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  1. #26
    Get Refuel! FromWayDowntown's Avatar
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    This will be the 8th time the Spurs have encountered that bastar . . . er, I mean, Derek Fisher in a playoff series (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008 with LAL, 2007 with Utah, 2012 with OKC). I'm pretty sure that breaks a tie between him and Steve Nash as the players who've most frequently played against the Spurs in the playoffs. The Spurs are 3-4 in series against Fisher.

    In 2001 Fisher, memorably, couldn't miss from the arc -- he went 15-20 from 3 over the 4 games in that series. It was the first point at which Fisher ripped out the hearts of Spurs fans, preceding .4 and the Barry non-call in 2008.

  2. #27
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    I cant believe a lot of these spurstalkers are predicting that spurs will win 4 or 5 games. This really is going to be one of the toughest series in our franchise history. Great write-up timvp

  3. #28
    I want some NASTY! SpurPadre's Avatar
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    I cant believe a lot of these spurstalkers are predicting that spurs will win 4 or 5 games. This really is going to be one of the toughest series in our franchise history. Great write-up timvp
    Hey, I'm a bay area Spurs fan, too! I've been a lifelong San Franciscan (and a Spurs fan since '90) but am stuck in Fairfield now. Oh well, it's still in the bay area. Good to know there are other Spurs fans out here.

  4. #29
    OH YOU LIKE IT!!! slick'81's Avatar
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    theres no other way to say it these teams are as evenly matched as they come i dont see this series not gooing the distance

  5. #30
    🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 ElNono's Avatar
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    Finally, timvp.
    Some people need to start working on their articles for tomorrow, and get some sleep.

  6. #31
    🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 ElNono's Avatar
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    tbqh, I get the feeling this series will be heavily dependent on the Spurs hitting from outside and transition defense. Sooner or later, they'll pack the paint to stop Tony's penetration, and we're going to need to hit either the mid-range or from outside. This is where having guys like Diaw, Neal and Capt Jack can really pay off...

  7. #32
    Out with the old... Obstructed_View's Avatar
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    I simply have no measuring stick for this series until we see a couple of games.

    I remember when Mike Tyson was coming back from his first loss and fought a guy named Razor Ruddock a few times. They had these great battles and we were all really impressed until Ruddock fought someone else that wasn't considered very good and got the kicked out of him, then we realized that Tyson just wasn't very good anymore. I get the same feeling watching the Thunder struggle with the Lakers, who are pretty ty and didn't seem to be playing particularly good basketball. Part of me expects the Spurs to walk over them with relative ease, but the Thunder deserve respect because they're a good team and they're healthy and playing well.

    This series will probably simply come down to which team does a better job of frustrating the other's point guard.

    Good luck and good health to both teams. Should be a memorable one.

  8. #33
    PRICELESS SPURS FAN polandprzem's Avatar
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    LImit turnovers

    If OKC will pack the lane and close passing lanes it's ova

    TP sometimes going forward and when he sees the wall he turns the ball over and OKC feeds of it. Then the great enery comes to play and atletic abilities. Spurs will be toast.

    The spurs need to do their best job at changing the rhythm of the game. Change the tempo of action and be creative one-on-one.
    They just need to play HIQ Spurs ball!

  9. #34
    Boring = 4 Rings SA210's Avatar
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    While the two sweeps to begin the 2012 NBA Playoffs have been fun for the Spurs and their fans, the difficulty level is about to be raised ten notches in the Western Conference Finals. In this series, there will be intriguing matchups that could very well decide which team will survive.

    Tony Parker vs. Russell Westbrook
    This is going to be a bloodbath. Two fantastic compe ors at the top of their game clashing with a ton at stake. While Parker is probably an eyelash faster, Westbrook can elevates further off the ground.

    Early in his career, I thought Westbrook was overrated. Then everyone turned on him and suddenly now I think he's underrated. Westbrook is probably the best pure athlete at point guard in the NBA and he plays very hard. He can catch fire scoring the ball and he has a well-rounded enough game to beat you multiple ways.

