Game Thoughts: Spurs @ Sixers Mar. 15

[timvp]

When the Spurs embarked on their seven game stretch from , I thought it would have been great if the team was able to win four of the seven contests. Six games into that seven game stretch and the team is stands at 1-5. Their latest loss coming tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Sixers, who have played very well as of late, deceptively dominated the Spurs. They held San Antonio at bay throughout the second half and never really let the Spurs make a legitimate run. Philadelphia ended up winning 103-96 as the Spurs have basically given back all the ground they made up by winning 11 straight games.

Regarding the Sixers, I think they have a solid team. It’s young but Mo Cheeks has them playing good basketball. They’ll make the playoffs this season although they won't push a team much more than five or six games in the first round. However going forward, Philadelphia is positioned to become a legitimate Eastern Conference contender in a couple years.

Speaking of contenders, it’s difficult to fully have faith that the Spurs are where they need to be in terms of winning a championship. The regular season ends in one month. Do the Spurs have enough time to find solutions and gel to the point that they can survive the toughest Western Conference of this generation? It’s difficult to answer that honestly right now.

Overall, the Spurs really need to figure out a way to stop the bleeding. The team isn’t playing horrible but the Spurs are far from elite. The offense is a struggle and the defense is inconsistent. I want to say that they’ll figure it out in time – but I just don’t know if they will.

-Tim Duncan was terrible against the Sixers. He was soft on both ends of the court. His activity level was extremely low and he was playing as if he was sporting a pair of cement Adidas. Duncan finished with 16 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes of play. In Duncan’s defense, fatigue had to be a major culprit. And since Duncan has done a very good job overall this season in keeping his energy level relatively high, I can give him a pass for this exhausted effort. The Spurs have played 11 games in the last 17 days, which is just an insane amount. Duncan sucked but I’ll issue a reprieve. That said, no more mulligans will be issued for the rest of the regular season. The Spurs need to actually start winning basketball games once again.

-Manu Ginobili still was lacking energy but he actually played well. He fought through the fatigue that has been plaguing him lately and posted a good game. Ginobili finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and one blocked shot, while shooting 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep. Defensively, I thought he was good. I’m confident that a few days of rest is all that separates Ginobili from the amazing way he played just a few weeks ago.

-Tony Parker is really starting to find his rhythm offensively. His speed and quickness are back. His teardrop is as deadly as it has been in a long time. His jumper is greatly improved lately. He’s finding open shooters off of his penetrations. It was ugly for a while for Parker but hopefully he has everything straightened out for the rest of the season. Against the Sixers, he totaled 27 points, five assists, three steals and one turnover, while shooting 12-for-16 from the field. Defensively, Parker was horrible. He let Andre Miller almost single-handedly carry Philadelphia. While Pop also tried Ginobili and Bowen on Miller with little success, it was Parker who let Miller catch fire.

-Bruce Bowen started his first consecutive game and played 37 minutes for the Spurs. Offensively, he was one of the few role players who hit their shots, finishing with ten points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field. Defensively, Bowen seemed surprised by how Andre Iguodala attacked him. Bowen was giving Iguodala space and Iguodala didn’t hesitate to knock down the jumpers. Bowen never really adjusted and Iguodala was able to score 25 points.

-Kurt Thomas had another underwhelming performance. He’s not playing particularly bad but with this losing streak coming with Thomas now starting, it’s fair to wonder whether starting Thomas is the right call. I like a lot of aspects of his game but it’s not like he’s been a huge upgrade over what Fabricio Oberto was bringing to the table as a starter. On this night, Thomas had seven points, six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of play. I’m willing to give this lineup more time but soon Spurs fans might start pointing the finger at Thomas as to what suddenly went wrong with the team.

-Michael Finley turned in a poor shooting performance, yet again. In 27 minutes, he had three points, three rebounds and hit just 1-of-6 shots from the field. There isn’t much to say regarding Finley. He’s basically a one-dimensional scorer who isn’t scoring. If Finley doesn’t find his shot soon, they’ll be no reason to play him – especially with Ime Udoka and Brent Barry expected back soon.

-Matt Bonner got extended minutes tonight but he too couldn’t buy a shot. He was 1-for-6 from the field, all of which were three-point attempts. The Spurs could have really used one or two more makes out of him against the Sixers. Besides his shooting, I thought Bonner played well. He grabbed six rebounds and his defense was decent enough. Overall, his 16 minutes on the court didn’t hurt the team.

-Fabricio Oberto played a lot better but he still isn’t back to where he was playing earlier in the year. I’m just glad he didn’t lay an egg like he did the last two games. Against the Sixers, Oberto had four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes.

-Jacque Vaughn and Damon Stoudamire split the backup point guard minutes. Vaughn once again outplayed Stoudamire. Stoudamire just doesn’t help the team at all at this point. At least Vaughn has mastered the art of not helping but also not hurting the team.

