One play that we need to stop

[007nites]

Westbrooks step-back mid range jumper which he takes 15 times a game. I think if we get someone long on him it will take that option away from him.

[HeroSquad]

Eventually, I think it stops itself. Westbrook is a streaky shooter and he's been on fire as of late. Perhaps a letdown is due?

[PublicOption]

http://larrybrownsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/okc-thunder-seattle-shirt-530x414.jpg

[TDMVPDPOY]

his step back is only effective when his in front of the rim, force him to take it on a angle...

we have the depth on the perimeter to be up for the challenge...

[spursfan1000]

Exactly , if we can limit Westbrook I think we have this series easily. Durant and harden are going to score regard less, we also have to watch ilbakas mid range jumper

[AlleyOopNazi]

The Spurs will scout that and put long armed defenders on Westbrook and Durant. Most likely Green and Leonard respectively. This is nothing new, Westbrook isn't as aggressive as Harden towards the basket. Hes going to have to make those with a hand in his face because our group defends much better than Sessions/Blake.

[thekingrobert]

KD and Westbrook will get theirs the key is to limit Harden and his drives he is their best finisher at the rim

[TDMVPDPOY]

KD and Westbrook will get theirs the key is to limit Harden and his drives he is their best finisher at the rim

im not concern with durant or harden, just have to limit their touches, by gettin into westbrick head to trade baskets with tp taking himself out of the teams offensive schemes....theres a reason why they lost the games to us cause of his ball hogging antics...

[TDMVPDPOY]

KD and Westbrook will get theirs the key is to limit Harden and his drives he is their best finisher at the rim

put a crap defender on him, and clog the lane...need at one shot blocker and one player willing to draw charges

[ShoogarBear]

I want him taking that shot a lot, especially in the 4th if it's taking touches away from KD.

[T Park]

You want Westbrook in hero mode.

Green though is long enough, quick enough, strong enough to defend Westbrook well IF he stays out of foul trouble.

[vander]

um, I'd love nothing more than to have Westbrook take the step-back 15-18 foot jumper 15 times a game, 30 times a game! EVERY SINGLE THUNDER POSSESSION!!!

[SpurPadre]

KD and Westbrook will get theirs the key is to limit Harden and his drives he is their best finisher at the rim


THIS. Harden is the guy I fear the most in this series. The FUCKER has the total package offensively. He's not only a great shooter, his drives to the basket have been unstoppable in the playoffs. He just puts his head down and bulldozes his way to the rim with something positive happening for them each time. Durant will get his but I'm confident Kawhi will do his best to contain him. Westbrook is streaky and I've grown more confident of TP's defense with each passing game. Harden will be a pain in the fucking ass with his ugly, repugnant fucking beard of his, too. I hate that fucker.

[The Reckoning]

you could say the same shit about dirk's fadeaway or duncan's bank shot.

some things you cant stop but hope to contain.

[Sense]

I think on one of the Spurs game they were mentioning that if you make him go left on his pull up jumpers that his stats % decreases immensely.. and the Spurs were doing that in that game.

Pop does his homework.

[ElNono]

What the Spurs have done in the past is cover that shot until Westbrook tires of running around screens chasing Tony, then they'll give that shot to him. I wouldn't be surprised if Scott Brooks ends up putting Sefolosha on Tony and hiding Westbrook on Danny Green.

[ShoogarBear]

One trick that some teams used to use on Dominque Wilkins back in the 80s was to play him very loose in the first quarter in the hopes that he would hit his shots, then turn up the screws in the fourth quarter knowing that once he thought he had it going, he wasn't ever going to pass the ball any more.

Something like that would likely be effective on Westbrook.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I want him taking that shot a lot, especially in the 4th if it's taking touches away from KD.


um, I'd love nothing more than to have Westbrook take the step-back 15-18 foot jumper 15 times a game, 30 times a game! EVERY SINGLE THUNDER POSSESSION!!!

Yes siree!


I think on one of the Spurs game they were mentioning that if you make him go left on his pull up jumpers that his stats % decreases immensely.. and the Spurs were doing that in that game.

Pop does his homework.

Interesting.


What the Spurs have done in the past is cover that shot until Westbrook tires of running around screens chasing Tony, then they'll give that shot to him.

I wouldn't be surprised if Scott Brooks ends up putting Sefolosha on Tony and hiding Westbrook on Danny Green.

