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You can cry foul all you like. Did Derek Fisher, haunt of Spurs fans’ dreams, foul Brent Barry on the last possession? Darn tootin’.

Cry all you like. All you’ll be is bitter. And, likely, needing some tissues.It does seem a bit convenient that the man who hit the shot with .4 also hit the Spurs player with the ball with 2.1.

It does seem a bit convenient that the man who watched the play (and, inexplicably, did nothing about it) was the same who was suspended for threatening to fight Tim Duncan after throwing him from a game for, well, laughing.

Please, do yourselves all a favor, and put all of the ironies to bed. The Spurs, as Johnny Luden of Y! Sports writes, didn’t deserve to win.

Sure, he stole my thunder. Should I have written this earlier? Yes, but, in fairness, I could’ve told you this would happen with about five and a half left in the fourth. The Spurs, plain and simple, didn’t play well enough to win the game.

The idea that they had to even run an inbounds play for Brent Barry, that we’re even discussing his name as a subject of late game theatrics, made me check my watch, just to make sure it wasn’t 1995. Brent’s had a heck of a two game stretch, but if Manu and Tony aren’t going to be even close to good enough, there’s no reason to even fly back to L.A.

The Spurs, amongst their littany of problems on Tuesday night, couldn’t make anything from downtown, where, in Game 3 they had devoured the Lakers (10-18 3PT). Last night, ice cold (7-24), and largely, open. There’s no specific tally of this, but from my own count, they missed at least four, considerably open three’s (2 from Barry, 1 from Ginobili and Bowen) that would’ve either tied or given them the lead in the fourth.

Duncan, despite gaudy final numbers, missed far too many chipees. Granted, it’s hard to knock on 29 and 17, but when you miss 16 shots, I think it’s fair to say, he should’ve played better.

After a certain amount of time, we all have to stop saying the Spurs are the better team. In my mind, I believed it for quite a while. I figured, chalk Game 1 up to a lack of legs. Game 2 is also a wash, being in L.A. Game 3, what I expected. But, for Game 4 to go the way it did, with the Spurs having to fight, claw and scratch to only get either tied or within three shows the true difference.

Are the Lakers head and shoulders better than the Spurs? No, likely not. But, after a while, that “better” team would stop missing layups (ahemmm….Tim Duncan, Tony Parker) and would actually hit open three’s (ahemmm…everyone not named Tim Duncan or Fabricio Oberto).

Maybe, it’s time for the Spurs to get younger, a process which may start as soon as Thursday night.

To the City of Angels they go.  And no, the Spurs aren’t squaring off for a seven game series with the Clippers.

No, the Spurs are facing the revamped, restocked L.A. Lakers.  The same Lakers that stole Pau Gasol from Memphis, the same Lakers that easily dispatched of the Jazz and Nuggets, the same Lakers that have found successful niche roles for Ronny Turiaf, Luke Walton, and Sasha Vujacic.  Yes, them.

The Spurs, on the other hand, come in to this series as basically the same team thats lost its last three series against L.A.  Sure, Parker and Ginobili are better, but the offense runs the same.  Bench names may have changed, but bench roles are still the same. 

Without much further ado, the breakdown of the starting lineups.

PG Tony Parker vs. Derek Fisher

Tony Parker, first and foremost, is the better, quicker player.  That said, never underestimate what Fisher is capable of.  He’s a better defender than I’d imagine you’d give him credit for, and, he will more than once, more than twice, more than thrice hit a three that makes you want to pull your hair out.  Dude can bomb, and has a hear the size of a lion for hitting big shots.  Parker is going to need to keep Fisher on his heels by taking it to the hole as often as he can, exploiting his glaring advantage in the area of speed.

SG Manu Ginobili? vs. Kobe Bryant

First of all, I’m not so certain Ginobili will be back in the starting lineup, though it was a successful combination in the last five games of the Hornets series.  That said, these two won’t be matching up much, only when Manu has the ball.  If it’s even possible for a star of Kobe’s level, he’s an underrated defensive performer.  On the other side, he’ll be shadowed by Bruce Bowen, his foil and archnemesis for years now.  Sure, Bowen’s lost a step, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be able to pester the hell out of Bryant.  Kobe will get his, there’s no doubt of that—what Bowen has to attempt to control is how he gets it.  Then again, Kobe of today isn’t Kobe of yesteryear.  He passes more, he shares the ball, and doesn’t look to take over the game every single time he gets the ball.  The old strategy of, let Kobe be the ballhog he’s proven to be, might not prove as effective as it once was.

