Not sure what to say.
These last two games were San Antonio’s for the taking, and they just gave it away. I’m not a Spurs fan, but I’m definitely a Heat hater. Pop is usually a good coach, but from the final minutes of the 4th in Game 6 to this game, his coaching was terrible.
His biggest blunder was playing off of the Miami shooters. They made way too many uncontested 3’s tonight. Way too many.
True, but Parker still NEEDS to be in the game. He’s probably the 2nd best guy on either team. He needs to be in there as much as possible.
As an aside, I really have they make the losing team answer a bunch of inane questions right after a loss. I really felt bad for Tim Duncan there having to answer why he missed that shot, and if he is gonna retire in the off-season. That must be fucking brutal.
They were 12-32 from 3-point range. That is not a particularly great percentage. It’s good, but not great. The Heat shot better from 3 for the season. The Spurs lost because the Heat made the shots when they needed to, the Spurs bench was terrible (Diaw -18, Splitter -6, Neal -7, etc.), and because the Heat have the best player on the planet. Leaving them to take open 18 footers wasn’t necessarily a bad plan given that Allen, Bosh, and Miller all had no points. Even good plans sometimes fail.
But the coaching calls at the end of the game were pretty poor.
Miami won tonight, imho, because of one thing: LeBron and Wade hit their mid range J’s.
Agreed, unless he was exhausted to the point where he couldn’t function, or if his hamstring had him hobbled, he needs to be on the floor.
Makes it easy to understand why Pop and Duncan hate the media the way they do. If you aren’t an attention hog, all the media does for you is stir shit, ask dumb questions, and pick you apart.
It was James’ 3s (he went 5-10) and Battier’s (6-8) that really buried them. Battier’s came in the flow of the offense, but LeBron’s were mostly just off the dribble, with Leonard playing six feet off him. I understand the concept; keep Miami out of the lane. It’s a question of process vs. outcome: do you stick with a mathematically-sound game plan even if it’s not working, and hope the percentages regress to the mean? Or do you concede that LeBron’s locked-in from 3 that night, and adjust? There’s no easy answer.
I have awful for Danny Green. He went from probable Finals MVP, to at least a Jerry West-esque great-player-on-the-losing-side, to going 1 for 7 in game 6 and 1 for 12 in game 7. Now his blistering performance in games 1-5 will be forgotten.
And, to bring it full circle: the real difference maker in this series’ final games was that washed-up Dwyane Wade had more left in the tank than washed-up Manu Ginobili. The battle of the 2-guards, games 6 and 7 combined:
Wade 17/36 FG, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks, 7 TO, 37 pts
Ginobili 8/17 FG, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 0 blocks, 12 TO, 27 pts
There’s your difference, right there.
Yep. You can’t defend everything.
What about Kawhi Leonard, though? For the series, he averaged a 15-11-1 with 2 steals on 50% shooting, while defending the best player on the planet. That’s fantastic production for a second-year player. He’s poised to take Ginobili’s place as part of the Spurs Big 3.
That was an amazing series. The quality of play in game seven wasn’t quite up there with game six, but it had all the drama and twists and craziness. There were so many points late in the game where it looked like the Heat were going to put the Spurs away and then the Spurs would somehow tie it up. And there were so many plays that really could have gone either way like Duncan missing that tip or the bank-in threes by Chalmers and Battier. There was so little separating these teams in terms of quality.
And because Battier went crazy. He and LeBron did the kind of shooting that Green and Neal gave the Spurs in game three. That was kind of the bottom line. The Spurs’ strategy was sound and it got them this far. When LeBron and Wade started making their shots they tried to tweak it, but there was only so much they could do. They hadn’t shot like that since, what, the Bulls series? Or maybe early in the Pacers series? LeBron is so fast and huge and strong that you want to keep him away from the hoop or finding open guys for threes, and they did do that. They felt they had a better chance to win if he was taking lots of jump shots and not getting to the rim, and I think he took three shots in the paint in that game. But he’s also become a more effective shooter and if that shot is falling that way, what else can you do? It’s not like Leonard had a bad game on defense either.
I’m not sure what I think about the Parker thing. They wanted four shooters out there with Duncan - I thought that was pretty clear and Parker confirmed it after the game. Parker almost never takes threes. But they did need someone to get the ball to Duncan and even if he was exhausted and hurt, Parker has to be a safer choice than Ginobili with the way Ginobili was turning the ball over.
I am really bummed for Tim Duncan. He had an amazing year and a fantastic series. But I also don’t think he’s done or that this team is finished. Kawhi Leonard was great, too. If this is the end for Ginobili it’s going to be great to watch him take a bigger role next year.
Kawhi is a gem. An absolute gem. Hard to believe he fell to 15th pick, after the year he had at SDSU.
And Pop was in a tough spot at the end. Tony Parker had a lousy game last night, and Ginobili was having a decent game right up until crunch time, when he started turning the ball over and hoisting crap shots. But even after all that, if Duncan hits that little runner that would have tied the game, things may have gone differently. They were right there, they just couldn’t score and LeBron refused to miss.
That’s also true.
