San Antonio Spurs 102, Los Phoenix Suns 110: Reversing the curse by reversing roles
In Game 2 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Freaky Friday turned Wacky Wednesday and the star-crossed Phoenix Suns have suddenly become the soul swapping Los Phoenix Suns.
As stated in the series preview, the San Antonio Spurs and Los Phoenix Suns remain stylistically opposed but no longer occupy complete opposite ends of the spectrum.
Los Phoenix Suns’ strengths now overlap the Spurs on several key factors while still retaining their unique strengths, leaving Tim Duncan and company in an 0-2 hole following their 102-110 defeat.
During each of their championship runs the Spurs could be counted on to do several things. They were going to close out quarters, sharpen their defense in the waning moments of the game, clean the glass, and perhaps most sorely missed, their role players were going to stick big shots–usually three-pointers–in big moments.
Slowly the tides have turned, tonight it started with the bench and ended with Steve Nash. Yes, Los Phoenix Suns have a bench. It would take an advanced statistician like Wayne Winston to find a secret weapon out of an eight point, three rebound average, but Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley has been exactly that.
There was nothing especially skilled or impressive about the manner in which Dudley impacted the game, other than the production. Once a throw-in in the deal that brought Jason Richardson from the Charlotte Bobcats, Dudley brought Los Suns back through simple sheer force of will, hitting the offensive glass for his eight first half points–followed by a key three-pointer in the second half. It was the sort of  blue collar performance normally associated with the San Antonio Spurs.
Paired with Channing Frye, the two offered the familiar combination of undersized rebounding and front court floor spacer the San Antonio Spurs once enjoyed with Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair.
Disturbingly, what had been a season long advantage for the San Antonio Spurs, the bench production sans Tony Parker has evaporated quicker than water in the desert heat.
San Antonio’s newfound flaw was perhaps best summed up by TNT’s Marv Albert.
“You talk about trusting your bench,” Albert said. “Both coaches want to, only Alvin Gentry has had a reason to.”
DeJuan Blair and Matt Bonner combined for four points (all Blair) and five rebounds. Game 2 offered a textbook example of the value a player with Matt Bonner’s skill set, unfortunately for the Spurs it was Channing Frye providing the lesson (15 points, 5-6 from the three-point line).
After the Spurs series opening loss to the Dallas Mavericks, head coach Gregg Popovich’s adjustments were just a matter of regressing to the mean. Through two games, Los Suns have done little outside of their capabilities to suggest that their lead is a fluke, nor was it simply a bad night for the San Antonio Spurs. Instead the games have been the product of recent trends.
Adjustments must be made. That might mean starting Tony Parker so that Manu Ginobili can revitalize Blair, Bonner and the rest of the San Antonio Spurs’ bench. It definitely means finding a way to rebound, after getting beat on the boards, losing that battle again after it helped them lose Game 1.
Finding anyone who can hit a three-pointer and provide spacing would help also.
But mostly it’s about getting back to the San Antonio Spurs blueprint. Los Phoenix Suns may have borrowed from it  a little while in Phoenix, and as the series changes venues to the AT&T Center it remains to be seen whether the Suns can emulate their long-time nemesis on the road.
I’m no expert but the one thing I said is if the SPURS leave FRYE wide open then they are going to be in trouble.
There is no excuse to leave him open. his 15 points were the difference. It was disgusting to watch. He doesn’t even move around. He just stands there. How can you not gaurd a guy who just stands there??
The SPURS did more than enought to win tonight.
In total I think they got 9 3′s all pretty much wide open.
They were able to stop the MAVS wide open 3′s WHy is the SUNS so different??
I don’t know if it’s POP’s fault or the players. There was one play were BONNER was guarding FRYE. HE WASN”T EVEN LOOKING AT HIM. He was following the ball. WHAT THE HELL IS BONNER GONNA DO by FOLLOWING THE BALL??
SPURS do all that work and then they give up wide open 3′s?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Stay with FRYE. LIke I said I’m no expert. But do you really need an expert to know that?
It thought it was kevin harlan, not marv albert. Good article regardless.
SPURS DEFENCE STOP THE THREE – FRYE, & JASON RICHARDSON + DO NOT FORGET DANYLE.
A MUST WIN GAME THREE – FOCUS FOCUS – DO NOT LOSS CONFIDENCE – (BEST OF 7) I BELIEVE IN MY TEAM SPURS
From a comment I made on the previous thread, at half-time of game 2: A follow-up:
Jim Henderson
May 5th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
If we don’t make second-half adjustments to take care of the following problems, we’re asking for trouble.
Tied at half when Suns shoot 35% FG?!!
SUNS SHOT 49% in the 2nd half, which is at their season’s average, and 14% better than they did in the 1st half.
