Ladies and Gentelmen: Spurs 113, Suns 110
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Feb 28, 2010 11:13 PM CST
in Game Previews & Recaps
59 comments
How about a little Saliva for you?
Ladies and Gentlemen. Do you want it? Do you need it? Let me hear it.
I was absolutely blown out of my seat when this was used as the intro today for the Spurs. You know what? It kicked ass. Bellasa, who's been lobbying for this for a few months, was right and wrong. She's right: it does make a great intro. She's wrong: the Spurs do have the stones to use it. You go girl. Please the mojo, get the 'W'. If you think J-Rich missing that dunk at the end of the game wasn't directly related to the Spurs using this song, then you haven't tried to dunk with Saliva on the ball.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Tenuous Start
Yep, a great way to start the game. The Spurs, I guess, are more hip hop and less metal because they didn't get off to such a great start. They scored on three of their first four possessions, then went ugly and scored on only three of the ensuing 12 possessions. On the 13th possession of the game, Keith Bogans missed his third shot. Why do I bring it up? It was the last shot Keith took. In fact, Keith's three misses and a missed three by Roger Mason in the second were the only shots taken by any Spur during the game that weren't our main 7 guys: Tim, Tony, Manu, RJ, Antoinio, DeJuan, and George.
The first quarter ended with the Suns up 25-21 and me writing "this could get really ugly" in my notes. Why ugly? We were playing at a ridiculously fast pace. We had 27 possessions in the quarter and we only got 1 free throw. I just thought it would be a disaster to keep playing at that pace. Of note, Tim was 2-6 in the quarter.
It was a great game and very close the whole way. The biggest lead for the Suns was 7. The Spurs got their biggest lead at 8 with 3:03 left in the game.
Solid Finish
Our defense was poor to terrible in the fourth quarter (except the defense on Richardson's dunk). But our offense was fantabulous. We scored on 17 of 23 possession in the quarter. Three of the non-scores were turnovers. Three of the scores were intentional fouls. However, one of the intentional fouls was after an offensive rebound so that was a good possession.
The percentage of successful possessions doesn't tell the whole story. We only took 4, yes 4, contested shots in the whole quarter and all of those were right at the rim. Two by Blair and two by Tim and we made all four. Of the 7 shots we missed, ALL were uncontested shots. Of those 7 missed shots, we got 4 offensive rebounds.
We also went 12-13 from the line.
Who made shots in the fourth?
- DeJuan 2
- Tim 2 (finished 10-15 from the field after his 2-6 start)
- Richard 2
- Manu 2
- Antonio 3
That is some nice balanced scoring. We moved the ball really well and got ourselves a lot of open shots. Plus, we won a close game for a change.
Ladies and gentlemen. We wanted it. We needed it. I'm taking this win.
End note: Amare threw a NASTY dunk down on RJ's head for a 3-point play with 1:34 left in the game and the Spurs up 5. Pop yelled at RJ, "Why? Why?" Me, I'm thrilled he got dunked on because he tried to make a play. I'd much rather him trying to go out and make plays than be timid and afraid of making mistakes. It was RJ's block of Amare with 3:21 left that led to our 8 point lead. It was also our last stop of the game except for Richardson's missed dunk and the final after the buzzer shot.
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Thank goodness that Richardson dunk didn’t go threw, unlike Amare’s nasty dunk.
by silverandblack_davis on Feb 28, 2010 11:27 PM CST reply actions
It has absolutely gotta suck to be a Suns fan when they play the Spurs. I almost feel… ummm… you know… what’s the word?
Hmmm… No I guess I really don’t. ;)
By the way, for some extra added fun, you should check out their game thread. And if you post over there, be nice.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed. - CMoney
I interviewed for a position with a recruiting firm last Thursday ( I have been in the industry 10 years). The partners of the firm flew into Austin from Phoenix for the interview.
We started talking basketball, I’m hoping not a mistake on my part, I really want this position. But…..if I end up not getting it because the Spurs won today, then I’ll take it for the team. Send donations to……
BTW Wayne I am going to take a position part time with a non profit that finds employment for disabled folks. Great company, great cause.
