The Bench Boys Keep Mavs Starters Busy - Photo recap
by janieannie on Apr 15, 2010 1:26 AM CDT
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Smart, very smart! Manu and Tim were in uniform, going through pre-game warmups, and then they disappeared before the National Anthem. A last minute decision sent them to watch the game in the locker room, resting them for the playoffs. The Mavs, meanwhile, had their hands full trying to hold off our bench players. Coach Carlisle elected to keep his starters in to avoid an embarassing loss the the Spurs Young Guns. We lost the battle, but we may have set ourselves up to win the upcoming war.
With advice from jollyrogerwilco, I played with the camera settings and got some really decent action shots - and with the OLD camera! Enjoy some shots of the young 'uns in action.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=52860&id=1547353210&l=924a719ea7 more photos
I may have a nightmare about this - a giant Dirk made from twisty balloons.
The Mavs Maniacs actually CAN dance, but do we really need to see this?
THIS was a slam! The whole basket assembly was still shaking when the ball had been brought to the Mavericks' end of the court.
One of the few rebounds DeJuan did not reel in. He had 23 of the team's 52 rebounds.
YES!
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I had a great seat! Just got a ticket for the first playoff game, same area, but 8 rows higher.
"Ginobili. . .He's weaving, he's throwing up triple axels in sneakers, he's willing the ball into the basket. It's Cirque du Soleil with refs." Dan Oshinsky / KENS 5
that head on balloon dirk looks like its made form hot dogs or something. kinda of like the abe lincoln head in a famous episode of ren and stimpy………freaky.
Haha, I remember that episode!
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 15, 2010 12:49 PM CDT up reply actions
wow that dirk balloon…that must be what’s going on on pop’s head
and he better make better rotations consensus to everyone
lol
so i guess pop outsmarted carlisle
Ginobelieve!!!!!!!!
----That is Matt Bonner straight down the lane with the dunk,I repeat Matt Bonner down the lane with the dunk!LoL---NBA guy that recaps the games on NBA.com(Spurs-T'Wolves recap)
That Dirk balloon looks cool but when you get to the face it’s scary. Great photos yet again, j/a.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 15, 2010 2:40 AM CDT reply actions
hey davis still there?
i would like to upload a photo from my pc how can i do that?
Ginobelieve!!!!!!!!
----That is Matt Bonner straight down the lane with the dunk,I repeat Matt Bonner down the lane with the dunk!LoL---NBA guy that recaps the games on NBA.com(Spurs-T'Wolves recap)
to the post im making
Ginobelieve!!!!!!!!
----That is Matt Bonner straight down the lane with the dunk,I repeat Matt Bonner down the lane with the dunk!LoL---NBA guy that recaps the games on NBA.com(Spurs-T'Wolves recap)
You have to use a photo hosting site, tp. Upload the photo first to any of those (I use tinypic, some use imageshack) and then just hotlink the url of the uploaded photo using the tree icon.
Just cause we're crippled, don't mean we gotta take the crumbs.
by silverandblack_davis on Apr 15, 2010 3:35 AM CDT up reply actions
I promise I'm not trying to troll here.
But in what possible way did Pop outsmart anyone?
Dallas exerted themselves for about five minutes in the first quarter when they turned a small deficit into a ten point lead, then coasted the rest of the way. Like Dirk said afterwards, it felt like an exhibition game.
Clearly Pop did what he thought was best for his team, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but losing for the eight time in ten games to the Mavs doesn’t strike me as some master plan, and the talk of it reminds me of Philly supposedly tanking the final game of the regular season against the Cowboys, and we all know how that turned out.
Bottom line, our key guys are rested while Dirk and Co. had to play till the end to assure a win, which despite your comments was in jeopardy until the 3-4min mark.
If anything, just a smart move to rest our guys, maybe rest is not important for Dirk, Kidd, and Erika…
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 15, 2010 7:34 AM CDT up reply actions
SA got what they needed, Dallas got what they needed.
