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Spurs face first must win of the season

Tiny by Matthew Powell on

PtR member AusTechSpur already submitted a game thread and his thoughts are definitely worth reading.  I disagree, however, with two things he wrote.

First, I think the officiating has only slightly favored the Hornets, no where near to the point where it's even worth mentioning.

Second, I think we should go under the screen and roll against Paul.  It's how we handled him the first half of game 1, which also happened to be our best half of the series.  Paul's a decent, but not deadly, 3P shooter (36.9%).  More importantly, he plays with the penetrate and dish mentality.  He doesn't look to shoot the outside jumper.  I'm not saying he can' t make that shot, but it's not how their offense works, and I'm all for taking them out of their offense.  All those highlight reel alley-oops?  They're off the pick and roll.  Going under the screen prevents the "roll" from being a factor.  Also, this has the added benefit of preventing Tim from having to guard the pick and roll.  If Tim has a defensive weakness, that's it.

Bowen, of course, has to guard Peja.  I doubt Pop will start the game this way due to his world PtR renowned stubborn streak.  Like I said before the series started, Bowen needs to "decimate the fragile psyche of Peja Stojakovic.  That should take about, I don't know, two and a half quarters."  I'm reminded of the Detroit series of 2005, when the entire sports world knew Bowen should be guarding Billups, and yet Pop waited until the fourth quarter to unleash the hounds.  Nearly gave me a blood clot.

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I don’t see even stubborn old Pop keeping Bowen on CFlop3. He has to realize by now that plan was a failure. I don’t think he changed it up before game 2 because he really did want to force that square peg through a round hole, and he didn’t want to change strategy without even taking a practice. However, like you Pop knows game 3 is a must win. He has had plenty of time to make adjustments, and he simply will not sit idly by and let Peja Stojakovich, a fellow slav who he has owned in the past, beat him with wide open looks and unimpeded layups.

Good point on going under the screen. You know Pop hates to do that, but he might make that adjustment as well.

by VWolf on May 7, 2008 9:38 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

if he is smart, which he allegedy is, he will keep bowen on paul. putting bowen on peja will only effectively take out the number three scoring option for the hornets, while using up spurs number one defender. it doesnt make sense, it still doesnt resolve the problem of chris paul, david west or morris peterson.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 10:18 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

in other words

i would think it would make more sense to have brent barry start the game, marking stojokavic. put bowen on peterson and have parker on chris paul. barry can shoot as well as finley and can defend and pass more effectively. bowen could come off of peterson for double teams on west or chandler, forcing peterson to beat you from outside as opposed to peja, and parker, well, he couldnt do much worse on paul than bowen did.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 10:23 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

That’s a very idiotic plan, and shows that you have yet again not been reading posts or paying attention to the games.

Let me give it to you in bullet points so that hopefully they will penetrate your skull:

  • Peja has been the number 2 scorer for the Hornets in this series
  • Cutting his scoring down to the levels he normally scores against the Bowen would save us over 10 points and give the Hornets more than a few more missed shots
  • That amount alone would be enough to keep the games close at the end
  • Starting Barry is fine (and requested by many of us including me), but we want him on Mo Pete, a guy who is really not that hard to defend for someone of similar size.
  • The point of putting Parker on Paul was clearly copied from one of my posts, so something is sinking in.
  • Chandler never merits a double team, Manu or Barry can effectively double West off of their man

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 10:35 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

you are right

even if it does work, how does saving 10 points off of a 19 or 18 point loss, keep it close? are you searching for a moral victory?

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 10:49 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

10 points plus more than a few more missed shots = more shots for the Spurs provided they rebound = close game = score not run up in garbage time. You really need to pay attention.

And that is just from that one adjustment alone. Peterson will go back to shooting his regular percentage when he doesn’t have a small guad on him.

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 11:31 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

back to a disagreement we already had, peja is only the number 2 scorer this series only because of the shit defending by the spurs. he is, and should be, the third option for the hornets on offense. to put your number one shut down guy on someone that is essentially an escape valve is essentially opening the floodgates for chris paul and david west. oh let me guess was bowen guarding stojakovic when he spurs were blown out by 24 at home in the regular season?

