Other NBA Games Discussion 2012-2013 Edition

puffyusaf#2 wrote:

Punk-101 wrote:Would Stern have fined SA if the players suited up but didn't play?
if so
Would he have fined SA if the players played 5-10 minutes?
etc etc.....

When does it become an arbitrary slippery slope of how far Stern can tell a coach how to coach?

My take on this is had Pops sat one or two players it would't have been a huge deal. The fact that they sent 4 of their 5 starters home was the issue. Miami does't jack up the prices for this game because people just want to see Lebron and Wade. They jack it up because they want to see Lebron and Wade play against some of the best teams in the league. The upper bowl tickets went from 40 bucks to 70 for the Spurs game. That is a slap in the face to the fans in my opinion. If they were there and the got a DNP-CD I don't believe Stern fines them.

What if Pop had changed his starting lineup then for this game? Moved those 4 starters to the bench for this one game.

Then sent those 4 players home. Is that ok then? Because then he wouldn't be sending starters home. It's ridiculous.

Damn, Bron is huge. Crash looks like a kid next to him

Miami is sure playing sloppy basketball through the first 10 minutes and 59 seconds of the game. Brooklyn is getting some nice open looks with good spacing and passing the ball around. Should be a good game tonight.

Snake Eyes wrote:Miami is sure playing sloppy basketball through the first 10 minutes and 59 seconds of the game. Brooklyn is getting some nice open looks with good spacing and passing the ball around. Should be a good game tonight.

I think you just jinxed it

grego wrote:

thkthebest wrote:I'm not sure why Popovich didn't rest his players before the nationally televised game, but he has ALWAYS done that. He always rested his players on the second of a back-to-back.

Because their next game is against the Grizz tomorrow. By giving them a day off yesterday (and they are back at home), they have until Saturday evening to play in San Antonio. They don't have to arrive back from a late airplane trip and got to sleep in their beds while utilizing the SA practice facility/extended training staff.

The Grizz is an equally important game, even more so since it's a Conference/Divisional game.

I'm not a fan of late-night airplane flights, but in this case, Orlando is just an hour out of Miami, plus they had a day off before playing Memphis.

I don't advocate the huge fine, but it seems strange Pop would sit them out of a potential Finals preview instead of putting his best foot forward and figuring out good match-ups? Maybe play his starters half their minutes against Orlando? Well, they are 13-3, so I guess they could coast as long as they want.

Varejao another great night.....17/15/5 on 70% shooting. Heading into overtime now.

kenzo wrote:

Snake Eyes wrote:Miami is sure playing sloppy basketball through the first 10 minutes and 59 seconds of the game. Brooklyn is getting some nice open looks with good spacing and passing the ball around. Should be a good game tonight.

I think you just jinxed it

I don't believe in jinxes, but yep. I probably did.

Doc Brown wrote:Varejao another great night.....17/15/5 on 70% shooting. Heading into overtime now.

Nicholas Batum stole the game from Cleveland.

The Spurs - Grizzlies game is very entertaining.

Marc Gasol is such a beast. He's on fire and just making great plays.

Snake Eyes wrote:

Doc Brown wrote:Varejao another great night.....17/15/5 on 70% shooting. Heading into overtime now.

Nicholas Batum stole the game from Cleveland.

That was a crazy shot, he wasn't even squared up to the hoop. It would have been even better if Varejao hit that fadeaway hook shot prayer from just inside the 3 point line.

I like Cleveland's team. If they could pull a couple free agents with all their cap room they would have a real nice team.

It's too bad it's Cleveland and Dan Gilbert is the owner, really puts a damper on the perks of going there to play.

Ugh ... the Spurs flop but disguise it so well. I can't stand the complaining either. Bonner just slapped the heck outta Gasol's arm and runs away with his mouth covered after a foul was called.

Big Mamma Jamma wrote:Ugh ... the Spurs flop but disguise it so well. I can't stand the complaining either. Bonner just slapped the heck outta Gasol's arm and runs away with his mouth covered after a foul was called.

I KNOW!! Parker especially. The man gets whatever foul call he wants.

Damn, the Clippers are deep. They scored 58 points in the first half, and their leading scorers are Barnes and Jordan with 9 points apiece.

revgen wrote:Damn, the Clippers are deep. They scored 58 points in the first half, and their leading scorers are Barnes and Jordan with 9 points apiece.

For some reason I read 85 at first. Had to check my eyes. lol. But pshhh, we scored 71 first half points!! LOL. But in all seriousness, I personally don't think their bench will be as formidable come playoff time. There's a reason why San Antonio has struggled somewhat in recent years. It always comes down to stars being stars in the playoffs. And I think we have that battle won. And if jamison and meeks can be decent, the bench gap won't be all that much, if anything at all.

