Tuesday, March 9th, 2010...10:44 am
Mason’s open look
For those of you who missed it, here’s the set up.
The Spurs are down 3 with 9 seconds remaining. Popovich has the clipboard, which usually means a clean look out of the timeout. At this point in the game, Roger Mason Jr. was 0-7 from distance. Manu Ginobili was 6-10, but he had also scored on two long, foot on the line three point attempts. And he connected on a 7th three pointer at the final buzzer, when the game was already out of reach. In other words, Ginobili was within inches of 9-13. George Hill, it’s worth noting, connected on 2-3 off his long range attempts.
If you want to look at this play in detail, and you should, Sebastian Pruiti has a frame by frame breakdown at NBA Playbook.I agree with Pruit, it was a magnificent play.
Buck Harvey has done a bang up job recounting the post game reaction.
Talking Points
- After the game, Gregg Popovich indicated that the play was drawn up primarily for Roger Mason Jr. Pop’s response on whether RMJ was the go-to guy on the final play: “Yeah, he [Mason] was wide open. He was the guy to go to. That’s what he does.”
- Was Pop right to go away from Manu Ginobili’s hot hand?
- Roger Mason Jr., who was supposed to shoot, passed up an easy pass to George Hill in the corner. Mistake?
- My favorite part of the play is the second screen by Tim Duncan. He has to stretch for it, but he makes it count.
- Manu Ginobili chose a perfect angle on that bounce pass. Intuitive decisions like that make him, perhaps, the best clutch performer in the league. It’s not just about shots made. In the final 3 minutes of any game, he’s seemingly involved in every important play. In this game, for example, just two possessions prior, Ginobili stole the ball from Jawad Williams, which is not that extraordinary. Except that Ginobili was sitting on the floor at the time of the steal. From his seat, literally, he passed to George Hill, who fed Richard Jefferson for a run out dunk. It’s the kind of play very few players think to make, let alone pull off.
- Was Roger Mason Jr. fouled? From my seat, it didn’t look like there was enough contact to warrant a whistle. RMJ was simply doing the smart thing of advertising for the whistle. Joey Crawford was right on top of it, make of that you will.
54 Comments
March 9th, 2010 at 11:04 am
I don’t have problems with the final play…just the shooting drought of the 4th quarter that lead to us needing it….
March 9th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Or the fact that on 4 straight possessions we let Jawad Williams score. 3 isolations on our “defensive stopper” Keith Bogans and then an “And 1.” We basically let their 10th or 11th man beat us.
As for the shot, I was fine with it. It was a wide open shot. And I’m sure that if every Spurs fan was honest about it, 90% figured that shot by Mason was going in.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:19 am
Well designed play which all one could ask for. RMJ simply fell down whatever contact was miniscule, geez Duncan could have been called for a foul on the screen he set.That’s the way it goes…
March 9th, 2010 at 11:23 am
“Roger Mason Jr., who was supposed to shoot, passed up an easy pass to George Hill in the corner. Mistake?”
Normally I would say yes - but George’s last shot from that exact spot was way off, and I believe within the last 2-3 mins of the game.
Just missed too many OPEN shots. Unfortunately how its gone too often this season.
I won’t stop cheering though! Go Spurs!
March 9th, 2010 at 11:52 am
Mason made a mistake in not passing to Hill in the corner. Surely, he knew he was 0 for 7 and clearly was having an off night. Part of being a good team player is the ability to acknowledge that fact and try to make other plays to help the team besides making shots. Mason was being selfish in trying to overcome his poor night and be a hero to the team and enhance his free agent marketability. Making an assist would’ve been the right play in this instance. Ginobili time and time again makes plays for others (Hill 3 in the corner, the drive baseline kick to Mason corner 3, the McDyess jumper - all misses). Mason should have taken his cue from Ginobili (went 0 for 10 in a win vs Thunder) and swung the ball to a teammate having a better shooting night.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:56 am
Especially, since the corner 3 has been proven by Hill to be a high accuracy shot for him. Passing to a player in his sweet spot was the play.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:59 am
I would have preferred that Mason kick it to Hill who is shooting 47% from 3pt post all-star break. However, Mason took a pretty good shot. If that shot fell, who knows what the story would be? Hard to second guess it. If it really was for Hill (drawn up), Mason will get an ear full of Pop and bad looks from teammates (if he were acting selfish). We’ll see.