SF Bruce Bowen vs. Vladimir Radmanovic

Bowen will be living in Kobe’s shorts, so read up one if you want that review.  One other thing about Double B, he’s going to need to hit those corner three’s, consistently.  He’s almost always open, no matter how many he makes, so his consistency from long range will go a long way in determining how successful the Spurs are.  VladRad isn’t much of a serious factor on this team.  He plays his requisite starter minutes, 20 or so per game, and unless he’s particularly hot, he usually yields to the Luke Waltons and Ronny Turiaf.  Still, like Peja in the last series, Vlad Rad can get hot from deep, and isn’t one to be ignored.

PF Tim Duncan vs. Lamar Odom

Again, this is a matchup that may be changed.  Duncan could be on Gasol, or stay on Odom.  I’d imagine Duncan will be on Gasol on defense, though matching up with Odom’s quickness could be particularly difficult.  At 6′10″, Odom, when he wants to be, is a handful for opposing defenses.  He can handle the ball, shoot, take you off the dribble, or even back you down.  Not to mention, he’s long as hell, so while he may not be blocking a ton of shots, you can bet he won’t make it any easier for Ginobili and Parker to get their layups.  Duncan, on the other side, needs to go back to being the Duncan he was in the opening round.  Maybe not hitting game-tying three’s and scoring 40 points, but he can’t have any more of these dud performances.  Both Odom and Gasol are long defenders, but enough is enough already.

C Kurt Thomas vs. Pau Gasol

Gasol has been the difference for this team, no questions asked.  That’s not to downplay the transition Kobe’s made, or the play of the bench, or the return of Derek Fisher.  Those are all important contributors, but what kept this team atop the Western Conference was a mid season heist they pulled off, yielding a former All-Star center.  The Big Spaniard fits quite well into the triangle offense they run out there, and can do a bunch of things that should give the Spurs fits.  Like Odom, he also doesn’t block a lot of shots, but is long, and can play down there.  He can also spread the floor with a jumpshot, and, additionally, knows where to be.  In other words, you’ll often find him in the right spot cutting for a dunk, cutting for a layup.  At least thus far, Gasol has shown he grasps the spacing concepts of his new offensive system.  Thomas will have his hands full as well, though he’s proven he’s up to the task.  Rebounding, on both sides, and occassionally hitting that 15-20 foot jumper are his sole tasks.

The Big 3 did its thing, no doubt about that. 

Duncan wasn’t ever dominant in Game Seven, but he was Duncan—steady, sturdy. 

Ginobili started off slow (and stupid, with two early turnovers that nearly exploded blood vessels in Popovich’s brain), but hit a handle of three’s in the the second and iced the game at the line in the fourth. 

And TP, all he did was hit the biggest jumper of the season.  Coming off a wide open miss from Pargo that would’ve tied the game, Parker stepped around a pick, hand in his face, and calmly nailed a jumper to put the Spurs ahead, for good this time, at 85-80.

But, what made the difference, what made the difference all series, was the play of the bench, who ever was on it. 

After playing more than two minutes in a game only once in the first three, Ime Udoka took over for Michael Finley, and didn’t look back.  In the final four games, Udoka hit a remarkable 65% of his three’s (11-17), none more impressive than the three of three he canned in game six.  Also, lest we forget how Udoka had to either guard Chris Paul, Jannero Pargo, or Peja Stojakavic while on D.  He grabbed some big offensive boards, and, had that huge block on Pargo in game six.  Nice job.

Kurt Thomas, brought in to rebound and play tough defense, did just that.  While no one will confuse the angry, former TCU star as Dennis Rodman, Thomas did his part, even if no one really noticed.  In the clinching game, Thomas grabbed seven rebounds, five which were offensive.  Oh yeah, he only played a shade over seven minutes.

Even Finley, the bannished Fin-Dog, came up with some big play.  After seeing his minutes diminished over the last five games, Finley came in to game seven, and calmly drilled two three’s in what turned out to be the decisive third quarter.

