Monday, May 10th, 2010...5:56 am
It’s all about quality, and the Suns had it in spades
AP Photo/Eric Gay
AT&T CENTER - If you wanted to read the tea leaves of the San Antonio Spurs series against Phoenix, you had to look no further than Game 2 in Phoenix.
In that game, the Spurs accomplished the following tasks:
- Shot better from the field, 50.6% to 42.4%
- the Spurs bench outscored the Suns bench 31 to 24
- San Antonio got 18 points and 10 rebounds from Richard Jefferson
- the Big 3 accounted for 60 points, 16 rebounds and 21 assists
- the Spurs won the turnover battle, 12 to 14
- San Antonio had more assists, 28 to 19
The three areas where Phoenix outplayed the Spurs were in 3-point shooting, where the Suns shot 47.4% to San Antonio’s 38.9% and made two more shots, and rebounding. Phoenix out-rebounded the Spurs 49-37, including 18 offensive rebounds to just seven for the San Antonio Spurs.
San Antonio was also out-shot from the free throw line, a chronic problem during the playoffs for this team.
So the San Antonio Spurs got about as good of production as they could count on in the playoffs, losing just three main stat categories to the Suns. And yet, Phoenix still won the game 110-102.
“We just faced a team that did everything better than us,” Manu Ginobili said after Game 4. “They played better than us for 48 minutes every game.”
Game 4 was similar in many ways to Game 2. Richard Jefferson came through with 12 points and eight rebounds, San Antonio shot better than Phoenix from the field (46.7% to 45.7%) and the Big 3 combined for 54 points, 16 assists and 19 rebounds.
But again the Suns captured the advantage from the 3-point line, shooting 41.7% to the Spurs’ 36.4% and hitting six more shots from behind the arc than San Antonio. Phoenix’s bench once again came through this series, outscoring the Spurs bench 41-31.
“Every game that we played we thought we were in it as they just found ways to get it done and take it away during the last few minutes of the game,” Tim Duncan said. “We give credit to them, they played better than us and now we move on.”
The simple truth is the Phoenix Suns were better this year than the San Antonio Spurs. Since a January 26 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, the Suns have reeled off a 34-9 record.
Much like we thought the Spurs were peaking at the right time, so has Phoenix. And after their four game sweep of the Spurs is done and dusted, it seems the Suns are peaking just a little bit more.
74 Comments
May 10th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Make no mistake, I hate losing to anybody, but this Suns team really played the right way. Amare Stoudemire is a punk, but the rest of their players are basically good guys and they made the plays they needed to win each of the four games. I was really impressed with Dudley and Frye in particular. Someone here (although I can’t remember who) was really in favor of the Spurs signing Frye this past offseason. Talk about being prescient.
I was also impressed with the job Alvin Gentry did coaching. Sarver is still a whiny punk just like Cuban, and I can’t say I particularly care for the obnoxiousness of many of Phoenix’s fans (although Spurs fans aren’t angels either). But here’s to the _players_ and _coaches_ of Phoenix, who did what it took to win.
It sucks to get swept by a team I still believe we *could* have beaten, but if you had told me after last year’s embarrassing 1st round exit against Dallas that we would be where we are today, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat (although clearly a championship would have been better).
May 10th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Looking over the past decade, when the Lakers have won the championship, it wasn’t about Kobe or Shaq or Gasol, but about the small role players that found ways to make the basket. This year, the Suns had those extra players that showed up when the Spurs worked hard on Nash and Amare. After Duncan, Manu, and Parker, did we really have someone to rely on to show up when it mattered? The Suns did it.
The Suns played their game and won. It didn’t matter what the Spurs did, they kept running up the score. My thoughts after Game 2 was to make the game a foot race and try to outscore the Suns but, that strategy was not employed, and may have still be unsuccessful.
My regret is to not have a great blog giving me updates and interesting conversation until after the season is over, and we can talk about the draft and trades.
Great job this year Spurs and Spurs fans!
May 10th, 2010 at 6:46 am
Defense
Taking care of the ball
The three point shot
Free throws (!!!!!)
….
These are just a few of the things we need to drastically improve on if we want to be an elite team again next year.
This was the most difficult season ever to me.
The constant inconstancy really got to me.
We never really knew what was awaiting us before every single game (unless we were playing the Wolves or Clippers).
I’m nervously waiting for the off season and the moves we’re (hopefuly) going to make.
Here are the players I DON’T want to see on our roster come November :
Roger Mason Jr
Keith Bogans
Matt Bonner ( I don’t care about stats saying he helps us on defense or so, he just sucks come playoffs)
…and then there is RJ , I don’t really know about him, is he going to play better next season? If he attacks the rim and stops shooting too many jumpers, maybe..One thing is sure, he will be nearly impossible to move.
All the other players are sort of untouchable to me…if TP stays healthy and gets back to his old self like did at times in the last weeks & months. However, I am glad to know they won’t play for their country in summer which means they will be RESTED when the new season comes.
May 10th, 2010 at 6:52 am
So….what do we do Spurs?….do we liquidate assets (move Ginobili, Parker or even Dunan) to rebuild in earnest?
Or do we load up to make one more run? (get more jump-shooters)
May 10th, 2010 at 7:07 am
I still say Hairston and Temple should have gotten more playing time. Also, for the first time in a long time Popovich got outcoached, simple as that. Gentry used his bench where as Pop was befuddled into trying to mesh productive line-ups. Spurs need, absolutely need, to sign Splitter. Gist should also be brought into the mix. Next year Pop needs to be more aggressive and insert more players into the rotation. He needs to quit worrying about them being too young and not knowing the system, sometimes players just need to play. Maybe I would have been wrong and Temple, Hairston and Mahinmi would have made no difference; but Popovich’s fear got the better of him and thus he settled for subbing Mason, Bogans and Bonner. I love Pop and the Spurs but man Pop got worked, absolutely worked, by Gentry and the Suns coaching staff. Sure the players executed the Suns game plan to near perfection but they had a better coach coming up with the game plan. No one can argue that fact.
May 10th, 2010 at 7:54 am
True fan
I agree Amare is not as great a citizen of the rest of the Sun, but Punk might be a little harsh. He has matured this season and did not wreck the Sun’s chemistry, which he could have with all the trade rumors. I agree with you on Sarver, something about him rubs me the wrong way.
