We Suck

[Donald Kaufman]

We can't even beat the f***ing Thunder.

Things are not looking good.

[Baller 24]

^^ Who are you and what did you do with TD is the MAN? LOL.

Let me guess, you lost a bet?

[SMRattler]

^^ Who are you and what did you do with TD is the MAN? LOL.

Let me guess, you lost a bet?

+2

[Blame Rasho]

April fools?

[Miller4ever]

It's cause you guys don't have Rasho. Now that the Pacers have him, we're going all the way to the 9th seed.

[GOBlazers]

Whats up with the Spurs?? I haven't been watching, but you've been playing .500 ball for 3 weeks.

Is this going to continue? Or does a healthy Ginobli give you hope?

You have been dropping like a rock in the playoff standings, and it doesn't seem likely that it will get better since most of your final games are on the road, and 4 of 8 against playoff teams.

[Blame Rasho]

Pop is crazy.... showing signs of Alzheimers.

http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/04/ ... -popovich/

# Pop, postgame: “Obviously it was a tough loss. We’ve been playing up and down. Some nights we play really well and some nights are like tonight. I think the common denominator is we’re not hitting our jump shots. We had the same problem in New Orleans. It makes it tough if we’re not hitting those shots and a couple of people aren’t playing well. Knocking down shots is really important in the NBA and we’re not doing it.”

# My reaction to the above quote: Coach Popovich is correct that the team is in a shooting slump. But that is a smaller issue. The bigger issue is, as Graydon and others have pointed out, that Pop has made a mess of the rotation. Mason Jr. should permanently return to shooting guard; George Hill should play decent minutes behind Tony Parker or off the ball when Manu Ginobili is in the game; JV should not play; Michael Finley’s minutes should be reduced, with the net split between Bruce Bowen and Ime Udoka; Manu Ginobili should come off the bench; the front court rotation should include Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner, Drew Gooden, and Kurt Thomas. That’s a long list. But a recent slew of mad scientist rotation tinkering has knocked everything off center–and I would include team shooting in that number. Popovich is, perhaps, the best coach in the league. He’s known for honestly attaching blame to whomever it is due, whether Malik Hairston or Tim Duncan. Earlier this season, he acknowledged the team defense started in a bad place because of ill-conceived changes he and his staff made to pick and roll coverage. But then, getting over himself, he reverted course and things began to improve. He’s a humble guy. The blame for last night’s loss is his. The recent changes to the rotation are playing Monster to his Frankenstein. Here’s your chance, Pop. Issue the mea culpa.

# Two snips from LJ Ellis: 1) “…Finley is not good enough anymore to be a key part of a championship team. He’s just not. Durant slaughtered him repeatedly. It got sickening to watch after a while. It was even more sickening that Pop never made much of a move to fix the situation. In Pop’s eyes, Finley must be some sort of cross between Bruce Bowen and Michael Jordan. Otherwise, I just can’t explain the love affair any longer…” and 2) “…Pop is in the worst coaching stretch of his career. He has no clue what he’s doing and he’s hurting this team - both in the short-term and the long-term. Pop has been instrumental in these recent losses and he’s laying the foundation for a disappointing playoff exit. I seriously can’t figure out what he’s doing or any of the method to his current madness.”

From a rotational standpoint, the game wasn’t merely mismanaged: It was just plain odd. Ginobili, Parker and Duncan all started. George Hill and Bruce Bowen never saw the court. Jacques Vaughn played for 13 minutes. Kurt Thomas played 7 (all of which came in the fourth quarter). From the opening tip right up until our disorganized final possession, this game was a distasteful combination of confusing and frustrating.

The most baffling aspect of tonight’s loss was how long it took Pop to recognize how ill-equipped Michael Finley is to guard Kevin Durant. At 25.7 per game, Durant averages the fourth most points of any player in the league. Michael Finley has always been a defensive liability, much less at the ripe age of 36. But Popovich left Finley on Durant for extended stretches and subsequently the rising star had his way with the grizzled vet to the tune of 31 points on 12-19 shooting.