    Parker has been very good defensively for much of this season -- and has been especially good on D in the playoffs. But this could go down as the biggest challenge he has ever faced, especially once you consider the Spurs likely won't be able to send much help his way. Westbrook has freedom to do basically whatever he wants and he has the tools to explode at any given moment.

    On the other hand, let's not forget how much success Parker has had going back at Westbrook. Two of Parker's better games of the season came against Westbrook, including his season-high of 42 points back on Feb. 4. For the Spurs to pull this off, they need Parker at the top of his 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.

    Harden has been very good to begin these playoffs. He's authored big play after big play and his ability to get to the free throw line has been a game-changing attribute.

    Ginobili, conversely, has had a relatively slow start to the postseason. His outside shooting is off and he's just not as crisp as we've come to expect. The good news is we've seen glimpses of his greatness.

    The Spurs will need Ginobili to at least play Harden to a stand-still. It's a tall order but I believe Ginobili will rise to the occasion.

    Kawhi Leonard vs. Kevin Durant
    Although Kawhi Leonard was really good against the Clippers, there's a galactic difference between Caron Butler and Kevin Durant. If Durant isn't the best player in the NBA, he's in the conversation. In my opinion, there's no question he's the game's most potent scorer. His length, touch and courage make him virtually unstoppable.

    Welcome to the NBA, rook. Your task now is to save the Spurs season by slowing this wunderkind of a basketball player. No pressure or anything.

    We'll see if Leonard is up for the challenge. So far this year, we haven't seen any reason to think that Leonard won't give it his all. Will that be enough? Let's hope so. Hypothetically, the Spurs could go with Stephen Jackson or Danny Green on Leonard but the only Spur who has the length and footspeed to bother Durant with any type of consistency is the rookie.

    Tim Duncan vs. OKC's Frontline
    Tim Duncan has been great thus far in the postseason. But this series won't be a stroll on a St. Croix beach. The Thunder will start games with Kendrick Perkins on him, who happens to be one of the very best post defenders in the NBA. Off the bench, Oklahoma City also has Nazr Mohammed and Nick Collison to throw at Duncan. Both of those guys will bang with all of their might.

    And if that isn't enough, the Thunder employ the league's best weak-side shotblocker in Serge Ibaka. Even if Duncan is able to get a clean look against that trio of low post defenders, Ibaka can come flying into the picture to negate the effort.

    Danny Green vs. Thabo Sefolosha
    These two defensive specialists could play a large role in this series. While they won't spend much time defending each other, if one of these two players can shut down an aforementioned player, that in itself could be a series-altering turn of events.

    You can bet that the Thunder will use Sefolosha on Ginobili whenever possible. Sefolosha very well could be the closest thing the NBA has to a Bruce Bowen these days. He's a tremendous one-on-one defender who cools just about everyone he faces. I also wouldn't be surprised to see OKC experiment with Sefolosha on Parker.

    Green isn't as good of a defender as Sefolosha but he's better offensively so he may be able to play more minutes this series. When he's out there, Pop will probably rotate him between Harden, Westbrook and Durant. Hopefully Green is able to do a number on Harden but he's really San Antonio's only hope of slowing down the Thunder's bench ace.

    Boris Bonner vs. Serge Ibaka
    I'm really interested to see how this plays out. Ibaka will want to be in the paint in order to block shots. The Spurs will counter with Boris Diaw and Matt Bonner -- two players who will roam out on the perimeter. If Diaw and Bonner can thrive on the outside, that could force Ibaka out of the paint ... or force OKC's coaching staff to take him out of the game.

    But that's far from a given. Even if Ibaka cheats toward the paint, the Thunder have enough long athletes who can quickly rotate to challenge shots by Diaw and Bonner. On the other end, Ibaka will have an opportunity to score against two players who can't match his athleticism or length.

    This battle between shooting and shotblocking won't get as much publicity as the other matchups mentioned in this thread, however it could prove to be just as vital.

