Wednesday, March 9th, 2011...9:38 pm
San Antonio Spurs 111, Detroit Pistons 104: The Spurs midseason acquisition
AT&T Center-Antonio McDyess is not only the second best big man on the San Antonio Spurs, on this team he’s Punxsutawney Phil.
Tonight McDyess stepped on the court with the rest of the starters for his 1,000th game and saw his shadow, which can only mean the playoffs are right around the corner (the Spurs clinched tonight). Unlike Phil, McDyess’s presence was far more than ceremonial.
A year ago San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich inserted McDyess into the starting lineup to shore up the team’s defense heading into the playoffs. After biding his time for much of the year, it appears Pop might be ready to do the same.
“Starting had noting to do with Detroit or his one thousandth game or anything like that,” Popovich said. “We’re just trying to look forward to what the match-ups are going to be and what we need to do rotation-wise, so we took a look at it.”
While McDyess put up a modest eight points and five rebounds in a little over 22 minutes, the starting five got out to a blistering start, hitting their first 14 shots as part of a 40-point first quarter en route to a Spurs 111-104 victory.
And though the Pistons eventually recovered from their large early deficit, the San Antonio Spurs had more than enough firepower down the stretch with Tony Parker (23 points, seven assists), Manu Ginobili (17 points, five assists) and Gary Neal (15 points on 4-5 shooting) combining for 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Parker in particular was key, weaving his way in and out of the lane, finding teammates and layups, keeping the Pistons at bay.
“There were a couple times in the game where he took over. I remember on one play Pop told me to go sub in, but he was play so well he told me to wait two more minutes and see what happens,” Ginobili said. “He finished the third quarter and in the fourth quarter he just finished the game, so he was huge.”
In March, against a team still trying to put things together like the Pistons are, the story of tonight’s game was not necessarily who finished it, but who started. Tonight it was not mainstay DeJuan Blair.
And though Popovich would not reveal if the move was a permanent one, it could represent the team’s final boost, looking to peak for the stretch run.
Most playoff contending teams tend to improve in the latter half of the season simply by shortening their rotation, removing any minutes restraints they may have been placing on their best players.
In the case of Antonio McDyess, who has taken nights off throughout the regular season, the inclusion of him into the everyday rotation would be similar to a midseason acquisition, one better than most teams could hope for after the trade deadline.
Starting McDyess with Tim Duncan puts the Spurs best defensive front court in the starting lineup, and gives Duncan more room to operate than he does while sharing the court with Blair. Doing so this late in the season means McDyess has more left in the tank.
“Whatever it’s going to take to get us where we need to be in the playoffs I’m ready to do it. There’s only 18 or 19 games left in the season, so I’m ready to go,” McDyess said. “[Pop] has done a heck of a job with me the whole season, I can’t even complain. He took care of me so I’m able to have fresh legs down the stretch.”
And if McDyess is starting, the stretch run must be here.
100 Comments
March 9th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
Good move by Pop-that starting five looked very sharp to start the game.
Hope this bad rebounding trend stops soon.
Speaking of, don’t think I’ve seen a stat-line like Monroe’s before: 1 def. rebounds, 9 off. rebounds.
March 9th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
Spectatular 1st half offense. The Spurs shot 80% on the field. If the defense was a little better, Tiago and Neo could have got some burn, but what a game by Parker and Timmy nonetheless. The three-pointer by Tony at the end was huge.
Surprised to hear that Dallas lost 7 point lead with 1:13 left in 4th. I think it is safe to say that the Spurs will be the #1 seed. Even if Dallas wins the rest of the games the Spurs only need to go 12-6. We just need to stay healthy, and Pop is doing a great job with that as you can see w/ how he handled McDyess.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
I missed the start of the game and didn’t know that Dice started…… this is definitely a good sign. Hopefully these defensive lapses will be a thing of the past……. or at the most, just a bad quarter here or there………
Also I looked it up….. we are tied for 9th and defensive FG% and 11th and points allowed……. Every champion the last 10-15 years has been in the top 6 in total defense. So we don’t have far to go…. Let’s make it Happen……
March 9th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
interesting. i assumed dice starting was a tribute.
while my eyes have told me that dice is a better defensive player, the stats seem to suggest that blair is a slightly better defensive player. i wonder how pop reconciles the two, gut vs. stats, especially after buford’s comments at sloan? or perhaps they have their own stats that say dice is better?
March 9th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Pop was asked post-game if McDyess was in the starting lineup because they were playing Detroit. With a straight face Pop said “No it had nothing to do with playing Detroit or it being his 1,000th game.” *crickets* Nobody got the joke (or rather dared to laugh at it) and it seemed like he got some deep satisfaction from making an entire room of reporters forget where they placed their sense of humor.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
This is a repost from the previous blog:
_________________________
After Sunday’s debacle, I thought the Spurs would have had a great game against a team with 7 total road wins. Here are the results:
Detroit’s shooting % (on the road):
Season average: 34.5% or 27th in the league
Tonight: 45%
Offensive rebounds (on the road):
Season average: 11.1 or 15th in the league
Tonight: 20
Assists per game (on the road):
Season average: 18.6 or 30th in the league
Tonight: 22
3pt shooting % (on the road):
Season average: 35.5% or 15th in the league
Tonight: 46%
Points per game (on the road)
Season average: 90.9 or 29th in the league
Tonight: 104
We shot 64% at home and won by 7. There’s our defense for you. Come to your own conclusions
March 9th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
Wonder where Jeffers was. Did we reach 10 days so fast?
Wonder what the deal with Richard Ryan was today. Is a contract with him in the making?
Hope Splitter gets more than garbage time in the next game. I have a feeling his services will come in handy come playoff time.
