The Spurs landed in the three spot. Previously, I said that I would prefer the Spurs to be the four or five seed rather than the three. However, at that time it looked like the sixth seed would either be the Hornets or the Jazz, both of which would provide difficult matchups for the Spurs. Turns out the Spurs will play the Mavericks. This is the best case scenario for the Spurs. At this point, we basically are comprised of two stars. We need Tim and Tony to have great games in order to win. Tim always crushes Dallas and the Mavs have no one to defend Tony. For this reason, the Mavs are the best possible matchup for the short-handed Spurs.
There is one area of concern. We need Tim and Tony to play. It’s as simple as that. I attended the Hornets, Spurs game last night and was extremely frustrated for about 47 minutes. I kept asking, “How are we supposed to win if our two best players are not playing?” Luckily, the Spurs won a game that they should not have and earned the three seed. However, the Spurs cannot count on luck to win a playoff series. We need Tim and Tony in the game. Last night Tim had a +/- of +21 and Tony had +15. This means that when Tim was in the game, the Spurs outscored the Hornets by 21 points. We won by seven. Therefore, when Tim was on the bench the Hornets outscored the Spurs by 14 points. How easy is this to see? Can someone forward this to Popovich? When Tim is in the game, we are infinitely better than when he sits on the bench. Tim and Tony played a combined 77 minutes last night. Chris Paul and David West combined for 95 minutes. If you were wondering why the Spurs almost lost, you can stop studying the box score. Here is your answer. Their best two players played 18 more minutes than our two best players. It’s as easy as that. If we are going to fare well in the playoffs, this trend must end here. Tim and Tony must play more minutes than they have averaged during the regular season. Popovich needs to go for broke. There are no back to backs in the playoffs, so playing Tim extended minutes should not be a concern. In addition, Tony Parker is 26. 26! Are you telling me he can’t play more than 34 minutes a game? He is a world-class athlete.
Keep an eye on the minutes column. If Dirk and Howard/Terry play substantially more minutes than Tim and Tony, this could translate into an extended vacation for the Spurs.
Showing posts with label Gregg Popovich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gregg Popovich. Show all posts
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Popovich Makes My Head Hurt
Well, the precedent has been set. There is nothing we can do about it now. The Thunder officially believe they can beat the Spurs regardless of the circumstances. This is the same thing that happened with the Milwaukee Bucks. At some point, the Bucks won a fluky game against the Spurs, followed that with a close win, and now the Spurs have trouble beating the Bucks twice a season. The Bucks could be 10-42, it does not matter. The Bucks will always play the Spurs close because they show up with impenetrable confidence. And now we have this to look forward to for the next decade every time we play the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Nearly every good team has one of these annoying match-ups. The Lakers like to lose to the Bobcats. The Magic like to lose to the Pistons. It’s not necessarily a guaranteed loss, it will just be a closer game than it should be and the lesser team will always have a shot at winning in the closing minutes.
Popovich is really to blame for last night’s loss and a decades worth of close losses to the Thunder. First, the lineups he played were horrendous. If Tim, Tony, and Manu are healthy, there is absolutely no reason that the Spurs should play a lineup that excludes all three. It makes no sense. A lineup without the big three will never happen in the playoffs, so why play it now? All it does is serve to destroy the Spurs' rhythm and give the opposition confidence.
Second, why in God’s name is Jacque Vaughn playing? We have George Hill! What the HELL?!?! Jacque Vaughn entered the game when the Thunder had two seconds on the shot clock. Jacque somehow lost sight of his man, who cut backdoor and received the pass for a lay-up. Jacque fouled the guy and he made both free throws. Two seconds in the game, two points for the Thunder. He played 13 minutes, scored 0 points missing two wide open shots, and had as many turnovers as he had assists, 1. His plus minus was -2. Could George Hill have performed worse? Is it even possible? What Jacque’s stats do not display is that when he is in the game, the other team is essentially playing five on four on the defensive end. They do not guard Jacque Vaughn. This kills Manu’s impact because whenever Manu drives, Jacque’s man is right there to stop him. Also, the guy that Jacque Vaughn guards always has a free pass into the lane. The backup point guard on one of the worst teams in the NBA looked like an All Star because he was matched-up against Jacque. 34 year old Chucky Atkins has averaged 2.9 points, 1.8 assists, and .8 rebounds this season. Against Vaughn, he nearly doubled his production and apparently was EVERYWHERE, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, making both of his free throws. Tell me that he is that effective against George Hill, who is 22 and 6’3” with a 6’7” wingspan. Again, Jacque Vaughn is playing??? I feel like putting my head through a wall.
