Spurs vs. Mavs - Game 2 Adjustments

[timvp]

The series obviously didn't start off well for the Spurs. The Mavericks are now in the driver's seat and the Spurs have to win Game 2 if they want a realistic chance to advance to the second round.

After re-watching the game a couple times, I don't think the Spurs are in too bad of shape. They made errors but the errors are correctable. Plus, the Mavs also played very well in the final three quarters. If the Spurs can even this series up on Monday night, they can shift the pressure back to Dallas to hold serve.

Here are the ten adjustments I think are necessary for the Spurs to give themselves the best chance to win Game 2:

1) Play George Hill
It seriously makes too much sense not to play Hill. First of all, the Mavs are playing three point guards in their eight-man rotation. To match their three point guards, the Spurs need to play more than one player who is accustomed to defending against a ball handler. Hill is needed to defend Jason Kidd, Jason Terry or J.J. Barea.

Even if Pop doesn't want to play Hill at point guard, if Pop would play him next to Parker, Hill could definitely help out defensively. For example, if the Mavs are going to play Kidd and Barea at the same time, put Hill on the court and have him to defend Barea and allow Parker to rest on Kidd.

Secondly, the Spurs need rebounding help. With Manu Ginobili out of the equation, Hill is the best perimeter player on the team when it comes to rebounding in a crowd. Even if Hill just defends Barea and crashes the boards, he'd help out.

Third of all, Hill needs the playoff experience. If he fails, he fails. But not giving him a chance to get his feet wet is an even bigger failure.

Considering the matchups, Hill should at least get some of Ime Udoka's minutes. Taking minutes away from Michael Finley or even Roger Mason, Jr. is worth giving Hill a shot. There's is literally no downside to playing him at this point.

2) Stick with Matt Bonner
Yeah, I know Bonner played poorly in Game 1. He didn't do anything offensively. His defense was mediocre at best. He didn't rebound or do anything positive.

All that said, I think Pop needs to give Bonner another chance. But, like I suggested before the series, Bonner needs a few plays for him run early to shake off the nerves. He's the type of player that produces much better in all areas once he hits a few shots. Get his confidence going and I think he can still help.

If Bonner comes out and misses his shots, isn't rebounding and isn't doing much defensively, then I'd be all for sitting him at the end of the bench. At this point, though, Pop has invested too much playing time in Bonner to scrap it after one bad game in which he didn't get any open look to try to get his game going.

3) Go to Duncan Early
In Game 1, the Spurs were running plays for Parker coming out of the gates. I don't agree with that strategy. Parker's energy is needed most later in the game. Early on, I'd rather the Spurs establish Duncan. Doing so could provide a lot of positives.

It could get Erick Dampier in foul trouble. Dampier gives Duncan some trouble so getting him off the court should be a priority. If Duncan goes hard at him, Dampier is the type of foul-prone player who could pick up a few quick ones.

Going to Duncan early would also open up room for players like Bonner and Mason to get going early. Bonner especially tends to get a lot of his looks when the opposing big drops down to help out on Duncan. Getting the offensive chemistry going early could lead to a scoring explosion.

And most obviously, going to Duncan early can help Duncan himself get into a rhythm. The Mavs don't like doubling him so it's entirely possible for him to score over 30 points without having to force the issue.

4) Let Parker Rest
Even if Pop isn't comfortable with the backup point guard position, he has to let Parker get his customary rest. He just has to. The Spurs need Parker energetic in the fourth quarter to beat this Mavs team. If Parker is dragging up the court in the second half, the Spurs are doomed.

Speaking of Parker, Barea owned him, especially in the second half. Let's be honest about the situation. On defense, Barea was either drawing offensive fouls or Parker was worried about picking up an offensive foul and got discombobulated. Defensively, Barea was getting past Parker every time. Barea didn't always score but it did always break down the defense and set the team rotation into motion. The result was either an open lane for someone else to drive to the basket or a Mavs bigman camped in front of the rim waiting to tip in a miss. Barea's impact on Game 1 can't be seen simply by the stat sheet. Barea got Parker in Game 1. Bottomline.

