Reply With Quote
thanks for the writeup
It's hard to fathom numbers like that coming from a number 1 seed in the playoffs, but the Spurs approached this game with almost no intensity or focus. I was unfortunate enough to have seen this pathetic performance in person, and here are a few observations I had:
-Awful body language from our guys, especially Timmy. Nobody seemed really dialed in or hungry besides Manu tonight, which is extremely disappointing to see as a fan...especially in the playoffs!
-Speaking of Timmy, he played a passive brand of basketball, but at the same time our guys didn't show any patience while he was attempting to fight for position down low.
-The game was physical...very physical, and at first the Spurs weren't getting a fair whistle, but things evened out eventually.
-This was just a horrible defensive effort. Open jumpers and layups were the norm for Dallas, and the Spurs had absolutely no answer to the penetration and mid-range shooting of Dallas' guards. In particular, Mills and Bellinelli were just atrocious defensively. The lack of proper rotations from our bigs didn't help either...
-The Mavs cut off the Spurs passing lanes and switched almost every pnr, which clearly frustrated our guards and led to some very questionable passes in traffic. During the season the Spurs were the best passing team in the league, but tonight was just a disaster. The ball was being thrown all over the court with wreckless abandon.
-The Spurs missed a mind-boggling amount of FTs in tonight's game, and most of those misses came from the hands of normally reliable shooters. Just chalk it up to one of those nights I guess...
All in all this was a disappointing performance from an effort and execution standpoint. Our guys plays soft, stupid, and careless basketball. I'm trying not to get too hyperbolic, but I'd say that with the combination of piss-poor defense, high TOs, and 11 missed FTs, this may qualify as one of the worst playoff performances of the TD/Pop era.
Come Saturday the Spurs need to find a way to get the ball to Duncan and work through him a bit more. They also need to re-evaluate their pnr coverage strategy.
thanks for the writeup
33 points off turnovers pluss 11 missed FTs
Dallas played some staunch defense, but there's no reason for the best offense in the league to have 17 assists and 22 turnovers (15 at the half). You're right, this was a piss-poor effort by all Spurs not named Manu Ginobili.
we were down 5 AT HALFTIME, and we still got blown out.
Pretty sure we were shooting a ridiculous percentage from the field for the first half. All those points off turnovers were bound to come back and bite us in the ass.
Very nice write-up. Its really mind-boggling why this happened, but I would like more activity/energy next game
I think Timmy was pissed at the wings for sure. I remember one play, Timmy got the ball on the block with like 7 seconds left. He starts backing down, and just as he's about to go left/toward the key, Belli cuts. Now there's like 3 seconds left. He ended up just passing it out to Belli and the shot clock expired.
I think some of his frustration is justified, since the wings were doing similar all night. He was never really given any opportunities to work down low.
they weren't taking the game seriously. which is disturbing given its the playoffs. they didn't look like they were trying for much of game 1, but got away with it, and seemed to assume it would be ok in game 2. hopefully this was a rude awakening and they come out hungry. we all know what this squad is capable when dialed in.
the lack of sense of urgency was the most disappointing aspect in game 2
it'll be interesting to see how:
1) the spurs defend dallas pick and rolls
2) if/how the spurs execute their offense with the constant switching of the pick and rolls
personally, the key is simply tony parker, if he doesnt play like an all star and punish dallas and force them to commit and help, the spurs will have a tough time to score all series long
but we dont know how well theyre gonna play through dallas defensive strategy
carlisle may have just exposed the spurs offense
the mavs are going to let Tim Duncan beat them. all we have to do is comply
I just watched the Rockets Blazers game from last night ... the intensity and focus is not comparable to the way the Spurs are playing right now. These teams may not be good defensively, but they play their ass off as good as they can.
Their body language, complacency, lack of execution, lack of spirit, confusion when faced with a situation which any team owning a superstar scoring threat would lick their chops at...
These are all symptoms indicative of a single but multifaceted root problem: the psychological manifestations of a variety of individuals who are devoted to the team effort but are at least somewhat inexperienced in their current situation.
The Big 3 and Pop are experiencing not only the first of its kind, but also the most emotionally devastating of losses late in their careers. They must overcome the demons of last June while simultaneously dealing with the daily struggles leading the team towards perhaps their final deep playoff run. For the first time in many years, they lack first hand experience in dealing with a very difficult team wide situation. Theres fear, confusion, regret, and emotional scars that even the most savvy and successful veterans must struggle with and overcome if the Spurs intend on gaining redemption and perhaps, revenge (which opens up another whole can of worms).