Out-rebounded 13-5 0n the offensive glass?!
SUNS CONTINUED TO HOLD A HUGE OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING ADVANTAGE IN THE 2nd HALF: 18 – 7 for the game. Just one player (Blair) other than TD had an offensive rebound for our entire team! The SUNS BENCH had 2 more offensive rebounds than our entire team. EMBARRASSING performance!
Shoot 1 of 7 from three?!
NOT COUNTING DUNCAN’S unusual & meaningless three near the end of the game, we shoot 6 for 17 from three for the game, 35%. Unfortunately, by the time we started making any, the Suns were torching us at the other end, off second chance opportunities.
Send Suns to the line 18 times?!
THE SUNS WENT TO THE LINE 37 times for the game, nailing 29 of them, a +14 over us. Blame it on the refs all you want; I call it “playing more aggressive offensivelyâ€.
Bogans & Bonner 0-2, ZERO points, 5 fouls in 15 minutes combined?!
THIS DYNAMIC DUO ended up the game 0-4 shooting, ZERO points, 3 rebounds, 5 fouls in 20 minutes.
Blair, 2-2, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 foul, in FOUR MINUTES?!
WHY IS HE NOT PLAYING MORE?! YOU “CAN†PLAY HIM “WITH†DUNCAN, Pop!
BLAIR ENDS UP 2-3 shooting, 4 points, 2 rebounds, THREE steals, 3 fouls in EIGHT MINUTES. We should have put him on Amare (if Collins wasn’t in), tell him NOT to foul, give him some help defense (Amare’s not a good passer), and let Blair roll in the paint to the rim on the offensive end, getting their whole front line in foul trouble, and ask him to REBOUND the ball like we all know he can. But no, instead, let’s just play him 4 minutes per half, and try to beat the Suns with our perimeter shooting! I know, I’m not a coach; but in this case, it just seems like common sense to me. Blair should get 20 minutes a game in this series, not eight!
Full disclosure – I am a Phoenix Suns fan. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I would like to present what I believe is the most significant takeaway from Game 2. It looks like Popovich has decided to ride his horses to try and negate the advantage of Phoenix’s bench. However, this may backfire as the series goes on. Today, Duncan played 39, Ginobili played 40, and Parker played 36. I’m thinking that at least 2 of the big 3 may start to wear down as this series goes on. Take that for what it’s worth.
The spurs might actually need to change their starting lineup.
Duncan looked like he was tired during the 4th quarter. That’s not a good sign for the spurs.
The only idea I have to stop the suns is to just have Parker drive every play and make Stoudimire shoot jump shots instead of trying to trap nash. If they try the pick n roll. Try to have Duncan zone in the paint and just try to have nash go one on one with parker or hill and if he kicks out, STAT has to either try to drive or shoot. I don’t know how this would work if they tried but they can’t try to double Nash anymore.
Btw I didn’t get to see the game but its just a thought. I was celebrating cinco de mayo.
Thought that the Suns were more aggressive in a lot of areas, getting to loose balls and rebounds with more urgency.
Seemed like the Spurs role players were more tentative because they were so mindful of covering all of the Phoenix weapons, instead of just playing hard and loose.
Two tough loses, but I could honestly see San Antonio winning three in a row.
It reminds me of when the SPURS played the HORNETS in 08. They went down 0-2 and came back.
I have no doubt they’ll win Game 3. They should win on Home energy alone.
It’s cool. SUNS just held serve…………………………………………….whatever.
Our biggest problems with the Suns thus far are TEMPO & REBOUNDING. If we don’t take care of these two issues in the next two games, we’re done. I think we can do it, but Pop’s coaching is going to be critical here, because let’s face it, we don’t have the most talented team, from top to bottom. We’ve got guys that USED TO shoot (Mason); guys that apparently can only shoot during the regular season (i.e., Bonner – I was giving him the benefit of the doubt after his poor shooting in his first playoff last year, in which he got significant minutes – but no longer); or guys that are too young, and seem to have problems with their shot on the road (Hill); or guys that have struggled with their confidence during the year, and can’t seem to hit “big” shots for us in the playoffs (RJ).
Their are, however, a few things Pop can do:
(1) SLOW the freaking game down! Use the ENTIRE shot clock, and then attack the rim.
(2) Stress BALL CONTROL! Keep to single digits in turnovers. CRASH the OFFENSIVE & DEFENSIVE GLASS. Make every possession count, on both ends of the ball.
(3) Perimeter players must STAY ON the three-point shooters. Put RJ on Frye, and have Manu (or anybody in transition) stay glued to JRich around the arc.
