Sunday, March 6th, 2011...1:41 am
Advanced Scouting: Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs
Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs 2:30 CST March 6, 2011
The Spurs follow up their ultra-impressive 125-95 victory over the Heat with yet another difficult and high profile test. The Los Angeles Lakers are defending champs for a reason, but their 44-19 record is no match for the Spurs who have already surpassed the 50 win mark.
The season series is currently 2-0 in favor of the Spurs. The first game resulted in a blowout victory for the Spurs while the second victory required a last second tip in from Antonio McDyess. For more background for what to expect, read my advanced scouting report on the Lakers. I also provided a preview of the second game, including analysis of Kobe’s volume shooting impact on the Lakers.
A theme in both games has been Kobe’s poor shooting. Combined, Kobe has made 13 of his 45 field goal attempts to score just 37 points while turning the ball over 8 times. (His usage was 54% in the first game!) After creating 27 field goal attempts and just 1 assist in the first game, Kobe went into distributor mode (at least for part of the game), setting up teammates for 6 dump-ins.
Thanks in large part to Kobe’s attempt to take over the games, the Lakers ran a ton of isolations (0.66 PPP in 48 plays) and more pick and rolls than they typically utilize (0.44 PPP in 26 possessions), struggling on both play types. (All statistics are based on total from both games in this season.) The Lakers actually found more success in the limited post plays they ran (1.13 PPP in 27 possessions). The Spurs more than doubled the Lakers production on fast breaks 39-17. The Spurs also found success running off screens (1.12 PPP in 17 attempts).
For San Antonio, the number of their three point attempts created should be considered a good sign. Richard Jefferson was able to attempt 16 three’s (making 6). Gary Neal attempted 10 in just 33 combined minutes (making 3). Matt Bonner made 2 of 3 in 26 minutes and Manu hit 3 of 12. Although the conversion rates were somewhat low, finding these good looks could pay off in several nights.
It might be very important that Tony Parker returned since he found a much easier time getting to the rim than Manu against the Lakers this year. Manu scored only 1 basket within 10 feet in both games combined, whereas Parker made 10 layups and scored 5 more times within 9 feet. Parker also had similar success getting to the rim against LAL last season. Meanwhile, Manu greatly struggled finding layups against the Lakers in 3 of the 4 meetings last season.
The Spurs played so well against Miami that they could arguable have won easily even without the return of Parker (who played well). However, Parker’s impact on this matchup could prove to be much more significant.
Key Statistics
Los Angeles Lakers: 5.71 (4th)
San Antonio: 6.91 (1st)
Player summary statistics from basketball-reference.com and basketballvalue.com:
Lakers Player Ratings
| Player | G | MPG | USG% | ORtg | DRtg | WS/48 | 2 Yr APM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pau Gasol | 63 | 37.1 | 21.5 | 124 | 103 | 0.236 | 2.5 |
| Kobe Bryant | 63 | 33.8 | 34.5 | 111 | 106 | 0.183 | 3 |
| Lamar Odom | 63 | 32.6 | 19.3 | 120 | 103 | 0.191 | 4.19 |
| Ron Artest | 63 | 28.4 | 15.2 | 104 | 106 | 0.085 | 1.97 |
| Derek Fisher | 63 | 27.2 | 12.7 | 106 | 106 | 0.081 | -0.8 |