Timmy D .... enough said.
You should send me some details when you start.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Mar 1, 2010 12:26 AM CST up reply actions
Interesting read, and I was very nice. Agreed with a comment that Richardson’s play was reminiscent of Nick Anderson’s choke.
The stakes were lower, of course, but it’s best to not expect a normal sense of proportion from a Suns fan where the Spurs are concerned.
Also, Tim C, do you know PHXgp? He’s your doppelganger — a Suns fan living in San Antonio.
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 3:30 PM CST up reply actions
It’s possible. One of my best friends is a Suns fan in SA.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
Actually, now that I bothered to look, that isn’t him.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
too bad
nice avatar, though
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 4:37 PM CST up reply actions
Thank you Spurs organization for finally using Saliva’s Ladies & Gentlemen for your intro. Now if you could just work on upgrading the rest of your repertoire, I would greatly appreciate it.
Example: Bad Medicine. It’s just bad.
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed. - CMoney
Hey, at least its not Kernkraft 400, Cottoneyed Joe, or anything on Jock Jams
"We'll see how our character is," guard Tony Parker said. "We don't have time to be sad. Nobody cares. It's just us. We're the only ones who can help each other."
by completely deck on Mar 1, 2010 3:53 PM CST up reply actions
I liked how Duncan schooled Lopez in the second half. Nice post, sir. It was kind of you to mention that RJ block. That was an important defensive stop for our part.
just having fun...
by day_late_friend on Feb 28, 2010 11:39 PM CST reply actions
Great recap. I too am glad that RJ got posterized. His effort tonight was otstanding.
However, methinks that you will not be competing in the grammar/spelling contest.
My editors suck. That’s all I’m saying.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Mar 1, 2010 12:04 AM CST up reply actions
I shouldn’t give you crap because I’ve added more than my fair share of doozies here. Just couldn’t help it.
On a basketball related note, having watched in person, is the defense getting any better, or are we going to have to continue to outscore other teams?
I was not impressed today.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Mar 1, 2010 1:18 AM CST up reply actions
I think the dunk on RJ is more like “Why the hell do you think you can try to block Amare freakin Stoudemire when he’s hot?” The smarter play would have been to try to take the charge, or get their sooner on D.
Either way its been awhile since a Spurs got dunked on like that. Good thing it was RJ and not somebody we’d feel bad for.
It was fine that RJ got dunked on. What pissed off Pop was that it was a 3 point play. If you foul, you try to move the ball from being scored easily. Regardless, I think RJ has gotten the message going by the last few games.
RJ tried to foul instead of giving up the bucket and one.
Watch it in slow mo here.
When he realized that he couldn’t block the shot, he swings his arm to take Amare’s dunk wide, but it wasn’t enough.
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 3:43 PM CST up reply actions
caught that to jrw. It was a very heady play if while in the air RJ realized he wasn’t going to block him and then went to plan B.
"I will five all over this blog." - JRW
I’m happy to give him the benefit of the doubt judging from the following:
a) he’d already blocked A’m’a’r’e’ earlier in the quarter.
b) he broke from his man as soon as he saw that Duncan had over-committed and Hill didn’t switch to Stoudemire (also bonus points for assuming that there was no way that Stat would pass the ball to RJ’s man, who was now open) and
c) he’s not taking a swipe at the dunk from the get go — he elevates, stretches his arm straight up, and then he takes his arm into Amare’’s.
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 4:36 PM CST up reply actions
nice to get the win but I was a little disappointed that we won with our offense rather than our defense.
I really don’t believe Amare is the kind of talented, creative scorer that can’t be contained. However i do believe he is athletic enough to make some plays near the rim and a good enough shooter to go for 40 when you leave him open as much as we did.
Maybe that was the strategy, if it was I guess it worked. Even though watching it almost made me go crazy.
was the dunk on RJs head the same play when timmy over-committed high on nash? i think that was it. if so, RJ was probably getting yelled at for not rotating over to the spot quick enough (and for fouling too). either way, it was nasty – but i think timmy might have went out a bit too high on that play.
either way, its a nice win. would be nice to follow that up with one on the road.
