Game 6 Recap: Check...

With their hopes of a championship on the line, the Spurs did what they do best…react and adjust. Game 6 offered all sorts of variable X's and O's; adding to the proverbial chess match that has gone back and forth all series. Of course, the Spurs best maneuver was to focus on some fantastic ball movement, but some other moves were pivotal in spraying the bugs.

For the first time this series, Tim Duncan started on David West. While running the risk of getting Timmy in foul trouble, it was absolutely necessary. Not only was Duncan able to get his offense going (20 points and 6 assists), he completely shut down West in man-to-man coverage. West was 4-14, mostly on contested jumpers, and folded like origami when the pressure went up a notch, emotionally wrecking his team.

(For the record: did anyone else catch the ESPN crew noting how TD was West’s childhood idol? He apparently loves Duncan’s cool demeanor…and West proves it by killing his team with a hissy fit after a few very obvious whistles. Yay, hypocrisy!)

Duncan’s stick-like-glue approach on West allowed Tyson Chandler to get a few easy lobs, but that’s a fine tradeoff for the Spurs. If West and Peja are both taken out of the game by Duncan and Bowen, than Paul’s offensive repertoire is severely limited. The day the Spurs lose to Chandler and Morris Peterson is the day I miss Beno Udrih.

The Hornets adjusted by trying to work Paul in the low post, causing Duncan to shade towards Paul and allowing West some open jumpers. Fortunately, West’s ego was already in shards, so he wasn’t aggressive by that point. Still, it’s something they could go back to, as Paul seemed to bully Tony a bit in the post.

Pop’s other significant adjustment came through the rotations. The red-hot Udoka, not Finley, was the first wing off the bench. Fab started in place of Thomas, and Horry got significant playing time. And, as much as I hate to say it, Horry kicked ass. Aside from setting a (perfectly legal) hard screen on David West and sending him to the floor writhing in pain, Horry played sound defense and rotated the ball well.

It all amounts to a game 7. I expect to see the same rotations, depending on whether or not Udoka stays hot. As long as the outside shooting holds up, the Spurs are looking good.

Now, with everything on the line, check to you, Hornets. Time to see what they're made up of with their own backs to the wall.

Game 5 Recap: Those Hornets Love Them Some Homecourt, Huh?

33 free throw attempts to 18 for the Spurs, including 13 to zip in the 3rd quarter. Yes, something can be said for being the more aggressive team...but damn, Joey. Tim Duncan had less free throw attempts than Pargo, Melvin Ely, Bonzi Wells, and Tyson Chandler. In other words, 4 role players that took a total of 13 shots in the game all shot more free throws than Tim Duncan, who took 18 shots. This after the 2006 Dallas "Dirk stepped on my foot but it's a foul on me" Timmy foul? What did we do, Joey? Run over your dog or something? Did our Mexican food give you the runs?

Nonetheless, there is light at the end of the tunnel. David West had a career game, mostly off of the fact that the Spurs rotated his defender in to cut off Paul's dribble penetration (effectively triple teaming the Chandler-Paul pick-and-roll). While this limited Paul's output in the first half, it gave West jumper after jumper, and he converted. Once the Spurs decided to stop helping off of him, Paul got it going. Game over.

Now, is there a solution to all of this? Yes, but it isn't pretty. The Spurs could rotate the wing player over (i.e. the guy stuck in the corner guarding MoPete and watching West hit those 17-footers) and make West a decision maker. Should he post up the smaller guy (probably Manu or Fin), rotate the ball to the open shooter, or just shoot over the defender? Yes, he can do all three, but at least he'll have to think about it. He's proven to be a great finisher, now make him the focal point of their offense and force him to make all the crucial decisions.

Other glimmers of optimism? Ime Udoka played well, Kurt Thomas couldn't play any worse, and Joey Crawford won't be reffing another game in this series.

The Best Defense Is A Good Offense

The Spurs have figured out that they can't stop Chris Paul. It took them two game to do it, but they learned their lesson. So, the new strategy is such: let Paul score 30+. Don't double, don't waste Bowen on him, and bait him into taking long jumpers. Obviously, the Spurs listened to their fanbase, and started Parker on Paul.

Paul will score and create. It's inevitable; he's a freak. Those giant ears given him some type of superhuman sonar that allows him to know where everyone is on the court. You can't stop that.

What the Spurs can do is stop the peripheral players. "Bear Chest" got Bowened (8 points on 2-7 shooting), Pargo disappeared (1-7 shooting), and Bonzi Wells faded (6 points). David West still got his, but the duo of Paul and West wasn't enough.

But, for all the adjustments (including shorting the rotation, starting Manu, and playing zone), the Spurs found that the best way to stop the Hornets isn't reacting to them, but attacking them. To win, the Spurs are going to have to outscore the Hornets, not keep the Hornets from scoring. Pop has to let the reigns off, and let Parker and Manu take over the game. Let New Orleans get 95-100 points...but the Spurs need to score 100+.