| Steve Blake | 62 | 20.4 | 11.5 | 101 | 108 | 0.054 | -0.89 |
| Shannon Brown | 63 | 19.5 | 22.7 | 107 | 105 | 0.111 | -4.86 |
| Andrew Bynum | 38 | 26.2 | 19 | 119 | 102 | 0.196 | 1.81 |
| Matt Barnes | 37 | 20.8 | 16.8 | 112 | 103 | 0.141 | 2.02 |
| Luke Walton | 45 | 9.1 | 14.4 | 89 | 107 | 0.01 | N/A |
Spurs Player Ratings
| Player | G | MPG | USG% | Ortg | DRtg | WS/48 | 2 Yr APM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Parker | 60 | 32.3 | 24.9 | 114 | 106 | 0.169 | -0.53 |
| Richard Jefferson | 62 | 31 | 15.7 | 116 | 107 | 0.126 | -1.3 |
| Manu Ginobili | 62 | 30.9 | 26.4 | 116 | 103 | 0.208 | 5.02 |
| Tim Duncan | 62 | 28.7 | 23.2 | 109 | 99 | 0.166 | 6.52 |
| George Hill | 56 | 28.2 | 17.6 | 117 | 106 | 0.15 | -1.32 |
| DeJuan Blair | 62 | 22.1 | 20.3 | 105 | 99 | 0.137 | 0.07 |
| Matt Bonner | 46 | 21.9 | 12.7 | 134 | 107 | 0.176 | 4.3 |
| Gary Neal | 60 | 20.3 | 20.2 | 109 | 108 | 0.104 | -1.51 |
| Antonio McDyess | 56 | 17.9 | 14.7 | 104 | 102 | 0.109 | 2.7 |
| James Anderson | 14 | 12.8 | 16.1 | 108 | 109 | 0.081 | N/A |
| Tiago Splitter | 44 | 11.3 | 17.8 | 111 | 103 | 0.141 | N/A |
| Chris Quinn | 39 | 6.6 | 16.3 | 96 | 108 | 0.032 | N/A |
| Steve Novak | 9 | 6.3 | 15.1 | 146 | 108 | 0.228 | N/A |
Player trends, based on Efficiency per 48 minutes:
Lakers Player Trends
| Player | Season | Last 10 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pau Gasol | 33.4 | 34.2 | 0.8 |
| Kobe Bryant | 30.6 | 26.6 | -4 |
| Lamar Odom | 29.7 | 23.9 | -5.8 |
| Ron Artest | 14.9 | 16.2 | 1.3 |
| Derek Fisher | 13.6 | 12.6 | -1 |
| Steve Blake | 12.8 | 11.9 | -0.9 |
| Shannon Brown | 19.7 | 15.9 | -3.8 |
| Andrew Bynum | 30.5 | 31.1 | 0.6 |
| Luke Walton | 13.9 | 12.3 | -1.6 |
Spurs Player Trends
| Player | Season | Last 10 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| DeJuan Blair | 28 | 28.5 | 0.5 |
| Gary Neal | 18.6 | 23.1 | 4.5 |
| Antonio McDyess | 23.2 | 25 | 1.8 |
| Tim Duncan | 32.7 | 31.9 | -0.8 |
| George Hill | 23 | 21.2 | -1.8 |
| Manu Ginobili | 28.7 | 29.3 | 0.6 |
| Matt Bonner | 21 | 24.3 | 3.3 |
| Steve Novak | 21 | 19.5 | -1.5 |
| Richard Jefferson | 18.1 | 14.1 | -4 |
| Chris Quinn | 12.3 | 6.1 | -6.2 |
Lineup data
Most valuable/utilized lineups:
Lakers:
Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Odom, Gasol +172 in 760 minutes (+12.1 per 100 possessions)
Blake, Brown, Barnes, Odom, Gasol +65 in 139 minutes (+23.3 per 100)
Fisher, Bryant, Artest, Odom, Bynum +59 in 101 minutes (+27.6 per 100)
Blake, Brown, Bryant, Odom, Gasol +29 in 101 minutes (+9.8 per 100)
Blake, Brown, Walton, Odom, Bynum +27 in 78 minutes (+17.6 per 100)
I included so many lineups because both Fisher and Barnes are questionable to play tonight.
Spurs:
Parker, Ginobili, Jefferson, Blair, Duncan +154 in 659 minutes (+11.1 per 100)
Hill, Neal, Ginobili, Bonner, McDyess +68 in 96 minutes (+37.9 per 100)
The Pick
Spurs
If all goes as planned, this could be the last meaningful Spurs-Lakers game of the regular season. (They meet again on the 81st game of the year.) The Spurs have a healthy Parker back and the San Antonio fans backing them. This should be enough to give them a good shot to win.
71 Comments
March 6th, 2011 at 3:25 am
I’d forgotten that Bonner did not play in the one point win in LA, a game where the Spurs attempted half as many 3s as the first match of the season. Most of those 3s were wide open yet missed.
