What do the Spurs do with James?

[TD 21]

I know it's premature and it's also rhetorical, in the sense that no team has a shot at slowing him. But in most cases, the Spurs are well equipped to at least adequately defend the oppositions stars. He's the most glaring exception to that I can think of and not just because he's the best player in the league.

Leonard is really their only legit James defender, but even he won't be able to guard him in the post and even if he could, he can't be expected to guard him for roughly 45 mpg and stay out of foul trouble. They clearly need a second guy; unfortunately, they just don't have it. Diaw is too slow (yes, he did a nice job in the first meeting, but James and the Heat in general were clearly coasting once they found out who wasn't playing and didn't bother to start playing until they were in serious danger of losing) to guard him off the dribble and Green isn't big or strong enough. The only other possibilities are Ginobili, who's also not big or strong enough or McGrady, who for obvious reasons probably won't play a meaningful second unless something has gone horribly wrong. He's also a sub par defender that, for all intents and purposes, hasn't really played a game in a few months and that was in China.

This is not the Lakers or Grizzlies, where the Spurs can get away with fronting the post and mostly disregarding their outside shooters. This team is too intelligent to not figure that out and has way too many good shooters, who are due for progression to the mean. They might just have to essentially concede something like 35 per game to him, stay home on their myriad shooters and hope that they can do a solid job on everyone else.

[Richie]

Double him in the post. The Heats spacing on offence is horrible, there will be a lot of opportunity to send a double team at him.

You have to double, or he'll get a layup every time.

Other than that, just try to make him take jump shots and hope he misses. If Lebron and Wade get in to the lane, they're unbeatable. If they shoot jumpers, we'd have a chance.

[hater]

:lmao Heat in 5

[Uriel]

Jack was supposed to be our secondary defender. :depressed

[hater]

TMAC tbh

[SpurPadre]

As I mentioned in another thread, I'd put Green on him for a variety of reasons, main one being that he has the most knowledge on Lebron's moveset stemming from his days as a Cav in his rookie year where he surely had experience defending him during practices. Also, it would put less pressure on Kawhi's knees having to defend a past-his prime Wade. So, you shut down Wade have TD d up Bosh and you're left with Lebron having to carry the team on his back against a deep Spurs team that has more size than them. Let that glory-hog get his bullshit dunks and style points, but shut down the rest of the team. Of course, it's easier said than done but it's not as impossible a feat as many are saying it is here.

[ezau]

I think Pop's strategy is to make Lebron a scorer rather than a playmaker. The Heat are really dangerous when the rest of their role players are getting involved on offense. I'm pretty sure Lebron will drop 40 or more with that strategy, but he's going to get huge numbers anyway. Green can guard an injured Wade, and we have multiple guys to throw at Bosh who right now just sits in the corner to to launch corner-threes:lol It'll be interesting if Spo will match up with a big lineup, use James on Parker, or try to play small against the Spurs. As much as we're concerned about the Heat, the question now is who in that team can contain Duncan? If Howard, Marc/Pau, and Z-Bo can't handle Duncan, what makes them think that Andersen and Haslem:lol can?

[Amuseddaysleeper]

There is nothing the Spurs can do. Also battier, Allen, bosh all murder the Spurs. Seeing as how the spurs will give you the midrange Miami will kill us from there.

Heat in 5, but lets enjoy our first finals in 6 years. That really is something.

[TD 21]

Double him in the post. The Heats spacing on offence is horrible, there will be a lot of opportunity to send a double team at him.

You have to double, or he'll get a layup every time.

Other than that, just try to make him take jump shots and hope he misses. If Lebron and Wade get in to the lane, they're unbeatable. If they shoot jumpers, we'd have a chance.

Their spacing is not only not horrible, it's right there with the Spurs as the best in the league.

He might get a layup every time, but he's going to get roughly 30 ppg no matter what the Spurs do. If they can at least severely limit their wide open threes, as well as layups/dunks to their bigs, I'll take conceding an extra few ppg to James.

The days of "just hope he takes jumpers and misses" are over. He's officially become a good jump shooter this season and he's also intelligent enough now to not fall in love with it.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

I'd call you all pessimists except that I'm pessimistic myself.

[TampaDude]

I say just let LeBron get his and try to shut down everyone else.

Of course, let's close out the Grizzlies first, m'kay?

[Robz4000]

I'll prolly get shat on for suggesting this, but they should try Splitter. Guy is quick enough on his feet to stick with him reasonably and has the length to bother him in the post. Start out with Kawhi and see how he does and throw Diaw at him as well. If he starts trying to play in the post, Splitter is the best choice to allow TD to protect the rim and shut down Bosh/Birdman.

[Richie]

Their spacing is not only not horrible, it's right there with the Spurs as the best in the league.

You think this looks like good spacing?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BLO_KkFCQAAZ7pa.png

No reason for the Pacers not to double on this possession. Send West to double, Augustin can defend Battier and Cole in this situation


He might get a layup every time, but he's going to get roughly 30 ppg no matter what the Spurs do. If they can at least severely limit their wide open threes, as well as layups/dunks to their bigs, I'll take conceding an extra few ppg to James.

The days of "just hope he takes jumpers and misses" are over. He's officially become a good jump shooter this season and he's also intelligent enough now to not fall in love with it.

He's become a good jumpshooter, but you'd rather give him layups every possession? He will get 60ppg if you let him back down Kawhi in the post every possession, he's too big and strong.

[Spursfanfromafar]

The Spurs are a far better matchup than the Heat has faced so far in the playoffs.

For one, the Spurs' P&R offense will make it tough for the Heat, who rely on strangling the ball handler and expecting the big man to fail. If Roy Hibbert with his limited offense can do so well, I expect Duncan & Splitter to do far better. In sum, the Heat are going to find it extremely difficult (relatively) to smother the Spurs' offense as opposed to the Pacers or any other Eastern Conference team.

As regards, the Spurs' defense, they will pack the paint with Duncan & Splitter and expect James to beat them from the perimeter. Leonard, Ginobili will have to play a good role there. I dont' expect the Spurs to double team James, just pressure him when he dribbles onto the paint.

What worries me is whether Parker & Ginobili will withstand the Heat's outwordly wing defense. If they do it well, combining with Duncan & Splitter on the P&Rs and make the Heat pay for their lack of size, they will compete well with the Heat. If on the other hand, Parker & Ginobili make uncharacteristic mistakes and can't manage the P&Rs, they will simply be eaten up by the Heat's transition game, which will be un-defendable.

I think the Spurs win this either in 6 or 7. I trust Duncan & Splitter to maximise the size advantages and Pop to outcoach Spoelstra.

[BatManu20]

There is nothing the Spurs can do. Also battier, Allen, bosh all murder the Spurs. Seeing as how the spurs will give you the midrange Miami will kill us from there.

Heat in 5, but lets enjoy our first finals in 6 years. That really is something.

Pretty much this unfortunately.

[rascal]

Turnover city if they face Miami. You saw some of that early last game against Memphis when they applied pressure, Miami is even better at causing turnovers.


Parker will be gassed by the defensive perimeter pressure. the spurs only hope for a title is either for Indiana to somehow win or injuries to key Miami players.

[DMC]

Guarantee you Pop has no strategy for James right now. He won't until the Spurs win the WCF. The Heat have too many weapons. You put your best on James and Wade kills you. You switch up and Bosh kills you. You manage to avoid those and Allen kills you from outside.

Their only weakness is that they lack size inside. Pop will want to slow it down with them, but that's no secret tactic and no one else has been able to. They score off turnovers, they shoot the 3, they shoot a high percentage, they get offensive boards, they share the ball, they move the ball well, they defend well, they even shoot FTs well.

It will be quite a feat to win a single game against them. Taking them to 7 would be monumental. Beating them would be borderline impossible. They have to play subpar and the Spurs have to play out of their minds to even stand a chance.

[Spursfanfromafar]

There is nothing the Spurs can do. Also battier, Allen, bosh all murder the Spurs. Seeing as how the spurs will give you the midrange Miami will kill us from there.

Heat in 5, but lets enjoy our first finals in 6 years. That really is something.

I understand that Spurs fans should be restrained in their enthusiasm considering the Heat have far more talent than mostly any other team in recent history.

But the Heat, with their strengths are also flawed as a team in many senses. And some of their flaws are particularly in places where the Spurs have strong strengths - big man P&R play, post defense. If the Indiana Pacers have done so well so far against the Heat - its been a tough 2-1 for them so far - the Spurs can do much better.

It would be irrational to simply argue that the Spurs are doomed to lose from the beginning.

On the contrary, I think it will be a very close fight and I trust the Spurs to come through.

[TampaDude]

Guarantee you Pop has no strategy for James right now. He won't until the Spurs win the WCF. The Heat have too many weapons. You put your best on James and Wade kills you. You switch up and Bosh kills you. You manage to avoid those and Allen kills you from outside.

Their only weakness is that they lack size inside. Pop will want to slow it down with them, but that's no secret tactic and no one else has been able to. They score off turnovers, they shoot the 3, they shoot a high percentage, they get offensive boards, they share the ball, they move the ball well, they defend well, they even shoot FTs well.

It will be quite a feat to win a single game against them. Taking them to 7 would be monumental. Beating them would be borderline impossible. They have to play subpar and the Spurs have to play out of their minds to even stand a chance.

Maybe, but let's actually play the games first, m'kay?

[Budkin]

I thought it would be a laugher most of the season but the Bulls and Pacers have exposed flaws that Pop can exploit. Pop can easily out coach Spo so I'm sure he'll come up with something that will at least give us a fighting chance. Oh, and we still have the best PF to ever play the game. And he's playing like it was 10 years ago. Let LeBron get his and play great D on the rest. He can't win the games by himself.

[TD 21]

You think this looks like good spacing?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BLO_KkFCQAAZ7pa.png

No reason for the Pacers not to double on this possession. Send West to double, Augustin can defend Battier and Cole in this situation.

So one random screenshot determines that? That's like saying a 40% 3-point shooter is not a good shooter after he goes 1-5 in a game.

Sure, on this particular possession, where their spacing is mucked up.


He's become a good jumpshooter, but you'd rather give him layups every possession? He will get 60ppg if you let him back down Kawhi in the post every possession, he's too big and strong.