At the end of the day, this series can only be won by the Spurs' backcourt. If the Hornets continue to collapse on Duncan (which they will), Parker needs to continue to attack the lane (which he will). Manu, as always, is the wildcard. If Parker can play Paul to a draw (a tall order, but he's proven he can), Ginobili is the guys NO has absolutely no answer for.

Yes, Tim Duncan will become a secondary option. But the kick out game from Duncan has proven too inconsistent. The backcourt was what got the shooters involved, what got the assists up and the turnovers down. We need Manu to play with reckless abandon. The Spurs need Tony to get knocked to the floor 10 times by driving into transitioning big men. Duncan needs to do less of posting up, and more off the pick-and-roll, freeing up the lane for dribble penetration.

Whether the Parker/Manu duo can carry the Spurs to 4 wins is debatable (let's face it, they won't hit 62 every night out). But, at this point and time, the team's championship hopes are going to be in their hands. And, for once, not as much in Duncan's.

Well......That Sucked.

A lot of things worked against the Spurs in their first two games against the Hornets. Tim Duncan secretly hid a 103 degree fever, leading to his worst playoff game of all time (the Timmy fever, as it turns out, is nothing like the Jordan flu). Manu Ginobili has been relegated to midrange shooter because of a lingering ankle injury. The Spurs' respective shooters have gone cold, while the Hornets' shooters are on fire.

The Spurs can't really control all of these things...it's just a matter of happenstance. Yes, it sucks, but you play through it. Unfortunately, that's not all that's plaguing the Spurs. They are getting owned in almost every facet of the game. New Orleans has ridden toughness, cockiness, and a raucous home crowd to a deserved 2-0 lead.

We're going to be optimistic here, and instead of dwelling on what they're doing wrong, we're going to focus on what they could improve:

- Take Bruce Bowen off of Chris Paul to shut down Peja "bear chest" Stojakovic. I know this is a risk, since Paul will run Tony Parker ragged and render him less effective on offense. That being said, if Bowen is going to go under the screens on pick-and-rolls, let Parker do the same and use his footspeed to recover. If Parker goes under the screens and chases Paul around, Bowen could be better used on taking away Peja and his 23.5 points per a game this series.

- Don't stop attacking. Yes, if the Hornets are going to collapse the lane, you have to take the open shots. That means you, Finley. Even when you're sucking. That being said, the Spurs can't just give up on slashing to the basket, which they've been prone to do.

- Play Ime Udoka more, and Robert Horry less. Small ball is killing the Spurs, but so is Big Shot Bob-asaurus. At least Udoka is showing fight, and doesn't seem to be intimidated. I'll take his 1-6 3 PT shooting before I'll take Horry's stuck-in-mud defense on David West.

- Play with fire. You can't teach it, and I won't question the heart of guys like Timmy, Tony, Fab, or Manu. That being said, where's the passion? Where's the competitive response? I've never seen the Spurs "give up" the way they did in the second half of game two. Collectively, the team hung their heads and allowed Paul to continuously showboat, hype up the crowd, and influence the Spurs' confidence.

Maybe the shift home will change all that, because, ultimately, the Spurs can be beaten by a team that's on fire like the Hornets are, but they shouldn't be beating themselves.

Get Your Game Face On

Manu Slowed By Ankle, Parker Generally Beat Up

Not great news going into tonight's game 1 with the feisty bugs...

TP is being held out of practice because of the beating he took against Phoenix. By the sound of it, he should be ok.

Ginobili, on the other hand, has been obviously hampered since re-injuring his ankle in game 2. He's been playing with it for awhile now, but, to be blunt about it, the Spurs don't have a chance to win the championship unless Manu is 90-100% healthy.

Tony Parker is Pissed

I guess it's been such a gradual process of watching this guy come up that I overlook how much of a beast he really is. In game 3, he had the best game of his career on the road in a hostile environment, completely dominating Phoenix to the tune of 41 points on 17-26 shooting, 12 assists, and only 3 turnovers. Yes, everything is predicated on Duncan, and yes, Ginobili is one of the best isolation and clutch players in the NBA....but it was Parker who ground the Suns into submission.

He's showing a nasty streak that I didn't know he was capable of. Outside of hitting clutch shots, he was barking at everyone in the first half of game 5. He yelled at the refs constantly, argued with Pop about coming out of the game, and got in Raja Bell's face after a hard foul. It took me a second before I realized that this is TONY EFFING PARKER! He's Mr. Nice Guy, friends with everyone from Kobe to Chris Paul. But, somewhere in the midst of this series, Parker got downright nasty. You could see it in his face...he was pissed. He was angry at everyone.

It was (and I have no qualms with saying this) Jordan-esque. Jordan was always angry on the court, no matter what the situation. Even playing against his best friends, Jordan just seemed like you had run over his dog an hour before the game. That's the mean streak Parker had in game 5...just like his idol, Parker was going to rip into everyone within 10 feet of him. He was screaming, talking trash, and arguing every call. It was nasty...and it was what gave him the confidence to hit the shots that clinched the series and sent the Suns packing.