In both previous match-ups, Spurs have been out-rebounded, shot fewer FTs, and shot poorly from 3-pt range. Yet won both. They’ve yet to play a complete game or even great against the Lakers. Today would be a nice time to do that, and make this a genuine statement weekend.
March 6th, 2011 at 5:44 am
As SpurredOn mentioned, Bonner missed the last meeting in LA; Neal only logged 15 minutes. McDyess should be raring to go since he sat out the Heat victory. No matter how strong the Lakers first 6 are (starters + Odom), the Spurs’ bench should tilt the game in our favorite. All the pundits stating the defending champs have the “switch on” - undefeated since the allstart break. (I can hear the crew on ABC’s “NBA Countdown now…)
Spurs held their own on the boards in the 2 previous games- Lakers had 12-33-51 vs Spurs’ 12-38-50 in Dec.; Lakers produced 12-32-44 against Spurs’ 10-28-38 in Jan. But the key is WHEN the rebounds happen-as in McDyess’s putback 31 days ago.
Expect a half-court grindout this afternoon.
GO SPURS GO!
March 6th, 2011 at 5:50 am
Go Spurs Go!!
March 6th, 2011 at 6:08 am
I fully expect a convincing victory today. Go Spurs!
March 6th, 2011 at 6:57 am
This is a game where I want to see if Tiago can contribute defensively against the Lakers big men. I love Dejuan Blair but when the lakers put on lineup out there of Odom/Gasol/Bynum, we’re going to need options on defense.
March 6th, 2011 at 7:40 am
The Spurs look to be in their end of the year dominance run. There may be a few hiccups coming up in the schedule but I think we should be in control, especially as it is at home. Still amazed to see Parker back so soon and on top of his game.
Celtics look to sign Arroyo.
http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=6184793
I did see Mike Finley talking of making a late-year comeback. Let’s bring him in for old times sake.
March 6th, 2011 at 8:34 am
@IdahoSpur
No way do I bring Finley back. I always liked Finley. He was one of my favorite players as a Mav (pre Dirk/Nash emergence). I always felt he never received the credit he deserved. That being said I did not like the way he jumped ship last year. He left a team that already got him a ring to chase after another. I can see a ringless veteran doing that, but the lack of loyalty in our time of need disappointed me. We still turned around to have playoff success and he didn’t get that ring even though I’m sure he thought he would with a lead in the 4th quarter of an NBA Finals game 7. I still think he’s a stand up guy, but that lack of loyalty makes me never want to see him associated with the Spurs organization again.
March 6th, 2011 at 8:51 am
@Bank
There was some sarcasm there. But I still like Fin.
March 6th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Last time Finley wore the silver and black he was chunking up bricks and air balls. He’s done. But I was happy he got a ring with our Spurs, especially after leaving the Mavs.
March 6th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Tiago needs 15 good minutes to throw off Lakers game plan. Nuff said.
March 6th, 2011 at 10:13 am
Splitter needs 15 good minutes to throw a wrench in Lakers game plan. Nuff said.
March 6th, 2011 at 10:24 am
Spurs should not have had Finley on the roster at the start of last season—contributed so little that after Dec 2009, he basically got no time on the floor (that’s why he asked to be released). Let’s not look back & try to turn back the clock. It happens to them all.
March 6th, 2011 at 11:37 am
Question:
Regarding the playoffs, assuming the standings remain as they are today and all of the top four teams win their first round match-ups, who would we meet in the second round and who would the Mavs and Lakers face in that same round? Thanks.
