Thursday, February 17th, 2011...9:33 pm
Chicago Bulls 109, San Antonio Spurs 99: Popovich singing Thibodeau singing Popovich
Over at the Daily Dime (Friday morning edition), I make an argument that tonight’s Bulls game might well have been an NBA Finals preview. And if that’s the case, the Spurs will need to figure a few things out between now and June.
The most obvious place to start is Derrick Rose, who torched the Spurs for an MVP-worthy 42 points.
“He’s taken a monster leap this year,” said Gregg Popovich after the game. “What’s really great about him is that he seems to love the pressure of putting his team on his back. He has the character and the demeanor to do that. Superstars have that character and leadership gene.”
For his part, Manu Ginobili was just as complimentary. “Derrick Rose has turned into a really hard player to guard…because of his explosiveness. He’s very reliable with his teardrops and 15 footers. He’s hard to guard.”
And then there is the Carlos Boozer problem. Boozer was a pest for the Spurs when he played in Utah and not much has changed since he left for Chicago. Boozer’s numbers are not overwhelming—15 points (7-14), 6 boards, and a pair of assists in 28 minutes. But he got whatever shot he wanted. If not for Rose’s big night, Boozer may have had one of his own.
The Spurs even had trouble sticking with Luol Deng. It was a rough night. And it could get worse between now and the next meeting between these teams.
The Bulls, of course, are in the market for a shooting guard to pair with Rose. They have a week to make a move in that direction, and such a move would certainly improve their team. And the return of Joakim Noah will help Chicago’s already top ranked defense.
And, whoa, is that defense good.
Gregg Popovich and Tom Thibodeau are coach of the year candidates, and, in truth, they’re really the only two guys who should be mentioned in that conversation. They’re 1a and 1b, but the pecking order is not at all certain.
“Tom [Thibodeau] is an obvious coach of the year candidate,” Gregg Popovich opined after the game. Pop was employing sincerity, not flattery.
Pop must see a lot of himself in Thibodeau, who has spent the last decade making defensive juggernauts of NBA teams—those teams were Houston (under Jeff Van Gundy), Boston and, now, Chicago. Thibodeau’s recent defensive accomplishments closely mirror Popovich’s best defensive teams of the last decade.
In December of 2009, I wrote the following about Thibodeau’s Celtics:
During the 2007-8 season the Boston Celtics displaced the San Antonio Spurs as the league’s premier defensive team. Tom Thibodeau and the Celtics personnel trumped Gregg Popovich and San Antonio’s squad, and the Spurs spent the better part of the last two seasons with a loose grip on their once proud defensive stalwart status. One of San Antonio’s goals for this season is to re-discover themselves as an elite defensive ball club, and they’re showing steady improvement. But they’re still a long way from the night in, night out dominance that once characterized the team.
In the early 90s, David Bowie covered Morrissey’s “I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday” on the album Black Tie, White Noise. It sounded odd to hear the rock icon singing a tune of his musical disciple, but somehow it worked. When asked about the choice, Bowie quipped “That’s me singing Morrissey singing David Bowie.”
Just a moment ago, I briefly outlined a scenario in which the Bulls could improve mightily between now and the end of the season. If the Spurs improve upon their historic start, it will be because Popovich begins singing Thibodeau singing Popovich.
This, it should be noted, is not simply a reaction to tonight’s game.
One game is one game. Popovich was quick to remind everyone that the Spurs have been on the road for several days. “I told the team we were not playing as sharp as we needed to be. I hate to admit it but 9 straight road games could affect your execution.” My argument isn’t one of knee jerks.
What I’m reacting to, and what makes the Bulls such a formidable opponent is the fact that Tom Thibodeau is not a Johnny-come-lately. The same defensive execution which took Boston to two NBA Finals and one championship has reared its ugly head in Chicago.
The Bulls are for real. And it’s not surprising that, along with the Celtics, Chicago may be San Antonio’s most difficult postseason match up.
77 Comments
February 17th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
The Spurs biggest problem on this RRT was stopping a single player from having a monster game. Aldridge dropped 40 on us and now Rose dropped 42 on us. Other than those two (and the Philly debacle of us not being able to make a shot) we had a solid RRT. On the other hand, I still worry about this team making it to the Finals. We were a lucky McDyess bounce away from being 5-4 on this trip. IMO, the jury is still out on this team. Sure we can win tons of regular season games, but can this translate in the postseason?
Of the four good teams we faced on the RRT, we got blown up by Aldridge, barely escaped LA, couldn’t hit a shot in Philly, and lost to the Bulls (who by the way outrebounded us by 12). Yes, we pushed around Detroit, Sacto, Washington, and NJ, but we won’t see any teams like those in the playoffs. I know many will try to crucify me for this post, but I’m just not sure about this team…
P.S. Let me just say that I hope the Spurs have another gear, because if this is our ceiling (on the defensive end) then we have problems.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
The offense disappointed me in the 1st half; Duncan & RJ were ignored by the guards in trying to score in a half-court game. Tim kept us in the contest in the 3rd when Chicago went up by 9 at 51-60; but that old bugaboo- scoring drought - that started @ 4:41 left ultimately doomed the chance to pull this one out. When Rose was on the bench at the start of the 4th quarter, the defense was stout; but the Spurs offense had already gone downhill—from 2:11 in the 3rd to 8:33 in the 4th—only 3 pts in 6 minutes.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
“The Spurs biggest problem on this RRT was stopping a single player from having a monster game. Aldridge dropped 40 on us and now Rose dropped 42 on us.”
You can add to that Philly’s Jrue holiday - 27
The biggest problem here is that you can’t expect better Defense from the non defense players. Blair, Bonner, Neal, RJ are not good defensive players. And as long as they are logging big minutes this is what we can expect. The Spurs are in need of help ASAP. Mostly in the paint. Another Big could have allowed TD to challenge more shot w/o worry of getting in foul trouble and killing our chances of winning. So that should be our # 1 priority, getting bigger. I mean we got beat by 12 on the boards and they didn’t have Noah!
February 17th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
We lost to Bulls today, is not by Nets or Cavs, we don’t need worry.On playoffs will be not every game TD+Dice+Bonne+Blair will grab 5 rebounds in first half, not every game Ginobili will shot 6-18
February 17th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
At this rate, we might get to the WCF, but the 5th ring will evade us.
I don’t see this team beating the Eastern Conference champ, assuming we do somehow get past Dallas and LA.
Unless of course Anderson explodes back into his game, and Splitter suddenly finds his groove or something. And even that, I fear might not be enough.
Something needs to be done. But I can’t exCtly pinpoint where we’re coming short. I hope Pop does.
Any insights or solutions?
February 17th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Wow. This is my first time reading this blog, and there’s a “Your Arsenal” reference in the first thing I read. F-ing brilliant.
Sorry my Bulls beat your Spurs, but seriously, great reference!
February 17th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
At the beginning of the RRT, I said that 6-3 should be considered a successful trip and I also said that 5-4 would be respectable.
