Thunder Should Go Small Ball

[mavsfan1000]

Start Harden and bench Perkins. Make Dirk or Chandler guard Durant or a guard. Thus opening up the lane. Ibaka doesn't match up well with Dirk and needs to protect the paint with his shotblocking.

[badfish22]

You were wrong about the Mavs, mavsfan1000 :)

[mavsfan1000]

You were wrong about the Mavs, mavsfan1000 :)
Yep. It looks that way again. Not that I'm not happy I'm wrong. I win both ways though. If I'm wrong, my team wins. If I'm right, then I can gloat on here. :lol

[erikuff]

sefolosha is pretty much useless. he's a defensive specialist, but there isn't really anyone for him to guard on the mavs. Harden has tremendous talent and they need to play him much more

[IronMexican]

Yep. It looks that way again. Not that I'm not happy I'm wrong. I win both ways though. If I'm wrong, my team wins. If I'm right, then I can gloat on here. :lol

What a fagot. Gloating your team lost. Go kill yourself, or make sure you never recreate by going the route of Jacob1983.

[Kyle Orton]

mavsfan1000 and Jacob1983 sound like more or less the same person. The other day mavsfan1000 was talking about how abstinence is the best option.

[Isitjustme?]

mavsfan1000 and Jacob1983 sound like more or less the same person. The other day mavsfan1000 was talking about how abstinence is the best option.

Who doesn't at least pretend like they get laid on the internet?

[Kyle Orton]

It's not about getting laid as much as it's about those two being the only people who thinking abstinence is practical

[lefty]

Uhoh


OP is winning :tu

[lefty]

Its working

[Fabbs]

Start Harden and bench Perkins. Make Dirk or Chandler guard Durant or a guard. Thus opening up the lane. Ibaka doesn't match up well with Dirk and needs to protect the paint with his shotblocking.
Good call on Harden. He had a very good game.

[mavsfan1000]

You were wrong about the Mavs, mavsfan1000 :)
I was right afterall.

[dirk4mvp]

You've been so right, they've lost 1 game in nearly a month.

[mavsfan1000]

You've been so right, they've lost 1 game in nearly a month.
And 3 more to go with that one. They ain't winning in OKC.

[dirk4mvp]

Much to you delight.

[mavsfan1000]

Much to you delight.
You wish

[Ghazi]

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177945

and :lmao at DAF reaching... Manu > Dirk :lol

yea I see u lurkin this thread faggot

[frodo]

time for the mavs to adjust their tactics imho. westbrook sucked pretty bad in game 1 and cost them dat game, the OKC nigs changed their tactic playin dat bearded nigga as the real PG which worked great and won em da game. westbrook only played 28min tonight imho. need to give some special attention to dat bearded nig harden imo, hoping to see stevenson matchin up wit him tbh. beard vs. beard

[mavsfan1000]

They waited too long to go small ball. It cost them as Dallas owns them when they go big. You gotta cause chaos to Dallas and with a normal lineup plays to the Mavs strengths. Perkins is useless in this series.

[DMC]

trolol

[Giuseppe]

[small ball] has never won diddly. It's a gimmick. Gimmicks will not win NBA Titles.

Whistlin' past the graveyard won't save OKC.

[mavsfan1000]

[small ball] has never won diddly. It's a gimmick. Gimmicks will not win NBA Titles.

Whistlin' past the graveyard won't save OKC.
Warriors 07 made it work against the Mavs. OKC has the same sort of team that the Warriors do when going small. It won't win a title but it will give you a great chance against the Mavs who struggle to slow down a game when small ball goes wild.

[stretch]

Warriors 07 made it work against the Mavs. OKC has the same sort of team that the Warriors do when going small. It won't win a title but it will give you a great chance against the Mavs who struggle to slow down a game when small ball goes wild.

you clearly have no clue what the shit you are talking about

all year the mavs have done great against small ball lineups. they have perhaps the most versatile team in the league, and deal with all different kinds of lineups well. about the only thing i see them struggle against on a regular basis is when a team sends damn near all 5 guys to crash for offensive boards, because the mavs often like to send a guy or two out on the break for kidd to find downcourt.

[Giuseppe]

This isn't about Dallas. This is about OKC and their inability to succeed. What, you're going to play 100 games one way and then when the going gets tough you're going to mash the panic button & have any sort of chance?

They're giving in to failure. Because it's easier than resisting.

[mavsfan1000]

you clearly have no clue what the shit you are talking about

all year the mavs have done great against small ball lineups. they have perhaps the most versatile team in the league, and deal with all different kinds of lineups well. about the only thing i see them struggle against on a regular basis is when a team sends damn near all 5 guys to crash for offensive boards, because the mavs often like to send a guy or two out on the break for kidd to find downcourt.
Dirk has never reacted well to legit small ball. Mainly because he has a hard time guarding the perimeter. It also means Dallas has one less 7 footer under the basket. Legit small ball are teams that gain an athletic and shooting advantage forcing a team relying on bigs for interior defense away from the basket. Dallas is the perfect team if you got the right lineup to go small ball against. OKC is very athletic and even more athletic when Perkins is out of the game. They seem to be the perfect storm if they chose going small with Durant and Ibaka (or Collison) as their bigs.