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 12:46 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

It is irrelevant that Bowen is the number 1 shutdown guy. He is a small forward and he mostly guards wing players (a guy like Nash is the exception). Clearly he is not doing any better than Parker could on Paul so he is wasted there. No way will he guard West straight up. That is asinine. Also, other players can double team almost as well as Bowen.

You say that Peja is the number two scorer only because of the shit defense, I agreee. That’s why they need to put Bowen on him and put him back in his place. Keeping a small player like Manu, or a helpless one on one defender like Finley on Peja will allow him to keep lighting us up.

Putting him on Mo Pete, a player that a trained monkey could guard as long as he was 6’5”+ is a complete waste.

Bowen guarded Peja in all 4 regular season games and held him to an 11 points average.

It is great that we now have Thomas to throw at West.

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 1:25 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

so bowen guarded stojakovic in the 24 point blowout in san antonio in the regular season? sounds like a recipe for success. i like that you have kurt thomas also.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 1:31 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I’ll take 1 good game by Peja in maybe 20, as opposed to having him play well every night (as he will against Finley).

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 1:45 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

That was the one game we were talking about. What do you mean by “too?” In the other 3 games he did not fare so well against Bowen. That’s why he averaged only 11 points, even factoring in the blowout loss at home.

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 2:32 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

i meant sarcasm.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 2:34 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Clearly, moron, but your sarcasm was misguided. Please take your ritalin before posting next time.

by VWolf on May 9, 2008 7:38 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I can't explain it but...

I feel great about this game. The time off has allowed the Spurs to rest, make adjustments, watch film, practice and most importantly… sleep in their own beds. Thank you schedule makers… after tomorrow’s game, we won’t play again until Sunday night. I’ll take another 2 days rest anyday.

Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.

by CMoney on May 7, 2008 10:52 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

i can explain it

its called being a groupie. like those chicks that want to bang bret michaels on vh1, only sadder.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 10:11 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Heh, you are a Spurs groupie aren’tcha?

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 11:31 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I love when people talk shit behind the safety of their computer screen. We got us a tough guy here.

Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.

by CMoney on May 8, 2008 12:20 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

It's time to face the facts

As a loyal fan, it pains me to say this series is 2001 Lakers/Spurs all over again except the Spurs were favored in this series. In four out of six games this year, the Hornets have destroyed San Antonio. I think it’s safe to assume that the Hornets have figured out the Spurs and there are no defensive adjustments the Spurs can make to counter. Your passion is compelling, inspiring even, but I’ve resigned myself to thinking what kind of boner off-season transactions S.A. will make (I’d like to see them sign J.J. Redick, but I’m expecting along the lines of Marc Jackson coming out of retirement for a 1 year deal).

by Jason Roberts on May 7, 2008 11:23 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

re: redick

if he doesn’t get PT in orlando for not playing D, then what makes you think he’ll even be allowed on the court w/ the Spurs?

by vy til i die on May 8, 2008 12:02 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

a valid point

and he went to duke. duke sucks.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 12:08 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

If the Magic bench Redick for not playing D, then he’s their scapegoat. No one outside of Howard plays anything resembling defense. For once though, I would like our coaching staff to consider that, maybe, it’s important to have role players whose first strength is scoring. Individual lock-down defenders aren’t what the Spurs need for defense anyway.

by Jason Roberts on May 8, 2008 1:16 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

an even better point.

i thnk the magic will pull that series out, at the very least make it competitive. they were there or there abouts in game 1 (until howard injured himself) and should have won game 2, if it werent for turkoglu shooting like bruce bowen with 40 seconds left, they might have. regardless, reddick is a dead eye shooter, and the spurs could sure use more one of those. hi defensive defficiencies are a little over stated, and could be looked past. like tony parker’s or gennobolly’s.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 1:28 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Why?

