[flash width=550 height=400 loop=false:a8b132cd8e]http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/8100/pistonsgame2zm.swf[/flash:a8b132cd8e]


No arroyo for the pistons. Hopefully Flip can figure something out. Its gonna be a dandy. I expect the pistons to play much harder tonight, than they have the past few weeks.

You got the g f c stuff mixed up, but otherwise nice.

Spurs 91
Pistons 86

Spurs have only lost once at home all year long, and Pistons (Sheed) are not playing like Pistons right now.

oh shit. Fuck.

The key tonight will be Evans/Delfino off the bench. Tay will have to play some PG tonight, so their minutes are very important. They'll have to provide solid outside shooting when Billups hits the bench. Also, they will have to contain Finley and Barry.

I hope we post feed Sheed like crazy. He can get TD in foul trouble with his quicker feet (or Nazr/Rasho if they use them on Sheed).

Unfortnately, I see a loss here.

Too many lazy jumpshots against too good of an opponent.

Add the makeshift lineup/rotation to that, and I see us going down by about 10 points.

I predict a 9 point victory.

We’re going to be in a tight game but in the 3rd to 4th the Pistons’ll put the smack down leading by 12-15 or so. Spurs will come back late with their scrubs but we’ll still finish them off.

HOLLA!

HOLLA!

LOUD NOISES!!!!!@#!@#!@#

http://www.hjo3.net/brick_fantastic.jpg

Pistons win 105-98. but will need a rest by the time its over.

Nice sig, Gutz.

Nice sig, Gutz.
well ask NQ for a look at the avatar he made me. though its too hot for WTF TV.


but for the record the spurs depend on parker too much this season. you shut him down and they arent the same team. if they were set up like this last year probally would've beat em in 6.

10 point victory tonight.

the Pistons know it's going to take more than J's to beat the Spurs. they always step it up for the Spurs.

100 bucks says we play zone D tonight.


(And Ginobli is starting not Fin.)

(And Ginobli is starting not Fin.)

source?

Ginobili's been coming off the bench since he came back.

http://www.classictvhits.com/shows/perfectstrangers/pics/ps04.jpg

Tim Duncan should change his name to Moving Screen just so there is no confusion.

damn! i hate to say this, but Sheed steps up his game when he's up against Duncan. he was dominant in the paint to start the game off and he just nailed a three.

Pistons up 18

Tim Duncan should change his name to Moving Screen just so there is no confusion.

Actually just call the Spurs the Shoves.

where in the hell is everyone??

one of the biggest regular season games of the season and no one's here :(

they are already making excuses for the spurs and the game isnt over. :roll:

where in the hell is everyone??

one of the biggest regular season games of the season and no one's here :(
http://www.nba.com/media/pistons/hoopcity_160x120.jpg
http://www.nba.com/media/pistons/hoopcity_162a.gif

Rasheed was terrific

Sheed is killing this game
...
I love when he Shoot those 3's as soon as he gets it
...
His forte if you will
...
Nice stroke he has

Rasheed was terrific
he always likes to go at duncan who everyone calls the best power foward in the league.

It starts??

Look at the friggin free-throw discrepancy with 1:44 to play -

San Antonio FT - 12/24
Detroit FT - 2/3

A couple of other comparisons -

Rebounds: San Antonio 30|Detroit 54!!
Assists: San Antonio 8|Detroit 23!!

hmmm...is it me or has this game been filled with cheap shots from the spurs. namely ginobli and horry?

Don't be fooled by the free throws they are handing to Detroit now - this was a referee screw job to at least keep it close.

I want me some Alex Acker...

yea, did you see joe D laughing at ginobli acting like he was hit in the head for a foul?

naw no acker. and the spurs are fucked at the center position. they should've got one and kept devin brown instead of fatty van exel and brick finley.

Great win. Sheed really set the tone early, and Rip was great as well.

Great win, way to get Sheed involved. When Sheed does this and Rip comes out of timeouts with 2 quick buckets the Pistons can't be beat. Here's a hint to the rest of the league: Don't give the Pistons a lead!

Spurs dont have shit on us.

where in the hell is everyone??

one of the biggest regular season games of the season and no one's here :(

Sorry Me, I wasn't about to watch this game on the 17inch by my computer. I had to go plasma for the Spurs.

Nice win. Ugly 4th quarter (how many of those 11 misses in a row were 3s or looong 2s?). Chauncey's shot was pretty off and we still held big leads. Why can't we rebound like this against bad teams? Tay still can't handle a double, good thing he doesn't get it near the baseline as much under Rip. Parker still can't shoot. Manu is still too good for my liking. That Van Exel, Manu, Parker, lineup did well in the frst half but in the second it just meant that Bowen was on the bench so Rip could get whatever he wanted.

Fun game to watch and even better that we won. Bring on the next team.

Were we gutter shit because we got blown out by Dallas??

It's embarassingly obvious that Gino played some "futeball" growing up, or at least was a huge fan beccuase he has no shame flopping around like a fish out of water to get the calls. I can't believe the kid didn't pick up such a reputation yet, to the point where referees would swallow the whistle unless there was blood.

Were we gutter shit because we got blown out by Dallas??

It's embarassingly obvious that Gino played some "futeball" growing up, or at least was a huge fan beccuase he has no shame flopping around like a fish out of water to get the calls. I can't believe the kid didn't pick up such a reputation yet, to the point where referees would swallow the whistle unless there was blood.
he plays for the spurs. same as derrick fisher who gets no love on the flops now since he left the lakers.

