Who will guard Dirk?

[Tp9gospursgo]

Since we will probably face them in the first round...RJ? who???????

[Mel_13]

Dice will get the first shot at him.

[TDomination]

Dice, Jefferson, Hill, Parker, Bogans

[MaNu4Tres]

Hopefully Dice.

[Solid D]

Dice, Bonner, RJ plus traps.

[Tp9gospursgo]

I just don't see anyone that can stop him unless we double but they have f*ckin terry to shoot threes.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

George Hill.

[Blackjack]

Dice, Bonner, RJ plus traps.

This; but we're bound to see the point guards get their shot on the inevitable switch of the Nowitzki-Terry (1 or 2-4) pick and roll/pop.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

George Hill will cover Terry and Dice on Dirk.

The RJ/Butler matchup should be interesting.

[Mel_13]

I just don't see anyone that can stop him unless we double but they have f*ckin terry to shoot threes.

Spurs have held Dirk to two of his 8 worst shooting games this season, 9-27 in November and 10-28 in January.

[NRHector]

Pop should let Mahinmi and Blair guard Dirk and foul him all night long just to piss him off :lol

[Amarelooms]

lol :elephant

[Tp9gospursgo]

Pop should let Mahinmi and Blair guard Dirk and foul him all night long just to piss him off :lol

That actually might just be crazy enough to work :lol

[Thompson]

Spurs have held Dirk to two of his 8 worst shooting games this season, 9-27 in November and 10-28 in January.

At least one of those had Bonner covering Dirk most of the time (and I believe he played somewhat physical with him as well), and all of us were marveling at what a great job Matt did. Question is whether it was a one-time thing and also whether the refs will allow physical play against Dirk in the playoffs. Hopefully his flailing arms routine is losing some of its magic, but who knows.

And yes, playing Mahinmi all year might have given us the option of playing a quick, young and athletic 6'11" guy against Dirk. I doubt that happens even once now.

[xellos88330]

Dirk is a really tough cover. I wouldn't be surprised to see Dice/Bonner on him most of the night. Those two will have to make Dirk work on the other side of the court too. Gotta kill the jump shooters legs by the end of the game.

[KenziE]

not MICHAEL FINLEY for damn sure !!!

[superjames1992]

Jefferson did a good job on him when he guarded Dirk.

[poop]

haha, if Ian even gets within 5 feet of Dirt all the refs will blow their whistles simultaneously.

[poop]

i bet Dirt will average 15-20 FT a game despite being a 7 foot jumpshooter.

[superjames1992]

And yes, playing Mahinmi all year might have given us the option of playing a quick, young and athletic 6'11" guy against Dirk. I doubt that happens even once now.

Manhimi would get murdered by Dirk. Young and athletic does not necessarily mean that he's a good basketball player or a good defender.

He looked good against New Jersey and Minnesota ... but we're talking about New Jersey and Minnesota. 'Nuff said.

Do other teams have cultlike obsessions with players that aren't even in the rotation. You'd think Manhimi was the next David Robinson or something.

[gospursgojas]

Dirk has and will continue to be the biggest matchup problem for the spurs.

I know I'm gonna get laughed at for this. But I think I recall bonner actually doing a good job on him.

Am I crazy?

[Thompson]

He looked good against New Jersey and Minnesota ... but we're talking about New Jersey and Minnesota. 'Nuff said.

Do other teams have cultlike obsessions with players that aren't even in the rotation. You'd think Manhimi was the next David Robinson or something.

You'll notice I said 'might' have given us the option. We'll never know now because Ian wasn't given the playing time earlier in the year. Pop rarely even uses him in garbage time for some reason (often he's not even activated). You'll never know what he really is unless he gets some substantial playing time.

[dirk4mvp]

lol at anyone who says Bonner. You all realize leaving Bonner on Dirk by himself down the stretch when Dirk had 41 earlier this year wasn't a good idea right?

[manu the best]

Dice, Jefferson, Hill, Parker, Bogans

parker ?

[gospursgojas]

I say let dirk get his and stop everyone else

[jdev82]

bonner first. i dont care what anybody says, bonner did very well against dirk in the playoffs last year. bonner, then antonio, a little tim, some RJ, maybe bogans or hill but i doubt it. they will have their hands full with terry/butler

[ehz33satx]

not MICHAEL FINLEY for damn sure !!!

You know, I think that is maybe the key to us losing to the Mavs the past few years. Now that Fin is gone, it opens up the floor for our other talented young players.

[jdev82]

Dirk has and will continue to be the biggest matchup problem for the spurs.

I know I'm gonna get laughed at for this. But I think I recall bonner actually doing a good job on him.

