The Spurs right now are just about at the breaking point because of Manu's long absence. They remind me of the Celts a few games ago. A loss tonight would put them in the danger zone of finishing out of the top 4. I bet they pull it out. The Warriors just aren't a very smart team.
The Warriors just need to make sure they get a decent, mid-range shot (just like the Spurs did). If they miss, quickly foul the rebounder.
That was a terrible last possession by the Warriors. If they had a timeout to call it was inexcusable.
I'm still in shock. Over 5 seconds left when they got the rebound down by 1. Nelson wanted to lose if they had a TO left.
I know the NBA is a players league, but coaching makes a HUGE difference. That sequence had stupidity and lack of discipline written all over it (assuming they didn't have a timeout). Even if they didn't have a timeout, they should have.
Nelson seems to have taken on a "woe is me" attitude since early in the season. It's like he's only half there mentally. I know he is like that normally but it's even worse this season. A good coach would use this lost season to develop players and improve for next season.
The boxscore I just looked at shows the Warriors had 1 TO left. I don't know if it was a :20 or a full TO. Isn't there a difference about where you bring in the ball between a full and a :20? I think one of the Warriors announcers said they had a TO left while Thomas was shooting FTs and he said they could take the ball in from halfcourt if they chose to use it.
if you don't dribble the ball you can take a 20-sec TO and bring it half court. I think Nelly just didn't want the Spurs to set up their half court defense so he didn't call a time out (ala Popovich).
Don't get me wrong because I like Monta Ellis A LOT, but I don't think he is smart enough to be a PG. There was a debate over the summer here about whether he could do it. People compared him to Tony Parker and said he could learn the position too. But Monta Ellis doesn't have the B-ball IQ or the instincts to facilitate for his teammates on a consistent basis. That all said, I love watching him play and hope he lives up to his contract. But it won't happen until the Warriors get a serviceable PG that is a good fit next to Ellis.
I don't know why they didn't call a timeout (the warriors)... but they basically gave up at the end by not calling it.. That last play was stupid.
Agreed, Ellis definitely has a shoot first mentality and doesn't have the pass first PG skills. However, this guy can score with the best of them, no doubt.