Spurs fans what do you think of a trade I worked out on the trade machine.
Tony Parker for Bargnani and Turkoglu
Leaving the following lineup
PG 1. Hill PG 2. ?
SG 1. Ginobili SG 2. Hairston
SG 1. Turkoglu SG 2. Jefferson
PF 1. Bargnani PF 2. Blair
C 1. Duncan C 2 Splitter
This would give you some length, 3pt shooters and scoring. Defense my be a problem
May 10th, 2010 at 7:56 am
The Spurs will make a good run next year with a few more pieces. In this second round they decided to be environmentally responsible and leave a small carbon footprint on their defensive game.
May 10th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Hah, you’d like us to trade the player which gives you the most trouble for a couple of Euro-softies, wouldn’t you
May 10th, 2010 at 8:03 am
thanks to the spurs (to most of them, not all of them) for working hard to get us to the 2nd round.in the middle of the season, nobody thought we even gonna make it to the playoff but we did. and we even got our revenge againts the mavs in the 1st round, so sweet. i have nothing but respect for the suns, they have better bench and played harder. we beat them previously 4x in the playoff , and i think its their turn this year and i hope they will make it to the finals and win. they deserve a ring especially nash.
to our spurs, i hope we can get lucky this summer we our moves. we did major moves last summer but the return was not good as expected. i love pop but even good things never last. spurs don’t need to be replace him but he needs to change his style or attitude towards our bench. i hope he will play our young guns more during the regular season so they will be ready comes playoff. he don’t care about records or lossing in the regular season, if thats correct, why don’t he use the regular games to develop the rookies or young guys like ian. if he let the new guys play and we lose, that’s not loss at all. atleast the young guns get experience they need and the playing time they deserve. please no more mason next year. i hope we can get a good center to help tim and some shooters. morrow from gs is free agent this summer.
even with a rocky season, we still did better than last year (1st round exit) and i’m sure we’ll be better next year.
May 10th, 2010 at 8:04 am
No way in HELL shawn. Turgoklu played with us before, he sucked then. He sucks in Toronto now. Do not want him or need him. I’d rather have Finley’s corpse back. Plus, Hedo’s contract is INSANE.
May 10th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Agreed with SpursfanSteve. Turkoglu’s contract is going to be a tough pill for anybody to swallow. The Spurs savvy front office would never take that one on. Especially not for Parker’s reasonable contract.
May 10th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Popovich needs to develop young talent. Gentry had Dragic, won game 3, outplay Hairston (same draft) and Frye, won game 2, outplay Mahinmi (same draft).
Offseason acquisitions:
Chris Bosh for Richard Jefferson and Tiago Splitter
sign a 3 pt shooter - preferably Mike Miller
sign a athletic, wing defender - http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Bobby-Jones-351/
Spurs aren’t that far off. Develop youth during the season with guaranted minutes. Sign the right free agents. Mason didn’t fit(not a catch and shoot player, needed a rhythmn dribble), Bogans didn’t fit(too slow, not a sharp enough shooter), Jefferson(no outside shot, poor defender).
May 10th, 2010 at 8:29 am
I know you’re quoting the players, but I don’t understand how you can mention that we did better in many categories, but then talk about having less “overall quality.”
To me, the difference this series was mostly three point shooting. PHX led the league in 3pt% (41%) during the regular season, but shot even better during this series (46%).
Check out these game-by-game numbers.
Suns: 7-20, 9-19, 15-26, 10-24. Tot: 41-89.
Spurs: 4-19, 7-18, 8-16, 4-11. Tot: 23-64.
PHX definitely had great chemistry and played hard. I just thought the series was more about hot shooting from the Suns, and the Spurs missing some good looks (not just three pointers).
May 10th, 2010 at 8:32 am
This series doesn’t disappoint me any more. I was frustrated with the first three games. Pop made the right adjustments every single game and the Suns still had the answers. Their role players played extremely well. So well that I’m a little jealous.
I think if we can get a consistent 3pt shooter in the off-season (I don’t mind resigning Bonner if he takes a hefty pay-cut). Mason shouldn’t come back, honestly. I feel bad for the guy. I think we really missed Finley this series. He would’ve done a good job. Other than that, I say we light a fire under Blair and George. To compete for a title, we need them to work their butts off this off-season. Splitter will help too (if we can get him).
May 10th, 2010 at 8:50 am
Bobby Jones can be just like a Bruce Bowen clone if given a chance. Bowen was cut from the Heat like 3 times before being a part of the team. Jones played 3 games for the Spurs like 3 years ago. He’s 6′6 with a 6′9 wingspan. Played 4 years at Washington going against Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson and Will Conroy in practice. Sign him and get Bowen to mentor him over the summer. Should be cheap for a guaranteed spot in the NBA.
Go Spurs Go!
May 10th, 2010 at 9:22 am
Great title for the article and for a summary of the series. At the end of the day, the Suns are just better built to contend for a championship.
What seperates them from us is their superior bench play and the fact they better matched up. They were playing with 12-13 players as opposed to 8 or 9 players with the Spurs. They have an entire roster of players that know their roles, whereas we have 5-6 players just to fill the roster and dont play so that we meet the player requirement.
Just gotta reload for next year. Like lvmainman said, the Spurs arent far off.
May 10th, 2010 at 9:27 am
We’ve got to find guys who can knock down shots. Bonner plays too big a role for this team. Bonner should be the guy who is used only in special circumstances not a part of the regular rotation. His 3 pt shooting in the regular season is fools gold because when teams tighten up their D in the post season those open looks aren’t there for him.
May 10th, 2010 at 9:33 am
We simply had no bench. Some of that is not Pop’s fault: no one could have predicted that Bogans, Mason, Bonner, Hill and Blair would have just tanked against the Suns. But some of it is Pop’s fault: alternatives that might have produced and might have created match-up problems for the Suns, namely, Malik, Ian, Theo, Haislip, were never given the chance to see what they could do against good teams and to work on some of their weaknesses. Throughout this series, I kept wondering how the Suns would have countered Ian down low. Or how they would have matched the quickness and hops of Malik. We never got the chance to find out. More importantly, Pop continued to operate under the delusion that “playoff Timmy” would show up sooner or later. Father Time is undefeated, Pop. Timmy still has a lot to offer (and his contribution to this franchise and us fans will never be diminished), but he is no longer the player that can put the rest of the team on his back and carry us to the promised land. The sooner Pop and the FO realize that, the better.