Am I crazy?

no youre not. you have a good memory. bonner has defended dirk extremely well the past two years

[dirk4mvp]

bonner first. i dont care what anybody says, bonner did very well against dirk in the playoffs last year. bonner, then antonio, a little tim, some RJ, maybe bogans or hill but i doubt it. they will have their hands full with terry/butler

Dirk taking a backseat and watching Brandon Bass and JJ Barea rape the Spurs doesn't equate to Bonner holding Dirk well at all.

[ElNono]

Does it matter? He'll fall off after every shot like somebody gunned him down from the stands... 95% of the refs will happily blow the whistle, specially in Dallas...
We would do better in focusing on the other guys. No open threes for Kidd, keep making the playoffs as uneventful as always for Butler and Haywood, force Marion into a 3 point chucker like his Phoenix days. We'll be ok if we manage to do that.

[ElNono]

no youre not. you have a good memory. bonner has defended dirk extremely well the past two years

I'd like to rebound the ball though. Dice can do a decent job on him, and I would even trot RJ on him. The problem is that whoever guards him will get loaded with fouls.

[ohmwrecker]

Dice, Jefferson, Hill, Parker, Bogans
I hope if Hill and parker are guarding Dirk it is only incidentally because of a switch out or cheating off their man for a double. McDyess & Bonner will cover Dirk for the majority of minutes with some doubling. Jefferson if Dallas goes "big". I wouldn't be surprised to see a little Bogans there and Duncan will help in the paint.
The key is too play him physically. If the refs don't throw him a party at the free throw line, Dirk gets rattled pretty easily. We can't double him for a whole game, but if he gets hot we can shut him down and hope he either can't find his shooters and/or they aren't hitting.

[gospursgojas]

Its quite comical how 2nd nature it is for us to talk about how the refs baby dirk. It still pisses me off, but yeah I kinda just accepted it too.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Oddly enough, I'd love to see the stats of when Dirk has Parker on him. I always remember Dirk hitting a much lower percentage with Parker of all people on him, though I don't know how big the sample size would be.

[gospursgojas]

Who the refs are and how they call the game will dictate who and how we play dirk.

I hate that IF the spurs play the mavs, the refs are gonna play a vital role in the outcome

[OrEmuN]

Does it matter? He'll fall off after every shot like somebody gunned him down from the stands... 95% of the refs will happily blow the whistle, specially in Dallas...
We would do better in focusing on the other guys. No open threes for Kidd, keep making the playoffs as uneventful as always for Butler and Haywood, force Marion into a 3 point chucker like his Phoenix days. We'll be ok if we manage to do that.

Sounds like Pop's tactic on Nash and Amare ... let both score and let the rest of the team go cold ...

[ElNono]

Sounds like Pop's tactic on Nash and Amare ... let both score and let the rest of the team go cold ...

Ideally you want to make him work hard on the other end. Unfortunately neither Bonner or Dice will make him do that.

[DBMethos]

Oddly enough, I'd love to see the stats of when Dirk has Parker on him. I always remember Dirk hitting a much lower percentage with Parker of all people on him, though I don't know how big the sample size would be.

I was thinking that too. It seems like Dirk always settles for 20-22 ft. fadeaway jump shots when Parker gets switched onto him, and he usually misses them.

[G-Dawgg]

I have to go with my gut instict and say that I do believe Pop would use Bonner on Nowitzski. It's too hard for me to imagine that Popovich would make Old-Man-Dice chase Dirk around the perimeter with a sore knee.

[SenorSpur]

The only thing I don't want to see is George Hill trying guard Dirk.

[RiverwalkParade]

I like Bogans on Dirk, the problem is that a matchup like that basically forces a small ball lineup. But Dirk has problems with smaller defenders and Bogans will rough him up all night.

Start and finish with Dice, but give Bogans some run at him in the second and third.

[diego]

mahinmi and blair wont be able to get within 5 feet of dirk without fouling. just let dirk get his and focus on the rest of their guards. on the other end, tim, manu, tony and RJ should all try and attack dirk since bonner/dyess wont make him work much if at all.

[Eminem]

Its quite comical how 2nd nature it is for us to talk about how the refs baby dirk. It still pisses me off, but yeah I kinda just accepted it too.

Whoever those people are in your avatar are 2 of the ugliest people I've ever had the misfortune of looking at. I think I'll put you on ignore now so I don't have to see that again.

[Dice]

mahinmi and blair wont be able to get within 5 feet of dirk without fouling. just let dirk get his and focus on the rest of their guards. on the other end, tim, manu, tony and RJ should all try and attack dirk since bonner/dyess wont make him work much if at all.