That said, Parker has shown an ability to adjust. He got massively outplayed by Marbury in Game 1 in 2003, by Andre Miller in Game 1 in 2005 and Allen Iverson in 2007. Parker adjusted, refocused and came back and played much, much better in each series. If Pop gives him enough rest, I fully expect Parker to bounce back and play better from here on out.

5) More Gooden and Duncan
I wanted to see this duo heading into the series and I thought it worked really well in Game 1. It's quite a simple strategy: play both Gooden and Duncan and then attack whoever Dirk Nowitzki is defending. At worst, Nowitzki has to waste some energy on the defensive end. At best, Nowitzki gets in foul trouble -- like what happened in Game 1.

It's true that Gooden's defense is a bit of a liability at this point but Pop has to use this duo at least for the offensive positives it produces. On defense, I like the idea of sticking Gooden on Nowitzki and just telling Gooden to guard him one-on-one. Gooden wouldn't stop Nowitzki but he's athletic enough and can move his feet well enough to survive.

In Game 2, Gooden definitely needs more than the 18 minutes he got in Game 1.

6) Be Patient with Nowitzki
Speaking of Nowitzki, the Spurs need to use more common sense when defending him. Sending double-teams at him from the beginning of the game is an overreaction. He's a great player but he's not the reincarnation of Wilt Chamberlain with a three-point stroke.

If Nowitzki starts off slowly, then you hold off the double-teams that would open up space for the role players. If he's on fire, you send more help at him.

Perhaps Pop can steal a strategy from Phil Jackson and single-team Nowitzki for the first three quarters, force him to carry the load and then send double-teams at him in the fourth to suddenly switch the pressure to the role players. If Nowitzki scores 50 points through the first three quarters, then you pat him on the back and wish him luck against the Nuggets.

7) Keep Bowen on Terry
With both players coming off the bench, I really think Pop should always have Bowen on the court when Terry's on the court. Bowen can defend Terry very well. No one else on the team showed any ability to guard Terry whatsoever. It was a gargantuan drop off from Bowen to anyone else trying to defend Terry.

If Bowen locks in on Terry, I think there's a decent chance to keep the Mavs spark plug in check for much of the series. As good as everyone else is on the Mavs, Terry is the player most likely to beat the Spurs with a fourth quarter outburst.

Bowen's 24 minutes in Game 1 was a good beginning but he needs to play another ten minutes per game in this series.

8) Put Mason on Howard
Finley couldn't defend Howard in 2006. Finley really can't defend Howard in 2009. Howard is just too big, too quick and too athletic for Finley. When Howard sees Finley on him, he suddenly forgets that his ankle is supposed to be sore.

Mason isn't a great defender by any means but I think he's a much better match for Howard. He's faster and quicker than Finley and should be able to keep Howard in front of him. Mason will struggle keeping Howard off of the boards but his strength would at least give him somewhat of a shot.

As for Finley, he should defend either Kidd or Antoine Wright. Kidd doesn't look to do much scoring off the dribble anymore so Finley should be able to hang.

9) Space Barea
I know Barea kind of looks like Steve Nash when he starts dribbling around countless screens and almost goes in circles trying to find a crack of space, but the Spurs played him much too closely in Game 1. He's a good shooter but he's not a great shooter. Space him, send soft yet quick hedges and force him to shoot long jumpers. Barea shooting a jumper is a much better option than letting him get into the paint and cause havoc.

If the Spurs force him to drive left and shoot jumpers off the dribble, I'll live with that all day. Run him off of his set-shot three-pointer, keep him out of the paint and suddenly he won't play like a combination of Devin Harris and John Stockton.

10) Hit the Defensive Glass
I stressed the importance of rebounding and Game 1 was good evidence of what happens if the Spurs don't rebound. The Spurs have enough problems with these Mavs as it is . . . allowing them to win the rebounding battle is the final nail in the coffin. For those keeping track, Dallas has now out-rebounded San Antonio in eight straight playoff games.

Matt Bonner, Kurt Thomas, Drew Gooden and Ime Udoka were the non-rebounding culprits of Game 1. Those four players had two defensive rebounds in 70 minutes of action. Two (2). That is absolutely atrocious. Pathetically unacceptable. Outside of Duncan, those are supposed to be the four best rebounders in the rotation.

