Game #27 Recap: Suns 110, Spurs 118 - Manu Claus is Coming to Town
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Dec 20, 2010 11:38 PM CST
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Ah, the holidays; the one time of the year my cruel mistreatment of all things colorful, cheerful, and bright is lovingly understood and shared. No, I am not what some would call a "Christmas Scrooge." I just happen to be burned out on the Christmas theme after the first two weeks of September.
My petty issues aside, the holiday time carries the capability of creating memories that can endure a lifetime. The 2010-2011 Spurs haven’t fallen short on creating memories for us, especially in the last three games. After surviving numerous quarters of mediocre to sometimes abysmal play, the Spurs delivered to us incredible finishes now etched in memories of time. And it isn’t just Manu Claus handing out the presents to Spurs fans. Manu Claus’ little helpers and holiday friends are getting in on the action too.
So pour yourself some Hirschof-style Eggnog* and join me for tonight’s Spurs game recap.
*One part bourbon, one part rum. No, I didn't forget anything. Drink responsibly.
via i55.tinypic.com
Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree or the holiday equivalent of Ime Udoka?
Pre-Game:
The Spurs are coming off their eighth straight win and third straight win by four or less points. Inconsistent performance with ball handling and play on defense has created some stressful and memorable moments for Spurs fans. Moments that I’m sure Coach Pop believes that should have never come to pass. In the last the three games, the Spurs defense has allowed 25 or more points in a quarter six times (28, 27, 37, 28, 31, 29). If the Spurs want to stay ahead of the best teams in the west, then they will need to develop a more consistent and positive performance on defense. We know what this team is capable of when they buckle down on D but too many times have we seen the communication, rotations, and help defense break down and disappear. The Spurs are juggernauts on offense but great defense leads to more offensive opportunities which is what the Silver and Black need when the shooters have an off day.
That being said... I can’t remember the last team that I watched that was as fluid as this Spurs team. The San Antonio Spurs have proven that they can win in any situation they find or put themselves. They have proven that a variety of players can step up and take charge, not just the big three. If it isn’t Parker, it’s Hill. If it isn’t Manu, it’s Neal. If it isn’t Duncan, it’s McDyess. And so on, and so on, and so on...
The experience and confidence garnered from the first quarter of this season will pay off big down the road.
The Phoenix Suns are a bit of a quagmire at the moment. Outside of the familiar 105+ PPG average on both sides of the ball, nothing feels right for this team. Phoenix is obviously hurting from the absence of their former deadly one-two punch combination of Nash and Stoudemire. While Warrick does provide a nice dash of athleticism at the PF position, he cannot replace the inside offensive destruction that troubled Duncan and other Spurs defenders. The Suns other FA acquisitions, Turkoglu and Childress, have not provided the impact that was expected. So much so that the Suns have decided to roll the dice by dealing Turkoglu to the Orlando Magic along with Richardson and Clark for Carter, Pietrus, and Gortat.
I am somewhat skeptical of any positive impact for Phoenix from this trade. Carter will most likely see a bit of a slight renaissance in his production on offense but after 12 long years in the NBA (including some international play) he is not the impact player he once was. A Steve Nash and Grant Hill, the NBA’s resident Dorian Gray’s, only come along once in awhile. Phoenix will not catch lightning in a bottle three times. Although Pietrus is definitely an upgrade over Childress, high expectations should be saved for another day. Mickael’s career has been marred with inconsistency and a variety of health/injury issues. Case in point, Pietrus is currently dealing with a knee joint effusion (excess fluid in the joint of the knee) and his return status is yet to be defined. Something else to note in this trade is the drastic change in 3PT production. Compare (below image) the season stats of the wing players in this trade and keep in mind that Hedo and Richardson combined for roughly 48% of the Suns made 3PT shots.
via i52.tinypic.com
To me, Gorat might be the silver lining for Suns fans in this trade. He is a strong presence inside and can give the Suns the size to matchup against the bigger teams in the West. Whether or not he can produce in a fast-pace offense and create a presence in the league’s 29th ranked defense is unknown...
Carter, Pietrus, and Gortat completed their physicals Monday afternoon in Phoenix. Their debut with the RunGunSuns will most likely be this Thursday against the Miami Heat.
But that is neither here nor now. It is Spurs time... and it is game time.
via i51.tinypic.com
DeJuan Blair wishes you all a Happy Holiday.
Spurs Starting Five: Parker, Ginobili, Jefferson, Duncan, Blair
Suns Starting Five: Nash, Dudley, Hill, Frye, Lopez
1st Quarter – "On, Parker! On, Quinn! On, Richard and Neal!"
- 11:43 Bad pass by Nash is tipped to Duncan by Manu.
- 11:28 Blair gets pretty reverse layup after some nice ball movement. PHX 0 - SAS 2
- 11:04 Grant Hill hits a jumper to even things. PHX 2 - SAS 2
- 10:40 Jefferson layup past Dudley. PHX 2 - SAS 4
- 10:30 Lopez tips in a Grant Hill turn-around jumper miss. PHX 4 - SAS 4
- 10:12 Lopez gets an easy layup past Duncan and is fouled. Makes FT. PHX 7 - SAS 4
- 9:27 Grant Hill gets a pull-up jumper over Manu. Both teams really want to run. PHX 9 - SAS 4
- 9:05 Parker stops a Phoenix 7-0 run with a pull-up jumper. PHX 9 - SAS 6
- 8:52 Grant Hill gets another easy jumper. PHX 11 - SAS 6
- 8:25 Duncan runs over Hill for easy layup. PHX 11 - SAS 8
- 7:40 Lopez jumper bounces in. Slowest jump shot in the world. PHX 13 - SAS 8
- 7:06 Nash gets a fast break floater over Blair. Suns are going full throttle every second. Spurs timeout. PHX 15 - SAS 8
- 6:52 Jefferson drives from corner for easy layup. PHX 15 - SAS 10
- 6:30 Parker drives and kicks to Jefferson for 3PT. PHX 15 - SAS 13
- 6:02 Frye deep 3PT miss goes straight to Grant Hill for easy layup. PHX 17 - SAS 13
- 5:19 Parker jump shot makes is PHX 17 - SAS 15
- 4:43 Dudley gets rebound off fast break layup miss. PHX 19 - SAS 15
- 4:08 Parker spin move past Nash on fast break for easy layup. PHX 19 - SAS 17
- 3:56 Nash off the glass. PHX 21 - SAS 17
- 3:33 Parker going right at Nash with leaner. PHX 21 - SAS 19
- 3:12 Dudley makes a tough 3PT over Neal. Suns are 61% on the floor so far. PHX 24 - SAS 19
- 3:12 After timeout, officials review Grant Hill layup at 6:02 and rule it void (shotclock violation) PHX 22 - SAS 19
- Warrick gets tough fall away jumper in the left corner. PHX 24 - SAS 19
- Duncan schools Frye in the low block. PHX 24 - SAS 21
- Warrick gets exact same jumper from same corner. PHX 26 - SAS 21
- Parker spins past Frye and Childress in the paint for an easy layup. PHX 26 - SAS 23
- Neal steals pass from Nash and gets fast break layup. PHX 26 - SAS 25
- Manu draws the charge on Warrick. Ah.... memories.