Does anyone pay attention to Dice underneath the basket on the offensive end? He muscles in about 2 out of 3 plays. Dirk will either let him have them or have to work hard to keep him off the boards.

[Creation88]

our strategy might be to shut everyone else down. dirk is gonna eat us alive anyway.

[Leetonidas]

lol at anyone who says Bonner. You all realize leaving Bonner on Dirk by himself down the stretch when Dirk had 41 earlier this year wasn't a good idea right?

lol citing one game.

Do you have a brain? You realize that the Spurs are going to let Nowitzki get his, they just want to make him work for it, right? Of course no one is going to stop Dirk, just like no one is going to stop Ginobili/Hill/Parker. The 9-27 and 10-28 shooting performances came at the hands of Bonner's defense.

[in2deep]

bonner first. i dont care what anybody says, bonner did very well against dirk in the playoffs last year.


what???

[stretch]

our strategy might be to shut everyone else down. dirk is gonna eat us alive anyway.

except for the fact that no one is able to guard Kidd, Terry, Barea, Beaubois, or Butler straight up.

[Creation88]

putting bonner on Dirk is like playing Dirk in shootaround.

[Creation88]

except for the fact that no one is able to guard Kidd, Terry, Barea, Beaubois, or Butler straight up.

lololololol

[in2deep]

except for the fact that no one is able to guard Kidd, Terry, Barea, Beaubois, or Butler straight up.

:lmao

good one

[ohmwrecker]

except for the fact that no one is able to guard Kidd, Terry, Barea, Beaubois, or Butler straight up.
You really have an over inflated sense of your back court players abilities. Unless, of course, you're joking. In that case, very funny.
Your guys are going to have their hands full chasing Ginobili and Parker on D that they won't have the gas to be a factor on the other end for an entire game. Butler is your best offensive guard and we have at least three guys that can shut him down. Kidd is a non-factor as a scorer if you make him work on D. And Barea and Beaubois? Really? Are you serious?

[dirk4mvp]

lol citing one game.

Do you have a brain? You realize that the Spurs are going to let Nowitzki get his, they just want to make him work for it, right? Of course no one is going to stop Dirk, just like no one is going to stop Ginobili/Hill/Parker. The 9-27 and 10-28 shooting performances came at the hands of Bonner's defense.

keep thinking that.

lol pothead asking someone if they have a brain

[sefant77]

Spurs should play like they play the Magic.

Take Dwight 1:1 and hope for the best and shut everyone else down. Same with Dirk. Doubling Dirk should be a mistake with Terry and Kidd on the court, it would lead to open threes. Even Roddy and Barea shooting 41 and 36%. Also the last games the ball movement was textbook. Thats one of Butlers advantages over J. Howard, he is such a smarter player and moves the ball very very well.

[jdev82]

Dirk taking a backseat and watching Brandon Bass and JJ Barea rape the Spurs doesn't equate to Bonner holding Dirk well at all.

obvious troll is obvious

[Höfner]

Bonner had a huge part in holding Dirk down last playoffs. It was obviously a team effort with lots of help and doubles, but truth be told, Bonner played Dirk just about perfectly for long stretches.

[quentin_compson]

Sounds like Pop's tactic on Nash and Amare ... let both score and let the rest of the team go cold ...

I don't think that this is a good strategy against the Mavs. I've read a statistic somewhere that said the Mavs are at their best when Nowitzki scores a lot.

Spurs should try to shut him down the best they can, hope for the best and make life hard for Terry, Butler, Kidd etc.

[Spurs Brazil]

Dice and Bonner

I just hope no small ball

[badfish22]

:cry


Whoever those people are in your avatar are 2 of the ugliest people I've ever had the misfortune of looking at. I think I'll put you on ignore now so I don't have to see that again.

:lmao:lmao:lmao

[dbestpro]

All I know is every time he is fouled it needs to be a hard foul. He's going to flop and flail all over the place anyway so give him something to flop and flail about.

[DBMethos]

Spurs should play like they play the Magic.

Take Dwight 1:1 and hope for the best and shut everyone else down. Same with Dirk. Doubling Dirk should be a mistake with Terry and Kidd on the court, it would lead to open threes. Even Roddy and Barea shooting 41 and 36%. Also the last games the ball movement was textbook. Thats one of Butlers advantages over J. Howard, he is such a smarter player and moves the ball very very well.

But unlike Howard, Butler doesn't turn into Michael freaking Jordan whenever he plays against the Spurs.

[sefant77]

But unlike Howard, Butler doesn't turn into Michael freaking Jordan whenever he plays against the Spurs.

We still have Barea for that :lol (doh, i hope he doesnt see the court at all).

