Way to kill the team's streak, Pop

[Paranoid Pop]

Pop is right and all the haters only deserve VDN or some other scrub coach.

Tim and Tony go down and you don't make the playoffs bar none.

Regular season means jack , peaking before the AS break, how useless is that?

[jiggy_55]

This was complete bull . Not only do Duncan and Parker get rested (does Duncan even need it? He's about to get 5 days off for the All-Star break!), but he also rests Matt Bonner, Neal and RJ with neither playing more than 20minutes? What a ing joke

[DrSteffo]

No big deal and this was probably a smart move by Pop.

[rr2418]

Maybe Pop just wanted to see the young players play without the comfort of having Duncan and Parker bail them out...I don't know! Maybe he wanted to see what he has in Eric Dawson. I think it was Caeman that wrote that this game film is useless to review. I disagree! I think Pop will use this to point out the good and the bad(there were lots of 'em) plays from his young players. We're just fans, we don't know what goes on day in and day out at Spurs HQ. We think we know! Some fans talk like if they're right in the middle of Spurs practices.. I guess that's what makes being a fan fun!

[rr2418]

I still do not see how sitting out this game. A game in the last week of February of a compressed schedule is going to be deciding factor in winning a championship (this year, or any year for that matter).

Stop giving Pop credit from being a senile ol' .

Who said that sitting out a game means winning a championship? Pop just simply wanted to rest Duncan and Parker! I really don't think Pop is going to lose any sleep b/c you don't agree!

[Hoops Czar]

So Ginobili and Splitter are out for the rest of the season, and every game is the second of a back to back when Parker and Duncan have been playing 40 minutes per the previous games? What a stupid strawman. This is exactly the kind of game you throw in a lockout season.

The problem with throwing games is it puts much more of an importance on winning the next game out. You want to avoid losing streaks which now almost seems inevitable.

[therealtruth]

Pop's ability to coach through the regular season seems solid. However in the playoffs he's been pretty bad. The problem may be his regular season coaching is affecting his playoff coaching. That's why it's easier to coach one way. Basically the regular season is practice for the playoffs. The best practice you can get is getting quality wins against good teams like a Trailblazers team that is strong at home. The wins against the weak teams don't do any thing for you except pad your W's.

[Rapper]

I certainly know that pop wanted to avoid wearing down his stars but to be honest. it hurts

I'd like to see 13 winning streak and perfect on the Rodeo road trip

[TJastal]

If you need rest why do you play them in a game when they'll both need to play 40+ minutes after playing 40+ minute games the previous two? Why would you not play them instead against the eastern patsy you can probably beat with each guy playing 25-30 minutes? Man, you really have for brains and an irrational hatred of Parker.

I have for brains apparently... for wanting to give the undermanned team a fighting chance.

This about sums up my feeling too:

it's not about the loss, it about setting your guys up to fail. You want to rest Tim and Tony, fine tell them you get 15-20 minutes and that's it. This at least will give the bench a chance, and not a 40 point loss that was over in the first quarter. Either way it's over, I'm not going to change my opinion and the Pop lovers won't change theirs. Hopefully this summer we will be watching a Spurs Championship Bluray and they can play some dramatic music and highlight the resting/forfeiting of this game as the changing moment in the 2012 season.

[TJastal]

Pop's ability to coach through the regular season seems solid. However in the playoffs he's been pretty bad. The problem may be his regular season coaching is affecting his playoff coaching. That's why it's easier to coach one way. Basically the regular season is practice for the playoffs. The best practice you can get is getting quality wins against good teams like a Trailblazers team that is strong at home. The wins against the weak teams don't do any thing for you except pad your W's.

Every once in awhile though I like to bend my guys over and let em take one up the ass. It's good for em. Builds character.

[Proxy]

I can't believe this thread has gone on this long. It's one ing game. If the Spurs are the contenders we want them to be, then this game doesn't matter and rest is more important. How people think they know more than a professional coach with 4 rings on his hand is beyond me.

[jjktkk]

I have for brains apparently... for wanting to give the undermanned team a fighting chance.

This about sums up my feeling too:

I won't argue with yea on the for brains comment. I just checked and, low and behold, the Spurs wern't eliminated from the playoffs despite that beat down in Portland last night. Was really sweating it.

[TJastal]

I can't believe this thread has gone on this long. It's one ing game. If the Spurs are the contenders we want them to be, then this game doesn't matter and rest is more important. How people think they know more than a professional coach with 4 rings on his hand is beyond me.