[stretch]

Dirk has never reacted well to legit small ball. Mainly because he has a hard time guarding the perimeter. It also means Dallas has one less 7 footer under the basket. Legit small ball are teams that gain an athletic and shooting advantage forcing a team relying on bigs for interior defense away from the basket. Dallas is the perfect team if you got the right lineup to go small ball against. OKC is very athletic and even more athletic when Perkins is out of the game. They seem to be the perfect storm if they chose going small with Durant and Ibaka (or Collison) as their bigs.

:rolleyes

and on the other end, with them going small, it means they have no inside presence. dirk (if they actually would give him a fucking call) will score or be fouled at will. barea will shred the interior. and chandler should have no problems catching oops off screens. not to mention how easily chandler has been dominating the boards already.

works both ways, stupidfuck. playing small ball only hurts dirk on the defensive end somewhat, and thats about it, because the mavs still have big guys who can match up with smaller guys just fine, like Marion and Chandler. it would hurt the Thunder a whole lot more on their defensive end though.

[Bill_Brasky]

OP is an idiot, a faggot, and an 8 seed in the game of life, a bid he probably shouldn't have gotten in the first place.

[Venti Quattro]

mavsfan1000 you are a fucking idiot. that's it and that's all

[Giuseppe]

Thou is overwraught. He's starting to get close to "it." The pressure is starting to ratchet up and he can't sit still, or, maintain a cogent thought in his fevered gourd.

Frankly, it's adorable. If he were a girl I'd spank his ass till it was like two Jap flags.

[mavsfan1000]

:rolleyes

and on the other end, with them going small, it means they have no inside presence. dirk (if they actually would give him a fucking call) will score or be fouled at will. barea will shred the interior. and chandler should have no problems catching oops off screens. not to mention how easily chandler has been dominating the boards already.

works both ways, stupidfuck. playing small ball only hurts dirk on the defensive end somewhat, and thats about it, because the mavs still have big guys who can match up with smaller guys just fine, like Marion and Chandler. it would hurt the Thunder a whole lot more on their defensive end though.
Having Ibaka under the basket is a good thing for OKC. Having him guard Dirk takes away his ability to shotblock as he has to stay close to Dirk and not wonder around. Dirk can't guard Durant so he would have to guard most likely a guard. That is a big mismatch imo. Just like when Dirk had to guard Stephen Jackson. That was more than just a slightly tough matchup for Dirk. Chandler is maybe the closest we get to the answer for small ball at the center position though. Thank goodness for him. Miami is also another candidate for a team that is capable of being tougher for Dallas by going small ball. Put Bosh at Center and Lebron at Power Forward forcing Dirk to guard James Jones. A legit 3 point shooter.

[mavsfan1000]

mavsfan1000 you are a fucking idiot. that's it and that's all
Gotta love it when fans of other teams think they know so much about the Mavs. Small ball has worked twice before against the Mavs in the playoffs and almost turned one series around when the Spurs went small ball against us in 06. Spurs weren't quite as good with small ball though as it didn't really help them gain an athletic advantage. It helped spacing some though which really helped Duncan.

[mavsfan1000]

I think Dallas is a very unusual matchup. Mainly because of Dirk. He changes a way teams can guard Dallas. Their bigs are forced to come out against Dirk at 4 position. Thus, your bigs are almost useless on interior defensive when having to guard Dirk. Thus you need to have a more mobile guy to guard Dirk and be able to recover. And I will have to say it. Dirk is a great post defender against most 4's. Pau Gasol being a prime example of that. He uses his length to really bother players. Odom was a tougher matchup for him because he is more like a 3 and can do more damage off the dribble. I also think Dirk is a pretty good help defender. Thus you take away 2 of his strengths. Defense when going small forces him farther from the basket and not having him guard a post player (or a player that plays close to the basket) like Ibaka.