As a lover of great team defense, I’ll take a loss to elite defensive teams, especially during the regular season. If getting beat by elite scoring teams makes us want to become a better offensive team, wouldn’t it follow that getting beat by elite defensive teams would make us want to shore up our defense?
Hopefully we take note of how we lost and not just brush this loss aside.
We just couldn’t get any stops.
Also keep in mind that Noah was on the bench and he is an elite defensive center. He’ll be back.
One other thing to note is that Ron Adams does not get enough credit. Thibodeau’s assistant coach is none other than the guy responsible for OKC’s swarming defense lasts year. Look at OKC’s defense this year…major drop off. So the head coach was responsible for my favorite defensive team two years ago and his assistant coach was responsible for my favorite defensive team last year.
Formidable.
Alright Spurs, unbelievable season going into the All-Star break. Loving every minute.
Rest up. Buckle down.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
@ DorieStreet
“The offense disappointed me in the 1st half; Duncan & RJ were ignored by the guards in trying to score in a half-court game.”
+100
I’m glad someone else saw it and not just me. Look at the shot chart. TD, RJ, DJB went 1-2 in the 1st QT. RJ has basically became an overpaid Offensive version of bruce Bowen who can’t Defend AT ALL. All he does is run around and shot a few 3′s from time to time. Thanks mostly to TP’s inability to play w/o the basketball. There were at least 3 times where TP came down on 2 or more offensive trips and never passed the ball to anyone. That’s horrible. This is why he can never be an elite PG, he can’t make plays for his team on a regular bases. And no this isn’t just 1 game. Most of TP’s games go like this. He doesn’t look for the roll man that often and elects to look for his own shot far too much. There is no reason RJ isn’t getting 15 points a game other than he can’t get the FGA’s.
This is why I was and still am on the TradeTP bandwagon. We have too much offense for a shoot 1st PG that can’t go off Like D.ROSE or D.Will did to us.
Here’s to hoping POP wakes up and realizes this before it’s too late and puts a lid on him before his poor decision making and our HORRIBLE D kills our chance of winning number 5.
February 17th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by San Antonio Spurs, Andrew A. McNeill. Andrew A. McNeill said: 48MoH / Chicago Bulls 109, San Antonio Spurs 99: Popovich singing Thibodeau singing Popovich http://dlvr.it/Gtl2L [...]
February 17th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
TD = Best EVER
February 17th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
“This is why I was and still am on the TradeTP bandwagon. We have too much offense for a shoot 1st PG that can’t go off Like D.ROSE or D.Will did to us.”
People will hate you for saying that, but I noticed much the same thing. There were numerous possessions where Parker pounded the ball for much of the shot clock. Let’s just say that Parker really looked for his shot tonight AND while Rose scored 42, he also had twice as many assists as Parker.
The only other person who pulled the trigger as much as Parker was Manu who promptly went 6-18. Here are Manu’s shooting numbers for the 4 toughest rodeo road games:
@Portland: 6-18
@LA: 5-17
@Philly: 2-10 (even though everyone shot terrible)
@Chicago: 6-18
In our 4 toughest games, he shot a combined 19 for 63 or 30%. In that regard, it’s no damned wonder we almost lost 4 out of the 9 games. He just hasn’t played that well lately. That’s why I would have no problem with Hill taking some more minutes in an effort to get Manu feeling fresh.
February 17th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
I think the SPURS just didn’t play a good game tonight. I’m not taking away anything from the BULLS. They are a solid team. But DROSE talked about this being a big game. He played like that. The SPURS didn’t.
@TD=Best Ever and Hobson13 TP did enough to win. TD and Manu did enough to win despite having a bad game. They just could not stop the Bulls. And most of it was ROSE. I wouldn’t call it bad D. It seemed to me like the Bulls just couldn’t miss. It reminded me of the KNICK and CELTIC games. Even when the SPURS did play good D the BULLS would get something out of a broken play. Everything just went there way. Plus the SPURS missed a lot of layups too. And I’ll finish with this…..BOGANS HIT TWO THREES. Are you kidding me?
I would consider the RRT a success. I would be more concerned if they lost to the Raptor and Pistons. They’ve already beaten the BULLS and the BLAZERS this season in case you forgot. The only thing that was a disappoint was TIAGO getting hurt. I think he could have been effective in this game. I think he’s pretty much done this season. I’m just happy they beat the LAKERS. Lucky bounce? MCDEEZY sealed off ODOM and worked for that tip in.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:32 am
LOL Spurs just got their tenth loss of the season, which was against a very good Bulls team - on the last RRT game right before the Allstar break no less - and some people are already suggesting that TP is better off traded? Unless the Spurs are getting CP3 or DWill straight up for Parker, TP should pretty much be untouchable considering his production this season. No one other than Manu and TD (who are both over 30 by the way) can produce an offence like TP does - trading him will be an absolute mistake if the Spurs want to win it all this season.
Oh and I agree with junierizzle that Dice’s tip in was no fluke. Dice boxed out Odom expertly and a skilled veteran like McDyess just wouldn’t miss an opportunity like that.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:35 am
Did we lose because of Timmeh’s new Drew Gooden look?
Discuss.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:43 am
@The Beat Counselor
If Gooden could replicate Timmy’s production tonight on a regular basis, I’d say Buford would’ve re-signed him without even a hesitation. But LOL I just can’t imagine TD with a Goodenesque goatee…
February 18th, 2011 at 3:11 am
I still believe that Splitter will make us a better defensive team… I might be dumb, though..
February 18th, 2011 at 3:25 am
If this was a Finals preview, tonight was the inevitable home team winning game 3 after losing the first two in San Antonio. Bulls needed and wanted this game more; under the circumstances that is no crime by our guys. It took Rose having a career night and the Spurs missing 7 FTs for Chicago to win: congrats to them.
The Bulls do play great defense, yet this tired and “old” Spurs squad shot 49% with only seven turnovers. I’d happily take our chances matched against Chicago in the Finals, though an upgrade at the shooting guard could make them a much more difficult opponent. I would not be so eager to play them two years from now.
As for Boozer, perhaps it’s just me but I don’t recall him giving the Spurs any unique problems. Other than last season, his Jazz teams struggled to beat SA and his inability to defend the post well was one reason why.
February 18th, 2011 at 3:42 am
@Hobson13
“In our 4 toughest games, he shot a combined 19 for 63 or 30%…. He just hasn’t played that well lately.”
Both Ginobili and Parker are “forcing” issues way too much. Making really stupid decisions and playing out of control. Same could be said for Blair in these games.
When 3 of your starters make really dumb decisions in a game, chances are the “team” loses the game.
In these instances…there is plenty of “I” being inserted into “TEAM”.
Pop’s gotta get that under control even if it means benching some people. Is it time to bring in Anderson and get him some burn? I wonder if he’s ready.
February 18th, 2011 at 3:43 am
The Bulls have been playing well lately and they played a pretty good game on their home court last night.
They played good defense, their rotations where sharp and their pick and roll defense was good and our rebounding was poor. The Bulls just wanted it more than the Spurs.
Last night the Bulls where the better team with everything going their way. It is not the end of the world the Spurs are 46-10.