Both teams had different objectives going in, and both accomplished them. It’s this goofy idea about outsmarting people that seems silly to me. Let’s put it another way. Who accomplished more?
The Spurs, who rested players and lost?
Or Dallas, who played half speed most of the night, while limiting Kidd, Terry, and Dirk’s minutes, still won the game pretty easily, secured the two seed, and gained momentum going into the playoffs?
This is the NBA playoffs, people. One game off isn’t going to make any difference in the first round. Yes Duncan and Manu got the night off, which is what Pop wanted. Of course, in doing so, he left himself open to having RC turn it right around on him by saying that SA “wanted” the Mavs.
Lost the game, lost any chance to build momentum going into Sunday, and gave the Mavs something to put on the bulletin board. The cleverness in that must be over my head. Kind of like when Otis Smith “outsmarted” Dallas by spending $70,000,000 dollars on Brandon Bass and Marcin Gortat, then barely playing them.
by Big D Bam Bam on Apr 15, 2010 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions
I would argue that the Spurs bench and role players have more momentum now because they are more confident of themselves against the Mavs, especially Blair and Temple. Duncan and Manu don’t need momentum. Some of our shooters like Bonner might be thinking, if only Duncan and Manu had played to get me some better looks, I know I would have made more of those 3’s. The game gave our team a lot of confidence.
Another thing about momentum is that we don’t have homecourt. The first two games are opportunities to steal. They are more important for Dallas than us. They aren’t must wins for the Spurs. Game 3 is the must win. That is where we need rhythm and momentum.
I’m less likely to believe this, but what if CIA Pop did want the Mavs and started preparing for them two days ago knowing we would try to lose this game.
With all of that said though, I think Pop was smart, but I think Carlisle was smart too. He had to play to win with Phoenix AT Utah tipping after. Dallas couldn’t risk losing and dropping the 2 seed, and they didn’t.
by BlaseE on Apr 15, 2010 8:31 AM CDT up reply actions 7 recs
Dirk’s minutes were “limited” to 33? Wow, none of the Spurs Big 3 averaged more than 31 this year. That said, I agree Pop did not “outsmart” the Mavs. As you say, both teams did what they needed. Pop finally got to rest Duncan, something he promised to do over a month ago but couldn’t because of Tony’s injury and a perilous playoff race. Meanwhile, Dallas got the win they needed to guarantee home court through the 2nd round.
by doggydogworld on Apr 15, 2010 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions
did you just say limiting dirk,jason,and jason’s minutes?hmmm take a look at the boxscore pls…
—-i don’t know who to believe you or the boxscore that says:
dirk played 33 mins
caron 38
jason k 28
jason t 26
marion 30
if you mean by limited it owuld be like a pre-season exhibiton match up agains our teams—-not only that on preseason’s team star’s plays from dnp to 1 minute-16 mins maximum and i can’t see anybody from your stars playing hmmm—-say what 18 minutes?nor 20….they all played at least 26 mins…and we still lost by 7…
I don’t know if your guys just played around or did play like its the regular season and just to boast the head to head record of winning like 8 of the last 10 matches against us.
well reg season doesn’t really count as long as ur in spurs uniform as long as you make the playoffs…let’s just see…
maybe you can inhabit our game threads in the playoffs to see for yourself who’s better
the underrated or the overrated…see in the playoffs
4>0
Ginobelieve!!!!!!!!
----That is Matt Bonner straight down the lane with the dunk,I repeat Matt Bonner down the lane with the dunk!LoL---NBA guy that recaps the games on NBA.com(Spurs-T'Wolves recap)
Big D, I am the most skeptical of Spurs fans when it comes to “We got ’em right where we want ’em!” statements (everyone’s pointing and laughing, just ignore them), no, really, I am, and although I think both Pop and I really wanted a win last night, I didn’t lose any sleep over this one. Look at the possible outcomes from a Spurs point of view:
1. We play our starters and win. Big woop. All our starters are tired now and more prone to injury, and the bench guys and young guns didn’t get to learn anything on the floor. (And as it turns out, Portland did lose to Golden State, so we could have had the six seed, but I’m in no hurry to face Phoenix, and there was no way to control that outcome in any case—best just to play the game in front of you.)