Do newbies feel the need to come here and share their pessimism with us? Do you think it benefits the site? If you are so certain that it’s over, why not wait until after the series? Or does a prediction of demise that comes true make you feel better about yourself?

by pollackj on May 7, 2008 11:49 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

My thoughts exactly

Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed.

by CMoney on May 7, 2008 11:54 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Oh no they won 2 games this must be the apocalypse!! There are no defensive adjustments to make? really? Have you gone through every potential one with your NBA coaching genius to figure that out?

by One4theThumb on May 8, 2008 8:36 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Actually

it’s 4 games out of 6 or 66% of the time and each time has been a blowout. I don’t think that’s a genius observation, but I appreciate the compliment.

by Jason Roberts on May 8, 2008 10:23 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

prediction

spurs lose in 5. and man, you are right, it does make me feel better. spurs can take satisfaction that, just like the mavs, you will win game 3 against the hornets.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 10:10 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Spare me the psycho-babble bullshit

Obviously you’re the one with the need to feel better about yourself since you’re nerves are rattled if anyone dare shares “pessimism.” I guess only fans who mimic the official stance of the optimistic politiburo are allowed to comment. Whatever. But go ahead, just wish good things and share your positive energy and it’ll come true.

by Jason Roberts on May 8, 2008 10:13 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Ok I will

Allright I sure will. I personally enjoy being a Spurs fan because I enjoy cheering for the Spurs, believing they will win and are better than the other guys, etc. If I think my team (or another team) is bad or is going to lose, I don’t go to a board for that team and start telling all their fans that. Why would I? If they lose, then they lose. It’s not as if you’re jumping ship makes for interesting or enlightening conversation.

by pollackj on May 8, 2008 11:39 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

i wont!

spurs have nothing positive to hang their hat on in this series, so you revert to past glories. seriously, what positives can you come out of the first two games. the only thing you have to hope for is a prayer that your home court , MIGHT bring about a win. wow, the spurs, the champions, hoping to eke out a home court win.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 12:11 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I’m not trying to promote interesting or enlightening conversation. Cheering for a team is not interesting or enlightening and any pretense of it being so is foolish. I hope I’m wrong about my opinion, but I’m not deceiving myself into thinking the Spurs can win this series or the title. I’m not trying to win anyone to my side either. But, c’mon. The “if-you-can’t-say-something-nice, then-don’t-say-it-all” treacle should be ditched.

by Jason Roberts on May 8, 2008 1:27 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

you are single handedly destroying my stereotype of spurs fans. thanks.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 1:39 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Why do you cheer?

I’m not trying to be an ass here, well not to you. I do try to be one occasionally.

You said that cheering for a team is not interesting or enlightening. What is the point of cheering for a team? I do it because it is interesting, it makes a sport that I love that much more interesting because I have emotional interest in it as well. I spend (too much) time on sports message boards because I find that I learn things about basketball, about the Spurs, and sometimes about other subjects (thought usually not important subjects, at least on PTR).

I just don’t understand what pleasure you derive from saying that it’s over when we still have at least two more games to play. I’m not saying you should be banned or shouldn’t be allowed to say it, I just don’t know why you want to.

by pollackj on May 8, 2008 3:01 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Why I Cheer

I cheer for the Spurs because it ties me in to the community, especially now more so since I live in the Bay Area (and Boston the past year). I cheer for the Spurs because in my youth, they were the first people I knew who professionally exhibited competition and sportsmanship, which are indispensible traits for succeeding as an adult (I think the late sociologist Christopher Lasch had some erudite observations on sports in his book, The Culture of Narcissism). And now I cheer for them because it’s just damn fun to watch well-executed, yet unpredictable basketball.

