San Antonio Spurs 115, Houston Rockets 107: The defense came around, eventually

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Following their victory over the Sacramento Kings, before boarding a flight for Houston, a noticeably frustrated Gregg Popovich and several members of the San Antonio Spurs remarked that if their play of the past week continued they would find little success on the road.

“There are some opponents that are going to let you do this, but Houston desperately needing wins to get to the eighth seed, and then Miami and Dallas, it’s not going to happen,” Manu Ginobili said. “We’re going to have to play way better from minute one to 48 and go back to where we were 10 days ago defensively.”

Consider the Spurs 0-1 on their bold prediction.

Playing without Luis Scola, the Houston Rockets managed to put together an offensively dominant third quarter, taking the Spurs deep into the fourth quarter with the game in doubt. For the game, the Spurs surrendered 48 percent shooting (40 percent from three). The defense did not improve, yet the victory remained the same.

And if the performance did not spark much confidence heading into games at Miami and Dallas, remember that these Houston Rockets are not Miami or Dallas. In an 82-game season that has gone as successful as this one has so far, sometimes the opponent is merely boredom.

There are two tenets of the Spurs defensive philosophy that has kept the team in the upper echelon of defensive efficiency even as their individual talent for it slipped: three-point shooting and free throw attempts. At times, the San Antonio Spurs abandoned both of them.

Twenty-five free throw attempts in all for the Houston Rockets, which isn’t bad for an unfocused team against the like of Kevin Martin.

In terms of scoring, Martin and Ginobili are almost soul mates, buttressing lower field goal percentages with a large number of three-pointers and free throw attempts. Stat geeks unite.

And though there will be some that will want to point to the Spurs flagging defense, or what feels like growing rebounding problems, it’s almost impossible to get a big picture judgment from such an irrelevant game.

For all the worries, this game never really was one. These Spurs were simply far too deep, landing eight players in double figures and as always, executing down the stretch.

Miami and Dallas are ahead next week, and with them will be reasons to worry or rejoice. For now, on a team that has already surpassed its win total from a year ago–against these Rockets on a random Saturday night–it’s hard to fault a win. Even if the Spurs do.

 

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  • http://48minutesofhell.com midwestfan

    The Spurs are walking a slippery slope.We need to get rid of these bad habits and start playing consistent defense for 48 min. They were able to get SODs to finish game out but if our defense was solid the whole game we could of easily ran away with this game and rested Timmy and Manu and got JA and Splitter some valuable playing time

  • http://www.48minutesofhell.com Gebo

    Let us give some respect to Houston. They are a well managed, well coached team that has continued to play hard in the face of adversity, though it does seem to me that they have lost some of their identity with Battier gone. It is interesting to watch coach Pop honing the rotation. I think the guys we saw last night (with the exception of Novak) are very close to being the guys we’ll see in the playoffs. McDyess starting at power forward, Bonner and Blair the bigs off the bench, Hill and Neal the smalls. I think there is still an outside chance that Anderson may carve out a few minutes for himself if Hill or Neal hit a cold spell. Go get ‘em.

  • Junierizzle

    Glad they got the win. At least they are winning while they “figure” it out.

    Another thing is the fact that the spurs are getting every teams best effort night in and night out. And they still find a way to win. Thats saying something. Last year they would have easily blown this game.

    Lets wait and see how they do in these next two games.

  • Titletown99030507d

    First off that was horrible! Again! This is what you’ll be seeing when they meet up with the top teams in the NBA for the playoffs. Does n0t look promising. For the life of me does Tim, Manu, Dyess, and Blair need to see that many minutes at this point of the season? To trot Novak (a big) out onto the court yesterday while Splitter sat really solidified that Pop doesn’t hold to what he says. So much for Splitter getting time down the stretch where Pop said he would find time for. How many 3 point shooters that can’t play defense and defend the round hole did he want out on the court yesterday? True the perimeter defense wasn’t there but in my opinion it starts in securing the paint.What’s happening here is that its late in the season and Pop is starting to show his playoff rotation and he’s getting nothing out of them in terms of fluidity and consistency. Pop is freaking out because his team is not taking it to the next level thats why you see him spazing out after sloppy wins like these especially against mediocre teams like the one they played last night. The next level my friends was 30 games ago. “The humanity”. “ohh The Humanity”. “Run for your lives!”

