timvp
01-15-2010, 02:28 PM
The San Antonio Spurs are fresh off arguably their two best wins on the season. They now travel to Charlotte to begin a taxing three games in four nights stretch. Larry Brown and the Bobcats will be waiting and would love to end San Antonio's three-game winning streak.
Keys to a Spurs Victory
1. Push the tempo. The Bobcats are most comfortable playing at a slow pace. They are elite on the defensive end but poor on the offensive end, so slowing the pace allows them to try to grind out victories. If the Spurs can push the tempo, they could blow the game open.
2. Don't allow Boris Diaw to beat you via the pass. While Diaw is still an elite passer for a bigman, his offense has gone down the drain. He's shooting below 30% on three-pointers this year and has lost one-third of his scoring average from a year ago. Diaw usually gives the Spurs trouble but the gameplan this time should be not send help and turn him into a scorer.
3. Get Manu Ginobili going. Coming off of an 0-for-10 outing, Ginobili will be looking to bounce back. Calling a few plays for him early to raise his confidence should help. Considering he's shooting just 34.2% from the field and 28.8% from three-point land on the road this season, the coaching staff shouldn't just assume he'll automatically rebound.
Matchup to Watch
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3523.jpg vs. http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3533.jpg
Gerald Wallace is having a very good season. Out of nowhere, he's become an spectacular rebounder. Prior to this season, the 6-foot-7 small forward never averaged more than 7.8 rebounds per game. This year, his average has jumped up to a staggering 11.5 boards.
The Spurs will counter Wallace's athleticism with Richard Jefferson. On the season, Jefferson is averaging just 3.9 rebounds per game -- the fewest since his rookie season. When he's not involved offensively, his rebounding rate drops even further. Against Wallace, Jefferson needs to be competitive on the boards even if he's not getting many touches.
Inside the Numbers
Stephen Jackson has been playing extremely well as of late. In his last seven games, the former Spur is averaging 28 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 47.2% from the field. Prior to this hot stretch, Jackson had a field goal percentage of 39.5% on the season.
Did You Know?
In the history of the Bobcats franchise, the Spurs have allowed Charlotte to score more than 86 points in only one out of 11 games. That lone game is also the only time the Bobcats ever beat the Spurs -- the infamous November of 2006 contest in which Adam Morrison somehow lit up Bruce Bowen for 27 points to lead the Bobcats to a 95-92 victory.
Keys to a Spurs Victory
1. Push the tempo. The Bobcats are most comfortable playing at a slow pace. They are elite on the defensive end but poor on the offensive end, so slowing the pace allows them to try to grind out victories. If the Spurs can push the tempo, they could blow the game open.
2. Don't allow Boris Diaw to beat you via the pass. While Diaw is still an elite passer for a bigman, his offense has gone down the drain. He's shooting below 30% on three-pointers this year and has lost one-third of his scoring average from a year ago. Diaw usually gives the Spurs trouble but the gameplan this time should be not send help and turn him into a scorer.
3. Get Manu Ginobili going. Coming off of an 0-for-10 outing, Ginobili will be looking to bounce back. Calling a few plays for him early to raise his confidence should help. Considering he's shooting just 34.2% from the field and 28.8% from three-point land on the road this season, the coaching staff shouldn't just assume he'll automatically rebound.
Matchup to Watch
http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3523.jpg vs. http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/.e1d/img/4.0/global/basketball/nba/players/3533.jpg
Gerald Wallace is having a very good season. Out of nowhere, he's become an spectacular rebounder. Prior to this season, the 6-foot-7 small forward never averaged more than 7.8 rebounds per game. This year, his average has jumped up to a staggering 11.5 boards.
The Spurs will counter Wallace's athleticism with Richard Jefferson. On the season, Jefferson is averaging just 3.9 rebounds per game -- the fewest since his rookie season. When he's not involved offensively, his rebounding rate drops even further. Against Wallace, Jefferson needs to be competitive on the boards even if he's not getting many touches.
Inside the Numbers
Stephen Jackson has been playing extremely well as of late. In his last seven games, the former Spur is averaging 28 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals while shooting 47.2% from the field. Prior to this hot stretch, Jackson had a field goal percentage of 39.5% on the season.
Did You Know?
In the history of the Bobcats franchise, the Spurs have allowed Charlotte to score more than 86 points in only one out of 11 games. That lone game is also the only time the Bobcats ever beat the Spurs -- the infamous November of 2006 contest in which Adam Morrison somehow lit up Bruce Bowen for 27 points to lead the Bobcats to a 95-92 victory.