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We turn this around in games 3 and 4. Then win game 5 on the road.
Another night. Same miserable nightmare. For the fourth time in the last five meetings, the Hornets have turned a close halftime score into a blowout in the second half. The Spurs put up a fight for a half – but then like usual, the second half was a totally different story.
I first have to commend New Orleans for a job well done. They’ve handily outplayed the Spurs in every aspect of the game. Right now, they just look like the better team. The main reason for the Hornets’ success is Chris Paul. He might only be six-foot nothing. He might not be that great of an athlete. But Paul is an amazing basketball player. Basketball fans have looked for the next dominating player in the league and I think he’s been located. This kid is like if you took Michael Jordan’s toughness and will to win and Magic Johnson’s game management abilities and put them in small yet powerful body. If I’m starting an NBA team tomorrow, he’s the guy I pick to build around.
The Spurs . . . oh those lovable Spurs. I don’t even know where to begin. These two games have been painful to watch. Anyone who has been paying attention knew what was going to happen in the third quarter. The Spurs just seem powerless to do anything about it.
This series reminds me of a boxing match. The Spurs came out with their gloves down and the Hornets connected with a few haymakers. It’s possible for San Antonio to recover but right now they are dazed and unsure of themselves. They basically just need to get their gloves up and go into survival mode until they can get their bearings again.
Overall, it’s a depressing situation. The Spurs went from easily disposing a tough first round opponent to the brink of elimination seemingly overnight. If they want to save their season, they have to do so right now.
-Tim Duncan played a lot better than he did in Game 1. Although, he could have not shown up to the arena and he would have done more than he did in Game 1. It’s hard to knock Duncan too much in Game 2 because the Hornets' first, second and third thoughts on defense are forcing the ball out of Duncan’s hands. New Orleans’ strategy is basically “let anyone not named Tim Duncan beat us” and honestly, that strategy has worked out great for the Hornets so far. In this game, Duncan had 18 points, eight rebounds and one blocked shot. He hit 6-of-11 shots from the field and 6-of-7 free throws. While Duncan doesn’t deserve a majority of the blame, his plus/minus of -32 is alarming. When Duncan wasn’t on the floor, the Spurs actually outscored the Hornets 27-13 in those 12 minutes. Duncan and the Spurs need to figure out how to use all the attention he is getting from the Hornets to their advantage. So far in the first two games, the Hornets have outscored the Spurs by 51 points when Duncan has been on the court. That’s just an unfathomable number.
-With Manu Ginobili, sometimes you have to put up with crazy play to get to the magical moments. Game 2 was definitely the Crazy Manu at work. His decision-making had to leave more than a few Spurs fans scratching their heads. Turnovers have been a big problem for Ginobili all playoffs and turnovers were once again a problem. He was credited with five turnovers in 28 minutes. Defensively, Ginobili was much worse than he's been at any point in the playoffs. To his credit, Ginobili was actually pretty good offensively when he wasn’t trying to force the action. He finished with 13 points, seven assists, four rebounds and shot 4-for-10 from the field. The Spurs are going to need Magical Manu if they want to win this series. The Hornets don’t have a quality swingman defender, so Ginobili is the bus the Spurs need to ride to achieve a series victory. Hopefully the bus revs up in Game 3.
-Tony Parker was horrible to start off the game. He missed his first six shots and wasn’t even getting any assists during that time. Parker was basically a non-factor for a good chunk of time. He finally got it going by hitting five of his final eight shots – but the damage had already been done. On the night, Parker had 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three turnovers, while shooting 5-for-14 from the field. Parker has to produce if the Spurs are to win this series. If he can’t score, he has to at least create shots for the three-point shooters. He’s one of the best penetrate-and-kick guards in the NBA but you would never know by his play in the first two games.
-Bruce Bowen couldn’t do much of anything in Game 2. I thought he gave great effort defensively but the results were definitely lacking. Even with Bowen playing really good defense, Paul was able to go for 30 points, 12 assists and only one turnover. Offensively, Bowen hit only 1-of-7 shots. His inability to make a basket allowed the Hornets to throw even more help at Duncan in the low block. On the night, Bowen finished with four points, four rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes. Bowen has to find his niche in this series to warrant more playing time.