May 10th, 2010 at 9:59 am
I agree that we didn’t have a bench or consistent 3-point shooting. Bonner, Mason Jr, and Bogans should be allowed to walk. We should sign Raja Bell and Mike Miller for 3-point shooting. We should try to trade Jefferson which will be hard with his salary but he is in the last year of his deal
But you never know. Hairston should have played over bogans. He can play D and take it to the rim.
Splitter will help tremendously too. Maybe we could get David Lee too.
May 10th, 2010 at 10:26 am
@Este, Frye plays a lot more minutes than Bonner in a very similar role. Frye is 38.5% from 3 in the playoffs vs. 37.0% for Bonner.
May 10th, 2010 at 10:30 am
To me it just so hard to beat Dallas and then just get killed by the Suns…
Did Grant Hill really play that good vs Manu?
Did Dragic really go off in the game that could have swung the series?
Did the Suns ever miss a 3 pointer that was open?
It just feels like the Spurs never got the wakeup call in this series….and it was over before it started…
I tip my hat to the Suns….they played great…I guess after Dallas I got my hopes up a bit…but I guess in short this is how the season has gone all year…too many ups and downs…
We looked like world beaters in round 1 and a team that should not have been in the playoffs in round 2…
We seen that so much during the year it should come as no suprise…
This season was like no other I can recall….At the start of the season I really thought we could play or maybe even beat the LA…then we just stunk for a good part of the year and somehow got to 50 wins and started to get HOT at the right time…
Go in and get the 2 seed out and lay an egg vs the 3 seed…
I hope this offseason helps us with this team…I still thinks we can get to a Finals with this group but need some new players….
May 10th, 2010 at 10:55 am
Suns fan here… read my post on the Suns’ blog below:
“I am starting to believe what a lot of my friends say about Suns fans, i.e. that we are a bunch of fair-weather, whining and complaining, not really committed bunch (myself included). I gurantee we would not be showing the same class as SA and their fans if we were on the losing end of the sweep. Again, myself included, but I have been nothing but impressed by the class of SA.”
Thanks to you all (I can’t believe I am saying that to a bunch of SA Spurs!)
May 10th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Good discussion here. Gotta hand it to the Suns for the main reasons others note here. Can’t help but feel a mix of “they let one get away” and “saw this coming during the season”. What makes me most sad is that Suns will fall to the Lakers ’cause they always do.
Season summarizing points would be:
1) RJ experiment a real loss. I have a hard time believing he would rise during his second Spurs season. I just don’t think the guy has it in him.
2) On the other end of the spectrum, Blair in a second season and George’s third season should be something fun to watch.
3) Splitter could be something special.
4) Pop spent time developing more players than usual. This might pay dividends next season.
Until next season…
May 10th, 2010 at 11:15 am
“Here are some things we can focus on: We tried really hard and we’re still dear friends.”
Man, the Suns kicked our butts across the board. I guess this is what other teams felt like during our championship runs. My hat is off to Nash and crew for simply being better this year.
Everyone seems to forget that 4 months ago, we were on the verge of missing the playoffs altogether. We kicked Dallas’ butt to continue their legacy of suckage. We got an extra 2 home games worth of revenue for Holt and company. Now it’s time to go fishing with Barkley, take a deep breath, and make some heavy decisions about the future of this franchise.
If we bring over Splitter, exchange Mason, Bogans, Bonner, and Dice for some defensive minded athletes, and make sure everyone rests properly this summer, I think we can make deep playoff runs for another 2 years.
May 10th, 2010 at 11:23 am
First off, congratulations to the Suns for a job well done.
I agree with agutierrez’s post. I think we need to bring in/play the right players, and make other teams adjust to us! Not us adjusting to them.
I think these two post seasons losses the last two years is going to be a real wake up call for Pop and the front office. I expect next year we’ll see our younger players get a lot more court time during the regular season.
If any of our guys get traded, I’m sure it’ll be RJ, IF we can find any takers (That’s a big IF I think).
May 10th, 2010 at 11:31 am
I also would like to extend my congrats to the Suns. Their play in the 4th quarter of every game was simply better than ours. We had mistakes in each game, as previous posts/comments mentioned, but we almost them each time. But the Suns made stops. I’m really happy for Nash and Steve Kerr, who was vilified for some of the moves he made. I’ll be rooting for them the rest of the way.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens next year, but I agree, we definitely need some 3 point shooters and another big. I know it will be difficult to trade RJ, but I hope he stays.
May 10th, 2010 at 11:34 am
The broken nose doomed our playoffs this year. This year’s team relied on Manu being special. Manu wasn’t special after the broken nose. Sigh.
Next year!
May 10th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
I think it came down to Team D, free throws and closing out on their 3 point shooters. I felt like the D was only there in Game 4 and by that time it was too late.
Congrats to the Suns who played stellar ball in that series. I feel like we should have won a couple games but we were not winning that series.
Hopefully we can develop some more young talent during the summer and actually give them a chance to play in the regular season.
All I have let to say to Phx is Beat LA!
May 10th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Spurs fans - all this talk about bringing in Tiago Splitter…please realize, in their current cap disposition, all the Spurs could offer Splitter is the the mid-level exception (approx. $5M per year). Splitter would have to leave a lot of money on the table to take that deal.
Moreover, the Spurs were the 7 seed this year. the mileage on the Big 3 suggests they’ll be a lower seed next year - which translates into: 1) no homecourt, 2) a more difficult road to the finals.
lastly, how much luxury tax will Holt be willing to keep paying for a 1st/2nd round playoff team?
May 10th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Next year, Duncan should play a role relegated to a bench player, which is about 15-25 mpg, and we should start opening up the post for DeJuan Blair because when he is actually PASSED to in the post, there are good results. The plays that he would actually mess up on were pick and rolls and putbacks, none of which were set plays that were called for him.
