I could have said it much better, but I don't think I said we didn't start games well. I don't articulate my thoughts too well half the time. Still may not this time either. I definitely was thinking of the third quarters too when we were losing the leads, but I didn't initially write that. You're right in what you said, though. So I am wrong on that if that is what I said in one of my posts.
What I was talking about in the first quarters wasn't the scoreboard, it was the tone. The Spurs have had good starts like you said by scoring points with skill/talent/great team play, but IMO they had been playing a bit soft (great that they got those leads and have had good starts). I wanted them to start/set a better tone, and what I meant by tone is bring more physicality, aggressiveness, and just plain imposing their will out there to try and break the other team by setting that tone to start the game, and then carry that throughout the whole game. I think they did that against Philadelphia. they were injury depleted, but still, the Spurs set a much better tone this game and kept it up throughout. I don't want all finesse, because that is how the other teams come back easily. Detroit and NY sort of opened my eyes as they tried to play that way against the Spurs. Detroit started good (they don't seem to have great shooters, though, to go out to big leads), but the Spurs came back which was great, then NY buried us by setting a better tone that they carried though the whole game.
I don't know, maybe Mitch doesn't want to play that way as I saw them mention that he's got his players looking through that and wanting the team to stay focused on the game plan and not engage in that kind of stuff. I loved when Luke hammered Bona at the start of the second quarter after the hard foul Bona gave him at the end of the first quarter that wasn't even called a foul. I don't want any dirty plays, but that is the kind of stuff I want to see a bit more of. I just don't think Harrison or Julian can bring that type of physicality, and out of the options we have, I think Carter has the physical tools to be able to able to help set a better tone to start the game and might help in starting the second half better too. He has the potential to be a menace out there. I just think setting a better tone might not get you in those holes that the team gets in and have to climb out of them.
If someone else could help do that, then I guess Carter doesn't have to start. And I also simply don't like how fatigued Victor is looking (I'm not blaming Victor for poor play on offense lately, because he just looks exhausted from the load he's had to carry defensively. He's got no one else to help him down low with the physical play. Maybe Mason Plumlee can help with this?).
As for the chances, I saw some really good flashes from CB when HB was in that massive slump late December and January, and I liked what I saw from CB and I thought that was the time to give him a chance (earlier in the season rather than later). I thought it might click for him if he didn't have to come in off the bench with the pressure of trying to impress and then screwing up because he was trying too hard. Harrison was playing shockingly bad at that point, so it's not like it would have been charity to try starting Carter to see what might happen when HB was playing that bad.