If the Spurs can control the defensive glass and make at least a few of the other adjustments, I'm confident that this series will be tied after Game 2.

Believe.

[Doctor J]

Ditto.

[AussieFanKurt]

yeah i also agree with those points

[thOOdee]

great adjustments. hopefully pop will get over himself and do the right thing.. especially agree with playing hill more and giving barea space. I remember seeing a game when hill guarded barea this year and produced those nagging charges as he did with tony. I feel he would make note of this and play up to par defense or atleast he won't do as bad as i saw in game 1 with tony taking him.

the only thing i don't agree with is playing bonner. he just isn't clutch. the guy is to robotic and is a liability i wouldn't risk. confidence can't be taught and its a little too late for him to try to gain it this far into the year.

[boutons_deux]

"It seriously makes too much sense not to play Hill."

What?

So make "too much sense" by not playing Hill?

So if we play Hill, we avoid "too much sense"?

[jiggy_55]

There should be a way you can send these to Pop

[timvp]

Originally Posted by timvp

He got massively outplayed by Marbury in Game 1 in 2003, by Andre Miller in Game 1 in 2005 and Allen Iverson in 2007.

In those three games, Parker averaged 12.7 points on 32% shooting. The three players he guarded averaged 29.3 points per game.

Comparatively speaking, Parker got off to a great star this year

[Slippy]

Originally Posted by timvp

9) Space Barea
I know Barea kind of looks like Steve Nash when he starts dribbling around countless screens and almost goes in circles trying to find a crack of space, but the Spurs played him much too closely in Game 1. He's a good shooter but he's not a great shooter. Space him, send soft yet quick hedges and force him to shoot long jumpers. Barea shooting a jumper is a much better option than letting him get into the paint and cause havoc.

If the Spurs force him to drive left and shoot jumpers off the dribble, I'll live with that all day. Run him off of his set-shot three-pointer, keep him out of the paint and suddenly he won't play like a combination of Devin Harris and John Stockton.

Believe.

At first glance i was going to disagree with the space Barea mantra. Then i realised you mean back-off him and force him to shoot. The last thing i want to see is Barea having space once he dribble into or near the paint which is what i thought Tony did too much of in the hope of trying to stay in front of his man.

[BeeGee]

Game 2 adjustment: Turn the 'L' into a 'W'

That will be all.

[kace]

all the points are valid. interesting.

i want us to hurt them inside too. Go to Tim and Gooden. Tony will find a way to score a lot on the mavs if they aren't all focusing on stopping him.
Put Dampier in foul trouble and it's even better.

[sonic21]

5) More Gooden and Duncan

do you think pop should start gooden instead of bonner?
there would be more gooden/duncan vs dirk.

[1Parker1]

Did someone else hear the stat that this was the Mavs first road win in the playoffs in like 8 games the past two seasons?

Mavs really just have all the confidence in the world against the Spurs after 2006. However, Mavs have shown that if you push them to the limit, they can be brought back down to Earth.

[sonic21]

JJ Barea, Erick Dampier and Bass playing great in the same game was an anomaly.

believe

[EricB]

I think everything there can and will be done except for George hill.

I see no reason NOT to give bonner a couple plays at the beginning of the game.

[timaios]

1st 2009 playoffs game of 3 superstars who had to carry their team in the past weeks :

T. Parker 41 min 9/22 FG 4 reb 8 ast 5 to 24 pts (+/- -4)
D. Wade 40 min 8/21 FG 5 reb 5 ast 8 to 19 pts (+/- -18)
C. Paul 35 min 7/19 FG 5 reb 11 ast 4 to 21 pts (+/- -21)

Do you see something similar ?

And we can add :

P. Pierce 43 min 8/21 FG 7 reb 3 ast 4 to 23 pts (+/- +11)
R. Allen 39 min 1/12 FG 3 reb 1 ast 1 to 4 pts (+/- +2)
At least those two are positive in the +/- but they have lost to the Bulls !

[Rogue]

smokey plays beyond great in this series and Fin is far from enough to guard him, it's really needed for spurs to re-start Bruce Bowen as lineup SF.

[VaSpursFan]

i agree with all...this is money if Pop executes this.