Like I said, he's not going to bail them out by shooting jumpers non stop. He's too intelligent a player now and they're too well coached to think the Spurs are going to out smart them.


Spursfanfromafar, good analysis. I agree that the Spurs are probably better equipped than anybody to deal with their trapping defense. Duncan, in particular, is perfect for that, since he's both adept at shooting the mid range jumper and making split second decisions off the dribble. Splitter is also pretty good at the latter and Diaw can do both.

[ElNono]

Not sure why y'all sweating this... SpursDynasty told me Green is better than Lebron... they should be worried, IMO

[SpurPadre]

Does anyone remember Lebron's stats in his 4 games against us in the '07 Finals? I know that has no bearing on the personnel we have now but I'm curious.

[DMC]

Maybe, but let's actually play the games first, m'kay?

My initial point was "let's actually get past Memphis first".

[Richie]

It will be quite a feat to win a single game against them. Taking them to 7 would be monumental. Beating them would be borderline impossible. They have to play subpar and the Spurs have to play out of their minds to even stand a chance.

I get that the Heat are of course the favourites, but this kind of stuff is crazy. This isn't far removed from the team that lost to the Mavericks in 6 a couple of years ago. How did the Mavericks beat the Heat? With the pass. The Spurs share the ball better than any team in the league. We have a chance of winning the series, no question.

Battier and Allen are a combined 30-102 on 3s in the post season. Theres every possibility they will heat up, but then again there's every possibility they wont. To write off the series before we've even finished the WCF in foolish.

[Budkin]

Guarantee you Pop has no strategy for James right now. He won't until the Spurs win the WCF. The Heat have too many weapons. You put your best on James and Wade kills you. You switch up and Bosh kills you. You manage to avoid those and Allen kills you from outside.

Their only weakness is that they lack size inside. Pop will want to slow it down with them, but that's no secret tactic and no one else has been able to. They score off turnovers, they shoot the 3, they shoot a high percentage, they get offensive boards, they share the ball, they move the ball well, they defend well, they even shoot FTs well.

It will be quite a feat to win a single game against them. Taking them to 7 would be monumental. Beating them would be borderline impossible. They have to play subpar and the Spurs have to play out of their minds to even stand a chance.

:lol This is so beyond "being realistic" it's laughable. Of course the Spurs stand a fucking chance. The Heat have been beating up JV teams all season. Lets see them play a real team with all its players and a badass coach. Of course they will be the favorites but to think they would just steamroll us is fucking bullshit.

[TampaDude]

Does anyone remember Lebron's stats in his 4 games against us in the '07 Finals? I know that has no bearing on the personnel we have now but I'm curious.

In 2007, we faced a young LeBron and a bunch of scrubs in the Finals. This Heat team is light years better than that 2007 Cavs team. There is no comparison.

As for LeBron's stats in the 2007 Finals, you can find them here: http://espn.go.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/cle/year/2007/cleveland-cavaliers

[Kidd K]

LeBron is the best player in the NBA. We're not going to shut him down or hold him to 10 points like we have the "stars" throughout the playoffs so far. He's probably going to get 25 a night, but it won't be the end of the world. The Spurs need to focus on containing everyone else while slowing LeBron down as much as possible without overreacting every time he hits a tough drifter or bulldozes his way to the basket.

On the other side of the coin though, what're they going to do about Parker? Chalmers is a terrible defensive player. Cole is even worse. Allen and Miller are too slow. They will either have to eat Tony's dominant play or will be forced to put Wade or LeBron on him. I'd argue Battier is too slow to guard him at this point too. And if LeBron guards Tony, their interior defense will be a joke and Duncan + Tiago will feast.

Speaking of Duncan, who do they have that can stop Duncan? Miami will have the softest frontcourt we've faced all postseason. No Dwight, no Bogut, no Gasol/ZBo. It'll be Bosh/Haslem. Come on. :lol Duncan is playing determined as fuck right now.

So tbh, while we can't "stop" LeBron, basically 2 of our best defensive players can guard that position, + our best if LeBron tries to go into the post. Meanwhile our best two players can attack their weakest defensive positions. Our best 2 perimeter defenders can also guard Wade.

I think we match up very nicely in terms of each team's best players vs each team's best defenders/worst defenders. I'm not saying I'm not worried, but I'm not that worried. The Spurs are a good team this year. I'll take my chances tbh.

[SpurPadre]

In 2007, we faced a young LeBron and a bunch of scrubs in the Finals. This Heat team is light years better than that 2007 Cavs team. There is no comparison.

I know that, again, I'm just curious what he was able to do against us back then and how Pop decided to gameplan him then.

[Brunodf]

Don't double, just stay home and let Lebron shoot jumpers.
Put Kawhi/Diaw or even Splitter on him.

[Spursfanfromafar]

The Heat are also relatively untested against teams with strong big men -

Lets take the last time the Heat faced a tough matchup in the playoffs, it was against the very flawed and old Celtics team last season. OKC relies on wing play as well and has some atrocious big man offense and failed against the Heat.

In the regular season this year, they were 1-2 against the Pacers and 1-1 against the Grizzlies - two of the better big man teams in the league. And the Spurs, as the Grizzlies series shows, has by far the best big men combine in the league.

I am surprised as to how the Spurs are simply written off against the Heat. It will be far far difficult for the Heat to defeat the Spurs in a 7 game series than what people imagine. Duncan & Splitter vs Haslem & Bosh is pretty much a wash for the Spurs and Ginobili & Parker & Leonard & Green match up well against Wade & Allen & Lebron & Battier.

[ElNono]

Seriously, the big issue with Lebron is that he's grown as a basketball player. He now understands he doesn't need to force the issue, and has become an adept passer. Being surrounded by good players helps, obviously.

If you're the Spurs, you keep doing what you're doing and got your this far: stuff the paint and make them beat you from outside. I agree that taking care of the ball is major. But if you do keep your turnovers low (and there's no reason why the Spurs couldn't do that), then defending their halfcourt offense shouldn't be insurmountable. Ultimately, the Spurs might need to pick their poison, and I would suspect Pop would prefer the likes of Cole and Battier to win the game rather than Lebron and Wade.

[TampaDude]

I know that, again, I'm just curious what he was able to do against us back then and how Pop decided to gameplan him then.

http://espn.go.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/cle/year/2007/cleveland-cavaliers

[Galileo]

I know it's premature and it's also rhetorical, in the sense that no team has a shot at slowing him. But in most cases, the Spurs are well equipped to at least adequately defend the oppositions stars. He's the most glaring exception to that I can think of and not just because he's the best player in the league.

Leonard is really their only legit James defender, but even he won't be able to guard him in the post and even if he could, he can't be expected to guard him for roughly 45 mpg and stay out of foul trouble. They clearly need a second guy; unfortunately, they just don't have it. Diaw is too slow (yes, he did a nice job in the first meeting, but James and the Heat in general were clearly coasting once they found out who wasn't playing and didn't bother to start playing until they were in serious danger of losing) to guard him off the dribble and Green isn't big or strong enough. The only other possibilities are Ginobili, who's also not big or strong enough or McGrady, who for obvious reasons probably won't play a meaningful second unless something has gone horribly wrong. He's also a sub par defender that, for all intents and purposes, hasn't really played a game in a few months and that was in China.

This is not the Lakers or Grizzlies, where the Spurs can get away with fronting the post and mostly disregarding their outside shooters. This team is too intelligent to not figure that out and has way too many good shooters, who are due for progression to the mean. They might just have to essentially concede something like 35 per game to him, stay home on their myriad shooters and hope that they can do a solid job on everyone else.

The Spurs will have 10 days off to rest Kawhi's knee. He will guard lebron with Green rotating on him as well. Manu and Parker will cut off the passing lanes, and the twin towers will be waiting if he goes by.

Sours win.

[Richie]

So one random screenshot determines that? That's like saying a 40% 3-point shooter is not a good shooter after he goes 1-5 in a game.

Sure, on this particular possession, where their spacing is mucked up.

That's just one of the screenshots somebody posted on Twitter tonight. Pretty much every time Lebron backed down George they had the ability to send a double and rotate back to the shooters to get it out of his hands. Instead they let Lebron get layup after layup.

I'd rather put faith in our defensive rotations to put pressure on weak side shooters than give Lebron a layup in the post.

[Galileo]

Seriously, the big issue with Lebron is that he's grown as a basketball player. He now understands he doesn't need to force the issue, and has become an adept passer. Being surrounded by good players helps, obviously.

If you're the Spurs, you keep doing what you're doing and got your this far: stuff the paint and make them beat you from outside. I agree that taking care of the ball is major. But if you do keep your turnovers low (and there's no reason why the Spurs couldn't do that), then defending their halfcourt offense shouldn't be insurmountable. Ultimately, the Spurs might need to pick their poison, and I would suspect Pop would prefer the likes of Cole and Battier to win the game rather than Lebron and Wade.

Lebron is well past his prime, he has lot a lot of quickness and jumping ability, he just has better teammates now than at Cleveland. Only his outside shooting is slightly better now.

[Richie]

Don't double, just stay home and let Lebron shoot jumpers.
Put Kawhi/Diaw or even Splitter on him.

What is it with you and not doubling?

I agree about making him shoot jumpers. The defensive philosophy should be based around that and if he beats us with his jump shot then so be it. Better than giving him layups or assists to dunks/open 3s.

[MinuteByMinuteSports]

I understand that Spurs fans should be restrained in their enthusiasm considering the Heat have far more talent than mostly any other team in recent history.

But the Heat, with their strengths are also flawed as a team in many senses. And some of their flaws are particularly in places where the Spurs have strong strengths - big man P&R play, post defense. If the Indiana Pacers have done so well so far against the Heat - its been a tough 2-1 for them so far - the Spurs can do much better.

It would be irrational to simply argue that the Spurs are doomed to lose from the beginning.

On the contrary, I think it will be a very close fight and I trust the Spurs to come through.

Finally, someone talking sense. Its stupid to just think we're going to just lose from the start.

[TampaDude]

Spurs win.

Yes. 5 more times, please. :hat

[ElNono]

Lebron is well past his prime

what? :lol

[Brunodf]

What is it with you and not doubling?