-As the Spurs tumble down the Western Conference standings, Pop doesn’t seem to mind too much. By all accounts, he’s happy with the effort the Spurs are giving and isn’t overly concerned by the losses. Either Pop is lying to himself or he knows the team will be able to figure things out in time.

I don’t like how he again played Ginobili too many minutes. Ginobili on the court for 38 minutes when he’s obviously tired is just asking for trouble. Right now, there’s no excuse for Pop putting Ginobili on the court more than anyone else on the team.

The bottomline is the Spurs have their backs up against the wall. Five losses in six games will do that. If the Spurs keep losing, they’ll be able to plan their fishing trips a couple months earlier than usual.

On Monday, the Boston Celtics come to San Antonio bringing along with them the league’s best record. It’s definitely going to be a difficult and pivotal game for the Spurs. A loss could send this team into a tailspin. The confidence of the team would be shaken. Doubt would creep in. Is this team too old? Did the rest of the league pass the Spurs by? Are the Spurs as we know them done and thing of the past?

Luckily, the Spurs won’t have to answer those questions because San Antonio is beating Boston on Monday. I guarantee it. The Celtics can take that best record and shove it. The Spurs ain't losing this one.

[Findog]

http://dberri.wordpress.com/2008/03/...clining-spurs/

Here is a quick summary of the tale being told.

1. The Spurs won-loss record says this team is as good in 2007-08 as it was last year.

2. The team’s efficiency differential, though, tells us the team is much worse.

3. A significant chunk of the team’s decline can be traced to Tony Parker.

4. It would be an interesting story if we could link Parker’s decline to his marriage to Eva Longoria, but the truth is that it’s probably just Parker’s injuries.

5. The recent moves by the Spurs probably fix much of the non-Parker problems.

So if Parker can be healthy for the playoffs, the Spurs can expect to contend for another le. And that should be good news for fans of this team.

[mVp]

The bottomline is the Spurs have their backs up against the wall. Five losses in six games will do that. If the Spurs keep losing, they’ll be able to plan their fishing trips a couple months earlier than usual.

Sad but true.

I'm expecting a win on Monday, we really need it.

[duncan228]

Thanks for the reprieve on Duncan.
I expected him to be the whipping boy tonight.

I though Thomas looked more lost tonight a few times than he has yet. Can he be unlearning the system instead of learning it?

I think Pop does know they'll figure it out in time. He doesn't seem nearly as stressed as we do.

Thanks for the thoughts, I look forward to them.
And I really appreciate the humor that you mix in, though there wasn't much to joke with tonight.

They will rise Monday, it's a big game at an important moment. They need a solid win. So do we.

Believe.

[TDMVPDPOY]

problem is, we got old, we stayed the same

while everyone in the league expecially the contenders improved there roster.

[colargol]

-Tony Parker is really starting to find his rhythm offensively. His speed and quickness are back. His teardrop is as deadly as it has been in a long time. His jumper is greatly improved lately. He’s finding open shooters off of his penetrations.

It's enought for me to believe.....Spurs won't repeat without an healthy TP

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Oberto should start - he needs to start to be productive. KT should be Tim's backup, and maybe play a few more minutes beyond that, but that's it. Bonner should be the other big - he shot like today, but he'll get his shot back, and his energy is important for such a slow old team.

JV is the same, but with being the primary backup to TP. Give him that job and forget MM - he was here to fill in for TP, end the experiment with him playing backup. JV did good things in the Finals last year, and he can step up again.

When Barry gets back, get him into the rotation, and maybe even starting ASAP. Bring Ime back in when you can.

Set that rotation and give the players some continuity.

Cross your fingers.

Hope for the best.

PS And since that won't happen, fire Pop!

[SpursFanFirst]

I just remember the doubt I had last year at this time...it was really pissing me off!
But, they went on to win the le!.
I'm reserving my judgment until they're dead in the water.

Timvp, you normally have "Believe" at the bottom of your recaps...what gives?

[Warlord23]

The problem with the Spurs is their road record. They're 27-5 at home but 17-17 on the road. If you look at the list of NBA champions in the last couple of decades, there have been a few which have had pedestrian road records but won it all.
Road records:
2005-06 Miami Heat: 21-20
2004-05 SA Spurs: 21-20
1994-95 Houston Rockets: 22-19
2003-04 Detroit Pistons: 23-18
1993-94 Houston Rockets: 23-18

The good news: there have been 5 champions who have lost 18 or more games on the road and went on to win the le. The Spurs have lost 17 as of now, and their remaining road games are against Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, Utah, Portland, LA Lakers, Sacramento. If they go 4-3 in those 7, they still end up 21-20, like the 05 Spurs and 06 Heat.