Duncan could rest his weary legs as a result of his limited minutes, and the Spurs should start preparing for life after Timmy (as sad and unfathomable as it sounds to us loyal Spurs fans) and we can open up the post for Blair and a possible Splitter and any other post we can pickup in the offseason.
Its time to start looking for alternatives here: should we trade Tony Parker, Richard Jefferson, or both for a star player? Will we be able to sign key free agents like Raja Bell, Kyle Korver, Travis Outlaw, Udonis Haslem, etc?
The time is now to start training Hairston, Blair, or any other D-League affiliated player like Gee or Temple as if they belong in this league because sooner rather than later, they will be the face of the Spurs franchise.
I see the Spurs free agents of Mason, Bogans, Bonner and Mahinmi as replacable, especially after their dismal performances overall. So now it is time to regroup, refocus our strategies, get down to our defensive principles and get three point shooters like we had on previous championship teams. Hey, I even think that Ray Allen is available this offseason. With limited, situational minutes he could prove worthy of a Spurs’ roster spot…
So there are plenty of things to think about this offseason, and well congratulations on the Suns, who were tormented by the Spurs for ages, finally made it past us. Its the changing of the guard in the NBA and now we must adapt and make better coaching decisions regarding our future. But the future sure does look bright.
May 10th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
@ghost, how much more than $5m do you think Tiago can get over there with Europe’s current economic problems? I think the money is not so different but fear of a lockout could be an issue.
May 10th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
So close, and yet so far. It’s been an interesting year, to say the least. It’s been fun blogging. See ya’ll in October. I BELIEVE!!!!! GO SPURS GO!!!!!
May 10th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
nothing much new to add to the sentiments above, but, for therapeutic reasons, i have to publicly hand it to the suns. this suns team reminds me of the barkley-KJ-era suns, which was a gritty team that gave the spurs fits. i never felt like the nash-stoudamire-era suns were in the same league as the barkley-KJ squads, but this year’s suns seem to have all the right parts. what a luxury it would be to have so much bench depth. hopefully pop can find some way to fix the team’s most pressing issues: another big body down low, more consistent defense, and solid three-point shooting. bogans wasn’t the defensive stopper pop hoped, and bonner and mason are deadwood.
May 10th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Spurs fans, from a lifelong Suns fan, I say thanks for all your props to the Suns. The Spurs are a class organization with first class fans. I do not doubt that the Spurs will be in serious contention again next year.
May 10th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
@Ghost of Darko: How many years have the writers of espn, and fans of other teams been predicting the demise of the Spurs? Yet we keep making playoffs year after year. The Lakers missed some playoffs after Shaq, the Suns missed the playoffs last year. The Lakers also needed a crazy good trade for Gasol, and the C’s needed a crazy good trade for KG. We made our own crazy good trade for RJ, it just didn’t pan out as well.
My point being, the Spurs aren’t going anywhere, and with a few good moves, or one lucky trade, we could win the title next year.
Oh one final note, we were the 7th seed, with FIFTY wins. The Mavs were the 2nd seed, with FIFTY-FOUR wins. Hrm! Not much of a difference there buddy.
May 10th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Another Suns fan here. I have endured years of torture by the Spurs and was sure this would be just another year. Throughout those years I have always despised Pop, Manu and Duncan, Horry, Bowen, etc..
But I must admit I was extremely impressed with the post game comments of Pop, Manu and Duncan and how they congratulated the Suns on a job well done. For me, that was a true class act and helps me see the Spurs organization in a different light. It was almost like they were a father whose son finally beats him at hoops for the first time in the driveway. The Spurs on some level seemed genuinely happy that the Suns were finally able to break through.
Thanks guys!
May 10th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
@ruth bader ginobili
My point was that despite the Spurs practically playing their best in Game 2, and to a lesser extent in Game 4, they still lost. That, to me, proves the Suns have a greater quality of players than the Spurs.
May 10th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Wow… the day after makes it a little easier? to sink in. I do agree with a lot of people on the Spurs’ need to add a few pieces, mainly shooters. The Spurs always relied on ’spacing” and 3 point threats to open up the middle for TP, Manu and TD, and this year that was not the case. It seems like they all had to work doubly hard to get points in the paint. That takes it toll mentally and physically. I really, really, really want the Suns to get by LA and into the Finals. They deserve it.
May 10th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
On the main post:
Regarding the game two loss: probably the most important stat line in a game (or series) against the Suns is rebounding. If we get our asses handed to us there, which we did, our chances of beating them go way down. Plus, a -14 a the free throw line didn’t help. We can win those other stat lines mentioned, but if we get thumped in these two, we’re in trouble against that team.
Regarding the Spurs critical game needs:
(1) Improve team “D”
(2) Improve 3 point shooting
(3) Improve free throw shooting
Regarding the Spurs critical personnel needs:
(1) Aggressively develop in-house young players
(2) Acquire Tall, shot-blocking “big”
(3) Acquire “real” defensive stopper on the perimeter
(4) Acquire clutch 3 point shooter for the rotation
Making all these changes WILL require a significant trade, because we simply don’t have the cap space to play meaningfully enough in the FA market.
Shawn
May 10th, 2010 at 7:54 am
“Tony Parker for Bargnani and Turkoglu”.
Sorry, but Toronto would never do that deal. For one thing, getting a point guard is not a pressing need for them. And second, they would not give up their best two front court players for Parker (Bosh will be gone as a FA). No way.
doggydogworld
May 10th, 2010 at 8:00 am
SpursfanSteve
May 10th, 2010 at 8:04 am
Bryan
May 10th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I agree that those are not the type of players that we would really want, but Toronto would never do that deal either.
lvmainman
May 10th, 2010 at 8:27 am
“Chris Bosh for Richard Jefferson and Tiago Splitter”
No offense, but that deal doesn’t have a prayer either. Splitter’s not even in the league yet, unless you’re simply talking about trading his rights. And is RJ really going to make the Raptors better? I don’t think so. And let’s face it, it’s VERY unlikely that we’re going to get Chris Bosh (he’d have to agree to a sign & trade, not a very likely proposition), yet I hear his name come up all the time. Let’s try to be a bit more practical in our trade suggestions.
