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They've already got the "lesson" they need from getting curbstomped before.
From The Daily Six Shooter at PlaymakerOnline.com:
With a couple of days rest, the San Antonio Spurs head off to LA to play the Lakers in a nationally televised game… and I think the Spurs should play the starters their regular minutes in this game and play to win.
With playoff seeding on the line for the Lakers, they’re going to get LA’s best. It’s worth the risk to go out and try to play a good game and get a victory to extend their current winning streak and carry that momentum into the playoffs. With two days off, an opportunity to sit his key guys tomorrow in the finale against Phoenix, and a short break after that before the playoff start, Gregg Popovich can go after this one.
He’s already shown a willingness to leave his players in at the end of a blowout to work on their games. He needs to look at this as an opportunity to get their offense ready for the playoffs. A loss would be a great lesson as to what they should expect from the Lakers should they play them and show them what they really need to work on and improve going into the playoffs. A win would be a huge confidence booster and would allow the team to take it easy against the Suns tomorrow know that they’re clicking heading into the postseason.
It’s a win-win proposition that I hope Pop takes into consideration when putting together tonight’s game plan.
They've already got the "lesson" they need from getting curbstomped before.
Someone email Pop about this new idea: Play to win.
I concur.
The Spurs will play to win.
Those of them that aren't sitting on the bench all night.
I won't be mad or care either way honestly. I think the chances of a Chi - San finals are super slim, and I wouldn't mind rest for our main guys.
But I also wouldn't mind pounding the lakers and ing up their seeding tonight either lol
Spurs are in a win/win situation. They can't have the best of both worlds, but there are benefits to winning OR losing.
All that really matters is that whatever happens, everyone in silver and black walks off the court healthy.
If Utah, missing Devin Harris, can go into LA on the back of Gordon Hayward and win, then I think our JV team can as well. Sure, play to win.... just not sure we need our oldies in the rotation. The Fakeshow has been horrible their past 5, especially offensively. What would be more demoralizing to them than losing to our scrubs?
YES! Agreed. San Antonio would feel great on every aspect going to the playoffs if the regular guys played their same minutes in this game and came out with a win and got to rest tomorrow against Phoenix.
I don't want to face LA in the second round of the playoffs, and the Bulls aren't getting to the NBA finals, so I would rather rest our key players. Still play to win though.
Bulls are NOT going to lose their last two games. There is no point in trying to win our games. I don't think the starters should sit out all together but they should get very limited minutes.
Who the do you guys think you're kidding? Pop is terrified of the Lakers and this is just the latest example. Think about it. He's willing to risk losing home court in the Finals, despite the fact that home court is especially huge in the Finals because of the format and the fact that his team has had it virtually all season. And why? To avoid the likelihood that the Lakers are loaded for bear. Shows how much confidence he has in his team. He doesn't think their motivation, which is ample (not just the home court, but what happened to them in their most recent meeting) is enough to trump the Lakers motivation, so he's saving them the potential embarrassment/confidence hit that this could have been. Only, what could be more of a confidence hit than knowing that your coach doesn't think you can beat the team standing directly between you and a return to the Finals and that he thinks you're fragile (mentally/physically)? Because that's exactly what he just told all his players.
I don't want to hear about rest. This is far and away the most rested team going into the playoffs. They've played one game in five days, none in three, had their minutes managed relentlessly all season, have had starters sit out games recently and you're telling me they need rest? They're guaranteed two-three days off after the Suns game, as well. At some point, rest becomes rust. Don't kid yourself, this is not about rest.
TD 21 w/ the goods, per the unusual
As an iranian, your sig makes me want to puke.
Jefferson is going to be the only regular to start this game tonight.
Watching Noah essentially re-sprain his ankle in the 4th Q of the Bulls/Knicks makes me see how meaningless this LA game is.
We'll see if you're saying that in mid-late June, if the Spurs-Bulls meet in the Finals, the Bulls have home court (sent to them on a platter by the Spurs) and beat them.
This terrified-of-the-Lakers coach should at least notify his team before the playoff commence that the Grizzlies and Hornets are clearly trying to avoid the Lakers, so that they can play the Spurs. He should also let them know what the consensus is about their prospects from the national media. Basically, he should hammer home the point that, not only does nobody fear them, but nobody respects them as a team, either.
So is Pop starting the B team?
What good is that if the Spurs are fighting LA, and are up 3 points with 3 minutes left and Tim TOTALLY rolls his ankle? At that point, we're going out in the first round, maybe even against NO.
Splitter, Jefferson, Blair, Neal, and Hill starting.
Solid D seems to think so.
That could happen at any time. Home court in the Finals is crucial. Risking handing that away just because there's a chance of injury is ludicrous. There's not another team in the league that would have done this, especially when they had it in their grasp virtually all season.
This decision isn't about rest, injury, or anything other than this: this coach is terrified of the Lakers and thinks his team has a fragile psyche.
Any questions?
TD21 with a good point
But the finals with Bulls are not sure.
Also without focus of LA the spurs can pull a win with the reserves
Maybe you like more to let them face NO and DAL so they will make the West Finals easily.We would have to face the anyway and ithey could be stronger later.
If we win they could be 3rd or 4th.At least their first round will be harder.
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