How do you envision the matchups and some concerns going into this series...

[ElNono]

We all know the current Spurs struggles, both on health and game... but I want to focus a bit on actual matchups.

In the last game, Pop played Tiago on Gasol and TD on Dwight. I'm not sure that's the way to go. While it's true that you want to keep TD near the basket at all times and Gasol likes to pull out more, the Lakers really have nobody that can penetrate from the perimeter on a consistent basis (MWP would be the exception, but he just barrels to the basket). Putting Tiago on Dwight makes it easier to foul Dwight without TD racking up fouls. Also Tiago has had much more difficulty trying to play outside the paint, where Gasol like to operate these days.

The rest of the Lakers are fairly average and below-average players. But they can shoot. It will be key for guys like Green, Kawhi, TP, etc to not go help or double-team. Stay in front of your guy, fight through screens and make them put the ball on the floor.

Steals and transition will be another aspect the Spurs need to focus on. Lakers like to turn the ball over, and they're pretty bad in transition D.

For the Lakers the gameplan is fairly easy: pack the paint, and make the Spurs beat you from outside. Spurs will likely run pick & roll to death, but Lakers will be happy to give up the shot every time.

[EricB]

Only guy that bothers me is Gasol.

Other than that. Meh.

[Libri]

Here is one concern.

http://www.themoviemind.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/david-stern.jpg

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

I'm pretty confident that we'll be outscored by a lot when/if Blair is on the court.

[playblair]

I'm pretty confident that we'll be outscored by a lot when/if bonner is on the court.

[timvp]

I'd keep Duncan on Dwight. Duncan, the last couple years, has been great against him.

If you put Splitter on Dwight, the possible (likely) ramifications:

-Splitter's lack of physicality could be exposed.

-Splitter could get in early foul trouble -- and then the Spurs would be really F'ed without Diaw.

-It'd likely be a cross match, which would mean even more running for Duncan.

-Duncan muscling in the post will cause less wear and tear than "chasing" Gasol (even though there's not much to chase with him).




Besides, Duncan has been great at staying out of foul trouble. He might get in foul trouble against D-Ho but that's a chance the Spurs have to take, IMO.

[ElNono]

One other disadvantage for the Spurs to consider is that these Lakers are used to play 40mpg night in and night out... basically, I doubt we'll see much bench play from the Lakers. Spurs on the other hand are not that used to the extended minutes play, and will have to rely on the bench sometimes playing against starters.

[ElNono]

I'd keep Duncan on Dwight. Duncan, the last couple years, has been great against him.

If you put Splitter on Dwight, the possible (likely) ramifications:

-Splitter's lack of physicality could be exposed.

-Splitter could get in early foul trouble -- and then the Spurs would be really F'ed without Diaw.

-It'd likely be a cross match, which would mean even more running for Duncan.

-Duncan muscling in the post will cause less wear and tear than "chasing" Gasol (even though there's not much to chase with him).

Besides, Duncan has been great at staying out of foul trouble. He might get in foul trouble against D-Ho but that's a chance the Spurs have to take, IMO.

So you're saying the Spurs should only foul Dwight on controlled Hack-A-Dwight situations and just let him get his throughout the rest of the game?

That's kind of what I'd like to avoid. I figured if Tiago does get in foul trouble, Lakers will be likely in the bonus anyways, and you can just send in Bonner/Banes and start hacking away.

IMO, if TD gets in foul trouble, god helps us all.

[Mugen]

-Splitter plays Gasol well. Tim usually plays Howard well. Better to have Tim closer to protect the rim If they can adequately defend the Lakers front court without a double team, i don't see how the Lakers can put up enough points tbh.

-The lakers perimeter rotation is essentially their bench tbh so they can play 40+mpg for all i care.

- Rebounding will again be key. Kawhi/Green are going to have to step up rebounding wise in the series.

-If the Spurs don't defend every Laker perimeter player extremely tight (Blake, Meeks, Jamison, Artest, etc.), Pop should be fired after the series tbh.

[Johnny RIngo]

IMO, if TD gets in foul trouble, god helps us all.

then we're gonna have to rely on T:lolny P:lolrker

[spurraider21]

Keep Duncan on Dwight and Tiago on Pau. Splitter is the more agile of the 2, and I don't trust Tiago to win rebounds against Dwight. Tim is expert at staying out of foul trouble.

If Parker can hit jumpers from the free throw line extended, this series ends in 4.

The Lakers are severely flawed. They want to play inside out, but outside of Blake, have no consistent 3 point shooters. I would love to knock Blake, as he's been overrated as a shooter throughout his career, but he's having a fine season from 3. Meeks is their 3 point "specialist" who ended the season shooting under 36% from range. Jamison, MWP, Clark, Morris are all somewhere between 33 and 36% as well. Typically an inside-out team wants guys shooting north of 38%, like when the Magic had Rashard, Turkoglu, Alston, etc. With Nash out, the Lakers are in deep shit, as we'd like to double their post guys with anybody except Blake's man.