I think Duncan’s got another year of solid production left, Parker’s still in his prime, and Leonard and Green keep improving at a rapid clip. Splitter too, though he had a pretty rocky series after a very nice season.
This was Ginobili’s last year under contract. If I’m R.C. Buford, I’m not offering him a new deal unless it’s very cheap, he made $14 million this season. With that cap space, they can make a run at a younger shooting guard or combo guard: Kevin Martin, OJ Mayo, Jarrett Jack, Jerryd Bayless, Monta Ellis, J.J. Redick, and J.R. Smith are all unrestricted free agents. Prime targets would be Martin, Mayo, Jack, and Redick. Bayless is too limited a player, Ellis will be too expensive, and Smith is a head case and will certainly be overpaid by the Knicks.
Assuming the Spurs re-up with Splitter (the only other rotation player who’s hitting free agency is Gary Neal, and he’s restricted) and add someone like Martin/Mayo/Jack/Redick, there’s an excellent chance they can return to the confederence finals, and a pretty good chance they could make it back to the Finals. This hinges on OKC and what their ceiling is, how the Clippers shake out over the summer, and so on, but the pieces are out there and the Spurs have the cap space.
Miami’s unrestricted free agents are Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Chris Andersen, and some deadwood (Juwan Howard and Rashard Lewis). Ray’s already proved he’s willing to work cheap, he got half the salary from Miami that Boston was offering. I don’t imagine any other team making a Godfather offer for Chalmers, who fits in better with Miami than just about anyone else, since they play him off the ball so much. Andersen might get some too-generous offers, centers are always in demand and he played out of his mind in the playoffs.
But, assuming Wade’s knee isn’t degenerating or anything, Miami should be right back in the Finals. A rematch of this series would be just fine with me.
ETA: Pretty crazy that Duncan was the fourth highest paid Spur this season, trailing Ginobili, Parker, and Stephen Jackson (who was sorely missed in this series, he’s a fearless shooter). Glad to see a handful of guys, Miami’s Big 3 included, putting wins over a maximized payday.
I was rooting for Miami, I felt really bad for Duncan when he slapped the floor after missing that shot under the basket. Just a heart-breaking moment.
I think this is probably it for Ginobili. He just didn’t seem to have anything left in the playoffs. And oh man, if I were the Spurs - or any team, as a matter of fact - I would not touch Monta Ellis. Jack might be a little too shoot-first, but he’d be an interesting fit for San Antonio. So would Mayo but I think he’ll get an offer they wouldn’t want to match. I’m sure the Heat will keep their guys. The Allen move paid off for sure and they’d have to be crazy to let Andersen go with the way they played after he joined the team. We’ll see if they can add some more size and toughness with their remaining cap space.
Yeah, about 5% of my soul died when that happened. This is why I hate most sportswriting, everything gets reduced down to will and moral worthiness, as though if Duncan had really wanted it, that shot would have gone down.
Yeah, I think now’d be the time to walk away, as a career Spur and a likely Hall of Famer. I’d hate to see him like T-Mac, a washed-up vet who can’t even get on the floor anymore.
Dang, really? He’s a heck of a talent, but he’s developed a lot of bad habits playing on so many terrible teams. First and foremost: taking 4 3-pointers a game when he’s a 28% 3-point shooter. Makes Young Josh Smith look like an efficient, thoughful player. I can’t see him on the Spurs because he’ll probably get a max contract or close to it, but with the right coach and in the right system I think he could be a key part of a contender. Chicago sure could use a 2-guard who can create his own shot.
I’d prioritize them as
If they resign Allen, Chalmers, and Andersen, that’ll be about all they can do, they’re pretty well capped out. Have to see what discount veteran ring-chasers they can attract, but worst case scenario they come back with this same roster, maybe minus Andersen (I’ve a hunch he’ll have a lot a suiters offering starting jobs: Charlotte, OKC, Philly, maybe Boston if KG leaves, Toronto, Orlando, Dallas, and Phoenix all need centers).
Yeah, they could. Not that they could afford him. I’m sure somebody will pay him handsomely, but I don’t trust him to stop taking so many stupid goddamn shots even if he’s on a better team. How do you take that many threes when you miss them all the time?
But which one of them can replace Ginobili’s aggression and creativity? He’s a pretty unique player and which one of these guys could best fit into that kind of role? Maybe Martin, I’m not sure. I agree that as long as the Spurs have Popovich and Buford they will continue to surprise people by choosing just the right guys and adapting them to their system. Their track record on that is amazing.
Nobody’s going to offer him a starting job. He’s spectacular as an energy guy but he’s never been a starter or played those kinds of minutes. His career high for minutes is about 22 a game, and that was in 2009-10 - which was also the last time he played a full season. The last three seasons he’s played about 15 minutes a game. He’s about to turn 35 and has 10 career starts, only two in the last six seasons. Assuming he likes the money and the team in Miami I think he’ll stay put.
They could if they amnesty Carlos Boozer and start Taj Gibson at the 4. Which they should. I’m fixated on the Bulls for some reason, probably because I want Miami dethroned and if Rose comes back at 100% and they make a few changes they’re the co-best candidate, along with Indiana.
By playing on awful teams where you’re the only above-average scoring threat, I reckon.
Zach Randolph went from out-of-shape overpaid headcase to franchise player and top-8 power forward in his late 20s. Tyson Chandler went from unskilled draft bust to defensive player of the year in his late 20s. Some guys, when they’re a bit more mature and land in a stable situation with a system and a coach who’s secure in his job and wants to and is able to maximize each player’s ability, not just break .500 so he doesn’t get fired, are able to pull off the mid-career renaissance and flourish.
Then again, other guys aren’t able to do that. ETA: Full disclosure, I’m biased in favor of Ellis because I like his game and I root for guys from the South.
None. Guys that are able to create off the dribble like him, and shoot like him, and pass like him, are both rare and generally unavailable: Chis Paul, LeBron, Durant, Dirk when healthy, Carmelo, Deron Williams at times…um…maybe John Wall or Jrue Holiday in a few years…that’s about it. The Spurs won’t be able to replace the whole Ginobili package, but then again that package was showing some major flaws, so what other choice do they have?
Yeah, I’m here staring at lists of free agents and cap space, when what’ll probably happen is they trade Gary Neal for the 20th pick, who turns into an 8-time All-Star.
He’s 34? Wow, I was way off, I thought he was more like 30. Must be the tattoos, or forgetting about his two years out of the league on suspension. There is precedent for energy-guy backups being turned into starters, but not at 35. Never mind on that.
Gibson isn’t that good. Boozer has many shortcomings but can still be useful even though he’s overpaid, so I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that swap. If they still had Asik it’d be another story, but then again they’d have even less cap space in that situation. That was a blunder.
That’ll do it, yeah. I just don’t particularly trust Ellis to get smarter and his last year in Golden State struck me as a bad sign.
Yeah, that sounds about right. Then again I’d expect more out of Cory Joseph next year along with whoever they might add to replace Ginobili if it comes to that. That’ll also help.
Or they’ll bring some over guy from Outer Mongolia they drafted in 2010 and he’ll go berserk. It’s so satisfying to watch the Spurs succeed through the kind of intelligence they have- not that you can fault the intelligence of what Pat Riley has done in Miami. But to have a team that’s such a well oiled and adaptable machine for 15 years, and one that looks like it’ll stay that way even after they lose two Hall of Famers? Wow.
I knew he wasn’t young, but I was a little surprised, too. He’s been in the league since 2001 even though it doesn’t really feel that way.
The Spurs cap situation is a bit sunnier than what some of you think. They have max-level money to throw at people - upwards of 17 million under the cap. They could go after Josh Smith and make the team younger, faster, more athletic, and better defensively. They could offer cap relief to the Lakers and offer to take Gasol off their books. They have a real shot at helping their team upgrade significantly while maintaining continuity.
Gibson can replace Boozer’s scoring and almost all his rebounding, with better defense and athleticism, for literally half the cost. Boozer makes $15.3 million next year, then $16.8. Gibson makes $7.5, then $8, then $8.5, then $8.9. That extra $15 million in their pocket could do a world of good for Chicago.
I don’t mean to say that Boozer is garbage, but he’s a 16 and 9 who can’t guard anybody quick, for $15 million. That’s an issue. I’d rather roll with Rose-Ellis-Deng-Gibson-Noah than Rose-Hamilton?-Deng-Boozer-Noah. Unless they’ll go with Butler at the 2, that might could work, though he lacks Ellis’ ability to create, he’s a shooter and a much better defender.
They’ll need a backup center in any case, Nazr Muhammed’s corpse isn’t getting it done.
I don’t trust him either, per se, but if you need a 2-guard, you could do a lot worse. All the free agent 2 guards this summer have baggage. His is mental, mainly, which means it can be corrected by the right coaching staff.
I forgot Steph Curry. You can count on the Spurs’ young roleplayers to improve steadily (well, except Dejuan Blair. I had such high hopes for him), sure, but they need someone who can score off the bench if Ginobil’s retired or wants any kind of money. I vote Kevin Martin.
Yeah, 15 years of 50+ wins without ever bottoming out, drafting in the lottery, or luring a top-tier free agent is just awe-inspiring. If the Pop/Buford regime was in LA, they’d have 10 titles to their names.
Wow. No, it doesn’t.
That’s an interesting thought, and if Stephen Jackson leaves, it wouldn’t violate the one-headcase rule. They could use a small-ish lineup with two small forwards (Leonard + Smith) and Duncan. Depends on if Smith has the ability to grasp a complex, read-and-react offensive system with very few isolations that demands unselfish committment to a role.
That’d be tough, Gasol has a lot of value left, and the Spurs don’t have much to offer outside of Duncan, Parker, and Leonard, who are untouchable. Gasol is coming off a terrible year, but he’s far from being a pay-you-to-take-him cap anchor.
Jackson is gone. They waived him in April before they signed McGrady.
Right, I meant if they don’t resign him as an unrestricted free agent. He seems to be a Pop favorite, so I think there’s a decent chance. To my recollection, he was waived because of his ankle problems, not any bad behavior or evaporated skills.