- Manu has iso in final seconds... Dragic fouls McDyess (non-shooting).
- Manu has iso again, gets screen from Dice, passes to Neal for 3PT attempt. Neal misses and McDyess gets the rebound and his last second jumper just beats the buzzer.
End of 1st, 26 - 27. San Antonio Spurs
The Phoenix Suns obviously want to burn the court at every opportunity. After some hot shooting early, the Spurs defense tightens up and muddies things up for the Suns fast break offense. San Antonio is getting plenty of open shots from great ball movement (and poor Suns defense) but not taking advantage (1-9 3PT). The Spurs nail the last three shots of the quarter to take the lead at the end of the first, 27 - 26. If this keeps up, the Spurs will start hitting their shots and Phoenix will be struggling to keep up.
via i56.tinypic.com
Yet another Paparazzi snapshot of Tony and Eva...
2nd Quarter – Make sure to leave out plenty of milk and alfajores for Manu Claus.
- 11:43 Ginobili gets a jumper off a McDyess offense rebound/tip-out. PHX 26 - SAS 29
- 11:18 Dudley gets defender off his feet and hits jumper. PHX 28 - SAS 29
- 10:25 Neal gets floater coming out of the corner. PHX 28 - SAS 31
- 10:13 Dudley nails open 3Pt in the corner. PHX 31 - SAS 31
- 9:58 Neal jump shot. Gary is on fire tonight. PHX 31 - SAS 33
- 9:33 Childress gets screen and gets around McDyess and Manu for easy layup. PHX 33 - SAS 33
- 9:17 McDyess hits open jumper from Gary Neal assist. PHX 33 - SAS 35
- 9:00 Ginobili gets steal from Frye pass.
- 8:41 Matt Bonner penetrates (seriously) and draws defense (seriously) and finds Quinn for a corner 3PT. Suns timeout. PHX 33 - SAS 38
- 8:12 Neal drives into the paint and gets the basket plus foul while falling down. FT good. PHX 33 - SAS 41
- 7:55 McDyess slaps ball away from Warrick. The two tie-up for jump ball. Spurs win jump.
- 7:36 Suns are making tons of poor decisions. After Dudley lets ball bounce out of bounds, Bonner hits a 3PT. Spurs shooting 55% on the floor. PHX 33 - SAS 44
- 7:25 McDyess draws charge on Dudley.
- 7:14 Manu goes into the paint and draws foul on Grant Hill. You know the Suns are getting frustrated when Hill is livid. Manu hits both FT. PHX 33- SAS 46
- 6:55 Lopez battles for rebound and gets hook shot. Ends Spurs 13-0 run. PHX 35 - SAS 46
- 6:35 Blair loses ball and Dragic makes Spurs pay. Pop calls timeout to yell at people. PHX 37 - SAS 46
- 5:40 Dudley jumper off screen over Neal. Suns on 6-0 run. PHX 39 - SAS 46
- 5:07 Spurs playing some ugly ball. Two ugly possessions in a row followed by a Parker foul on Lopez.
- 4:34 Great movement creates bounce pass from Blair to duncan for dunk. PHX 39 - SAS 48
- 4:22 Lopez gets easy hook. PHX 41 - SAS 48.
- 3:55 Dudley gets another easy (alley-oop) layup for Suns. PHX 43 - SAS 48
- 3:24 Officials calling tons of fouls on Spurs this quarter. Pop getting a little irate. Parker leaves with 3rd foul.
- 3:16 Frye gets it up and over Duncan and Bonner for two. PHX 45 - SAS 48
- 2:55 Duncan misses jump shot. Spurs are 1-6 in the last three minutes.
- 2:41 Hill gets easy turn around jumper against Ginobili in the low block. 8-0 run for the Suns. Pop calls timeout to strangle the ball boy. PHX 47 - SAS 48.
- 2:15 Blair somehow gets foul while getting pushed in the back. In the penalty so Frye shoots FT. PHX 48 - SAS 48.
- 1:54 Ginobili gets step back corner 3PT. PHX 48 - SAS 51.
- 1:07 Hill gets a high jumper over a jumping Duncan. PHX 50 - SAS 51.
- 0:48 Ginobili misses a 3PT shot. Spurs are now 4-17 from deep. Hopefully they start doing something else.
- 0:38 Nash hits 3PT... PHX 53 - SAS 51
- 0:28 Blair makes tough floater. PHX 53 - SAS 53
- 0:05 Nash in iso, gets screen from Lopez who then rolls for alley-oop. Duncan does something to garner foul. By something, I mean nothing. PHX 54 - SAS 53
- 0:00 Ginobili misses running jumper to end half.
Half Time Suns - 54 Spurs - 53
San Antonio started the second quarter with some hot shooting and benefited from a few mental mistakes by the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs held a thirteen point lead at the 7:14 mark but forgot their offensive identity soon after. The Suns went on a 16-2 run in just under five minutes before Manu tried to take over the game by hitting a corner 3PT. Silent in the first quarter, the officials have started screaming into their whistles for the littlest things. Parker picked up a quick 3rd foul with 3:24 left in the game and the Spurs spent the last two minutes in the penalty.
Phoenix isn't doing anything on defense to stop the Spurs, San Antonio is missing open jumpers in and out of the 3PT (4-18) arc. If San Antonio wants to regain the lead and hold onto it, they will need to return to the aggressive ball movement and drives that we saw in the first quarter and early portion of the second. Phoenix has done nothing to show they can defend the paint so Parker and Manu need to feast in the lane. I'm not enjoying Duncan, Dice, and Blair being out-rebounded by the Suns front court but they have to sacrifice offensive boards to slow down the Suns fast break offense. Dudley is on fire (6-7 FG / 2-3 3PT) and the Spurs defense on the perimeter needs to shorten the leash. If the Spurs baskets won't start to fall, then they can ill-afford to let someone go crazy from deep.
It would also help if the officials stop calling fouls on invisible players (they signaled "4" on a Parker foul).
via i55.tinypic.com
via i54.tinypic.com
"We Elves try to stick to the four main food groups: deli, sandwiches, hoagies, and subs."
3rd Quarter – Tim Duncan, Winter Warlock.
- Duncan gets nice pas from Jefferson for easy dunk. PHX 54 - SAS 55
- 10:56 Hill jump shot PHX 56 - SAS 55
- 10:44 Duncan easy layup. PHX 56 - SAS 57
- 10:37 Duncan steal inbounds pass, finds Manu for 3PT. Quick five points for Spurs. PHX 56 - SAS 60
- 10:06 A driving Blair finds a wide-open Parker in the corner for banking 3PT. Suns are leaving at least one person wide open on the perimeter during each Spurs possession. PHX 56 - SAS 63
- 9:48 Hill gets a quick jumper to make igame PHX 58 - SAS 63.