[stretch]

Having Ibaka under the basket is a good thing for OKC. Having him guard Dirk takes away his ability to shotblock as he has to stay close to Dirk and not wonder around. Dirk can't guard Durant so he would have to guard most likely a guard. That is a big mismatch imo. Just like when Dirk had to guard Stephen Jackson. That was more than just a slightly tough matchup for Dirk. Chandler is maybe the closest we get to the answer for small ball at the center position though. Thank goodness for him. Miami is also another candidate for a team that is capable of being tougher for Dallas by going small ball. Put Bosh at Center and Lebron at Power Forward forcing Dirk to guard James Jones. A legit 3 point shooter.

you fucking idiot

there is a different between a paint defender, and a weakside shotblocker.

ibaka is a guy who gets most of his blocks either preying on shitty offensive players, or coming over from the wing to double down and block the shot. but he is not like Dwight Howard, Bynum, or Chandler in being able to man the paint, and still consistently blocking/contesting shots that come in his area.

and im not too concerned if Dirk is forced to guard someone like Sefalosha or Ibaka if the Thunder were to go small.

you still dont realize just how fucking horrible the rebounding would be if they had Ibaka at center and Durant at PF. or in Miami's case, how bad it would be if Bosh was C, and Bron was PF. it would be a fucking disaster.

you also dont realize how some players simply arent as comfortable on offense when put in other positions they arent familiar with. we learned this last year when putting Butler at SG as opposed to SF.

god damn you are a stupid bag of shit, because you still have no other reason to believe that going small would help the Thunder in ways other than making Dirk work a bit more on defense.

[stretch]

Having Ibaka under the basket is a good thing for OKC. Having him guard Dirk takes away his ability to shotblock as he has to stay close to Dirk and not wonder around.

and after re-reading, i just realized how much of an idiot you are by this statement.

the only thing ibaka does good on defense is block shots, so by taking away his shotblocking, that is supposed to HELP the Thunder?????????

stupid fucking moron

dpg should ban your ass just for the fact that you are so adamant about the stupid ignorant shit you spout

[dirk4mvp]

dpg should ban your ass

:lol

[Bill_Brasky]

I think Dallas is a very unusual matchup. Mainly because of Dirk. He changes a way teams can guard Dallas. Their bigs are forced to come out against Dirk at 4 position. Thus, your bigs are almost useless on interior defensive when having to guard Dirk. Thus you need to have a more mobile guy to guard Dirk and be able to recover. And I will have to say it. Dirk is a great post defender against most 4's. Pau Gasol being a prime example of that. He uses his length to really bother players. Odom was a tougher matchup for him because he is more like a 3 and can do more damage off the dribble. I also think Dirk is a pretty good help defender. Thus you take away 2 of his strengths. Defense when going small forces him farther from the basket and not having him guard a post player (or a player that plays close to the basket) like Ibaka.

Jesus fucking christ dude, this is a worse idea than a Matt Millen draft pick.

[mavsfan1000]

and after re-reading, i just realized how much of an idiot you are by this statement.

the only thing ibaka does good on defense is block shots, so by taking away his shotblocking, that is supposed to HELP the Thunder?????????

stupid fucking moron

dpg should ban your ass just for the fact that you are so adamant about the stupid ignorant shit you spout
Yep re-read what I said. Look who the fucking moron is now. Having him under the basket allows for him to shotblock. You do that by putting him at Center. Not power forward where he has to guard Dirk. Fucking moron can't understand shit but loves to talk shit.

[mavsfan1000]

Since some didn't get how exactly small ball would work.
Ibaka guards Chandler
Sefolosha guards Dirk
Durant guards Marion
Harden guards Stevenson
Westbrook guards Kidd

On the other end, Dirk will have to guard Durant or Sefolosha. Not a good matchup for Dirk. He'd rather guard Ibaka but Chandler needs to be around the rim for needed interior defense. So Chandler would need to guard Ibaka to do that. Taking away one of Dallas's twin towers from around the rim will hurt Dallas's interior defense. It will allow more space for Westbrook to get to the basket and open up for some more open 3's. This also forces Kidd to play someone with more scoring ability to start the game. Could wear Kidd out. If Scott Brooks actually does it and OKC wins, than I deserve some credit for the idea. And not being a fucking moron like some think around here.

[#41 Shoot Em Up]

It's not about getting laid as much as it's about those two being the only people who thinking abstinence is practical

Getting laid....something you don't know shit about faggot :lol
So your opinion on anything pussy related is rather useless

[stretch]

Yep re-read what I said. Look who the fucking moron is now. Having him under the basket allows for him to shotblock. You do that by putting him at Center. Not power forward where he has to guard Dirk. Fucking moron can't understand shit but loves to talk shit.

then who the fuck guards dirk? durant? :lmao

[stretch]

Sefolosha guards Dirk

no need to read the rest of this post. this statement alone ranks among the all time dumb statements of human history. you would be better off trying to fuck a bowl of stale corn flakes, than ever trying to talk basketball again.

[stretch]

not to mention, Dirk guarding Sefalosha is a matchup i would be perfectly happy with, if it means the Thunder go small, and decide to sacrifice defense, shotblocking, rebounding, and every other possible matchup on the court, aside from who Dirk has to guard. its not like Sefalosha is some scoring machine. dude hits spot up threes, and hits a hustle layup from time to time, and thats it. he is basically the Deshawn Stevenson of the Thunder. Pretty much all Dirk has to do is not give up the 3 to him, and hes golden. Sefalosha isnt good enough to make the Mavs pay consistently by beating Dirk off the dribble. He may make a play once in a while, but more often than not, he will either take a bad shot, make a bad pass, or accomplish absolutely nothing at all.