I agree about making him shoot jumpers. The defensive philosophy should be based around that and if he beats us with his jump shot then so be it. Better than giving him layups or assists to dunks/open 3s.
Heat is full of jumpshooters, if u double they will make u pay.

[aal04]

Im more worried about Bosh.

LBJ will get 30ppg with 1-3 defenders on him. Put 1 on him and let him get his 30.

Wades been subpar but Bosh can go awol and stretches the defense.

[DMC]

:lol This is so beyond "being realistic" it's laughable. Of course the Spurs stand a fucking chance. The Heat have been beating up JV teams all season. Lets see them play a real team with all its players and a badass coach. Of course they will be the favorites but to think they would just steamroll us is fucking bullshit.

lol

[TD 21]

That's just one of the screenshots somebody posted on Twitter tonight. Pretty much every time Lebron backed down George they had the ability to send a double and rotate back to the shooters to get it out of his hands. Instead they let Lebron get layup after layup.

I'd rather put faith in our defensive rotations to put pressure on weak side shooters than give Lebron a layup in the post.

It's not possible to be the 2nd best 3-point shooting team and best all around shooting team period with poor spacing . . . and like I said, given how poor they've shot in the playoffs (granted, they've played against an elite and another near elite defense), they're due for some serious progression to the mean.

I'm not interested in watching the likes of Allen, Battier and Chalmers, raining uncontested 3's, while James still get's around 30 anyway.

For those suggesting Splitter, James would walk around him off the dribble and get non stop layups/dunks/kick outs to wide open 3 point shooters.

[SpurPadre]

http://espn.go.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/cle/year/2007/cleveland-cavaliers

Thanks for digging that up but I also thought people would remember how we gameplanned him then. I don't have the DVD of that Championship year with me.

[DMC]

Some of this stuff reads like LG.com stuff. Of course most of you are going to say the Spurs will win. You don't have any technical explanations as to how, but I suppose that's what faith is all about, belief without evidence.

[HarlemHeat37]

Riche is usually wrong about everything, tbh, especially regarding Miami..so take his posts with a grain of salt..

I'm not sure what the Spurs are going to do with Lebron, I'd probably lean towards making him the only scorer on the floor, but we'll see..Leonard's rebounding and defense have been a massive reason for the Spurs success, so I'd understand if the Spurs try to keep him off Lebron at times and put him on Wade, a much easier matchup..

Let Lebron try to score 40 every game, limit the rest of the team IMO..

I expect Parker and Ginobili to be overwhelmed by Miami's perimeter D, but systematically, the Heat can struggle against top bigs and great passing teams that can shoot..

The Spurs need a dominant series from Duncan, a big series from Splitter, and Bonner/Green/Leonard/Diaw to make their 3-pointers at a high rate to win the series, tbh..it's certainly possible that the Spurs could win the series, but relying on Splitter and the role players to make shots hasn't always been kind to the Spurs..

I'm worried about Lebron and Miami's pressure defense, but the Spurs do have Pop and Duncan, and they have the potential of a 2009 Orlando-like shooting barrage, tbh..if you remember that Magic team, they beat the Cavs with Lebron averaging 38-8-8 on the series..

Obviously those Cavs didn't have Wade and Bosh, but the Spurs will need a similar 3-point effort..

[RodNIc91]

The only thing that will keep this series up for the grabs is if TD continues his dominance. As far as what to do? Im with Elnono here, pack the paint and let the shooters kill you. Oh, and I think Wade will be very banged up. He and manu will basically cancel out, so if Timmy outplays Bosh and the jumpshot doesn't kill us, the series will be up for grabs. This series is miami's to lose, though

[tuncaboylu]

Why the heck did we trade James? :lol

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214888&p=6589553#post6589553

[BatManu20]

Don't double, just stay home and let Lebron shoot jumpers.
Put Kawhi/Diaw or even Splitter on him.

Lol you serious? Lebron has about 45 lbs onKawhi. He'll just overpower him. And he'd run circles around Diaw and Splitter.. We have no one who can defend Lebron James.

[hater]

Kawhi is the best spur to defend james. that's obvious. imo

but yeah, double that niggger every single time

[DMC]

Lol you serious? Lebron has about 45 lbs onKawhi. He'll just overpower him. And he'd run circles around Diaw and Splitter.. We have no one who can defend Lebron James.

Neither does the rest of the league. He's the best on the planet for a reason. If you could single coverage him he'd be no better than any 3rd option. You cannot even single coverage Wade with any real success other than with help side defense.

[BatManu20]

Even if we double Lebron and turn him into a facilitator, he'll easily take that and drop dimes to Wade, Bosh (who is shooting lights out right now), Allen, Battier, Chalmers, Cole, etc. Birdman is suddenly playing like a man possessed down low. There's really nothing the Spurs can do. Miami is far more talented, deeper, plays better defense, and simply has the best player on the planet right now who is unguardable one-on-one. They're simply the better team, as they should be with that ridiculous roster. BUT, that's why you play the game. Hope the Spurs make me eat crow.

[Richie]

Riche is usually wrong about everything, tbh, especially regarding Miami..so take his posts with a grain of salt.

:toast

I'm not saying the Heat always have bad spacing, but when Lebron dribbled down in to the post on George tonight it was generally pretty poor. I think Leonard should play Lebron straight up almost all the time, just not in the post. Leonard will get thrown around just like George did tonight, and it becomes a layup drill for Lebron.

If you sit off Lebron and Wade and let them shoot jumpers, you might lose. If you get right up on them and they blow by you collapsing the defence and either scoring in the paint or kicking to open 3 point shooters, you'll definitely lose.

Regarding the offensive end, here's a video explaining how the Heat double the ball in the pick and roll to stop penetration (because they have no shot blocking) and how if you hit the roll man you can get easy shots against them.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHXfc3UlNfY

[Robz4000]

If and when Leonard fails to really stop Lebron, I'd like to see him switched on to Wade and let Green guard Lebron when the starters are in. I think Leonard has a serious shot of limiting Wade, and if Splitter/Duncan can outplay Bosh/Haslem there's a chance the Spurs could do the impossible. Of course the role playersw ill need to step up which is asking a lot.

[HarlemHeat37]

Honestly, the only realistic hope for the Spurs is a hot shooting series, tbh..

Luckily, the potential is there..the Spurs have Ginobili, Green and Bonner that can get hot from outside, along with Leonard and Diaw that can make them, as well..maybe Gary Neal will finally wake up..

I'm not counting on it, but it's possible..Miami is prone to giving up open looks to shooters after they swarm the pick&roll ball-handler..

Relying on shooting role players sucks, but it's better than a team with poor shooters(Indiana, Memphis)..

[Richie]

If and when Leonard fails to really stop Lebron, I'd like to see him switched on to Wade and let Green guard Lebron when the starters are in. I think Leonard has a serious shot of limiting Wade, and if Splitter/Duncan can outplay Bosh/Haslem there's a chance the Spurs could do the impossible. Of course the role playersw ill need to step up which is asking a lot.

I think Green has every chance of defending Wade. If Wade was 100% I'd give Green no chance, but I don't think he is.

[Robz4000]

I think Green has every chance of defending Wade. If Wade was 100% I'd give Green no chance, but I don't think he is.

After watching the last two games in the MIA/IND series I'm fairly confident Wade's injury is being massively overblown. He's at least 90% and it wouldn't surprise me if he's closer to 100%.

[Chris16]

No one is stopping the Heat this year, the Finals winner has always been decided this year since the last 2 years the team that won it didn't have the HCA. It ain't happening 3 years in a row, it's a lot harder to win the Finals w/o HCA than it is to win in the Eastern/Western Conference playoffs w/o HCA. Sorry to disappoint you guys but before the last 2 years when was the last time a team w/o HCA won the Finals 2 years straight? Exactly, it's almost never happened, the last 2 years were the exception, not the rule.

I think the Heat have a 50% chance of losing next year though, all great teams eventually will run out of gas, it happened to the Lakers back in 2011.

[apalisoc_9]

A couple of weeks ago, I was leaning towards Kawhi defending lebron in a possible finals match-up, that said, kawhi is too important of a player both offensively and rebounding wise to waste too much energy and fouls on lebron. Part of the reason why i thought of the former is because i probably underestimated Leonard's overall impact on the team.

I Would suggest putting leonard on lebron, but only on the last 2-3 or minutes of the game tbh.

- Stay on shooters
- Don't double leborn because he's one of the best passers in the league not to mention they have both bosh, and wade on the same team
- have a combination of Ginobili-Diaw-Leonard-Green -Splitter on him, change it up a bit. Confuse him
- If you can't stop lebron from scoring ( no one can) stop his other ways of killing teams which is his passing, playmaking. Get them out of their system. To do do that, let lebron score.
- Make sure to stay on your man instead of thinking to much about deflections because Miami is probably the second best team in spacing the floor in the NBA.

Overall, just have Miami play a different kind of offense as oppose to their spacing, kick and drive offense. To do that, let lebron do his thing.

Lebron is too good of a player today though, so i wouldnt really be surpirsed if they win the championship even if they have to play out of their own system offensively. IMO though, it gives you a better chance winning.

[justinandimcool]

tbh, the way we stopped Dwight, Curry, Thompson, and now Z-Bo/Gasol has given me faith that we can win the championship for the first time this season.

LeBron is a different beast, but the team has officially proven that they're not a bunch of squares of defense. I couldn't have said that in 2012, or even 2 months ago.


see what happens in game 1 and adjust, adjust, adjust.

[Tuddy]

Pacers in 7

[apalisoc_9]

tbh, the way we stopped Dwight, Curry, Thompson, and now Z-Bo/Gasol has given me faith that we can win the championship for the first time this season.

LeBron is a different beast, but the team has officially proven that they're not a bunch of squares of defense. I couldn't have said that in 2012, or even 2 months ago.


see what happens in game 1 and adjust, adjust, adjust.

Those teams have a shitty offensive system and GS system was too gimicky. Pop did the right thing of containing the "star" players, but against Miami, IMO, it would be best to let lerbon score because Miami has on offensive system that would beat you 9/10 ten, if they combine it with their defense.

[ezau]

LeBron is the best player in the NBA. We're not going to shut him down or hold him to 10 points like we have the "stars" throughout the playoffs so far. He's probably going to get 25 a night, but it won't be the end of the world. The Spurs need to focus on containing everyone else while slowing LeBron down as much as possible without overreacting every time he hits a tough drifter or bulldozes his way to the basket.

