Just when I thought I was out... they drag me back in!

[GSH]

I stayed away from the whole league for an entire season. I get corralled into watching one game, and now I'm stuck. I watched Game 3... twice. And I can't sleep. So here's a few things I didn't hear any of the talking heads on TV mention:



When Kawhi came out looking nervous and stiff again, and I thought it was going to be big trouble for the Spurs. But Timmy showed what being a team leader is all about. All through this game, Tim was doing things to encourage and congratulate Kawhi, and help him loosen up. It was way above and beyond anything I've ever seen him do. And it shows that Tim knows just how important it is to get Kawhi playing with confidence in this series. When Kawhi finally made that 3 from the corner, Tim went straight over to him and acted like he had just hit the game-winner. For Kawhi, it's got to be like having a big brother out on the floor looking out for you. And by the 4th, Kawhi was starting to look like Kawhi. If it lasts, that will be a huge addition for Game 4.

After last game, everyone was talking about how Pop needed to put Kawhi on Curry, and I couldn't understand why Green wasn't getting credit for what he did. Frankly, if Pop had left Green on Curry in the second half, I think the Spurs would have won Game 2. Not only did he cause a lot of misses, but he kept Curry from putting up as many shots. Tonight it was pretty obvious, but there's one play that really made my jaw drop. Watch the highlights of the play where Curry hurt his ankle. He was planning on getting Green up in the air, and then lunging into him as he tossed up a 3. But Danny managed to keep his feet, and cut Curry off instead. He couldn't lunge to his right into Green without drawing a charge, and I think that's why he turned his ankle. I hope people will appreciate what an incredible defensive play that was. Not because Curry turned his ankle, but because there just aren't many guys in the league who could have kept their feet and not given Curry 3 FT's or maybe a chance at a 4-point play. For the last two games, Green has kept Curry from going the way he wants to go - it's thrown him out of his shooting rhythm, and forced him to just give the ball up a lot. But that play was defensive genius.

Gary Neal has gone full-on Roger Mason Junior. He needs to be in a suit for the rest of the playoffs. There was one play in the 4th quarter that actually made me wonder if RMJ came back when I wasn't looking. Duncan was locked up in the blocks on the left side, and Neal was standing outside the 3P line on the right side waving both hands above his head for the ball. It looked like the fat kid on the playground at recess. Duncan couldn't even see Neal from where he was. There are 4 GS players between him and Duncan, and two of them close enough to get in Neal's face before he could shoot. He's standing 6 inches from the sideline, and he wants Tim to throw the long cross-court lob to him? Seriously? Sit down, Gary. And take that miserable redheaded fuck with you.

Parker had a great first half, but the play that will hit all the highlight reels was also one of the stupidest plays ever. The Spurs had a 7-point lead and the ball at the end of the first quarter, with only 15 seconds left. What they SHOULD have done was to hold for the last shot, and make 100% certain of taking that 7-point margin into the second quarter. (Running out the clock and not getting a shot up wouldn't have been a bad outcome.) Instead, Parker took off too soon and wound up tossing up that crazy back-handed scoop with 5 seconds left. He got lucky, and it went in, the ref called a foul, and the Warriors were 1/100th of a second late getting the made 3-pointer off on the other end. That dumb decision could easily have turned the Spurs' 7-point lead into 5 or 4 points (Tony missed his FT, and no guarantee he would have made the second if the shot hadn't fallen). With the Spurs' confidence a little shaken after the first two games, that could have been a disaster. That's unforgivable from someone with Parker's experience. Stupid mistakes lose playoff games - just ask Rasheed Wallace.

The one thing I didn't see out of this game was the Spurs playing physical, and delivering some hard playoff fouls. They better be prepared to bring it in the next game. In the post-game, one of the things Klay Thompson said was that he has to "personally be more physical on Parker". I guarantee you, their whole team is going to come out that way. And if the Spurs don't send a message back, they're going to come back to SA tied. If Stephen Jackson was here, he would take the lead. But I don't see any signs of anyone else doing it, and that's more of a concern to me than anything else. If they want to play a guy with a torn hip flexor, you go in and bang with him. Like Zach Randolph says, it's a big-boy's game. And when Klay Thompson starts to manhandle Tony next game, somebody needs to send him a message. Get in his head a little bit. The problem is, I don't see anyone on the team willing to do it.