2. We play our starters and lose. See above, but with a pissed off Pop and dejected team thrown into the mix.
3. We rest our starters and scrap our way to a win. HUGE upside. Confidence, elation, the bench has gained some valuable knowledge about playing Dallas. But there’s a down side, and it is not insignificant—Dallas will be ticked off about losing to (what they perceive as) a team of scrubs. And they will come out intent on wiping the floor with them next time. (Might they still do this? Sure, but I think the emotional intensity would have been stronger had they lost.)
4. We rest our starters and lose. Not as good as a win, but as losses go, this one is palatable. We weren’t blown out, we made it exciting in the fourth, our starters are rested, and the Mavs don’t have a loss to put on the bulletin board as “revennnnnge!” motivation. We’ve got some good tape for the younger guys to watch now, that’s for sure.
We joke a lot around here about “that was the plan all along!” and CIA Pop, but Pop never wants to lose. However, he’s smart enough to see ahead to all the possible outcomes and choose a course of action that has the greatest potential upside. That’s what he did last night. I don’t think Janie was saying Pop wanted to lose. I think she was saying that Pop made the right decision in resting the starters. I agree with her. We’ll just have to see what happens to find out who’s right.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
by Lauri on Apr 15, 2010 8:10 AM CDT up reply actions 11 recs
Great points Lauri ! Although I did have some anxiety over Manu not playing because I didn’t get to watch the start and had no idea why he wasn’t. Figured Tim would sit.
What wasn’t part of Pop’s plan was Hill going out. Hill really matches up well with the Mavs and I feel this game very well might of gone the other way. That pesky little mouse would have found the trap had Hill been there.
Coasting ? Maybe, don’t watch the Mavs unless we play them. Seems to me Dirk was brought back in the 4th because we were getting too close.
Believe me, I hate to lose and especially to the Mavs or the Lakers. I was very relaxed watching the game last night, didn’t get up bummed this morning, looking forward to Game One, First Round.
Timmy D .... enough said.
Hill really does match up with the Mavs well. He had a couple of nice smooth jump shots go in as well as a strong athletic drive to the basket. Even Mavs fans in the Money Ball game thread made a comment about Hill having a big night. And the rest of the thread was just offensive. I mean to call San Antonio nothing but a bunch of drunk Mexicans?!! How did they know I was drunk? I’m frightened now…
by LORDinfamous on Apr 15, 2010 11:09 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Now that’s funny !
Don’t be frightened, we would rather be called a bunch of drunk Mexicans over a Mavs fan even when we’re sober.
Timmy D .... enough said.
that’s the truth. Dallas fans are the worst.
"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
by Joe deLarios on Apr 15, 2010 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions
wait one ptr member also wanted to ban those guys in the mavs thread—-they were racist as he said—-for one wrote or maybe asked if jason kidd was a mulatto….i ddn’t went to their thread but if u guys are saying they are offensive—-i dnt know that mavs have these kind of fans out here in the net
they should be warned
LOL
Ginobelieve!!!!!!!!
----That is Matt Bonner straight down the lane with the dunk,I repeat Matt Bonner down the lane with the dunk!LoL---NBA guy that recaps the games on NBA.com(Spurs-T'Wolves recap)
This is analysis par excellence.
Lauri, thanks for doing such a good job of explaining the Spurs fans positive mindset concerning Pop’s course of action. I couldn’t have done it better myself.
5 in 10
o;—-)
at the end of this game, pop was SUPER pissed at bogans (mostly) and mason (less so) for not fouling. he yelled at them over and over to “play the fucking game, will ya!!!” this was at the end of the game when the outcome was decided, but the spurs seemed to be lax on the full court press effort and laid off instead of fouling.
sure it was posturing, but i guess you also expect 100% effort from the guys that are on the floor at any given time.