On the other side of the coin though, what're they going to do about Parker? Chalmers is a terrible defensive player. Cole is even worse. Allen and Miller are too slow. They will either have to eat Tony's dominant play or will be forced to put Wade or LeBron on him. I'd argue Battier is too slow to guard him at this point too. And if LeBron guards Tony, their interior defense will be a joke and Duncan + Tiago will feast.

Speaking of Duncan, who do they have that can stop Duncan? Miami will have the softest frontcourt we've faced all postseason. No Dwight, no Bogut, no Gasol/ZBo. It'll be Bosh/Haslem. Come on. :lol Duncan is playing determined as fuck right now.

So tbh, while we can't "stop" LeBron, basically 2 of our best defensive players can guard that position, + our best if LeBron tries to go into the post. Meanwhile our best two players can attack their weakest defensive positions. Our best 2 perimeter defenders can also guard Wade.

I think we match up very nicely in terms of each team's best players vs each team's best defenders/worst defenders. I'm not saying I'm not worried, but I'm not that worried. The Spurs are a good team this year. I'll take my chances tbh.

This tbh.

[Brunodf]

Lol you serious? Lebron has about 45 lbs onKawhi. He'll just overpower him. And he'd run circles around Diaw and Splitter.. We have no one who can defend Lebron James.
Kawhi played well vs him. Splitter/Diaw can defend guards, pretty sure they can stay in front of Lebron(when Kawhi is resting).

[TD 21]

I'm not suggesting the Spurs should be favorites, but people are nuts if they think they're going to get destroyed. They'll have what the Mavs had going for them in '11: A level of desperation that the Heat can't possibly match, since unlike the Heat, it's now or never for them. Sure, the Heat are a lot better now than they were then, but this Spurs team is better than that Mavs team and from a match-up/strategy standpoint, there is no team better equipped to deal with them. I'm expecting a potential all-time great Finals.

[DMC]

After watching the last two games in the MIA/IND series I'm fairly confident Wade's injury is being massively overblown. He's at least 90% and it wouldn't surprise me if he's closer to 100%.

Did you see his elevation when James made that last second layup? Wade did one of those high springy knee bend jumps, and you don't do that on the sidelines if you've got an injury to the knee.

[DMC]

I'm not suggesting the Spurs should be favorites, but people are nuts if they think they're going to get destroyed. They'll have what the Mavs had going for them in '11: A level of desperation that the Heat can't possibly match, since unlike the Heat, it's now or never for them. Sure, the Heat are a lot better now than they were then, but this Spurs team is better than that Mavs team and from a match-up/strategy standpoint, there is no team better equipped to deal with them. I'm expecting a potential all-time great Finals.

In 2011, the Heat were in their 1st season together. It's not the same team this year.

[Robz4000]

Did you see his elevation when James made that last second layup? Wade did one of those high springy knee bend jumps, and you don't do that on the sidelines if you've got an injury to the knee.

Can't recall it immediately, but what really confirmed it for me was seeing Wade's dunk. You don't dunk the ball when your knee is seriously hindering you, much less get that kind of elevation.

[Richie]

Can't recall it immediately, but what really confirmed it for me was seeing Wade's dunk. You don't dunk the ball when your knee is seriously hindering you, much less get that kind of elevation.

He isn't attacking the rim anywhere near as well as he did a few years ago. That says more to me than a dunk or two

[Robz4000]

He isn't attacking the rim anywhere near as well as he did a few years ago. That says more to me than a dunk or two

That has more to do with his overall decline and taking a backseat to Lebron/whatever "system" Spo is running. He's been attacking the rim plenty this postseason imo.

[Chinook]

Splitter and Diaw are critical in this series. Look at what Indiana is doing to Miami. If the Heat have to go big, their spacing suffers a lot, and them going big depends on them not being able to play Battier at the four. As good as Hibbert is, Duncan is still better on both ends, and Splitter isn't that far behind. The advantage inside is pretty big when you see how inept the Heat are at dealing with Hibbert and West. Then you have Green and Ginobili instead of Lance Stephenson and Parker instead of Hill, and it doesn't even matter if Leonard isn't as good as Paul George. The Spurs are a tougher match-up for the Heat than the Pacers are.

What's interesting to me is seeing how the Heat handle Parker. If they try putting James on him (I actually don't think Lebron can guard him), then it's up to Green or Leonard to win the Chalmers cross-match. Leonard should be able to score over both Heat guards, and Green just needs to be opportunistic and keep Wade honest.

[Chinook]

Also, James may be the most versatile defender in the league, but he can't legitimately guard a big. Splitter needs to have confidence in taking Lebron in the paint if the Heat try to use James as the four.

[DMC]

Can't recall it immediately, but what really confirmed it for me was seeing Wade's dunk. You don't dunk the ball when your knee is seriously hindering you, much less get that kind of elevation.

zS-jR-leSRc

[The Reckoning]

time for wi-fi to earn his keep

[Capt Bringdown]

If the Heat play up to their potential, I think there's very little anyone can do.
But I also thought the Grizz would sweep the Spurs :)

I just don't wanna see f'n Battier draining 3 after 3 ffs

[spurspokesman]

David and Goliath moment coming. Go spurs!!! Well after memphis

[phyzik]

stick Splitter on Bosch all game long, I think he can handle that at least. Have Green and Kawhi rotate between Wade and James with help defense from Duncan and one of our wings cheating off their defender when they close in on 5ft. When that happens, have Splitter cheat off of Bosch and box out Bird Man while someone else picks up Bosch on the outside.

In short, make them a jump shooting team (force Bosch to make jumpers) just like we did with the Warriors.

[Prime Time]

http://youtu.be/6U7rOUSvYM8 Basically how I feel about the Spurs-Heat matchup

[siraulo23]

If ECF game 3 heat/james show up vs the spurs, they gon geet swept. Leonard isnt strong enough to defend james in the post(if those post moves showcase wasnt a fluke) and the heat have too many spur killers... battier, allen, bosh, haslem and even cole. Good news is i dont think the heat can play at such a high level on a consistent basis as good as they are, still spurs have to play out of their minds to win another championship

If the spurs win a game or two in the finals against the heat, i'd be very very happy

[siraulo23]

stick Splitter on Bosch all game long, I think he can handle that at least. Have Green and Kawhi rotate between Wade and James with help defense from Duncan and one of our wings cheating off their defender when they close in on 5ft. When that happens, have Splitter cheat off of Bosch and box out Bird Man while someone else picks up Bosch on the outside.

In short, make them a jump shooting team (force Bosch to make jumpers) just like we did with the Warriors.

the heat have too many guys who can create their own shots, too many players to penetrate the paint and kick to sharpshooters, it'll be a tough task to say the least

[hommeaetage]

Lebron is well past his prime

what? :lol
I just spit my drink reading this

[Richie]

the heat have too many guys who can create their own shots, too many players to penetrate the paint and kick to sharpshooters, it'll be a tough task to say the least

If anyone other than Lebron, Wade or Bosh is creating, I think the Spurs will have to live with that. None of the others have looked especially good this post-season in that role.

[Richie]

If ECF game 3 heat/james show up vs the spurs, they gon geet swept. Leonard isnt strong enough to defend james in the post(if those post moves showcase wasnt a fluke) and the heat have too many spur killers... battier, allen, bosh, haslem and even cole. Good news is i dont think the heat can play at such a high level on a consistent basis as good as they are, still spurs have to play out of their minds to win another championship

If the spurs win a game or two in the finals against the heat, i'd be very very happy

Agreed, there is no chance Kawhi can defend Lebron in the post, but as always it takes a team to defend a superstar, especially an MVP like Lebron. Pacers didn't gameplan for Lebron in the post because he didn't do it in Games 1 and 2, caught Indiana completely off guard and Vogel couldn't adjust.

If nothing else, the Spurs have a big matchup advantage in Pop v Spo

[eyeh8u]

I just can't wait for that inevitable moment when on a switch or something , its bonner guarding lebron 1 on 1

[ezau]

"“This was just the first time you’ve seen it, other times I’ve been able to not show you,” Wade said after the game before revealing a rather gnarly detail about the bandage that certainly helps explain his troubles in the postseason.“I’m taping it. When you have a [bone] bruise, you try to move the kneecap over so it won’t rub. When you get into game sweat you have to re-tape it a bit.”
Moving the kneecap over, even if that’s just athlete/trainer jargon, is not a reassuring revelation."

Source (http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/05/14/dwyane-wade-reveals-unsettling-detail-about-his-knee-injury/)

[Russo21]

Fuck knows what we'll do with him. What are they gonna do with Tim and Tony?

[Zzakk's Garage]

Fuck knows what we'll do with him. What are they gonna do with Tim and Tony?
Exactly.
Too many people forgetting just how great we are.

[HI-FI]

I'm not suggesting the Spurs should be favorites, but people are nuts if they think they're going to get destroyed. They'll have what the Mavs had going for them in '11: A level of desperation that the Heat can't possibly match, since unlike the Heat, it's now or never for them. Sure, the Heat are a lot better now than they were then, but this Spurs team is better than that Mavs team and from a match-up/strategy standpoint, there is no team better equipped to deal with them. I'm expecting a potential all-time great Finals.
This.

[T Park]

I say just let LeBron get his and try to shut down everyone else.

Of course, let's close out the Grizzlies first, m'kay?

For the billionth time. Fans have no control over the current series.

[cd98]

Our best chance is for Hibbert to do Duncan a solid in the game Indiana is eliminated in by making sure he fouls Lebron so hard he can't walk for three weeks.

Miami is sleepwalking in the East. No one can beat them to four wins in a series. Still, it's a championship the Spurs got there.

[Captivus]

If I'm the coaching staff, I would review every game Miami lost this year and try to find something. In fact, I would even hire people to watch the games and give me feedback, on everything, everything, every play they run, every substitution, time out, everything.
Miami has lost before, it can be done.
Still, lets win tonight!
PS: I cant believe we are talking about this, wow. Amazing that the Spurs have come this far.

[100%duncan]

Play Kawhi one on one on him. And lock down the rest of their team. Let Lebron get his and it's not like we really have a choice.

