French athlete of the year:

Welp there it is:

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San Antonio Spurs ‏@spurs 3m
Both Tim Duncan (rest) and Manu Ginobili (rest) will not play in tonight's Spurs-Warriors game.

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Giving Stern the middle finger. Love it.

That's got to be decent praise since it likely takes into account soccer players.

Some DNP OLD coming for the box score tonight.

If we played someone like Washington or anyone in the East on Saturday they wouldn't need to worry about the Spurs resting players on TNT games.

As Elliott said last night. It doesn't make since for the Spurs to travel from Utah (Mountain time zone) to Los Angeles(pacific) then to Phoenix (back to mountain) and the next night play back in Golden State(pacific).

The NBA really needs to work on their scheduling. The Spurs have had a brutal stretch of games travelling wise in November and December.

[This message has been edited by Sher Thing (edited 12/19/2013 3:18p).]

To be fair we've always had crap scheduling. Obviously we know more about our schedule than other teams but it's possible everyone's sucks balls.

Or the league office decides to sneak the Spurs into nationally televised games when there's more important games either the day before or the day after. We're on TV but we're destined to fail. [/tinfoilrant]

Pop.

I think they intentionally set up the Spurs for failure in last year's game @Miami. Miami was coming off of 5 days rest, but for the Spurs it was:
Last game in a 16-game month
Last of a 6 game road trip
Second night of a back-to-back
4th game in 5 days
Tough divisional game coming up next after just one day's rest


Stern fined the Spurs because they cheated the fans of the best entertainment possible, implying that the league is trying to deliver the best show. However, there are three options:
1. The NBA's goal is to present the best show possible
2. The NBA doesn't care whether it presents the best show possible
3. The NBA has other goals that it values more heavily than presenting the best show possible

If number 1 is true, as Stern claimed, they are neglecting their only short term input on that variable, which is scheduling. That is hard to believe. Miami vs. SA is one of your marquee match ups, and thus one of the least likely to "slip through the cracks".

If number 2 is true, that vibes with their consistently horrific scheduling disparities.

If number 3 is true, you no longer have to bank on apathy to explain the stupid schedules. The SA @ Miami 2013 debacle makes perfect sense, as the NBA is trying to deliver its headliner franchise a prime time, national television win over the team they hate seeing at the top of the standings every year. It also explains why Stern would get upset when Pop took the wind out of his "YAY HEAT BOO SPURS" plan.


I usually don't like conspiracies, but I have a hard time believing that the NBA is so incompetent as to accidentally put on a marquee contest where one team is exhausted and the other hasn't played for 6 days,

Agree Ulrich, lol Sher

Part of the crap schedule is because of two other items which are related.

1. The number of teams in the Eastern and Central time zone vs the dearth of teams in the Mtn and Western time zone. Those teams out west are over represented, and there is a fight for slots among the central and Eastern slots when nationally televised games are scheduled, with preference given to Eastern home teams.

2. Because of this, there isn't a bunch of teams that will show up on Thursday TNT nights, but for those that regularly on, they get 7 days a week for their games to be scheduled, where as the balance of the league, they get their 82 games scheduled for basically only 6 available night. It means more B2B and 4g5n, too.

So blame TNT, as well.


I hear Grizzlies fans making the same complaint after the last few years of relevance, and I tell them that I have seen how the league and media have treated the spurs, and so there is no reason to expect any changes or improvements.

Nice hook shot, Splitter. -_-

Nice travel, Splitter. -_-

GSW > > > Spurs without Tim and Tony

Going to get super blown out this game.

Joseph and De Colo playing at the same time in the 1st quarter.

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Joseph and De Colo playing at the same time in the 1st quarter.

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And De Colo showing why he's sitting every game by missing a layup.

Just keep hangin around.

Splitter is kind of infuriating. He's like 90% of a really good player, unfortunately the entire missing 10% is between getting a great position and getting the ball through the hoop. He blows great position about 10x more than anyone I can think of.

Nice work getting a lead back.

Mills taking this opportunity and running with it.

Great second quarter. Really fun watching these guys get a chance to play big minutes with the big 3 out tonight.

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Splitter is kind of infuriating. He's like 90% of a really good player, unfortunately the entire missing 10% is between getting a great position and getting the ball through the hoop. He blows great position about 10x more than anyone I can think of.

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He goes to that hook shot too much. You'd think Duncan would try to break those habits.

First half stats:
16, 5, and 2 for Leonard on 6-9 shooting.
6 dimes for Diaw
14 points for Mills

Bogut already has 11 rebounds, and Curry has 10 points and 8 assists.

Spurs shooting 42% from 3, Warriors at 25%.

Spurs playing really scrappy ball tonight.. Of course, the warriors would refer to it as they are playing terrible haha

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He goes to that hook shot too much. You'd think Duncan would try to break those habits.

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The hook shot is bad. He makes things too hard by going to goofy reverses and soft layups when the easy dunk is right there. He has a tendency to go straight up in front of a lurking shot blocker, and an equally strong tendency to pump fake when he's wide open, thereby giving the defense time to recover.

Just seems like he still hasn't quite figured out NBA defense and his responses are formulaic: "Tim said reverse it in this and this situation so REVERSE EVERYTHING." There's a mismatch between what he thinks defenders can/will do and what they actually do.

Haha people can't stand the Spurs doing this. Love it.

I LOVE these 'rest the stars' Spurs games!
Gives the guys I'd like to see more of good game time minutes.

You don't appreciate the skill and/or killer instinct some of these guys have that have been the best player on their teams all of their life, until they get meaningful (lots of minutes -- you won't get yanked for screwing up 1 play) playing time.

I've been a huge Patty Mills fan since he joined the Spurs, but svelt and trim (no homo) love for Mills is at an all-time high this year.


And . . . Leroy Jetson classic from Sir Charles during TNT halftime was greatness. Can't wait for that to hit the web.

You can see how much Duncan anchors the defense, our guys are rotating late and giving up open shots. Thankfully they are in a slump now.

Bellinelli was such a perfect pickup.

I rescind my previous guess about being blown out.

I rescind my previous post about GSW being much better than SA without Tim and Tony.

The 4th might show why their guys are starters and ours are bench players.

Mills has to go back in. Joseph is bad.

Really wish Kawhi could make free throws

Love how they hyped up that layup by Curry after it was called a charge.