On offense, just bring Dwight out on pick and roll

[Mugen]

Every laker guard/forward is worthless from the 3pt line down tbh. If the Spurs can adequately defend the 3, then LA struggles to score above 90.

[freetiago]

the only way Splitter has a chance vs Howard is if they front him and send Leonard down from the baseline to help on the catch and rotate back
Lakers will play slow on offense
ball will hit halfcourt around 17 about every play
takes about 7-10 seconds to set up an entry pass
and if the front delays the time then theyll be forced to rush bad outside shots
Gasol is a great passer though and Howard can monkeyball with the best of them

thats why Tim is just better off on Howard
when guarding the pick and roll spurs need to stop the midrange from coming off a screen

[hater]

rest of the lakers are average to below average players

unfortunately so are ALL spurs outside Duncan in the last 10+ games

[DapDaGenius]

Hoping Parker can play well. I'm sure Kawhi will do good but I'm worried Danny will be cold.

[tenbeersbold]

Sorry..Spurs playing 5 vs 8 against the biggest $$$ generating team in the NBA

Spurs are gonna have to blow 'em out every game to win.

Any game that's only 10-12 pts in the 4th is gonna get reffed for the Fakers

Add in the open animosity btwn Stern and PATFO.....

That being aid GO SPURS GO!!!!!!!

[TJastal]

Hoping Parker can play well. I'm sure Kawhi will do good but I'm worried Danny will be cold.

Neal & Green are primed for big series IMO... they will both get a ton of good clean looks against the lakers and their paint packers. Green especially will be the key to the series and he will come through with flying colors.

[Ocotillo]

Might Baynes be used for sporadic "hack-a-Howard" moments?

[hater]

tbh if we have to play our scrubs a lot of minutes, things will not bode well.

these guys should get bulk of minutes:
TP
TD
Splitter
Green
Kawhi

we basically have NO BENCH. Let's hope Manu is available and at least we possibly have a bench that can at least stay competitive vs. Lakers bench:
Manu
Bonner
Blair
Neal

[letmk]

If Tony plays like in Jan/Feb, we'll sweep them. Simple as that. If Tony plays like 1-10 in the last game against them, we're in a big upset. If Tony plays in between, we are in a dog fight.

I agree with LJ's assessment in his random thoughts, in the first round, it's all about the Spurs, or specifically Tony.

[ironman2886]

Just need Tony and Ginobili healthy, and please God no hack-a-Howard.

[ElNono]

Outside of Jamison and Clarke, Lakers don't play a 'bench'. D'Antoni has been running the same 7 guy rotation for weeks now, with Meeks being upgraded as a starter when Kobe went down.

Unless Nash comes back before the series is over, the Spurs' bench, whatever it is, will most likely play most of their minutes against the Lakeshow starters.

[cd98]

Diaw injury is huge. He plays well against Lakers, especially Gasol.

[100%duncan]

Parker just needs to step up. Hell if TP plays up to decent level no match-ups discussion will be needed, LA gon be fucked. But then again, it's TP. Very mysterious.

[Brunodf]

:lolSplitter on DH/TD on Gasol?Are u kidding me? 2/10

[houston spurs fan]

It really boils down to Tony....

[mute]

Dwight and Gasol are great players and are gonna get theirs (especially with Kobe being out). I'm just terrified both players will suddenly find their ways and go on a tear. Both players have shown they are capable of carrying the load. The fact that they have two players like this scares me to death. We just cannot let guys like Steve Blake and their other role players beat us.

[DPG21920]

I'm a nervous wreck about the playoffs. Outside of Tim & TP I trust no one on this team. They have been bad.

[Floyd Pacquiao]

I'm a nervous wreck about the playoffs. Outside of Tim & TP I trust no one on this team. They have been bad.
I don't even trust TP right now tbh

[ElNono]

I'm a nervous wreck about the playoffs. Outside of Tim & TP I trust no one on this team. They have been bad.

I've had a ton of work lately, and that has helped me put my mind somewhere else. But I guess once they start playing the games, it's gonna hit me.

I'm also a bit lost on what to expect. Were they coasting a bit? Who will Pop play out there? I think after the first game we'll have a better idea of what we're looking at.

[hater]

I've had a ton of work lately, and that has helped me put my mind somewhere else. But I guess once they start playing the games, it's gonna hit me.

I'm also a bit lost on what to expect. Were they coasting a bit? Who will Pop play out there? I think after the first game we'll have a better idea of what we're looking at.

Well dont worry. We will know as soon as soon as sunday no later than wed. What this team got

[Johnny RIngo]

Parker's definitely hurt...which is going to make every playoff game difficult.. I think he made a big mistake coming back early from that injury. Seems like TP was gunning for those regular season awards at the expense of the team.

[Tuddy]

Duncans been copping much better treatment from the refs this season. If Parkers heAlthy spurs will sweep

[Brazil]

We all know the current Spurs struggles, both on health and game... but I want to focus a bit on actual matchups.