[weebo]

Initially, the Spurs will try and do the same thing they did in '07 with Lebron and turn him into a jump shooter. The Spurs need to lock in on everybody else. If you keep the rest of their guys from catching fire and get them on the PnR with Duncan and Splitter, you give yourself a chance.

[Vash StampedE]

I know it's premature and all with the Spurs still needing to win one more game but I know many of us Spurs fans feel ecstatic picturing the Spurs playing in the Finals again and hopefully, win another ring for Tim and Pop. If the two aforementioned teams ever get to face each other in the Finals, it would pretty much be, in my opinion, a tossup as both teams play excellent offense and defense. Who cares if they have Lebron? We have the Big 3 playing great at the right time and we have great defenders in Green and Leonard.

[Leetonidas]

Force LeBron to carry the scoring load and try to take away his playmaking and make him beat you on offense. That is how the Spurs will win. James is too good at getting his teammates involved, he must be forced into the scoring role. Spurs have shown in the past they can let 1 player go bonkers on offense and hold the rest of the team in check and win. That's the formula imo. Wade being a little hobbled will help a lot.

[Darius McCrary]

Seriously, the big issue with Lebron is that he's grown as a basketball player. He now understands he doesn't need to force the issue, and has become an adept passer. Being surrounded by good players helps, obviously.

If you're the Spurs, you keep doing what you're doing and got your this far: stuff the paint and make them beat you from outside. I agree that taking care of the ball is major. But if you do keep your turnovers low (and there's no reason why the Spurs couldn't do that), then defending their halfcourt offense shouldn't be insurmountable. Ultimately, the Spurs might need to pick their poison, and I would suspect Pop would prefer the likes of Cole and Battier to win the game rather than Lebron and Wade.

This is the dumbest post I've ever read. James has always been a player that naturally let's the game come to him and has most certainly always been more then a good passer...

[Amuseddaysleeper]

People are going to be in for a very rude awakening when Norris Cole locks down Parker. He's done it before and is a very tough matchup for TP. TP will get some points but Cole can stay in front of him. Relying on TP's midrange game still makes me nervous, although he has improved a ton over the years.

As for Duncan, he'd need to average 28 and 13 because the Spurs struggle with Bosh.

As much as people worry about LeBron, it's the fact that Allen, Battier, and Miller always do really really well against us. Miami's role players will slaughter ours.

And finally, people can make fun of Birdman all they want but I promise you he will make life hell in the paint for our slashers.

Heat in 5, maybe even 6 if the Spurs play really well.

I'm just happy we got this far.

[Spursfanfromafar]

People are going to be in for a very rude awakening when Norris Cole locks down Parker. He's done it before and is a very tough matchup for TP. TP will get some points but Cole can stay in front of him. Relying on TP's midrange game still makes me nervous, although he has improved a ton over the years.

But a Parker that has done well against the likes of Mike Conley (much better than Norris Cole) or Klay Thompson (length and chops) can definitely be expected to overcome Norris Cole. Raza, you do need to look into your sample size of the Cole-Parker matchup :).




As for Duncan, he'd need to average 28 and 13 because the Spurs struggle with Bosh.

As much as people worry about LeBron, it's the fact that Allen, Battier, and Miller always do really really well against us. Miami's role players will slaughter ours.

And finally, people can make fun of Birdman all they want but I promise you he will make life hell in the paint for our slashers.

Heat in 5, maybe even 6 if the Spurs play really well.

I'm just happy we got this far.

I am quite happy as well. The thing is the Heat bench is resourceful and useful - better than the Grizzlies role players - but the Spurs are on the verge of "sweeping" a team that many expected to trample them.

I think you should not only be happy but appreciate the reasons for the Spurs' success so far. The difference between a healthy Spurs and a peak Heat is not so much as is made out to be. I am willing to risk "irrational optimism" to say that the Spurs could actually overcome the Heat, as objectively they are not very far from the Heat, as you make it out to be.

[urunobili]

I'd be more concerned about finishing the Grizz before thinking about an opponent that hasn't finished its opponent yet.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Parker has done nothing short of superb these playoffs I agree. And while in theory it may sound silly to think Norris Cole of all people will be the one that slows Parker down but I believe it. You're right, it's a small sample size but also factoring in that the Spurs love to give up the midrange and the Heat can destroy you from there, I am certainly anxious heading into this series.

If the Spurs don't get a split, this series could be over fast. I think there are better chances of the Heat stealing a road game than the Spurs.

[sananspursfan21]

:lol This is so beyond "being realistic" it's laughable. Of course the Spurs stand a fucking chance. The Heat have been beating up JV teams all season. Lets see them play a real team with all its players and a badass coach. Of course they will be the favorites but to think they would just steamroll us is fucking bullshit.

Seriously. Cuz the Heat have just steamrolled over the Pacers in the series :rolleyes. Granted that the Heat like to goof around the first few games and then get serious but the Spurs will be their biggest challenge in the post season by far.

[Spursfanfromafar]

You're right, it's a small sample size but also factoring in that the Spurs love to give up the midrange and the Heat can destroy you from there, I am certainly anxious heading into this series.

I would actually say that if the Heat are going to beat the Spurs, it wouldn't be because of their reliance on mid range shots. Check these stats by the Heat, Grizzlies & Warriors on % accuracy of mid range shots for the year 2012-13 -

Heat - http://bkref.com/tiny/JTZne

Grizzlies - http://bkref.com/tiny/lvnnm

Warriors - http://bkref.com/tiny/5kGYA

The Heat are just about as good as the Warriors overall in shooting mid rangers (starters + role players) and the Grizzlies are not very far in that either (taking Gasol's prowess in retrospect especially).

If they are going to shoot close to 40% on a majority of mid rangers (and about 40% on a minority of three pointers) and about 60% on an even lesser number of close to rim shots for an overall of about 45% Effective FG%; I think the Spurs are taking the series.

IMO, the key for the Spurs against the Heat would be to limit the 3 pointers, and the Heat's big two's drives (and the likes of Andersom from getting easy buckets). That will be the most difficult task for both Splitter & Duncan. If they manage to do this, they will fare well.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

Nice post.

I agree about limiting Miami's drives to the basket. I'd rather the Heat try to beat us from outside than inside.

[kaji157]

I don´t know. But i think the Spurs usually defeat bad coached teams.
Unless the refs take over on crucial moments we could finish off the heat in 5.

[Russ]

Lebron's only weakness is between his ears.

The Spurs need to frustrate him (somehow) and since the Heat has no system, if the leader loses his poise, so will the troops.

If Wade is well enough to assume the mantle, the Spurs probably don't have much chance. But if he isn't, there is at least a possibility that the Heat crumbles around Lebron like Cavs teams past. The Heat are like a bully now, and you don't punch a bully, you frustrate them.

If the Mavs could do it . . .

[ginobilized]

Can't wait to see this potential matchup!
Pop started preparing early in the season
for this possibility. I bet he will have a bunch
of strategies for defending the Heat and Lebron.

Just hoping for a win tonight and no injuries.

[tuncaboylu]

All the people here were concerning how we will face against Memphis 1 week ago. I remember the things I've read.

- They have 3 players in all-defense teams,
- Conley is one of the best Parker defender in the league.
- Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince can destroy Manu, Green and Leonard in defense.
- Z-Bo is an offensive rebound beast.
- Gasol is too good for Splitter in both defense and offense.
etc.

Now we're up 3-0 and thinking what we can do against Miami.

Guys! Our team is strong. Really strong. Some of you're underestimating us and don't figure out our strength.
We scored 100+ points against the best defensive team of the league. We scored 18 points in OT against them.
We kept the best offensive team in the league in 82 points in their arena on close-out game.

- We're one of the most balanced team in the league in both end with Miami.
- We can adjust to our opponent. Remember first 2 games against GSW and last 4.
- Our coach is much better than theirs.
- They've nobody to defend our Parker.
- We've better clutch players in close games.
- Our ball movement is in lightning speed sometimes and we've no trouble on finding open-look shooter.
- We're coming from a harder path. GSW and Memphis are better teams then injury-deplated Bulls and 5-men rotation Pacers.(Proivdes self confidence)

We're really good. I believe we've a chance to win it all. You'll all see.

[Big Empty]

We dont double Lebron till hes in the post. We clog the lanes and try our best to make them a jump shooting team. It will limit our foul trouble as well. We can certainly use tmac this series but pop isnt gonna do it. We limit turnovers and this series is within reach

[dg7md]

I can't imagine this place if the Spurs lose in the Finals...

I'm not, nor was I ever, completely sold on the Heat as a dominant team. I think the Spurs can take them down in 6.

[dbestpro]

Pop has always allowed the bmoc of the other team to get his, while playing tough on the other four guys. James may average 40 points in the series, which will be fine as long as the other guys are getting no more than 40-50 pts. Man up on Lebron, and stay home on the shooters. Even when he dunks or posts up, you cannot double team as that opens the pass for a three. You need to look at him as a PF who can shoot the three. You might even see Blair get some run on James if they keep trying to post him up. Just be prepared to see him shoot about 10-20 foul shots per game.

[Brunodf]

Pop has always allowed the bmoc of the other team to get his, while playing tough on the other four guys. James may average 40 points in the series, which will be fine as long as the other guys are getting no more than 40-50 pts. Man up on Lebron, and stay home on the shooters. Even when he dunks or posts up, you cannot double team as that opens the pass for a three. You need to look at him as a PF who can shoot the three. You might even see Blair get some run on James if they keep trying to post him up. Just be prepared to see him shoot about 10-20 foul shots per game.
:lmao

[703 Spurz]

Guarantee you Pop has no strategy for James right now. He won't until the Spurs win the WCF. The Heat have too many weapons. You put your best on James and Wade kills you. You switch up and Bosh kills you. You manage to avoid those and Allen kills you from outside.

Their only weakness is that they lack size inside. Pop will want to slow it down with them, but that's no secret tactic and no one else has been able to. They score off turnovers, they shoot the 3, they shoot a high percentage, they get offensive boards, they share the ball, they move the ball well, they defend well, they even shoot FTs well.

It will be quite a feat to win a single game against them. Taking them to 7 would be monumental. Beating them would be borderline impossible. They have to play subpar and the Spurs have to play out of their minds to even stand a chance.

How does Chicago and Indiana have a win against them already if it's such a feat to win one?