Yeah, it only took them 20 years to pick up on on Vlady.

Cant stand Ginobody. Anyways, like I said, they only play a full 48 vs top tire teams. They've been sleep walking though the season. Tonight, we only saw a litte bit of how good this pistons team is.

Great game!!!

I love watching Gonibli throw fits, it brings out the girl in me.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go find a stick to shove in
Charles Barkley's neck.

Great game!!!

I love watching Gonibli throw fits, it brings out the girl in me.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go find a stick to shove in
Charles Barkley's neck.
:shock:
http://blog.kir.com/archives/Charles-Barkley.jpg

I dont understand how players let players flop like that. IF ginobili drives the lane then he will get a call, so elbow him in the neck while he's up there.

this game wasn't even as close as the scoreboard said it was. the scoreboard said blowout but really the spurs didn't even deserve about 20 of the 68 they got.


by the way....

UNDER 70 AGAIN!

yea ginobli got "team play of the game" for slamming his hand on the scorers table. :x WTF!!!!?????

the guy gets a lil' too much love for playing out of control. man i hope delfino can gets some more time. because i think he has the potential to be as good as ginobli w/o being totally out of control like manu and nocioni are.

speaking of del the funky homosapien. it sucked to see him as odd man out on the shortened road bench.

Great win, way to get Sheed involved. When Sheed does this and Rip comes out of timeouts with 2 quick buckets the Pistons can't be beat. Here's a hint to the rest of the league: Don't give the Pistons a lead!

Utah never got that memo(no pun intended?). :alien:

Great win by Detroit. Our first in San Antonio since the Doug Collins era.

I hate Ginobil - that cheapshot, flopping piece of South American garbage. Tayshaun shitted on his ass.

Yeah, Manu is a flopping piece of shit.

BTW, anyone that seen SportCenter this morning knows that Detroit needed this game more because they are fighting for home court advantage.(Apparently The Spurs aren't?)

Yeah, Manu is a flopping piece of shit.

BTW, anyone that seen SportCenter this morning knows that Detroit needed this game more because they are fighting for home court advantage.(Apparently The Spurs aren't?)

speaking of del the funky homosapien. it sucked to see him as odd man out on the shortened road bench.


hehe..


yeah he should have played more.


ginobili would be hesitant to cheap shot his argentina olympic squad teammate.

If Rasheed played Tim Duncan for 82 games out of the year, he'd be the league MVP. It's amazing how he can get absolutely destroyed by Zach Randolph and jack up stupid shots, but as soon as he steps on the court against Duncan he makes him his bitch.

Also, this game was Rip's way of making up for his last 4 or so against them.

Great way to show that when we come to play for real, nobody can touch us. Great fucking win.

If Rasheed played Tim Duncan for 82 games out of the year, he'd be the league MVP. It's amazing how he can get absolutely destroyed by Zach Randolph and jack up stupid shots, but as soon as he steps on the court against Duncan he makes him his bitch.

Also, this game was Rip's way of making up for his last 4 or so against them.

Great way to show that when we come to play for real, nobody can touch us. Great fucking win.
randolph was just hitting jump shots. he wasnt killing him in the post. but zach does play a lil harder for sheed.

how insanely confident is this Pistons team now??

two Spurs ass kickings. one on their home floor on national TV?

10 point victory tonight.

the Pistons know it's going to take more than J's to beat the Spurs. they always step it up for the Spurs.

i was 5 points off :D



(And Ginobli is starting not Fin.)

source?

Ginobili's been coming off the bench since he came back.

http://www.classictvhits.com/shows/perfectstrangers/pics/ps04.jpg

i was right on this one.....Balki did come off the bench :D

If Rasheed played Tim Duncan for 82 games out of the year, he'd be the league MVP. It's amazing how he can get absolutely destroyed by Zach Randolph and jack up stupid shots, but as soon as he steps on the court against Duncan he makes him his bitch.

Also, this game was Rip's way of making up for his last 4 or so against them.

Great way to show that when we come to play for real, nobody can touch us. Great fucking win.

You ain't kidding about Rasheed. Fortunately for us, we can afford to have Sheed play like crap against most other teams and still beat most of them. I rememebr earlier this year arguing with Pacer fans who said that Jeff Foster plays Duncan tougher than anyone in the league.

It was nice to see Rip have a decent game against them as well. I was worried that they were in his head.

If Rasheed played Tim Duncan for 82 games out of the year, he'd be the league MVP. It's amazing how he can get absolutely destroyed by Zach Randolph and jack up stupid shots, but as soon as he steps on the court against Duncan he makes him his bitch.

Also, this game was Rip's way of making up for his last 4 or so against them.

Great way to show that when we come to play for real, nobody can touch us. Great fucking win.

You ain't kidding about Rasheed. Fortunately for us, we can afford to have Sheed play like crap against most other teams and still beat most of them. I rememebr earlier this year arguing with Pacer fans who said that Jeff Foster plays Duncan tougher than anyone in the league.

It was nice to see Rip have a decent game against them as well. I was worried that they were in his head.

well the spurs still think they dont have to put bowen on Rip anymore. they'd rather try to stop chauncy billups and put parker on Rip. but this aint last year and Rip aint tired.