March 6th, 2011 at 11:49 am
the key to this game is fastbreak…anybody who controls the break will win this game. the half game would be very tight for both teams who are good defensive teams. the spurs have the edge here because of tony, manu and hill
second, the perimeter shooting will go a long way to keep the lead and the spurs also have the edge here because of their high %age with the 3 pointers. bonner and neal will be crucial here since manu will be defended by ron artest.
mcdyess and duncan will control the center since the lakers are reputed to have a soft center especially with gasol ‘s inability to slug it out inside and bynum’s limited ability to position himself for rebounds and put-backs.
third, bench production will come in handy, but the spurs also have a considerable edge here.
if the spurs can limit ron artest perimeter shot then, they will bury the lakers convincinly. also, lamar odom can shoot the three pointers. do not let lamar go into a rhythm because if he does it going to be a long night for the spurs
lastly, if the spurs can limit lamar odom and ron artest, that is a good 20 points - if they dont it is going to be an easy night
oh i forgot, kobe can have his 40 points, why not. but do not put him on the line and no drives to the basket and three point plays
spurs must be mindlyful of turnovers. utilize the clock and run at every opportunity. laker defense is good but not that good especially in transition
March 6th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
agutierrez:
Based on your scenario the Spurs would play the Thunder while the Mavs and Lakers would play each other.
March 6th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
6 offensive rebounds in the 1st 9 minutes of the game given up by the Spurs, talk about a lousy start to a game .
March 6th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Daniel T: thanks.
March 6th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Blair shouldn’t have started. He’s insignificant on the floor. Timmy and Blair are getting killed on the glass in the first quarter. They are getting too many offensive rebounds. When will Pop learn Blair is useless in these kind of games. You won’t hurt his feelings if he sits. Tiago’s last go round with the lakers was productive in holding off Bynum. Where the hell is he coach? Don’t think about throwing him in there when there up 20 points its too late by then.
And it looks like the blew their wad against Miami. Had a feeling that was going to happen. Lets see if they can recover by halftime. Bad start.
March 6th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Game Over?
March 6th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
If the Lakers keep shooting the lights out and our guys continue to be unlucky, well the game is effictively over.
March 6th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Rebounding matters………….and its not just the bigs…… Alot of these rebounds are long rebounds off of jump shots…….That means the guards need to block out and help on the boards………
March 6th, 2011 at 2:05 pm
@TD, you just can’t face reality. Blair is worthless in these kind of games. Where was he last game against the Lakers? In 4th sitting while Timmy and Dyess are playing for their lives. Remember? That’s the same game (5 min.) that Splitter showed he can hold off big men. If Splitter started along side Timmy the lakers wouldn’t of had the start they had and the rest of the team feeds off of that. The Spurs are weak minded when they get down 15 points against elite teams. Bynum and Gasol are having their way. That allows their shooters to have a field day. Pop better let go of the Blair wish project when they get to the playoffs. Its so obvious and before anybody starts throwing around that record of ours look whats happening. That record won’t save their ass in the playoffs if they don’t address putting a big man as in length on the court with Timmy. Open your eyes Pop. Your 3 point shooting wont be there every game. Take care of business or else.
March 6th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Face it people, the spurs deserved this loss.
It’s not one persons fault, it’s the TEAMs fault. Everyone hear says we win with teamwork, we lost this with team work. No scapegoating here. They weren’t focused. Didn’t box out, couldn’t buy a bucket. Gave up way early, and just played poorly overall.
I’m glad they are getting embarrassed. It will refocus them. Pop will have plenty to bitch about, and it will show that just because you destroy a struggling Heat team doesn’t mean you can’t come out and fall flat on your asses 2 days later. Even Tim got big headed. I hope they end up losing by 50.
March 6th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Dominated against Lakers. Very poorly played game in all phases. If the Lakers play like this throughout the playoffs, no one will beat them.
With that said, SA did not come out with the passion required to set any kind of pace. They do best when they set the pace and get stops. Neither happened. They deserve to lose in this case. This will help them get better. They aren’t psychological infants a la Miami. The Spurs will come back a better team and we won’t see another performance like this again.
March 6th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Titletown99030507:
Really? The last time I checked he had 7 rebounds in 12 minutes.
March 6th, 2011 at 2:30 pm
I like Tiago but he cant set a pick for the life of him. Odd….
