Game 2 Adjustments?
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 2:06 AM CDT
42 comments
Well, Game 1 is in the bag. And it sucked. I'm not the Spurs, so I WILL say "heck yes, they looked tired in the 4th quarter." The Lakers got really energized as the lead shrinked, the Spurs started to really do some stupid stuff that they hadn't done all game long, and poof, Game 1 to the Lakers.
Things that worked :
1) Speed Racer vs. Fisher.... Even I felt odd that when Fisher drove to the lane those 2 times and didn't get the call (odd, yes because it was in LA) but otherwise Fisher had completely disappeared. Tony did exactly what was needed, and it showed. I fully believe Mr. Longoria will continue to do this, a la the Suns series, and the Lakers atm don't have much of an answer for him. If this is the X factor key of the series, I really like the Spurs' chances.
2) Timmah vs. the Myth that is Gasol/Odom defense.... Tim went off for 30/18. Those are Duncan vs. Pheonix numbers. Jackson finally, FINALLY started to double team him in the 4th, and he still drained shots. This will have to bother the Lakers a lot.
3) The Spurs had much better ball movement overall than the Lakers.... The Spurs committed 12 turnovers to the Lakers' 10, and 1 was on the odd travel call on Tim at the rim, the other was a 3 second violation after Odom did not get called on the Flop of the Game when he went barreling into Tim. The Spurs took care of the ball VERY well this game...even with Manu's really DUMB moves towards the end. Until the end of the 4th, the passing was crisp, well executed, and the perimeter players shot nice, open looks.
4) Manu can NOT have a worse game than tonight. Even some Laker fans on this board were asking "what the heck is wrong with Ginobili, he looks hungover." He had the WORST game of his playoff life it seemed, and the Spurs, tired as they were, still only lost by 4. Kobe showed up finally, but Manu never did. Had he, we'd all be happy-drunk right now, I'm sure.
5) Bruce is the MAN. Bruce scored 12 points!! He held Kobe in check until midway through the 3rd quarter until Pop sat him with his 3rd foul. As far as that goes, yes, he still has got it :)
6) Fouls. We made the Lakers into the Laker Jump Shooting Show and it showed tremendously. Even the announcers were commending the Spurs on how they are "not the Jazz" and went on to rip the Jazz and how inferior they were to the Spurs. Yay us. Maybe the Laker fans will realize they have a real battle team on thier hands and not think the Jazz were "perfect to get us ready for the Spurs."
Things that did NOT work out well :
1) Manu can NOT have a worse game than tonight. (Yes, this is the best and worst thing). His usual stat line is NOT 3/13, it's more like 6/13, or 8/17. I'd normally clump the fact of "well Bowen went for 12, so that would have offset Manu's production, Spurs still lost, you suck" type of arguement here, but Ginobili still got his usual compliment of shots, Bowen's just happened to go in. Bowen's also avging about 9 ppg in the playoffs right now, Ginobili is avg. 20. That's a 10 pt swing either way you look at it.
2) Again, the fatigue factor. The Spurs will never use that as an excuse, but I'm not the Spurs. Proof Positive : Pop used ELEVEN different players in the first half alone. Usually the full complement of starters play (unless Ginobili starts on the bench) the full first quarter and part/most of the 2nd. Only ones that did that was Parker, Ginobili(who SHOULD have been on the bench most of the first half...) and Duncan. Typically, the Spurs will sub out Ginobili for Udoka, and Parker will play the 1st half, and Duncan will get a bit of rest while KT comes in. However, Fab (who did play very well) only played 12 minutes, KT played 5 min, and the Corpse that is Robert Horry played 5 minutes. Which leads to....
3) WHAT on everyone's green Earth was Pop smoking that allowed Finley to play 22 minutes of LACK-tion, and WHY did we have a JV sighting??? Can we get the +/- on these 2?? Honestly. I know for a fact that JV came in, LA went on a small run, almost tied it, and then he went out, and poof, 10-2 run. JV needs to be what we signed him for, a cheerleader. Worse comes to worse, put Bones in, let Manu run the point, and sub out Tony when Tim is still in, and vice versa. Tony and Tim are the keys to this series. Also, Finley jacked up 5 three's, none of course went in. Five. In 22 minutes of action. I would have rather seen Udoka, Bones, Manu, Bruce, TONY, whoever.... *Side note* No I will not redeem him with a FINDOOOOOGG or something later, he has stunk up the joint in every game but Game 1 of Pheonix, and Game 7 of NO. I think he might be like Horry, in just waiting for it to be dire enough to hit the shot. That's not what PtR's hearts need, tyvm. And he is a direct contribution to #5.
