timvp
06-19-2005, 03:30 PM
1) Get Tim going early. Duncan needs a double-figure first quarter to get off to a good start. The Pistons have been stealing the inlet pass to him, which is as much Duncan’s fault as anyone elses. He has to seal the defender and not let them just go around him. Duncan has to be in attack mode early and taking the ball to the rim. The less jumpers and turnaround shots, the better.
2) Parker has to score. I want to see a vintage Tony Parker performance. He needs to be driving to the basket and either going up with the shot or finding players wide open. Even if he misses shots in close, Duncan and the other Spurs big have a good chance and getting the offensive rebound. Parker is a lot faster than Billups and the Spurs need him to exploit that. Get into the lane early and often.
3) Ginobili has to play smart. He can’t force things right now because that’s what the Pistons are waiting for him to do. They’ve shut down most of his driving lanes. They are taking away his left hand. What Manu has to do is play like he did in Game 2. In that game, he shot only 8 times but had a lot of assists and did a great job helping the ball movement get going. If he can get out on the break and get to the line, that is when he’s most deadly.
4) Stop turning the ball over as much. It’s just a matter of taking your time and not forcing things. The Spurs also have to play smarter to avoid the traps – especially on the corners of the court. If the Pistons come with a trap, get the ball out of the trap and then attack the basket. The Pistons always use a big to trap so the lane should be wide open.
5) Rebounding. Both offensively and defensively, the rebounds have to be there. Duncan did a good job rebounding last game, but the other bigs need to pick up the slack. Nazr Mohammed and Robert Horry haven’t shown much this series, which can’t continue if the Spurs hope to win. Those two players need to combine for at least 15 boards for the Spurs to be in position to win this game.
6) Transition defense. It’s almost as if the Spurs ended the Suns series and now don’t care about getting back on defense. When the Pistons get rolling, they get a lot of easy transition baskets. If the Spurs can get back on defense and force them to try to score in the half-court, the Pistons won’t have much success.
7) Coaching. Pop needs to find a way to stop the bleeding. I don’t want to see ten players get playing time. He needs to pick seven or eight players and let these players get a lot of run. I’d also like to see Beno Udrih play less at the end of quarters. He’s not good in those situations, but he could be useful in the middle of quarters.
8) Take away the three-pointers. If the Pistons don’t shoot and hit threes, the Spurs can handle them so much easier. When they start hitting from downtown, it makes things that much harder for the Spurs. The Spurs did a great job in the early games of forcing the Pistons to drive and shoot in-between shots. Get back to that and make this a possession-by-possession game.
9) Run. The Spurs need to run the breaks and take it to the Pistons. Detroit thrives in a walk it up pace. The Spurs are at there best when Parker gets out and Ginobili is ready to swoop in from the wings. They have a distinct speed advantage against the Pistons which they must utilize.
10) Patience. It isn’t going to be easy. The Spurs will find themselves down in the game, but they can’t start panicking. Keep running the offense, keep playing solid d and wait. The Pistons can go in extended droughts if you keep them from running and keep them off the offensive glass. Stay patient and the Pistons will start to misfire and the Spurs can take advantage.
2) Parker has to score. I want to see a vintage Tony Parker performance. He needs to be driving to the basket and either going up with the shot or finding players wide open. Even if he misses shots in close, Duncan and the other Spurs big have a good chance and getting the offensive rebound. Parker is a lot faster than Billups and the Spurs need him to exploit that. Get into the lane early and often.
3) Ginobili has to play smart. He can’t force things right now because that’s what the Pistons are waiting for him to do. They’ve shut down most of his driving lanes. They are taking away his left hand. What Manu has to do is play like he did in Game 2. In that game, he shot only 8 times but had a lot of assists and did a great job helping the ball movement get going. If he can get out on the break and get to the line, that is when he’s most deadly.
4) Stop turning the ball over as much. It’s just a matter of taking your time and not forcing things. The Spurs also have to play smarter to avoid the traps – especially on the corners of the court. If the Pistons come with a trap, get the ball out of the trap and then attack the basket. The Pistons always use a big to trap so the lane should be wide open.
5) Rebounding. Both offensively and defensively, the rebounds have to be there. Duncan did a good job rebounding last game, but the other bigs need to pick up the slack. Nazr Mohammed and Robert Horry haven’t shown much this series, which can’t continue if the Spurs hope to win. Those two players need to combine for at least 15 boards for the Spurs to be in position to win this game.
6) Transition defense. It’s almost as if the Spurs ended the Suns series and now don’t care about getting back on defense. When the Pistons get rolling, they get a lot of easy transition baskets. If the Spurs can get back on defense and force them to try to score in the half-court, the Pistons won’t have much success.
7) Coaching. Pop needs to find a way to stop the bleeding. I don’t want to see ten players get playing time. He needs to pick seven or eight players and let these players get a lot of run. I’d also like to see Beno Udrih play less at the end of quarters. He’s not good in those situations, but he could be useful in the middle of quarters.
8) Take away the three-pointers. If the Pistons don’t shoot and hit threes, the Spurs can handle them so much easier. When they start hitting from downtown, it makes things that much harder for the Spurs. The Spurs did a great job in the early games of forcing the Pistons to drive and shoot in-between shots. Get back to that and make this a possession-by-possession game.
9) Run. The Spurs need to run the breaks and take it to the Pistons. Detroit thrives in a walk it up pace. The Spurs are at there best when Parker gets out and Ginobili is ready to swoop in from the wings. They have a distinct speed advantage against the Pistons which they must utilize.
10) Patience. It isn’t going to be easy. The Spurs will find themselves down in the game, but they can’t start panicking. Keep running the offense, keep playing solid d and wait. The Pistons can go in extended droughts if you keep them from running and keep them off the offensive glass. Stay patient and the Pistons will start to misfire and the Spurs can take advantage.