-Michael Finley couldn’t make the Hornets pay for leaving him. In 16 minutes, Finley hit only 2-of-7 shots and missed all three of his shots from beyond the arc. Besides his four points, Finley chipped in one rebound and one assist. If Finley can’t make the Hornets pay for leaving him, he’ll have to sit. New Orleans isn’t respecting his marksmanship and so far, they’ve been right not to show any respect.
-Kurt Thomas was the best player on the court for the Spurs. He defended David West remarkably well, holding West to ten points on 2-for-11 shooting. Offensively, Thomas was 4-for-6 from the field on his way to nine points. Thomas also grabbed seven boards in his 20 minutes of playing time. The Spurs’ starting center played well enough for San Antonio to get the victory. Hopefully he can bring the same level of play to the forthcoming games.
-After being out of the rotation in Game 1, Ime Udoka was back in the rotation in Game 2. While he did a good job defending Bonzi Wells, his offense was so poor that he likely will find himself back on the bench for the rest of the series. The Hornets left him wide open on the perimeter and he just looked uncomfortable trying to hit the open looks. In 25 minutes, Udoka finished with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two turnovers, while shooting 3-for-9 from the field and 1-for-6 from three-point land. His defense and rebounding helps but his inability to shoot in the playoffs has really hurt his overall value.
-Brent Barry was the Spurs’ other bright spot outside of Thomas. Barry scored 14 points and dished out three assists in 18 minutes, while shooting 4-for-5 from the field – all of which were three-pointers. While it’s true that some of his production came in garbage time, his ability to shoot should warrant more playing time in the rest of the series. If Barry is hitting shots, playing him 25-30 minutes per game against the Hornets is a must.
-Fabricio Oberto played 14 minutes and didn’t make much of an impact. His defense was below average and he finished with four points, three rebounds and one assist. Oberto should be able to use his veteran experience against the younger bigs of New Orleans but that just isn’t happening. He’s more of a liability at this point than anything else.
-Jacque Vaughn played six minutes, most of which were garbage minutes, and did a pretty good job. With the way Ginobili struggled as the backup point guard, giving Vaughn more minutes might be an option. He also hasn’t been too horrible defending Paul. The problem is the Hornets won’t respect his jumper and his man will be able to join the sag party in the paint.
-I gave Pop a lot of credit for pushing the right buttons against the Suns. Pop single-handedly made what was likely supposed to be a really tough series into a short series just by massively outcoaching Mike D’Antoni. Against the Hornets, Pop is continuing to push buttons – but now the results are far different. Byron Scott has handily outcoached Pop in this series.
Part of me wonders why Pop is so hands-on in these playoffs. It’s almost as if Pop knows these Spurs aren’t dominant enough to win a championship if he just let them play. So instead, Pop is trying to actively maneuver and gimmick the team into winning a championship. Maybe I’m reading it wrong but that’s what I see so far in the playoffs.
I think Game 3 and the rest of the series will come down to a coaching move. Pop must, must, must switch the defensive assignments. Pop has to put Parker on Paul and Bowen on Peja Stojakovic. If he doesn’t, this series is over. The Hornets will either sweep or win in five.
If Pop does make that switch? It’s a whole new ballgame. Bowen has a great history of shutting down Stojakovic. In the first two games of this series, Stojakovic has 47 points. The Spurs just can’t beat these Hornets if Stojakovic is scoring that much. Paul and West are difficult enough to defend. If you add Stojakovic averaging 23.5 points to the equation, it becomes impossible. The good news is that Bowen can shut down Stojakovic. And while Parker isn’t going to slow Paul much, nobody is going to slow Paul much.
The strategy from here on out defensively has to be to force Paul to win games by himself. Take away Stojakovic and Morris Peterson. Send only minimal help towards West. Contain the rest of the role players. If Paul goes for 45 points to carry his team to victory, you tip your hat and go on vacation.