Why is it that we are trading Tony Parker again? The Spurs whole offense is generated on pick and roll, penetration/kick and fast break. Who do you trade Tony for that wouldn’t change the whole offense and the salaries match up? There is no pg in the league that can stop the top pgs in the league one on one. The team needs to play better team defense which is easier said and done against a player like Rose.
Last night I watched the team sometime use 3 pick and rolls in one shot clock and their was no open lane for a pass. This was just good D by the Bulls not Parkers fault. The Bulls have young long athletic players that are playing good D.
I will agree with you on Manu though he hasn’t played that well lately. I said this months back when he first entered this slump that he looks more off balance on some of his shots than he has in the past. I just think he is a little tired and needs some more rest. In the beginning of the game I actually thought Manu was back. His shots looked good and he seemed to have more lift under him but as the game went on that lift seemed to go away. I agree that he needs less minutes. The only problem with that is that either he or Tony need to be on the floor at all times to create penetration. So maybe he would be better coming off of the bench. There was a moment when neither where on the court last night and our offense looked lost because we don’t have anyone else that can create offense like them. Pop called a timeout and Manu was back in. Pop could put Tim out there and keep dumping the ball into him like they use to which is what I think will happen come playoff time.
In the short summary it is one game on the road against a team playing well that was hungrier last night than the Spurs and they had a lot go their way with a player having a career best night.
It is only a bad loss if the team learns nothing from it. I am sure Pop will not let that happen.
February 18th, 2011 at 3:53 am
…as a follow up to what I just posted, One could argue the Spurs haven’t played that many games against really good teams. It would do the “Team” wonders of good to play several games in a row against top competition to help sharpen their play even if they would lose some of those games in getting acclimated to playing better teams. Once playoffs role around…I’d hate to see them trying to “acclimate” against top competion without having played enough against top teams prior to playoffs.
February 18th, 2011 at 6:00 am
@ rob
” …One could argue the Spurs haven’t played that many games against really good teams.”
-Don’t worry about that; here are 8 opponents that will more than double the Spurs’ loss total if they play against them like they did against the Bulls:
Heat (2), Lakers (2), Blazers (2), Thunder, Nuggets, Mavs, Jazz, Celtics.
And the Spurs cannot sleep on these 3 opponents-Grizzlies (3, but catch a break on 1st 2 games with Rudy Gay out); San Antonio’s nemesis rivals- Rockets (2) and Suns (2); and at the Hawks.
The team will be tested in the last 26 games.
February 18th, 2011 at 6:37 am
[...] Network: 48 Minutes of Hell: “Over at the Daily Dime (Friday morning edition), I make an argument that tonight’s Bulls [...]
February 18th, 2011 at 6:40 am
@ Mr. Robinson and others
“Why is it that we are trading Tony Parker again? The Spurs whole offense is generated on pick and roll, penetration/kick and fast break. Who do you trade Tony for that wouldn’t change the whole offense and the salaries match up?”
Well it’s probably impossible to trade him in midseason. But the Kings, T-Wolves, Hawks, and a few other teams were looking to improve the PG position last summer. They all have pieces that we could have used as well.
The Biggest thing we have to do now is sure up as many holes in our game as possible. And as far as I can tell here they are. (In no special order)
Play making - We have to make Better Decisions
-TP and POP need to have a “Come to Jesus” meeting sometime and talk about getting others involved in the Offense. Blair/RJ both play Better D when their Offense is going. They didn’t get a single look last night in the 1st 6 min and therefore the pretty much sucked it up all night long. RJ shot well but got abused by DENG. Blair just got abused.
Frontcourt help - With Blair being a hit or miss player, TD/Dice getting up there in age, and Bonner D being as bad as it ALWAYS has been. We just need another Big HEALTHY Body to throw in there at times. The taller the better, but almost anybody we find will D up better than Bonner.
Perimeter Defender/Length - with the SF position growing taller and taller in this league. We are in need of a wing player that can defend these positions. And sometimes draw a cover like D.Rose/D.Will and try to bother them with his size/length.
Of those things the easiest thing to do is for TP/POP to have that conversation. So he doesn’t HAVE to be traded, but he has get others involved in the offense and look for his Offense late in the Shot clock or on the Fast break ONLY.
The other 2 would require a trade. And as I see it now Tiago Splitter is our prime guy to let go. I have put forth some trade ideas in the previous article that we should all have a look at.
February 18th, 2011 at 6:43 am
For all you defense lovers, watch how we guard the paint from 3:30-4:00.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkpT0QdUDIY
the other thing that stands out: u can say a lot of things about Rodman but the dude could flat out ball. Look at how he gets rebounding position every single time
February 18th, 2011 at 6:46 am
@Mr. Robinson
“In the short summary it is one game on the road against a team playing well that was hungrier last night than the Spurs and they had a lot go their way with a player having a career best night. ”
100+
As Pop said; having the best record doesn’t mean you’re the best team. Chicago proved that last night.
Go Spurs Go!!
February 18th, 2011 at 7:10 am
It’s games like this that really make me miss Bruce Bowen. I think Pop has done a phenomenal job coaching this season - not just in changing is offense to a more guard oriented approach, but his defensive schemes as well. The Spurs no longer have a lock down defender or great shot blockers. As mentioned in this space before, the team now plays defense with chaos, jumping passing lanes, providing lots of help, and LOTS of rotations. But we just no longer have an elite defender.
As TD=BE mentioned, most of the key players on this team are not good defensive players. And Popovich’s defensive game plan is still able to slow most teams down enough to get a victory. But last night certainly wasn’t the case. SA just couldn’t get any stops last night, and certainly didn’t have anybody to deploy onto Rose.
I’m not ready to trade TP to bring in a lock down defender. This is a great team, with a legitimate chance to win it all. I just think some nights we are going to suffer great nights from great players without a great wing defender on the roster.
February 18th, 2011 at 7:21 am
“I know many will try to crucify me for this post, but I’m just not sure about this team…”
“The Spurs are in need of help ASAP. Mostly in the paint.”
“At this rate, we might get to the WCF, but the 5th ring will evade us.
I don’t see this team beating the Eastern Conference champ, assuming we do somehow get past Dallas and LA.”
MAN. I hope the Spurs don’t lose another game or there will be “Fire Pop” signs all over the AT&T by March.
RELAX. Did the Spurs play good? NO. Did Rose go off? YES. Did the Spurs get outrebounded badly? YES
But keep this in mind my fickle friends. We outrebounded them by 8 when Noah had 14. Now the same team plus Boozer (who had 6 boards) outrebounds the Spurs by 12. Do the math and that’s a 18 (even accounting for Booz) rebound swing. Same players, very different result. Did Tim, Dice and Blair forget how to rebound or were they a step slow tonight
February 18th, 2011 at 7:25 am
Considering it’s the end of a nine game road trip, I think the answer is obvious. The Spurs were sluggish and the Bulls, esp Rose, were dynamic.