RJ was late on that rotation, for sure. I was surprised on an earlier play when he was actually on time and prevented Amar’e from having an easy dunk. RJ’s rotations are puzzling, at best.
Do these numbers look similar?
Amare Stoudemire, PF 39 15-28 1-1 10-15 6 6 12 1 1 0 4 3 41
Amare Stoudemire, PF 46 16-32 0-1 10-11 7 9 16 2 1 4 3 4 42
The first set is yesterday. The second is game 5 in the 2005 playoffs when we eliminated the Suns. .
RJ was definitely late on a couple rotations. As Bones noted, on one of the plays Tim did something strange where he got hung out to dry.
My point is that we always have had trouble with Amare and defending the play they run. I’m not sure it’s just RJ’s rotations.
Btw, the box score I pulled that line out of was the first one I looked at. Cherry picking data from memory. Not bad.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Mar 1, 2010 9:35 AM CST up reply actions
My biggest worry all season has been the high percentage that teams have been shooting against the Spurs, especially from outside the 3-point line. The first game this season the Suns made 11 3-point shots (61%). This past game they made 8 of them (53%).
I know the Spurs were always at the top when it came to 3-point shooting percentage (actually in every category), but we’ve turned into the Suns when it comes to having to outscore opponents to be able to win games.
The rotations to shooters have been non-existent. When the team actually attempts to close out on shooters, it has proved to be successful for the most part. I miss the days when the Spurs would be chasing teams away from jump shots. Forcing teams into bad passes, 24-second shot-clock violations and into contested shots in the paint, which also didn’t allow for those long offensive rebounds.
I miss the days when the Spurs would be chasing teams away from jump shots. Forcing teams into bad passes, 24-second shot-clock violations and into contested shots in the paint…
xman, I couldn’t agree with you more.
I’ve become convinced that we simply have too many players who haven’t played in the defensive system long enough to be able to anticipate and react immediately, which is what those lightning-quick defensive rotations require.
Instead, at any given point of the game, we have 3 or 4 relative newbies on the court, and they’re having to think through everything that’s happening — and that takes longer than just seeing and executing your assignment.
At this point of the season, I’ll be happy if our defense looks good for the last 10 games of the season. That’ll mean guys are starting to internalize their responsibilities and might be getting on the same page. If that happens, then there’s a chance that the defense could be passable/pretty good come the first round. At that point, standings won’t matter, as long as we’re the 7 seed or above.
But if the defense isn’t at least flexing its muscles going into the post-season, then I’ll agree that things look grim.
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 4:55 PM CST up reply actions
I’m really not willing to give these guys the benefit of the doubt any longer at this point. Here is my reasoning:
1) The veteran players have played the Spurs on several occasions, meaning they at least scouted or have seen on tape on defensive rotations so when they came into the team, they at least had a slight idea about “Spurs defense”. We’re more than 2/3s of the way into the season, you can’t tell me they don’t know defensive calls/strategies by now.
2) Effort is completely lacking by a lot of players. Even I can’t defend Duncan when it comes to this as he is one of the culprits at not challenging shooters outside of the lane. RJ is also notorious for staying in the lane and not running hard at shooters. When he does, it’s like he’s afraid his man will beat him to the basket (which is why rotations are so important!). In turn, RJ ends up giving wide open jumpers to a numbers of shooters.
3) I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Pop is also guilty for some of our the Spurs defensive problems. While I’ve grown accustomed to having Pop mess with the line ups year after year, it usually only happens during the first half of the season. By now, usually a Spurs team has it’s line ups and player roles well established. Playing RJ at the 4 and Blair at our 5 as our biggest players on the court is essentially conceding that the Spurs will try to outscore the opposition. While a lot of people praise Hill’s defense, I’m not convinced he’s a great defender. He might be a good one-on-one defender, he stinks at getting through picks or chasing shooters around picks. On the pick-n-roll, the best strategy when Hill is defending is to trap the ball hard and force the ball back out. Why not use Hill’s length as a defensive advantage here?