  • GUESSWHO

    I don’t really feel like harping on the Spurs D. So instead lets talk about something more positive. Its only been two games but jeez Pop switching Dyess for Blair in the starting line up has done wonders for them so far, especially Blair.

  • DorieStreet

    This is ‘under the eyeglass week’- take your time, go-over-each-stat twice, remember “standout” plays and performances by individuals. I for one, will look at the next three games and form in my mind what type of playoff team the Spurs will be when the “2nd season”begins 5 weekends from now.

  • Mike

    Did you mean ‘tenets’? (not ‘tenants’)

  • Mike

    I guess I misread it. You got it right. Sorry.

  • Tim in Surrey

    @DorieStreet – Why? They’re just glorified practices from here on out. Lost in all the hand-wringing over the Lakers game this past week is the fact that the Mavs, Lakers, Heat, and Celtics have all lost a couple recently. It’s now impossible for them to catch the Spurs for home-court advantage. That makes the rest of the regular season a 16-game practice session.

    I’m not saying that it’s not important. Certainly Pop will empty his 3000-bottle wine cellar if we don’t start playing better defense. But it no longer matters whom we face. The media will make a big deal about Miami, Dallas, and Boston, but the thing to watch is not how we play against top teams. Instead, it’s just how well we execute–against everybody. Based on that, this weekend was a bit of a disappointment. But we’ll see how things go next week…

  • betsyduncan

    The next two games are ones our guys can really ‘sink their teeth into’. I, for one, think that we will rise to the challenge(s).

  • grego

    You need to give Houston more credit. They play hard and their games are always close even without key guys. That’s the history of the Houston-San Antonio games.

    Houston in the 3rd quarter hit a lot of tough shots though. They made a lot of midrange jumpers with a hand in the face. That’s exactly what you want the offense taking.

    At least two of the their made three pointers were low percentage shots like the Lowry one and the amazing end of quarter 3.

  • rj

    that martin is crafty. good comparison of he and ginobili. the rotation is looking tighter. i’m liking bonner’s drives to the basket. he does an excellent job of the drive and kick and his floaters are looking pretty consistent. he also did a nice job contesting shots around the rim. dyess’s jumpers looked smooth as always. considering it’s the stretch run, i imagine pop will lean on our starters more and solidify the 4 bench player rotation. it won’t be until the final few games that our starters rest. it getting close to play off time. the defense must improve and i’ll stop with the TS/jA tALK. this is what we got, folks.

  • Hobson13

    Why have the last 3 games seemed like ground hog day? Bad to terrible defensive performances, missed chances to blown open the game, but by the same token, the Spurs have shown the ability to be an offensive juggernaught. Are we becoming the early 2000′s version of the Sacramento Kings or is this just a stretch where our defense is struggling? I hope the answer is the latter because we won’t win playoff games with this defense.

    The ONLY silver lining in the Houston game was that the Spurs limited the Rockets to 7-18 from the field in the fourth (at least by my count). Also keep in mind that the Rockets are much better team (especially on the offensive end) than Detroit or Sacto.

    Last night, the Lakers limited Dallas to 91 points at home. That is the championship level defense in which the Spurs should aspire. We are a long way from that kind of performance with relatively few games left. I sure hope we bring our A game to Miami. With only 16 games left, it’s really time to up the ante on the Spurs level of play.

    Titletown99030507d
    March 13th, 2011 at 7:28 am
    ” So much for Splitter getting time down the stretch where Pop said he would find time for.”