Third, how many times have you heard a commentator say this? “Wow, what a great decision by the coach. Instead of calling a time out, they decided to push the ball down by one. They completely caught the defense off-guard and got the easy layup for the win!” Maybe once, when the Suns were under D’Antoni? The vast majority of the time you hear, “Well, they had a timeout but chose not to use it because they thought they could catch the defense sleeping. Unfortunately, they got off a horrible shot and lost the game.” Let me go Hubie Brown on you for a second. “If I’m Gregg Popovich, I KNOW that my team is not as athletic as the Thunder. I also KNOW that if I call a timeout, I can advance the ball to halfcourt and draw up a play that could take advantage of the Thunder’s inexperience. If I’m Gregg Popovich, there is NO WAY that I don’t call a timeout here.” Well, he didn’t call a timeout. The play was broken from the start when Tony failed to bring the ball up the court. Passes were deflected, Tim ended up with the ball 20 feet from the basket with three seconds on the shot clock. He threw it to Finley who missed a contested fade-away from 25 feet at the buzzer. Ouch. If Popovich calls a timeout, what are the odds the Spurs take a worse shot? 10%? 5%? I completely do not understand his logic.
Fourth, Kevin Durant absolutely tore the Spurs apart for the first three quarters. Finley, Udoka, and Manu all had their shot to defend him, and all were torched. Guess which two players did not get any playing time last night? Arguably the Spurs’ best two perimeter defenders, Bruce Bowen and George Hill. How does that make any sense at all? I feel like I am taking CRAZY PILLS.
The loss obviously falls on Popovich. Why was he so bad? Did he chug a bottle of Nyquil before the game? Did he total his car? Did he take a look in the mirror for the first time in 20 years? What the Hell was he thinking? Obviously, I’m still irate. I may have to bring back my old website, http://www.heypoppleasestopkillingmyteam.com/
Nearly every good team has one of these annoying match-ups. The Lakers like to lose to the Bobcats. The Magic like to lose to the Pistons. It’s not necessarily a guaranteed loss, it will just be a closer game than it should be and the lesser team will always have a shot at winning in the closing minutes.
Popovich is really to blame for last night’s loss and a decades worth of close losses to the Thunder. First, the lineups he played were horrendous. If Tim, Tony, and Manu are healthy, there is absolutely no reason that the Spurs should play a lineup that excludes all three. It makes no sense. A lineup without the big three will never happen in the playoffs, so why play it now? All it does is serve to destroy the Spurs' rhythm and give the opposition confidence.
Second, why in God’s name is Jacque Vaughn playing? We have George Hill! What the HELL?!?! Jacque Vaughn entered the game when the Thunder had two seconds on the shot clock. Jacque somehow lost sight of his man, who cut backdoor and received the pass for a lay-up. Jacque fouled the guy and he made both free throws. Two seconds in the game, two points for the Thunder. He played 13 minutes, scored 0 points missing two wide open shots, and had as many turnovers as he had assists, 1. His plus minus was -2. Could George Hill have performed worse? Is it even possible? What Jacque’s stats do not display is that when he is in the game, the other team is essentially playing five on four on the defensive end. They do not guard Jacque Vaughn. This kills Manu’s impact because whenever Manu drives, Jacque’s man is right there to stop him. Also, the guy that Jacque Vaughn guards always has a free pass into the lane. The backup point guard on one of the worst teams in the NBA looked like an All Star because he was matched-up against Jacque. 34 year old Chucky Atkins has averaged 2.9 points, 1.8 assists, and .8 rebounds this season. Against Vaughn, he nearly doubled his production and apparently was EVERYWHERE, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, making both of his free throws. Tell me that he is that effective against George Hill, who is 22 and 6’3” with a 6’7” wingspan. Again, Jacque Vaughn is playing??? I feel like putting my head through a wall.
Third, how many times have you heard a commentator say this? “Wow, what a great decision by the coach. Instead of calling a time out, they decided to push the ball down by one. They completely caught the defense off-guard and got the easy layup for the win!” Maybe once, when the Suns were under D’Antoni? The vast majority of the time you hear, “Well, they had a timeout but chose not to use it because they thought they could catch the defense sleeping. Unfortunately, they got off a horrible shot and lost the game.” Let me go Hubie Brown on you for a second. “If I’m Gregg Popovich, I KNOW that my team is not as athletic as the Thunder. I also KNOW that if I call a timeout, I can advance the ball to halfcourt and draw up a play that could take advantage of the Thunder’s inexperience. If I’m Gregg Popovich, there is NO WAY that I don’t call a timeout here.” Well, he didn’t call a timeout. The play was broken from the start when Tony failed to bring the ball up the court. Passes were deflected, Tim ended up with the ball 20 feet from the basket with three seconds on the shot clock. He threw it to Finley who missed a contested fade-away from 25 feet at the buzzer. Ouch. If Popovich calls a timeout, what are the odds the Spurs take a worse shot? 10%? 5%? I completely do not understand his logic.
Fourth, Kevin Durant absolutely tore the Spurs apart for the first three quarters. Finley, Udoka, and Manu all had their shot to defend him, and all were torched. Guess which two players did not get any playing time last night? Arguably the Spurs’ best two perimeter defenders, Bruce Bowen and George Hill. How does that make any sense at all? I feel like I am taking CRAZY PILLS.
The loss obviously falls on Popovich. Why was he so bad? Did he chug a bottle of Nyquil before the game? Did he total his car? Did he take a look in the mirror for the first time in 20 years? What the Hell was he thinking? Obviously, I’m still irate. I may have to bring back my old website, http://www.heypoppleasestopkillingmyteam.com/
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