[K-State Spur]

Heat looked panic-inducing unbeatable last night. But if they opened up playing Games 1 & 2 the same way they did vs. IND, they'd drop both by solid margins vs. having a close win/close defeat vs. IND. Playing things traditionally, Spurs match up really well with MIA. The things that CHI & IND have done that have made the Heat look mortal at times are things that the Spurs do REALLY well.

The concern last night is that Miami's bigs were hitting jump shots, forcing the defending bigs out of the paint, opening up for Lebron and Wade on the post & drive. Once Bosh & Haslem hit a few jumpers, suddenly every single shot Miami got was an easy one at the rim. Now, that's a formula that scares me as it should - on paper - work against the Spurs just as well. Hell, that works against pretty much anybody. But take note that Bosh shot 28% from 3 during regular season and Haslem had an eFG% of 37% (AWFUL) on jump shots this year. And neither is a great defensive matchup for Duncan/Splitter. On top of that Birdman is also playing well above himself thus far in the postseason - he an energy guy off the bench that does some nice things but also undisciplined, NOT this master of efficiency that he has portrayed through 3 rounds.

I also think Kawhi as a post defender would be tougher on Lebron than anybody IND is throwing at him (although I'd rather have George guarding him out on perimeter). Playing more zone similar to what Dallas showed 2 years ago is an intriguing thought on paper. Of course, I'd like to have a healthy Chandler (best help defender in the league at that time) anchoring it.

Ultimately, the goal is to cut off Miami's role shooters & force Lebron/Wade to beat you with jumpers. That's a lot easier said than done and they can beat you even if you do accomplish that - but that's the strategy. Oh, & you have to score on the other end at the same time. Luckily, that's an easier proposition as this year's Miami defense has dropped off a bit compared to the previous 2 years.

[mingus]

Not going to stop him or really be able to contain him defensively. Only chance we have of competing with Miami is if our Big Three plays like they did in their vintage days for most of the series.

[mingus]

I think Miami takes it in 5.

[moisaenz]

Just play.

[exstatic]

D.I.A.W.

[SpursDynasty]

Lebron James isn't that good. Last I remember, we swept him in the Finals the last time. I've said this before, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are better players than Lebron. Lebron is only good when he makes jump shots. He's a jump shooter, always has been. Nothing different about the way he plays and the way Nick Van Exel played.

[Richie]

Miami like to front the post but the Spurs should have a million plays to counter and get Timmy good post position. Anytime anyone but Bosh is on Timmy, he needs to go to work.

I like the Splitter on Battier matchup too, although he will need to dominate on the boards.

More than anything, it is the ability of our big men to pass the ball that will be able to slice apart the Heat. I think we can score enough to beat them, we just need to get stops

[TJastal]

Is would be the one series where if I was pop I'd consider using McGrady. Spurs cannot afford to have Leonard or Green in foul trouble. No easy baskets for Lebron. Foul him hard and give him no cheesy and ones.

[therealtruth]

Lebron James isn't that good. Last I remember, we swept him in the Finals the last time. I've said this before, Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green are better players than Lebron. Lebron is only good when he makes jump shots. He's a jump shooter, always has been. Nothing different about the way he plays and the way Nick Van Exel played.

I agree your best bet is keeping Lebron as a jumpshooter. But his post game adds a new wrinkle.

[Chinook]

:lmao

It's not that absurd. James doesn't really have that much of a height advantage over Blair, and if there's one thing DeJuan can do well is stand there and not let someone push him around in the post. But Blair has little chance to defend him on the perimeter, so I wouldn't be for him guarding James at all.

Although Blair did a pretty good job on Melo earlier this season.

[Chinook]

It's also about the whistle. The best way to take out James and Wade is to get them in foul trouble. We've seen it happen in the playoffs already. If Wade matches up with Leonard (which could be the case if Lebron plays Parker and Chalmers plays Green), then Kawhi has to be assertive. Wade can't guard him in the post.

Also, Duncan needs to be assertive against the Heat's front line. Miami needs to never consider playing small.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz7cX_akV7U

[Obstructed_View]

I want to enjoy the Spurs making it to the finals before I face the reality of what stands between them and an undefeated finals record. I also want them to make it to the finals so I can enjoy it.

[DMC]

How does Chicago and Indiana have a win against them already if it's such a feat to win one?

Not in the Finals.

[Richie]

Not in the Finals.

Miami are 6-5 in the Finals in the last 2 years. Also, the only team they've swept since Lebron and Bosh joined are the 38-44 Milwaukee Bucks this year. Guaranteed we get at least 1 game, probably 2.

[TD 21]

Miami like to front the post but the Spurs should have a million plays to counter and get Timmy good post position. Anytime anyone but Bosh is on Timmy, he needs to go to work.

I like the Splitter on Battier matchup too, although he will need to dominate on the boards.

More than anything, it is the ability of our big men to pass the ball that will be able to slice apart the Heat. I think we can score enough to beat them, we just need to get stops

He needs to go to work on Bosh, too. Even though they're the same height and probably within' 10 pounds of each other now, Duncan's got a stronger base and he's longer, so he should still be able to overpower and finish over the top of him in the post.

Chinook, not only will the Heat go small, they'll go small plenty and they'll likely do so irrespective to how Duncan and Splitter are playing. It's mass/strength that they have trouble defending in the post more than anything (look at the relative success the Grizzlies, Pacers and Jazz, have had against them in recent years) and for all their length, with Duncan's weight loss, he doesn't possess as much of either as he used to and Splitter never did.

Besides, Splitter's not a major low post/rebounding threat, anyway. He might do some damage with Battier on him, but you've got to give up something and if that means them maintaining optimal floor spacing on one end and less touches for the Spurs big three on the other, I think they'll live with it.

[Richie]

Besides, Splitter's not a major low post/rebounding threat, anyway. He might do some damage with Battier on him, but you've got to give up something and if that means them maintaining optimal floor spacing on one end and less touches for the Spurs big three on the other, I think they'll live with it.

This has got to be one of the biggest problems. We are going to need Splitter to get a double double every game with the Heat playing so small, and he might not be up to the challenge. I don't want to see us throwing it in to Splitter and him backing down Battier in the post, but we would need to run action to get him good position in the paint for either a catch and finish or a rebound.

Alternatively, Diaw showed that he can back down players in the post against Barnes in the Golden State series. I actually think Diaw v Battier might be a better matchup advantage for us because Diaw should still be able to score on Battier in the post and his passing should be able to expose the aggressive Heat defence.

[spurraider21]

If Timmy takes initiative on offense the heat are in for a tough series. Timmy can take Bosh down low and force them to play haslem or birdman which hurts their spacing. Remember the warriors series was won once they began starting Landry or ezeli

[DMC]

Miami are 6-5 in the Finals in the last 2 years. Also, the only team they've swept since Lebron and Bosh joined are the 38-44 Milwaukee Bucks this year. Guaranteed we get at least 1 game, probably 2.

I don't predict a sweep, but it's not easy to take a Finals game from Miami. It's quite a feat to do so. The team that backdoor swept the Spurs won only one game, and your stats discount that fact. Miami is only in it's 3rd year as it's currently constructed, so any Finals stats have to take that into consideration.

However if SA gets past the Grizzlies, I can predict that there will soon be conspiracy threads here about officiating in the Finals because Danny Green or Kawhi Leonard didn't get the calls, or that Wade got to the line too many times.

[Horse]

All you guys writing us off against miami can fuck off. Yeah james is a tough matchup but who do they have to guard Timmy? or Tony? or Manu? If we let lebron get his, make him a scorer like we used to do with nash then they will have to live and die with jumpers and we know how that turned out for golden state. I'm not saying it will be easy but it's way too early to throw in the towel.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

The Spurs will be an underdog for sure, but there might not be any other team left in the league better suited to defeating the Heat.

[DMC]

All you guys writing us off against miami can fuck off. Yeah james is a tough matchup but who do they have to guard Timmy? or Tony? or Manu? If we let lebron get his, make him a scorer like we used to do with nash then they will have to live and die with jumpers and we know how that turned out for golden state. I'm not saying it will be easy but it's way too early to throw in the towel.

It's way too early to look past Memphis.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

It's way too early to look past Memphis.



We're fans, not coaches or players. We can look as far ahead to the Finals or another NBA game as much as we want.

[bigfan]

After Mem is done I will worry about it.

[Richie]

It's way too early to look past Memphis.

While I generally agree, I'd say the odds of a Memphis comeback are probably worse than the odds of an Indiana win. If we're going to entertain the notion of Memphis beating us, we might as well entertain the notion of us playing Indiana in the finals.

Take neither for granted, but I'd say it's 95% certain we'll have a Miami/Spurs finals.

[DMC]

While I generally agree, I'd say the odds of a Memphis comeback are probably worse than the odds of an Indiana win. If we're going to entertain the notion of Memphis beating us, we might as well entertain the notion of us playing Indiana in the finals.

Take neither for granted, but I'd say it's 95% certain we'll have a Miami/Spurs finals.

The odds change if they win tonight. If they win a 2nd in a row, the odds change even more. What if it goes to 7, how do you feel about those odds?

[tmtcsc]

Swift kick to the nuts?

[m33p0]

if Green guards him and he falls down, i'll call flop every. fucking. time.

[ThaBigFundamental21]

I think the Spurs let Lebron get his and focus on shutting down all others as much as possible. We have seen Pop use this strategy in the past. I remember this against the Suns in the early days. Let Amare go off, stop others as much as possible. I think it would work wonders against Miami. Can you imagine Leonard stifling Wade? I could see him flat out shutting him down if that's the way the Spurs played it. I suspect, Leonard will guard Lebron though. Green on Wade, Parker on Chalmers. Really, not a bed setup IMO. Timmy can guard Bosh, or even Splitter can guard him. Honestly, I like the Spurs chances against the Heat. I'm not saying it would necessarily be quick, but I like the match ups.

[rmt]

I'd rather Lebron beat the Spurs than Allen, Battier, Miller, etc. Double team as little as possible. Rotate Leonard and Diaw on Lebron and try to wear him down. Spurs will miss SJax.

1. Limit turnovers.
2. Rebound, rebound, rebound.
3. Play big - 2 of TD, Splitter and Diaw at all times - no Bonner or Blair
4. Stay home on the others. Let Lebron try to win the game himself. If they keep it close, maybe he'll choke at the end or get tired.

