Tonight - less than an Hour - 1st Potential Elim. Game for Heat

[GameTime]

Pop dropped the ball big time. This loss is on him. Leaving Duncan on the bench for those two critical defensive plays. He's their best rebounder. Not too mention he elected to let Miami launch two three's at the end of the game.

People forget Phil Jackson got outcoached in 05-06 and 06-07 to Mike D'Antoni.

Great coaches are not flawless. They are human beings.

[NBASupes]

Pop made Larry Drew look like a genius tonight.

[NBASupes]

Pop was on his Lon Kruger tip tonight. Just some terrible decisions. Why were they running constant PnR's when Lebron was cutting that stuff off. Why did they stop giving Duncan touches. These are things we would kill Woody for. This was so extremely bad coaching especally in the 4th quarter and on.

[Admin]

Taking Duncan out twice in the last two possensions and then taking Parker out for Splitter when down by 3 with 1.9 seconds remaining. A HS coach wouldn't even f*** that one up.

Taking out a poor 3pt shooter for a guy who can set a pick that gets your best 3pt shooter open is a bad call? That's a new one to me. Green either makes that shot or gets the foul called and the game goes to 2 OT's. No way would Parker have been able to set that pick or make a 3 in that situation.

[lethalweapon3]

Now I gotta hear about "It's gotta be the shoe!" at least for two days.

~lw3

[Admin]

"1.9 seconds left, down 3. Yeah, let's get Duncan out there NOW. Oh, and why not Splitter, too?"

~pop

I don't disagree with the call at all as it got Green wide open and Duncan threw him a near perfect cross court pass. Nobody I would have trusted in that moment to throw that pass more than Duncan. Splitter set a perfect pick and Green had a good look. I can't believe anyone is criticizing Pop for that call.

Now taking Duncan out on the defensive end is something I can't defend and don't understand and it clearly cost them on the glass.

[NBASupes]

Taking out a poor 3pt shooter for a guy who can set a pick that gets your best 3pt shooter open is a bad call? That's a new one to me. Green either makes that shot or gets the foul called and the game goes to 2 OT's. No way would Parker have been able to set that pick or make a 3 in that situation.

They didn't even attempt to guard Duncan or Splitter and Parker in regulation made a step back three pointer over Lebron James and he happens to be your best perimeter player. I am not even sure why you are questioning that but it's ill timed at best from my vantage point.

[NBASupes]

I understand some of you guys are a tad overprotective of the Spurs since we hired Bud but that was some shit coaching at best. If Woody or LD did this, we would hold it over their head forever. We wouldn't be trying to make excuses especially about putting two 7ft players who lack range on the floor with 1.9 seconds left and in the process take out our best perimeter player who just hit a tough clutch shot in regulation. To the be honest, that wasn't even the worst coaching decision. Pop had like 5 or 6 of them in the 4th and OT alone. That was one of the worst coaching jobs I've seen in my life. Usually Pop is one of the GOAT's. Rarely if ever outcoached and a genius but this was appalling.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Leadership

[mattlanta]

They didn't even attempt to guard Duncan or Splitter and Parker in regulation made a step back three pointer over Lebron James and he happens to be your best perimeter player. I am not even sure why you are questioning that but it's ill timed at best from my vantage point.

It wasn't about guarding Duncan or Splitter. It's called a play, and Pop drew up a great one. Duncan was the inbounder and Splitter was the one to make the pick, and both of them did a great job. The play called by Pop was great. I agree with Dolf that I can't believe anyone would have anything bad to say about that play.

Leaving Duncan out on defense was a terrible call though.

And Tony Parker is definitely not the Spurs best perimeter player.

[NBASupes]

It wasn't about guarding Duncan or Splitter. It's called a play, and Pop drew up a great one. Duncan was the inbounder and Splitter was the one to make the pick, and both of them did a great job. The play called by Pop was great. I agree with Dolf that I can't believe anyone would have anything bad to say about that play.

Leaving Duncan out on defense was a terrible call though.

And Tony Parker is definitely not the Spurs best perimeter player.

Common sense tells you if you have Splitter and Duncan with 1.9 SECONDS on the clock that they will be trying to use them to set up a screen. So regardless of how good you think the play will be. NO ONE especally a team as good defending the three as Miami will even flinch at the signs of them being the court. They would know right there, that there are three players who are shooting the three and just take the other two defenders off or Duncan and Splitter and shadow the three shooters. That's what they did. They couldn't even run the play because the defense didn't bother to move with Splitter since they knew he was a non factor in this play. What is so hard to understand about it? But that's not just the only problem. The biggest problem is they took their most clutch player who is also their best perimeter player out of the game to run the play. That was extremely stupid.