Only team that scares me so far in the west is okc. They have just been DISMANTLING teams. They have NOT taken a step back. That hunger is still there for them.

King of Clutch wrote:

revgen wrote:Damn, the Clippers are deep. They scored 58 points in the first half, and their leading scorers are Barnes and Jordan with 9 points apiece.

For some reason I read 85 at first. Had to check my eyes. lol. But pshhh, we scored 71 first half points!! LOL. But in all seriousness, I personally don't think their bench will be as formidable come playoff time. There's a reason why San Antonio has struggled somewhat in recent years. It always comes down to stars being stars in the playoffs. And I think we have that battle won. And if jamison and meeks can be decent, the bench gap won't be all that much, if anything at all.

If Lamar Odom ever gets his head on straight and works his body back into shape, the Clipper bench could be a hellava lot more formidable than Spurs bench.

King of Clutch wrote:Only team that scares me so far in the west is okc. They have just been DISMANTLING teams. They have NOT taken a step back. That hunger is still there for them.

I'm still not sold on Kevin Martin. Especially during the playoffs.

Larry Sanders is a beast. 5 blocks tonight coming off a 10 block game last night.

revgen wrote:

King of Clutch wrote:Only team that scares me so far in the west is okc. They have just been DISMANTLING teams. They have NOT taken a step back. That hunger is still there for them.

I'm still not sold on Kevin Martin. Especially during the playoffs.

Well, he played only 6 games in the playoffs... tough to judge on such a small sample. So far i like him better than Harden (damn) and their PO stats are comparable.

Snake Eyes wrote:Miami is sure playing sloppy basketball through the first 10 minutes and 59 seconds of the game. Brooklyn is getting some nice open looks with good spacing and passing the ball around. Should be a good game tonight.

It's hard to stay motivated for the regular season when you're the champions ... even more when you play in the Leastern Conference ... they're just cruising through the 1st 3 quarters and closing the deal in the 4th ..

They already know they will make it to the Finals barring injuries ... while the West powerhouses will battle hard for the spot

King of Clutch wrote:Only team that scares me so far in the west is okc. They have just been DISMANTLING teams. They have NOT taken a step back. That hunger is still there for them.

yep ... our main pb still will be Westbrook...

He was so efficient ( way more than against the others elite teams) in last season playoffs series against us ... if you allow him to shoot around 50% and take care of the ball , we're screwed...

I do like the Martin matchup though ... poor D and more a jumpshooter than the drawing (phantoms) foul after foul Harden ...

Would be a tough series but I wouldn't be afraid of playing SAS

dj vitus wrote:

grego wrote:

thkthebest wrote:I'm not sure why Popovich didn't rest his players before the nationally televised game, but he has ALWAYS done that. He always rested his players on the second of a back-to-back.

Because their next game is against the Grizz tomorrow. By giving them a day off yesterday (and they are back at home), they have until Saturday evening to play in San Antonio. They don't have to arrive back from a late airplane trip and got to sleep in their beds while utilizing the SA practice facility/extended training staff.

The Grizz is an equally important game, even more so since it's a Conference/Divisional game.

I'm not a fan of late-night airplane flights, but in this case, Orlando is just an hour out of Miami, plus they had a day off before playing Memphis.

I don't advocate the huge fine, but it seems strange Pop would sit them out of a potential Finals preview instead of putting his best foot forward and figuring out good match-ups? Maybe play his starters half their minutes against Orlando? Well, they are 13-3, so I guess they could coast as long as they want.

It's less about Orlando being an hour from Miami and more about the game in Memphis. Yes, they would have a day off, but they still would have to fly and to travel if they took off the first game.

Since Pop gave them the day off, he was able to play Manu 35, Parker and Duncan 40+ minutes tonight against the Grizz. And they won the game. The rest paid off and allowed Pop to possibility to play them big minutes.

The win against the Grizz is afar more important to the Spurs as a team. It's a divisional and conference foe. And more important for tie-breaker purposes.

I much prefer this win over anything against Miami. That said., Pop had confidence in the bench and he wasn't wrong. Spurs bench/depth is at the top of the league.

Pop did the right thing. And if it was any other team with an older core, I'd say the same thing. last year I said Phil should rest his guys a few games, especially Kobe. And Pau a bit (since he played big minutes while Bynum was out in the early season).

LOL

Wesley to Luke " I can do better than you"