Spurs need to go hard after game 1. That'll be the most winnable with all that rest - put pressure on them and hopefully they'll choke. That said, I think it'll be MIA in 5.

[m33p0]

I think the Spurs let Lebron get his and focus on shutting down all others as much as possible. We have seen Pop use this strategy in the past. I remember this against the Suns in the early days. Let Amare go off, stop others as much as possible. I think it would work wonders against Miami. Can you imagine Leonard stifling Wade? I could see him flat out shutting him down if that's the way the Spurs played it. I suspect, Leonard will guard Lebron though. Green on Wade, Parker on Chalmers. Really, not a bed setup IMO. Timmy can guard Bosh, or even Splitter can guard him. Honestly, I like the Spurs chances against the Heat. I'm not saying it would necessarily be quick, but I like the match ups.
a fire hydrant can stop bosh. pfft! sorry, i just have no respect for him.

[Richie]

The odds change if they win tonight. If they win a 2nd in a row, the odds change even more. What if it goes to 7, how do you feel about those odds?

It's the same as if Indiana wins the next one and takes Miami to 7. I would put us a 60/40 favourite if we play a game 7, but I think it's very unlikely we'll get that far.

Personally I think we'll lose tonight and close it out in Game 5.

[easjer]

Quote Originally Posted by DMC
It's way too early to look past Memphis.We're fans, not coaches or players. We can look as far ahead to the Finals or another NBA game as much as we want.

Frankly, I've been looking ahead to the 2014 WCF. It was a damn shame that Kawhi went down the way he did in game 2, but I think Baynes has a superstar level game if we're going to take out the Blazers in 5.

[MannyIsGod]

Seriously, the big issue with Lebron is that he's grown as a basketball player. He now understands he doesn't need to force the issue, and has become an adept passer. Being surrounded by good players helps, obviously.

If you're the Spurs, you keep doing what you're doing and got your this far: stuff the paint and make them beat you from outside. I agree that taking care of the ball is major. But if you do keep your turnovers low (and there's no reason why the Spurs couldn't do that), then defending their halfcourt offense shouldn't be insurmountable. Ultimately, the Spurs might need to pick their poison, and I would suspect Pop would prefer the likes of Cole and Battier to win the game rather than Lebron and Wade.

What? Lebron has been a great facilitator since his Cleveland days. Thats not something new at all. The knock on him in Cleveland was that he passed so much and never wanted to take the last shot. He's not really grown at all he simply has a better team around him.

[skin]

Let's close out the Grizzlies first

[703 Spurz]

Not in the Finals.

The Spurs have never lost when getting to the Finals so what does that mean?

[jmanu20]

Don't understand why so many are afraid of this Heat team. Sure, they have Lebron, but Wade does not seem to be what he once was, and they are also weak PG and C. Their bench is just a bunch of old, veteran shooters except for Birdman, and if the Spurs were able to stop a duo of young guns in Curry and Thompson, certainly they can stop 50 yr olds Ray Allen,Mike Miller, and Rashard Lewis.

Honestly, maybe the Spurs should just single cover Lebron and take away his passing options. Make him try to beat a team as stacked as the Spurs by himself.

[elec99]

I see what may be a lot of reverse jinxes going on, so be it.

I think the game plan against memphis was the same as the one against the lakers, no secret there.
If miami had to be compared to another series, I think it would be the gsw series. No typical inside post game for miami, everything originates from the perimter and will end up in a 3pt shot or a long 2, or a driving layup from the usual suspects. But they dont have a big man who is gonna pound it down low.
They can, however, break defenses down so that birdman gets a paint shot or an easy put back. Plus they can play small ball so it will be interesting to see where their 4 and 5 players stand on the court, much like gsw.

But we forced gsw to match up to us, and when need be we went small ourselves. We wont have to worry too much about their 1 chucking up 3s, the ball will be funneled through lebron for the shot or assist. I say we make lebron win the game via jumpshot, (aka the kobe treatment) keep his teammates un-involved, unless the game comes down to the final shot and you try to turn him into a passer.

If you can be in each game up until the end, like indiana did in the first 2 games, then good things will happen.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

There is nothing the Spurs can do. Also battier, Allen, bosh all murder the Spurs. Seeing as how the spurs will give you the midrange Miami will kill us from there.

Heat in 5, but lets enjoy our first finals in 6 years. That really is something.

Dafuq? Stay with their shooters and put it on James to score 60 a game. The Kobe defense.

Miami is the favorite for sure, but let's not pretend like the Spurs can't win this series.

[DPG21920]

Dafuq? Stay with their shooters and put it on James to score 60 a game. The Kobe defense.

Miami is the favorite for sure, but let's not pretend like the Spurs can't win this series.

Look, I don't pretend to know what to do to stop Lebron, but Lebron is not Amare. He's worlds better on both ends. You can't just lump what the Spurs did for Amare onto Lebron because Lebron is so much more capable than Amare and has enough talent to score 60.

It's not like the Spurs can stop other guys every possession either. MIA has a stacked team full of talented guys that are also tough to guard.

[Mugen]

I'm more inclined to put Green on LeBron and have Kawhi take Wade out of the series tbh.

LeBron is going to get his no matter who guards him but he becomes transcendent when he's getting easy looks for everybody else on the Heat.

He's loads better than 2007 but the blueprint should be the same. Cut off his drives with Tim/Tiago and make him shoot the pull ups/mid-range/3s.

The Heat are going to hurt us when they put LeBron at the 4. He'll be scary of course but i'm more scared of Wade/Bosh in a potential matchup tbh.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

Don't care if LeBron keeps making jump shot after jump shot - I don't want him to be making easy layups after easy layups.

[Brunodf]

It's not that absurd. James doesn't really have that much of a height advantage over Blair, and if there's one thing DeJuan can do well is stand there and not let someone push him around in the post. But Blair has little chance to defend him on the perimeter, so I wouldn't be for him guarding James at all.

Although Blair did a pretty good job on Melo earlier this season.
:lmaoBlair is slower than Kawhi, Diaw, Splitter and is the worst defender

[SpursRock20]

Guarantee you Pop has no strategy for James right now. He won't until the Spurs win the WCF. The Heat have too many weapons. You put your best on James and Wade kills you. You switch up and Bosh kills you. You manage to avoid those and Allen kills you from outside.

Their only weakness is that they lack size inside. Pop will want to slow it down with them, but that's no secret tactic and no one else has been able to. They score off turnovers, they shoot the 3, they shoot a high percentage, they get offensive boards, they share the ball, they move the ball well, they defend well, they even shoot FTs well.

It will be quite a feat to win a single game against them. Taking them to 7 would be monumental. Beating them would be borderline impossible. They have to play subpar and the Spurs have to play out of their minds to even stand a chance.

Quite a feat to win one game against them? The Bulls beat them without Rose, Deng, or Heinrich :lol

[DMC]

Quite a feat to win one game against them? The Bulls beat them without Rose, Deng, or Heinrich :lol

Different gear in the Finals.

[DMC]

The Spurs have never lost when getting to the Finals so what does that mean?

They haven't been there enough times.

[Spurs and Mavs fan]

For those who say the Spurs have never lost in the Finals - well, the San Francisco 49ers were an undefeated 5-0 in the Super Bowl before losing in the Super Bowl this February.


Meaning, it's meaningless.

[dbreiden83080]

Quite a feat to win one game against them? The Bulls beat them without Rose, Deng, or Heinrich :lol

The Pacers could be up 2-1 if not for a bad overplay by George in game 1..

[SpursRock20]

For those who say the Spurs have never lost in the Finals - well, the San Francisco 49ers were an undefeated 5-0 in the Super Bowl before losing in the Super Bowl this February.


Meaning, it's meaningless.
I think it means something. The 49ers is not a good reference because no one from the previous superbowl appearances were on last year's 49ers team. This Spurs team still has the core Big 3 who are undefeated in the Finals. They know how to get it done. Now this doesn't mean that it is an automatic win in the Finals, but it shows that the Spurs have players that step their game up and are not afraid of the big stage.

[Chinook]

:lmaoBlair is slower than Kawhi, Diaw, Splitter and is the worst defender

It's like you only read the first four words of the post. Blair's supposed lack of footspeed wouldn't be a huge issue in the post. Blair's only a bad post defender because he's short, but against shorter players (compared to bigs), he shouldn't be as bad. But ultimately, I agree that he can't guard James, since Blair can't guard perimeter players. He doesn't have that bad of feet, though. He's pretty agile for a big.

[Richie]

A video of Butler defending Lebron in the ECSF


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHwMkn6tvnE

Obviously the video only shows Lebrons misses, and considering how few there are of him missing in the paint compare to jumpshots that tells you all you need to know about the game plan. Stay in front of him, give him the jumpshot and hope he misses, if he gets in to the paint he rarely misses.

[MannyIsGod]

The thing with the Heat is that people need to realize their losses are due to a lack of effort. What has happened everytime they've been beat? They come back and slaughter the team the next game. I do believe the Spurs have a chance, but the fact is that the Heat are a much better team at defending the PnR than Memphis and they are obviously far more talented.

The Spurs will have to play efficient low turnover basketball to have a shot. The two meetings this year tell us nothing so we'll see. We have a huge advantadge in the coaching department so hopefully that makes a difference.

[TD 21]

I'd rather Lebron beat the Spurs than Allen, Battier, Miller, etc. Double team as little as possible. Rotate Leonard and Diaw on Lebron and try to wear him down. Spurs will miss SJax.

1. Limit turnovers.
2. Rebound, rebound, rebound.
3. Play big - 2 of TD, Splitter and Diaw at all times - no Bonner or Blair
4. Stay home on the others. Let Lebron try to win the game himself. If they keep it close, maybe he'll choke at the end or get tired.

Spurs need to go hard after game 1. That'll be the most winnable with all that rest - put pressure on them and hopefully they'll choke. That said, I think it'll be MIA in 5.

How does Diaw qualify as "playing big", but Bonner doesn't?

To beat this team, they're going to need to limit the minutes of spots 9 (I'd say 8 too, but Joseph is basically playing 8 mpg, in 3 minute increments, so there's not much more he can be limited) and they should do away with spot 10 in the rotation altogether. That means making a choice between Bonner and Neal. For 3 reasons, Bonner should be the choice . . .

