|
Draft Profile: Brandon Rush
By Jeff | June 23, 2008 | 4 Comments | 
Print
Physicals:
6′ 7″
211 lbs
Kansas
It be a miracle if Rush falls to the Spurs but if for some reason he does, expect an immediate impact player. He could be the Spurs answer to the aging position of the shooting guard. Not only that he is young and athletic. Guy can shoot, slash, has length, and can defend — something Pop will love.
He does need to get stronger and needs to develop some ball handling skills. Plus he did have a major injury to his ACL but doesn’t show many signs of that slowing him down.
Why the Spurs should take him? Seeing how the SG position for the Spurs is questionable and old (Barry, Finley, Manu) he could be the answer for the Spurs. But I highly doubt he would be there for the Spurs to take.
YouTube Video
NBADraft.net profile
DraftExpress profile
Draft Profile: Nicolas Batum
By Jeff | June 23, 2008 | 3 Comments | Print
Though highly unlikely for Batum to drop to the Spurs, recent Mock Drafts have Batum falling to the late 20’s. With that being said, the Spurs could draft Batum, but if they do, expect him to be stashed over seas in France.
Physicals:
Height — 6′ 8″
Weight — 214 lbs
Lisieux, France
He will more than likely play the NBA SF position but he comes raw. He needs to bulk up seeing how current NBA players at that spot are physical — see Melo.
Strengths — Young and athletic. Just what the Spurs need. He can finish at the rim, a good defender and has an outstanding wingspan. He can score which is also what the Spurs need; someone with offensive punch.
Weaknesses — A project and if the Spurs draft him, he will be stashed away in France to develop. There is questions about his toughness and his shooting touch. He does need to be more aggressive when out on the floor.
Why the Spurs will take him? Again, he is young and athletic!
Youtube Video
NBADraft.net profile
DraftExpress profile
Spurs Won’t Repeat
By Shawn Kirsch | May 29, 2008 | 3 Comments | Print
After a first round that was emotionally challenging, and a second round that was physically draining, there just wasn’t enough recovery time in the third round. San Antonio will be watching the NBA Finals from afar.
1Q The Spurs offense looked much sharper as the game began, but they still weren’t showing the rebounding intensity they have lacked this entire round. Fortunately though, Finley decided to show up, hitting the shots you would expect him to make.
2Q San Antonio was dialed in from long distance, but after a nice lob from Walton to Farmar, the Laker bench would dial up the intensity. After a long drought, Barry would shake the Spurs out of their doldrums, but Kobe would come back to make difficult shots that he worked hard to get. Thomas, finally playing, would make a few mistakes, but was making up for them with points, nice defense, and rebounds. But the Lakers would put up a big run to come within 6 at the half.
3Q San Antonio quickly pushed the lead back to double digits. The Lakers would struggle to come closer than 6 for several minutes, but as the Spurs forgot how to box out again, they kept chipping away to take a one point lead with one period to go.
4Q Kobe came out attacking, and he was making things look way too easy. Of all the players on the roster, Barry would answer him by going to the rim and getting the foul. Soon after, Thomas would show a sign of hope, as he grabbed an offensive board and got the follow up bucket. Barry would drill a 3, and Ginobili, despite not finishing his shots, was starting to grab some rebounds. However, as Kobe carried his team, and hit some ridiculous shots, it was too much to overcome. Lakers send the Spurs home for the year, with a 100-92 win. The NBA now has half of their 1980s deja vu dream matchup in place.
Review Most of the people recapping this are going to come out and tell you San Antonio lost because they were too old, or because they couldn’t score enough. While both of those are true, to a certain extent, neither is why the Lakers are advancing instead of the Spurs. Offensive Rebounding. Plain and simple, you don’t win a game when you allow Gasol to grab 9 offensive rebounds. Duncan may have had a triple-double, which wasn’t enough. Kobe may have had 39 points, which helped LA. But there were too many lapses on rebounding on both ends of the court, leading to rebounds that were all too easy for the Lakers to grab, during all 5 games of this series.
The Offseason As TNT pointed out to us, Oberto, Stoudamire, Thomas, Horry, and Finley are all free agents. I expect that Thomas will be back, for no more than one year, and Oberto will return as well. This will leave a lot of decisions to make as the draft nears. June and July are going to be very interesting months for Spurs fans.