[Thomas82]

Originally Posted by vaspursfan

i agree with all...this is money if pop executes this.

+1

[kace]

Originally Posted by timaios

1st 2009 playoffs game of 3 superstars who had to carry their team in the past weeks :

T. Parker 41 min 9/22 FG 4 reb 8 ast 5 to 24 pts (+/- -4)
D. Wade 40 min 8/21 FG 5 reb 5 ast 8 to 19 pts (+/- -18)
C. Paul 35 min 7/19 FG 5 reb 11 ast 4 to 21 pts (+/- -21)

Do you see something similar ?

And we can add :

P. Pierce 43 min 8/21 FG 7 reb 3 ast 4 to 23 pts (+/- +11)
R. Allen 39 min 1/12 FG 3 reb 1 ast 1 to 4 pts (+/- +2)
At least those two are positive in the +/- but they have lost to the Bulls !

and D-Will 4-14 too.
add all the injuries of important players (manu, KG, neelson, mcgrady....) and some others hampered (Tim...), and you understand how much a 82 games RS at the current level of competition is an aberration.

[ploto]

From the Dallas perspective:

I expect to see more of Kidd in the post against Parker, as they figured this out as the game went on. Guys like Cassell and Peyton also used to do it against TP successfully.

[MI21]

Major props, timvp.

I usually like to add some stuff to these threads, but you have it all covered. I particularly like the subtle point about Hill's rebounding. The Mavericks don't have any incredible athletes in the frontline and Hill has an amazing knack for coming from behind and swiping the rebound. He will be able to this better against Dallas than a lot of teams.

His ability to challenge jumpshots would also help defending Terry. To be honest, I do not want to see anyone but Bowen or Hill guarding Terry. I really don't know what the fuck is going on in Pop's mind, but Hill has to be at the very least tried! No one is expecting major stats or for him to win the game for the Spurs but to not even give the guy a shot, a guy who matches up with Dallas quite well with thier small guard sets and non-offensive threats like Kidd and Wright, is just ridiculous.

by the way, thats only the potential defensive positives of George. If he would stop being a passive bitch and actually attack, he could be a nice offensive piece. What happened to all those putbacks off his own missed shots? Gotta attack to get them George!

[Avitus1]

This is what I want to see happen. Thats all my friend and I talked about yesterday. Hopefully it pans out tonight and we get us a W.

[fyatuk]

Originally Posted by timvp

1) Play George Hill
It seriously makes too much sense not to play Hill. First of all, the Mavs are playing three point guards in their eight-man rotation. To match their three point guards, the Spurs need to play more than one player who is accustomed to defending against a ball handler. Hill is needed to defend Jason Kidd, Jason Terry or J.J. Barea.

While I agree with the concept of playing Hill, I don't think it's necessary to combat the 3 PG set of the Mavs.

Just change the offense to a bit of a 2 man game with Finley in the post and Mason on the side with him and every one cleared out. Finley would abuse any of those 3 in the post (this has worked before).

It'd be a bad defensive matchup, with Finley on kidd and, if Parker's in the game, he'd be on Barea and Mason on Terry, otherwise it's Mason on Barea and Bowen on Terry. Either that or run a zone for a few minutes.

[MI21]

Originally Posted by ploto

From the Dallas perspective:

I expect to see more of Kidd in the post against Parker, as they figured this out as the game went on. Guys like Cassell and Peyton also used to do it against TP successfully.

From a Spurs fan perspective, I would welcome Kidd in the post against Parker. This isn't 2002 Jason Kidd.

It doesn't space the floor like the high post, top of key Iso's for Dirk/Howard of which you can't double at that position. It doesn't cause the same trouble that the 2 man Dirk/Terry game does and it won't collapse the defense as much as penetration from Barea. The defense can give Parker a little help (he doesn't need much) and still get back to the shooters.

Repeated use of Kidd in post = win for Spurs.

[nkdlunch]

IMO Spurs need to have Nowitzki touch the ball more often. We can't have the whole Dallas team involved or its gonna be ugly.

The more Nowitzki handles and shoots, the better for the Spurs

[SpuronyourFace]

I love how we are already written off by everyone.