March 9th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
THis is what it so frustrating about the SPURS, victory is always just an open shot away.
That’s why I always say it aint over til its over. They’re always going to get looks like that. They just have to make em.
I didn’t notice HILL open in the corner. Maybe RMJ should have made one more pass? Even though HILL missed one earlier, that shot was hurried. This one would have been calm and he would have had all the time in the world.
AS much as I questined POP for sitting MANU with 6 minutes left. Which let the Cavs tie the game. The players still have to execute.
Gotta give POP credit for this play though. A WIDE OPEN 3 to tie the game. How many times has POP designed a play that leaves a dude wide open?
I can’t hate on the fact that he went with RMJ either. Even though he stunk it up, he still gave him a chance to redeem himself. And RMJ has made crazier shots than that. Even though he was off, I thought that one would go in.
In the words of Jeff Van Gundy, “It’s a make or miss league.”
March 9th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Great set up for the play. I can handle plays like that. Do you really think it should have come down to that last play? I did not get to actually see the game but I saw the shot selection on gamecast. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what is wrong with the defense. Yeah we fans do not have the credentials of a coach but some of us do have a basic understanding of the game. Pop can put people in the spots but it is up to the player to make the plays. With that said the defense stinks because of the players. How can Bogans be the center piece of a defense? Yes he might do his best but his best is not enough to stop the elite players of the NBA. I really think there is somebody out there that is better defensively.
March 9th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
BayAreaSpursFan
Well said.
That was a brilliant set piece……Mason has hit these shots in the regular season before. However, it should be questioned that it wasn’t designed for someone (Ginobili or Hill) who was having a better game from the field.
March 9th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
I’ve got vehemently disagree with all this I have no problem with Mason shooting an open shot. Are you saying if the Cavs were down 1 pt in a game with 1 second left in the game, and a technical foul was called, Shaq should shoot the FT after going 0 for 7 from the line, cause he’s due???? Think of how silly that sounds, even though he’s a 50% FT shooter.
So now Mason should have taken the 3, with a teammate wide open in the corner. Huh?? That makes no sense. He was 0 for 7 before the shot. Clearly there was a better option.
March 9th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
I can live with Mason taking that final shot. With TP out, Mason is going to be getting plenty of PT for the next few weeks. I like Pop showing the confidence in him to draw the play up for him. With Manu’s lights out shooting, there is no way he was going to get an open look. And I think he had enough “leche” on the previous shot with his toe on the 3-pt line that he wasn’t going to be hitting another contested one.
I also like Mason’s gunner attitude in that he didn’t hesitate one bit to shoot it. That’s what shooters do. We need Mason condfident to finish the season.
However, last night as the play was happening I felt completely different. I couldn’t believe that ice cold Mason was shooting the game winner and let my TV know as much in an expletive filled tirade that followed the shot. But as I have become more sane since last night, I have been able to follow the rationale.
But I have to agree with BayAreaSpurs Fan. For a short-handed team, it really shouldn’t have come down to the final shot.
March 9th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
@lvmainman
Your likening the Mason shot to putting Shaq on the free throw line is slightly flawed. Mason’s trade as an NBA player is that he is a shooter. When you need a 3, you go to one of your shooters. Shaq is not considered a free throw shooter,
March 9th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Guys, let’s not let “emotions” run the day.
It was a great play, Mason got an open look, is a career 39% 3 pt. shooter, didn’t hesitate on the shot, it looked good …..it just didn’t go down. It’s not always gonna be a happy ending.
Also, you can’t compare Ginobli to Mason. Ginobli is a “scorer”, a great passer, and can impact a game in so many ways. On the other hand, Mason is a SHOOTER, and you can NEVER lack confidence as a shooter, or you’re done in this league. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter if Mason was o-8 or 0-15, he takes that shot in that situation. And I can tell you right now, Pop was not upset that Mason didn’t kick the ball to Hill in the corner. He just wished the shot went in.
Mason is in a funk, and he needs to shoot his way out of it. That’s what “shooters” do. Let’s just hope it happens soon, or our season is in trouble. We NEED his scoring in the absence of Parker. Can’t rely on Manu cranking up 38 a night.
March 9th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Mason’s clutch shots came in games where he had his stroke going. During the Cavs game, his shot was off all night. He isn’t an All-Star that can just turn it on and save us. He was a roleplayer having a bad night.