Offensively, the Spurs desperately need their three-point shooters to find their range. The Hornets are packing the paint defensively and daring the shooters to win the game for the Spurs. So far, the shooters haven’t been able to keep the Hornets honest. It doesn’t really matter what type of offensive set the Spurs run – be it Duncan in the low block, a pick-and-roll or an isolation – the Hornets are packing the paint on everything and leaving shooters open. The shooters need to be ready to take the shots and actually want to shoot the shots. The Hornets won’t stop packing the paint until the shooters show up.
The bottomline is the Spurs find themselves in a daunting 0-2 hole. To climb out, it starts with a Game 3 victory. Make the needed adjustments. Stick together. Gut out Game 3.
Believe.
We turn this around in games 3 and 4. Then win game 5 on the road.
Brent Barry when he is in the game during non-garbage time is not aggressively looking for his shot, and Ginobili/Parker aren't exactly looking for him either. He attempted I think one three pointer when it mattered, the other points mainly came during garbage time.
I thought about it, and I think the right move is to put Ginobili back in the starting lineup. Spurs are halfway to elimination, you have to put your best players in your starting 5. In the playoffs, sure it's great to have energy off the bench, but with starters playing extended minutes as it is, this shouldn't be a problem.
Have you seen CP3? You think he's going to let the Hornets lose 3 straight games?? His will to win is on par with Kobe Bryant and MJ (and Ginobili when he's healthy and awake).
Thanks for your thought, timvp.
I do agree with every single word. Amen.
I do agree.
I'm all for Manu in the starting lineup. It's time to use everything in the arsenal. I'd like this rotation in Game 3:
Thomas - 35 minutes
Duncan - 42 minutes
Bowen - 40 minutes
Ginobili - 38 minutes
Parker - 42 minutes
Barry - 24 minutes
Oberto - 19 minutes
If there's foul trouble, maybe you trot out Finley or Horry ... otherwise, go with this seven.
i agree. i give scott the credit for exploiting the mismatches when Pop puts Bowen on CP. I mean Mo Pete, who hasn't done all season is lighting the Spurs up. Peja is looking like an all star. we need to buckle down, let CP get his and turn him into a scorer like nash. if we shut down mo pete and peja and play with a little more energy, we can take them.
I feel you 1Parker. But I was just thinking about it, against LA they pretty much came out and spanked us from start to finish when they were dominating us. With this series we are always up at halftime but for some reason piss it away in the second half. If we just make a few adjustments I think we can still be compe ve in this series.
Agree on the Spurs needing to shut down everyone else. Take a page from Phil's book - let Paul be a scorer and cut down on his assists by staying with everyone else. The 30 you can live with but those double figure assists, esp for 3s and dunks is whats the killer and it gets the entire team involved.
But putting Bowen on Peja doesn't seem like a Pop move. He hates to concede points to any player. The Spurs are in trouble.
As always, your insight is greatly appreciated.
There has been no CIA from Pop this series. He has been very predictable and Scott has captilized on that. Pop has to change rotations, experiment with an occasional x-factor (Bonner?) and get Parker/Manu to play with some motivation. They are playing like they have been staying up late at night reading fishing reports.
Stream of Concious Anger Over Last Night:
Finley currently gets the nod over Barry because he can shoot on the move coming off back screens in addition to hitting his threes. He just hasn't made any shots. Since Barry seems to have his stroke, I'd give him Finley's role.
Barry is given heat for not "aggressively" looking for his shot but that's bs. He "aggressively" looks for and gets the ball to Tim in the post better and more consistently than anyone else on the team. And he shoots the open three when it's there.
I hate it when the spurs make five passes and end up with a Thomas or Parker 18 footer and Duncan doesn't even touch the ball.
I hate it when Finley posts up on the wing with 8 seconds left on the shot clock.
I hate it when Vaughn doesn't make the first pass to another wing player but instead dribbles into a double team and has to make an awkward and dangerous pass out to the very same player who was wide open to start the set!
Thomas was easily the most consistent player on both ends of the court.
It was disgusting to watch the back door cuts and easy penetration allowed as a result of piss poor help defense by the other bigs (Tim, Oberto, Horry). It's like they just didn't care enough to try.
Why did it take 2 and 3/4 quarters to attack the paint. I know the hornets are packing the D in the lane but Manu and Tony are WAY too hesitant to drive and create.