Nice to see both Dallas and Boston lose. Wasn’t expecting it though.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
i like the move. duncan and dyess are a better starting frontcourt tandem that achieves the needs of spacing and frontcourt defense. blair may be a better rebounder at times, but dyess plays better position defense and is a more competent shot blocker. blair and bonner will be our bigs off the bench, but i see splitter and blair being interchangeable against teams with more length if blair struggles.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
OMG, that TD+Ginobili+TP commercial….http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYKZ5rsOECQ
Lmao
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl_nb5kx0MU
March 9th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
Good game, but rebounds still with troubles, hope Splitter and Macdyess get more minutes
March 9th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
from dean oliver on truehoop:
“The “good teams” in this case are San Antonio, Boston, Chicago, and Dallas, the teams with the best records in the NBA. Three of these four teams are particularly good on the defensive side of the ball, Chicago ranking first, Boston second, and San Antonio seventh in defensive efficiency. In the half court, these teams are first, second, and fourth in defense.”
take it easy, Hobson13. let’s let pop drill these guys into playoff shape over this last stretch run. i don’t think we’re that far off.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
sorry, that was written on the heat’s performance against top defenses.
when the playoffs come, i’m ok with taking a relative night off against detroit, and still having a top 5 halfcourt defense when everything slows/grinds down.
March 9th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
i’m sorry for beating a dead horse, but more splitter talk. i admit i’m more intruiged with player development then our record. hell, i wad yawn’s biggest fan last year. i pose a question to the community and the 48moh boys: do you all think splitter will see any meaningful minutes at all in the playoffs? i’ve seen enough of pop’s coaching to know that he won’t take any risks in the playoffs, even if it means impending elimination. there was some debate that mahinmi could have stalled phx] pick and roll for strecthes, but that didn’t happen. what do you all think o8nthe splitter-playoff debate?
March 9th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
andy
March 9th, 2011 at 10:44 pm
“take it easy, Hobson13. let’s let pop drill these guys into playoff shape over this last stretch run. i don’t think we’re that far off.”
It’s not that I think our defense doesn’t have the ability to step up (even though I still think we need more frontline size). It just needs to start happening RIGHT NOW since we only have 18 games left in the regular season. All those numbers mean (IMO) is that Detroit is a bad road team and we really didn’t play that well tonight. That’s disappointing if you consider what happened on Sunday. According to Hollingers defensive effeciency rankings, the Spurs are 7th. Not bad, but it still seems like we could be much better…
March 9th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Mcdeezy as a mid-season acquisition, I love it. I think with all our talk about needing size we forgot how great Mcdeezy was in the playoffs last year.
We all know that the D needs to amp up. We also know that this team is capable of amping it up, which I believe they will do in the playoffs. They have to.
@RJ
I think that’s it for TIAGO this season. I was hoping he would play more minutes after the All-Star break but he didn’t. So I don’t see him playing at all in the playoffs. Unless the SPURS are up or down by 20.
Remember George Hill’s first playoff year??
March 9th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
fair enough. i agree that i’d rather have seen a 105-78 blowout, and it’s disappointing to perform the way we did against detroit, but perhaps the urgency is what we disagree about. perhaps the one thing in the world i agree with kobe about is that you can’t “turn it on” for the playoffs, but in our case, i think we’ll just be racheting it up from pretty good to great through the first round of the playoffs. at least we agree that the spurs can get better at d.
the important number to me, seems to be that halfcourt defense ranking. in the playoffs, things will slow down, we’ll see more halfcourt sets, and having a top 5 halfcourt defense, and by that time possibly better, will give us as good a shot at the title as anyone, especially with boston trading away perk.
i’m one of the few here that thinks we aren’t seriously outgunned on the frontline (surprise! i’m a positivist). blair may be shorter than most bigs, and yes, i saw him get dominated by bynum, but remember that this is his 2nd year, his standing reach is still as high as blake griffin’s, and combine that with duncan and dice not being as old and crappy as the media would like us to believe and you see why i’m not sold on us being dominated down low. yes, our rebounding hasn’t been a strong suit so far. i’m hoping this adjustment with dice in the frontline, moving blair to the 2nd unit to feast on backups can help this (though tonight wasn’t a good omen).
either way, we all have our opinions on what needs to happen.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
@rj
I agree Pop tends to be conservative till facing impending doom. Like not playing George Hill in playoffs two seasons ago and not starting Tony Parker till game 3 of Phx series. Actually I think in the Phoenix series having Jefferson play Nash would have helped. Eventually in game 4 he put Ginobili on him but it was too much for Ginobili to carry the offense and play defense on Nash.
I hope Splitter can get some minutes. But my gut tells me he probably won’t play as much till foul trouble or injury.
March 10th, 2011 at 12:10 am
Dyce is pulling an Horry. I expect he’ll hit some clutch jumpers and grab key rebounds in these final games and throughout the playoffs.
March 10th, 2011 at 3:09 am
A couple of things:
First, on defense versus offense, see my post in the immediately preceding thread. In a nutshell, though: Defense doesn’t win championships, neither does offense. You have to have both but you don’t have to be great at both. Many champions have been great on offense and merely good on defense. Look it up. (Oh, and when you do, try to use pace-free statistics. Points per game are meaningless and even FG% is deceptive. Look at offensive and defensive efficiency instead.)
About Antonio McDyess, remember that for several years now, Rip Van Winkle has had by far the greatest disparity in the league between his early-season and late-season numbers. Assuming he is healthy and playing well, I’m sure Pop’s plan all along has been to limit his minutes until after the All-Star break and then dramatically increase his role in the playoffs. And as you see Antonio take on that larger role (and Blair take on a smaller one), you’ll see our defensive effectiveness increase sharply. Book it.
March 10th, 2011 at 4:28 am
Huge Mistake.
Please people dont allow the fandom to get in the way of logic.
Look at the rebounding and shooting percentages. McDyess is not our “2nd best big”
get over it
March 10th, 2011 at 4:37 am
@ Tim in Surrey
I couldn’t agree more.
______________________
Regarding Tiago. Yeah, I think he’s just not ready to produce effectively enough to be considered a viable option in the rotation.
Again last night he showed many weaknesses in 1v1 d. He rotates way to slow and genuinely looks lost and ineffective. And that’s against other team’s bench players.
Anderson also looked to struggle mightily in this game.
Perhaps for both it could have just been a bad game for each…and perhaps they will get more playing time to try and get them better adapted just in case there might be an “emergency” need for them come playoffs. But don’t look for them to be an integeral part of this team’s lineup. They just aren’t ready.
March 10th, 2011 at 6:19 am
tradetp…not right now
March 10th, 2011 at 4:28 am
Huge Mistake.
Please people dont allow the fandom to get in the way of logic.