    We only have 16 games left and the schedule is not an easy one. At this point, we might as well pack Splitter up for next year. Pop has made it abundantly clear (64 games into the season) that he has little intention of playing Tiago. Hope this works out for everybody when Dallas or LA show up in the playoffs…

    ixzz1GW3HEgiB

  • Hassan

    My..my..my. I am officially panicking about the Spurs now. Defense getting worse and falling into bad habits & now we are allowing lots of defensive rebounding to go to the opposition when we used to be TOP Defensive team in last few yrs….

    I just don’t feel we can be as dominant defensively enough to win it all this year..we need shot blocking & we are close to last in the league recently… Our chance: ~ 7% to win it all…

    We also keep talking about beating DAL or LA in west finals.. we have to beat memphis in 1st round & then the improved thunder in 2nd round and I am concerned about an upset….

    Drive for 5….Go Spurs Go…

  • Junierizzle

    @grego
    Good point. Rockets have played every team tough all year. It really isnt a shock that they came back?

    And if we are going to base things on one game then I guess the Mavs are done too. They looked nervous all night against The Lakers. They came close but ultimately choked. (dirk threw the ball out of bounds with a chance to tie) They are going to play The Lakers in the second round no matter what. They dont have a chance right?

    The truth of the matter is we can bark all day about wanting to see better D, but the Spurs still have a healthy lead on the Mavs and Lakers. Which means they are going to pace themselves for the rest of the year.
    Celtics played 500 ball the end of last season and they made it to Game 7 of the finals.
    HCA is pretty much locked up. Its all about the playoffs now. So lets not lose our sh*t if they lose to Miami or Dallas.

  • Bankshot21

    7%? What are you basing this on? What you don’t realize is every team has gone through a stretch of bad games this season. The difference is we are winning our bad games. Oh ye of little faith.

  • Matt

    I wouldn’t “freak-out” too much over this win. As Pop always says, ” a win on the road in this league is nothing to take for granted….” despite the competition. Also, remember, Houston had a few nights rest since their last game and S.A. played last night. Even if the Spurs drop these next two on the road…the season isn’t over. The main goal is to nail down home court, and, then, they can focus on one team at a time when the play-offs begin.
    Don’t bite off more than they and you all can chew. Do what Pop and the team will do, one opponent at a time. If you take that approach; you get way less stress!!!

  • Bruno

    @Hobson13 Bonner+Blair is worst frontcourt i’ve seen in my life, last 3 games Red Rocket did not made a 3pt shot, so i think Splitter can’t be worse than Bonner. Bonner can’t rebound,score and play defense, Splitter on the other hand can draws charges and rebound

  • SpurredOn

    A fun game between intrastate and division rivals as it often is. I can’t give the Spurs’ defense too much fault. Playing the second night of a b2b against a team on four days rest will always create some moments of being a step slower. Add in that Houston has a bunch of hustle players and scorers who like to push the pace, you’re going to give up more points than normal if they’re hitting their outside shots. And boy were they in the 2nd half. Lowry’s 3-pointer from four feet behind the line, plus his buzzer beater from near half-court is more about luck and effort than anything bad the Spurs did on defense. What’s important is that our guys came away with victory on a night where things could’ve easily gotten away from them.

  • Melbourne Spur

    The pessimism on this site is unbelievable. Not sure what else you want the guys to do other than keep winning. Yes, how we are playing is important, but the ability to win games even when playing badly is the sign of a good team.

    We are coasting in now, trying to avoid injury without losing any real momentum. Two to three weeks of the first two rounds of the playoffs against quality opposition where the guys have to be switched on every night will get us ready for the Mavs/Lakers. Forget trying to get A1 performances against Detroit, Sacto and Houston. So long as we are winning these, let them go.

    All we should really worry about is health for the next few weeks.

    If the people actually involved with the Spurs shared the pessimism as some of you, then we would never have won any championships.