Finally, a couple of things I noticed about what Golden State is doing:

I thought the Warriors were defending the PnR awfully well. A lot of times, they've been able to come over the top of screens, without Parker being able to get any separation to speak of. Then I started noticing what they are doing. When Parker begins his curl around the pick man, his defender is reaching out and grabbing him from behind. Several times I saw a guy put his arm out around Tony's waist, and use his momentum to pull him around the screen. Not only does it slow Tony down, but it messes up the spacing and timing on the PnR. Good technique, if you don't draw any whistles for it.

I was also impressed with those nifty sort-of-scoop-passes that Curry makes. Especially because it's so hard to see them coming. So I started watching him to see how he does it. He cradles the ball on his dribble more than anyone I've ever seen. (And that's saying a lot, in the NBA.) He's got his hand under the ball, and as he's rolling it over... let's just say that he has a lot of options that aren't there with a remotely legal dribble.

Look at the picture below. Is Curry about to:
a) cross over to his right
b) snap an underhanded pass to his right
c) pick the ball up to shoot.
The answer is d) none of the above. He actually made a move to his left. In middle school, that would get you a carrying violation, and a bunch of jeers from your teammates. In the NBA, it gets you into highlight reels. And he dribbles like that all the time. Worse a lot of the time - that was just the first clip I found. I guess that makes Green's defense that much more remarkable, because he stayed right with Curry on that play too.

http://i43.tinypic.com/fefleu.jpg

[Spursfanfromafar]

Great analysis, GSH. Welcome back and stay here please. This forum seems to be overpopulated with some new knuckleheads, reactionaries and bubble gums who go with the wind. So much so, it gets difficult to winnow away the good takes from the increasingly rabid ones. Most of which are plain uneducated trash about the Spurs' coach in particular.

Getting to the point, I more or less agree and nod my head to your takes; except the final cribs about the Warriors' stretching the limits of legality in defense & offense is a wasted area of discussion, because this is the playoffs and the players always do that, even the Spurs, mind you.

This is a great series, the Warriors are a funky, "goofy" squad who rely on certain difficult-to-attain and unique strengths like no one other team in the league and the Spurs can't merely play the percentages in order to defeat them. Their backcourt has to be *exceptional* both in defense and in offense in order to steal games. I still reckon that the Spurs despite their blunders in Game 2 (and Game 1) have enough experience and guile in the tank the dismantle the Warriors in 5, though, naysayers notwithstanding.

[chapnis]

http://media.tumblr.com/f722aa9493a1532be5479525848e9bc1/tumblr_inline_mfd3t0Vl061qiv5yk.gif

Great post, thanks for the post, Curry always cradles it but the refs are just never gonn call it.

[pikkiwoki]

You do realize that just about every ball handler gets way with dribbling like that, including Parker and Manu right?

[spursparker9]

I stayed away from the whole league for an entire season. I get corralled into watching one game, and now I'm stuck. I watched Game 3... twice. And I can't sleep. So here's a few things I didn't hear any of the talking heads on TV mention:



When Kawhi came out looking nervous and stiff again, and I thought it was going to be big trouble for the Spurs. But Timmy showed what being a team leader is all about. All through this game, Tim was doing things to encourage and congratulate Kawhi, and help him loosen up. It was way above and beyond anything I've ever seen him do. And it shows that Tim knows just how important it is to get Kawhi playing with confidence in this series. When Kawhi finally made that 3 from the corner, Tim went straight over to him and acted like he had just hit the game-winner. For Kawhi, it's got to be like having a big brother out on the floor looking out for you. And by the 4th, Kawhi was starting to look like Kawhi. If it lasts, that will be a huge addition for Game 4.

After last game, everyone was talking about how Pop needed to put Kawhi on Curry, and I couldn't understand why Green wasn't getting credit for what he did. Frankly, if Pop had left Green on Curry in the second half, I think the Spurs would have won Game 2. Not only did he cause a lot of misses, but he kept Curry from putting up as many shots. Tonight it was pretty obvious, but there's one play that really made my jaw drop. Watch the highlights of the play where Curry hurt his ankle. He was planning on getting Green up in the air, and then lunging into him as he tossed up a 3. But Danny managed to keep his feet, and cut Curry off instead. He couldn't lunge to his right into Green without drawing a charge, and I think that's why he turned his ankle. I hope people will appreciate what an incredible defensive play that was. Not because Curry turned his ankle, but because there just aren't many guys in the league who could have kept their feet and not given Curry 3 FT's or maybe a chance at a 4-point play. For the last two games, Green has kept Curry from going the way he wants to go - it's thrown him out of his shooting rhythm, and forced him to just give the ball up a lot. But that play was defensive genius.

