Article: Finley's shooting goes cold

[spurssheriff]

Finley's shooting goes cold

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...y.80d8b45.html

Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer

On an afternoon when he helped hold Denver's high-scoring Carmelo Anthony to 4-of-19 shooting, Spurs guard Michael Finley had to face this fact: In his past two games, he has shot nearly as inaccurately, making only 4 of 18 attempts.

Despite the sprained right ankle that sidelined Spurs All-Star guard Manu Ginobili for the second time this season, coach Gregg Popovich opted to bring Finley off the bench in Sunday's game at AT&T Center.

Popovich did so to maintain some consistency in the role he wants Finley to play the rest of the season. Finley had started 18 games earlier while Ginobili either was inactive with a sprained foot or regaining his conditioning after inactivity.

In addition to maintaining Finley's role, Popovich started Brent Barry in hopes that might jump-start Barry's productivity. Neither player was able to take advantage of the strategy.

Finley and Barry each made 3 of 10 shots. Worse, they combined to make only 2 of 13 3-point shots in Denver's 89-85 victory, just the Spurs' third loss this season on their home court.

"It didn't work tonight because I didn't do anything," said Finley, who took only one shot in the fourth quarter, a 3 pointer, and missed it. "I didn't produce off the bench, but it's just a one-game scenario. Maybe next time, it will work. But it had nothing to do with Brent starting and me coming off the bench. I just didn't produce."

Finley said he didn't get some of the wide-open shots to which he has grown accustomed in his first season with the Spurs, but admitted the looks were good enough and that he should have made more of them.

"I felt good on all my shots," he said. "It just wasn't going down for me today."

What Finley did best was defend Anthony, who entered the game as the NBA's No. 8 scorer at 25.7 points per game. While Bruce Bowen did the bulk of the defensive work on Anthony, Finley was nearly as effective when matched up with the third-year player.

The effort needed to keep Anthony in check played no part in his poor shooting, Finley said.

"When you have a defensive assignment like that it keeps you in the game," he said. "You can't relax on the defensive end, so, conversely, it helps you on the offensive end, because you have your juice, and you're ready to go."

Ordinarily, making Anthony take 19 shots to score 20 points would produce a Spurs victory. Not Sunday.

"We did everything we were supposed to do in our game plan, except to keep them out of transition," Finley said. "And it goes hand in hand: When we're missing long shots and they're getting long rebounds, it gets them in transition, which is one of their strengths.

"So that really backfired on us."

[bnwhuxley]

No excuses, Finley. You can miss long shots, and they can get long rebounds, but that doesn't mean you let them convert their transition opportunities. If Tim Duncan can bust his azz to get back in transition, surely you guards could have done the same.

This game was lost on effort, period.

[spurscrazed]

Naturally Pop is experimenting now with Manu out, but I think Fin should have started because Barry is not ready to start yet.

Let's see What Pop and his assitant coaches will come up rotaion wise next game...

Can't wait to see next game...

Go Pop-You can figure it out

[spurs000001]

Well it's a rule for otherwise great shooters to come to San Antonio and start missing them.

see: Michael Finley
see previous example: Brent Barry

[Spurs|ATX|]

I think that Finley has yet to have back to back games on sharp shooting..

[Cruzzer]

Originally Posted by SA Spurs 2006

Well it's a rule for otherwise great shooters to come to San Antonio and start missing them.

see: Michael Finley
see previous example: Brent Barry

...or we can have them "home grown".

see: Bruce Bowen

[liquidsky]

Three things:
1. Start Finley,
2. Barry comes off the bench,
3. Pray Manu comes back quickly.

[Falcone]

Originally Posted by SA Spurs 2006

Well it's a rule for otherwise great shooters to come to San Antonio and start missing them.

see: Michael Finley
see previous example: Brent Barry

and before that... Hedo Turkoglu

[Buzzsaw]

Perhaps the decision to let Devin Brown go in favor of Finley was not the most astute front office move we have seen so far.

[Falcone]

Originally Posted by Buzzsaw

Perhaps the decision to let Devin Brown go in favor of Finley was not the most astute front office move we have seen so far.

for the money I think it was a good move. I will not fault the spurs brass for finley going cold.

[Buzzsaw]

Finley looks like he's over the hill to me. He's got nothing to the hoop and if he isn't making shots he doesn't do much else.

[capitalcity]

Other than the obvious changes, this is the exact same article that has been written about Finley - more accurately, his midseason swoon - for the last 4 years. Exact same. Even the lip service quotes about Finley "raising" his defensive and hustle game to make up for his lack of production.

There is a good reason Don Nelson labeled him the thermos during his slumps...

The good news? Well other than the fact ya'll are tied for first in the west despite injury and un-spurlike play, history tells us Fin's swoon is temporary. He'll eventually round back into form; get his touch back, and bury teams in the fourth quarter like ya'll saw versus Milwaukee.

The bad news? All things you already know. When he's off don't expect him to contribute in other ways. He rarely drives. He poorly defends.

I don't know how healthy Barry is... but I would do my best to move him into the starting lineup unless he really, really sucks. Mike Finley will be one of the better 6th men in the league once he gets into the rhythm of playing 2nd and 4th quarters. I don't fault Pop for shuffling lineups - injury has forced his hand. But what effect might that have down the stretch?

The World Champs were a team that won with consistency and chemistry over talent and individual effort - this years squad is shaping up to be, by comparison, a very unspurlike team.

[Falcone]

As long as Finley gets hot around early May and can continue thru June that is fine with me!

[Amente]

Finley's shooting goes cold

For most of this season has Finley's shooting ever really been hot?

[Malice]

Originally Posted by Amente

For most of this season has Finley's shooting ever really been hot?

Its been room temperature a couple times...

[Spaceman Spiff]

Originally Posted by Falcone

and before that... Hedo Turkoglu

Remember: Hedo shot lights out until the playoffs. He was at the top of the league.

[Grego]

Barry in the past has done well as a starter. And until Manu can get back, Barry should start and Finley should continue to come off the bench.

We can look at Finley and see he hasn't found consistency, but the whole team is like that. So there's actually not many excuses for much of the team. Effort should always be there. Shooting might not, the team might hit everything from half court to the full court, but defense and effort should always be there.

Originally Posted by Amente

For most of this season has Finley's shooting ever really been hot?

Nope, but he's had some big games.

[KAD]

He was bad in the Miami game - thank God Parker was on and Barry also came through1