    Have some concerns if you want, sure, but get behind the guys rather than wishing for the end so you can have an I-told-you-so moment. I know I’d prefer a championship moment.

  • hassan

    @ Bankshot21

    Well based on current (emphasis on current) defensive efficiency, Big front lines and experience, here are my estimates:

    LA: 30%
    BOS: 25%
    Chicago: 15%
    DAL, SA & Miami: ~ 7% each (excellent perimeter
    defense in case of miami)
    Orlando & Thunder: 5% each.

    Now if the Spurs Improve to top 3 in def efficiancy
    then their % goes up dratically maybe up to 20-25% …THATS how important DEFENSE is…….

    And I still have faith but it is taking more than usual for Spurs to get that defense up to par…

    Drive for 5…Go Spurs Go…

  • Bankshot21

    What in the world are you talking about? Hahahahahahaha…..how can you only use defensive data to formulate a prediction? Very silly.

  • Colin

    @Hassan

    “My..my..my. I am officially panicking about the Spurs now.”

    Chill man. Panic? Really?

  • TD = Best EVER

    @ Hobson 13

    + 10

    As much as many people like to comment on how great we are, we have ZERO perimeter defense. Hill has been missing for quite a long time now, and Manu has been the most consistent all year long…….When is the last time that you have mentioned Hill and defensive stopper in the same sentence and not laughed or something……

    Inside TD/DICE are solid, but it just falls off a cliff from there, as soon as Bonner/Blair comes in. And when they both play we are at a real disadvantage……..So it appears that we will have to live or die by Bonner’s 3 -ball again this year……. Why would POP put us back through another post season of watching Bonner run a round for 20+ useless minutes…… When 10 or so is all he really needs to shot his 2-3 jumpers……Blair can be solid but more than often will gamble rather than play any type of solid post position…..

    We also gamble on the perimeter to get steals more now than we used to. Which is great when you get the steal, but when you miss, it’s like double teaming, it puts more stress and pressure on an already porous Defense. So maybe POP has realized that we can only get so much better on D and will just hang his hat on our ability to score points and hopefully get a few stops when we NEED them……Many teams have tried this before and failed, most of which were better on the offensive end then we were……… Just don’t know what POP is thinking on this one…… There were people to be had and for cheap, we could have kept our team together and still added a piece. We could have let go of one player and added some other player that was underachieving elsewhere for real cheap……..

  • Flavor

    Melbourne Spur
    March 13th, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    Have some concerns if you want, sure, but get behind the guys rather than wishing for the end so you can have an I-told-you-so moment. I know I’d prefer a championship moment.

    +1000

  • betsyduncan

    Ditto, Flavor.
    +1000

  • hassan

    @ Bankshot21

    Tell me which NBA champion won without Defense; infact the SUNS played all offense and you know what happened to them….hahahaha.. silly boy…

    When LA won game 7 last year they where shooting terribly, Kobe was 5/17 but still won with DEFENSE my friends..

    @ Colin
    I am worried as long as they play like they have been playing last month..but if defense improves then I’ll take my chances…and a true fan worries a lot about each single detail and each missed possesion or defensive lapse..which has been plenty of late..

    Drive For 5…. Go Spurs Go

  • SpurINhouston

    Nothing makes me happier than watching the Mavs lose a big one to LA (even as much as I hate the Lakers). We’re still up +7 games in the West my friends…by all means, don’t be complacent with our weaknesses but understand that 7 games is good for “squeaking” by the non-playoff contenders and saving the energy for the Miami, LA, Dallas, and Boston games down the stretch.

  • Ryan

    @TD=BE, Hobson13

    While I understand the defensive concerns, I think what both of you are asking at this point is a little moot. This team isn’t going to give you solid defensive outing night in and night out quite simply because at this point, it doesn’t have to. Yes, I know it’s arrogant to think that way, but if the Spurs win the games they’re “supposed to win” and lose the one’s which ESPN wants to brag about their glamour teams, then we’re still the #1 seed.