All things considered, the Spurs do have a fighting shot against L.A. in the Western Conference Finals, no doubt about that.  But, they’ll need more than Duncan, Parker and Ginobili to have it.

I hate to even say it, but the Spurs played the like more experienced team. 

The Hornets will certainly have their shining day, just not this day, not this year.  Chris Paul is of another world, Byron Scott could be the best coach not talked about on SportsCenter (other than when he wins an award), and the rest of that team (really, only the other starters and Jannero Pargo) is constructed perfectly around their superstar.  Do they need a bench?  Certainly, but New Orleans’ flaws are for another day.

On this night, what seemed to plague the Hornets was the lack of anyone that could rely on something other than the previous games in the series as a sort of, “OK, I know what to do here, give me the ball”.  Content to ride out Pargo’s hot streak, the Hornets seemed to become very stagnant on offense, inexplicably letting the offense run through Pargo’s hands.  Which, despite his hot shooting, meant that no one else, on most offensive trips, touched the ball.  That’s a problem on most teams, particularly those with Chris Paul on them.  One way or the other, the Hornets did get some good looks, and certainly didn’t play poorly, just not well enough.

The Spurs on the other live to fight again.  According to Tony Parker after the game during an interview on TNT, the Spurs had already packed their bags—they’re heading to L.A. tonight.  Far as they should be concerned, the pressure’s off them in the beginning of the series.  Win one of two on the road, take care of business at home, and let the rest of chips fall where they may.

Though, if the Spurs plan on getting run out of the Staples Center like they did in the Hornet’s gym three out of four games, this one could be over in what likely amounts to a Los Angeles minute.

Here’s to a day off.  Here’s to fighting to play for another day.  And here’s to at least one more road trip.

Some people might have you believe Robert Horry’s convenient back door screen of David West was, shall we say, a bit slimy. Other might call it “a good basketball play”, knowing West has back issues and Tony Parker needed to get the hoop anyway.

Take a look for yourself, then call it what you like.

Listen at the end, you can hear the crowd cheering “Horry, Horry”. Is it a problem that the same guy that hip checked Steve Nash last season also gave a hard pick to David West? I don’t think so. But, is it a coincidence? Defnitely not. Horry, while he may not be scoring or rebounding or blocking shots like he once did, always finds a way to have some impact on a series. Even if it doesn’t show up in the boxscore as nothing more than a simple tick mark under the F in the boxscore.

What in the same hell is going on in the NBA playoffs this round?  How does one explain the incredible effectiveness of the home teams in this round?  20 and 1, is the record of home teams.  The only road team to win game this round, the only team to already have advanced—the Detroit Pistons.

 The Spurs go from destroying the Hornets in San Antonio in Game Four, to getting manhandled in Game Five, to resuming dominance in Game Six.  It begs the question, is there room for optimism in Game Seven?  Why, suddenly, does a team that never has had trouble winning playoff road games, never had trouble showing enough intensity in the playoffs, suddenly not have enough to even make it competitive on the road?  If I could answer these questions, I’d be working in an NBA front office.

 From last night’s game, there were obviously a few positives to take out.  First, Ime Udoka put together a great game, not only not missing from the floor and connecting on all three of this three point attempts, but playing some sparkling D as well.  The highlight of his night of course came when Jannero Pargo thought he had a layup off a Spurs turnover, and Udoka came from the backside to smash the attempt off the glass. 

Spurs doubters point to the fact that the home town boys might have got a little of that home cooking, that their shooting percentages will and should fall when in New Orleans.  While previous games have no way to dispute this, I must say, I have a feeling things will turn around.  First, that decisive sequence in the third quarter (all of the sudden, in this series at least, the quarter to decide all quarters) where Chris Paul was called for two offensive fouls for using his off hand to push off and David West was called for two fouls as well were all well deserved.  Paul pushed off twice, West did once, and the other time West got his caught with his hand in the cookie jar on a patented Duncan drop step.  As far as the shooting goes, while I’d imagine West, if healthy, will make more jumpshots at home, the Spurs don’t have any reason to fade.  This is a veteran team, with guys that “have been there”.  I hate to overrate that, but, what I can’t stand is to see a team that’s done it before, inexplicably choke in the third quarter of a game, simply because it’s on the road. 

