Game Thoughts: Spurs vs. Celtics Mar. 17

[timvp]

I never said he's the whole team. I understand it's not a championship recipe for Ginobili to be far and away the team's best player. But if Duncan can't get it going and the role players can't hit open shots, what are we supposed to complain about exactly?

How about Duncan not getting it going and the role players not hitting open shots?

I simply pointed out that when he's a starter the bench sucks and when he's a bench guy the starters suck. The +/- on the game logs tells the story, so argue if you want to look silly.

I couple games doesn't a precedence make. And, again, no the whole team doesn't revolve around Manu.

Larger than usual defensive burden? WTF does that even mean? He has to guard his guy and Ginobili's guy? I guess it was Manu's fault that Rondo went off, Miller lit us up, and Hamilton before that, and Paul before that. Exactly when was the last time the guy Tony was supposed to guard not had a great game?

My point is that Parker has been picking up the one-on-one defensive slack for Ginobili since Parker returned from injury. Why do you think he was defending Hamilton to begin with? Pop doesn't put Ginobili on players who go around screens because it takes away too much energy. Why do you think Parker guarded Iverson? Usually it's the shooting guard who defends Iverson. Yet Pop put Ginobili on Anthony Carter or whoever other scrub the Nuggets to put out on the floor to save Ginobili energy.

You can't come with the Ginobili is the bestest ever and the whole team revolves around whether he starts or comes off the bench and then bash Parker's defense when Parker has been picking up the defensive slack for Ginobili lately.

Pop very recently praised Manu's defense and said this year is the best D he's ever played. I don't recall any such statements coming from him about Tony.
In fact in YOUR OWN recaps you've praised Manu's defensive efforts in half of our recent games. Meanwhile, you've flat out called out Tony's on numerous occasions.

I agree with your own posts and you still insult me? WTF.

Again, a few game stretch isn't enough to come to the conclusions you made in your response. The problem regarding the starters against the Celtics was Duncan pretty much sucked and Finley was worthless.

I made three points in my post.

1) Manu needs to stay on the bench
2) Fin needs to not play anymore, period, especially in small ball lineups.
3) Tony's defense has been abysmal ever since he returned from injury.

Which of the three do you disagree with again?

Read your first paragraph again and tell me which of those three points that "Ginobili is the team" diatribe goes under.

Regarding those three points, I agree with Ginobili coming off the bench. I'm not 100% sold that Finley is done but if he struggles for a few more weeks and Barry comes back healthy, I have no problem switching their roles.

And regarding Parker, his defense hasn't been abysmal since his return. That's an exaggeration. His defense in his first 11 games back was either average or good. Which of those games did you have a problem with?

If you want to look at the last four games, then it's fair to say Parker's defense has been poor. But to say his defense has been bad since his return just isn't reality.

[timvp]

actually Manu can guard Hamilton the reason Pop put him on Chauncy is because Chanucy is too big for Tony to guard!

Parker always guards Billups to start off games. He guarded him for about 95% of the 2005 Finals. And now, Parker is a lot stronger than he was back then.

Parker guarded Rip because Bowen was out of the lineup. Bowen is the player who defends against opponents who go around a lot of screens. If Bowen isn't available, Parker is the next in line. When has Manu ever been put on a player who uses screens regularly?

Pop also put Manu on Carter because he was in foul trouble in the first half against Denver. Also, Tony can guard Iverson pretty well because of his foot speed.

Manu is never put on AI or Carmelo for any stretch of time.

Everyone knows Tony can't guard Big point guards he just doesn't have the weight for it.

That was true years ago but it's no longer the case.

The gameplan in each game is to put Ginobili on the weakest offensive player on the other team. That allows Ginobili to roam and not worry too much about his main defensive assignment.

[Agloco]

Anyone want to run some stats on our scoring prior to Barry going out of the lineup VS since?

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89216

[polandprzem]

I was going to ask lj that he did not put up the 3/4 grades. Or I missed something?