I predict a 9 point victory.

We’re going to be in a tight game but in the 3rd to 4th the Pistons’ll put the smack down leading by 12-15 or so. Spurs will come back late with their scrubs but we’ll still finish them off.

HOLLA!

Not a bad prediction at all...you too Iamme!


:tongue1:

So why can't rebound like this against other teams?

I don't understand how we can let teams like NJ out-rebound us yet somehow outrebound SA by 20+.

And how the fuck do we only shoot 7 FT's the entire game?

First Pistons game I got to watch on my new HDTV box (with free DVR so I got to be out all night, and just replayed it when I got home).

We shot cold for a long time in 4th quarter, but that seems to be my only complaint.

I don't mind our starters playing 40+ minutes (especially with Arroyo out) against a good team like the Spurs, but I'd like to see our minutes down in the rest of the season. We'll see.

Tim Duncan should change his name to Moving Screen just so there is no confusion.

That's what I was thinking.

hmmm...is it me or has this game been filled with cheap shots from the spurs. namely ginobli and horry?

That Horry move, to me, was the move of a scared and desperate opponent.

Great win by Detroit. Our first in San Antonio since the Doug Collins era.

I hate Ginobil - that cheapshot, flopping piece of South American garbage. Tayshaun shitted on his ass.

Stop the presses. I agree with GWB on something.

Sheed is killing this game
...
I love when he Shoot those 3's as soon as he gets it
...
His forte if you will
...
Nice stroke he has

This is poetic.

Not quite a haiku, but poetic nonetheless.

Nice work, BGGGC

I'm glad that I was wrong about this one.

So much for the Spurs vaunted bench, they looked like Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and a bunch of scrubs. Might be the worst that I've ever seen them play.

We played very, very well, even if they weren't letting us get to the line (home cooking).

I like that we didn't settle for jumpers as much as we have been, although we still did shoot a steady diet of them, and they went in.

Good, solid win. Very good.

Try as I might, I still can't conjure up the same hatred I feel for the Heat when I watch the Pistons play the Spurs. I still think they're a class organization, throughout, other than the Flopping Madman.

There is no grace to his game whatsoever - he puts his shoulder down and blasts toward the basket, damn any defender that gets in his way. How does a guy his size make it to the NBA with that style? I can see how Shaq did it - he's bigger than everyone else. But how did Manu do it? He must've had something other than his patented bulldozer move in his arsenal at one point - the refs don't ignore players that just come into the league.

Great win, though. All the naysayers made excuses for the Spurs for losing by 15 on Christmas, saying it would've been a different game with Ginobli in there.

He was in there last night. And they still lost by 15. And they score fewer points than they did on Christmas day. And they were at home. And the Pistons were missing Arroyo.

What's their excuse now?

^^^
You answered your own question - the Pistons were missing Arroyo. He would have given the Spurs the extra kick that they needed.

I kid.

(Although I always have liked it when Tay played the point. Delfino looked good there too.)

Just thought I'd try this test post because it's something that we are considering starting here soon. Make sure you let me know what you think.






http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060113/SPORTS03/601130458/1048/SPORTS


DETROIT 83, SAN ANTONIO 68: Playoff intensity


Pistons sweep season series against defending champions

BY KRISTA LATHAM
January 13, 2006

SAN ANTONIO -- By June, Thursday night's game between the Spurs and the Pistons will be just a blip in the memory bank. Another mostly meaningless night in an 82-game schedule.

But judged by emotion, level of play, intensity, you name it, this was as close as it gets to a playoff game in January.

One with a result Pistons fans hope to see again.

Detroit (28-5) beat the defending champions, 83-68, on the same floor on which they lost their championship seven months ago.

After the Pistons dominated the first quarter, the closest the Spurs got was six, and the Pistons earned a season sweep that means homecourt advantage in the NBA Finals -- should both teams finish with the same record.

But it's still the regular season. The Pistons won't forget that.

"We got the moral victory with the two wins this year," forward Rasheed Wallace said. "But they got the overall by getting us in Game 7 last year. We're just trying to get back to there, and get back what's ours."

From tip-off to the final buzzer, though, the game gave a sneak peek at what is likely to come in June.

Manu Ginobili diving over the scoring table trying to save a ball, then slapping that table with a force that seemed to shake the newly named AT&T Center. Chauncey Billups nearly losing his trademark cool when officials called him for cheap fouls. Tim Duncan glaring at Wallace after he schooled him in the post.

"It was intense," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "There's no question."

On the road against San Antonio, no team expects to open the game shooting 62% percent while holding the champions to 27% as the Pistons opened a 28-15 lead.

Wallace launched his near flawless game at tip-off. He had 27 points, 10 boards and four assists, and limited Duncan to a mere-mortal 17 points.

Wallace was unstoppable in the first few minutes, whether he was backing Duncan into the post or nailing three-pointers. Wallace scored 15 points on 70% shooting in the first half, and his inside-out domination opened up the Spurs' defense for good.

"He's one of the great ones," Billups said. "The great ones make it easy on everyone. When he's rolling, everyone has easy shots. Everyone has the shots they want."

The Pistons won despite a 24-7 disparity in free-throw attempts. They didn't attempt a free throw in the second half until there was 1:39 left.

Each Piston contributed something. Small forward Tayshaun Prince finished with his third double-double of the season -- 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. He also played some point guard as Billups' usual backup, Carlos Arroyo, was serving a one-game suspension.