    Gary Neal vs. Derek Fisher
    In Derek Fisher, Gary Neal will go up against someone who is just as slow . On paper, Neal should be able to stick with the 37-year-old Fisher. Unfortunately, Fisher has a bad habit of having success against the Spurs even when paper doesn't give him much hope.

    Defensively, Neal has to do anything but give Fisher open three-pointers. Fisher has been on fire from distance in these playoffs. On offense, Neal's job will be to attack Fisher and look to score early and often.

    Depth vs. Stamina
    The Spurs have a fivesome off the bench in Neal, Ginobili, Jackson, Bonner and Tiago Splitter that are all part of the everyday rotation. San Antonio runs a ten-man rotation and is very likely to continue doing so against the Thunder.

    Oklahoma City isn't quite as deep (they play about eight and a half players) but they make up for it with stamina. Durant averages more than 40 minutes per game in the playoffs and can play the entire second half of a game without breaking a sweat. Westbrook is also more than capable of playing long stretches without rest.

    Traditionally in playoff basketball, especially when two teams are evenly matched, superstar stamina wins out over depth. To buck tradition, San Antonio's bench is going to have to play at an extremely high level this series. Otherwise, the eulogy to this Spurs season will include a passage about the Thunder's young legs simply being too much to overcome.




    This may very well be the most complex series the Spurs have ever had to prepare for in the Tim Duncan Era. There is so much to consider and so many important matchups. It's going to be good.

    Believe.
    Prediction? I'm kind of feeling you aren't too confident in the Spurs chances this series.
    Last edited by SA210; 05-22-2012 at 03:16 AM.

  10. #35
    Spur-taaaa TDMVPDPOY's Avatar
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    stamina, we have to exploit there advantage over us is to run them into the ground all game with our depth or slow it down to a grinding game

  11. #36
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    This will be the 8th time the Spurs have encountered that bastar . . . er, I mean, Derek Fisher in a playoff series (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008 with LAL, 2007 with Utah, 2012 with OKC). I'm pretty sure that breaks a tie between him and Steve Nash as the players who've most frequently played against the Spurs in the playoffs. The Spurs are 3-4 in series against Fisher.

    In 2001 Fisher, memorably, couldn't miss from the arc -- he went 15-20 from 3 over the 4 games in that series. It was the first point at which Fisher ripped out the hearts of Spurs fans, preceding .4 and the Barry non-call in 2008.
    Fisher meets his match in Neal who is arguably as clutch.

  12. #37
    Boring = 4 Rings SA210's Avatar
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    -10.7

    Russell Westbrook's +/- in three games vs. Spurs this season with Tony Parker on the floor.

    http://www.nba.com/advancedstats/player-vs-player.html#Russell-Westbrook-vs-Tony-Parker|201566,2225;year=201112;season=r

  13. #38
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    Do you gays think that Blair might have his value this series?

    Well, Spurs in five, I believe.

  14. #39
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    There's also the coaching matchup. Pop should be able to outcoach Scott Brooks easily. We'll be able to get layups in crunch time while the Thunder will be taking jumpshots. Scott Brook's idea of a late game play is Durant at the top of the key taking a 3-pointer.

  15. #40
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    Do you gays think that Blair might have his value this series?

    Well, Spurs in five, I believe.
    I think Splitter will take Blair's role and have a big series. He does everything else Blair does but plays much better defense and finishes better.

  16. #41
    Ruffy RuffnReadyOzStyle's Avatar
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    Great writeup, thanks LJ.

    IMHO, Spurs need to:

    1) Run their sets and stick to their gameplan - deviating from the plan at this point would be insane. If Spurs run their high pnr, horns and motion sets they get easy layups and open 3s, and that is what is winning them games. Stick to it and don't be tempted to play too much 4-down or iso (I'm sure they'll get this right as the moment they stop doing it Pop will call a TO and shred them).

    2) Protect the ball - points off TOs can be a killer against OKC as they love to run, especially Westbrook. Points off TOs also have a demoralising effect on the opposing team and tend to trigger runs. Very important to limit TOs against a team this explosive.