Highlights
Duncan: 19 pts, 15 boards, 10 assists Parker: 23 pts, 4 assists Ginobili: 9 pts, 7 boards, 2 blocks
Gasol: 12 pts, 19 boards, 5 assists, 4 blocks Kobe: 39 pts, 3 boards Odom: 13 pts, 8 boards
Final Note I still don’t think LA is a ‘better’ team than these Spurs. However, they were better rested, having an easier road to the third round. LAs bench is better than I gave them credit for in the positional breakdown, but they still aren’t better. Kobe was truly phenomenal, doing everything he’s always done to the Spurs, working as hard as ever against Bowen’s defense, but getting his team more involved throughout. Kudos. Despite his 39 point performance tonight though, Gasol won this game. Look at his stat line, diverse and big. Nice job Pau.
Ugly Game, Frenetic Finish
By Shawn Kirsch | May 27, 2008 | 2 Comments | Print
In typical San Antonio fashion, we were given an ugly game. The kind of game in which we are accustomed to coming up with the win. And despite a long and ugly game, the last minute was thrilling.
1Q The Lakers started the game strong, getting an early lead, and dominating the glass offensively. Horry, continuing his no shooting theme for this series, passed up a very good look. It would appear the Lakers had a monkey on San Antonio’s rim, as they repeatedly missed jump shots, and met a physical defense in the lane. Despite the ugly start, San Antonio would only be down 5 at the end of the first.
2Q The Spurs defense was giving up some easy shots. The hard fought game continued, and with half time nearing, the Spurs offense would finally start to click. Odom, Fisher, and Vujacic would all pick up their third fouls, but with Ginobili unable to get anything going, LA would finish the half on a 6-0 run, taking a 6 point lead into the locker room.
3Q San Antonio started this half slowly, and would take most of the quarter to put their offense back together. However, every time the Spurs would draw near, the Lakers would beat them back, much like San Antonio has done to opponents repeatedly over the last several years.
4Q The Spurs would enter the final period with the intensity and aggressiveness they had shown throughout game 3. Ginobili would finally get his first basket with 6 minutes to play. Unfortunately, Odom was coming up with multiple big shots to keep the Spurs at bay. With 42 seconds left, Manu drilled a 3, which was followed by Parker getting a fast break, getting 2 points from a goal tend. With 28 seconds on the clock, and the Lakers up 2, we wound up seeing the ball go out off of Horry. With 5.6 seconds left, Kobe missed a difficult fade away. San Antonio got their opportunity with 2.1 seconds to play, and as Barry pump faked Fisher into leaving his feet, he tried to get out of his path, getting fouled without a call as the game came to a close. Lakers take a 3-1 series lead, with the 93-91 win.
Review LA took the lead with offensive rebounding. The Spurs kept it close with perfect free throw shooting and Laker turnovers. The second half was a battle that saw the Lakers come up with the win. After the game, everyone said the last play wasn’t a foul, but you can tell none of them truly believe it wasn’t. In a league that likes to dish out fines, this is not surprising, especially with the recent history that referee Joey Crawford has with the Spurs. Despite all the offensive struggles San Antonio had though, they still could have won this game. Unfortunately, they were out done on the boards by 9, and gave up 13 offensive boards. Their game 3 shooting didn’t carry over, shooting a mere 7 of 24 from down town. Barry came up big with 23 off the bench, but with Ginobili scoring only 7, Oberto/Finley/Udoka coming up with blanks, and Horry playing like he’s scared, it simply wasn’t enough. Strangely enough, Thomas didn’t even log a full minute on the court.
Win Or Vacation If there is anything that can propel a team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA, it would be the way this game ended. I am calling this to go the full seven, as the Spurs will use this to motivate them to a win in LA, then gather up another win from their game 6 at home. Ginobili will respond with a big game, Parker and Duncan will continue big numbers, and the Spurs bench will have enough people coming together to gather up some stats. The two biggest things that the Spurs NEED to do is keep LA off the glass, and hit their open shots, or in Horry’s case, simply shoot the open shot without hesitation.
Highlights
Duncan: 20 pts, 17 boards, 3 steals, 3 blocks Parker: 23 pts, 9 assists Barry: 23 pts, 5 boards
Kobe: 28 pts, 10 boards Gasol: 10 pts, 10 boards, 6 assists Odom: 16 pts, 9 boards Team: outstanding 1st quarter offensive rebounding
The first two games in LA featured a suspense filled game one, and a game two blowout. San Antonio finally got some rest, and the Lakers bench struggled.
1Q San Antonio didn’t come out playing any better than they did in LA, but they were playing with a lot more energy. However, when Manu entered the game, he heated up quickly, and slowly, the rest of the team followed.