Billups had nine points and 14 assists. Ben Wallace (12 rebounds) helped the Pistons dominate the boards, 56-32. In the team's first meeting -- an 85-70 victory at the Palace -- Detroit outrebounded the Spurs, 57-30. "We still don't get the respect we deserve," Rasheed Wallace said. "It's all right, though. Hey, it's cool. For the last so-and-so years, we've been under the rug. They swept us under the rug and the last two years we went to the Finals."

--------------

Contact KRISTA LATHAM at 313-223-4493 or klatham@freepress.com.

I'm glad that I was wrong about this one.

So much for the Spurs vaunted bench, they looked like Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and a bunch of scrubs. Might be the worst that I've ever seen them play.

We played very, very well, even if they weren't letting us get to the line (home cooking).

I like that we didn't settle for jumpers as much as we have been, although we still did shoot a steady diet of them, and they went in.

Good, solid win. Very good.


I was wrong about this game as well. That was domination. I thought they'd struggle with Ginobili back in the lineup giving them two guys (manu and parker) that are great at getting in the paint and finishing matched up against a team that tends to let teams get dribble penetration because of their shot blocking presence.

When Sheed's aggressive, both offensively and especially defensively, this team is impossible to defeat.

If only we didn't have to wait 5 months for the finals. 5 months.

From Detnews.com

SAN ANTONIO -- Chauncey Billups had a deep cut over one eye and several blotches on his arms.

And he didn't shoot a single free throw in 41 minutes of intense action in the Pistons' 83-68 rout of the Spurs on Thursday night.

"Just another one of those times I got beat up and didn't get a call," he said, explaining the gash. Billups was a picture of frustration for the better part of three quarters. While he wasn't getting any calls when he had the ball, he picked up three quick fouls at the other end. He felt the officials were punishing him for being stronger than Spurs guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

"I guess that's the way they are going to defend me, now," Billups said.

Of his three first fouls, two of them were on flops by Parker.

"I got real mad a couple of times," Billups said. "It just ain't right. I am out there chasing all those fast guys all over the place. That's their advantage. But then they wouldn't let me use my advantage. That ain't right."

Billups' advantage is his strength. And the referees weren't letting him establish his space, especially against Parker.

"That's OK, man," Billups said. "It's cool."

The fouls on Billups were of grave concern with backup point guard Carlos Arroyo serving a one-game suspension. Tayshaun Prince filled in admirably for a little over six minutes.

"Tay is so poised," Billups said. "He brings a lot of confidence. There was no frantic pace when he was out there. He got us in our sets."

But the Pistons needed Billups to settle down, and he did. His shot never got untracked (he was 4 for 14) and his nine points were a season low. But he finished with 14 assists and he scored two critical baskets at the end of the third quarter.

His shot never got untracked (he was 4 for 14)

Am I wrong, or is that a slaughtering of the english language I've learned to love?

Just thought I'd try this test post because it's something that we are considering starting here soon. Make sure you let me know what you think.

I think it sucks pretty hard, like milkshake through a swizzle stick hard.

yw

TK...duly noted.

Question: Does anybody think that a game like this (and the Xmas game) might be the sort of thing that causes the Spurs to make a roster move or two? Would that be an overreaction or smart on their part?


p.s. Go here if you want to gauge Spurs fans' reaction: http://spurstalk.com/forums/

Just thought I'd try this test post because it's something that we are considering starting here soon. Make sure you let me know what you think.

I think I know where you're going with this. Good plan.

The key tonight will be Evans/Delfino off the bench. Tay will have to play some PG tonight, so their minutes are very important. They'll have to provide solid outside shooting when Billups hits the bench. Also, they will have to contain Finley and Barry.

I hope we post feed Sheed like crazy. He can get TD in foul trouble with his quicker feet (or Nazr/Rasho if they use them on Sheed).

Finley/Barry 1-6 shooting.

Sheed: 27 points and 10 rebounds.

Pictured here, Manu Ginobili accepts the "flopper of the century" award, while also holding the "biggest fraud to the refs" award he earned earlier in the evening.

In the post awards after party, he ran head first into Dick Clark, knocked him down with his forearm, pretended to go flying backwards as if hit by a baseball bat, and Dick Clark was arrested for assault.

http://www.eonline.com/On/101/MostAwesome/Gallery/Images/gal.benigni.jpg

Just thought I'd try this test post because it's something that we are considering starting here soon. Make sure you let me know what you think.

How about you explain what is exactly supposed to be going on?? Are you talking about linking key words to other sites sort of deal and if so what is the benefit to the user(or is it a revenue generating stream for the site).

Pictured here: A woman attempts to kiss Manu Ginobili. BEFORE her lips touch his face, he punches her in the head, and then he inexplicably goes flying backwards like he was shot by a 12 guage shotgun (like in the special effects in the movies where they have a harness and a cord on the guy's back, and he goes flying into a wall behind him after being shot).

http://www.sbattimento.com/comici/roberto-benigni.jpg

Pictured here:

Ginobili fying through midair after being touched by no one. A flagrant foul is assessed, and Ginibili goes to the free throw line.

http://www.repubblica.it/gallerie/online/sanremo2002/benigni/5_g.jpg

Just thought I'd try this test post because it's something that we are considering starting here soon. Make sure you let me know what you think.