I’d love to hear from any of you on the following trade proposal that I outlined on a previous thread from yesterday:
“We must be willing to evolve smartly to stay highly competitive! That MAY mean NOT committing to keeping Parker and/or Ginobli til death do us part. Otherwise we could end up like the Celtics of the 1990’s in the next 3-4 years. We need MORE high quality YOUNG talent on our team. Hell, all we know that we really have in this regard is Hill & Blair. That’s not enough. As a result, we should explore trades similar to the following: Ginobli & McDyess to OKC for 20 yr. old SG James Harden (who has star written all over his future, and he’s REALLY good right now), the 29 yr. old, and productive rotation player, the 6′10″, 255 pd. Nick Collison (or the 26 yr. old 7 footer, Krstic, if we’d prefer, because they would still have the up & coming star, Ibaka), and 23 yr. old, 6′9″, 251 pd. PF D.J. White (who has some promise), particularly if we’re never going to play Mahinmi, otherwise the third player could be someone else, or a 1st round draft pick; OKC has plenty of other young talent to choose from as well. They would love to have to have Manu, and would probably do that deal. Granted, this might not be the right type of deal for us, but we’ve got to start thinking along these lines if we want to avoid the potential of a “dark” half decade or more, starting mid-decade, or perhaps a bit earlier.”
Basically, I’m saying we need to upgrade our size, youth, and long-term potential. Now, not later!
May 10th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
The series was lost in the first half of game 2. The Spurs led by 9 at the end of the 1st quarter, but simple execution would’ve had that lead anywhere from 12- 18 points, having nothing to do with PHX. In the 2nd Q it was all about the Suns bench players playing with the desperation of a team trailing the series, though they were leading. What should have been a double digit halftime lead was a tie game. From that point forward, PHX was never under any pressure. Sure, they were down 18 in game 3, but when leading the series by two games they could still play free, knowing that at worst it would be 2-1 at the end of that night. The Spurs couldn’t even complete that story, a mess of missed FTs trailing like blood droplets.
The Spurs never put this team down in the series, or even in the 4th quarter (did we ever lead in the 4th Q, with the exception of starting the 4th ahead in game 3?). This made it easier for Suns shooters. Easier to blitz Manu and leave other players (RJ) wide open. It meant more pressure on our playoff newbies (Hill, Blair) and a fear of being fouled for two of our main weapons.
What could go wrong did go wrong for the Spurs. What could go right did so for the Suns. It was their year; I’m glad it is just that, one year, and not the half decade we had and hope to return to next season. We got five home games of revenue for Mr. Holt, upset our intrastate nemisis and were reminded of where we need to improve to return to being a legit 55+win team that has h/c and returns to the Finals, instead of a 50 win team with Finals potential but zero room for error.
Time to enjoy the approaching summer weather before another season is upon us. I trust the FO to make the two needed moves to complete this team. Until then, Go Spurs.
May 10th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
The suns were a much better team end to end but lets not overlook how terrible RJ was for us this series.
When the suns went small they negated McDyess completely, who was he going to matchup with? Grant Hill? Jarrod Dudley? Amare??
So we needed someone with size and athleticism who could knock down an open 3 be a threat on the break and play good Man D …HELLO RJ!!!!
Only he didn’t even take a 3 point attempt in game 4, he stopped spotting up on the 3pt line long ago and he has been mediocre in his D.
So we are forced to play Bonner because he is the only guy on the entire team who can hit a 3 pointer…If you put Rj at the 4 or Dejaun or Mahinmi and play him with Parker Manu & George who the hell spreads the floor? You don’t have to cover the 1 the 5 or the 4 at all. You only have to account for Manu & George on perimeter D…..
But honestly, if you have to adjust by playing 30 minutes of Bonner, your 20 minutes too much. Hence Dejauns Jumpshot is the #1 key acquisition this summer that i am praying and hoping for.
Pop adjusted as much as possible, but sometimes you just don’t have the ammunition.
Finally, Dejaun got absolutely burned on the pick and roll, I’d have loved to have seen him get 20 minutes a game, but you all had to notice his switching off his man even when the screener never touched him, Amare got open jump shots from him every time on court and he still doesn’t need to be guarded further than 10 feet out.
On a very positive note, players get better defensively as they grow older. Instincts are sharpened schemes become second nature and chemistry is built.
Lots of stuff to do this summer, lots to talk about. Lots of greaty storylines.
May 10th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
I believe the Spurs simply ran into a buzz-saw this series with the Suns. They were simply unconscious with their shooting and we just couldn’t make a big money shot when we needed one.
I do believe some fatigue set in and while I hate to imagine it being an excuse, as someone mentioned here earlier, I felt Manu wasn’t quite the same once he broke his nose.
Despite what some may think, I believe the current economy of the league and whatnot may allow the Spurs to move RJ although I know Parker is on the radar.
I believe a team that misses out on some big free agents may take the bait and absorb some salary, or teams willing to trade small parts and picks for his expiring deal. (Think Clippers, Philly, Wizards, Timberwolves or Golden State - a team ripe for picking and with some interesting pieces like Anthony Randolph.)
What slays me is seeing Goran, Leandro and Scola play key roles on other teams - all Spurs draft picks.
I also believe Pop really suffered this year because of the overall mediocre play of RJ. He simply couldn’t wrap his head around what a staggering disappointment he was.
The Spurs need to tinker and find some shooting, another quality draft pick and Splitter. If they can plug the right holes I really believe they are still championship contenders.
The one guy I believe has the closest genetic code to Bowen is Dorell Wright from the Heat. Young and finally seasoned, he is a solid 6′9 with a long wingspan and can do a lot of the little things (decent from beyond the arc and a surprisingly good free throw shooter) and present match-up problems in spurts.
Remember Bowen was also a Heat castoff and with the Heat thinking big this offseason, I really believe Wright can be had for fairly cheap and contribute next season.
One lights out shooter, some new young blood (let ‘em play Pop!), some parts for RJ (nothing special, beggars can’t be choosers) and Splitter.
I think Duncan is in dire need of a real big to help his career continue - until there is another legit threat by his side, he will have to work that much harder for his points and rebounds. We have waited too long to find him a real co-pilot, and now the window is only there for another year or two.
Should be an interesting offseason, when Pop said he expects it to be quiet, you can bet there will be some fireworks.