In the last game, Pop played Tiago on Gasol and TD on Dwight. I'm not sure that's the way to go. While it's true that you want to keep TD near the basket at all times and Gasol likes to pull out more, the Lakers really have nobody that can penetrate from the perimeter on a consistent basis (MWP would be the exception, but he just barrels to the basket). Putting Tiago on Dwight makes it easier to foul Dwight without TD racking up fouls. Also Tiago has had much more difficulty trying to play outside the paint, where Gasol like to operate these days.

The rest of the Lakers are fairly average and below-average players. But they can shoot. It will be key for guys like Green, Kawhi, TP, etc to not go help or double-team. Stay in front of your guy, fight through screens and make them put the ball on the floor.

Steals and transition will be another aspect the Spurs need to focus on. Lakers like to turn the ball over, and they're pretty bad in transition D.

For the Lakers the gameplan is fairly easy: pack the paint, and make the Spurs beat you from outside. Spurs will likely run pick & roll to death, but Lakers will be happy to give up the shot every time.

I don't often post but when I do it's usually because I have something important to say. Now I don't want you to take this personal but your threads are terrible. Again I don't know who you are, what you do, etc but I certainly hope that your contribution to this website is not the culmination of your life.

[Chinook]

Pop just needs to not worry about switching Green on Blake or Nash if Parker struggles. With Meeks in for Bryant, Parker can check the off-guard. It's also possible to see Leonard on the point, Parker on the two-guard and Green on MWP. Danny has actually played Metta well.

Leonard needs to find a way to score against MWP. Kawhi's greatest value in the series is gone without Bryant playing, so he's gonna have to contribute more on offense to make up for it. Lord knows Green isn't going to do enough to make MWP switch off Leonard, although Parker and Ginobili may.

Bonner could be big in this series. He's a good post defender, which helps against Gasol and Howard. His outside shooting is also the key to stopping the Lakers' "defense." Let's face it: With Diaw out, Bonner has become one of the semi-expendables.

[Blake]

Leonard needs to find a way to score against MWP. Kawhi's greatest value in the series is gone without Bryant playing, so he's gonna have to contribute more on offense to make up for it. Lord knows Green isn't going to do enough to make MWP switch off Leonard, although Parker and Ginobili may.

After watching that last game v the Lakers, I'd say this is a concern I have as well.

I'm concerned if the Lakers decide to run a bunch of hi-lo with Gasol and Howard if Splitter isn't in the game.

[CGD]

What is the Diaw situation? Is he completely out this series? We could use him.

[Darius McCrary]

Am I the only one who thinks it will be a criminal decision for Pop to play Blair over Baynes in this series? We all know he'll play Blair, but I think Baynes has the size to at least make Dwight work a little harder to get his.

[Seventyniner]

Am I the only one who thinks it will be a criminal decision for Pop to play Blair over Baynes in this series? We all know he'll play Blair, but I think Baynes has the size to at least make Dwight work a little harder to get his.

I think it would be criminal if either one gets more than garbage minutes.

[Darius McCrary]

With no Diaw that bumps every big up a notch on the ladder. Using Bonner over Baynes (even though we all know he'll choke) has logic. Using Blair over Baynes does not.

[EVAY]

My biggest concern is rebounding. Frankly we have been terrible at it most of the season. Duncan is better at blocks this season than rebounds, and Howard can out rebound most everybody on our team all by himself. They don't have to be good shooters if they get enough shots on goal.

Howard was called out by Bryant so often this season that I think he is dying to show that he can be 'the man' for the Lakers, and put Kobe to shame.

So far, he and Gasol have played better together since Bryant went out than they ever did with Kobe around. If we don't have that answered somehow, we are going to lose regardless of what Tony or Manu or Green or Kawhi do.

Rebounding.

[Chomag]

Bonner getting PT that is all that worries me.

[cd021]

-Splitter plays Gasol well. Tim usually plays Howard well. Better to have Tim closer to protect the rim If they can adequately defend the Lakers front court without a double team, i don't see how the Lakers can put up enough points tbh.

-The lakers perimeter rotation is essentially their bench tbh so they can play 40+mpg for all i care.

- Rebounding will again be key. Kawhi/Green are going to have to step up rebounding wise in the series.

-If the Spurs don't defend every Laker perimeter player extremely tight (Blake, Meeks, Jamison, Artest, etc.), Pop should be fired after the series tbh.

The thing is we actually struggle to score against them as well the 1st game we won 86-84. Duncan is the leading scorer against the Lakers this season with 16.5 points (I believe thats correct)

[bklynspursfan]

Man Sunday can't come soon enough...

I'm really anxious to see how this team goes out. I sort of feel like they're going to come out on fire, with a ton of energy and jump on LA early as they don't have the firepower to win a game where they have to come back.

I could be totally wrong and they come out sloppy and LA is the aggressor.