Add another rebound for #45
March 6th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Splitter +14. 4 points, 5 rebounds. JA +15. Gasol made just 1 field goal against Splitter, i think if we start Splitter on Gasol and Duncan on Bynum, we have a game
March 6th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Splitter has a steal and block but is not on nba site
March 6th, 2011 at 3:06 pm
@ Bruna
“i think if we start Splitter on Gasol and Duncan on Bynum, we have a game”
……..no, we don’t
March 6th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
You cant take into account +/- in comparison when you have Splitter playing against Gasol and Scrubs and Blair playing against Gasol and starters
* Please see our scrubs +- versus lakers. the only point you got with this is that we have the better bench.
James anderson was a +15 and had 5 points and NO OTHER STATS… People have to learn how to appropriately interpret data. Not just spew it out.
You can only really take into account stat sheet.Blair had 12 rebounds. Tiago had 5. They both shot the ball horribly.
All around junk from everyone but neal. Hes good.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Obviously the best result would have been a Spurs victory. This beat down can be a good thing though, like Matt in OC said. I think we as fans (and possibly members of the Spurs as well) got too high from beating the Heat. The Heat haven’t done anything, and their record against quality opponents speaks for itself. The Lakers treated this game like a playoff battle. Looks like the Spurs came in resting on their laurels from the Heat victory. This is a good lesson on what its going to take to be successful in the playoffs. Copy the Lakers hustle, nastiness, and killer instinct. They are two time champs for a reason. Btw, if we had home court advantage against the Lakers in the playoffs, it wouldn’t count for much with all the Lakers fans that show up. I’m Canadian and came to watch the Spurs play the Lakers last year and was shocked at Timmeh getting booed at the free throw line! Where are all the Spurs faithful? Why are Spurs fans outnumbered in their own house? Please show up Spurs fans!
March 6th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
@ Matt in OC
“No scapegoating here. They weren’t focused. Didn’t box out, couldn’t buy a bucket. Gave up way early, and just played poorly overall. ”
That sums it up. Spurs not focussed enough or thought this game was important enough to be at their best.
If there is a phsycological reason why Pop or the main members of this team thought they could just come out and irresponsibly play against what Pop himself has called the best team in the league…I don’t get it. Unless they TRULY aren’t ready or FORMIDABLE enough to win this type of game.
“Game Over” comments should be reserved for actually winning the games that matter. Like CHAMPIONSHIP.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
I like see Mr.Anderson playing well on D, Novak played better than Blair on D and O. Splitter has good game, he grab rebounds!! Lmao. JA+Novak+Splitter played better than Ginobili+RJ+Blair…
March 6th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
@tradetp…not right now of course we can, garbage team supposed to play worse than starters, but they play better in Defense and Ofense and a lot of time against Lakers starters
March 6th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
To their credit, the Lakers players are saying this is “just one game” and not a “statement game,” despite the local media trying to define this as a statement game that proves the Lakers “own” the Spurs.
I would like to see Pop mix things up in the last regular season game against the Lakers. Don’t be surprised if McDyess or Bonner starts in place of Blair to combat Bynum’s size and better spread the floor.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
rob:
Jeff Van Gundy mentioned during the game that Tim’s “game over” comment at the end of the first quarter wasn’t in reference to the Heat game itself. It was directed towards RJ and Tim’s argument with him over whether Bonner or Neal was the better 3 point shooter. Bonner went 4-4 in the first quarter, and so Tim was telling Jefferson that their contest was over.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
@tradetp, Its more than a few rebounds he gets scored over time and again. But that’s ok dude play him against the lakers in the playoffs or the mavs. Fine by me if you want to see someone else hoist that trophy this season. Blair is fools gold dude and your seeing this season against better teams with bettter (taller) bigs. Its reality. You know Phil is salivating at the thought of the same Spurs lineup come playoff time. Blinded.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
@tradetp, Uh your wrong Tiago can set a pick that’s whats he’s been doing for his entire career. Try playing the poor guy meaningful minutes instead of well were getting our ass kicked go ahead and play some Tiago. What a waste of a season of preparedness. I would have focused the entire regular season on Splitter instead of screwing around with Blair. And Splitter wasnt hurt 60 plus games before some of you might start to insinuate. Be real this guy was good to go at the beginning of the season. If they don’t think he’s better than blair then trade him next season because its too late now and get someone who can fill the void at center. Who do expect to play center when Timmy’s gone. Blair? What a joke. We need real BIGS not some undersized and brick shooting stiffs.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Talent vs Chemistry…….. TALENT Owns……… they are bigger, longer, stronger than we are. And if they play this hard come playoff time we will not beat them 4 out of 7 games. Our only hopes are to just shoot lights out from outside. Or hope Dallas keeps the 2nd seed and knocks them off. And yes Blair wasn’t all that good, but Splitter isn’t the answer. He is still too weak to do much of anything.