(4) KEEP MASON OUT OF THE GAME. We don’t need anymore brick throwers or phantom defenders.
(5) Bonner plays SIX minutes. If he doesn’t take at least TWO threes, and make ONE of them, he sits until the second half. Maybe we’ll have to give him one more 6 minute stint in the 2nd half. However, without production again, he’s out. THAT’S IT. It’s put up or shut up time. And his potential re-signing for next year should depend on him coming through. This kind of shooting from him, when it counts the most, just ain’t gonna to cut it!
(6) Blair needs to be the SEVENTH MAN in this series! I don’t care that it’s a critical game three, and I know Amare’s a tough cover (when Collins is out) for the 21 year old, but Blair’s a man now. Give him the confidence & support, and see what he does. Look at how the 21 year old’s in OKC responded to the bright lights of the playoffs. Very well, than you very much, and Blair can make a difference also. And the fact is, we apparently NEED HIM IN THE PAINT to knock the Jared Dudley’s of the world on their ASS! If we lose the boards again in game three, we’re SCREWED!!! Blair is one of the top rebounders per minute in the league. WE NEED HIM NOW!
(7) Last, but not least: PLAYERS, please step up and FOLLOW THE GAME PLAN. PLAY SMART, AGGRESSIVE, & CONFIDENT. AND LEAVE IT ALL ON THE FLOOR! Thank you.
Well, Pop, there’s some advice from an armchair coach. Take it for whatever it’s worth, and I wish the team the best on Friday. We’re not out of it yet!
The Spurs played well enough to win. But, Joey Crawford, the ref suspended for wanting to fight Tim Duncan, made sure the Spurs would not win. Duncan was in foul trouble. It was a 2 pt game entering the 4th qtr. The Spurs were outscored by 12 pts from the FT line at that point and by 14 pts for the game.
The Spurs 1st 3 fouls of the 4th qtr were playing defense against post ups. The Spurs got called for 3 illegal screens in the game.
The Spurs out shot the Suns 50% to 42%, Spurs out assisted them 28 to 19, Spurs had fewer turnovers 12 to 14, Spurs had more fastbreak pts 13 to 8, Spurs had the same amount of pts in the paint 38 to 38.
The main reason the Spurs lost was Joey Crawford.
The Spurs can do better on the defensive glass, have Bonner make a 3 pt shot, but other than that improved play is limited. Hope Frye doesn’t go 5 for 6 from 3 on the road?
@Jim Henderson
Nicely written. I hope POP actually reads it.
That’s pretty much what they have to do. BLAIR was supposed to clean up in this series. HE needs more minutes. They have way too many second chances.
Staying with FRYE and JRICH is key. Every time when they do shoot with a hand in there face they miss or don’t shoot. The sad thing is the players know this. TP even mentioned it in the pre-halftime interview. But they are not doing it??? IT boggles the mind. You def can’t blame POP for that. Or maybe you can?
I know the SPURS 3 point shooting stinks this year but you can’t really blame these two losses on that. Even though they shot a bad percentage they still made 6 of them. 6 is enough to win.
I think you just have to roll the DICE on BONNER and leave him in there. He is only manages about two shots then they yank him. That’s a lot of pressure on him. He’s basically our only 3 point shooter. He may miss his first shots but maybe he can make the next two after that. I know they go right at him on the other end. But AMARE isn’t going to shoot 100% Plus you’re giving up two points not three.
I think the pressure is still on the SUNS, NASH said he was nervous before game 2. SPURS just gave them hope in both games.
By post up fouls, I meant off the ball fouls, 3 consecutive Spurs fouls on Suns players that did not have the ball to start the 4th qtr.
From the main post:
“Paired with Channing Frye, the two offered the familiar combination of undersized rebounding and front court floor spacer the San Antonio Spurs once enjoyed with Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair.”
Look, don’t act like Blair isn’t producing. He didn’t get 28 & 26 minutes like Dudley & Frye, respectively. No, he got FOUR measly minutes in each half tonight, despite the fact that in Blair’s first 8 playoff games, he’s averaged 4 points & 4 rebounds in just 9 minutes per game, and is shooting 50% in FG’s. That translates to 36 mpg. avgs. of 16 points & 16 rebounds. The fact is, Blair needs some REAL minutes to be an impact player off the bench. And you can put that one on Pop, not on Blair!
Now Bonner, that’s a different story. His shooting has disappeared in the playoffs, again, despite getting 15+ minutes per game. Based on his performance, he should get less minutes. I don’t care what he did for me in the regular season. It’s what can you do for me today. And the answer is, not much. You see, Bonner is essentially a one-dimensional player; he’s a three point shooting specialist. And that’s a problem when you shoot TWENTY PERCENT from three in his eight playoff games this year. That just ain’t gonna cut it.