- 9:23 Parker drives in on Nash and gets the foul. Tony hits 1/2. PHX 58 - SAS 64
- 9:08 Deep rebound to Parker created deep pass to breaking Blair. Blair misses layup but is fouled by Frye. Blair with some nice FT shots to make it PHX 58 - SAS 66
- 8:59 Parker gets his 4th foul with 9:00 left in the 3rd. This just seconds after a foul on Jefferson.
- 8:31 Jefferson drives from corner and is fouled. At least the officials are watching both teams now. RJ hits both. PHX 58 - SAS 68.
- 8:21 Another foul is called on Jefferson because Nash ran into Hill. Jefferson reacts and gets hit with tech. PHX 59 - SAS 68
- 8:05 Beautiful touch bounce pass to Duncan finds Duncan for layup. Blair is showing off with some great passing. PHX 59 - SAS 70
- 7:19 Blair battles for rebound off Duncan miss. Duncan getsa ball again for a post up score. PHX 59 - SAS 72
- 6:59 Hill loses ball to Blair and Jefferson/Blair run the court for Jefferson layup. Hill is shaken up on the play but gets up and walks. Happy for the iron man. PHX 59 - SAS 74
- 6:36 Blair works it inside and gets an easy floater. PHX 59 - SAS 76
- 6:14 Duncan tips in Neal 3PT miss. Duncan was alone for rebound. Wow. PHX 59 - SAS 78
- 5:27 After Blair travels, Nash goes down and gets hook shot to end Spurs 10-0 run. Pop calls timeout. The last few minutes have been wild, almost street ball (minus alley-oops). PHX 61 - SAS 78
- 5:13 Duncan finds Blair for easy two. Phoenix is really lost on defense. PHX 61 - SAS 80
- 4:25 Warrick blocks Blair, Suns run and Dudley is fouled driving to basket. PHX 63 - SAS 80.
- Nash hits leaner (going out of bounds). PHX 65 - SAS 80.
- Hill schools Neal with driving pull up jumper. PHX 67 - SAS 80.
- Spurs offense cooling down, no ball movement and Blair makes bad miss.
- Duncan passes it out-of-bounds towards Quinn. Spurs getting really sloppy on offense now.
- Ginobili finds Bonner underneath after Duncan screen, PHX 67 - SAS 82.
- Nash finds Childress who is fouled by Bonner. PHX 68 - SAS 82
- Duncan rebounds a Neal miss and passes back out to Neal for a wide open 3PT. PHX 68 - SAS 85
- Duncan scores easy driving layup from Jefferson. PHX 68 - SAS 87
- Lopez is fouled. Hits both FT to make it PHX 70 - SAS 87
- Jefferson draws the foul on Lopez. Jefferson hits 1/2. PHX 70 - SAS 88
- Dudley gets deep into the paint and is fouled on a scoring layup. PHX 73 - SAS 88
- Quinn hits bank shot from the wing after great ball movement from offensive rebound. PHX 73 - SAS 90
- 0:23 Dragic finds a trailing Dudley for a 3PT. PHX 76 - SAS 90
- 0:05 Neal drives from the corner and scores through three defenders and is fouled. This man can score. PHX 76 - SAS 93
- 0:00 Dragic hits fall away jumper to end the quarter. PHX 78 - SAS 93.
End of 3rd, 78 - 93. San Antonio up.
The Spurs out-rebounded the Suns in this quarter (allowing no offensive boards) which lead to extra opportunities on offense. Even though Parker left the quarter early with foul trouble, the Spurs managed to throw up a season-high 40 point quarter while holding the quick shot Suns to 24 points. San Antonio limited the mental mistakes and started attacking the paint at every opportunity. After an abysmal first half from deep for the Spurs, Duncan, Tony, and Jefferson to work in the paint and getting easy baskets. Phoenix defenders were leaving at least one Spur open on every possession, and San Antonio drove the paint and began to force Phoenix to collapse aggressively in the lane. Once the Suns' defense was in complete chaos, the Spurs began to get their shooters going (3-6 3PT this quarter). Two other important contributions in this quarter came from the bench production (10 PTS) and the easy points at the line (7-9).
I'd like to throw out a gold star to Quinn for doing a great job running the point while Parker was on the pine. Quinn, a bottom of the depth chart player, has proven over the last few games that he can also make a worthwhile contribution in meaningful minutes. This Spurs roster is incredible.
via i52.tinypic.com
"No! No! Wait! I want more game time minutes with Manu and Tim!"
4th Quarter – You’re a mean one, Popovich.
- 11:48 Dudley hits quick jumper. PHX 80 - SAS 93
- 11:28 Parker counters with a jumper of his own. PHX 80 - SAS 95
- 11:14 Warrick jump shot. PHX 82 - SAS 95
- 10:37 Dudley gets a layup off screen. Suns can do this all the time. PHX 84 - SAS 96
- 10:14 Dragic leads break after Jefferson miss and finds Childress for layup. Pop calls timeout. PHX 86 - SAS 95
- 9:54 Driving Parker kicks out to Jefferson for 3PT. PHX 86 - SAS 98
- 9:33 Childress finds a loose ball from Warrick for an easy layup. PHX 88 - SAS 98
- 9:14 Jefferson drives and gets strong foul on Warrick. More of this, RJ. PHX 88 - SAS 100.
- 9:00 Dragic breaks Tony's ankles and gets fading jumper. PHX 90 - SAS 100.
- 8:29 Childress follows up a Dragic miss with a dunk. PHX 92 - SAS 100.
- 8:21 Grant Hill gets charge on Manu. Spurs turnover.
- 8:01 Parker drives on Dragic and earns another foul. These teams will be in penalty by 5:00 mark at this pace. Parker hits 1/2. PHX 92 - SAS 101.
- 7:34 Deja Vu. Parker drives on fast break against Dragic and gets to the line. Parker hits both. PHX 92 - SAS 103.
- 7:00 Warrick drives and then pulls up for layup against McDyess. Scores and gets foul. PHX 95 - SAS 103.
- 6:37 Ginobili makes sweet side step in the paint for easy layup. PHX 95 - SAS 105.
- 6:13 Ginobili bumped by Warrick (non-shooting foul), Spurs looking to slow their possessions down.
- 5:39 Bonner leaves Nash wide open for 3PT. Warrick was backing down Parker... PHX 98 - SAS 105.
- 5:10 McDyess tips out Parker miss to earn Spurs another possession. Nothing comes of it (Manu 3PT miss).
- 4:23 Duncan schools Warrick in the low post. Easy layup. PHX 98 - SAS 107
- 4:09 Childress can't handle pass from Nash, Neal steals ball and is fouled. Suns are now in the penalty. Neal hits both FT. Neal now has 17 PTS, a new career high. PHX 98 - SAS 109.
- 3:56 Duncan blocks Childress.
- 3:49 Duncan blocks Childress.
- 3:48 Bonner blocks Childress. Bless his heart. Neal fouled by Hill while going for ball. Neal hits both FT. PHX 98 - SAS 111.
- 3:08 Neal hits pull up jumper after Duncan drives and dish. Neal pushed point total to 21. Great job, rookie. Suns call a timeout. PHX 98 - SAS 113
- 2:55 Nash to Childress for driving dunk. PHX 100 - SAS 113
- 2:22 Childress tips in Dudley miss. Suns are running their hearts out. PHX 102 - SAS 113.