Yeah and he was yelling at Temple too. I really like Temple’s game. Is it too mich to wish for not 1 but 2 young athletic defenders in our guard positions? Both with freakish long arms, can take it to the basket or hit the open three. Maybe I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, I remember when some people thought Charles Smith was gonna be that kind of player for us.
by LORDinfamous on Apr 15, 2010 11:24 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Interesting tidbit about Smith. I was too young (8) when he was a Spur to know about him, so thanks for learning me a bit of history, haha.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 15, 2010 1:00 PM CDT up reply actions
I know, I just think it sounds funny in a hillbilly-ish sort of way. I think it’s because my calculus professor was talking about that yesterday, actually, haha.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 15, 2010 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Great analysis! I enjoyed this lost almost as much as any win we had this season. Our reserves, especially Blair, but also Temple and Mahinmi, looked very well against Mavs starters. It was a sharp contrast with the last year, when the Mavs had several blowout games against us. I am sure they would be happy to blow out our bench decisively, but instead the game was close, though never in doubt. 10% 3-point shooting and a few missed layups didn’t help our case that much, hopefully these things will average out during the series. But the Mavs looked absolutely beatable to me. I will be really really disappointed if they win against us this season.
I am here to state the obvious.
and mavs announcers alwasy(i think 2 or once) thought ian was blair—-they kept on saying blair was fouling but blair only has one foul at that time and 2 for the game—-what a miracle
Ginobelieve!!!!!!!!
----That is Matt Bonner straight down the lane with the dunk,I repeat Matt Bonner down the lane with the dunk!LoL---NBA guy that recaps the games on NBA.com(Spurs-T'Wolves recap)
Dirk mailed it in, Kidd mostly coasted and Marion apparently played in a different Matrix. Butler went after it hard all game. I think their bigs did, too, as they’re competing vs. each other for playing time. That makes DeJuan’s performance all the more impressive.
If Tony exerted an ounce of effort on defense I missed it. He also coasted on offense most of the time. Antonio was in early-season form. Everyone else worked hard, especially the bench.
by doggydogworld on Apr 15, 2010 12:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I will also say that Blair looked like Charles Barkley circa late 80’s/early 90’s, sans the three point shot. I will say it, and I did.
Pop wanted Dallas, not Phoenix or Utah
Pop was right on to give this game to Dallas. It also gave the bench players enough playing time to have a comfortable feel for the playoffs against the Mavs. By the way several mentions on Temple implied that he will play. I don’t think he will be eligible because he was signed after the cutoff. However, I was impressed with his play and suggest that the Spurs do not mess around and sign him for next year. We’ll probably lose Mason and a spot is open for him. Temple can play the point and Marcus Williams couldn’t, thats why he was cut. Gee is a strong possibility and may even be better than Haislip. The Spurs have to draft a big or it will be a long season next year. Mahinmi is about to become a free agent. I think the Spurs should keep him, because everytime he has been on the floor he has produced, besides his obvious shortcomings in understanding the system, he has shown a lot of improvement. His points per minute are pretty decent. The Spurs should give Dallas a solid run, especially if his is healthy enough to guard the Dallas two guard. Pop has the right people available to guard each Mav starter so it should be an interesting series. If the Spurs do survive the series against Dallas they will run into another hot team in Phoenix. If manage to get past the Suns then it will be another Laker-Spur clash for the right to face Cleveland or Orlando. A lot of ifs there, but if the Spurs can stay healthy it is definitely in the cards. The biggest question will be how healthy Duncan will be after each series. He is a crucial part of the teams interior defense. When he is off the floor the Spur defense drops off considerably. Pops decision to rest him and Ginobli against Dallas was pretty smart. You’ll notice he cut McDyess’s minutes too playing the younger players a lot more than ususal. Hope Hill’s ankle is OK on Sunday. Go Spurs
If that’s the case I like Temple over Mason, even at SG…he can make a 3 now and then, defends better and doesn’t look all freacked out when he has the ball…..
Don’t get me wrong, I like Mason, he is a nice guy but the way he is throwing so many bricks out there I’m starting believe Masonery Mason is his real name….