    Both of you ask yourselves this… is it worth playing a full 48 minutes of defense and risk losing someone like Manu or Tony to an injury because we were trying to set a precedent? Of course not.. it’s why this team won’t win 70 games or even 65 for that matter.. Now I agree about the blown leads, but fact of the matter is (and I know this sounds weird) but we’re almost jumping on people too early with enough time for them to get back in it, when we need to do something like that in the late second or early third quarters to truly put teams away. Lately, these double digit leads in the first are all but gone midway through th third and you almost wish they’d just save the burn we used for all that early and use it later when we need it most.

    TD=BE you argued that you can’t exactly “flip the switch”. I disagree.. this team has shown is can play stellar defense when it NEEDS to, but, for the most part, over the course of these last 15 games or so, it’s gonna be mediocre. Lineup changes this late in the season tell me Pop is trying to iron out the last few kinks in his master plan.. and coincedentally we start off strong, but can’t finish that way.. who knows.. maybe we’ll see Blair start on Mon against Miami.. or we may just say screw it, it’s not worth the energy or effort and Tiago may get a full half of playtime. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t put high expectations on things. In the end, winning is winning.. whether it be by defense, offense, the refs, whatever…

  • Bankshot21

    @Hassan

    It obviously takes both OFFENSIVE and DEFENSIVE efficiency. You gave an example where you ONLY you defense and came up with a prediction. That’s dumb. The Bobcats were a top notch defensive team under Larry Brown last year. According to your data they had to be in title contention when we all know that was the furthest from the truth. Further more you listed 8 teams of have a chance when in fact 16 teams are in the playoffs. Just foolish analysis all around on your part.

  • ribanez1

    I am a Spurs fan ! However, the way Bynum has been clearing the glass, altering shots and scoring even with Splitter playing the Spurs will be fortunate to win 2 games. A wonderful regular season will become meaningless once they are eliminated. I hope I’m wrong but I see nothing but trouble for our front line in the playoffs.

  • Bankshot21

    Excuse the poor grammar on that last post. Thumbs were moving a little to fast on my phone.

  • Bankshot21

    I posted on my Twitter page (@humorousgent) similar concerns about Bynum. He is really going after it on the glass. He is the 1 Laker I am concerned about if we were to meet up. Then I’m reminded of how brittle he is and how for the past decade Tim Duncan has cranked it up another notch come playoff time. Its going to be more difficult with the decline but I’m sure he has it in him. I have said for the past 2 seasons that his slimming down may be extending his career but it has also weakened him. He used to bang with Shaq and hold his own but now players like Bynum and Howard make TD look like KG trying to guard Shaq back in the day.

  • Hobson13

    Ryan
    March 13th, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    I understand what you are saying to an extent. Sure we don’t want to run ourselves ragged while chasing 70 wins and there’s no need for anyone to play extended minutes. However, after revisiting the Spurs schedule, the Spurs haven’t consistently played great defense in almost a month. That’s a long stretch of time and when you lose your defensive (or offensive) groove, sometimes it’s hard to get back. I, like others, don’t suscribe to the notion of being able to “turn on and off” certain aspects of a team game. Playing poor defense for long stretches re-enforces bad habits that can’t just be changed overnight.

    “Both of you ask yourselves this… is it worth playing a full 48 minutes of defense and risk losing someone like Manu or Tony to an injury because we were trying to set a precedent?”

    Of course not. By using this logic, the Spurs shouldn’t play hard on the offensive end either and we both know that’s not the case since they are a top 5 offense. Besides, neither Manu nor Tony play a full 48 minutes, but when they’re on the court, they (like everyone else) need to play to the best of their abilities on both ends (not just the offensive end). It sounds like you are advocating that the team not really play that hard on both ends of the court and for the Spurs to do the bare minimum in order to win. It doesn’t look like LA believes in this defensive philosophy nor does Boston who just held a team to 56 pts tonight. The Spurs need to be playing hard on BOTH ends of the court EVERY single night whether starter or sub in order to sharpen themselves for the best competition. You can’t just not play ball because of the possibility of injury.