May 10th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
The one thing I kept thinking last night was how much we could have used a player like Dudley- a 3 that hustles and plays defense, and can also do some scoring. A player like Nash would also work great for the Spurs. But I’m also in the current camp that says we have to get some manly bigs that can defend, who have lateral quickness to defend the pick-and-rolls, and who can score at least a few points, to help out Tim before he’s completely gone.
May 10th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
@Hurm, Barbosa and Dragic were not Spurs picks. We did draft day trades with the Suns and they told us who to pick on their behalf.
May 10th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Pop needs fired.
Get rid of Duncan
May 10th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
To those who advocate the gutting of the Spurs because of this series, think again. Suns played only to defeat the Spurs not realizing what’s at stake here and that’s winning a title. Nash at 37 has his window closing and its unlikely their bench will be as much as a factor against the Lakers.
Nash and co have the consolation of a single 4 game sweep on their resume. The Spurs will retool and come back with a vengeance and with 4 titles won, I’d rather take the Spurs anyday.
I betcha the great Suns gow down 4 to 2 next round and then will anyone be talking about the greatness of the Suns?
May 10th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
The lunatic fringe.
May 10th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
I hope the FO doesn’t sit pat during the offseason. There is no way that we can contend with this team. Anyone suggesting to trade Duncan is not thinking rationally.
Wondering if TP will ever regain his form. Is it just due injuries or has TP lost a step . He is still young and a good player, but he has a lot of mileage on his legs. RJ has to go. I think in the right system, he can still slash his way to 15ppg, which many teams would have value for. He doesn’t fit in the Spurs’ system.
Competing in the west, we need a big who can immediately put us in serious contention. I feel that we make a strong push for Bosh. Offer RJ and TP. Bosh would be our franchise player and TD would play the Admiral’s role. Remember Bosh wants to be a franchise player.
And yes, we need to get rid of Bonner, Bogans, and Mason. I can see 2-3 major players teaming up during the offseason. In order to compete, we have to think of winning in 2011. The clock is ticking cause Manu and Timmy aren’t getting any younger. They will give you another 2 quality years to contend.
Go Spurs GO!
May 10th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Does anyone know what ever happened to that McClinton guy? He was hailed as a lights out shooter from three point range but had a really shitty summer league. Maybe the Spurs could give him another look.
On Blair: while I love the guy, I have my doubts. First, he didn’t seem to do any better or be any smarter at the end of the season than he was at the beginning. Additionally, he is simply not a player you build a franchise around (like Timmy). I fear we are putting more of our hopes in him than his potential merits. Hope I’m wrong but I don’t think so.
May 10th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
TP was really never a problem in the playoffs. It was the healthiest he’d been all season and he started to show exactly why he is so difficult to replace.
As much as I love Georges game when he is on, he is not nearly as gifted at creating his offence as TP is. I think overall our guard rotation is our best feature.
SF & The extra big are where we are sucking. If you get rid of TP without bringing in a very good quality PG who can create for himself and others you are going to burn Manu at the stake with excess minutes creating for the rest of the team.
I’ve said before that unless people will take RJ off our hands there is no rational way of swinging for the fences this off season.
Did anyone think George looked the part yet running a team solo?
Great in spots, but really not in TP’s league.
May 10th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Anybody remember back to before the season when Pop said something like “If I can’t win with these guys I should be fired…”
Just wondering.
May 10th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Another Sun’s fan here who actually likes/respects the Spurs except when they’re playing Phoenix. Of course I wouldn’t want to trade anyone on the Suns but if we had (have) to I’d be willing to take Mason in a heartbeat and Jefferson in a heart murmer. Like SA, the Suns want character guys and the first place you go is the Spurs. Mason has been hot from the three before and could be again couldn’t he? RJ might fit into our system as well. I could see some fringe dissatisfaction with these two but I wouldn’t say they were the problem. Trade Mason for Collins? Done.
Spurs fans are fun and pretty classy…
May 10th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Could i be the first to raise the name of Richard Mbah Moute?
If you can teach that kid to hit a 3 pointer he is a hell of a defender.
Doubt Skiles parts with him though.
May 10th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
@Chris K.
I definitely thought about that on Sunday night as the time wound down. Not gonna happen though.
One interesting thing during Pop’s postgame press conference, he said, “This season was a tough one for us in ways.” When he was asked later to clarify what he meant by that, he said something similar to, “it’s a personal matter.”
May 10th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
@ Jim,
We sure would be taking a lot of players back for only McDyess and Manu. It would essentially strip all depth from the Thunder. This trade would certainly take care of our big man problem. However, would we want to compete against Manu in our own conference. Most GMs prefer to trade players to the other conference. A sign and trade with the Knicks involving Parker and McDyess for Danillo Galinari and David Lee would be interesting to me. We could still bring Splitter over and have a huge front line as well as a good 3pt shooter. I’m not completely sold on that, but it would be interesting.
Bushka
May 10th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
“If you get rid of TP without bringing in a very good quality PG who can create for himself and others you are going to burn Manu at the stake with excess minutes creating for the rest of the team.”
I agree with virtually your entire post. However, IF we were to trade TP, we would need an All-star caliber in return. Another All-star caliber player, whether a big or wing, would help Manu create on the offensive end. I agree we can’t burn him out, but with an All-star caliber player, another year for Hill and possibly Temple, and the venerable Manu, I think we could make due without Parker. (Even though I’d much rather unload RJ)
May 10th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
agutierrez
May 10th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
“On Blair: while I love the guy, I have my doubts. First, he didn’t seem to do any better or be any smarter at the end of the season than he was at the beginning. Additionally, he is simply not a player you build a franchise around (like Timmy). I fear we are putting more of our hopes in him than his potential merits. Hope I’m wrong but I don’t think so.”
Number one, he just turned TWENTY-ONE at the end of the season. Number two, Pop didn’t play him enough, particularly over the past month+ of the regular season & playoffs. What can you expect from the young guy in 6-9 minutes per night of inconsistent minutes? Number three, it’s unfair to even mention him in the same context as Duncan. There’s only ONE TD, and also, they are very different in terms of the “type” of player they are. That said, Blair very much has Carlos Boozer type potential (just give him a few years, okay!), and so there’s a good chance he could become a pivotal piece to our future success. And finally, teams can win championships without a TD type player, providing that the rest of the team is really good, and they play extremely well together.