Gary Neal has gone full-on Roger Mason Junior. He needs to be in a suit for the rest of the playoffs. There was one play in the 4th quarter that actually made me wonder if RMJ came back when I wasn't looking. Duncan was locked up in the blocks on the left side, and Neal was standing outside the 3P line on the right side waving both hands above his head for the ball. It looked like the fat kid on the playground at recess. Duncan couldn't even see Neal from where he was. There are 4 GS players between him and Duncan, and two of them close enough to get in Neal's face before he could shoot. He's standing 6 inches from the sideline, and he wants Tim to throw the long cross-court lob to him? Seriously? Sit down, Gary. And take that miserable redheaded fuck with you.

Parker had a great first half, but the play that will hit all the highlight reels was also one of the stupidest plays ever. The Spurs had a 7-point lead and the ball at the end of the first quarter, with only 15 seconds left. What they SHOULD have done was to hold for the last shot, and make 100% certain of taking that 7-point margin into the second quarter. (Running out the clock and not getting a shot up wouldn't have been a bad outcome.) Instead, Parker took off too soon and wound up tossing up that crazy back-handed scoop with 5 seconds left. He got lucky, and it went in, the ref called a foul, and the Warriors were 1/100th of a second late getting the made 3-pointer off on the other end. That dumb decision could easily have turned the Spurs' 7-point lead into 5 or 4 points (Tony missed his FT, and no guarantee he would have made the second if the shot hadn't fallen). With the Spurs' confidence a little shaken after the first two games, that could have been a disaster. That's unforgivable from someone with Parker's experience. Stupid mistakes lose playoff games - just ask Rasheed Wallace.

The one thing I didn't see out of this game was the Spurs playing physical, and delivering some hard playoff fouls. They better be prepared to bring it in the next game. In the post-game, one of the things Klay Thompson said was that he has to "personally be more physical on Parker". I guarantee you, their whole team is going to come out that way. And if the Spurs don't send a message back, they're going to come back to SA tied. If Stephen Jackson was here, he would take the lead. But I don't see any signs of anyone else doing it, and that's more of a concern to me than anything else. If they want to play a guy with a torn hip flexor, you go in and bang with him. Like Zach Randolph says, it's a big-boy's game. And when Klay Thompson starts to manhandle Tony next game, somebody needs to send him a message. Get in his head a little bit. The problem is, I don't see anyone on the team willing to do it.


Finally, a couple of things I noticed about what Golden State is doing:

I thought the Warriors were defending the PnR awfully well. A lot of times, they've been able to come over the top of screens, without Parker being able to get any separation to speak of. Then I started noticing what they are doing. When Parker begins his curl around the pick man, his defender is reaching out and grabbing him from behind. Several times I saw a guy put his arm out around Tony's waist, and use his momentum to pull him around the screen. Not only does it slow Tony down, but it messes up the spacing and timing on the PnR. Good technique, if you don't draw any whistles for it.

I was also impressed with those nifty sort-of-scoop-passes that Curry makes. Especially because it's so hard to see them coming. So I started watching him to see how he does it. He cradles the ball on his dribble more than anyone I've ever seen. (And that's saying a lot, in the NBA.) He's got his hand under the ball, and as he's rolling it over... let's just say that he has a lot of options that aren't there with a remotely legal dribble.

Look at the picture below. Is Curry about to:
a) cross over to his right
b) snap an underhanded pass to his right
c) pick the ball up to shoot.
The answer is d) none of the above. He actually made a move to his left. In middle school, that would get you a carrying violation, and a bunch of jeers from your teammates. In the NBA, it gets you into highlight reels. And he dribbles like that all the time. Worse a lot of the time - that was just the first clip I found. I guess that makes Green's defense that much more remarkable, because he stayed right with Curry on that play too.

http://i43.tinypic.com/fefleu.jpg


Yea. That play make me go wow!

[GSH]

You do realize that just about every ball handler gets way with dribbling like that, including Parker and Manu right?