    3) Not allow the Zombie Sonics onto the offensive boards too much - their bigs love going to the O boards (especially Ibaka and Collison), and Westbrook is an extraordinarily good offensive boardman for his size (like Bledsoe last round). We've been getting a whole-of-team effort on the boards, and that needs to continue.

    4) This series will not be decided by one matchup, but 4: Parker v Westbrook, Manu v Harden, Timmy/Diaw v Perkins/Ibaka, and the battle of the benches. If we win two of those battles and break even in another, we win the series. And no, I didn't mention Durant, because I think the plan will be for him rack up his usual scoring while harassed by Kawhi and Jax so he scores at a lower efficiently (the poor man's version of what Bruce used to do to Kobe).

    5) The SA crowd really needs to turn up in this series - take the first two at home, snatch one in OKC, and the series is over. But if OKC snatch one of the first two here we could just as easily end up in a 1-3 hole. Need to home court to COME ALIVE, and I mean chanting for the Spurs all night, and not going quiet when things go poorly.

    Time to get out there and SUPPORT YOUR TEAM WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT, SAN ANTONIANS. Quite frankly you've been disappointing the past few years and it has eroded our home court advantage. I was there in 2003 and 2007 and I know you have it in you to blast opposing teams out of the building with your roar! We need your full heart and soul on display in this Battle Royale!



    Spurs in 6 (or if it goes to 7 it's anyone's game - cross your fingers).
    Last edited by RuffnReadyOzStyle; 05-22-2012 at 03:52 AM.

  17. #42
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    Spurs in 5. I got Spurs losing in game 3 and closing out the series at home.

  18. #43
    Veteran jiggy_55's Avatar
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    Last time these teams played, Spurs were without Ginobili, Diaw, and Jackson and we absolutely murdered them. Green and Blair especially played phenomenal games. Looking at the history of the games this year, Durant didn't blow up or have any crazy scoring night but Westbrook did. Leonard has been phenomenal in each game - scoring, hitting his 3's, rebounding well, and getting a bunch of steals.

    Kawhi's season stats vs OKC:
    34.7 mpg
    61.5% fg
    71.4% 3s
    7.0 rpg
    3.0 apg
    2.0 stls
    0.3 blks
    14.3 pts

    And most importantly, he didn't foul much despite playing his highest average mpg against OKC. I would expect him to play similar minutes, at least 30mpg, and obviously the production cannot continue at such a high rate (especially the 71.4 3pt %) but if he can play at a high level that's great news for us. Hopefully he can keep up such performances because when he plays like that, the Spurs are pretty much unstoppable.
    Last edited by jiggy_55; 05-22-2012 at 04:03 AM.

  19. #44
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    Last time these teams played, Spurs were without Ginobili, Diaw, and Jackson and we absolutely murdered them. Green and Blair especially played phenomenal games. Looking at the history of the games this year, Durant didn't blow up or have any crazy scoring night but Westbrook did. Leonard has been phenomenal in each game - scoring, hitting his 3's, rebounding well, and getting a bunch of steals.

    Hopefully he can keep up such performances because when he plays like that, the Spurs are pretty much unstoppable.

    thats what i been saying. Thunder aint got nothing new to bring to the table since they last played. Im not saying its gonna be a blow out, their gonna be tough wins, but i see the spurs losing game 3, thats about it.

  20. #45
    Veteran jiggy_55's Avatar
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    thats what i been saying. Thunder aint got nothing new to bring to the table since they last played. Im not saying its gonna be a blow out, their gonna be tough wins, but i see the spurs losing game 3, thats about it.
    I edited and added a lot to my post , but yeah I can see OKc struggle defending us especially on the 3pt line where LAL were not such a big threat. It was easy to defend the Lakers knowing Kobe has the ball 75% of the time, but against the Spurs they will have no idea where it's coming from and I surely can see a few games where the Spurs explode offensively and drain a bunch of 3's. LAL are the least "team oriented" team in the NBA maybe, and the Spurs will come out of the gates hot in Game 1 for sure.