The only thing that bothers me is Manu’s shooting. The Spurs won’t win a championship if he’s making bad decisions and shooting 30%. Are we witnessing Manu “getting old” right before our very eyes? Perhaps. I just pray that he can rediscover his greatness before the playoffs.
February 18th, 2011 at 7:27 am
@hobson13 The Spurs have the best road record in the NBA at 21-8. The only other team that is even close is Dallas at 19-8. They’ve won more than 72% of their road games. That is outstanding. It is ridiculous to claim that they suddenly are a poor road team when they’ve just finished their ninth road game in a row against a very hot team (especially in Chicago) and a bonafied MVP candidate.
@TD=B.E. Tony Parker is averaging 17.4PPG while shooting 52.4% from the field. He’s also dishing out 6.7 assists. Rose was just on fire, and hitting everything he threw up. In fact, I think it is better to have Parker trying to wear him out on the defensive end during games like that. I fail to see what you could get back in terms of a trade that would have more value to the Spurs than Tony.
There’s no need for hysterics. The Spurs just had a bad game. It happens a lot, especially on the road to a hot playoff team. If people are not happy with a 21-8 road record, they are just not being realistic. Also, the Spurs didn’t ‘luck’ their way into beating the Lakers. They played well and were up by 4 with a minute to go, before Ginobili inexplicably went for a cheap steal and the Lakers got right back in the game. People seem to have bizarrely selective memories around here….
February 18th, 2011 at 7:29 am
“Do the math and that’s a 18 (even accounting for Booz) rebound swing”
Oops, that would be 14. And that’s rough analysis because that’s really not how one account’s for a missing player. However, my point is the same. The Spurs got outrebounded badly against a team they previously controlled because they were obviously a step slow.
February 18th, 2011 at 7:29 am
@DorieStreet
I for one think those 26 games will be beneficial going into the playoffs even if they lose some of them. One can only esculate, acclimate and improve playing against really good talent/teams.
Regarding this game against the Bulls…the outcome didn’t suprise me as much as the lack of preparedness and inability of 2 of our top players to play under control.
Blair wasn’t that much of a suprise being he’s been inconsistent the entire year and only his second season (first time starter). However, by the end of the regular season…that’s got to change.
@ Mr. Robinson
“In the short summary it is one game on the road against a team playing well that was hungrier last night than the Spurs and they had a lot go their way with a player having a career best night.
It is only a bad loss if the team learns nothing from it. I am sure Pop will not let that happen.”
Excellent Point.
February 18th, 2011 at 8:08 am
@ Len
“But keep this in mind my fickle friends. We outrebounded them by 8 when Noah had 14.”
But they didn’t have Boozer back then. SO that game didn’t count either. And we still couldn’t stop Rose or Deng.
@ Bry
“Tony Parker is averaging 17.4PPG while shooting 52.4% from the field. He’s also dishing out 6.7 assists.”
TP issue is that he shoots too much and doesn’t pass enough. His production is actually holding players like RJ, DJB, TD back more than they are elevating him. If we had a PG that passed to the roll man more than 1 or 2 times a game. DJB/TD would both get an extra 4 points or so a game. The same way Rose set up Kurt Thomas old self last night for an easy lay-in. And as far as RJ, he would also put up better numbers if he could get up some FGA’s with regularity.
So the fact that TP doesn’t play off the ball that well and doesn’t look to the roll man that often, we would be better off with a Collison/Ridnour/Brooks type that would keep his TO’s down and allow all of our horses out of the stable during the game. TP just doesn’t.
February 18th, 2011 at 8:14 am
I looked at the RRT schedule before it started, and I felt the Spurs would go at least 7-2. And honestly, the 2 losses I selected were the first & last games. The Blazers had 4 days rest and were about to hit the road; and has been mentioned many times, the last game on a long road trip is the hardest to win, especially against a quality opponent. The 76ers loss is the headscratcher-although one can say that team circles this game every year on their calendar seeing how that was the 5th straight loss in Philly. The trip has evened off the H/A discrepancy (it is now 27H/29A games played). A quick scan revealed 2 or 3 BTB left, along with two 3game road trips. But there are only 6-7 games left vs teams that are more than 2 games below .500 at this allstar break.
I hope the Spurs’ participants have a good time (and log very few minutes in their exhibitions) and the rest of the team stays home & rest. Anyone going to watch the events this weekend?
February 18th, 2011 at 8:14 am
One interesting Idea to improve our defense and offense in just one operation.
Trade TP and RJ for Deron Willians and AK47. The offense will improve a lot with a passing 1, and AK47 is vastly superior to rj on defense. What do You think??
February 18th, 2011 at 8:24 am
Let’s look at it objectively. Spurs have gotten sloppy at the end of a long road trip, and a very good Bulls team exposed that. Coaching staff will tighten the screws over the break, and they’ll come back sharp. If you analyze it beyond that, you’re wasting your time. Yes, though, I would like to see less Manu and more Hill - for no other reason than to ensure Manu is fresh come the playoffs. When we lean on Manu too much, we lose.
February 18th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Glad so many of you panic in a situation that calls for it. Sheesh! Last game on the road against a quality opponent, it was very predictable.
Manu finally had a stinker. Yes, other games he has shot poorly but HAS PLAYED BRILLIANTLY. Last night he both played and shot poorly. He never could get the team to explode with one of those runs that only Manu can lead.
I agree with TDBest regarding Parker, outside of trading him. Parker has always had “sticky fingers”, has always driven me crazy with his tendency to dominate the ball. But he’s done less of that this year (because he’s signed) and besides, he’s our “sticky finger” guy. And a lot times he carries the offense with no one else is doing much.
My only “concern” from last night remains Blair, who can be great and can be horrible. Unfortunately, when he’s horrible the team truly suffers.
February 18th, 2011 at 8:42 am
Wow, is the sky falling now that the spurs lose a road game? It seems like expectations here are that the spurs have to win every single game no matter what the circumstances. Do people not see it was the end of a 9 game road trip? Which is the longest in the league. Another thing is that the games before allstar games tend to be trap games. There is usually a let down. Also hats off to D. Rose, he was in the zone and went for a career high 42. If we had to play him in the playoffs, popovich would have time to gameplan to limit his effectiveness. People were expecting the spurs to only win roughly 50 games this year. We are already almost there by the all star break. This team is playing extremely well. No team is going to go 82-0. What is scary is that the spurs have always played better in the second half compared to the first half. Imagine how good we will be if we can get our defensive rotations in order. This is the spurs best start in history and there are people jumping off the bridge after a road loss. Pretty funny.
February 18th, 2011 at 8:51 am
TD = Best EVER
But they didn’t have Boozer back then. SO that game didn’t count either. And we still couldn’t stop Rose or Deng.
That game didn’t count either? Are you kidding me?
This was game 9 of the RRT, with the ASW upon them. The Bulls are almost unbeatable at home, were rested and Rose had the game of his life.
Talk about making mountains out of molehills.
Blair could not stay out of foul trouble, ALL of the guys looked a step slow, Ginobili took some flat shots and the bench did not give much scoring at all.
TP was slicing and dicing inside and you want to trade him because he does not pass enough?