How anyone could not come to the conclusion that Blair should be playing more, and Bonner less, is beyond me. You want a player adjustment? There you have it.
Spurs should have attacked Frye in the 4th quarter when he is covering Duncan, Spurs did it too late after Frye hit two threes and the damage done.
junierizzle
May 6th, 2010 at 12:33 am
“I think you just have to roll the DICE on BONNER and leave him in there.”
Can’t do it. Produce, or sit your ass on the pine. Sure there’s pressure. That’s the NBA. Deal with it, or don’t play. If Bonner’s going to shoot like that, we don’t need him. We have other guys that can shoot. Hell, even TP stepped up and hit TWO out of TWO three pointers tonight. That’s what you do when you’re a true competitor. We also have Hill, who shoots the three better at home. We have Manu, who needs to get hot from the arc in a big game. Hell, I’d just as soon have Bogans or Temple get a shot at the three over Bonner at this point. At least their confidence beyond the arc hasn’t really had a chance to be too shaky, yet. And as I said, give Bonner one more shot at it: hit at least one out of two threes in your first 6 minutes on the floor in game three, or take a seat and let someone else who’s not afraid of the moment take a shot at it. That sounds reasonable to me.
lvmainman
May 6th, 2010 at 12:29 am
I understand your point, but I for one am not going to let a ref with a bug up his ass dictate to me whether I’m going to win a playoff game or not. We just have to overcome ANY adversity we’re dealt. NO EXCUSES CAN BE ALLOWED!
Seriously?? You guys cannot be talking about ref calls and shooting percentages!!!!
You got beat, again, by a team that is now better than yours. It’s time to admit that the Suns are deeper and better than you!
Jared Dudley made a huge difference in the first half when you were trying to extend a lead, and Channing Frye definitely showed that he’s so much better than anyone the Spurs have to offer that it’s not even funny.
Good night peeps, it’s been a nice (and super boring) ride, but it’s over…….
All told, Suns executed well in the 4th quarter when the game was decided. Played terrific defense too.
Whereas the Spurs couldn’t decide which way to go on both ends. In one sequence when the Suns went small ball, the Spurs tried to lob the ball to Duncan who was being fronted and had a help defender behind him to boot. Spurs wasted several seconds trying to lob a pass that wasn’t there, instead of just swinging the ball to the other side where Ginobili was free. I think the Spurs turned the ball over or were forced to make a tough shot in that possession. In the defensive end, the Suns tried to capitalize on Hill’s quickness over Duncan — and there was nobody to help Duncan unlike what the Suns did on the other end. Hill scored.
Later in the closing minutes (4-5 minutes, I guess), Spurs couldn’t quite make their minds up whether to stay close to the shooters or provide help inside. Suns exploited this defensive limbo, scoring either in the 3 point area or by feeding Stoudemire inside.
Who would have thought that we can’t find a three point shooter?
This has been our modus operandi…this is our Ace in the hole…our mission statement to the league…
We have been the guys that have have had bench gunners galore, and now suddenly a huge black hole has opened up under the 3PTM column on NBA.com and its sucked all the goodness out of our offence.
If our bench makes shots, we win these last two games.
Hats off to the suns, and especially Nash, it’s like he finally got some gritty bastards to go with his brilliance.
I’d love to see the Spurs buckle down, if any team can pull it in and get hard and p****d off it’s this team. Can’t wait for the next game
I think Jim Henderson has raised a legitimate question that hasn’t been answered yet: Why doesn’t Blair receive more playing time, considering how productive he is in the minutes he receives, and the lack of production of some of our other rotation players?
Their roles players are playing better than ours, plain and simple. Manu and Tony need to be more agressive and attack the rim and put them under like game 6 against the Mavs. I doubt their roles players continure to play as well on the road. My only hope is to get this to a game 7, in that situation a team that relies on Dudley, Frye, Dragic and Amundson will fold under that type of pressure.
We ain’t winning a game that bogan see so much valuable minutes, sorry
We have no bench beyond TP.
Well, I guess the truth comes out in the playoffs afterall…
Pop got bitch slapped all over the court by the Suns coach in this game.
Personnel decisions and rotations that dont even make sense to the casual observer.
Pop has been doing the same crap all year long. Playing guys that are flat out horrible, as usual.
Well, here is the bottom line….
Pop better wake up and wake up now. Been posting this crap all season. WE CANNOT WIN WITH BONNER, BOGANS, AND MASON, PERIOD POP! FIGURE THIS SHIT OUT MAN!
Temple, Blair, Hairston, Mahinmi…Yes, they are young and inexperienced. They absolutely must be in the rotation. Maybe not Ian, but Temple and Hairston must replace Bogans and Mason.