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 15, 2010 9:28 AM CDT up reply actions
I also like Temple, but he was 1-6 from 3 last night so let’s wait a bit before proclaiming him our beyond the arc savior.
by doggydogworld on Apr 15, 2010 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions
The whole team was only 2 of 22 from beyond the arc. And there is something about the sound in Mavs arena that magnifies every clunker.
"Ginobili. . .He's weaving, he's throwing up triple axels in sneakers, he's willing the ball into the basket. It's Cirque du Soleil with refs." Dan Oshinsky / KENS 5
ok, but looking beyond yesterday and for that matter in more meaningful games:
Temple’s 3pt numbers:
3-4 against Denver
2-4 against Minnesota
2-4 against Memphis
1-3 against Suns
1-2 agains Sacramento
That 53% – when was last time Mason had such a stretch with 3pt range?
And the funny thing is that we are just focusing on Mason’s strength, the difference is even larger if we compare other aspects like runnning game / defense / ball handling….
And Pop knows that, I’m pretty sure if Mason doesn’t produce within a game or two Temple is taking over….
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 15, 2010 12:59 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree, and I really hope Pop doesn’t even offer him that. I’d rather see Bogans shooting those 3s instead of Mason. The only advantage he has over Bogans is his “skills” at PG, but even Temple, who has only been here for a handful of games and wasn’t even a Toro, has shown to be better in both of those categories. He’s also miles ahead in defense & his athleticism, all for a bare bones contract (~$80k right now that will likely end up still just ~$800k next season). So, tell me what has Mason done to earn any minutes?
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 15, 2010 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions
And don’t see him getting any better, even when the team was playing at a high level with Manu and winning against the top teams he couldn’t find his shot. It was sad seeing him as the constant underformer during these last games.
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 15, 2010 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions
SNC, these are excellent points.
I’m officially on your pro-Temple/anti-Mason bandwagon as of now.
Woo hoo. Free Temple, people! C’mon in. The water’s fine.
5 in 10
o;—-)
Mason’s averages almost a turnover less per 48 minutes and has over double the assist to turnover ratio. Temple is still a rookie and this is a playoff series against the Mavs. I’m not saying lock him up, but some impressive 3 point shooting numbers aren’t quite enough for me yet.
We shall see though….
I’ll add that I love having someone of Temple’s caliber to play to hold big leads and he is also capable (however unlikely) of leading a comeback if we see a game where one or two of our stars are ice cold. I think Mason is capable of 15 points on any night as well though.
Temple played more of his minutes as a primary ballhandler, somewhat explaining a worse assist/TO ratio.
But you’re right that he’s clearly a rookie. Billups just toyed with him at the start of the Nuggets game. Tony subbed in and looked like a defensive savant compared to Temple. Garrett will learn, though. I’m really excited about him for next year.
by doggydogworld on Apr 15, 2010 11:25 PM CDT up reply actions
No question he had a good run. Mostly because he was sticking to the corner three. Against Dallas he was less discriminating, and it showed. What we really need is another player (besides Bonner) who can hit the long 3. That’s the niche RMJ once filled. Not sure Temple can do that, but that’s OK because like George Hill he brings other stuff to the table.
by doggydogworld on Apr 15, 2010 11:15 PM CDT up reply actions
I’d prefer Temple over Mason as long as there’s someone else handling the ball and setting up the plays. Temple could hit the three or make a strong drive to the basket.
by LORDinfamous on Apr 15, 2010 11:37 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
i am the staunchest pop supporter, but what he will reaps what he sows on this one. honestly, with a healty cast of characters we can win against anyone, but can is different that should or will. dallas is a strong team that has been playing well. they are probably the best bet to knock off LA if you ask me. i really feel like we would have had a better chance against utah or denver and we should have been trying to achieve that goal.
i suppose i can see the logic in resting key guys and now that dallas won, they will have to beat us three in a row at home in order to hold serve in the playoff series, etc. at the end of the day, however, i didnt like it.
the only people pop really “outsmarted” were the dallas announcers who were discombobulated for the whole 1st quarter. holding tim and manu out af the very last minute was fun from that perspective – but that’s about all it was worth if you ask me.
i’m sure we gleaned some information in terms of how some of our bench players would match-up. it also seems that dejuan blair probably elevated his confidence level exponentially. by the same token rick carlisle got some valuable film on blair and others. these two teams know each other well enough that there aren’t really any secrets.
and while its too early to be thinking draft, i am putting out another call for the spurs to draft solomon alibi from florida state. he’s our kind of guy and he may well be available when it comes to our turn.