Bushka
May 10th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
“If you get rid of TP without bringing in a very good quality PG who can create for himself and others you are going to burn Manu at the stake with excess minutes creating for the rest of the team.”
I do agree with that.
“I’ve said before that unless people will take RJ off our hands there is no rational way of swinging for the fences this off season.”
Now that I don’t agree with. Besides, letting RJ go would not be “swinging for the fences”. It’d be closer to a “sacrifice bunt”. Trying to get the “right” deal for Manu or TP would be rational, and represent “swinging for the fences”. And that’s what we need to do to truly compete now, and into the future. If we can unload RJ for something decent in return, we should do that as well.
I love TD, and what he’s meant for the franchise, but his salary is really only justified by “past” performance, and were stuck with his salary for two more years. RJ, of course, is barely worth HALF of his salary, & TP & Manu are definitely “fairly” paid. In general though, we have FOUR highly paid players that are either substantially under-performing in relation to their salary, or performing equal to their salary. With our financial situation, we need to focus on acquiring players that have contracts that appear to be less than what their performance on the court would suggest in order to assemble a team that is full of enough quality players on the roster 1-10 that can compete at a high level against elite teams. We may not be able to acquire “proven” stars with this strategy, but this is NOT necessary. For example, we don’t need to obtain an established all-star caliber player in exchange for TP or Manu, as long as we’re getting MORE THAN ONE of the “right” type of player in return to best fit our teams needs as a whole.
For example, look at the Suns. They only have TWO HIGHLY paid star players that are performing up to their salaries, and the rest are made up of productive, gutty players that are drawing modest salaries. We need to strive for this kind of salary/performance balance by trading TP or Manu in the off-season, unloading RJ asap, and re-signing TD if possible, after his contract expires, at a much more reasonable salary. In two years, TD could still be quite valuable, but nowhere near 22 mil.
May 10th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
How about this trade I just ran through the trade machine:
Portland Gets: Tony Parker
Spurs Get: Bayless, Camby and Fernandez
While I am not a Trade TP guy, Bayless has shown the hustle and athleticism we could use and we have Hill already and Temple as the backup.
Camby gives us a shot-blocking, rim-protecting rebounder to play alonside TD, sparing him the heaviy lifting in those departments.
Fernandez is a very solid 3-point shooter who hustles on defense.
Any thoughts from the braintrust?
May 10th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
I apologize for the typos above.
May 10th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
SAinSLC
May 10th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
“Portland Gets: Tony Parker
Spurs Get: Bayless, Camby and Fernandez”
The deal’s not bad for the Spurs, but there’s little chance Portland trades THREE productive players for TP, especially when they already have a very solid point in Miller. Unfortunately, this is not realistic.
May 10th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
@Andrew A. McNeill:
Fair point, I just think the Suns players were better in one specific aspect (shooting). Guess we disagree. Maybe I’m just sick of hearing the TV guys gush about the Suns “new-found defense!!!!”
Looking forward to reading this site in the offseason!
May 10th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
wow, can it get any mushier? lets all huddle up for a group hug or something! as a true suns fans I neither need nor want any compliments from the spurs fans or the ilk you all root for. our team thrashed your team, and while that will not replace what your stinkin, whiney, complaining to the refs, spurs took from us over the past 4 playoff defeats, I am uplifted by the fact that this will be the end of “the big three”. It is gratifying to know that the spurs you all know and love will be no more thanks in large part to being SWEPT out by our suns. the guy, Trade TP, is my favorite spurs fan ever, and after you get rid of tp, please fire popabitch, and send manu back to europe so that timmy crybaby can suffer, with no help, for the rest of his miserable declining career. I will however thank you for one thing, and that was running off that loser diantoni who was killing our team through the contracts he signed as gm, and his terrible “coaching”, so thank you, and I hope your beloved spurs are never relevant again, but rather proceed to the doormat level of bball in texas and the entire nba, a la the tx version of the clippers!
May 11th, 2010 at 1:15 am
wow jay thatch, way to make your team’s fans look like the smarmy dick holes they usually are. i want to get behind the suns because i’m so sick of seeing LA in the finals but people like you make it nearly impossible.
on a different note-as much as i loved watching dejuan this season, i think i have to agree that he doesn’t have a whole lot else to offer. he’s undersized for his position, and as great as he is at rebounding, he still hasn’t figured out that it’s not always a good idea to keep going for tip ins off offensive boards. how many times did you see him miss a shot, get his own board, then try to put it in two or three more times until someone else finally grabbed the ball?
May 11th, 2010 at 2:26 am
@ Jay Thatch - Are you sure your not a Mavericks fan? Great post except for your description of Tim having a miserable career. Declining, yes, but not miserable. Miserable better describes you over the life of your love affair with the Suns. Maybe this will be the year that you will be lifted out of your misery on the backs of your awesome team instead of commiserating and trolling on the backs of despondent Spurs fans. Maybe not.
May 11th, 2010 at 4:12 am
Just wanted to say that Dragic and Barbosa were both drafted by San Antonio on behalf of Phoenix who had worked out trades to acquire the rights to each of them prior to S.A. making their selection. The spurs received compensation for drafting then trading both players on draft day. Congratulations to the Spurs fans and players who were so gracious in defeat, it reflects well upon your community.
May 11th, 2010 at 4:16 am
Jay Thatch is a great example of the difference between the vast majority of Suns fans and the vast majority of Spurs fans. The Suns just kicked our asses, but yet, every one on this site is congratulating the Suns, some even hope they win the championship this year. Nobody holds any ill will towards the Suns, and I don’t think I have seen any trash talking towards the Suns at all.
Yet Suns fans, every time they lost to the Spurs, they posted nasty things similar to what Jay just posted. Now they won, and it’s even worse.
I just get a kick out of Suns fans. They act like I did… when I was playing little league baseball, lol.