Although Dice/Novak starting would help a little.
Mainly to allow RJ play with the 2nd team so he can rediscover his normal scoring touch. And Dice just to help our overall D.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
@tradetp, another rebound in trash time.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:50 pm
To me the most surprising thing about this game was that Splitter has hit all his FTs.
March 6th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
The thing with the Lakers is when they’re inspired they are the best team in the NBA no questions asked. But when the Lakers are not inspired by anything and get bored and think of games as every other game they’re not even a top ten team. the spurs have to get a couple of of easy baskets and gain momentum in the beginning of the game and take our their confidence in order to win.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
@Bruno, I agree , but reasonable people would think so but I guess everybody’s on the Blair bandwagon err the smallz wagon. That’s exactly his game “smallz”. It all starts there with your big man in the middle when your eliminating teams in the playoffs. I don’t care what anybody says this little experiment with the style of play Pop has gone with sucks because you have to be hitting high percentages each game to come away with a win. He’s just telling the league were going to beat you with are offense not our interior defense. Its whats happening now that teams are getting a gauge on how good they really are in their overall game. Spurs are beginning to play the better teams right now that have adjusted their play since the beginning of the season. This is an indication that Pop is sticking with Blair being his starting center for the playoffs. I hopeful Splitter would have been put in the role but oh well well just leave him for next year. Big mistake. I hate losing especially this way when you can easily correct it. But its too late now because the season is nearly over and there is no time for Splitter to plug that void up. I agree with you Bruno Splitter and Timmy should have been on the court at the same time when Splitter was good to go. What good is this record if they’re going get punked when it really matters.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:07 pm
@Colin, Oh yes we do!
March 6th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Splitter and NOVAK played together 18 minutes and do u know how many ofensive rebounds Lakers has??I will tell: ONE, 24 minuets before they grab 15 against Bonner, Blair, Duncan, Macdyess… And the people still talking: the guy can’t grab rebounds! Today he played pretty well D! And a lot of times he was wide open but nobody pass the ball, i really think we need give him decent playing time.When playoffs comes everybody knows Bonner will be Bonner, Blair is too short and Macdyess is old…
March 6th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
@tradetp, but blair has had all season to shoot the ball. And still bricks. He aint turning into Charles Barkley man plan and simple.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
@mundanemundin, I’ll tell you why there’s so many damn laker fans here. There frikin transplants that couldnt make a living in their crappy state or city for that matter. Born and raised here as well as my parents it sucks to see outsiders come and turn your little best secret of a place to live, to only turn it into a crime laden city. Go back losers. And I can say this because this is my town. Ever since you bozos started coming over here to live our properties and appraisal values have lowered due to your unscrupulous tagging on our properties. How would you like to have” LA “tagged on your fence? Crap my subdivision is a nice one with nice homes but to see this crap irritates the %*@# out me.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Titletown: So you’re telling me that by starting Splitter over Blair we would have more wins this season? Really?
Count how many Offensive rebounds blair had AGAINST STARTERS. Again you’re taking SUBS (better players for us) and trying to manipulate stats. It doesnt matter that our subs only allowed 1 offensive rebound. The game was out of control and Lakers hustle was not going to be the same up 30.
Think what you will. Dejuan shoots over 50% from field (better than TD) has the highest AFG and the fourth highest Efficiency on the team. Highest OR average on team….