Nah, i prefer that well balanced team than to hope the Dirk/Josh combo going nuts at offence.

[rayray2k8]

Probably Bonner since you need a soft player to play against another soft player.

[easy7]

Dick will be on Dirk and vise-versa.

[easy7]

except for the fact that no one is able to guard Kidd, Terry, Barea, Beaubois, or Butler straight up.

So those mofos are the top 5 league leading scorers then... :lmao

[DPG21920]

Dice will have to do the job. He has a chance to come up big for the Spurs. I see no signs or have no logical reason to believe Dice will flip the switch. But if he could, it would be a huge bonus that could put the Spurs over the top.

[ZB 512]

All I know is every time he is fouled it needs to be a hard foul. He's going to flop and flail all over the place anyway so give him something to flop and flail about.

wow. A Spurs fan talking about flopping? That is quite an irony

[ohmwrecker]

wow. A Spurs fan talking about flopping? That is quite an irony
Right, because the Spurs are the ONLY team that "flops". Fans of other teams NEVER use that as an excuse when the Spurs whip their ass. You got us.

[vander]

Bonner's really the only guy on the roster who can guard dirk, as much as Dirk can even be guarded to begin with, if that ridiculous falling-down-fade-away is going in, good night

[Findog]

Bonner had a huge part in holding Dirk down last playoffs. It was obviously a team effort with lots of help and doubles, but truth be told, Bonner played Dirk just about perfectly for long stretches.

The Spurs didn't "stop" Dirk last year. They basically pulled out the same defensive scheme that Houston, Golden State and Miami have used before them. His numbers weren't impressive (19/8) if I recall, but he played a great floor game. The book on Dirk has been to double team him, trap him, send the double from odd angles and from his blind side, force him to put the ball on the floor and drive instead of spotting up, etc. The Rockets, Warriors and Heat had great success with this approach. Dirk has gotten a lot better at dealing with it. He shredded the Spurs last year with his passing and playing the facillitator role. It remains to be seen if Butler, Haywood, Beaubois can match what Bass, Howard and Barea did last year playing off the looks they got from the attention paid to Dirk.

The game in Dallas earlier this year that saw Dirk go off for 41, the Spurs played him straight up mainly with Bonner on him in crunchtime and Dirk destroyed him. That won't work in the playoffs. Even though it didn't work last year, the "Golden State" defense is San Antonio's best chance. We'll find out if that does the job. The Warriors and Heat won with this approach, San Antonio and Houston ultimately failed with it. It's the best chance San Antonio has.

[ZB 512]

Right, because the Spurs are the ONLY team that "flops". Fans of other teams NEVER use that as an excuse when the Spurs whip their ass. You got us.

lol im not the one that brought "flopping" up...was responding to Spurs fan complaining about another team "flopping"

[024]

jefferson might be the most effective. he's certainly the most mobile of mcdyess and bonner. jefferson doesn't have speed but he will have more than enough to keep up with dirk. he also has a 7 foot wingspan to contest shots.

[Dex]

I just know at some point, Pop's going to try to "centerpiece" Dirk, and things are probably going to get real ugly, real fast.

[TD 21]

I've never been nearly as worried about this one dimensional, overrated player, as most. Of course he had his way with the Spurs in '06, he had smalls on him. If McDyess can, for the most part stay out of foul trouble (a near impossible task, since Nowitzki inexplicably get's more calls than almost anyone) and log significant minutes against him, I feel he can do a solid enough job on Nowitzki. What I don't want to see is long stretches of Jefferson or Bogans on him, the Spurs doubling and giving up op three's. They need to play him straight up at virtually all costs and live with the results. This guy isn't so good that he should be able to almost single-handedly drag the Mavs past the Spurs.

[Sportstudi]

I've never been nearly as worried about this one dimensional, overrated player, as most. Of course he had his way with the Spurs in '06, he had smalls on him. If McDyess can, for the most part stay out of foul trouble (a near impossible task, since Nowitzki inexplicably get's more calls than almost anyone) and log significant minutes against him, I feel he can do a solid enough job on Nowitzki. What I don't want to see is long stretches of Jefferson or Bogans on him, the Spurs doubling and giving up op three's. They need to play him straight up at virtually all costs and live with the results. This guy isn't so good that he should be able to almost single-handedly drag the Mavs past the Spurs.

You just changed it from Duncan to anyone, because you noticed you were wrong?

Career stats:

Duncan:
FT's per game: 7.1
FT's per 36 minutes: 7.0

Nowitzki:
FT's per game: 6.6
FT's per 36 minutes: 6.4

Nice one, try again.