May 11th, 2010 at 5:42 am
Just wanted to say that Dragic and Barbosa were both drafted by San Antonio on behalf of Phoenix who had worked out trades to acquire the rights to each of them prior to S.A. making their selection. The spurs received compensation for drafting then trading both players on draft day. Congratulations to the Spurs fans and players who were so gracious in defeat, it reflects well upon your community.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:37 am
Suns fans are passionate. At game 1, only about 10 people in the building were not wearing orange. In Phoenix, I felt the Suns fans were harmlessly celebrating their team by teasing my Spurs clothes-as least in the nose-bleed section. Wouldn’t you hate a team whose role players bullied your stars? Horry-Nash, Bowen-Amare.
For Nash to come back with one eye to nail a 3, two floaters and hit all this free-throws….give them the respect they are due. I can’t root for the Suns as much as I can root against the Lakers, but this Suns team makes me believe.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Just wanted to say that Dragic and Barbosa were both drafted by San Antonio on behalf of Phoenix who had worked out trades to acquire the rights to each of them prior to S.A. making their selection. The spurs received compensation for drafting then trading both players on draft day. Congratulations to the Spurs fans and players who were so gracious in defeat, it reflects well upon your community.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:45 am
@Jim, Suns have three highly paid players (Nash, Amare and JRich), not two. Barbosa at 7m is #4 on their payroll and is their only overpaid player. They get amazing production from a long list of $0.8-3m players (Hill, Frye, Dudley, Dragic, Amundson).
May 11th, 2010 at 8:11 am
i believe passionate is an understatement for any phoenix suns fan who lived and died (mostly died, at least before the championship every year) with the suns since the 80’s or before. some sort of derranged/pshycotic combo is a more accurate description. spurs fans like lakers fans and you could add celtics and bulls to some degree, are spoiled with multiple titles which erases the intensity and desperation factor in their respective fans. and I meant that the rest of timmy’s career would be miserable, not the previous part of it. and the reason the suns have three highly paid stars and amazing production from lower paid role players was because kerr came in and fixed the mess diantoni (who i hate more than the spurs or anyone else becasue he was so close and instead making some minor adjustments, he steadly decomposed a high caliber team) left us in.
May 11th, 2010 at 10:14 am
doggydogworld
May 11th, 2010 at 7:45 am
Yeah, you’re right, it’s “three”, and all three have earned their pay this year. Then they have only ONE other player making over 3 mil./year. So, my oversight really doesn’t subtract from the point I was making in any meaningful way. But thanks for pointing it out.
May 11th, 2010 at 10:34 am
[...] 48 Minutes of Hell, Andrew A. McNeill proclaims that the Suns were just the better team in this series: “Much like we thought the Spurs were peaking at the right time, so has [...]
May 11th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Alot of good points here.
No need to panic though.
Suns swept us but every game was close and I just think that they played better IN THIS SERIES. Imagine what the series would have been like if Manu had not broken his nose and Tony didn’t get hurt in game 3 when we were up by 18!!!
Forget about the guys that never played…THEY need to improve their games like Hill did before they get time. Tim is nowhere near what he used to be, Manu is fairlyclose to what he was in his prime, and Tony is still in his prime (he was hurt all year). We have a rising star in Hill and a beast off the bench in Blair. RJ is a very good player (as Rick Carlyle said) but doesn’t fit in this system with a low post presence in Tim and penetrators in Tony and Manu. WE MISS BRUCE BOWEN SO MUCH…lock down defender and dependable corner 3 pt shooter. The formula was always: Tim, Tony, and Manu, with another 6′11″ or bigger next to Tim (David, Rasho, Nazi), a lock down defender that can hit 3s off of kickouts (Bruce) and 3pt/ft shooters (Stephen Jackson, Finley, Barry, Kerr) and in bonus years, a big off the bench that can hit 3s (Horry). The latter is why we wanted Rasheed before McDyess. McDyess did a great job this year (better than Rasheed did with Boston) but with Tim aging, we need a younger, taller big next to him for next year…maybe Splitter if he is as good as some think. Would love to get Raja Bell to fill Bruce’s shoes. Would also love to get that guy that can hit 3 pointers and free throws consistently. If RJ stays, he’ll be more consistent next year but we need him to work on his long range shooting this summer because we need him to space the floor at times and then be able to knock down the 3 at a good rate. Tony should be working on his 3 pt shooting as well. The fact is that we don’t have much money to spend unless RJ opts out or McDyess is traded, so getting Splitter and Bell and having guys work on their 3 pt shooting will give us a great chance next year. Remember that lots of veterans want to come to the Spurs because of our success and will do so while taking less money. Also, when all is said and done, we were definitely a top 5 team in the entire NBA this year. Finally, Tim has got to solve his physical/mental free throw problem. He shot like Shaq in the playoffs (<50%). Message to Tim, call up Reggie Miller and ask him to help!!!! Go Spurs Go!!!!!!!!!!
May 12th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Hi I am a Nash and Suns fan. I have to thank you all Spurs fan for your classy comments. Here I would like to fill in some of my thought about the series.
Honestly speaking, at the beginning, i thought Spurs had some chances to win the series. However, they are definitely beaten by themselves and pop too.
We are all talking about the great depth of the Suns. After the whole season following the Suns games, I have to give the credit to Gentry that giving so much playing time to his bench during the regular season to develop their confidence and skills; especially towards the end of the season.
I believe the Spurs has a great bench too, but in the series, they seem to be luck of experience with very little playing time and try to depend on big name players too much of the time. I would say Pop(if stay next season) should develop his current bench during the regular season.
Moreover, it’s the execution on the defense. Spur is always known as one of the best defensive teams in the league. However, in this series the defense seems like can’t last too long. Only one quarter in each game and some few possession towards the end of the games.
Let’s take a look at the scoring average, the Suns scored about 110 ppg which is their season average. The Spurs scored around 100 ppg which is also close to their season average. What does that mean? Both team are playing their regular execution on their offense, but the Spurs just let it happened. and not playing any defense
In the super fourth quarter of G3(I have reviewed 5 times already), put aside the explosion of Dragic’s scoring for a moment, you can see that Pop and the whole team didn’t even make any adjustment on the defense. There must be 10 possession where Dragic brought the ball up to court and handed to Barbosa and they simply run the same play over and over again and no defense went to stop that play. I was wondering where was the adjustment by Pop after the timeout.
Anyways the end is the end. I am really looking forward to see upgraded spurs team next season. See ya
Suns in 6 vs lakers
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