We will have the 19-22 pick depending on tiebreak draw with OKC, Portland and Boston.
They have Alibi going 22 to the Thunder on draft express right now.
he’s decent offensively, but has great size and good enough athleticism. he’s a strong post defender that can block shots and rebound; and he is one of those super-citizen role model types. a good fit all around. with any luck, he wont start dominating people in the pre-draft camps and shoot up the board.
raising his FT% from 56% his first year to 68 % finally to 79.4% this last season is damn impressive
his rebounding is a little disappointing but Blair, Duncan, and Dice anchor the rebounding for us
his blocks are excellent though…2 years being the in the top 20 in every block category (pace, total, per game, per 40)
and 22 years old
FSU had some other tall timber on their teams the last few years – guys that also rebounded well, etc. my take is that other guys took away from his totals a little. but watching him play, that skill is in his arsenal.
i’m also not against drafting bigs like epke udoh from up the road in baylor or dex pittman from up the road in austin. udoh might get picked up quick though. very athletic with multiple skills for a fella his size.
don’t understand why i’m seeing pittman so low in the mock drafts, but……
pittman isn’t ready completely ready and has a low ceiling…maybe i’m wrong though…I’d like to see him succeed
Let’s hope so. He sounds like a Spur to me.
by LORDinfamous on Apr 15, 2010 11:45 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
If we get Splitter, it won’t matter. I’m more of the mind that we need another SF, one with length. Singler, Stanley Robinson, and Hayward all intrigue me, especially Robinson… but that’s a whole post bouncing around in my head right now. Let’s wait until the season’s over for that one. :)
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
Extremely important. Everything else depends on it.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
As long as Frodo destroys the ring, I think we can pick Pippin and Merry up for a split MLE.
Rim Rockin' Red Rocket -silverandblack_davis
by SpursfanSteve on Apr 15, 2010 5:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Hey, how dare you scoop my series preview ideas. :D
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
see, when i wrote that, i actually had completely forgotten about Pop’s smallball fetish. But now that i think about it…3 years from now the Spurs will be a team of hobbits.
Rim Rockin' Red Rocket -silverandblack_davis
by SpursfanSteve on Apr 15, 2010 8:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Nice post, JJ.
Please help a sister out and incorporate paragraphs for your future posts.
KThx. :)
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed. - CMoney
I asked nicely. And I’m trying to help him out. If there are paragraphs, more people will read his post instead of skimming or avoiding altogether.
I’m surprised I have to explain it to you. Oops… I forgot… you’re from crazyville. Sorry, I take it all back. ;)
Superman wears Manu Ginobili pajamas to bed. - CMoney
im afraid against phx——and scared of utah—-you know that was the november spurs i don’t know with the march-april spurs
Ginobelieve!!!!!!!!
----That is Matt Bonner straight down the lane with the dunk,I repeat Matt Bonner down the lane with the dunk!LoL---NBA guy that recaps the games on NBA.com(Spurs-T'Wolves recap)
the Dallas series will tell us where we are…..
SWEEP THEM PONIES!!!
(i’m predicting 6 games though….)
Are you making a happy prediction or a sad one?
"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG
by LasEspuelas on Apr 15, 2010 10:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Some Stats
- RJ (and the Spurs) did a good job defending Marion or Marion had an off night (3 of 13 shooting). Marion was also limited to a single offensive board, which is good considering he is the second best SF in offensive rebound rate.