I think some of us Spurs fans need the ASB as much as the players do to decompress and count the blessings for what has been an unbelievable season so far @ 46-10!
February 18th, 2011 at 8:56 am
The only game I can honestly say I am pissed about the S&B not getting is the Philly game. Even as poorly as they played, they still had a chance to snag that one.
Losing to Portland after LA got ASG snubbed, prompting going off for 40 and Chi-Town who is in the top 3 for home records is nothing to be ashamed of.
The Spurs did not squeak by the Lakers, they played a hard fought, back and forth playoff charged game and made a statement. The Spurs did not look like a statement making team last night…..they looked like a road weary team who seemed glad to have a long weekend off.
February 18th, 2011 at 9:30 am
@knecht
Terrible trade, if it took RJ a whole year to figure out the system, no way will Williams and Kirilenko figure it out in 1/3 of a season. Might as well throw in the towel if we pull that.
@TD = BE
Per touch Tony passes the ball almost 70% of time versus shooting 23%. Collison is Pass:64%, Shoot: 25%. Brooks and Ridnour are not scored, but per 36, Parker is well above both.
February 18th, 2011 at 10:14 am
@ Mike
“Per touch Tony passes the ball almost 70% of time versus shooting 23%. Collison is Pass:64%, Shoot: 25%. Brooks and Ridnour are not scored, but per 36, Parker is well above both.”
Where did you get those stats at. And do they take into account that the other PG’s don’t have the ball as much as TP. TP leads our team in FGA’s/game. Now on a team with Manu, RJ, TD on it he needs to learn to share the wealth.
Collison plays off the ball alot because the Pacers O runs through Hibbert/Granger.
Brooks also has to dump the ball down to Scola alot and just spot off him or Kevin Martin
Ridnour always plays off the ball - Beasley/Love both need 2 or more dribbles to set up their scoring opportunity.
February 18th, 2011 at 10:38 am
@TD = BE
They are from Basketball-Reference.com: either “‘Black holes’, Position-By-Position” http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8847 or “Layups: The ‘Black Hole Atlas’” http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8827
Yes it does take into account touches/minute, of which Tony has 1.8 vs. Collison’s 1.49.
Per 36 minutes shot attempts go Ginobili, Parker, Duncan, Jefferson; exactly how it should be considering Jefferson was brought in as a fourth wheel, and Duncan/Ginobili are quite old compared to Tony. Tony’s numbers are similar if not better then his 3 previous All-Star years.
Don’t make excuses for those other 3 guards; they aren’t as good as Tony no matter what metric you attempt to use.
February 18th, 2011 at 10:41 am
@spursfanbayarea
It’s all in the way a person sees it. I recall a fans upset about the Knick loss-complaining about the lack of defense because of the high score, instead of looking at what happened in the last part of 4th quarter when the Spurs stopped scoring (and the Knicks didn’t). I did not expect this team to go 82-0, or 72-10. But by the same logic, some games are going to be won 110-104, while others are won with the score being 87-86. Some people expect every Spurs victory should be by 10 points or more, with the team leading wire-to-wire. On the other hand, we have fans that automatically pencil in an “L” for the Spurs just because it is the 2nd game of a BTB-like the Raptors/Pistons and 76ers/Wizards combos of last week. Why?
A ‘Silver’ lining from last night’s contest- I recall Dick Stockton saying after a TO in the 4th quarter, that it was the first one the Spurs committed since the 1st stanza. And the final number was 7 TOs, compared to the Bulls’ 10. That let us know that although the team trailed nearly the entire game, and continually fell behind 5-9 pts. throughout, it was not due to sloppiness, but slow reaction, lack of ball movement, and missed shots (and not stopping the opposition enough to keep it close at the end).
February 18th, 2011 at 10:47 am
For those of you complaining about “only” going 6-3 on the RRT and especially losing to Philadelphia, try a little comparison: That Lakers team everyone’s so scared of didn’t just tail off in the last game of their “Grammy” road trip. They lost the last FOUR games, including a game at Cleveland. And have any of you guys noticed what Philadelphia has been doing lately? Since their 3-13 start to the season, they’ve gone 24-16 and have won 10 of their last 14. They’ve suddenly matured into a talented, deep team that plays very tough defense. They’re currently ranked 8th in the league in Hollinger’s power rankings. So losing to them in the third road game in four nights? Not such a big surprise. 6-3 was a good record for this trip.
February 18th, 2011 at 10:48 am
I guess that shows how balanced the Spurs offense is if TP leads the team in FGA. The point is that he shoots 52.4%. That is unbelievable from a small gaurd. It is pretty hard for me to swallow that I guy shoot less if he’s hitting at that percentage. Tony is basically a small scoring gaurd and Manu is kind of a big point. This season, Tony has been far more consistent than Manu, and his assist number are good even when you are comparing him to other PGs. As everyone has mentioned, the Spurs really need another wing defender (I don’t think they need another post defender cuz they’re fine with what they’ve got now). But, there really isn’t one available on the cheap, and they’d have to sacrifice some seriously efficient offense to give any new guy minutes. Parker has earned his minutes and his salary this season. His numbers are impressive when you look them over.
February 18th, 2011 at 10:51 am
@TD = BE
The stats are from Basketball-Reference.com: http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8847: ‘Black Holes’, Position-by-Position or http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8827: Layups: The ‘Black Hole Atlas’. And yes, touches per minute are taken into account, of which Tony has 1.8/minute and Collison has 1.49/minute.
As far as field goal attempts (ignoring Tony only has a .5 attempt/game lead over Ginobili while playing 1.6 minutes more); per 36 minutes it goes like this: Ginobili (15), Parker (14.9), Duncan (14.4), Jefferson (10.0). In my opinion that’s how it should be considering Jefferson wasn’t brought in to be more then a fourth wheel, and Ginobili and Duncan are aged.
Tony has numbers this year similar or better then his previous 3 All-Star seasons; the other three aren’t even close to the level Parker is at.
February 18th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Lets just leave TP alone for today and focus on someone who is all packed up and ready to go anyway. Tiago Splitter wants more minutes and we want someone who we can trust. Just add this to the trades from yesterday.
Philly - http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=4azhsbw
Doug Collins doesn’t like either of these 2 players and does need front court help . Philly was asking about Cunningham from Portland and we all know he sucks. So we get 2 young players that have fallen out of the loop with Philly. And they get a big that they can plug in play
More trades to come as soon as I can find more
February 18th, 2011 at 11:44 am
@TD = BE
They are from Basketball-Reference.com: either “‘Black holes’, Position-By-Position” http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8847 or “Layups: The ‘Black Hole Atlas’” http://www.basketball-reference.com/blog/?p=8827
Yes it does take into account touches/minute, of which Tony has 1.8 vs. Collison’s 1.49.
February 18th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Hmmm, my comments won’t show up. @TD = BE, the stats are from Basketball-Reference “Black Holes”
February 18th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Also, as far as field goal attempts (ignoring Tony only has a .5 attempt/game lead over Ginobili while playing 1.6 minutes more); per 36 minutes it goes like this: Ginobili (15), Parker (14.9), Duncan (14.4), Jefferson (10.0). In my opinion that’s how it should be considering Jefferson wasn’t brought in to be more then a fourth wheel, and Ginobili and Duncan are aged.
