Wednesday, February 11th, 2009...10:09 pm
The Notebook: Spurs-Raptors, 2/11/09
Even though tonight’s loss isn’t that surprising (we often underperform on the back end of back-to-backs), it is a bit disappointing. It’s not disappointing because we go into the break on a loss or because it brings our Rodeo Road Trip record to an even 2 and 2. It’s disappointing because it highlights the Spurs’ sole mental shortcoming: Our inability to put teams away.
It’s come to seem as if every Spurs game nowadays is a nailbiter, no matter the caliber of the ballclub we’re up against. We’ve amassed a handsome collection of victories over playoff caliber teams (Boston, LA, Houston, NOLA, Utah, Dallas, Phoenix) and several of those wins have required some late-game heroics to earn the W. After close wins over the league’s marquee units (such as Sunday’s game against Boston or our first contest this season against the Lakers), people often talk about our focus and poise: You would be hard-pressed to name a squad more immune to pressure than the silver and black.
But this trend has a more frustrating flip-side. For every close call against a powerhouse there is an equally close call against a team we should have cruised past. It has required overtime periods to take down Minnesota, Memphis, and Golden State. This was only our third loss of two points or less, but two of those three losses came against teams that won’t see the postseason (Milwaukee and Toronto). If we continue to let teams hang around we should expect a couple more before the season ends.
We have far more close victories than we do close losses and that does speak to certain strengths we possess. I’ve seen so many one possession games with a minute to go this season that I’ve come to a place where I hardly even get nervous, not to mention excited if we pull out a victory. Yes, so frequently coming out on the winning side of late game drama has given this regular season a certain charm previous regular seasons have lacked, but at a certain point the euphoria that follows clutch shots fades as I wonder why it takes so many clutch shots in the first place.
In that way, tonight’s game was very indicative of this season’s unique tenor but for much of it I actually felt like I was watching the 2007-08 incarnation of the Spurs. By that I mean, from an offensive perspective, the big three were the sole contributors.
Last year the only thing more astounding than the consistency of Ginobili, Duncan, and Parker was the inconsistency of everyone else. It came to the point where if one, just one, role player stepped up and had a 15 to 20 point night, the game was practically in the bag. And yet getting that out of one of the other 9 or so guys on the roster was by no means a sure thing.
Tonight not a single member of the Spurs outside of the big three reached double digits. After back-to-back 20+ point performances, Matt Bonner came back down to earth, making 0 of his 4 field goal attempts. The only other role player who even attempted to contribute was Roger Mason but his 4 field goals on 11 shots wasn’t the type of statement I had hoped he’d make. Outside of the big three, Bonner, and Mason, the rest of the team was 3 of 10 from the field. That is a classic ‘08 stat line.
In all honesty we didn’t horribly mismanage the final minute of the game. We made our free throws, produced a turnover, and took reasonable shot attempts. If anything, a clutch rebound by Manu with 6.5 seconds left gave us a chance we probably didn’t even deserve. But for the first time in a while our shots didn’t fall and their’s did. That’s going to happen. We could have gotten off a far better shot attempt to end the game (Finley seemed a bit confused when the ball landed in his hands) but for the most part the loss was not the product of some gaffe, bad call, or one of the other types of annoyances that often leave me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
In some ways, this game actually leaves me feeling slightly optimistic. Few teams are as autodidactic as the Spurs. A poor defensive showing will oftentimes be dovetailied by an absoutely stifling performance. A blowout loss is often juxtaposed next to a slightly vengeful blowout victory. My hope is that, after finally coming out on the demoralizing end of a spectacular highlight reel, our boys will lose their taste for late-game drama and in the future put the nail in the coffin sometime before the 48th minute.
27 Comments
February 11th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I would never count on Parker to hit end-of-game shots…
He is the 4th option behind
1) Ginobili
2) Mason
3) Duncan
February 11th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
[...] Check out a Spurs blog take on things. [...]
February 11th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Parker couldn’t finish because O’Neal prevented him, but I think he should have back-passed to Mason for the 3. With that said, it shouldn’t have come down to that, but I was kind of anticipating a poor performance.
February 11th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
I’m ecstatic Mason or Ginobili didn’t get the last shot, hell even Duncan.
February 11th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
I just noticed the typo in this entry’s title. The date says 9/11. I wouldn’t say it was that alarming of a performance. We really shouldn’t be concerned about this game at all. I’m not expecting anyone to be, either. Just saying, lol.