Realize it? It's one of the things that made me decide to quit watching the NBA. That's a rant I planned to save until this season was over, and people were through picking at the bones. But for now, I'll just say that the league is driven by the highlight reels. But even with that in mind, when I started watching closely, I saw Curry rolling the dribble worse than anyone else I've seen. Who's second-worst? Think about a PG who makes crazy scoop-like passes, and direction changes that wouldn't be possible without that extreme (even for the NBA) roll-over dribble. Who comes to mind? If you said Steve Nash, you win the prize. He's a great player, but put him in a game with a team of high school refs, and his spectacular play would become a lot less spectacular. Because high school refs still call carrying violations.

And I'm not bitching about the refs. It's a problem with the philosophy of the league, and this is the product Stern has created. Curry and Nash are just the logical extreme of that effort. Mostly I was just observing. The talking heads on TV act like Curry has some voodoo passing abilities, and he's suddenly the most feared player on the planet. And Marc Jackson is claiming that they are the best backcourt in the history of the game, with a total of 5 seasons, 9 playoff games, and 5 playoff wins between them. He's not Superman, and he's not the second coming of Magic Johnson, in a smaller package. He's a very good young player. I was just pointing out that This Is How He Does It.

[GSH]

Getting to the point, I more or less agree and nod my head to your takes; except the final cribs about the Warriors' stretching the limits of legality in defense & offense is a wasted area of discussion, because this is the playoffs and the players always do that, even the Spurs, mind you.




I forget that people, especially here, always draw conclusions that I didn't intend. The observation about the PnR defense was, once again, just me saying This Is How They're Doing It. I have heard people speculating that Parker has lost a step, and can't work his mojo on this ultra-talented Warriors squad. (Obviously Game 3 will quiet a lot of that.) Golden State is no defensive juggernaut. I'm sure they weren't through the regular season, and they didn't suddenly get that way in the playoffs. They have a strategy for dealing with Parker, and it's been somewhat effective.

Just to be fair, one of the ways the Spurs countered was with some good old-fashioned moving screens. The pick man (mostly Duncan) continues to move in between the defender and Parker, and makes sure that he can't get a hand on him to hold him up, and that gave Parker some space to work in on the other side. Once again, a good strategy if the refs don't blow their whistles. Yeah, I know they also ran Tony off a bunch of baseline screens, too. But when he was up top, there were a bunch of times that Tim and Diaw could have drawn some whistles for moving screens. Does that make it better, if I admit that the Spurs do it too?

Klay Thompson is the Warriors best defender, and they put him on Parker. Which just says that they know what every other team knows about this incarnation of the Spurs - if you can stop Tony, you have a chance of winning. And Thompson is a good defender, but he's not going to be on anyone's ballot for the All Defensive Team. So slowing Parker down while coming over those screens was a part of their strategy for defending the PnR. And I really meant that it's a good strategy if you're not drawing whistles.

[100%duncan]

Good to have you back, but no need to stay away tbh, you shouldn't have missed the regular season.

[GSH]

I really didn't intend for this to become a discussion of Steph Curry, or about carrying the ball in the NBA in general. But what the hell... we're already here. This picture is from Game 1 (4:33 mark of second quarter). Curry is about to deliver a pass to Thompson for an uncontested dunk. The problem here is that you can't tell that he's about to pass, because it's exactly what his dribble looks like. If you're dribbling with your hand somewhat on top of the ball, you have to cock and fire to make this pass - and you probably have to let the ball get a little higher to do that. Curry doesn't have to cock, because his hand is already there. If you see the video clip, he looks EXACTLY like Steve Nash on this play. And the announcer says he's "doing his best Magic Johnson impersonation". He's a good PG, but he's not Magic Johnson yet. (Remember - I'm not bitching. I'm just saying This Is How He Does It.)
http://i42.tinypic.com/qxvqjc.jpg

This is the same clip as the picture in my original post, but a split second earlier. Notice that Curry's entire hand is below the equator on the ball. And remember, he makes a move to his left on this play. Think about what you would have to do, in order to make that move from here. Yeah, all NBA guards cradle the ball to some extent. But you have to admit that this is a little extreme, even by those standards. And Curry does it all the time. It's all about the highlight reels.
http://i39.tinypic.com/14v1wf9.jpg

[naico]

Good post :tu:tu:tu

[silverblackfan]

Good observations. They actually did call one travel on Curry in the first half. It seemed pretty over-due and might have help Green cover Curry during the game. On the other hand, Tony was occasionally doing a similar technique with his dribble in the second half. Probably because the Refs are just not calling it.