- 2:00 Parker misses jumper (goes out-of-bounds). SPurs slowing it down but need to score...
- 1:44 Dudley misses 3PT(thank god) and the Spurs gain control.
- 1:14 After Manu turnover, Frye misses 3Pt shot.
- 0:53 Ginobili is fouled in the paint. PHX 102 - SAS 114.
- 0:48 Neal fouls Dudley in the paint. Amazingly enough, misses a FT. PHX 103 - SAS 114.
- 0:47 Neal is fouled on purpose by Dudley. Really, Phoenix? Hits 1/2 FT. PHX 103 - SAS 115.
- 0:38 Nash finds trailing Hill all alone for 3PT. PHX 106 - SAS 115.
- 0:37 Bonner is fouled on purpose. Hits 1/2 FT. PHX 106 - SAS 116.
- 0:30 Childress gets an easy layup after Nash assist. PHX 108 - SAS 116.
- 0:26 Ginobili is fouled by Frye. Manu hits both FT. Thank you! PHX 108 - SAS 118.
- 0:20 Nash gets wide open lane to rim. PHX 110 - SAS 118.
- 0:00 Phoenix will not foul, decides Pop has been held long enough from his wine. Game over.
Spurs Win!: 118 - 110. (Record improves to 24-3)
via i52.tinypic.com
The Spurs get another strong performance from the bench this quarter with Gary Neal scoring 7 of his career high 22 points. Although San Antonio tried to keep with the same formula that opened up a fifteen point lead in the 3rd quarter (play smart, be aggressive, and try not to look too stupid when Nash does something), Phoenix picked up the pace even more and starting slicing the Spurs defense with high screens and trailing 3PT shots on the fast break. The Spurs managed to keep Phoenix at bay by winning the battle on the boards and getting to the line, hitting 9-10 prior to Phoenix's foul frenzy at the end of the quarter (Spurs finished quarter 14-18 FT).
With the Spurs riding a franchise high 24-3 record and their second 9 game winning streak* this season, one has to think about the measures to which Popovich will go to level his players out over the Christmas week.
*The San Antonio Spurs are the eighth team in NBA history to have two separate nine game winning streaks prior to January 1st of the season.
via i56.tinypic.com
"Blast this Christmas music. It's joyful and triumphant."
Post-Game Wrap-up: I saw Mommy kissing Manu Claus...
Suns’ Three Stars
- Jared Dudley: 27 PTS, 10-16 FG, 3-7 3PT, 4-5 FT, 5 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK
- Grant Hill: 19 PTS, 9-17 FG, 1-1 3PT, 4 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL
- Steve Nash: 17 PTS, 7-11 FG, 2-5 3PT, 10 AST, 3 TO
Spurs’ Three Stars
- Tim Duncan: 20 PTS, 10-17 FG, 15 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 3 BLK
- Gary Neal: 22 PTS (career high), 7-14 FG, 1-6 3PT, 7-8 FT, 3 REB, 4 AST
- Tony Parker: 19 PTS, 7-14 FG, 1-3 3PT, 3 REB, 4 AST
via i51.tinypic.com
In a bold rebounding attempt, Gary Neal breaks several planes of reality to gain leverage over Dragic.
Best of the Best from the Best
Neal is SHOCKING THE WORLD
Seriously, we are putting QUinn on the floor just to #### up with their minds and for ####s and giggles. Oposing teams must think "awww how cute, he thinks he is an nba player.. OH #### swishh"
That’s what happens when I’m not around for a few games. I see non-English comments and my brain processes them as words spoken through major dental work.
Five Quick Shots: I’m a Pop-a-Shot Master.
- DeJuan Blair has a loooong way to go before he can join the big three in HEB commercials.
- Quinn finished +19 in 15:17 minutes of play. Pop has his bench.
- I'm going to hunt for Grant Hill's and Steve Nash's paintings.
- Blair's touch has gone from "BLAIR SMASH" to just the right amount. Shots/rebounds aren't ricocheting anymore.
- Someone please blow up the American Airlines Center.
via i56.tinypic.com
God bless us, everyone!
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"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Dec 20, 2010 11:38 PM CST reply actions
good lord.
you guys really out-do yourselves for these recaps. Not to say I don’t like ‘em, but geeze they’re good.
Bravo! Bravo!
Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™
by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Dec 21, 2010 12:42 AM CST reply actions
I really don’t know what to make of this Spurs team. They don’t look like any team I have ever watched in the Popovich/Duncan era. What will happen come playoff time? I have no idea, and I don’t think anyone else does, either.
They don’t play defense consistently. My God, their opponents have gaudy shooting percentages, especially from the 3 point line. On the other hand, they do rev up the defense several times a game, and seem to get stops at significant moments. They also get a lot of steals, which the Spurs have never done. And yet they are not sending their opponents to the free throw line. In fact, we are getting to the line a lot more often than our opponents. There is not one star of this team. As mentioned above, it’s somebody else stepping up every night. They love to run the break and score from the three point line. But when teams have taken away those opportunities, the Spurs have found other ways to get it done.
It’s just a very weird team. Thirteen deep. Flexible. But weird. I don’t know what to think about them, but I am enjoying watching these guys.
All these GIFs are breaking my browser.
There is not one star of this team.
This is the one point that I’d disagree with you on. Everything else is good, except for the above statement.
Manu is the star of this team. He may not exert himself every night depending on who else is hot, or who the opponent is, or whether he’s preserving his energy for the 4th in case it’s needed — when it often hasn’t been.
I’m not saying that he can just turn it on an be awesome whenever he feels like it, although that often appears to be the case. There are some nights when he just doesn’t have this shot going, but that doesn’t make him any less important to the Spurs. He is the star because he’ll still make an impact on the game (in crucial moments as in nearly insignificant ones) regardless of how hot his shooting hand(s) are.
He’s playing at an exceptionally high level this year in every facet of the game. And he is, it should not be disputed, the star of the team.
Enjoying the trip to # 172 as much as humanly possible
by J.R. Wilco on Dec 21, 2010 5:45 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
yet he might not even be an all star..
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
by theonlyromeo on Dec 21, 2010 6:02 AM CST up reply actions
If the Spurs continue to hold the best record at the All-Star break, how weird would it be for Pop to be coaching a West team containing NONE of his players? I wonder if that ever happened before. (Note: I’m assuming that Pop wouldn’t be traveling to L.A. alone ─ Neal, Blair and maybe Bonner could be joining him for the weekend for the Rookie/Sophomore game and the 3 point shooting contest?)
I’d be surprised, though, if the coaches didn’t vote in at least one of the Big Three. And as much as we joke around here about Pop wanting to avoid coaching the ASG whenever the Spurs aren’t playing well, consider the mind of CIA Pop…. what better way to insure that neither Manu nor Duncan play more than seven or eight minutes in the game? Not to mention the opposite, lay heavy minutes on Kobe, Irk, CP3, etc. }>
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 10:53 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I like this too
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
by theonlyromeo on Dec 21, 2010 7:56 PM CST up reply actions
He is the main star of a 24-3 team.
