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Oh crap. Don't start. You asked for it...
Small ball haters in 3....2....1
Pop has been slammed for going Small Ball at times but he deserves props for it today. The Spurs who were mired in a 6-8 pt deficit for much of the game made a huge push when they went small.
Denver was caught off guard and we were able to take the lead. Although Denver got the lead back, it seemed as though they never really gathered their composure and looked rattled.
On another note, Denver seems to be a very bad team for Brent to play against. Was it just me or did he seem lost and out of it ? He just came in and threw up bricks. He definitely had an off night. He seems to match up better with Phoenix.
Oh crap. Don't start. You asked for it...
Small ball haters in 3....2....1
I'm for Small Ball when it makes sense. Last night, Pop and the Spurs outplayed and outsmarted the Nuggets.
Pop going small in the fourth was brilliant...it completely shifted the momentum to the Spurs...then he put the well-rested bigs back in at just the right time to seal the deal. A masterful coaching job in what was a very tough game.
brent barry should only be allowed to shine against phx, he is saving it.
Barry did fairly well. His shot wasn't falling, but looked good.
Props to Manu.
How about that 3-4 minute stretch to start the 4th with super small ball? That took balls.
I think Oberto was at center and 4 guards.
I remember super small ball. it did not work at all.
That was the game-changing stretch right there.
Pop's coaching is always better in odd-numbered playoff years.
I'll admit that when I saw that line up to start the fourth I was more than a little worried given the way the Nuggets had been working the Spurs over in the paint. Glad it worked out.
Pop also used another odd lineup when Allen Iverson wasn't on the court. He opted to play Ginobili at the point and guard Blake on defense.
Against teams with slower guards I think this lineup could be successful, as it seems Jacque Vaughn is overmatched from time to time.
No .
I saw the following lineup
Ginobili
Barry
Vaughn
Finley
Oberto
and thought to myself, "What the f**k is Pop smoking?".
We play small ball with defense, and that makes it more effectivo.
The Nuggets were stunnified.
--- George W. Bush
For the 1,476,897,543,213 time...
It's when we close out tight games with it...
As we closed out this game, was it Finley or Barry playing PF? Or did we have Duncan and Horry on the court, as in, we don't have PF's posting up our 2 guards and smearing them on the glass in a 1 or 2 point game?
Figure it out.
Actually last 30 seconds Horry was sitting on his butt with Duncan in with some combination of Manu, Finley, Bowen, Parker and Vaughn. Kind of like the ending of oregulation game 7 of the Mavs - Spurs series last year.
Wrong, with 30 seconds left...Horry was putting the game out of reach, 4 > 1 or 2. I realize you small ball enthusiasts are mentally deficient to begin with...but please try to avoid kicking your own ass for me.
Then he sat down.
Problem is your man Robert Horry hadn't been playing this well all regular season or in last year's playoffs. Therefore, there was no choice but to use FInley....
I think Melo being in foul trouble and on the bench during this stetch had a lot to do with the success the Spurs had with this line up. If Melo is out there this line up gets abused in the post. There really was no shot blocker out there. The Nuggets should have fed Nene. Good call by Popovich for seeing that and not being afraid to put those guys out there. Wish our coach had a little more creativity like this.
I think Pop deserves as much credit for going to small ball as anyone in here, but he deserves an award for not staying with it for very long. He threw a curve ball and followed it up with the fast ball. It was the limited use that made it so effective last night. When he attempts to ride the rest of the game out with it that we falter.
The look on George Karl's face at the beginning of the fourth was absolute priceless. He looked so pissed as he knew, he was outwitted by Pop at that point, again. I love having DVR
I don't blame George Karl though, Denver still has to build up a bench, that to me, is their weakest attribute
No comparison to last years smallballs Dallas games vs last nights Nuggets.
Nazr-Rash-Fabs averaged 5 min per game and didn't play at all in most games. Or for but a few minutes.
Last night Frankie E got in a very productive 18 min and Fabs got 14.
Good selective use of small ball last night for sure, that i agree on.
Horry Subs ution replaced by Vaughn 0:30
Bowen Subs ution replaced by Finley 0:25
Vaughn Subs ution replaced by Barry 0:25
Barry Subs ution replaced by Bowen 0:22
Pop made the same small ball, cover the three point line type sub as in the Mav - Spurs game 7. You ed about Nazr not being in at the end of that game. But thanks for playing anyways.
Small ball lineup brought our team from 4 points down to 1 point up, with the nuggets calling a timeout. During that time the Nuggets had 3 wide open shots on 3 consecutive possessions, and they missed them all. It was a HUGE gamble for pop to put that lineup in, and it paid off, so good job. HOWEVER, he left this lineup in after the timeout, and the nuggets were back up by 5 in like 2 possessions, being sent to the line twice in a row. So I think the intentions were good but Pop was either still trying to rest Timmy (who still didn't even go in after the next time out, only parker did) or he was just gambling a little too much with our stupid smallball lineup.
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