Bonner is killing us. Literally Killing us.
Parker must start and Mcdyess must play more minutes. Blair playing over Bonner entitles POP to an ass whipping.
Somebody send this coach a memo, before we get swept by a team that we could have easily beaten.
Im sick of this guy!
Ballhog- MCd sucks, hes old and slow and does everything that the suns want our bigs to do: unable to switch on picks/not attack the rim.
THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE their Cs and PFs getting OREBS AND NAILING THREES.
WE NEED HUSTLE/ATHELETIC PLAYS = BLAIR IAN
Why cant you people figure this out?
@TradeTP
I would play Mcdyess at 74 years old with a walker and an oxygen tank before I would play Bonner.
Yes, Spurs have some folks that truly SUCK, but Mcdyess is just not one of them.
But, please enlighten all of us clueless Spur fans with your infinate wisdom.
Should we start Bonner at the 5 einstein? Should we put Mason on Richardson?
Please advise…We are lost without you!
Dear Bob Hill,
I’ve always wondered what happened to you. By the way, why did you choose the name Ballhog as a handle for a fan site for your former employer? It’s cute that you still follow Pop and the team but all the sour grapes are a bit sad.
Not sure why we gave up on Duncan in the paint. Seemed that was our key to a decent first half.
Bonner and Mason are both master-masons this post-season. Laying bricks EVERYWHERE!
Blair and Ian should have Bonner’s minutes. Lets beat up the Suns down low to open up the perimeter. Our current floor spacing is clearly not working as the Suns defense is contesting just about every jump shot.
In all the previous series we beat the Suns, Amare basically blew up, but we held everyone else in check.
I say we don’t leave the 3 pt shooters, and let Amare go for 40pts/20rbs. So be it.
And as a big Blair fan, it would be nice to see him out there more. I thought his defense was pretty good v Amare (had a couple steals) when he fronted him.
I have hope we will get back even, and it will be a big game 5.
As a Suns fan- I am surprised by the 2 wins. You always expect the Spurs to put it in 4th gear around 6-8 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Here is a blue print to beat Suns.
1. Channing Frye is not allowed to shoot at top of 3pt Key.
2. Don’t cover Hill at 3pt line unless it is a corner 3 – and even then he only made 35 the whole year.
3. Start Tony Parker.
4. Manu comes off bench and drives-drives-drives- opening up his 3′s.
5. – Clog the 3pt line and lane (Make all Suns except Nash/Hill make mid-range jumpers)
6. REBOUND, REBOUND, REBOUND
Mcdyess under 20 minutes. Riding the pine with the game on the line.
When he was in the game, he played decent D, rebounded, and even hit some shots.
Why take him out at all? When he went out, we were up by 12. At that point, why did we need Bonner? To spread the floor?
Also, if we cannot match up at times during the game, would’nt a zone defense help in spurts?
Why play Mcdyess big minutes on Dirk during the Dallas series, and think you can cut his minutes and play Bonner in this series against Amare? What is the rationale? WTF!
Also, why is Blair not playing? Why is 8 measly minutes his allocation, when we are getting pounded on the glass?
Also, Ginnobli does not look good at all. He hasnt looked like his normal agressive self since that smack in the nose. Certainly hope Manu is not gassed from his 2 month contract outburst when he torched the league to get that payday in place.
But, this loss was a coaching loss as was game 1. The core players actually played well with the exception of Ginnobli. However, plaers dont control who’s in the game.
If Pop continues to think that a bench of Bonner, Bogans, Mason is going to continue to win, he is mistaken. We all know it.
This is the time, the time that I knew would come, when personnel decisions during the season are biting this team in the buttocks. Hairston inactive? WHAT? Maddness!
We had no bench last night, period. Im just surprized that it took this long for it to be exposed.
Game 3 is the season!
@armchair coaches
Re: Blair
I’m not sure if you guys noticed, but Blair was part of that second unit lineup that gave up all those offensive rebounds. He also gave them up in Dallas. Plus the fouls. He AND Bonner have got to do a better job in the time that they get. Right now the Spurs are getting killed every time Duncan goes to the bench.
I thought that this would be a great series to use Blair, but there’s something I hadn’t considered that might play a part. Blair’s greatest strength is offensive rebounding, but the Spurs greatest concern is transition defense. If the orders are to just get back on defense, it severely stunts Blair’s game. And I’m not sure telling them to crash the offensive glass is the answers, because giving up transition points to Phoenix is asking to get beat.
Sure, Blair can still roll to the paint, but that was more helpful when Bonner was hitting his shots, which is why the two were so successful together according to Winston’s statistics. In a way, Blair needs Bonner to offset his own lack of range. It keeps the floor spaced for his PnR with Manu Ginobili.