4) Anyone not having Bowen or Udoka on thier jersey guarding Kobe....Yes I will give the Lakers' fans that come in here tons of credit, Kobe was NOT looking for his shot the 1st half, and trying and trying to get teammates involved. However, that was a large part of what lead to the 20 pt. lead of SA in the first place. But when he did start looking for it, Bruce and/or Ime were all over him. He only started to really get hot after Bruce sat down, and Ime got hit with 2 quick fouls, and started playing off Kobe. As Bruce has shown, you can't play off Kobe. When Bruce got back, the momentum was fully on the Lakers' side, and it was too late. Pop sat him down way too long. Also missing was the constant D changes that we did to confound NO in Game 6 and Game 7 of the last series.
5) Last but not least..the Spurs actually started to look ....Un-Spur-Like in the 4th. Tentative, worried, almost.....NO'ish. The Lakers were in the penalty, the guards would drive the lane, and be RIGHT UNDER THE BASKET. At this point, the Lakers have to foul, and send Ginobili or Parker(who were spot on in FT's at least) to the line, stopping the game and such, or they will concede the free-bie layup. Yet, and Manu was the worst, they would kick it out WILDLY to some person that had NO chance of getting said ball, causing a turnover or some wild play that ended up with a Spur jacking up a shot as the shot clock expired. That is NOT what got you the 20 pt. lead Spurs, solid going into Duncan, solid driving AND FINISHING at the rim is what did it. They stopped, the Lakers didn't, and poof, we lost. Telling stat of why we lost the game right here...we avg like we did in the NO series (11/21, 15/30, etc.) we go home happy. Yet every time there seemed to be a layup for our guards, they'd kick it out for some 3 pointer that was just NOT falling tonight :
3 PTM-A
5-20
25%
So , long story short, what adjustments need to be made? What do you think will happen in Game 2? Please be objective, regardless of allegience :) Also, what adjustments does Jackson make in Game 2 (from Laker fans obviously)? P.S. Sorry for the long post.
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Wow I'm sad, my first post on my first post....
But anyways, here’s a great article Kalkin found. Kudos to you!
Good news to take out of all this, if anything :
The Spurs know they screwed up AGAIN in the 3rd quarter, allowing another team to come back and get a win after they had played hard and had the game in hand. Now I am actually very thankful for that NO series, as the Spurs will most likely NOT let this happen again :)
Now let’s hope Manu gets some good sleep, and gets his finger fixed.
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 2:13 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
HERE HERE!! i wanna thank the hornets for making the Spurs the toughest team on the planet. I also know that last series gave the Spurs fans balls of steel as well. nothing can shake my confidence now until the 4th game has been won by the better team. period. GO SPURS GO!!
JEFE666
by jefe666 on May 23, 2008 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
...
Great analysis.
A) Pop didn’t pull out all of his tricks (he doesn’t do it in G1s) , mainly on defense – that will change in G2
B) Pop played 11! guys in the West Finals. Again, G1… In a perfect world, the rotation is TP, Manu, BB, TD, Kurt/Fabio, Udoka; Rob & Mike. I think Bones should get more daylight vs. Lakers
C) Manu will bounce back… but I’m a bit concerned with him. He can’t dunk with that sore body and his explosiveness is off. He’ll play better, but will it be enough?
D) We need G2, seriously. If we lose, down 0-2 against Kobe-team is a bad thing… And Phil Jackson doesn’t lose 4 of 5 playoff games. Never ever.
We should be fine, though. We’ve got Mr. TIM DUNCAN!