February 12th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Couldn’t watch the game (I’m overseas), but I see Finley fumbled the ball on an open 3 and then threw the hot potato to Parker with seconds left..
Sounds like the play wasn’t well executed from the start…
These guys are ready for the ASB.
February 12th, 2009 at 4:08 am
i like the part of the post that omits the raps were playing without bosh & calderon. and were also on the back-end of a back-to-back. or that tony was matched pt for pt, ast for ast, by something called ‘roko.’ or that this ‘roko’ hit a big 3 (less than 20% on the season from deep), and the game-winner in the lane. or that td, while having a steady game, was kept relatively in check without necessitating a double, which is the main reason the support guys like bonner & mason weren’t getting good looks.
but at least manu was manu. i’m sure they’ll try harder against ‘real’ teams.
February 12th, 2009 at 6:40 am
GMT,
That was a typo. I in no way intended to be so dire. But I fixed it. It was pretty late when I was writing this; I guess that just slipped out.
wtf,
I mention Bosh and Calderon’s absence in the preview but it didn’t strike me as what was important about last night’s game. It is possible to provide basketball analysis that doesn’t rely solely on the discussion of superstars. I also mentioned the fact that it was the back end of a back-to-back in the first sentence.
February 12th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I think he was probably referring to the fact that the Raptors were also on the back-end of a back to back.
February 12th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Fair enough. In fact I did not mention that.
February 12th, 2009 at 7:28 am
Graydon – so…if the spurs were missing, say, TD & tony, or tony & manu, or TD & manu…and beat a very good – excellent team…that wouldn’t bear mentioning? ’cause, in reality, that’s what TO just did…beat a very good – excellent team without, some would argue, their two most important/best players. i’m thinking that if the shoe were on the other foot, it might have garnered a bit of attention…
February 12th, 2009 at 7:31 am
just to clarify – in no way am i putting bosh &/or calderon in the same class as tony, TD or manu…the issue is the relative importance/impact of player x / y to their respective team.
February 12th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Wtf,
You are making a fair point. But honestly, if you want to read a standard recap that describes games in those terms, ESPN provides them for every game.
And if you want to read about Bosh and Calderon, swing by Raptors Republic. They do an excellent job covering Toronto.
For me, I am less interested in covering the game in that manner. I am more fascinated by the idea of trying to place last night’s game in the context of the season’s broader trends.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am consistently attempting to approach the Spurs from an interesting and unique angle. I sometimes fail to do that, and sometimes it means I miss what some people consider to be key elements, but standard recaps abound. I’d rather try to take the conversation somewhere new.
So, it’s not that I think you are wrong about the relative importance of Bosh and Calderon. You are absolutely right. I guess I am just addressing something different.
February 12th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Also, one thing I did notice was the the Raptors played excellent defense on our final possession. Usually we are able to get off a good shot, but last night the Raptors seemed to anticipate everything that we would or could do. Sometimes, you draw up a good plan but the other guy draws up a better plan. I think this goes back to what you were saying, Graydon, we have had so many close games and last minute possessions that teams have quite a bit of tape to watch of us and could know what we could do. Obviously, the Raptor coaching staff had done their homework.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Pop is known for designing great in-bounds plays. But the last one was a stinker. I’ve never seen that one before. In fact, if you were watching the game live, a shot of the Spurs’ bench just before they went back on the floor, showed Tony screaming at Tim. It was clear Tim was unsure what the play was. It was a new one and it stunk. It looked like it was designed to draw the defender away from Finley, which it did, but Finley froze (he said he bobbled the pass, but I don’t buy it) and didn’t take the shot while he was unguarded. After that, it was chaos.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Raptors are a good team, it boggles my mind why their record is so terrible. That being said, the game was ours. Why is Parker taking last second shots? If you’re going to do it, at least take it to the rim. The wasn’t the first clutch shot he took. He took the previous shot when the Spurs were up a point and missed, allowing the Raptors to take the lead.
February 12th, 2009 at 8:08 am
One more correction: the Raptors will make it into the playoffs.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:36 am
i was in the stands last night, and i suspect Pop was trying to get his bench some burn — Hariston get a bunch of minutes at the end of the 2nd and completely bobbled a few plays. Bowen was put in to match up with Bargnani (?!) for a good amt of the 3rd and 4th, and Timmy sat for a large part of the 2nd half, until maybe the last 4-5 minutes of the 4th. Timmy demanded the ball on mismatches a few times and was clearly frustrated when he didn’t get it.