Makes perfect sense. The more tired a jumpshooter is, the less effective they become.

And if Brooks does go that way, it may well be to our advantage since Westbrook steals so many balls from opposing PGs... and if he roams off Green, given the way our offence is clicking we'll get the ball to a wide-open Green and the kid will bury him in open 3s.

Is Sefolosha quick enough to keep up with Parker? I doubt it. That matchup will be a key to the series though.

[100%duncan]

I want him taking that shot a lot, especially in the 4th if it's taking touches away from KD.

More Westbrook=Less KD and Harden=Good for us

[will_spurs]

Westbrook has not faced any good PG/defenders so far. Kidd is a zombie and the Lakers don't have a real PG (Sessions is limited and Blake is a fringe NBA player).

The wake-up call is going to be rough, I can really picture getting pissed off and going into hero mode, which is exactly what the Spurs need.

[ezau]

POP would most likely put Parker on Sefolosha since Green would handle Westbrook and Leonard would guard Durant on the defensive end. I think OKC's lack of a scoring big would clearly hurt them in this series.

[wildbill2u]

Westbrooks step-back mid range jumper which he takes 15 times a game. I think if we get someone long on him it will take that option away from him.

Easier said than done. He is extremely good at driving to within easy jump shot range and then stopping and elevating for a mid-range jumper.

Long defenders like Kwahi and Green probably don't have the speed to stay with him on a drive or off the pick and roll.

It will be interesting to see what strategy Pop devises to take him out of his comfort zone. It was amazing how well Paul was defended in the Clipper series.

[DAF86]

Like Parker, Westbrook seems to take a lot of 18-20 footer out of the pick and roll 'cause that's what the defense gives him but on these playoffs he seems to be on fire with those. It may be smart to give him a different look and pass the screen over instead of under or trap him, something to get him out of his comfort zone and maybe squander his confidence.

[coyotes_geek]

One trick that some teams used to use on Dominque Wilkins back in the 80s was to play him very loose in the first quarter in the hopes that he would hit his shots, then turn up the screws in the fourth quarter knowing that once he thought he had it going, he wasn't ever going to pass the ball any more.

Something like that would likely be effective on Westbrook.

JMO, but I think with Westbrook you'd want to do the opposite. Start the game trying to make him a passer in the hopes that he'll get frustrated that he's not getting his points and will start jacking up shots. Tony looking to score early would also help. Westbrook is one of those guys who always knows how many points he's scored. He can get frustrated if he thinks the other PG is having a better game than he is.

[spursfaninla]

The fade-away jumper is practically unstoppable defensively, but the sacrifice made is that it is a much more difficult shot to make consistently. Players who can make that shot consistently enough from mid-range to really cause problems are few and far between.

If he makes fade-aways over the course of a series as the majority of his shots, the Spurs probably live with it.

However, one thing that one commentator said was that Westbrook makes more turnovers when he has to pass out of a drive to the basket. He rarely makes turnovers when he is shooting jumpers, if you know what I mean.

The point there was, encouraging westbrook to drive, but collapsing properly is a sound method to create turnovers against the Thunder.

If that is the case, play up on Westbrook on the perimeter to encourage drives, cut him off, and make him pass out to shooters. Their perimeter shooting is ok, but not great.

[ShoogarBear]

JMO, but I think with Westbrook you'd want to do the opposite. Start the game trying to make him a passer in the hopes that he'll get frustrated that he's not getting his points and will start jacking up shots. Tony looking to score early would also help. Westbrook is one of those guys who always knows how many points he's scored. He can get frustrated if he thinks the other PG is having a better game than he is.

Not a bad thought.

[Wild Cobra Kai]

Westbrooks step-back mid range jumper which he takes 15 times a game. I think if we get someone long on him it will take that option away from him.

You don't understand the Spurs at all, do you? That's the exact shot we want him to take, contested, of course. It's long enough to be low percentage, but there is no three point 'penalty' for allowing it.

The best description I ever heard of the Spurs defense was this:

"we own the three point line. you can have anything from there in to 9 feet, but no closer because we own that, too."

Those shots are the least efficient way of scoring points in the NBA.

[AussieFanKurt]

Can win games purely on jump shooting in finals

[angelbelow]

Westbrook hit that shot at a high percentage against the likes of a 50 year old Jason Kidd and Steve Blake. If he can do it again against Parker and Green than props to him. I doubt it though.