POP vs D'Anton

[nowagimp]

I'm not ragging on D'antoni, but Nash should take the last shot, just like Kobe should take the last shot. With players like Nash, Kobe, Dirk, or Lebron, it shouldn't matter whether or not the defense knows its coming, because those are the star players on your team, and you live or die by whether or not they make the play. If Nash misses a fade away three with a man right in his face, I would feel much better than if Diaw misses an open jumper.

I seem to remember that jordan did not take the last shot to beat the '93 suns, paxon did. I guess PJ was stupid. Sometimes that last shot isnt available for your superstar and another(wide open) option is a better one.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

And why not just bear hug Alberto and put him on the line at the end of reg. like SA did with Skinner at the end of the 1st half? And they didn't do it twice!!?? Unbelievable! Cotton would have never allowed that defeat.

Late to the game, but you can't do that. Once you are inside two minutes, if you make a foul away from the ball, or the play, the team gets one free throw and the ball back.

 

[The Big Cactus]

I seem to remember that jordan did not take the last shot to beat the '93 suns, paxon did. I guess PJ was stupid. Sometimes that last shot isnt available for your superstar and another(wide open) option is a better one.

True, if Barbosa or Diaw had made the basket than no one would be talking about it right now. Like I said, I'm not ragging on D'antoni at all. I'm not on the court when the play is being drawn up, so I have no idea what was being said. My only point was that I would always be much more comfortable with Nash taking the final shot, even with a man right in his face, than I would be with Diaw or Barbosa taking the final shot.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I seem to remember that jordan did not take the last shot to beat the '93 suns, paxon did. I guess PJ was stupid. Sometimes that last shot isnt available for your superstar and another(wide open) option is a better one.

oh, come on. you can't honestly compare mental midgets like Boris and Barbs to Paxson can you? The guy proved himself in clutch situations over and over again in the playoffs compared to those guys.

 

[nowagimp]

oh, come on. you can't honestly compare mental midgets like Boris and Barbs to Paxson can you? The guy proved himself in clutch situations over and over again in the playoffs compared to those guys.

Still he was probably a third option. As great as Jordan was(>>>>amare,nash) , he and scottie pippen didnt always take the last shot. Championship teams dont always force the shot from their star, thats a simplistic view. Even Jordans series winning shot against the jazz in '98 looked like an offensive foul(fending off) to me, even if he did make the shot. Russel had harassed an old jordan him into 35% FG's for the series, the pushoff was necessary and expected as jordan had trouble getting his shot off over Russel. Diaw was good enough to beat dallas on a last second shot, this time he was well defended(and perhaps even fouled).

 

[nowagimp]

That's not a correct statement. Ginobili was a rookie in 2003, DRob's final year in the NBA when the Spurs won their 2nd overall title. His contributions have grow but he was used extensively in that run.

Manu was no strawberry as he was already pretty experienced in FIBA, and had played against NBA players pretty well for the argentinian national team. Clearly pops has dispensed with rookies and inexperienced players on the current roster, no? Its no secret that alot of the better coaches dont like rooks. Larry Brown, Phil Jackson, Pops, Sloan, Riley. Rooks make more mistakes and mistakes get you beat. If you have a kobe or dwade or perhaps a manu, well those guys were pretty good rookies werent they? My guess is if DA had a jordan or a kobe or a dwade he would have "developed" him this year. DJ has nice potential but his is raw and needs alot of development on his shot and vision. He is a little like a JJ or LB, needing several years of work, much of it above the shoulders.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Still he was probably a third option.

but an option you could count on. The same can't be said for LB and Diaw. And as far as Diaw being good enough to beat Dallas, that was a different team and a COMPLETELY different Diaw. That was actually my fear during the timeout, that DA would go with that play entrusting the game to Doris. The second he put it up everyone in the room screamed about why we went to Doris and I simply knew it because DA lives in the past.

The real problem though is this (and this isn't DA's fault... eh, some of it is because TT was a clutch shooter), we simply don't have guys who can create their own shot at the end of games, even including Nash. Amare to this point hasn't shown that and Nash just isn't the athletic freak that a Kobe or Wade is who can stop on a dime and literally shoot over everyone or go to hole at will. That's why losing JJ was so big, he was that other scorer, go to guy at the end of games, besides being a dead eye shooter when open.

 

[Rab]

DA is the only coach in the Western Conference playoffs to never coach in an NBA Finals.

Phil Jackson - Bulls, Lakers
Byron Scott - Nets
Pop - Spurs
Sloan - Utah
Adelman - Blazers
DA - ????
Avery - Dallas
Karl - Sonics

That's some mad coaching depth.