Finely on Fire playing for the Spurs - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

FishForLunch · 11-01-2005, 10:40 PM

I am sure we will miss finely sorely this year

Bayliss · 11-01-2005, 10:42 PM

He's having a very nice game.

Windmill360 · 11-01-2005, 10:43 PM

He's not guarding anyone though. He's not succeeding anyway.

Drbio · 11-01-2005, 10:45 PM

Finley has been a swinging gate at the defensive end, but man oh man is he playing some outstanding offensive basketball.

At 4:52 left in the game he dropped his jock for Carmelo. Anthony made him look pretty old there. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

grndmstr_c · 11-01-2005, 10:47 PM

Only started watching midway through the third quarter, but he's looked good to me. I simply can't help but root for the guy. Been a bonafide fan of his for too long. Waiting to see how things work out with Doug, Quis, and the Mavs' big frontcourt (and Stack's knee, I suppose) before I decide whether we miss him, though.

Bayliss · 11-01-2005, 10:50 PM

Finley is going to probably have quite a few nights like these. But sprinkled between those good shooting nights, he'll have stat lines of

2-8 for 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers....

And by the end of the year he'll be averaging somewhere between 12-15 points a game.

FilthyFinMavs · 11-01-2005, 10:52 PM

Yea Carmelo has been raping him but offensively Fin has looked great. He's moving well on both ends of the court. Amazing that Finely can play at the end of the 4th quarter on the SPURS but can't for the Mavs last season lol. Oh well. Good game by both teams. Denver sort of just gave it up at the end. Don't think they expected Finley to kill them that late. Fin looked hesitant for the most part of the game. Nick and Horry are just throwing up anything. Might as well throw it up there yourself Fin. 5/6 in the 4th quarter and 16 points off the bench. Let's keep doing that all year and he might be a 6th man candidate. Spurs team looks real good. REAL GOOD. I didn't even seen Beno Udrich tonight.

grndmstr_c · 11-01-2005, 11:16 PM

By my count the Spurs outscored the Nuggets by 24 points in Fin's on-court time.

MavsFanFinley · 11-01-2005, 11:27 PM

Fin actually played good defense until the 4th quarter when Melo was abusing him. Bowen was even worse and Pop went with Finley early and he delivered on that end.

The 4th quarter had its highs and lows. He couldn't keep with Melo then but he was putting on his own show offensively.

Who knows if Dallas will miss him but he's found his place in San Antonio. The most impressive thing was his boxing out under the rim when he wasn't grabbing rebounds.

His shooting will come and go. But he was boxing out, grabbing rebounds, playing defense, and moving without the ball before his 4th quarter show. Pop won't let him get away with that when his shooting isn't there. And I think Finley can do those other things with his minutes around 20-25.

FilthyFinMavs · 11-02-2005, 12:17 AM

I thought the most impressive thing was Fin playing at the end of the 4th quarter with Bowen on the bench. Does Pop already have that much confidence in Fin's game that he will sit his starter for the past 4 years in Bruce Bowen? Both were getting roasted by Melo so I guess Pop felt he should go with offense.

TVI · 11-02-2005, 12:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Drbio
Finley has been a swinging gate at the defensive end, but man oh man is he playing some outstanding offensive basketball.

At 4:52 left in the game he dropped his jock for Carmelo. Anthony made him look pretty old there. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

In fairness to Fin, nobody seemed able to stop Melo. The dude was hitting some tough shots.

#1MavsFan · 11-02-2005, 01:07 AM

Michael Finley, GF 28 7-10 1-1 1-2 1 4 5 1 0 0 2 1 16

Thats really impressive, I wish the mavs could get sg play anywhere close to that.

EricaLubarsky · 11-02-2005, 03:11 AM

it just pisses me off that he put in so little effort last year. The guy is a champion and in a good system, he's still star material.

DelNegro · 11-02-2005, 10:45 AM

Quote:

In fairness to Fin, nobody seemed able to stop Melo. The dude was hitting some tough shots.

Melo impressed last night. He's 20 pounds lighter than last year making him quicker, and for at least one night he realized that his game is on the low block, not out on the perimeter shooting jumpers. Finley was overmatched down there, but so was Bowen. The effort was there though. It also seemed as if Pop was testing Finley by letting him deal with Melo all by himself. Bowen was given way more double-teaming help than Finley was.