Unless his performance and the Spurs slow down quite a bit in the next month he’s a lock as a researve, imo.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Dec 21, 2010 9:01 AM CST up reply actions
im not sure. west is kinda heavy on guards. we have fisher, you know.
at any rate, my heart might not be able to take it if duncan fails to make the allstar team AND the All NBA team this year.
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
by theonlyromeo on Dec 21, 2010 7:57 PM CST up reply actions
And he is, it should not be disputed, the star of the team.
I’m going to dispute it, whether you think it “should” be disputed or not. I think he is one of the stars of the team, but not THE star of the team. I fully expect to get the usual catcalls one risks here if one doesn’t elevate Manu to the most exalted position, but I don’t care.
The whole point of the Spurs organization is NOT to have one player without whom the team cannot win. Could we win without Manu? I don’t know. Hopefully I won’t have to find out. He’s one of my favorite players, not just on the Spurs, but of all time, and I adore his fierce brilliance and his careening style and I don’t want to be deprived of it. But I don’t think Manu is the only one who can make an impact on a game regardless of how hot his shooting happens to be. What I’ve seen Timmy do nearly every game this season (Where are his slo-mo gifs, by the way? I wouldn’t mind seeing a gif of that sequence of blocks last night, the way he moved under the basket, his mastery in the post, oh, I could cry) is in no way, at least to my mind, less responsible for our success.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
by Lauri on Dec 21, 2010 11:25 AM CST up reply actions 7 recs
While I have no doubt that the team could win games without Manu (because they’re scary deep), there have been some games this season that I think the Spurs would likely have lost without him. But that’s just an opinion, I can’t prove it one way or the other.
I’m also quite sure that the team would be quite different with Ginóbili… I don’t want to say ‘no heart,’ but he does represent the ‘heart’ of the franchise to me. Ugh, I’m getting an uneasy feeling just writing about this…. let’s go no further down this track.
But you’re 100% on point about the point of the Spur organization… no “stars,” one team. (By “stars” I mean the indispensable players you refer to… of course the Big Three are Stars, silly. ::grin::) Rec’d.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 11:56 AM CST up reply actions
Yup. Timmy’s D has been the anchor this season.
Bonner with the nice box out!
by SpursfanSteve on Dec 21, 2010 11:58 AM CST up reply actions
I have to agree with Lauri. This team has been built around Timmeh for over a decade. And yes, the scheme has changed to take more advantage of both Manu’s and Tony’s talents, but I wouldn’t elevate any one of the three above the others. They are all indispensable to the Spurs, and not one of them would be as good if the other two weren’t around. Not only has Timmeh displayed his usual post brilliance lately, but Tony has single-handedly kept us in some games this year.
So yes, bossman, I’m disputing your opinion.
With all due respect, gentlemen, we're not as crazy as she is.
by CapHill on Dec 21, 2010 12:34 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Timmy is always the anchor of team defense, both his blocks, rebound positioning and communication. Though he’s lost some lateral movement and can’t get to every rebound or pressure defend quick bigs, he’s the head as is Manu the heart. For us fans who talk about wanting to see better defense from our Spurs, it is important to remember that it starts with TD and will fall even more on his shoulders come playoff time. I’m loving his help defense this season, as he’s upped that aspect of his game without much notice while the focus has been on what he no longer does as dominantly as before.
The depth of this team means they can win if one of the big-3 suffers an injury. All three plus their mates are need to win the championship, but Pop has built a squad of team players that know their role and can survive the regular season for extended runs.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
Let the Disputing Continue!
I don’t think Manu is the only one who can make an impact on a game regardless of how hot his shooting happens to be.
Lauri, I don’t feel that there’s no one else that fits that description. Even RJ2.0 has shown the ability to contribute in many ways (his recent rebounding comes to mind) when he’s not shooting as well as he did to start the season.
My point isn’t that Manu is the only one for which this is true. My point is that the team is depending on him more than in years past, due to Pop’s obvious preference to rest Duncan as much as possible. It would be silly to discount what Tim does nightly, or say that his importance to the team has lessened because his minutes have decreased. Anyone familiar with the team should be able to punch holes in such a theory with relative ease.
The difference with this year’s team is not that the ability of any of the Big Three has significantly changed, but in whom the team is leaning on. Maybe you could say: whom the team is choosing to lean on. When you look at the roster, it’s like looking at a workbench. All of the tools are necessary and important, and some jobs could be done with one or another tool. But that doesn’t make any of them less needed.
Over the last few seasons, we’ve seen what the Spurs can do with Duncan carrying the load early in the season. The team is very good with Tim as option #1. Very, very good. And I expect it to be the case through most, if not all of the playoffs. But right now, the way Pop is choosing to play, I see that Manu has taken on the starring role so that Duncan can be used less, and sit on the bench during the 4th quarter more often.
Enjoying the trip to # 172 as much as humanly possible
Are you saying “Manu Ginobili is THE star of the San Antonio Spurs,” or are you saying “So far this year, we have depended on Manu more than we have in the past, giving him the starring role in certain situations so that we are better positioned come playoff time”? I thought you were saying the former. If you were saying the latter, I can board that train.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Feel free to hop aboard, Lauri. This is indeed my thesis:
So far this year, we have depended on Manu more than we have in the past, giving him the starring role in certain situations so that we are better positioned come playoff time
Right now, it’s about role, not about soul.
Tim is still the centerpiece of the team. He is the octopus bartender in the Looney Tunes nightclub scene that is the Spurs franchise. But this regular season (if I may switch metaphors) he’s willingly taking an understudy role while allowing Manu to star in his place.
But I doubt not that it’s still his place, and I expect the playoffs to prove this time and again.
Enjoying the trip to # 172 as much as humanly possible
by J.R. Wilco on Dec 21, 2010 1:52 PM CST up reply actions 6 recs
it’s about role, not about soul
Such a reccable response.
"You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas." -Davy Crockett
"Give me an army of West Point graduates, and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies, and I'll win a war." -Gen. George S. Patton
Most def.
Bonner with the nice box out!
by SpursfanSteve on Dec 21, 2010 3:27 PM CST up reply actions
There is not one star of this team. As mentioned above, it’s somebody else stepping up every night.
That was the original statement that then became disputed. The “not one star” should have been considered in the context of “somebody else stepping up every night”.
I’m not sure if someone is maintaining a scorecard as to which Spurs have the most stars with some point value dependent upon which star number they were, but I think I’d go with the original statement interpreted to mean that there have been many stars. After all, Manu was only an honorable mention in the last game. Tony was the Western Conference Player of the Week. While Manu has made many clutch plays, at times those might not have been needed if it weren’t for a previous Manu turnover. Manu might be the brightest star but there is not one star but many stars.
From the Rome interview today, in regards to Tony getting player of the week: “I made some clutch plays, but Tony played for 45 minutes. I played for 3.”
(paraphrased)
Bonner with the nice box out!
by SpursfanSteve on Dec 21, 2010 3:29 PM CST up reply actions
yup.
http://www.poundingtherock.com/2010/12/21/1889949/transcript-interview-with-a-vampire-manu-ginobili
Bonner with the nice box out!
by SpursfanSteve on Dec 21, 2010 4:24 PM CST up reply actions
OK… this I understand. Rec’d.