P.S.: That Manu shot in the crunch time almost killed me:) Just a little off the mark… Hopefully, this is like the Mavs 2006 series… Remember? Stackhouse could have won G1 with his shot in the end – Spurs led 1-0, then got whipped in G2, 1-1 and then it was 1-3 after G4. I’m praying this series are the same:) We’ll win 3 in a row, I believe in these guys.
by FiCS on May 22, 2008 7:24 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
i am probably still too pissed off about last night to give a cogent analysis, but there were a lot of positives that showed themselves for a most of that game.
The bad news to me is that all of those disappeared immediately after the Colorado Casanova got dialed in. All it took was one spot of playing Manu on him in the 3rd. No Bruce and he was gone. By the time Bruce came back, Bryant had already found the gas pedal. For most teams in the NBA +20 is enough. With Kobe’s team its more like +30.
Don’t expect the Lakers to play a similar game on Friday. They were rusty to begin and will play much better in what now really has to be considered a must win for the Spurs. Surely you don’t expect them to come back from a second straight 0-2 hole, or win a second straight Game 7 on the road. Avoiding those things must begin Friday.
We all called Duncan and Parker dominance. That came true. Given that the Lakers don’t like to double-team and that they aren’t great rebounders, expect this to continue. That said, the table doesn’t stand on two legs. We need Manu to bounce back obviously and someone else will have to step up on a rotating basis, whether Finley, Barry, Thomas or Ime – sombody will have to collect a bunch of points or rebounds.
I firmly believe that the Lakers will come out focused and hungry on Friday and our boys had better play their best game of the year to tie this thing up.
by bones on May 22, 2008 8:13 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Gino
I think we may need to move Gino back to the bench. While commentators often rave that, “if he played 40 minutes a game, he’d put up monster numbers,” I think that’s very misleading. As great as Gino is, I doubt that even in his youth, he could maintain any efficiency at 40 minutes a game. First, he’s not very strong; second, he doesn’t know how to rest while on the court, he goes full tilt every minute; third, he doesn’t have the stamina to maintain his level of play for 40 minutes. It certainly showed last night. He played 37 minutes and had probably the worst all around performance of his pro career. Yes, I know he’s banged up too and that doesn’t help, but I think he’s simply tired. Pop needs to figure out a way to play him no more than 32 -34 minutes and, more importantly, have him with fresh legs the last 3 minutes of the game. Maybe back to the bench will accomplish that. Because the truth is we cannot hope to win this series if our best “closer” is not right at closing time.
by agutierrez on May 22, 2008 9:27 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I would like to see Pop send Manu back to the bench. Put him back in the role that he has been comfortable with all season. When Tony is out of the game, I would like for Manu to run the point. Tim and Tony do not need to change a thing. The both played very well. Finley….oh Finley, you gotta go take a seat way down on the bench. It’s time to let Barry find his rhythm and contribute to this team because Findog is killing us right now. He’s lost all of his confidence and we do not have the time to let him find it again. I love the job Bruce did guarding Kobe. Ime needs to watch closely and follow the lead on D. Umadoka has hit some big shots for us and I’m not hating on him for throwing up those awful shots at the end. We were dying and Ime was trying to make something happen. And the biggest adjustment for game 2 is to not hit a wall. We lost our legs. We lost the game.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.
by CMoney on May 22, 2008 10:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I’d like to see us shoot more than 25% from three. Seriously. If we shot even 30%, that’s an extra 3. Plug that in and the last 30 seconds are very different.
If manu could show up, that’d be nice too.
Right now, I’m more scared of the Hornets than the Lakers, and the Hornets have been eliminated.
by Krukow on May 22, 2008 10:23 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
That is an interesting philosophy
Considering that the Lakers are better than the Hornets.
They beat the Hornets in their last regular season match, which was playoff intensity because of the standings ramifications, and the MVP candidates showdown.
by Amazing_Happens on May 22, 2008 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The reason we think the Hornets are better
Last series, David West played either better than Duncan or played him to a standstill. Nothing last night showed that Gasol is even remotely in that category Chandler also was able to somewhat guard Duncan 1-on-1. Both Gasol and Odom cannot do that, seeing last night as proof. Turiaf was actually the best ball guarder the Lakers had, and I seriously doubt he’d play starter minutes unless Gasol got into foul trouble.