How about you explain what is exactly supposed to be going on?? Are you talking about linking key words to other sites sort of deal and if so what is the benefit to the user(or is it a revenue generating stream for the site).

It was a veiled attempt at a joke. No worries, it's just another swing and a miss for ole' Glenn.

Pictured here: Ginobili dives into the crowd for a loose ball. The blond whose chair he is standing on is ejected, and Ginobili is granted three free throws.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/1220000/images/_1222318_roberto_300.jpg

On the bright side, at least ole' Glenn knows when to cut a joke off, unlike some ^^ :glasses9:

Pictured here: Ginobili flies through the lane. No one touches him. Its about to be a no call. He grabs his face and winces AS IF he has been hit. The ref sees him touching his face and acting like he is in pain, and assesses a flagrant foul on Antonio McDyess, who is on the bench and hasn't even entered the game yet.

http://www.kamerazzi.tv/scripts/news/img/news/roberto_benigni.jpg

Ahh - the RGM potshot.

Ahh - the RGM potshot.

Thanks for filling in the gaps, Kilo.

Now, can you help Taymelo out?

Steal his keyboard or something.

Pictured here: Ginobili does his best to conform to the league's dress code, while still "keeping it real".

http://qd.typepad.com/6/images/benigni.jpg

Anybody have a tourniquet?

You're lucky. Google ran out of pics.

I think I shall move on to my Copperfield comparisons.

I'm glad my call to Google did the trick.

Good people there, cooperative, too.



alsoihopenobodymentionsbronsonpinchotagain

Pictured here: An artist's rendering of Manu Ginobili, as seen through the eyes of NBA officials.

http://magie-illusion.chez-alice.fr/flying.jpg

Why not just make Gino the topic of your next PhotoChop contest...Though Tay is burning all of his ideas already.

I think I missed this one. From A. Sherrod Blakely's blog on MLive:

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Arroyo, Milicic safely on roster... for now
SAN ANTONIO — We all know what to expect Thursday night.

Big Ben is gonna get double-digit rebounds and play pin-the-ball-on-the-backboard with a few San Antonio shots. Tim Duncan is gonna go off for 20 points and 10 rebounds - maybe by halftime. And of course, Tony Parker will score in the paint - a lot. And Manu Ginobili will flop - a lot.

Does anyone remember the article about the league's biggest floppers, where they followed Manu and talked about how he flopped more in one game than most players in a season?

I'm trying to find it, but Google isn't helping. Can't remember if it was espn, or cbssportsline, or whatever.

It was like a John Hollinger, mathematical equation on flops per 48 minutes.

did you guys ever see that picture of Manu in the tigger suit?

Funny stuff. Someone posted it on TOS.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2231863

Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa could miss up to three weeks with an injury to his left knee.

Barbosa has Grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and is out two to three weeks, the team said Monday.

But while the diagnosis received a sigh of relief from the team, it offered little solace for Barbosa who believes the injury could have been avoided.

He was injured Saturday when Spurs guard Manu Ginobili fell into him. He did return to play in the second half of that game.

"Ginobili always likes to flop," Barbosa told The Arizona Republic. "Nobody even touched him.

"He jost flopped. That's why I feel sad to hurt myself like that," he added. "I wish I could have hurt myself in another way."

Suns coach Mike D'Antoni told the paper Ginobili "got tangled up a little bit" with Raja Bell when he stumbled backward, and "just to make his point, he was falling down."

"It was an accident," D'Antoni told the Republic.

Ginobili has been accused in the past of overacting to draw fouls; Suns forward Shawn Marion even joked about practicing his own acting skills during last season's Western Conference finals, the paper reported.

Barbosa was averaging 15.7 points in 25.8 minutes this season.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories
/MYSA112205.7D.BKNspurs.notebook.8e56377.html


Ginobili rebuffs flop talk: Manu Ginobili disputed Leandro Barbosa's claim that he flopped into the Phoenix guard, who injured his left knee during Saturday's game at the SBC Center.

Ginobili fell into Barbosa in the final seconds of the first half. Barbosa suffered a second-degree sprain to his medial collateral ligament and is expected to be sidelined for up to three weeks.

"He just flopped," Barbosa told the Arizona Republic. "That's why I feel sad to hurt myself like that. I wish I could have hurt myself in another way."

Said Ginobili: "He knows I didn't try to hurt anybody."

Ginobili was trying to track down Beno Udrih's missed 3-pointer on the final possession of the first half when Suns guard Raja Bell blocked him. Bell wrapped his arm around Ginobili's neck and the two became entangled.

While it's difficult to tell whether Ginobili tried to exaggerate the contact, he did trip over Bell before falling into Barbosa. After picking himself up, Ginobili complained to the officials that Bell should have been called for a foul.

"I was trying to get the rebound and I thought that I fell on somebody," Ginobili said. "But then I was talking to the refs and I didn't see who it was. I didn't even see anybody."

Man, add ignorance to floppiness. He wasn't accused of trying to hurt Barbarosa, he was accused of flailing and flopping his body around to cheaply try to defraud the refs into calling a foul, and Barbarosa is merely pointing out that if he didn't flop like a bitch, Barbarosa never would have been injured.

He never said Manu tried to hurt him. He said if he wasn't such a flopper, the whole thing could have been avoided.