  • andy

    Tim in Surrey
    March 13th, 2011 at 11:00 am

    Ryan
    March 13th, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    you both hit on just about the same idea.

    at this point in the season, winning is winning. we are just a few games away from hca throughout the playoffs, and that’s nothing to sniff at. playing horribly and still finding a way to win is the sign of a good team. destroying a top team by 30 points signals that you can beat anyone. losing by 16 to the defending champs shows you can’t take a night off if you expect to win. our team has shown flashes of dominant defense and overwhelming firepower, especially down the stretch of games. no team dominates every game wire to wire, and whether they struggle night to night within games is mostly irrelevant at this point. it’s about staying healthy and locking up hca.

    i’m happy with many, many things that have broken our way this season. i wish splitter could’ve been integrated more, but it’s a minor quibble in a season full of great moments. here’s hoping it ends on a high note.

  • andy

    Hobson13
    March 13th, 2011 at 8:25 pm

    i’m a bit slow replying, but i generally agree with you that we need to play hard on both ends to win against top teams in the playoffs. however, we’ve shown that we can do that.

    i’m sorry, but if it only takes 60% effort to beat a team, and you can save some minutes/wear for later (granted, imperfect comparison), then you do it.

    “It doesn’t look like LA believes in this defensive philosophy nor does Boston who just held a team to 56 pts tonight.”

    i’d say only d’antoni is the only one in the league who believes you don’t need defense to win a championship. c’mon, pop is our coach. i know you’re familiar with mr. grumpy himself. i expect him to ream every player on the roster if we aren’t up to his standards in the playoffs. i’m ok with the d for now. and to be fair, the bucks are a historically awful awful awful offensive team.

  • TD = Best EVER

    I’m going to mention this on every post from now on until I see or hear differently………. Where has IndyG’s Defense gone……. what happened to the guy who could check any and everybody from Rondo to Kobe to Durant to Ray Allen…… It’s been a while since we have seen him and the team could use that 1 on 1 defensive ability. POP might wanna pull him aside and tell him to STOP shooting and just worry about Defense, we have plenty of offensive weapons……

    At those saying we should just focus on HCA and nothing else or that the last few weeks don’t matter because no one can catch us, etc…..

    Where have you been, good defensive teams can win on the road, a lot of players on THIS team aren’t playoff veterans and some who are haven’t risen to the occasion when needed. So the idea that we can just skate along and hope to turn it on with a few games to go or in our 1st round series is INSANE……….. And no I don’t want to have our guys play long minutes or to get themselves hurt….. but if you can’t play solid defense for 6 minutes to start the 3rd qt against a non playoff team, who can you. And I say start of the 3rd because that’s when you have made all your adjustment and your starters are well rested and should have a little energy to burn to put the game away and turn the entire 4th into garbage time……

    Plus come playoff time – Memphis, OKC, Dallas, Lakers or whoever else we play are not gonna just bow down to our record……. HCA can’t lace them up and play ball for you. This is not American Gladiators where having a great regular season in our case can give you a head start on the Eliminator!!!!!

  • Titletown99030507d

    @Bruno,

    I keep saying all season long Splitter is way better than Bonner and Blair if you want a big man in the black painted area. So what Bonner shoots 3′s. But has he really lately like he has before? The closer it gets to the playoffs the closer he’s getting to perform like in the past years. This dude better not flake out. And as for Blair he’ll be sitting in the 4th during the playoffs while Timmy and Dyess are playing for their lives. Man this team is so predictable. Yeah I know some of the other posters have written off Splitter for this year but just letting them know its waste of a big body that can help you. I don’t care what they or Pop say this team will not make it to the finals with this stupid rotation. What a joke. What the hell is next year going to do that this year can’t? Pretty stupid. Its going to suck seeing Blair and Bonner getting man handled in the playoffs while Timmy and Dyess rest. Oh what a waste!

