Monday, March 2nd, 2009...11:22 pm
The Notebook: Spurs-Clippers, 2/2/09
The Spurs went into the Staples Center this evening and beat the Clippers easily, 106-78. If the opening line to this edition of “The Notebook” had been any different, I would be in a pretty frustrated mood. Luckily the Spurs took care of business in a reliable but rather unspectacular manner.
After our last two outings I’m glad to get a win but I didn’t love the way we handled this game. In the second quarter we buckled down on the defensive end, holding the Clippers to a mere 15 points. But, by betraying some of our more worrying offensive tendencies, we squandered an opportunity to build a nearly insurmountable lead. With 8:07 left in the half, Parker hit a layup. over 3 minutes later, Duncan made a layup and drew the foul. In the period between those two baskets the closest shot by a Spur was taken 18 feet from the hoop. After Duncan’s “and one” the Spurs would hit 5 more layups to close the half, finally capitalizing on the opportunity presented by our defensive effort.
For some reason this squad refuses to mix and match outside shooting with penetration. We have a glut of one eventually followed by a glut of the other. When the outside shots are falling our offense appears to be nearly unstoppable but our indifference towards penetration during these periods is a surefire way to bring about droughts. When we are relentless in our pursuit of the rim, either we get easy buckets or take trips to the charity stripe nearly every time down the floor. Eventually the opposing team adjusts and clutters the lane, but instead of briefly oscillating back towards the perimeter to reopen paths to the paint, we allow ourselves to become entranced by the long ball.
I don’t want to be too harsh. We just won by 28; it’s not like any aspect of tonight’s game actually went poorly. But this is the one area in which we are indulgent, and that induglence is leading to inefficiency. I may sound like some teutonic task master reflexively decrying any sense of fun but I assure you, if our affection for the 3-point shot is not at least slightly dampened, this tendency will lose us games in April and May. I promise you it has in the past.
On a completely different note, Pops Mensah-Bonsu did not play this evening. That does not bode well for our most recent call-up. It would be disingenuous if I acted at all surprised. It is just too late in the season for a player of PMB’s maturity (or lack thereof) to learn our defensive system (he hadn’t really spent enough time in Austin to nail it down either) and, although we have fawned over his offensive potential, his points have never been a by-product of Popovich’s tactics. In some ways PMB’s highly athletic style puts him at a slight disadvantage: Popovich orchestrates very sophisticated sets on both ends of the floor. Mensah-Bonsu’s physical abilities allow him to score outside of the tactical framework Popovich creates. From a purely visceral standpoint this may impress us but I imagine Popovich is rather disinterested.
I am not saying PMB will never be a valuable contributor to this team. I am merely saying that he is unlikely to be so this season. I still dream of the day when George Hill, Malik Hairston and Pops Mensah-Bonsu form the core of a highly athletic, faster paced Spurs’ second unit. But that will only happen if we can get PMB in pre-season training camp. If Pops is given that opportunity, I believe he could be a valued and productive member of our roster.
Despite my earlier diatribe about our outside shooting, I want to take a moment and call attention to Michael Finley’s recent hot streak. Finley was 4-7 from beyond the arc this evening. In his last 7 games he has hit 29 of his 53 3-point attempts (over 54%). I’ve been watching Finley for too many years to believe he can reliably produce at this level (I did not accidentally refer to it as a “streak”) but I’ll appreciate it while it lasts.
Our next game is in Dallas on Wednesday night. This evening the Mavericks lost to a Thunder team without Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. How? I’m not sure. Should this leave us feeling optimistic about Wednesday? I’m not sure about that either. Obviously it exposes the Mavs’ vulnerabilities but Dallas will be looking to rebound. Who better to rebound against than your old nemesis?
15 Comments
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:25 am
I would think Pop should be happy that a player can score in easy ways that doesn’t require an intricate knowledge of the system. It seems backwards to cherish the system over results, but knowing Pop, I hear what you’re saying.
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:51 am
pmb not playing last night is confusing me.
maybe the spurs are set on signing gooden, and they don’t want to see pmb perform well that he makes them change their mind? i don’t know what to think right now…
and oh yeah, mason was 0-6 from 3 last night.
cmon roger, you gotta do what we brought you in for!
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:20 am
I just don’t get Popovich – Pops is exactly what we’ve needed forever – a super-athletic 4 who can run, block shots and *gasp* actually dunk! But Popovich valuing form over substance sticks with his grizzled old vets in Thomas and Oberto instead of the young Pops. Like someone posted on this blog, it’s as if Pop got pissed off with the attention Pops received for his play. I just hope this doesn’t become into another Luis Scola debacle.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:46 am
Just wanted to comment that I love the blog and appreciate the great coverage and in depth analysis that you provide. As a Spurs fan who lives in Ohio, I obviously don’t get much media coverage up here. So I look to this website for updates and information to help keep me informed on what is going on in S.A.