2Q The Spurs defense got amped up, playing physical down on the blocks. Barry would get some early minutes, and had a lovely pass on the fastbreak, leading to a Parker layup. Manu would get to be scorching hot, raining shots from beyond. He would continue to hit ridiculous shots with a tough layup in the paint. The Laker bench wasn’t bringing the same energy or discipline that they showed at home, and the Spurs soon expanded their lead. Manu would hit an impressive 3 to beat the shot clock, and the first half would come to a close, with neither Odom nor Gasol getting anything going.
3Q The Spurs looked more agressive on the boards, but they wouldn’t look that way long, as Oberto failed to show any effort to box out , when he could have easily grabbed the rebound. The Lakers would get a bit foul happy, going over the limit, and Fisher would soon get questionably T’d up. Ginobili’s shot had definitely cooled off from the first half, but Kobe’s shot wasn’t looking as smooth as it usually does either.
4Q In the final period, nursing a 12 point lead, San Antonio’s passing finally started to show some crispness to it again. As Parker started to turn it on, Kobe would put his team on his back, and go on to hit several very difficult threes, even being fouled on one, but missing his first free throw attempt of the night. Manu would make one more spectacular play, taking his turn at the one man break, making the layup and one. Kobe would sit for the final 3 minutes, as San Antonio rolled on to a 103-84 victory, dealing the Lakers their worst loss of the playoffs.
Review The role players came out and brought a little bit to the table tonight, but they’re going to need to bring even more in the next 3 games. Duncan gave us a taste of the 20-20 game, commonly seen in a town called Orlando. Parker did a much better job of staying out of the corners tonight, avoiding many of the traps he saw in the first two games. The French Flash also looked to push the fast break EVERY trip down the court, calmly pulling it out and waiting for the other guys if he didn’t have anything. This game was largely won on the back of Ginobili, energizing the entire team. The bench helped out, hitting some open shots, but Horry needs to shoot when he has an open look, and Finley needs to give us contribution that is worthy of the money Mark Cuban is paying him. One small bright spot for LA is Farmar, who depite not playing well, didn’t look bad. He’ll be one to keep your eye on in game four.
The Battle’s Just Begun The defense of the Alamo is not over. The San Antonio bench will need to take their performance from tonight, and bump it up another level. The big three put up nice stats tonight, but 2 of the key cogs in LA put up lousy stats. If San Antonio’s 3 play like they can, and LA’s three play like they can, it will be up to the role players doing a lot of dirty work. You only out rebounded the Lakers by 5, and Tim had over half of them. You hit 55% from downtown, but Ginobili was 5-7 of that. You can expect Odom to bounce back, and you can expect Kobe to rise another level. Oberto and Thomas need to step up and rebound like they’ve played in the post before, Finley needs to earn the full value of both of his paychecks, and Udoka needs to prove he can limit Kobe more than he has thus far. And you can bet 3 offensive rebounds isn’t going to cut it in game four.
Highlights
Duncan: 22 pts, 21 boards, 5 assists Ginobili: 30 pts, 5-7 3s Parker: 20 pts, 5 assists
Kobe: 30 pts, 5 boards, 3 steals Odom: 7 pts, 11 boards, 6 assists
Spurs Experiencing Deja Vu
By Shawn Kirsch | May 23, 2008 | No Comments | Print
Coming off of a very hard loss in game 1, in which San Antonio gave up a 20 point lead, the Spurs knew it wouldn’t be easy. And from tip off, all the way to the final buzzer, it wasn’t easy.
1Q Right out of the gates, Fisher was aggressive in taking the ball to the rim, drawing 2 fouls early. Throughout the first, the Spurs had a hard time getting into any kind of rhythm, leading to Vaughn playing very early in the game. Gasol would pick up 2 fouls in the first, but Kobe was well into a hot shooting groove, so it wouldn’t matter.
2Q With Kobe on the bench, the Lakers offense would stagnate for a few minutes, but San Antonio couldn’t take advantage, as they still couldn’t find their groove. Walton threw a beautiful lob to Odom for the dunk, and the Spurs guards, much like the rest of the playoffs, continued to force passes in traffic. With Kobe still resting, and their offense getting out of its funk, LAs bench looked good, really good. As Duncan would start to get into a groove, and the half coming to a close, Vujacic answered with big shots, pushing it out to a 46-37 Laker lead.
3Q Several minutes into the third, Manu would finally get a basket, getting fouled in the process. San Antonio would continue to get frustrated, committing a few silly fouls in the process. Odom had a great third as LA pushed the lead to 17.
4Q The Lakers came out for the final 12 minutes looking to kill. Putting up several baskets early, they forced Pop to make a decision, and the Spurs bench would close out the rest of the game. As the San Antonio starters rested on the bench, the Lakers continued to pour it on, building the lead even further before pulling Kobe out of the game. Adding insult to injury, the Lakers hit one last 3 with 7 seconds to play, to leave the final score at 101-71.
