome of untimely turnovers but I was stunned by his lack of energy on either end of the court. Ginobili was slow moving to the ball and just wasn't playing with enough juice. In the playoffs, that is unacceptable. Hopefully it was an off-game or he was looking ahead to Game 6. If it's a case that Ginobili is already tired, this postseason doesn't have much in store for the Spurs.

-Tony Parker was one of the few bright spots -- especially his play in the first half. He finished the game with 18 points, six assists and three rebounds on 6-for-15 shooting (he had one point on 0-for-6 shooting in the second half). The Spurs actually outscored the Mavs by three points in the 25 minutes he was on the court. When the Mavs tried to bully the Spurs, Parker fought back and didn't back down. That's the type of at ude the Spurs need going forward.

-With his starting lineup playing so poorly, I can't put too much blame on Pop. He didn't have anyone to carry the squad to keep it close. If Pop made a notable mistake, it was not starting Parker in the second half in an attempt to continue the momentum from the end of the second quarter. Overall, Pop did right by pulling the starters by the fourth quarter. The Spurs weren't going to make a run and with signs of fatigue already creeping up, getting as much rest as possible is extremely vital.

So game six is "tremendously important", but game five was "vital". Is this your way of admitting that you overstated the importance of game five?

Duncan was fine. He started out fairly well, then inexplicably didn't receive the ball again until the game was out of reach. It was too important for Ginobili to throw telegraphed passes on the pick-and-roll and for Parker to pound the ball into the floor boards while looking for his. Duncan needs to start demanding the ball with more frequency. This is still his team; not Ginobili's, not Parker's. I understand that this isn't the old days, but at the same time he can't just be another player on offense.

Ginobili was awful and the main culprit for this loss. Ridiculous passes (similar to in game one) and just horrible all around play. For a guy who's always talking about intensity, I thought he, more than anyone, was clearly looking ahead to game six. Maybe this is a sign that the Spurs follow his lead, because when he did that, everyone else followed suit. Predictably, both he and Duncan will have a big game six, yet he'll be the one being lauded afterward.

Parker wasn't much better. Don't be fooled by the points, the reality is he over dribbled, didn't get anyone else involved and the Spurs offense, which was already stagnant, became ever more so when he was in. One time, when he had nowhere to go he threw a simple two foot pass to Mason, who was so shocked by this that he wasn't even paying attention and fumbled it before securing it...or maybe this was just another example of how Mason went from a quality NBA role player to a player that looks like he shouldn't be playing professional basketball period all in the span of a year.

Maybe you can't put too much blame on Pop, but I can. You can't basically admit that your team was looking ahead to game six and pretend to be mad at them for this when you coached as if you were as well. Mason inexplicably making a first quarter appearance, Duncan coming out far earlier than usual, Ginobili sitting for eight consecutive minutes with the game in the balance. I know Ginobili had two fouls relatively early, but if Pop was truly concerned with winning this game, he wouldn't have played a regular season rotation.

It's obvious what has to happen in game six: The Spurs need to go down to essentially a six man rotation, with the two backup bigs playing spot minutes and no backup wing player in the rotation. Unless the Spurs open up a sizable margin or turn the game into a rout, Bogans and Mason shouldn't see a second of court time.

[GSH]

You must have some amazing eyes!!

I am surprised to see only a couple of posters mentioning the adjustments that Dallas made. Was it all just the Spurs being self-satisfied or tired, or was there more to it?

LOL... you knew I was talking about Haywood. It was late, and it's reflex to think about Damp when I'm thinking about the Mavs big man around the basket. I'll try not to let it happen again. (Doesn't change the point - I'll get you a minute and second mark of the game, if you want to see for yourself.) The Mavs were more physical everywhere, even off the ball - and it was effective.

I wondered if the Spurs expected the refs to call things close, after the T's and ejection in Game 4. I watched some of it again, and they just looked tenative.

Give the Mavs credit. The Spurs did a lot of damage in the paint in their wins, and the Mavs played physical and took a lot of that away. In a jump shooting or free throw contest, the Mavs are going to win most of the time. It was also one of those nights when the Mavs got a lot of rolls, and the Spurs didn't seem like they got any. That makes a big difference on the final point difference. The Mavs took that game, but if a few more shots hadn't rattled out, it would have looked a lot more respectabe. The final score doesn't worry me so much as the Spurs need to respond to the physical play.

[polandprzem]

Maybe you can't put too much blame on Pop, but I can. You can't basically admit that your team was looking ahead to game six and pretend to be mad at them for this when you coached as if you were as well. Mason inexplicably making a first quarter appearance, Duncan coming out far earlier than usual, Ginobili sitting for eight consecutive minutes with the game in the balance. I know Ginobili had two fouls relatively early, but if Pop was truly concerned with winning this game, he wouldn't have played a regular season rotation.

When you starters struggle you turn to the bench players

As simple as possible