Real bad call giving him the ball. I would have rather had Manu or Hill take that shot.
Btw Spurs ran this play for Michael Finley in the final game of last season.
March 9th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Fantastic play. Just goes to show that all the guys round here screaming Sack Pop need to understand just how far away they are from understanding what it takes to coach in this league.
I’m very happy with RMJ taking that final shot. He has a solid track record for us in filling it up on the last play.
March 9th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
As I already said about the final play in the latest article about Bonner, I absolutely can’t understand why the hell Pop didn’t give Manu the final shot and I am sure Manu wasn’t pleased!!!
There is not rational explanation to giving a guy who has been ice cold all night (and for most of the season) a shot to decide a game over somebody who has been hot in a game from the first minute on. I could tell from the way Manu’s shots were falling (nothing but net) that he was hotter than hot.
Mason hasn’t been the same guy as last season. Maybe it’s partially Pop’s fault because RMJ was great as a starter for SA but as a reserve he mostly sucked!!! But Pop for some reason gave Bogans the starting job wayy to many times.
Frustrating as hell to loose this game!!!!!!! If Manu would have missed, it wouldn’t have been as hard, but RMJ was cooold god damn it!! 0-7 from 3, isn’t that enough to see that a guy just has a bad day????
March 9th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
OK alright I understand that RMJ is a great career 3pt shooter, but he just couldn’t sink a shot last night.
He won a few games for us last season but hey, he hasn’t been playing as well this season, has he?
I can only repeat that Manu had a great game from his first shot on and I don’t care if someone says that it would have been too predictable if he had gotten the final shot because of his “hotness” during the whole game!!! RMJ just had a horrible night and I can not agree with Pop’s decision-not this time!
Anyway…we could/should have won the game and this last second actions should never have taken place…
March 9th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
It should’ve never even gotten to that point. The Spurs should’ve won this game, but they went through that sputter with the Cavs secondary players of exchanging ‘clanks’ during the 4th period. But, rmj’s a solid shooter and in most cases he probably would’ve nailed that 3.
But, it’s nothing to hold our heads down about. There’s a reason why the Cavs sport the best record in the league.
March 9th, 2010 at 3:00 pm
One of the reasons Pop drew the sequence up for RMJ and not Manu is because the Cavs coverage on Manu for the last play was always going to be tighter than a nuns nasty….
Watch the replay Manu is priority #1 for the cavs D.
In addition, who the hell else on the team is going to make that bounce pass? If it’s not Manu facilitating it, then who? That pass is absolutely stunning, for me that pass and Timmy’s screens are the stellar moments on that play and it’s quintessential spurs ball. Making the most out of the players various talents.
We got an open look from 3 from RMJ to win the game, if you had of asked me at the start of the night if that was a good look i’d have given it the green light, as I suspect many of you would have also.
March 9th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
great play. tim duncan’s pick was excellent. just didn’t go down.
i wouldn’t pull the plug on us completely after this loss, but we still aren’t winning a championship
March 9th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
Bushka- really? No one here can comprehend the logic that came behind that play?
Good play yes.
Best play that has ever been created by a human being, probably not.
Pop cant get his squad to play tough basketball. You should be more concerned with that, than one well drawn play.
March 9th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I’m concerned with the fact that in all these rants against the coach calling for his removal, the basic thread seems to be that your player choice is not his player choice, that he can’t get them to “play hard” or that he isn’t bringing out the intangibles.
The actual “Coaching” part gets completely overlooked, but is surprisingly my main ingredient when choosing to support the regime.
I never said it was the best play created by a human, is that a direct quote?
I also don’t agree with Pop not being able to get his squad to play tough basketball.
He can’t get RJ to play tough basketball. Huge difference.
So by your rationale, It’s not to Pops credit that Manu, Tim, George or anyone else plays hard, but it is to his detriment that RJ doesn’t.
Amazing.
March 9th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
“tighter than a nuns nasty” LOL
March 9th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Great call on Manu’s clutchness.
A lot of players think that being clutch means pulling up for jump shots at the end of a game.
Manu will do anything to help his team win, and has the combination of skill, court sense, and athelticism to make all kinds of huge plays. Not to name names, but could anyone see Kobe or LeBron doing a full extension lay-out to save a loose ball?
March 9th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
The play was great in fact, RMJ got a wide open look! I am not questioning the play Pop drew up, I am just not OK with his choice to give RMJ the try. I wanted Manu to take it because he had such a great game.