[endrity]

you also dont realize how some players simply arent as comfortable on offense when put in other positions they arent familiar with. we learned this last year when putting Butler at SG as opposed to SF.


Truer words have not be spoken. That was the one big big mistake Carlisle made, which we all thought was the right move as well. But moving Caron back to the 3 was one of the key decisions that jumpstarted this amazing season.

[endrity]

However Findog, Mavsfan1000 is partly correct here. Small Ball has been the best thing for the Thunder in this series. True, Chandler owned the paint last night when they did it, but it was better than playing with two bigs. They don't get enough spacing/scoring with the bigs they have. And even with the smaller players, they are able to crowd Dirk a lot more.

The Mavs have to counter by getting to the paing a lot more and with Chandler continuing to dominate the paint. However, I would not be surprised to see the Thunder go to small ball a lot more from now on. Chandler is killing Perkins right now, he can't keep up.

[mavsfan1000]

Truer words have not be spoken. That was the one big big mistake Carlisle made, which we all thought was the right move as well. But moving Caron back to the 3 was one of the key decisions that jumpstarted this amazing season.
It's easier to adapt with small ball than large ball. With small ball, you don't lose ball handling skills. Butler at shooting guard was way too slow. Maybe his fitness wasn't that good last year as well. He lost some weight in the offseason.

[mavsfan1000]

Anyways, I thinking Collison instead of Sefolosha would definitely be the better choice to guard Dirk. I'm still thinking of the way the Warriors 07 and Rockets 05 guarded Dirk. I think smaller players have better chance to bother Dirk. No one is going to block Dirk's shot anyways due to his high release. I think smaller players annoy Dirk with their quickness. I've even seen Tony Parker bother Dirk. The main thing is Perkins is totally worthless. And lmao at thinking taking out Perkins will destroy the Thunders inside game.

[stretch]

lol i saw plenty of small ball last night, and it still didnt work

great fuckin idea, bullfan1000

faggot

[mavsfan1000]

lol i saw plenty of small ball last night, and it still didnt work

great fuckin idea, bullfan1000

faggot
It got them a 15 point lead with 5 minutes left. Can't blame smallball for Durant falling apart. Ibaka got plenty of blocks when guarding Chandler.

[stretch]

It got them a 15 point lead with 5 minutes left. Can't blame smallball for Durant falling apart. Ibaka got plenty of blocks when guarding Chandler.

and in the end, it still didnt work once the Mavs got their heads out of their asses and actually started rebounding the damn ball. the fact that OKC played small most of the game and still massively outrebounded the Mavs is more of an anomaly than smallball working. majority of the time, they dont kick the mavs asses on rebounding like that when going small.

[mavsfan1000]

and in the end, it still didnt work once the Mavs got their heads out of their asses and actually started rebounding the damn ball. the fact that OKC played small most of the game and still massively outrebounded the Mavs is more of an anomaly than smallball working. majority of the time, they dont kick the mavs asses on rebounding like that when going small.
Nonetheless, the matchups suited the Mavs less. Dirk would rather have Ibaka guarding him and taking away their block shots than Collison guarding him with Ibaka under the basket. Actually it effects Dirk the least. The rest of the team is effected more by Ibaka being under the basket.

[stretch]

Nonetheless, the matchups suited the Mavs less. Dirk would rather have Ibaka guarding him and taking away their block shots than Collison guarding him with Ibaka under the basket. Actually it effects Dirk the least. The rest of the team is effected more by Ibaka being under the basket.

Simple adjustment. Pump-fake and either Ibaka jumps and you can draw the foul, or Chandler has an open dunk. Believe it, if they keep running Ibaka at center in game 5, you will see more of this.

[mavsfan1000]

Simple adjustment. Pump-fake and either Ibaka jumps and you can draw the foul, or Chandler has an open dunk. Believe it, if they keep running Ibaka at center in game 5, you will see more of this.
Easier said than done. But that is a good idea nonetheless. Not much of that was seen in game 4. But I guess with Carlisle at coach, not a surprise really.

[stretch]

Easier said than done. But that is a good idea nonetheless. Not much of that was seen in game 4. But I guess with Carlisle at coach, not a surprise really.

Mavs fans hate on Carlisle too much. Overall he is a good coach. Makes good adjustments. Sometimes he fucks up with his lineups (like last night leaving Barea in for too long and not subbing Marion in for him), but what coaches dont?

tbqh it may be hard to make that adjustment though, considering all the shit that Collison is able to get away with. He would just bellyflop on Chandler and the refs would call Tyson for an offensive foul.