The Houston game proved to me that some of the starters are getting complacent defensively and they coast through the game at times and wait to “turn it on” until the 4th quarter…problem is, if they’re having an off day on offense, the game might already be out of hand by that time.
I DO NOT have a problem with Pop trying out a hundred different combinations of lineups but I do have a problem if those combinations include small ball.
"I will five all over this blog." - JRW
I don’t think he has much of a choice now. Yawn does not look quite there yet, Dice and Timmeh need to limit their minutes, so that leaves – Bonner.
Of course, this is a self-created problem. Pop and the organization built the team the way it is, Not sure if they expected more from Yawn and Theo or if they just misjudged the effectiveness of this lineup.
I’ve become convinced that we simply have too many players who haven’t played in the defensive system long enough to be able to anticipate and react immediately
In years past we’ve had players come in for short stints and play very well; Nazi Muhamad came in midway thru a season and was VERY effective. We won it all that season I believe.
It’s easier to run guys off their open shots if you have two seven footers protecting the basket. Every championship year we’ve had this.
"I will five all over this blog." - JRW
Then Tim Duncan shrunk to only 6’ 11". I just looked and Nazr is listed at 6’ 10" this year for the Bobcats. I guess we were playing smaller than we thought.
It might be worth adding that we had the best perimeter defender in the league as well.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Mar 1, 2010 6:45 PM CST up reply actions
Okay, but in years past we’ve never regularly played small forwards at the 4 position. I shoulda said we’ve always had two Bigs in years past.
"I will five all over this blog." - JRW
Oh, and I think JRW’s point wasn’t that you can’t have guys come in and help. Just that we have too many new guys.
We specialize in misinformation around here. Facts and stats just get in the way.
by Wayne Vore (ATS) on Mar 1, 2010 6:46 PM CST up reply actions
That’s precisely my point.
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 11:37 PM CST up reply actions
Cherry picking data from memory. Not bad.
Almost sounds like the voice over from a Mastercard commercial.
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 4:39 PM CST up reply actions
Nice win, let’s hope RJ coming off the bench at this point in the season can be the much needed spark to get us into the playoffs – whether or not we get past the 1st round with the current squad is held with hope by only a few – w/myself not being in that faithful circle – nonetheless, nice win
"Mr. Gilmore deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame damnit. Highest field goal percentage EVER"
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/gilmoar01.html
Yes we do.
But we might be able to make do with Bogans, if our defense improves.
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 4:57 PM CST up reply actions
Minus 7 average, or minus 7 total?
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 11:39 PM CST up reply actions
Only 12 minutes of small ball versus 31 from the Houston game. I think this is the story line above all else.
"I will five all over this blog." - JRW
How did the minute splits differ game to game?
What I mean is which big got which small’s minutes?
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 3:39 PM CST up reply actions
Just watched Jim Rome on ESPN. His closing remarks were about Richardson’s missed dunk. His theory was that Richardson heard footsteps behind him: Manu’s, and he didn’t want to have Manu block him like he did Durant (even though Manu was trailing too far behind to get there for a block, Richardson didn’t know that). To quote Rome: “Manu has owned three: that bat on Halloween, Durant, and now Richardson.”
by janieannie on Mar 1, 2010 4:10 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
I love that. Sometimes, Rome sees things. My thought is that the only thing that made any sense is that Richardson was rushing it b/c he didn’t want to be caught.
Also, it’s good to see you around. You were missed.
Rest the Croissant!
by jollyrogerwilco on Mar 1, 2010 5:08 PM CST up reply actions
Don’t forget that Manu owned Nash as well: Nash wouldn’t even dare to attempt the three at the buzzer, presumably because he heard Manu’s steps behind him. With his play, Manu is getting under people’s skins and inside their heads. That’s what Bruce used to do every night for us on defense. Now people seem to start worrying that Manu would just come out of nowhere and take the ball from them. I like it. A lot.
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