Look at the rebounding and shooting percentages. McDyess is not our “2nd best big”
get over it
Forgive us if we do not all stop what we are doing and bow down to your wisdom, you of the changing your blogger name 3 times with regard to what to do with the best point guard our team has ever seen.
Next thing you know, you will change your name to Trade McDyess.
Get over yourself.
March 10th, 2011 at 7:21 am
called more correct than wrong. And I whole heartedly admit that TP is having a lot better year than I expected.
But this has to do with UPTEMPO game which I have been advocating for 3 years.
mcdyess = not a good pickup or answer.
March 10th, 2011 at 7:29 am
Well, that tears it.
Clippers just took down Boston. They’ve beaten all of the big 4 teams once and exactly once this season: Miami, LA, SA, and now Boston. They are undefeated in March.
It’s clear what we have to do: stop preparing for the Celtics and start preparing for the Clippers.
March 10th, 2011 at 7:54 am
What’s that? Clippers aren’t even in playoff contention? Quiet, you.
Guys, do you see how ridiculous it is to blow one game out of proportion? Yes, there is much to be learned from one game, but let’s keep it within context.
Yeah, we got thoroughly trounced by LA. We’ve also beat them twice, and if I recall correctly, one of those games we thoroughly trounced them.
Can LA beat us? Sure they can. Does their size present a “big” problem. Of course, just as it presents a problem to every other team in the league.
Can SA beat LA? Yes. Are we guaranteed to lose to LA in the playoffs because they embarrassed us this last game? No.
We embarrassed the Heat in the game before that, are we now guaranteed victory against them in the playoffs? No.
Would getting a big shot blocker and rebounder increase our chances of success? You bet. Does it guarantee us victory? No.
Everything within context. That’s why the Spurs organization’s philosophy is Pounding the Rock, not go for one magical blow. It’s always been this way. It’s why I and many of you root for this organization in the first place. Have you forgotten that?
If we were the type of fans to root for a team that stacks itself with 4 future Hall of Famers on its starting roster, trying to buy its way to a ring in one magical swoop of the cheque-signing pen, we would be Lakers fans. And you remember what happened to the 2003-2004 Lakers? They lost in 5 games to a Detroit Pistons team with zero household names at the time.
If our organization was the type to use money as its means to achieving success and frequent, reactionary trades and acquisitions as its underlying strategy, we would be the Mavericks. Is that what really want? Do you want to root for the San Antonio Mavericks?
The philosopher Fred Nietzsche-perhaps you’ve heard of him?-famously spake:
EINMAL IST KEINMAL.
Look that up if you don’t speak German.
Panaceas don’t exist. Deus ex machinas don’t exist. Basketball gods do not exist. There is only you and the rock.
Stop looking for one magical bullet and just pound the damn rock.
March 10th, 2011 at 8:02 am
Don’t know if its been the play of Blair (inconsistent at best) or if it has been Pop’s plan all along, but a big HOORAY for putting McDyess in the starting lineup.
Blair can contribute still, but no longer do we have to put up with his defensive mistakes, stupid fouls, and lousy fundamentals (it’s a 2 handed sport Dejuan). Play Blair when he’s hot, but McDyess is in every way a more solid player. We actually now have a shot of defending Aldridge, West, Dirk (okay, nobody can guard him), Randolph, etc., in the playoffs.
We became a better team last night.
March 10th, 2011 at 8:07 am
@ rob
—-re: the rookies
I couldn’t see the game but checked the box score & play-by-play—-
“Regarding Tiago. …Again last night he showed many weaknesses…”
“Anderson also looked to struggle mightily in this game.”
“Perhaps for both it could have just been a bad game for each…”
Ok, I can see your comment about Anderson-he came in @ 7:13 in the 2nd qtr and finished it out.
Splitter-it shows he hit the floor in the last minute-or perhaps your analysis on his play is from the Laker game?
Big picture-Spurs get a win, and got a double bonus-Celtics & Mavs lose. More HCA good fortune may be in store-DAL catches LAL Sat. nite then go to POR before they come to the AT&T Center a week from tomorrow. But BOS-starting Friday, they play 7 games in 11 days; they start and end next week with BTBs.
Spurs officially clinch a playoff spot, but there is still work to do to improve defensively.
March 10th, 2011 at 8:30 am
Ja, NYC, das stimmt! Nice analysis!
March 10th, 2011 at 8:34 am
@rj
You remember I said Yawn needed his initials embroidered on a chair on the end of the bench? Not so with Splitter, I think he could be used strategically & situationally in the playoffs. I personally think he could be used more now but what do I know? (certainly less than G-P.O.P)
Unfortunately, I think we all know the answer to that question. If he’s not even getting burn in a good number of the regular season games, there’e no way he’ll be trotted out in the playoffs.
March 10th, 2011 at 8:45 am
Yesterdays’s game was a disappointment in a few ways. The Spurs really relaxed after a big 1st quarter lead. The offense began to stagnate after the ball movement began to disappear. If it wasn’t for Tony, it could have been an embarrassing end to the game.
The defensive and rebounding problems are continuing. It is worrisome, to me anyway. Blair hasn’t looked so grizzly on the glass for a while now. I dunno; the team will have to step it up big time in the playoffs. We’ll see.
March 10th, 2011 at 8:47 am
@Dorie Street, the Spurs play the Mavs in Dallas.
Matters not, I still feel we will win that hotly contested game.
March 10th, 2011 at 8:59 am
On ESPN’s Spurs page, they have Kirk Penney listed on our roster. What’s up with that? Do we hold his NBA rights or something? Weird.
March 10th, 2011 at 9:09 am
@ tradetp,
if you honestly believe that blair or tiago are better than mcdyess you simply don’t understand basketball in any way, shape or form. Mcdyess has a more consistent jumper, plays MUCH better defense, is a better rebounder and a much tougher player than either. I like blair’s heart, but anyone else in the world who watches the spurs would agree the San Antonio Mcdyess is a better option (esp. come playoff time), and most of us saw this coming. Obviously we weren’t going to start Mcdyess all year and give him a ton of minutes. But come playoff time he will be our man, and IF we play the Lakers he will get the bulk load of minutes. Ridiculous take.
March 10th, 2011 at 9:18 am
@NYC
+100
March 10th, 2011 at 9:23 am
@Hobson13,
I hear you. This team in order to be floating down the the river walk with a trophy come summer time is going to have to put up crazy shooting % like they have during most of the season to reach their goal. Simple as that. That is their defense. well said.