Are the Hornets a good team?  Damn straight.  But, does that mean the Spurs shouldn’t be able to keep it close with them?  Certainly not.  Here’s to hoping David West doesn’t get back to 100% by Monday night.

The answer to that last part is likely an emphatic N-O.

That said, CP3 isn’t going to score 85 points. Maybe 30, maybe 25, but, if the Spurs want a shot at winning this series, they can’t let him go nuts. None of these constant games where he not only scores 35, but gets to the line at will, assists everyone on his team, and never turns the ball over. Those sort of games are losses, plain and simple.

All that said, the Hornets do have more weapons, they wouldn’t have gotten this far if they didn’t. Chris Paul may be in MVP chatter, but David West, Peja Stojakavic, and Tyson Chandler are important cogs. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the match-ups.

Point Guard - Tony Parker vs. Chris Paul

Speed versus speed. Quick versus quick. There’s no doubt Chris Paul is the better player, overall. That much isn’t debatable. Paul is the better distributor, better scorer, better shooter. But, not by so, so much as some analysts might have you believe. Parker’s no hobo, and he’s been amazing lately. Look for both players to go nuts, keep in mind though that while Parker won’t have to expend all of his energy on Paul on D, Paul will likely be checking Parker the entire series.

Shooting Guard - Michael Finley vs. Morris Peterson

The battle of the “soon-to-be-taken-out” two-guards. Honestly though, this match-up actually could turn out to be more important than it appears. Both of these guys often yield way to super-subs on their own teams, Pargo in Peterson’s case, Ginobili in Finley’s. But, if Fin-dog or Mo-Pete could get hot, that would give either team that extra boost it might need. The Spurs got absolutely nothing from Finley in the five games against Phoenix–the former Wisconsin Badger only scored 35 points in the series. Being able to count on him if even for just a few games would be a huge bonus for the Boot Clips.

Small Forward - Bruce Bowen vs. Peja Stojakavic

Bruce on D. Peja on 3. That’s the rhyme scheme that you need to know for this match-up. I’m not fully sure that Bowen will be on Peja the whole time, but if he is, he won’t have to look too hard to find him. Peja lives on the three point line, always has, and several back injuries have ensured he will retire there. More than half of his shots this year were treys, don’t expect anything different. Peja, like the man to be reviewed in a moment, won’t beat anyone off the dribble. He isn’t going to kill you like that. No, he’ll be the beneficiary of CP3 finding him on a drive-and-kick. The trick? Don’t double team. Easier said than done.

Power Forward - Tim Duncan vs. David West

David West has basically one shot in his arsenal, but it’s a damn good one. That 15 to 20 foot jumper from the top of the key is his bread and butter. West, like Peja, gets most if not all of his baskets as a result of Paul’s passing. He won’t kill you on the block, he won’t take you off the dribble too often. Duncan on the other hand will likely see Tyson Chandler on defense, as Chandler’s length will surely be an annoyance.

Center - Kurt Thomas vs. Tyson Chandler

Tyson Chandler likely will guard Duncan during the series and like many other long, athletic centers (see Marcus Camby), he should give him fits. The trick is to see if you can get Chandler in foul trouble, which will be difficult for two reasons. First, in the 84 games he’s played this season he’s only fouled out four times. Second, he doesn’t see the ball on offense really, so if you’re going to get to him, it’s got to be while he’s on D. You get him in trouble, there’s really nothing big coming off the bench for the Hornets. It would be nice, by the way, to see Kurt Thomas get going, start hitting that mid-range jumper.

Bench

Let’s be real, the Spurs have a good bench, when healthy and active. You saw signs of Brent Barry and Robert Horry last series, though not the most positive signs. Fabricio Oberto can play off the bench, and obviously you have Ginobili doing his thing. The Hornets on the other hand have Pargo, Paul’s back-up and a Ginobili counterpart in that he too is instant offense material. The other instant offense guard the Hornets had, Bobby Jackson, was traded at the deadline for a true Spurs killer, Bonzi Wells. That huge backside has ripped the Spurs before, specifically in a six game series with the Kings a couple of years ago. If Wells tries hard and gets the time (both are big if’s), he could be a real pain. Outside of those two, the Hornets don’t have much off the bench.

Also, as a final note here, the NBA can no longer complain that they can’t figure out why people aren’t watching their games. If you’re not rooting for either the Hornets or the Spurs, why are you watching a Saturday game with a 10 PM eastern start time? Come on.