DelNegro · 11-02-2005, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: FilthyFinMavs
I thought the most impressive thing was Fin playing at the end of the 4th quarter with Bowen on the bench. Does Pop already have that much confidence in Fin's game that he will sit his starter for the past 4 years in Bruce Bowen? Both were getting roasted by Melo so I guess Pop felt he should go with offense.

I was somewhat surprised about that too, but Pop has always done stuff like this early in the season. He likes to play the new additions in crunch time early in the season to see how they respond. Long term though I think it just depends on the game situation as for who will be getting the 4th quarter minutes. If the Spurs are playing with a lead you'll probably see Bowen, Finley from behind.

MavKikiNYC · 11-02-2005, 11:05 AM

Finley and the Mavericks had oddly parallel nights---both played poorly for 3 quarters (more or less), and then finished with a flurry to take decisions (separately) in their first game apart.

Finley did not look good at all until Q4, but he came through very nicely last night by playing WITHIN the COMPLEMENTARY role that the Spurs have for him. If he could have done that for the Mavericks consistently this year (and not to mention with the same financial consequences that he represents for the Spur), then I would certainly have loved for the Mavericks to have been able to have kept him.

Will be interesting to see if he is able to produce at this level consistently for the Spurs. If he is, they are going to have a really strong 1-2 punch at that position with him and Bruce El-Bowen.

Here's hoping for the Spurs, for the fans of Finley (as well as for the detractors of Mark Cuban, among which I fail to count myself on this issue) that he's able to do so.

Murphy3 · 11-02-2005, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by: EricaLubarsky
it just pisses me off that he put in so little effort last year. The guy is a champion and in a good system, he's still star material.

I'll agree with the first part. I'm pissed off with how little effort he gave last year. I don't agree with the next sentence though.

alby · 11-02-2005, 01:52 PM

We all saw this last year, the question was consistency...

alby · 11-02-2005, 01:55 PM

was he boxing out, grabbing rebounds, moving without the ball, etc for us last year? just wondering...............................

FilthyFinMavs · 11-02-2005, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: alby
was he boxing out, grabbing rebounds, moving without the ball, etc for us last year? just wondering...............................

When he wasn't hurt he was. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

FilthyFinMavs · 11-02-2005, 04:27 PM

Is Finley already a Sixth Man favorite?
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5045944
Posted: 2 minutes ago

The first stop in our initial swing through the league was San Antonio, where the Spurs began their title defense against the ambitious Denver Nuggets by claiming a 102-91 decision.

Let's take a close look at San Antonio's three significant newcomers — Michael Finley, Fabrico Oberto, and Nick Van Exel — as well as the return to the starting lineup of an all but forgotten veteran, Rasho Nesterovic.

MIN FG 3FG FT REB A BS TO ST PTS
Nesterovic 10 1-2 0-0 0-0 2 0 1 1 0 2
Oberto 14 3-4 0-0 0-0 4 0 0 2 0 6
Van Exel 14 2-5 1-3 0-0 0 2 0 2 0 5
Finley 28 7-10 1-1 1-2 5 1 0 2 0 16

Nesterovic

Among all the Spurs' "true" centers (which also includes Oberto and Nazr Mohammed, and excludes Tim Duncan), Nesterovic has the most potent offense in screen/roll (S/R) situations. This is because he's an excellent passer and shooter, and because he can fade and post as well as roll to the hoop. Being mindful of Nesterovic's accurate mid-range jumper, opponents have to tighten up their S/R defense and beware of using his defender to double the ball handler. In his lone post-up opportunity, Nesterovic bagged a neat fadeaway-turnaround jumper over his right shoulder.

Defense is another story: Nesterovic was properly situated in one-on-one face-offs, but his weak-side to strong-side rotations were usually late. Also, Nesterovic is very slow off his feet, and both Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby routinely beat him to rebounds despite his having optimum position.

Mohammed can't match Nesterovic's offensive skills, but is much quicker both vertically and laterally. With Nesterovic in the game, however, the Spurs have still one more player who can move the ball and facilitate an often erratic offense.

Oberto

Even though he hit a low-slung jumper from 18-feet, Oberto is best without the ball in his hands. He made several nice cuts to the hoop, and he also had a nifty put-back when his man stepped up to help on a penetrating guard. Also credit Oberto with a slick pass to a cutting Robert Horry, and discredit him for a silly turnover pass into heavy traffic.

Simply put, Oberto's defense was horrible. His rotations were late, he failed to box out, he got lost several times in transition defense, and Eduardo Najera (not noted for his offensive prowess) took him to school on a four-dribble one-on-one move. At one point, Oberto was so lost on defense that he had no idea who he was supposed to be guarding. Like Nesterovic, Oberto is slow off his feet and spring-legged smaller players routinely beat him to the top of rebounds.