That one foul last night was a complete flop. He barely got touched on the wrist by Tay and he flopped all the way out of bounds. Collins pointed out that even a slight bit of contact on the wrist can throw off a shot, which I agree with, but does he need to fall down on that crap? There's no way that knocked him down. I don't mind flopping on charges so much, but Manu takes flopping to an extreme.

They should make the dive rule like in the NHL. That would at least cut a big portion of flopping out.

Did you see like three instances last night where no one touched him, and he clutched his jaw like he'd been cold cocked?

Or rubbed his hand over his forehead like he'd been hit by a baseball bat?

Both times, he made sure to wait for the refs to be looking before he clutched his face in dire agony.

Is how cousin Larry taught me how to to play the basket of the ball.

Now I am so happy we do the dance or joy - Da da da da dada da da hey hey hey hey....

I lower my shoulder into you.

I shove you away.

I grimace like you shot me in the balls.

My friend the ref calls the foul on you.

Even though nothing touched my face, I will walk to the free throw line clutching my jaw as if I've been cold cocked, hoping they will change my shoving you away into a flagrant foul against you.

http://espn-i.starwave.com/media/apphoto/TXBO10101130208.jpg

did you guys ever see that picture of Manu in the tigger suit?

Funny stuff. Someone posted it on TOS.

I remember seeing it, but I can't find it anywhere...

**grabs chin and gives a teary eyed look to Mola1**

You, as moderationer of this forum of poster, must do something to Kilo for his vicious attack on my person. I demand justice! But two free throws will suffice.

Its a RGM column, but its still a good read:


Ginobili’s Soccer-Style Flops Have No Place In The NBA
Authored by Hunter Johannason - 1st June, 2005 - 11:27 pm

I’d like to start this column off with a few disclaimers.

1. I enjoy watching Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs . He is Sarunas Marciulionis Version 2.0, except new and improved and a higher skiled player. He is one of the toughest players I have ever seen…on the offensive end (well not entirely, I just now watched a play in which he drove the hole, incurred a touch foul, and flailed his arms in the air as if the world was ending.

2. I love the sport of Soccer, or as the rest of the world calls it, football (for the sake of continuity, I will refer to the sport as Soccer throughout the remainder of this piece). Being that I grew to 6’6” I was more suited for Basketball, however, I enjoy the sport of Soccer and was even part of the bandwagon of US fans who awoke early to see the United States team lose to Germany in the year 2002 World Cup. A very enjoyable match I must say.

With those disclaimers on the record, this column can officially begin.

There has been an anger building up inside of me, a great frustration and annoyance that should not be.

As I write this, there is a disease spreading throughout the NBA and while it has been going on since the league’s conception, it is more prevalent now than ever. I am talking about the infliction known as excessive flopping. Big NBA bodies flying across the hardwood after incidental touches and strong gusts of air. The site of an elbow or any kind of tough grinding play is now sending players sprawling before contact is even made. At the top of my list sits Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs , my public enemy #1.

My frustration with flopping finally came out in a subdued-quasi-Pabst-filled rage that took place at the end of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. The last two minutes of the Phoenix Suns fight for survival saw Manu Ginobili make extremely difficult plays on the offensive end, each drive displaying a toughness that does not seem to fit his smaller body. But on the defensive end it was another story as I was forced to watch Ginobili violently twist his head at weird angles, his hair whipping to and fro, while his body would launch several feet in the air. And this is before the contact.

Anyone watching Game 4 remembers the Amare Stoudemire rebound at the end of the game, a crucial board that was immediately followed by a bear hug from Ginobili which resulted in the well-built youngster clearing the ball, and Ginobili with him. For a regular person with Manu’s build and toughness this act would have launched them back a bit. For this Argentian actor, it sent him sprawling across the key in a flop very reminiscent of the flops seen so frequently in any given soccer match. The only thing Ginobili neglected to do was to hold his knee in agony as if he were about to die. This knee-clutch would then be followed by a quick pop back up to his and a sprint down the court as if nothing ever happened. At least we were spared that.

During the next possession, a loose ball, Ginobili dives for it in a great display of hustle and heart, however in the dive, he manages to commit a foul which was never called, contort his neck awkwardly and wince in pain, as if somehow, the Suns player in front of him had miraculously caused him to fall that way.

Now, in this particular case, I must give credit to the referees. They made the right calls and did not let Ginobili’s acting influence the game…too much. But, the fact remains, Ginobili does get a lot of calls his way after flailing in the air like a dove with broken wings. And this is spreading, because winning is everything, and if flopping helps a player win, he will inevitably do it because if he doesn’t, his opponents will.

To combat this plague, I propose a rule similar to an amendment that was added for the 2002 World Cup making it official that if a player flagrantly flops in an attempt to cause a foul and as a result, land a free-kick, they are given a yellow-card instead.

This new rule wasn’t entirely effective, but it did make the players think a bit. So, the next time Ginobili thinks about contorting his body into a mangled heap to draw a foul, he will have to be pretty sure there will be contact, lest he be given a technical.

This rule would not end flopping in the NBA; however, it would make players aware that if they are too blatant, too often, they will start getting technical’s on a regular basis.

From the San Antonio press:

Is Manu a flopper: Many opponents not fond of his dramatic falls

Web Posted: 06/05/2005 12:00 AM CDT

Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer

It started, not surprisingly, when Denver coach George Karl opened his mouth. Having watched Manu Ginobili — legs splayed, arms contorted, neck snapped back, his long, dark locks whipping everywhere — crash into the Nuggets one too many times, Karl encouraged his players to grow out their own tresses.