Right now the lanes are too clogged for Manu Ginobili to exploit (and look at the numbers, he’s dropped off since the broken nose) and the Spurs could use someone, anyone, besides Ginobili himself to hit a three-pointer.
The key is if they wanna play the attack Duncan with all the smalls game we have to make them pay on the other end he has to destroy Frye when he is on him and make them put another big in the game…Channing Frye and Jared Dudley are not that good to determine if we win or lose this series I refuse to believe that…Pop has to make adjustments and sit the people who aren’t playing well down lets face it the Bonner expierment is over he is not a playoff player and his minutes should go elsewhere anyone at this point would have a bigger impact than him.
@Suns fan soliciting sexual favors
I realize you are trying to rile up the masses and get some heated responses. The lack of them might make this place seem as boring as you envision the Spurs to be. But that’s just how we roll. If you were a Mavericks or Lakers fan, perhaps you would get some more responses. But right now, I think you’re being read as if you were a New Orleans fan from a few years back when the Spurs fell down 0-2 to the Hornets.
The Suns are a deeper team, Frye and Bonner are the same guy, only Frye is still himself and Bonner is now, well, he’s MIA. Better? There are two more wins to happen before that can be said and there are a number of adjustments to be made.
Protecting their home court should be praised, but role players tend to leave their games at home. We’ll see if it continues in San Antonio.
you spurs fans whine and complain as much or more than your team does on the court. must be a sa thing.
@jay thatch
We complanied our way to 4 championships yall get just 1 before you can enter the conversation…losers!!!
The one thing that really concerned me last night was the OPEN 3PT SHOTS. We want to limit Nash and we attempted that by trapping him on ball screens. However, when we are forced to trap and the Suns swing the ball, we’re almost inviting an open 3pt shot (hello Channing Frye). Here’s what I’d propose:
- Switch all ball screens – I mean EVERY BALL SCREEN!
If we then end up with TP guarding Amare or TD on Nash, I still wouldn’t double – make them go 1 on 1 and score the ball.
As a team, Phoenix does a great job of wipping the ball around the perimeter off double teams and traps. You want to do anything you can to prevent that. Switching all ball screens should help dampen the ball movement and thus, prevent open looks from behind the arc. If that means Amare scores 40, or Nash goes for another 33, that’s fine as long as Richardson, Frye, Dudley and the rest of their supporting cast is standing around watching the whole night. Anything we can do to prevent their role players from getting into the flow of the game should benefit the Spurs.
Wow, now even the writer is going to try to tell me that Matt Bonner is as good as Channing Frye?!? There are no words….
Throughout the season, many people on this site were critical of Pop’s love affair with Matt Bonner, particularly as it translated into little or no minutes for guys like Hairston, Haislip and Mahinmi to see what they might bring to the table against certain opponents. Bonner would have a decent shooting game once every 3 or 4 games and some would be praising Pop for sticking with him, never mind that he’d go right back to another 3 or 4 shitty games. It’s remarkable that every coach in the league and every analyst has figured out that Bonner sucks. It’s become laughable. Yet, Pop sticks with him like somehow, someday, he’s going to magically become Brent Barry, Steve Kerr and Robert Horry rolled into one. He looked lost out there last night on both offense and defense. He can’t hit anything that’s contested and he can’t get his shot off quickly, so they’re all contested. He has no clue on defense. I watched him time and again stand around flat footed while the Suns second unit was grabbing offensive rebounds all around him. At least Blair was fighting for them. Pop needs to sit Bonner, Mason, Bogans for the rest of the series. Give the others (Malik, Blair, Ian, Temple) a chance. They certainly can’t do any worse.
And as much as we like to pile on Bonner (and he deserves it with his performance over the last two game), I think we have to be fair and say Blair has been just as bad.
Defensively, he’s fouled too much and given up too many offensive rebounds (as had Bonner). And as good as they showed together in the regular season, I think we need to think about playing Bonner more with TD, and McDyess more with Blair. Obviously this might pose a few matchup problems, but what’s the point of having a good matchup if we still can’t rebound the ball?
As any coach will tell you, defense doesn’t end unitl you secure the defensive rebound…..