  21. #46
    Ruffy RuffnReadyOzStyle's Avatar
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    More on the Battle of the Benches:

    Fisher v Neal: I think this is a favourable matchup for us unless the refs swallow their whistles and give Fish carte blanche to rough-house Gary. Even then, Gary'd probably enjoy it. Fisher is a walking corpse on D at this point. All Neal has to do on D is stay with Fish and not gift him open 3s. Advantage SPURS.

    Jax vs Cook(/Durant): Jax should grind Cook into the floor with clever passing, open jumpers and pressure D, but most of the time he'll be up against Durant who will likely play 40mins a night, which could be a problem if Jax has lost the step he appears to have lost. We'll have to wait and see on that one and hope that team help can keep Durant under control when he's on against the second team. Advantage inconclusive.

    Splitter vs Collison: Splitter is like a taller, younger version of Collison (with a better offensive game) - they both play tough and smart, defend hard, set good screens, hit the boards, cut well, and most of all play the pnr beautifully with their respective partners in crime (Manu and Harden). Splitter vs Collison is a fascinating undercurrent in the series. I think Splitter is the better offensive player, they're a wash on D, and Harden is playing better than Manu right now. This battle could tip the series. Advantage none - even.

    Bonner/Grizz vs Mohammed: I'll take the two-headed Disappearing Rocket - Grizzly Blair monster over the 35yo ex-Championship Spur. Advantage SPURS (but none of these guys could sway the series, aside from Bonner if he gets hot at the right time).

    So there you go, more intriguing sub-plots!


  22. #47
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    I edited and added a lot my post , but yeah I can see OKc struggle defending us especially on the 3pt line where LAL where not such a big threat. It was easy to defend the Lakers knowing Kobe has the ball 75% of the time, but against the Spurs they will have no idea where it's coming from and I surely can see a few games where the Spurs explode offensively and drain a bunch of 3's. LAL are the least "team oriented" team in the NBA maybe, and the Spurs will come out of the gates hot in Game 1 I believe.
    I think the only way Thunder can win is if SA has an off game. SA will not have 4 off games.... just my opinion after all. Im one of the few who think Thunder does not pose a problem to SA.

  23. #48
    Kawhichael 100%duncan's Avatar
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    The Boris Diaw/Bonner vs Ibaka will be one of the most important(if not the most)imho. If our stretch 4 guys can shoot their usual outside J's then we are good to go. The big impact that those jumpshots will bring to our offense is it gives Tim more space to work in the paint. With Serge forced to go outside, then he can sure work against Perkins single-handedly. Not only that, TP,Manu,and JAX can now go inside the paint freely too and it will be hard for the Thunder to stop that kind of play from us.

  24. #49
    Ruffy RuffnReadyOzStyle's Avatar
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    This will be the 8th time the Spurs have encountered that bastar . . . er, I mean, Derek Fisher in a playoff series (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008 with LAL, 2007 with Utah, 2012 with OKC). I'm pretty sure that breaks a tie between him and Steve Nash as the players who've most frequently played against the Spurs in the playoffs. The Spurs are 3-4 in series against Fisher.

    In 2001 Fisher, memorably, couldn't miss from the arc -- he went 15-20 from 3 over the 4 games in that series. It was the first point at which Fisher ripped out the hearts of Spurs fans, preceding .4 and the Barry non-call in 2008.
    Don't remind me.

    However, surely Zombie Fisher, the 37yo shambling around the court and pretending to be a basketball player, is not going to break our hearts again? Surely this our time to even the score at 4-4?! I bloody hope so!

  25. #50
    Kawhichael 100%duncan's Avatar
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    Don't remind me.

    However, surely Zombie Fisher, the 37yo shambling around the court and pretending to be a basketball player, is not going to break our hearts again? Surely this our time to even the score at 4-4?! I bloody hope so!
    I seriously don't see Fish doing damage on us. If Neal, just like what Timvp said, just keeps being in front of him, which I think he can(lol zombie vs young guy), then we are good to go. We just don't want Fisher to take a shot against us. No matter how bull that shot is, he will make it against us.

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