Karl Using Laker's Playbook?

[pineflatt]

Is George Karl using the Phil Jackson playbook to defend the Spurs.

The Lakers used their bigs at the top of the key to deny Tony Parker penetration into the lane and limited the kickouts to an open Bowen or Manu. Result---the offense stagnated.

Last night Denver did a good job of limiting penetrations by both guards. They also did a pretty good job of defending the pick and roll. Tony could have been much more aggressive, but I do see a similar defensive scheme and a similar impact on Tony's game.

The Spurs did not adjust to the way the Lakers were defending last year. Tony had horrible games 4-6. If Denver's strategy is to clogg the middle and keep our guards out, what adjustment, should the Spurs make?

[texbumTHElife]

Make your outside shots and that lane congestion doesnt matter/exist.

[tddunks01]

thats what barry is here for right...no balls!!!!

[Obstructed_View]

If the Lakers actually affected the outcome with their defense then it would be smart to use that against the Spurs until they figure out a way to beat it. I personally think that the Spurs started choking on wide open outside shots and then hesitating and passing up opportunities, which killed them. If I'm right then what the Nuggets do doesn't matter if the Spurs take care of their business.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The problem is our offense shouldn't be wholly predicated on a shot that the best shooters in the league only hit 40% of, and no one on our team seems to be able to hit at better than a 20% clip come playoff time.

It's the fatal flaw of our offense. We have the best PF to ever play the game, and come fourth quarters Pop's designed our offense to be solely dependant on our guys hitting three pointers, traditionally the lowest percentage shot in the game.

It's dumb and it's fatally flawed. We don't have shooters out there around Duncan, we've got scorers. Let them score. Quit asking them to spot up 24/7/365.

[Kori Ellis]

It's the fatal flaw of our offense. We have the best PF to ever play the game, and come fourth quarters Pop's designed our offense to be solely dependant on our guys hitting three pointers, traditionally the lowest percentage shot in the game.

It's dumb and it's fatally flawed. We don't have shooters out there around Duncan, we've got scorers. Let them score. Quit asking them to spot up 24/7/365.

Most of the season, the Spurs went predominantly to Manu in 4th quarters. The Nuggets successfully took away Manu's left hand in the second half last night, rendering him relatively unproductive late in the game. That's why they went to Tim. I agree that I would have liked to see more GRob at that point. But the Spurs haven't been running a "4-down and kick it out to shooters" type offense in fourth quarters this season.

[Solid D]

More motion on offense and ball reversals for open shots.

[boutons]

"The Lakers used their bigs at the top of the key to deny Tony Parker penetration"

huh? Karl was on Tim and pushed him out to the wing, and Shaq stayed down low. What Lakers bigs were at the top of the key?

I distinctly remember Lakers perimeter defenders, esp Kobe, sagging back to the key to keep Tony out, NOT their bigs.

[timvp]

One thing I noticed is the Nuggets are overplaying Manu and trying to force him to go right. In the second half, that tactic shut Manu down. When isolated, Manu always goes left. The Nuggets figured this out and nuetralized his isolations.

[Obstructed_View]

The problem is our offense shouldn't be wholly predicated on a shot that the best shooters in the league only hit 40% of, and no one on our team seems to be able to hit at better than a 20% clip come playoff time.

It's the fatal flaw of our offense. We have the best PF to ever play the game, and come fourth quarters Pop's designed our offense to be solely dependant on our guys hitting three pointers, traditionally the lowest percentage shot in the game.

It's dumb and it's fatally flawed. We don't have shooters out there around Duncan, we've got scorers. Let them score. Quit asking them to spot up 24/7/365.
I agree with you somewhat that the three pointer is fools-gold, but you don't have to be 24 feet away from the basket to hit an outside shot, all you have to do is make a defender cover you instead of cheating in, and AJ could do that by making 18 foot jumpers. The best PF in the world can't shoot any better than 20% when he's being defended by four or five guys, and a professional basketball player should shoot better than the Spurs did last year. It makes it difficult on a team if something works all year and then someone just forgets how to do their job when it's all on the line.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Obstructed, if that's what you want then we have made the wrong off-season moves the last two years.

You've got Manu and Tony in particular, who are slashers. Theyr'e not spot up shooters, Pop needs to quit trying to make apples out of oranges where that's concerned.

The one guy who is a money mid-range jump-shooter got 3 minutes Sunday, one for each week he's been with the team.


It makes it difficult on a team if something works all year and then someone just forgets how to do their job when it's all on the line.

The problem is we haven't been doing the same thing in the playoffs we do in the regular season. Last year regular season and this year regular season there was more motion and more pick and roll.

The playoffs roll around and Pop puckers up and goes ultra-conservative half court offense. The only one who's forgetting how to do their job with it all on the line is Pop when he calls our plays on offense.


When isolated, Manu always goes left. The Nuggets figured this out and nuetralized his isolations.

And last year when we tried to do this to Kobe with Bowen, Phil just rubbed Bowen off on screens. Yet we expect Manu to do it all by himself, or with a few half-hearted attempts at screens that Pop gives up on after 2-3 tries.

We don't put Parker or Manu in position to succeed, going to the basket. We expect them to overcome the perimeter defense and then the interior all by themselves.

Our whole offensive playbook fits on a postage stamp in tight playoff games, and it's time for it to stop.