March 10th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Pop on Splitter:
“He’s Tiago Splitter,” Popovich said, “and he does what he does. He needs more time to make significant impact on our team. If there’s an opportunity to do that, I’ll certainly do that because he’s someone who we want to have available and ready to play for us as we move on.”
Well what the hell are you waiting for?
March 10th, 2011 at 9:43 am
@rj,
Its important that Splitter plays significant minutes maybe 10 minutes when he’s in a game. If we get in consecutive 7 game series Dyess and Timmy will wear out. I don’t think Bonner and Blair can do anything for us if they are in there spelling Timmy and Dyess. You need either Splitter and Bonner or Splitter and Blair on the court if those two need to sit at the same time. I’m just not convinced Bonner and Blair can do the job while Timmy and Dyess sit for a rest. I’d prefer Splitter and Bonner. Both can crash the boards, one can block shots while the other gives you a 3 point threat. I would do this in 5 min stretches so that Timmy and Dyess can come back energized and maybe even throw Blair in there after Timmy rests. Dyess will need more time to rest. Pop has been known to do about faces in the playoffs so really we can’t tell what’s up his sleeve. It’s all about the moment and how he’s going to react. Won’t know till it gets here.
March 10th, 2011 at 9:51 am
What is with this Tiago Splitter obsession?!? I…I…I just don’t understand it. What has he shown in the time he’s played (albeit limited) that so many of you think he’s the cure-all (as if the team with the best record in the NBA needed a cure-all) for this team?? Do you really think he’s the next Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and that somehow Pop is just too stupid to realize it? He seems like he could be a solid player eventually, but jeez, get over it!!
March 10th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Oh yeah, and…This is the same organization that saw what Manu, Tony, DeJuan, and Neal could bring to the team when most other organizations had no idea they existed. I’m pretty sure they know what they have in Splitter and are working him in and out of the rotation accordingly.
March 10th, 2011 at 9:55 am
@rob,
Are you talking about Splitter’s weaknesses last night? That was 33 frikin trash seconds. He barely had enough time to pick his ass let alone get into the game. The frikin game was out reach and it was 33 seconds when Pop told him him to wake up and get in there. Paleeessse! You think he’s going switch coverage and contort himself risking a pulled groin to defend a mindless stupid dunk in trash time with 30 seconds left in the game. Oh man he’s smarter than that. Give him real minutes and you’ll see real effort. I wouldn’t risk injury for 33 mindless seconds. What a joke. That’s not true representation.
March 10th, 2011 at 10:02 am
Reagrding my last post, I meant SI.com, not ESPN. Sorry.
Also, this Splitter vs Blair discussion is moot IMO. Splitter will be used in the Playoffs. You’ll see. His function is to be TD’s breathing buffer, even if for 5 minutes. We need him. Plus, I dont think we’ll escape OKC and Memphis in the 1st and 2nd rounds without injury (assuming that’s who we’ll face with the current projection). Those guys play too physical. We need all the help we can get.
March 10th, 2011 at 10:06 am
@Mr. International,
No you get over it. You don’t know squat about talent and potential that needs to be utilized. I guess you missed the 6 games were Splitter played more than 20 min. and showed everybody he know’s the system, can play with the starters, can be effective against bigs such as Demarcus Cousins, Bynum who we’ll see in the playoffs, and others. Out of those 6 games 3 were break out games that should have had him in the starting lineup with Timmy there after. But thank god the Blair wish project is over come playoffs. You’ll see.
Get a real take.
March 10th, 2011 at 10:08 am
@Mr. International,
And by the way Pop can be stupid. He’s human.
March 10th, 2011 at 10:28 am
@ Tim in Surrey
“Many champions have been great on offense and merely good on defense.”
Ughhhhh Who…………. Maybe the Showtime Lakers, or MJ’s Bulls…….. but since we won it in 99 who exactly are you referring to……
Because I did look it up and didn’t find what you were talking about……. I will spend some more time today looking it up, but last I saw, all teams were in the top 6 in TOTAL Defense…… Not defensive efficiency……Where we were # 9 last year…… so ya we haven’t improved much…..
March 10th, 2011 at 10:31 am
NYC
March 10th, 2011 at 7:29 am Well, that tears it.
&
NYC
March 10th, 2011 at 7:54 am
Kevin beat me to it, but here: +100 more!
That was an arr-some response to the near-rampant negativity that seems to be infusing this board at times. Keep Pounding the Rock, indeed!
March 10th, 2011 at 10:35 am
@DorieStreet
I always enjoy reading your comments; always spot on.
Thanks.
Go Spurs Go!!
March 10th, 2011 at 11:12 am
I think I heard the Spurs planning on bringing Ryan Richards over next year and he’s just shooting around and getting to know the team this year. I also heard that signing him depends on Dice’s plan for next year.
I keep thinking Splitter just may be in a practice-only zone where he may be getting set up for certain playoff situations. I would like him involved more in games but Pop has his mad scientist ways. If he is not in form by this year, I expect him to get the summer treatment program like RJ did this last year, but only if he is willing and does not have strong commitments to his national team.
March 10th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
@ mr international.
it isn’t a splitter obsession so much as it is an obsession for height, athleticism, and depth at the frontcourt position. last year, it was a mahinmi obsession, this year it’s splitter. we have not been able to solve our problem of an aging, slower, shorter frontcourt over the last several seasons. i don’t see tiago as the next kareem, but his inches and quick feet are sorely needed on this squad.
March 10th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=6202101
^^^^^Read this very good article on Popovich^^^^^
March 10th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
[...] • The Spurs, nearly 80 percent of the way into a season in which they’ve held the best record since almost Day 1, appear likely to make a permanent change to their starting lineup. [...]