On the list of Pop looked like an idiot list. That was number two.

Here is the list:

1. Stop giving Duncan touches. That completely threw off Miami game. It's like whenever Duncan didn't have position once they looked for him, they kept swinging the ball in the 4th when it was clear, he was getting to the line or scoring. At least missing and give others a chance to get the board like Leonard.

2. Leaving Parker on the bench with 1.9 seconds left.

3. Putting Splitter in with 1.9 seconds left.

4. Taking Duncan out of the last two defensive possensions in regulation. Extremely dumb but like Hibbert, I understood their reasoning but it will never make sense to take out your best defender who is also your best rebounder and smartest defender.

5. Leaving Manu in the game. Manu like Josh Smith can be good Manu and bad Manu. It was clear from the beginning he was bad Manu. Didn't add much value and I seen that they were better when he wasn't in the game.

6. Splitter. They completely let Miami control the tempo in the 2nd and didn't use Splitter with Duncan which did wonders for spacing and attacking inside. While Splitter as expected struggled when he was the only true big, he plays well Duncan and they have a good fit. He is also quick enough to fase a small at times and he understands the game. They misused him badly tonight.

These things just extremely stood out to me. Sometimes coaches get too much in their self and that's what Pop did. Hopefully Game 7 is much better for Pop.

As for Spo, putting Wade in the 4th didn't have a really positive effect at all on offense but on defense, he was huge. In passing lanes, cutting off PnR, he was huge!!!

[NBASupes]

It wasn't about guarding Duncan or Splitter. It's called a play, and Pop drew up a great one. Duncan was the inbounder and Splitter was the one to make the pick, and both of them did a great job. The play called by Pop was great. I agree with Dolf that I can't believe anyone would have anything bad to say about that play.

Leaving Duncan out on defense was a terrible call though.

And Tony Parker is definitely not the Spurs best perimeter player.

You drunk?

[Admin]

They didn't even attempt to guard Duncan or Splitter and Parker in regulation made a step back three pointer over Lebron James and he happens to be your best perimeter player. I am not even sure why you are questioning that but it's ill timed at best from my vantage point.

Umm what?? Parker is a better perimeter player and a better option there then the guy who's set an NBA record for 3pt shooting here in the finals. Ladies and gentlemen I've now heard it all. And with that I'm done discussing this with you.

[NBASupes]

Umm what?? Parker is a better perimeter player and a better option there then the guy who's set an NBA record for 3pt shooting here in the finals. Ladies and gentlemen I've now heard it all. And with that I'm done discussing this with you.

What? Who said you take Green out for Parker. You never put in Spitter is what should happen with 1.9 seconds left.

[NBASupes]

I will leave, something is wrong here. Ya'll aren't talking or thinking smart hoops at all. I don't know. Maybe you guys just need some rest. Goodnight, I go call a friend or something.

[mattlanta]

Common sense tells you if you have Splitter and Duncan with 1.9 SECONDS on the clock that they will be trying to use them to set up a screen. So regardless of how good you think the play will be. NO ONE especally a team as good defending the three as Miami will even flinch at the signs of them being the court. They would know right there, that there are three players who are shooting the three and just take the other two defenders off or Duncan and Splitter and shadow the three shooters. That's what they did. They couldn't even run the play because the defense didn't bother to move with Splitter since they knew he was a non factor in this play. What is so hard to understand about it? But that's not just the only problem. The biggest problem is they took their most clutch player who is also their best perimeter player out of the game to run the play. That was extremely stupid.

On the list of Pop looked like an idiot list. That was number two.

Here is the list:

1. Stop giving Duncan touches. That completely threw off Miami game. It's like whenever Duncan didn't have position once they looked for him, they kept swinging the ball in the 4th when it was clear, he was getting to the line or scoring. At least missing and give others a chance to get the board like Leonard.

2. Leaving Parker on the bench with 1.9 seconds left.

3. Putting Splitter in with 1.9 seconds left.

4. Taking Duncan out of the last two defensive possensions in regulation. Extremely dumb but like Hibbert, I understood their reasoning but it will never make sense to take out your best defender who is also your best rebounder and smartest defender.