The Spurs have lived or died by 3 point shooting for at least two years now -- The phoenix series got them away from that game. They play their best when the game is inside-out. Tim did a good job finding the open man tonight. It's not the time to be streaky shooters.
Well, i think Spurs need great changes for next year.
They are tired. Old is fine when you have 2 or 3 vet players... not 10-12.
in 2 games vs Spurs
Peja is unbelievable ! 7-11 3pt + 47 pts
Chandler is great. 6-9 2pt + great defense + 26 reb
Morris Peterson 5-6 2pt 3-4 3pt
CP3 is CP3 !!!
David West was horrible in offense yesterday but he had 10 pts (6/6 FT) 10 reb and 5 ast in that game.
All team play great defense !!! All team is full of confidence !
Come on, i am a ing great fan of the Spurs... but they are too old.
Manu played a fantastic season but he's not 100% healthy for the playoffs.
Bad luck.
Hornets, Lakers, Jazz, Blazers... Young players, a lot of talent, a lot of athleticism.
Spurs need great changes for next year.
I still believe though...
I must be crazy.
It was a nightmare for me more than anything.
1Parker1 said during the game thet the spurs fans do not deserve that kind of ending, and I do agree with her 121% .
More to it - I woke up at 3:15 am justb to see the game and after this dissapointoing loss I went to sleep few more hours cause I got to go to work (night shoft). So I was dreaming about the spurs all the time, a nightmare fricking nightmare. I was not sure what was reality- this dream about spurs winnig a game or spurs losing the game
, after the firts round against Phoenix I was sure (watching how NO won with Mavs) that the spurs with their character and like Manu says puting much of the pride in road games that the spusr will be successfull. One because Spurs have a force inside, two that the shooters will have some freedom toi shoot the 3pointers.
I knew the spurs are not good at shooting the ball but damn, it gives you oppurtunity to make a presents at that area.
Also the heart and desire was the aspects I thought will cause spurs tieing the series at 1-1 after two games at Super Hugos place.
I don't agree with putting Manu on the starting 5. I haven't seen spurs trio dominating that much when on the court at the same time.
As much as I liked Bowen on Nash I don't like Bowen on Paul all game long. As much as he can get into Pauls head he can't prevent him from doing his stuff. Nash is more one-dimentional player. Paul is much more versitile. And having offense like this, with moving Chandler to the basket and the shooter on their spots it's just natural for Paul to pick the poison for the spurs.
The idea to put Bowen on Peja is a must do. How much pissed I was it was insaine.
All the night I was like: wtf are you doing spurs, the Ginobili don't lose that ball, ! hit some shots dammnit! Wtf? you are leaving them open (wright, Peja, Mo).
Offense is hoorible. Scott dares spurs to shoot the ball, Scott dares them to use the players out of big 3 (shutting down the key - TP, Trap - Manu, clogg and double - that's one for Timmy.) With the agressivnes of the Hornets squad they will bust us.
Not much people realizing that we have to go 4-1 against young hungry team.
The team that had their own struggles with West and Bonzi having an off night, and the Hornets can shoot light out as well. They did not shown that yet.
There are dead moments in basketball as I call it. This are the moment where not much baskets going in and tye clock is not running quickly as well. But many thing are going on. Fouls, trash talking, timeouts offense stagnace. That is the mental aspect, mental moments if you win that battle you can go on a run. In that dead moments Hornets put up some baskets while spurs did not do anything. Then the Hornets went on a run so the spurs had to climb back into the game. They simply couldn't.
Impossible situation for the spurs.
Well I always wanted Tim to put up a unbeliable shot in the clutch in a playoff game (game 7 of the Finals - would be great). And I always wanted the spurs to be down at least two games in the series and win the series. Never happened before. It's not the situation that was in 2005 when we let up Sonics and we were demolished by the Pistons, the series were tied back then. Now not only we are 0-2 but we do not have HCA. And we are older. Sometimes experience is not enough to prevent the young team from a dream and success. Sometimes the old champions losing that battle.
I've seen much in the sports and I got to tell you that everything is possible. Sometimes it's just waiting and seeing what will come out and what can write a story for a nice history.
I haven't heard the old lady sing yet ...