Believe me, I get no pleasure from saying I think they’re going to lose—swept even. Nor am I trying to get pleasure or need confirmation of my opinion by convincing others or finding others who agree with me. Vocalizing or writing my thoughts helps me decide whether they’re justified or not; sometimes it’s good to speak before you think as long as you’re willing to admit you’re wrong, which I am.

by Jason Roberts on May 8, 2008 5:27 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Defense

Agree with the defensive adjustments. I still think it’s our defense that is killing us. Most important: once Paul turns the corner on the pick and roll, we are dead. Virtually every time he turns that corner, they get something good out of it. That’s where our focus needs to be.

by agutierrez on May 8, 2008 8:38 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

Now I don’t have a DVR (need to invest!!) but I was looking at the screen and roll while watching Game 2 and it seemed like we were going under it quite a bit already (over 50% of the time, I would say). But again, I don’t have a DVR so maybe someone can confirm my insanity.

I think taking Peja out would be a nice move. So let’s put Bruce on him. Though after a day of careful consideration, I have wavered on starting Brent and I’m thinking it would be better to have him come off the bench with Ginobili. Maybe it will give Gino more room to operate and either one of those guys can slash off the ball.

Allez Spurs!

by JustinBK on May 8, 2008 8:53 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I agree with you 100%. CP turning the corner = death. I’d rather take the chance of CP making jumpers than him becoming a playmaker and getting the entire team involved and boosting their confidence.

And if I see Peja blow by Manu on a drive again, i think i’m going to shoot myself.

by beachwood on May 8, 2008 3:25 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

jeez

talk about morbid. ginoblee is on the decline, but dear god man, dont shoot yourself. just take a bath with the toaster.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 3:36 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

more whining about calls not going your way?

are you kidding me? please enlighten me, what calls didnt go your way? complaining about calls not going your way is the lowest denominator. you sound like suns fans after last years spurs-suns series whining about calls. only they had a legitimate complaint. grow up. championship teams dont boo-hoo over the whistle not being blown, theygo out and win the game. quit making excuses and just accept that your team is good, but just not good enough.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 10:07 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

I think the calls were fairly even, home court advantage usually turns one or two but that’s nothing new. If anything, the Hornets got a few more calls because they were actually taking the ball to the rim instead of settling for 20 footers out on the perimeter.
Props to the Hornets for being aggressive and making us look discombobulated on D.

Allez Spurs!

by JustinBK on May 8, 2008 11:35 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

that!

that would have been a legitiamate statement for the body of this post we are talking about. giving credit where credit is due. not a backhanded complaint about the officiating, but the reason for it.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 12:08 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

You are a moron!

Where did someone whine about calls in this post. Reread the article above, especially this part.

“First, I think the officiating has only slightly favored the Hornets, no where near to the point where it’s even worth mentioning.”

Dumbass.

by pollackj on May 8, 2008 11:42 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

ha

if it is no where to the point of mentioning it, why mention it? especially as the first point in the article? wouldnt it be easier ot just, not mention it?

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 11:53 AM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Learn to read

It was a response to an earlier article.

by pollackj on May 8, 2008 2:37 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

your opinion is bullshit, null and void. fucking tottenham hotspur supporter, good for you, you poof.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 2:43 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Dammit. Owned again.

I just can’t respond to that kind of reasoned and well-articulated argument. I mean, insults that refer to my sexual orientation and my choice of football club. Really, it hurts me to the bone.

by pollackj on May 8, 2008 2:56 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

re: dumbass
championship teams dont boo-hoo over the whistle not being blown, theygo out and win the game.
...and how many championships have your hornets won that justify your claim? again, no one was complaining here, it was mentioned IMO because he probably didn’t want to use that as an excuse

...btw..i’m guessing the hornets don’t have a site for you to post on, since your screenname was directed toward our site?

by vy til i die on May 8, 2008 12:09 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

re: screen name

i have always disliked jinobly as a player. prior to this series even. and i dont know if there is a hornets site. if there is, its probably a bunch of dorks, only talking about how awesome the hornets are instead of the spurs. and if getting a site like this is the result of 4 “chips” then i hope the hornets lose.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 12:14 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

re: championships

the hornets have won 0 championships. the same number as the spurs had until they tanked it in order to be in the position to draft tim duncan in the late mid nineties. looks like tanking it that season paid off.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 12:18 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

GS did you see that Lakers-Jazz game last night? If you talking about a team has beef call disparity, look at the Jazz. Good grief, I counted at least 3 times where Deron Williams got smacked on the arm. Milsap got hit a couple of times. What made it even worse was David Stern was at the game. It’s almost like he was there to make sure they got jobbed.

