cough... Start of the game 2 ... cough
The two big men lineup has failled at the start of the second game when Howard has scored a lot of points on our bigs.
Pop has tried a lot to play with 2 bigs (don't forget that Oberto has even started) but the less worst solution was Finley at PF.
When you say that Pop hasn't tried to play our bigs, you're wrong. The truth is that none of our 5 bigs were able to defend Dirk/Howard and that Dirk was able to defend all of them except Duncan.
Either you're a Pop hater, either you haven't watched closely the Dallas serie.
Chris Wilcox would be the best fit for us as a complimentary big man to Duncan, although I dont know if we could afford him, and I think that Chucky Atkins would be a much better backup to Tony than Beano. Also have you seen Ian Mahinni? I know hes skinny and raw but I bet he will help next year if we bring him over which they are supposed to.
What do you guys think about Joel Pryzylla? 26 year old, 7'1" and 2.32 BPG. Rumor is that he's frustrated in Portland and most likely will not re-sign with the Blazers. Anyway we can get him?
I wasn't aware that Rasho and Nazr were responsible for the Spurs only making three field goals in the second quarter of that game. The Spurs were only down 4 at the end of the first quarter, when the centers were taken out of the game. Besides, if you don't think that game 2 was a failure of every single player on the floor not wearing number 21, then there's no point in continuing this conversation.
I don't know what ing series you were watching, but I saw the Spurs unable to stop dribblers, get offensive or defensive rebounds, block shots, defned the pick and roll, defend the three point line, get open jumpers, stay out of foul trouble...
How far do we need to go here? I love Pop, which is why I haven't one single time called for a coaching change. I'm not going to agree with every decision he makes just because he's Pop. Abandoning your entire defensive scheme after a really gutless performance by your team is stupid. The Spurs nearly pulled the series out with heart and effort, but in the end there just wasn't enough help on defense, and there were zero open three pointers. All those intangibles that the centers gave the team through the season weren't there.
I don't speak about the second quarter. Start of the game 2 was just an example.
False, Spurs were -12 when they start to play small bal and it was after 8 min in the first quarter.
Did I say that ?
I don't know what ing series you were watching, but I saw Pop try to play with 2 bigs a lot of time. He even tried Oberto.
Pop and his staff have faced a matchup nightmare. it was :
- either play with 2 bigs and let one Dallas swingmen scoring a lot of points.
- aither play with one big and be eaten on the boards and less effective for team defense.
Pop has chosen to play small ball. You can disagree with this choice but it was far from being stupid, none of both solutions were good. The small ball solution was the less worst for Pop. Maybe with 2 bigs we will have won this serie but we will never know.
Using the regular season record and lineup is BS, because we haven't played against Dallas 82 times and matchups are damn important in BB.
Using the finale to say that we should have played with 2 bigs is BS because none of our bigs was quick enough to defend on Dirk liek haslem Did.
To end this discution, I can understand people who disagree with the small ball choice but I find stupid when people say :
- that small ball was a stupid choice.
- that Pop hasn't tried to play with 2 bigs. he has tried a lot to do that the first three games.
One minute in game three and zero minutes in games 4-7 is not "trying". Pop put Oberto ahead of Rasho and Nazr even though the team needed shot blocking at the rim, team defense and rebounding. Oberto can get rebounds because he freelances. That's not what Spurs team defense needs consistently.
Pop and his staff faced a matchup problem. I don't have a problem with using smallball as an adjustment to a situation, but I find it stupid when people say that somehow not playing the centers at all under any cir stances for basically five games is an "adjustment". Words better suited to describe it would be "knee-jerk" or "Panic". The Spurs simply abandoned what had worked through the regular season. Matchups are not as important as doing what you know. Smallball hurt them just as much on the offensive end as on the defensive end. Basically Pop turned the Spurs into the 2005 Suns, and AJ used Pop's formula for the 2005 Spurs to beat it. Given the way the team played in game 2, they probably would have been blown out no matter what. Seems kind of stupid to abandon your game plan based upon what amounts to an anomaly.
Haslem's stellar defense had less to do with Dirk's production than the centers blocking him and bodying him when he tried to penetrate, which intimidated him and turned him back into a jump shooter. The inside defense also turned Howard into a jump shooter. Take ten layups from the Spurs Mavs series and turn them into jump shots. Does it make the difference in the series?
shaq and zo > nazr and rasho. nazr and rasho aren't going to crack back at nowitzki or intimidate anyone.
When something don't work, you don't do it again.
You can't say that for smallball because Pop has tried every other solution before.
He has put Oberto because he was a little faster than Rasho/Nazr and he has tried to put him on Dirk.
Spurs' defense needed too not to let Howard or Dirk scoring a lot of points.
As I said it was a choice between two bad solutions.
If you don't see why Rasho/Nazr + Duncan was a bad solution against Dallas, I can't do nothing for you.
Man2man defense is important too especially against Dallas who plays 1vs1 offense (iso schemes).
Maybe you haven't notice that we have played the same team these five game. It's a matchup adjustement. And as I said before, Pop has tried a lot of other solutions before.
Just look what we have done against Dallas during the regular season when Howard was in.
Matchup are the most important thing during playoffs.
If everybody speak of that, there is a reason.
No and No.
Man2man defense > team defense.
Finley > Rasho's screens
Smallball has weaknesses but Duncan at PF with Rasho/Nazr at C too : just make the defensive matchup and you will see it.
It's a litle more complicate than that.
Pop's reaction was not only based on that.
If you think that coaching staf look only at the boxscore, i can't do nothing for you.
Re-watch games 1&2 when Spurs have played with Rasho or Nazr.
He faced Duncan against us, Shaq against Miami : I don't see a big difference.
Dirk was a jump shooter against Miami because Haslem was quick and strong enough.
Dallas has taken a lot of jumper even when O'Neal and Mounring were on the bench (like at the end of game 6). Couch... Chokers..cough
Bottom line: Defense turns the Mavericks into a jump shooting team. Smallball turns the Mavericks into a layup and dunk team.
Thanks for playing, please drive forward.
Bottom line : Walker at center is smallball.
Thanks for playing.
Walker at center for five straight games is Spurs smallball.
We have played Duncan at center who is way more acenter than Walker.
If you can't understand something as simple as matchup, no need to continue this discussion.
Try to matchup a Harris/Terry/Howard/Dirk/Dampier lineup with a linueup with 2 big men. You will see it doesn't work, plain and simple.
It wouldnt work because Dirk cant guard anyone, especially a big man with offensive skills
Okay. What time is the championship parade, since smallball worked so well?
I've never said that smallball has worked well. I've just said that playing with 2 bigs hasn't worked well too.
Qualifying offers were made to Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely, which allows those teams to match whatever offers they get from other teams.
I'm not sure but that means you can't sign/trade for them now, correct?
No, you can still sign and trade them.
Thanks. I'm not sure why I thought that but obviously I'm thinking of another rule.
I still like the idea of Wilcox and glad the window is still open.
Agreed. I never meant to imply that smallball in stretches wouldn't have been effective. I am instead of the opinion that some combination of the two might have been a better idea than abandoning one completely in favor of the other.
whats juan dixon up to in portland? u think we can offer something to them for him as backup pg?
He is more a SG than a PG. However, Steve Blake is a good target for the backup PG spot.
Spurs need is much greater for that elusive athletic, long SF/PF like Harrington. Someone who can match up well against the Josh Howards and Rip Hamiltons of the NBA.
Back up PG is not as big an urgency, even though we need a new one because Manu and Barry (if we keep him) have been as good as any back up PG out there.
Well said!
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