Not only does Ginobili flop, Karl said, his flowing hair is also a convenient prop to draw fouls.

Seattle's Ray Allen chimed in next. If Ginobili was going to fall down anyway, Allen said, the Sonics' big men might as well help him. EDIT - NOTE TO PISTON PLAYERS

The Phoenix Suns, Shawn Marion joked, were so impressed by Ginobili's alleged flopping during the Western Conference finals they planned to sign up for their own acting lessons.

Ginobili has more than enough evidence to refute charges he has gone from All-Star to All-Fake: the bruised left quadriceps he has been playing with for two weeks (either his second or third of the season — the team has lost count); the groin strain he has carried with him since March; the bruised right quadriceps he suffered plowing into Houston's Yao Ming; a sore back from his too-many-to-remember falls; hip pointers (left and right); and, not the least of which, the black-and-blue nickname Brent Barry hung on him, El Contusion.

"I'm 200 pounds and I'm slashing all the time, going against 300-pound guys," Ginobili said. "I'm telling you it's not easy to go finish, get hit and land on your feet."

More often than not, Ginobili lands with a thud. Lowering his head and driving to the basket time and again EDIT - IE OFFENSIVE FOUL, he treats his body as if it were a bumper car, pinballing off defenders until someone has to scrape him off the floor.

"He just goes in there, takes a licking and keeps on ticking," said Sonics center Danny Fortson, who dished out one of the two flagrant fouls Ginobili has attracted during the playoffs.

Ginobili's relentless efforts to take the ball to the rim — and the high-wire moves he uses to get it there — have earned him the respect of his teammates and an ever-growing legion of fans, Karl excluded. They also have rewarded him with 144 free throws in the playoffs. Only Amare Stoudemire and Tim Duncan have shot more.

"He just frustrates teams because he's getting to the basket any time he wants," Tony Parker said. "He's just being aggressive and doing his thing."

Among the things Ginobili does, some of his opponents claim, is flop. Stoudemire was the latest to complain. After Ginobili wrapped him up late in Game 4 of the conference finals, Stoudemire shook loose, in the process flinging Ginobili to his back. Both players received a technical.

Stoudemire credited Ginobili with "a great acting job." Before the playoffs began, Ginobili rarely, if ever, heard similar complaints.

"I don't like people that cry a lot and complain and we had some in the first rounds," Ginobili said. "But I'm not going to make that change my way of playing, the way I feel the game.

"I'm just going to keep doing what I do."

What Ginobili admits to occasionally doing is exaggerating contact that has already been made. Flopping, he said, is different.

"Everybody tries to draw a call and make a ref see it," Ginobili said. "I can't even think of one person who doesn't do that."

The NBA also made it easier for aggressive, athletic players to get to the foul line this season by restricting the amount of contact defenders can make on the perimeter.

Despite the new emphasis, Ginobili grew frustrated early in the season over his inability to draw fouls. As the Spurs began to give him the ball more and more in pressure situations, he seemed to gain more respect from some referees.

During the playoffs, Ginobili has averaged nine free-throw attempts per game, more than three above what he averaged during the regular season. His ability to get to the line, along with his 3-point shooting, has made him one of the league's most efficient players. He has averaged 21.8 points during the playoffs, despite attempting only 12.6 shots per game.

"He's an All-Star," Rasho Nesterovic said, "and it's not flopping that got him there." EDIT: That's EXACTLY what got him there

Ginobili isn't the first player to be accused of flopping. During Seattle's first-round series, Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said Sonics forward Reggie Evans, "goes down when the air conditioning comes on." Los Angeles Lakers center Vlade Divac is the league's most famed flopper.

Foreign players have a harder time avoiding the label. Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni, who enjoyed a lengthy playing and coaching career in Italy, said the prevalence of soccer in Europe has led basketball players to adopt some of that sport's flopping tactics.

The reputation, while mostly humorous, can have its drawbacks. Malik Rose, who is particularly adept at drawing charges, learned the skill from Divac when they played together in Charlotte. One veteran referee said he had no intention of rewarding Rose's "flopping" before a game last season. He made good on his vow. D'Antoni rates Ginobili's ability to draw fouls as "one of the best." "But," D'Antoni said, "he's also a great player."

Asked if he agreed with Karl's theory that Ginobili's longer mane gets him more calls, D'Antoni laughed.

"George," he said, "is just jealous because he lost his own hair a long time ago."

Thats Cow's name.

Thats Cow's name.

Or maybe not. I don't know about him being 6-6. His name is Hunter J though.

Some have a flair for the flop

Web-posted Jun 19, 2005

By DAVID BIRKETT
Of The Oakland Press

AUBURN HILLS - Carlos Arroyo took a drama class one semester in college at Florida International, but the Pistons point guard said the best acting lessons he ever received came from Rolando Hourruitiner.

One of Arroyo's teammates on the Puerto Rican national team, Hourruitiner took Arroyo aside as a young basketball player and taught him the oft-perpetrated, much-maligned art of flopping.

"Guys and vets that played in Europe and (international) tournaments, they'd tell me, 'If you act, referees really will call it,' " Arroyo said. "They used to teach me how to just grab their arm and go, 'Ohh.' "

Arroyo said Hourruitiner is basketball's Robert DeNiro - "the best flopper I've ever seen" - but veteran NBA observers will tell you he's far from the game's only serial flopper.