There was alot to take in from last nights game to digest. The Spurs rotation to the 3pt shooters was terrible. The Spurs were out hustled to loose balls. The Spurs “sharp shooter, space the floor player” was terrible. I think BallHog knows who I am talking about. Yes Pop got out coached last night. I think he needs to let the young dogs play. No pun intended. I really think Hariston, Mahinmi, Temple and Blair with TP, Manu or Duncan will get some good energy. Pop should trust his leaders on the floor with the young guys, unless they dont trust them and that is why Pop is not giving them minuets. The game was very frustrating. I got so mad that I did something that I do not do. Fourtunatly I only had a napkin in my hand because if I had anything else I to throw at the t.v. my wife would have killed me. Anyway to all you Sun trolls, you will not have a championship team. They may get to the championship round but they will not win. Two games does not make a series or win a championship. Come back and talk to me when you guys win more than 4 rings.
Actually, Ginobili did play when Bonner and Blair were in. Didn’t matter.
Spurs can’t win this series if they are going to trade 2 ptrs for 3′s with the Suns. I think it’s time to roll with Mason and see if he can shoot his way out of the slump. What’s the alternative let T-Rex arms Bonner continue to produce absolutely nothing.
what are the chances the Spurs get swept? I think they are pretty high considering nobody on the Spurs is hitting 3′s or playing perimeter D. Manu is way off his game and the bench is horrendous. Parker, G. Hill, Duncan and Jefferson were the only one’s who played with any effort on the offensive end. RC and Pop need to blow up the team except for Big Three, Jefferson, Hill, Blair and Hiarston. How about getting some shooters that actually shoot the ball and play D? Earlier in the week I made a statement saying Hairston and Temple would get more minutes because that would give the Spurs more “small” players to counter the Suns “small” players. Last night one of the announcers said something to the effect of…” The Suns small rotation is better than the Spurs.” Sure it is if Pop is only going to play Hill/Parker/Ginobili. For some reason I believe that if Temple and Hairston had/get more playing time against the Suns second unit this series would be different. Thoughts?
The most disturbing trend on this game was when Nash and Amare were out, the Spurs were outscored.
The Suns put 5 perimeter players out there and all they did was iso Duncan and hit jumpers over him. I think it was 7 points they got during that time, while we couldn’t hit an open shot so they could quadruple team Duncan, so we had no opportunity to make them pay on that end. I don’t like this.
We can’t shoot 3′s and Phoenix knows it. All they need to do is get a lead because we can’t catch up. Our defense cannot contain as well as needs to be without the advantage of having 3-pt shooting. So, eliminate all 3-pt shooting plays from the team. Get it in to Duncan, or have Manu/Tony drive. The rest will contribute a lot too. We simply cannot contain their offense enough to hold them at under 100, so let’s run them too. It will also take short playing time stints from our non-trustworthy bunch (Mason, Bogans, etc.) to keep fresh legs but I think it’s the way to go. I think we can win at home with our game, but we need that steal in Phoenix to win the series.
Right now is 0-2. One win makes it 1-2. Run the Suns. We beat them at their game a few years back, let’s do it again this year.
Another thing I saw last night was Nash beating up our pg. He was more physical than T.P and G. Hill. Maybe the Spurs should have Bogans guard him hard the first 6 min of each quarter to wear him down. I would rather see Nash get pushed around and go to the free throw line than light up the Spurs with outside shots and drives to the basket. I dont want cheap fouls but I would like to see somebody get physical with him. The
Spurs have not done that and I think that is hurting them.
I agree with Jordan about the
Spurs getting outscored with Nash on the bench. The Spurs need to get physical the next few games.
Suns want it more than the Spurs and they’re playing like it.
END OF STORY.
@Mason
Agreed. There are a lot of problems with our execution, but 2 things I saw last night in the 4th that made me question the mental make-up of this team.
On separate plays, George Hill and RJ didn’t get a call on the offensive end. In both instances, instead of rushing back on D, they stopped to glare at or complain to the officials for a moment before running back. At least in Hill’s case, you might be able to chalk that up to game maturity, but regardless, championship teams don’t make those kinds of mistakes. If we don’t dial in on the game better, we have no chance.
@BayAreaSpursFan
Agreed about the physicality on Nash. We aren’t a dirty team and shouldn’t play like it, but if their best player is nursing back and hip injuries, putting a body on him on every play, including running him through tough screens on our end of the court more often, just makes good basketball sense.
spurscantonguemyahole
May 6th, 2010 at 1:27 am
“You got beat, again, by a team that is now better than yours. It’s time to admit that the Suns are deeper and better than you!”
Hey, I hate to clue you in, but this series is far from over, pal. Oh, I forgot, those Suns fans ….. they love to count their chickens before they hatch….LOL!
Jesse Blanchard
May 6th, 2010 at 6:59 am
“@armchair coaches
Re: Blair
I’m not sure if you guys noticed, but Blair was part of that second unit lineup that gave up all those offensive rebounds. He also gave them up in Dallas. Plus the fouls. He AND Bonner have got to do a better job in the time that they get. Right now the Spurs are getting killed every time Duncan goes to the bench.”