But youre right.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
Bruno:
“Splitter and NOVAK played together 18 minutes and do u know how many ofensive rebounds Lakers has??I will tell: ONE”
Though Blair played the final 9:40 with those two, getting 5 rebounds, so you might be giving Novak too much credit as he was the SF. It does seem Tiago often does a good job of not allowing his man to rebound, so that while Tiago may not have recorded that many rebounds himself it allows players like Neal and Novak to get the rebounds.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:31 pm
@tradetp…not right now
TP has 52%, Bonner 51%, Dice 51%, Splitter 51%. Don’t looks like blair has the hightest fg%
March 6th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
@TD, your right about shooting lights out in the playoffs becasue that’s what got them to this point. and yes hopefully the Mavs take out the lakers . So then you agree with me in regards to our lack of interior defense. But your wrong again in regards to Splitter. The poor dude just didn’t get adequate time on the court all season. Count up Blairs minutes and count up Splitters minutes for the entire season and tell me if Splitter would have been way further along had he’d been the starter from the get go. I don’t see much of an investment in regards to preparedness for Splitter as they did in Blair. Next season you will understand what I meant in this post. I cant wait. That is if those idiots don’t trade him.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
@rob, you know very well these games being close to the end of the season are damn important. They now have no respect for us and have gained the all important phsycological advantage on the players themselves. For Pop its no problem he’s not on the court playing but for some of these players it could linger in their minds the next time they meet up.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
@ManuforPresident,
“To me the most surprising thing about this game was that Splitter has hit all his FTs.”
He want’s to frikin play. Somebody throw him a bone.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
@tradetp, Damn right they would have more wins and theyd have that void filled for the playoffs. Smallz my ass. Get real man.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
@Tradetp, If Splitter hung around the rim all season long as Blair has he’d get those easy put backs and have a higher percentage than Blair. His fifty % is deceiving. He can’t shoot a lick outside 5 feet man.
and thank you for telling me I’m right. “No trophy for you” if Blair starts in th playoffs.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
tradetp:
Blair’s two shots made were both tip-ins at the basket. Most of his misses were also from right under the basket. Tim is taking a number of shots from 20 feet, so comparing field goal percentages between them is like comparing rebounds of a guy going against starters vs. one going against reserves like Odom.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Obviously you dont understand the concept of the team this year. Attack and Score. Blair is the more athletic of the two. He’s the better fit for the uptempo offense.
Splitter would be the guy if we were still playing pound the ball into the post to Tim. Get with the times.
March 6th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
@Daniel T,
“Though Blair played the final 9:40 with those two, getting 5 rebounds, so you might be giving Novak too much credit as he was the SF. It does seem Tiago often does a good job of not allowing his man to rebound, so that while Tiago may not have recorded that many rebounds himself it allows players like Neal and Novak to get the rebounds.”
Isnt that what we want?
March 6th, 2011 at 5:02 pm
@ Daniel T
As much as I hate to agree with Titletown99030507, because I really don’t think Splitter is the answer. how much worse could we actually be with him. We know we need more size/strength. And Blair’s strength isn’t getting it done, SO lets try Splitter’s Size the last 20 or so games and into the playoffs. At least we can see what we are getting out of him, in case we need to make a move in the off season.
March 6th, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Daniel:
Blair isnt going to take 20 foot jumpers like Tim for two reasons:
hes not a touch shooter, and hes athletic enough to get putbacks and position. It doesnt matter where they shoot from, they both expect to make it every time. FG% is the number of shots you make out of the shots you take no matter where. The point isnt that Blair is the better pure shooter than Tim, he’s not. The point is that he makes his shots at a higher rate than Tim this year.
20ft or 2 foot they’re both worth 2 pts. If they each take 10 shots and knock down their FG% Blair would win.
March 6th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
@tradetp,
“Obviously you dont understand the concept of the team this year. Attack and Score. Blair is the more athletic of the two. He’s the better fit for the uptempo offense.
Splitter would be the guy if we were still playing pound the ball into the post to Tim. Get with the times.
He (smallz)also gets scored on more of the two.
And I am so with the times that’s why I’m telling you they aren’t winning squat depending on a yipy ka yay gung ho run and gun style of play. Not gonna happen. Pop will not be the first coach (team) to win a NBA ship with this style of play just ask Diantoni. Anything else?