I’ll have to say that the Raps were crazy fortunate to be hitting 50% from the floor for the first half — most of them being one-on-one plays ending with a contested shot (An.Parker shot over TP a few times), and the shooter usually worked crazy hard for it.
Also, Spurs ran screens/picks/rolls both on-ball and off-ball in the first half, but then the offense really stagnated into outside shots in the second half.
Hill, Finley, Bowen, Bonner were largely ineffective, and Oberto didn’t get any minutes. I really have to put this one on Pop.
The last few seconds were pretty close — Spurs made the Raps spent their last timeout trying to inbound the ball.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Bargnani looked like a tough cover. Could Bonner not hang with him? Pop went small and it resulted in him not even having to jump to get his shot off.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:45 am
@ Mason – agreed. Bonner was doing just fine on Bargnani. Pop’s smallball tactics backfired, especially against toronto playing JO, Bargs, with Roko point at an oversized 6′5
February 12th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Great summary, please allow me to take your point a step further. Excellent comments.
agtz, insight on underused last second-play appreciated.
Ken, too much tape on Spurs’ last-second stuff? In the end, it still works if teams guard the 3-point line bc of proven shooters. Maybe Pop was ready for the same thing you were.
Sean C, unfortunately, we live and die by our Finals MVP’s jump shot; Finley also bobbled a great feed for a 2 footer at buzzer of a Portland loss. Pop’s trying his best to boost his confidence.
Mason, great point, Raptors are solid. This year the East is much better than the West, with a 162-149 record. Without their stars, the Raptors are Warriors-level. In the East, the only criteria to earn the last playoff spot is five guys on the roster still willing to play a few extra games.
Mike is exactly right that Milwaukee and Raptors will fight New Jersey for last two spots in the East til the last day of the season, bumping the Heat.
Dylan, great catch.
GMT points out it should not have come down to that. I agree, I’d have ridden certain matchups throughout the 3rd.
Moo, your points were best: certain players staying out there so long in the 3rd assures a close game. leading me to conclude,
Pop Denver-coached this one in the third, not as concerned at the score as looking at certain match-ups. I know, I know. Denver-coaching prevents injury; LA will stay this hot while Denver won’t. But we can’t afford to use the “bench development” excuse throughout the second half of the season…. In my mind, Spurs need that #2 playoff spot to avoid repeating last year; (#4 may be serendipidous, but equally difficult to land) Again, thanks for comments.
February 12th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
sean, we are not a self team, TP, TD and manu dont care about who takes the shots at the end of game. having said, I dont think popovic gave ginobili the ball because he had missed his last shot badly, regardless of the 32 points. ( i attended the game)
gordian, calderon absence makes me wonder how much importance was given to the PG rookie? did parker study his game tendencies? than again, he barely gets playing time, usually the back up PG is SOLOMON.
by the way, hairston ( or however you spell his name) played horrible, in his first minutes, he had his shot blocked and then a TO in the next possession.
February 12th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
selfish*
having said that*
then*
committed a TO*
i should proof-read before my submissions.
February 12th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
[...] 48 Minutes of Hell (ESPN Spurs Blog) Perspective [...]
February 12th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
ChillFan,
Agree, Pop is starting to putting things in cruise control (the good kind, not the bad shaq-kind), knowing that we’re pretty muched locked into the #2 seed given no injuries. which is weird since it always gets talked about in the second half, only this year seems waay more obvious.
February 13th, 2009 at 7:14 am
I see your point Phoebus about the Spurs having pretty much locked up the 2 seed, although I think we’re actually tied with Denver for the 2 seed, but that’s not what I’m getting at.
I actually think that the Spurs have a ton of work to do before they put it in cruise control. I think Pop’s priorities right now are 1. Keep his team healthly (mainly Big 3) 2. Improve defensive field goal percentage 3. Get a set-in-stone rotation 4. Get 1 or 2 seed.
I think the Spurs have a lot of work to do over the next 2 months. This is the time of year when Pop really earns his paycheck when he’s tinkering with the lineup and challenging his team’s defensive focus. The next couple months will be very interesting for me.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
[...] days ago I sat down after our loss to Toronto and wrote that paragraph. Suffice it to say, my thoughts on the matter still stand. Tonight’s [...]
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