Thanks sonny, I like it when people remember those 4 les. I have 4 of em, you know.

[Proxy]

Thanks sonny, I like it when people remember those 4 les. I have 4 of em, you know.

You should go coach an NBA team, TJ

[jjktkk]

I can't believe this thread has gone on this long. It's one ing game. If the Spurs are the contenders we want them to be, then this game doesn't matter and rest is more important. How people think they know more than a professional coach with 4 rings on his hand is beyond me.

But losses like these let us get to see Tjastal come out in full force with his own brand of brilliant basketball takes. Its quite entertaining tbh.

[TJastal]

I won't argue with yea on the for brains comment. I just checked and, low and behold, the Spurs wern't eliminated from the playoffs despite that beat down in Portland last night. Was really sweating it.

Way to give that tjastal prick a piece of your mind, JJ. He just doesn't understand our way of thinking. Like how great it is to bend over every once in awhile and take one up the rear. To a western conference playoff contender. With almost 7 days of rest coming up in less than 3 days. And the worst team in professional basketball after that. Damn prick.

[Proxy]

But losses like these let us get to see Tjastal come out in full force with his own brand of brilliant basketball takes. Its quite entertaining tbh.

I wish I had your ability to look at the bright side of for brains.... I envy you.

[TJastal]

I envy your ability to get Pop's balls firmly placed on your chin. That must take years of practice. I wish I could do that.

[jjktkk]

I wish I had your ability to look at the bright side of for brains.... I envy you.

You should look up some of Tjastal's posts. Hes a legend around here.

[UnWantedTheory]

The point is that rest is overrated when it comes to injuries. Especially when we're talking about 80 games vs 82. Injuries happen when they happen. You're not stopping them. People should not be praising this decision, which resulted in a 40+ point loss, as a genius decision. The guy is old and senile.

No one should view this as a genius decision, nor should they view it as a decision made out of senility. View it with indifference.

This is ridiculous. People are stating one game of rest isn't going to help our chances to win a ship, but this one loss will not kill them either. Rest for TD and TP should be given wherever possible as they have had a heavy burden this season and seasons past. It isn't just this one game, but all the ac ulative minutes that are and should be managed. I am not upset at Pop for resting them, but I am upset that this team lost the way they did. I am not going to lose any sleep over this, nor will the players I think, but they are professionals and should have played at a higher level. Instead of bashing Pop with little reason concerning the rest, criticize him for the players that were on the floor being ill prepared.

[TJastal]

No one should view this as a genius decision, nor should they view it as a decision made out of senility. View it with indifference.

This is ridiculous. People are stating one game of rest isn't going to help our chances to win a ship, but this one loss will not kill them either. Rest for TD and TP should be given wherever possible as they have had a heavy burden this season and seasons past. It isn't just this one game, but all the ac ulative minutes that are and should be managed. I am not upset at Pop for resting them, but I am upset that this team lost the way they did. I am not going to lose any sleep over this, nor will the players I think, but they are professionals and should have played at a higher level. Instead of bashing Pop with little reason concerning the rest, criticize him for the players that were on the floor being ill prepared.

I think the criticism is valid @ Pop concerning the rest. Spurs have 3 days before the all-star break where everyone will get a week's worth of rest. Not really the time to be resting guys, especially against a western conference playoff contender. Now if we happen to face that team in the playoffs they will have a big mental advantage and a assload of confidence heading in.

What Pop should have done was try to finish the RRT strong, then do your R&R for a week. If he was going to give rests it should have been done weeks ago when the team was facing all those sub .500 eastern conference bottom dwellers.

[benefactor]

Pop won't play the players I want to watch

What's funnier is that the same posters would be in here blasting Pop for playing Parker and Duncan in a meaningless game if he would have played them and one of them would have gotten hurt.

[ffadicted]

Only at spurstalk will the samae people keep mentioning that regular season records don't mean and it's fool's gold come playoff time, and then complain about giving up a regular season game for some rest time to play better in the playoffs lol

[Brazil]

I just checked the 6 pages of that thread... it's a big GNSF takes orgy

[manufan10]

Only at spurstalk will the samae people keep mentioning that regular season records don't mean and it's fool's gold come playoff time, and then complain about giving up a regular season game for some rest time to play better in the playoffs lol

Good point.