Tony has numbers this year similar or better then his previous 3 All-Star seasons; the other three aren’t even close to the level Parker is at.
February 18th, 2011 at 11:55 am
I guess WordPress doesn’t care for Firefox too much. Sorry for spamming the comments Moderator, didn’t realize that my “comments are awaiting moderation. “
February 18th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
[...] also has a post about the Bulls’ and Spurs’ strong mirroring defensive philosophies and Manu Ginobili’s lack of fervor about the Spurs’ NBA-best record at the All-Star [...]
February 18th, 2011 at 12:10 pm
I have been Spurs fan since Jordan had retired and Duncan came to the NBA.
I love the Spurs, I love their couch for what they have done in last decade.
They have been very good this year, having best NBA record so far.
But after watching games like yesterday, and one with Portland, when Aldridge did the same to the Spurs as did Rose last evening I have a concern.
Spurs have been playing excellent, unselfish team basketball, and were rightfully praised for that. Besides loosing badly on the boards, they couldn’t do much with excellent Bull’s defense.
In games like that it is very important to have a go to guy, who can put team on his shoulders and bring it to the victory. That exactly what Rose did and Aldridge did. That what was Jordan, Bryant and other great stars did, when team isn’t playing that well. Tim has done that in the past many times (2005 finals game #7 comes to mind).
Yesterday I have not see that guy on Spurs team.
Nobody was taking this responsibility with game on the line. This year Manu did some heroics, but I don’t remember anybody taking a game over this season. During a regular season it is no big deal, but in the play off time it can really hurt this team. I hope Spurs will figure out who this person should be.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Guys 46-10. Get a grip.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Parker’s numbers are about what TD was last year. And he is getting 2.5 fewer shots this year, And he spends WAY too much time shooting Jumpers in this new Offense. So I would say that he hasn’t lost anything from last year to this year. He can still get 18 and 10 if he had a few more post up attempts per game. But like I said earlier lets focus on something we all can agree on - Trade Tiago Splitter for someone Better.
Golden State - http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=66rp3ys
We get way more athletic and a better shooter than Tiago. GS gets a big that they can start fresh with. We would have to throw in and 2nd rounder probably.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Bry
February 18th, 2011 at 7:27 am
“@hobson13 It is ridiculous to claim that they suddenly are a poor road team when they’ve just finished their ninth road game in a row against a very hot team (especially in Chicago) and a bonafied MVP candidate.”
I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. Where did you see me say that the Spurs are a bad road team?
rob
February 18th, 2011 at 3:42 am @Hobson13
“Both Ginobili and Parker are “forcing” issues way too much. Making really stupid decisions and playing out of control. Same could be said for Blair in these games.”
Agreed. Manu, Tony, and even Blair took some dumb shots last night.
junierizzle
February 17th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
“I’m just happy they beat the LAKERS. Lucky bounce? MCDEEZY sealed off ODOM and worked for that tip in.”
Yes. After the Spurs got 3 offensive rebounds, a missed charged call on Parker, and a tip by Dyess with .1 of a second left. This all happened in the last 20 some odd seconds of the game. Do you want to rely on those series of events to win a game if we play the Lakers in the WCF? The point is that the Spurs were VERY lucky to win that game and go 6-3 for the RRT.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
For those focused on the fact that the Spurs haven’t controlled Rose in either game, I will say this.
The Spurs RARELY has success in stopping Dirk all these years. However, the Spurs have won so many of those ball games because they kept the supporting cast from doing much. That has been the Spurs formula for success against extremely talented players. Remember that next time you think Rose and therefore the Bulls are too much to handle.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Just watched the ESPN recap, and it’s hilarious how excited the anchor was that the Spurs lost. When Antonio McDyess was shown, he quipped, “Antonio McDyess is still in league?!” as if revelling in the opportunity to once again beat the “Spurs are old” drum. Then at the end, his voice went high-pitched and cracked like a 13 year old girl meeting Justin Bieber as he exclaimed, “Spurs defense totally lacking right there inside!!!”
Really seemed weird to see the team at the top of the NBA standings getting trash talked for one loss against another quality team in an “objective” sport report. I don’t recall ESPN guys getting so orgasmic or cracking wise as they showed clips of Kobe shooting airballs against the Cavs.
Naturally, if the Spurs had won, it would have been reported as another ho-hum victory by a boringly effecient team. But the Bulls win and it’s so exciting to make the Spurs look like huge losers!!! Oh my god, the boring Spurs lost, let’s have a party! Eff you, ESPN.com — I’m glad I dropped my “Insider” membership last year.
February 18th, 2011 at 12:56 pm
Yeah, they’re really out to get the Spurs. It’s practically the grassy hardwood.
In reality, ESPN only cares about the Lakers, Heat and Celtics in any form or fashion.
February 18th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
@ Len
“The Spurs RARELY has success in stopping Dirk all these years. However, the Spurs have won so many of those ball games because they kept the supporting cast from doing much.”
To compare the Mavs supporting cast to Boozer/Deng/Noah is an absolute joke. Oh and btw we didn’t stop the supporting cast last night did we.
But back to my daily theme - This time its Tiago to the Bucks
Bucks have a TON of SF/PF on the roster ( more than they have minutes for) and not much in the way of C/SG so here we go. Neal can really help them in the scoring department.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=4cyt9o9
We get a true PG, young SF and some more muscle inside - and they can all help us THIS YEAR
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=49eq2an
This one is similar - we just get 2 SF(one of which can play PF) and the PG
Which do you like best?
February 18th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
@Hobson13 You seemed to be using the ‘failure’ of this road trip to say that you’re ‘not sure’ about this team. I was pointing out that ANY win on the road, unless you’re playing against a wounded horrible team that is coming off a back to back, is significant. It is hard to win on the road in the NBA and every victory matters. I find it weird that people ignored the fact that Chicago has been dominant at home as of late, and the Spurs road record is still outstanding despite the loss.
That’s what is important. The Spurs are 25-2 at home right now, so I really am not worried about their home games. Because they’ll have the top seed in the West, all other teams have to figure out how to beat the Spurs four times (including at least one time in San Antonio).
You add that to the fact that pretty much every team is getting up for the Spurs all season, and frankly I think both the Mavs and the Spurs will go farther than the Lakers in the post-season. The Spurs have come away with victories in a bunch of the most difficult places to win in the NBA. The Lakers have failed in all but one of their so-called statement games. I could care less about the Eastern Conference teams. If the Spurs play them they’ve already made the finals, and we have no idea which one of them will be there anyway.