March 10th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
@ Titletown99030507d
Pop can’t be stupid. Have you followed this team? He’s Greg Freakin’ Popovich! He’s the best in the business and he knows talent. I’m also curious why so many of you can’t get off Tiago. He’s had one decent game for the Spurs. One. I don’t see what part of his game yall love. He doesn’t have a great jumper, he plays smart defense and take charges well, but in no way is he a shot blocker, he doesn’t rebound well. He has good footwork inside the paint and a… well… let’s call it an “original” hook shot, but nothing he does fulfills the holes we have at the 4 and 5. We need defensive length, a big man who makes open jumpers, someone who can space the floor and/ or grab rebounds. He gives none of this. Why does every post end up being a “Free Tiago” rally? I’ll take McDyess and Duncan holding down the fort with Coach B coming in to space the floor and crush teams with the three all day. Blair gives us a nice amount of hussle and can create match-up problems againsts slow front courts. Tiago can continue to ride the pine. Move on gang! He isn’t the savior you were dreaming of in the off season.
March 10th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Thanks for the link Flavor. That’s the best article on Pop, and one of the best Spurs articles, I’ve ever read.
March 10th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
I’m with you Mr.International.
Splitter obviously hasn’t played enough to warrant the incessant ranting about how effective he could be if given the opportunity. I would love for Splitter to come in getting 20 minutes a game and being productive but so far without those 20mpg our team is a JUGGERNAUT! This is the problem with people and organizations. They change what’s working for them because they’re worried about what appears to be working for the teams trying to catch up to them. We have our model for success this year. Yes we need to prepare for the teams we may face but in the same token we should not throw a monkey wrench in where it isn’t needed.
Some of you are also making it seem as though Blair is a complete bust. As much as he may be a weakness @ times he often times is a strength and weapon for us.
March 10th, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Judd: Of coarse! =)
March 10th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Judd:
Dejuan has the better stats, Younger, and more aggressive. He, like manu, makes things happen. Glad you point out McD and his jumper. Just what we need, a big who doesnt attack the rim, and hits 2 elbow shots a game…. ALL STAR!
Look, ATTACKING THE RIM = Success. You get a foul, or you get buckets. We need aggression, McD is not an aggressor, blair is.
Better passer, better instincts, more aggressive, better rebounder, BLAIR> HANDS DOWN.
Fouling bigger offenders IS A DEFENSE. If you do not understand that then it is fair to say you have never played.
Thanks,
March 10th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
@Bankshot21
The irony is a lot of people were complaining that Blair didn’t see enough minutes last year. Now that he’s playing as a starter and playing the minutes that Splitter could’ve played, others aren’t happy about it. This will happen every year whether Spurs win championship or not - some people just won’t be satisfied even if this team plays well above expectations. I bet there’ll be a lot of people (perhaps I myself included, who knows?) complaining about PT when (or if) Ryan Richards joins this team in the coming seasons. Young big men draw a lot of attention whether or not they are actually talented enough for this team, it seems.
March 10th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
@tradetp
I hope everyone can see the NBA basketball as simply and one-dimensional as you do. Good on ya mate.
March 10th, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Fantastic article in link.
March 10th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
@ ITGuy
Thanks for the compliment. (I’ve got to proofread better, though.)
@ Flavor
Thanks also for link, and I agree with Judd on both counts. Contrary to the TV side, some contributors who write about basketball under the ESPN banner have put forth similar opinions on this record season the Spurs have produced so far. This goes for other contributors on other NBA/sport sites as well. David Aldridge (of TNT) writes for NBA.com. He put out an article last December (27th) that explained the Spurs change in court philosophy; it was thorough—quoted the veterans, mentioned the new additions (Neal, etc.) returning role players (Bonner) and their impact on this team. It would be worth some of the fans’ time to peruse beat writers for the league’s other teams-it is a good bet you will find many have taken the time to write a positive take of what San Antonio has done this season-it justs gets overshadowed by the tv sports pundits.
March 10th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
@Judd,
Way off again, He doesnt have a jumper, plays smart defense, and takes charges well, and can’t rebound?
For one Blair can’t shoot a lick five feet out, second Splitter is better at defending the rim than Blair. Didn’t you see last night Blair taking risks down low and comitting fouls because he can’t cant even put put a hand in anybody’s face because he’s helpless. He’s too short and they shoot over him. What part of that statement don’t you understand?
And the the big man can cause charges. Well doesnt that give us the ball back? Hello? And he has quick foot work. So what’s the problem? You must have missed some games where he played real minutes and kicked some ass. Try reading my other posts so I don’t have to explain it to you again. Your boy Bonner better hit on all his shots because he aint geting it done either in the paint. Foul, Foul, Foul.
March 10th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
@tradetp…not right now
“Fouling bigger offenders IS A DEFENSE. If you do not understand that then it is fair to say you have never played.”
I don’t think the Spurs are trying to hack a Shaq here. What are we going to give points all night long at the line because the offensive guy is bigger? Please. If he (Blair) can’t cover the big man he don’t need be on the court. Simple as that.
March 10th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
@rj,
Good points, Its not that there is an obssesion for the guy there is an obsession for height. You hit it right on the nail. And further more in regards to last year people complaining about Blair not having enough time on the court and now want Splitter to have his minutes. It’s because Splitter wasnt on the team last year. Besides I was not part of that in regards to Blair bandwagon, really I knew what was coming eventually with Blair’s situation. So he can rebound so can Splitter. But that’s it. Splitter in the end will give you more. Put the two up against the same big man and see who will come out on top in regards to going to the rim. Blair’s under the rim reverses are so now scouted that some of those were ineffective if you saw last night against the Pistons. Splitter in the other hand has the “FOOTWORK” as someone else has stated to get in position to lay it up or dunk on you. He’s just as crafty but has height. I choose height any day.
March 10th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
For all you Blair band wagoners the rest of the boys better shoot very high % to make it a moot point. In other words they gonna carry Blair through out the playoffs. Good luck. GSG!
March 10th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
If y’all haven’t already seen it on ESPN, there is a nice tribute to Pop’s “peculiar” and stealthy style. Check it out here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=6202101
March 10th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
@ hobson13
We need to get the defense much better into the top 5 in the league to have a chance of winning it all..otherwise it’s a wasted beautiful regular season..remeber DAL in 2007(67 wins & out in 1st round)…
Drive for 5…..Go Spurs Go…
March 10th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Hope our last 18 games we improve our shot blocking/shot altering at the rim and rebounding….
March 10th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
@ Tim in Surrey
You say Popovich known nothing about what he says or teaches as he always has focused on FG% as the most important STAT of the game…
Go back and look at the FG% defense and when the spurs are allowing < 44-45% they are unbeatable….. so careful what you write….
