Amuseddaysleeper
11-16-2010, 08:58 PM
Another preview from yours truly :toast
Spurs Preview: The Week Ahead – Nov. 15th-21st (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/san-antonio-spurs-news/spurs-preview-the-week-ahead-nov-15th-21st/)
By Raza Husain (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/author/raza/)
San Antonio Dispatch (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/)
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/bulls-logo.jpg
Chicago Bulls (5-3) @ San Antonio Spurs (8-1)
Wednesday, November 17th, 8:30 PM Central
Last Meeting: January 10th, 2010, Bulls won 98-93
SCOUTING REPORT: The Bulls had one of the best offseasons in the entire NBA this past summer but an early injury to All-Star Carlos Boozer has dampened their start. They have won three in a row, including victories over the Nuggets and the surprising Warriors. Make no mistake about it, the Bulls are a team that is much better than their record suggests. They are top five in the league in assists per game as well as rebounds.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Yes, a 5-3 record isn’t something that would intimidate opponents but when you have a roster that features players who are top ten in points and assists (Derrick Rose), as well as blocks and rebounds (Joakim Noah), you’re looking at a lethal inside/outside combo. The Spurs are on a roll after winning seven in a row but the next batch of games will really test this team’s grit. Chicago took both meetings against San Antonio last year, who had a hard time stopping the penetration of Derrick Rose. While Boozer won’t be playing, the Bulls still boast a formidable frontline. Antonio McDyess and Tiago Splitter could be looking at extended minutes thanks to the Bulls size. Matt Bonner is coming off a huge game against the Thunder, so look to see if he can continue stretching the defense with his hot three-point shooting. The Bulls move the ball around very well, one of the NBA’s best in the assist category, so the Spurs will have to concentrate on making the right defensive rotations. Richard Jefferson did a very admirable job on blanketing Kevin Durant in the win over the Thunder, and should look to keep up the defensive pressure against Luol Deng, who had a career-high 40 points against the Blazers. The schedule only gets tougher from here so it would be a great way to start off the week with a win against another playoff contender.
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http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/jazz-logo.jpg
San Antonio Spurs (8-1) @ Utah Jazz (7-3)
Friday, November 19th, 8:00 PM Central
Last Meeting: January 20th, 2010, Utah won 105-98
SCOUTING REPORT: The talk of the league this past week, the Utah Jazz pulled off an astounding number of comeback victories from double-digit deficits against the Heat, Magic, Hawks and Bobcats. To make the feat even more impressive, they beat those teams playing four games in five nights. Utah’s motion offense has put them near the top of the league in assists per game.
WHAT TO EXPECT: If you thought losing both times to Chicago last season made for a tough opponent, the Jazz swept the Spurs last year in the season series 4-0. The game will be played at Energy Solutions Arena, where Utah has always been one of the most dominant home teams in the NBA, thanks to the most raucous crowd in the league. Deron Williams versus Tony Parker will be the marquee matchup of the night, as both players are having All-Star caliber seasons. Paul Millsap has been an absolute beast during Utah’s run, so look for DeJuan Blair and Tim Duncan to keep a body on him as he is a tenacious rebounder and a solid scorer on the block. San Antonio has been pushing the pace more than ever this year so this matchup certainly has the makings for a high scoring game. If the Spurs can play defense like they did in the second half of the Thunder game, they should be able to limit Utah’s second-chance opportunities and quiet the home crowd. It will be a tall order to grab a win in a very tough arena. Hopefully the Spurs can get a good sized lead against Utah — then again, maybe they shouldn’t because well, you know, Utah apparently thrives in those situations.
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San Antonio Spurs (8-1) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (4-5)
Saturday, November 20th, 7:30 PM Central
Last Meeting: March 26th, 2010, Spurs won 102-97
SCOUTING REPORT: Cleveland has done their best to survive in the post Lebron James era. Amazingly, they are only a game behind the Heat. The Cavs are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, yet their defense hasn’t been a problem. They rank top ten in points allowed, though the Cavs do play at a fairly slow pace, which may skew that number. JJ Hickson leads the team in scoring with 16 a game.
WHAT TO EXPECT: After facing a couple of good tests with Chicago and Utah, the Spurs take on the Cavaliers who, as expected, are a much weaker team since LeBron left. Both teams will be playing each other on the second night of a back to back, so this could be viewed as a trap game for the Spurs depending on how much energy they expend in Utah. The Spurs will need to punish Cleveland on the boards and push the pace so that Cleveland’s defense doesn’t get a chance to set. The Cavs don’t have a whole lot of size so look for Duncan to have a solid game, as well as Blair to have another solid outing in the rebounding department. Manu Ginobili often torches the Cavs and hopefully this game will be no different. Tony Parker will have to keep a lid on Mo Williams, who can get hot from three in a hurry. If he can force Williams to play defense, it should wear out Williams since he tries to carry the scoring load on the other end. It would be a shame for the Spurs to drop one here at home, as they have been doing a great job taking care of business against the cupcake teams. The Spurs should look to get a big win in their own building, as they continue their surge to the top of the standings.