[m33p0]

Finally, a couple of things I noticed about what Golden State is doing:

I thought the Warriors were defending the PnR awfully well. A lot of times, they've been able to come over the top of screens, without Parker being able to get any separation to speak of. Then I started noticing what they are doing. When Parker begins his curl around the pick man, his defender is reaching out and grabbing him from behind. Several times I saw a guy put his arm out around Tony's waist, and use his momentum to pull him around the screen. Not only does it slow Tony down, but it messes up the spacing and timing on the PnR. Good technique, if you don't draw any whistles for it.


here's a sample
http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12996229/20130510_lbm_ax5_445.0_standard_400.0.jpg

[Captivus]

I agree with the carrying thing, looking at his passing highlights those "under the belt" passes are a regular thing.
Interesting first post you made.
GSH, any opinions about Tiago?

[Interrohater]

The most apparent thing, to me, was the plethora of moving screens (as you referred to, GSH). It was probably the most god-awful display of no-calls I've ever seen with moving screens. Of course, I'm a bit biased, so I'm bitching more about the Warriors, but I did notice the Spurs did it as well. The issue with me is that the Warriors did it gratuitously, in the open, and without remorse. They never tried to even disguise it as "hey man, I was just trying to get to my spot" or anything similar; they blatantly would assume the screen position and run laterally with the defender. It was truly infuriating.

[DarrinS]

When Kawhi came out looking nervous and stiff again, and I thought it was going to be big trouble for the Spurs. But Timmy showed what being a team leader is all about. All through this game, Tim was doing things to encourage and congratulate Kawhi, and help him loosen up. It was way above and beyond anything I've ever seen him do. And it shows that Tim knows just how important it is to get Kawhi playing with confidence in this series. When Kawhi finally made that 3 from the corner, Tim went straight over to him and acted like he had just hit the game-winner


I noticed this too. Timmy is a great leader.

[BlackSilver]

Great analysis, GSH. Welcome back and stay here please. This forum seems to be overpopulated with some new knuckleheads, reactionaries and bubble gums who go with the wind. So much so, it gets difficult to winnow away the good takes from the increasingly rabid ones.


This. Be nice to have a voting system to winnow out the nonsense noise-makers and highlight the thoughtful ones.

[GSH]

I agree with the carrying thing, looking at his passing highlights those "under the belt" passes are a regular thing.
Interesting first post you made.
GSH, any opinions about Tiago?


Tiago is coming off an injury. I didn't see it, but I heard it was pretty awful. Someone wrote that Tiago said it was the worst sprain he's ever had. I think people are being pretty damned unfair, considering. Here's what I see:

Tiago is staying straight up and down when he's getting position for rebounds, and trying to box out. That leaves his center of gravity too high, and he's getting pushed around a lot more than usual. To me, that says he's not feeling comfortable about digging in on that ankle yet. A lot of people don't understand that even after the pain goes away, it's pretty common for it to take a few games to mentally trust it, and commit to everything you normally do. If the sprain was bad enough, he may not even be physically able to dig in. Bottom line, Tiago knows how to lower his center and root for position, and he's not doing it. I don't believe he forgot how the game is played in a couple of weeks.

Tiago also picked up 4 fouls in 19 minutes in Game 3, and 2 fouls in about 9 1/2 minutes in Game 2. That's about 7.5 Per 36 Minutes - more than double his normal rate. When I see a guy racking up fouls at that kind of rate, it usually means he's late getting where he needs to be. Late on rotations, late to get into rebounding position, etc. Some players are just too slow and/or stupid, and they're always late. Tiago isn't one of those guys. Remember, his normal rate of 2.9 Fouls Per 36 Minutes was over an entire season, against pretty much all the bigs in the league. The Warriors aren't the best he's faced. And they aren't so overwhelming that Tiago can't compete without fouling. So what's different? I say it's the ankle.

For those who keep talking about how soft Tiago is, and how he needs to be on the bench in favor of Diaw - do this before you say it again. Have a look at Tiago's stat lines from March 1 through the end of the season. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tiago_splitter/game_by_game_stats.html His numbers weren't huge in the first round against LA, but they didn't have to be. But he's the same guy who was racking up those double-doubles, minus one healthy ankle. When you're that big and getting pushed out the end line by smaller guys like Barnes or Landry, it looks really bad. If he gets back to near 100%, it will be a different story.