Kawhi Leonard is caught between and within the transition occuring as the Big 3 sail away into the sunset, causing him to be unsure of himself now that the pressure has hit. Not only are expectations from the team and critics high, hes forced to stunt his own growth while the Big 3 remain the dominant force. Its clearly understood his future with the team will allow him considerably more opportunity for reaching .his potential, but that moment's exact timing is unknown. Its actually a catch 22 - the big 3 want to defer to him more and more because hes going to be a major piece moving forward, yet in order for them to win a le this year they demand must also defer to them. Both sides want the ball, both want the other to succeed. Pop has his hands full here, and theres very little historical data to draw on for help making his decisions. Perhaps the most difficult facet concerns the selflessness of both the Big 3 and Kawhi, which means both are going to have to make extremely complex and often emotionally charged decisions very quickly on the court in order to keep in sync. Kawhi lacks the big 3's xperience, even further compounding the situation.
Next we have Marco and Danny, who are streaky shooters that play off the big 4. Since the stars are in relative confusion as to how to safely proceed against Dallas, so are these two. Both are known commodities and with the way the Mavs currently gameplan for them, Green should just be ready to shoot and play d. Marco meanwhile should be looking to make more plays off the dribble.
Patty Mills has zero experience playing a vital and major role in the playoffs. With all the confusion surrounding him, hes going to be less than 100 percent psychologically. Running and gunning against the cellar dwellers built his confidence, but now, how will he react to a situation where every possession counts? While his situation can be remedied easier than the others listed before him, its still unclear whether he truly has the balls to be an steady contributor in intense playoff basketball. Thus far, his decision making these first 2 has been questionable. Let us hope it improves regardless of the rest of the team's psyche, because we need his offense.
Finally we have Tiago. Tiago's in a similar but lesser situation than Kawhi. He will surely play a more expanded role with the Spurs for years to come, but when exactly his moment will come, no one knows. Tiago has always lacked ferocity and doesnt seem like a guy whos a vocal leader on the court most of the time. He much more willingly defers. Right now, thats a good thing for the team mentality. However it will be interesting seeing if he can fulfill the responsibilities of a post Tim Duncan Spurs club.
Ultimately, the Spurs need only be more selfish and their talent will win vs the Mavs. Moving forward however, they are going to need all the help they can get - from eachother, from favorable matchups, and definitely in our building - if the Spurs want to transition seemlessly out of the Big 3 era, while also hoisting a 5th LOB.
Last edited by z0sa; 04-24-2014 at 06:02 AM.
You should've asked for your money back.
Either Danny Green sucks as a defender, or Pop thought it was a viable strategy to let Shawn Marion and Vince Carter wide-open for countless corner 3s.
The Spurs shot to the tune of 70% in the first half. This was the only why the Spurs were even close at the half, and regression to the mean in the 2nd half accounts for the blowout.
This^
Dude is a good on ball defender, but he's always leaving his man off the ball, and always, ALWAYS, bites the pump fake. It's sickening.
This is exactly what I was thinking when I was watching the game. This is basically how the Spurs run their game. How the did we not go to him more? I don't even think he had one of his 18 foot jumpers he always shoots!! I'm just not recognizing my team right now. We look outta sorts, and need to figure out before game 3!
I wonder if Tim's knee might be aching.
Luckily we are a great road team, and there's no way the coaching staff or team leaders are going to let that type of play happen again. I fully believe we will see a different team on Saturday.
Very reminiscent of the Warriors last year. Came back late to win Game 1, lose Game 2. Dallas probably thinks they should be up 2-0. Come out, and set the tone early in Game 3 and regain HCA. They do need to go to Duncan more, and in fact they should be going to Leonard more too. The guy has Monta Ellis guarding him and Leonard has proven to be very efficient in the post. Make Dallas change what they're doing, maybe it'll force Marion on to Leonard, and let Parker have his way with their guards.
There is also the option of starting Manu. I think it makes sense to try it because it forces some mismatches for Dallas.
If Marion guards Parker still, Manu will likely have Calderon on him as they would probably keep the bigger Ellis on Leonard. Or they could have Marion guard Leonard, and that would be advantageous for our back court. Maybe it's something Pop will consider. Our 2nd unit hasn't been great, and maybe this will force someone like Patty or Marco or even Diaw to step up.
That's the only ing stat they need to look at.
You're not going to win any playoff games when you cough up the ball 24 times.
last year we squeak out a win against GS in game 1 and then proceed to get spanked in game 2. win the series although it is close the rest of the way. 1999 we lose game 2 to the wolves in embarrassing fashion and win 3-1. lost game one to denver in 2007, lost to the suns in 2005 and win 4-2, lost to dallas in game 1 in 2003 and win both games 3 and 4 in dallas.
on the negative side of things, one has to be concerned with our terrible play in both games 1 and 2. but as pop said TO's have been our achille's heel all season. we have been better on the road so let's see if we can get that focus back and take both in D town.
Which situation was worse?
Last year going to Oakland tied 1-1?
This year going to Dallas tied 1-1?
With as bad as we've played this series, I'd still take last year's situation as more of a nightmare tbh...
I really believe it too. This team is way too good to allow this again.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