From the outset, I hungrily awaited the moment Popovich would sub either Bowen or Udoka for Finley and we could finally slow Durant’s potent attack. Clearly Pop did not feel the urgency I did; Finley played for 35 minutes while Udoka played only 14 (most of which came in the fourth quarter) and Bowen received a DNP-CD. If my notes are correct, only 5 of Durant’s points came while Udoka was covering him (as did at least 4 of his 7 misses). Udoka did an excellent job being physical with Durant; by bodying him aggressively, he severely limited Durant’s off-the-ball mobility. If Pop had chosen to counter Durant with a stopper instead of a scorer from the outset, this game would have gone quite differently.

A close second in the baffling category was the court time Jacques Vaughn saw. Mason lacks the ball-handling and penetration ability to play back-up point. Hill lacks the maturity. But Vaughn is not the answer. While on the floor, the defense was paper thin. I would have much rather had Hill see all of Vaughn’s minutes. Yes, the offense may have suffered (and I emphasize may; Vaughn was 0-2 with 1 assist), but Hill’s defensive prowess would have more than made up for it.

This ties in to my confusion regarding Ginobili’s start: If Pop is concerned about the guard play of the second-unit, why rob our bench of its best ball-handler and slasher? Manu is more than prepared to play point. I’d love to see Hill get more minutes alongside Manu so Hill’s offensive deficiencies aren’t so glaring. Either way, when the Spurs have given up 81 points through 3 quarters, I see no reason the rookie shouldn’t get a chance to make a few stops.

Just another item on the long list of tonight’s oddities was the few minutes Kurt Thomas played. Thomas has been excellent in recent weeks and he would have given Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic (who combined for 32) some trouble.

After remembering that they are supposed to be one of the league’s marquee defensive teams, the Spurs buckled down during the fourth (or rather, Pop used players who have the ability to buckle down) and held the Thunder to 15 points. After Tim Duncan blocked Jeff Green’s layup with under 15 seconds to play, the Spurs pushed the ball up the court and fumbled their way through a poorly executed final possession. The ball, headed out of bounds in the corner, was barely saved by Manu and eventually made it’s way to the hands of Finley. He ended up taking a 19-foot fadeaway that clanked off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded.

Headed away from this game, one question looms above the others: Why have the Spurs failed to set a rotation? It’s not merely that we haven’t gelled. It’s that our rotation has grown more chaotic as the playoffs approach, not less. Players like Hill and Bowen, who had seemingly found their admittedly limited niche, are now receiving DNP-CDs with some frequency. Players like Vaughn, who was for all intents and purposes a glorified assistant coach before today, come storming back into the rotation at any given time. The Spurs have 8 games left. Popovich needs to clarify the rotation and clarify it fast.

More or less sums it up thanks to 48 mins of hell by the way.

[LyMinh]

If only Duncan and Rasho had been able to co-exist. We'd be working on our 5th championship in a row.

[Jajwanda]

The only reason you guys suck lately is because your offensive execution is (Please Use More Appropriate Word). I can't believe how stupid it is to watch your team sometimes, because they either take a stupid 3 or they simply move the ball and force guys that can't create by themselves to create.

[Blame Rasho]

I blame Jacque.

[GetMoney]

why has manu been on the bench forever???

[Jajwanda]

There are far more problems than Jacque Vaughn. At this rate New Orleans will blow past the Spurs in the first round. San Antonio has to get Duncan back to being his usual self and then quite possibly consider grounding the mediocre one-trick ponies like Finley and Bowen.

[Donald Kaufman]

We can't even beat the "slumping" Cavs at home.

Looks like it's a 1st round out for us this year.

[SMRattler]

I don't see any West team I feel confident we can beat at this point.

Not saying it's impossible, just wouldn't bet money on it.

[Donald Kaufman]

Not even two months ago, the only team in the west that I thought had a chance against us was the Lakers.

Now? It's so bad even the Mavericks have a shot at us.

[Tiga]

San Antonio has to get Duncan back to being his usual self

Come playoffs... Tim Duncan will get Duncan back to being his usual self !
I hope...