1) They're going to need to shoot the three well and Neal's shot has been broken since he got plantar fasciitis. Meanwhile, Bonner has finally nutted up in the playoffs.

2) There's no obvious safe hiding place for Neal. Chalmers/Cole is the best they can do and though both are limited creators and function more as spot up guys, it's not like they're a Green or Pondexter and they're completely incapable of dribbling and creating at all off the bounce. Besides, the Spurs can't afford to risk being burned by such limited players.

3) More so than any other team, size on the wings matters against the Heat. Going with Bonner makes it easier to play Diaw some at SF, thereby utilizing him as a secondary James defender.

[tesseractive]

How does Diaw qualify as "playing big", but Bonner doesn't?

To beat this team, they're going to need to limit the minutes of spots 9 (I'd say 8 too, but Joseph is basically playing 8 mpg, in 3 minute increments, so there's not much more he can be limited) and they should do away with spot 10 in the rotation altogether. That means making a choice between Bonner and Neal. For 3 reasons, Bonner should be the choice . . .

1) They're going to need to shoot the three well and Neal's shot has been broken since he got plantar fasciitis. Meanwhile, Bonner has finally nutted up in the playoffs.

2) There's no obvious safe hiding place for Neal. Chalmers/Cole is the best they can do and though both are limited creators and function more as spot up guys, it's not like they're a Green or Pondexter and they're completely incapable of dribbling and creating at all off the bounce. Besides, the Spurs can't afford to risk being burned by such limited players.

3) More so than any other team, size on the wings matters against the Heat. Going with Bonner makes it easier to play Diaw some at SF, thereby utilizing him as a secondary James defender.
I like this idea in theory, especially since Miami has bigs that we can hide Bonner on.

But OKC killed us last year because Bonner's release wasn't quick enough. They could sag his man into the paint to help with penetration, then recover in time to challenge the shot. Miami also has guys who can close out really fast. So I'm ok trying Bonner for a few minutes to see how it goes and get guys some rest, but I have zero confidence that he'll have the same success he had against Memphis and LA.

[tesseractive]

Dafuq? Stay with their shooters and put it on James to score 60 a game. The Kobe defense.

Miami is the favorite for sure, but let's not pretend like the Spurs can't win this series.

Between his shooting, his post ups, and his isos, LeBron can destroy any one-on-one defender in the league -- nobody can handle all three of those. He can back down Leonard on every single possession if we let him, and if we leave him on an island, he can take Boris off the dribble 10 times out of 10.

LeBron is the best wing since Jordan, and it's not close. Help me remember -- how well did the "we'll make Jordan beat us" defense work out?

[TD 21]

I like this idea in theory, especially since Miami has bigs that we can hide Bonner on.

But OKC killed us last year because Bonner's release wasn't quick enough. They could sag his man into the paint to help with penetration, then recover in time to challenge the shot. Miami also has guys who can close out really fast. So I'm ok trying Bonner for a few minutes to see how it goes and get guys some rest, but I have zero confidence that he'll have the same success he had against Memphis and LA.

I don't disagree, but let's face it, at least one of them is getting minutes and I don't see a case for it to be Neal. If he were the Neal pre injury, then for the very reason you brought up (which I had thought of), I'd probably be advocating him, even with no ideal option to hide him on. But in the state he's in, he's not an NBA player. That being the case, it's an easy call to go with the guy shooting literally double the percentage from three in the playoffs, no hatter how equipped they are to eliminate his open looks.

Hopefully he can make them pay with his running hooks. :lol

[tesseractive]

I don't disagree, but let's face it, at least one of them is getting minutes and I don't see a case for it to be Neal. If he were the Neal pre injury, then for the very reason you brought up (which I had thought of), I'd probably be advocating him, even with no ideal option to hide him on. But in the state he's in, he's not an NBA player. That being the case, it's an easy call to go with the guy shooting literally double the percentage from three in the playoffs, no hatter how equipped they are to eliminate his open looks.

Hopefully he can make them pay with his running hooks. :lol
Ok, I see your point. Neal has really shown some toughness out there fighting gamely through his injuries even though he's not close to right, but, yeah, he really isn't much of an asset at all.

It's a shame that De Colo buried himself so deep in the doghouse, because I could see him giving us a few useful minutes at the 2 if he had been part of the playoff run. Maybe next year if he keeps working on his shot and gets his attitude back on course.

So yeah, I guess Bonner is the only realistic option as the 9th man, despite his well-known problems.

[CosmicCowboy]

:lol @ all the doom and gloom. Miami is not invincible and Spurs can take them.

[rmt]

How does Diaw qualify as "playing big", but Bonner doesn't?

To beat this team, they're going to need to limit the minutes of spots 9 (I'd say 8 too, but Joseph is basically playing 8 mpg, in 3 minute increments, so there's not much more he can be limited) and they should do away with spot 10 in the rotation altogether. That means making a choice between Bonner and Neal. For 3 reasons, Bonner should be the choice . . .

1) They're going to need to shoot the three well and Neal's shot has been broken since he got plantar fasciitis. Meanwhile, Bonner has finally nutted up in the playoffs.

2) There's no obvious safe hiding place for Neal. Chalmers/Cole is the best they can do and though both are limited creators and function more as spot up guys, it's not like they're a Green or Pondexter and they're completely incapable of dribbling and creating at all off the bounce. Besides, the Spurs can't afford to risk being burned by such limited players.

3) More so than any other team, size on the wings matters against the Heat. Going with Bonner makes it easier to play Diaw some at SF, thereby utilizing him as a secondary James defender.

I think that Pop did experiment with Diaw at SF - I recall TD, Bonner and Diaw all on the court at one time against MIA. Without SJax the only way to rotate players on Lebron (some Diaw) is to play Bonner. I do wish SJax were here. Then Spurs could get away with only TD, TS and Diaw as bigs. I think they're going to blitz TP big time and prefer to have TD, TS, Diaw as bigs because they are excellent passers and will find the open man. Bonner - not so.

[SA210]

Damn people have fallen for Miami's hype. Was there a Spurstalk GTG neutering party that I don't know about?

[TD 21]

I think that Pop did experiment with Diaw at SF - I recall TD, Bonner and Diaw all on the court at one time against MIA. Without SJax the only way to rotate players on Lebron (some Diaw) is to play Bonner. I do wish SJax were here. Then Spurs could get away with only TD, TS and Diaw as bigs. I think they're going to blitz TP big time and prefer to have TD, TS, Diaw as bigs because they are excellent passers and will find the open man. Bonner - not so.

He did in the first meeting, but the big three, Leonard, Green and Jackson, weren't playing, so it was essentially by default (he and Anderson were the only somewhat viable options) and also largely irrelevant, since it was obvious the Heat weren't engaged until they were in serious danger of losing the game. And in the second meeting, James didn't play and Diaw didn't play SF.

No question they'd prefer Diaw as a big period and particularly in this case for the reason you alluded to. But as I said in my initial post in this thread, asking Leonard to guard James for roughly 45 mpg without getting in foul trouble, is not realistic. They're going to need at least one of Diaw or Green to give them some minutes on him; the question is which is better suited.

[therealtruth]

I think it's going to come down to if Parker can play like the best PG in the NBA. If he can then it gives the Spurs a counter to James.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Let Jax wear him down for 25mins a game, then leave it to Leonard... :oops

[mudyez]

1) Put a bigman (say Bonner) on him to prevent postups.
2) Let this bigman (say Bonner) pressure him to avoid easy long range shots and make him penetrate.
3) Place Gary Neal near the basket to take offense foul after offense foul.
4) After Bron fouled out in like four minutes, bench Bonner and Neal on the bench to focus on the first few minutes of game #2.

Or just let KL play him 90% of the time with Diaw on him the other 10%. Don't double a lot. Make him a scorer and take out Bosh, Allen and Wade.

[therealtruth]

The thing with the Heat is that people need to realize their losses are due to a lack of effort. What has happened everytime they've been beat? They come back and slaughter the team the next game. I do believe the Spurs have a chance, but the fact is that the Heat are a much better team at defending the PnR than Memphis and they are obviously far more talented.

The Spurs will have to play efficient low turnover basketball to have a shot. The two meetings this year tell us nothing so we'll see. We have a huge advantadge in the coaching department so hopefully that makes a difference.

The Grizzlies series should have given the Spurs plenty of practice in not turning over the ball. The Grizzlies are one of the best in forcing turnovers and points of turnovers and the Spurs pretty much starved them and forced them to win in the half-court. The formula for the Spurs is to take care of the ball and outexecute the other team in the half court while also looking for easy baskets in transition.

[therealtruth]

The Spurs have to give Lebron multiple looks and keep the defense fresh. The Mavs in '11 tried to rotate 3 different defenders on him.

[manufan10]

I think you let Kawhi defend him man to man and don't help. Stay at home on the others and limit their opportunities. Make it harder for LeBron's teammates to score.

[slacker77]

:lol @ all the doom and gloom. Miami is not invincible and Spurs can take them.

THIS!!

[slacker77]

Damn people have fallen for Miami's hype. Was there a Spurstalk GTG neutering party that I don't know about?

AND THIS!!!!

[RobinsontoDuncan]

I have an idea. How about we do our best to keep LeBron out of his sweet spots, and focus on limiting the contributions of their other players.

Meanwhile, I would also focus on playing the Spurs system and make Miami beat us. All we can do people.

[buttsR4rebounding]

Buy him a ticket to watch Game 1 in San Antonio against the Pacers...

[Knoxxx]

First off Duncan/Splitter/Diaw >> Bosh/Bird Man/Haslem due to huge advantages in size and BB IQ

We also play exceptional team defense, so I expect Green/Leonard to largely alternate on Lebron to mix it up and keep him off balance. Sometimes we will double, sometimes not but the help will be coming in the form of a big guarding the lane. Usually this big help will be perfectly positioned with hands up making James' shots difficult.

Haslem and Battier will get some shots but those guys are past due to go cold against us. Allen is the guy we can't leave open but that guy is pretty slow these days. Chalmers and their other PG with the high fade cut against Parker should be a mismatch.

If we get anything from Manu this is a route, unless Miami is shooting lights out.