I would start RMJ from now on to get him going because he is a better starter than bench player, and we all know what he can do. And I would like to see Hairston start as well, he deserves to get more quality time!
March 9th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Don’t bet on small sample sizes. Seven shots are a small sample size. If Mason shouldn’t have taken the shot, then Mason shouldn’t have been on the floor. Complain about bad shots taken, not missed open shots in the shooter’s range.
March 9th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
I’ve said this before, but I don’t know why RJ continues to play. Just because we pay him too much money doesn’t mean he’s good or that he has to play. I’m pretty confident that Hairston would give us a lot more hustle, possibly better D, and yes, maybe even 3 whole points against the Cavs. RJ does nothing to make this team better. I think we should give someone else a chance.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
i haven’t read it yet.
it seems to me that pop was calling out rmj, put up or shut up. rmj did not put up, so now he can shut up.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
RBG-
Kobe and Lebron don’t now, but they both used to lay out for loose balls all the time in college.
I think the play call was a good one. It would have been nice to see the dish to Hill, as hard as the defender committed to Mason. Can’t fault him for taking, by NBA standards, an open look though. I would have liked to see Gino covering the other side of the basket after that pass or Duncan breaking for the basket immediately after the second pick. A board there could have given Hill time for one more look.
Manu was going to be locked down by their defense on this play. Pop drew it up so we’d get two shooters against one defender by using Manu to take the attention of multiple defenders. Don’t accuse Pop of disregarding Manu’s hot hand; it was the key component of the play.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
Ivander
March 9th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
So you liked the play, but wanted Manu to shoot. O.K., so who on the Spurs on that play could have made the pass that led RMJ perfectly for an open look?
Answer: Nobody.
RMJ was the right guy to take that shot. You need to try and understand that the “hotness” of the shooter in that situation is not the DETERMINING factor when a coach draws up the play. Pop had to take a lot of things into account, and he made the right call. It just didn’t go in. Get over it.
Drom John
March 9th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Good point.
TradeTP
March 9th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
“Pop cant get his squad to play tough basketball.”
Hate to clue you in, but a coach is not ultimately (not anywhere near most) responsible for how hard & “tough” a player plays. Player’s are not programmable robots, which of course, would make it easy for a coach to “get a player to do anything they want”. Pop has never had problems motivating the various teams that he’s coached over the past 14 years (to the extent any coach is capable). He would not have won 4 titles without some ability in this regard.
That said, the best teams are when the great majority of their starters & rotation players have a significant amount of “intrinsic” motivation (gained while growing up) to succeed, as human beings, and as players (of course talent is a necessary ingredient as well). That’s one of the reasons the Spurs organization does the best they can to vet a player’s “character”.
While all players need a good all-around coach to succeed as a team, “winning” players (that have a good work ethic & sense of pride) certainly don’t need a coach, or anybody else, holding their hands, or playing the role of guru to get them to “play tough”.
March 9th, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Ivander-
there is no way Manu is going to be open. Not a play in the world that could have gotten him a clean look, and with Crawford and company officiating, he’s not going to get a foul call either.
The comments about RJ:
he’s played much harder the past few weeks. He didnt shoot much last night, but he pulled 9 boards and played decent D. He’s definitely not worth 14 mil a year, but we didnt sign him to that contract. I’d say relative market value on him now is between 5 and 7 mil. He’s a role player, nothing more. Our expectations for him need to be lowered from what they were at the beginning of the season.
March 9th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Has anyone noticed that T Ratliff is starting for the Bobcats, but could not get 2 minutes of playing time with Pop?
March 9th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
next year im telling you… what are the best addition made so far ? Hill talent and Blair Intelligence…
sell mcdyess and jefferson
and go find someone TALL really TALL
March 9th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Jim Henderson
Word. Players play, coaches coach. Period. If RJ actually decided to show up and TD had at least a mediocre game (by his standards, last night was sub-par)——is there any disagreement that it wouldn’t have come down to the last shot?
Evidently, the hyper-critical Pop haters have an internet connection which allows them to see everything that’s wrong and they know how to fix it.
March 9th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Mason Jr. isn’t the only player who can hit 3pointers. As far as players on our team go, when I see him take an open three, I always know it has a very good chance of going in.
Just not that night.