Also, Chris Paul is a HUGE upgrade in trying to contain than Derek Fisher. Fisher might have had an offnight somwhat in shooting, but other than the fouls, and those 2 drives that I even thought he got fouled and was suprised at the no call, he was invisible. Also, Paul was quick enough (and had enough star power—he got some rediculous calls) to keep up with Parker. Even you guys here stated that last night Fisher just cannot keep up with Parker, which is why the Spurs were so effective in the 1st half.
We all know Kobe will get his. The big difference honestly that I saw last night is when it’s the Lakers vs. Spurs (and not Kobe vs. Spurs as it was toward the end of the 3rd) the Spurs were just beating them down. When Kobe is trying to get his teammates involved, SA was clamping down. Thier philosophy is “have Bowen work Kobe, we will shut the rest down” and since Kobe was desperately trying to get everyone else involved, that fell right into the Spurs’ strategy, and it worked to perfection. We had to perfect that in the Hornets’ series, because honestly …..between the 2, Paul is MUCH better at getting his teammates going, Kobe is MUCH better at scoring and forgetting his teammates are there (I use this analogy as the Spurs beat the Hornets by making Paul into a scorer, and although he was good, he was far from Kobe’s level of taking over…he takes over when his teammates are flowing, and he has 12+ assists….)
Manu was simply not Manu last night. He had his customary shots (13) but usually he’s like 6-7/13 or 9/17, not 3/13. Given several reports stating his various health, we can only hope that he’s close to 90% for Game 2. Even you guys were like “what the heck is wrong with Manu?”
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 1:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Kobe is on a different, higher level than Paul
I think that Paul is a good distributor, and a very good player, but is is too obvious to say that Kobe is just a much more complete player? And did Kobe not get his teammates going last night?
Bowen is a great defender, but anyone who guards Kobe that closely is going to pick up fouls, so that Bowen’s effectiveness and aggressiveness diminishes as the game progresses, especially when he needs it most at the end of games. Instead, Bowen/Udoka is saddled with 4 or 5 fouls by that time.
Manu, yeah, I’m being optimistic as a Laker fan and hoping that his performance was due to Sasha’s defense. Sasha did mention post-game having experience guarding him overseas. But we’ll find out soon enough.
And where the hell did Tony Parker go? He was giving me a headache the whole first half, and then he just disappeared. Fatigue?
What should be most disturbing to Spurs fans is the Kobe-Gasol pick and roll. This play just killed the Spurs, as Kobe read the defense correctly almost every time in the second half. What are the Spurs going to do to combat the effectiveness of that play?
Seems like the million dollar question is: Which one is the fluke? The Spurs leading by 20 in the third, or the Lakers coming back to win the game?
by Amazing_Happens on May 22, 2008 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The latter
The Spurs won’t have the same kind of fatigue that they had in game 1.
by 4Him on May 22, 2008 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thank you for answering the rhetorical question
Thanks.
by Amazing_Happens on May 22, 2008 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Two flukes in a row!
Now Lakers see if they can repeat the fluke in San Antonio.
by Amazing_Happens on May 24, 2008 2:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Um – the Lakers didn’t come back to win game 2.
by 4Him on May 24, 2008 10:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Don’t be an ass. Game 1s victory was sort of flukish.
by VWolf on May 24, 2008 12:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
No, Kobe did not get his teammates going
It was obvious when they were down 20. Kobe had 6 assists yes, but at that point so did Parker, and he wasn’t dishing out much, he was driving non-stop to the lane. If Kobe had “gotten his teammates going” like you suggest, the score would have been a lot closer, or LA would have been ahead. It took him going “well crap, ok I am going to have to take over” for them to win. Yes, he did take over, but that was mostly because his teammates looked way out of place. The media today is saying that his teammates looked tepid, scared, not sure of themselves…for as much as they are praising Kobe, they are ridiculing his teammates….maybe that lights a fire under them, maybe not. You also say that the bench, and Vuljacic, don’t show up on the road. That doesn’t bode well for the Lakers should the Spurs take Game 2, which given Game 1, I don’t think that’s entirely not possible.