Review San Antonio is a team of no excuses, but when you make 9 less shots than your opponent, with 16 more attempts, along with 8 fewer rebounds, it’s really hard to win a game. There’s really no other way to sum up why they lost. 35% overall, 26% from 3. Attempting half as many free throws, overall making 13 fewer than the guys in gold. LA had a HUGE lift from their bench tonight, as they stepped onto the floor, seamlessly continuing an aggressive trap whenever the Spurs had the ball in a corner. 14 turnovers is not San Antonio basketball.
Remember The Alamo After 2 devastating losses with Hollywood watching, the Spurs will need to rally the troops. Calling every capable man to defend what they call home, they will need all the help they can get. Parker needs to be a little bit smarter when he’s passing, and at the same time look to attack the defense in the paint at every opportunity, Ginobili needs to be a bit more aggressive going to the rack, EVERYBODY needs to be dominant on the glass, and Stoudamire especially, when he gets the chance to be on the floor, needs to do something. He was brought in with the expectation he could help create on offense. Zero points and 1 assist in 9 minutes doesn’t cut it. Damon, listen up, if you want to play, you need to bring something to the table that Brent Barry can’t. And Kurt Thomas, where did your game go? If you could find it before Sunday, that would be great.
Highlights
Duncan: 12 pts, 16 boards Popovich: Giving the starters some rest before game 3
Odom: 20 pts, 12 boards Kobe: 22 pts, 5 boards, 5 assists Gasol: 10 pts, 7 boards
Final Thoughts The Lakers bench is better than I gave them credit for. Turiaf reminds me of a young Malik Rose, he brings a ton of heart off the bench, a big boost for LAs front line.
Warning to all those who are sensitve, have children around the computer, or who are uber religious for I am about to go off on what I thought was the defending champions, San Antonio Chokers errrrrr Spurs.
WHAT THE FUCK DID WE ALL JUST WITNESS???????????????????? What in the hell were the Spurs doing out there? Did they become complacent? Yes they did. Did the go away from playing big and go to a small line up? Yes and it cost them big time! They had it in their hands and they let it slip away. Twenty fucking point lead blown just like that! I blame Coach Pop for going small when going big was the answer all night long. The fucking idiot Spurs went away from Tim and started to jack up shit shots. They looked so fucking clueless out there in the second half. Tim passing up clear shots, Manu forcing shit shots, Tony becoming a French pussy and stopped going to the hole, and someone please break Finley’s hands, legs, and neck because he is a liability on D and on offense! And then there is Pop. He deserves most of the blame. Why in the fuck didn’t he put Bowen back in the game earlier when Bryant was going off? Stupid motherfucker!
I cannot believe it when the lead started to slip away. At first I thought they would hold on like they did against the Hornets in Game 7 but boy did they bend over and take it up the ass. They got no one to blame but themselves. No excuses for this horrific loss in Spurs history. This ranks right up there with the game 7 loss to Portland (Strickland’s behind the back pass), Manu fucking it up for the Spurs by fouling Dirk in Game 7 vs. the Mavs, and the infamous .4 shot by Fisher. As a whole this team has no killer instinct. They get big leads and do not go for the throat and put away a team when tey are down. In other words, THEY ARE PUSSIES!
Many writers across the NBA nation say this night have been the series clincher for the Lakers. I might agree with them. This sucked the life out of the Spurs as a whole and I seriously doubt the Spurs can recover from this loss.
Memo to the Spurs: When you guys made it to the Western Conference Finals, everyone is hoping you guys do not return to the NBA Finals. They hate you! Well guess what? You guys are sure obliging their wishes. But I suppose you dumbasses don’t want to repeat, and want to get embarrassed by getting huge leads and then blowing it to be the laughing stock of the NBA right now. Good for you. Game 2 is tomorrow, so please be thinking of ways to fuck it up again! That would be the cherry on top of a piss poor performance as in Game 1.
Are you Looking for Spurs Tickets? BarrysTickets.com
Has all the Basketball Tickets that you need for Los Angeles Lakers Tickets , Clippers
Tickets, Kings Tickets, Pacers Tickets, Pistons Tickets, Raptors Tickets, Grizzlies Tickets, Jazz Tickets,
Mavericks Tickets
NBA Ticket Broker Vivid Seats sells great Basketball Tickets like Chicago Bulls Tickets , San Antonio Spurs Tickets , Dallas Mavericks Tickets , Lakers Tickets , Clippers Tickets , Heat Tickets , Utah Jazz Tickets , Boston Celtics Tickets and many more. Visit us today!
Search