The bad news: That may just not be enough this year. The West is loaded from top to bottom, and the Spurs won't have HCA in each round. They would need to win several (4 or more?) road games in their playoff campaign to go all the way. The way they're struggling, especially on the defensive end in the last couple of games, this doesn't seem possible as of now.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

The offensive stagnation has reached heights unknown even to the Spurs, and the defense is simply not there. Hopefully the playoff matchups give us a non-nightmare opponent in the first round, that's all I can hope for.

[TMTTRIO]

yeah I'm not crazy about Manu playing the most minutes again on the team. I hope this doesn't come back to bite us by playoff time.

[smeagol]

Luckily, the Spurs won’t have to answer those questions because San Antonio is beating Boston on Monday. I guarantee it. The Celtics can take that best record and shove it. The Spurs ain't losing this one.

Well said!

[Bruno]

Thanks for the recap.

I don't worry about Spurs having a low seed for the playoff.
HCA is a quite marginal edge in a 7 games serie for Spurs and it's far from being sure that the team with the 1st or 2nd seed will have an easier road than the team with the 5th or 6th seed.

Pop is damn late on setting his playoffs rotation. It can be explained by injuries, new players, Spurs depth and inconstancy of role players. I expect Pop to settle this in one or two weeks after Barry's return.

Spurs have a great team on the paper, it's up to them to translate it on the court during the playoffs.

[DarrinS]

-Jacque Vaughn and Damon Stoudamire split the backup point guard minutes. Vaughn once again outplayed Stoudamire. Stoudamire just doesn’t help the team at all at this point. At least Vaughn has mastered the art of not helping but also not hurting the team.

LOL

[NuGGeTs-FaN]

This reminded me of the playoff series where Dre carried the Nuggs on his back and single handedly won game 1 in San Antonio

The guy is so consistent and is a great PG. Im worried they will own the Nuggets when AI makes his first trip back to Philly

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Bruce Bowen started his first consecutive game

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

Spurs just suck right now, no way around



and right now it's a first round match up with the hornets w/o HC, and that's a ugly site

[ALVAREZ6]

Game Thoughts:
The Spurs allowed the Sixers to score way too many points, the Sixers were on fire. A lot of the possessions looked like the Spurs had no idea what to do. Matt Bonner couldn't make a shot for his life, other than the buzzer beater. Tim Duncan worries me on offense.

After that nice streak the Spurs went on, I can't believe they've only won 1 game out of these last 6 or so....it's pathetic.

That said, the pre-game wasn't as bad as the game:

[TampaDude]

The Spurs are really struggling right now...but I'm not giving up on them until they are eliminated in the playoffs. That is, of course, unless they win their fifth le.

[ALVAREZ6]

I just realized Manu led the team in rebounding, with 7. We couldn't rebound worth last night.

[T Park]

I refuse to believe Kurt Thomas isn't an upgrade from Francisco Elson.

No one can say that with a straight face because its plain not true.

[wildbill2u]

Saying Pop isn't worrying or showing concern because of his stress on positives isn't quite correct in my opinion.

Pop is a good motivator and master of working on the team's psyche. Right now he realizes that the team is playing without confidence. Earlier in the year the Spurs were clicking on all cylinders. This led them to play with confidence.

The starters could run up a score and then Pop could bring on the bench players. The bench absorbed that confidence and played well, with their offensive numbers up and their defense tigerish. Their shots were falling because they were loose.

Now the bench comes into the game without much confidence. They know they HAVE to produce and they tighten up. It's a different situation and far different psychological position for all concerned.

So Pop tries to buck them up. It's not a good time for giving them with the result of putting even more pressure on them. It might be counterproductive.

[duncan228]

Congrats on the autograph ALVAREZ6.
At least that must have been fun.

[T Park]

Saying Pop isn't worrying or showing concern because of his stress on positives isn't quite correct in my opinion.

Pop is a good motivator and master of working on the team's psyche. Right now he realizes that the team is playing without confidence. Earlier in the year the Spurs were clicking on all cylinders. This led them to play with confidence.

The starters could run up a score and then Pop could bring on the bench players. The bench absorbed that confidence and played well, with their offensive numbers up and their defense tigerish. Their shots were falling because they were loose.

Now the bench comes into the game without much confidence. They know they HAVE to produce and they tighten up. It's a different situation and far different psychological position for all concerned.

So Pop tries to buck them up. It's not a good time for giving them with the result of putting even more pressure on them. It might be counterproductive.

Great point.

The team is getting a double whammy right now with pressing like an mfer AND being tired.

Its really evident. They are just playing out of character in some ways and everyone just needs to loosen up.
A couple of wins in a row, a couple of more shots made here and there and that will happen. I think that Suns game really shook em up for some reason. The Nuggets game somewhat too.

[roycrikside]

Tony was also crap defensively the night before, against Rip Hamilton. I'm surprised you didn't mention that in the detroit game thoughts.