My head still hurts though. Maybe it was Hirshof’s eggnog recipe?
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 5:33 PM CST up reply actions
Ah, we disagree again. As assonant as the original sound bite may be, I think it’s about role and soul.
And I don’t really follow how
Manu is the star of this team
translates to
So far this year, we have depended on Manu more than we have in the past, giving him the starring role in certain situations
because to me they don’t mean the same thing. I don’t know if I would characterize Timmy’s role as that of “understudy.” His play, limited as it may be, just seems too integral to our incredible start this season (as does that of Parker, Jefferson, et al). But we’ll see how the season continues to spool out. It could well be that by the end of next spring we can point to one particular player as THE star of the San Antonio Spurs, but I kind of hope not. Honestly, I’ve never really understood why that’s necessary to begin with. Maybe it’s human nature (which would make me . . . inhuman?). I like it when a team is functioning so well together that you can’t say, not even with craftily manipulated stats, “that guy, that one right there—HE’S the reason we made it to the championship. HE’S the star.” It’s possible to have a great team without stars when the team is the star. Right now, that’s the kind of team I feel like we have.
And I love that.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
by Lauri on Dec 21, 2010 8:00 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Rec’d, not for the dispute stuff ─ because I’m not following the arguments too well. (My head hurts again.) ─ but for your thesis that the team is the star. I’ve been feeling that’s the case too, since early on in the season, and it’s a wonderful (but somewhat nerve-wracking) feeling not knowing which player or players will shine on any given night. I’m lovin’ it too….
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 8:53 PM CST up reply actions
I don’t think Manu is the only one who can make an impact on a game regardless of how hot his shooting happens to be.Lauri, I don’t feel that there’s no one else that fits that description.
chief, I probably write some of the most difficult-to-read, convoluted sentences here on PtR ─ you need the skill of a verbal contortionist to follow my writing sometimes ─ but all those negatives have me totally confused. Your double negative means that you do feel that there is someone who fits the description, right? So despite Lauri’s use of another negative (don’t), you are agreeing with her that Manu isn’t (argghh, another negative) the only Spur who can affect a game with his play other than (another negative) his shooting?
My head hurts. Time to see if Hirsh’s recipe for eggnog is a cure-all.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 5:31 PM CST up reply actions
One point I would make here is to compare these first twenty-seven games to the stretch at the end of last regular season when the Spurs were fighting for a playoff spot. Manu took over, exerting a lot of his amazing energy and making incredible plays night after night. The Spurs struggled mightily, even with his play. And we eeked in as seventh seed.
By contrast, these first couple of months this season have not required such herculean efforts from anybody. Certainly there have been a few close games, and Manu is our big finisher. Our closer, if you will. He has been this for several years, now. But overall he has not had to put the team on his shoulders like he did at the end of last season.
I don’t know, I guess it boils down to how one defines a “star.” My original point was not to diminish the contribution of any of these Spurs, Manu or anyone else. Rather, I see this team as having a lot of great contribution from seven or eight guys every single night, and it’s not always the same guys. I think it must be one factor that makes the Spurs difficult to prepare for. Manu, Parker and Duncan have all had their share of off nights, but the team keeps humming along. It’s a thing of beauty, in my opinion.
All these GIFs are breaking my browser.
quincy, great comment. Thank you for this, it made me think about how the Bizarro Spurs 2.0 are winning games. I’ve got a kernel of an idea now, seeing if I can make it grow.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 12:19 PM CST up reply actions
Enjoy while you can!
Your time in the “Sun” pun intended is about over!
Happy Days are here again! Wildcat's have #1 recruiting class again!
I’m going to hunt for Grant Hill’s and Steve Nash’smirrorspaintings.
Good luck with that; many other have tried and failed before you.
Thrilled with the way ZOD and Chris Quizno’s have stepped up in the absence of G-Hill. Just imagining how awesome this team will be when &erson returns in 2011 just make me giggle like a Lebron groupie. Tee-hee.
Btw, can anyone score photos of Manu SHINobili from last night?
↓↘→ ↓↘→ ↓↘→ + P
whoops.
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Dec 21, 2010 1:15 AM CST up reply actions
give me a break. my mind is a little fried.
Speaking of which, I’m going to bed and sleeping in late.
Vacation rules.
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Dec 21, 2010 1:18 AM CST up reply actions
I hear that Vince Carter is having his portrait painted in Scottsdale today…. it may be a few years too late for him, however.
The Spurs are scary deep. While it remains to be seen whether Neal and Quinn will continue to shoulder the load in George Hill’s absence, what coach wouldn’t love to have the flexibility available on a roster like San Antonio’s? Of course, finding sufficient minutes for everyone would/will be a challenge, but in the hands of a grandmaster like Pop, putting the right players on the floor depending on the situation is ‘simply’ a matter of figuring out who’s hot and plays well together.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 11:05 AM CST up reply actions
in the hands of a grandmaster like Pop
Grandmaster Pop? Who wants to ’chop the extraneous G into something like this?
Enjoying the trip to # 172 as much as humanly possible
Not that kind of Grandmaster… I was thinking in terms of someone like Bobby Fischer. Basketball as a chess game, with the coach pushing the players around like knights and rooks on a board.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 5:39 PM CST up reply actions
i was thinking Pokemon…
just sayin.
Bonner with the nice box out!
by SpursfanSteve on Dec 21, 2010 7:03 PM CST up reply actions
GOL
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 8:54 PM CST up reply actions
Twenty-four and three is completely off the chart. It seems like it’s been a record start for some time now. It’s starting to endanger NBA history too. If you believe in jinxes don’t read any more of this comment.
Stolen from the Washington Post in ’08-
Best records through 34 games
Team____34game__final record___Result
67 76ers__ 31-3____ 68-13__ Won NBA championship
72 Lakers__ 31-3____ 69-13__ Won NBA championship
96 Bulls__ 31-3____ 72-10__ Won NBA championship
60 Celtics__ 30-4____ 59-16__ Won NBA championship
72 Bucks__ 30-4____ 63-19__ Lost in Western Conference finals
81 76ers__ 30-4____ 62-20__ Lost in Eastern Conference finals
97 Bulls__ 30-4____ 69-13__ Won NBA championship
05 Suns__ 30-4____ 62-20__ Lost in Western Conference finals
08 Celtics__ 30-4 ____ 66-16__ Won Finals
Normally these kinds of starts create historical pressure due to all the exposure it brings. Fortunately no one truly knows about it and all NBA types took their mental focus to South Beach, while writing about all happenings LA. It also helps that our team is lead by guys that have been there and done that on all basketball levels.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
Regular season records ─ while important for determining playoff seedings ─ are like fool’s gold imho. We all know that the Mavs have found this to be the case, time and time again. The Heat will probably have a decent record at the end of this season, but beating up on sub-0.500 teams and losing to better-than-0.500 teams is not a recipe for a deep playoff run, and no one in Miami should be feeling comfortable about their chances. The Spurs’ perfect-so-far record against Eastern Conference teams is wonderful, but it’s nearly meaningless in the playoffs when they’ll only have a chance to meet one team from the East (and I hope they do!).