- Blair played 37 minutes and was +9. Since we lost by 7, that means the Spurs went -16 in the 11 minutes he was off the court. Ouch.
- Parker didn’t play too well. 6 of 16 shooting, 4 assists and 3 turnovers in 29 minutes. It’s good he took 16 shots though. He is still finding his rhythm coming back from his finger.
- We can’t bring up the 2 for 22 3 point shooting enough. Just wow. More surprising, Parker was 1 of 1 so that puts everyone else at 1 of 21, and that one was by Temple.
- Haywood had 5 offensive boards. TD has to limit that.
- In typical Spurs fashion, the opposing leading scorer also leads in negative plus minus. Butler scored 20 points in 39 minutes but was -6 on the night. The Mavs were +13 in 9 minutes he was off the court. I think the Spurs will try to force the ball out of Dirk’s hands and into Butler’s. He isn’t shy about shooting. If we didn’t foul him, his PPS wouldn’t be nearly as good as it was for last night.
by BlaseE on Apr 15, 2010 10:01 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Great mini-recap Blase. That 3-point shooting has to be better. I know Manu was out and there weren’t as many WIDE open looks, but come on! I did like the defense on Marion. Should be an interesting series.
Mase and Bonner had better not disappear like they did last playoffs.
Spurs Basketball. Improving [other] NBA teams since 2010! - swgeek
May eat these words but I believe Bonner just had an off night, plus he makes more threes when he is with Tim and Manu on the floor.
Mase…..who knows. Temple has proved himself to me, still fitting in so passing is off sometimes.
If Hill can come back, I think we will be fine.
BTW, love the pics Janie and the title even more!
Timmy D .... enough said.
I agree about Bonner. He is going to really help us win this series. He might have one or two off nights from three but he will positively contribute. Even his misses space the floor and create long offensive rebound opportunities.
I’m still confident in Bonner, especially since he’s worked on his secondary options. There’s no hope for Mason, though, in my mind. I’ll gladly accept any 3 he makes, but not at the expense of those he misses. There has to be a better option.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 15, 2010 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions
I think the Spurs will try to force the ball out of Dirk’s hands and into Butler’s.
Let’s hope so. That or learn how to disrupt Dirk’s shot, because he was deadly last night. How many of Dirk’s shots were wide open or uncontested?
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
8-20 is deadly? I don’t know how many of his shots were contested, but he said in the postgame he was open all night.
by doggydogworld on Apr 15, 2010 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
P.S. Stop oppressing me with your “facts” and your “numbers”—what are you, some kind of elitist?
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
butler is the guy i fear for the ponies. he can create his own opportunity to put the ball in the hole and he isnt shy about it.
if pop fiollows his typical strategy, he will spend much of the series letting one guy go off (stoudamire, or dirk or whomever) and then try to clamp down on the other potential scorers. i think this can work with terry, but coming up with a 3rd defender to check butler worries me. if two of those three go off, we will have a hard tme winning.
The Ponies just did an excellent job closing out on Bonner and disrupting his shot. Every time he caught the ball and brought it down to his waist, a Pony hand or a body was already in his face before the shot could be brought back up for a release.
Mason just didn’t have it in him. What else is new?
Temple, on the other hand, shot a lot of his missed threes on the wings, at the top and on poor catches. The one three he did hit was in rhythm and AT THE CORNER. That’s how the Spurs’ offense draws it up; set-up in the corner and drain the three.
The Ponies can “game” for 20/20 BLAAAAAAAIIIR all they want. Thing is, when he plays alongside The Man With No Swagger, he’ll be even more dangerous.
...!!
by transgojobot on Apr 15, 2010 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Actually the 3 he hit was on the wing.
by doggydogworld on Apr 15, 2010 11:38 PM CDT up reply actions
Here is my supposed system for RJ’s 3 point shooting. He was 0-3 last night, by the way.
1. He should try to take at least one 3 in every game. Defenders need to think he is willing to take it.
2. If he makes it, he gets another attempt. If he misses it he gets one more attempt total. So he can miss 2 attempts and is not allowed to take a third attempt.