A highlight reel I found of Manu Ginobili, his top 10 plays as archived by NBAtv.

Personal favorite, the Tyronn Liu smacked throw down. Don’t mind the “meet you at the mountain top” with Brian Cook. Tell me he doesn’t look better with long hair. There’s something rogue-like about him with long hair. Maybe that’s just me.

Let me be the first to say, nice try Phoenix.  You really did put in quite the effort.  Trading a young superstar, acquiring an aging big man.  All with the hopes of finally finishing off that arch-nemesis team from San Antonio.  The thugs that knocked you out last year.  The son-of-a-guns that seemed to have foiled you nearly every step of the way since Steve Nash became a Hall of Famer.

Well, if you’re the Suns, at least you can take solace in these few truths. 

1. You still have two more years of Shaq’s 20 million dollar contract left!
2. You did win one game, and did it really impressively.
3. You came close in Game 5.

To put some perspective on this series, the Spurs have now beat the Suns in four of the last six playoffs.  The Suns, throughout the drought, haven’t changed much.  Steve Nash still captains the ship, Mike D’Antoni runs the the team from the bench (though, according to Yahoo! Sports Johnny Ludden, maybe not for much longer).

The personnel may have changed (the Joe Johnsons, the Jim Jacksons, the Leandro Barbosas, the Grant Hills, the Boris Diaws), but honestly, it doesn’t matter much.  There are a few fundamental flaws in this team that simply aren’t changed by bringing in Shaq, or having Steve Kerr come in and run the team. 

They just don’t play defense from the perimeter (everyone not named Raja is basically a human turnstyle), or from inside (while its nice, theoretically to have Shaq and Amare down there, neither is that great of a defender at this point in their careers, and both are too often in foul trouble).  Further, they are always making stupid mistakes.  Boris Diaw backing Ginobili down, throws the ball to the second row.  Raja Bell makes a bad pass to Steve Nash on the inbounds, he can’t control it, they lose possession.  Mental mistakes seem to have always plagued this club, the image of Steve Nash looking wide-eyed at an official for a call at the end of any game sticks in my head as the logo for this team.

As for the Spurs, Tim Duncan, business as usual, and Tony Parker, despite that missed FT down the stretch, was the man.  Hate to say it, but he was amazing this series.  Over 29 points per game, TP did his thing.  Manu clearly needs the rest until whenever the NOH series starts.  Ginobili has been clearly limited, hitting the low last night with only 8 points in just over 27 minutes of action.  He doesn’t look to have the same explosiveness throughout the whole game.  A spurt here, a drive there, but not a sustained, Manu Ginobili-esque effort.  He should be fine.

 As for now, all you can say is good riddance to the Suns.  They did try their damnedest to beat the Spurs, even mortgaging their future and changing the makeup of their team.  Too bad, I guess.  Some things just are better left alone.  Or, left out.

How does a team go from annihilating another team, thoroughly and consistently over three games, to getting absolutely trounced in the fourth game?

How do you go from demoralizing a team twice, coming back from two double digit leads to win, to giving up 34 points (and only scoring 13) in the first quarter?

How?

The answer, simply, is that they came out flat in Game 4.  After destroying the Suns in Game 3 so completely that Phoenix’s never even had the lead, the Spurs just didn’t have the requisite energy needed to beat a team like the Suns.  Are the Spurs better than the Suns?  Yes, without question.  Then again, the Suns aren’t a bunch of hobos.  And, if you’re going to try to close out a series against a team, you need to come out with full effort. 

 Prime example:  End of half, Tony Parker at one end either misses the shot or turns the ball over (I can’t remember, but they all seemed to do both of those two things at such a rapid rate that I lost count), and with around 5 or 6 seconds left, the Suns push the ball, Gordon Giricek takes a long 3 and misses.  Problem?  No Spurs were anywhere near the play at the end, no one ran after the ball.  The Spurs simply walked off the court, lazily, as if the half was already over.  And essentially so too was the game.

Duncan Off Target  Timmy had another one of those games where he just couldn’t make any shots.  Nothing fell, as was evidenced by his 6-18 shooting performance.  And he was blocked four times.  Tough game, nothing to get too worried about.  If he bounces back at home like I expect him too, this one should be over in 5.