March 10th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
@ TD=best ever
I agree with you again..but MJ’s Bulls where more than great defensively they where..awsome by the way… The triangle offense requires that and is based on a defensive- minded center (ala Bynum) so that is why LA did not trade for Carmelo although & never gave up on Bynum….
March 11th, 2011 at 1:26 am
@Hassan - I always try to be careful about what I write. But thanks for the reminder.
I didn’t wrote that “Pop known nothing about what he says or teaches” nor was I trying to imply it. What I wrote was that “even FG% is deceptive”. If Pop’s concern was simple FG%, he wouldn’t have his players guard the three-point line so carefully. Why? Because the three-point shot and the free throw make FG% deceptive. There’s no better example than DeJuan Blair, whose FG% (50.0%) is the second-best of our starters, behind Tony Parker (52.1%). Does that mean that he’s a more effective offensive player than Manu, who only makes 42.8%? No. Blair doesn’t make three-point shots, doesn’t draw FTs very often, and doesn’t make a high percentage of them when he does. By contrast, many of Manu’s shots are three-pointers, he does draw a lot of fouls, and he makes a high percentage of his FTs. As a result, while Blair’s true-shooting percentage is ok (52.1%), it’s actually the worst of our five starters and well behind Manu (57.8%). Who are the best shooters on our team by that measure? Steve Novak (67.9%), Matt Bonner (67.8%), and Richard Jefferson (61.4%). Which probably goes a long way toward explaining why Pop plays them so much, even though most fans are mystified by it.
But of course you can’t simply rely on that, either. Blair misses a lot of shots but he also rebounds a lot of his misses and then converts those into easy shots. So it’s complicated…
Truth be told, there’s no simple way to measure the defensive abilities of a team. But I do think that defensive efficiency is a pretty good measure because it looks at how many points an opponent scores for every 100 possessions. Right now the Spurs are seventh in the league at 101.3, just ahead of the Lakers (101.5) and behind Miami (100.8). That means that all three teams have proven to be good on defense, but not great. The Spurs are second in offensive efficiency (109.2 points per 100 possessions), just .1 behind Denver (most of whose offensive efficiency just left for NYC), and ahead of the Lakers (108.6) and Miami (108.2). John Hollinger provides those efficiency numbers at ESPN, by the way: http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/teamstats
If you really want something of a measure of how effectively a team has played overall, which is adjusted for pace, look at the percentage difference between the two. You’ll have to calculate it yourself, but it’s essentially 100*(OFF EFF - DEF EFF)/DEF EFF. If you do that for all the teams and rank them, here are the results:
1 San Antonio 7.80%
2 Miami 7.45%
3 Boston 7.35%
4 Chicago 7.22%
5 LA Lakers 7.20%
6 Orlando 6.85%
7 Dallas 4.76%
8 Oklahoma City 3.15%
9 Denver 3.11%
10 New Orleans 2.58%
11 Philadelphia 2.25%
12 New York 1.79%
13 Memphis 1.17%
14 Portland 0.67%
15 Houston 0.65%
16 Phoenix 0.56%
17 Atlanta -0.29%
18 Milwaukee -1.20%
19 Utah -1.22%
20 Indiana -1.65%
21 Golden State -2.59%
22 Charlotte -3.65%
23 LA Clippers -4.31%
24 Detroit -4.43%
25 Minnesota -5.59%
26 New Jersey -5.65%
27 Toronto -5.75%
28 Sacramento -5.83%
29 Washington -7.48%
30 Cleveland -10.08%
Lo and behold, the Spurs have demonstrated the best combined efficiency of any team in the league this year. Of course, if you really wanted a simpler way of figuring out who’s playing the best all you had to do was look at wins and losses. But for some reason there are a number of people on this board who prefer to overlook that statistic.
P.S. - Anybody see the score from that Miami-LA game? Maybe we shouldn’t hand the trophy to the Lakers JUST yet…
March 11th, 2011 at 2:11 am
@TD = Best EVER - Well, Hollinger only goes back to 2003 for his stats. It’s a little tedious, but as you’ve made me curious I did some legwork. Here’s the list of regular season numbers for all the champs since 2003, alongside this year’s Spurs. The “RK” column is the rank of that team in DEF EFF for that year. For my purposes, #1 or #2 in the league qualifies as a great defensive team, while a good team would have to be top ten at the least and perhaps no lower than 8th or 9th (your mileage may vary).
NBA Champions since 2003
Year RK TEAM OFF EFF DEF EFF OFF-DEF %
2003 2 San Antonio 88.1 83.3 4.8 5.76%
2004 2 Detroit 85 78.7 6.3 8.01%
2005 1 San Antonio 91.2 82.3 8.9 10.81%
2006 16 Miami 92.2 89.4 2.8 3.13%
2007 2 San Antonio 92.7 84.4 8.3 9.83%
2008 1 Boston 92.6 82.2 10.4 12.65%
2009 5 LA Lakers 109.8 101.9 7.9 7.75%
2010 5 LA Lakers 105.9 101.1 4.8 4.75%
2011 7 San Antonio 109.2 101.3 7.9 7.80%
It’s a little messy in my browser, but the ranking is what matters. Miami won a championship without even being a good defensive team, at least for the regular season (for some reason there aren’t any numbers available for the 2006 postseason, but certainly my recollection is that Miami stepped it up on defense in the playoffs but were still nowhere near as effective as the best teams, San Antonio, Memphis, and New Jersey). The Lakers’ past two champions were also good but not great and had similar numbers to ours. Most significantly, this year’s Spurs have a much better percentage difference between offense and defense than either the ’03 Spurs (statistically the weakest of our four champs) or last year’s Lakers.
If you want to go further back, you can use basketball-reference.com’s similar ORtg and DRtg numbers. I won’t post a bunch more numbers here but will say that the Lakers teams in ’01 and ’02 (but NOT in ’00) and in the Showtime era, Larry Bird’s Celtics, and the first three Bulls champs were similarly good but not great defensive teams that had great offenses.
My conclusion, for what it’s worth, is that this year’s team is not as good as many former NBA champions but is better than many. We could certainly improve, especially on defense, but as presently constituted we have the best chance of any team in the league to win the title. Consider where we were last summer and think about that. It’s a good thing.
