Game 4 Recap: "Like Putting Whipped Cream on Shit"

It would be a cop out to blame this loss on Joey Crawford's blown call at the end. (And yes, it was a foul, be it middle school, rec league, or FIBA, according to ESPN's Henry Abbott.)

But the part that's even more frustrating is that, for the second time, the Spurs beat themselves. After crumbling under the weight of tired legs in game 1, the Spurs give up 20 (!) second chance points in the first half of game 3. The Lakers shot poorly, missed free throws, and had 6 more turnovers and 5 less assists than the Spurs...and the guys in white handed them the game on a black-and-silver platter.

It's difficult to handle the fact that the other team may be better than yours. It's damn near impossible to accept that your team is probably better, but losing anyways. If the Lakers beat the Spurs, fine. But the Spurs are beating themselves, and it's making for a stomach-turning series.

As far as scapegoats go, it begins with 3-pt shooting. At 7-24 from behind the stripe, the Spurs shot themselves in the foot again and again. Useless minutes from Michael Finley, Manu Ginobili, Ime Udoka, some dude pretending to be Robert Horry, and Fabricio Oberto wasted a career game from Bones Barry (23 points, 5 rebounds). He summed up his great game well: "It's like putting whipped cream on shit."

As great as Brent Barry was Tuesday night, do you really want him creating a shot with your season on the line? Don't you want the ball in the hands of Duncan or Parker, who both put together solid games? I love Barry, but he can't create his own shot any more than I can. Yes, he was fouled, but role players don't know to sell that foul and make the referee blow the whistle.

Looking ahead to game 5, the Spurs do have a legitimate shot. Despite their road record, they have confidence in big road games. If they execute and get something out of Ginobili (anything, really), they'll be in the mix again. I'm not ready to give up on the Spurs just yet...the 2008 version is not as talented as past championship teams, but they are resilient, and they'll be in game 5 til the end.