  • Rafael

    All you are much worried, look what we will had in playoff time:

    TD will play 35 minutes,
    Manu 35,
    TP 40,
    Hill 20,
    Neal 20,
    RJ 30,
    Dice 25,
    Blair 20
    Bonner/Splitter/Novak 15

    When TD is on the floor our D is 200% better than he isn’t.
    In playoffs our D will be much better, TD will 18pt/12 reb, Dice 10/10, AND all you forgot one thing: no one team has better guards than Spurs!!

  • Titletown99030507d

    @Melbourne Spur,

    I live here in San Antonio and seen just about every Spurs game either on the tube or live since 1974 and I have never been pessimistic about my team until NOW! I feel bad about this team the way it stands and I have a right to post whatever I feel about this team. I supported it for many years that gives me the right to say what I want. And if they do make it to the finals and win Good on them.

  • Titletown99030507d

    Take that +1000 and post it when its all over.

  • Titletown99030507d

    @ribanez1,

    That’s because Pop failed to address the need down low. Some people make Pop to be some kind of god or genius. He’s a human being making stupid mistakes and taking it out on his players after the game. It’s obvious. I watch the games too. So then the you say the Lakers have a better chance to beat us now? You may not be far from the truth.

  • hassan

    @ Bankshot21

    What’s foolish my friend is thinking that Indiana has a chance to win it all..how stupid can that assumption sound when you think of it…what an imagination….

    And I listed defense as the main criteria as it the MAIN criteria to win; we all know that teams have to score the ball to win the game but that scoring has to be against think what…the other team’s DEFENSE…

    As a spur fan I am just voicing my concern as I see a very good chance to win it all this year possibly wasted if we do not get into regular habits of defense as it is something you have to do repeatedly to do it again when the time comes (in the playoffs) so your teammates can depend on that.. we need to win soon before Timmy retires…

    Drive for 5.. Go Spurs Go…

  • Titletown99030507d

    @Rafael,

    You think Timmy can play 35 min for consecutive 7 game series if it comes to that? Good luck.

  • hassan

    We also need to start going down low to Duncan more frequently to get him back into Rhythm and be an least at 18-20 point, 12 reb by playoffs time..

  • Bruno

    @Titletown99030507d i know!!!!I watch euro basketball, Splitter has so much skills, he show some glimpses of brilliance in spurs, but always got hurt and he don’t learn system.

    Splitter’s team beat Barcelona(euroleague champion)last year in ACB finals by 3-0, without HCA. And he won Finals MVP.

  • Rafael

    @Titletown99030507d

    Yes, of course he can!! Last year he played 38

  • hassan

    @ hobson13

    I agree with you, our team needs to play hard on defense to get into those defensive habits and people who mention injury..that can happen on offesnse or in practice too so the only way to avoid it is to just stay home; now if we blow a team out then get in your reserves some playing time to learn more which basicakly saves the starters…

    Also I felt the FO could have tried to get a shot blocking/altering big but not sure who was available… would have loved to get Nene (Doubt Denver would have accepted a package of Splitter, JA, McDyess-buyout & return + 1st rounder for Nene+ Gary forbes to be our back up defensive SF).. or we could have gotten Dalembert/Foster if they where bought out.. but we have to make it work with the current roster which I strongly beleive in if they step up the defense…

    Drive for 5…Go Spurs Go…

  • Bankshot21

    Defense and Offense is a chicken vs. egg debate. I will not continue it.

  • Bruno

    @hassan Nene receive 12 mil, and he is worst than Splitter, what spurs need is develop and give playing time to Splitter

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