5. Leaving Manu in the game. Manu like Josh Smith can be good Manu and bad Manu. It was clear from the beginning he was bad Manu. Didn't add much value and I seen that they were better when he wasn't in the game.

6. Splitter. They completely let Miami control the tempo in the 2nd and didn't use Splitter with Duncan which did wonders for spacing and attacking inside. While Splitter as expected struggled when he was the only true big, he plays well Duncan and they have a good fit. He is also quick enough to fase a small at times and he understands the game. They misused him badly tonight.

These things just extremely stood out to me. Sometimes coaches get too much in their self and that's what Pop did. Hopefully Game 7 is much better for Pop.

As for Spo, putting Wade in the 4th didn't have a really positive effect at all on offense but on defense, he was huge. In passing lanes, cutting off PnR, he was huge!!!

I didn't even bother reading the rest of your post, because the play Pop drew up that you keep bashing actually worked. Bosh, with his length and a little bit of help from the refs, was able to jump into Green's body contest Green's shot. Also, Tony Parker has a lifetime 31% 3pt field goal percentage... He is not their best perimeter player.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

I honestly thought when Duncan was in the game at the end, that it was going to be HE that took the 3. I thought it was going to be something like this play for Kevin Love to beat the Clippers.

It is curious that he would have both Duncan and Spiltter in the game, and Parker on the bench. Pop was coaching like PJ Carlesimo tonight.

But that's not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about Lebron James.

His statline looks great. 32 pts - 10 rebs - 11 asst. But he honestly could've gone for 45 or 50 points tonight, except for one thing. He kept passing up on 15 - 18 foot jumpers.

Now I know people say that this is the worst shot in basketball. But when you have people literally sagging off of you, begging you to take that shot, it's a shot that you MUST TAKE and then MAKE. Not Lebron though. He just kept driving into the lane into traffic, turning the ball over or missing shots when he did get to the hole.

The stats say he was just 3 - 12 FG on jumpers from 15 feet an out. And although he was 8 - 14 FG on his shots inside 15 feet, he literally had about 5 or 6 turnovers just trying to go to the hole.

His reluctance, or inability to hit that midrange jumper almost cost them the championship. When Lebron is passing up that shot with people sagging off of him 5 - 6 feet, that's a big problem. One time late in the 4th, he even had Tony Parker on him trying to prevent him from driving, and instead of taking the 15 footer right over Tony, he just drove right into 3 people and lost the ball.

Had Mario Chalmers not kept them close with some hot shooting, and Ray Allen not hit that 3 to send the game into OT, that would be the story right now . . . Lebron, and his reluctance to shoot the ball when he had the advantage.

Had Jordan or Kobe been played like that, they may have went for 50 or 60 points tonight and still had about 6 or 7 assists.

It'll be interesting to see if San Antonio can recover from this. They had the Heat dead in the water, and let them completely off the hook.

[Seano]

Not to blame anybody or anything, but I thought if anyone buggered up that game for the Spurs last night it was Ginobili, as his turnovers were just killer. I think he's a heck of a player, but sometimes he is so damn reckless with the ball and plays so frenetically and crazily he is about borderline out of control out there, and all I can think is "Dang, dude! Slow it up a little bit, and take a fricken breath!'

Last night he was *really* careless with the ball. Hopefully he can redeem himself on Thursday.

[somegsuguy]

Mark it down: Miami wins by double digits and 'Bron gets his Finals MVP, so the media can continue to make comparisons to him and Jordan.

[Diesel]

Down the stretch, Pop made some coaching mistakes.

Refs let the Cavs back in, then they let the cavs win so that there can be a game 7.

San Antonio was robbed by the refs who made several no-calls. At one point, I am watching Ginobilli getting hacked up and then somehow Ray Allen is at the line. The play before it was worst. The play after it was the worst. The who world saw the NBA and it's game fixing right there.

Edited June 19, 2013 by Diesel

[Diesel]

Not to blame anybody or anything, but I thought if anyone buggered up that game for the Spurs last night it was Ginobili, as his turnovers were just killer. I think he's a heck of a player, but sometimes he is so damn reckless with the ball and plays so frenetically and crazily he is about borderline out of control out there, and all I can think is "Dang, dude! Slow it up a little bit, and take a fricken breath!'

Last night he was *really* careless with the ball. Hopefully he can redeem himself on Thursday.

For a minute, I thought Ginobili was on the Heat's payroll.