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 8, 2008 3:39 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

i passed out in the first quarter, so all i saw was the box score, but man the lakers put it to them. and deron willimas is one weird looking guy. and kirolenko. and boozer. boozer looks like a character from GTA 3. that is one team of weird looking dudes.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 3:43 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

I think it has been great how even though the Spurs have been hometowned and ring of fired, they just accept is as life on the road in the playoffs. You won’t read Spurs coaches and players whining to the press to sway the officials in the next game (as Shaq, Nash, D’Antoni, AJ, Nowitzki, Howard, Terry, Stackhouse, and Byron Scott have all done profusely in the past). You will also rarely read Spurs fans complain about it. Like the Spurs organization they accept it and move on.

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 11:38 AM CDT reply reply   0 recs

haha at the “ring of fired”. obviously it is dirty tactics through out the organization, right down to the hornets mascot. even your own mr congeniality, “pop,” opined that it wasnt an advantage because both teams went through the same delay, and same court conditions.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 12:02 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Exactly, Pop won’t complain about that, even though it was obviously an advantage because the Spurs were on a run and they are the older team. I am not sure if you ever played any sports (my guess is no) but having to warm up after what were essentially 2 halftimes is harder the older you get.

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 1:29 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Also, on the court conditions, the Spurs had to deal with the slippery end of the floor on offense in the 2nd quarter. It was cleaned again at halftime just in time for the Whornets to take over on offense on that end.

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 1:30 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

tell me about it, gramps. anyway, i am not sure if yo uever read what you write (my guess is no) but whining about a delay or floor conditions comes across as essentially being a little bit of a nancy. how does the saying go, it is the poor carpenter that blames his tools?

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 1:37 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

Not whining, just stating some obvious facts.

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 1:46 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

BTW, I don’t think the hometowning or the ring of fire caused the Spurs to lose. They were just factors that many other coaches, including Byron Scott, would have complained about to the media, in the hopes that it swayed the officials.

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 1:55 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

the only person i have heard complaining about it is you, and maybe reggie miller during the broadcast. congrats. that is some elite company.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 2:23 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

It’s not my fault I needed to explain something to someone with no understanding of the game.

Kudos to the Spurs for not complaining about something that most other teams would have whined about..

by VWolf on May 8, 2008 2:34 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

i understand th game just fine. if you score more points than the other team, your team wins! you should tell that to poppovich.

by ginobli sucks on May 8, 2008 2:40 PM CDT to parent up reply reply   0 recs

re:

i thought bruce bowen did that at the half?..maybe i’m wrong

by vy til i die on May 8, 2008 12:12 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

agreed. this is a must win game. my thoughts are if this game is dropped tonight, this series is officially over. this will hurt the spurs psyche too much to finish the series strong. period.

if we do drop this game (which we won’t) we will just have to run the idea that we will be the first team in nba history to come back from an 0-3 start. wow, if we pulled that off? holy hell!

moognish

yeah, the spurs are boss

by moognish on May 8, 2008 12:47 PM CDT reply reply   0 recs

Must win indeed, but I think I've seen this movie...

I’m looking forward to a good game tonight. Hopefully the Black & Silver prevail. Though this series kind of reminds me of a series I saw in the past where the younger, hungrier team kicks the older more established team’s ass. The year is 1990, 2nd round. The Lakers were 63-19 during the regular season, coming off 3 straight NBA Finals appearances, winning 2 of them. They faced the upstart Phoenix Suns, lead by a force of nature PG(Kevin Johnson) and a formidable, underrated PF(Tom Chambers). The Lakers are heavily favored, due to having vets with championship skins on the wall. Guys like Magic Johnson, Jam