For the record, Tiago is my big hope for physical play in Game 4. When he's healthy, he's more than capable of knocking the crap out of someone in the paint. He takes a lot of abuse down low, but he gives at least as good as he gets. And whenever another player has gone too far with the contact, he's always been willing to burn a foul to send them a message. Sometimes he even quits smiling when he does it. I think he could get Bogut and/or Barnes to lose their cool and have a meltdown. I just hope he's up to it by Sunday.

[DieHardSpursFan1537]

Thank you for a good, thoughtful post instead of some idiot rambling on about how the Spurs suck and they have no chance to win.

[Budkin]

Great to see you back GSH! Please stick around and give us more takes like this one. Never realized that's what Steph was doing but it makes sense now. :tu

[anonoftheinternets]

I thought the Warriors were defending the PnR awfully well. A lot of times, they've been able to come over the top of screens, without Parker being able to get any separation to speak of. Then I started noticing what they are doing. When Parker begins his curl around the pick man, his defender is reaching out and grabbing him from behind. Several times I saw a guy put his arm out around Tony's waist, and use his momentum to pull him around the screen. Not only does it slow Tony down, but it messes up the spacing and timing on the PnR. Good technique, if you don't draw any whistles for it.



A picture is worth ...

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12996553/20130510_lbm_ax5_445.0_standard_730.0.jpg

[Russ]

Parker had a great first half, but the play that will hit all the highlight reels was also one of the stupidest plays ever. The Spurs had a 7-point lead and the ball at the end of the first quarter, with only 15 seconds left. What they SHOULD have done was to hold for the last shot, and make 100% certain of taking that 7-point margin into the second quarter. (Running out the clock and not getting a shot up wouldn't have been a bad outcome.) Instead, Parker took off too soon and wound up tossing up that crazy back-handed scoop with 5 seconds left. He got lucky, and it went in, the ref called a foul, and the Warriors were 1/100th of a second late getting the made 3-pointer off on the other end. That dumb decision could easily have turned the Spurs' 7-point lead into 5 or 4 points (Tony missed his FT, and no guarantee he would have made the second if the shot hadn't fallen). With the Spurs' confidence a little shaken after the first two games, that could have been a disaster. That's unforgivable from someone with Parker's experience. Stupid mistakes lose playoff games - just ask Rasheed Wallace.http://i43.tinypic.com/fefleu.jpg

Thanks for the insights.

I do disagree with the criticism of Parker, however. It appears that the only reason that Parker threw up that crazy shot was that he already knew he had been fouled (may have even heard the whistle) and was just throwing it up hoping for a continuation call and, therefore, two free throws or, if he got lucky, a three-point play. I think it was heady for TP to take that shot, not stupid.

As for it being too soon, I don't think he would have taken a shot that soon (i.e., on that drive) unless it turned out to be an uncontested layup or (as happened) he knew that he had been fouled.

[GSH]

Thanks for the insights.

I do disagree with the criticism of Parker, however. It appears that the only reason that Parker threw up that crazy shot was that he already knew he had been fouled (may have even heard the whistle) and was just throwing it up hoping for a continuation call and, therefore, two free throws or, if he got lucky, a three-point play. I think it was heady for TP to take that shot, not stupid.

As for it being too soon, I don't think he would have taken a shot that soon (i.e., on that drive) unless it turned out to be an uncontested layup or (as happened) he knew that he had been fouled.



Hi, Russ. Let me try and change your mind on this one.

The picture below is from the exact instant the whistle was blown. I circled the ball - it's already out of his hands and 6.2 seconds on the clock. He THOUGHT he had been fouled when he put it up, but that doesn't mean anything until the ref blows a whistle. You could argue that he didn't have any choice at that point, since he was going to the floor, but that's sort of my point. In my opinion, this is one of those times when extending the lead from 7 to 9 wouldn't have as much impact as getting it cut from 7 to 4 points. The way GS had been shooting, especially in transition, you know they are going to jam it to the 3P line if there's any time left, with a pretty good chance of making it. Closing quarters is always important, and the Spurs had done a great job of getting that lead back at the end of the first.