The playoffs are about matchups. Which is the better team, head-to-head, over a seven-game series? Which teams are in your bracket? While I like what the team has done so far against the Thunder, Hornets, Suns, etc., the Spurs have yet to play the Lakers. They lost to the Mavs, and they beat the Jazz when Utah was at less than full strength. It’s way, way too early to be thinking about a deep playoff run imho.
One game at a time.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 11:22 AM CST up reply actions
i just wanna avoid the lakers for as long as possible.
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
by theonlyromeo on Dec 21, 2010 8:03 PM CST up reply actions
I’m actually looking forward to the game against the Lakers coming up later this month ─ one game at a time, one game at a time….
Anyway, it’ll help the players and coaches assess where the team is, relative to the favorites, and intel on what areas need improvement and to be worked on over the course of the season.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 8:57 PM CST up reply actions
i mean in the playoffs
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
by theonlyromeo on Dec 21, 2010 9:11 PM CST up reply actions
ahhh…. I wouldn’t mind avoiding the Lakers in the playoffs until next year, en route to another ring this year. By that, I mean I would love to see the Suns or the Thunder or the Jazz or some other team beat them in an early playoff round this season.
I would laugh and laugh and laugh… probably so much that I might have to hire 24/7 security to protect me from all the Lakers-loving fans around here. :P
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 10:07 PM CST up reply actions
great recap
as a Suns fan, I just don’t like Mr. Carter. Gortat and Peitrus will make us better.
And seeing them playing this kind of basketball w/o those 3 is kinda positive for the Suns.
Never fear. Grant Hill is Here.
Yeah they still managed to put a scare or two into us. If the Suns were going to win, it was going to take Nash and Hill both going nuts and the Spurs to flounder a bit on offense… and for a while it looked like the game might go that way.
Carter might not play for a month
just too sad for our team
Never fear. Grant Hill is Here.
by sun_equalizer on Dec 21, 2010 1:52 AM CST up reply actions
Is he injured? I didn’t hear about that.
"A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It’s what happens while you wait for moments that will never come." - Lester Freamon, The Wire
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 21, 2010 4:04 AM CST up reply actions
Didn’t hear that Carter would be out that long, could you provide a link please? I was aware that he’s been dinged up a bit, but didn’t know that it was bad enough to require a month of rest. (I had heard that Pietrus might be out for a while.)
If that’s is the case, it’s gonna put a lot of pressure on your other scorers. Gortat will help your team in other areas, but I’d be surprised if he alone replaced J.Rich’s point production… I figured that your F.O. was counting on Carter for most of that, if he’s out, that probably means heavy minutes for Grant Hill and Nash.
Hirschof’s chart above showing the 3 pt. FG% of the outgoing players >> the 3 pt. FG% of the incoming players ─ that has to be a major concern for the Suns, who shot 25% from behind the arc, very un-Suns-like. (But San Antonio shot even worse, very un-Spurs-like.) Frye, Dudley, etc. may be asked to replace the lost production… question is, will they?
The good news for your Suns is that they could still sneak into the playoffs as a lower seed and be a major under-the-radar threat to pull the upset, especially if everyone is healthy and comfortable in your system by the end of the regular season. I can give your guys no higher compliment than to say that there are other teams I would prefer to meet in the playoffs than the Suns this season.
p.s. I kinda figured that you weren’t a regular PtR’r since 1) no regular here uses the title line all the time; and 2) a Spurs fan is more likely to choose the screen name ‘sun_block’ than ‘sun_equalizer’ ─ we want the Spurs to be better than the Suns, not just equal to them. :)
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 11:44 AM CST up reply actions
Thanks, Tim. Elective? Wow…. did the Suns F.O. know about this when they traded for him?
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 11:58 AM CST up reply actions
Dang dude! Have you been working on this for the last month?
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Pre-game was lunch break yesterday and the rest started an hour before the game and last an hour past.
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Dec 21, 2010 9:01 AM CST up reply actions
Color me impressed.
Lauri: thank goodness I have you magnificent bastards to waste [the offseason] with.
Color Me Badd
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
by theonlyromeo on Dec 21, 2010 8:04 PM CST up reply actions
hello co-pounders….life has been too hard on me and I haven’t been able to watch the last few games and I’m not rich enough to have NBA LP. Is there any place that I could go to re watch the game or torrents may be?
Keep the faith!!
You can always google ‘Davka’.
"Sometimes the Spurs make you play ugly. That's just the way they are." - Gary Bender
Sup guys, great recap and ho-hum win.
Anyway, can you guys imagine the guard rotation off the bench if Anderson gets back to speed in time? Hill, Neal and Anderson all shooting lights out. Its gonna be awesome.
[ "Duncan, the Spurs' 34-year-old captain, was aghast when Splitter told him he used to watch him as a kid."]
"I didn't enjoy that at all," Duncan said
I’ll take &erson’s return to the court as my own personal Christmas gifts from the basketball gods. I don’t even care if it’s late. :)
With all due respect, gentlemen, we're not as crazy as she is.
How late? I’d want him out of his cast soon and playing by early January, so he can get back into condition over the RRT.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 5:41 PM CST up reply actions
shitty shop....
comments may be 1 minute behind reality
by sleep research facility on Dec 21, 2010 2:39 AM CST reply actions 9 recs
Oh dear… I think I’m going to have a few sleepless nights during the holidays.
"A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It’s what happens while you wait for moments that will never come." - Lester Freamon, The Wire
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 21, 2010 4:01 AM CST up reply actions
what makes Quinn have that surprised look?….nightmares.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Dec 21, 2010 9:16 AM CST up reply actions
Quinn looks horrified to be in this picture with that hair wearing that getup while being embraced by that … actor.
Enjoying the trip to # 172 as much as humanly possible
The expressions on both their faces makes the chop look even…. creepier.
This is worse than that #%!#@ Disney song that set up shop in the recesses of my brain. I’m gonna get you, srf!
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 5:49 PM CST up reply actions
OK, that’s just wrong on so many levels. First of all, I happened to have a boyhood crush on one Jane Seymour, all right? How was I to know she would some day be hawking Kay Jewelry? Puberty. Secondly, Quinn is really doing some good things for us. Manly things. Oh, if only I had me some photoshpping skilz…
All these GIFs are breaking my browser.
by quincyscott on Dec 21, 2010 8:08 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
GOL
…my new nightmare.
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Dec 21, 2010 9:01 AM CST up reply actions
that is so very, very wrong…. (you have no idea how difficult it is to type when you’re howling with laughter)
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 5:44 PM CST up reply actions
Hirschof, you amaze with the depth of these recaps.
Watched some of the replay and I must say: Suns TV, please bring back Eddie Johnson. The crew for this game complained a bit too much about officiating. It was almost as bad as listening to the Denver broadcasters. I did laugh at their calling the Spurs “The Evil Empire.”