I’ll say it again: YOU CAN’T MEASURE A 21 YEAR OLD ROOKIE’S PRODUCTION ON THE INTANGIBLES (e.g., blocking out) WHEN YOU ONLY PLAY HIM SPORADICALLY FOR JUST TWO MINUTES AT A STRETCH, AFTER HE’S SHOWN THAT HE CAN AVG., BASED ON 36 MPG., 16 PPG. & 16 RPG.! WHAT KIND OF INCENTIVE IS THAT, TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE IMPORTANT DETAILS?!?
“If the orders are to just get back on defense, it severely stunts Blair’s game. And I’m not sure telling them to crash the offensive glass is the answers, because giving up transition points to Phoenix is asking to get beat.”
Somebody’s got to rebound. Agreed?!? You can’t have FOUR guys at half court to slow the Suns transition game, or you’re done! You think transition points is the problem? How about giving up a ton of easy put-backs and second possessions for their three-point shooters?! What do you think an 18-7 offensive rebound DISADVANTAGE is going to give you?! We need to get on the OFFENSIVE glass because we need to SLOW the freaking game down, and maximize as many possessions, and easy put-backs as we can. You slow their transition game down by controlling the offensive glass, using the entire shot-clock on each possession, unless we have a layup, and make sure we have a couple of our best athletic defenders playing safety at all times (e.g., RJ, Hill).
“In a way, Blair needs Bonner to offset his own lack of range. It keeps the floor spaced for his PnR with Manu Ginobili.”
No, Bonner needs Blair (because of his dominance inside & on the boards) to get more open looks, and even then, in this series, Bonner hasn’t even made his open looks! And Blair isn’t utterly dependent on Manu for the pick and roll (I’ve seen Parker do it with him numerous times) Just like we SHOULD NOT BE utterly dependent on Blair ONLY playing when Duncan’s NOT playing. BIG MISTAKE!
“Right now the lanes are too clogged for Manu Ginobili to exploit (and look at the numbers, he’s dropped off since the broken nose) and the Spurs could use someone, anyone, besides Ginobili himself to hit a three-pointer.”
What is your point? Play Matt Bonner?! NO way, you ram it down their throats inside, with or without 3-point shooters. They have very skinny, non-physical (without fouling!) guys, and not very tall players in the paint. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS WITH Blair AND Duncan! And there isn’t a HUGE difference in spacing whether your taking 20 footers or 23 footers, and we have plenty of guys that can hit twenty footers. It would be better if we had more 3-point shooters, yes, but you got to go with what you have, and quit fretting about it. Hell, even Parker hit two threes in one half. Bonner has hit just five in THE WHOLE PLAYOFFS!
jay thatch
May 6th, 2010 at 8:00 am
“you spurs fans whine and complain as much or more than your team does on the court. must be a sa thing.”
Sorry, but you Suns fans are the BIGGEST whiners in NBA history! Give me a break.
Tyler
May 6th, 2010 at 8:40 am
“And as much as we like to pile on Bonner (and he deserves it with his performance over the last two game), I think we have to be fair and say Blair has been just as bad.”
That’s an utterly ridiculous comment. Nobody’s saying Blair has played perfectly in his VERY SPOTTY minutes. But as bad as Bonner?! Bonner’s main contribution he “CAN” bring to the table is 3-point shooting, yet he’s shot just TWENTY PERCENT during the 8 playoff games, at 15mpg. How is that comparable to Blair, who in spurts of a few minutes at a time, has managed to average, prorated at 36 mpg., 16 ppg. & 16 rpg? HOW?
este
May 6th, 2010 at 9:01 am
“I think it’s time to roll with Mason and see if he can shoot his way out of the slump.”
You’ve got to be joking me! He’s been shooting blanks for months. At this point, he couldn’t shoot himself out of a paper bag! Even contemplating the idea is the surest sign of desperation that I’ve ever seen.
El Ganzo
May 6th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Other than that the first portion of your post is a bit too “doom & gloom” (this series is not over, by a long shot), the following point you made is correct:
“For some reason I believe that if Temple and Hairston had/get more playing time against the Suns second unit this series would be different.”
Playing Temple & Hairston (if healthy to go) in key spot minutes would help. They match up better with the Suns speed & energy.
idahospur
May 6th, 2010 at 9:32 am
“We simply cannot contain their offense enough to hold them at under 100, so let’s run them too.”
NO! That’s THEIR game! We CAN hold them under 100, by SLOWING the game down to a CRAWL, and that’s what we MUST do.
“We beat them at their game a few years back, let’s do it again this year.”
What are you talking about?! We NEVER beat them at their game. That is, by out-running them!