I wrote one comment on the quick cap, then started writing another that just got longer and longer so decided to just make a post listing the bad things and the good things about the game and team. You don't like that, tough shit.
Lets start with the negative while my blood is still boiling (after the jump)

Cool, you came over.. Please note that this post is based entirely on my faulty memory and I am in no mood to go check a stat sheet or do anything else that I should.

Biggest bad thing: RFMJ. Have to say it. Beating a dead horse here, every Spurs fan this side of Pop believes the exact same thing so no point in saying too much about it. As if that is going to stop me.

A different perspective though: most of the posts seem to attack Roger. Folks it is *not* entirely his fault. He is a basketball player being told to get out there and take open shots. Except for the shot at the buzzer all of his shots were wide open shots - no stupid shots this time. He wants to play, he wants to make those shots, they are just not falling but you cannot blame him for trying. At some point Pop has to realize that it is a high risk having him in there, but I am not holding my breath.

One thing I can blame Mace for though - effort in every other part of the game. If shots don't fall they don't fall, but that does not stop him from going after rebounds or defending with some extra ferocity ::thinks to oneself: or punching Jason Terry in the face:: Even Richard F Jefferson goes hard after rebounds every now and then to make up for his highly paid other deficiencies.

I had much much more to say on the topic of RMJ after the game but did not want to be too obnoxious about it, so decided to meditate and do yoga with special emphasis on calming breathing exercises before posting. By the way, said exercises do not work for me. I will have to consult with Fred and Stampler on how to stay calm and composed.

More bad stuff: Bonner. I love Bonner, I really do, he is one of my favourite spurs (sorry Fred). Not necessarily the most graceful but he always tries hard, goes hard on defense, goes after rebounds in his sorry way, contributes whatever he can. Lack of athletic ability but solid effort. But... What happens to his confidence in the postseason? He looked timid and lost on offense for much of the game, though he did have a few moments of goodness. I do like that he still hustled on defense, which is more than most of the others did.

Even more bad stuff: Turnovers. But many of them were by Timmeh and Manu, both of whom have lifetime passes to do whatever the hell they want and not catch crap for it, so let's move right along.

Final bad stuff: Rebounding. Only Blair seemed to give a shit about actually catching the ball after it has been shot. Folks - it is a lot easier to battle for the ball early than to try and beat a Jason Kidd led team down the court. Pick the easy button. Or at least the "Not so difficult" button.

I also felt like we settled for jumpers a lot of times instead of finding other ways to score, but sadly it seems to be the mindset lately.

Ok, enough ranting. (Notice how I refrained from talking about the f&*#$^%% refs :-).

The good stuff:

We played like shit, had stupid stupid turnovers, had people disappear, George Hill was nonexistant, certain players sucked, Dirk played like a possessed madman and we still lost by only six points! And not because the Mavs scrubs were in - they played hard the entire way and we only lost by six points. That is just amazing to me. Things looked so pathetic that I kept thinking we were getting blown out but in reality we were a Roger Mason couple of missed three pointers from a tight game. That is starting to ease the bitterness and pain and is replacing it with a lovely warm fuzzy feeling (or did I wet my pants again?).

I was also really impressed with the team's composure. Nobody took a baseball bat to any of the refs. Pop did not get ejected. The team simply played through the rough spots without any signs of panic.

I also liked Tony coming off the bench. I know a lot of you don't like his style, and yeah he was not at his best today. But, he showed that he is a force to be reckoned with and provided a quick burst of energy right off the bat. He tried a little too hard to be a pass first point guard at times but if he really decides to penetrate and tear drop it is difficult to stop him.

In a really crappy all around game and a fine fine game by the Mavs we only lost by six points.

Timmeh is in playoff mode, on offense anyway. Dallas cannot stop him if our role players can stop them from triple teaming him.

Pop is pop. We bash him for playing Mason or not playing Ian or not trading TP/Manu/flavor of the month, but he is still the best. He had some pretty nice defenses out there on Dirk. They did not work but that is more because Dirk was playing out of his mind than any flaws in the plan. The lineups were mostly solid, even though there were a few WTF moments.

RJ showed a few flashes of good play, both with rebounding and with some penetration. If we can get his confidence and aggresiveness going just a little bit more that would be great. All game long would be awesome, but so would winning the lottery and sleeping with Irina Shayk. Realistically, let's hope he can give a few more bright spots. He is also finally learning the system and cutting down on the really stupid mistakes. Finally, he can play major minutes without tiring, which means fewer minutes to go around for the Roger Masons of the world.

Bonner showed some flashes of his normal self in the second half, including a much needed three pointer. If he can get to his normal solid role player that frees up some much needed space.

No frikking way Dirk gets those type of shots to fall consistently throughout the series. Though I have to admit he has made a career out of somehow making shots that have no business going in. Kinda like Manu without the coolness, the passing, the defense, the crazy effort. Ok, maybe nothing like Manu after all.

IUPUI. He will not disappear for the whole series. Tell me that is not six points right there.

Blair. What he lacks in height he more than makes up for with heart. (but Pop, can we get more Blair please?).

We have Manu. Enough said.

Did I mention that this was a horrid horrid game and we only lost by 6 points? Now I am really looking forward to Wednesday!