February 18th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
These are some amazing comments. Does anyone remember when the Spurs were considered soft? That was their biggest knock. They were branded a soft team and it stuck, because they kinda were. Fortunately, that label is history. Unfortunately, they passed the torch to their fans. The fans are kinda soft now. No matter what the team does, Spurs fans are always trying to talk their way into a loss. Spurs fans continue to look at the team and saying the glass is half empty. I understand you don’t want to count your chickens but give this team some slack. Road wins are difficult, in and of themselves. Now add it to the last game of the 9 game swing and it (I’m sure) becomes even more difficult. The Bulls were playing their 3rd game in 8 days. Top team in the league, at home, well rested and motivated to be playing … the best record in the league, road weary, tired, mentally fatigued, Spurs team! Now the fans want players traded, kicked out, and making panic moves? Soft!
February 18th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
TD=BE
Your trades see to be deteriorating to the point of trades for trades sake. Recent players you’ve suggested seem to have more DNP-CD’s than Tiago for much worse teams. If they can’t get playing time for Philly or SF, how would they ever get more minutes than Tiago for the Spurs? If Tiago has lost the confidence of the Spurs, which I don’t think he has, why would another team want to trade for him while giving up anybody worth getting?
I don’t particularly disagree with some of your comments regarding how if the Spurs were to be a more perfect team they need to improve their frontline. Whether or not they could pick up anyone in midseason that would be an improvement is the question.
I would think that if they were able to get someone that could make a worthwhile contribution, that they wouldn’t so much be cutting into Tiago’s minutes as they would of Blair, McDyess and Bonner. Of those, McDyess has the highest salary to be useful in a trade; and while he may play the best defense of the current bigs you are looking for someone that plays even better defense. The others have the potential to make greater contributions in the future, whereas McDyess’ career is winding down. Not that any other team would be looking to pick up McDyess for his contribution, but rather for the buyout of his contract to make room under the salary cap.
February 18th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Bry
February 18th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
“You seemed to be using the ‘failure’ of this road trip to say that you’re ‘not sure’ about this team.”
I looked back at my posts and can confirm that I never used the word “failure”. But you’re right about my uncertainty with the Spurs. Here are the records of the teams we beat when we played them:
Sacto 13-40
Detroit: 19-33
Toronto: 14-39
Washington: 14-38
New Jersey: 17-40
Lakers: 34-16
Here are the teams records that we lost to:
Blazers: 26-22
Philly: 25-28
Bulls: 38-16
Here’s how I break this down: We beat 5 bad teams who win totals are in the teens. We got fortunate against an elite team (Lakers). Lost to two decent teams (Philly and Portland) and couldn’t get over the hump despite being well rested against another elite team (Bulls). Bottom line: we went 5-0 against bad teams and 1-3 against decent or elite competition. That doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence.
“I was pointing out that ANY win on the road, unless you’re playing against a wounded horrible team that is coming off a back to back, is significant.”
I disagree. Besides, 5 of our wins did come against bad teams. Not all wins or losses are equal. I submit that the Heat, Celtics, Mavs, and Bulls would have at least gone 6-3 over the same schedule and absolutely NO worse than 5-4. I never said that the RRT was a failure or horrible, but neither was it a resounding success or a time where the team seemed to take their game to the next level like many had hoped.
“the Lakers have failed in all but one of their so-called statement games. I could care less about the Eastern Conference teams. If the Spurs play them they’ve already made the finals, and we have no idea which one of them will be there anyway.”
Ok, I agree about the Lakers and for the most part about us playing the Eastern Conference teams. However, IMO, the Spurs are only 1 of about 5 or 6 teams that have a chance at the title. I had hoped that we would really clamp down and improve during the RRT, but I don’t think it happened. We are in no way, shape, or form a favorite to win ring #5.
February 18th, 2011 at 2:49 pm
I didn’t check the box score so my data is skimmed from memory…
Too many O rebounds for Bulls to get better looks at the basket. Once they had a second chance opportunity they executed on it to a higher efficiency than the initial possession.
It took Rose 42 points and a career night to ice the game, while the Spurs attempted to take the same strategy for the past 5 games prior to Chicago. I thought it was Memphis v UKansas all over again.
Duncan was 7-12 on FG’s and if the Spurs gave Timmy the rock say for 19 shots; the Spurs ball movement may have been more effective (Inside-Out); the Bulls would be forced into more half-court sets in transition.
Credit to Thibodeau, I was surprised with the level of execution on both ends of the floor. Boston better hope they don’t get the same match-up from last yr.
February 18th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
“We are in no way, shape, or form a favorite to win ring #5.”
I only partially disagree with you Hobson. But I’ll submit this question for you.
“When have the Spurs ever been a favorite to win a ring???”
February 18th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
First off, Why do people want to show Parker the door? He was game high with 26 points. Yeah Rose scored 42 on us but he was just playing out of his mind and circled this game on his calendar. Secondly the real damage was Blair, Bonner, and Hill a no show last night in regards to offense. WTH, that hardly ever happens. And thirdly, we need an agile shot blocking big to swat away those pesky little flies that keep coming in to the paint for some sh*t. Someone to swat away points like David used to. If Tiago wasn’t hurt I could see him at least getting more into NBA game shape to keep up in that respect. Of course nothing like Big Dave but better than what I saw last night.
February 18th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Don’t freak out people. All the Spurs need to do is turn it on (offense) and the defense falls in to place. Really. That’s exactly how they gotten to this point in the standings isn’t it? Add a healthy Tiago or someone that big to throw the opposition off from time to time and we’ll be fine in the playoffs. Not concerned about the west. It’s the east that we need to figure out. And it’ll get figured out. Pop’s not letting this team come this far just to easily fall to the east. The plan is coming. When you least expect it something crazy is going to happen in Spur land. I’ll let you guess what it is.
February 18th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
@Titletown990300507
Re: your post about last night’s loss—not only was Rose motivated to play against the league’s best; his team is ONLY 2 games down from having the best record in the eastern conference. And then there are the teams that were treading water or just adrift eariler in the season but now are focused and winning (PHL, IND (new coach), MEM), getting above .500 and going for the 6th-8th spots in the postseason matchups.
The Spurs need to avoid stumbling over squads that are totally out of the playoff picture (as of now there are only about 6-7 of those games remaining). We know they will work hard to improve on defense, and go out and compete every game. As long as they avoid losing streaks (only one -2 BTB road games-that’s excellent!!) and fall into a win 1, lose 1 pattern (playing .500 ball). But I feel as long as the Mavs are winning at a pace even with the Spurs, there can be no let up—at least for the next 20 games. You know Dallas’s goals are to (1) catch San Antonio, or (2) secure the 2nd spot in the west ahead of the Lakers.
February 18th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
Good evening all. I am here to vent about something. Bear with me. While on the ESPN website I happened to notice a section entitled “Did You Know?”. This is normally where the ABC affiliated sports giant posts little known tidbits that many people may not be familiar with. Today’s tidbit read as follow: “Did You Know Denver Nuggets are the only team this season with multiple buzzer beater victories?”. Now I’m guessing with Melo’s status in the air they were attempting to familiarize the average Joe with the team and info about them but this statement is COMPLETELY FALSE. Our San Antonio Spurs have multiple buzzer beating wins this season as all of us know. Manu beat the buzzer against the Bucks and McDyess beat the buzzer against the Lakers. This is just the ultimate disrespect to me. We have the best record this year and get no credit for even our most minute accomplishments. Its a damn shame.