March 6th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
Tim plays Center. He was on Bynum. Bynum had 17 rebounds. and 6 offensive. McD played Bynum as well. So how is Blair getting the blame for the rebounding.
Without Bynum the lakers had 8 offensive rebounds 3 of them from Barnes in Trash time. Gasol had 1 Oreb.
The game wasnt about size as much as it was about our poor shooting and our poor offense as a whole. WE WIN BY SCORING this year. WE WIN BY PLAYING UP TEMPO. We score over 100 we are 38-3 we score less, we are well whatever the balance is. SCORING A LOT AT A HIGH SPEED IS OUR STYLE THIS YEAR. NOT SIZE NOT POUND. GUN
March 6th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
My remark about Splitter was a positive remark, I think he was doing a decent job of keeping his opponent from getting offensive rebounds.
March 6th, 2011 at 5:23 pm
@TD, Good point, No Splitter is not the answer but part of it. and not a bad idea at this point to let coach and team see what Splitter has for the rest of the season and going into the playoffs utilizing major minutes. Actually you would be taking care of two birds with one stone (I don’t advocate animal violence) by doing this. one you’ll see if Splitter can actually make your team better in that respect and two if he doesn’t trade him next year. They have nothing to lose all they have to do is plug Blair back in the starting rotation if it don’t work out because the way it looks they could be losing some games anyway against the better teams down the stretch in the regular season. Everybody’s too worried about a record when really they should be worried about adjustments to get better. We’ll see.
March 6th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
@Daniel T, Sorry Daniel I know, but it was really meant for those that think Splitters a scrub.
March 6th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Titletown99030507
“@Colin, Oh yes we do!”
Look, I still love our chances in a 7 game series against any team in the league at this point. The Spurs got it handed to them today as they deserved (see my first post above).
……but again, there is no chance in the playoffs with Splitter getting any more 12 min/game against Gasol. McDyess is a much better player at this point. Come playoff time, Gasol would LOVE to see Splitter looking him in the face. It would be a clinic in the post.
March 6th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
I think Bonner shouldn’t play so much time, and with Bonner’s time Splitter can show what he can do.
About this thing Splitter vs Blair, everybody forgot Blair always play with TD, TD not allow his man to rebound, so is more easy to Blair grab rebounds. Splitter, nobody knows why, never play with TD.
I think TD and Splitter playing together we can grab a lot more rebouds than Blair+TD, just because Splitter can keep off his man to rebound, Blair sometimes can’t(like today).
March 6th, 2011 at 5:57 pm
@ tradetp…not right now
“Tim plays Center. He was on Bynum. Bynum had 17 rebounds. and 6 offensive. McD played Bynum as well. So how is Blair getting the blame for the rebounding.”
Yes Bynum ate TD up today, but that just makes my point. We have no answer for their size. Td is our biggest player and if he is gonna struggle, everyone else has to hold their own or out play their counter part. Gasol > Blair tonight as well….. and it was just as bad as Bynum > TD. We can’t have that. So a move to Tiago might fix it or might not. But at this point we aren’t going to be any worse off for it.
Also FG% does matter, if you ask a player to constantly shoot the ball out of their comfort zone, they will miss alot more shots than if they shot in their zone. If Blair could shoot, TD would be closer to the rim and Blair would be the one outside shooting more J’s. But he can’t so Tim does it.
March 6th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
tradetp:
Of course if Blair were able to shoot more efficiently at 20 ft, then Tim might be able to shoot more often from 2 ft where he makes closer to 60% of his shots. I think Tim has been conserving his energy by going outside more. If he moves back more to the low post come playoff time, Blair will likely see more time on the bench in favor of Bonner.
I would think that Tiago would work well enough alongside Tim as his offensive game often starts way outside setting up picks. If his man leaves him to help on Tim he should be able to get to an open spot. In theory, Blair could do the same thing, though it would seem easier to see Tiago being open past 7 footers than it would Blair.
March 6th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
Thank God! The Mavs lost too so that still keeps us 5 games up on Dallas. We sure needed them to drop one or two.
March 6th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
The Mavs just got mauled by a Grizzly! Perhaps HCA for the Spurs isn’t a fading hope after all?
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