Yes the Lakers came back, yes that has to sit well with them, but if you watch the end of the game, the Lakers (aside from Bryant) were all like “wow, ok, we survived that? Um….ok?” Shaking thier heads, and not with smiles on thier faces. On the other side, the Spurs looked PISSED that they let that lead go, and they also know that they CAN go up +20 vs. the Lakers in LA. Last time they did that was Game 5 vs. NO, and they went and took Game 6 and Game 7 pretty handily, because in Game 5 they similarly let a 10-15 pt. lead evaporate, just not over the course of the whole 4th quarter, just the 3rd :/
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well I can't win here until the Lakers win on the road
So it’s tough to say much, because even if Lakers win Game 2, it’s still “Spurs were down 2-0 to the Hornets, too”.
So like I said before, I will withhold full force gloating unless or until Lakers are up 3-0 or 3-1. Because then I think you should be worried.
On my side, I will be worried if the Lakers lose Game 2.
by Amazing_Happens on May 22, 2008 4:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think you should be worried big time about game 2
Simply because either yourself or pslaker stated that the one big knock on Phil Jackson is that “he is as slow as anything to adjust to whatever” where Pop adjusts a lot of times in games.
I think it’s true that the Spurs just play ball in Game 1, find out what’s going on, then do the serious adjusting in Game 2 (though they should have done that last series, and didn’t till Game 3—Bowen on Peja)....
The Spurs will be rested, I highly doubt you will see ELEVEN substitutions by the Spurs in the 1st half alone, I really really hope Ginobili is at least 85-90%, last night he was about 40% tops….They can’t defend Duncan, that was proven. They can’t stop Parker unless they commit 3-4 in the lane, that was proven, and if Ginobili has a usual game for him(he avgs 20 pts in the playoffs) then the Spurs have a VERY good shot at winning the game. If he would have avged his usual, the Spurs would have won by 6-10 last night, and the Laker faithful would have been silently going …”um…” On top of that, even you have to admit that the Staples Center is about the farthest thing from Home Court Advantage, other than some calls swinging your way. You could hear a pin drop in that place for about 3 quarters.
So I def. like the Spurs’ chances in Game 2….
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 5:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agree
I have to agree with Amazing here. You guys will find an excuse no matter what happens in Game 2. Even if your excuses are the truth, there is no point in arguing, because you will always feel the way you do and so will we. Maybe we should just wait until the end of the series and then one of us can gloat and explain why we are so great.
by pslakerfan on May 22, 2008 9:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Awwwww...
What’s the point in arguing if it’s not fun? Lord knows you guys are probably THE best Laker fans we’ve all met in a long time ( I personally really like you guys, and I enjoy the conversation….) and OF COURSE we’ll find excuses…just like if Kobe goes ice cold or something in the 3rd quarter and the Spurs go on a 16-2 run or something, and end up winning, you guys can be like “well Fisher missed his shot, Odom was uncomfortable, the bench for some reason didn’t show up…” We each support our team no matter what…and that is what makes us true fans :) :)
by Nixiack on May 23, 2008 12:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Actually...
While we here at PtR think the Hornets were tougher matchup wise than the Lakers, if the Spurs go down 0-2 to the Lakers, a lot of us here (even if we don’t want to admit it) will be VERY worried, and quite frankly, very timid. Game 2 is about as must-win as Game 7 of the NO series was…let’s just hope our Spurs feel that way too. Going home 1-1 with the chance of going 2-1 is a LOT easier than “aw crap, here we are again.”
Hornets = tougher matchup. Lakers = MUCH harder to come back on. I know, logic sounds stupid, but it’s true, just trust me :)
by Nixiack on May 23, 2008 12:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I understand what you are saying. I commented on match-ups a few minutes ago on another thread. I think you guys have a tougher time with Hornets and we probably match up better with them. I think the Kobe killer instinct factor comes into play if we go up 2-0, I think that is what you are saying as well. On another note Vegas has the game at -6.5 for the Lakers. That seems high to me, what do you think????
by pslakerfan on May 23, 2008 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Relax people Manu slept only 20 minutes the night before that is why he looked like a zombie out on the floor!