[TD 21]

You just changed it from Duncan to anyone, because you noticed you were wrong?

Career stats:

Duncan:
FT's per game: 7.1
FT's per 36 minutes: 7.0

Nowitzki:
FT's per game: 6.6
FT's per 36 minutes: 6.4

Nice one, try again.

Not at all. Duncan just didn't make much sense there, because then it would have been like saying he's the standard for stars who get calls, which obviously isn't the case.

You try again.

Duncan is a post guy, who plays the game where fouls are generally drawn. Nowitzki does everything you're not supposed to do to get calls, yet still mysteriously ends up with oodles of them. Besides, Duncan's lead on that was built up early-mid career. The last few years, Nowitzki get's to the line more. To be fair, him playing significantly more minutes contributes to this too.

[ZB 512]

Not at all. Duncan just didn't make much sense there, because then it would have been like saying he's the standard for stars who get calls, which obviously isn't the case.

You try again.

Duncan is a post guy, who plays the game where fouls are generally drawn. Nowitzki does everything you're not supposed to do to get calls, yet still mysteriously ends up with oodles of them. Besides, Duncan's lead on that was built up early-mid career. The last few years, Nowitzki get's to the line more. To be fair, him playing significantly more minutes contributes to this too.

Dirk also takes quite a few more shots than Duncan

what is the strategy of many teams in defending Dirk?....to get physical with him

[ZB 512]

Bonner had a huge part in holding Dirk down last playoffs. It was obviously a team effort with lots of help and doubles, but truth be told, Bonner played Dirk just about perfectly for long stretches.

lol did you even watch the series last season? Bonner didnt "hold down" crap. I remember Spurs fans on this very board and on AM sports talk complaining about Bonner during that series. Talk about revisionist memory.

They swarmed Dirk a majority of the time and that opened up the court for the rest of the Mavs. It wasnt all about scoring. Dirk was very efficient in making the right play out of the double teams.

[Sportstudi]

Not at all. Duncan just didn't make much sense there, because then it would have been like saying he's the standard for stars who get calls, which obviously isn't the case.

You try again.

Duncan is a post guy, who plays the game where fouls are generally drawn. Nowitzki does everything you're not supposed to do to get calls, yet still mysteriously ends up with oodles of them. Besides, Duncan's lead on that was built up early-mid career. The last few years, Nowitzki get's to the line more. To be fair, him playing significantly more minutes contributes to this too.

I just checked the stats since Duncan's minutes dropped and started at the 04-05 season. During the 6 following seasons (including the current one) he averaged 6.75 per 36 minutes. Dirk got 7.15 per 36 minutes. That's not much of a difference.

And concerning fouls: Duncan gets banged up in the post a lot, I'll give you that. But it's not Nowitzki's fault that defenders fall for his pump fakes and hit his arms while shooting or try to defend him with double hand checking (which is an automatic foul).

[jdev82]

The Spurs didn't "stop" Dirk last year. They basically pulled out the same defensive scheme that Houston, Golden State and Miami have used before them. His numbers weren't impressive (19/8) if I recall, but he played a great floor game. The book on Dirk has been to double team him, trap him, send the double from odd angles and from his blind side, force him to put the ball on the floor and drive instead of spotting up, etc. The Rockets, Warriors and Heat had great success with this approach. Dirk has gotten a lot better at dealing with it. He shredded the Spurs last year with his passing and playing the facillitator role. It remains to be seen if Butler, Haywood, Beaubois can match what Bass, Howard and Barea did last year playing off the looks they got from the attention paid to Dirk.

The game in Dallas earlier this year that saw Dirk go off for 41, the Spurs played him straight up mainly with Bonner on him in crunchtime and Dirk destroyed him. That won't work in the playoffs. Even though it didn't work last year, the "Golden State" defense is San Antonio's best chance. We'll find out if that does the job. The Warriors and Heat won with this approach, San Antonio and Houston ultimately failed with it. It's the best chance San Antonio has.
he always seemed to bust out when you guys needed him, but he wasnt dominating the entire game. i credit good d for that.
oh and spurs fans, look out for roddy boubois. hes the next jj berrea

[scottspurs]

Who will guard Ginobili?

[ZB 512]

Who will guard Ginobili?

ha very good question. Im worried about that one. I dont know if anyone can contain Manu right now

..but it will probably be Marion, Butler, and Stevenson with that assignment

[Tp9gospursgo]

Who will guard Ginobili?

No one.

[DPG21920]

Butler/Marion are better equipped to guard Manu than anyone on the Spurs is to guard Dirk.

[Findog]

Who will guard Ginobili?

Kidd, Marion, Butler and Stevenson will all take turns.