March 11th, 2011 at 6:36 am
Great article about Pop and definitely a solid read.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=6202101
March 11th, 2011 at 7:55 am
The Splitter obsession comes not from what he is, but from what the Spurs hoped he would be when they drafted him. If you watched any of his Euro games, he was the Euro Duncan-lite - great defender (both one-on-one against the other team’s best big and on help), fine rebounder, and opportunistic scorer underneath. He didn’t and probably never will have Duncan’s array of scoring shots, but then how many bigs have? It’s been hard to understand why none of that potential seems to have been realized here. We’re not talking Mahinmi, an obvious project from day one. This is a guy who was the MVP of a top-notch Euro league. It doesn’t entirely make sense that the Spurs can’t get any more out of him, and it seems as if there must have been some kind of mistake, either in drafting him, developing him, or deploying him. This year seems like a great one in which to strike while the iron is hot, so if there’s any way to get more out of him, that would seem to over-ride any sort of long-term development tactic. If Splitter really isn’t any good, then he’s a very disappointing bust.
March 11th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Tim in Surrey: Bravo! If there was a like button on comments, you’d get it!
March 11th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Flavor, thanks for the (Pop) link! LOVED it!
March 11th, 2011 at 11:13 am
Tim in Surrey putting it down!!!!!!!!
“P.S. – Anybody see the score from that Miami-LA game? Maybe we shouldn’t hand the trophy to the Lakers JUST yet…”
This is why we didn’t need to get carried away by the loss to the Lakers. You honestly think that was the SPurs’ best effort??
The Lakers said it themselves that if they lost to Miami then what they did in San Antonion wasn’t going to mean much. None of it does…..It’s the regular season. The only thing that matters in the regular season is trying to get home court.
March 11th, 2011 at 11:50 am
@ Tim in Surrey
“Lo and behold, the Spurs have demonstrated the best combined efficiency of any team in the league this year.”
The problem with your numbers is that TOTAL Defense/Offense already calculates this data…… Things like TRUE FG% vs FG% are basically a waste of time argument…… It’s like trying to determine which is better in a potential car purchase. Fuel Economy/Fuel efficiency? or the good old standard MPG. Ya sure fuel economy sounds really cool and has a lot of cool numbers, but miles per gallon gets its point across a lot easier and has been around forever. It doesn’t matter how many 3 pointers and Free throws you take/make…… It’s already figured up in your PPG stat. So defensive efficiency is all ready calculated in other ways….. Points allowed and FG% against aka TOTAL DEFENSE…….. Efficiency adds things like assists and doesn’t count offensive rebounds and points scored off them as if they don’t count for 2 or 3 points because its all considered 1 possession. So this basically sums up why efficiency stats can really only be used as a way of explaining Miles per Gallon, not as a way of trumping Miles per gallon.
@ junierizzle
“The Lakers said it themselves that if they lost to Miami then what they did in San Antonion wasn’t going to mean much.”
Why do we care what the Lakers goals are…….. If they achieve them, then we don’t. And if they get put out by Dallas and therefore don’t realize their goals, we can still get beat by Dallas and fail to reach our as well…..
“The only thing that matters in the regular season is trying to get home court.”
HCA doesn’t mean all that much…….. only 3 teams have won it all with home court in the last 10 years…….. Its Defensive numbers that matter most
March 11th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
@TD = Best EVER
“Why do we care what the Lakers goals are…….. If they achieve them, then we don’t. And if they get put out by Dallas and therefore don’t realize their goals, we can still get beat by Dallas and fail to reach our as well…..”
And/Or you could be wrong and I just wasted my time reading your comment!!
Go Spurs Go!!
March 11th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
@TD = Best EVER: I’m not sure how you calculate TOTAL DEFENSE. You’ve mentioned points allowed and FG% allowed, but you haven’t explained how to integrate them into a coherent whole.
As for defensive efficiency - it’s a pace adjusted metric. The Spurs are playing an uptempo offense and therefore allowing a few more field goals than teams playing at a slower pace. That doesn’t make them a worse defensive team.
March 11th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
@TD=BE
True. Just because Lakers somehow get eliminated doesn’t mean The SPURS are a lock.
“The Lakers said it themselves that if they lost to Miami then what they did in San Antonion wasn’t going to mean much.”
Lakers were rolling and wanted to win against Miami and Dallas to prove they are still the champs and still the team to beat. Now that they lost against Miami they don’t seem as tough as they did yesterday.
That game against the Spurs was an aberration. No way they would lose by 30 in the playoffs.
I’m kinda glad that it happened now and not in Game 1 of the WCF, should both teams get there.
As far as home court is concerned, all I care about is the Lakers NOT having home court advantage. I know they can win on the road but THIS Lakers team hasn’t won a series WITHOUT home court. Besides it’s easy winning on the road when they’re up 2-0 or tied at 2-2. I’d like to see them win a series being down 0-2.
March 11th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
I meant when they’re up 2-0 or up 2-1 or 3-2.
March 11th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
[...] Jesse Blanchard of 48 Minutes of Hell.com compares Antonio McDyess to Punxsutawney Phil. [...]
March 11th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
@ ITGuy
“And/Or you could be wrong and I just wasted my time reading your comment!!”
The whole point of my comment was “it could happen.” That’s why I said “CAN”, so ya you did waste your time. In posting that comment, because if you had read junierizzle comment you would have known what I was talking about………
@ junierizzle
Ok, the 2nd comment cleared that up and it makes more sense now……..
“As far as home court is concerned, all I care about is the Lakers NOT having home court advantage. I know they can win on the road but THIS Lakers team hasn’t won a series WITHOUT home court.”
+10
Yes I want SA to win HCA throughout….. I’m just pointing out the HCA without Defense/rebounding and relying on offense to win games isn’t the way to win our goals……. And yes we do have time to move up the last 2-3 spots and get into the top 5 or so, but that needs to happen now and in all honesty should have happened weeks ago……
March 11th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
TD=BE
Yeah, I admit I thought the SPURS would have tightened up their D a little bit by now. But like you said there is still time. We’ll see if Mcdeezy stays in the starting line up and see if that helps.
Some people are comparing this Spurs team to the old Suns team. Well those teams made it to the WCF. And they were never known for playing any D.
So I’ll take the comparison along with the fact that the SPURS are capable of playing better D.
