Kawhi averaged 1.7 fouls per game in 34.7 minutes per game against OKC this season. I'm not worried about him getting into foul trouble at all.
Let their bigs shoot jumpers. Ibaka and Perkins wanted to a lot of times vs LA and I say let me let it fly.
Kawhi averaged 1.7 fouls per game in 34.7 minutes per game against OKC this season. I'm not worried about him getting into foul trouble at all.
Also. Boris I know you played great vs LA and Utah but uh, play great vs OKC please. Him making threes moving the ball and helping trap Durant and Westbrook will be huge....
waiting to see it on espn.
The San Antonio Thunder. The San Antonio Thunder.
classiest playoff series in history
I just didn't remember. Thanks for the refresher.
One week of studying and coaching how to defend OKC.
Just concentrate on D until they know OKC's offense better than OKC does, so what to do every moment is second nature by the time they hit the floor. That will give their aggressiveness an outlet and calm their nerves going into these games.
I just double-checked and Harden logged 30, 33, and 22 minutes in each of the three games. So he played in every game against us this year.
mando
Am I going to see this same post on ESPN in a few hours?
manu did not play any games agains thunder this year
We need Good Manu against the Thunder
Thunders are too good and we can't afford Manu to become Turnobili or keep shooting his rushed 3 pts shot.
The Thunder committed the most turnovers of any team in the league during the regular season - almost 17 per game. But they have committed less than 11 per game in the playoffs, which is the best of all the playoff teams.
If the Spurs can cause OKC to go back to their regular season form in the turnover department, they will likely be headed to their fifth NBA Finals. The duo of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green have been a wrecking crew, defensively, picking up a good number of steals that have led to easy points on the other end. They'll need to keep it up this series.
4) The Spurs shot incredibly well from three, combining to make 28 of 54 (52%) three-point shots during the series. OKC only made 23 of 65 (35%).
Versus the Lakers, OKC still struggled from three-point range, only making 26 of 80 (33%). Lucky for them, the Lakers made only 20 of 71 (28%). They will not be so lucky vs. the Spurs. If they stand any chance against us they have to close the gap in three-point shooting.
Expecting a number of close games, in which the team with better execution down the stretch will prevail. Difficult to predict the final outcome. The blow-out games that we are used to during the winning streak should happen less frequently.
Should be an interesting series. The spurs have had easy opponents the first 2 rounds and I believe the same goes for OKC. The Mavs and the Lakers weren't the contenders they once were. It's going to be a fun series to watch and it can go either way but I believe in this spurs team. Spurs in 5
They have 3 players who can score the basketball and they have one player who holds the ball and jacks up shots and takes away from Durant and Harden somtimes, while we have basically 10 players who can score the ball and the ball movement is amazing. Pop will expose the Thunder, If we play like we have been playing the last month I just cant see the Spurs losing 4 games to the Thunder.
The Spurs must win in 5 or 6. I think that it will be hard to beat the OKC if the series go to the seventh game.
Manu Ginobili vs. James Harden
This will be billed as Manu Ginobili 1.0 going up against Manu Ginobili 2.0. When you watch James Harden, you'll notice a lot of similarities between the two players. They're both left-handed guards who come off the bench that bring shooting, ball-handling, playmaking, passing, craftiness and a high basketball IQ to the table. It's safe to say they are the two best reserves in the NBA.
I would never question the fact that Manu has a high BBIQ. However, at times, we've all seen instances where he does things, takes risks and makes decisions that sometimes result in careless and costly losses in possessions. He's a high risk, high reward player - always has been. It's always been a challenge for him to balance between taking calculated risks that payoff handsomely versus making costly turnovers that have dire consequences.
While the Spurs have managed to ring up an 8-0 playoff record with Manu being in somewhat of a performance funk, I believe to win this series against the young Thunder, the Spurs will need to see the Manu of old. As such, Manu is going to have to play smart and return to his havoc-wreaking ways against this young, mercurial opponent.
Our big 3 have to cancel out there big 3.
It's going to come down to the bench/role players and which team executes better.
Should be a fun series.
Having the best players in the world means nothing without a great coach. Pop is the best coach in the game at making adjustments. The Thunder have Scott Brooks. Scott Brooks. That's enough to put them over the top.
Mavs and Lakers are not perimeter oriented teams that can force turnovers.
1. We kind of know who this Thunder team is, in terms of where their points will come from. There isn't really a player who hasn't been developed in the playoffs yet.
The Spurs have two guys who haven't really gone off yet, who can: Manu Ginobili, Steven Jackson. If either guy goes off in any given game, that game is probably over.
2. Westbrook has feasted on terrible backcourts. That changes now.
3. Dallas nor Los Angeles could do anything to cause turnovers. San Antonio may have better luck.
4. As always, pack the out of the lane. Get them to shoot their long 2s. If they make them, you'll need to keep scoring with them. If they start missing, they're going to have trouble. Harden is the guy who helps them here - the only one of their Big 3 who is willing to take it to the basket in a half court set.
5. Green and Leonard need to keep up their play.
6. Fisher has a knack for momentum-turning 3s. Whoever is on him needs to remember who he is.
The x-factors are on the Spurs side, to me. But if Green or Leonard struggle, the veterans really need to step up to cover them. If they don't struggle, this will be a of a hard series for the Thunder, because it will just take a burst from Jackson, Manu, or another non-Duncan, non-Parker player to put them out of reach.
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