by adam8065 on May 22, 2008 11:23 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Good analysis Nix,
The only issue I have is with the “if” factor again. It works both ways. Obviously if Manu has a better game then things are different. Of course if Odom and Fisher make their open shots/layups then things are different as well. If Kobe scores 15 in the first half, things are different, etc. I just think the “if” game goes both ways. We can’t expect you guys to tire out in each 4th quarter, but you can’t expect us to lay an egg in each 1st half either.
by pslakerfan on May 22, 2008 11:32 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't believe the Lakers laid an egg :
ATS always puts up the 1st half #’s in the beginning of the 2nd half thread. I believe that the Lakers weren’t “rusty” at all….Bryant simply was not doing anything…and “trusting his teammates WAY too much”—even Jackson had said it, and was pretty annoyed at the half. Case in point (for the starters and 3 bench players that played significant minutes.
L. Odom : 2-8. 4 pts/6 reb He had blown 2 easy layups…one with Bowen chasing him(he altered the shot without touching him, Odom seized up)...and one was just “oh look, I have the ball…um…ok” (You can see it on the TV replays.)
P. Gasol : 5-9 11/4. Duncan was harassing him the entire time. He got 1 good bucket off the corpse that is Robert Horry.
K. Bryant : 1/3 2 pts/5 assists. It was impossible for Bryant to have a 15 pt. first half, he attempted 3 shots. 1 of which went in. He was trying SO HARD for his teammates to get going, so that when he “got going” later it would be a decisive blowout. Instead, he watched his team go down by 20.
S. Vujacic : 2/6 5/2. His task was defending Manu, not lighting up the scoreboard. He also finished 3/8, so when the “rust” was shaken off, he wasn’t that great anyways. Looking back on old box scores, he is either lights out, or can’t hit a shot at all. Looks like tonight it was famine.
Radmanovic : 5/5 10/2. Why they went away from him I have NO CLUE. Honestly. Kobe was not looking for his, Odom was cold, Gasol was being wrapped up by Tim, I don’t know.
J. Farmar : 2/3 8 pts. 0 everything else.
D. Fisher : 0/4 0/1 reb. Honestly, I will still say the 2 times he drove the lane, I was suprised he didn’t get the call, it being in LA and all. But that went with the very unusual reffing of the night, no one got rewarded hardly at all for driving to the lane, it was all touch ticky-tack stuff. One thing I will say about Fisher, he did NOT use his fouls wisely. At all.
R. Turiaf : 1/2 3 pts. 1 reb. He played MUCH better defense on Tim than Gasol….Tim was still on fire, but he did. BIG positive for LA.
Totals : 18-41(43.9%) 2-4(50%) 5-8(62.5%)
Spurs’ totals at the half : 23-46 (50%) 3-9(33.3%) 2-3(66.7%).
They outshot the Spurs at the 3 %’s wise, they shot more freethrows (5) and otherwise had some shots go up and rim out (so did the Spurs, that’s just basketball).....
So, how were the lakers rusty, and how did they lay an egg? I felt that for the first 1/2, the Spurs were still in “Game 7 NO” mode, and just had the intensity ramped up to ungodly levels. As soon as that energy started to drain, they just could not get it back going again.
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Spurs just ran out of gas. If I were the Lakers, I’d be very worried about this series. When the Spurs were operating at full capacity they were easily handling the Lakers. This did not remind me of the New Orleans series late game slumps. It just looked like all the Spurs were too tired to make a shot.
by VWolf on May 22, 2008 11:34 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Only one day's rest in between each game of this series
That’s gotta be a factor in the Lakers’ favor, right?
by Amazing_Happens on May 22, 2008 1:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes…especially if the Spurs spend more nights on a parked plane.
by VWolf on May 23, 2008 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The Spurs were executing the gameplan real well until midway through the third quarter, then it looked as though they suddenly forgot how to play basketball the smart way, you know, the way that made them win championships.
They were tired, Kobe started to play and Manu had a bad bad night (even though they all struggled towards the end), all right, but the fact is, when your opponents are slowly getting back in the game, you don’t really want to rush low percentage shots (see: Finley, Michael), make turnovers, and pretty much stop attacking the basket.
It’s obvious that, to win in LA, the Spurs need to execute well and consistently throughout 48 minutes, on both ends of the floor, so let’s hope they learned the lesson against NO, and this one was only a “shit happens” kinda night.