Former Piston Bill Laimbeer had his well-earned reputation. Current players Vlade Divac, Derek Fisher and Steve Nash are widely recognized for their ability to make harmless contact seem so believably rough. And in these NBA Finals, players from both teams fingered Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen, Lindsey Hunter and Chauncey Billups as budding thespians.

"There hasn't been that much flopping in this series," said Spurs forward Robert Horry, who cops to exaggerating a fall or two in his younger days. "If you had to take a flopper off our team, it'd be Manu, and a flopper off their team, it'd be Lindsey because Lindsey really learned how to slide his feet and then fall down." EDHIT - his own teammate calls him the biggest flopper on their team

"I don't flop," countered Hunter. "I take charges."

Whatever you call it, everyone acknowledges there is a technique to successfully getting calls.

A loud scream, coupled with a flailing extremity or two, plus a little bit of contact is enough to make most flops seem believable.

"Like in soccer," Arroyo said, explaining where foreign players get their flair for the flop. "You hit somebody in the leg, and they'll (writhe in pain). Ten seconds later, they're running normal. Same thing."

"That's why Ginobili flops so much?" Pistons forward Antonio McDyess asked of San Antonio's animated Argentine. "He's probably one of the best at it. He's definitely one of the best at it. He makes it so believable. He's so believable that you would really think somebody is really fouling him or running over him."

Ginobili, whose wild hair and embellished body movements make his falls seem all the more dramatic, confesses to nothing more than "exaggerating a little bit."

Others admit their flavor for the flop.

"I'm a big flopper," Arroyo said. "If I know I can get a call when they didn't hit me as much, I'll try to flop a little bit, act a little bit."

"Every defensive player does it," said Horry. "You got to just get in front, once you feel the contact, you got to drop. Drop like you've been shot."

For the record, Horry said his flopping days are over. "When you get my age," he said, "you don't flop, because it's too hard to get up."

Ditto for Pistons center Elden Campbell, but for a different reason.

"I hate it," Campbell said. "I hate it with a passion. In my 15-year career, I probably flopped twice - and it didn't work."

Campbell said he last tried flopping in last year's NBA Finals against Shaquille O'Neal, and he learned a hard lesson for trying.

"He ended up (elbowing) me in my face," Campbell said. "They didn't call a foul anyway, so I was like, it's not even going to work."

While Hunter, Horry and others say flopping is a form of art perfected by the few, Campbell doesn't think so.

"It's (expletive)," Campbell said. "If there's an art to (expletive), I guess so."

It is an art and I am the Da Vinci of floppingness.

Question: Does anybody think that a game like this (and the Xmas game) might be the sort of thing that causes the Spurs to make a roster move or two? Would that be an overreaction or smart on their part?


Kelly (San Antonio, TX): Though the Spurs have the best record in the West, they've been manhandled upfront by the Pistons - TWICE. Are they looking to move either Rasho or Nazr and get another bigman who can bang with the Wallaces?

SportsNation Chris Sheridan: The Spurs never get too exceited or too concerned about anything that happens before April. They're looking to tinker a little, perhaps by trading someone like Beno Udrih, but Nazr doesn't have much trade value in the final year of his contract and they're probably going to end up keeping him.

"I don't flop," countered Hunter. "I take charges."

Thats something Ginobody could ever say. Unlike Ginobody, hunter has a set.



And I basicly agree 110% with Taymelo here. Gino's flopping has gotten way out of control. With all the bitching about it, you would think the NBA refs would catch on by now. But I guess they're not allowed to read the news. I remember that game the guy in the RGM artical was talking about, and had it not been for Ginobody's flops, the suns could have very well been in the finals.

I hate it. I think flops should be a defensive foul, and a fine. If you can get fined for not wearing a suit to the game because it gives the NBA a bad image, then you should be fined for trying to hurt the game with flopping. Flops are for pussies. But I guess thats why he does it.

I'd hate to be the one to throw out the race card, but there's gotta be something to the fact that he's so thin and butt white, and is violently bouncing off darker players with bigger muscles.

It just looks like the nerd getting beat up in high school, or something, when its really a Columbine kid blowing people's heads off.


(or something like that)

White and foreign players flop to keep up with us blacks on the court. Flopping is the only way they can score. :lol:

Also the three point line.

I just put NBA Flopper into Google (no quotation marks).

It was fun.

No surprise what came back at the #1 slot.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/c_hanes101/other/ManuFish.jpg

I just put NBA Flopper into Google (no quotation marks).

It was fun.

No surprise what came back at the #1 slot.
ummm vlade?

i googled nba flop on the image and got this

:shock:
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040827/040827_ginobili_vmed.widec.jpg
and yess thats ginobli making out with the redhead..

Go to the regular search. Ginobody comes up first.

someone with better animation skills should make a flopping ginobili fish. kindof like my Shrek and Donkey one I did last year (but better).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v223/c_hanes101/Avs/shrek4.gif

I forgot to mention something about last night's game.

Nick Van Exel is fat.

That is all.

That was NVE.

That explains a lot. All game long I was thinking that Robert Traylor used to be a lot taller.

That was NVE.

That explains a lot. All game long I was thinking that Robert Traylor used to be a lot taller.


:laughing6: