What do you even do at this point?

Un-fettered shooting. That's really the only edge the Spurs have had all series. We've taken a hands-off approach to defense. I've never seen anything like it before. Sure, they've been allowed unlimited use of moving picks on defenders and grabbing and shoving and bumping shooters, but the counter to that is knocking people down. Hard. Repeatedly. It's expected.

No team shoots well when they're being pushed around. I think this series has proven that.

 

I say put in Meyers to lay some wood on people. Just tell him to start swinging elbows.

 

I think Freeland is more injured than has been let on. He messed his knee up pretty bad.

 

We actually have some incredible physical talent on our bench, and nobody who can't become an NBA starter at some point.

We just don't have a coach who has any interest in developing players. Stotts is the offensive version of McMillan. Both coaches have tunnel vision and neither one wants to be a teacher. Neither one will ever be mentioned in the same sentence as Popovich.

If we traded benches with the Spurs today, in 4 years their bench would be their starters and ours would be on other teams or out of the league.

 

Wildly overrated at what he supposedly does well? Agreed!

 

Cant blame you there. My blood pressure was up every game. At least with spurs I know we stand no chance before half time

 

Good luck with that blood pressure

 

Which is still way WAY better than most thought during training camp.

 

"Assuming?" Why would there be even a smidgeon of a shadow of a sliver of doubt?

 

Every time Parker goes around a screen, the screener's defender becomes Parker's defender!!!

 

Run Parker through and into a shitload of Przybilla-esque screens. If you wear him out on D, maybe it'll impact his O.

 

Our screens are terrible. That offensive foul that Robin got for just wrapping his hands around the defender.. I don't understand what he was doing. That was ridiculous.

Robin hasn't been doing anything on PnR defense either. He literally is playing like I do at the local park, just stand in the key and wait for a miss. He doesn't even contest Duncan if they pass to him for a mid range shot. This is the second round against the best team in the league. You fucking kidding me?

 

Robin has to go out to Parker, Aldridge too! Agreed about not giving Duncan an open jumper - that's supposedly a "good shot" for us but it will be a MUCH BETTER shot if contested!!!

 

Yeah, it's terrible. But it's clearly what he's been coached to do.

 

Unless Stotts leaves for a bigger pay day elsewhere, incredibly small chance.

 

The reason Robin doesn't 'show' on the screen is probably the same reason Stotts has him backing up toward the basket any time someone dribbles into the key area, thus leaving players wide open for mid-range jump shots. I guess they don't think he's quick enough to recover. On Saturday there was one play in particular where Robin needed to go out and challenge the ball handler, but he just kept backpedaling until (I forget who, not Parker), just pulled up and made an uncontested 12 footer. It's maddening.

Don't get me wrong. I love Robin. He's been great for us and a life saver. He's a perfect fit for the team and the city. But he does have serious deficiencies in his game. For example, he gets his hands on seemingly dozens of rebounds a game that opponents just take away from him, I guess because he can't jump two inches. And I don't think he can 'show' and recover on a screen.

This is why some fans insist he would be a great backup and we need an upgrade. However, the chance that we could get a center better than Lopez is effectively nill. So we live with who he is, and like it.

 

Yeah, I was giving him shit at home too in front of my fiance. He puts his arm outward, but not upward. It's like "hey dude, your 7 feet tall, RAISE YOUR FUCKING ARMS!!" hahaha.

re: the screens. We don't set them close enough to the defender. They have ample time to work their way around them, that's why ours suck. They're half-assed screens.

 

It's not just Robin who does this backpedaling, it's Lamarcus too! You can't give the player room to charge until he decided to pull up for an uncontested jumper (because the defender is going backwards).

 

Robin Lopez is doing exactly as he's coached to do. Don't blame him

It's the philosophy that's shit

The fact that Stotts can't make one meaningful adjustment is the worse thing about it.