As for the game, the opponent shoots 54% and has one player score a career high. Only two guys on our team reached 20, and Mighty Quinn played important second half minutes, yet w win fairly easily. Not sure what to think but truth is, Spurs never trailed in the final 22+ minutes, had double digit leads throughout the 2nd half, and had a 40 point quarter. All while their opponent wouldn’t miss but didn’t reach 100 points until the 2-minute mark. Perhaps one of the stranger games in the recent series between these teams. At least things are back to normal: Spurs >>Suns.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
Glad you’re always there to look at the extremely positive side of things.
"A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It’s what happens while you wait for moments that will never come." - Lester Freamon, The Wire
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 21, 2010 4:02 AM CST up reply actions
Last season taught me to appreciate some of the regular season success that I began to take for granted. 1-2 vs PHX, 0-4 vs Utah, 0-3 vs Portland, 1-3 vs Dallas. 50 wins in the WC was still excellent but it was maddeing to see Tony playing hurt, Manu recovering from injury, and new players who were counted on but did not yet know the system. Now, we’ve got a great team with depth. Not every game will be stellar or dominant, but winning is the immediate goal before the ASB. A championship can’t be won now but positioning can be lost. It’s along enough season that there’s time to fix some of the rough edges, which I fully trust Pop will work on. I also like that, though some of the games are closer than we’d like, the Spurs have still be in control of most of these games and our star players aren’t playing 40 minutes on these nights the way Kobe, Pau, Dirk, Durant and a few other stars have to sometimes do. We’re banking wins and more rest for our guys than I think we realize.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
The one loss per month rule is still implemented. so we need to win the next 5 games.
"Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best." -Tandang Duncan
It’s a tough next five…
All these GIFs are breaking my browser.
by quincyscott on Dec 21, 2010 8:10 AM CST via mobile up reply actions
Orlando may be were the current streak ends. Seems the Spurs always play in Orlando on a SEGABA.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
It will be Orlando’s third game in 4 days with 4 new players aboard. The newbies have 4 points in about 25 minutes between them so far tonight, after having 27 points in about 93 minutes last night. I’m sure they expect much better production from them when they gel, but hopefully that is a few games away.
Seeing our guys win in Denver last week, when the Nuggets were shooting well, by outplaying them late despite it being a SEGABABA for our squad was further evidence of how the squad this season is far improved. They’ll certainly have a better shot of winning in Orlando than past seasons; I’m jut cautious because I recall our guys getting trounced the past two seasons there on these second nights. The new Magic players will click and coming after an off day may be when they’re more comfy with each other. But seeing the highlights from tonight’s game shows their biggest issues are communication on defense. Well, than and Hedo being rejected by the rim.
Thank you SF Giants for an incredible 2010 season and painting the City orange & black!
You gotta bring ass to get ass.
I vow to never mention "playoffs" and "49ers" together again until we have a "quarterback."
Just got NBA league pass so I could watch this one. The only thing worse than not being able to watch Spurs games, is watching a home game with Suns announcers. Was looking for a button on the settings to switch to Sean Elliot.
I’d settle for syncing the free Spurs audio pass with the video feed.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 5:46 PM CST up reply actions
Neal was our leading scorer and I love every bit of it.I just hated the 4th quarter surge of the suns,but our guys did their best to maintain the lead.Good game over all and great game for Timmy in just 31 minutes.
If stats are not the basis, Manu Ginobili would get the MVP Award.Just saying,many people thinks the NBA should get a real MVP NOW!Maybe Apostrophe might come second to Manu honestly.IF not Manu then someone who deserves it.I'm sick and tired of how the league runs.
Congrats, guys.
Suns fan here.
You guys are ballin’ – seems like you have so many weapons you didn’t have last year. Health makes a lot of difference.
We didn’t have the horses tonight, but the ones we rode ran well. We’ll see you in January, and maybe we’ll find out if our recent trade was any good. I’m hopeful.
I’m not feeling too bad about this loss, under the circumstances, and a couple of you guys came over to BSotS and were extremely classy, so I wanted to return the favor.
So kick some Laker ass, and see you next year.
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
"In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip."
haremoor, it’s great to get this kind of feedback from any £ers who made their way over to BSotS. Thanks for stopping by. Your well wishes are appreciated.
I hope your new acquisitions help you beat up on LA, Utah and Dallas.
Enjoying the trip to # 172 as much as humanly possible
Thanks.
I’m pretty excited about Gortat. I’m not sure Robin Lopez is.
I think Carter is basically an expiring contract for a future trade, but hey, he’s 5 years younger than Grant Hill. There actually may be something in the water here.
I don’t think we’re going to catch you this year, but I’d be happy if we were a team you didn’t want to face in the playoffs. And you guys are welcome at BSotS any old time. Not Portland fans, though. ;-)
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
"In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip."
Nah - we put that in Grant Hill's Sprite.
"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
"In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip."
Are you saying that he’s nuclear-powered??? That explains a lot….
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 8:59 PM CST up reply actions
Just wait till he hits 88 mph. You’ll see some serious shit.
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Dec 21, 2010 9:25 PM CST up reply actions
Towards the end of the postgame show on Fox SW Sports, Ric Renner seemed to be saying that Hill might be out for several games. Has there been any update on his injury, or is still day to day?
Grego posted this as a Fanshot a couple of days ago: Hill will miss “a few” games.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Today on DrumsInTheDeep Watches ESPN So You Don’t Have To™… Wilbon asked Kornheiser if the Spurs winning nine in a row was a big deal. Kornheiser said that it was, and that he wanted to see us play the Heat
Love this segment, please keep it up.
"A life, Jimmy, you know what that is? It’s what happens while you wait for moments that will never come." - Lester Freamon, The Wire
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 21, 2010 6:42 PM CST up reply actions
Awesome recap, Hirsh… and so fast! Rec’d.
I especially liked your comparison of the 3 pt FG% of the outgoing and incoming Suns players. They probably won’t have a chance at another deluge of threes like they rained down on the Lakers earlier this season, not without J.Rich and Turkoglu.
Since I missed much of the second half, your recap style filled in the blanks very nicely. I still want to watch the game again though…
p.s. I like rum and I like bourbon… separately. Your recipe for eggnog sounds… deadly. I don’t even want to imagine what it tastes like.
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 5:56 PM CST reply actions
Thank you.
It tastes like heaven, fresh.
Or at least that is what I assume it would taste like if I actually drank it and not consumed it through an I.V. in each arm.
"We suck on 'D. Both individually and team-wise, we suck. We're pretty consistent that way. I don't know if I have an answer to that. If I did, we wouldn't suck quite so bad." - Popovich
by Aaron "Hirschof" Preine on Dec 21, 2010 9:28 PM CST up reply actions
ahhh, I had not considered the direct approach. rotflmao
They're not your pop's Spurs... they're Pop's Spurs 2.0!!!
Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.
by freshtunarightofftheboat on Dec 21, 2010 10:03 PM CST up reply actions
Good job Bucks! First, you ended the Mavs’ winning streak, next you defeated the Lakers. Nice.
(",)
by day_late_friend on Dec 22, 2010 3:25 AM CST reply actions
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