Sure, as the season progresses, Oberto will figure out all the angles and assignments, and, yes, he's strictly a role player. But Oberto seems to the kind of marginally athletic and minimally skilled player who could only survive (and contribute) on a team that plays with discipline and is also loaded with scorers. It's hard to imagine Oberto meriting more than garbage-time minutes for any other squad in the league.

Van Exel

His first rotation was his best: Being guarded by Camby in a switch, Van Exel's initial shot for his new team was a 3-ball that split the net. A few minutes later, another defensive switch had Van Exel being guarded by Najera. This time, Nick was quick to the hoop with one of his familiar flippers. (The Spurs also ran a pair of staggered screens to get Van Exel good looks, but he missed them both.) He tossed one assist-pass to Duncan and another to Finley that resulted in scores. And that was just about all that Van Exel registered in the plus column.

On the debit side of his offense, Van Exel forced a drive and was tooted for a charge, threw a pass to nobody when confronted with full-court pressure, and was understandably tentative with the ball.

On the defensive end he was roasted by Earl Boykins, to the point of being faked off his feet twenty feet from the basket. Boykins beat Van Exel downcourt once (an unforgivable lapse), and generally had his way with the X-man in Denver's half-court sets. Defense is, always has been, and always will be the most vulnerable part of Van Exel's game. As much as he can, Popovich will have to match Van Exel up with point guards who don't look to score.

Finley

After Carmelo Anthony had opened the game by abusing Bruce Bowen with two quick spins in the low post, Finley was the Spurs' first sub off the bench. Right away, Anthony received a pass near the foul line, drove right, and pulled up for a jumper — and Finley was right there as close as a tick on a dog, forcing Melo to miss.

Thereafter, just about every time Anthony ventured into the low post, the Spurs sent a double-teamer to help Finley. In the fourth quarter, however, the Spurs let Finley try to handle Anthony on his own. The result was consecutive baskets on a trio of tight spin moves, and another score when Anthony utilized a surprise screen from Camby.

Michael Finley can only help the Spurs' chances of a championship repeat. (D. Clarke Evans / Getty Images)

(Indeed, one-on-one moves by either Anthony or Boykins represented the most successful aspects of Denver's half-court offense.)

If defending Anthony unaided was beyond Finley's (and most likely any other single defender in the entire league) capacity, the Spurs' prize free-agent catch was much more successful on the downhill end of the court: An understandable parley of caution and confusion caused Finley to make several weak passes — the most egregious being a softly-bouncing attempt at a cross-court pass along the baseline that plopped weakly out of bounds.

And later in the fourth quarter Finley was expecting one of his teammates to shoot when the extra pass (a specialty of the Spurs) caught him by surprise and bounced off his hands. A wily veteran, Finley was usually stationed beyond the 3-point arc on the weak side, but he hustled himself into a put-back in transition, and also executed a sharp cut to the hoop whereupon he turned a pass from TD into a dunk.

But Finley demonstrated that there was one particular aspect of his game that will undoubtedly enhance San Antonio's chances for a repeat — his ability to catch and shoot in the clutch.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Finley nailed four big ones in the closing minutes of the game enabling the Spurs to pull away from the overmatched Nuggets and cement their win.

So, then, Nesterovic appears to be a useful, but strictly part-time big man. Oberto will need lots of time to figure out who he's guarding and how to successfully accomplish this task. Van Exel's inferior defense will most likely insure that he spends the majority of the season being a stranger in paradise. But it's Michael Finley who will eventually make the biggest difference for the Spurs.

Is it too early to tout Finley for Sixth Man honors?

Charley Rosen, former CBA coach, author of 12 books about hoops, the current one being A pivotal season — How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA, is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.

MavKikiNYC · 11-02-2005, 05:34 PM

I think needs to get at least 25-30 of that kind of games under his belt before anyone starts talking about 6th Man awards.

But Charley Rosen can retire the prize already for stupid columns.

FilthyFinMavs · 11-02-2005, 05:41 PM

Yea its premature but i'm just shock by the media love. They wait to give him this love after he leaves the Mavs. Even back when he was making All Star games he never recieved this much love.

rabbitproof · 11-03-2005, 02:31 AM

Cuban is right. The media loves to think with money in its mind.