We have other shooters. I don’t see why we couldn’t have set up a play for Hill or Bonner.
March 9th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
re: passingto the open Hill in the corner- time was running out. if Mason looks for an open guy he also has to check the clock and then may not leave enough time to get his own shot off if deciding there wasn’t enough time to pass.
With the clock winding down, it is hard to fault Mason for taking the shot. He’s a pro, he’s wide open, the clock is winding down, he took the shot, he missed.
If you want to talk about why the Spur’s lost, talk about why they blew a 4 point lead late in the 4th quarter so as to leave them in the position of needing a buzzer beater three-pointer just to tie the game.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Jim Henderson- Who selects the players to play? Who has the ability to take said players out if they arent playing up to standard? Who selects the players on our team? Who is supposed to adjust during game? Who implements a system?
Im sure you will say that POP picked the good ones, yet has no pull when it comes to the poor ones. And the players are the ones responsible. But if you have 5 Matt Bonners are you really going to play a fast break game? You cant just beat a system into a player. You have to get players to believe/fit in the system. Since a majority of the players obviously dont thrive in the system why do we keep forcing them to?
The interesting part is there are actually people on this board that blame only the players for the loss. When they are playing poorly why are we playing them?
Colin- I dont have 4 rings, but I would insist that almost anyone on here could win at least two with our squads since 99, I do have a way to fix what is broken. Its simple. Dont keep doing the same things and expect a different result.
—-
My thoughts.
Put McDyess on the bench until Blair or Ian both foul out. He doesnt rebound or defend, and he ONLY shoots 12 footers.
Play Ian. All the time. Doesnt matter if he’s good or not. Not worse than Antonio. He’s young. And it will finally let us know what we have. We arent good enough to win a series this year, so we need to start thinking about how to rebuild the system.
Play Malik only when we need some spark. The dude cant dribble and is slow/horrid on D. But man he can get up. I dont see how that is possible. Dont let him touch the ball. Just throw oops to him.
Starters:
Hill, Manu, Tim, Ian, Mason
Bench:
Blair, Bogans, anyone with spurs jersey in crowd, Malik
Crying on sideline (just like Cleveland game):
Bonner and Jefferson
Rest Home:
McDyess.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
Trade TP
Like I’ve already said…..we’ll agree to disagree. Glad to know your internet connection is working. I won’t pretend to say that I can coach the team to 2 championships.
March 9th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
Uhhh……anyone with a Spurs jersey? I’d take Bonner and Jefferson over them bro.
March 9th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
I’m not really sure why RMJ was so pissed that he was demanding to be traded due to lack of playing time. His performance this year has been super streaky at best. In February and March, he has shot 23% from 3pt range and shot 27% from the field. This is over the course of the last 15 games. RMJ, at this point, has very little value if he can’t make his jumpers and I too would have to question why a play would be drawn up for him with 10 seconds in a game (if indeed it was intended for him).
Forgive the rant, but this team is a disaster. No Lebron or Shaq and Jamison plays only 21 minutes. Result: the Spurs lose. RMJ has had a subpar year, RJ has been a waste of skin, Tony has been injured all year, and the defense (according to Pop) is “anchored” by someone who has been with 6 different teams in 6 years. In the 15 years I have been a Spurs fan, this year, as a whole, has been the most disappointing. I really do hope they make some serious moves this offseason. It is tough watching a once dominant team lose to this many good, decent, and even bad organizations.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:09 am
Ian is not the answer. He can’t get solid play time with the French National team for a reason. Ronny Turiaf manages to soak up minutes np though.
Ian starting is nuts.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:15 am
Seriously why are people slitting their wrists over this stuff?
Try being a clippers fan. Good lord we’ve lost to sub par teams forever even in championship years. Milaukee OWNS us…
Theres lots to be positive about.
March 10th, 2010 at 5:58 am
The play that Pop drew up was the right one, Mason was open for the shot. He simply missed it. Passing to Hill in the corner is a mistake because you can’t pass up an open shot when you’re on the court. If he does that, then he needs to be benched. It’s too bad the Manu, Blair, RJ combo off the bench was broken up, they were starting to play very well together. I would have rather seen Mason start with Hill moving to point. That said, Pop is the coach for a reason and I’ll continue to support him as a fan. Go Spurs Go!!
March 10th, 2010 at 5:59 am
P.S. - Ian is definitely not, repeat NOT, the answer. He may be some day, but definitely not today.