I think this is a particular case of knowing where you are in a game, and in a series. If you look at the video, Parker went HARD to the rack with about 7.5 seconds left. That's pretty common in those situations, but not in this one. Like I said, if he had just dribbled out the shot clock, the first quarter would have been a big win for the team, just the way it was. So dribble it out, and toss up a 3 with a half second left. Don't take a chance on any disasters. A lot can happen between the 3P line and the rim. Like, for instance, if Draymond Green had poked that ball out of his hand, instead of fouling him. It happens.

I'm not talking about playing scared, I'm talking about playing smart. A missed shot, and a made 3 by GS at the end of the quarter would have ignited that crowd. It would have been hugely deflating for the Spurs, and no doubt had the opposite effect on the Warriors team. To me, it was EXACTLY like that stupid 3 that Manu jacked up in Game 1. He had a new shot clock, and could have run another 20 seconds out. How many possessions might that give a team? Especially one that was shooting lights out?

If you're still not convinced, I can agree to disagree with you. I think he should have waited until under a second made 100% sure that his shot was really the last one of the quarter.

http://i39.tinypic.com/4jpdn6.jpg

[temujin]

Excellent analysis.

I expect GS to try the match-up zone which caused a lot of problems to Denver, in G4

Glad to know that a carrying is still a carrying in US high schools.

As I speak, a huge Durant carrying ends up in a dunk. Highlight not TO.

Paul is also pretty bad at carrying.

Sure enough TRAVELLING is still travelling where my kids play. If the ball has NOT actually HIT the floor when the foot LEFT the floor, that's a travelling. period.
As my son say: travelling is a big joke in the NBA, they don't play with the same rules.

[Russ]

Hi, Russ. Let me try and change your mind on this one.

The picture below is from the exact instant the whistle was blown. I circled the ball - it's already out of his hands and 6.2 seconds on the clock. He THOUGHT he had been fouled when he put it up, but that doesn't mean anything until the ref blows a whistle. You could argue that he didn't have any choice at that point, since he was going to the floor, but that's sort of my point. In my opinion, this is one of those times when extending the lead from 7 to 9 wouldn't have as much impact as getting it cut from 7 to 4 points. The way GS had been shooting, especially in transition, you know they are going to jam it to the 3P line if there's any time left, with a pretty good chance of making it. Closing quarters is always important, and the Spurs had done a great job of getting that lead back at the end of the first.

I think this is a particular case of knowing where you are in a game, and in a series. If you look at the video, Parker went HARD to the rack with about 7.5 seconds left. That's pretty common in those situations, but not in this one. Like I said, if he had just dribbled out the shot clock, the first quarter would have been a big win for the team, just the way it was. So dribble it out, and toss up a 3 with a half second left. Don't take a chance on any disasters. A lot can happen between the 3P line and the rim. Like, for instance, if Draymond Green had poked that ball out of his hand, instead of fouling him. It happens.

I'm not talking about playing scared, I'm talking about playing smart. A missed shot, and a made 3 by GS at the end of the quarter would have ignited that crowd. It would have been hugely deflating for the Spurs, and no doubt had the opposite effect on the Warriors team. To me, it was EXACTLY like that stupid 3 that Manu jacked up in Game 1. He had a new shot clock, and could have run another 20 seconds out. How many possessions might that give a team? Especially one that was shooting lights out?

If you're still not convinced, I can agree to disagree with you. I think he should have waited until under a second made 100% sure that his shot was really the last one of the quarter.

http://i39.tinypic.com/4jpdn6.jpg

Well . . .

I just think TP knows when he's been fouled even if he hasn't heard the whistle yet (caveat if Joey is in the house, which he wasn't).

Personally, I think we gotta give TP the benefit of the doubt here, but it's great to get your analysis in any event.

[HI-FI]

nice thread. not familiar with your other work GSH, but thoughtful, unpretentious analysis is always appreciated. Wish we had more of this instead of some of the douchebag commentary you find on here.

I agree about your highlight theory, it's all about what sells. If you made a huge movie, you would want to cut a trailer full of highlight shit to sell it to the masses. So many movies these days forego fundamental stuff like plot, instead focusing on spectacle. sad to see NBA has gone even further down that road. It's the same reason why superstars get away with more than roleplayers, it's all about what sells.

This goes for most professional sports, but I find NBA officiating to be the most frustrating and inconsistent.