The amount of love you recieve is relative to the paycheck you draw every week. Sure, he's due 50M+ but he's currently playing for a NBA peanuts contract. Slap Finley on the Spurs with a 17M+ price tag and I don't care if he plays 60 games like he played yesterday, he's going to be criticized.

Same rule applies to teams in my mind. If the Mavs had a run of the mill payroll, the TNT crew would not bash on Dallas so.

Anyways, Finley is underpaid now, was overpaid before, is in the right place and played very well last night. Go Findawg go!

alby · 11-03-2005, 06:25 PM

true.

FilthyFinMavs · 11-04-2005, 12:22 AM

You've got a point Rabbit but what's the reasoning behind Nash getting so much love from the media all of a sudden? He played the same way with the Mavs and wasn't even an MVP candidate let alone winner. But when he leaves the Mavs he's all of a sudden a new player at 30.

MrCheerios · 11-04-2005, 04:53 AM

^^
Probably had something to do with him getting the most assists per game since Stockton was in his prime. His team winning 62 games probably didn't hurt either. And his team's scoring average dropping from 110ppg to high-80's when he was injured probably cemented it.

jayC · 11-04-2005, 02:00 PM

First Finley is hit or miss because he is surely a jumpshooter. He will have games with the spurs where he nails four open threes in a row. It is easy to look good when you have all-star Duncan and all-star Ginobli on the floor with you. I am willing to bet when Stack comes back we won't miss Fin nearly as much.

MavsFanFinley · 11-05-2005, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Finley is going to probably have quite a few nights like these. But sprinkled between those good shooting nights, he'll have stat lines of

2-8 for 6 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers....

As Bayliss predicted ... Finley shot poorly tonight but he made up for it in other areas.

20min, 1-6, 1-3, 3pts, 4rbs, 3as, 1to, 2stls

And the defense, hustle, energy, boxing out were there just as much as the first game.

The Crippler · 11-05-2005, 12:10 PM

i disagree. Finley looked like last years Finley friday night. He was soft as charmin, and those assists are much easier to come by with Duncan on your team.

alby · 11-05-2005, 01:26 PM

20 minutes, 1 of 6 shooting, 3 points

where most of his minutes were against Cleveland's second team

there's the Fin we all know and love

#1MavsFan · 11-05-2005, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: alby
20 minutes, 1 of 6 shooting, 3 points

where most of his minutes were against Cleveland's second team

there's the Fin we all know and love

Most of his minutes weren't against Clevelands 2nd team, and how easily we overlook the 3 assists, 2 steals, and 4 rebounds. Also Pop has praised him recently for his hustle on defense.

Bayliss · 11-05-2005, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Most of his minutes weren't against Clevelands 2nd team

8 out of his minutes were. He was subbed in the 4th quarter and at that point he was 0-3 for 0 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.

He gained his 3 points, 1 assist, and 2 rebounds in the blowout garbage time.

dude1394 · 11-05-2005, 02:57 PM

Sounds like rationalization to me. Hmmmm.....finley or christie......wonder who would be better on this team....hmmmmm...

Thespiralgoeson · 11-05-2005, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: dude1394 Hmmmm.....finley or christie......wonder who would be better on this team....hmmmmm...

Marquis Daniels

#1MavsFan · 12-15-2005, 11:49 PM

Fin had a good game tonight as he was the difference in the SA/Min game.

21 points (team high) on 7 of 13 shooting with 2 assists, 4 rebounds, a steal, and a block.

And in his last game against the clippers he had:

21 points on 8 of 15 shooting with 10 boards.

He is starting to step up for the Spurs in a big way.

MavsFanFinley · 12-16-2005, 12:15 AM

Finley has stepped up in place of the injured Ginobli. He looks so much more comfortable with the team.

AP recap:

By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
December 15, 2005

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Michael Finley nearly signed with Minnesota this summer, ultimately choosing to leave Dallas for defending champion San Antonio.

On Thursday night, Finley left the Timberwolves frowning again.

The veteran swingman scored 21 points, including the last six for the Spurs, to help San Antonio hold off Minnesota 90-88.

"Finley is definitely stepping up and playing great basketball," teammate Tony Parker said. "He's just feeling more comfortable with the team."

Kevin Garnett got the best of Tim Duncan with 24 points and a season-high 21 rebounds, but the Timberwolves dropped their third straight game when Troy Hudson's off-balance, running 15-foot jumper in traffic at the buzzer fell short.