I completely agree about your hopes for an up tempo 2nd unit and the team getting younger. But as all Spurs fans know, our championship hopes come down to the health of Ginobili and the ability to hit 3’s. It’s almost as simple as that.
I did want to pose a question, (not sure if you have posted about this previously before I started reading the blog) but why do you think the Spurs are so prone to long droughts? I have watched for years as they build big leads, only to watch them let the other team back in the game. And I have watched them look completely lost for minutes at a time and dig themselves too deep of a hole to get out of. Is it as simple as shots not falling? Hard to believe a lack of focus…The lack of a player to create his shot at any point and either score or get fouled to stop the run?
Again, love the writing.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:58 am
maybe Pop is thinking, since Gooden played under Mike Brown and Mike Brown was a former assistant of Pop then it’s easier for Gooden to learn the system.
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:12 am
If Pops was a lock to be waived so they could sign Gooden, they probably didn’t see any value in messing with any developmental chemistry of the blowout unit, or giving him to big of a stage to audition for other teams.
Also, Pops, in his few minutes so far, has been defensively out of sorts, so he reminds be a lot of Julian Wright: a multi-purpose athletic freak who should be able to guard any position and still provide weakside blocks, but with the distinct possibility that he just never “gets it”. We haven’t seen nearly enough in the Bigs to tell, but that tempers my enthusiasm a little.
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:33 am
I really liked the idea of having Hairston get out of the bench early and that he played for a nice stretch of the game. I think he is solidifying his spot on the team as an option at either guard or small forward.
March 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 am
I think PMB will not the make the roster this year. But watch out for next year! He’s talented, no doubt. But I like the fact that Hairston got significant time off the bench. He can play the 3 or 2. Also I think he could become a pretty good defender. I hope he makes the playoff roster.
Also, if the Spurs sign Gooden. Gooden will adjust easily. But he will help the Spurs frontcourt.
Not to mention the fact that Gooden. Could stay in San Antonio past this season. He would be a nice piece to have.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:00 am
Great comments, agree with you all. The truth is, we could really use a player like Pops, so I hope he doesn’t go far. I’d be surprised if Gooden signs here.
Either GPop isn’t convinced MPops can fit in the rotation in the next couple of months, or MPops was never being considered for “this year” in the first place. Either way, my Mavs-friends laugh when I mention Pops can help us defensively.
Great post, I was so excited to see the Spurs win. This was a game they’d have lost last year. They just never got it going in the regular season.
March 3rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
isnt pops everything that we thought mahinmi would be? only healthy and actually playing. hopefully things will work out and we’ll be able to hold onto him for the rest of the year..
maybe next training camp he and mahinmi will go out for the roster spot…
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:12 am
As mush as I love Pops and want him to stay on the roster, I know it won’t happen. Gooden is already established and a well rounded player (when healthy). Think about Oberto & Thomas…he’s already 33 and Thomas is 36. By the time Splitter is eligible to come over, in the summer of ‘10, he’ll be 35 and Thomas 38…so if we can get Splitter to come over, he and Mahinmi can come off the bench behind Tim & Drew, without really losing a step.
Also, Pops not playing last night, while disappointing, is somewhat of a good thing. If more people see what he’s capable of, he won’t be standing in the unemployment line long. Keeping him at the end of the bench, lets the Spurs move him back to Austin, and gives Drew Gooden all the fanfare. Maybe next season he can have a roster spot, but not here, not now.
Lastly, bye-bye, Ime Udoka…I see James Gist taking your roster spot sooner than later.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:16 am
Correction, Thomas will be 37 next summer. He’ll be 38 at the start of the season, in October.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:27 am
I think Mahinmi’s upside probably is higher than Pops’, but the numbers they put up in the D-League are similar. We’ll see.
I’m not sold on Gooden, TDzilla. He might’ve played under Brown, but he never seemed all that interested in defending, so what part of the system would his stint with the Cavs help him with?
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:21 pm
*Pet peeve alert*
Popovich is not “disinterested” in PMB because of his athleticism, he is UN-interested. There is a real difference, and the conflation of these two words is unfortunate: it reduces the ways in which we English speakers can concisely express ourselves.
Return to your regularly scheduled discussion now…
March 3rd, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Chris K,
Although the primary definition of “disinterested” is unbiased by personal advantage (the definition to which your refer), many dictionaries currently list “indifferent” as a secondary definition.
That being said, I try to abide by what the Oxford English Dictionary says. If the OED doesn’t have “indifferent” listed, I would gladly cede the point. I don’t own a copy (it is rather large) or I’d check myself.
Either way, I appreciate the sentiment.
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