3. If he made the first attempt and missed the second, he is done (1 of 2 for the night). If he makes the first two attempts, he can shoot 3’s until he misses. Once he misses, he is done for the night.
there are of course exceptions though like if the shot clock is at 2 seconds, he can jack up a shot if Manu or Bonner isn’t on the arc next to him or something
I think if there’s some freak occurrence of Rage scorching the rim from the arch, by all means he gets the green light.
"I like the fact that he’s a man." – Hubie Brown on Blair
by Manu ex Machina on Apr 15, 2010 1:59 PM CDT up reply actions
he had a 4 of 7 game……..the best you can hope for out of RJ from 3 is 2 of 3 shooting
he has so many 0 of 2, 0 of 3, and 0 of 4 games….21 games total of the 81 games he played in….that is over 25% of the games….shooting donuts on at least 2 attempts….
he has 41 games where he is at least 2 misses from 3….that is over half the games he has played in…..he isn’t as bad as andre igoudala but somebody needs to reign him in….
he finished march and april around 22% from 3…
On the season RJ went 59 of 187 (31.6%) from three. By my method absolutely, without exceptions, he would have gone 47 of 137 (34.3%). My method really is about stopping the bleeding when he is off.
So we lose 12 threes, 36 points on the season, but possibly gain 50 possessions. The Spurs average 1.25 points per shot this season. So trading his 50 threes for another shot theoretically could be 63 points or a positive 27 points.
Honestly, going through the game log, he adheres to the system more in March and April than before and is shooting horrendous from behind the arc, but his attempts are down and we’re winning.
For example, in April, the only games that were adjusted were @ LAL (1 of 3 to 1 of 2), @ PHX (1 of 5 to 0 of 2), and last night’s @ DAL (0 of 3 to 0 of 2).
He is also a very terrible 3 point shooter in our losses.
Wins: 43 of 109 for 39.4% to 34 of 79(-30 attempts) for 43.0% over 50 games
Losses: 16 of 78 for 20.5% to 13 of 58(-20 attempts) for 22.4% over 32 games
I get it. I like the idea, I think the execution would be darn near impossible. Also, isn’t there something to be said for shooting the open three? If he’s open and doesn’t take it because he’s missed before aren’t you making it easy on the defense?
By the way, check this out: http://waynewinston.com/wordpress/?p=591
Well, that’s the problem: RJ isn’t a really good 3 point shooter. I don’t want him taking every open 3 the defense gives him. I want him using that space to start driving.
I’m curious if the same system would work for a player like Mason, if it is universal. RJ is a very streaky shooter. I’m willing to forgive two misses in any game, but 3 misses is too many from him. Going 1 of 5 is also terrible. He can’t be taking more than 3 attempts a game.
Yeah, I saw that link on 48MoH. Cool stuff.
I understand and concur. I just think you have to be careful with taking numbers out of context. If the lane is packed and he gets a kick out from Manu or Tony he’s not going to be able to do much driving, but I’m sure he might be able to get a better shot at least.
With Blase’s system, if the lane is packed, then at least RJ knows that he can dribble in a step or two and shoot an 18 footer instead of the 3, which he’s not hitting with regularity.
5 in 10
o;—-)
well, lets see, Spurs role players shoot 1 for 21 from the 3 point line against the Mavs…. yep, we seem to be rounding into playoff shape just in time.
GTFOML!
don’t be that negative…besied is 2 for 22…
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 15, 2010 3:23 PM CDT up reply actions
misspelled, missread…can’t even make a not so funny comment any more…depressing
by spursfan_needs_counseling on Apr 15, 2010 6:20 PM CDT up reply actions
if the little o has taught us anything, it is that if you press on and keep on messing up, you’ll eventually pass it on to someone else and cure yourself in the process….
its not like you wrote a whole post about 5 in ’10 being 5 in 10 and not making sense :)
I’m only bringing it up because we need to start the 5 in ’10 stuff up again…that was our offseason mantra around here
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