March 11th, 2011 at 2:24 pm
We have the best home record and the best road record. I want hca to sure up the confidence it provides for our role players. Doc Rivers said his Celtics haven’t lost a playoff series when completely healthy. The last time we lost a playoff series while completely healthy was 2006. We won it all the last time we were completely healthy. Could have beaten LA last year in my opinion. I just do not fear those guys. I worry about the Portlands and Memphis’ of the world more so than the Lakers.
March 11th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
bestyduncan: no problem.
March 11th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
@pragmaticist,
In regards to Splitter. “It’s been hard to understand why none of that potential seems to have been realized here.”
You have to play first on a consistent basis to make any kind of long term conclusion. How many years was Yawn part of the system? Secondly they should have pulled the hatch on Blair a long time a go and give Splitter the needed time so that you can really make an honest assessment on Splitter. Now’s not the time to be judge and executer. They know what they have and they know it was gamble to bring Blair along instead of Splitter thinking Splitter could jump right in with ease and be what they want him to be with no NBA experience. It takes experience. Something he hasn’t had. Now Pop has to live with it. In my opinion it is a waste of potential sitting on the bench game after game just because he was obsessed with the Blair wish project. Not anymore. Dyess is on from here on out and yet what did it accomplish in all the need for height and hoopla to get the big man here and on the court. I smell a rat.
March 11th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
I sure am glad people are starting to acknowledge the importance of having a good defensive team to win a championship now that the season is coming to the end stretch. I don’t need to take minutes of my life to read a long ass post on fancy numbers to tell me that. Defense wins Championships. Always will gentlemen. In the paint and on the perimeter but mainly in my opinion the paint. Yup its the paint boys. Don’t need to read numbers just look at the games in the playoffs and see who’s getting torched down low. Good luck. GSG!
March 11th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
@Bankshot21,
I hear you. I fear Portland and Memphis also. We just don’t match up well with those guys. And isn’t Rudy Gay back? Damn!
March 11th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
junierizzle
March 11th, 2011 at 12:42 pm @TD=BE
“That game against the Spurs was an aberration. No way they would lose by 30 in the playoffs.
I’m kinda glad that it happened now and not in Game 1 of the WCF, should both teams get there.”
I do tend to agree with this comment. As much as I’ve been down on my boys (Spurs) lately, LA did have an unreal game against SA. If LA played EVERY game the same way they played against the Spurs, they might lose 3 games between now and them holding up the Larry O’Brien. By the same token, if the Spurs played every game the way they just porked Miami, we would be virtually guaranteed the title. Bottom line: We aren’t 30pts better than the Heat NOR are the Spurs 30pts worse than the Lakers. The truth lies somewhere in the middle of those aberrant performances.
Hopefully we see 20+ minutes from Splitter tonight because this should be a relatively easy game. We will need more length come playoff time. Stretch run, here the Spurs come!!
March 11th, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Titletown99030507d
March 11th, 2011 at 3:55 pm @Bankshot21,
“I hear you. I fear Portland and Memphis also. We just don’t match up well with those guys.”
Yeah, if we played Memphis, we’d probably deal with injuries throughout the playoffs since they play so damned rough. In all honesty, I could see NO fall to the 8th seed. The Hornets don’t really scare me at all since they are so inconsistent. Besides, they don’t have a massive front line like Memphis or Portland.
Even if we did get the Grizz, they really aren’t that good of a road team. I could see us taking the series in 6 games at the worst. It would just be a rough/physical 6 games. I’m stating the obvious, but in the playoffs we need to beat teams ASAP (especially in the first two rounds) so we don’t risk injury and can rest up. This fact is especially true this year since we have an older core.
March 11th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Is it me or does Jason Thompson look like a very good young big……. 24 only getting paid 2 million…… why didn’t we pursue this guy when he was available again…………
March 11th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
TD = Best EVER
March 11th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
TD, I had mentioned trading Hill for Thompson numerous months ago. It was a trade that might have worked well for BOTH sides. However, we didn’t need to pursue anyone at the trade deadline. Afterall, we had the best record in the league. Pop know’s what he’s doing. The Spurs have won 4 championships, you know. No team is perfect. Don’t overreact. What other cliches am I missing?
March 11th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
@ Hobson13
+ 100
I mentioned a trade for him as soon as I knew he was on the block…… And as far as cliches, I think you hit them all except “it just one game”.
But we did get one step closer to HCA, the only positive I can find after the WORST team in the West, gave us all we can handle for 38 min or so. Also we are another game closer to looking just like the old school Mavs, Suns, Kings or any other team that wins SOLELY on the strength of their offense……Another game where the defense was MIA……
March 11th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
Horrible game by Macdyess, Bonner, Neal, JA, Blair(14 pt, 6 reb but Cousins destroyed him). Hope these guys play better tomorrow against Rockets
March 11th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Ginobili/TD saved the team in 4th. Only 14 turnovers but looks like 20!!
March 11th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
I’m not impressed.
March 11th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Sometimes our guys remind me of Usain Bolt…kinda jogging and saving their energy. Just a feeling. And Manu isn’t digging it one bit. He’s right about the next three games being important and that better effort/focus is needed. Can’t jog against any of those guys, for sure. None of them will let us rest on our laurels (or dreams of them).
March 11th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
What’s it gonna take for the Spurs to get focused again? This hasn’t been a red letter week for Spurs fans. Got blown up by the Lakers and squeeked by two teams that had a combined 14 road wins all season. The offense is fine, but what really bothers me is that both Detroit and Sacto had well above average offensive games. I would point out the Kings specific statistics like scoring, FG%, 3pt%, etc, but to some that might display my “remarkable talent for finding the grey cloud in any silver lining.”
Anyway, we should have blown this team out so we could have rested Manu and Tim since we have a back-to-back, but hopefully we can get a W tomorrow night also.
March 12th, 2011 at 6:29 am
Caught another break - 76ers beat Celtics (1st game of 7 in 11 days); C’s start week with BTB and end it with BTB. Spurs might be 7 games up on all nearest competitors by next Friday; the team will definitely need it.
March 12th, 2011 at 9:12 am
[...] week was exam crunch time for me. The Spurs managed to pass two small tests this week against the Pistons (111-104) on Wednesday and the Kings (108-103) on Friday, but the matchup against the Rockets tonight should prove to be a [...]
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