One another thing - I always whated to say that IT AIN'T OVER TILL IT'S OVER.
I like that, although I wouldn't mind some of Oberto's minutes going to Horry. Oberto has been horrible this postseason, at least with Horry you can expect maybe a 3 pointer or a good charge/defensive move once in a while. Oberto looks useless out there.
And Barry should get backup PG duties.
Great recap some of the best stuff on this site ...
It is NOT panic time for you Spur fans but you HAVE to be greatly concerned. West played horrible and Tyson was in foul trouble and you guys still got blown out in the 3rd qtr. I agree about sticking Bowen on Peja ...you saw what Thomas and even Oberto were able to do to contain West ...and you help out on any Paul penetration except Bowen who stays glued to Peja ...parker does his best to keep him in front and guys help out when they can ...
That being said I would say at this point it looks like Hornets in 5 or 7 ...with game 4 being the key ...i assume the Spurs win game 3 they have too much pride to get swept. My Lakers swept the Spurs many moons ago (2001) BUT these Spurs are NOT those Spurs I look forward to Game 4 and 5 those will be the best games of this series so far they have only been good for 1 half ...good luck Spur fans congrats so far hornets fans let the best team win ...
Last edited by Killakobe81; 05-06-2008 at 08:29 AM. Reason: typo
I agree and I hope Pop makes the assignment switch by moving Bowen back to Peja. At this point, it really makes sense.
Want to see more of Barry, less of Finley.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 05-06-2008 at 09:28 AM.
Look, I'm not saying give up, that's just crazy. But the Hornets are just good.
The Spurs can win game 3 at home just like the Mavs did. The pivotal game will be game 4. That's the key game for the series. If you win, you got a series, if you lose it's over.
What is amazing is the way they hustle to the ball on defense. I can't tell you how many times i was sitting there screaming Shoot the Dam Ball every time a Spur had just a split second of an open look because you knew in an instant that a Hornet was going to come flying at the shooter. How many times did Finley or Bowen or Ginobli have to pass up an outside shot because the saw a defender flying at them out of the corner of their eye. It was almost like there were 6 Hornets and 5 Spurs on the court.
And if you think you are going to stop CP3, forget about it. The only think you can do is to try to get the ball out of his hands before half court or double him. But if you do that, Peja and West or somebody else is going to make you pay.
To beat them you have to do 3 things for sure: Get the most rebounds, have the least amount of turnovers and shoot a higher % of shots. If you do those 3 things you can beat them. It's doable, but very difficult.
Welcome to the new NBA, where guys are faster, quicker, more athletic and younger and not afraid of a big game. In other words, it SUX.
Another reason why it makes sense to have Ginobili start, against most other teams in the league, like the Suns, Lakers, Jazz, etc. they all have players on their teams who come off the bench and provide a spark; Barbosa, Vuijic/Farmar/Turiaf, Korver, etc. This Hornets team doesn't really have a strong bench. Their strength is in their starting 5. You have to put your best players in your starting 5 against them if you want to keep up offensively and defensively with them. Make them work on both ends of the floor.
And yea, more Barry, his ball movenemnent and shooting ability.
Udoka gives you rebounds, but is non-factor on offense at all.
And I wonder if Avery gave Pop some tips what works what not against Hornets.
Why there is something like typos in this world?
Oh and this series may end up proving why Phil Jackson>Pop. Pop's stubborness gets the better of him sometimes. His refusal to deviate from the gameplan is both a good thing and a bad thing.
I guarantee you, if the Hornets go on and win and play the Lakers, Phil Jackson will have a game plan that will make CP3 a non-factor and make the Hornets look average at best.
The Spurs biggest problem is themselves. West, CP3, and Peja are big problems. However, the Spurs themselves are their biggest problem. They seem like they lack confidence. They are unsure what to do on offense and keep making mental errors on defense.
I will go out on a limb and say the Spurs will win the next four. Pop will figure this out and the Spurs will come out on top.
Agree. If we wake up in game 3, we'll need Brent 3's.
What's the happening in the 3rd quarter? we lost in those quarters both games.
We need to win all of our home games and then... game 7 !!!
Hawks are a good example to follow except for game 7.
Fight, fight, fight !!!
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