[Spurs7794]

Love the analysis...but I disagree about Parker's shot. Parker's shot is up at 6.1 seconds but that's when the foul was called. Had he driven without getting fouled, he would have either released it later, or found a shooter which would have left less time on the clock.

[Captivus]

If I had to choose between:
1- Trying to score a 2 and let the best 3 point team in the League have 6 seconds to score and end the quarter strong or
2- Shooting a 3 with 0.1 seconds left and see what happens

I go with 2. And in fact, they did hit a 3, it didnt count, but they did it.
At the end, I think Parker sees that he can penetrate and he does it.

[Sean Cagney]

Good to have you back, but no need to stay away tbh, you shouldn't have missed the regular season.

Unless it was the last month, that we all could have missed and not lost any sleep :lol

[Seventyniner]

I think he should have waited until under a second made 100% sure that his shot was really the last one of the quarter.

How much of that was Tony, and how much was Pop. We all know that you don't want to give an extra possession to the opponent at the end of a quarter, but Pop has probably drilled into the team that if you get an open look with a few seconds left, go ahead and take it. When an opponent has to go the length of the floor in <5 seconds, their efficiency has to plunge, so getting the extra EV by getting a better look might be worth giving up the free shot to the opponent.

That, and Parker probably knew as soon as he got hit that he was fouled. What was he supposed to do, not shoot the ball?


This might be the play he got inured on. Looks like he's about to get kicked.

I think Parker said that it was either Bogut or Jack that got him. It was Parker's left leg that was injured anyway. The picture, showing Thompson's arm hook on Tony's left elbow, is still a great example of GSH's point, that not only are the Warriors setting many illegal screens on offense, they're using illegal means to fight through screens on defense. They're just daring the refs to call that, knowing that if the refs did actually call every offense, the whole Warriors team would foul out by halftime.

[HI-FI]

I think Parker said that it was either Bogut or Jack that got him. It was Parker's left leg that was injured anyway. The picture, showing Thompson's arm hook on Tony's left elbow, is still a great example of GSH's point, that not only are the Warriors setting many illegal screens on offense, they're using illegal means to fight through screens on defense. They're just daring the refs to call that, knowing that if the refs did actually call every offense, the whole Warriors team would foul out by halftime.

Pop never seems to call out the refs, so does the team pursue this with Stern or Stu Jackson, sending tapes of the illegal shit, or do they just accept it without saying anything?

[GSH]

Pop never seems to call out the refs, so does the team pursue this with Stern or Stu Jackson, sending tapes of the illegal shit, or do they just accept it without saying anything?



Believe me when I say that I'm not calling GS out. They aren't playing dirty. Not only that, but Marc Jackson is totally sincere about doing things the right way. (Meaning not playing dirty and taking cheap shots.) I guess we're all hypocrites about something, but Marc Jackson is one of the good guys. The Warriors are just playing basketball, and fighting to move on.

Every time somebody gets called for a foul, it means they did something "illegal", if that's the way you want to look at things. The refs have been pretty good in the games I've watched. And by that I mean that they are letting both teams play, and not being especially inconsistent on either end of the floor. There's nothing to report to the league, and I really, really never meant it that way. After the Spurs loss in Game 2, after the near-loss in Game 1, there were a lot of people talking about the Warriors just being the better team, and things like that. Parker has lost a step, Manu has lost two steps, and Tim is actually getting shorter. I just wanted to point out that what GS has done is just execute a strategy designed to slow down Parker, and disrupt the PnR. If the refs decided to start making that call, they would have to try something else. But then again, if the refs decide to stop letting Tim take 3-4 stutter-steps while he's "gathering the ball", we would be in a world of hurt, too.

The way the Spurs react is just what they have done - make adjustments. Look, on the night that the Spurs lost Game 2, I posted that I thought they could still close this out in 5 games, as long as they played with more aggression and physicality. I still believe that. The Warriors are a good, young team. But the Spurs are substantially better. On a night when a player is making every 3-pointer he looks at, that team probably can't be beaten. If Danny Green made 8-9 3-pointers, or whatever it was Thompson did, the Spurs would be absolutely unstoppable - at least on that particular night. But as long as the Spurs don't play soft, they aren't going to get knocked out of a 7-game series with Golden State, no matter how they defend the PnR. I guarantee you, you won't hear any of the Spurs players griping about Jackson's game plan against them. It's just basketball.

[said7]

Forget Curry. Jared Jack carries with just about every dribble.