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http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/san-antonio-spurs-news/spurs-preview-the-week-ahead-nov-15th-21st//
Spurs Preview: The Week Ahead – Nov. 15th-21st (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/san-antonio-spurs-news/spurs-preview-the-week-ahead-nov-15th-21st/)
By Raza Husain (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/author/raza/)
San Antonio Dispatch (http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/)
http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/bulls-logo.jpg
Chicago Bulls (5-3) @ San Antonio Spurs (8-1)
Wednesday, November 17th, 8:30 PM Central
Last Meeting: January 10th, 2010, Bulls won 98-93
SCOUTING REPORT: The Bulls had one of the best offseasons in the entire NBA this past summer but an early injury to All-Star Carlos Boozer has dampened their start. They have won three in a row, including victories over the Nuggets and the surprising Warriors. Make no mistake about it, the Bulls are a team that is much better than their record suggests. They are top five in the league in assists per game as well as rebounds.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Yes, a 5-3 record isn’t something that would intimidate opponents but when you have a roster that features players who are top ten in points and assists (Derrick Rose), as well as blocks and rebounds (Joakim Noah), you’re looking at a lethal inside/outside combo. The Spurs are on a roll after winning seven in a row but the next batch of games will really test this team’s grit. Chicago took both meetings against San Antonio last year, who had a hard time stopping the penetration of Derrick Rose. While Boozer won’t be playing, the Bulls still boast a formidable frontline. Antonio McDyess and Tiago Splitter could be looking at extended minutes thanks to the Bulls size. Matt Bonner is coming off a huge game against the Thunder, so look to see if he can continue stretching the defense with his hot three-point shooting. The Bulls move the ball around very well, one of the NBA’s best in the assist category, so the Spurs will have to concentrate on making the right defensive rotations. Richard Jefferson did a very admirable job on blanketing Kevin Durant in the win over the Thunder, and should look to keep up the defensive pressure against Luol Deng, who had a career-high 40 points against the Blazers. The schedule only gets tougher from here so it would be a great way to start off the week with a win against another playoff contender.
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http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/jazz-logo.jpg
San Antonio Spurs (8-1) @ Utah Jazz (7-3)
Friday, November 19th, 8:00 PM Central
Last Meeting: January 20th, 2010, Utah won 105-98
SCOUTING REPORT: The talk of the league this past week, the Utah Jazz pulled off an astounding number of comeback victories from double-digit deficits against the Heat, Magic, Hawks and Bobcats. To make the feat even more impressive, they beat those teams playing four games in five nights. Utah’s motion offense has put them near the top of the league in assists per game.
WHAT TO EXPECT: If you thought losing both times to Chicago last season made for a tough opponent, the Jazz swept the Spurs last year in the season series 4-0. The game will be played at Energy Solutions Arena, where Utah has always been one of the most dominant home teams in the NBA, thanks to the most raucous crowd in the league. Deron Williams versus Tony Parker will be the marquee matchup of the night, as both players are having All-Star caliber seasons. Paul Millsap has been an absolute beast during Utah’s run, so look for DeJuan Blair and Tim Duncan to keep a body on him as he is a tenacious rebounder and a solid scorer on the block. San Antonio has been pushing the pace more than ever this year so this matchup certainly has the makings for a high scoring game. If the Spurs can play defense like they did in the second half of the Thunder game, they should be able to limit Utah’s second-chance opportunities and quiet the home crowd. It will be a tall order to grab a win in a very tough arena. Hopefully the Spurs can get a good sized lead against Utah — then again, maybe they shouldn’t because well, you know, Utah apparently thrives in those situations.
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http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/cavs-logo.jpg
San Antonio Spurs (8-1) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (4-5)
Saturday, November 20th, 7:30 PM Central
Last Meeting: March 26th, 2010, Spurs won 102-97
SCOUTING REPORT: Cleveland has done their best to survive in the post Lebron James era. Amazingly, they are only a game behind the Heat. The Cavs are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league, yet their defense hasn’t been a problem. They rank top ten in points allowed, though the Cavs do play at a fairly slow pace, which may skew that number. JJ Hickson leads the team in scoring with 16 a game.
WHAT TO EXPECT: After facing a couple of good tests with Chicago and Utah, the Spurs take on the Cavaliers who, as expected, are a much weaker team since LeBron left. Both teams will be playing each other on the second night of a back to back, so this could be viewed as a trap game for the Spurs depending on how much energy they expend in Utah. The Spurs will need to punish Cleveland on the boards and push the pace so that Cleveland’s defense doesn’t get a chance to set. The Cavs don’t have a whole lot of size so look for Duncan to have a solid game, as well as Blair to have another solid outing in the rebounding department. Manu Ginobili often torches the Cavs and hopefully this game will be no different. Tony Parker will have to keep a lid on Mo Williams, who can get hot from three in a hurry. If he can force Williams to play defense, it should wear out Williams since he tries to carry the scoring load on the other end. It would be a shame for the Spurs to drop one here at home, as they have been doing a great job taking care of business against the cupcake teams. The Spurs should look to get a big win in their own building, as they continue their surge to the top of the standings.
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http://www.sanantoniodispatch.com/san-antonio-spurs/san-antonio-spurs-news/spurs-preview-the-week-ahead-nov-15th-21st//