Garnett, who was wide open at the top of the key, had a glum look on his face when Finley approached him and put his arms on his shoulders in consolation. As fans filed out and players walked to the locker room, Finley told Garnett how much he wanted to play with him.

"Unlike some of the other people in the league I told over the phone, I wanted to tell Kevin face to face," said Finley, who had 21 points in his last game, too, filling in for the injured Manu Ginobili. "It was a tough decision, because I've always been a Kevin Garnett fan. In my opinion, he's one of the best players to ever play the game."

Duncan had 13 points and nine rebounds, missing four of his seven free-throw attempts. He was 5-for-20 from the foul line in his previous two games.

Garnett made a pair of free throws to bring the Wolves to 80-76 with 4:44 remaining, the closest they got since the second quarter. Hudson did the same to make it 84-80, but Brent Barry found Finley open on a baseline cut -- and the 11-year veteran swished a jumper to put San Antonio back up by six.

After Marko Jaric's layup, Finley sank a 3-pointer to increase the lead to seven.

"Finley has hit some big shots throughout his career," Garnett said, "and that is a classic example of the weapons they have."

Garnett appreciated Finley's gesture after the game.

"I have a lot of respect for the man," he said.

Minnesota didn't quit, cutting the lead to 89-87 on a layup by Wally Szczerbiak -- who had 23 points -- with 1:09 to play. Parker was called for a charging foul against Hudson, giving the Wolves a chance to tie.

Jaric missed a layup, Anthony Carter missed a long jumper and Garnett missed a turnaround. Jaric grabbed his rebound on that possession and was fouled with 5.8 seconds remaining, but he made only one of two foul shots.

Finley then went 1-for-2 at the line on the other end after drawing a foul, setting up the final possession. The Spurs, who improved to 18-4, are 16-0 when they shoot 45 percent or better from the field.

That's because they're so sound with their backs to the basket.

Minnesota coach Dwane Casey, whose team fell to 3-7 in games decided by five points or less, considers San Antonio his defensive measuring stick. But the Wolves might have given the Spurs too much respect in a woeful second quarter in which they settled for too many jump shots -- a customary problem for them.

"It takes us getting our butts kicked to turn it on," Szczerbiak said.

A 21-14 lead melted into a 10-point halftime deficit, after the Spurs outscored the Timberwolves 25-8 in the period. It was the lowest second-quarter total in Minnesota's 17 seasons.

Garnett's rest always comes in this period, and the Wolves were outscored 14-2 during the time he sat out -- with Robert Horry scoring the first seven points on a free throw and back-to-back 3-pointers.

It's early in the season, but the Wolves' confidence has been shaken this week. They lost on consecutive nights at Philadelphia and against Sacramento -- which came on the heels of a five-game winning streak. They watched Bonzi Wells swish a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Kings a 93-91 victory on Tuesday, and the Sixers pulled out a 90-89 overtime decision the day before.

Hudson, back from a four-game absence due to knee and calf injuries, sparked the Timberwolves late in the third period after substituting for Michael Olowokandi with less than 5 minutes left.

Hudson had two assists and six points in that stretch before the buzzer, bringing Minnesota to 63-58.

Notes

Ginobili missed his second straight game, and fourth overall, for San Antonio because of a sprained right foot. ... Minnesota's franchise record for fewest points in any period is seven, set in the third quarter of a 104-76 loss to Golden State on Dec. 11, 1999. ... Olowokandi signed a $16.2 million, three-year contract with the Wolves in the summer of 2003, the same night that Rasho Nesterovic left Minnesota to join the Spurs for a $42 million, six-year deal.

chumdawg · 12-16-2005, 12:26 AM

So I guess he is SLIGHTLY more skilled than Allan Houston.

Let's just say that the Mavs did decide that they wanted to upgrade their roster by trade. Fin would have made Stack--or even Daniels or Terry--more expendable.

Dtownsfinest · 12-16-2005, 12:43 AM

Yea its funny because we all heard about how bad of a team guy Finley was becoming. He wouldn't accept a backup role and he wouldn't committ to defense. He was becoming nothing but primarily a jumpshooter and the Mavs would be better without him. We're still looking for a Finley replacement. This guy is putting possibly the best team in the NBA on his back and he's carrying them in the 4th quarter. I do agree we need to see more but i'm just happy for Finley. No way you can be a longtime Mavs fan and not be happy to see the guy succeed. Didn't last game he put up 21/10? We're paying Mike Finley 15 million a year to play for the Spurs lol.

capitalcity · 12-16-2005, 01:07 AM

I root for the jersey.