February 18th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
@ Daniel T
“Your trades see to be deteriorating to the point of trades for trades sake. Recent players you’ve suggested seem to have more DNP-CD’s than Tiago for much worse teams. If they can’t get playing time for Philly or SF, how would they ever get more minutes than Tiago for the Spurs?”
Easy, because they are all better players than Tiago. Or at least ready to contribute to our title run NOW and not later. Many players have fallen out of favor with this coach only to go on and have a break out year with another team/coach. Think Brandon Haywood, Kris Humphries, Brandon Bass.
February 18th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Sometimes it’s depressing to read what’s being posted. I mean…I can understand the “wanting” to be perfect. But c’mon people…we are witnessing a great experience with this team. Something NONE of us expected this year. If it all falls apart tomorrow this place will be filled with I told you so’s. Don’t be the ESPN’s and TNT’s Spur fans.
I respect conjutive discourse if our favorite team doesn’t do well and has a bad record…and there are some things that could help the team be better. But some are talking as if they DON’T have a chance at all just because they just lost their last game of a LONG RRT.
Count me guilty as charged in some instances, but the big picture as it stands now…this team is playing pretty damn good. Their record is record setting in the annuals of pro basketball. Granted it’s obvious some players do need a short break or some relief. But I still believe the second half of this season (even though they might lose more than the first half just because of talent they will be playing against), this team will develop a toughness because of that that will carry them not only into the playoffs but esculate this team into solid contention for a title.
Would all of us “HOPE” for another Solid post player? It’s been WELL documented by many of us that is what is felt is needed.
And if that doesn’t happen according to what some think should happen…is that your saving grace at the end of the season to prove you were right? What will your reaction be IF at the end of the season the Spurs win it all? Um…Huh…Well…It could’ve been better if…
I for one am enjoying this season. A season so far that I NEVER would have expected. If for some reason this team doesn’t go all the way…then it wouldn’t be any less than I expected to begin with. But all the positives that have transpired so far this season would only give me hope that this team is not on it’s way to peverbial decline more so than it’s done wonders to stay competitive.
The second half of this season will be upon us soon. I suspect more losses than the first half will be logged. But my hope remains that because the second half will be filled with playing better talent/teams that it sharpens our players/team to becoming better in the long run then they have managed to do thus far. Which by the way so far has been pretty damn impressive.
February 18th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
d rose is ridiculous. we needed someone better defensively to cover him. if james anderson is healthy and in shape. i would give him a shot at defending some of the better perimteter players. he has the length and youth to cover some of these perimeter threats, but he will no doubt endure a learning curve. blair played good defense on boozer and i think splitter would cover him well too, but any perimeter shooting big man causes serious concerns. i could see an adjustment of moving bonner into the starting lineup in a playoff situation against these bulls. he would force noah or boozer to cover him on the perimeter and i doubt they would start taj.0 gibson, who almost covered bonner exclusively. no trades.
February 19th, 2011 at 5:07 am
Excellent post Rob. Could not have said it any better if I had 10 tries.
February 19th, 2011 at 6:48 am
@Bankshot21
Thanks.
@rj
“no trades.”
There would be one trade at this stage that I would not be opposed to. Bulls are looking for a scorer/guard to compliment Rose as well as keeping in the mode of defense.
James Anderson could very well be that type of player to develop and would be an excellent compliment to Rose if Anderson ever develops into the player many have speculated him to become. Noah is expected to return soon after recovering from injury.
Straight up Taj Gibson for Anderson works. Don’t know if either team would be interested…but it sure would solidify San Antonio in the post. Neal developing into the player he is becoming might just allow the Spurs to part with Anderson with no harm done and acquire Gibson if the Bulls think the return of Noah along with adding Anderson wouldn’t compromise what Chicago has been building this season.
February 19th, 2011 at 9:50 am
To the strong advocates of trades on this blog: I don’t understand. I know that you know that you have absolutely, completely, and totally zero power/ability to make trades for the Spurs organization and that you are arguing to sway to your views other bloggers who also have zero power to make the trades happen that you advocate. In my opinion there is nothing to be won or lost in these arguments. In this vein I suggest that we get Bill and Ted to fire up the phone booth, go to the University of San Francisco in 1955 and ask William Fenton Russell if he wants to go on a most excellent adventure to San Antonio in 2011. My scenario (like yours) is completely pointless, because I do not have the real world ability to make any of it happen. Hell, I don’t even have Bill and Ted’s phone number.
February 19th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
Hobson13 is pretty much dead on correct. The Spurs are a very good team but they have a couple areas of weakness that if corrected by an aquistion or the right pickup of combos in a trade, it would be worth it. Splitter just hasn’t came around but most figured he wouldn’t this first year. The Spurs are still are really a small big team(Blair is great but just doesn’t have the height), but they’re a fast team, they need another good really big man and another good role player because if it comes to a trade the Spurs will have to give up at least 2 player and maybe a draft pick. We all should know that, come playoff time, games will slow down to a defensive battles of the boards and there’s the Spurs weakness. With a basketball genius for a coach, no one better than Pop, to figure out what should be done. Anything less than a trip to the finals after such a successful season will leave the team flat and demoralized. Why not pull the trigger on a trade that would make the Spurs an odds on favorite for a run at multiple titles. They are not there at that this point.
Go Spurs Go!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 19th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
@ Hobson13 & JTEX
+10
We do have a few holes that we need to fill. I know that all teams do, but our really can only be filled by a change in our roster.
SA, LA, Dallas, OKC, and Portland round out the top 5.
LA - Motivation and team speed. 1st - playing for a title should get them motivated. 2nd - the game really slows down in the playoffs so their lack of speed should factor in less.
Dallas - Defensive Toughness and Scoring. 1st - Butler(out for season), Stevenson, Chandler, Marion - All bring the Defensive toughness to the team, or at least enough to win a title provided their scoring holds up. 2nd - the loss of Butler hurts them in scoring, but they added Peja and Roddy B. is now back healthy.
OKC - Only issue they have is playing consistent D. Remember the game slows down alot in the playoffs. So that will help them out tremendously. Add to that playing Ibaka more than Kristic will also help out the D.
Portland - Offensive firepower and Depth. These 2 issues can both be addresses as 1. Brandon Roy/Marcus Camby are both close to returning. I know they both may not be back to their old selves anytime this season. But if Roy can just be Gary Neal from our team that will make them very dangerous. Camby will still be able to block shots and rebound even if he isn’t 100%
Now back to the SPURS - We have shown on several occasions this year that we simply CAN’T defend Athletic players on the wings. Or quick/powerful forwards. Wings like D.Rose, D.Will, Step Curry, Ray Allen. Forwards like Melo, Deng, Aldridge, LA’s front line, Dirk. As you can see our biggest problems aren’t mental(motivation, toughness etc.) They are mostly physical (quickness/size). Which is why we are in need of a trade more so than other teams. At least to cover one of these holes. SF or PF positions.
Leave a Reply