March 10th, 2010 at 6:05 am
@Bushka, You’re right. I had a chance to watch Ian up close in Cleveland and he’s too raw, although I do think the Spurs mismanaged his development a little. It’s a quibble, but he deserved steady early season minutes. He’s a couple bad mistakes away from the end of the rotation, but so are a lot of players. His raw ability is impressive, but, as one example, he does a very poor job at setting screens. That’s a basic skill, required of any and all Spurs big men. On a related note: I spoke at length with Malik Hairston about his development, and was teased by Matt Bonner in the process. In my conversation with Malik, I suggested that he was a reliable corner three and slightly more consistent defense away from a spot in the rotation. Bonner chided, from the neighboring locker, “Wow, he’s given you your own scouting report.” But then they both conceded that my assessment was accurate, and the same thing Hairston is hearing from the coaches. That, and they have him working on his pick and roll recognition. But Malik sounded determined to emerge from this summer’s workout schedule a solid rotation player. He and Chip came out early from halftime in Cleveland and were talking shot for about 5-10 minutes before other Spurs emerged.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:24 am
@Ron — you ALWAYS pass up an open shot if a higher percentage open shot is available. The corner 3 is higher percentage than the deep 3 and Mase should have made the pass.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:31 am
Good play drawn up. Pop can draw up some nice plays in crunch time.
March 10th, 2010 at 8:37 am
@TradeTP - trading Tony is a bad idea but starting Ian is an idea so far beyond bad it makes it impossible for anyone to take you seriously.
March 10th, 2010 at 9:12 am
Fellas…
Wow, the site is really heating up well…Lots of insight…Congrats to the “48″….
I read a lot of posts on who should or shouldnt have taken that last shot..etc…
What difference does it really make?
We lost against a Cavs team that was without Lebron, Shaq, Jamison, and others.
That should be tghe topic of discussion, not the last shot.
Shouldnt have come to last shot…Actaully, should have been a relatively easy win…
But again, Coach HOF ruled the day. Playing his all pro defensive stopper, Kieth “The Glove” Bogans.
Im not buying the excuses. Sooner or later it comes down to choices. This coach makes his choices and everyone just lives with them, whether good or bad.
Personally, I think that Pops decision making, which is clearly costing this team wins, has been extremely questionable.
Bottom line is that Bogans is not a defensive stopper. He couldnt even slow down Delonte West. Thank the heavens that he didnt have to guard Lebron. We would have been blown out of the gym.
As for drawing up the last shot for a guy that was 0-7 on the night….There is no excuse.
However, none of us has to criticize this coach any more…He is doing all he can each game to demonstrate that point for us, on his own…..
Ginnobli was in a great rythym, he was involved in practically every play…He was hot….Coach HOF decides to take him out of the game……and then he decides to go away from him for the last shot. Brilliant!
But, Im sure that there are a mountain of excuses for that ill advised move…
As always!
March 10th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
King of the arm-chair coaches speaks again!
March 10th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
@doggyworld - totally disagree with a player passing on a good open shot. A good shot is one that the player can make. When open he is obligated to take it. That’s why the player is in that position to take that shot. Are there exceptions, of course. But passing one three for another doesn’t make sense if the player with the decision is open. The corner three is, what?, 18″ closer. That three is easily in RM’s range and the team drew up the play for him. By the way, did you even see GH’s three point attempt a few possesions earlier? I like GH a lot, but he showed a serious case of nervousness with his earlier shot. I realize RM was 0-for but he had a good look and took a good shot that missed. You gotta live with that. BTW I agree with other posts that said we shouldn’t have been there in the first place. We should’ve been able to retain the lead and close out the game without the last second heroics being necessary. And that is the story of the Spurs season. We just can’t execute this year.
March 11th, 2010 at 12:32 am
Tim,
I’m …. so jealous I could spit
What a great thing to be doing. Seeing the reality of a team that you love to support up close.
What an amazing thing.
I’m stuck in Australia so I’ve never seen an NBA game live. I’m on a 7 year programme to eventually get there for my 10th wedding anniversary.
See two spurs games and a PGA Major lol.
March 11th, 2010 at 8:14 pm
Tim,
The play was great no doubt. At that point, the Cavs are probably thinking that Manu will take the shot.
Great play, but on woeful shooting night Hill could have been a better option.
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