And let’s also hope they get to sleep in beds the next couple of nights.
Form is emptiness
by Kalkin on May 22, 2008 11:43 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Aye, that's why I'm dissing on Finley
On 3 of his shots(he did shoot all 3’s), he seemed to rush it…one was shot with about 18 seconds left on the shot clock, and he was/appeared to be at about 1/2 court (?!)....another was when Duncan was reposting, he kicked it out to Finley with about 12 on the shot clock, and he jacked up a 3 that was darn near an airball….the 3rd was a horribly contested shot on the wings when Manu was running in, Duncan had posted, and there was about 8-10 left on the shot clock
A.K.A. none of these were “oh crap we gotta launch it now, or else there’s a shot clock violation.”
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 12:11 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Finley's +/-
-21......Yikes!!!
I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, "I wanna grow up and be a critic." - Richard Pryor
by DennardC on May 22, 2008 12:37 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
he definately sucked it up big. i remember a couple of his 3’s (especially the one with 18 seconds left) and just looked down and shook my head. i guess he thinks he’s still a baller on the mavericks every once in awhile
What the Bowen giveth Horry taketh away. --LatinD (2008 Playoffs Round 2, Game 1)
the Spurs do not defeat you so much as they grind you into tiny shards of psychological wreckage.
-the Denver Post
by Hamer_SpursFan on May 22, 2008 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
That one he took at the beginning of the 4th was sheer insanity. If I’m coaching I sit his ass down at that point.
I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, "I wanna grow up and be a critic." - Richard Pryor
by DennardC on May 22, 2008 12:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Problem with Manu going to the bench now
Is that Finley would start again. I would honestly start Udoka, and have a starting 5 :
Parker
Udoka
Bowen
Duncan
Oberto
Bring in Manu off the bench when he’s seen how the game is going, and how he can react to it, in place of Udoka when they need extra offense(such as if for some reason Parker can’t get going….) Bowen guards Kobe, Duncan Gasol, Oberto Odom, Udoka Vujacic, Parker Fisher…..more defensive team yes, but should they get on a solid run like they did last night, it will be more likely to hold up(the lead) with this defensive unit out. If Oberto is getting owned, sub in KT for MORE THAN 5 MINUTES.
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 12:50 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
why not start?
TP – Slasher
Barry – Shooter
Bowen – lock down D/ perimeter shooter
Duncan – Dominate the paint
KT – The Muscle
Bring Manu off the bench at 7 min mark and run the point for Tony when he’s on the bench. Ime can relieve Bowen. Oberto can help KT and Finley & Horry can make sure everyone on the bench has a towel.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.
by CMoney on May 22, 2008 1:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, Bones has to get more run this series.
I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, "I wanna grow up and be a critic." - Richard Pryor
by DennardC on May 22, 2008 1:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
They might need to pull a D'antoni
And play jut 7 guys…the rest of them were terrible :( However, I know that Pop will not do that, let’s just hope that Finley actually hits a shot between now and retirement.
by Nixiack on May 22, 2008 1:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
As a Laker Fan
I think Finley should play more, shoot more, and guard Lamar Odom more.
by Amazing_Happens on May 22, 2008 1:45 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Hahaha….Yeah, I can definitely see why you would like to see that. My God he sucked out loud last night. It was like he was taking some his shoots and hoping they went in. That shot he took at the beginning of the 4th quarter though…I mean what was he thinking. On the 1st possesion of the quarter you generally want to make at least 4 passes to get some movement going. He got the 1st pass and shot it like it was hot potato in his hand. Nobody is mentioning that shot, but that set the tone for the rest of the quarter.
I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, "I wanna grow up and be a critic." - Richard Pryor
by DennardC on May 22, 2008 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i wish they showed a shot of popovich’s face after finley threw that up. and i’m sure finley just kept his head down and didn’t even look at pop for about 3 plays after his egg
What the Bowen giveth Horry taketh away. --LatinD (2008 Playoffs Round 2, Game 1)
the Spurs do not defeat you so much as they grind you into tiny shards of psychological wreckage.
-the Denver Post
by Hamer_SpursFan on May 23, 2008 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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